The Catholic Church Is “The Indispensable Church”
"Western civilization owes far more to the Catholic Church than most people - Catholics included - realise. The Church, in fact, built Western civilization" -Thomas E. Woods writes in this excellent book "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilisation". Woods calls the Catholic Church "the indispensable Church".
Woods points out that "the spirit of learning" remained alive in the monasteries after the end oft he Roman Empire, "The monks played a critical role in the development of Western civilization." None had a greater impact on the monastic way of life and its commitment to expand the culture of the nation than St. Benedict of Norcia. It would be difficult to find any group anywhere in the world whose contributions were as indispensable as those of the Catholic monks.
The Cistercians, reformed Benedictines founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, were known for their technical sophistication. By the 12th century, they had developed …More