Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

...merging of Byzantine and Romanesque styles.[3] The change in design had a number of reasons, which the architect, Charles Maginnis, stated arose out of a desire for a “distinctively American” church that would allow for a blending of the architecture in Washington D.C.[4] Another practical reason was the contemporary building

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Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...races its history to 1763, when a second church was needed for the growing number of Catholics in the city. Built on land originally bought to serve as a cemetery for Old St. Joseph’s, Old St. Mary’s was referred to as “Mission Number 1” as St. Joseph’s was seen as

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Portrait photograph of Robert M. O'Reilly, circa 1870

A lengthy and active military career

.... For a time, O'Reilly was stationed at Red Cloud Agency, one of the first reservations established by the U.S. government, located in the northwestern corner of present-day Nebraska. This agency served as one of the centers of activity during the Sioux Wars of 1876-77. The government assigned troops to

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Dougherty’s Movie Boycott

...immediate, over 300,000 Catholics signing pledges to avoid the movies and ticket sales dropped around 20 percent.[3] The decrease in revenue led to numerous theater owners and movie studios writing to Dougherty asking to end the boycott; however, he replied that he had “no intention to recede” from his stance.[4]

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