Faith Through the Ages - Today in Religious History
Saint Gilbert of Sempringham was an English Roman Catholic priest who founded the Gilbertine order, the only native English monastic order. He is celebrated as the patron saint of the Diocese of Nottingham.
Pope Gregory IX was elected as the 179th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is known for launching the Papal Inquisition and his conflicts with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.
During the French Revolution, a group of Carmelite nuns were guillotined in Compiègne for refusing to renounce their faith. They are remembered as the Martyrs of Compiègne and were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926.
The First Plenary Council of Baltimore was the first national gathering of Catholic bishops in the United States. It established the Catholic hierarchy in the country and set guidelines for the administration of the Church.
During the Boxer Rebellion in China, a group of Catholic missionaries, including several Jesuit priests, were killed for their faith. They are remembered as the Martyrs of Shanxi and were beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1946.