St. Ignatius of Antioch

October 17 is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Antioch, an early second-century martyr of the Church. As one of the Apostolic Fathers, and a disciple of St. John the Apostle, he provides an invaluable view into the nature of the early Church. Ignatius was the third Bishop of Antioch, and as Theodoret tells us, he was appointed to this see by the Apostle Peter.

En route to Rome to be fed to the lions, he penned six letters to the churches in his region, as well as a letter to St. Polycarp. Cardinal Newman writes that "the whole system of Catholic doctrine may be discovered, at least in outline, not to say in parts filled up, in the course of his seven epistles." His Letter to the Smyrnaeans is the oldest extant document that we know of to use the word Catholic to describe the Church. Beyond this, his letters contain many beautiful teachings of the Church, such as expositions on the Eucharist and the importance of bishops. He also writes on the unity and hiearchical nature of the Church, as well as exposing the errors of the Docetists, who denied Christ's humanity.

Remarkably, he instructed his readers to not interfere with his impending martyrdom:

Allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.

[Letter to the Romans, Chapter 4]

His writings on the Eucharist show that he clearly believed in the Real Presence:

They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again.

[Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 7]

He also referred to the Eucharist as "the medicine of immortality" in Chapter 7 of his Letter to the Ephesians. Furthermore, he instucts us that bishops are stewards of the Eucharist:

Let that be deemed a proper Eucharst, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it.

[Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 8]

Indeed, Ignatius speaks clearly on the role of deacons, priests, and bishops.

For, since you are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, you appear to me to live not after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order, by believing in His death, you may escape from death. It is therefore necessary that, as you indeed do, so without the bishop you should do nothing, but should also be subject to the presbytery, as to the apostle of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, in whom, if we live, we shall [at last] be found. It is fitting also that the deacons, as being [the ministers] of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, should in every respect be pleasing to all. For they are not ministers of meat and drink, but servants of the Church of God.

[Letter to the Trallians, Chapter 2]

St. Ignatius, pray for us. 

Links to his letters:

Letter to the Ephesians

Letter to the Magnesians

Letter to the Philadelphians

Letter to the Romans

Letter to the Smynaeans

Letter to the Trallians

Letter to Polycarp

The Catholic Contribution to Western Civilization

The Catholic contribution to Western Civilization has been immense. In this entry I want to focus on three areas where everyone recognizes the Catholic contribution: music, art, and exploration. Many of the giants in these areas were members of the Catholic Church. And their contributions flowed from a Catholic view of the world and reality. (Biographical details coming soon)

Some Famous Catholic Composers:

• Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) - Wrote many religious works, including the Mass in C Major and Missa Solemnis
• Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) - Deeply religious composer who wrote Stabat Mater and a Mass in D Major
• Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) - Wrote 14 Masses, 1 Stabat Mater, 2 Te Deums, and 34 offertories and anthems
• Franz Liszt (1811-1886) - Franciscan tertiary who has been called the "greatest pianist in the annals of music"
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) - Composed the Selve morale e spirituale and the Vespers of 1610, and became a priest later in life
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - Composed more than 60 pieces of sacred music
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) - "The greatest composer of liturgical music of all time"
• Franz Schubert (1797-1828) - Wrote no less than 30 pieces of sacred music
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Known for his Four Seasons and for being called the "Red Priest," Vivaldi also composed dozens of pieces of sacred music

Some Famous Catholic Artists:

• Fra Angelico (c.1395-1455) - Domincan friar who made invalubale contributions to religious art
• Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510) - Renaissance painter who is best known for his Primavera and The Birth of Venus, but who also created many religious works, including frescoes in the Sistine Chapel
• Caravaggio (1571-1610) - Baroque painter who painted many biblical scenes including The Calling of St. Matthew
• Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Spanish surrealist artist whose most famous religious painting is the Christ of Saint John of the Cross
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - Renaissance master known for his Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, as well as other religous works
• Donatello (c.1386-1466) - Renaissance sculptor who created many religious works
• El Greco (1541-1614) - Religious works include The Opening of the Fifth Seal and the Holy Trinity
• Jan van Eyck (c.1395-1441) - Flemish painter known for his Annunciation, Madonna and Child, and Ghent Altarpiece
• Giotto (1266-1337) - Founder of the Italian school of painting who dedicated his life to creating religious works
• Michelangelo (1475-1564) - Renaissance giant who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and who sculpted the Pieta
• Raphael (1483-1520) - Renaissance master who has been called "the most famous name in the history of painting"
• Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) - Flemish Baroque painter known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, and landscapes
• Titian (c.1490-1576) - Has been called "the greatest of Venetian painters"

Some Famous Catholic Explorers

• Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c.1475-1519) - First European to reach the Pacific from the New World
• John Cabot (c.1450-c.1499) - Discovered parts of North America
• Samuel de Champlain (c.1567-1635) - Explorer who founded New France and Quebec City
• Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) - Discovered the Americas
• Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1510-1554) - Explored the southwestern United States
• Bartolomeu Dias (c.1451-1500) - Led the first European expedition to sail around Africa's Cape of Good Hope
• Vasco da Gama (c.1460-1524) - Discovered an ocearn route from Portugal to the East
• Louis Jolliet (1645-1700) - Explored the Mississippi River with Marquette
• Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521) - Led the first European expedition to Florida
• Ferdinand Magellan (c.1480-1521) - His expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe
• Jacques Marquette (1637-1675) - Jesuit priest, who along with Louis Jolliet, mapped the northern portions of the Mississippi River
• Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) - Started the first school for oceanic navigation
• Marco Polo (c.1254-1324) - One of the first Europeans to travel into Mongolia and China
• Robert de LaSalle (1643-1687) - Explored the Great Lakes region of the United States; earlier in his life he had been a member of the Jesuits
• Hernando de Soto (c.1496-1542) - First European to cross the Mississippi River; also explored the southeastern United States
• Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) - America was named after Vespucci in 1507; first to discover that the Americas were separate from the continent of Asia