How Can I Improve This Blog?

I made this blog to be helpful to others, and I certainly hope it has. I have been working on setting up my other blog, and it looks really good; however, I was wondering how best to make this blog as user-friendly as possible.

What are your ideas? Should I remove some links from the sidebar? Which ones? Should I not have so many posts on the main page?

I'm really looking for advice. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

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St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Memorial (1969 Calendar): September 23

Biography

Today is the Church remembers the life of one of my favorite saints, St. Pio of Pietrelcina - also called St. Padre Pio - (1887-1968), who was canonized recently in 2002. St. Padre Pio is the only priest to ever have the visible wounds of Christ, the Stigmata, and he lived a life dedicated to prayer and God.

On May 25, 1887, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was born to a southern Italian farm family, the son of Grazio, a shepherd. At the young age of 15, St. Pio entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars in Morcone and joined the order at age 19. Suffered several health problems, and at one point his family thought he had tuberculosis. However, through God's will, he was ordained at the age 22 on August 10, 1910.

On September 20, 1918, while praying before a crucifix, St. Pio received the stigmata. Following World War II, he became a point of pilgrimage. St. Pio would hear confessions by the hour and have the ability to read the consciences of those who held back sins. He could bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. In 1956, St. Pio founded the House for the Relief of Suffering, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide. He died on September 23, 1968. Throughout his life, even after Vatican II, he was given permission to continue to exclusively celebrate the Tridentine Latin Mass.

His canonization miracle of the healing of a sick child, Matteo Pio Colella, age 7, the son of a doctor of the House for the Relief of Suffering. Matteo was admitted with meningitis on June 20, 2000, and by morning doctors feared that he was gone - his organs were shutting down. That night, following a prayer vigil attended by friars of St. Padre Pio's monastery and Matteo's mother, his condition suddenly improved. Matteo said that he had seen an elderly man with a white beard and a long, brown habit, who said to him: "Don´t worry, you will soon be cured." However, St. Padre Pio has worked countless miracles not only after his death but during his life. Read my post entitled: The Miracles of St. Padre Pio.

Prayers

For prayers to St. Padre Pio and ones he loved to say, please visit this site. I especially love the first prayer on that site.

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US Catholic Population

Here are some statistics I found from a local diocese paper:

From 1978 to 2004 the US Catholic population increased from 49,836,176 to 67,259,768. Overall the entire Catholic population during that time saw a 44% increase. Parishes also increased from 18,625 to 19,431.

However, the number of priests actually dropped from 58,485 to 44,212. There was a total 2.6% drop during this time span, and I certainly hope the their will be more priests. It seems that society doesn't view the priesthood much anymore, and many people don't think it requires any intelligence or work.

But, once again, Christ tell us, "You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you" (John 15:16, Douay Rheims). The priesthood is a calling and the most important one a person can get. My advice is to ask yourself, if you're single, if God is calling you that way and if He is, then talk with another priest on possibly going into the priesthood. I'm considering this possibility and just wanted to share these statistics.

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Katrina Update

We've been hearing so much about Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, and I would like us to certainly prayer for them. However, I also wanted to share some updates on Katrina. Today the death toll rose past 1,000 but far less than the colossal estimates I heard weeks ago around 10,000. Thanks be to God for His mercy. Let us keep Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims in our prayers too.

Please also remember all of the animals that were left behind in your prayers.

I also found a photo today of a man praying the Rosary on Yahoo News after suffering through the Hurricane. The faith of some obviously was tested, but God is merciful. Let us thank Him and give Him praise. For through the Crucifixion came the Resurrection. Through this disaster, I pray that a new dawn of peace will arrive in New Orleans - a city that is turned back to God. For if the city doesn't turn back to God then it will ultimately face greater destruction in the future.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain (Wikpedia)

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Lifechecks

I wanted to share a link to a page about lifechecks. I think that there are so many organizations that call themselves pro-life like the March of Dimes, but they support abortion anyway. I just wanted to share this link in case one of my readers buys lifechecks or knows someone that does.

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The 3 O'Clock Prayer

 

Preface: For a listing of hundreds of prayers with indulgences and special blessings attached to them, be sure to refer to a copy of the Raccolta often.  Click here to order one.

Here is a prayer for 3 o'clock, but you don't necessarily have to say this one. The important thing is to say something - to honor Our Lord's sacrifice, who chose to save us from a fate we deserve, and to approach the Fount of mercy, which was opened up "for the washing of the sinner, and of the unclean woman" (Zechariah 13:1). Our Lord died for us; He died for a reason not to be put on our wall or in a textbook but to be placed in our hearts to make us remember we are to be Eucharistic tabernacles to let the light of Christ to shine through us. We can never forget the Lord's infinite love.

The Prayer:

O Divine Jesus, we transport ourselves in spirit to Mount Calvary to ask pardon for our sins which are the cause of Thy death. We thank Thee for having thought of us in that solemn moment, and for having made us children of Thy own Mother.

Holy Virgin, show thyself our Mother by taking us under thy special protection.

S. John, be our patron and model, and obtain for is the grace of imitating thy filial piety of Mary, our Mother. Amen.

Source: Christian Warfare

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UNFPA News

For the fourth year, the US has denied UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) money due to continued reports that it has involvment with the forced abortions in China. The UNFPA would normally receive $34 million; instead, $25 million will be routed to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

However, Canada in last November, announced a $67 million increase (over a four period) to its annual $13.1 million UNFPA contribution.

I certainly am glad we are not giving money just as the US is not giving money to the "Mexico City Policy" which would be used for abortions. Since the drop in funding in 2001 no US funds have gone to funding abortions in Mexico, and I'm very happy with this. I am, however, disappointed in Canada's increased funding for UNFPA.

Also, even worse is that in 2003 there were more donations than ever before to the UNFPA from 142 of 191 UN member states. (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jan/04010701.html)

For more information as well as links to related articles see this link:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/sep/05091905.html

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St. Pio's Quotations on Prayer

I have recently blogged on prayer and what how essential I believe it is, but now I would like to illustrate this necessity of prayer on this anniversary of St. Padre Pio receiving the stigmata by two quotations by him.

" Prayer is the best weapon we have. It is a key opening God’s Heart."

"...God needs our prayers."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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The Stigmata

Today is September 20th, and today is the anniversary of St. Padre Pio receiving the Stigmata in 1918; St. Pio kept that stigmata for over 50 years. The Stigmata is a great gift received only by a select few including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Padre Pio to name a few. The Stigmata (for those that are new to this term) is the presence of Christ's wounds from His hands, feet, and side on these saints.

The Catholic Church has no official position on the stigmata, but it certainly is a great gift indeed going back to Sacred Scripture: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20)

I remember one story where a man came to St. Padre Pio and asked if he could take some of the pain from the stigmata (it bled and hurt every day). So that man went home and he had a horrible migraine, which felt like nails being driven in his hand. Finally, the next time he saw St. Padre Pio, St. Pio said, along these lines, "I told you it would be too much."

St. Padre Pio was a miracle worker (see: The Miracles of St. Padre Pio) able to be in two places at once, read peoples' thoughts in Confession to remind them of past sins to confess, and he had a special and unique fervor to serve Christ in the 1900s.

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Defend the Pledge!

Our Lord asked us to love and we can certainly Love Him by defending Him. If you have not already please contact your elected officials (through the action alert posted on http://www.congress.org) and tell them that you believe the we are one nation "Under God" and that phrase should certainly remain in our pledge of allegiance to a nation that acknowledges we are all under God's rule and love.

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