Acts of the Apostles Timeline

St. Peter was the first pope. He led the Church during very difficult times while they were being persecuted. He helped people and those who were being persecuted.

Was the second pope after Peter. He is supposed to have issued a decree that women should have they heads covered in Church. He suffered martyrdom and he was pope for twelve years.

He was the third pope of the Catholic Church. There is not very much known about him. He did ordain many priests and he did die a martyr.

He is the fourth pope of the Church. He was ordained by St. Peter and the successor of St. Jerome. Nothing is known about the life and death of St. Clement.

The fifth pope of the Church. The date of birth is unknown and he died in about 107 AD. He was martyred and was laid to rest near the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican. His feast day is on October 26.

He is the sixth pope of the Church. He was a Roman by birth. He was martyred by decapitation in Rome. He is said to have introduced the blessing of water mixed with salt to purify Christian homes fro evil influences.

This was a proclamation that permanently established religious freedom in Rome. This was made by Constantine I and Licinius which was the conclusion of a political agreement in Milan. This proclamation is very important because it granted the freedom to Christians to establish churches and to worship God without fear and persecution in Rome. Christians were granted legal rights and their property was returned. It helped keep the Christian faith growing because it was now allowed to grow. The Edict of Milan is a very important event in our Church's history because it meant that we could practice our religion freely.

The Eastern and Western Schism was when the East and West churches separated. It was caused by arguments about papal authority. The Pope of Rome claimed that he had control of the East and its patriarchs, but the Eastern patriarchs said that his control over them was just honorary. They said the the Pope of Rome only had control of Christians in the West and not in the East. The Church split geographically, theologically, doctrinal, linguistically, and politically. They were never brought together again. Some reasons why this conflict happened is because the language of the west was Latin and the language of the east was Greek. Also, they drifted apart politically because while the west was overrun by barbarians, the east was still successful. This event was a big turning point in the history of our Church.

Problem: The Arians said that Jesus was divine, but less than God. They also said that God created Jesus and that God was around before Jesus. The Council of Nicaea was called to address this problem. The council came to the conclusion that Jesus is divine and that Jesus was with God at the same time. They came to the conclusion that Easter would be on a Sunday and they wrote and adopted the Nicene Creed.

The Apollinarians had divided the human and divine parts of Jesus. They also said that the Holy Spirit was not fully God, but a divine messenger instead. This council was called to address that problem. The council came to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is fully divine. They also said that the Trinity had three distinct persons and one divine nature.

The Nestorians had said that Mary should not be called “Mother of God”. They said she should be called “Mother of Christ so Jesus’ humanity would not be neglected. The Council came to the conclusion that Mary would be called “Mother of God. They also came to the conclusion that Jesus is fully human and fully divine but in one person united.

The Monophysites said that Jesus’ divinity completely replaced his human nature, but they also said that Jesus was human and divine. This council came to the conclusion that Jesus on earth was fully human and fully divine. They also said that his human and divine natures and wills were perfectly united in him.

Ibas of Edessa, Theodoret, and Theodore of Mopsuesta made some mistakes that had to be corrected. The council condemned some of the writings. This council came to the conclusion of reconfirming the teachings of the councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon.

Monotheletism said that had only divine will and not human will. The third council of Constantinople was led by Pope Agatho and the Emperor Constantine Pogonatus. This council came to the conclusion that Jesus has both a human and divine will, not just a divine will and this council ended the religion of Monotheletism.

Iconoclasm taught that all images or pictures should be destroyed. This council was called by Emperor Constantine VI and Irene, his mother. The Council of Nicaea II came to the conclusion that people are allowed to venerate pictures or images.

Marie-Francoise-Therese Martin was born in Alençon, France. She was the last child born to Zelie and Louis Martin. She had a very happy childhood until her mother died. Therese was only four years old at the time. Her father then moved the family to Lisieux, France. There, Therese would spend a lot of time with her father. She was very stubborn and would easily burst into tears if someone looked at her badly or said something bad about her. At fourteen, she was about to cry for something her father said, but instead, she swallowed her tears. St. Therese describes it as a "conversion". When her father took her and her sister to Rome, Therese begged the pope to let her enter a convent, since the bishop had not let her for her young age. She was allowed and Therese entered an order of Carmelites that her sisters had entered before.

St. Therese died of Tuberculosis on September 30, 1897. She was much loved by the sisters of her order. She had been writing her childhood memories down that would be later published as a book, "The Story of a Soul". St. Therese of Lisiuex is the patron saint of missionaries, florists, pilots, and priests. She is the patron saint of priests because she always wanted to be one. She said that God was merciful to let her die at twenty-four because that was the age in which men can become priests. Her symbols are roses and a Carmelite nun holding roses.

St. Therese of Lisieux was beatified on April 29, 1923 by Pope Pius XI. The two miracles were miraculous healing. The first one was a sister who had stomach ulcers and those were healed. The second one was for a man who had advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. When he thought he was dying, he was healed after praying to St. Therese. These miracles had St. Therese beatified.

St. Therese was canonized on May 17, 1925. The two miracles she needed to be canonized were also miraculous healing. The first was a woman who suffered from arthritis of the knee and tubercular lesions on the vertebrae. She was healed. The second miracle was a woman who had pulmonary tuberculosis which had spread, like St. Therese had. She was cured after visiting St. Therese's grave. St. Therese was then canonized by Pope Pius XI.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born on August 28, 1774. She was born into a wealthy Episcopalian family in New York. She lived a very comfortable life an her father made sure she had the best education after her mother died. When she was twenty, she married William Seton, who was very wealthy. They had many children. Unfortunately, his business went bankrupt and became very ill. They hoped his health would be restored in Italy, but he died shortly after the long voyage. Elizabeth returned to New York to become Catholic after help from her Italian friends who were Catholic.

Mother Seton died on January 4, 1821 from tuberculosis. During her lifetime, she established a school. Once she became Catholic, children stopped coming to her school. She did not give up and opened another school. Mother Seton also started an order called the Sisters of Charity. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the patron saint of in-law problems, against the death of children, widows, death of parents, and opposition of Church authorities. Her symbols are a pink flower, a school, and a book.

The two miracles that were needed for her to be beatified were both involving healing. The first was for a woman who was cured of pancreatic cancer. The second was a four- year old child who suffered from leukemia. After praying to Elizabeth, she was cured. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was beatified on March 17, 1963.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized on September 14, 1975 by Pope Paul VI. The miracle that allowed to be canonized was a healing. This involved a man who suffered from encephalitis. After his wife prayed to Mother Seton, he was miraculously cured from his disease. This miracle resulted in the canonization of St. Elizabeth Anne Seton. She is the first American-born saint to be canonized.

St. Katharine Drexel was born on November 26, 1858. She was born into a very wealthy family in Philadelphia. Her mother died five weeks after she was born, but her father remarried. She grew up watching her father pray every day and her stepmother helping the poor. The Drexels always helped the poor. After both of her parents died, she wanted to help the Native Americans. She used her money to help them.

St. Katharine Drexel died March 3, 1955. During her life, she established many schools with her inheritance. She was missionary who helped the Native and African Americans and established many schools for them. She went around helping them in any way she could. She established the first Catholic University for African Americans. When she had a heart attack at seventy-seven years old, she retired. St. Katharine Drexel died at ninety-six years old. She is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists. Her symbols are a rosary and the lily.

St. Katharine Drexel was beatified November 20, 1988. The miracle that allowed her to be beatified was a healing. A boy in ninth grade suffered a severe ear infection. The medicine did not work, they went to St. Katharine Drexel's tomb to pray. He was told he would not be able to hear again, even after the surgery. After going to a checkup, the doctor found that his ear had been healed. The miracle was confirmed and St. Katharine Drexel was declared blessed..

St. Katharine Drexel was canonized October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. The miracle that allowed her to be canonized was also a healing. This involved a young girl who was deaf. Her mother bought a second class relic and pressed it to the young girl's ear. The family began praying for a miracle. While at a school for the deaf, the girl started showing more response to sound. After some tests, it was determined that she could hear normally in both ears. This miracle was also confirmed and St. Katharine Drexel was declared a saint.