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TRANSCRIPT

Last week we asked you to send in the names of Catholics you think have had the most positive influence on the spiritual lives of Catholics in the past 50 or hundred years or so. We had a thousand submissions and dozens and dozens of names — close to a hundred, in fact.

So we combed through all of them, keeping close tally, and here is the final list of the top 20 from your submissions you now go to vote on. All you have to do is click on the link and vote for the single person you feel has had the greatest impact for good on the spiritual lives of Catholics, like we said, in the past 50 to 100 years.

So here, in no particular order are those on the list:

• Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who spent most of her life working with and caring for the destitute in India.
• Saint Faustina, the visionary to whom Our Blessed Lord appeared in Poland and revealed the treasure of the Divine Mercy.
• Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who gave up his life in exchange for a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz.
• Mother Angelica, the feisty religious sister who began EWTN and set the tone for media-minded Catholics to hold bishops accountable while catechizing bombastically.
• Saint Padre Pio, the mystic who suffered for 50 years and experienced intense spiritual combat on behalf of souls.
• Pope St. Pius X, the first of the pontiffs to face the heresy of Modernism head on and prophetically warn the world’s bishops of its dangers.
• Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who travels the world to fight the errors of modernism and restore a proper understanding of the Eucharist.
• Venerable Pope Pius XII, who has been maligned despite his efforts to save hundreds of thousands of Jews from Nazi extermination.
• Venerable Abp. Fulton Sheen, who used his charisma and intelligence in television in the 1950s to showcase Catholicism to the United States.
• Cardinal Robert Sarah, who has fought ferociously from his curial post in Rome to defend orthodoxy against the onslaught of Modernism.
• Saint Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, who dedicated his life to advancing the idea of sanctifying the world through the presence of committed laity.
• Pope St. John Paul II, who brought the majesty of Catholic truth to a worldwide audience through the media during his nearly 30-year reign.
• Pope Benedict XVI, the right hand man of Pope John Paul for 25 years, who served as watchdog of the Faith, and as Pope restored the wider use of the Traditional Latin Mass.
• Father John Corapi, whose preaching style and orthodox message resonated with hundreds of thousands of Catholics in the earlier days on EWTN.
• Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, whose heroic and tireless efforts at battling dissent have brought international praise and admiration.
• Servant of God Fr. John Hardon, who dedicated his life to catechetical instruction in his Marian Catechist Program and dozens of books.
• G.K. Chesterton, the author whose wit and simple explanations of theological truths and social/cultural trends brought many converts to the Catholic faith.
• Cardinal Francis Arinze, the most prominent African prelate in living memory who strenuously defends the liturgy and fights against liturgical abuses.
• Dr. Scott Hahn, the notable Presbyterian convert and current scholar, whose personal story became a springboard for many protestants to convert to Catholicism.
• And the von Hildebrands — Dietrich and Alice — who dedicated their lives to teaching and instructing thousands of people through education and writing.

So there you have it — twenty of the most notable Catholics of the last hundred years selected by you to now be voted on.

We would be remiss if we didn’t say some wonderful Catholic examples didn’t crack the top vote-getters, but do deserve honorable mention: San Francsico archbishop Salvatore Cordileone; Fr. Patrick Peyton, the Rosary Crusade priest; Capuchin Friar Ven. Solanus Casey from right here in Detroit; Bd. Pope Paul VI, who suffered greatly but preserved Church teaching in the face of tremendous opposition; Pope Leo XIII, who confronted the evil of socialism, and so on.

We Catholics are spoiled for choice when it comes to those giants whose shoulders we stand on. And spoiled for choice we are in this poll.

Who do you think is the single most notable Catholic on that list of 20, who you think has had the greatest impact for good on the Faith? Vote for just one (and we know, it is very tough).

Vote for one, and in Friday’s “Vortex,” we will bring you final results. Pass this “Vortex” to your friends and family and tell them to vote. Who do you think is the single most significant Catholic on this list, your list? And remember — you can only vote for one. We’ll keep voting open until noon EST on Thursday, and we’ll have the results for you on Friday.

It’s good to reflect and discuss and think about these kinds of things. Too often we have horrible examples in the Church of scandalous leaders and dissidents. Pondering over a list like this reminds us that Our Blessed Lord is always raising up saints and wonderful examples to inspire and help us lead holy lives.

Also for some quick reminders about upcoming events at ChurchMilitant.com, we’re hosting our fourth annual Retreat at Sea coming up on April 2, leaving from Los Angeles, California, and I’ll be doing a conference Saturday March 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Blessed be GOD.  Now get thinking and voting.

EDITORS NOTE: Originally published at ChurchMilitant.com. Watch “The Download” Every Week, Monday-Friday. Click here for Church Militant Premium—Start your 15-day Free Trial.

We’ve all heard a million times: Life’s not fair. The first time we probably heard it was when we got punished for something by our parents.  Suddenly the realization dawned on us that until we left their house, life was never going to be “fair.”

Well, here’s a meditation to think on for Lent: God is not fair — not in the slightest bit fair — and thank God for it.

That, of course, is Mother Miriam. We’ve kind of adopted her as our Church Militant mom since she was up here in the summer, where we shot some interviews with her where she was our guest for a few days.

At Church Militant, we love bringing you these interviews with various notables in the Church — clerics, prelates, theologians, religious — each one in love with Our Lord’s Holy Catholic Church. The reason is pretty obvious: With all the confusion (and confusion is the watchword in the Church these days), you need to hear voices of clarity — Catholic clarity, with no ambiguity — not the slightest hint of doubt or wavering or ambiguity. One of the glories of the Church is Her brilliant clarity. It’s one of the shining jewels She wears.

But we know there are various people in the Church who revel in vagueness, who love the confusion because of the damage it causes. They want to refashion the Faith, the Church. They want to recreate Her in their own image. People like Mother Miriam and many others — we’d like to include ourselves in that number and all of you — are not going to let that happen.

In these first few weeks of 2016, Church Militant has brought or will shortly be bringing you interviews with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, Bp. Rene Gracida, Dr. Charles Rice, of course Mother Miriam, Bp. Athanasius Schneider, Bp. Anthony Borwah and others to be announced later. We need to hear from people like this — dedicated committed Catholics.

One of the results of the confusion and Modernism almost omnipresent in the Church these days is the feeling of isolation it can bring for so many. As the Faith dwindles more and more owing to the confusion, more and more people feel deserted or left alone, thinking or wondering if they are the crazy ones for believing what the Church teaches because everyone keeps telling them that.

You are not crazy, and you are not alone.

These great minds we get to interview — minds imbued with wisdom and insight — should convince you that you are not alone, and certainly not crazy. They know in the end that whatever happens, the Church is right, and that is our great hope.

Please click the link to watch our second full interview with Mother Miriam on the crisis in the Church.

And keep in mind we offer a 15-day free trial for those of you who do not yet have your Premium accounts. Sign up now and you have over two weeks to watch the two interviews we currently have of Mother Miriam, plus hundreds of hours of other programs. We’ve spent over 10 years building this vast Catholic video archive, so please take full advantage of it.

More and more leading Catholics are making their way to our studios to share their thoughts on the crisis in the Church and help strengthen you. Please, listen to them.

RELATED ARTICLE: What is Social Justice?

EDITORS NOTE: Originally published at ChurchMilitant.com.