Western Civilization and the Catholic Heroes of History
Explore the study of Modern European History with Western Civ III, discovering extraordinary Catholic figures.
One of the classes I am teaching this year is Western Civ III for the Juniors and Seniors. Essentially, it's Modern European History, and it has been a joy to exercise my history "muscles" again. As an undergrad, I had the privilege of being a History major under Dr. Warren Carroll, perhaps one of the best Catholic historians America has ever produced.
Dr. Carroll's signature motto, which framed his approach to history, was:
"Truth exists; And the Incarnation happened."
It’s a simple motto, but both parts are essential and lead us to much more. The firm belief in Truth provides solace as we uncover the reality that much of what we’ve been told is intentionally false. The second part of the motto points us to the way through these lies. Only by staying close to the Person Who is Truth Himself (Jn 14:6) can we cut through the falsehoods.
I’m excited for my History class. We’ll be studying extraordinary Catholic figures throughout history, such as Emperor Charles V, Don Juan of Austria, Alessandro Farnese, Margaret of Austria, Empress Maria Theresa, Klemens von Metternich, Napoleon III, and many others. While none of these historical figures were perfect and all were sinners, they should still be considered Catholic heroes.
I’m not sure if we can be unburdened by what has been, but the study of History is essential for any educated person—and it’s a lot of fun.
