Christianity has many branches, some going back nearly two thousand years. When asked if they can name some major denominations, American Christians typically think of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism (churches in communion with the Church of England).  To a lesser extent some might think of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (such as that of Greek or Russia).  But … [Read more...]

The first westerners to arrive in most of the Rocky Mountain states were, not surprisingly, Catholic missionaries: Spanish missionaries into the southern Rockies and French missionaries into the northern Rockies.  Just as they did in Texas and California, these early Catholic explorers left behind a string of missions, many of which are the oldest churches (and often oldest … [Read more...]

Few continents fire the imagination of the traveler as much as Europe. Every year, millions of visitors from around the world descend on the heart of Western Civilization, intent on exploring its thousands of years of history and culture.  And no trip to Europe is complete without visiting at least one historic church, and there are thousands to choose from.  The problem is, … [Read more...]

The United States military has fought in the conflicts in the Pacific as early as the 19th century.  However, it wasn’t until the massive campaigns against Japan during World War II that Americans became familiar with the region.  Today some of the greatest battles of the War in the Pacific have achieved legendary status in America’s military history, and many of these are now … [Read more...]

American military monuments and cemeteries can be found in dozens of countries around the world. Nowhere is this more true than in France, which, thanks to the two World Wars, has almost as many American monuments than all other countries (outside of the United States) combined.  The American Battle Monuments Commission alone maintains over two dozen cemeteries in monuments in … [Read more...]

Often forgotten in the shadow of the American Civil War, the United States fought a number of major conflicts in the 19th century against various world powers that both established its dominance in the Western Hemisphere and contributed to its status as a world power.  Among these are the nearly forgotten Mexican-American and Spanish-American Wars, which between them saw … [Read more...]

So as most of you have probably heard by now, Notre Dame de Paris, one of the world's greatest and most iconic churches, was devastated by a tragic fire on Monday.  The good news is that while the interior was badly damaged, the walls and towers were essentially undamaged.  Moreover, only one person, a brave Parisian firefighter, was injured, and a lot of the artwork and sacred … [Read more...]