COUNTDOWN TO 2000

561 - 760 A.D.

561-580 A.D.
Imagine the plight of Archbishop Leander of Seville, Spain. Like many older brothers, he might have lorded it over his younger sibling. After all, Leander was an archbishop. But his kid brother, Isidore, would not only succeed him as archbishop, he would also become a theologian, encyclopedist, Doctor of the Church and saint. St. Isidore of Seville (560-636) presided over the Fourth Council of Toledo, which established uniformity in rites and worship. The Council also ordered that no Jew should be forced to become a Christian. Considered the most learned man of his time, Isidore wrote about Scripture, doctrine, mysteries of the Faith, virtues, the priesthood and reason. As if that were not enough, he also composed an encyclopedia of all the secular and religious knowledge available in his times. His feast is April 4.
Elsewhere in time
St. Columba begins converting the Picts...Mohammed, founder of Islam, born...Persia and Byzantine Empire wage war...

581-600 A.D. The Church calls him Gregory the Great, but he called himself 'the servant of the servants of God.' Only two popes in 2,000 years have been called 'the Great' -- Leo in the fifth century and Gregory, who reigned from 590-604. He was so humble that he compared his election as pope to 'a monkey being ordered to become a lion.' Even a partial list of his accomplishments is impressive: he sent St. Augustine of Canterbury to convert the inhabitants of England; made efforts for a peaceful instead of forced conversion of Jews; directed the creation of a picture Bible for illiterates; wrote a manual on the duties of priests; promoted monasticism (he was the first monk to be named pope); founded the Schola Cantorum to preserve and promote Church music; and lent his name to a famous musical form: Gregorian chant. His feast is March 12.
Elsewhere in time
Visigoths in Spain begin converting to Christianity...plague breaks out in Rome...Barbarian invasions of Europe stop...China prints books...

601-620 A.D.
Most Catholics know something about THE St. Augustine, but more of them should know about St. Augustine of Canterbury. Called "The Apostle of England," he was the first archbishop of Canterbury, a title now held by Anglican bishops. An Italian monk, Augustine and 30 of his fellows were commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons. The monks succeeded in converting King Ethelbert of Kent, and many of his subjects followed suit. Under Augustine's leadership, Christianity spread throughout England, churches were built and a bishopric was established at London. Augustine died in 604 and is buried in Canterbury. His feast is May 26 in England and May 28 elsewhere.
Elsewhere in time
Gregory the Great is succeeded by Pope Sabinian...Mohammed's daughter, Fatima, born...Japanese ambassadors sent to China...Pantheon in Rome becomes a Catholic church...Norse invade Ireland.

621-640 A.D.
There are heresies, and there are popes. While they seem like the two ends of a large spectrum, they came together in Pope Honorius I, who ruled from 625-638. While he had many admirable qualities, such as a commitment to monasticism and to beautifying the churches of Rome, Honorius had a large flaw: He believed in Monothelitism. It held that Jesus had only one will, rather than both a divine and human will. Honorius wasn't the only pope who believed this heresy; his successor, Severinus, agreed with him -- and served only two months. His successors began the condemnation of Monothelitism, a process which culminated when it was declared heretical by the Third Council of Constantinople in 680-81.
Elsewhere in time
Mohammed goes on his hegira from Mecca to Medina, begins writing Koran and dies (632)...Persians continue to sweep through Middle East...Buddhism becomes state religion of Tibet...

641-660 A.D.
Ever seen a curlew? St. Beuno was delighted when he did. Beuno was a Welsh monk who established monasteries throughout his homeland. According to legend, every Sunday Beuno would leave his monastery and walk across the surface of a lake in order to reach a town where he preached. One day, he dropped his book of sermons, and the waves took it away. But as Beuno stepped ashore, he spied the book lying on a rock, dropped there by a helpful curlew. The saint blessed the bird for rescuing the precious volume. So, what's a curlew? It's a large, brown wading bird. Curlews are famous for building nests that no one can find. For that, they have St. Beuno to thank, because his blessing -- says the legend -- was that the curlews that found his book would never be found themselves. His feast day is April 21.
Elsewhere in time
Arabs destroy Persian Empire, replacing Zoroastrianism with Islam...China invades Korea...Croats and Serbs occupy Bosnia...

661-680 A.D.
Modern Catholics are accustomed to popes with names like Paul, John and John Paul. After all, those names have dominated for 40 years. If you lived toward the end of the seventh century, however, you knew popes named Vitalian, Adeodatus, Donus and Agatho. Vitalian served for 14 years, was committed to the christianization of England and is canonized. Adeodatus was a monk known for his generosity. Little is known about Donus, who was elected pope when he was old and served for only 17 months. Agatho, a Sicilian monk, upheld infallibility for the bishop of Rome. He, too, is a saint. These oddly named popes were succeeded by the more common names of Leo, Benedict and John.
Elsewhere in time
Constans II becomes last Byzantine emperor to visit Rome...Caedmon, English poet, born...King Wamba of the Visigoths becomes a monk.

681-700 A.D.
Grade school children sometimes joke that he was named after the Rosary, but Venerable Bede is known as one of the Church's greatest scholars. A monk, theologian and Doctor of the Church, St. Bede was an Englishman who is sometimes called the "Father of English History" because he wrote a history of the Church there. He also wrote books about grammar, metrics, chronology and Scripture. His intellectual and spiritual life was so outstanding that when he died, one of his students said: "We have not, amid all our discoveries, invented as yet anything better than the Christian life which Bede lived, and the Christian death which he died." As for his unusual name, Bede is called "Venerable" because that was the title given in his time to priests. So think of him as Father Bede.
Elsewhere in time
Whole of England becomes Catholic...Charles the Hammer born...Franks united...Greek replaces Latin as official language of Eastern Roman Empire...Easter eggs first used by Christians as symbols of Resurrection.

701-720 A.D.
St. Hubert of Maastricht got the point because he was converted by antlers. Born in what is now Germany, Hubert was a nobleman who enjoyed hunting. He was converted when he saw a cross between the antlers of a stag he was about to shoot. (The same story is told about St. Eustace.) His devotion was such that he eventually was named a bishop. He labored to convert eastern Belgium, where he died in 727. Because of his remarkable experience with the deer, Hubert is a patron saint of hunters. He is also a protector against mad dogs, supposedly because of a miraculous cloak given to him by the Blessed Mother. His feast is November 3.
Elsewhere in time
Li Po, Chinese poet, born...Muslims rule from Spain to China...iconoclasts begin their opposition to the use of images in churches...Popes include John VII, Sisinnius (who rules 21 days) and Gregory II.

721-740 A.D.
As his name indicates, Charles Martel (translated as Charles the Hammer) was one of the greatest warriors of his time. He defeated other Franks to unite his people and then went on to win wars against tribes like the Frisians, Saxons and Bavarians. But it was his defeat of the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in 732, stopping their advance from Spain into mainland Europe, that earned him the affection of many Catholics. But he also had a habit of taking over monasteries for secular use and appointing laymen, including his nephew, to head dioceses. So while he protected Europe, Charles so displeased people like St. Boniface that the missionary later assured Charles' son that his recently deceased father was certainly roasting in hell.
Elsewhere in time
Largest cities in the world are capital of China and Constantinople...Pope Gregory II, a Syrian, excommunicates the Byzantine emperor...earthquake ravages Asia Minor.

741-760 A.D.
Today, an iconoclast is someone who breaks from traditional values or ideas. In the eighth century, an iconoclast was someone who literally broke things (the word, in Greek, means "image breaker"). Those things included religious statues, paintings, icons and crosses. Iconoclasts opposed the veneration of such images because they thought it promoted pagan idolatry. Therefore, they set out to remove such images -- by force if necessary. Iconoclasts soon included some very important people, including bishops. Emperors Leo III and Constantine V not only called for the removal of statues and icons but also made it a civic duty to comply. The movement continued until 787 when the Second Council of Nicaea clarified Church teaching on devotion to saints and the use of images.
Elsewhere in time
Pepin the Short succeeds his father, Charles Martel, as head of Franks...Charlemagne, Pepin's son, born...St. John Damascene dies...Islam divides into four sects...Pope Stephen III is succeeded by his brother, Paul I; both are later canonized.