  Saints of this Day April 25
Séptimo Kaléndas Maji Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins. Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас! (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!) The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR
APRIL 2009 Mary's Divine Motherhood Called in the Gospel "the Mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the Mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos). Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251. Mary Our Mother of Love April 25 - Our Lady of Good Counsel (Italy, Genazzano, 1476) Needless to say, Our Lady is the mother of humankind and she particularly favors mothers and those who live and care for their families and children, as she lived in close union with her Son and husband. Mary's love is the love of a mother for us her children and the love of Jesus' mother for her Son. It's the pure love which brought up the Savior of the World and which now points us, her children, towards Him. The way to God is through Jesus (cf Jn 14:6) and His mother wants to lead us by the hand to her Son, where we will find eternal peace and joy. It is through the love of Jesus that we experience complete joy. "I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you" (Jn 15:11-12). See http://www.maryslove.com/html/links.html Consecration of Albania to Our Lady of Good Counsel of Scutari (II) April 24 - Our Lady of Lujan (Argentina) On February 11, 1943, sensing that Communism was about to penetrate into Albania, Bishop Prennushi decided to consecrate the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Communism did come, in 1945, along with the purest and fiercest form of atheism. For instance it became illegal to name a girl "Mary" or "Anne." Instead people had to call them "White star" or "December snow." In 1967, in the craze of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, those who still resisted atheism were eliminated by dictator Enver Hoxha. The clergy were either tortured or executed. The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel was razed, the churches and mosques transformed into stables or stores. But this victory of atheist communism was short-lived: it crumbled on November 4, 1990, and the Catholics rebuilt their churches. Faith came back with a new vigor. On April 22, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzaro (Italy), before going, on April 25, 1993, to Scutari (Albania) to bless the first stone for the reconstruction of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, the church "Zoja e Shkodres." The Pope remarked: "It is beautiful to think that your Archbishop and his auxiliary are in a sense a gift to you from the Pope, under the maternal gaze of Mary.” This coincidence provides us with the symbol of the union of two principles that Christ wished for his Church: the Petrinian-Apostolic principle and the Marian principle: these principles are in dissociable and complementary, and through them God's Spirit edifies each day the Community of believers, encourages it to announce the word of God with the ardor of the Apostles and above all to listen to it with Mary's heart." John Paul II, Sunday, April 25, 1993. All the Albanians stood side by side, Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims, witnessing to peaceful coexistence. Excerpts from Attilio GALLI, Madre della Chiesa nei cinque continenti, Editions Segno, 1996. Consecration of Albania to Our Lady of Good Counsel of Scutari (III) April 25 - Apparitions of the Great Mediatrix of All Graces in Marienfried (Germany, 1946) During his visit to Scutari on April 25, 1993, Pope John Paul II gave a very moving speech, recalling that on April 22, 1992. At the same time, the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishop Ivan Dias, in the presence of clerics, priests, religious, civil authorities and many other believers consecrated the Albanian homeland to Our Lady of Good Counsel: "I would like to renew that act of filial trust so that the journey of Albania may continue under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel! The prayer of this people, who from time immemorial has loved you and honored you, reaches up to you. To you today Albania presents its longing and sufferings, desires and needs, with many tears shed, and its desire for a better future. Turn your eyes, O Mother, on this people, receive its generous intentions, and accompany its way to a future of justice, solidarity and peace. And you, dear Albanian brothers and sisters, trust this Mother. Mary knows the path of life and she knows what your heart desires. Do not believe in false and transitional ideologies, but believe in the person of her Son Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life; in whom the mystery of God and man shines. May the Blessed Virgin Mary always protect you! May she protect all the corners of your land and reach the Albanians who live in the Balkans and all the Albanians scattered around the world. May the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary obtain peace especially where war has now been raging for too long. Mother of Good Counsel, open the minds and hearts of Albania and of the entire world and ensure for us all the gift of harmony and peace!" Ou Zoja et Shkodrës, Pajtorja et popullit shqiptar, lutu për en ! ("O Our Lady of Scutari, Patron of Albanians, pray for us!") John Paul II, Regina Caeli, April 25, 1993 |
| 1903 St Gertrude Comensoli foundress Institute of
the sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament This Sunday (April 26, 2009), Vasco's family will attend the canonization of Sister Gertrude Comensoli in St. Peter's Square A Miracle for a Non-Practicing Mom: The Cure Leading to Mother Comensoli's Canonization By Carmen Elena Villa; AGNOSINE, Italy, APRIL 23, 2009 Zenit.org It was 12:20 a.m., the first hour of Oct. 3, 2001, when Sister Bianca Pasinetti's telephone rang. "Sister, we all are here. Vasco is leaving us. Do something because we don't want him to die." Those were the words of Ettore Richini. He spoke of his 4-year-old son, one of the students at the school run by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Sister Pasinetti's congregation. Vasco had been admitted to the hospital with meningitis. He had been in the hospital since the afternoon of Sept. 29, when his mother Rita had returned to work in the afternoon after seeing that Vasco had a bit of a fever. As the hours had passed, his temperature kept climbing so the family had taken him to the hospital. "After the child was a quarter of an hour in the hospital, they discovered that he had meningitis," Rita explained. "They asked us various questions. He fell into a coma; his kidneys were not working." The mother went on to recount: "We discovered it was meningitis H. Influenzae, a very aggressive bacteria that one generally doesn't catch -- its one case in a million -- [we] still don't know how he got it." When Sister Pasinetti received Ettore's call, she promised her prayers and those of the community. Meanwhile, doctors encouraged Rita to disconnect Vasco from life support, warning her that if he stayed alive, he would be a "vegetable. Keep him alive as long as possible," was her answer. Ettore recalled what he felt in those moments: "A sadness, an impotence at seeing my son who was already going, and you cannot do absolutely anything. I think it is the hardest thing that I have experienced." There was "nothing good" in the situation, according to Rita. "He had a bruise on his brain, rapid heart rate […] purple spots all over his body." Sister Pasinetti decided to bring a relic of Blessed Gertrude Comensoli (1847-1903), the founder of her congregation, to the child's room. She thought, "I won't make Vasco get better, but at least I will make them see that we are praying," the religious recounted. She arrived to his hospital room and left the relic under his pillow. "I stayed with Rita," she continued. "We prayed. She was truly desperate at seeing the child that way." Sister Pasinetti called the sisters of her community to urge prayers. They passed the word to call people to pray and people began to arrive to the parish church in the community to intercede for the child. Gaia, Vasco's 14-year-old sister, also went to the church to pray, not knowing that the sisters had called people together. "I went to the church to pray on my own -- in a moment like that, you don't know what to cling to. I found the church full of people," she recalled. "When the prayer [meeting] ended, the people weren't going home," Sister Pasinetti remembered. "They stayed to pray. I'd never seen something like that." The woman religious and her sisters started a novena to Mother Gertrude. Some days later, a doctor arrived to greet Vasco's parents with exuberance, something which struck them both as odd, since just an hour before, the child's condition was the same. "Vasco is out of danger," the doctor told them. "It was an unexplainable healing," Rita assured. Vasco, who today is 12 years old, says he does not remember anything about being sick, except the moment in which he woke up. "I looked at the sheets, I looked around me and I said, 'What am I doing here?' Then I said, "Mom, bring me my clothes because I want to go home.' She was very happy. She almost cried and she hugged me." When the child returned to school, he told the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and his classmates what had happened: "When I was in the hospital, Mother Gertrude came by without letting herself be seen by the doctors. […] She came in and stood close to my bed." Today, Rita continues awestruck by what happened nearly eight years ago. Though she was a woman of faith, she did not often practice her religion. "I do not know how it was possible," she said. "I ask myself many questions. I do not know why God chose us. What a lesson." Sister Pasinetti is sure it was a miracle: "And it is not easy because it asks you to change. In any case, here too the Lord loves everyone. He does not look if one is practicing or not practicing. The Lord has come for everyone." This Sunday, Vasco's family will attend the canonization of Sister Gertrude Comensoli in St. Peter's Square. "I lost my mother one year after all of this," Rita noted. "I think that if she would have died before this happened, I would have experienced it in a different way. Now I am not afraid even of death, because it forms part of life." |
| Dedication
of the Lower Holy Chapel of Paris in honor of Our Lady (France, 1248)
Mary, for Jesus My Redeemer,
Make My Heart White like a Lily (I) O Blessed Virgin, my tender Mother, for Jesus my Redeemer make my heart like a violet and white like a very pure lily. For Him, O my Mother, make my whole being white and humble. When the pain causes me atrocious suffering, I think that Our Lord, who is so good, has me suffer in proportion to the love I feel for Him and that He feels for me. This is why I am always smiling and I always feel peaceful inside! I live for Jesus, to be united with Him! This is what I ask him: to die in His Love. Marthe Robin Private Diary, January 3, 1930 |
|
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
Morning
Prayer and Hymn Meditation
of
the Day
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS OF
THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
God calls
each
one of us to be a saint in order to get into
heaven.
The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for benefit of recipients so much as FOR benefit of others. Paul VI_Athenagoras_05_01_1964 Quote: Pope Paul
VI’s 1969 Instruction
on the Contemplative Life includes this passage:
Benedict_XVI_Patriarch_Bartholomew
"To
withdraw into the desert is for Christians tantamount to associating
themselves more intimately with Christ’s passion, and it enables them,
in a very special way, to share in the paschal
mystery and in the passage of Our Lord from this world to the heavenly
homeland" (#1).
"The answers to many of life's questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious." 1913 Saint Barsanuphius of Optina |
|
1st v. St Anianus
Bishop St Mark shoemaker aide great fervor and virtue
150 St. Philo and Agathopodes Antiochene deacons authored Acts recounting life and death of St. Ignatius of Antioch Evodius, Hermogenes & Callistus MM (RM) 4th v. Kebius preached conversion in Cornwall B (AC) Saturninus, Theophilus & Revocata MM (RM) 300 Theophilus of Caesarea M (RM) 312 Saturninus, Theophilus & Revocata MM (RM) Antiochíæ sancti Stéphani, Epíscopi et Mártyris, qui ab hæréticis Synodum Chalcedonénsem impugnántibus, multa passus 392 St. Phaebadius one of “the illustrious men” of the Church extirpated Arianism heresy 480 St. Macedonius Patriarch of Constantinople Council of Chalcedon defener 489 St. Macaille Bishop of Croghan prelate vows of St. Brigid 5th v. Mun of Lough Ree hermit another nephew of Saint Patrick B (AC) 5th v. Dyfnan saintly son of Welsh chieftain Brychan (AC) 525 Deodatus of Blois, Abbot (AC) 539 Vedast of Arras holy from childhood instrumental in the conversion of Clovis I to Christianity B (AC) 7th v. Authaire of La Ferté courtier at King Dagobert Ipalace France (AC) 7th v. Bova (Beuve, Bona) abbess & Doda rejected marriage proposals she devote to service of God OSB VV (RM) 729 Egbert of Rathemigisi Northumbrian monk of Lindisfarne OSB (RM) 737 Erminus of Lobbes practicing apostolic zeal as abbot and regional bishop OSB B (RM) 750 Saint Relindis of Eyck abbess OSB, Abbess (AC) 780 St. Mella Widow abbess Blessed Corona of Elche Benedictine nun OSB V (AC) 857 Heribald of Auxerre Benedictine monk abbot love of well-regulated lives ceremonies well-built churches 891 Photius career of scholarship and public service at the imperial court legitimate patriarch of Constantinople Orthodox objection to doctrine of the Holy Spirit 1000 St. Robert of Syracuse Benedictine abbot He headed the monastery at Syracuse, Sicily. 1243 Blessed Boniface of Valperga monk bishop of Aosta B (PC) 1479
Saint
Sylvester
of Obnora disciple and novice under St Sergius of
Radonezh (September 25 and July 5); record of miracles preserved
from 1645 -- 23 miracles described --healed 12 people from demonic
possession
and delirium, and six others from eye afflictions.
1586 Bl. William
Marsden & Blessed Robert Anderson priest Martyr of
England1586 Bl. Robert Anderton Jesuit Cardinal theology professor notable figure Catholic Reformation defended Gallileo 1586 Bb. Robert Anderton And William Marsden, Martyrs 1597 Philip of Jesus friar Miracles attested the power before God of these first martyrs of Japan patron of Mexico City, Mexico 1769
Philipp
Friedrich Hiller; In seinem
Werk 'System aller Vorbilder Jesu Christi im Alten und
Neuen Testament' steht sein Lied 'Jesus Christus herrscht als
König'
(EG 123). Er verfaßte "Das geistliche Liederkästlein", das
Tagessprüche
und Tageslieder enthielt und lange als Liederbuch der
württemberischen
Gemeinschaften diente und mit den Schwaben in alle Welt hinauszog
1913 Blessed Giovanni
Battista Piamarta (AC)1903 St Gertrude Comensoli foundress of the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament |
 Alexandríæ
natális beáti Marci Evangelístæ. Hic,
discípulus et intérpres Apóstoli Petri,
rogátus Romæ a frátribus scripsit
Evangélium, quo assúmpto, perréxit in
Ægyptum, primúsque Alexandríæ Christum
annúntians, constítuit Ecclésiam; ac
póstea, pro fide Christi tentus, fúnibus vinctus et per
saxa raptátus, gráviter afflíctus est;
deínde, reclúsus in cárcere, primo angélica
visitatióne confortátus est, et demum, ipso Dómino
sibi apparénte, ad cæléstia regna vocátus,
octávo Nerónis anno.At Alexandria, the birthday of St. Mark the Evangelist, disciple and interpreter of the apostle St. Peter. He wrote his gospel at the request of the faithful at Rome, and taking it with him, proceeded to Egypt and founded a church at Alexandria, where he was the first to preach Christ. Afterwards, being arrested for the faith, he was bound, dragged over stones, and endured great afflictions. Finally he was confined to prison, where, being comforted by the visit of an angel, and even by an apparition of our Lord himself, he was called to the heavenly kingdom in the eighth year of the reign of Nero. St.
Mark April 25, 2007
Most of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. (When Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark's mother.) Paul and Barnabas took him along on the first missionary journey, but for some reason Mark returned alone to Jerusalem. It is evident, from Paul's refusal to let Mark accompany him on the second journey despite Barnabas's insistence, that Mark had displeased Paul. Later, Paul asks Mark to visit him in prison so we may assume the trouble did not last long. The oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus' rejection by humanity while being God's triumphant envoy. Probably written for Gentile converts in Rome—after the death of Peter and Paul sometime between A.D. 60 and 70—Mark's Gospel is the gradual manifestation of a "scandal": a crucified Messiah. Evidently a friend of Mark (Peter called him "my son"), Peter is only one of the Gospel sources, others being the Church in Jerusalem (Jewish roots) and the Church at Antioch (largely Gentile). Like one other Gospel writer, Luke, Mark was not one of the 12 apostles. We cannot be certain whether he knew Jesus personally. Some scholars feel that the evangelist is speaking of himself when describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane: "Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked" (Mark 14:51-52). Others hold Mark to be the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Venice, famous for the Piazza San Marco, claims Mark as its patron saint; the large basilica there is believed to contain his remains. A winged lion is Mark's symbol. The lion derives from Mark's description of John the Baptist as a "voice of one crying out in the desert" (Mark 1:3), which artists compared to a roaring lion. The wings come from the application of Ezekiel's vision of four winged creatures (Ezekiel, chapter one) to the evangelists. Comment: Mark fulfilled in his life what every Christian is called to do: proclaim to all people the Good News that is the source of salvation. In particular, Mark's way was by writing. Others may proclaim the Good News by music, drama, poetry or by teaching children around a family table. Quote: There is very little in Mark that is not in the other Gospels—only four passages. One is: “...This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29). 75
Mark, Evangelist according to
Papias, "he had neither heard the Lord, nor ever been his disciple, but
later had attended Peter, who composed his teachings to suit the needs
of the moment, but did not profess to make a regular collection of the
Lord's sayings. And so Mark made no mistakes; writing down the
particulars just as he remembered them."(RM)
In the city of Paphos Saint Mark
was an eye-witness, of how the Apostle Paul had struck blind the
sorcerer Elymas (Acts 13: 6-12).The Holy Disciple and Evangelist Mark, named also John-Mark (Acts 12: 12), was a Disciple from among the Seventy, and was also a nephew of the Disciple Barnabas (Comm. 11 June). He was born at Jerusalem. The house of his mother Mary adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. As Church Tradition relates, on the night of the Sufferings of Christ on the Cross he followed after Him, wrapped in a linen winding-cloth, and he fled from the soldiers catching hold of him (Mk. 14: 51-52). After the Ascension of the Lord, the house of his mother Saint Mary became a place of prayerful gatherings of Christians and a lodging for certain of the Apostles (Acts 12: 12). Saint Mark was a very close companion of the Apostles Peter and Paul (Comm. 29 June) and of the Disciple Barnabas. Saint Mark was at Seleucia together with Paul and Barnabas, and from there he set off to the island of Cyprus, and he crossed over the whole of it from East to West. After working with the
Apostle Paul, Saint Mark returned to Jerusalem,
and then with the Apostle Peter he arrived in Rome, from whence at the
latter's bidding he set out for Egypt, where he became founder of the
Church. During the time of the second evangelic journey of
the Apostle Paul, Saint Mark met up with him at Antioch. From there he
set out preaching with the Disciple Barnabas to Cyprus, and then he
went off again to Egypt, where together with the Apostle Peter he
founded many churches, and then also at Babylon. From this city the
Apostle Peter directed an Epistle to the Christians of Asia Minor, in
which he points to Saint Mark as his spiritual son (1 Pet. 5:
13). When the Apostle Paul came in chains to Rome, the Disciple
Mark was at Ephesus, where the cathedra-seat was occupied by Saint
Timothy (Comm. 4 January). The Disciple Mark arrived together with him
in Rome. There also he wrote his holy Gospel (c. 62-63).
 From Rome Saint Mark again set off to Egypt. At Alexandria he made the beginnings of a Christian school, from which later on emerged such famous fathers and teachers of the Church, as Clement of Alexandria, Sainted Dionysios (5 October), Sainted Gregory Thaumatourgos ("Wonderworker", Comm. 5 November), and others. Zealous with the arranging of Church Divine-services, the holy Disciple Mark compiled the order of Liturgy for the Alexandrian Christians. Later on in preaching the Gospel, Saint Mark also visited the inner regions of Africa, and he was in Libya at Nektopolis. During the time of these journeys, Saint Mark received inspiration of the Holy Spirit to go again to Alexandria and confront the pagans. There he visited at the
home of the dignitary Ananias, for whom he
healed a crippled hand. The dignitary happily took him in, hearkened
with faith to his narratives, and received Baptism. And following the
example of Ananias, many of the inhabitants of that part of the city
where he lived were baptised after him. This roused the enmity of the
pagans, and they gathered to kill Saint Mark. Having learned of this,
the holy Disciple Mark made Ananias bishop, and the three Christians:
Malchos, Sabinos and Kerdinos – presbyters.
The pagans pounced upon Saint Mark when he was making Divine-services. They beat him, dragged him through the streets and threw him in prison. There Saint Mark was granted a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who strengthened him before his sufferings. On the following day the angry crowd again dragged the holy disciple through the streets towards the court-room, but along the way Saint Mark died with the words: "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit". The pagans wanted to burn the body of the holy disciple. But when they lit up the bon-fire, everything grew dim, thunder crashed and an earthquake occurred. The pagans fled in terror, and Christians took up the body of the holy disciple and buried it in a stone crypt. This was on 4 April in the year 63. The Church celebrates his memory on 25 April. In the year 310, a church was built over the relics of the holy Disciple Mark. In the year 820, when the Mahometan Arabs had established their rule in Egypt and those of this different faith oppressed the Christian Church, the relics of Saint Mark were transferred to Venice and placed in the church of his name. In the ancient iconographic tradition, which adopted symbols for the holy Evangelists borrowed from the vision of Saint John the Theologian (Rev. 4: 7), the holy Evangelist Mark is depicted by a lion – symbolising the might and royal dignity of Christ (Rev. 5: 5). Saint Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians from among the gentile-pagans, since he emphasises predominantly the words and deeds of the Saviour, in which particularly is manifest His Divine Almightiness. The many particularities of his account can be explained by his proximity to the holy Apostle Peter. All the ancient writers testify, that the Gospel of Mark represents a concise writing-down of the preaching and narratives of the first-ranked Apostle Peter. One of the central theological themes in the Gospel of Saint Mark is the theme of the power of God, doing the humanly impossible, wherein the Lord makes possible that which of man is impossible. By the efficacy of Christ (Mk. 16: 20) and the Holy Spirit (Mk. 13: 11), His disciples are to go forth into the world and preach the Gospel to all creatures (Mk. 13: 10, 16: 15).© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos. |
| "All
the ends of the earth shall
remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him" (Psalm 21:28) |
|
Mary
Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary Fatima and the Last Times Remedies Saints of this Day April 25
Séptimo Kaléndas MajiEt álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum. And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins. Пресвятая
Богородице спаси нас! (Santíssima Mãe de Deus,
salva-nos!)
THE spirit and example of the world
imperceptibly instil the
error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of
going to
Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they
bring
the gospel down to the level of the world. The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. “The saints must be honored as friends of Christ and children and heirs of God, as John the theologian and evangelist says: ‘But as many as received him, he gave them the power to be made the sons of God....’ Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics and just men who announced the coming of the Lord. And let us emulate their faith, charity, hope, zeal, life, patience under suffering, and perseverance unto death, so that we may also share their crowns of glory” Exposition of the Orthodox Faith Called in the Gospel "the Mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the Mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos). Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251.
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 97 Sing to Our Lady a new song: for she hath done wonderful things. In the sight of nations she hath revealed her mercy: her name is heard even to the ends of the earth. Be mindful, O Lady, of the poor and the wretched: and support them by the help of thy holy refreshment. For thou, O Lady, art sweet and true: exceedingly patient and full of compassion. Tread upon the enemies of our souls: and crush with thy holy arm their contumacy. Glory be to the Father, etc. Join us on CatholicVote.org. Be part of a new movement committed to using powerful media projects to create a Culture of Life. We can help shape the movement and have a voice in its future. Check it out at www.CatholicVote.org O Most Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary. Our Lady of Good Succor (near Rouen, France, 1613) Saint Thomas Aquinas Mother of God, filled with all tenderness, Daughter of the most high King, Lady of the Angels, Mother of all the faithful. On this day and all the days of my life, I entrust to your merciful heart my body and my soul, all my acts, thoughts, choices, desires, words, deeds, my entire life and death. So that with your assistance all may be ordered to the good according to the will of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Obtain for me as well, O most sweet Lady, true charity with which from the depths of my heart I may love your most holy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and, after him, love you above all other things. Amen. Saint Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) Excerpt from "Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas to the Blessed Virgin" THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI Morning
Prayer and Hymn Meditation
of
the Day
Prayer
for Priests
The great psalm of the Passion, Chapter 22, whose first verse "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him" For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought. Saint Frances Xavier Seelos Practical Guide to Holiness 1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it. 3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible. 4. Say the rosary every day. 5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; and toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6. Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day. 7. Every month make a review of the month in confession. 8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue. 9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary breviary.net/martyrology/mart04/mart025 stlukeorthodox.com/html/saints/april/ usccb.org ewtn.com St Patricks 0425 domcentral.org/life/martyrFebruary syriac oca.org glaubenszeugen.de/tage/Apr/ Serbian http://www.copticchurch.net Melkite Monthly Saints with pics here http://www.stfrancisenid.com/memorials.htm One Saint per day stthomasirondequoit.com/SaintsAlive/index.htm stjohndc.org God's Humourous Saints |
||
|
God loves variety. He
doesn't
mass-produce his saints. Every saint is
unique, for each is the result of a new idea. As the liturgy
says: Non
est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we
with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the
saints. Dear Lord, grant us
a
spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and
preferences. Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others
what we
lack in ourselves. O Lord, grant that we may understand
that every
saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic
saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.
Each saint the Church
honors responded to God's invitation to use his
or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to
be a
saint in order to get into
heaven: only
saints are allowed into heaven. The more "extravagant"
graces are bestowed NOT for the
benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.
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| Mary the
Mother
of Jesus Miracles_BC Lay Saints
Miraculous_Icons
Miraculous_Medal_Novena
Patron Saints
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 |
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Paul VI_Athenagoras_05_01_1964  Quote: Pope Paul VI’s 1969 Instruction
on
the Contemplative Life includes this
passage:
"To
withdraw into the desert is for Christians tantamount to associating
themselves more intimately with Christ’s passion.
It enables them, in a very special way, to
share in the paschal
mystery and in the passage of Our Lord from this world to the heavenly
homeland" (#1). "The answers to many of life's questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious." 1913 Saint Barsanuphius of Optina  "Christianity
is not a moral code or a philosophy,
"Evil, is only eradicated by holiness, not
by harshness. And holiness introduces into society a seed that heals
and transforms. It is like the tectonic plates of the earth’s
crust: The deepest layers need only shift a few millimeters to shatter
the world’s surface. Yet for this spiritual revolution to occur, we
must experience radical 'metanoia'--a conversion of attitudes, habits
and practices--for ways that we have misused or abused God’s Word,
God’s gifts and God’s creation. The challenge before us is the
discernment of God’s Word in the face of evil, the transfiguration of
every last detail and speck of this world in the light of
Resurrection." "The
victory is al ready present in the depths of the Church, whenever we
experience the grace of reconciliation and communion."
but an encounter with a person" -- Benedict XVI Patriarch_Bartholomew I: SYNOD
OF BISHOPS VATICAN CITY, OCT. 17, 2008
God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven. The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others. Non est inventus similis illis |
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| His Holiness Aram I,
current (2008) Catholicos of Cilicia
of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias. Its jurisdiction currently
extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.
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Christian priests from
Edessa evangelized
Eastern
Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first Churches in the
kingdom of the Sassanides. Atillâtiâ,
Bishop of Edessa, assisted at the Council of
Nicæa (325). The "Peregrinatio Silviæ" (or
Etheriæ) (ed. Gamurrini,
Rome, 1887, 62
sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries at Edessa about 388.
Although Hebrew had
been
the language of the ancient Israelite
kingdom, after their return from Exile the Jews turned more and more to
Aramaic, using it for parts of the books of Ezra and Daniel in the
Bible. By the time of Jesus,
Aramaic was the main language of Palestine, and quite a number of texts
from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written in Aramaic. Aramaic continued to be an
important language for Jews, alongside
Hebrew, and
parts of the Talmud are written in it. After Arab
conquests of
the seventh century, Arabic quickly
replaced
Aramaic as the main language of those who converted to Islam, although
in out of the way places, Aramaic continued as a vernacular language of
Muslims. Aramaic,
however,
enjoyed its greatest success in
Christianity. Although the New Testament
wins written in Greek, Christianity had come
into existence in an Aramaic-speaking milieu, and it was the Aramaic
dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became the literary
language of a large number of Christians living in the eastern
provinces of the Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further east.
Over the course of the centuries the influence of the Syriac Churches
spread eastwards to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac
inscription dated 781 is still to be seen), to southern India
where the
state of Kerala can boast more Christians of Syriac liturgical
tradition than anywhere else in the world.
Aramaic
dialect of Edessa, now known as
Syriac: The exact date of
the
introduction of Christianity into Edessa
{Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er
Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is
not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at
first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an
ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was
one of the seventy-two disciples.
In fact, however, the first King of
Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206)
becoming official kingdom religion.Christian council
held at Edessa early as 197
(Eusebius,
Hist.
Eccl., V,xxiii). In 201 the city was
devastated by a great flood, and
the Christian church was destroyed ("Chronicon Edessenum", ad. an.
201). In 232 the relics of
the Apostle St.
Thomas were brought from
India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written. Under
Roman
domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and
Barsamya,
under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others
under Diocletian.
680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints. Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine. The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches. The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice." According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates. Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor. Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims. |
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 Meeting of the
Saints walis (saints of Allah)Great men covet to embrace
martyrdom for a cause and principle.
So was
the case with Hazrat Ali. He could have made a compromise with the evil
forces of his time and, as a result, could have led a very
comfortable,
easy and luxurious life. But he was not a person who would succumb to
such temptations. His upbringing, his education and his training
in the lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such an offer.
Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country. Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.) , Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) |
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| To
Save A Life is Earthly; Saving A Soul is Eternal
Donation by mail,
please send check or money order to: Support Catholic Television Network Supported entirely by donations from viewers help spread the Eternal Word, online Here Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey  Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament Colombia was among the
countries Mother Angelica
visited. In Bogotá, a Salesian priest -
Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez brought Mother and the nuns to the
Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus
to attend Mass. After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a
small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus.
Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly
the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her. Then the
Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy: Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 20 years  Lover of the poor; "A very Holy Man of God"  Monsignor
Reardon P.A.
BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis
MN
America's First Basilica
Largest Nave in the World
August 7, 1907-ground broke for the
foundation by Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone 5/31/1908Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist,1838-1918. A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955); The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952); The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922; (1932) The Vikings in the American Heartland; The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota; James Michael
Reardon B. 1872, Nova Scotia; Priest, ordained by
Bishop Ireland;
Member St. Paul
Seminary faculty
Sanctuary spaces filled between with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron Life of our Blessed Lady After the Crucifixon Apostle
statues Replicas
of those in St
John
Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica. Ordered
by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great. It
became the
Popes' own cathedral and official residence for the first millennium of
Christian history. The only
replicas ever made: in order from west to east {1932}. Saints
Simon
(saw), Bartholomew (knife), James the Lesser (book), John
(eagle), Andrew (transverse cross), Peter (keys), Paul (sword),
James the
Greater
(staff),
Thomas (carpenter's square), Philip (serpent), Matthew (book), and Jude (sword). Every Christian
must be a living
book wherein
one can read the teaching
of the
gospel
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD |
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The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who
recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)
1.
Whoever
shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall
receive signal graces. 2. I promise my special
protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the
Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor
against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish;
it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw
the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and
will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that soul
would sanctify them by this means. 5. The soul
that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not
perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly,
applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall
never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise them in
His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be
just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of
eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion
for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall
have during their life and at their death the light of God and the
plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate
in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9. I shall
deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a
high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall
obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12. I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy
Rosary in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from
my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for
intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the
hour of death. 14. All who recite the Rosary are my
children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of
predestination.
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The Last Times
Remedies spoken of by Sister Lucia are two-fold:
1. The Rosary
Devotion; 2. The Five First Saturday Reparatory Devotion and Consecration of Russia. The first remedy The Rosary Devotion consists of the praying the Rosary daily, as well as offering up your daily sacrifices and duties in reparation or apology to God for the sins committed. We must remember to first apologize to God for sins, and then all things will be given afterwards. So this first step, the Rosary devotion, repairs for sins and helps to save souls from going to Hell. In the August apparition, Our Lady stated, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because there is no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.” This is a Daily Consecration formula that can be used: "Dear Queen and Mother, who promised at Fatima to convert Russia and bring peace to all mankind, in reparation to Thy Immaculate Heart for my sins and the sins of the whole world, I solemnly promise: "To offer up every day the sufferings and sacrifices demanded by my daily duty; (through the Morning Offering prayer); "To pray the rosary daily while meditating on the Mysteries; "To wear the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel as a profession of this promise and as an act of consecration of myself to Thee, and to renew this promise often, especially in moments of temptation." The second remedy The second remedy is The Five First Saturday Reparatory Devotions, which was requested by Our Lord to repair the damage of the five offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On Ascension Thursday, May 29, 1930 Our Lord explained what these were. The blasphemies are: Against her Immaculate Conception; Against her perpetual virginity; Against her divine maternity as well as the refusal to accept her as Mother of all mankind; The attempt to publicly implant in children’s hearts indifference toward, contempt and even hatred for this Immaculate Mother; The offense of those who insult her directly by profaning her sacred images. What is required to fulfill the First Saturday Reparatory devotion? Here are the words of Our Lady, “I promise to help at the hour of death, with graces needed for salvation, whoever, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall: "Confess; "Receive Holy Communion; "Recite five decades of the Rosary, [With the added prayer at the end of each decade: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy]; "Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to My Immaculate Heart” [This is understood to mean an additional 15 minutes of meditating on the Mysteries, other than the actual praying of the five decades]. Again we see the condition of making reparation, repairing for the damage done by sin. We must remember that Our Lord, being a good and loving Son, asks for this reparation for those offenses committed against His Most Holy Mother. This request of Our Lord and Our Lady for the Five First Saturday Devotion must be officially established and promulgated in the Church. But since this, alas, has not been done, Mr. Del Rose constantly worked to make it known and understood by the people, so more would practice it in compliance with Our Lady’s wishes. During the famous Fr. Fuentes interview of December 26, 1957, Sister Lucia stated that if these remedies are rejected, it will be a sin against the Holy Ghost. The second part of the request during the July 13, 1917 apparition is the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Holy Father in union with all the Bishops of the world must perform this consecration on the same day, and Russia must be named as the object of that consecration. To date, neither the official promulgation of the Five First Saturdays Devotion nor the consecration of Russia has been fulfilled as Our Lady asked. This is the reason why Mr. Del Rose always stressed the two specific requirements, establishing The Five First Saturdays Devotion and the Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. |
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By
Father John Corapi, SOLT
THE
BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM Among the most important titles we have in
the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory
and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of
the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom.
The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our
Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for
the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope
Pius V led a procession around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City
praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing
the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in
using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require
spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had
its origins in the spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children. No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion. As
we watch the
spectacle of the world
seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened
and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic
proportions displayed in living color on our television screens. These are not ordinary times and this is
not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the
time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can
ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the
political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc.
will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is
sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to
good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace.
Islam, an Arabic word that has
often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living
contradiction today. Although it is supposed to be a religion of peace,
Islam has been hijacked by Satan and now operates in the dark space of
international terrorism. As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady,
I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is
what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any
chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without
fail. There is a great
love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a
little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother
appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than
thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even
that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima.
In
the Koran Our Lady is described
as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” Archbishop
Fulton Sheen
prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it
would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted.
We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible
time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great
peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be
peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.
Talk
is weak. Prayer is strong.
Pray! God bless you, A New Series by Fr.
Corapi! The Moon Under Her Feet CD-Audio
Set: $39.00 DVD-Video Set:
$45.00 call
1-888-800-7084 or go to Site http://www.fathercorapi.com
The
four titles are: 1. The
Real War We Fight 2. The
Battle for Hearts & Minds 3.
Leadership: Essential for Victory 4. With the Moon Under Her Feet
In this four part series Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. "Our battle is not against human forces," St. Paul asserts, "but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness..." (Ephesians 6:12). The "War to end all wars" is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds. The title talk, "With the Moon Under Her Feet," is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by this four part series on topics more timely than ever. |
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DECREES OF THE CONGREGATION
FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS
VATICAN CITY, 17 JAN 2009 (VIS) - Today, during a private
audience with Archbishop Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Pope authorised the
congregation to promulgate the following decrees:All Servants of God
MIRACLES: - 1909 Ciriaco Maria Sancha y Hervas, Spanish cardinal archbishop of Toledo, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Cardinal Sancha (1833-1909). - 1956 Carlo Gnocchi, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the "Pro Juventute" Foundation (1902-1956). - 1735 Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos, Spanish professed priest of the Company of Jesus (1711-1735). - 1919 Raphael Rafiringa (ne Louis), Madagascan professed religious of the Institute of Brothers of Christian Schools (1856-1919). - 1946 Eustachio Kugler, (ne Joseph), German professed religious of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (1867-1946). HEROIC VIRTUES - 1659 Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, Spanish bishop of Osma (1600-1659). - 1888 Robert Spiske, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Hedwig (1821-1888). - 1932 Carolina Beltrami, Italian foundress of the Institute of "Immaculatine" Sisters of Alessandria (1869-1932). - 1998 Mary of the Immaculate e Conception Salvat y Romerio (nee Maria Isabella), Spanish superior general of the Institute of Sisters of the Company of the Cross (1926-1998). - 1842 Liberata Ferrarons y Vives, Spanish laywoman of the Third Order of Carmelites (1803-1842). In the course of a private audience with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. on 22 December 2008, the Pope authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree regarding the heroic virtues of 1871 Jose Tous y Soler, Servant of God Spanish professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins and founder of the Capuchin sisters of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd (1811-1871). CSS/DECREES/AMATO VIS 090119
(320)
CONSISTORY ON SEVERAL CAUSES OF
CANONISATION
VATICAN CITY, 16 FEB 2009 (VIS) - In the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace at 11 a.m. on Saturday 21 February, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonisation of the following Blesseds: - Blessed Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski, Polish former archbishop of Warsaw and founder of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary. - Blessed Arcangelo Tadini, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth. - Blessed Francesc Coll y Guitart, Spanish professed priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. - Blessed Jozef Damian de Veuster, Belgian professed priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar (PICPUS). - Blessed Bernardo Tolomei, Italian founder of the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation. - Blessed Rafael Arnaiz Baron, Spanish oblate friar of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. - Blessed Nuno di Santa Maria Alvares Pereira, Portuguese religious of the Order of Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. - Blessed Gertrude Comensoli (nee Caterina), Italian virgin and foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. - Blessed Mary of the Cross Jugan (nee Jeanne), French virgin and foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor. - Blessed Caterina Volpicelli, Italian virgin and foundress of the Institute of Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart. OCL/CONSISTORY CANONISATION/...
VIS 090216 (270)
VATICAN CITY, 3 APR 2009
(VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the
Holy Father received in private audience Archbishop Angelo Amato
S.D.B., prefect
of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorised the
promulgation
of decrees concerning the following causes:
MIRACLES- Venerable Servant of God Maria Pierina de Micheli, Italian sister of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception of Buenos Aires (1890-1945). HEROIC VIRTUES - Franz Joseph Rudigier, Austrian Bishop of Linz (1811-1884). - Johannes Evangelist Wagner, German diocesan priest (1807-1886). - Innocenzo da Caltagirone Marcinno (ne Giuseppe), Italian Minister General of the Order of the Capuchin Friars Minor (1589-1655). - Teresa de la Cruz Candamo Alvarez Calderon, Peruvian foundress of the Congregation of Canonesses of the Cross (1875-1953). - Maria Ines-Teresa del Santisimo Sacramento Arias Espinosa (nee Manuela de Jesus), Mexican foundress of the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and the Missionaries of Christ for the Universal Church (1904-1981). - Marie de la Ferre, French co-foundress of the Daughters of St. Joseph of La Fleche (now the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph) (1589/1590-1652). - Teresita del Nino Jesus Perez de Iriarte Casado (nee Felisa), Spanish professed religious of the Dominican Nuns (1904-1954). - Dulce Lopes Pontes (nee Maria Rita), Brazilian sister of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God (1914-1992). - Giacomo Gaglione, Italian lay man (1896-1962). - Benoite Rencurel, French lay woman of the Third Order of St. Dominic (1647-1718). CCS/DECREES CAUSES OF THE SAINTS/AMATO VIS 090403 (270) FIVE BLESSEDS TO BE CANONISED
ON SUNDAY 26 APRIL 2009
VATICAN CITY, 21 APR 2009 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. on Sunday 26
April, third Sunday of Easter, the Pope will celebrate the Eucharist in
St.
Peter's Square and canonise the following Blesseds:- Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912), Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of Worker Sisters of the Holy House of Nazareth. - Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348), Italian founder of the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation. - Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira (1360-1431), Portuguese religious of the Order of Friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. - Gertrude Comensoli (1847-1903), Italian virgin and foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. - Caterina Volpicelli (1839-1894), Italian virgin and foundress of the Institute of Handmaidens of the Sacred Heart. OCL/CANONISATION/...VIS 090421
(140)
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| LINKS:
Marian Shrines
India Marian Shrine
Lourdes
of the East Lourdes
1858 China Marian
shrines 1995 Kenya national Marian shrine Loreto, Italy Marian Apparitions (over 2000) Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798 Links to Related MarianWebsites Angels and Archangels Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell |
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| Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates Chalcedon |
Mark's Gospel
starkly sets out the demands of Jesus on
his followers.
Jesus had suffered, says Mark; His followers will suffer similarly.
An early uncertain
tradition, recorded by Eusebius,
renders Mark the
first bishop of Alexandria, but neither Papias nor Clement of
Alexandria mentions it. 
