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Fr. Emil Kapaun may one day become the first Catholic saint who is also a Medal of Honor recipient. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us about the dedicated US Army chaplain who died in a North Korean POW camp after selflessly praying with and encouraging his fellow prisoners to survive hell on Earth.

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Fr. Stephen Badin was the first Catholic priest ordained in the United States, a title he took great pride in. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us about this gruff, rigid man who was also a tender and caring pastor, a man who traveled well over 100,000 miles in pursuit of souls for Christ.

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The Battle of Gettysburg is often considered a turning point of the Civil War. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us how Catholics played key roles in the battle before, during, and after, including the Daughters of Charity who nursed the wounded and dying and Fr. William Corby, chaplain of the Irish Brigade.

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Fr. Damien de Veuster came to the Hawaiian Islands in 1864 as a missionary and soon volunteered to minister to the leper colony on Molokai. Tom and Noëlle Crowe describe his ministry among those who were ill and set aside as one filled with joy and selfless love until his own death, which led to his canonization as St. Damien.

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In 1859, a young Belgian immigrant had an encounter in a Wisconsin forest with a woman surrounded by light. Tom and Noëlle Crowe relate how Adele accepted the call of Our Lady to catechize the children of the region and how 150 years later this became the first approved Marian apparition in the US.

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St. Rose Priory in Kentucky is the original home of the Dominican order in the United States. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us how American-born Bishop Edward Fenwick brought the Order of Preachers to the US and established them here on the western frontier of the newborn country.

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Fred Allen was a hugely influential and beloved comic actor in the golden age of radio whose characters, tropes, and sketches have been imitated ever since. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us that even though Allen’s Catholicism was public and obvious, his simple faith showed through.

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Margaret Brown did so much in her life–helping the poor, building churches, establishing a juvenile justice system, women’s suffrage, even running for office and going into acting–that Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us she’d remarkable even if she hadn’t also survived the sinking of the Titanic.

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The Jesuit missionary Fr. de Smet met, befriended, and evangelized nearly every native tribe west of the Mississippi in the mid-19th century and, as Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, was prized among nearly everyone for his joy, his wisdom, his holiness, and his tirelessness in bringing Christ to all he could meet.

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The Knights of Columbus are the largest Catholic fraternal and charitable organization in the world, and as Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, we can thank the charismatic and holy young priest Fr. Michael McGivney for identifying the need for the Knights among his people and starting it all.

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Mother Mary Bentivoglio’s story is yet another of overcoming obstacles and persevering in faith. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us how this Poor Clare nun came to the US with her community in the late 19th century and was bounced around the country as she sought to establish her contemplative monastery.

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As great as St. Patrick is and important to Ireland, as Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day didn’t become the cultural phenomenon it is until Irish-Americans essentially created it and exported it around the world.

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When Jesuit Father Ferdinand Farmer came to the US colonies before the Revolution, they were bitterly divided by religious intolerance. Tom and Noëlle tell us how his selfless, tireless efforts did much to break down the walls and help the Catholic faith to gain respect.

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The French-born Bishop Simon Bruté, first bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, was a famed intellectual and missionary. He was even associated with Napoleon Bonaparte. But Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us he was also a simple man of deep faith and very humble with a lasting impact.

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Ever since he died, there has been speculation that George Washington converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. Tom and Noëlle Crowe look at the reasons why some think our first President did and the attitudes and actions in his life that were favorable toward Catholics.

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Mary Edmonia Lewis was a black Catholic woman who became a great sculptor. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tells us that in order to overcome prejudice against her she moved to Rome from the US early on and it wasn’t until quite recently that Lewis received recognition for her great art.

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Cora Evans was a Mormon homemaker in the early to mid-20th century who lost her faith soon after her wedding. But Tom and Noëlle Crowe reveal how she reported mystical experiences ever since childhood that led her to Catholicism and eventually to a cause for canonization.

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Mary Lou Williams was one of the great jazz musicians of the 20th century. As Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us, when she’d had enough of the dissolute life that came with fame, Mary Lou eventually turned her heart to Christ, became Catholic, and put her musical talent in His hands.

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The period between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday is known in some Catholic places as Carnival, a time to celebrate before the penitential season of Lent. Tom and Noelle Crowe Tell us that in many places it is far from the bacchanalia of the popular imagination with many family friendly customs.

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In Philadelphia in 1844, tensions between Catholics and Protestants over religious indoctrination in public schools boiled over into violence. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell how anti-Catholic nativism sparked running street battles that left dozens dead and dozens more homes, businesses, and churches destroyed.