From a Life of Luxury to a Life of Holy Poverty: St. Francis, Before the Franciscan Order
byWinner of the Spring 2019 StMU History Media Award for Best Article in the Category of “People” Francis was faced with a very large…
Religion
A Document Shroud in Controversy: Humanae Vitae
byPope Paul VI shocked both the Church and the media in 1968 with his release of Humanae Vitae, an encyclical focused on the use…
Life in Iran Before and After the Revolution: How Religion Redefined a Nation
byThe Iranian Revolution led to the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the latest ruler in the Persian monarchy that had been ruling for…
New York’s Biggest Police Manhunt: The Son of Sam
byAmerican society has always had a fascination with violent crime, mass murders, and serial killers. David Berkowitz, aka the self-proclaimed “Son of Sam,” has…
A Viking Burial: The Ancient Art of Saying Goodbye
byEvery culture in the world has a tradition that makes them stand out from the rest. People take pride in what makes them unique,…
The Legend Behind Teotihuacán
byAt the heart of the mighty Aztec empire laid the capital Tenochtitlan, the Venice of the new world. No other civilization at the time…
The Burns of Freedom: The Courageous Journey of Asma Yaqoob
byRejection is not something people deal with easily. When people are turned down because the other wants to preserve her own freedom, it is…
The Communist Question: Antisemitism in early Soviet Union
by“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same…
The Secret Peoples: From Druidry’s Origins to Modern Druidism
byMore than likely when you hear the word Druid, you conjure up an image of an old man with a beard dressed in robes…
China’s Plan to Shanghai Tibet
byImagine at the age of twenty-three having to walk at night across the Himalayan mountains, to survive and avoid imprisonment, torture, and certain death….
“This is the miracle of miracles”: The Holy Mass
byIt was March 25, and the Catholic Church was celebrating the feast of the “Annunciation,” which is the day in which the angel Gabriel…
A Deadly Path Towards Sainthood: The Assassination of Monsignor Oscar Romero
byWinner of the Fall 2018 StMU History Media Award for Best Overall Research It was March 24, 1980. At 6:30 PM, Monsignor Oscar Romero…
The Aztec Origins of Día de Los Muertos
byMany people know of the Mexican holiday Día de Los Muertos, which is filled with vibrant colors and intricately painted faces. What many people don’t…
“He Gave His Life for Me. I Will Give My Life to Him:” A Look into the Faith of Columbine’s First Victim
byOn April 20, 1999, seventeen-year-old Rachel Joy Scott spent the first two classes of the day drawing in her journal; it would be for…
Zeus the God of All Gods
byThe stories of Greek mythology are entirely fascinating and thought provoking. Nevertheless, these myths have become so popularized because of the teachings found within…
Shifting Worlds: A Convention Orders the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations Against Their Will
byThe year is 1920. The Treaty of Sevres has just been signed on August 10, 1920 effectively ending the rule of the Ottoman Empire…
Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir: President and Criminal
by“Mr. President, we, the victims of Darfur, come before this council today with a simple message. We do not need more reports. Time is running out. We…
Assassination on the Innocent: The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572
byIn the early hours of August 24, 1572, all was calm in France until an unexpected chaos struck the Protestant Huguenots gathered at the Louvre…
Osiris: The Ruler of the Underworld
byIn accordance with the Heliopolis creation myth, Atum was the first god to exist. The god, lonely, then decided to create the god Shu…
Zen Buddhism and the Samurai’s Key to Bushido
byWhat do you suppose would happen if Buddhism were to be brought to China, and then introduced to the samurai warriors of Japan? If…