The America Needs Fatima Blog

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Notre Dame's 40+ Year History of Unfaithfulness to the Church

by Patrick B. Craine
SOUTH BEND, Indiana, May 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -The University of Notre Dame's invitation of President Obama to deliver their 2009 graduation commencement address on May 17th has generated great controversy in the North American Church and shocked many Catholics who have looked to Notre Dame as the very model of Catholic higher education in America.

This invitation, however, is by no means an isolated incident, and, in fact, is merely a continuation of Notre Dame's progressive self-detachment from the Catholic Church over the last forty years.

Rift Away From Church Began in 1961 Under Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh

Notre Dame began to distance itself from the Church particularly in the 1960s, under university president Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C.

To begin with, in 1961 Notre Dame awarded its Laetare Medal, the same medal recently refused by former ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042702.html), to then-President John F. Kennedy.

This medal is awarded annually to an American Catholic deemed to have made a significant contribution to the Church and society. By 1961, though, President Kennedy, the first Catholic president, had made himself famous for declaring that his Catholic beliefs would not affect his actions as a politician.

In September 1960, for example, he declared: "Whatever issue may come before me as President…I will make my decision…in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates."

By honoring the President in this way, Notre Dame helped him set the precedent for Catholic politicians to disregard the Church's teachings, one which we still experience today, for example in the case of Joseph Biden and Nancy Pelosi.

Definitive Break From Church With 1967 Land O'Lakes Statement

On July 23rd, 1967, however, Notre Dame made its definitive break with the Church, along with other American universities, in the Land O'Lakes statement, spearheaded by President Fr. Hesburgh, and signed by him and other Notre Dame officials.

In this infamous statement, the American universities declared their separation from the authority of the Catholic Church: "To perform its teaching and research functions effectively the Catholic university must have a true autonomy and academic freedom in the face of authority of whatever kind, lay or clerical, external to the academic community itself" (http://archives.nd.edu/episodes/visitors/lol/idea.htm).

Notre Dame has never rescinded its involvement in this statement, and, in fact, has operated based on it ever since.
Notre Dame's public entry into abortion politics began in September 1984 with the address of Governor Mario Cuomo of New York, a Catholic following in the spirit of President Kennedy, as Fr. Raymond J. de Souza discusses in his article "Glendon, Notre Dame, and Abortion Politics" (http://www.ncregister.com/daily/glendon_declines_nd_honor/).

Governor Cuomo's aim in speaking at Notre Dame was to argue that Catholics can defend and support abortion rights in good conscience.

Fr. de Souza argues, however, that Fr. Hesburgh and theology professor Fr. Richard McBrien chose to bring him to Notre Dame for that specific purpose, to undermine the Church's pro-life teaching.

Fr. de Souza makes this argument in light of the fact that Notre Dame brought Governor Cuomo to speak only six months after John Cardinal O'Connor's high-profile correction of Catholic Vice-President nominee Geraldine Ferraro for her pro-abortion views.

Dissent Took Hold Under Notre Dame President Fr. Edward A. Malloy

Fr. Hesburgh began the process, but it was under the next President, Fr. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., that Notre Dame's dissent truly began to take hold. Clearly showing a lack of concern for Church teaching and the dignity of life, in 1992, Fr. Malloy elected to award the Laetare medal to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a staunchly pro-abortion Catholic. Further, according to The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College (http://www.catholichighered.org/TheNewmanGuide/tabid/356/Default.aspx), Fr. Malloy expressed concerns about Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae, on Catholic universities, indicating that certain provisions were "offensive to the Catholic theological community" (pg. 211).

According to Fr. Edward O'Connor, retired professor of theology at Notre Dame, being quoted in July 2003, "Notre Dame has, for all practical purposes, decided to evade the mandate," (http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0198.html) which is the Church's license to teach, conferred by the bishop, and prescribed by Ex corde.

This seems to be the approach pursued by current president Fr. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. as well (see "Catholicism, Inc." by Naomi S. Riley, http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/9410-catholicism-inc).

It was also under Fr. Malloy, in 1995-96, that the Core Council for Gay and Lesbian Students was developed and initiated, with the mission of "identifying the ongoing needs of gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual students, and assist[ing] in implementing campus-wide educational programming on gay and lesbian issues" (http://corecouncil.nd.edu/index.shtml).

This Core Council runs events such as 'National Coming Out Day' and 'Solidarity Sunday', the latter being a Sunday once a year where all Masses celebrate Notre Dame's 'Spirit of Inclusion' for homosexuals on campus.

In 1997, the Officers of the university put out a statement entitled 'The Spirit of Inclusion' that emphasizes the need for inclusiveness without acknowledgment or explanation of the Church's teaching on homosexuality (http://corecouncil.nd.edu/nd_response/inclusion.shtml). Also of note during Fr. Malloy's presidency is the inauguration of two highly controversial annual events - The Vagina Monologues in 2002, and the 'Queer Film Fest' in 2004 (see http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05021406.html).

Break From Church Continues Under Fr. Jenkins

The Notre Dame that Fr. Jenkins took over when he became President on July 1st, 2005 was vastly changed from that during Fr. Hesburgh's presidency. Besides the changes noted above, The Newman Guide informs us that the number of Catholic faculty dropped from 85% in the 1970s to about 53% in 2008 (pg. 214).

To his credit, Fr. Jenkins has initiated an attempt to improve the percentage of Catholic faculty from this abysmally low number, yet he has allowed controversial events to take place on campus that are contrary to Catholic teaching.

As well, his previous record of speaker invitations indicates that his invitation to President Obama should not have come as a great surprise.

The Queer Film Fest has continued under Fr. Jenkins despite the protest of the bishop, John M. D'Arcy. Fr. Jenkins has, rather, encouraged the organizers to take a more academic approach to the films (Newman Guide, pg. 211).

The Vagina Monologues also continued, again despite the strong criticism of Bishop D'Arcy. Fr. Jenkins did put a halt to the production in 2007, but reallowed it in 2008 in an attempt to maintain a spirit of openness, dialogue, and academic freedom.

The Monologues were cancelled this year by the producers due to the controversy surrounding it (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040712.html).

In 2006, President Mary McAleese of Ireland was the commencement speaker and was given an honorary degree, in spite of her criticism of the Church, particularly over the issue of women's ordination. Then, in 2007, Dr. Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan, was welcomed as the commencement speaker for the Graduate School of Notre Dame and was given an honorary degree, despite her advocacy for and initiative in the area of embryonic stem cell research (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07050704.html).

Fr. Jenkins has argued that inviting and honoring President Obama opens the possibility of dialogue with him. As he says, "However misguided some might consider our actions, it is in the spirit of providing a basis for dialogue that we invited President Obama" (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040808.html).

On this note he has been criticized by many people, bishops, priests, and laypeople, faulting him for a false notion of dialogue and academic freedom. It would seem, though, that this has been the approach he has taken throughout his presidency, and that he is merely following in a longstanding Notre Dame tradition initiated by Fr. Hesburgh in the 1960s.

For the current list of bishops who have criticized President Obama's commencement at Notre Dame:

66: Bishops Decry "Toxic Residue" of Notre Dame Scandal
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09050509.html
See also:
Glendon, Notre Dame, and Abortion Politics by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza
http://www.ncregister.com/daily/glendon_declines_nd_honor/
The section on Notre Dame in The Newman Guide to Catholic Colleges
http://www.scribd.com/full/12181481?access_key=key-pzfplfsgyh4k066qiqo

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09050601.html

Spanish Congress May Condemn Pope's Remarks Denouncing Condom Use

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MADRID, May 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Spanish Congress is considering a measure to condemn Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks denouncing condom use.

The proposal, which was made by two small socialist political parties, has been received by the Spanish Congress and submitted to its International Cooperation Committee for consideration.

It reportedly urges the Congress to express its "consternation and rejection" of Pope Benedict's anti-condom statements, and to "solemnly" affirm that the condom is the "most effective" means to avoid contracting the HIV virus.

It also requests the lower chamber of the Congress to ask the government to make an official protest to the Vatican.

The measure has been introduced in response to remarks made by Pope Benedict during his trip to Africa in March, in which he told a reporter, "One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem."

The pope's remarks set off a firestorm of denunciation by European and United Nations officials, who promote condom use fight AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Spain reportedly spends 17 million euros to fight AIDS in Africa, and a substantial portion of those funds are used to purchase condoms, according to the liberal Spanish newspaper El Pais.

However, the Pope's remarks have been praised by Edward C. Green, Director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. Green told National Review Online that "the pope is correct, or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope's comments."

"There is a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded 'Demographic Health Surveys,' between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates," Green added.

The pope's comments were also praised by African AIDS activist Martin Ssempa, who said that "what the Pope is saying is true. It however makes those who are determined to live in a life of promiscuity feel spotlighted."

The Belgian Parliament issued a condemnation of the pope's remarks last month. Joan Herrera of the Initiative for Catalonia, who is one of the sponsors of the Spanish measure, says the precedent set by Belgium makes her proposed condemnation "more feasible".

The Spanish Family Forum is denouncing the measure, asking: "From now on, who else will the Congress of Representatives condemn? Those of us who do not defend gender ideology, or Education for Citizenship, or restraint-free abortion, or the legal dismantling of marriage? Are we going to be made illegal simply because we think differently from the promoters of thisattack on freedom?"

"Is it possible to condemn someone for voicing an opinion which happens to coincide with that of most experts on AIDS? And even if the Pope had expressed a scientifically erroneous opinion, is it Congress's job to condemn opinions and reintroduce censorship?" adds the Forum.

Pro-family activists are joined by Spanish bishops who are also denouncing the legislation.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Boston sees expression of Catholic militancy and just outrage...

Someone walking down Tremont Street in Boston on Friday evening would have seen something unusual: 125 Catholics gathered around a large statue of Our Lady of Fatima, devoutly kneeling, holding candles and praying the Consecration to Jesus, through Mary, written by Saint Louis de Montfort.

Why this pious gathering?

It was a public act of reparation and protest against the blasphemous production called “Jerry Springer: The Opera” that was playing inside the Caldwell Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. It defies description in detail since it contains so much nudity and blasphemous content. Some examples include:

The crucifixion is mocked and the Eucharist is trashed
There is a lady singing “Jerry eleison” (mocking the Mass: Kyrie Eleison)
Jesus is introduced as “the hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high.” He wears a diaper, is fat and effeminate and later admits: “Actually, I am a bit gay.”
Eve gropes Jesus in a manner too indecent to describe while the Annunciation is described as a rape.
God is a fat man in a white suit who complains about being blamed for everyone’s problems. He invites Jerry Springer to join Him to “sit in Heaven beside me, hold my hand and guide me.” At the end, Jerry emerges as the true savior of mankind.

Throughout its history, the “opera” has earned its blasphemous reputation. In London, the debut was the subject of a libel suit for defaming Christians. When it was to be aired on the BBC, it drew more than 60,000 complaints.

In face of such insults to the Faith, America Needs Fatima could not and did not remain silent.

Catholic spirit echoes in Boston

To make sure people knew where the protest was to take place, at about 5:30 PM, on-site preparations started. This included unfurling of banners and signs, the raising of large TFP banners, the distribution of prayer programs and metal megaphones to the prayer leaders. This last item was especially important since we had been denied the use of electric bullhorns. Everything was ready on time.

At 6:15pm, the protest started to the sound of “Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above” as the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried shoulder high in procession and took her place at the front of the crowd, where she reigned throughout the protest.

We then prayed The Rosary, which echoed through Boston’s corridors of glass and stone buildings, where God’s rights are too seldom remembered and His Holy Name too often invoked in vain.

The participants also joined in saying the Divine Praises and in shouting slogans in protest and reparation:

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us."

The verses of "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" and “Ave, Ave” resounded alternately between the prayers.

Passersby sympathize; some join protest

Three well dressed ladies that were on there way to a fashion show were surprised to see the protest in front of the Boston Center of the Arts. After a few seconds of hushed conversation, they abandoned their program to join the Catholics in prayer and protest. New Englanders don't do things in half measures.

Most people passing by could not join the prayer vigil, but still extended their sympathy. A college student on a bike, stopped and made the sign of the Cross, then bowed her head for a few moments before making the sign of the cross again and cycling off.

A large banner informed the slow downtown traffic about the purpose of the protest.

One of the cars stopped and the occupants said a Hail Mary with the protesters before driving off.

Springer supporters repeat old objections

A group of disgruntled Springer supporters went up to Joseph Gallagher, a young student who was protesting the show, and said: "You haven't seen the show, so how do you know it's bad?" The Catholic 12th grader responded: "I don't need to drink poison to know it is bad for me."

The objection raised by the Springer supporters is the same old, worn-out one we’ve heard over and over for years. It doesn’t have a leg to stand on. For the lack of a better argument, they pretend that one needs to have a direct and first hand experience of everything to make a judgment whether it is right or wrong.

This is ridiculous since it is impossible to know all things from direct and first hand experience. (How many of us – including the blasphemers – have been to the North Pole?) The promoters of blasphemy themselves do not and cannot live according to this principle. Every day, we make numerous decisions on second hand information, by what others tell us is true.

We use maps designed by other people to find places we’ve never been to. We read books that narrate stories we’ve never witnessed. We eat food people say is healthy for us, simply because they say so. We pay money to see movies of animals, people and places we have never seen directly, such as a nature documentary on the ocean floor, or about the Amazon jungle.

Clash between Heaven and Hell

People going into the theater to watch the blasphemous production were very different in many ways to those standing outside in prayer.

For example, the Catholics looked with devotion and hope upon Our Lady’s statue; the theater-goers refused to look at the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The people praying were calm. The people going into the theater were agitated and burst into spurts of mockery and laughter which were followed by a type of sad guilty somberness.

This agitation was most noticeable when the prayer warriors took out candles and lit them, and knelt down to pray the consecration to Our Lady – like in a church, right there on the sidewalk in front of the theater. The theater-goers tried to laugh it off. But they felt the impact and within minutes had melted away.

To close the rally, participants followed Our Lady in a candlelight procession back to the van.

“My Immaculate Heart will triumph”

Conclusion:

As Catholics, we know that there is and can be no peace on earth between good and evil. Blasphemy is part of a larger agenda to insult and offend God, and to drag as many souls to Hell as possible.

But we also know who will win in the end. The spiritual war against blasphemy can only have one winner: the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

At Fatima, Our Lady promised mankind: “Finally, my Immaculate Heart will Triumph!”

Until that glorious triumph arrives, it is our duty and honor to oppose blasphemy, to offer public reparation, and to win as many souls for Our Lady as possible.

I believe Our Lady will show special mercy and goodness on the day of her triumph to those who publicly upheld her honor in the times when sin seemed unstoppable.

God's signature on the earth: Our Lady of Las Lajas

The merciful predilection of the Mother of God for Latin America is the reward she has given for the heroic faith formed from the Iberian Peninsula during the 800 years’ struggle against
the invading Moors and found in the Latin American peoples’ souls in which Divine Providence willed to deposit it.

From Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, no nation has failed to receive special favors from Our Lady. However, her interventions did not occur in just any manner.

She presented herself with unheard of magnificence and splendor, making it clear that she came to preside over Latin America from on high.

The History of a Predilection

As an example of this magnificence, consider how the Most Holy Virgin has stamped her image on the imposing cliffs of the Guaitara Canyon, Colombia, thereby becoming Queen of the souls in that region and in all surrounding lands.

In the year 1754, Maria Mueses de Quiñones, an Indian woman from Colombia, was going from her hometown of Potosi to the village of Ipiales when she was caught in a great storm. At a place called Las Lajas (the Rock Slabs), she sought refuge in a grotto.

(The sanctuary of Las Lajas offers a grand sight, like a stone flower, which has sprung up from the abyss.)

However, she was anxious since there was a popular legend that said the devil lived in the grotto. With trepidation, she entered the darkness of the grotto, invoking the Virgin of the Rosary.

Suddenly, she felt someone tapping at her back, as though calling her. Frightened, she fled back into the storm.

A few days later, returning by the same route, she once again reached the cliffs of Las Lajas, carrying on her back her little daughter Rosa, who was a deaf-mute since birth. Being tired and
wanting to rest, Maria Mueses de Quiñones sat down to rest timidly on a stone near the grotto.

Then the first miracle occurred. Her deaf-mute child suddenly spoke, “Mommy, look at the mestiza who has detached herself from the rock with a little boy in her arms and two little mestizos at her side!” With this exclamation, Rosa slid off her mother’s
back to climb up the grotto’s stones.

Struck with terror, Maria took her daughter and fled from the mysterious place.

There was general bewilderment among Maria’s friends and acquaintances in Potosi when she told them what had happened. Thirsting for the supernatural, the Indians listened to her, asked her many questions, and commented among themselves about the singular event, but took no further action.

In the meantime, Rosa disappeared, causing her mother great concern. Maria searched to no avail, until she remembered
the episode at the grotto, and returned there to look for Rosa.

She found her daughter kneeling before a splendid woman and playing affectionately with a child who had come down from his mother’s arms. Knowing she beheld the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Son Jesus, Maria fell to her knees before this beautiful spectacle, and she was no longer afraid.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, Our Lady performed a spectacular miracle that
prompted the news of the marvelous presence to spread throughout lands near the rocky banks of the Guaitara River.

Unexpectedly, Rosa sickened and died. Her grieving mother carried her body in her arms to the grotto in order to beg the
Virgin for help. Reminding the Virgin of Rosa’s solicitude in bringing her candles and flowers, she begged Our Lady to
bring her back to life.

In answer to her prayers, the Queen of Heaven and Earth performed the miracle of the child’s resurrection.

Maria told her employers in Ipiales about the extraordinary event.

Moved by the news, they went with priests, distinguished persons and many local people to the apparition’s site. It was then that all saw stamped on the rock face a magnificent image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, holding her Infant Son, with Saints Dominic and
Francis kneeling at their feet.

The Virgin extended a Rosary to Saint Dominic and the Infant a Franciscan cord to Saint Francis.

Today, an enormous quantity of mementos and tokens of thanksgiving attest to the devotion and gratitude of the Colombian people since the time of the apparition.

Historical and Scientific Aspects of the Image of Las Lajas

An interesting aspect of the image is the presence of Saint Dominic de Guzmán and Saint Francis of Assisi, the founders
of the two orders that first evangelized Colombia and to whom Colombians have always had a special devotion.

The image of Our Lady of Las Lajas, as that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has spanned the centuries without losing its
brilliance.

In the case of Las Lajas, the Divine Painter used a fade-proof method. After German geologists bored core samples from several spots in the image, they determined there was no
paint, no dye, or any other pigment on the surface of the rock; the colors are the colors of the rock itself, and they penetrate
into the rock evenly for several feet!

In 1952, Pius XII granted a canonical crowning of Our Lady of Las Lajas, and in 1954, the gothic church erected to house the image was dedicated as a minor basilica, with the presence of the
entire Colombian Episcopate.

In the Eyes of the Queen, the True and Authentic Latin America

In the course of the two thousand years in which the Church has spread throughout the world, artists have frequently shaped Our Lady’s physical aspect according to the type of women of their time and region. This has happened in paintings, sculpture, stainedglass windows, and other media.

The most ancient statues of her attest to this fact. In the remote days of the Church, statues of Mary Most Holy depicted her with a Mediterranean physical aspect.

As the Faith spread among the Nordic people, blond and blue-eyed representations of Our Lady appeared.

The modeling of images according to the regional feminine physical aspect is agreeable to Our Lady. This is proved by
the fact when she impresses her image on some object in order to perpetuate the memory of an apparition or when she appears to a seer who then later describes her to an artist who will interpret
the seer’s description into a painting or sculpture.

In Mexico, for example, Our Lady of Guadalupe stamped her image with Mexican physiognomies on Juan Diego’s serape, where she can be seen standing on the moon and obscuring the
sun that is behind her.

The Aztecs worshiped the sun and the moon as gods, and the sight of this powerful lady overcoming their gods was the catalyst in the
Mexican Indians’ conversion.

In Colombia, God performed the prodigy of printing Our Lady of Las Lajas on a rock. In view of these two very short examples,
who can deny the deeply religious atmosphere characteristic of images painted by the Angels?

As limited as one’s sense of observation may be, one cannot fail to exclaim upon seeing her, “Look how Latin American she is!” Something very essential, a reflection of the qualities and virtues of the Latin American people, is expressed in Our Lady of Las Lajas.

But what does her physical aspect tell us? We find a great personality, the profound and intelligent gaze of a meditating
and recollected person. She has an extraordinary stability and solidity, a continuity of will and temperament.

Nothing shakes or agitates her. There is no arrogance or ostentation, but rather the dominion of one who is accustomed
to having her will obeyed. She could not have a better veil than her long, abundant, beautiful hair. The color and richness
of her dress are those of a Queen.

She is extremely kind and motherly. How good and safe the Child Jesus feels in her arms! What throne could be more worthy of Him? He is almost at play, with the liberty of a child.

It is curious to note the relationship between Mother and Son. Frequently their images present them gazing at each other, but not in Las Lajas. They are so accustomed to being together that
they have no need to look at each other in order to sustain their mutual attention.

She directs her eyes toward the Latin American people, heeding their supplications, orienting and commanding them. Meanwhile, the Child Jesus enters the intimacy of those who arrive at the Queen’s feet—a Queen who displays in her gaze a kindness so exalted that she moves us to trust her entirely.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

May: The Month of Mary

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

During the month of May - the month of Mary - we feel a special protection of Our Lady that extends to all the faithful.

We feel a special joy that shines and illuminates our hearts expressing the universal certainty of Catholics that the indispensable patronage of our heavenly mother becomes even more tender, more loving and more full of visible mercy and exorable condescendence during her month of May.

Even after the month of May passes, a remnant of this remains if we have profited from those thirty-one days especially consecrated to Our Lady.

We are left with an increased devotion, a keener confidence and, so to speak, such an increased intimacy with Our Lady that in all the vicissitudes of life we will know how to petition her with respectful insistence, hope in her with invincible confidence and thank her with humble tenderness for all the good she does us.

Our Lady is the Queen of Heaven and Earth and, at the same time, our mother.

We enter the month of May with this conviction, and it becomes more deeply rooted in us when we leave it, strengthening our faith and increasing our fortitude. May teaches us to love Mary Most Holy for the glory she rightly possesses and for all that she represents in the plans of Divine Providence. It also teaches us to be more constant in our filial union with Mary.

Children are never more sure of the loving vigilance of their mothers than when they suffer. All of mankind suffers today; all peoples suffer and in every conceivable way.

Windstorms of impiety and skepticism sweep through minds, and crazy whirlwinds of all types of messianism devastate them.

Nebulous, confused and rash ideas filter into every milieu and mislead not only the wretched and the lukewarm, but sometimes even those of whom greater constancy in the Faith is expected.

Those who are tenaciously faithful to the fulfillment of duty suffer from all the adversity they meet by their fidelity to the Law of Christ. Yet those who transgress the Law also suffer, for without Christ every pleasure is nothing but bitterness, and every joy is a lie.

Hearts suffer, torn by the revolutionary psychological war, which is so intense in our days. Bodies suffer, impoverished by work, undermined by malady, overwhelmed by necessities of every kind.

The contemporary world could be likened to the time when Our Lord was born in Bethlehem: Its tortured mouth opens with a loud and agonizing groan, the groan of the evildoers, who live far removed from God and the groan of the just who live tormented by the evildoers.

The more somber circumstances become and the more excruciating sundry pains grow, the more we should ask Our Lady to put an end to so much suffering -- not merely for our own relief, but for the greater benefit of our souls.

Sacred theology says that Our Lady's prayers anticipated the moment of the world's redemption by the Messias. At this anguished moment in history then, let us turn our eyes to Our Lady with confidence, asking her to hasten the great moment we all await, when a new Pentecost will kindle beacons of light and hope in this darkness and restore the kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth.

We should be like Daniel, whom Holy Scripture describes as the "desideriorum vir," that is, a man full of great desires. Let us desire many great things for the glory of God. Let us always ask Our Lady for everything. And let us, above all, ask her for that which the Sacred Liturgy beseeches of God: "Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur, et renovabis faciem terrae" (Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth).

We should ask, through the mediation of Our Lady, that God once again send us the Holy Ghost with the plenitude of His gifts so that His kingdom may be created anew and be purified by a renewal of the face of the earth.

In the Divine Comedy, Dante wrote that praying without the patronage of Our Lady is like wanting to fly without wings.

Let us then confide to Our Lady this heartfelt yearning and desire. The hands of Mary will be for our prayer a pair of pure wings that will carry it with certainty to the throne of God.

May 5; Feast Day of Saint Pius V, the Pope who won the Battle of Lepanto...

By Jeremias Wells

St. Pius V did what Catholics have always done in times of acute danger: fly into the arms of the most powerful Mother of God.

Our Lady at Lepanto

When Saint Pius V ascended to Saint Peter’s throne, Christendom faced perils perhaps unequaled in its history of continual conflict, not the least of which came from the agitated and violent followers of Mohammed. All the information and intelligence that Pope Pius V had been gathering indicated that the Ottoman juggernaut was about to roll across the Mediterranean and adjacent lands, spearheaded by the Turkish fleet, with Italy and Rome as one of its targets.

No nation could stand up to the marauding infidels and the candidates for an alliance were few. Northern Europe had risen up in armed rebellion against the Church with France deeply involved in the conflict. The Ottoman Empire felt that neutrality was the best policy after the Turks occupied a large chunk of its land in the Danube River Valley.

The Battle of Lepanto

Only Spain and Venice had the resources to resist, and they hated each other along with deep mistrust. Yet Saint Pius—calling down divine grace as only a man of prayer could—forged an alliance with them as the core of an organized fleet of over 200 galleys. With his considerable tact and diplomatic skills, he not only kept them unified, but he convinced them to attack the enveloping menace. The details of the battle have been told previously (Crusade, July/Aug., 2005, chapter XV). Here we are only concerned with the influence of the supernatural element in the historical process.

The Archbishop of Mexico had an exact copy of the Holy Image of Guadalupe sent to King Philip II, who in turn gave it to Andrea Doria, one of the three principal admirals of the fleet, who placed it in his cabin.

When the Armada went from file to line abreast and attacked on the morning of October 7, the blue standard of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also flying from the masthead of Don Juan’s flagship. But Our Lady’s presence that day was more acutely felt through the Holy Rosary.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope Pius V, a Dominican prelate before his elevation, did what Catholics have always done in times of acute danger: fly into the arms of the most powerful Mother of God. As a follower of Saint Dominic, he knew the most effective means of imploring her help was through the recitation of the Holy Rosary. He ordered all monasteries and convents in Rome to increase their prayers for the impending battle and organized rosary processions in which he, as sick as he was, participated.

As the Christian fleet sailed toward the great clash of cultures, Mass was celebrated and the rosary recited daily on each vessel. This heartfelt request for divine assistance resulted in a crushing defeat of the Ottomans at Lepanto that ended their dominance in the Mediterranean.

To celebrate Our Lady’s intercession, the Church has designated October 7 as the Feast of the Holy Rosary and Saint Pius V added Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum) to the Litany of Our Lady (Loreto). Similar acknowledgement to the Blessed Virgin’s intercession through the rosary were made when John Sobieski forced the Turks to lift the Siege of Vienna in 1683 and after the victory of Prince Eugene of Savoy at Temesvar in his successful campaign to remove the Ottomans from Europe in the next century.

While the din of battle gradually diminished at the bloody waters off Lepanto, Saint Pius V was going over accounts in the papal apartments with Bartolo Busotti, his treasurer.

Suddenly, he arose with his face radiant with joy and announced, “Let us go and thank God, for this moment our fleet has defeated the Turks.” Human agency brought news to Rome two weeks later.

As Our Lady predicted at Fatima, Portugal, She will intervene again in history as She did in Lepanto.

Some may object to the historical paradigm, not that it is inappropriate, but that it happened a long time ago. Yet, the Blessed Virgin made another historical visit to earth just ninety two years ago, bringing roughly the same message to a larger distressed population.

As Our Lady of the Rosary, she appeared six times at Fatima in Portugal to three related children, two of whom have been recently beatified. Our publications have probably given more space to this story than any other. Here we would like to stress the historical applications.

In essence, she warned that God was terribly offended by the sins of mankind and unless that sinfulness subsided the world as a consequence would face horrible chastisements. Immediately following, we had a bloody conclusion to World War I, then six years of the most depraved slaughter of World War II and continual wars, atrocities and mutilations ever since instigated by two of the enemies of Western Civilization: Communism (as Our Lady predicted) and Islam.

Sinfulness has not abated, but only increased, especially in the areas of family life, immoral fashions and lewd entertainment.

Our Lady will intervene once again in history, either to help her suffering children who have recourse to her or to bring down the wrath of God on those who refuse to pray, make sacrifices and stop offending Him. During the third apparition she announced the ultimate result, “Finally my Immaculate Heart will triumph!”

Pictures from rally of reparation in Boston

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried by two TFP members in the TFP ceremonial habit to start the act of reparation for the blasphemous 'Jerry Springer' show at the Boston Center for the Arts last week.

We were very encouraged by the Catholic presence of the brothers and nuns from the Saint Benedict Center who came in full habit.

These young Catholic girls with joyful faces offered a stark contrast with the agitated faces of the theater-goers.

Heated debates took place between those in favor of blasphemy and those who were defending the honor of Our Lord and Our Lady.

America Needs Fatima's act of reparation seen from the other side of the street.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima reigned over the rally like a queen.