Catholic Trivia

Fr. Elvins' wonderful little book is must-reading for fans of English Catholic history and anyone wanting to learn more about the debt English-speaking Christians owe the Catholic Church. Written like a cross between Tom Woods' "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" and John Zmirnak's funny but reverent "The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living," "Catholic Trivia" explains how gestures like "knocking on wood," a reference to the wood of the cross, and the omnipresent British adjective "bloody," a truncation of the oath "by Our Lady," were simple ways by which the English reminded themselves of their Catholic identity. To erase this identity and stamp out "popish superstition," Protestant reformers, especially the Puritans, changed the meaning of common symbols. For instance, the number 13 once was considered a lucky number as it referred to Christ and His twelve apostles. Similarly, walking under a ladder was a sign of *good* fortune as it brought to mind both Christ's sacrifice on the elevated cross and -- thanks to the triangle formed by wall, floor and ladder -- the Trinity. Yet as often as not, a censured benign and potentially beneficial practice, e.g., carrying a Rosary in one's pocket, was replaced by a silly, truly superstitious one, e.g., carrying a rabbit's foot instead. "Catholic Trivia" is written as a series of brief, often humorous encyclopedia-style entries accompanied by the illustrations of John Ryan, a famous British cartoonist. I picked up the book on a recent trip to London and found myself frequently reading passages aloud to my wife during the flight home; several were laugh-out-loud funny, and all were entertaining and informative. I suspect you'll agree.