As mentioned in the last article, the Catholic association “Aa” had an impenetrable secrecy that protected its activities, but it makes it difficult today to know how it was organized and what impact it had. However, from the beginning, it was known to be an association reserved mainly for young men preparing … Read more

It is not the case to discuss all the aspects of Father Nicholas von Diessbach’s gigantic plan of the apostolate, especially since the French Revolution prevented its full development. Thus, it is better to look at the promotion of the Amicizia Cristiana (Christian Friendship) association, which was the center of all his … Read more

Father Nicolas Joseph Albert von Diessbach, S. J. was born in Bern, Switzerland, on February 15, 1732. His family was Huguenot, and he was raised in the rigid, dry, and sterile morals of that Calvinist sect. At the age of eleven, his parents placed him in the Swiss Army regiment commanded by … Read more

Having gained his father’s consent, Pio Brunone Lanteri’s path to ordination began at the University of Turin in 1777. When he arrived, he found an environment contaminated by Jansenism and all the errors that eventually led to the French Revolution. The Jansenian heresy penetrated Italy in the mid-eighteenth century. It quickly infiltrated … Read more

  Cuneo is a small town in the southern part of Piedmont, a province in northern Italy near the modern border with France . It is very jealous of its glorious Catholic and warrior traditions. It was founded as an independent “commune” in the twelfth century. During the wars raging in the … Read more

At 9 a.m. on August 5, 1830, Father Pio Brunone Lanteri died in the odor of sanctity at the Oblate Fathers of the Virgin Mary’s St. Clair House in Pinerolo, Italy. The seventy-one-year-old priest was more than a member of the Congregation; he was its founder.  Father Lanteri was an unyielding champion … Read more

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the grace of new missionary élan, which gave new impetus to Catholic missions. Indeed, it placed France in the vanguard of nations engaged in the propagation of the Faith. Much of the flourishing of this apostolate was due to the activity of the Foreign Missions, a … Read more

Despite numerous historical works devoted to studying the importance of the nineteenth century’s splendid religious renaissance, it is still not well understood. An overall view highlighting the interaction between all participating movements is especially lacking. Indeed, a common background guided these various apostolates. Historians of some countries have managed to provide a … Read more

The Entire Catholic World Mourned the Death of Pope Pius IX The longest papal reign in history up to that time ended when Pope Pius IX died on February 7, 1878. Despite the massive upheavals throughout his reign, the years after the Vatican Council ended in 1870 were, perhaps, the most turbulent. … Read more

The Vatican Council closed an epoch in the history of the Church. The French Revolution had aroused a reaction throughout Europe. It tried to abolish the old temporal order to strike against Religion more effectively. This hostile action, in turn, laid the groundwork for the appearance of powerful Catholic movements across the … Read more