American Catholic History

American Catholic History


Latest Episodes

Joyce Kilmer
May 18, 2020

Every student learns the poem "Trees" in school. But now Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us the story of its author Joyce Kilmer Catholic convert who wrote that and more poems, including his heroic sacrifice of his life as a soldier in France in World War I.

Dorothy Day
May 11, 2020

Dorothy Day famously asked not to be called a saint in her lifetime. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us this Catholic champion of the rights and dignity of the poor and laborers was lauded for her holiness even as others decried her former roots in Communist...

Irene Dunne
April 27, 2020

Irene Dunne was one of the most successful and famous actresses of Hollywood's golden age. But as Tom and Noëlle Crowe recall, she was also a down-to-earth wife and mother and a devout Catholic who spent her retirement years in numerous charitable works.

Kentucky Catholics and Bourbon
April 20, 2020

The histories of whiskey and Catholicism in Kentucky have close ties. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us of the Kentucky pioneers who established Catholicism west of the Appalachians and helped make bourbon that most distinctive of American spirits,

Gene Kranz
April 13, 2020

Gene Kranz was an unsung hero of NASA's golden age of manned spaceflight. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us that as director of mission control, he oversaw dozens of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights, including Apollo 11 and 13.

Happy Easter from StarQuest
April 12, 2020

From all of us at StarQuest, we wish you a Happy and Blessed Easter with this brief message from our chaplain, Fr. Cory Sticha.

Yogi Berra
April 06, 2020

Yogi Berra was perhaps the greatest catcher in baseball history, but he might almost be better known for "Yogi-isms," his homespun, head-scratching bit of wisdom. As Tom and Noëlle Crowe discuss Yogi was also a Catholic who was devoted to his faith and...

The 1918 Spanish Flu and Philadelphia’s Catholics
March 30, 2020

The Influenza pandemic of 1918 hit Philadelphia particularly hard, killing up to 16,000 people. Tom and Noëlle Crowe explore how the Catholic Church in the city stepped up to help the overwhelmed city services, with over 2,

John Dubois
March 23, 2020

Bishop John Dubois is one of the most important figures in American Catholic history that most people don't know. Tom and Noëlle Crowe follow his escape from the French Revolution to his early time with two Founding Fathers to his founding of Mt. St.

St. Josaphat Basilica
March 09, 2020

At the beginning of the 20th century, Polish Catholics in Milwaukee planned to build a massive new church for their community. Tom and Noëlle Crowe tell us construction was set to begin when they discovered Chicago's federal building was for sale.