American Catholic History

The largest collection of relics in the world outside of Vatican City is in tiny, unassuming St. Anthony Chapel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The man responsible is Father Suitbert Mollinger, a Belgian immigrant priest who had a vast fortune at his disposal, lots of connections all over Europe, and a desire to preserve relics and other sacred objects from destruction. He was born in 1828, and when the wars of the mid- to late-19th century threatened to destroy so many treasures of the Church he was in position to acquire them and bring them all to Pittsburgh. In 1883 he built a chapel especially to house his collection, and in 1892 he expanded it because his collection had grown so large. The collection at St. Anthony Chapel — which has grown since his death in 1892 — contains more than 5,000 relics, which range from bits of clothing, to snips of hair, chips of bone, and even one entire skeleton. Many slivers of the True Cross, and even a fragment of Mary's veil are present.

William Peter Blatty wrote the book The Exorcist in part to convince people of the truth and power of the Catholic Churh. If only the Catholic hierarchy can expel demons, then it must be the Church founded by Jesus Christ. His book became the 1973 movie The Exorcist, which is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Among horror flicks, only Jaws is in the same league of success. The book, and subsequently the film, are based on a number of accounts of actual exorcisms, but one in particular dominates. This was an exorcism carried out in 1949 in Washington, DC and St. Louis, Missouri. The person possessed was a boy (not a girl as in the book and movie) who had used a ouija board with his aunt. In January 1949 manifestations of possession began, but his parents — who were Lutheran — did not understand them. Eventually they contacted the Jesuits at Georgetown University who identified the happenings as demonic possession. An exorcism was attempted, but it was cut short. The boy's family moved to St. Louis, but the manifestations continued. Jesuits from St. Louis University became involved and the archbishop of St. Louis authorized the exorcism to commence. For months the priests involved battled the demon or demons possessing the boy, until finally the possession ended in dramatic fashion on Easter Monday in April. One priest involved kept a daily diary of everything he witnessed. That record was a significant resource for Blatty.

Knute Rockne did more than anyone to put Notre Dame football in the map. He and his buddy Gus Dorais made the forward pass a major part of offensive schemes in 1913. He went on to be the head football coach at Notre Dame from 1918 through his tragic death in 1931. During that stretch he compiled a record of 105-12-5, with five perfect seasons and three national championships. He still holds the highest winning percentage of a major college coach. He was born in Norway in 1888. His father was a carriage maker who came to the United States in 1891 to show his innovations at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The rest of the family came over after the fair in 1893 when Knute was 5. He played football with friends, but only one season in high school, only getting into one game. He joined the team and played tight end at the University of Notre Dame when he enrolled there in 1910. While there, he and his buddy, Charlie "Gus" Dorais, who played quarterback, developed plays that featured the forward pass — which was only recently legal in organized football, but was hardly used by offenses. Their success with deep throws in their November 1, 1913 upset win over Army changed football forever. Rockne was born and raised Lutheran, but the witness of his players going to Mass, of their own volition,  and what he saw as the strength their faith brought them, brought him to become Catholic in 1925. One of those players was Clem Crowe, who was team captain in 1925, and who is a great grand-uncle to our co-host, Tom Crowe. The picture in our show art is of Rockne and Crowe standing together observing practice. Rockne died tragically in a plane crash in 1931.

Dorothy Day co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement and spent her life advocating for the poor and downtrodden. But her path didn't start in the Catholic Faith. Raised with no particular religion, she developed a deep sense that she needed to help the poor, workers, and the downtrodden early in life and took part in activism beginning in her late teens. She became a socialist and lived a bohemian lifestyle, living with a series of lovers. One prevailed upon her to have an abortion. Eventually she had a profound conversion experience and became Catholic after her daughter was born. A few years later, while writing for Commonweal, she met Peter Maurin, and they co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933. The Catholic Worker newspaper spread across the country and dozens of Catholic Worker houses opened. But her activism brought her into tension with the Catholic hierarchy often. She also spent time in Cuba where her coverage of the Castro revolution left many wondering. She was controversial, but she was a devout Catholic who truly worked to help the poor in the best ways she knew how. Her cause for canonization is open, making her a Servant of God.

 

One of the most controversial and complex Catholics of the 20th century, Dorothy Day went through a phase of atheism, she had an abortion, and a daughter, and she eventually found love in Christ and became a devout Catholic. With Peter Maurin she co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement and worked tirelessly for the disadvantaged.

Pilgrims have come to Holy Hill for centuries, seeking peace, solace, and miraculous cures. They have found all three. Nowadays the Basilica of Our Lady, Help of Christians rises above the trees high atop Holy Hill, offering the sacraments, but long before the Carmelites began their ministry on this site in the late 19th century, Jesuits sanctified the site and dedicated it to Our Lady. But the story of how the property came into the hands of the Church, and how it became a major place of pilgrimage, are also interesting.