Church Councils
This ecumenical council, held in 325 A.D., condemned Arianism and produced the first version of the Creed still recited at Mass today.
What is the Council of Nicaea?
Issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, this landmark encyclical addressed the rights and duties of workers and employers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.
What is Rerum Novarum?
This word, often translated “word” in John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word”), is the Greek term that signifies divine reason or wisdom.
What is Logos?
In this 1858 apparition, Mary identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception” to a young peasant girl named Bernadette.
What is Our Lady of Lourdes?
This Italian saint received the stigmata and was known for hearing confessions for hours every day and even bilocating.
Who is Padre Pio?
This council, held in 381 A.D., expanded on the Nicene Creed and added language about the Holy Spirit “who proceeds from the Father,” later leading to East–West tensions over the phrase filioque.
What is the Council of Constantinople?
This 1963 encyclical by Pope John XXIII, whose title means “Peace on Earth,” emphasizes human rights and global peace.
What is Pacem in Terris?
The Old Testament was primarily written in this ancient language.
What is Hebrew?
In 1917, three shepherd children in Portugal witnessed this apparition, where Mary urged prayer and repentance.
What is Our Lady of Fatima?
Born in Spain, this saint founded the Jesuit order, officially called the Society of Jesus.
Who is Saint Ignatius of Loyola?
This 16th-century council responded to the Protestant Reformation, affirming that both Scripture and Tradition are sources of divine revelation.
What is the Council of Trent?
Written by Pope St. John Paul II in 1991, this encyclical reaffirmed the dignity of work and critiqued both socialism and consumerist capitalism.
What is Centesimus Annus?
This 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible by St. Jerome became the standard version for the Catholic Church for centuries.
What is the Vulgate?
This 1531 apparition appeared to St. Juan Diego and left her miraculous image on his tilma.
What is Our Lady of Guadalupe?
This 14th-century saint and Doctor of the Church persuaded the pope to return from Avignon to Rome.
Who is Saint Catherine of Siena?
This 20th-century ecumenical council, opened by Pope John XXIII, produced key documents such as Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes, promoting renewal in the Church’s liturgy and engagement with the modern world.
What is the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II)?
Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, subtitled On Care for Our Common Home, calls for environmental stewardship as a moral and spiritual responsibility.
What is Laudato Si’?
This ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, whose name means “seventy,” was widely used in the time of Jesus.
What is the Septuagint?
In 1830, Mary appeared to St. Catherine Labouré in Paris and gave her a medal that became known by this name.
What is the Miraculous Medal (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal)?
This French priest founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, dedicating his life to serving the poor.
Who is Saint Vincent de Paul?
This 5th-century council, held in 451 A.D., defined that Christ is one Person with two natures — fully divine and fully human — a teaching defended passionately by Pope St. Leo the Great.
What is the Council of Chalcedon?
This 2009 encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, titled On Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth, explores how authentic human progress must include moral and spiritual growth.
What is Caritas in Veritate?
The New Testament was originally written in this common dialect of Greek.
What is Koine Greek?
In 1879, Mary appeared silently alongside St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist to a group of villagers in this small Irish town.
What is Our Lady of Knock?
Martyred in Auschwitz, this philosopher and convert from Judaism offered her life for others and was canonized by Pope John Paul II.
Who is Saint Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)?