Catholic Church in France and Germany

Earlier in the year I was very pleased to read that the world Catholic population has increased by 1.1%! This is substantial.

In more recent, though equally joyful news, the Catholic Church remains highly frequented in Germany and France. Over the past year I've heard numerous reports of secularism taking over these two countries on CNN, so I was glad to finally have statistics. And the results are good for the Church. We just have to pray that more people in Europe practice the Catholic faith.

These are some of the statistics for France:

In France the poll showed that the Catholic Church remains by far the most important institution. Figures coming from the French Bishops Conference, a recent poll from the CSA institute and the daily LeMonde newspaper, show that 62 % of the population considers itself Catholic, 12 % say they are somewhat practicing and 35% are non-practicing. Half of French children are currently baptized, and about 18,826 adults and children over 7 years old were baptized in 2001. (Source)

In addition to this, there are over 24,000 priests and 100 bishops in France. Germany, likewise is showing a strong Catholic population benefiting from the election of Benedict XVI to the papacy.

Yet, the largest question remains as to whether these self-described "Catholics" are truly Catholic in the sense of Tradition.

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Stational Church for Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church Station —Church of Sts. Sylvester and Martin in Rome

Near this church the penitents used to pass through one of the most infamous of places, near the crossroads of Mercury and the Serbian walls, where there was the merulana necropolis (cemetery). That was where pagan Rome left the bodies of slaves and criminals to rot in the open, until the Christians built a chapel with the aim of venerating the Christian martyrs.Two weeks from today, the Church will celebrate the mystery of the living and life-giving Bread, the first source of life and health. "For he that eats this Bread shall have life everlasting." "And unless you eat this Bread you shall not have life in you."

Preceded by two stational saints, the first Confessors, who were given public veneration in the Church—St. Sylvester and St. Martin—we will go to God's altar, to the Mystery of Life, to Him who will say also to us:" I say to thee, arise!"

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who are chastised by fasting, may rejoice with holy devotion, and that our earthly affections being weakened, we may, more easily understand the things of heaven. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Source: St. John Cantius Parish

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Why do Catholics Light Prayer Candles?

Click here to browse some religious candles for sale!

Why Do Catholics Light Candles?

In the lighting of candles, we remember and truly live the words of Our Lord: "I am the Light of the World." In the lighting of candles we not only pray, but our prayers become smaller symbols of the One Light of Christ. In burning candles, our prayers rise up to Heaven day and night; prayers for the saint's intercession are also common because of their friendship with God in Heaven. Saints are powerful intercessors. The lighting of candles has been observed since the era of the early martyrs.

The Church's traditional Blessing of Candles which can be said by any Catholic priest highlights the importance and role of prayer candles: "O Lord Jesus Christ, the true Light who enlightenest every man that cometh into this world: pour forth Thy blessing † upon these candles, and sanctify † them with the light of Thy grace, and mercifully grant, that as these lights enkindled with visible fire dispel the darkness of night, so our hearts illumined by invisible fire, that is, by the splendor of the Holy Spirit, may be free from the blindness of all vice, that the eye of our mind being cleansed, we may be able to discern what is pleasing to Thee and profitable to our salvation; so that after the perilous darkness of this life we may deserve to attain to neverfailing light."

"St. Anthony Messenger" September 2003, Page 26 provided a great reflection on the purpose of Catholic votive candles:

The Sight of burning votive candles -real or electronic - is common in most Catholic churches. The candles are usually placed before statues of saints or at shrines. But how did this tradition get its start?

According to A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals, by Ann Ball (Our Sunday Visitor Books), the practice of lighting candles in order to obtain some favor probably has its origins in the custom of burning lights at the tombs of the martyrs in the catacombs. The lights burned as a sign of solidarity with Christians still on earth. Because the lights continually burned as a silent vigil, they became known as vigil lights.

Vigil Lights (from the Latin vigilia, which means "waiting" or "watching") are traditionally accompanied by prayers of attention or waiting. Another common type of candle offering is the votive light. Such an offering is indicative of seeking some favor from the Lord or the saint before which the votive is placed.

Lighting a candle is a way of extending one's prayer and showing solidarity with the person on whose behalf the prayer is offered.

After the 9/11 tragedy, lit candles figured prominently in a televised concert affirming the power of goodness over the darkness of evil. The symbolism was similar to the Catholic custom of lighting candles as a form of prayer.

Cost of a Prayer Candle?

I own several votive candles and nearly all churches have votive candles. Some churches ask for only a $1 donation to light one so they can purchase another, while some require up to $10. This is just to help them purchase new candles. Please realize it is a "donation", not an obligation; if you don't have the money, you will still be able to light a candle. There are many churches and Cathedrals over the Internet that will even light candles there for you if you send in a donation to cover the cost of the candles.

Click here to browse some religious candles for sale!

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St. Augustine

“Before Thine eyes, O Lord, we bring our sins, and compare them with the stripes we have received. If we examine the evil we have wrought, what we suffer is little, what we deserve is great. What we have committed is very grievous, what we have suffered is slight. We feel the punishment of sin, yet withdraw not from the obstinacy of sinning. Under Thy lash our inconstancy is visited, but our sinfulness is not changed. Our suffering soul is tormented, but our neck is not bent. Our life groans under sorrow, yet amends not in deed. If Thou spare us, we correct not our ways; if Thou punish, we cannot endure it. In time of correction we confess our wrongdoing; after Thy visitation we forget that we have wept. If Thou stretchest forth Thy hand, we promise amendment; if Thou witholdest the sword, we keep not our promise. If Thou strikest, we cry out for mercy; if Thou sparest, we again provoke Thee to strike.”

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Stational Church for Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is at the beautiful Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

At one time, a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Paul in this Lenten penitential procession took on an exceptional character in view of the riches of doctrinal teaching, which has come down to us from the Apostle to the Gentiles.

For this reason, it used to happen, that in this particular Lenten Station, the Pope carried out a "third scrutiny" for the baptismal candidates—that is, for those catechumens, who wanted to be baptized in water.In this church, at the tomb of this great convert-exemplar, the catechumens, turning westward—towards darkness—renounced Satan, his pomps and his works. Then, turning eastward—towards the light—they pledged their loyalty to Christ and His Church.

Here at the tomb of the Apostle, who was "the salt of the earth," the catechumens received a morsel of salt. Accipe sal sapientiae—Receive the salt of wisdom! Receive the taste for the doctrine of God. Hereafter, speak no longer the language of the flesh, but let your conversation be heavenly.
Let us pray: O God, who grantest to the just the reward of their merits, and to sinners pardon through their fasts, have mercy on Thy suppliant people, that the confession of our guilt may enable us to obtain the forgiveness of our sins. Through Christ, Our Lord.Amen.

(Source: St. John Cantius Parish)

Here is some good information on this Basilica, the third major basilica of Rome:

Tourists visiting the third major basilica of Rome, San Paolo Fuori Le Mure (St. Paul outside the Walls). The "walls" refers to the Aurelian Wall, built by Marcus Aurelius in the 3rd Century as a bulwark against barbarian invasion. The place where the basilica is situated is called, "Tre Fontane" (The Three Fountains). Legend has it that three springs emerged from the spot where St. Paul's head hit the ground after he was beheaded during the First Great Persecution under the emperor Nero. The statue depicts St. Paul holding the sword with which he was beheaded. (Fordham)

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Remembering Terri

Friday is the one-year anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death, and it is saddening that many states have not passed laws to protect the disabled. Terri Schiavo was not in a vegetative state and she was not in a coma. Terri Schiavo was disabled and her cruel husband allowed her to die. Today Michael Schiavo, her husband, is remarried.

Michael Schiavo has just released a very immature book whose purpose was to "settle some scores" with Terri's family. Remember, her family was the one that wanted to take care of Terri. They wanted to take her under their care and pay for every expense. Michael Schiavo didn't want what was best for Terri, he wanted to get remarried!

I'm happy to say that there is an alternative book that has just came out, this one by Terri's own family, the family that loved her. It's called A Life that Matters: the legacy of Terri Schiavo - a lesson for us all.

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A Letter to Michael Schiavo

This Friday we remember the one-year anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death. Let us, during this Lenten season of penance, remember her life. She is another statistic caused by the culture of death.

The ABC News poll, conducted on March 5 asked Americans whether "the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube was the right thing or the wrong thing to do." Some 64 percent said yes, with 44 percent strongly agreeing and 20 percent somewhat agreeing. The poll found 27 percent said no with 19 percent strongly opposing the euthanasia and 8 percent somewhat opposing it. The results are largely unchanged from a March 2005 ABC News poll that found Americans supporting removing Terri's feeding tube on a 63-28 percent margin. (Source)

Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life released a letter to Michael Schiavo. It is very powerful. Here it is:

An Open Letter to Michael Schiavo

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, and an eyewitness to Terri Schiavo’s final hours, released the following open letter to Michael Schiavo tonight. Fr. Pavone read it to a worldwide audience on an internationally broadcast religious service on Sunday morning, March 26.

Dear Michael,

A year ago this week, I stood by the bedside of the woman you married and promised to love in good times and bad, in sickness and health. She was enduring a very bad time, because she hadn't been given food or drink in nearly two weeks. And you were the one insisting that she continue to be deprived of food and water, right up to her death. I watched her face for hours on end, right up to moments before her last breath. Her death was not peaceful, nor was it beautiful. If you saw her too, and noticed what her eyes were doing, you know that to describe her last agony as peaceful is a lie.

This week, tens of millions of Americans will remember those agonizing days last year, and will scratch their heads trying to figure out why you didn't simply let Terri's mom, dad, and siblings take care of her, as they were willing to do. They offered you, again and again, the option to simply let them care for Terri, without asking anything of you. But you refused and continued to insist that Terri's feeding be stopped. She had no terminal illness. She was simply a disabled woman who needed extra care that you weren't willing to give.

I speak to you today on behalf of the tens of millions of Americans who still wonder why. I speak to you today to express their anger, their dismay, their outraged astonishment at your behavior in the midst of this tragedy. Most people will wonder about these questions in silence, but as one of only a few people who were eyewitnesses to Terri's dehydration, I have to speak.

I have spoken to you before. Before Terri's feeding tube was removed for the last time, I appealed to you with respect, asking you not to continue on the road you were pursuing, urging you to reconsider your decisions, in the light of the damage you were doing. I invited you to talk. But you did not respond.

Then, after Terri died, I called her death a killing, and I called you a murderer because you knew - as we all did - that ceasing to feed Terri would kill her. We watched, but you had the power to save her. Her life was in your hands, but you threw it away, with the willing cooperation of attorneys and judges who were as heartless as you were. Some have demanded that I apologize to you for calling you a murderer. Not only will I not apologize, I will repeat it again.

Your decision to have Terri dehydrated to death was a decision to kill her. It doesn't matter if Judge Greer said it was legal. No judge, no court, no power on earth can legitimize what you did. It makes no difference if what you did was legal in the eyes of men; it was murder in the eyes of God and of millions of your fellow Americans and countless more around the world. You are the one who owes all of us an apology.

Your actions offend us. Not only have you killed Terri and deeply wounded her family, but you have disgraced our nation, betrayed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and undermined the principles that hold us together as a civilized society. You have offended those who struggle on a daily basis to care for loved ones who are dying, and who sometimes have to make the very legitimate decision to discontinue futile treatment. You have offended them by trying to confuse Terri's circumstances with theirs. Terri's case was not one of judging treatment to be worthless - which is sometimes the case; rather, it was about judging a life to be worthless, which is never the case.

You have made your mark on history, but sadly, it is an ugly stain. In the name of millions around the world, I call on you today to embrace a life of repentance, and to ask forgiveness from the Lord, who holds the lives of each of us in His hands.

Fr. Frank Pavone

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Stational Church for Tuesday in the 4th Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is at the Church of St. Lawrence in Damaso

We celebrate the holy mysteries in spirit in the church of St. Lawrence in Damaso, built by the "poet-Pope" and "lover of the catacombs," St. Damasus, whose remains rest in this venerable edifice.

Mother Church points today to two leaders: Moses and Christ—figure and fulfillment. Both of them were unappreciated by their flock. Both of them were unmoved in their consecration to God and their holy calling. Their people were superficial, proud and selfish, while they, the leaders, were filled with the spirit of prayer, humility and the love of God.

In the spirit of our prayerful, humble and God-loving leader, St. Lawrence, let us make a sincere oblation of ourselves. Then the Divine Victim, through the prayers of this holy deacon, will increase in our souls what is so strikingly expressed in today's Mass:1. Humility—"With expectation I have waited for the Lord and he was attentive to me."2. Prayerfulness—"And He heard my prayer."3. Love—"And He put a new canticle in my mouth, a song to our God."

Let us pray: Hear, O God, my prayer and despise not my supplication. Be attentive to me and hear me. Through Christ, Our Lord.Amen.

(Source: St. John Cantius Parish)

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New Features

I've just started a new poll at my blog (available near the bottom of my right hand sidebar). Please vote and in two weeks I will take the end results into consideration for my daily posting. Above all, I want this place to be a "daily dose" of the Catholic faith. Our life must be built on Jesus Christ and I try to get this across each day here.

Thanks everyone!

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Mother Teresa Wisdom for the Day

Mother Teresa -

A day alone with Jesus is apt to spur us on in the vigorous pursuit of holiness through personal love for Jesus. Jesus desires our perfection with unspeakable ardor. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification." We are but instruments that God deigns to use; these instruments bring forth fruit in the measure that they are united to God......

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