Asian News reported that Hanunuo Oybad, a Mangyan native from one of the most ancient and least known indigenous groups, was ordained last week after finishing his studies in pastoral sociology at the Asian Social Institute in Manila.
Oybad’s entry into the priesthood was welcomed by thousands of Catholic faithful at the Bulalacao Cathedral of the […]

MELBOURNE, Australia - Benedict XVI appointed Father Timothy Costelloe and Monsignor Peter John Elliott as auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
The Vatican press office made the announcement today.
Salesian Father Costelloe, 53, is parish priest of Clifton Hill, the rector and director of formation at the Salesian House of Studies, and lecturer at the Catholic Theological […]

Today is the day that The Community of Hermits of Saint Bruno, founded in the U.K., is being dissolved. The reason the Community is being dissolved is because a good majority have chosen to while not to follow the foundress into a traditionalism that views the current papacy as being in error but to remain in Communion […]

6th century. Cynwl, the brother of Saint Deiniol (Daniel), was the first bishop of Bangor. He lived an austere life in northern Wales. Many churches have been dedicated to his honor.

Share This

Born at Ryckel (near Loos), Flanders; died 1471. At the age of 22, Dionysius earned his doctorate at the University of Cologne. In 1423, he entered the Carthusian Order. He excelled as a mystical writer and on this account has been honored with the title Doctor Ecstaticus. Though he has never been officially beatified, he […]

Nothing is impossible for a family that trusts in God, Benedict XVI wrote to an ecclesial movement in Italy that forms part of the greater Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
The Holy Father’s message was addressed to Salvatore Martinez, national president of Renewal in the Holy Spirit, on the occasion of the movement’s 30th national convocation, which is […]

Born in 1347, this well-known saint is the patroness of Italy, her country. Catherine was the youngest in a family of twenty-five children. Her mother and father wanted her to be happily married. However, Catherine wished only to be a nun. To prove her point, she cut off her long, beautiful hair. She wanted to […]

“At the Service of the Church as Communion”
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the Regina Caeli with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. All the faithful […]

General Assembly to Parallel G-8 Summit 
A Caritas Internationalis meeting in Rome this June will parallel the annual Group of Eight summit in Germany, but will tell a different tale, said the Catholic aid organization’s secretary-general.
Duncan MacLaren made this statement Friday in a press release to announce the organization’s 18th general assembly, to be held June […]

“More Than a Political Slogan”
Here is the lecture presented April 21 by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver at the conference “Promoting and Protecting the Common Good.”
The conference was held at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, and organized by the John Cardinal Krol Chair of Moral Theology. It is printed here with the permission of […]

St. Louis De Montfort’s Prayer to Mary
 Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereifn. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by […]

 
St. Peter Chanel was born near Belley, France, in 1803. From the time he was seven, he took care of his father’s sheep. Though poor, he was intelligent and loved his faith, too. One day, a good parish priest met him. He thought so much of Peter that he asked his parents if he could […]

Vatican (VIS) - Benedict XVI has accepted an invitation to visit the United Nations in New York, although no date has been set.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon extended the invitation to the Pope during an audience in the Vatican April 18.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed the Pope’s acceptance of the invitation Thursday.
“The Pope accepted the invitation […]

Addresses Vatican Seminar on Climate Change
Scientists might not have human behavior to blame for global warming, according to the president of the World Federation of Scientists.
Antonio Zichichi, who is also a retired professor of advanced physics at the University of Bologna, made this assertion today in an address delivered to an international congress sponsored by […]

The following was sent to me in an e-mail and I thought I should share  it.

Hail Mary,Full of Grace,The Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,and at the hour of death. Amen.
Millions of Catholics […]

Lord Jesus, you have chosen your friars from among us
and sent them out to proclaim your word and to act in your name.
For so great a gift to your Church,
we give you praise and thanksgiving. 
We ask you to fill them with the fire of your love,
that their ministry may reveal your presence in the […]

“THE FREEDOM OF OBEDIENCE.”
The gentleness of Jesus flows from the discipline of Christ.
These things are closely connected and form a unity in God.
 The hermitage can teach those living in the world how to embrace these two aims and bring them together.
The hidden life speaks by its deep foundation of silence.
Those who have the direction of […]

Rome - Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk is asking Iraqi authorities and the international community to defend the Christian minority in his country.
Speaking to Vatican Radio, the Chaldean archbishop decried the fact that “Christians in Baghdad and Mosul, as in other parts of the country, are threatened, and extremist groups have ordered them to leave […]

Cardinal Francis George is serving as the honorary chairman of the Friends of Lourdes in preparation for the 150th anniversary of Mary’s 1858 apparitions in that French village.
The Friends of Lourdes, a lay organization raising awareness in the United States about the yearlong celebration of the anniversary, has made an educational Web site about the […]

Zita is known as the patron saint of domestic workers. She was born in the village of Monte Sagrati, Italy, in 1218. Her parents were deeply religious and raised Zita in a loving, Christian way. It was the custom of poor couples to send their teenage daughters to trustworthy families who could afford servants. The […]

“Chi-Rho”

April 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

The monogram
Chi Ro
 
This is a Greek abbreviation of the title, “Christ“.“Chi” and “Rho” are the first two letters in the Greek word Christos or “Christ”.
In Greek capital letters they appear as ” X” and “P”.
In Greek Chrio, to anoint, and in Hebrew mashah denoted a cultic consecration. Through consecration, a king, a priest, a prophet, […]

“IHS”

April 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

‘IHS’ is a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. From the third century the names of our Saviour are sometimes shortened, particularly in Christian inscriptions (IH and XP, for Jesus and Christus). From the beginning, however, in Christian inscriptions the nomina sacra, or names of Jesus Christ, were shortened by contraction, thus IC and […]

ST. LOUIS — In a news conference this afternoon, Archbishop Raymond Burke announced that the April 28, 2007, Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center requires him to address the issue of moral scandal out of respect for the good of the souls of others. The Benefit is organized by the Cardinal Glennon Children’s […]

A Fireman’s Prayer

April 26, 2007 | 2 Comments

When I am called to duty, God,
Whenever flames may rage;
Give me strength to save some life,
Whatever be its age.
Help me embrace a little child
Before it is too late
Or save an older person
From the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
To put the fire out.
I want to fill […]

This saint lived in ninth-century France. No one knows who his parents were. They left their newborn infant on the doorstep of Notre-Dame convent. The nuns loved and cared for the baby. They named him Radbertus. When he was old enough to be educated, Radbertus was sent to the monks of St. Peter nearby.
The boy […]

Despite masses of protesters and strong appeals by Catholic leaders, Mexico City’s legislative assembly voted overwhelmingly to legalize abortion in the first trimester within the federal district.
The bill was approved 46-19 on Tuesday and will take effect after it receives the promised signature by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.
It applies only to the federal district, some 600 […]

VATICAN CITY (VIS) - In today’s general audience Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to Origen of Alexandria, a third century historian and “one of the greatest writers” of Church history. The audience was held in St. Peter’s Square in the presence of more than 25,000 people.
Origen, said the Pope, “took up the legacy of Clement […]

Mark lived at the time of Jesus. Although he was not among the original twelve apostles, he was a relative of St. Barnabas, an apostle. Mark is well-known because he wrote one of the four Gospels. That is why he is called an evangelist, a Gospel writer. Mark’s Gospel is short, but it gives many […]

Secretary of Doctrinal Congregation Speaks on Modern Evils
Abortion and euthanasia are examples of “terrorism with a human face,” and, together with suicide bombers, are the scourge of contemporary society, says a Vatican official.
Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, made this statement on Monday during a talk on “The […]

In a letter written on behalf of Benedict XVI, the Vatican secretary of state expressed concern over a bill aiming to legalize abortion in the federal district of Mexico.
The letter, dated last Wednesday and addressed to Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, the president of the Mexican episcopal council, anticipated the vote that was expected today.
The letter […]

“Consecrated Life Is at the Service of This Communion”
Here is the text of the message that Benedict XVI has written for the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be celebrated Sunday.
This year’s theme is “the vocation to the service of the Church as communion.”
* * *
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear brothers and […]

VATICAN CITY(VIS)
Made public today was the Message of Benedict XVI for the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is due to be celebrated on April 29, the fourth Sunday of Easter, and which has as its theme this year: “The vocation to the service of the Church as communion.”
The Message is dated February […]

More on Limbo

April 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment

In 385, Pope St. Siricius sent a letter to a Bishop Himerius, telling the bishop that both of their souls are in danger if they defer the baptism of infants or adults: “. . . lest our own souls be in danger if, as a result of our having denied the saving font to those […]

Johannes M. Schwarz, STD, is a scholar who has surveyed the various theories of unbaptized infant salvation. In an interview by kath.net, he made some insightful remarks in favor of the traditional teaching. Here are two excerpts from that interview:
“It might be true that there are no definitory statements on the questions, but there is a […]

Deus caritas est

April 24, 2007 | 1 Comment

Pope Benedict XVI made a pilgrimage yesterday to Augustine’s tomb where he reiterated again the central message of his pontificate, God is love.
“Everything should begin here, and from here, everything should be directed: all pastoral action, all theological theses,” the Pontiff said in his homily at the celebration of vespers with priests, religious and […]

This saint’s name was Mark Rey. He was born in Germany in 1578. Mark went to the famous University of Freigburg to become a lawyer. Even as a student, he likes to visit the sick and the poor. He spent time praying daily. His brother chose to be a Capuchin Franciscan priest. Mark, instead, finished […]

Ignorance a Growing Problem
Religious ignorance, even of the most basic concepts, is on the rise according to some recent studies. In Ireland, once renowned for its Catholicity, a poll revealed that 95% of adolescents could not name the First Commandment.
The poll was carried out on a nationally representative sample of 950 people, by Lansdowne Market […]

A Silent Herald of Unity - The Life of Maria Gabriella Sagheddu
 Cistercian Studies Series
 by Martha Driscoll
This book is a short biography of the life of Maria Gabriella Sagheddu. She was a peasant girl from Sardinia who was not very religious as a child. And when she became a teenager chose to live a simple monastic […]

Adoro Te Devote

April 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

One of the five beautiful hymns St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) composed in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at Pope Urban IV’s (1261-1264) request when the Pope first established the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1264. The hymn is found in the Roman Missal as a prayer of thanksgiving after Mass. A partial indulgence […]

Pictures of St. George usually show him killing a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady. The dragon stands for wickedness. The lady stands for God’s holy truth. St. George is slaying the dragon because he has won the battle against the devil.
Not much is known about St. George except that he was a martyr. He […]

Encourages Hospital Staff and Ill to Promote Values
Pavia, Italy - Benedict XVI asks that scientific and technological progress always be accompanied by the promotion of fundamental values such as respect for life in all of its stages.
The Pope recalled this today when visiting St. Matthew’s Hospital in Pavia, a northern Italian city that the Holy Father […]

The Liturgical Year
 by Dom Prosper Gueranger
 Published by Loreto Publishing
These volumes written by Dom Gueranger are well written and a must read by every Catholic. Dom Gueranger was abbot of the great Benedictine monastery of Solesmes. He restored, almost single-handedly, the tradition of Gregorian Chant to its original purity and it can still be heard today at […]

Pope and Secretary-General Discuss World Peace
Ban Ki-moon has officially invited Benedict XVI to visit the United Nations, after a meeting between the two leaders in Rome.
According to the Vatican statement, the Holy Father and Ban “have discussed themes of common interest, for example, the restoration of trust in multilateral relations and the strengthening of dialogue […]

The concept of Limbo was taught by the 4th Century Father and Doctor of the Church, Saint Gregory Nanzianzus:
“It will happen, I believe … that those last mentioned [infants dying without baptism] will neither be admitted by the just judge to the glory of Heaven nor condemned to suffer punishment, since, though unsealed [by baptism], […]

The traditional Catholic doctrine of Limbo is in a higher category than that of a dismissible theological hypothesis. It is part of Catholic teachings since ancient times and is enshrinded in magesterial pronouncements.
Pope Pius VI’s famous Apostolic Constitution Auctorem fidei, which condemned the Errors of the Synod of Pistoia, denounced the rejection of Limbo as […]

On April 20th it was quoted by Associated Press,
 “Pope approves report on teaching limbo”
“Pope Benedict XVI has reversed centuries of traditional Roman Catholic teaching on limbo, approving a Vatican report released Friday that says there were “serious” grounds to hope that children who die without being baptized can go to heaven…..”
“Benedict approved the findings of […]

Prayer Request

April 22, 2007 | 3 Comments

We have just received word that Mother Veronica of the Carmelite Convent, Carmen Alto, is very ill with some kind of stomach problem which has been going on for some time now.  Please pray for her as she always remembers all of us!

Share This

Saint Soter was pope long ago in the times of the Roman emperors. He was a real father to all Christians. He gave much help to those who were poor. He took special care of those who had been condemned to work in dangerous mines. They were sent there because they would not give up […]

“You Are Making a Contribution to the Formation of Future Leaders”
Here is Benedict XVI’s address at an audience he had yesterday with the members of the Papal Foundation in the Apostolic Palace.
* * *
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to greet the members of The Papal Foundation on the occasion of your annual pilgrimage to Rome. This […]

St. Anselm was born in northern Italy in 1033. From his home he could see the Alps mountains. When he was fifteen, Anselm tried to join a monastery in Italy. But his father was against it. Then Anselm became sick. Not long after he got better, his mother died. He was still young and rich […]

keep looking »