During the rise of the terrorist movement ISIS over a decade ago, the world was horrified by their cruel medieval butchery displayed in barbaric live streamed executions. These executions included burning people alive and hacking off heads. The horror stories of ISIS are the same horror stories of the past as seen in the crusades,…
I have recently learned of a Franciscan movement that existed for a short time after the death of St Francis, called the ‘Fraticelli’. The Fraticelli (Italian for “Little Brethren”) or ‘Spiritual Franciscans’ who desired to live more closely to the original ideal of poverty, as lived by St Francis (and dare I say St Clare…
The Cathars of Languedoc have been very near to my mind and heart since I first heard about them in 2011, and then started learning more about them in recent years. My sense of closeness to this medieval group has grown considerably in the past few months. This is not because of their creed or…