Jeanie Hannaman

By Thomas Craughwell, EWTN News - Every American has heard of the Battle of the Alamo, the heroic-but-hopeless defense put up by a few dozen Americans against an army from Mexico that numbered in the thousands. Through the sacrifice of their lives for the cause of Texas’ independence, the defenders made the Alamo holy ground in the historical sense. But it was already holy ground as a mission founded by a Franciscan priest to bring the local Indian tribe into the Catholic faith.

By Stephanie Mann, National Catholic Register - The Quebec Act allowed Catholics in Canada, unlike Catholics in England or other British colonies, not only to practice their faith freely, but to serve in government offices without taking an oath that denied their faith. Catholics in England, Scotland and Ireland could not serve in political office because they would have had to deny the Real Presence in the Eucharist (which the government called Transubstantiation), the invocation of saints, and the authority of the pope. Catholics in Canada could simply swear loyalty to King George III.