The attack began the night of July 13, [1099,] and the defenders let loose a hail of stones and rivers of Greek fire…. The battle hung in the balance during the morning hours of July 15. Archers shot blazing firebrands to drive the defenders from the walls, but the siege towers were battered and burned. … Read more
Including under this term every kind of brotherhood of knights, secular as well as religious, historians of the military orders have enumerated as many as a hundred, even after eliminating the apocryphal and stillborn. This great number is explained by the eagerness with which the Middle Ages welcomed an institution so thoroughly corresponding to the … Read more
In the fourteenth century a transformation of mentality began to take place in Christian Europe; in the course of the fifteenth century it became ever more apparent. The thirst for earthly pleasures became a burning desire. Diversions became more and more frequent and sumptuous, increasingly engrossing men. The growing yearning for a life filled with … Read more
In the early autumn Francis, feeling the hand of death upon him, was carried to his beloved Porziuncola, that he might breathe his last sigh where his vocation had been revealed to him and whence his order had struggled into sight. On the way thither he asked to be set down, and with painful effort … Read more
The evangelization of men has been a topic of concern for many Catholic parishes and dioceses. Men seemed to be participating less in the faith and this has an impact on the family and society. Matthew Christoff is someone who decided to do something about this problem by starting a project that targets men specifically. … Read more
Return to Order author John Horvat delivered a paper on manliness and chivalry at the Inaugural Men’s Summit of the Masculine Genius Institute. The meeting was held on May 18-20 at the Cardinal Stritch Retreat Center on the grounds of the seminary in Mundelein, Ill. It was co-sponsored by the vibrant Philadelphia-based men’s group, The … Read more
