The Top Traditional Catholic Charities: Almsgiving for Traditional Catholics

"Let the charity of the brotherhood abide in you. And hospitality do not forget; for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels" (Heb 13:1-2)
Our Lord Jesus commands us to give alms to the poor, but how are we in the current day able to give alms?  And while we should do so always, there is no better time than during Lent.

As one person writes to me, "In my city, dozens of people daily sit along the sidebar begging for money.  Yet, they likely are not poor.  Some of them are average people that don't want to work and would rather sit outside all day to collect others' pocket change.  Others are drug addicts and alcoholics who seek money to support their addictions.  Surely our Lord is not calling us to support these."

Then how can we give alms when even Catholic Charities and other organizations are no longer truly Catholic? After some investigation, I'm pleased to publish the following 13 Traditional Catholic Charities:

1. The Fatima Center

Dedicated to spreading the Traditional Catholic Faith and the message of Fatima, The Fatima Center was founded by Fr. Gruner and continues his mission of spreading the Faith through its website, social media presence, conferences, and missions. They are a tax-deductible organization worth supporting. Make an online donation.

2. SSPX Asian Missions and Orphanage

In 2009 the Society began the creation of an orphanage in Palayamkottai, India.  All donations to this project and any others for the Asian Missions are tax-deductible on US returns.  In addition to the orphanage, there are several other very worthwhile projects to donate to. Addresses on where to send donations are available here.

3. FSSP Columbian Foundation

The FSSP has a foundation in Colombia with the goal of building a school (and, if possible, eventually a seminary), that needs support. Situated in the municipality of Anolaima in the department of Cundinamarca, 44 miles northwest from the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, the house of Saint Martin de Porres was approved by the bishop of Girardot on 13th May 2006 and canonically erected by Father Devillers on June 29th, 2006 as a house of vocational discernment for candidates to the priesthood in Latin America and constitute therefore the first house of the Fraternity on this continent.

In addition to the vocational discernment, so important for the development and the life of the Church and the Fraternity, this one develops an apostolic activity (celebration of blessings, preaching, catechism, visiting the sick and the old, scoutism) but also educational and social with a project of creating a center for further education for the young people of the village who do not have the possibility to study further than high school, the offer of various courses at technical school level, and finally the creation of an arts school (music, dance, theater and painting) and the organization of a monthly cultural event. You can donate to their Mission work online.

4. Friends of Campos

Friends of Campos, Inc. is a US-based not-for-profit (501c3) that supports the social and educational projects of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney, most of which are located around the diocese of Campos dos Goytacazes in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney also operates fifteen primary and secondary schools in eleven towns; eight monasteries and convents; three homes for the elderly; as well as centers for the care of needy young children and the mentally handicapped. It also regularly distributes baskets of staple foods to impoverished residents.

5. Traditional Catholic Schools

Let us not forget the many traditional Catholic schools operated by good Catholic priests and orders around the country.  All of these schools would certainly appreciate donations of any size. Besides donating dollars, some of these schools accept Box Tops for Education.  One school, in particular, is Queen of the Holy Rosary Academy in Missouri which accepts the box tops.

Look up traditional Catholic schools and if there is one in your area, see if they accept Box Tops. Box Tops in 2020 switched to an online app where you only need to scan your receipt. No clipping box tops anymore. It's never been easier to raise funds for Catholic schools now.

6. Institute of Christ the King African Missions

For some time now, the priests of the Institute have been present in Gabon and have worked with success under Bishop Obamba, and upon his retirement, under the apostolic administrator and current Archbishop of Libreville, the Most Reverend Mve Engone, as well as under the present bishop of the Diocese of Mouila, Bishop Dominique Bonnet.

Some of the Institute's missions are located in the middle of the jungle. They have, by Divine Providence, restored and constructed several churches, chapels, schools, kindergartens, and medical dispensaries. The native population is very attached to the missionaries, and they are deeply rooted in the beautiful tradition of the Classical Latin Mass.  You can make an online donation here to the African missions or any other apostolates.

7. Traditional Catholic Monasteries & Convents & Orders

If you have read "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" by Thomas Woods, you will recall in chapter 3 how Dr. Woods relates the varied, countless achievements from monasticism.  Among them, we have not only the preservation of literacy and the priceless books of Antiquity but countless works of charity, the creation of champagne, the first wide-scale use of water power, the cultivation of agriculture, the clearing of immense areas of previously uninhabitable land, the creation of complex astronomical clocks, and dozens of other significant accomplishments.  We owe a deep debt to the monks for their work in building our society.

In our modern world, many orders have fallen into oblivion as they have abandoned Traditional Catholicism for heretical practices.  Thankfully, there are a number of orders that still observe the Traditional Practices of the Church.  They certainly need our prayers and could use any support that we could send them. You may find some of these orders by clicking here.

A few orders for men specifically worth supporting are the Oblates of St. Augustine, the Discalced Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Fairfield Carmelites, the Marian Friars Minor, the Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist, the Whitestone Monks, Clear Creek Abbey, Notre Dame Priory, and the Monks of Norcia.

A few orders for women specifically worth supporting are the Dominican Sisters of Wanganui, Benedictines of Mary Queen of the Apostles, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus.

8. SSPX Medical Mission in the Philippines

The Medical Mission of the SSPX in the Philippines is certainly a worthy traditional Catholic charity.  It has done great work by reaching out to the poor who have no money to pay for basic medical treatment and who often possess little more than the rudiments of the faith. Everything from catechism to scapular distribution to dental care and minor operations takes place during each mission over the course of two weeks. Visit the website of Rosa Mystica Medical Mission to learn more and make a donation online.

9. SSPX African Missions

A personal favorite charity of mine is the SSPX's African Missions.  There is much that could be said about this mission. Donation information is available on the SSPX African Mission page, along with relevant articles from the missions.

10. Traditional Catholic Radio Stations

While there are very few traditional Catholic media sources, there are a few that provide traditional Catholic programming, chants, and prayers. And they all need your donations to help stay on the air.

11. Give Mass Stipends

Have Mass offered for reparation for your sins or those of your family or friends or have Mass said for the conversion of non-Catholics. You can also have a Mass offered in reparation for all sins and insults against the Blessed Sacrament; having Mass said for this intention gains one a plenary indulgence. To find Traditional Catholic priests or orders that accept online Mass requests, please click here.

12. Catholic Coffee Companies

Shop for your next coffee purchase from a Catholic organization, some of which are run by traditional Catholic monks, and help support them with your purchase. It's a very easy way to help them out. See 10 Catholic Coffee Alternatives to Starbucks.

13. Pro-life Catholic Causes

See my separate list of 12 Pro-life Catholic causes so that you help the work to defend life by Catholic organizations and not ones that are protestant and opposed to the Catholic Faith.

CONCLUSION

It is my hope that this compilation will aid you during this Lent and thereafter, in making donations to organizations that are truly Catholic and faithful to the enduring Traditions of the Church.  If you know of any more organizations, please leave them in the comments section.

Please share this post via Facebook and social media to help other Catholics this Lent in finding traditional organizations for almsgiving. Almsgiving is vitally important for Lent but it should be practiced all year.

Updated: March 6, 2024

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Catholic Cuisine: Babette's Feast (Movie Recommendation)

I'd like to give a shout-out to a newly discovered blog, Catholic Cuisine.  Naturally as someone concerned with living a Catholic life in tune with the Liturgical Year, I quickly found this blog to be a true gem worthy of bookmarking.  With recipes for everything from First Class feasts to Lenten ferias (and everything in between), I can see the great value in this blog.

This blog helps us create a Catholic ethos in our daily lives.  Meals are meant to be times of celebration and community while linked to the Catholic Liturgical Year.  Unlike the protestant view of meals of "having it your way," (which is personified in fast food), Catholic meals are concerned with order, balance, nutrition, and enriching of the spirit.  The order in table etiquette and manners and the symmetrical order in table setting all tend to the greater order and glory in the created world.

I'd like to recommend, on this same subject, the movie "Babette's Feast."  As Fisheaters explains in regards to the movie, "A sumptuous, visually rich movie that is, on the surface, about a French Catholic woman who flees to Denmark after her husband and son were killed. There, she works as a domestic for two aging Protestant sisters and ends up winning the lottery. Then, after fourteen years of cooking Danish foods in a Puritan style as the sisters instructed, she uses her winnings and skills to prepares a French feast for twelve (undoubtedly not a coincidental number) -- a meal that changes their lives.

"On a deeper level, the movie is about everything from sacrifice, the roads not taken, the mind-body connection, unrequited and uncosummated love, the contrast between the Protestant and Catholic views of the temporal world [especially on food]..."

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Hold Fast to Strict Lenten Discipline

"The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare. By it we prove ourselves not to be enemies of the cross of Christ. By it we avert the scourges of divine justice. By it we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God's glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted that such negligence would become the source of misery to the world, of public calamity, and of private woe." - Pope Benedict XIV, 1741

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Lenten Embertide Fast

Although Ember Days are no longer considered required in mainstream Roman Catholicism following Vatican II, they can - and should - still be observed by the Faithful. In fact, many Traditional priests encourage the Faithful to observe the days. Ember Days are set aside to pray and/or offer thanksgiving for a good harvest and God's blessings. If you are in good health, please at least fast during these three days and pray the additional prayers. Remember the words from the Gospel: "Unless you do penance, you shall likewise perish" (Luke 13:5)

Ember Days this Lent: February 29, March 2, March 3

From New Advent:

Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday, and after 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross). The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy. The immediate occasion was the practice of the heathens of Rome. The Romans were originally given to agriculture, and their native gods belonged to the same class.

At the beginning of the time for seeding and harvesting religious ceremonies were performed to implore the help of their deities: in June for a bountiful harvest, in September for a rich vintage, and in December for the seeding; hence their feriae sementivae, feriae messis, and feri vindimiales. The Church, when converting heathen nations, has always tried to sanctify any practices which could be utilized for a good purpose. At first the Church in Rome had fasts in June, September, and December; the exact days were not fixed but were announced by the priests. The "Liber Pontificalis" ascribes to Pope Callistus (217-222) a law ordering: the fast, but probably it is older. Leo the Great (440-461) considers it an Apostolic institution. When the fourth season was added cannot be ascertained, but Gelasius (492-496) speaks of all four. This pope also permitted the conferring of priesthood and deaconship on the Saturdays of ember week--these were formerly given only at Easter.

Before Gelasius the ember days were known only in Rome, but after his time their observance spread. They were brought into England by St. Augustine; into Gaul and Germany by the Carlovingians. Spain adopted them with the Roman Liturgy in the eleventh century. They were introduced by St. Charles Borromeo into Milan. The Eastern Church does not know them. The present Roman Missal, in the formulary for the Ember days, retains in part the old practice of lessons from Scripture in addition to the ordinary two: for the Wednesdays three, for the Saturdays six, and seven for the Saturday in December. Some of these lessons contain promises of a bountiful harvest for those that serve God.

From Catholic Culture:

Since man is both a spiritual and physical being, the Church provides for the needs of man in his everyday life. The Church's liturgy and feasts in many areas reflect the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall and winter). The months of August, September, October and November are part of the harvest season, and as Christians we recall God's constant protection over his people and give thanksgiving for the year's harvest.

The September Ember Days were particularly focused on the end of the harvest season and thanksgiving to God for the season. Ember Days were three days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) set aside by the Church for prayer, fasting and almsgiving at the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year. The ember days fell after December 13, the feast of St. Lucy (winter), after the First Sunday of Lent (spring), after Pentecost Sunday (summer), and after September 14 , the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (fall). These weeks are known as the quattor tempora, the "four seasons."

Since the late 5th century, the Ember Days were also the preferred dates for ordination of priests. So during these times the Church had a threefold focus: (1) sanctifying each new season by turning to God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving; (2) giving thanks to God for the various harvests of each season; and (3) praying for the newly ordained and for future vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

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Each Feria of Lent has a Proper Mass

For those of you with Roman Catholic Daily Missals, you may have been surprised to see that each day of Lent has its own Mass propers - Introit, Collect, Scripture readings, Offertory, Communion, Post Communion, etc. Dom Guéranger explains.

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.
Each feria of Lent has a proper Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the lenten liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church's spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time... All this will provide us with most solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are each day brought before us, are not only some of the finest of the sacred volume, but are, moreover, singularly appropriate to Lent, their attentive perusal will be productive of a twofold advantage.

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HHS Mandate NOT About Religious Liberty

This was written in response to an article in the Chicago Tribune.  Since this op-ed piece was not published, I'm publishing it here.

In response to Mr. Rex Huppke’s Article, “Contraception Debate Neglects Catholics at odds with Doctrine,” (published February 19, 2012) I have to object to several points of the article. As a traditional Roman Catholic, I must first point out the error in Mr. Fogarty’s words when he says, “Jesus gets in trouble for…breaking a lot of the rules of the Jewish church.”

As one familiar with the Scriptures should recall, Christ did not violate the laws of the Jewish religion. However, for some Jewish leaders concerned with only the letter of the law – instead of the spirit of the law – the Lord appeared to be in violation. In truth, since Christ is God, one can know that it is philosophically impossible for God to violate His own laws. And secondly, for Catholics familiar with the Scriptures, Christ showed how His actions were not in violation of the Law but instead a reflection of the true meaning of the law.

On to the more serious issue at hand, Mr. Huppke writes, “At the heart of this argument are issues of religious liberty…” This is again not quite right. While many are making this an argument for religious liberty, the actual argument is far more important for Catholics. Those Catholics who observe the Traditional Catholic Faith simply reject the notion of religious liberty all together.

The Church teaches that Jesus Christ, the 2nd Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the King of all peoples, all places, and all time. For many people, this doctrine stops there. Yet, if Christ is indeed king of all, then all peoples and nations should act in conformity with His divine law, even if they are not Catholics. One need only see how the moral code of many societies (e.g. forbidding killing, stealing, prostitution, etc) is a reflection of the Divine Law which also forbids such practices. To say that any nation has the right to violate Divine Law is a violation of the doctrine of Christ’s Kingship.

If Christ is King (which all Catholics are bound as a matter of dogma to believe), then all Catholics must respond to the HHS controversy by not seeking to stand up for religious liberty. Rather, these same Catholics should be fighting against the HHS mandate for the reason that it offends God, who is our Supreme King, Redeemer, and our ultimate Judge.

In the words of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, "How many of these missionaries sent by the Church during the course of centuries have been massacred, massacred because they said that Our Lord Jesus Christ should be the King of people, King of society?"

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Stational Churches of Lent

Our modern observance of the stational liturgy traces its roots back to the practice of the Bishop of Rome celebrating the liturgies of the church year at various churches throughout the city, a tradition dating back as far as the late second or early third century. One reason for this was practical: with the church in Rome being composed of diverse groups from many cultures, regular visits by the bishop served to unify the various groups into a more cohesive whole. Another reason, particularly following the legalization of Christianity in A.D. 313 which permitted public worship, was to commemorate certain feast days at churches with a special link to that celebration. Therefore, Good Friday came to be celebrated at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and Christmas at St. Mary Major, where a relic of the manger was venerated. In time, the original churches in the city, known as tituli (sing. titulus) because they often bore the name of the donor, took on an additional significance as the places that held the relics of the martyrs and the memory of the early history of the church in this city.1

As time passed the schedule of these visits, which had earlier followed an informal order, took on a more formalized structure. By the last half of the fifth century, a fairly fixed calendar was developed, having the order of the places at which the pope would say Mass with the church community on certain days throughout the year. In the weeks before the beginning of Lent, the three large basilicas outside the walls were visited, forming a ring of prayer around the city before the season of Lent began. During Lent, the various stations were originally organized so that the Masses were held in different areas of the city each day. During the octave of Easter the stations form a litany of the saints, beginning with St. Mary Major on Easter Sunday and continuing with St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Lawrence, the Apostles, and the martyrs.2

The liturgy of these Masses had several elements, many of which developed over time. According to the structure of the late first millennium, the people would gather in mid-afternoon with the pope at one church, known as the collectum. There, after some prayers, the group would move in procession to the statio, at which Mass would be said. The use of the term statio for this ending point has a connection with the practice of fasting on these days. The Christians of this time made a comparison of their fasting and prayer during Lent with the guard duty of soldiers, seeing their actions as something to be approached with a similar seriousness of purpose. The term statio came to be applied to the Eucharistic celebrations that took place on fast days. Later the term came to be used for all churches at which the major liturgical celebration in the city was to be held on a certain day.3

The order of the stations, originally organized in the fifth century, would undergo several changes over the following three centuries. The current order was essentially fixed by the time of the Council of Trent. Over the last several centuries, two of the original stations have been lost, although most older liturgical books still list their name as the station for their original day. The church of St. Augustine has taken the place of St. Tryphon, an older church which once stood on a nearby site. The second lost church is that of St. Cyriacus, which originally stood near the Baths of Diocletian. Having fallen into ruin, its stational day was transferred to Santa Maria in Via Lata, possibly because a monastery, also dedicated to St. Cyriacus, once stood behind this church. The other churches have not passed the centuries without their difficulties either: many have been destroyed and rebuilt; some fell into ruins, being saved only when on the verge of final collapse; all have been modified in various ways throughout the ages. Yet what remains through all the changes is the memory of those past Christians who worshiped at these places. While other cities, such as Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Milan once had similar stational liturgies, Rome is the only city in which these continue in some regular form. Therefore, just like the writings of the Fathers of the Church and the art of the early Christian era, the stational cycle comes down to us as a monument of the early church, a living connection to those days when the witness of the martyrs was still fresh and the echo of the apostles’ voices could still be heard in the city’s streets.
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1Pp. 147-153
2 Pp. 153-158
3 Pp. 143-144; 161-162

Source: Pontifical North American College

Stational Churches:

Please join me in spiritually journeying to each of the Stational Churches this Lent.  Please bookmark this post and refer back to it.

Ash Wednesday
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Saturday after Ash Wednesday

First Sunday of Lent
Monday in the First Week of Lent
Tuesday in the First Week of Lent
Wednesday in the First Week of Lent
Thursday in the First Week of Lent
Friday in the First Week of Lent
Saturday in the First Week of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Second Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent
Friday in the Second Week of Lent
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent

Third Sunday of Lent
Monday in the Third Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Thursday in the Third Week of Lent
Friday in the Third Week of Lent
Saturday in the Third Week of Lent

Laetare Sunday
Monday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Passion Sunday
Monday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Thursday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Friday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Saturday in the Fifth Week of Lent

Palm Sunday
Monday in Holy Week
Tuesday in Holy Week
Wednesday in Holy Week

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Video: Interview with former Lutheran Pastor turned Catholic Priest

Some of you may have seen this inspiring interview with Fr. Sandmark. For those of you who have not seen it, it is of great consolation.

On July 30, 2006, Sten Sandmark, a Swedish Lutheran pastor, abjured Protestantism in the church of St. Nicolas in Parish. In the summer of 2010, he was ordained a Catholic priest and offered, for the first time, valid Sacraments. He is a priest of the Society of St. Pius X. He reflects in this video on his conversion, on how the Novus Ordo Church did not want converts, on traditional Catholicism, and on Lutherans.

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Holy Communion in Lent: The Most Pleasing to God

From

The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Of all the works whereby a Christian can sanctify the time of Lent, there is none so pleasing to God as to assist at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, in which is offered the Victim of man’s salvation. But now that his own unworthiness is more than ever evident to him, ought he to abstain from partaking, by Holy Communion, of this life-giving and purifying Host? Such is not our Saviour’s will. He came down from heaven, not to judge, but to save us. He knows how long and rugged is the road we have to traverse, before we reach that happy day, on which we shall rest with Him, in the joy of His Resurrection. He has compassion on us; He fears lest we faint in the way; and He, therefore, offers us the divine food, which gives light and strength to our souls, and refreshes them in their toil. We feel that our hearts are not yet pure enough; let us then, with a humble and contrite heart, go to Him, who has come that He may restore to our souls their original beauty. Let us, at all times, remember the solemn injunction which this Saviour so graciously deigned to give us: “Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you.”

If, therefore, sin has no longer dominion over us; if we have destroyed it by true sorrow and sincere confession, made efficacious by the absolution of God’s priest: let us not deprive ourselves of the Bread of life, no matter how great soever our infirmities may seem; for it is for us that our Jesus has prepared the feast. If we feel that the chains of sin are still upon us; if by self-examination made with the light of the truth that is now granted to us, we discover in our souls certain stains, which the false principles of the world and too easy a conscience have hitherto made us overlook; let us lose no time, let us make a good confession: and when we have made our peace with the God mercy, let us approach the holy Table, and receive the pledge of our reconciliation.

Yes, let us go to Holy Communion, during this season of Lent, with the most heart-felt conviction of our unworthiness. It may be that hitherto we have sometimes gone with too much familiarity, on account of our not sufficiently understanding our nothing ness, our misery, and the infinite holiness of the God who thus unites Himself with His sinful creatures. Henceforth, our heart shall be more truthful; blending together the two sentiments of humility and confidence, we will say, with an honest conviction, those words of the centurion of the Gospel, which the Church puts upon our lips, when she is distributing to us the Bread of life: “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

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St. Thomas Aquinas on Fasting

The Temptation of St. Thomas Aquinas
From the Summa Theologica (II, 2, Q 147, Art 1) of St. Thomas Aquinas writes the following words on Fasting.  Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the start of the Great Fast.  Please join me in fasting for 40 days in observance of the traditional Lenten fast that took place for over a thousand years up until the Vatican Council in 1969.

Fasting is practiced for a threefold purpose:

First, in order to bridle the lusts of the flesh, wherefore the Apostle says (2 Corinthians 6:5-6): "In fasting, in chastity," since fasting is the guardian of chastity. For, according to Jerome, "Venus is cold when Ceres and Bacchus are not there," that is to say, lust is cooled by abstinence in meat and drink.

Secondly, we have recourse to fasting in order that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things: hence it is related (Daniel 10) of Daniel that he received a revelation from God after fasting for three weeks.

Thirdly, in order to satisfy for sins: wherefore it is written (Joel 2:12): "Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning." The same is declared by Augustine in a sermon: "Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one's flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.

Want to learn more about the history of fasting and abstinence? Check out the Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting and Abstinence. 

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