AnaStpaul

Nuestra Señora del Fresno / Our Lady of Fresno, Grado, Asturias, Spain (9th Century)

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Nuestra Señora del Fresno / Our Lady of Fresno, Grado, Asturias, Spain (9th Century) – 8 and 28 September:

The Sanctuary of the Virgen del Fresno is one of the most visited Sanctuaries in the central area of Asturias despite the difficulty of its access. The Sanctuary is located on the Camino de Santiago hence it’s popularity dating from the 9th Century when pilgrims stopped to rest in the hostel provided. They were known as “the Novenarios” as, during their rest, they prayed the St Michael Novena before his Feast Day on 29 September.

In honour of the Virgen del Fresno two festivals are held, one on 8 September and the other 28 of the same month preceded by a Novena that has traditionally started at four in the afternoon.

The current image dates from 1975, since the original was lost in the looting it suffered in 1936. It is made of cedar from Lebanon, made in Madrid. She is dressed and holds the Child in her arms and the Rosary between her fingers. She remain above her Altar and another processional image accompanies the Novena.

St Wenceslaus (907-935) King of Bohemia, Martyr (Optional Memorial)

Bl Aaron of Auxerre
St Alodius of Auxerre
St Annemond of Lyons
St Bardomianus

Blessed Bernardine of Feltre OFM (1439-1494) Franciscan Priest and Friar, Missionary Preacher, Poet, peace-maker, Civil protestor against the practice of usury, defender of the poor. He was a true ‘child prodigy’ – by the time he was 12 he was fluent in Latin and at the age of 15 he composed a poem and read it in the Town Square to celebrate a local peace treaty. He is remembered most especially, in connection with the “Monti di Pietà” “Mount of Piety” of which he was the reorganiser and, in a certain sense, the Founder, together with the Blessed Michele Carcano.

St Chariton of Palestine
Bl Christian Franco
St Conval of Strathclyde
St Eucarpus
St Eustochium
St Exuperius of Toulouse
St Faustus of Riez
Blessed Francesco Piani of Caldarola OFM (1424-1507) Francisan Friar
St John of Dukla
St Laurence of North Africa
St Lioba of Bischofsheim

St Machan
St Martial of North Africa
St Martin of Moyenmoutier
St Paternus of Auch
St Privatus of Rome
St Salonius of Geneva
St Silvinus of Brescia

St Simón de Rojas O.SS. (1552-1624) , “Father Ave Maria”/ “Apostle of the Ave Maria,” Religious Priest of the Trinitarian Order, Founder of the Lay Apostolate of the Congregation of the Slaves of the Sweet Name of Mary, Marian Devotee, Theologian, Philosopher, Spiritual Writer, Apostle of Charity, Apostolic Visitor.

St Solomon of Genoa
St Stacteus
St Tetta of Wimborne
Bl Thiemo
St Willigod of Moyenmoutier
St Zama of Bologna
—
Augustinian Martyrs of Japan: The first Augustinian Missionaries arrived in Japan in 1602 and met with immediate success; many were brought to the faith; many of them became Augustinians; and many of them were martyred in the periodic persecutions of Christians.
This memorial commemorates all of them, whether they have a sanctioned Cause for Canonisation or not. They include:
• Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez
• Blessed Ferdinand Ayala
• Blessed Francisco Terrero de Ortega Pérez
• Blessed Ioannes Mukuno Chozaburo
• Blessed Laurentius Kaida Hachizo
• Blessed Mancius Yukimoto Ichizaemon
• Blessed Martín Lumbreras Peralta
• Blessed Melchor Sánchez Pérez
• Blessed Michaël Ichinose Sukezaemon
• Blessed Pedro de Zúñiga
• Blessed Petrus Sawaguchi Kuhyoe
• Blessed Thomas Jihyoe of Saint Augustine
• Blessed Thomas Terai Kahyoe
• Blessed Vicente Simões de Carvalho
• Saint Magdalena of Nagasaki

Martyrs of Antioch – 37 saints: A group of 30 soldiers and 7 civilians who were murdered together for their faith. The names that have come down to us are – Alexander, Alphinus, Heliodorus, Mark, Neon, Nicon and Zosumus. c 303 at Antioch, Pisidia (in modern Turkey).

Martyrs of China – 120 saints: A common memorial for the hundreds of the faithful, lay and clergy, who have died for their faith in the last couple of centuries in China.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Amalia Abad Casasempere de Maestre
• Blessed Francesc Xavier Ponsa Casallach
• Blessed Josep Casas Juliá
• Blessed Josep Casas Ros
• Blessed Josep Tarrats Comaposada
• Blessed María Fenollosa Alcaina

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 28 September – Saint Lioba of Bischofsheim

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Saint Lioba of Bischofsheim, also known as Lioba of Wimborne, Leoben, Liobgytha, Liobgetha, Truthgeba, was an Anglo-Saxon Benedictine nun born in 710 in Wessex, England as Truthgeba (‘God’s gift’). A relative of Saint Boniface, she was born to noble parents who had long prayed for a child.

She was educated at the convent of Minster-in-Thanet in Wimborne in Dorset, England. She was a nun at Wimborne at a time when Saint Tetta of Wimborne served as abbess.

In 748 Lioba led a group of 30 nuns, one of whom was Saint Agatha of Wimborne, to Germany to help the missionary work of Saint Boniface and found convents. They based their work at Bischofsheim in Würzburg, Franconia, followed the Benedictine Rule, and Lioba served as abbess. This holy woman was noted for her intelligence, her endless optimism and positive attitude for the work, and her constant study of the scriptures. Her work and the houses she founded were instrumental in the conversion of Germany to Christianity.

Lioba retired from her position in 776 only to start another house Schornsheim, Mainz. She visited the court of Charlemagne in Aachen, Germany and became a close friend of Empress Hildegard.

In her later years, she retired with a few other Anglo-Saxon nuns to an estate near Mainz in Schornsheim. The estate was given by Charlemagne for her exclusive use. She died on or about 28 September 782. Saint Boniface’s will had originally designated that Leoba was to be buried in his own tomb. When Lioba died, however, she was placed in a tomb near his. She was acclaimed for many miracles: saving a village from fire; saving a town from a terrible storm by turning aside lightning; protecting the reputation of the nuns in her convent; and saving the life of a fellow nun who was gravely ill – all accomplished through prayer.

Lioba’s grave was the site of many miracles. These miracles include: freeing a man of tightly bound iron rings around his arms and curing a man from Spain of his twitching disorder. Due to these miracles, some of which were witnessed by Rudolf, her relics were translated twice to ensure their safety and are now behind an altar in a church dedicated to Mary and the virgins of Christ in Petersberg near Fulda.

Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 28 September – Steer the Ship of My Life, Lord

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 28 September – – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”

Steer the Ship of My Life, Lord
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Steer the ship of my life, Lord,
to Your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from
the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can see the right direction
in which I should go.
And give me the strength
and the courage
to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough
and the waves are high,
knowing that, through enduring hardship
and danger, in Your Name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen

ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 28 September – Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” Readings: Ps 20:2-3, Ps 20:4, Wis 10:10-14, Wis 10:10-14

In that time: Jesus said to his disciples: Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And as a man’s enemies shall be they of his own household.

Matt 10:34-42

REFLECTION – Let us consider these words of our Lord: that he wants “to draw all things to himself”. Someone who wants to draw all things, first of all gathers them together and afterward draws them. This is what our Lord does: first of all he calls us back from straying about and wandering outside, making us collect our senses, faculties, words, deeds and, within, our thoughts, intention, imagination, desires, inclinations, mind, will and love. Then, when everything is rightfully returned to good order, God draws us to himself. For we must first of all be separated from every exterior or interior possession to which we are attached, putting all our satisfaction in them. This kind of detachment is a painful cross, and all the more painful as the attachment is more firm and more strong.

Why does God rarely allow one day and night to resemble the previous day and night? Why is it that what helped your devotion today is of no help at all tomorrow? Why do you have a host of images and thoughts that come to nothing? My dear child, accept this cross from God and bear it: it will turn into a truly lovable cross if you would hand these trials over to God, accept them from him with true abandonment and thank God for them: “My soul magnifies the Lord” in everything. Whether God takes or gives, the Son of Man must be raised up on the cross. Dear child, leave all that behind; rather, give your attention to true abandonment and think about accepting to bear the cross of temptation rather than going in search of spiritual sweetness. Our Lord has said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me.”

John Tauler (c.1300-1361) Dominican

PRAYER – O God of love, You sent Your beloved Son to the world to proclaim the Good News of Salvation, to heal every illness and to cure all infirmity of body and soul. Help us to continue the mission of the merciful Christ in the service towards our neighbour, preaching the Gospel and offering our help in whatever way we can. May the example of Your saints, teach us how to love and serve You. Through their intercession, grant us the grace to go forth in love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 28 September – Good King Wenceslaus

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 28 September – The Memorial of St Wenceslaus (907-935) King of Bohemia, Martyr

Good King Wenceslaus

Good King Wenceslaus looked out,
on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, t
ho’ the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
gath’ring winter fuel.

“Hither, page and stand by me,
if thou know’st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence,
underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence,
by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”

“Bring me flesh and bring me wine,
bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine,
when we bear them thither.”
Page and Monarch, forth they went,
forth they went together;
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
and the bitter weather.

“Sire, the night is darker now
and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page.
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage,
freeze thy blood less coldly.”

In his master’s steps he trod,
where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
shall yourselves find blessing.

OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day One – 28 September

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Day One – We pray for the Holy Church
and our personal intention:

To Mary, Mother of God and our Mother,
who sees how the Catholic Faith
is assailed by the devil and the world,
To Thy protection, we entrust ourselves .
Kindly offer to Thy Divine Son our resolutions and
obtain from Him the graces necessary for us
to keep them unto the end.
Amen

Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:

My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet.
Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offences committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).

I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son.
If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused.
I know, dearest Mother, that you want me
to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request.
If what I ask for should not be granted,
pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you.
I put all my confidence in you,
since your prayers before God are most powerful.
For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus,
your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer.
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

Our Lady of the Rosary,
pray for our Holy Mother Church
and for our country.

Sweet Heart of Jesus,
be my love.

Sweet Heart of Mary,
at the hour of my death,
lead me home.

Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 28 September – Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors

Posted on September 28, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

COMMEMORATION OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Oh most afflicted of all Virgins! I feelingly commemorate the sorrow which filled thy most compassionate heart, when, on presenting thy Divine Son in the temple, holy Simeon foretold that a sword should pierce thy soul, thereby announcing the great share thou shouldst have in the sufferings of thy dear Son. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on this occasion, and beseech thee, O Immaculate Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and the grace of final perseverance. Say one Ave Maria in honour of all the footsteps of Mary, for the grace of circumspection.

Oh most afflicted and most guiltless of all the daughters of Eve! I feelingly commemorate the exceeding sorrow which filled thy maternal heart when thou didst see thy Divine Infant persecuted by his people, and wert obliged to flee into Egypt, in order to save Him from the fury of Herod. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, and beseech thee, O Immaculate Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and the grace of a happy death. Say one Ave Maria in honour of the lamentations of Mary, for the grace of compassion.

Oh most sorrow-stricken Mother! I feelingly commemorate those rivers of sorrow which inundated thy maternal heart when thou wert separated from days absent from thee after thy journey to Jerusalem. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, and beseech thee, O most gentle Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and the favour of thy assistance in my last agony. Say one Ave Maria in honour of every sigh of agony which escaped from the sacred breast of Mary, for the grace of compassion for the poor and afflicted.

Oh most afflicted Virgin! I feelingly commemorate the sorrow which filled thy maternal heart when thou didst follow thy dear Son to Mount Calvary, and beheldest Him sinking under the weight of the cross and of our sins. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, and beseech thee, O glorious Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and a happy death under thy special protection. Say one Ave Maria in honour of the tears of Mary, for the grace of Holy Purity.

Oh most afflicted Virgin! I feelingly commemorate the sorrow which filled thy maternal heart when thou didst stand by the cross of Jesus, and didst witness all his torments, and see Him at length expire for the sins of the world. I devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, O glorious Queen of Martyrs, and beseech thee to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and a happy death under thy special protection. Say one Ave Maria in honour of the afflicted heart of Mary, for the grace of Mercy.

Oh most afflicted Virgin! I feelingly commemorate the sorrow which filled thy maternal heart when the adorable Body of thy Divine Son was taken down from the cross, and laid in thy arms. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, and beseech thee, O glorious Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and a happy death under thy special protection. Say one Ave Maria in honour of the Sacred Arms of Mary, for that peace which the world cannot give.

Oh most afflicted Virgin! I feelingly commemorate the sorrow which filled thy maternal heart, when the sacred Body of Jesus was taken from thy arms and laid in the holy sepulchre. I most devoutly compassionate thy grief on that occasion, and beseech thee, O glorious Queen of Martyrs, to obtain for me, through the Passion of Jesus Christ, which was the cause of all thy Dolours, a sincere and efficacious horror of sin, an ardent love of God, a practical devotion towards thee, and the grace of final perseverance. Say one Ave Maria in honour of the sacred will of Mary, conformed to the will of Christ, for Holy Resignation.

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 27 September – Blessed Delphine of Glandèves

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Blessed Delphine, also known as Delphina, was born in 1284 in region of Provence, now part of France. She died on 26 November 1358, having lived as a Franciscan tertiary for most of her life. Delphine was the daughter and heiress of the Count of Puy-Michel. Left an orphan in her infancy, she was placed under the guardianship of her uncles, and was brought up under the direction of her aunt, who was the abbess of the Convent of St. Catherine of Sorps, at Bauduen. As a young girl, she took a vow of virginity.

Reliquaries of St. Elzéar and Bl. Delphine
in the Franciscan church of Ansouis, France

Despite her vow, at the age of twelve she was espoused to the ten-year-old Elzéar, Count of Sabran. They were married three years later at the castle of Puy-Michel. Having grown up together, they regarded each other as brother and sister, rather than husband and wife. Inspired by her example, her husband also took a vow of celibacy, which both honored throughout their married life.

Elzear took his place as a trusted aide at the court in Aix-en-Provence. The couple, having both received the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis, lived together at their castle in Ansouis in the practice of prayer, penance and charity towards the poor. After seven years, they moved to Puy-Michel. When Elzear had to go to Naples to see to some inherited property, they kept up a regular correspondence.

Elzear died on an errand to Paris in the interests of the king. Delphina wept bitterly when she heard the news. Nevertheless she prayed:

“My God, may Thy most holy will be done!”

Urged by the spirit of God toward still greater perfection, Blessed Delphina presently renounced all temporal goods and added to her vow of chastity the vow of holy poverty and retired first to Naples and then to Cabrières, which was the location of the castle where her husband had born. She finally returned to Apt where her husband had been buried. Upon her death, she was buried with him in the church of the Friars Minor there, wearing the habit of the Order.

The veneration that had begun to be given to Delphine was confirmed by Pope Urban V, godson of Elzéar, who canonized her husband at that time.

Uncategorized

Our Lady of Happy Assembly/Our Lady of Laus & the Memorials of the Saints – 27 September

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

September 27: Our Lady of Happy Assembly, Le Laus, France (1664)

Le Laus is a little village in southeastern France, 60 miles to the southeast of Grenoble. The story of Mary’s shrine there centers around a young woman named Benoite Rencurel, who was born on September 29, 1647 of humble parents in the little village of Saint Etienne, not far from Le Laus. Her father died when she was seven and after his death her mother found life rather difficult. So, when Benoite was 12, she went to work on a neighboring farm, tending the farmer’s sheep. Each day while the flock grazed she spent a few minutes praying to the Blessed Virgin at a little wayside chapel.

One day, in 1664, Benoite led her little flock into a small valley near Saint Etienne and there toward the end of the afternoon, a Lady and Child appeared to her, standing on top of a rock, a large rock, known locally as Les Flours. The Lady did not speak to Benoite, but smiled in a very friendly way and after a few minutes Lady and Child vanished. However, similar apparitions continued almost daily for two months. Of course, rumors of what was occurring gradually spread around the neighboring countryside.

The Monument of Pindreau, in Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, depicting the apparition of the Virgin Mary to Benoîte Rencurel.

Finally, M. Grimaud, a district magistrate, questioned Benoite at length and suggested that if the lady appeared again, Benoite should ask her who she was. The girl agreed; on the very next day the Lady appeared, she asked her to please say who she was – was she the Mother of God? The Lady answered:

“Yes, I am Mary, the Mother of Jesus. My Son wishes to be especially honored in this valley, but not on this spot.”

With these words she vanished. Benoite did not see her again for a few days. On September 29, while tending her flock at another pasture, Pindreau, a very brilliant light suddenly appeared on top of some rocks. In the center of the light stood the Blessed Virgin. She told Benoite to go to Le Laus, where she would find a little chapel, filled with a delicious perfume, and there she would also see her. Benoite soon found herself at the little chapel of Our Lady of Good Meeting or Happy Assembly (Notre-Dame de Bon Recontre) and going in, she saw the Blessed Virgin over the high altar, on which stood her image. And the Virgin said to Benoite,

“On this spot I wish a church built – a privileged sanctuary, wherein many sinners will repent. Means will not be wanting, despite the poverty of the country people around.”

The news of this event soon spread; crowds came to the little chapel, which was too small to contain them. So, in 1665, Msgr. Lambert, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, gave permission for a church to be built over the little chapel.

Since there was very little money available with which to hire workmen, the villagers and peasants for miles around carried the stones and built the walls for Our Lady of Happy Assembly – aided by the many pilgrims who came to worship and remained a while to help in the building of the church.

In 1692, during an invasion by the Duke of Savoy the church was partly destroyed, but the statue of Our Lady of Happy Assembly was not damaged. The church was soon repaired and restored. In 1716 a new statue of the Virgin was carved and enshrined behind the main altar of the church. It is said that Benoite wished the new statue to be named Our Lady of Happy Assembly of Laus. The original statue was transferred to a chapel behind the main altar. In 1885 Pope Pius IX gave official recognition to the title of Our Lady of Laus of Happy Assembly, when he ordered the new statue to be solemnly crowned. Benoite Rencurel died on December 28, 1718, and was buried in a vault in front of the altar in the church at Le Laus.

For 54 years, the Virgin Mary continued to appear to Benoîte throughout her life. Benoîte became a Dominican Tertiary and was called “Sister Benoîte”. She was given by Mary the mission to welcome the pilgrims. Benoîte was also given the gift of reading souls, to help the pilgrims make good confessions to the priests, by making them know their sins, remember the forgotten ones, and confess them and repent. There have been many testimonies saying that a heavenly perfume would fill the church every time Mary would appear to Benoîte. In addition to Marian apparitions, Benoîte also had apparitions of angels, several saints, and mystical experiences such as visions of Paradise.

Between 1669 and 1684, she was also granted the vision of the crucified Christ on the cross of Avançon five times. On a Friday in July of 1673, according to Benoîte, Jesus on the cross told her: “My daughter, I show myself in this state so that you can participate in my Passion.” United with Him, she lived a “mystical crucifixion” every Friday for several years and bore stigmata.

French philosopher and theologian Jean Guitton said, “The Shrine of Laus is one of the most hidden and also most powerful treasures in the history of Europe.”

St Vincent de Paul CM (1581-1660) (Memorial) Known as the “Great Apostle of Trumpets” – Priest, Founder, Apostle of Charity, Doctor of Canon Law, Reformer of Society and Priests, Founder of Hospital and Orphanages. Born on 24 April 1581 near Ranquine, Gascony near Dax, southwest France – the Town is now known as Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Landes, France. His body is incorrupt.

St Adheritus
St Adolphus of Cordoba
St Antonio de Torres
St Barrog the Hermit

St Bonfilius of Foligno OSB (1040-1125) Bishop, Abbot.

St Ceraunus of Paris
St Chiara of the Resurrection
St Deodatus of Sora
Saint Delphina of Glandenes
St Elzear of Sabran TOSF (1285-1323) Layman, Member of the Third Order of St Francis
St Epicharis
St Fidentius of Todi
St Florentinus the Hermit
St Gaius of Milan
St Hilary the Hermit
St Hiltrude of Liessies
Bl Jean-Baptiste Laborie du Vivier
St John of Cordoba

Blessed Lorenzo of Ripafratta OP (c 1373-1456) Dominican Priest and Friar, Penitent, Vicar General, Teacher, Reformer, brilliant Preacher and Spiritual director – known as “the Ark of Science.”

St Marcellus of Saint Gall
St Terence of Todi
—
Martyrs of Aegea – (3 saints)

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Crescencia Valls Espí
• Blessed Herminia Martínez Amigó de Martínez
• Blessed José Fenollosa Alcaina
• Blessed Maria Carme Fradera Ferragutcasas
• Blessed Maria Magdalena Fradera Ferragutcasas
• Blessed Maria Rosa Fradera Ferragutcasas

Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 27 September – Lord, Teach me How to Pray

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 27 September – the Memorial of St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Lord, Teach me How to Pray
By St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)

Oh Lord,
You selected the poor
and simple people to be Your Apostles.
Look upon Your poor servant
kneeling before You now.
I recognise that I am simple and poor too.
Dear Lord, please teach me how to pray
as You taught Your disciples
upon their humble request.
If it pleases You in Your goodness
to grant me that grace,
I shall be able to pray well
and much better
than I could ever hope for
if left to my own efforts.
Lord, I trust that You will bless me
with the fulfilment of this request.
Amen

ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 27 September – The crowd glorified God who had given such authority to human beings

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 27 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Eccli 36:18, Ps 121:1, 1 Cor. 1:4-8, Matt 9:1-8

Then He said to the paralytic – Arise, take up your pallet and go to your house. And he arose, and went away to his house.

Matt 9:1-8

REFLECTION –The incurable paralytic was lying on his stretcher. Having exhausted medical art he was carried by his relatives to the only true physician: the physician who comes from heaven. But when he had been set down in front of the one who could cure him it was his faith that drew the Lord’s attention. To demonstrate that this faith destroyed sin, Jesus immediately said: “Your sins are forgiven.” Now perhaps you will say to me: “This man wanted to be cured of his sickness, so why did Christ make known to him the remission of his sins?” This was so you might learn that God sees a person’s heart in silence, soundlessly, and beholds the paths of all the living. For, as scripture says: “Each one’s ways are plain to the Lord’s sight; all their paths he surveys”.

All the same, when Christ said: “Your sins are forgiven”, he left the field open to the incredulity of those standing by; the forgiveness of sins cannot be seen by eyes of flesh. So when the paralytic stood up and walked, he gave proof that Christ possesses the power of God. Who has this power? He alone, or ourselves too? We also have it along with him. He, on his part, forgives sins because he is both man and God and Lord of the Law. But we, on our side, have received this splendid and wonderful grace from him since it was his will to give this power to all humankind. For he said to the apostles: “Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. And again: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

St Cyril of Alexandria

PRAYER – God our Father, Your rule is a rule of love, Your providence is full of mercy for Your people. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Word made flesh and His sorrowful Mother, grant the spirit of wisdom and understanding in Your Word, Your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by the healing Word our repentant hearts may know our way to our eternal home and strive to attain eternal joy there with You. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.

CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 27 September – St Vincent de Paul

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

“The Church teaches us,
that mercy belongs to God.
Let us implore Him,
to bestow on us the spirit
of mercy and compassion,
so that we are filled with it
and may never lose it.
Only consider how much we ourselves,
are in need of mercy.”

“Humility and charity
are the two master-chords –
one, the lowest;
the other, the highest;
all the others are dependent on them.
Therefore, it is necessary, above all,
to maintain ourselves in these two virtues,
for observe well,
that the preservation of the whole edifice
depends on the foundation and the roof!”

“Humility is nothing but truth
and pride is nothing but lying!”

“The most powerful weapon
to conquer the devil is humility.
For, as he does not know at all,
how to employ it,
neither does he know
how to defend himself from it.”

“Free your mind from all that troubles you;
God will take care of things.
You will be unable to make haste in this (choice) without,
so to speak,
grieving the heart of God
because He sees that you do not honour Him sufficiently
with holy trust.
Trust in Him, I beg you
and you will have the fulfilment
of what your heart desires.”

“He who allows himself to be ruled or guided
by the lower and animal part of his nature,
deserves to be called a beast,
rather than a man.”

SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Announcing a Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Begins 28 September

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is on 7 October.

Please join me in praying a Novena in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary for the nine days preceding her Feast on 7 October and, of course, October is the Month of the Holy Rosary.

This Feast was instituted to commemorate the victory of Christianity over the forces of Islam at the battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571. The victory was brought about through the recitation of the Rosary. In thanksgiving for another victory over the same foes in Hungary in 1715, the Feast was extended to the entire Church.

In the course of centuries the Rosary has been a source of abundant blessings. In her apparitions at Lourdes, France, in 1858 and again at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, Mary urged Catholics to pray the Rosary daily in order to bring about the conversion of sinners and a lasting world peace. Resolve to say your Rosary every day. Besides being a beautiful tribute of love and filial piety, to your Heavenly Mother, it will be your support and joy in life and your consolation at the hour of death.

SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 27 September – Devotion of St Paul of The Cross Towards the Dolours

Posted on September 27, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

DEVOTION OF ST. PAUL OF THE CROSS TOWARDS THE DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Extract from the Life of Saint Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Cross and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Dolours of Mary, in particular, were most vividly and profoundly imprinted in his heart. He always wore round his neck the devout little habit of our Lady of Sorrows, and in Missions fervently promoted the devotion to her Dolours. Though he was not in the habit of making processions, he sometimes, to increase devotion in the people towards the sorrows of our dear Lady, took them in procession to some church where our Lady of Sorrows is venerated. This he did at Ischia, the first time he gave a Mission there. With all the people, he went to visit the Church of the Servants of Mary, and, on arriving at the church door, made a very fervent discourse, wept bitterly, and severely disciplined himself. Compunction and tears were general amongst the people, and from that time sprang up a new fervour of filial devotion, and of tender loving compassion for our Lady of Sorrows, which remains even to this day.

To all, generally, he recommended meditation on the Dolours with great fervour. With the same zeal with which he promoted the remembrance of our Lord’s Passion, he promoted the devotion to the Dolours; for, as he said himself,if we go to the Cross, there is the Mamma; where the Mamma is, there is the Son. It was certainly enough to soften the hardest hearts to hear him speak of the bitter Dolours of Mary. He meditated and considered them with filial piety, great compassion and devotion. He sometimes imagined tender dialogues between the loving Mother and the suffering Son; but with such deep feeling that the hearers were dissolved in tears of compassion and grief.

He compared the sufferings of the Son and the griefs of the Mother, to two seas, and said that we pass from the first to the second. “The grief of Mary (these are his words) is like the Mediterranean Sea; for it is written: ‘Magna est velut mare contritio tua:’ from this sea we pass to the other boundless sea of the Passion of Jesus, in whose person David says, ‘Veni in altitudinem maris’; and here the soul enriches herself, and fishes up most precious pearls of the virtues of Jesus and Mary.”

With the passion of Jesus he had always in his mouth the Dolours of Mary, and said, that his hopes lay in the Passion of the Son, and in the sorrows of the Mother. Though he spoke of them constantly, he always seemed to say something new, because he always spoke of them with new affection, so deeply was he penetrated with them in his heart. Most frequently when he spoke thus, he wept bitterly, and changed colour, becoming first red, then pale; he then burst forth into these words, which came from the profoundest depths of his heart: “Ah, poor Mother! Ah, dear Mother!” On Good Friday, as we have said, oppressed by grief, and spiritually drowned in the bitterness of that great day, he could not even take food. Often he was heard to say, that Mary’s greatest sorrow was when she saw her beloved Son dead in her arms, and saying this, he cried out, more by tears than words, with the affection of a truly loving heart, “Oh, grief above grief!” He himself related, in reference to this, that on one occasion, our Blessed Lady was seen in that most sorrowful act of receiving into her arms the lacerated Body of so dear a Son, and through her great sorrow and affliction, her face was like that of one dead.

We do not know precisely who had this vision, but we find it deposed in the processes, that the servant of God, speaking one day with a priest, a dear friend of his, on the Passion of Jesus and the Dolours of Mary, drew from his sleeve, with a countenance all on fire, as was customary with him when he felt devotion, a little picture, representing Our Lady of Sorrows, drawn by Cavaliere Conca, who, being at the same time a skilful and excellent painter and a good Christian, painted it with great skill and devotion, at the request of the servant of God, who begged him to express her grief as strongly as he could, saying to him : “Here, I give it to you because it is not sorrowful enough. I have seen her in greater sorrow;” and with these words gave him the holy picture, which is now preserved in the Monastery of Mount Carmel, at Vetralla.

In the last years of his life, also, this most merciful Mother condescended to show herself to her faithful servant pierced with grief, as she was at the time of the most bitter passion of her dear Son; for in the retreat of Saints John and Paul, when after Mass he was making his thanksgiving in the room next the little chapel where he celebrated, she appeared to him with a sword through her heart, and tears in her eyes; and speaking of her Dolours, gave him so deep a sense of them, and used words of such tenderness, that they would even have rent a heart of stone. She gave him to understand that her sufferings were beyond measure, terrible, and overpowering, from the ardent love she bore to her Son, and the incomparable amplitude of her soul, capable of a sea of sorrows; the Queen of Sorrows complained of the false devotion of those who say they are devout to the Blessed Virgin, and then outrage by sin her Beloved Son; and with great force and tenderness exhorted her dear servant to promote, as he always did, devotion to the Sacred Passion of her Son, and to her Dolours.

This Mother of Mercy, desiring to help a poor priest whose soul was in a wretched condition, manifested to Father Paul his necessities, and this priest having come into his presence afterwards, the servant of God, who saw his interior, said to him with a tone of certainty, “You appear to me as ugly as a devil.”

At these words, the priest entering into himself, and acknowledging his dreadful state, prostrated himself in confusion and grief at the venerable Father’s feet, promising to amend his life, and thus showed the truth of the apparition of Our Lady of Sorrows, who wished to draw him from the path of perdition. It is not, therefore, surprising that the servant of God, after such visions and so deep a perception of the Dolours of the Blessed Virgin, spoke of them with so much affection, tenderness, and compassion. As he knew what a treasure true devotion to our Blessed Lady is, he ardently desired that his children should enjoy the abundance of it. He inculcated, and with great fervour recommended, that they should be devout to our dear Lady. “Let them take,” he says in the rules, “for their chief protectress, the ever Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and bear towards her a due devotion; let them often call to mind the most bitter sorrows endured by her during the Passion and Death of her dear Son, and let them, by voice and example, promote in others devotion towards this great Lady.”

MARIAN TITLES

Matka Boża Leśniańska / Blessed Mother of Leśna, Leśna Podlaska, Biała Podlaska, Lublin, Poland (1683) and Memorials of the Saints – 26 September

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Matka Boża Leśniańska / Blessed Mother of Leśna, Leśna Podlaska, Biała Podlaska, Lublin, Poland (1683) – 26 September:

The Leśnia Sanctuary begins on 26 September 1683. On that day, two shepherds – Miron Makaruk and Aleksander Stelmaszuk – looking for the lost cattle in the bushes, noticed a stone image of the Mother of God hanging on a wild pear tree, which gave an extraordinary glow. Wanting to take the painting off, one of the bravest young men climbed the tree but each time fell to the ground. The local inhabitants, seeing what was happening, began to pray fervently. Soon, Zabłocki’s elders from nearby Bordziłówka arrived and only he, as an unusually prayerful man, took the painting off the tree. Droplets of “sweat” appeared on the image and this phenomenon continued for a long time. Then the painting was taken to the manor in Bukowice.

This extraordinary find deeply touched the religious and secular authorities of the time. Soon a wooden Church was erected on the site of the appearance of the Image. On 26 September 1695, a Parish was established in Lesna. From the very beginning, the Image attracted crowds of believers who experienced many favours thanks to the Blessed Mother, especially cures of illnesses. The Bishop of Lutsk, Franciszek Prażmowski, issued a decree in 1700, in which he stated that the appearance of the Image should be considered miraculous.

In the Lesnian Image, Mary is presented, embracing the Child Jesus with her right arm. The Child Jesus is holding the book with his right hand and his left hand is raised up in a gesture of teaching. Mary, standing in half-figure, is facing the viewer. In her left hand she holds an open book, on which, with outstretched wings, a dove – a symbol of the Holy Spirit – is supported. The figure of the Mother of God is covered with a coat.

The image of the Mother of God is a relief carved in field stone. The dimensions of the Image are: width 29.3 cm, height 31.4 cm, thickness 4.6 cm, weighs 9.5 kg.

On the site of the appearance of the Image of the Mother of God in 1718. a small Church was built. It exists to this day and is called the “Chapel of the Appearance of the Miraculous Image.” In 1727, the Parish of Leśna and the care of the Miraculous Image were taken over by the Pauline Fathers from Jasna Góra. They began the construction of a magnificent Church, which was erected in the years 1731 – 1758. It was consecrated under the invocation of the “Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul” on 8 September 1758. Huge crowds of the faithful of the Latin and Uniate rite were drawn to the Leśnia Sanctuary.

The situation changed with the partitions of Poland, when Leśna found itself under the Russian partition. After the fall of the January Uprising, the Lesnian Sanctuary found itself in a desperate situation. As part of the repression for helping the insurgents, on the night of 27-28 October 1864 , the Pauline Fathers were deported from Leśna. It was then, that the Bishop of Janów, Beniamin Szymanski, ordered to secretly take out the Miraculous Image and put a copy in its place. It was done in 1865. Soon the tsarist government abolished the Podlasie Diocese. The exiled Bishop took the Miraculous Picture with him to Łomża. He put it in the Church of the Benedictine Sisters. In 1875, the Church in Leśnia was taken over for the purposes of the Orthodox Church. Then the pilgrimages stopped. In 1889, an Orthodox nunnery was established in Lesna. It was to become the centre of Russification of Poles. In 1905 Tsar Nicholas II came to Lesna, whose relative was the superior of the nuns of Leśna. After the outbreak of World War I, the sisters left Leśna and took with them a copy of the painting of the Mother of God, still being firmly convinced that it was the original painting.

On 16 August 1915, the temple in Leśnia returned to Catholic worship. On 25 May 1919 . The Pauline Fathers returned to Lesna and immediately began renovation works in the Sanctuary. First of all, the search for the Miraculous Picture began, which was not found until 5 May 1926 in Łomża. It happened thanks to Fr. Aleksander Łaziński. After the canonical trial conducted by Bishop H. Przeździecki, the Miraculous Image returned in a triumphant parade from Siedlce to Leśna on 25 September 1927. It was a great celebration for the entire Podlasie Diocese and over 25,000 people attended this event. In the interwar period, the Pauline Fathers decorated the Sanctuary. They looked after the pilgrims who were again in large numbers at the feet of their Lesnian Mother.

In 1939, the difficult time of the Nazi occupation began. In the fall of 1940, the Germans occupied the Monastery and expelled the Pauline Fathers.
After the war, in 1951, under the direction of the Prior – Father Jerzy Tomziński, the Church received a Pulpit and an Organ.

On 18 August 1963 , the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, together with the Bishop of Podlasie, Ignacy Świrski, crowned the Miraculous Image with papal crowns. From 11 to 12 June 1970, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła stayed in Leśna. On 25 September 1977, the 50th anniversary of the return of the Miraculous Image was solemnly celebrated. In 1983, the solemn celebrations of 300 years of the appearance of the Miraculous Image took place and in 1984 the Church in Leśnia was elevated to the rank of a Minor Basilica. In 1992, a break-in was made to the temple in Leśnia and attempts were made to steal the golden crowns from the Miraculous Image. In 1995, the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the Parish in Leśna Podlaska was celebrated. This time the ceremony was presided over by the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Józef Glemp. In 1996, works on frescoes and paintings in the Basilica began and they were completed in 2002. On 26 September 2019, the Leśnia Sanctuary celebrated the 100th anniversary of the return of the Pauline Order to Leśna Podlaska.

St Cosmas (Optional Memorial)
St Damian (Optional Memorial)
(Died c 286 ) Martyrs. Twin brothers and Physicians, Apostles of Charity, Evangelists – born in the 3rd century, of Arabic descent and died by being tortured, without suffering any injury and finally they were beheaded c 286 in Aegea, Cilicia (modern Ayas, Turkey). The Martyr twins are remembered in the Roman Canon of the Mass in the prayer known as the Communicantes (from the first Latin word of the prayer). They are also recalled in the Litany of the Saints and in the older form of the Roman rite, in the Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, as the Station Church for this day is Santi Cosma e Damiano.

St Amantius of Tiphernum
St Callistratus of Constantinople
St Colman of Elo
St Cyprian of Antioch
St Eusebius of Bologna
St John of Meda Ord.Hum. (1100-1159) Priest, Monk, Abbot
St Justina of Antioch

St Marie Victoire Therese Couderc
St Meugant

St Nilus the Younger (910-1005) Abbot and Confessor and Founder of Italo-Greek Monasticism in southern Italy.. St Nilus was a charismatic leader and leading spiritual personality of his time.

St Senator of Albano
St Vigilius of Brescia
—
Martyrs of Korea – 12 saints: Twelve lay people in the apostolic vicariate of Korea who were imprisoned, tortured and martyred together in the persecutions in Korea.
• Saint Agatha Chon Kyong-Hyob
• Saint Carolus Cho Shin-Ch’ol
• Saint Catharina Yi
• Saint Columba Kim Hyo-Im
• Saint Ignatius Kim Che-Jun
• Saint Iulitta Kim
• Saint Lucia Kim
• Saint Magdalena Cho
• Saint Magdalena Ho Kye-Im
• Saint Magdalena Pak Pong-Son
• Saint Perpetua Hong Kum-Ju
• Saint Sebastianus Nam I-Gwan
They were beheaded September 1839 in Seoul Prison, South Korea and Canonised on 6 May 1984 by St Pope John Paul II.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Amalia Abad Casasempere de Maestre
• Blessed Andreu Felíu Bartomeu
• Blessed Antonio Cid Rodríguez
• Blessed Josefa Romero Clariana
• Blessed Manuel Legua Martí
• Blessed María Jord´ Botella
• Blessed Pau Castell´ Barber´
• Blessed Teresa Rosat Balasch

SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Saint of the Day – 26 September – Saint Gideon the Judge

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Saint Gideon (‘destroyer; mighty warrior; feller of trees’) also known as Gedeon, Jerobaal, Jerubebbeth, Jerub-Baal, was an eleventh century BC Judge of Israel as well as military leader, and prophet. His calling and victory over the Midianites is described in Judges 6–8. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiezrite clan in the tribe of Manasseh, and lived in Ephra.

And an angel of the Lord came, and sat under an oak, that was in Ephra, and belonged to Joas the father of the family of Ezri. And when Gedeon his son was threshing and cleansing wheat by the winepress, to flee from Madian, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men.

Judges 6:11-13

During the night, God instructed Gideon to approach the Midianite camp. There, Gideon overheard a Midianite man tell a friend of a dream in which “a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian”, causing their tent or camp to collapse. This was interpreted as meaning that God had given the Midianites over to Gideon. Gideon returned to the Israelite camp and gave each of his men a shofar and a clay jar with a torch hidden inside. Divided into three companies, Gideon and his 300 men marched on the enemy camp. He instructed them to blow the trumpet, give a battle cry and light torches, simulating an attack by a large force. As they did so, the Midianite army fled.

Gideon sent messengers ahead into Israel calling for the Ephraimites to pursue the retreating Midianites and two of their leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. Gideon and the three hundred pursued Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings. When he had asked for provisions in his pursuit, the men of Succoth and Peniel refused and taunted Gideon. After capturing the two kings, Gideon punished the men of Succoth, and pulled down the tower of Peniel killing all the men there. Gideon invited his eldest son, Jether, to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, but being still young at the time, he did not have the confidence to carry out his father’s request, so Zebah and Zalmunna called on Gideon to perform the deed himself. Gideon then killed Zebah and Zalmunna as justice for the death of his brothers.

Gideon thanking God for the Miracle of the Dew

The Israelites invited Gideon to become their king and to found a dynasty, but he refused, telling them that only God was their ruler.

There was peace in Israel for 40 years during the lifetime of Gideon. As soon as Gideon died of old age, the Israelites again turned to worship the false god Baal Berith and ignored the family of their great Judge.

Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 26 September – Indulgenced Prayers to Our Lady

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church, salvation of the world, pray for us, and awaken in all the faithful devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist, in order that they may render themselves worthy to receive it daily.

(500 days every time said)

Holy Mary, the deliverer, pray for us and for the souls in Purgatory.

(300 days every time said)

Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Immaculate Queen of Peace, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Mother of orphans, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Our Lady of La Salette, reconciler of sinners, pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to thee.

(300 days every time said)

Queen of Apostles, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Almighty and merciful God, Who didst establish in Blessed Mary ever Virgin a refuge and help of sinners, grant that through her protection we, being absolved from all sins, may obtain the joyous effect of Thy mercy. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

(3 years every time said)

O Mary, queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us numerous and holy priests.

(300 days every time said)

Cleanse my heart and my body, O holy Mary.

(300 days every time said)

ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 26 September – It may bear fruit in the future

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 26 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Ps 94:6-7, Ps 94:1, Lev 23:26-32, Luke 13:6-17

But he answered him and said, ‘Sir, let it alone this year too, till I dig around it and manure it. Perhaps it may bear fruit; but if not, then afterwards you shall cut it down.’

Luke 13:6-17

REFLECTION – This, beloved brethren, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, did not teach by words only but he also fulfilled by his deeds. In the very hour of his passion and cross, what violent abuses he listened to with patience, and what shameful insults he endured! He was even covered with the spittle of his revilers when, but a short time before, he had cured the eyes of the blind man with his own spittle. He who now crowns the martyrs with eternal garlands was himself crowned with thorns; he who now gives true palms to the victors was beaten in the face with hostile palms; he who clothes all others with the garment of immortality was stripped of his earthly garments; he who has given us the food of heaven was fed with gall; he who has offered us the cup of salvation was given vinegar to drink. He the innocent, the just man, nay rather, Innocence itself and Justice itself, is counted among criminals, and Truth is concealed by false testimonies. He who is to judge is judged, and the Word of God, silent, is led to the cross. And although the stars are confounded at the crucifixion of the Lord, the elements are disturbed and the earth trembles, yet he does not speak, nor is he moved, nor does he proclaim his majesty, even during the suffering itself. He endures all things even to the end with constant perseverance so that in Christ a full and perfect patience may find its realization.

And even after such sufferings he still receives his murderers if they are converted and come to him, and with a patience instrumental in saving man, this kind Master closes his Church to no one. He not only receives and pardons those adversaries, those blasphemers, those persistent enemies of His name, provided they do penance for their offense and acknowledge the crime committed, but he admits them to the reward of the kingdom of heaven. What can be called more patient, what more kind? Even he who shed the blood of Christ is given life by the blood of Christ. Such is the wonderful patience of Christ. And unless it were so wonderful, the Church would not have had Paul, the great Apostle.

Saint Cyprian

PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the Light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts, the faith You have given us and the Credo we profess, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled in us. May the intercession of the Mother of the Word made flesh and our Mother, grant us the grace of following the way of the Cross, to stand beneath it with our her, Ave Maria! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 26 September – The Mercy of God

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, Woman, you are delivered from your infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and instantly she was made straight, and glorified God.

Luke 13:6-17

Mercy does not tire of us, does not despair of us, does not give over its pursuit of us, takes no offence, repays evil with good, and is the ubiquitous minister of the precious Blood of Jesus.

Fr Faber

Oh! would that all sinners who sincerely repent of their past offences could see in His heart the feelings He has for them – no resentment, no bitterness there! and how thoroughly He forgives them.

Claude de la Colombiere

Sufferings borne with resignation to God’s holy will are a sign of predestination. Sick persons, on the contrary, who do not suffer with patience and resignation to the will of God are to be pitied, for they do not realize the priceless treasures which God desires to bestow on them.

Words of Consolation for the Sick and Afflicted

First Point – We can not distrust ourselves too much, neither can we have too great confidence in God. God refuses nothing to those who trust in Him. Our confidence in God is a proof of our love for Him, for we trust those we love. Nothing proves our gratitude for His kindness, His power, His wisdom and His providence, like confidence. His power is infinite; can we fail if He assists us? His wisdom is infinite; can we go astray if He guides us? His kindness is infinite; can He forget or neglect us if we rely on it?

Fr François Nepveu

You are frightened, my children, at what you see: all that you hear is frightening, but be consoled that it is the will of God being accomplished. Your days are numbered. His Providence watches over us.

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

That illness has been your salvation. You have suffered, but your life has not been in danger. This is what the Lord has said, “I will strike him, and I will cure him.” He has struck you, your illness has awakened your faith, and that has been your cure.

St Ambrose

SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 26 September – Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors

Posted on September 26, 2026September 25, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

OBLIGATIONS AND PRACTICES OF PIETY

The faithful who wear the Scapular of our Blessed Lady, are not bound by any particular obligation in order to gain the Indulgences attached. The visit to some Church of the Order, one of the conditions requisite for certain Indulgences, may be commuted by a confessor for any other pious work, when there is any infirmity or hindrance of a grave nature, which prevents such a visit being made; such for instance would be the too great distance from the church, and in such a case it would be well to ask the confessor to appoint in its place some other sanctuary, as for instance a parish church.

This faculty of commutation was granted by a brief of Clement XIII, on the 17th August, 1762. If there be any Confraternity of the Seven Dolours established in the place, they ought to endeavour to fulfil their obligations, the principal of which are to assist at the public exercises of the Confraternity ; to say daily seven Paters and Aves in memory of the Dolours of the Mother of God, and to repeat the same prayers at the death of any member of the association, for the repose of his soul. Lastly, the frequent recital of the Rosary is recommended.

INDULGENCES ATTACHED TO THE SCAPULAR OF THE DOLOURS

Plenary Indulgences

I. On the day on which the Scapular is received.

II. At the hour of death, by invok- ing by tongue or in heart the Holy Name of Jesus.

III. The day on which a member makes an hour’s spiritual exercise in honour of the Dolours.

IV. By assisting at the monthly procession, or by fulfilling what is ap- pointed by the confessor in place of said procession.

V. Once in the month for those who repeat daily three Paters in memory of our Saviour’s Passion, and three Aves in commemoration of the Dolours, for those that are in their last agony.

VI. Once in the month also for those who say every day seven Hail Marys and the verse:- “Holy Mary, pierce me through, In my heart each wound renew, Of my Saviour crucified.”

VII. During the Forty Hours Devotion.

VIII. Passion Sunday.

IX. Feast of the Seven Dolours.

X. The Saturday following the Commemoration of the Seven Dolours.

XI. The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

XII. The Assumption of our Blessed Lady.

PARTIAL INDULGENCES

I. Seven years and seven quarantines on the Feast of Christmas, the Annunciation, the Purification, the Assumption, and all Fridays throughout the year, by reciting five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys in memory of the Passion.

II. Five years and as many quarantines, when members accompany the Blessed Sacrament to the sick.

III. Three hundred days once a day for those who say seven Hail Marys, followed by the verse Holy Mother, &c.

IV. One hundred and fifty days every time they meditate on the Passion or on the Dolours, and say seven Our Fathers and seven Hail Marys with the “Stabat Mater,” or perform the spiritual exercises practised in the Churches of the Servites.

V. One hundred days for those who recite the “Stabat Mater.”

VI. Sixty days for each work of Charity.

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 25 September – Saint Sergius of Moscow

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Saint Sergius of Moscow, also known as Sergius of Radonezh and Bartholomew of Radonezh, was a Russian (Eastern Catholic) monk. Born to nobility in 1314, Bartholomew, although intelligent, had great difficulty learning to read. This affliction was only removed from him when an angel disguised as a holy man gave him a piece of holy bread. When the Rostov principality fell into the hands of Ivan I of Moscow, his parents Kirill and Maria became impoverished and moved to the village of Radonezh together with their three sons, Stefan, Bartholomew and Peter.

Upon his parents’ death, Bartholomew went to Khotkovo near Moscow, where his older brother Stefan was a monk. He persuaded Stefan to find a more secluded place to live the ascetic life. In the deep forest at Makovets Hill they decided to build a small monastic cell and a church dedicated in honor of the Trinity.

As Sergius’s reputation for holiness spread, he attracted so many students that he founded the Holy Trinity monastery for them; following his ordination at Pereyaslav Zalesky, he served as its first abbot. His brother joined the monastery, but when he opposed Sergius’s strict rule, Sergius left the community to live again as a hermit. However, the monastery began to decline, causing the metropolitan of Moscow to order Sergius to return as abbot. Advisor to the Prince of Moscow, he encouraged the campaign that ended with the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 which ended the Mongol domination of Russia. In the Russia that followed he founded forty monasteries. Metropolitan Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow asked Sergius to become his successor but Sergius declined, preferring to remain a simple monk rather than be a bishop

Late in life he resigned his position and retired to live his last few months as a prayerful monk. He died on 25 September 1392 at the Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergius of natural causes. He is venerated as the foremost saint of Russia.

Uncategorized

Divina Pastora de las Almas ‘ The Divine Shepherdess of Souls, Cantillana, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain (1703) and Memorials of the Saints – 25 September

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Divina Pastora de las Almas ‘ The Divine Shepherdess of Souls, Cantillana, Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain (1703)

St. Isidore of Seville (560-636) Bishop of Seville, Father and Doctor of the Church, spread devotion to the Divine Shepherdess of Souls. The first image of the Divina Pastora in Cantillana was a banner, attributed to the painter Germán Llorente, carried in Rosary.

In 1800 a yellow fever epidemic ravaged the area,but Cantillana was largely spared, for which people thanked the Divine Shepherdess of Souls. Soon thereafter, the Hermandad de la Divina Pastora was chartered, a Rosary apostolate or brotherhood. The Brotherhood’s processional image is a seated statue, attributed to Francisco Antonio Ruiz Gijón (1653-1705).

For special occasions, of which there are many, she wears a large sombrero. On 31 August, a grand procession fetches the Statue from its Sanctuary into the Town, for celebrations leading up to the fiesta from 8 September. On the last weekend in September, with equal splendour and devotion, the Divine Shepherdess returns to her Shrine. A procession accompanies her canopied float on Saturday. On Sunday, there is Mass and music and then an all-night exposition of the Statue with devotions lasting into Monday morning.

St Anacharius of Auxerre
St Aurelia of Macerata
St Caian of Tregaian
St Ceolfrid
St Cleopas
St Egelred of Crowland
St Ermenfridus of Luxeuil

St Finbar (c 550– 623) Bishop of Cork and Abbot

St Firminus of Amiens
St Fymbert
St Herculanus the Soldier

Blessed Herman of Reichenau/the Cripple (1013–1054) Benedictine Monk, Confessor, Scholar, Scientist, Writer, Hymnist, Poet, Musical Composer, Teacher. In his own day, the heroic cripple who achieved learning and holiness was called ‘The Wonder of His Age.’.
Composer of the “Salve Regina” Hail Holy Queen, “Veni Sancte Spiritus” Come Holy Spirit and “Alma Redemptoris Mater” amongst many others.

Bl Marco Criado
St Mewrog
St Neomisia of Mecerata
St Paphnutius of Alexandria
St Principius of Soissons
St Sergius of Moscow
St Solemnis of Chartres

St Vincent Strambi CP (1745-1824) Bishop, Priest of the Passionist Order of St Paul of the Cross, Apostle of Charity, Preacher, Teacher, Writer.

Martyrs of Damascus: A Christian family of six who were tortured to death in a persecution by Roman authorities. They were: Eugenia, Maximus, Paul, Rufus, Sabinian and Tatta. They were tortured to death in Damascus, Syria, date unknown.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Jose María Bengoa Aranguren
• Blessed Josep Maria Vidal Segú
• Blessed Juan Agustín Codera Marqués
• Blessed Julio Esteve Flors
• Blessed Pedro Leoz Portillo
• Blessed Rafael Pardo Molina
• Blessed Tomás Gil de La Cal

Feast of the Holy Bishops of Milan – a 1st Century Diocese!

Imagine being part of a Diocese in which 36 of your past Bishops are saints and some are also Doctors of the Church and Popes (and others being considered for sanctity)! The latest addition to this illustrious role-call, is Pope Paul VI.
Today, the Church in Milan commemorates these holy Bishops.
They are:
• Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
• Blessed Andrea Carlo Ferrari
• Pope Pius XI
• Saint Ambrose of Milan
• Saint Ampelius of Milan
• Saint Anathalon of Milan
• Saint Antoninus of Milan
• Saint Auxanus of Milan
• Saint Benedict Crispus of Milan
• Saint Benignus of Milan
• Saint Calimerius of Milan
• Saint Castritian of Milan
• Saint Charles Borromeo
• Saint Datius of Milan
• Saint Dionysius of Milan
• Saint Eugene of Milan
• Saint Eusebius of Milan
• Saint Eustorgius II of Milan
• Saint Eustorgius of Milan
• Saint Gaius of Milan
• Saint Galdinus of Milan
• Saint Geruntius of Milan
• Saint Glycerius of Milan
• Saint Honoratus of Milan
• Saint John Camillus the Good
• Saint Lazarus of Milan
• Saint Magnus of Milan
• Saint Mansuetus of Milan
• Saint Marolus of Milan
• Saint Martinian of Milan
• Saint Mirocles of Milan
• Saint Mona of Milan
• Saint Natalis of Milan

• Saint Protasius of Milan
• Saint Senator of Milan
• Saint Simplician of Milan
• Saint Venerius of Milan

Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 25 September – Indulgenced Prayers to Mary

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

All fair art thou, O Mary,

And the original stain is not in thee. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem.

Thou art the joy of Israel.

Thou art the honour of our people.

Thou art the advocate of sinners.

O Mary,

Virgin most prudent,

Mother most clement,

Pray for us;

Intercede for us with the Lord Jesus Christ.

(500 days every time said)

O God, Who, through the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, didst prepare a suitable dwelling place for Thy Son, grant, we beseech Thee, that, as through the death of Thy Son, foreseen by Thee, Thou didst preserve her from all stain of sin, by her intercession we also may be purified and so may come to Thee. Through the same Christ Our lord. Amen.

(3 years every time said)

Bid me bear, O Mother blessed, On my heart the wounds impressed, Suffered by the Crucified.

(500 days every time said)

Mary sorrowing, Mother of Christians, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Virgin most sorrowful. pray for us.

(300 days every time said. 5 years if this prayer, along with a Hail Mary, is said seven times in honour of the most sorrowful Mother)

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

(300 days every time said)

O purest heart of Mary, Virgin most holy, obtain for me from Jesus purity and humility of heart.

(300 days every time said)

Queen of the most holy rosary, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

Queen, glory of Carmel, pray for us.

(300 days every time said)

ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 25 September – Her many sins have been forgiven

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 September – Readings: Ps 104:3-4, Ps 104:1, Osee 14:2-10, Luke 7:36-50

And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And they who were at table with Him began to say within themselves, “Who is this man, who even forgives sins?” But He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:36-50

REFLECTION – A sinful woman has proclaimed to us that God’s love has gone forth in search of sinners. For when he called her, Christ was inviting our whole race to his love; and in her person he was drawing all sinners to his forgiveness. He spoke to her alone, but he was drawing all creation to his grace. Who would not be struck by the mercy of Christ, who accepted an invitation to a Pharisee’s house in order to save a sinner! For the sake of the woman who hungered for forgiveness, he himself felt hunger for the table of Simon the Pharisee; and all the while, under the guise of a meal of bread he had prepared for the sinner a meal of repentance!

In order that you may have the same experience, reflect within yourself that your sin is great but that it is blasphemy against God, and an injury to yourself, to despair of his forgiveness because your sin seems to you to be too great. He has promised to forgive your sins, however many they are; will you tell him you cannot believe this and dispute with him, saying that your sin is too great and he cannot heal your sickness? Stop at that point, and cry out with the prophet: “Lord, I have sinned against you”. At once he will reply, "As for me, I have overlooked your fault: you shall not die." Glory to him from us all through all ages. Amen.

An anonymous Syrian writer of the 6th century

PRAYER – Holy God, help me to amend my life constantly and be sincerely converted to You. Let me seek Your interests rather than my own and be ever more closely united with You. Send Your Spirit of understanding to enkindle our minds but most of all, fill us with Your grace of faith, that whether we understand or not, our love and obedience, is our only guide. Blessed Virgin Mother teach us to carry our crosses as you did in love and patience. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.

CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 25 September – Serving God

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house; you gave Me no water for My feet; but she has bathed My feet with her tears, and has wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, from the moment she entered, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil; but she has anointed My feet with ointment. Wherefore I say to you, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much.

Luke 7:36-50

First Point – Where were you one hundred years ago? In nothingness. Who has drawn you out of it? God, who, by a preference that you have not at all merited, has created you to His own image and likeness. For what end have you been created? To glorify God, to know and to serve Him, to do His holy will and to keep His commandments. We glorify God by knowing and by loving Him; we give testimony of our love by serving Him; we serve Him by keeping His commandments.

Father François Nepveu

The service of God is not only our most important, but our sole work. This is so obvious that it requires only to be stated. Time and words would alike be wasted in the attempt to prove it. Yet, alas! even spiritual persons need to be reminded of this elementary truth.

Fr Faber

O my Lord and my God! my heart is filled with bitter grief when I call to mind the years of my past life. Alas! far from having employed them in Thy service, I am one of those unfaithful servants who have had my own self interest in view. However, as You are my Lord and King, I this day take an oath of allegiance and from henceforth swear that my wish is to live and die in Thy service.

Henri Marie Boudon

We begin at once to go back in the spiritual life when we become lukewarm or lax in the service of God. It is the first step that leads to sin and death.

Fr Louis Bordaloue

Sometimes I allow the world to show them what it is, so that, feeling its diverse and various passions, they may know how little stability it has, and may come to lift their desire beyond it, and seek their native country, which is the Eternal Life. And so I draw them by these, and by many other ways, for the eye cannot see, nor the tongue relate, nor the heart think, how many are the roads and ways which I use, through love alone, to lead them back to grace, so that My truth may be fulfilled in them. I am constrained to do so by that inestimable love of Mine, by which I created them, and by the love, desire, and grief of My servants.

The Dialogue of St Catherine of Siena

First Point – Death is fast approaching. Everything we see, everything we hear, proves it. In a short time we will be summoned to appear before the great Judge. We must die, indeed, but we must die a good death, if we would be saved. We try to persuade ourselves that death is still far off, as if by so doing we could keep away from us death itself. We should weep constantly over the brevity of life. A young man builds his hopes for a long life, on his youth; a man in middle life, on the vigor of his age; and an old man, on the strength of his temperament. Each one believes that he has resources against death that other men have not. How strange, but how common an illusion!

Father François Nepveu

SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Thought for the Day – 25 September – Scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

OF THE SCAPULAR AND THE ROSARY OF OUR LADY OF SEVEN DOLOURS.

Devotion to our Blessed Lady is as ancient as the Church herself. But the long wars and dissensions which had desolated Europe, the ignorance, neglect of duties, and the consequent brutality of manners which ensued from this state of things, had greatly diminished it. However, an immense number of miracles which took place in the early part of the thirteenth century, communicated to it a new vigour and a wider extension. The instruments of mercy which the Blessed Virgin made use of to produce this effect were the Rosary, which was revealed to St. Dominic, in the year 1206, and the Scapulars of the Seven Dolours and of Mount Carmel, the first of which she herself gave to the seven Founders of the Order of Servites, and the second to St. Simon Stock.

**Scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary**

In the year 1233 seven noblemen of the city of Florence, whose names were Buonfiglio Monaldi, Buonagiunta Manetti, Manetto dell’ Antella, Amedeo degli Amidei, Ugiccione Uguccioni, Tostegno de’ Tostegni, and Alexis Falconieri, members of a pious Confraternity for honouring the Blessed Virgin, had assembled on the festival of the Assumption, to pay their homage and celebrate her triumph. At one and the same time the Mother of God appeared to each, and told them that they were to quit the world, and embrace a more perfect state of life. They did not hesitate to obey this heavenly voice, and having consulted with the blessed Ardingo, Bishop of Florence, as to the mode of life which they should adopt, they renounced their dignities, distributed their goods to the poor, and clothed themselves in grey habits, and retired to a small house outside the town, on the feast of the Nativity of their holy Patroness (8th September, 1233).

If, at any time, they were obliged to enter the city of Florence, in order to consult the Bishop, the people assembled about them in crowds, and the little children used to exclaim, “Here are the servants of Mary! Here are the servants of Mary!” Amongst these children was St. Philip Benizzi, who was then hardly five months old, and who, in after years, was called by our Blessed Lady to assume the habit of her servants. This humble retreat of the seven Solitaries soon became so besieged by visitors, that they were obliged to look out for a more retired place.

Their good Mother indicated to them the summit of Mount Jenario, where they removed and passed six years, principally occupied about their own sanctification, in the practice of the most austere penance, and assiduous meditation on the Passion of our Lord, and on the Dolours of his Blessed Mother. The venerable Bishop Ardingo had more than once exhorted them to establish an Order devoted to the Blessed Virgin, but in vain. The co operation of heaven became necessary to overcome the diffidence of these holy men, and triumph over their humility. On the evening of one Good Friday, whilst they were absorbed in profound meditation, they saw their august patroness descending from heaven, surrounded by a number of heavenly spirits, some of whom carried the instruments of the Passion; another, the rules of St. Augustine; one amongst them had in his hand a palm; another a scroll,on which the following words were engraven in golden letters, “Servants of Mary.” Finally there was one who carried in his hands a black habit of a new form.

The seven anchorites, filled with astonishment at this glorious apparition, waited respectfully for the Blessed Virgin to make known her will. Mary, in the attitude of a Mother overwhelmed with affliction, and, at the same time, full of maternal tenderness, approached them, and, pointing to the objects placed before their eyes, said : “Receive this habit which I present to you, and receive also the rule of St. Augustine, which you are to follow, so that, being designated by the name of my servants, you may one day obtain the palm of eternal life offered to you.” The holy Solitaries immediately adopted the habit of their new Institute, by the spirit of which they, and so many of the faithful, were to be sanctified, through the continual meditation on the Passion of Jesus Christ, and on the bitter sorrows of his Holy Mother.

In order that all the world might be able to clothe themselves in the livery of the Servants of Mary, they instituted a smaller habit of the same form, material, and colour, with that of the religious of the Order, and desiring also to give to the faithful an easy method of honouring the principal Dolours of Mary, they instituted a Rosary divided into seven parts, each of which is composed of one Pater and seven Aves. Mary promised to the seven holy founders, and more particularly to the Blessed Alexis, to protect in a special
manner, on all occasions, but particularly at the hour of death, those who
honour her Dolours.

But if we desire to secure this precious protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we must not be satisfied with meditating at long intervals on her Dolours, and with wearing the habit of mourning which reminds us of them. Our compassion, if it be a true one, ought to cause us to avoid that which is the true cause of her sorrow-that is to say, everything that offends God.

Ceiling in the Servite mother church, Santissima Annunziata, Florence

SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 24 September – Saint Paphnutius of Egypt

Posted on September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Saint Paphnutius of Egypt, a hermit and martyr. During the persecution under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Paphnutius be brought to him. Instead of waiting to be brought, Paphnutius appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture.

The soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, were converted by his faith. They were then beheaded. Cast into prison after the tortures, Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burnt alive.

Paphnutius was eventually set free, and a Christian named Nestorius took him in. He and all his family, through the influence of the saint, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. Paphnutius strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut down with swords, others were burned. There were 546 in all.

The hermit himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore, still with the stone about him. Fustrated, they sent him to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree.

And if a man professes to be a son of God, why does not he imitate the example of his Father? It becomes us, said he, to answer to our birth; and it is not fitting that those who are evidently born of God should be degenerate, but rather that the propagation of a good Father should be proved in His offspring by the emulation of His goodness.

The Life and Passion of St Cyprian (Pontius)

MARIAN TITLES

Our Lady of Walsingham / Virgin of the Sea (1061) , Marian Feasts and Memorials of the Saints – 24 September

Posted on September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes / Our Lady of Mercy/Ransom, Barcelona, Spain (1218) – 1 August, 24

Our Lady of Walsingham / Virgin of the Sea (1061) – 24 September:

The story of the Walsingham Shrine begins in Saxon times. In 1061, the Lady of the Manor, Richeldis de Faverches, was taken in spirit to Nazareth, shown the House where the Annunciation took place and asked by Our Lady, to build a replica in Norfolk. She was promised that ‘Whoever seeks my help there will not go away empty-handed.‘ The simple wooden house that she built soon became the focus of special devotion to Our Lady. The ‘Holy House’ was later encased in stone to protect it from the elements.

In 1153, the Augustinian Canons founded a Priory to care for the spiritual needs of the pilgrims. Their magnificent Priory Church was added in the fifteenth century. Only the ruin of the Priory Arch remains and archaeology has placed the site of the ‘Holy House’ in its shadow.

Walsingham became one of the foremost Shrines of medieval Christendom. Among the pilgrims to the ‘Holy House’ were many royal visitors. Henry III in 1226, Edward I (eleven times), Edward II in 1315, Edward III in 1361, Richard II in 1383, Edward IV in 1469, Henry VI in 1487 (and many other times) and Henry VIII in 1511, in thanksgiving for the birth of his son, Prince Henry.
In 1340, the Slipper Chapel was built at Houghton St Giles, a mile outside Walsingham. This was the final ‘Station’ Chapel on the way to Walsingham. It was here, that pilgrims would remove their shoes to walk the final ‘Holy Mile’ to the Shrine barefoot.

Erasmus, the Dutch scholar, visited Walsingham in 1513 and was impressed by the splendour of the Shrine. He wrote:

‘When you look inside, you would say, it is the abode of saints, so brilliantly does it shine with gems, gold and silver … Our Lady stands in the dark at the right side of the Altar … a little image, remarkable neither for its size, material or workmanship.’

This was soon to come to an end. Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and in 1538 the Priory was closed, the ‘Holy House’ burned to the ground and the Statue of Our Lady taken to London to be destroyed.
In 1896 Miss Charlotte Boyd bought the Slipper Chapel, which had seen centuries of secular use. She devoted herself to its restoration. The Statue of the Mother and Child was carved at Oberammergau and based on the design of the original statue – a design found on the medieval seal of Walsingham Priory, an imprint of which is in the British Museum.

The Walsingham seal: around the edges
Ave Maria gratia plena dominus tecum

The first Mass since the Reformation was offered in the Slipper Chapel on 15 August 1934 and a few days later Cardinal Francis Bourne led a pilgrimage of 10,000 people to the Chapel and declared it to be the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady.

St Anathalon of Milan
St Andochius of Autun
St Anthony Gonzalez

St Chuniald
Bl Colomba Matylda Gabriel
St Coprio
St Erinhard
St Felix of Autun

St Gerard Sagredo OSB (980-1046) Bishop and Martyr, “The Apostle of Hungary,” Venetian nobleman, Benedictine monk, Prior of San Giorgio, Missionary to Hungary, Adviser to King Saint Stephen, Tutor to Prince Saint Emeric, Hermit, Bishop of Csanád, Writer, Reformer

St Geremarus
St Gislar
St Isarnus of Toulouse
St Lupus of Lyons

St Pacificus of Severino OFM (1653-1721) Priest, Franciscan Friar, Mystic, Miracle-worker, Missionary, Superior of the Friary of San Severino and joyful sufferer for Christ.

St Paphnutius of Egypt
Bl Robert Hardesty
St Rusticus of Clermont
St. Rupert of Salzburg
St Terence of Persaro (c 210-c 247) Martyr Layman
St Thyrsus of Autun
St Ysarn of Saint Victor
Bl William Spenser
—
Martyrs of Chalcedon – (49 saints): Forty-nine Christian choir singers of the church in Chalcedon in Asia Minor who were martyred together in their persecutions of Diocletian in 304.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Antonio Pancorbo López
• Blessed Esteban García y García
• Blessed José María Ferrándiz Hernández
• Blessed Juan Francisco Joya Corralero
• Blessed Luis de Erdoiza Zamalloa
• Blessed Manuel Gómez Contioso
• Blessed Melchor Rodríguez Villastrigo
• Blessed Pascual Ferrer Botella
• Blessed Rafael Rodríguez Mesa
• Blessed Santiago Arriaga Arrien

Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 24 September – Eternal God, our Refuge

Posted on September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 24 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”

Eternal God, our Refuge
By St Boniface (672-754)

Eternal God,
the Refuge and Help
of all Your children,
we praise You
for all You have given us,
for all You have done for us,
for all that You are to us.
In our weakness,
You are Strength,
in our darkness,
You are Light,
in our sorrow,
You are Comfort and Peace.
We cannot number Your Blessings,
we cannot declare Your Love
For all Your Blessings,
we bless You.
May we live, as in Your presence,
and love the things, that You love
and serve You in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 24 September – The Faith of Women

Posted on September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 28 September – –“Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Ps 118:137; 118:124, Ps 118:1, Eph 4:1-6, Matt 22:34-46

One body and one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and throughout all, and in us all, Who is blessed forever and ever. Amen.

Eph 4:1-6

REFLECTION – Since Thou, my Creator, art not ungrateful, I do not think Thou wilt fail to do what they beseech of Thee, for when Thou wert in the world, Lord, Thou didst not despise women, but didst always help them and show them great compassion. Thou didst find more faith and no less love in them than in men, and one of them was Thy most sacred Mother, from whose merits we derive merit, and whose habit we wear, though our sins make us unworthy to do so. We can do nothing in public that is of any use to Thee, nor dare we speak of some of the truths over which we weep in secret, lest Thou shouldst not hear this our just petition.

Yet, Lord, I cannot believe this of Thy goodness and righteousness, for Thou art a righteous Judge, not like the judges in the world, who, being, after all, men and sons of Adam, refuse to consider any woman’s virtue as above suspicion. Yes, my King, but the day will come when all will be known. I am not speaking on my own account, for the whole world is already aware of my wickedness, and I am glad that it should be known, but, when I see what times are like, I feel it is not right to repel spirits which are virtuous and brave, even though they be the spirits of women.

St Teresa of Avila

PRAYER – Lord God, You hold out the Light of Your Word to those who do not know You. Strengthen in our hearts, the faith You have given us and the Credo we profess, so that no trials may quench the fire Your Spirit has kindled in us. May the intercession of all the Apostles, grant us the grace of following the way of the Cross, to stand beneath it with our afflicted Mother, the Mother of God, Ave Maria! We make our prayer through Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.

	11 ta’ April:… on Saint of the Day – 11 Ap…
	9 ta’ April: B… on Saint of the Day – 9 Apr…
	7 ta’ April: S… on Saint of the Day – 7 Apr…
	Saint of the Day – 2… on Saint of the Day – 28 Septembe…
	6 ta’ April: S… on Saint of the Day – 6 Apr…

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Good King Wenceslaus

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Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

COMMEMORATION OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is on 7 October.

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Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

DEVOTION OF ST. PAUL OF THE CROSS TOWARDS THE DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

OBLIGATIONS AND PRACTICES OF PIETY

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Feast of the Holy Bishops of Milan – a 1st Century Diocese!

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Manual of Devotions in Honour of The Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Sebastian

OF THE SCAPULAR AND THE ROSARY OF OUR LADY OF SEVEN DOLOURS.

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