Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Virgen Blanca – The Dedication of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Toledo, Spain and the White Virgin (1087) and Memorials of the Saints – 25 October

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Virgen Blanca – The Dedication of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Toledo, Spain and the White Virgin (Also known as the Smiling Madonna) (1085) – 25 October:

The Abbot Orsini wrote: “Dedication of Our Lady of Toledo, in Spain, about the year 1075, by Bernard, Archbishop of that City.”

The City of Toledo in Spain was not reconquered until 1085, when King Alfonso VI, King of Leon and Castile, took the City from the Moors. This was an important step in the Reconquista, as Toledo had once been the capital of Visigothic Spain. The City’s Cathedral had been desecrated and used as a mosque by the Moslem invaders of Spain but the people had the pleasure of seeing it blessed and consecrated in the year 1087. It was placed under the advocacy of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as King Alfonso wrote:

“I, Alfonso, Emperor of all Spain by God’s Providence, convened with the Bishops, namely, that for these ten will I preserve the papal honour of Saint Mary of the City of Toledo, which was formerly the See…”

In 1225 a new Cathedral was begun to replace the older one, for which King Fernando III drew up the plans and laid the cornerstone. Fernando’s good friend, the Archbishop Rodrigo Ximenez de Rada, worked very enthusiastically for the completion of the new Cathedral where he was Bishop.

There are so many masterpieces of art and beautiful Shrines in the City of Toledo, Spain, that a visitor may easily miss the White Virgin. She stands atop an Altar in the choir of Toledo’s magnificent Cathedral. It is said that you can live to be 100 years old, visit this wonderful Cathedral once a week for all of your life and still never finish discovering its glories!

The sacred image of Our Lady is a polychromed alabaster Statue of French origin from the twelfth century. Both Mother and Child are clothed in white, their garments bordered with jeweled gold. Their faces darkened by time, are framed with curly, strawberry-blond hair.

The Statue has also been called the “Smiling Virgin of Toledo;” for the Child’s right hand caresses His Mother’s face, tickling her chin. She responds with a smile that gives this image its popular name. It is also called the “Virgin of Prima” and the “Virgen Blanca.”

There is also another artifact worthy of special mention and that is the ten foot tall great Monstrance of Arfe. It is made of both silver and gold, inset with precious gems. It took nearly 8 years to construct and is done in a Gothic style that is truly a magnificent work of art.

St Alfons Arimany Ferrer
St Bernard of Calvo
St Canna verch Tewdr Marw
St Chrysanthus

St Crispin & St Crispian – (†285 or 286) Martyrs, Twin brothers, Laymen.

St Cyrinus of Rome
St Daria
St Dulcardus
Bl Edmund Daniel
St Fronto of Périgueux
St Fructus of Segovia
St Gaudentius of Brescia (Died 410) Bishop
St George of Périgueux
St Goeznoveus of Leon
St Guesnoveus
Bl Henry of Segusio
St Hilary of Javols / St Hilary of Mende
St Hildemarca of Fecamp
St Januarius of Sassari
St Lucius of Rome
St Lupus of Bayeux
St Mark of Rome

St Maurus of Pécs OSB (c 1000-c 1075) Bishop, the first Hungarian Benedictine Monk and Abbot, Peace-maker, Writer and Hagiographer.

St Miniato of Florence
St Peter of Rome
St Protus of Sassari
St Recaredo Centelles Abad
St Tabitha

Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (c 1455–1492) “White Martyr of Munster” – Bishop

Martyrs of Constantinople:
Marciano
Martirio

Martyrs of Cruz Cubierta: A mother, Blessed María Teresa Ferragud Roig de Masiá and her four daughters, Blessed María Joaquina Masiá Ferragud, Blessed María Vicenta Masiá Ferragud, Blessed María Felicidad Masiá Ferragud and Blessed Josefa Ramona Masiá Ferragud, all nuns, who were Martyred in the Spanish Civil War, on 25 October 1936 in Cruz Cubierta, Alzira, Valencia, Spain.

Forty Martyrs of England and Wales: 40 represent a group of 300+.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Alfons Arimany Ferrer
• Blessed Recaredo Centelles Abad

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 25 October – Saint Tabitha

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Saint Tabitha ‘(female gazelle’), also known as Dorcas, was a married lay woman in Joppa (Tel Aviv). She was a seamstress and widow mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. When she fell ill and died, she was raised from the dead by Saint Peter.

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.

Acts 9:36-42

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 25 October – May the Heart of Jesus be the King of My Heart!

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May the Heart of Jesus
be the King of My Heart!
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity

May Your Heart dwell
always, in our hearts!
May Your Blood
ever flow, in the veins
of our souls!
O Sun of our hearts,
You give life to all things,
by the rays of Your goodness!
I will not go,
until Your Heart
has strengthened me,
O Lord Jesus!
May the Heart of Jesus
be the King of my heart!
Blessed be God.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 25 October – “Above him there was an inscription that read: ‘This is the King of the Jews’”

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One Minute Reflection – 25 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Readings: Apoc 5:12; 1:6, Ps 71:1, Col 1:12-20, John 18:33-37

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would certainly have fought that I might not be delivered to the Hebrews. But, as it is, My kingdom is not from here. Pilate therefore said to Him, You are then a King? Jesus answered, You say it: I am a King.

John 18:33-37

REFLECTION – “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” The criminal did not venture to make this prayer before he had laid down the burden of his sins with his confession. So you see, O Christian, the power of confession. He acknowledged his sins and paradise was opened; he acknowledged his sins and gained confidence enough to ask for the Kingdom in spite of his deeds of robbery.

Do you want to know the Kingdom? What can you see here that is like it? You have the nails and cross before your eyes but this cross, said Jesus, is itself the very sign of the Kingdom. As for me, when I see him on the cross, I proclaim him king. Isn’t it the duty of a king to die for his subjects? He himself has said that: “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep,”. This is no less true for a good king; he, too, lays down his life for his subjects. So I will proclaim him king on account of the gift he has made of his life: “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Do you understand now how it is that the cross is the sign of the Kingdom? Here is yet another proof. Christ did not leave his cross on earth but took it up and bore it with him into heaven. We know this because he will have it with him when he returns in glory. To teach you how much this cross is worthy of veneration, he has made it a sign of glory. When the Son of Man comes: “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.” Then shall reign a light so bright that even the brightest stars will be eclipsed. “The stars will fall from the sky. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,”. Do you understand the power of the sign of the cross? When a king enters a city, soldiers take up their standards, hoist them onto their shoulders and march in front of him to announce his arrival. In the same way, legions of angels and archangels will go before Christ when he comes from heaven. They will bear this sign on their shoulders announcing the coming of our king.

St John Chrysostom

PRAYER – Come to help us in our weakness, God of mercy, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May the prayers of all your saints be offered to You on our behalf. We make our prayer through Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CHRIST the KING

Quote/s of the Day – 25 October – Christ the King

Posted on by AnaStpaul

We saw men and nations cut off from God, stirring up strife and discord and hurrying along the road to ruin and death, while the Church of God carries on her work of providing food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering generation after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ, faithful and subject to Him in His earthly kingdom, called by Him to eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pope Pius XI

It has long been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of ‘King’, because of the high degree of perfection whereby He excels all creatures. So He is said to reign ‘in the hearts of men’, both by reason of the keenness of His intellect and the extent of His knowledge, and also because He is very truth, and it is from Him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind.

Pope Pius XI

This Kingdom is opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and thirst after justice, and more than this they must deny themselves and carry the Cross.

Pope Pius XI

I have so often thought of and meditated on the holy eagerness of the patriarchs who so sighed for the coming of the Messiah, and I felt confused and was, moreover, so penetrated with grief, that I could scarcely refrain from weeping, so much was I ashamed to see the tepidity and indifference of these unhappy days.

St Bernard

Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but His by essence and by nature.

St Cyril of Alexandria

The Son of God has taken upon Himself our poverty and miseries, in order that we may participate in His riches. His sufferings will one day render us impassable, and His death will make us immortal.

St Athanasius

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 25 October – Day by day

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The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

OCTOBER FIFTH
To the Principalities.

The Principalities, who form the Third Choir, are charged to watch over empires, provinces, diocesses, religious communities, &c, and avert from them the effects of the divine wrath. They are also appointed to transmit to the Angels of the last two Choirs the orders of the Most High. Purity of intention is the virtue ascribed to them, for in their high functions they never seek but the honour and interest of God alone. Let us imitate them. It is the intention which stamps the action with merit or demerit.

Practice—In all you do and say, seek the greater glory of God. Refer all to this end.
Asp.—O holy Spirits! may we, like you, seek God, for God alone.
Lecture—12th Motive, 1st part of preceding work.

OCTOBER SIXTH.
To the Powers—the Fourth Choir.

The Angels of this Choir have received from God unlimited sway over the wicked Spirits; they are endowed with great intelligence, so as to be able to discover their schemes and plans for our destruction. Their power is so amazing, that one only of them would be able to destroy all the infernal host. It is well to invoke them in temptation : but to merit their assistance, we must take care to avoid the occasions of sin.

Practice—Resist the attacks of vice and passion frequently make acts of diffidence in self and confidence in God; combat your evil inclinations.
Asp.—Lord ! send thy Angels to assist us.
Lecture—Half 8th Motive

OCTOBER SEVENTH.
To the Virtues—the Fifth Choir.

Energy and strength are attributed to the Virtues. They have dominion over the elements: all nature is subjected to their control. Hence they can raise or appease storms and tempests, emit vivid lightning, form burning thunder. We may profitably invoke them in unforeseen accidents, sickness, &c. We may also recur to them for that strength necessary to lead a penitential life, and root out the inclinations of depraved nature.

Practice—Visit the Holy Sacrament to obtain grace to overcome your evil inclinations, &c.
Asp.—Holy Virtues ! strengthen and fortify us.
Lecture—Finish the reading of 8th
Motive, referred to yesterday.

Posted in Uncategorized

Saint of the Day – 24 October – Saint Fortunatus of Thibiuca

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Saint Fortunatus of Thibiuca, also known as Fortunato, was a martyr in the persecutions of Diocletian. Born in modern-day Tunisia, he was beheaded in 303 alongside Saint Felix of Thibiuca and companions (including Audactus, Januarius, and Septimus) for refusing to surrender the sacred scriptures to be burned.

His relics are enshrined in the church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Bari, Italy.

Diocletian and his co-ruler, Maximian

Diocletian is thought to have committed suicide in despair, and after his death, his wife and daughter were executed, while his co-ruler, Maximian, rebelled against Constantine the Great, who defeated and killed him.

The Scriptures will be despised, and everywhere they will sing the songs of the adversary.

On the End of the World (Pseudo-Hippolytus)

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost, Beata Vergine delle Grazie / The Blessed Virgin of Grace, Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy (1479) and Memorials of the Saints – 24 October

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Saint Raphael the Archangel
The Feast day of Saint Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on 24 October.

Beata Vergine delle Grazie / The Blessed Virgin of Grace, Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy (1479) – Fourth Sunday of October:

When Sir John Emo was serving as Venetian Ambassador to Constantinople, Sultan Mohammed II gave him a Byzantine-style icon of the Virgin nursing the Child.

In 1479, Sir Emo became Lieutenant of Udine, a City in northeast Italy then under the Republic of Venice, bringing the icon with him to the governor’s castle. Not long afterward, one of the palace cooks nearly lost a hand in the kitchen but it healed when touched to the image. News of the miracle inspired popular devotion, so Sir Emo decided to move the image to the Church of Sts. Gervais and Protasius, where it entered in procession on 8 September 1479. By 1495, the Church was too small for all the pilgrims and a new Sanctuary was begun, consecrated to Our Lady of Graces and run by the Servants of Mary. On 6 September 1870 the Church Crowned the icon; in 1922, it named the Shrine a Minor Basilica.

On the fourth Sunday of October, the City both fulfills and renews, a vow made during the plague of 1555. The Beata Vergine delle Grazie is also credited with saving the region from the plague of 1599, the cholera of 1836 and the bombardment of the war in1944.

St Anthony Mary Claret CMF (1807-1870) Known as “The Spiritual Father of Cuba.” In the first years, records show, that he Confirmed 100,000 people and performed 9,000 Sacramental Marriages.Archbishop of Cuba, one of the Fathers of the First Vatican Council,Confessor to the Queen of Spain, Missionary, Founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, commonly called the Claretians, Confessor, Mystic, Social Reformer, Spiritual Director, Writer, Publisher, Preacher, Apostle of Charity. He was declared venerable by Pope Leo XIII in 1899. He was Beatified in 1934 and in 1950, Canonised by Pope Pius XII. His heart is incorrupt.

Bl Amado García Sánchez
St Audactus of Thibiuca
St Cadfarch
St Ciriacus of Hierapolis
St Claudian of Hierapolis
St Ebregislus of Cologne
St Felix of Thibiuca
St Fortunatus of Thibiuca
St Fromundus of Coutances
St Giuse Lê Dang Thi

St Januarius of Thibiuca

St Maglorius of Wales
St Marcius of Monte Cassino
St Martin of Vertou

St Proclus of Constantinople (Died c 446) Archbishop of Constantinople, Confessor, Defender of the Church and of the Blessed Virgin, Writer, renowned Preacher.

St Senócus of Tours
St Septimus of Thibiuca
—
Martyrs of Ephesus – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. All we know about them are the names Mark, Sotericus and Valentina.
They were stoned to death near Ephesus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey). Their relics are enshrined on the island of Tasos.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 24 October – Prayer before Holy Communion By St Basil the Great

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Prayer before Holy Communion
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Lord, I know that I am not worthy
to receive Thy Holy Body and Precious Blood;
I know that I am guilty
and that I eat and drink
condemnation to myself,
not discerning the Body and Blood
of Christ, my God.
But trusting in Thy loving kindness,
I come to Thee, Who hast said –
‘Whoever eats My Body and drinks My Blood,
will dwell in me and I in him’;
Therefore, Lord, have compassion on me
and do not put to shame Thy sinful servant
But deal with me according to Thy great mercy
And grant that these holy gifts,
may be for me,
healing, cleansing, enlightenment,
protection, salvation and sanctification
of soul and body.
May they cast out from me
every dark delusion,
sinful deed or work of the evil one.
May they move me to trust and love Thee always,
to amendment of life,
increase of virtue,
obedience to Thy commandments,
communion of the Holy Spirit,
provision for my final journey
and a good defence before the dreadful
seat of judgement.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 24 October – “Do you want to be healed ?”

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One Minute Reflection – 24 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary”- Readings: Ps 102:20, Ps 102:1, Tob 12:7-15, John 5:1-4

For an Angel of the Lord used to come down at certain times into the pool, and the water was troubled. And the first to go down into the pool after the troubling of the water was cured of whatever infirmity he had.

John 5:1-4

REFLECTION – Christ’s miracles are symbols of the different events of our eternal salvation, this pool is the symbol of the precious gift the Lord’s Word gives us. To sum up, this water is the Jewish people; the five porticos are the Law that Moses wrote in five books. And so this pool was surrounded by five porticos like the people enclosed by the Law. The water that was stirred and troubled is the Savior’s Passion in this people’s midst. Whoever went down into this water was healed – but only one person so as to express unity. Those who were unable to bear anyone speaking to them about the Passion are the proud; they do not want to go down and are not healed. “What!” says that arrogant man: “Believe a God to be incarnate, that a God was born of a woman, that a God has been crucified, scourged, covered in wounds, that he died and has been buried? No, I would never believe in these humiliations of a God, they are unworthy of him.”

Let your heart speak here rather than your head. The humiliations of a God seem unworthy to the arrogant and that is why they are very far from a cure. So protect yourself from this pride; if you desire your healing, accept to go down. There would be something to be worried about if someone said to you that Christ had undergone some sort of change in becoming incarnate. But no, your God remains what he was, have no fear; he does not perish and he prevents you yourselves from perishing. Yes, he remains what he is; he is born of a woman but according to the flesh. It is as man that he has been seized, bound, scourged, mocked and finally crucified and put to death. Why be afraid? The Word of the Lord remains forever. Anyone who refuses these humiliations of a God does not want to be cured of the mortal swelling of his pride.

By his incarnation our Lord Jesus Christ has therefore restored hope to our flesh. He assumed the fruits of this earth that are only too well known and common: birth and death. Birth and death: here indeed are goods that the earth possesses in abundance! But in them were found neither resurrection nor eternal life. He found here the unfortunate fruits of this unfruitful earth and gave us in exchange the possessions of his heavenly kingdom.

St Augustine

PRAYER – Lord God of Hosts, in Your all-wise Providence, You assign to Angels and to men, the services they have to render You. Grant that the Angels who adore You in Heaven, may protect and guide us here on earth. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God now and for all eternity, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 24 October – St. Raphael the Archangel

Posted on by AnaStpaul

For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord.

The Angel of the Lord, Raphael, took and bound the devil.

Tob 8:3

It is good to hide the secret of a king: but honorable to reveal and confess the works of God. Prayer is good with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold: for alms delivers from death, and the same is that which purges away sins, and makes to find mercy and life everlasting.

St Raphael

But they who commit sin and iniquity are enemies to their own soul. I discover then the truth to you, and I will not hide the secret from you. When you prayed with tears, and buried the dead, and left your dinner, and hid the dead by day in your house, and buried them by night, I offered your prayer to the Lord. And because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove you. And now the Lord has sent me to heal you, and to deliver Sara your son’s wife from the devil.

St Raphael

What has now become of those famous conquerors of the world, the Alexanders and the Caesars? Where now are their laurels and their crowns? What remains to them of their triumphs and their victories? Come, my soul, let us visit in spirit those dungeons of fire and of flames where they have been burning for so many centuries, and let us learn in this dismal receptacle of all misery, what the riches, the pleasures, and the honours of this pleasurable life have profited them.

Henri Bouden

In the presence of the Angels I will sing Your praise; I will worship at Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name, O Lord. Alleluia.

Ps 137:1-2

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 24 October – The angels as servants and subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

The Angels as Servants and Subjects of the Blessed Virgin Mary

OCTOBER SECOND, OR ROSARY SUNDAY

Scarcely was it announced to the heavenly Spirits, that a Queen was “born to them,” than they descend in myriads, and hover round her cradle with wonder and delight. They guard her infant steps; they convey her to the temple; they unceasingly continue their celestial cares, until, by means of the Incarnation, she becomes the temple of the Word, when their visits are so frequent, that her little cottage becomes a species of Paradise. At Bethlehem, in Egypt, and at the Holy Sepulchre, they continue to wait on their blessed Queen, until expiring under the wounds of holy love, they conduct her with celestial song through realms of light, and presenting her to the Lamb, cast their crowns before her throne, vowing her eternal love, obedience and fidelity. If we love our blessed Mother, we cannot refuse to honour those by whom she is so much honoured.

Practice.—In honour of the Blessed Virgin and the Angels, say three times the Hail Holy Queen
Aspiration—O Mary ! Mistress of the Angels and Queen of the holy Rosary, intercede for us!
Lecture—11th Motive, 1st part of the preceding work.

OCTOBER THIRD.
Sacred to the Angels of the First Choir.

Though all the blessed Spirits are commonly styled Angels, it is to those of the First Choir that the appellation strictly belongs. These are they who are charged with the execution of the divine ordinances, and who are appointed the guardians of men. Humility is the virtue particularly ascribed to them—for, though the last in order among the Choirs, they see without desiring them the greater and more excellent endowments of their celestial companions. Let us, like them, love to occupy the lowest place, especially when placed therein by Divine Providence, and to behold with joy the preference given to others.

Practice—Three Acts of Humility, interior, or exterior.
Asp.—“ Who is like God?’
Lecture—1th Motive, 1st part of the preceding work.

OCTOBER FOURTH.
To the Archangels—Second Choir.

The Archangels are distinguished from the Angels by the greater importance of their functions. They are supposed to be the guardians of the Pope, of the Bishops, and of all invested with authority, in Church and State—and are remarkable for love and care of men. Let us imitate them, doing our neighbour all the good we can, and invoking in his behalf these blessed Spirits.

Practice—Two Acts of Charity, with great affection.
Asp.—Holy Archangels ! pray for us.
Lecture—2d Motive, 1st part of preceding work.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 23 October – Saint Ignatius of Constantinople

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Saint Ignatius of Constantinople, also known as Ignatios and Nicetas, was a monk, priest, abbot and Patriarch of Constantinople born in 799 in Constantinople. Born the son the Byzantine emperor Michael I, he was thrust into tumultuous times. Iconoclasm was raging, and when he was fourteen, Emperor Leo V the Armenian had him forcibly castrated, which made him ineligible to become emperor, and imprisoned him in a monastery after his father’s deposition in 813. As a monk, he took the name Ignatius and eventually became abbot. He also founded three monasteries on the Princes’ Islands, a favorite place for exiling tonsured members of the imperial house.

Ignatius of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia

Empress Theodora appointed Ignatius as Patriarch on 4 July 847 in part because he supported venerating icons. As patriarch, Ignatius became an important ally for Theodora in the midst of the Iconoclast Controversy. Ignatius served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 4 July 847 to 23 October 858 and from 23 November 867 to his death on 23 October 877.

The imperial court’s resentment of Ignatius began when he refused communion to and excommunicated a high ranking imperial court member, Bardas, for incest. Bardas exiled Empress Theodora, attempting to gain more power, but Ignatius refused to approve of this. Emperor Michael III, influenced by Bardas, removed Ignatius as patriarch and exiled him in 857. A synod was convened which deposed Ignatius on the basis of a canon which prohibited a bishop being appointed by a secular power. Photius, an associate of Bardas (and the one who plunged his church and billions of people into a millennia long schism and hell by condemning the Filioque), was made patriarch on Christmas Day of 858.

A schism resulted from Photius I’s election because many bishops saw Ignatius’s exit as illegitimate. Ignatius had only a few supporters once Photius I became patriarch. Most agreed that Ignatius had legitimately resigned, but some of his supporters appealed to Rome for him. A synod of 170 bishops deposed and anathematised Ignatius, but the schism escalated when Pope Nicholas I stepped in. Pope Nicholas I questioned Photius I’s legitimate status as patriarch. Papal legates retried Ignatius in a synod in 861, which said that Photius I was the legitimate patriarch, but Nicholas I rejected that synod and held his own synod which condemned Photius I and declared Ignatius the legitimate patriarch. He excommunicated Photius I and declared all his ordinations invalid.

In 867, Emperor Michael III was murdered and replaced by Basil I, his co-emperor. Basil I exiled Photius I and restored Ignatius as patriarch. Basil I effectively undid the last nine years of church history, restoring the Ignatian bishops and nullifying everything Photius I did.

Ignatius died on the 23 October 877 of natural causes, and his relics lie in the church of Saint Michael, Constantinople.

Ignatius is appointed patriarch by Empress Theodora
Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer, Notre-Dame-de-Grace / Our Lady of Grace in Equemauville, Honfleur, France and Memorials of the Saints – 23 October

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Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer – The Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Catholic liturgical feast. It is celebrated in Venice as the Festa del Redentore. It is also celebrated by the Redemptorists and was celebrated in the City of Rome. The feast is found only in the special calendar of some Diocese and religious Orders and is celebrated with proper Mass and Office either on the third Sunday of July or on 23 October.

St John of Capistrano OFM (1386-1456) “The Soldier Saint.” Franciscan Friar and Priest, Confessor and Preacher. Famous as a preacher, theologian and inquisitor, trained lawyer, he earned himself the nickname ‘the Soldier Saint’ when in 1456 at age 70 he led a crusade against the invading Ottoman Empire at the siege of Belgrade with the Hungarian military commander John Hunyadi, called the Athleta Christi (“Christ’s Champion”) by Pope Pius II.

Notre-Dame-de-Grace / Our Lady of Grace in Equemauville, Honfleur, France – also known as Our Lady of Consolation (1524) 20 June (The Crowning) and 23 October

St Allucio of Campugliano (c 1070–1134) Layman
Bl Anne-Joseph Leroux
St Amon of Toul
St Arethas of Negran

Blessed Arnold Reche FSC (1838-1890) French Religious Brother of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian School (LaSallian Brothers) founded by St Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719) in 1725.

St Benedict of Sebaste
St Clether
St Domitius
St Elfleda
St Ethelfleda
St Gratien of Amiens
St Henry of Cologne
St Ignatius of Constantinople

Blessed John Angelo Porro OSM (1451-1505) Priest, Religious of the Order of Servants of Mary, Penitent, Catechist, Hermit.

Bl John Buoni
St John of Syracuse
St Oda of Aquitaine
St Phaolô Tong Viet Buong
St Romanus of Rouen
St Severinus of Cologne
St Syra of Faremoutiers
St Theodoret of Antioch
Bl Thomas Thwing
St Verus of Salerno
—
Martyrs of Cadiz – 2 saints
Germanus
Servandus

Martyrs of Hadrianopolis – 2 saints
Dorotheus
Severus

Martyrs of Nicaea – 3 saints
Euerotas
Socrates
Theodota

Martyrs of Valenciennes – 6 beati: A group of Urusuline and Briggittine nuns murdered together in the anti-Christian excesses of the French Revolution. They were guillotined on 23 October 1794 in Valenciennes, Nord, France and Beatified on 13 June 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.
• Anne-Joseph Leroux
• Clotilde-Joseph Paillot
• Jeanne-Louise Barré
• Marie-Augustine Erraux
• Marie-Liévine Lacroix
• Marie-Marguerite-Joseph Leroux

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War including Martyrs of Manzanares (7 beati):
• Agapit Gorgues Manresa
• Agustín Nogal Tobar
• Andrés Navarro Sierra
• César Elexgaray Otazua
• Cristóbal González Carcedo
• Dorinda Sotelo Rodríguez
• Eduardo Valverde Rodríguez
• Felipe Basauri Altube
• José María Fernández Sánchez
• Juan Nuñez Orcajo
• Leonardo Olivera Buera
• Manuel Navarro Martínez
• Roque Guillén Garcés
• Toribia Marticorena Sola

Posted in Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 23 October – Hail, O Mother!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Hail, O Mother!
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Hail, O Mother!
Virgin, heaven, throne, glory of our Church,
it’s foundation and ornament.
Earnestly pray for us to Jesus,
your Son and Our Lord,
that through your intercession,
we may have mercy on the day of judgement.
Pray that we may receive, all those good things
which are reserved for those who love God.
Through the grace and favour of Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be power, honour and glory,
now and forever.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 23 October – Be on the alert!

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One Minute Reflection – 23 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Readings: Ps 131:9-10., Ps 131:1, Heb 7:23-27, Matt 24:42-47

Watch, for you do not know at what hour your Lord is to come. But of this be assured, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would certainly have watched, and not have let his house be broken into.

Matt 24:42-47

REFLECTION – Listen to my words and give ear to my humble discourses; I cry out to you all, I exhort you: “Lift up your hearts to God, unbind yourselves from your attachment to the passions!” Here is what the prophet cries to you: “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob”, which is that of impassibility, and let us contemplate with the eyes of our minds the joy held in store for us by the heavenly promises.

My beloved children, gather up your fervor, take wings of fire like the dove, as it is written, fly away, place yourselves among the virtuous, those on the right side. Receive joy, spiritual desire, impassioned for God. Taste the great sweetness of his love and, by it, considering all else as secondary, tread vainglory underfoot, the desire of the flesh and bitter anger!

Let us hike up our tunics, be on the alert, have eagle eyes: this is the speediest flight for the trip that leads us from earth to heaven! It is true that travelers can have something to endure. And this happens to you too: indeed, as you see, you struggle under hard labors, you tire yourselves, you work the ground until you are out of breath, you pour with sweat, you are at the end of your strength, hungry, thirsty, one of you laboring at the plow, the other cultivating the vineyard, another pressing oil, or cooking, constructing, making bread or busy about the cellar. Briefly, each is at their post. All go forward on the highway to God, they approach the great city and, in death, they will have entry to the unutterable joy of the good things God reserves for all those who have loved him.

May we be accounted worthy of the kingdom of Christ himself, our God, to whom belongs all glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, world without end. Amen.

St Theodore the Studite

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to keep my death constantly before my eyes, for this is my final account. I pray You for a holy life that my death may be holy and that I may come to You and live for all eternity with You. May each moment of my life, the good and the trials, bear abundant fruit for love of You. When my hour is come, bid me come to You, Lord. Hear the prayers of your Saints and the Mother of Your divine Son, who lived each moment of her life for the glory of Your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 23 October – St Anthony Mary Claret

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Ancient peoples of the East had the custom of offering crowns of roses to distinguished persons; and true Christians have the praiseworthy habit of offering every day with great devotion this crown of Marian roses to their beloved Mother, the holy Virgin. Thus from the year 1208, during which the glorious St. Dominic taught it as it is prayed today, there has not been a Saint nor a person distinguished for learning and virtue, nor an observant religious community, nor a well-ordered seminary, which has not kept up devotion to the Rosary.

Each time you confess and receive Communion, you will do so as if it were the last of your life, approaching humbly and trustingly, like a poor little woman, or like a leper, but full of love.

The Rosary is a rich mine in which Christians who pray it and meditate it attentively and devoutly gain immense spiritual treasures. It is a flourishing garden in which flowers of all kinds of beautiful, fragrant virtues are plucked.

Be a lover of silence and prayer, the more the better; for these two will be the wings whereon your will fly to your Spouse.

The holy Rosary is the most powerful, easiest and sweetest means for dispelling religious ignorance and getting rid of error and heresy. Indeed, when people love and recite the holy Rosary they find it makes them better. While one prays the Our Father and ten Hail Marys it is not necessary to reflect on all of the ten points into which the mysteries are divided; one may linger on that point or points which appeal more to him or move him more to devotion.

Consider -for it is so- that we are standing between two eternities, one happy, the other unhappy, and that we will be given the one which, with the help of God’s grace, we have chosen and which we have striven for by holy and good works.

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 23 October – The month of October

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, DEDICATED TO THE HOLY ANGELS, BY A SERIES OP PIOUS PRACTICES

Some persons, devout to the holy Angels, wished to dedicate to these holy Spirits a whole month—that of October. They, during that period, perform the following practices. It commences the evening of St. Michael’s Day, by the following offering:— O all ye holy Angels ! who contemplate without ceasing the uncreated beauty of the Divinity, in company with your ever glorious Queen—I, your unworthy servant, present and offer to you all the practices of this month of October, consecrated to your glory, not only as a means of obtaining (here specify your request,) but also as a reparation for my past ingratitude, and that of all men. Deign to accept it, O amiable Spirits! in union with the love and devotion of such Saints as were specially devout to you—and obtain for me to spend this time so fervently, that it may be the commencement of that angelical life which I hope to live for ever with you in Heaven. Amen.

A Memorare to the Angels

Remember, O holy Angels! that Jesus, the eternal Truth, assures us that you “rejoice more at the conversion of one sinner, than at the perseverance of many just.” Encouraged thereby, I, the last of creatures, humbly entreat you to receive me as your servant, and make me unto you a cause of true joy. Do not, O blessed Spirits! reject my petition; but graciously hear and grant it. Amen.

OCTOBER FIRST
The Creation of the Angels

Anticipate all time—penetrate the eternal years—and contemplate in wonder and amazement that eventful moment in which the Deity, coming forth from that inaccessible light in which he dwelt, gave command to nothing, and created the Angels. Admirable Spirits ! their perfections are like a profound sea, which cannot be fathomed. Beings incomprehensible— they announce in their celestial endowments the omnipotence, love, and wisdom of their Almighty Maker. They are incorruptible in their nature—illumined with the most brilliant irradiations—endowed with wonderful science—clothed with divine purity—consumed with celestial love. Their power is amazing—their charms so ravishing, that St. Bridget says, the appearance of one alone of them to mortal man would occasion immediate death. Their sanctity exceeds that of all the Saints, since they have been replenished with the divine unction, and have never contracted actual stain. Their charity is exceeding great, since they have received more of that sacred fire, which, according to St. John, is the essence of the Godhead, than all other creatures. This is saying much; and yet it conveys but a faint idea of the perfection of these celestial Spirits.

Let us, while we confess their greatness, bless the hand of Him who made them, and commence this holy month as they began their angelic course, saying—Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabbaoth ! the Heaens and the Earth are full of thy glory! Glory be to the Father !—Glory be to the Son !—Glory be to the Holy Ghost!

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saints of the Day – 22 October – Saints Alodia & Nunilo of Huesca

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Saints Alodia & Nunilo of Huesca, Spanish sisters and martyrs, born in Huesca, Spain in the 9th century. They were born to a Muslim father and Christian mother, and were raised Christian. When their father died, their mother married another Muslim man who persecuted the girls, imprisoned them, and turned them over to die during the persecution of Abdur Rahman II.

In defiance of thier stepfather’s prohibition that they attend church and his demand that they marry and convert to Islam, they were sent to live with their aunt, who was also Christian, in Castile. In 851, Abd ar-Rahman II issued a decree that all Christian children to a Muslim father had to convert to their father’s religion or be executed. After repeated failed attempts to get the sisters to agree to convert, they were arrested, put in solitary confinement, then “handed over to women of dubious morality to make them change their lifestyle”, and “were also pestered by many suitors to marry”. The sisters still refused, so they were beheaded in Huesca, Spain, on October 22, 851.

Their patronages are: child abuse victims, martyrs, people ridiculed for their piety, runaways, unmarried laywomen.

Carving of Nunilo and Alodia on the collegiate church of Alquézar.

Farewell, and be mindful of my faith; and let not these things disturb, but confirm you.

Passion of Perpetua and Felicity (Tertullian)

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Notre-Dame de Talant / Our Lady of Talant, near Dijon, France (1443) and Memorials of the Saints – 22 October

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Notre-Dame de Talant / Our Lady of Talant, near Dijon, France (also known as the Virgin of St Luke (1443) – 22 October:

Until the twelfth Century, the French “Mons de Talant,” located at the gates of Dijon and belonging to the Estate of the Abbey of Saint-Benigne, was a completely uninhabited place. Considered as if accursed by some, the grounds were given a wide berth and altogether avoided. To others, possessing a more lively imagination, the location was said to be frequented by fairies.

In 1208, the Duke of Burgundy, Eudes III, undertook the construction of the Fortress of Talant in order to ensure a safer shelter of its treasures and archives, then in his Ducal Palace of Dijon. He founded north of the castle, a new fortified City and a Priory for some Monks of Saint Benedict. A Church, begun at the same time as the other works, was one of the earliest Gothic Churches in the Duchy of Burgundy.

The finished enclosure of the City was 1110 meters long and flanked by 33 towers. Duke Eudes III welcomed, particularly all the serfs who fled the oppression of their lord. Many peasants, attracted by the notion of freedom and the ability to work freed from all hindrance, began to arrive in droves. In 1216, the Duke granted the inhabitants the right to administer themselves by promulgating “the Charter of Commune,” exempting them from taxation and military service.

So many people were attracted to Talant that it became necessary to enlarge the Church. A bell tower was also added but the extra weight was too great and the walls began to bow outward. External buttresses were added in the 15th century to solve the problem.

John the Fearless, eldest son of Philip the Bold, returning from the Crusade in 1396, brought back as a trophy the Statue “Virgin of St Luke” that he offered to Talant. The Statue of the Virgin is exposed in the Church and in 1443, the Bishop of Langres, Charles de Poitiers, Consecrated the Church to the Mother of God.

During the Eighth War of Religion, in 1585, the partisans of Guise seized the fortress by cunning. After its return to the hands of the King in 1598, the decision was made to demolish the castle and the ramparts of the City. The work was finished in 6 months and Talant was reduced to the condition of a simple village. The Church of Notre-Dame remains, however and has been classified as an historic monument since 20 July 1908. The Statue of the Virgin of St Luke, can still be seen there.

St Abericus Marcellus
St Alodia of Huesca
St Apollo of Bawit
St Benedict of Macerac
St Bertharius of Monte Cassino
St Cordula

St Donatus of Fiesole (Died 874) Bishop of Fiesole, Irish Nobleman, Monk, Priest, Poet, Confessor, Writer, Scholar, Professor, Adviser to Emperors Louis the Pious and Lothair I, Founder of San Martino a Mensola Abbey and leader of two military expeditions against the Saracens.

Bl Esclaramunda of Majorca
St Hermes of Adrianople
St Ingbert
St Leothade of Auch
Blessed Lucia Bartolini Rucellai (Died 1520)
St Lupenzius
St Mark of Jerusalem

St Mary Salome (First Century) Disciple of Jesus, wife of Zebedee and Mother of Saints James and John, Apostles of Christ:

St Maroveus of Precipiano
St Mellon
St Moderan of Rennes
St Nepotian of Clermont
St Nunctus of Mérida
St Nunilo of Huesca
St Philip of Adrianople
St Philip of Fermo
St Rufus of Egypt
St Symmachus of Capua
St Valerius of Langres
St Verecundus of Verona
—
Martyrs of Heraclea – 4 saints: A group of four clerics in Heraclea (modern Marmara Ereglisi, Turkey) who were arrested in the persecutions of Diocletian. They were imprisoned, abused and ordered to turn over all the scriptures that they had hidden from authorities; they refused and were executed together. Martyrs. – Eusebius, Hermes, Philip and Severus. They were burned at the stake in 304 in Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey).

Martyrs of Adianople:
• Blessed Alexander
• Blessed Anna
• Blessed Elisabeth
• Blessed Glyceria
• Blessed Heraclius
• Blessed Theodota

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Álvaro Ibáñez Lázaro
• Blessed Andrés Zarraquino Herrero
• Blessed Estanislao García Obeso
• Blessed Germán Caballero Atienza
• Blessed José Menéndez García
• Blessed Josep Casas Lluch
• Blessed Luis Minguel Ferrer
• Blessed Pedro Lorente Vicente
• Blessed Victoriano Ibañez Alonso

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Prayer of a Martyr, St Thomas More

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Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Prayer of a Martyr, St Thomas More (1478-1535)

The prayer below, was written by Saint Thomas More while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, awaiting execution by King Henry VIII.

Give Me Thy Grace, Good Lord!
A Prayer of Hope
By St Thomas More (1478-1535)

Give me Thy grace, good Lord.
To set the world at naught.
To set the mind firmly on Thee
and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths.
To be content to be solitary.
Not to long for worldly pleasures.
Little by little, utterly to cast off the world
and rid my mind of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things
but that the hearing of worldly fancies,
may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God,
piteously to call for His help.
To lean into the comfort of God.
Busily to labour to love Him.
To know mine own vileness and wretchedness.
To humble myself under the mighty Hand of God.
To bewail my sins past,
for the purging of them,
patiently to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here.
To be joyful in tribulations.
To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To bear the Cross with Christ.
To have the last thing in remembrance.
To have ever before mine eyes,
my death that is ever at hand.
To make death no stranger to me.
To foresee and consider,
the everlasting fire of Hell.
To pray for pardon before the Judge come.
To have continually in mind,
the Passion that Christ suffered for me.
For His benefits, unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again, that I before have lost.
To abstain from vain conversations.
To shun foolish mirth and gladness.
To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance,
friends, liberty, life and all,
to set the loss at naught,
for the winning of Christ.
To think my worst enemies, my best friends,
for the brethren of Joseph
could never have done him
so much good with their love and favour,
as they did him, with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man,
than all the treasures of all the princes and kings,
Christian and heathen,
were it gathered and laid together,
all in one heap.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 22 October – “Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors”

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One Minute Reflection – 22 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary”– Readings: Esth 13:9-11, Ps 118:1, Eph 6:10-17, Matt 18:23-35

His fellow-servants therefore, seeing what had happened, were very much saddened, and they went and informed their master of what had taken place.

Matt 18:23-35

REFLECTION – The Lord demands that we ourselves forgive the debts of our debtors just as we, too, ask that our own be forgiven. We should know that we cannot receive what we ask with regard to our own sins unless we do the same for those who have sinned against us. And so Christ says elsewhere: “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,”. And the servant who, having been freed from all his debt, was unwilling to forgive that of his fellow servant was thrown into prison. Because he would not spare his fellow, he lost that for which his master had spared him. Christ establishes this even more forcibly in his precepts when he decrees that: “When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your transgressions,”.

When Abel and Cain first of all offered sacrifice, God did not look at their offerings but at their hearts. The one whose offering was pleasing to him was the one whose heart was pleasing to him. Abel, the peaceful and just one, by making his offering to God in innocence, taught others to come forward in the fear of God to offer their gift at the altar, with a simple heart, a sense of justice, harmony and peace. By offering sacrifice to God with such dispositions as these he merited to become a precious offering himself and to be the first to offer the witness of martyrdom. By the glory of his blood he prefigured the Lord's Passion because he possessed the Lord's righteousness and peace. Men like these are they who are crowned by the Lord and who will obtain justice along with him on the day of judgement.

St Cyprian

PRAYER – Lord God, You fill us with Your grace and teach us true faith. Strengthen in our hearts that faith that no trials may quench the fire, that we may seek Your Face in every moment and accept and live all of Your will. Send us Your Spirit to keep the fire blazing. By the inspiration and prayers of the Blessed Virgin, may we grow in sanctity and may the humble love and intercession of Mary Mother of our faith, be our succour. Through Jesus Your Son our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 22 October – You are Lord of all

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In Your will are all things, O Lord, and there is none that can resist Your will; for You have made all things, heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven. You are Lord of all.

Esth 13:9-11

Create in my heart, O my God! this wholesome fear, which has made the security of the just. Banish from it that fatal indifference, which is the greatest danger of a Christian. We should indeed be mad, and very blind, not to think of this last judgement, or to think lightly of it.

Fr Segneri

Day of wrath and doom impending!
David’s word with Sibyl’s blending,
Heaven and earth in ashes ending!

Dies Irae

Second Point – God need not have created you, but since He has created you, He must, of necessity, be your first beginning and your last end. Just as it would be impossible for you to be a man without having a body and a soul, so it would be impossible for you to be a man without having the obligation of serving God. All-powerful as God is, even He cannot dispense with that obligation.

Fr François Nepveu

Never has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus Christ.

Pope Pius XI

If God does not call you to it, you shall be like those illustrious confessors of who St. Cyprian said, That without dying by the executioner, they have gained the merits of martyrdom, because they were prepared for it.

Letter from Fr. Demaris to Catholics Who Have Been Deprived of a Priest

Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is filled with his glory.

The Seraphim

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 22 October – To endeavour to extend the devotion to the Angels

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The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

PRACTICE NINTH

To endeavour to extend the devotion to the Angels

If the Angels do all they can for the service of man, man is obliged in justice and gratitude to spare no pains in the service of the Angels. We should neglect no means in the order of God for the increase of their glory. One method of honouring them seems to be, to distribute images and pictures of these glorious Spirits, particularly among the peasantry, and the poor and ignorant of the city. It would be well to recommend our friends to set up such pictures in their chambers or oratories—as also to make presents of them to some Chapel or Altar. Constantine the Great caused four images of the Angels to be wrought, and in the most exquisite manner. Another and a more laudable means is to lend and distribute books which treat of their excellencies. Among others those of F. Barri, F. Nouet, Drexelius, and Coret —all of the Society of Jesus. These inspire such devotion to the Angels, as would, be likely to last during the rest of our lives.

Preachers could greatly serve this devotion, by instructing their auditors in it from time to time—Seculars, by explaining it to their friends—a Master, in his house—a Father or Mother to their Children—a person in the country, to the peasants—a teacher, to his pupils—a friend, to his friend. But the best way to honour the Angels is to procure the establishment of some little sodality in their honour.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 21 October – Blessed Sancho of Aragon

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Blessed Sancho of Aragon, priest and martyr. Born a prince (infante) of Spain, he was the fourth son of Blessed James I, King of Aragon. Turning from worldly ways, he joined the Mercedarians (Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy), receiving the habit from Saint Peter Nolasco himself.

He became Archbishop of Toledo, Spain n 1266, when he was only 16 years old.

In 1275 he raised troops to engage Marinid armies that had attacked Andalusia. On 21 October 1275 he tried to intercept a numerically superior Marinid army in the battle of Martos but was defeated and taken prisoner. Muslims cut off his hand with the ring of his office, and then martyred him for refusing to apostatise.

But let the world look to this, which accounts banishment a penalty. To them, their country is too dear, and they have the same name as their parents; but we abhor even our parents themselves if they would persuade us against God.

Life and Passion of St. Cyprian (Pontius)

Posted in Uncategorized

Madonna del Rosario / Our Lady of the Rosary, Noepoli, Italy and Memorials of the Saints – 21 October

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Madonna del Rosario / Our Lady of the Rosary, Noepoli, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy – 21 October

The Church of Maria del Rosario, built in 1830, is located in a farmhouse in Noepoli. It has one nave and a marble altar along with a Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary from the seventeenth century and a wooden Crucifix from the sixteenth century.

The community of Noepoli prepares for the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary with a Rosary Novena that begins on 12 October in the Churche. On 20 October, the Holy Rosary of the afternoon is followed by a prayer vigil in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary. The townspeople gather on 21 October for a procession around the village. . The beautiful festa continues with local musicians and dancing and finishes with spectacular fireworks.

St Agatho the Hermit
St Asterius of Périgord
St Asterius of Rome
St Berthold of Parma
St Celina of Meaux

Blessed Karl of Austria (1887 – 1922) King of Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia and Croatia & Emperor of Austria, devotee of the Sacred Heart and of the Holy Eucharist, Peacemaker, Social Reformer.

St Cilinia
St Condedus
St Domnolus of Pouilly
St Finian Munnu
St Gebizo

Bl Gundisalvus of Lagos

Bl Hilarion of Moglena
St Hugh of Ambronay
Bl Imana of Loss
Bl Iulianus Nakaura
St John of Bridlington
St Letizia
St Maurontus of Marseilles
St Malchus of Syria

Blessed Peter Capucci OP (1390-1445) Priest, Friar of the Order of Preachers, Confessor, Penitent, Wonderworker, he was called “the Preacher of Death.”

St Petrus Yu Tae-Ch’ol
St Pontius de Clariana
St Raymond of Granada
Bl Sancho of Aragon
Bl Severinus of Bordeaux
Bl Tuda of Lindisfarne
Bl Viator of Lyons

St Wendelin
St William of Granada
St William of Montreal
St Zaira
St Zoticus of Nicomedia
—
Martyrs of Nicaea – 279 saints:

Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints:
Caius of Nicomedia
Dasius of Nicomedia
Zoticus of Nicomedia

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Genaro Fueyo Castañon
• Blessed Isidro Fernández Cordero
• Blessed Segundo Alonso González

Saint Ursula and Companions: (Died c 238) Legendary princess, the daughter of a Christian British king and Saint Daria. She travelled Europe in company of either 11 or 11,000 fellow maidens; the 11,000 number probably resulted from a misreading of the term “11M” which indicated 11 Martyrs, but which a copyist took for a Roman numeral. Ursula and her company were tortured to death to get them to renounce their faith, and old paintings of them show many of the women being killed in various painful ways. Namesake for the Ursuline Order, founded for the education of young Catholic girls and women.
There are other saints closely associated with Ursula and her story –
travelling companions who were martyred with her

Antonia of Cologne
Cesarius of Cologne
Cyriacus of Cologne
Daria
Fiolanus of Lucca
Ignatius of Cologne
James of Antioch
Mauritius of Cologne
Pontius of Cologne
Sulpitius of Ravenna
Vincent of Cologne
Travelling companion, but escaped the massacre:
• Cunera
led by a dove to the lost tomb of Ursula:
• Cunibert of Cologne

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 21 October – O Holy Spirit of God

Posted on by AnaStpaul

O Holy Spirit of God
By Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466-1536)
(Fr Erasmus of Rotterdam)

O Holy Spirit of God
with Your holy breath,
You purify the hearts and minds of humankind,
comforting them,
when they are in sorrow,
leading them,
aright when they have gone astray,
kindling them,
when their hearts are cold,
reconciling them,
whem they are at variance
and enriching them,
with Your many gifts.
By Your working,
all things live.
We make our prayer to You,
maintain and day by day,
increase the gifts which You
have granted us,
so that with Your Light
before us and within us,
we may pass through this world,
without stumbling
and without straying.
Who with the Father and the Son,
are One God,
now and forever.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 21 October – “Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you?”

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One Minute Reflection – 21 October – – “Month of the Most Holy Rosary” – Readings: Esth 13:9-11, Ps 118:1, Eph 6:10-17, Matt 18:23-35

And his master, being angry, handed him over to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So also My heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts.

Matt 18:23-35

REFLECTION – On the one hand, compassion, and on the other the judgment of simple equity; if they dwell in one and the same soul, they are like a person who adores God and idols in one and the same house. Compassion is the contrary to the judgment of simple justice. Judgment that is simply equitable implies the equal sharing out of a similar measure for everyone. It gives to each what he deserves, no more; it does not lean towards one side or the other, exercises no discernment in its distribution. But compassion arises because of grace: it leans towards all beings with the same affection – not accepting to give simple retribution to those who are worthy of punishment – and it fills beyond all measure those who are worthy of good.

Thus compassion is on the side of justice; judgment that is simply equitable is on the side of evil. Just as a grain of sand does not weigh so much as a heap of gold does, God’s equitable justice does not weigh as much as his compassion. The sins of all flesh are like a handful of sand falling into the great ocean compared to God’s providence and mercy. Just as an abundantly flowing spring cannot be stopped up by a handful of dust, so the Creator’s compassion cannot be overcome by the malice of creatures. The person who remains resentful while praying is like a person who sows in the sea and hopes to gather in a harvest!

Isaac the Syrian

PRAYER – Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow us to fill with Your light
the world around us.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out our mission
of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand,
that by Your grace
Your gifts are Your blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Your Spirit of love
to give glory to You
in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire
to go forth
as the bearers of Your Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ-bearers,
that in seeing us
only He is visible.
Amen (The Christopher Prayer – Unknown)

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 21 October – Take up the armour

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Therefore, take up the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and stand in all things perfect.

Eph 6:10-17

This last judgement will not only be favourable and honourable to, but anxiously longed for by the just and the elect.

Bourdaloue

Truth, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said.

The Imitation of Christ

The fruit which I destine for them, constrained by the prayers of My servants, is that I give them light, and that I wake up in them the hound of conscience, and make them smell the odor of virtue, and take delight in the conversation of My servants.

The Dialogue of St Catherine of Siena

If now we consider well, there is no person in the world more despised than Jesus Christ. We take more account of a peasant than we do of God; because we fear, if we have offended such a one, lest he being filled with wrath, should avenge himself ; but we commit offences against God over and over again as if God were not able to avenge Himself whenever it pleases Him so to do.

St Alphonsus Liguori

Since the time of Adam until the present, all the saints have had something to suffer, and most of them far more than have we. But they suffered with patience, always subject to the will of God, and soon their troubles were finished, and their happiness, which has begun, will never come to an end.

St John Vianney

Neither will you be deprived of this consolation on account of your sins, if from henceforth you will be careful to live well, and to serve this very grateful and gracious Lady. In the trials and temptations with which the devil will assail you, that he may throw you into despair, she will comfort you, and even come herself to assist you in death.

St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 21 October – To labour for the conversion of sinners & the release of souls in Purgatory

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

PRACTICE EIGHTH

To labour for the Conversion of Sinners and the release of Souls from Purgatory—and to practise Virtue in honour of the Angels.

What can we do more agreeable to the Angels than to labour with them for the glory of our common Master? It is his glory which causes this almost infinite number of blessed Spirits to watch so indefatigably over us poor sinners ; and what wonder, when even the shadow of the interests of this divine being should be upheld at the risk of the annihilation of all creatures. O my God ! why are you not known by us ! This world is indeed a land of forgetfulness in your regard. A God-man having sacrificed his life, in the midst of an infinity of sufferings, for your divine interest, we should either renounce Christianity, or endeavour to advance it by every possible means. Here it is we should pour out floods of tears over the insensibility and blindness of men.

Great expenses are incurred for decorating and pampering a body which will in a few days become the food of worms—and nothing, or less than nothing, is done for the soul! Immense revenues are expended for the support of vanity and ambition, and scarcely will a pound be given to advance the glory of God! The greatest ignorance prevails among the peasantry—whole villages are desolated by the reign of sin—the establishment of schools would be the grand remedy —but, alas ! few or none care to contribute towards it. They can find money enough to purchase rich plate and precious furniture !—it is only for the interest of God that they have none. O horror of horrors! I plainly see, my God! the truth of your divine words — that though “many are called, few are chosen.”

The example of the blessed Spirits should animate us to do and suffer all, in order to save our souls : it should also encourage us to labour for the salvation of others. Let us act in concert with these blessed Spirits for this end. The holy Angels faithfully continue their labours, and care for us during 40, or 60, or 80 years, or whatever be the term of our lives, though they are sure the object of them will reap no fruit or advantage, through his own malice. Hence, confessors, preachers, and all who labour in any shape for the extension of the reign of God, should be singularly devout to these holy Spirits. The charity of these blessed Spirits extends beyond the grave. It is doing them a great favour to pray for the poor souls in Purgatory. Let us succour them as much as we can, by the holy mass, alms, indulgences, &c. They are truly deserving of our compassion, and the Angels will not fail, as being interested for them, to reward our charity with the most precious graces.

The practice of chastity is absolutely necessary to gain the friendship of the Angels. Virginity is their favourite virtue, as it has been of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the two St. Johns. O Virgins! whoever you may be, remember you possess a treasure of inestimable price—one which assimilates you to the Angels. But, as in proportion to its excellence, you should have a more lively apprehension of its loss, so adopt more earnestly the necessary means in order to its preservation. These are mortification, guard of the senses, flight of the world, and true and sincere humility. This virtue of humility is one which the Angels require in those devoted to them; they cannot bear the proud. The practice of recollection and prayer is also most pleasing to them; they have been visibly seen assisting persons in this holy exercise. St. Bernard saw them noting the manner in which his religious made their prayer. But if we would be truly devout to the Angels, we should once for all take the resolution of avoiding deliberate faults and imperfections, of searching out and overcoming our predominant passion, the source of our most frequent irregularities.

Endeavour every day to sacrifice some inclination of yours in honour of the Angels. If we remembered that our Angel witnesses all our actions, and that he abhors sin, it would be some restraint on us, as even pagan philosophers, who believed that an invisible guide presided over their thoughts and action, acknowledged. If this was the sentiment of a pagan, what ought to be that of a Christian?