Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The apostate priest Martin Luther had a filthy mind and a foul mouth…read these quotes…

For Luther, the voice of conscience was not that of grace, but rather that of the Devil!

Martin_Luther_01.jpg

For this reason, he wrote to a friend that a man vexed by the Devil should occasionally “drink more abundantly, gamble, entertain himself, and even commit some sin out of hatred and spite for the Devil so that we may not give him an opportunity to disturb our consciences with trifles. The whole Decalogue should be erased from our eyes and our souls, from us who are so persecuted and molested by the Devil”.[1]

Along the same line he also wrote: “God only obliges you to believe and to confess (the faith). In all other things He leaves you free, lord and master to do whatever you will without any danger to your conscience; on the contrary, it is certain that, as far as He is concerned, it makes no difference whether you leave your wife, flee from your lord, or are unfaithful to every obligation. What is it to Him if you do or do not do such things?”[2]

The incitement to sin given in a letter to Melanchton on August 1, 1521, is perhaps even more categorical: “Be a sinner, and sin strongly (esto peccator et pecca fortiter), but believe and rejoice even more firmly in Christ, the conqueror of sin, of death, and of the world. During this life, we have to sin. It is sufficient that, by the mercy of God, we know the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Sin will not separate us from Him, even though we were to commit a thousand murders and a thousand adulteries per day”.[3]

Martin_Luther_01.jpg

 

 

Martin Luther, the apostate Augustinian friar from Erfurt,
who in his rebellion lashed out against God, Jesus Christ the
Son of God, the Blessed Sacrament, the Virgin Mary,
and the Papacy.

 

This doctrine is so bizarre that even Luther himself could scarcely manage to believe in it: “There is no religion in the whole world that teaches this doctrine of justification; I myself, even though I teach it publicly, have a great difficulty in believing it privately”.[4]

Luther himself recognized the devastating effects of his admittedly insincere preaching: “The Gospel today finds adherents who are convinced that it is nothing but a doctrine that serves to fill their bellies and give free reign to all their impulses”.[5]

And Luther added, regarding his evangelical henchmen, that “they are seven times worse than they were before. After the preaching of our doctrine men have given themselves up to robbery, lying, imposture, debauchery, drunkenness, and every kind of vice. We have expelled one devil (the papacy), and seven worse ones have come in”.[6]

“After we understood that good works are not necessary for justification, I became much more remiss and cold in doing good...and if we could return now to the old state of things and if the doctrine of the necessity of good works to be holy could be revived, our alacrity and promptness in doing good would be different”.[7]

All these insanities make it understandable how Luther reached a frenzy of satanic pride, saying of himself: “Does this Luther not appear to you to be eccentric? As far as I am concerned, I think he is God. Otherwise, how could his writings or his name have the power to transform beggars into lords, asses into doctors (of learning), falsifiers into saints, slime into pearls!”[8]

At other times, Luther’s opinion of himself was much more objective: “I am a man exposed to and involved in society, debauchery, carnal movements, in negligence and other disturbances, to which are added those of my own office”.[9]

                                                   ***

By Plinio Correa de Oliveira with quotes from:

Fr._Leonel_Franca.jpg

Fr. Leonel Franca, S.J., A Igreja, a Reforma, e a Civilização [The Church, the Reformation, and Civilization] (Rio de Janeiro, 1934).

Fr. Leonel Edgar da Silveira Franca, S.J., one of the founders of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and its first Rector (1941 -1948).

St. Robert of Molesme – This saint helped to start these military religious order: The Templars, Knights of Calatrava, of St. Lazarus, of Alcantara, of Avis, of St. Maurice

Born about the year 1029, at Champagne, France, of noble parents who bore the names of Thierry and Ermengarde; died at Molesme, 17 April, 1111.

Statue of St Robert of Molesme in Germany

Statue of St Robert of Molesme in Germany

When fifteen years of age, he commenced his novitiate in the Abbey of Montier-la-Celle, or St. Pierre-la-Celle, situated near Troyes, of which he became later prior. In 1068 he succeeded Hunaut II as Abbot of St. Michael de Tonnerre, in the Diocese of Langres.

About this time a band of seven anchorites who lived in the forest of Collan, in the same diocese, sought to have Robert for their chief, but the monks, despite their constant resistance to his authority, insisted on keeping their abbot who enjoyed so great a reputation, and was the ornament of their house.

Their intrigues determined Robert to resign his charge in 1071, and seek refuge in the monastery of Montier-la-Celle. The same year he was placed over the priory of St. Ayoul de Provins, which depended on Montier-la-Celle. Meantime two of the hermits of Collan went to Rome and besought Gregory VII to give them the prior of Provins for their superior. The pope granted their request, and in 1074 Robert initiated the hermits of Collan in the monastic life. As the location at Collan was found unsuitable, Robert founded a monastery at Molesme in the valley of Langres at the close of 1075.

St. Robert of Molesme

To Molesme as a guest came the distinguished canon and doctor (écolâtre) of Reims, Bruno, who, in 1082, placed himself under the direction of Robert, before founding the celebrated order of the Chartreux. At this time the primitive discipline was still in its full vigor, and the religious lived by the labor of their hands. Soon, however, the monastery became wealthy through a number of donations, and with wealth, despite the vigilance of the abbot, came laxity of discipline. Robert endeavored to restore the primitive strictness, but the monks showed so much resistance that he abdicated, and left the care of his community to his prior, Alberic, who retired in 1093.

In the following year he returned with Robert to Molesme. On 29 Nov., 1095, Urban II confirmed the institute of Molesme. In 1098 Robert, still unable to reform his rebellious monks, obtained from Hugues, Archbishop of Lyons and Legate of the Holy See, authority to found a new order on new lines. Twenty-one religious left Molesme and set out joyfully for a desert called Citeaux in the Diocese of Chalons, and the Abbey of Citeaux (q.v.) was founded 21 March, 1098.

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The diffusion of the new order was chiefly effected by means of foundations. Nevertheless several congregations and monasteries, which had existed before the Order of Cîteaux, became affiliated to it, among them the Congregations of Savigny and Obazine, which were incorporated in the order in 1147. St. Bernard and other Cistercians took a very active part, too, in the establishment of the great military orders, and supplied them with their constitutions and their laws.

Among these various orders of chivalry may be mentioned the Templars, the Knights of Calatrava, of St. Lazarus, of Alcantara, of Avis, of St. Maurice, of the Wing of St. Michael, of Montessa, etc.

(cfr. Catholic Encyclopedia)

Catholic college hires dean who served on Planned Parenthood advisory board

by Dustin Siggins

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 29, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Despite a backlash from alumni and national Catholic media, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) has hired Dr. Robbin Crabtree, who handled media relations for a Planned Parenthood chapter, to head its Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA).

Critics were concerned about Crabtree's past as an advisory board and media relations committee member of Planned Parenthood of Putnam County, Indiana, from 1991 to 1993.

The National Catholic Register found that Crabtree had not included her past with Planned Parenthood in her original application for the LMU position.

LMU provost Joseph Hellige praised Crabtree as having a "deep understanding of the enduring value of the liberal arts...and...strong commitment to the values that flow from Catholic education in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions." Crabtree, who currently serves as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Fairfield University, said in a public statement that she was "look[ing] forward to working with...BCLA faculty on important projects for the entire university."

According to Crabtree, those projects include "implementation of the new core curriculum and consolidation of the already extraordinary commitments to academic excellence, diversity, and service.”

Crabtree's assistant at Fairfield said she was out of the office for the day when LifeSiteNews.com called to ask if she still supports the efforts of Planned Parenthood. Crabtree's defenders have produced no public record that she has renounced her past affiliation with Planned Parenthood, nor any promise not to work with the organization in the future.

An LMU spokesperson told LifeSiteNews.com that what a staff or faculty member does on his or her private time would not impact employment. The spokesperson also declined to note whether promoting views that run contrary to Catholic teachings on faith and morals on the job would impact the person's employment.

The Los Angeles archdiocese declined to comment on the hiring of Crabtree.

In a letter to "LMU Alumni, Parents, and Friends," Rev. Robert V. Caro, S.J. vice president for mission and ministry at LMU, wrote that "in hiring we have only one litmus test: candidates must understand our institutional commitment to Roman Catholicism, fully support our mission of academic excellence in the Jesuit/Marymount traditions, and commit themselves to furthering this identity and mission through their professional life at LMU."

Caro further criticized some opponents of Crabtree's hiring by pointing to how "more than 20 years ago, Dr. Crabtree consulted with a small woman’s health clinic in rural Indiana that was sponsored by Planned Parenthood and was one of the few health care resources for the poor and disadvantaged women in the area."

"She was not an employee of the clinic but served only as an outside communications consultant," according to Caro. "Further, while in New Mexico over 15 years ago, Dr. Crabtree was briefly involved with a budding political organization, whose primary purpose was to find and support women candidates to run for state office...Associating Dr. Crabtree’s brief involvement with the group’s subsequent makeup and evolving political agenda is misleading."

RenewLMU.com, which says it "is an alliance of students, alumni, faculty, donors, and other LMU supporters who seek to strengthen LMU’s Catholic mission and identity," has criticized the hiring process and the decision to hire Crabtree.

RenewLMU claims LMU "has selectively withheld relevant information during and after the evaluation phase for the new BCLA Dean."

The group says that "it appears the selection committee voted on Prof. Crabtree’s candidacy before it knew of her involvement with Planned Parenthood or Las Adelitas," and asks if "there a formal re-consideration by the committee once this evidence came to light?"

Members also objected to the fact that the new dean at this Catholic college is “a professed atheist.”

Crabtree was one of two finalists for the dean position whose past brought concerns about support for life. The other, Ramon Gutierrez, has been a consultant for a Planned Parenthood arm in New York.

Detroit Catholic hospital gives abortionists admitting privileges, dispenses abortifacient drugs

by Kirsten Andersen

DETROIT, April 29, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-life Catholic in Detroit says she is fed up after three years of pressing a Catholic-affiliated hospital to sever ties with four abortionists and stop offering sterilizations and abortion-causing drugs, to no avail. Now, she’s calling on Archbishop Allen Vigneron to use his moral authority to force Providence Park Hospital to adhere to Catholic standards when it comes to the dignity of human life – or else strip them their Catholic affiliation.

Providence Park Hospital, which is part of the St. John Providence Catholic health care system, allows four abortionists to maintain admitting privileges at their campus. They are:

  • Moon Paik and Leon Hochman of Physicians Abortion Services, a facility estimated to rake in about $1 million a year;

  • Michael Roth, an independent abortionist with a lengthy track record of botched abortions and malpractice suits who once told the New York Times he has “no ethical problems” with gendercide because he believes “abortion should be available on demand,” and almost lost his medical license because he was performing abortions in women’s homes; and

  • Glenn Taylor, who works part time with Planned Parenthood and part time with the hospital – where he performs sterilizations, in violation of the USCCB's Ethical and Religious Directives (ERD) governing Catholic-affiliated hospitals, and also in violation of public health codes, since he lacks the proper licensure to perform surgical procedures at that location.

Additionally, Taylor's Providence office has reportedly referred callers seeking abortions to his Planned Parenthood office – another violation of the ERD, if true.

There are also reports that outpatient sectors of the hospital prescribe or dispense abortifacient drugs.

Catholic activist Lynn Mills told LifeSiteNews.com she first learned of the violations three years ago, and immediately contacted the hospital to urge them to sever all ties with the abortion industry.

“I wanted to have a meeting with them,” Mills told LifeSiteNews. “They wrote me back and said they’d need to do an investigation.” Mills says she offered to help them with the investigation, since she had already collected reams of information on all four abortionists. She forwarded them information she had on health code violations, malpractice suits and other potential scandals, but the hospital was not responsive.

“The letter I got back basically said that ‘Until the law changes in Michigan, we kind of have to put up with these guys,” Mills said. She provided LifeSiteNews with a copy of the letter signed by Andrew Santos, a former priest who is now tasked with “mission integration” at the hospital – in other words, he’s the executive in charge of keeping the hospital Catholic.

In his letter, Santos references Michigan statue 333.20184, a law which reads in part: “A hospital, clinic, institution, teaching institution, or other health facility which refuses to allow abortions to be performed on its premises shall not deny staff privileges or employment to an individual for the sole reason that the individual previously participated in, or expressed a willingness to participate in, a termination of pregnancy.”

Santos said that as long as no abortions were being performed on hospital property, there was no way for the hospital to fire abortionists just because of what they do off hospital grounds.

But Mills pointed out that the law says nothing about the firing of employees who fail to maintain proper licensure, or who perform vasectomies in direct defiance of stated hospital policy – two violations of which she claims Taylor is guilty.

She provided Santos with a copy of a previous warning issued by the hospital to another abortionist who failed to maintain adequate malpractice insurance, threatening immediate termination if he did not comply. Santos, however, declined to respond, telling Mills that the hospital cannot comment on specific personnel matters.

Mills has continued to reach out to hospital executives, including CEO Jean Meyer, to whom she sent a letter last month outlining every scrap of dirt she could find on the four abortionists, along with backup documentation.

“Shocking and horrific on so many levels is the only way to describe these state reports,” she said of the state health board’s complaints against abortionist Michael Roth. “Let us hope it will not reflect poorly on [St. John Providence] by association.”

But Mills isn’t holding her breath waiting for St. John Providence officials to do something. At this point, she’s hoping for intervention from a higher authority – Abp. Vigneron. She’s also been working with Monsignor G. Michael Bugarin of St. Joan of Arc Parish – who also serves as the archdiocesan point man for accusations of clergy misconduct – to at the very least make sure no additional abortionists are allowed to form relationships with St. John Providence.

But that’s not good enough for Mills, who says she won’t rest until all of the existing abortionists are purged from the system, too.

“They’re afraid of getting sued by the abortionists,” Mills said. “So what? Get sued for doing something right.”

“The Catholic Church gets sued for doing bad things all the time,” Mills told LifeSiteNews, referring to the priestly abuse scandals. “How about getting sued for doing the right thing?”

LifeSiteNews reached out to Abp. Vigneron’s office to ask whether the archdiocese planned to take action regarding the complaints against St. John Providence.

“The Archdiocese of Detroit does not own or operate St. John Providence or any other hospitals,” archdiocesan spokesman Joe Kohn told LifeSiteNews. “You would have to contact the hospital about matters regarding its operations. It can be said in general, however, that the Catholic hospitals within the archdiocese demonstrate devotion to their Catholic identity and adherence to the ethical and religious directives.”

St. John Providence Health System did not respond to our requests for comment by press time.

There is a rally and prayer vigil planned for Friday, May 2 at noon near the grounds of Providence Park Hospital. 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Young Catholics Not Welcome at Notre Dame

Police interrupt event for true marriage at the University of Notre Dame
Click here to see what happened

Before I tell you about our eventful visit to Notre Dame…

…I wanted to let you know that TFP Student Action volunteers just wrapped up a successful 7-day tour for God's marriage in three states -- Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

What a week.

Twenty-three young and dynamic volunteers banded together to champion the cause of true marriage — the union of 1 man and 1 woman. And dozens of peaceful grassroots demonstrations were held in the public square complete with bagpipes, banners and signs.

Americans everywhere — from all walks of life — responded with bold expressions of enthusiastic support for traditional marriage as the tour rolled forward from city to city.

But, believe me, liberal campuses are a different story.

For example:

At Penn State University, anti-family activists yelled and ripped up our fliers. Most of it is on video.

So take a look at this short video & report from Penn State

You'll notice a woman screaming:

"Shame on your definition of marriage."

Students at the University of Notre Dame were more friendly. And thanks to a student organization on campus, a table was booked for us to promote natural marriage, which fully agrees with Catholic teaching.

But it didn't take long for same-sex "marriage" activists to come out and bitterly complain. Get this: They said our banner, "God's marriage = 1 man + 1 woman" was offensive...

Offensive? Really?

And to our surprise, the conversation about the importance of marriage was cut short when police officers arrived to inform us that our approval to have a table wasn't official enough. "You only have permission for the table," they said, "not the people with the table."

Read more about it here:

Young Catholics Not Welcome at Notre Dame

If you want to weigh in for the cause of true marriage, please consider posting your thoughts in the comments section of this biased story published yesterday in The Observer, Notre Dame's student newspaper.

Click here to post your comments

During one of our stops in Stow, Ohio, a young bully in favor of same-sex "marriage" tried to pick a fight. The scene was caught on video as he got in our faces and screamed all sorts of foul things.

You can watch that video here

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support.

And let's continue to fight the good fight together -- for marriage, for moral values and the future of America.

Monday, April 28, 2014

We Must Resist the Temptation to Secession

http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1034819&redirect=photo

In face of the great discontent with the current economic and moral crisis we must resist the temptation to simply write off the present system with all its problems. We must avoid the defeatist attitude of those who advocate isolating themselves from society and awaiting better days. In individualist fashion, they would take care of their own little worlds and disregard the cause of the common good.

Read more:

http://www.returntoorder.org/2012/11/we-must-resist-the-temptation-to-secession/

If we leave our country in her time of need what will become of her?

Jesus had no wife! – Send your petition to the Smithsonian Channel to stop a terrible blasphemy that we Catholics cannot accept

I deeply regret to say that the Smithsonian Channel will premiere the "documentary" called Gospel of Jesus' Wife" on May 5th.

According to press reports, "Dr. Karen King, the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, announced she had confirmed that a previously unknown codex written in the ancient Coptic language included the phrase: ‘Jesus said to them, my wife.’”

Send your e-protest message now

Whatever the program "Gospel of Jesus' wife" might say or infer, the truth is that Our Lord Jesus Christ had NO wife. His Sacred Humanity is pure, celibate, and untouchable.

To simply raise the issue of "Jesus' Wife" is a blasphemy that we Catholics cannot accept.

So, let's defend Jesus’ honor by peacefully, but loudly raising our voices against this outrageous blasphemy.

And please offer fervent prayers and ardent sacrifices in reparation.

And so, right now, before you offer your reparation, send your e-protest message to the Smithsonian Channel now.

The Heavenly Baker

In the time when Saint Catherine of Siena walked the streets of her quaint medieval town, she sometimes stayed at the house of a widow-friend, Alessia, to avoid the distractions of her noisy home.

One year, there was a famine, and most people were obliged to buy long stored wheat. The bread made from this wheat had a sour after-taste. But as the new harvest came in, and there was fresh wheat to buy, Alessia remarked to St. Catherine:

“Mother, this old wheat makes sour bread, so as the Lord has had pity on us, I will throw away the little that I still have.”

“You wish to throw away what the Lord has given us for our food?” replied Catherine, “at least give it to those who don’t even have that.”

“O, I feel guilty giving from the old wheat…I’d rather give from the new, fresh batch,” remonstrated Alessia.

Saint Catherine then asked that she give her the flour and some water, for she wished to make bread for the poor of Our Lord.

As Catherine worked, not only did she produce an astounding number of loaves from so little flour, but turned them out so fast that Alessia and her maid couldn’t believe their eyes.

Served at table, everyone was amazed how delicious and sweet these loaves were. “We haven’t tasted better!” they exclaimed.

Moreover, when taken out to the poor and to the Friars, the bin kept giving without emptying.

Sometime later, on hearing of this miracle, St. Catherine’s confessor, Blessed Raymond of Capua, sensed that there was something “more” to this story, and pressed his spiritual child to tell him all.

So Catherine explained that as she had approached the flour box, she had seen the sweet Lady Mary standing there with several angels and saints graciously offering to help her make the bread.  So Mary Most Holy began to work the dough with Catherine, and by virtue of those immaculate hands not only was the wheat made sweet, but the number of loaves multiplied.

“The Madonna herself gave me the loaves as she made them,” related Catherine, “and I passed them onto Alessia and her maid.”

“No wonder,” writes Blessed Raymond in his biography of Saint Catherine, “that that bread seemed so sweet , since it was made by the perfect hands of the holy queen, in whose most sacred body, the Trinity made the Bread that came down from heaven to give life to all unbelievers.”

And the same writer asserts that years after in Siena, people still treasured pieces of this blessed bread as relics.

Taken from The Life of Saint Catherine of Siena by Blessed Raymond of Capua

By Andrea F. Phillips

St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort – The saint of True Devotion to Mary

Louis Grignon de Montfort was born in Brittany, France on January 31, 1673. From an early age he showed signs of spiritual maturity, and at the age of twelve entered the college of St. Thomas Becket in Rennes.
There, a fire was lit within him inflaming in him a desire to become a missionary preacher. He was ordained in Paris in the year 1700.

He preached tirelessly in various cities and towns, incurring the displeasure of many ecclesiastics infected with the heresy of Jansenism. Traveling to Rome, he put his case before Pope Clement XI who named him Missionary Apostolic to France.
Louis de Montfort is specially known for his ardent devotion to the Mother of God, and his treatise, True Devotion to Mary, is one of the Church’s greatest devotional treasures.

This true Apostle of Mary founded two religious orders: The Daughters of Divine Wisdom, and the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. His fiery zeal produced special fruits in the region of the Vendée, which three generations later valiantly rose up against the atheistic French Revolution then mauling France.
Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort died at age forty-three in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre in the Vendée on April 28, 1716 worn out by the efforts of his apostolate.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen – “I came to root out heresy, not to embrace it”

Born in 1577, at Sigmaringen, Prussia, of which town his father Johannes Rey was burgomaster; died at Sevis, 24 April, 1622.

St. Fidelis

On the paternal side he was of Flemish ancestry. He pursued his studies at the University of Freiburg in the Breisgau, and in 1604 became tutor to Wilhelm von Stotzingen, with whom he travelled in France and Italy. In the process for Fidelis’s canonization Wilhelm von Stotzingen bore witness to the severe mortifications his tutor practised on these journeys. In 1611 he returned to Freiburg to take the doctorate in canon and civil law, and at once began to practise as an advocate. But the open corruption which found place in the law courts determined him to relinquish that profession and to enter the Church.

He was ordained priest the following year, and immediately afterwards was received into the Order of Friars Minor of the Capuchin Reform at Freiburg, taking the name of Fidelis. He has left an interesting memorial of his novitiate and of his spiritual development at that time in a book of spiritual exercises which he wrote for himself. This work was re-edited by Father Michael Hetzenauer, O.F.M. Cap., and republished in 1893 at Stuttgart under the title: “S. Fidelis a Sigmaringen exercitia seraphicae devotionis”. From the novitiate he was sent to Constance to finish his studies in theology under Father John Baptist, a Polish friar of great repute for learning and holiness.

Saint Fidelis of Sigmarigen with Saint Joseph of Leonessa

Saint Fidelis of Sigmarigen with Saint Joseph of Leonessa

At the conclusion of his theological studies Fidelis was appointed guardian first of the community at Rheinfelden, and afterwards at Freiburg and Feldkirch. As a preacher his burning zeal earned for him a great reputation.

From the beginning of his apostolic career he was untiring in his efforts to convert heretics nor did he confine his efforts in this direction to the pulpit, but also used his pen. He wrote many pamphlets against Calvinism and Zwinglianism though he would never put his name to his writings. Unfortunately these publications have long been lost. Fidelis was still guardian of the community at Feldkirch when in 1621 he was appointed to undertake a mission in the country of the Grisons with the purpose of bringing back that district to the Catholic Faith. The people there had almost all gone over to Calvinism, owing partly to the ignorance of the priests and their lack of zeal.

In 1614 the Bishop of Coire had requested the Capuchins to undertake missions amongst the heretics in his diocese, but it was not until 1621 that the general of the order was able to send friars there. In that year Father Ignatius of Bergamo was commissioned with several other friars to place himself at the disposal of this bishop for missionary work, and a similar commission was given to Fidelis who however still remained guardian of Feldkirche. Before setting out on this mission Fidelis was appointed by authority of the papal nuncio to reform the Benedictine monastery at Pfafers.

He entered upon his new labours in the true apostolic spirit. Since he first entered the order he had constantly prayed, as he confided to a fellow-friar, for two favours: one, that he might never fall into mortal sin; the other, that he might die for the Faith. In this Spirit he now set out, ready to give his life in preaching the Faith. He took with him his crucifix, Bible, Breviary, and the book of the rule of his order; for the rest, he went in absolute poverty, trusting to Divine Providence for his daily sustenance.

St. Fidelis

He arrived in Mayenfeld in time for Advent and began at once preaching and catechizing; often preaching in several places the same day. His coming aroused strong opposition and he was frequently threatened and insulted. He not only preached in the Catholic churches and in the public streets, but occasionally in the conventicles of the heretics. At Zizers one of the principal centres of his activity, he held conferences with the magistrates and chief townsmen, often far into the night. They resulted in the conversion of Rudolph de Salis, the most influential man in the town, whose public recantation was followed by many conversions.

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Throughout the winter Fidelis laboured indefatigably and with such success that the heretic preachers were seriously alarmed and set themselves to inflame the people against him by representing that his mission was political rather than religious and that he was preparing the way for the subjugation of the country by the Austrians. During the Lent of 1622 he preached with especial fervour. At Easter he returned to Feldkirch to attend a chapter of the order and settle some affairs of his community.

By this time the Congregation of the Propaganda had been established in Rome, and Fidelis was formally constituted by the Congregation, superior of the mission in the Grisons. He had, however, a presentiment that his laborers would shortly be brought to a close by a martyr’s death. Preaching a farewell sermon at Feldkirch he said as much.

Statue of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Statue of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

On re-entering the country of the Grisons he was met everywhere with the cry: “Death to the Capuchins!” On 24 April, being then at Grusch, he made his confession and afterwards celebrated Mass and preached. Then he set out for Sevis. On the way his companions noticed that he was particularly cheerful. At Sevis he entered the church and began to preach, but was interrupted by a sudden tumult both within and without the church. Several Austrian soldiers who were guarding the doors of the church were killed and Fidelis himself was struck. A Calvinist present offered to lead him to a place of security. Fidelis thanked the man but said his life was in the hands of God. Outside the church he was surrounded by a crowd led by the preachers who offered to save his life if he would apostatize. Fidelis replied: “I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it”, whereupon he was struck down. He was the first martyr of the Congregation of Propaganda.

His body was afterwards taken to Feldkirch and buried in the church of his order, except his head and left arm, which were placed in the cathedral at Coire. He was beatified in 1729, and canonized in 1745. St. Fidelis is usually represented in art with a crucifix and with a wound in the head; his emblem is a bludgeon. His feast is kept on 24 April.

FATHER CUTHBERT (Catholic Encyclopedia)

Mother Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

Mother Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, foundress of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd and canonized May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII.

Rose Virginie Pelletier before joining the Order.

Rose Virginie Pelletier before joining the Order.

The aim of this institute is to provide a shelter for girls and women of dissolute habits, who wish to do penance for their iniquities and to lead a truly christian life. Not only voluntary penitents but also those consigned by civil or parental authority are admitted. Many of these penitents desire to remain for life; they are admitted to take vows, and form the class of “Magdalens”, under the direction of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

They are an austere contemplative community, and follow the Rule of the Third Order of Mount Carmel. Prayer, penance and manual labour are their principal occupations. Many of these “Magdalens” frequently rise to an eminent degree of sanctity. Besides girls and women of this class, the order also admits children who have been secured from danger, before they have fallen or been stained by serious crime. They are instructed in habits of industry and self-respect and in all the duties they owe to themselves and to society. The “penitents”, “Magdalens” and “preservates” form perfectly distinct classes, completely segregated from one another.

Mother Marie-Euphrasie Pelletier

Mother Marie-Euphrasie Pelletier

The Good Shepherd is a cloistered order and follows the Rule of St. Augustine. The constitutions are borrowed in great part from those given by St. Francis of Sales to the Visitation Sisters, but are modified to suit the nature of this work. Besides the three ordinary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd take a fourth vow, namely, to work for the conversion and instruction of “penitents”,—a vow which makes this order one of the most beautiful creations of Christian charity. The vows are renewed every year, for five years, before becoming perpetual. The order is composed of choir sisters, and lay or “converse” sisters. The choir sisters recite every day the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The habit is white, with white scapulars reminding them of the innocence of the life they should lead. The choir sisters wear a black veil; the “converse” sisters a white veil. Around their necks, they wear a silver heart, on one side of which is engraved an image of “The Good Shepherd” and on the other, the blessed virgin holding the Divine Infant, between a branch of roses and a branch of lilies. The heart represents that of the sister, consecrated to Mary and to her Divine Son and the roses and lilies are symbolical of the virtues of charity and purity. The order is dedicated in an especial manner to the Holy Heart of Mary and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which are its two patrons. Besides the choir sisters and the “converse” sisters, the order also admits “Tourière” Sisters, who attend to the door and perform necessary duties outside the cloister. Their habit is black, and they take only the three ordinary vows.

St. John Eudes with fathers and sisters of the congregation founded by himself. Painted for the ceremony of beatification of Eudes, 1909

St. John Eudes with fathers and sisters of the congregation founded by himself. Painted for the ceremony of beatification of Eudes, 1909

The Institute of the Good Shepherd is a branch of “Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge”, founded by Blessed John Eudes, at Caen, France, in 1641, and approved by Alexander VII, 2 January, 1666, its constitutions being approved by Benedict XIV, in 1741. The order as primitively organized by blessed John Eudes still exists in a flourishing state, under the first title of “Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge”, and counts about thirty-nine houses and about 1893 sisters. The distinction between the primitive order and its branch, the Institute of “Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd”, consists mainly in the administration. According to the custom of his time, the Blessed John Eudes ordained that “Our Lady of the Refuge” should have no mother-house, but that every house founded by this order should be a distinct community, having its own administration, and being united to the other houses only by bonds of fraternal charity.

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

Among the noble women who entered the ranks of the Sisters of the refuge in the nineteenth century was one whose name will be long remembered, Mother Mary Euphrasia Pelletier. She was born in the island of Noirmoutier of pious parents, on 31 July 1796, and received in baptism the name of Rose Virginia. She entered the community of “The Refuge” of Tours, in 1814, and made her profession in 1816, taking the name of Mary St. Euphrasia. She became first mistress of the penitents, a short time after her profession, and about eight years later was made superioress of the house of Tours. Desirous of extending the benefits of her order to the very extremities of the earth, she clearly saw that a central government, a mother-house, should be established.

St Mary-Euphrasia Pelletier

St Mary-Euphrasia Pelletier

The house of Angers, which she had founded, seemed destined by God for grand designs. He would decide, by the voice of His pontiff. Like many of God’s elect, she was treated by her adversaries as an innovator, an ambitious person, impatient of authority. Only after incessant labours and formidable opposition did her cause triumph. The Brief in approval of the mother-house at Angers was signed 3 April, 1835, and published by Gregory XVI. The official title of the institute was henceforth “Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd of Angers”. It is directly subject to the Holy See, and Cardinal Odescalchi was its first cardinal-protector.

Angers is authorized to send its sisters to the extremities of the earth. Mother Euphrasia heartily devoted herself to the work entrusted to her. She had been accused of ambition, of innovation, and of disobedience. Her sole ambition was to extend God’s kingdom, and to offer the benefits of her institute to the whole world. Her innovations, in harmony with the spirit of the Gospel, with the fourth vow of her order, were approved by the Church, and gave in thirty-three years one hundred and ten soul-saving institutions to the Church and to society. Her institutions were all founded in obedience to the requests of ecclesiastical authorities in every part of the world. Thirty-three years she was mother-general of the Good Shepherd, and at her death 29 April 1868, she left 2067 professed sisters, 384 novices, 309 Touriere sisters, 962 “Magdalens”, 6372 “penitents”, and 8483 children of various classes. Angers had seen great changes since 1829, when Mother Euphrasia had come with five sisters to found the house. Within thirty-three years one hundred and ten convents had been founded, sixteen provinces established, in France, Belgium, Holland, Rome, Italy, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, Ireland. Asia, Africa, the United States and Chili. Under her successor, Mother Mary St. Peter Coudenhove, in twenty-four years, eighty-five houses were founded, and thirteen new provinces established, making eleven in Europe, two in Africa, nine in North America, five in South America and one in the Oceania.

Subscription20

The cause of the beatification of Mother Euphrasia was inscribed by the postulator of the cause, 17 Nov., 1886. The preliminary examination terminated in 1890. Leo XIII received supplications from numerous cardinals, archbishops, bishops, several cathedral chapters, rectors of colleges, and universities, hundreds of priests, and many noble families, begging him to dispense from ordinary ten years’ interval required before the continuation of the cause. On 11 Dec., 1897, Leo XIII declared her “Venerable”, to the great joy of the whole world, and to the honour and glory of all the convents of the Good Shepherd.

Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, was a religious Sister of the Good Shepherd who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, that Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, was a religious Sister of the Good Shepherd who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, that Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her Incorrupt body resides in Ermesinde, Portugal.

The order glories also in the name of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart, who has been compared to the Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque. The consecration of the universe to the Sacred Heart, 9 June, 1899, which Leo XIII referred to as the greatest act of his pontificate, was brought about by her suggestion. She died on the eve of the consecration (8 June, 1899), at Porto, Portugal, and already preparations are being made for her beatification.

CHARLES LEBRUN (Catholic Encyclopedia)

She was Beatified April 30, 1933 by Pope Pius XI and Canonized May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII.

Missouri governor faces impeachment over pro-homosexual ‘marriage’ executive order

by Dustin Siggins

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, April 25, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Republicans in the Missouri State House have brought three charges of impeachment against Democratic Governor Jay Nixon.

The main charge relates to an Executive Order by Nixon that allows same-sex couples who "marry" in other states to file tax returns jointly in the state. Nixon said he was forced to make the decision because of how the state and federal tax codes are linked, but Republicans say it violates the state's voter-approved constitutional amendment banning same-sex "marriage."
"This is such a blatant and serious violation of Missouri's constitution and Missouri law that the governor should be removed from office," said Republican legislator Nick Marshall. The Executive Order came after the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

One of the other resolutions relates to Nixon not calling for special elections fast enough for empty legislative seats.

The third deals with what Republicans consider insufficient punishment of officials who gave the names of concealed carry permit holders to the Social Security Administration as part of a fraud investigation.

An impeachment motion would have to get through the full House, which held a committee hearing on the resolutions on Wednesday. It would then move to a seven-seat panel picked by the Senate, where five of seven judges would have to vote in favor of impeachment.

A hearing on this week mostly focused on the same-sex "marriage"-related charges. Another hearing in the House will take place next Wednesday.

The Washington Post reports "it’s unlikely the bills will make it to the floor for a final vote." The only statewide officeholder to be successfully impeached and removed from office was Secretary of State Judith Moriarty, in 1994.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Tour for Marriage Reaches Indiana, Receives Heavy Public Support

By James Donlon

Cleveland, Ohio
Today we did four campaigns, all of them next to busy intersections. No major incidents occurred.  It was quite cold and windy, but it warmed up a little after lunch. One interesting thing happened, however, during the last campaign: a family with several young children walked up to Danniel Pribble. They were overjoyed to see us and explained that they had walked out of a cinema, and heard the bagpipes.  Then they recognized the TFP from videos they had watched before.

Read more:

http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/what-we-do/news-and-updates/tour-for-marriage-reaches-indiana-receives-heavy-public-support.html

April 27 – Saint Peter Armengol, From Gangster to Convert

Saint Peter Armengol is a model of confidence. His life inspires everyone who, amid the crisis of the modern world, needs special graces from Our Lady to remain completely faithful.

From Gangster to Convert

Peter Armengol was born in Guardia dels Prats, a small village in the archdiocese of Tarragon, Spain in 1238. He belonged to the noble house of the barons of Rocafort, descendants of the counts of Urgel, whose ancestors were directly linked to the counts of Barcelona and the monarchs of Aragon and Castile.

Despite the great care taken by his parents regarding his education, young Peter gave himself over to a life of total dissipation, vice and caprice. “Abyssus abyssum invocat” (Deep calleth on deep), say the Scriptures. Thus Peter joined a gang of criminals who, pursued by Justice, led the life of bandits in the mountains. Soon, young Armengol became the leader of that gang.

On account of his son’s bad behavior, Arnold Armengol de Moncada moved to the kingdom of Valencia, recently conquered from the Moors by King Jaime. This monarch had to embark on a trip to Montpellier in order to meet with the King of France on matters of interest to both crowns.

To travel safely, he commissioned Arnold to go before him and rout the assailants who often robbed and killed travelers in the Pyrenees region.

At the most dangerous part of the journey, the retinue of the noble Spaniard saw itself surrounded by brigands. Arnold, with his troops, rushed at them, wounding some and apprehending others. He spurred his horse forward with sword in hand and urged his men to defeat the leader of the bandits. Indeed, Arnold himself was the first to engage the leader in hand-to-hand combat.

Suddenly, grief came upon both noble and brigand, when they discovered their identity. Bathed in tears, Peter prostrated himself at the feet of his father, delivered his sword and, with it, his heart.

Penance for His Misdeeds

Filled with shame, the repentant youth retired to a Mercedarian monastery in Barcelona. With an ardent desire to repair the injuries done to God, he become a monk in that religious order founded by Saint Peter Nolasco to ransom Catholics captured by the Mohammedans. He requested the habit with such insistence and gave such conclusive proofs of his vocation that he was received into the Mercedarian Order by the Venerable William de Bas, the French-born successor of the holy founder.

The disorderly passions were now conquered by Peter Armengol in religious life. He understood how to subdue them with such promptitude, through penance, mortification of the senses and continual prayer, that even before he reached the end of his novitiate he had managed to subject them to the dominion of his will and reason.

During the eight years of his profession, he was entrusted with the important task of dealing directly with the ransom of captives. He carried out this function in the provinces of Spain that were still in the power of the Saracens. Nonetheless, his greatest desire was to go to Africa and become a captive for the ransom of Christians.

On an expedition to that continent, he arrived in Bugia in the company of Friar William Florentino. There they ransomed 119 captives without any incident. However, before departing, Friar Armengol learned of a prison with 18 children who, impelled by the threats of punishments of the barbarous Mohammedans, remained in danger of denying the Faith. The religious happily offered himself as hostage for the ransom of the innocent captives.

His release was promised in exchange for a stipulated sum. But, if the payment did not arrive within the set time, he would suffer harsh punishments. Divine Providence had disposed that this man of God would thus give proof of his special confidence in the omnipotent mediation of the Blessed Virgin, to whom he was deeply devoted.

Flaming Torch of Confidence

In captivity, Friar Armengol worked prodigies of charity among the infidels, converting many by the efficacy of his preaching. The time prescribed for the delivery of the money came and passed without the payment being made. The infidels threw him in prison and even denied the food necessary for his sustenance, but Our Lord, by means of His angels, miraculously provided for his survival.

Tired of tormenting him, the Moors conspired to take his life. They accused him of blaspheming Mohammed and of being a spy sent by the Christian kings, thus raising the ire of the Saracen Judge who condemned Friar Peter to death by hanging.

When everything seemed lost, Friar Armengol prayed to Our Lady and confided in her.

The unjust execution was carried out and Peter’s body was left hanging from the gallows. The Moors wanted his corpse to feed birds of prey. Thus, the holy man’s body remained suspended. Six days had elapsed when Friar William arrived with the ransom money. Learning what had happened, he went with great sorrow, in the company of some captives, to see the lamentable sight.

Reaching the site of the execution, he noticed that the body did not emit a bad odor, but rather exhaled a heavenly fragrance. To their astonishment, Friar Armengol spoke, telling them that the Blessed Mother saved his life. Astounded by the stupendous miracle, some pagans converted to the Catholic religion.

Conversation with the Queen of Angels

Learning of the portentous miracle, Barcelona impatiently awaited the return of the unconquerable martyr of Jesus Christ.

In the city, they received him with great joy, escorting him from the port to his monastery, giving thanks to Our Lord for His marvels. The religious wanted to hear from Friar Peter’s mouth what had happened, but despite their earnest pleas, he would not speak. Finally, the superior ordered him to tell all that had occurred.

Obedient, the man of God spoke: “The Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our own mother, asked her Most Holy Son to conserve my life; having obtained this favor, this same sovereign Queen sustained me with her most holy hands, so that the weight of my body would not hang upon the rope by which I was suspended.”

For the rest of his life, Friar Armengol had a twisted neck and a pale completion, authentic signs of what had taken place. He retired to the monastery of Our Lady de los Prados, where he practiced heroic virtue and spent his days in familiar conversation with the Queen of Angels, whom he loved so dearly with filial devotion.

Recalling the miracle of his hanging, he frequently told the religious of the monastery of this marvel: “Believe me, my dear brothers, that I do not believe myself to have lived except for those few but most happy days when, hanging from the gallows, I was held to be dead.”

He rendered his soul to God on April 27, 1304. Our Lord deigned to give proofs of the glorification of His servant with seven miracles, the cures of three men and four women, even before his death. On March 28, 1686 Pope Innocent the XI approved the public cult to the saint and, in the eighteenth century, Pope Benedict XIV inscribed Saint Peter Armengol in the Roman Martyrology.

The Tomb of the Saint

Today the remains of Saint Armengol can be found in Guardia dels Prats. The small village still preserves much of its medieval character: tortuous, narrow stone-studded streets; buildings that recall old palaces or noble residences; and a charming Romanesque–style church.

The body of Saint Peter Armengol was preserved incorrupt until 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, however, communist marauders invaded and sacked the church, carrying off his venerable body to the public square where they burned it. Some children gathered up what they could of these ashes and took the precious remains to their homes, where their mothers kept them with great care.

Later, after the communists were vanquished, the precious relics were returned to the church, where they are kept in a reliquary over the main altar – largely forgotten by “progressive” Catholics – in silent testimony of the sanctity of the Catholic Church and Christian Civilization.

In our times of profound moral crisis, let us ask Saint Armengol to obtain for us before the throne of God, graces of unbending fidelity, unwavering hope and heroic confidence in the powerful intercession of Our Lady.


Source: Cf. Abbe Rohrbacher, Histoire Universelle de l'Eglise Catholique, vol. 20, Gaume Freres Libraires, Paris, 1845, pp. 40-43.

Friday, April 25, 2014

April 26 – Feast day of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano -- for those who seek good advice

The story of this miraculous egg-thin fresco of Our Lady starts hundreds of years ago.

In fact, the origins of Genazzano date back to the times of the Roman emperors.


Because of its proximity to Rome, the city was chosen by many patricians and imperial courtiers as a site for their country villas. The vast gardens surrounding these villas often served as the stage for perverse feasts, pagan games and heathen rituals in honor of the gods to whom the Romans attributed the fertility of their fields.

One of these celebrations was held every April 25 in honor of the goddess Flora or Venus. For this event, people of all social classes—freemen and slaves, patricians and plebeians—gathered together for a great feast. This practice gradually dissolved and the temples fell into ruins as the life-giving breath of Christianity regenerated the peoples of Europe.

In the third century, an order was given to build a shrine dedicated to the Mother of God under the tender invocation of Mother of Good Counsel on the ruins of the Roman temples.

As the years went by, the city became more populous and the shrine grew in fame. During the Middle Ages, the Franciscans and the Augustinians founded monasteries nearby. With the passing of years, the primitive temple erected in honor of the Mother of Good Counsel began to show signs of disrepair. Moreover, as the shrine was small, the faithful built larger and richer churches for their solemn functions.

In 1356, about a century before the appearance of the miraculous painting that would introduce Genazzano into the annals of marvels in the Church, Prince Pietro Giordan Colonna, whose family had acquired lordship of the city, assigned the most ancient church of the city and its parish to the care of the Hermits of St. Augustine.

The faithful would thereby have the necessary pastoral assistance, and repairs could be made on the old church.

Although the prayers of the faithful intensified, financial difficulties prevented the necessary and urgent restoration of the ancient temple. But the Mother who gives wise counsel in every circumstance and attentively provides for the necessities of men chose a Third Order Augustinian, Petruccia de Nocera, to carry out a supernatural prodigy that would bring about the much-desired restoration.

Petruccia had been left a modest fortune following the death of her husband in 1436. Living alone, she dedicated most of her time to prayer and services in the church of the Mother of Good Counsel. It grieved her to see the deplorable state of the sacred premises, and she prayed fervently that they would be restored.

Finally, she resolved to take the initiative. After obtaining permission from the friars, she donated her goods to initiate the restoration in the hope that others would help complete it once it was commenced.

A plan was drawn up for the building of a magnificent church. However, once that arduous undertaking had begun, Petruccia, who was already eighty years old, found that her generous offering was scarcely enough to complete the first phase of the new construction. To make matters worse, no one came forth to help.

To her dismay, the building had hardly risen three feet when construction came to a halt due to lack of resources. Her friends and neighbors began to ridicule her, and detractors accused her of imprudence. Others severely reprimanded her in public. To all of them she would say: "My dear children, do not put too much importance on this apparent misfortune. I assure you that before my death the Blessed Virgin and our holy father Augustine will finish the church begun by me."

On April 25, 1467, the feast day of the city's patron, Saint Mark, a solemn celebration began with Mass.  It was Saturday, and the crowd began to gather in front of the church of the Mother of Good Counsel.  The only discrepant note in the celebration was the unfinished work of Petruccia.

At about four in the afternoon, everyone heard the chords of a beautiful melody that seemed to come from heaven. The people looked up toward the towers of the churches and saw a white cloud that shone with a thousand luminous rays; it gradually neared the stupefied crowd to the sound of an exceptionally beautiful melody.  The cloud descended on the church of the Mother of Good Counsel and poised over the wall of the unfinished chapel of Saint Biagio, which Petruccia had started.

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Genazzano.

Suddenly, the bells of the old tower began to ring by themselves, and the other bells of the town rang miraculously in unison. The rays that emanated from the little cloud faded away, and the cloud itself gradually vanished, revealing a beautiful object to the enchanted gaze of the spectators.

It was a painting that represented Our Lady tenderly holding her Divine Son in her arms. Almost immediately, the Virgin Mary began to cure the sick and grant countless consolations, the memory of which was recorded for posterity by the local ecclesiastical authority.

The news of the painting and its miracles spread throughout the province and beyond, attracting multitudes. Some cities formed enthusiastic processions to see the picture that the people called the Madonna of Paradise because of its celestial entrance into the city. Numerous alms were donated as an answer to the unwavering confidence that Our Lady had inspired in Petruccia.

Amidst the general enthusiasm caused by the painting, Our Lady wished to divulge the true origin of the marvelous fresco to her devotees. Two foreigners named Giorgio and De Sclavis entered the city among a group of pilgrims that had come from Rome.
They wore strange clothes and spoke a foreign tongue, saying they had arrived in Rome earlier that year from Albania. While most people had refused to believe their story, it had a special significance for the inhabitants of Genazzano.

                                                 *     *     *

January of 1467 saw the death of the last great Albanian leader, George Castriota, better known as Scanderbeg. Raised by an Albanian chief, he placed himself at the head of his own people.
Subsequently, Scanderbeg inflicted stunning defeats on the Turkish army and occupied fortresses all over Albania.

With Scanderbeg’s death, the Turkish army, finally free from the Fulminating Lion of War, poured into Albania, occupying all its fortresses, cities and provinces with the exception of Scutari, in the north of the country.

However, the city's capacity to resist was limited, and its capture was expected at any moment. With its fall, Christian Albania would be defeated. Faced with this prospect, those who wished to practice their faith in Christian lands began a sad exodus. Giorgio and De Sclavis also studied the possibility of fleeing, but something kept them in Scutari, where there was a small church, considered the shrine of the whole Albanian kingdom.

In this church the faithful venerated a picture of Our Lady which had mysteriously descended from the heavens two hundred years before.

According to tradition, it had come from the east. Having poured out innumerable graces over the whole population, its church became the principal center of pilgrimage in Albania. Scanderbeg himself had visited this shrine more than once to ardently ask for victory in battle. Now the shrine was threatened with imminent destruction and profanation.

The two Albanians were torn by the idea of leaving the great treasure of Albania in the hands of the enemy in order to flee the Turkish terror. In their perplexity, they went to the old church to ask their Blessed Mother for the good counsel they needed.

That night, the Consoler of the Afflicted inspired both of them in their sleep. She commanded them to prepare to leave their country, which they would never see again. She added that the miraculous fresco was also going to leave Scutari for another country to escape profanation at the hands of the Turks. Finally, she ordered them to follow the painting wherever it went.

The next morning, the two friends went to the shrine. At a certain moment they saw the picture detach itself from the wall on which it had hung for two centuries. Leaving its niche, it hovered for a moment and was then suddenly wrapped in a white cloud through which the image continued to be visible.

The pilgrim painting left the church and the environs of Scutari. It traveled slowly through the air at a considerable altitude and advanced in the direction of the Adriatic Sea at a speed that allowed the two walkers to follow; after covering some twenty-four miles, they reached the coast.

With unbounded confidence, Giorgio and De Scalvis walked on the waves of the Adriatic Sea.

Without stopping, the picture left the land and advanced over the waters while the faithful Giorgio and De Sclavis continued to follow, walking on the waves much like their Divine Master had done on Lake Genesareth. When night would fall, the mysterious cloud, which had protected them with its shade from the heat of the sun during the day, guided them by night with light, like the column of fire in the desert that guided the Jews in their exodus from Egypt.

They traveled day and night until they reached the Italian coast. There, they continued following the miraculous picture, climbing mountains, fording rivers and passing through valleys. Finally, they reached the vast plain of Lazio from where they could see the towers and domes of Rome. Upon reaching the gates of the city, the cloud suddenly disappeared before their disappointed eyes.

Giorgio and De Sclavis began to search the city, going from church to church asking if the painting had descended there. All their attempts to find the painting failed, and the Romans incredulously regarded the two foreigners and their strange tale.

Shortly thereafter, amazing news came to Rome: a picture of Our Lady had appeared in the skies of Genazzano to the sound of beautiful music and had come to rest over the wall of a church that was being rebuilt. The two Albanians rushed to find their country's beloved treasure miraculously suspended in the air next to the wall of the chapel where it remains to this day.

Although some inhabitants found the strangers' story difficult to believe, careful investigation later proved that the two were telling the truth and that the image was indeed the same one that graced the shrine in Scutari.

                                               *     *     *

Thus Mary Most Holy, with the humble participation of a pious Third Order Augustinian on one side of the Adriatic and two faithful Albanians on the other, transported her mysterious fresco from the unhappy and unfortunate Albania to a little city very close to the heart of Christendom. Beginning her historic journey from that small Albanian shrine, which she had not chosen by chance, she traveled across the sea to pour on the world a new torrent of graces under the invocation of Mother of Good Counsel.

This special invocation of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano is for those who are searching for good advice.  Her feast day is coming up on April 26.  So please say a novena to Her.

Take this 50-second Moral Values Survey ‏

Yes, I need your opinion…

And that is because you are a person who believes in defending the Catholic Faith and stopping the anti-moral Cultural Revolution on college campuses today.

So I’m sending you this short, seven-question, Moral Values Survey

And listen: Your quick response will really help me fine-tune TFP Student Action programs on college campuses this semester – and tackle hot-button issues that are at the forefront of the moral and cultural debate.

For example: What upsets you the most about college campuses today? The homosexual agenda? Abortion? Pornography? Drugs?

Let me know your personal opinion about this and other vital issues.

Click here for the Moral Values Survey

Do it – because you know that radical leftists love to dominate what they consider “their” campuses.

And professors get really angry when they see young TFP Student Action members promoting traditional moral values on “their” turf.

Example: a liberal professor at Penn State University bitterly complained about the TFP in a student newspaper. She said:

“I saw student after student sign their petition [against homosexual “marriage”] and felt knots begin to develop in my stomach.”

It's obvious. A battle is being waged for the soul of our next generation. If you and I do not stand up, the other side will carry on as they please, without regard for natural or Divine law.

So…take action!

Click here for the Moral Values Survey

Fact: students rarely swim against the anti-moral cultural tide alone.

That’s why your opinion is so valuable.

There are awesome challenges ahead…and no time to lose.

In advance, thank you so much for your valuable opinion.

St. Mark the Evangelist

It is generally believed that the Apostle Mark, one of the four recorders of the Gospel of Jesus, was one and the same as the John, "whose other name was Mark," who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

We learn from the Epistle to the Colossians that Mark was a kinsman of Barnabas, who was a Levite, which presupposes that Mark was also of a Levitical family.

We read of Mark accompanying Paul and Barnabas on their apostolic missions, assisting them in Cyprus (Acts 13:5) and journeying with them to Perga in Pamphylia, from whence he returned on his own to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). The Apostle to the Gentiles seems to have construed this last action on Mark's part as displaying a certain disloyalty. Later, when preparing to visit Cilicia and Asia Minor, a heated argument ensued with Paul refusing to include Mark, while Barnabas defended his cousin, "so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed" (Acts 15, 37-40).

Ironically, it is this same John Mark who is later imprisoned with Paul in Rome. As proof of how much his personal opinion concerning Mark had changed during their joint captivity, the Apostle to the Gentiles afterwards writes to Timothy in Ephesus, “…take Mark and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me in the ministry.”

On the other hand, tradition strongly affirms that Mark, the author of the second gospel, was more closely associated with St. Peter. Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus and Papias speak of Mark as being Peter's interpreter. Writing from Rome, Peter refers to “my son, Mark” (1 Peter 5, 13) who apparently was there with him. This is undoubtedly Mark the Evangelist.

Ancient tradition relates that Mark lived for some years in Alexandria as bishop of that city, and there suffered martyrdom.
The city of Venice claims to possess the remains of St. Mark the Evangelist, brought there from Alexandria in the ninth century. Preserved by the Venetians for centuries, their authenticity has not gone unchallenged. From time immemorial, however, St. Mark – Apostle and Evangelist – symbolized by the lion, has always been honored as patron of this "Queen of the Adriatic."

Photo by: Bolo77/Stefano Bolognini

Why Today’s Catholic Need Fortitude

French Revolutionaries at the Carmelite gate. "Nuns under Threat", painting by Eugene de Blaas.

French Revolutionaries at the Carmelite gate. “Nuns under Threat”, painting by Eugene de Blaas.

Fortitude is the virtue by which the appetites and passions are guided by the rational soul with courage and constancy.* It helps us brave the greatest dangers and resist intense persecution and obstacles so that we might achieve our goals.

Painting by W. F. Yeames, shows a Royalist family who have been captured by the enemy. The boy is being questioned about the whereabouts of his father by a panel of Parliamentarians.

Painting by W. F. Yeames, shows a Royalist family who have been captured by the enemy. The boy is being questioned about the whereabouts of his father by a panel of Parliamentarians.

The virtue of fortitude is perfected by the gift of fortitude. This gift of the Holy Ghost is a supernatural habit that strengthens the soul and gives us a relentless vigor and superhuman energy in the practice of virtue. It awakens in us the unshakeable hope of final victory, enables us to suffer extreme pain with patience and joy and makes us heroes in things great and small. By this gift, we can completely overcome all lukewarmness in the service of God.

Nurses tending the wounded in Poitiers. Painting by Henri Gervex.

Nurses tending the wounded in Poitiers. Painting by Henri Gervex.

From fortitude comes magnanimity, which is the virtue that inclines one to perform great and splendid acts worthy of honor. Also part of fortitude is the virtue of magnificence which leads one to undertake splendid and great projects without being discouraged by their magnitude, difficulty, or expense. These are companion virtues that are incompatible with mediocrity and presuppose noble and lofty souls.

* Saint Thomas Aquinas cites Cicero (Rhet. ii), who affirms that “fortitude is the deliberate facing of dangers and bearing of toils” (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 123, a. 9). “He will be called brave who is fearless in face of a noble death, and of all emergencies that involve death; and the emergencies of war are in the highest degree of this kind” (Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, trans. W. D. Ross, in The Works of Aristotle: II, vol. 9 of Great Books of the Western World, 361).

 

John Horvat, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go (York, Penn.: York Press, 2013), 301.

Oklahoma state officials need to hear from you and know the reasons why you absolutely abhor Satanists erecting a Satan statue

The New York-based Satanic Temple has plans to erect an idol of Satan next to a depiction of the Ten Commandments that has been on the Oklahoma state grounds since 2012. The seven-foot tall statue of Satan is flanked by two children, and features two prominent satanic symbols: a pentacle, located above Satan’s head, and the goat-headed Baphomet, a symbol of idolatry.

SIGN PETITION

This sacrilegious statue that invites people, especially children, to sit on his lap is unacceptable and mocks God and His Commandments. To accept any statue of Satan (or another deity) mocks our Christian traditions and defies the demands of Almighty God that the evil fallen angel Satan not be honored by a monument.

I ask that you vigorously defend the 10 Commandments monument and reject the Satanic statue. We must stop it before it happens - we are one nation under God, not under Satan. Please sign the petition below. Send your protest message today so Oklahoma officials will hear from you and know the reasons why you absolutely abhor Satanists erecting this horrific statue. God always, Satan never!

Global majority: Pew poll shows most nations around the world find abortion, homosexuality immoral

by Ben Johnson

April 22, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Not a single nation in the 40 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center said abortion is morally acceptable.

The majority of the people in dozens of nations across every continent but Antarctica deemed abortion and homosexuality morally unacceptable, according to results from the Pew Research Center’s 2013 Global Attitudes.

An outright majority of citizens in 26 countries found abortion morally objectionable – 13 of them by a three-to-one margin. The nations with the lowest tolerance of abortion were the Philippines, followed by Ghana, Indonesia, Uganda, and El Salvador.

Similarly, majorities in 22 nations opposed homosexuality on moral grounds.

Majorities in only three countries say homosexuality is morally acceptable: the Czech Republic, Spain, and Germany.

“The results of the Pew poll aren’t that surprising,” Adam Cassandra, communications manager of Human Life International, told LifeSiteNews. “HLI’s pro-life missionaries around the world have observed this trend for some time. Developing nations still hold to traditional moral values, while morality in more Westernized nations is declining.”

In the United States 49 percent say abortion is morally unacceptable, while 17 percent say they could see it as an ethical choice. Another 23 percent do not regard abortion as a moral issue at all.

The U.S. ranked 27th globally in its rejection of abortion, behind Brazil, South Africa, and the Palestinian territories, but more likely to disapprove of the procedure than residents of such nations as China, Japan, Australia, Israel, or Great Britain.

In China, where abortion is often compulsory and enforced by the state population police, more Chinese believe abortion is immoral (37 percent) than moral (29 percent) or indifferent (20 percent).

Canadians were exactly split on the question. An equal number of Canadians – 26 percent – said abortion was immoral as said abortion was morally acceptable. More (37 percent) said it was not a moral issue.

The Czech Republic showed the greatest support of abortion-on-demand, with 49 percent of the population saying abortion could be a legitimate moral undertaking and only 18 percent opposing it.

France had the lowest level of opposition to the procedure, with a mere 14 percent saying it is immoral and 38 percent saying it is moral.

Although the media hype the “inevitable” acceptance of same-sex “marriage,” Pew found that more Americans believe homosexuality is immoral (37 percent) than morally acceptable (23 percent) or not a moral issue (35 percent).

On the other hand, twice as many Canadians believe homosexuality is moral (30 percent) than immoral (15 percent).

The global battery of polls, which asked respondents about everything from extramarital affairs and premarital sex to gambling and alcohol use, found the least objection to the use of contraceptives.

A majority (52 percent) of Americans believe contraceptive use is morally licit, while just seven percent oppose its use on moral grounds. Slightly less (49 percent of) Canadians found contraception morally acceptable, and four percent oppose its use on ethical grounds.

“There’s no doubt that placing a greater importance on practicing the tenets of their faith and on building strong families has played a major role in protecting moral values in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” Cassandra told LifeSiteNews. “For decades the people in these parts of the world have been the targets of campaigns by non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies who are spending billions of dollars to destroy the family through contraception and abortion, and to dictate changes to traditional values by tying immoral conditions to developmental aid. But as we saw in several African countries recently, there are still some political leaders who are more interested in following God than in compromising their values for financial aid and media praise.”

The results of the United States poll, which was conducted between March 4 and March 18 of 2013 – had been released last year.

The full global results were released online this month.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Christian day-care worker fired after refusing to read pro-homosexual books to children

by Colin Kerr

LONDON, April 24, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) –– A Christian child-care worker has been added to the growing list of workers who are discovering that their faith is no longer tolerated in polite society, she alleges.

Sarah Mbuyi, who was employed by Newpark Childcare, a London-based organization, since last April, was terminated following a disciplinary meeting, prompted by a complaint by a lesbian co-worker.

Sarah Mbuyi

Her employers determined that she had harassed her co-worker, which behaviour, they concluded, amounted to ‘gross misconduct.’ During the disciplinary meeting she was asked her opinion on reading books to the children that featured same-sex parents. She stated that she would not be able to do so.

It appears that Miss Mbuyi never hid her faith but had had at least a few conversations with the lesbian co-worker about it, even visiting her in the hospital after an accident and giving her a Bible. Mbuyi asserts that she stated her opinion on the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality only after being asked by the co-worker about it.

“If I tell you that God is OK with that I am lying to you,” she stated – after being invited to express her opinion by her co-worker, in what she now recognizes was meant to provoke her.

Mbuyi had added that God “does love you and says you should come to Him as you are.” At that point, she claims, the co-worker “became emotional and went off to report me to my manager."

She described her disciplinary hearing as “hopelessly one-sided because they put my accuser's claims to me as fact, without any forewarning and so I wasn't prepared. It seemed to me they had already made up their minds to justify sacking me, before hearing my side of the story.”

Mguyi has charged Newpark Childcare with wrongful dismissal, asserting that she was fired for her religious beliefs.

The suit comes just after British Prime Minister David Cameron controversially stated that “we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country, more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organisations, and, frankly, more evangelical about a faith that compels us to get out there and make a difference to people's lives.”

The prime minister, however, was the driving force behind the country’s same-sex “marriage” legislation, and has been accused of advocating a “fluffy” version of Christianity.

Some people, like Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, are seeing this as a test case for the Prime Minister’s words. The group is representing Miss Mbuyi in the case. “Sharing Biblical truths out of genuine love and concern for colleagues,” definitely meets the litmus test of civil discourse, Williams believes.

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen – He fought heresy, especially in the form of Calvinism and Zwinglianism, not only through preaching but also with his pen.

Fidelis was born Mark Rey in Sigmaringen in Prussia, and was the son of the town's burgomaster. Pursuing studies at the University of Freiburg in Bresigau, he eventually taught philosophy, while working towards a degree in law.

In 1604, he was appointed tutor to a small group of noble youths and with them made a six-year tour of Europe. His pupils, who grew to respect and love him, attested to the austerity and holiness of his life.

On his return to Germany, he took a doctorate in law and was soon known for his integrity and for his espousal of the cause of the oppressed. Still, the corruption within the legal profession disgusted him and he decided to enter the Capuchin branch of the Franciscan Order.

He was a preacher and confessor of great repute and from the beginning of his apostolic life fought heresy, especially in the form of Calvinism and Zwinglianism, not only through preaching but also with his pen.

Appointed, with eight others, apostle of the region of Grison with the mission of bringing its people back to the faith, he undertook the project with courage and dedication. From the start the wonderful effect of his zeal infuriated his adversaries. They roused the peasants against him by spreading the rumor that he was an enemy of their national aspirations and the agent of the Austrian Emperor.

Fidelis was warned, but chose to spend several nights in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at the feet of a crucifix. On April 24 he was back at his pulpit. A gunshot fired from the crowd missed him, but once back on the road, he was attacked by a group of armed men demanding that he renounce his Faith. He refused and was struck down while calling on God to forgive his assailants, as they mangled his body with their weapons.

The conversion of a Zwinglian minister who witnessed the scene was one of the first fruits of his martyrdom. Fidelis was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV.

800-year anniversary of the birth of St. King Louis IX of France

St. Louis being crowned King of France at Reims, November 29, 1228.

St. Louis being crowned King of France at Reims, November 29, 1226.

On April 25, 1214–800 years ago–St. Louis the King was born in Poissy. He was the sixth child of Louis VIII of France and Queen Blanche of Castile.

He was crowned king in the Cathedral of Rheims at the tender age of 12, three weeks after his father’s death, and, as Regine Pernoud points out, the music composed for the occasion–Gaude Felix Francia (“Rejoice, o happy France!”)–was prophetic.

St. Louis, King of France, receiving the ambassadors of the Prince of Assassins.

St. Louis, King of France, receiving the ambassadors of the Prince of Assassins.

God had given France (the first born daughter of the Church)  a king who was a saint. Standing a foot or so higher than the average height of men of his time, his stature seemed to reflect his moral and social superiority. His ardent love of the Savior and His Blessed Mother not only inspired a deep interior life of prayer and union with God, but lead him to search out ways to improve  and strengthen the moral fiber of his nobles and people. We still see this love today, manifest in stone and stained glass in the Sainte Chapelle which he built to be a reliquary for the Crown of Thorns used by Our Redeemer during His Passion and Death. We can see this devotion in his convoking and leading two of History’s nine Crusades. True, he was defeated, held captive by the Muslims of Egypt, then ransomed, on the first; and he died in Tunis. while leading the second; but there is no question that St. Louis IX marked France forever.

A stained glass in Illinois of St. Louis carrying the Crown of Thorns.

A stained glass in Illinois of St. Louis carrying the Crown of Thorns.

During his 43-year reign, France and indeed all of Christendom oscillated between two very different types of men. On the one side were those who cherished the Crusading ideal; they rallied around the person of Our Lord and the truths of His Gospel, as symbolized in the Cross. On the other were those who surrendered to an insatiable pursuit of pleasure,  wealth, or prestige, in a life of selfish oblivion of things spiritual. In the struggle between these two families of souls,  St. Louis IX showed no hesitation. He lead the way, and his sublime example left opponents speechless, while inspiring the good to join him and rally around the Cross.

Yes, France could well rejoice. Never had she seen a king like St. Louis. Nor has she seen one since.

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