WORLD DAY
OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
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Et álibi aliórum
plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum,
atque sanctárum Vírginum.
Louis DE MontfortAnd 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 
Sheeps_Pool.jpgMan, whether in the cloister or in the world, must live in a cell of self-knowledge, which is the stall in which the pilgrim must be reborn from time to eternity. St Catherine of Siena Abbots of Cluny (RM) When the Roman Calendar was
reorganized in 1968, it appears that this feast day was added to
honor all the saintly abbots of the influential Abbey of Cluny. They are
still individually honored on their own feast days, but most are no longer
individually honored liturgically universally.
The Angelus April
29 - Our Lady of Faith (Amiens, France)
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Be it done unto me according
to Thy word. Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh:
And dwelt among us. Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of
God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. Saint Jason M (RM) 1st century. Jason was a friend and host of Saint Paul (Acts 17:5) in Salonka, Thessalonica, during his second missionary journey. Jason was a prominent convert to Christianity and is probably the same Jason with Sosipater mentioned by Saint Paul in the Epistle to the Romans (16:21). In the Greek legend Jason is described as the bishop of Tarsus, Cilicia, who, with Sosipater, evangelized Corfu, where Jason died. Syrian legend says he evangelized the area around Apamea and was martyred there by being thrown to wild beasts. The Roman Martyrology wrongly identifies him with the Mnason mentioned in Acts 21:16, "a Cyprian, an old disciple," with whom Saint Paul was staying in Jerusalem and whom tradition makes bishop of Tamasus in Cyprus (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia). |
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April 29 – St Catherine of Siena, Virgin,
Tertiary of the Dominican Order,
Doctor of the Church, Patroness of Europe († 1380, Rome) Mary, Sweet Mother of the Infinite Mercy Catherine Benincasa was born in Siena
(Italy), on March 25, 1347, Palm Sunday and the Feast of the Annunciation.
All her life, Catherine contemplated Mary in the mystery of the Incarnation
and on Calvary. She called Mary her “sweet mother,” and immersed herself
mystically in the blood of Jesus, which saves and gives life to the sinner.
Consecrated, but not cloistered (...) Penitent and missionary (...)
In 1380, Catherine died in Rome, at the age of 33, without seeing the end of the schism. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II, and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI, on October 4, 1970, on the same day as Saint Teresa of Avila. (...) One of her keys to discernment is the relationship between human actions, which are limited, and divine love, which is unlimited. (...) Mary is very important because through her the Word became flesh. And the Incarnate Word reveals love's infinite dimension to mankind. Sin is always finite, because it is human. Divine mercy is infinite, because of its divinity. The love that accompanies our actions is infinite... This is why loving Mary saves us from damnation. MDN Team |
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| 33 The man who lay by
the Sheep's
Pool in Jerusalem for thirty-eight years 65 St Torpes Martyr Martyrs of Corfu hermits the Seven Saintly Robbers martyred 1st v. Cercyre converted by Saint Jason VM 1st v. St Tychicus 1st century disciple assistant of St. Paul 259 St Agapius banished to Cirta, Numidia (Algeria) Martyr bishop 290 Nine holy martyrs Cyzicus Dardenelles Thaumasius, Theognes, Rufus, Antipater, Theostichus, Artemas, Magnus, Theodotus, and Philemon The Holy Martyrs Diodorus and Rhodopianus the Deacon suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) in Aphrodisias, Caria. 409 Severus of Naples renowned miracle worker raised dead man B (RM) 5th v. Saint Memnon the Wonderworker gift of clairvoyance many miracles 5th v. St Dichu First convert of St Patrick in Ulser 545 St Paulinus of Brescia Bishop 6th v. St Endellion Virgin recluse 7th v. St Fiachan monk in Lismore Abbey obedience was his sterling quality 7th v. St Senan Welsh hermit 744 St Wilfrid the Younger Benedictine abbot bishop of York zealous for education 845 St Ava cured of blindness by St. Rainfredis, became a Benedictine Abbess 9th v. St Daniel of Gerona hermit Daniel native of Asia Minor M (AC) 1109 St Hugh the Great Benedictine abbot founded hospital for lepers preached the First Crusade 1110 Robert of Molesme one of Cistercian founders movement a great reformer OSB Cist. Abbot (RM) 1111 St. Robert of Molesmes Benedictine abbot great reformer founder 1120 Blessed Theoger of Metz canon monk prior abbot bishop OSB B (PC) 1157 Bl Robert Bruges Cistercian abbot followed Saint Bernard to Clairvaux 1252 St Peter of Verona inquisitor inspiring sermons martyr accepted into the Dominican Order by St. Dominic 1380 St Catherine of Siena illiterate one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day mystical experiences when only 6 visions of Christ Mary and the saints gift of healing Stigmata visible only after her death Doctor of the Church 16th v. Saint Basil, Bishop of Zakholmsk monk various miracles 1715 St. Louis Mary Grignion missionary apostolic organized women the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom furthering devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin through the Rosary popular book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin formed the Missionaries of the Company of Mary founded the clerical institute Montfort Fathers 1716 St Louis de Montfort Confessor Marian devotee missionary apostolic famous for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary founder of the Sisters of Divine Wisdom 1842 Joseph Benedict Cottolengo priest ministered to the sick "When I am in Heaven, where everything is possible, I will cling to the mantle of the Mother of God and I will not turn my eyes from you. But do not forget what this poor old man has said to you."(RM) Founder Of The Societies Of The Little House Of Divine Providence; “We are like the marionettes of a puppet-show. As long as they are held by a hand from above they walk, jump, dance and give signs of agility and life: they represent . . . now a king, now a clown . . . but as soon as the performance is over they are dropped and huddled together ingloriously in a dusty corner. So it is with us: amid the multiplicity of our various functions we are held and moved by the hand of Providence. Our duty is to enter into its designs, to play the part assigned to us . . . and respond promptly and trustfully to the impulses received from on high.” 1928 St Nectarius Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders June 13,1996, glorifying for universal veneration August 7, 2000 |
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him" (Psalm 21:28)
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On
Death and Life
"Man Needs Eternity -- and Every Other Hope, for Him, Is All Too Brief" The Rosary html Mary Mother of GOD -- Her Rosary Here Mary Mother of GOD Mary's Divine Motherhood: FEASTS OF OUR LADY of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List Here |
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My God, I believe, I adore, I trust
and I love Thee. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not
adore, do not. 
O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I beg the conversion of poor sinners, Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace Mary's Divine Motherhood Pope Benedict XVI Catholic Church In China {article here} 1648 to1930 St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 120 Companions Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria -- 600s. Depending on China's relations with outside world, Christianity for centuries was free to grow or forced to operate secretly. How do I start the Five First Saturdays? 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 Blessed
Virgin was eternally
predestined,
in conjunction with
the incarnation of the
divine Word, to be
the Mother of God. By decree
of divine Providence, she
served on earth as the loving mother of the
divine Redeemer, an
associate of unique
nobility, and the Lord's
humble handmaid. She conceived,
brought forth, and
nourished Christ.” |
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| The
voice of the Father is heard,
the Son enters the water, and the
Holy Spirit appears in the form of
a dove.
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. It is not by this example
that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words
and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded
to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is
perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be
His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves
by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery
of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.
These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.
breviary.net/martyrology/mart04
29 stlukeorthodox.com/html/saints/
usccb.org
ewtn.com
St
Patricks 04 29
domcentral.org/life/martyr Mar syriac oca.org glaubenszeugen.de/tage/kai/04 29 Serbian http://www.copticchurch.net Melkite Monthly Saints with pics here http://www.stfrancisenid.com/memorials.htm antiochian.org/AW-WomenSaints--wonderful icons Lutheran Saints One Saint per day stthomasirondequoit.com/SaintsAlive/index.htm oremus.org calendar index March 03 stjohndc.org God's Humourous Saints |
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Join Mary of Nazareth
Project help us
build the International
Marian Center of Nazarethhttp://www.worldpriest.com/ |
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THE EUCHARIST,
A MYSTERY
TO BE
BELIEVED POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
Morning
Prayer and Hymn
Meditation
of the Day
Prayer
for Priests
Our
Bartholomew
Family Prayer List
HereSACRAMENTUM CARITATIS OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI Miracles by Century 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Miracles_BC Lay Saints |
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| We are called upon
with the whole Church militant
on earth to join
in praising and thanking
God for the grace and glory
he has bestowed on his saints.
At the same time we earnestly implore
Him to exert His almighty
power and mercy in raising us from
our miseries and sins, healing
the disorders of our souls and
leading us by the path of repentance
to the company of His saints, to which
He has called us. They were once what we are now, travellers on earth they had the same weaknesses, which we have. We have difficulties to encounter so had the saints, and many of them far greater than we can meet with; obstacles from kings and whole nations, sometimes from the prisons, racks and swords of persecutors. Yet they surmounted these difficulties, which they made the very means of their virtue and victories. It was by the strength they received from above, not by their own, that they triumphed. But the blood of Christ was shed for us as it was for them and the grace of our Redeemer is not wanting to us; if we fail, the failure is in ourselves. THE saints and just, from the beginning of time and throughout the world, who have been made perfect, everlasting monuments of God’s infinite power and clemency, praise His goodness without ceasing; casting their crowns before His throne they give to Him all the glory of their triumphs: “His gifts alone in us He crowns.” |
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“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. |
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Nine First Fridays Devotion
to
the Sacred Heart ... From the
writings of St. Margaret Mary
Alacoque
On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to me, His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: “I promise you
in the
excessive mercy of my Heart
that its all-powerful love
will grant to all those who receive
Holy Communion on nine
first Fridays of consecutive months
the grace of final repentance; they
will not die under my displeasure or
without receiving their sacraments,
my divine Heart making itself their
assured refuge at the last moment.”
Margaret Mary
was
inspired by Christ to establish
the Holy Hour and to pray
lying prostrate with her face to
the ground from eleven till midnight
on the eve of the first Friday of
each month, to share in the mortal
sadness.
He endured when abandoned by His Apostles in His Agony, and to receive holy Communion on the first Friday of every month. In the first great revelation, He made known to her His ardent desire to be loved by men and His design of manifesting His Heart with all Its treasures of love and mercy, of sanctification and salvation. He appointed the Friday after the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi as the feast of the Sacred Heart; He called her “the Beloved Disciple of the Sacred Heart”, and the heiress of all Its treasures. The love of the Sacred Heart was the fire which consumed her, and devotion to the Sacred Heart is the refrain of all her writings. In her last illness she refused all alleviation, repeating frequently: “What have I in heaven and what do I desire on earth, but Thee alone, O my God”, and died pronouncing the Holy Name of Jesus. With regard to this promise it may be remarked: (1) that our Lord required Communion to be received on a particular day chosen by Him; (2) that the nine Fridays must be consecutive; (3) that they must be made in honor of His Sacred Heart, which means that those who make the nine Fridays must practice the devotion and must have a great love for our Lord; (4) that our Lord does not say that those who make the nine Fridays will be dispensed from any of their obligations or from exercising the vigilance necessary to lead a good life and overcome temptation; rather He implicitly promises abundant graces to those who make the nine Fridays to help them to carry out these obligations and persevere to the end; (5) that perseverance in receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive First Firdays helps the faithful to acquire the habit of frequent Communion, which our Lord eagerly desires; and (6) that the practice of the nine Fridays is very pleasing to our Lord He promises such great reward, and all Catholics should endeavor to make nine Fridays. |
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| How do I start the Five
First
Saturdays? by
Fr. Tom O'Mahony On July 13,1917, Our Lady appeared
for
the third time to the three children
of Fatima an showed them
the vision of hell and made
the now - famous thirteen prophecies.
In this vision Our Lady said
that 'GOD WISHES TO ESTABLISH IN THE
WORLD DEVOTION to Her Immaculate
Heart and that She would come TO ASK
FOR THE COMMUNION OF REPARATION
ON THE FIRST SATURDAYS...'
Eight years later,
on December 10, 1925, Our Lady did
indeed come back. She appeared
(with the Child Jesus) to Lucia
in the convent of the Dorothean Sisters
in Pontevedra.
The Child Jesus spoke first: 'HAVE COMPASSION ON THE HEART OF YOUR MOST HOLY MOTHER WHICH IS COVERED WITH THORNS WITH WHICH UNGRATEFUL MEN PIERCE IT AT EVERY MOMENT, WHILE THERE IS NO ONE TO REMOVE THEM WITH AN ACT OF REPARATION.' THE GREAT PROMISE Our Lady then said: 'MY DAUGHTER LOOK AT MY HEART SURROUNDED WITH THORNS WITH WHICH UNGRATEFUL MEN PIERCE IT AT EVERY MOMENT BY THEIR BLASPHEMIES AND INGRATITUDE. YOU, AT LEAST, TRY TO CONSOLE ME, AND SAY THAT I PROMISE TO ASSIST AT THE HOUR OF DEATH WITH ALL THE GRACES NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, ALL THOSE WHO, ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS GO TO CONFESSION AND RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, RECITE FIVE DECADES OF THE ROSARY AND KEEP ME COMPANY FOR A QUARTER OF AN HOUR WHILE MEDITATING ON MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY, WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING REPARATION TO ME.' The Five Reasons Lucia once asked this question
of
Our Lord and received as an answer:
'MY DAUGHTER, THE MOTIVE
IS SIMPLE, THERE ARE FIVE
KINDS OF OFFENCES AND BLASPHEMIES
UTTERED AGAINST THE IMMACULATE
HEART OF MARY: (1) BLASPHEMIES
AGAINST THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION:
(2) BLASPHEMIES AGAINST HER VIRGINITY:
(3) BLASPHEMIES AGAINST HER DIVINE
MATERNITY: (4) BLASPHEMIES
OF THOSE WHO OPENLY SEEK TO FOSTER
IN THE HEARTS OF CHILDREN INDIFFERENCE
OR EVEN HATRED FOR THIS IMMACULATE
MOTHER: (5) THE OFFENCES OF THOSE WHO
DIRECTLY OUTRAGE HER IN HOLY IMAGES.'
From the above, it is easy to see that each of the Five Saturdays can correspond to a specific offence. By offering the graces received during each First Saturday as reparation for the offence being prayed for, the participant can hope to help remove the thorns from Our Lady's Heart. What Do I Have To Do? The devotion of First Saturdays, as requested by Our Lady of Fatima, carries with it the assurance of salvation. However, to derive profit from such a great promise of Our Lady, the devotion must be properly understood and duly performed. The requirements as stipulated by Our Lady are as follows: (1) CONFESSION, (2) COMMUNION, (3) FIVE DECADES OF THE ROSARY, (4) MEDITATION ON ONE OR MORE OF THE ROSARY MYSTERIES FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES, (5) TO DO ALL THESE THINGS IN THE SPIRIT OF REPARATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, and (6) TO OBSERVE ALL THESE PRACTICES ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. (1) CONFESSION: A reparative confession means
that
the confession should not only
be good (valid and licit),
but also be offered in the
spirit of reparation, in this case,
to Mary's Immaculate Heart.
This confession may be made
on the First Saturday itself or some
days before or after the First Saturday
within the preceding octave would
suffice.
(2) COMMUNION: The communion of reparation must be sacramental duly received with the intention of making reparation. This offering, like the confession, is an interior act and so no external action to express the intention is needed. (3) THE ROSARY: The Rosary mentioned
here
was indicated by the Portuguese
word 'terco' which is commonly
employed to denote a Rosary of
five decades, since it forms a fourth
of the full Rosary of 20 decades.
This too must recited in a spirit
of reparation.
(4) MEDITATION FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES: Here the meditation on one mystery or more is to be made without simultaneous recitation of the Rosary decade. As indicated, the meditation may be either on one mystery alone for 15 minutes, or on all 20 mysteries, spending about one minute on each mystery, or again, on two or more mysteries during the period. This can also be made before each decade spending three minutes or more in considering the mystery of the particular decade. This meditation has likewise to be made in the spirit of reparation to the Immaculate Heart. (5) THE SPIRIT OF REPARATION: All these acts, as said above, have to be done with the intention of offering reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the offences committed against Her. Everyone who offends Her commits, so to speak, a two-fold offence, for these sins also offend her Divine Son, Christ, and so endanger our salvation. They give bad example to others and weaken the strength of society to withstand immoral onslaughts. Such devotions therefore make us consider not only the enormity of the offence against God, but also the effect of sins on human society as well as the need for undoing these social effects even when the offender repents and is converted. Further, this reparation emphasises our responsibility towards sinners who, themselves, will not pray and make reparation for their sins. (6) FIVE CONSECUTIVE FIRST SATURDAYS: The
idea
of the Five First Saturdays is
obviously to make us persevere
in the devotional acts for
these Saturdays and overcome initial
difficulties. Once this is done,
Our Lady knows that the person
would become devoted to Her immaculate
Heart and persist in practising
such devotion on all First Saturdays,
working thereby for personal
self-reform and for the salvation
of others.
Unless Russia is converted, the movement against God and for sin will continue to spread, promoting wars and persecutions, and making the attainment for peace and justice impossible for this world. One means of obtaining Russia's conversion is to practise the Fatima Message. The stakes are so great that to encourage Catholics to practise the devotion of the First Saturdays, Our Lady has assured us that She will obtain salvation for all those who observe the first Saturdays for five consecutive months in accordance with Her conditions. At the supreme moment the departing person will be either in the state of grace or not. In either case Our Lady will be by his side. If in the state of grace, She will console and help him to resist whatever temptations the devil might put before him in his last attempt to take the person with him to hell. If not in the state of grace, Our Lady will help the person to repent in a manner agreeable to God and so benefit by the fruits of redemption and be saved. |
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Miracles
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Lay Saints |
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The POPES HTML
Pius IX 1846--1878 • Leo XIII 1878-1903 • Pius X 1903-1914• Benedict XV 1914-1922 • Pius XI 1922-1939 • Pius XII 1939-1958 • John XXIII 1958-1963 • Paul VI 1963 to 1978 • John Paul • John Paul II 10/16/1975-4/2/2005 Benedict XVI "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 The more "extravagant" graces
are bestowed NOT for the benefit
of the recipients so much
as FOR benefit of others.
Non est inventus similis illis God calls each one of us to be a saint in
order to get into heaven.
Popes mentioned
in articles of Saints
today
Cross Not
Optional, Says Benedict XVI
Reflects on
Peter's "Immature" Faith CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).-
The
Pope said this today before
reciting the midday Angelus
with several thousand
people gathered in the courtyard
of the papal summer residence
at Castel Gandolfo,
south of Rome.Taking up one's cross isn't an option, it's a mission all Christians are called to, says Benedict XVI. Referring to the Gospel reading for today's
Mass,
the Holy Father reflected
on the faith of Peter, which
is shown to be "still immature
and too much influenced by the
'mentality of this world.'”
He
explained that when Christ spoke
openly about how he was
to "suffer much, be killed and rise
again, Peter protests, saying: 'God forbid,
Lord! No such thing shall ever
happen to you.'"
Christ also
knew that "the resurrection
would be the last word,"
Benedict XVI added."It is evident that the Master and the disciple follow two opposed ways of thinking," continued the Pontiff. "Peter, according to a human logic, is convinced that God would never allow his Son to end his mission dying on the cross. "Jesus, on the contrary, knows that the Father, in his great love for men, sent him to give his life for them, and if this means the passion and the cross, it is right that such should happen." Serious illness
The Pope continued, "If to save us the Son of God had to suffer and die crucified, it certainly was not because of a cruel design of the heavenly Father. "The cause of it is the gravity of the sickness of which he must cure us: an evil so serious and deadly that it will require all of his blood. "In fact, it is with his death
and resurrection that Jesus
defeated sin and death,
reestablishing the lordship
of God."
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, 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).God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven.
"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
The more "extravagant" graces
are bestowed
NOT for the benefit of the recipients
so much as FOR benefit
of others.
Non est inventus similis illis 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, 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).
"Christianity
is not a moral code or a
philosophy, but an encounter with
a person" -- Benedict
XVI
"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).
Paul VI_Athenagoras_05_01_1964
Pope Francis THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
MARY PSALM
83
How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lady of hosts: how delightful are the tents of thy redemption. Honor her, O ye sinners: and she will obtain grace and salvation for you. Her prayer is incense above frank-incense and balsam: her supplications will not return to her bare, void, or empty. Intercede for me, O Lady, with thy Christ: neither do thou forsake me in death or in life. For thy spirit is kind: thy grace fills the whole world. 
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, 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).
Christianity is not a moral code or a philosophy,
but an
encounter with
a person”
-- Benedict XVI Benedict_XVI_Patriarch_Bartholomew
Benedict XVI_Archbishop_Hilarion 
Benedict
XVI
receives Orthodox
Archbishop
Hilarion n September
18th, Pope Benedict XVI;
Archbishop Hilarion,
president of the Department
for External Church
Affairs of the Patriarchate
of Moscow.The Orthodox Archbishop is currently visiting the Vatican at the invitation of Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This Pontifical Council underlined that the visit will confirm the ties of friendship between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, with a view to closer collaboration and to favor the presence of the Church in the lives of the peoples of Europe and the world. In addition, a further step in ecumenical relations is scheduled for the month of October in Cyprus: the meeting of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which will address the theme of Petrine Primacy. 
Benedict
XVI met with Aram
I Catholicos of Cilicia,
the highest
authority of the Orthodox
Church.
The
Pope remembered the martyrs
of the Armenian Church
and the Armenian
genocide, without explicitly
mentioning it,
and denounced the persecution
of Christians in
modern times.
Benedict
XVIThat testimony culminated in the twentieth century, which proved a time of Unspeakable suffering for your people. Most recently we have all been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere. The Catholicos is based in Lebanon. That is why, the Pope said, he prays every day for peace in this country and throughout the Middle East. Benedict XVI said there will only be peace in the region when each country is free to decide its own destiny and when every ethnic and religious group accepts and respects the others. Aram I emphasized that the churches must be means for peace and to achieve that they must recognize “all” genocides, even the Armenian.. The Catholicos recalled his meeting with John Paul II, adding that this visit represents a new step for ecumenical dialogue. Our meeting is an opportunity to pray and reflect together, and to renew our commitment and efforts for Christian unity. Armenian church members from all over the world join with Catholicos in making pilgrimages to Rome. |
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| 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. |
|
| Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic
Church In China
{whole
article here}
2000
years of the Catholic Church
in
China The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible. 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
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; 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 My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love
Thee. I beg
pardon for those who do not
believe, do not adore,
do not
O most Holy trinity, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee the most
precious Body, Blood, Soul
and Divinity of Jesus
Christ, present in all
the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation
for the outrages,
sacrileges and indifference
by which He is offended,
and by the
infite
merits of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
I beg the conversion of poor sinners, Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace
The
voice of the Father
is heard, the Son enters
the water, and the Holy
Spirit appears in the form
of a dove.
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. It is not
by this example that we are to measure
the Christian rule, but words
and life of Christ. All His followers
are commanded to labour to become
perfect even as our heavenly Father
is perfect, and to bear His image
in our hearts that we may be His children.
We are obliged by the gospel to die to
ourselves by fighting self-love in
our hearts, by the mastery of our passions,
by taking on the spirit of our Lord.
These
are the
conditions under which
Christ makes His promises
and numbers us among His
children, as is manifest from
His words which the apostles
have left us in their inspired
writings. Here is no distinction
made or foreseen between
the apostles or clergy or religious
and secular persons. The former,
indeed, take upon themselves
certain stricter obligations,
as a means of accomplishing
these ends more perfectly; but the
law of holiness and of disengagement
of the heart from the world is general
and binds all the followers of Christ.
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God loves variety.
He doesn't mass-produce
his saints. Every
saint is unique each
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 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.
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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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His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) 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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|
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.
In the meanwhile 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.
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. |
|
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. Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.” 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 Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life. |
|
| 801 Rabi'a
al-'Adawiyya Sufi
One of the most famous
Islamic mystics (b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions. Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq. She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186). Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186). She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218). Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching. As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director. She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222). A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid. The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218) Rabi'a was of this second kind. She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca: "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God. She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker. Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219). During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything. "...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?' I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them. I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162) When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said, "O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me? Is it not God Who wills it? When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will? It is not well to oppose one's Beloved." (221) She was an ascetic. It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187). She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world. A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill. Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied, "I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?" (186-7) A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold. She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him. And she added an ethical concern as well: "...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187) She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself. The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other. When they asked her to explain, she said: "I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188) She was once asked where she came from. "From that other world," she said. "And where are you going?" she was asked. "To that other world," she replied (219). She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end. Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love. In this quest, logic and reason were powerless. Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220). Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition. Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved. Through this communion, she could discover His will for her. Many of her prayers have come down to us: "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart, But my body is available for those who seek its company, And my body is friendly towards its guests, But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul." [224] |
|
To
Save A Life is Earthly; Saving A Soul is Eternal Donation by
mail, please send check or money order to:Catholic Television Network Supported entirely by donations from viewers help spread the Eternal Word, online Here 
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: “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.” 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 The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic
Bulletin
for 14 years Lover of the poor;
“A very Holy Man of God.”
Monsignor
Reardon
Protonotarius
Apostolicus Pastor 42 years 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 May
31, 1908
Brief 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
Born in Nova Scotia,
1872;
Priest, ordained by Bishop
Ireland;
Affiliations
and Indulgences
Litany of Loretto in Stained glass
windows
here. Nave
Sacristy and Residence
Here
Member -- St. Paul Seminary
faculty.
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the 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, Popes' cathedral and official residence 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
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD |
|
| THE BLESSED
MOTHER AND ISLAM
By Father
John
Corapi.
Site http://www.fathercorapi
June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under
Pope John Paul II;
By Father
John Corapi, SOLTthen 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so. 
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.
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 him. About Father John Corapi. Father Corapi is a Catholic priest
.
The pillars of father's preaching
are basically:
Love for
and a relationship
with the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church |
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| LINKS: Marian Apparitions (over 2000) India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East Lourdes Feb 11- July 16, Loreto, Italy 1858 China Marian shrines May 23, 1995 Zarvintisya Ukraine Lourdes Kenya national Marian shrine Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798 Links to Related Marian Websites Angels and Archangels Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates |
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Cyzicus Dardenelles (Hellespont) 
Saint Catherine cutting off her hair to convince her mother
(seated) that she did not want any earthly spouse. 
Choosing Thorns Image by Boeri
Boeri © 1997
When the great Western schism broke out following the death
of Pope Gregory in 1378, the new pope, Urban VI, called her to Rome. A
rival pope was established at Avignon by some cardinals who declared Urban's
election was illegal. 
