Poll Results: Blog Background Music

For the past few weeks I have asked this question on my blog's minipoll:

Would you like background music added to this blog? I'm thinking of adding something that is in Latin.

I think I've given a fair amount of time for all of my readers to comment. Here are the results:

YES - 12 votes 40%
NO - 15 votes 50%
NO OPINION - 3 votes 10%

So, since I want to make this an enjoyable place for my visitors, I will not be adding background music to this blog at least for this year. I may post this poll again next year.

Closed

Read more >>

Want to Get in Shape and Save Babies at the Same Time?

Then Curves is the place for you! Curves was founded in 1992 by Gary Heavin who currently owns 8000 branches country-wide. Gary Heavin is also a devout Catholic dedicated to saving the lives of unborn babies.

While Curves itself supports no one cause, Heavin himself is an avid Catholic with a firm belief in pro-life causes. Heavin matches the first $1,000 that each franchise raises for community causes such as walkathons to benefit pro-life pregnancy-care centers. In 2003, Heavin pledged one-million dollars (profit from Curves franchises and his two books on the Curves philosophy and phenomenon) to Care Net, a Christian organization that is pro-life and anti-Planned Parenthood (source)

This is excellent news! I'm definitely going to refer people to the closest Curves now. And I want to thank the pro-abortion site, BellaOnline for pointing this out to me. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't go out of my way to refer people to Curves now.

Read more >>

Words of Inspiration: July 2, 2006

Blessed Mother Teresa:

"We stand before the world as ambassadors of peace by preaching the message of love in action that crosses all barriers of nationality, creed, or country."

St. Padre Pio:

"God does not want you to experience the feeling of love for Him and your neighbor in a perceptible manner… How fortunate we are to be held so tightly to our heavenly tutor! We need do no more than we are doing at present; that is to love divine Providence and abandon ourselves in His arms and heart.No, my God, I desire no greater pleasure than my faith, my hope, my love; to be able only to say sincerely, even if sometimes without feeling, that I would rather die than abandon this virtue" (Letters III p 425).

Read more >>

Pope Benedict to Canonize Four this Fall

It has been confirmed - Pope Benedict XVI will canonize four people on October 15, 2006. So far in his pontificate, he has canonized 5 people. This fall he will canonize these people:

• Mexican bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia (1878 - 1938)
• Italian priest Filippo Smaldone (1848-1923)
• Italian nun Rosa Venerini (1656-1728)
• Mother Theodore Guerin 1798 - 1858)

October 16, 2006, Update: I have posted on their canonization!

Read more >>

Cause for Beatification opened for 149 Spanish Martyrs

Pope Benedict XVI has just opened the cause for beatification for 149 Spanish Martyrs murdered for the Faith in the Spanish Civil War. 

Last fall on October 29, 2005, several martyrs were already beatified. They were Father Francisco Castells Brenuy, Father José Boher Foix, Father José Juan Perot Juanmarti, Father Jose Tàpies Sirvant, María De Los Ángeles Ginard Martí, Father Pascual Araguàs Guàrdia, Father Pedro Martret Molet, and Silvestre Arnau Pascuet.

Thousands were murdered in the Spanish Civil War just because they were Catholic:

In Spain, one of Europe’s most staunchly Catholic countries, large numbers of Catholics were butchered during the 1936-1939 Civil War solely for being Catholic. Unlike the martyrdom in most parts of the world, whole sectors of the religious community were liquidated. At least 6,832 priests and religious were martyred, including 13 bishops. In the 20th century, probably no country witnessed so much bloodshed among its clergy.

The male religious martyred included 259 Claretians, 226 Franciscans, 204 Piarists, 176 Brothers of Mary, 165 Christian Brothers, 155 Augustinians, 132 Dominicans, and 114 Jesuits. The toll among the female orders was lower, but still shocking when we recall that these women could have had virtually nothing to do with the political struggle: 30 Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, 26 Carmelites of Charity, 26 Adoratrices, and 20 Capuchins, along with many others.

Source: Catholic Herald

Read more >>

Blessed Junípero Serra (USA)

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): July 1

Listed on the 1969 Calendar of Saints for the United States, the Church today celebrates the life of Blessed Junípero Serra. Specifically in the United States, the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of Blessed Junípero Serra, who gave nearly his entire life to evanglize non-believers. This is someone I truly admire because evangelization is close to my heart.

He was originally born as Miguel Jose Serra on the island of Mallorca, Spain on November 24, 1713. When he entered the Franciscan Order in 1730, he took the name of Junípero, the name of the companion friar of St. Francis of Assisi. He was ordained in 1737, and he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua for twelve years. Then at the age of 37, he answered an inner calling to go to the New World and convert the natives so that they might be saved.

Blessed Junípero arrived at Vera Cruz, Mexico and walked the 250 miles to Mexico City along with his companion. Along the way he received an insect bite on his leg that would remain with him for the rest of his life. At times it would become life threatening. For the next 18 years, Blessed Junípero evangelized the people of central Mexico and the Baja Peninsula. He became president of the missions there.

However, politics soon entered the situation. Charles III of Spain ordered an expedition to beat Russia to territory south of Alaska. Jose de Galvez persuaded Junipero to set out for present-day Monterey, California along with him. The first mission he founded after the 900 miles journey north was in San Diego (1769). At that time the expedition was nearly canceled due to a shortage of food. Blessed Junípero and another friar began a novena that would lead up to the day of the departure, March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph. And, on that day, a relief ship arrived allowing Blessed Junípero to continue onward.

Numerous missions would follow including San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771), San Luis Obispo (1772), San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776), Santa Clara (1777), and San Buenaventura (1782). I suggest you look at a map of California missions.

Blessed Junípero frequently faced death from non-Christian natives as well as cruel military commanders. Yet through prayer and faith, he saved many souls; he would frequently pray from midnight until dawn. He baptized over six thousand people and confirmed five thousand. The amount of miles he traveled would have encircled the earth. Blessed Junípero also helped make the "Bill of Rights" for Native Americans a reality. He died on August 28, 1784, of tuberculosis and is buried at Mission San Carlo Borromeo in Carmel, Monterey, California. He was beatified in 1988.

Read much more
Photo Source

Read more >>

Devotions to the Precious Blood of Jesus

When did this devotion begin?

Devotion to the Precious Blood is connected to devotion to the Passion and Death of Our Lord since through the shedding of His Blood, mankind was redeemed. Consequently, one can say the Church has always honored the Blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:9 states, "we are justified by His blood", and Hebrews 13:12 states, "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate." 1 John 1:7 also writes of the Precious Blood: "...and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin." We would do well to meditate on the seven times Christ shed His Precious Blood for our salvation. As Fr. Peter Scott reminds us: 

"The veneration of the Precious Blood of Our Divine Saviour is as old as the Passion in which it was shed. It is founded on the simple doctrine of the Incarnation, namely that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took a human nature to Himself, and that this human nature is the human nature of God. We call this the hypostatic union. Every part of Christ’s human nature is united to the second divine Person. This includes his Precious Blood, to which is consequently owed the adoration that is owed to God Himself, that of Latria. We consequently do not need any private revelation to tell us about devotion to the Precious Blood, but find it deeply rooted in the deposit of the Faith."

Closer to our modern era, devotion to the Precious Blood has been greatly encouraged by Blessed Gaspar Buffalo, founder of the Congregation of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Pope Pius IX was exiled from Rome in 1849. A companion of Pope Pius IX was Don Giovanni Merlini, the third general of that Congregation. Don Giovanni Merlini suggested to Pope Pius IX that he make a vow to give the Feast of the Precious Blood to the entire church if he should regain the papal territory. 

We owe the institution of a special feast in honour of the Precious Blood to Pope Pius IX, who on August 10, 1849, from his exile in Gaeta, did just that - he ordered its celebration in commemoration of the defeat of the forces of the revolution that enabled him to return to Rome. Then, it was Pope Pius XI, who gave it the status of a first class feast, in commemoration of the 19th centennial of the mystery of the Redemption. The Feast of the Precious Blood is celebrated on July 1st.

Devotions:

• Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
• Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus (approved by Pope John XXIII on February 24, 1960)
• Offering in Reparation to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus (approved by Pope Pius VII on September 22, 1817)
• An Offering of the Precious Blood for Souls

Recommended Reading:

• Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Greatest Devotion of Our Time
• Devotion to the Precious Blood
• Devotions to the Precious Blood - Catholic Prayers for July Kindle Edition

Read more >>

The Rosary For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

On the Cross:

Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If Thou, O Lord wilt mark iniquities; Lord who shall stand it? For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason
of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning-watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him plentiful redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Eternal rest give unto them. O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. From the gate of hell. Deliver their souls, O Lord. May they rest in peace. Amen. O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto Thee. The Lord be with you. And with thy Spirit. Let us Pray: O God the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, we beseech Thee to grant to the souls of thy servants the remission of their sins, so that by our prayers they may obtain pardon for which they long. O Lord, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May they rest in peace. Amen.

On Large Beads:

Eternal rest give to them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

Three Small Beads:

Act of Faith: My God, I believe in Thee, because Thou art Truth
itself

Act of Hope: My God, I hope in Thee because Thou art infinitely good

Act of Charity: My God, I love Thee with my whole heart and above
all things because Thou art infinitely perfect.

On Small Beads:
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation.

At the end:

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us. St. Joseph, model and patron of those who love the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

Purgatory exists! I encourage the saying of this prayer for all of the pour souls there. We could very well end up there one day ourselves, and then we will need the prayers of the living too. (Photo Source)

Read more >>

Weekend Humor

I'm very busy today, but I wanted to post this joke I received in my inbox:

Lost on a rainy night, a nun stumbles across a monastery and requests shelter there. Fortunately, she's just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips she's ever had.

After dinner, she goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs. She is met by two brothers, "Hello, I'm Brother Michael, and this is Brother Charles."

"I'm very pleased to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I've ever tasted. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?"

Brother Charles replied, "Well, I'm the fish friar," She turned to the other brother and says, "then you must be...?" "Yes, I'm afraid I'm the chip monk."

Read more >>

July Rosary Intentions

Please pray for Pope Benedict XVI's intentions for the Month of July:

General: That all those who are in prison, and especially young people, may receive the necessary support from society to help them rediscover a sense to their own existence.

Missionary: That in the mission territories, different ethnic and religious groups may live in peace and together build a society inspired by hu­man and spiritual values.

Please also pray for the Intentions on the Catholic Community Forum's July Rosary Intentions Thread.

Read more >>