When I was a kid I learned the Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Our Father

But I had no idea there were dozens of traditional Catholic prayers

Here are 8 prayers every Catholic should know—but few do (thread) 🧵 1/ St. Michael’s Prayer

Written by Pope Leo XIII and used to be said at the end of every Mass

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

“The Eucharist is just a symbol!”

The early Church certainly didn’t think so

Here’s what the first Christians thought about the Eucharist (thread) 🧵 St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110)

“Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God... They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again.”

— Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 6–7

Catholic symbols are everywhere

But some are hard to recognize

Here are 10 Catholic symbols you may have seen but never really understood. 1. Pelican in Her Piety

The mother pelican was believed to pierce her own breast to feed her young with her blood.

For Christians, this became a profound image of Christ in the Eucharist

He feeds us with His own Body and Blood

Most Catholics think the parish is just the responsibility of the priest

But John Paul II diasgrees. He said you're responsible, too.

So if your parish sucks, here's how to fix it… (thread) A lot of parishes try to “involve” lay people by giving them jobs inside the liturgy.

They lector or distribute communion.

But we’re not priests. That’s not our job. Our job is more mission-driven.

Some people’s prayer life revolves around “the Jesus high”

They bounce from retreat to retreat trying to feel God’s presence

But St. Teresa of Avila warns: not all good feelings in prayer come from God. (thread)

Understanding this can change how you pray. In “The Interior Castle,” Teresa explains the difference between “sweetness” and “consolation.”

“Sweetness” is the “Jesus High”

It comes from good meditation on Christ and may include tears, good feelings, etc.

It’s not bad—but it’s not always from God.

“Mary is barely in the Bible!”

Sure, if you don’t know how to read it.

Here are 8 non-obvious places in Scripture to look for Mary (thread) 🧵 1/ Eve

Immediately after the Fall of Man, God promises Eve that her “seed” will overcome death. (Genesis 3:15)

This is the first prophecy of Christ and it includes His mother, Mary.

This is the strongest link between the Old Eve and Mary, the New Eve.

“Why are Catholics so focused on Mary?”

Well, because the early Church was.

Here is what the early Church Fathers had to say about the Blessed Virgin Mary (thread) 🧵 1/ St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110)

"For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to God's plan, of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit; He was born and was baptized that by His passion He might purify the water."

— Letter to the Ephesians, 18

The Catholic Church preaches 4 dogmas about Mary

Every Christian is bound to believe them.

Here's what they are (+ how to defend them) 🧵 1. Mary is the Mother of God

The argument is simple:
1) Mary is the Mother of Jesus
2) Jesus is God, therefore
3) Mary is the Mother of God

"Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
(Luke 1:43)

Mary is only mentioned in the Bible a few times

But those few times pack a punch

Here are 10 places Mary is mentioned in Scripture—and what they mean (thread) "Hail, full of grace" (Luke 1:28)

The Greek term kecharitōmenē denotes a perfected state of grace

Early Church Fathers, like St. Gregory of Nazianzus, interpreted this as evidence of Mary's unique sanctity

He emphasized that Mary was pre-purified in soul and body, making her a fitting vessel for the Incarnation

The Rosary is one of the most powerful prayers in the Christian tradition.

But many don’t know about its rich history.

Here’s how the Rosary became the Church’s spiritual weapon of choice… (thread) The Rosary didn’t drop out of heaven fully formed.

Its structure as we know it today came together in the 13th century, through the preaching of St. Dominic.

But its roots—repetitive prayer, meditating on Scripture, counting beads—go back to the early Church.

For centuries, the liturgical calendar shaped Christian life

But many Catholic feast day traditions have been largely forgotten

Here are 10 feast day traditions we’ve lost. (thread) 1. Holy Innocents (Dec 28)

This feast remembers the massacre of Bethlehem’s children by Herod

In medieval Europe, cathedrals would appoint a Boy Bishop to “rule” from Dec 6 to Dec 28.

He led processions, gave blessings, and sometimes even preached

For 1500 years, every Christian venerated Mary

But now almost no Protestants do… so what happened?

The answer lies with John Calvin. (thread) John Calvin affirmed *some* of the Catholic teaching about Mary

But he refused her any other honors.

Because for Calvin, any exaltation of Mary risked turning her into a rival to Christ.

When the Catholic Church makes a saint, they usually make them a patron of something

But other saint patronages are… weird.

Here are 10 strange patron saints + the stories behind them. (thread)

1. St. Drogo — Patron of ugly people Drogo was a Flemish noble who suffered a disfiguring disease

It made him so unsettling to look at, he lived in a cell with a small hatch for Holy Communion.

(tag your bro who needs to pray to St. Drogo 👇🏻)

The Catholic Church has 3 controversial titles for Mary

Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate

Here's what they are and why every Christian should believe them (thread) 🧵 The three titles—coredemptrix, mediatrix, and advocate—are the three ways Mary interacts with Jesus

1) Coredemptrix – She works with Him
2) Mediatrix – She brings grace from Him
3) Advocate – She brings us to Him

The Catholic Church is over 2,000 years old.

And it has its secrets.

Here are 11 examples of hidden Catholic architecture (many only recently discovered)… 🧵 1) Nicollene Chapel – Vatican City

A private chapel built only for popes and decorated by Fra Angelico

It is rarely open to the public and few have ever seen it

Many Catholic parishes are failing

Because they fail to make disciples

But each parish only needs 4 key ministries to make that happen.

(thread) 🧵 At most parishes, the “involved” people sign up to be a lector or eucharistic minister

The laity become quasi-priests

But that’s not what the laity are supposed to do

Most people today read the Bible like it’s a textbook.

But the early Christians read it differently

Here’s how St. Augustine taught Christians to read Scripture — (and what most Christians miss) 🧵 In the 5th century, St. Augustine wrote a guide to reading the Bible.

It’s called De Doctrina Christiana — “On Christian Teaching.”

And it’s a completely different mindset than most modern readers bring to Scripture.

The Bible says nothing about the Virgin Mary's childhood

But an ancient text reveals what might have happened

It’s called the “Protoevangelium of James”

Here’s what it says — and what it proves about Mary (thread) 🧵 The Protoevangelium of James was written around 150 A.D.

It’s not in the Bible, but it was popular among early Christians.

It focuses entirely on Mary: her birth, her childhood, and how she came to be the Mother of God.

This is where Jesus Christ was born

But is it really the authentic, historical manger?

Well, in 2019, archeologists found something astonishing just underneath it The Church of the Nativity is in Bethlehem over the cave where, since the 2nd century, Christians have venerated the birth of Christ.

It is the oldest major church in the Holy Land consecrated by Constantine in the year 339 AD

And its history is nothing short of miraculous.

“This is the craziest Papal Conclave in history.”

Oh there have been worse

Here’s 10 papal conclaves that will make you question how the Catholic Church is still intact after all these years (thread) 🧵 1) Pope Gregory X (Viterbo, 1268–1271)

This conclave lasted almost three years because of infighting between the French and Italians

The citizens of Viterbo locked the cardinals inside the palace, reduced their rations to bread and water, and took the roof off the building to expose them to weather

Gregory X instituted new rules to prevent similar delays.

Most people think Vatican II watered down Catholic teaching.

But that confusion didn’t come from the Council.

It came from what was written after — like the long-forgotten “Dutch Catechism” (thread) 🧵 In 1966, the Dutch bishops released "A New Catechism: Catholic Faith for Adults"

It was the first national catechism after Vatican II.

But instead of explaining the Council, it rewrote the faith.