313 Edict of Milan
Constantine makes Christianity the State religion which stops the persecution of Christians. The edict “legalized Christianity. Being that it was no longer a capital crime, Christians were able to come out into the open for the first time.”
325 Council of Nicea
The Pope wanted a general council convened to end the Arian heresy. “The Council of Nicea met, deposed Arius, condemned his heretical teaching, and formulated the Nicene Creed which is said to this day at every Sunday Mass and Divine Liturgy”.
520 St. Benedict – Monasticism, Christianization of Barbarians
St. Benedict of Nursia who is known as the Father of Western Monasticism established the first monastery in Europe at Subiaco, Italy.
1054 Split! The East and West Schism
Eastern Church becomes the Greek Orthodox Church by severing all ties with Rome and the Roman Catholic Church.
1095-1270 Crusades
“In 1095, the Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, sent ambassadors to Pope Urban II in Rome asking for help to defend Christianity from an imminent attack. The Arab Muslins had overrun the Holy Land, and Christians were no longer free to move about and visit their holy pilgrimage sites.” The Crusades were sent to free the Holy Land. 8 crusades and a lot of victims later, they turned out to be a total failure. It was a total disaster, all sides acted terribly. Some people think that the Crusades at least contained the Islamic expansion into Europe. “To Catholics, the Crusades are a poignant reminder that the ends never justify the means. The Catholic belief is that no matter how lofty the goal or noble the purpose, only moral means can be used. Otherwise, it’s an immoral enterprise. In other words, although the goal of defending and freeing the oppressed was good and noble, the Crusades should’ve stopped when many of the Europeans started making a profit on it and when Christians and Muslims alike resorted to barbaric tactics.”
1200 St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic
1309-1377 Avignon Captivity
After Pope Clement arrived in Avignon, France. Other Popes decided to follow in his footsteps, for 70 years afterwards. People were confused, Pope in Rome? Pope in France? There were multiple people claiming to be Pope at the time. St. Catherine of Siena finally said, “Enough!” and Pope Gregory XI listened and moved back to Rome.
1517 Protestant Reformation
Due to corruption of some clergy in the Church angry reformers decided to take action. October 31st 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Wittenberg Church. “Only by faith alone can man be saved. Good works are useless.” Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide (Scripture Alone, Faith Alone). There were a few problems among Catholic clergy at this time. The biggest problem was the selling of indulgences, basically asking the lay people to pay their way into heaven.
1541 Calvinism/ Presbyterianism
John Calvin establishes a new Church in Geneva, Switzerland. He said that Man has no power to do good. God chooses to save only some people. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is only for the salvation of those God chooses (not everyone). When God chooses to save someone, they are saved and that’s it, they can’t be unsaved.
1553 Anglicanism / Episcopalianism
Henry the VIII declares himself the supreme head of the Church in England because the Pope refused to grant him an annulment because his wife gave him a daughter and not a son.
1545-63 Council of Trent - Counter Reformation
“During this age, known as the Counter Reformation, men and women who were considered outstanding in their holiness combated the attacks.” It was basically a council to counter the protestant reformation by clarifying it’s teachings and reviving the Church. Abuses were stopped, religious orders were revived, returns to piety and priestly spirituality were brought about. Booyah!
1858 BVM appears to Bernadette in Lourdes
1869-1870 Vatican I
Defined the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.
1917 BVM appears in Fatima
1962-65 Vatican II
“Presenting and explaining a 2000 year old religion to a modern world in contemporary terms was the primary goal of the council. No new dogmas or doctrines were proclaimed or defined bu the old ones were merely restated and re-emphasized with modern vocabulary and context. The content of the faith was not changed, but the context in which is was explained and the manner in which it was communicated was adapted for the modern era.” It allowed for the vernacular to be used instead of Latin, since many schools were not teaching Latin anymore. Latin is still the official language of the Church.
1978 - John Paul II becomes Pope
The People’s Pope. Ushers in World Youth Day. Puts an emphasis on the importance of the youth in the Church. Begins his pontificate teaching Theology of the Body. The most traveled pope in history. Need we say more? He was amazing.
2005 – John Paul II dies.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is elected Pope and takes the name Benedict XVI
