Our Lady of La Salette

On September 19, 1846, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the mountain of La Salette in France to Melanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, two young shepherds who had only known each other for two days. Our Blessed Mother appeared to them on this day, the feastday of Our Lady of Sorrows, and she asked them to make her message known. Mother Mary also told each of them a private secret.

The children say that Mary was in tears and her hands were folded across her chest. She spoke of how it upset her for people to swear, not go to Sunday Mass, and disobey God's laws. During this apparition, she begged us all: "be reconciled with God."

Blessed Melanie Calvat was instructed to found a new religious order, the Order of the Mother of God. Blessed Melanie was told by the Mother of God to make known her secret after the year 1858.

Blessed Melanie Calvat said that both secrets were written down and handed to Pope Pius IX in 1851. In 1888, the secret was published.

The Secret:

1. Three quarters of France will lose the Faith
2. A Protestant nation in the North shall repent and return to God
3. The Church shall grow once more
4. The peace will be destroyed by a "monster" at the end of the 19th Century or beginning of the 20th

The Blessed Virgin Mary announced:

“God is going to strike in an unprecedented manner. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God is going to exhaust His wrath, and no one will be able to resist so many concerted woes... Many will abandon the faith, and the number of priests and religious who will dissociate themselves from the true religion will be great... Many religious institutes will lose the faith entirely and will cause the loss of many souls. The Church will pass through a frightful crisis... The Holy Father will suffer greatly. I will be with him to the end to receive his sacrifice... For a time God will not remember France or Italy because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is no longer known... [But the] prayers, penance and tears of the just will ascend to heaven, and the entire people of God will beg for pardon and mercy and will ask My assistance and My intercession. Then Jesus Christ, by an act of His justice and His great mercy toward the just [will intervene and] then there will be peace, the reconciliation of God with men... Charity will flourish everywhere.. The Gospel will be preached everywhere, and men will make great progress in the faith, because there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ and men will live in the fear of God.”

She also said: “Rome will lose the faith and will become the seat of Antichrist.” To call Her children to combat for God in the days of darkness and sin, the Mother of God concludes:“I address an urgent appeal to the earth: I summon the true disciples of God who lives and reigns in heaven; I summon the true imitators of Christ made man, the one true Saviour of men; I summon My children, My true devotees, those who have given themselves to Me so that I might lead them to My divine Son, those whom I carry, so to speak, in My arms, those who have lived according to My spirit; finally, I summon the Apostles of the Latter Times, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in scorn of the world and of themselves, in poverty and in humility, in contempt and in silence, in prayer and in mortification, in chastity and in union with God, in suffering and unknown to the world. It is time for them to arise and come forth to enlighten the earth.

“Go, and show yourselves as My cherished children; I am with you and in you, provided that your faith be the light that enlightens you in these days of woe. May your zeal cause you to be as famished for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of light, you little number who see; for behold the time of times, the end of ends.”

On November 16, 1851, the Holy See officially declared the apparitions at La Salette as authentic.

Read More:

1. Those Who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary
2. Our Lady of LaSalle Coloring Book
3. The Secrets, Triumphs, and Chastisements of the Two Hearts

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Response to Comments on "TradReviews" Post

Hello, everyone.

I want to take this opportunity and state my beliefs. In response to the recent comments on the Trad Reviews post by anonymous, I feel obligated to. I am a Traditional Catholic - I want to serve the Church founded on Jesus Christ and preserved through the past two millenia. I am here to serve and teach. I am here to spread the Gospel on the Internet, and I anticipated a lot of people wouldn't like that. Surprisingly, during the past few years I learned not only computer knowledge but a wealth of information on Catholic practices, saints, etc. that I never knew before. I think that during my past year and a half blogging, I have learned probably more than I have taught my readers.

One thing I have learned better is myself. I have learned that I have a vocation - a vocation to serve God - a vocation, I believe, to the holy Catholic priesthood. And during this past year I also realized that I am a Traditionalist Catholic. I want the Church to remain true to its sacred teachings. Even over the summer when I stayed with a group of Benedictine monks, I was able to grow even closer to God in realizing that I can't do everything. I learned that I can't save souls or make people believe - only God can.

I want to point out the two recent comments on this blog - please read them under my post on TradReviews.

First off, I do think I sound mature on this blog. I am tired of continually being called "immature" by anonymous commentors in the recent months. Are you saying I am immature because I stand for the Holy Traditions of the Catholic Church and refuse to be swerved by modernism?

Secondly, I choose not to reveal my real name for my safety. Many of my fellow bloggers choose to do the same thing. In this day and age, safety on the Internet has to be a #1 priority. Please know that I do not choose to remain anonymous because I am afraid of the Church knowning my beliefs. After my ordination, I plan to not only reveal my name but place my picture online like many blogging priests do. Until that day comes, though, I choose to remain anonymous. I however am not afraid of my beliefs being "reviewed" by the Catholic Church because my beliefs are part of the Catholic Church.

My priest, bishop, and other important people in my diocese already are aware of my support for the Tridentine Rite and my Traditional views. Overall, I have received great support from them.

I am both a sinner and a servant of God. I am someone hoping to enter a seminary. That is who I am. If anonymous is demanding to know my name, he/she is being a hypocrite for not revealing his/her own name with his/her powerful statements.

To those that wish to bring discord online, I remind you of the most important thing in the world - love. Bringing discord does not foster love.

So, since this post has turned into an open post for debate, I address this to all of my readers: I want to know your comments. If you have a problem with something I do, then please let me know. And if you wish to offer support, then please do so.

To all of you, regardless, I pray that you will have peace!

God Bless!

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Sara Salkahazi & Fr. Mosè Tovini Are Beatified

Sara Salkahazi was beatified on September 17, 2006, at Budapest's St. Stephen Basilica. Salkahazi was a Hungarian nun that saved the lives of dozens of Jews during World War II. She is an example of the sacrificial love that Jesus calls us to show to the whole world.

On Dec. 27, 1944, Sara Salkahazi was killed by the Arrow Cross - the Hungarian allies of the Nazis, for hiding Jews in the building used by her religious community, Sisters of Social Service.

Her beatification was the first held in Hungary since 1083, when Hungary's first king, St. Stephen, was beatified along with his son, St. Imre, and St. Gellert, an Italian bishop who helped convert Hungarians to Christianity. It was the custom for hundreds of years to celebrate beatifications in Rome. Now, canonizations will be held in Rome, but Pope Benedict XVI is allowing beatifications in other parts of the world.

She was the first Hungarian beatified that was not a member of the aristocracy or royalty.

Speaking at the Beatification Mass, Rabbi Jozsef Schweitzer said of Sister Sara, "I know from personal experience ... how dangerous and heroic it was in those times to help Jews and save them from death. Originating in her faith, she kept the commandment of love until death."

If you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Sara, please contact:

Szociális Testvérek Társasága
Bartók Béla út 61. III./6, 1114
Budapest, HUNGARY

Father Mosè Tovini, a priest of the Brescia diocese in Italy, was also beatified on September 17, 2006! He was beatified in the Cathedral of Brescia, Italy.

Fr. Mosè Tovini was born on December 27, 1877, and lived as a priest in the diocese of Brescia, Italy. He taught mathematics, philosophy, sociology, apologetics, and dogmatic theology at the Brescia Seminary. He is best known for his ardor in teaching the Catechism. He died on January 28, 1930 in Brescia, Italy. If you have information relevant to the canonization of Blessed Mose, please contact:

Santuario delle Grazie
Via Grazie, 13
25122 Brescia, ITALY

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Memorial of St. Padre Pio

Today the Church celebrates and remembers St. Padre Pio (1887 - 1968), one of my personal favorite saints. Please read my post on the Memorial of St. Padre Pio for today.

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Words of Inspiration: September 22, 2006

"That is why Jesus made himself bread
to satisfy our hunger for God.
See the humility of God.
He also made Himself the hungry one
to satisfy our hunger for God
through our love, our service.
Let us pray that none of us will be unfaithful.
Let us pray for our poor people.
They are also hungry for God."

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Support for the Holy Father

REUTERS/Paul Hanna (SPAIN)

REUTERS/Paul Hanna (SPAIN)

The Pope has apologized SEVERAL times and has said that he meant to "explain that religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do." Pope Benedict XVI has invited envoys from Muslim nations to visit him at his summer residence for talks on Islam. He is being so kind to those that insult him and burn his image in protests. Pray for the Pope!

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Pray the Liturgy of the Hours in Latin!

Please consider the resources below to pray the Traditional (pre-Vatican II) Breviary in Latin.

Print Resources:

1. Breviarium Romanum ex decreto ss. concilii tridentini restitutum By Pars Hiemalis
2. Breviarium Romanum Ex Decreto SS Concilii Tridentini Restitutum S. PII V Pontificis Maximi (Jussu Editum Aliorumque Pontificum Cura Recognitum PII Papae X Auctoritate Reformatum Editio II Juxta Typicam Vaticanam Amplificata I, Pars Hiemalis)
3. Learning the New Breviary by S. J. Bernard A Hausmann.  The title word "new" is rather misleading today, as it actually refers to the new code of rubrics promulgated in July 1960 for the traditional Roman Breviary. In this handy, concise and easy-to-read book, Fr. Hausmann leads the reader step by step through each of the 8 canonical hours, their contents, special particulars, and how they are said, all the while providing important tips on how to recite the Divine Office with a correct liturgical spirit. An indispensable book for any Catholic who would like to become better acquainted with the traditional Roman Breviary, the Church's liturgical treasure that in connection with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass forms the Church's official daily prayer. 
4. A Short Breviary for Religious and the Laity By Monks of St. John's Abbey

Electronic Resources:

1. Breviary.net
2. Divinum Officium (Latin for "Divine Office)

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Words of Inspiration: September 21, 2006

"True obedience is a genuine act of love.
Obedience makes us practice the other virtues.
It likens us to martyrs,
for it is a much greater martyrdom to persevere
in obedience all through life
than to die in a moment by a stroke of the sword."

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Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Success in Examinations

This powerful prayer is very effective in examinations. It has to be said before appearing in the examination. There are two variants to this prayer. Both the prayers are equally effective. You can choose any one of these:

First Prayer

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

Through Christ our Lord.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.

Amen.

Second Prayer

O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination eg. History paper I ) examination.

In return, I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me
O Holy Ghost enlighten me
Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me
Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.

Remember, when you succeed in the exams then you should thank St. Joseph of Cupertino. And if you would like a prayer card you can use and include in your books, find a great option here.

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Blog Banner Ads: "I Support the Pope"

Smaller version:

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The Miracle of St. Januarius Occurs!

From Catholic World News:

Sep. 19 (CWNews.com) - The familiar "miracle of St. Januarius"-- the liquefaction of the blood of the 4th-century martyr-- occurred once again in Naples on the saint's feast day, September 19.

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, newly installed as the Archbishop of Naples presided for the first time at the celebration of the city's patron saint, who died in the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian. A vial containing the preserved blood of the martyr was brought into the sanctuary. After the Gospel was read, the cardinal told the congregation that "the blood is starting to melt." The announcement drew warm applause.

According to a popular tradition, the liquefaction is a sign of assurance that the year will be free from disasters. (One of the rare years in which the miracle did not occur was 1939, the year that saw the beginning of World War II.)

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St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata

Double (1954 Calendar): September 17

Commemoration (1962 Calendar): September 17

Today, September 17th is the Commemoration of the Impression of the Sacred Stigmata which St. Francis, received on his hands, feet, and side at Mount Alverina in Etruria while in the midst of his St. Michael's Lenten fast.

St. Bonaventure in the Life of St. Francis writes the following account:

“On a certain morning about the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross [September 14], while Francis was praying on the mountainside, he saw a Seraph with six fiery and shining wings descend from the height of heaven. And when in swift flight the Seraph had reached a spot in the air near the man of God, there appeared between the wings the figure of the a man crucified, with his hands and feet extended in the form of a cross and fastened to a cross. Two of the wings were lifted above his head, two were extended for flight and two covered his whole body"

Thomas of Celano, writing within a few years of St. Francis’ death in 1229 AD, also described what happened:

“....the marks of nails began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them slightly earlier in the crucified man above him. His wrists and feet seemed to be pierced by nails, with the heads of the nails appearing on his wrists and on the upper sides of his feet, the points appearing on the other side. The marks were round on the palm of each hand but elongated on the other side, and small pieces of flesh jutting out from the rest took on the appearance of the nail-ends, bent and driven back. In the same way the marks of nails were impressed on his feet and projected beyond the rest of the flesh. Moreover, his right side had a large wound as if it had been pierced with a spear, and it often bled so that his tunic and trousers were soaked with his sacred blood.”

Prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, when the world was growing cold, in order to enkindle in our hearts the fire of Thy love, didst renew the sacred makers of Thy Passion on the body of blessed Francis: mercifully grant, that with the aid of his merits and prayers we may ever bear our cross, and bring forth worthy fruits of penance: Who livest and reignest.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Prayers Needed for the Holy Father

During Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Germany, he quoted a medival text that of Manuel II Paleologus, one of the last Christian emperors, who said - while Constantinople was under threat from Muslim forces - the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad were “evil and inhuman”. Manuel II also accused Muhammad of “spreading faith by the sword." As a result, huge demoninstrations against the Holy Father have begun. Seven churches, two this morning, in the West Bank and Gaza were burned and a nun was murdered at a children's hospital! Your prayers are desperately needed!

The Holy Father apologized for his comments causing such violence. Pray that no further death or destruction will come out of this. Pray that those who resorted to violence will repent.

The Holy Father said: “These words were in fact a quotation from a medieval text which do not in any way express my personal thought. I hope that this serves to placate souls and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.”

Image Source: AFP/Daniele Colarieti

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Prayer to Jesus Crucified

Behold, my beloved and good Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech you to impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a most firm desire of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul I consider within myself and mentally contemplate your five most precious wounds, having before my eyes that which David the prophet long ago spoke about you, my Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones" (Ps 22:17-18).

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Updates on my Life

Classes are getting a little easier and I don't have so much work right now. Thanks for your prayers! Today is also my birthday so today and tomorrow I will be spending time relaxing and enjoying some time with family.

God Bless!

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The Lingering Effects of Suffering

"Notice that the risen Jesus still bears his wounds. How can it be otherwise? In our own lives, times of suffering may lead to times of peace and joy, but we cannot escape the lingering effects of suffering. It permanently changes us -- we cannot pretend that it never happened. That the risen Jesus still bears his wounds is good news, for it tells us that there is a continuity between the lives we have now and the lives that we will enjoy in the Resurrection. Jesus is the same person. His wounds, though, are different: they are not a source of suffering but a source of recognition. It is only through seeing Jesus' wounds that Thomas recognizes him. In the Resurrection, we will still bear the effects of the hurts that have been done to us, but they will no longer cause us pain."

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Pope St. Hyginus

Commemoration (1954 Calendar): January 11

Pope St. Hyginus was pope from c. 139 - 140 AD. He was born in Athens, Greece, and during his papacy, he determined the different prerogatives of the clergy and defined the grades of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Hyginus also started the practice of including godparents at Baptism to assist the newly born during his Christian life. He also decreed that all churches be consecrated. It is rumored that he became a martyr under the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. 

Dom Gueranger writes for January 11th in the Liturgical Year:

"The Church makes commemoration, today, of the holy Pope and Martyr Hyginus. He held the Apostolic Chair under the reign of Antoninus, and closed his four years’ Pontificate by martyrdom. We have no history of his life, but we venerate in him one of the links of that grand chain of Pontiffs which unites us, by St. Peter, to our Lord Jesus Christ. The whole weight of the government of the Church was upon his shoulders, and he was courageous and faithful in the discharge of his duties; his reign was during the age of Persecution, when to be Pope was to be a victim of tortures and death. As we have already said, he soon won his Palm, and was associated in heaven with the three Magi, who had, before leaving this world, preached the Gospel in Greece, the country of our Saint. Let us ask him to bless the offerings we are making to the Divine Infant of Bethlehem, and to pray for us, that we may obey this sweet King, who asks us to give him not our blood by martyrdom, but our hearts by charity."

Collect:

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Hyginus shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through Our Lord . . .

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Pope Benedict XVI's Final Day in Bavaria

Image Source: REUTERS/Maurizo Brambatti/Pool (Germany)

On Thursday, September 14, 2006, the Holy Father ended his journey to Bavaria in his homeland of Germany. During his final day in Bavaria, he visited priests and permanent deacons of Bavaria in the cathedral of Sts. Mary and Corbinian. During the visit, he prayed before the Shrine of the Holy Corbinian, the relics of St. Corbinian. Fifty-five years ago, Pope Benedict XVI was ordained in that cathedral.

Photos:


REUTERS/Maurizo Brambatti/Pool (Germany)


REUTERS/Alexandra Beier (GERMANY)

REUTERS/Maurizo Brambatti/Pool (Germany)

REUTERS/KNA-Bild/Wolfgang Radtke/Pool (GERMANY)

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"Catechism on Communion" by St. John Vianney

I hope all of my readers have enjoyed all of the posts on the writings of St. John Vianney. This is my final post on it - the 37th post. And I am very proud to end on his writting entitled "Catechism on Communion". After all, Jesus is truly and really present - body, blood, soul, and divinity - in the Holy Eucharist. We are to adore Him in the Eucharist. We are to receive Him, while in grace, in the Eucharist. And for those that deny such a beautiful gift spoken of in the Gospel of John Chapter 6 by Jesus Himself, pray for such doubters. The Eucharist is one of the two pillars of salvation.

Catechism on Communion:

To sustain the soul in the pilgrimage of life, God looked over creation, and found nothing that was worthy of it. He then turned to Himself, and resolved to give Himself. O my soul, how great thou art, since nothing less than God can satisfy thee! The food of the soul is the Body and Blood of God! Oh, admirable Food! If we considered it, it would make us lose ourselves in that abyss of love for all eternity! How happy are the pure souls that have the happiness of being united to Our Lord by Communion! They will shine like beautiful diamonds in Heaven, because God will be seen in them.

Our Lord has said, Whatever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. We should never have thought of asking of God His own Son. But God has done what man could not have imagined. What man cannot express nor conceive, and what he never would have dared to desire, God in His love has said, has conceived, and has executed. Should we ever have dared to ask of God to put His Son to death for us, to give us His Flesh to eat and His Blood to drink? If all this were not true, then man might have imagined things that God cannot do; he would have gone further than God in inventions of love! That is impossible. Without the Holy Eucharist there would be no happiness in this world; life would be insupportable. When we receive Holy Communion, we receive our joy and our happiness. The good God, wishing to give Himself to us in the Sacrament of His love, gave us a vast and great desire, which He alone can satisfy. In the presence of this beautiful Sacrament, we are like a person dying of thirst by the side of a river -- he would only need to bend his head; like a person still remaining poor, close to a great treasure -- he need only stretch out his hand. He who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean. They can no more be separated.

At the Day of Judgment we shall see the Flesh of Our Lord shine through the glorified body of those who have received Him worthily on earth, as we see gold shine in copper, or silver in lead. When we have just communicated, if we were asked, "What are you carrying away to your home?" we might answer, "I am carrying away Heaven. " A saint said that we were Christ-bearers. It is very true; but we have not enough faith. We do not comprehend our dignity. When we leave the holy banquet, we are as happy as the Wise Men would have been, if they could have carried away the Infant Jesus. Take a vessel full of liquor, and cork it well -- you will keep the liquor as long as you please. So if you were to keep Our Lord well and recollectedly, after Communion, you would long feel that devouring fire which would inspire your heart with an inclination to good and a repugnance to evil. When we have the good God in our heart, it ought to be very burning. The heart of the disciples of Emmaus burnt within them from merely listening to His voice.

I do not like people to begin to read directly when they come from the holy table. Oh no! what is the use of the words of men when God is speaking? We must do as one who is very curious, and listens at the door. We must listen to all that God says at the door of our heart. When you have received Our Lord, you feel your soul purified, because it bathes itself in the love of God. When we go to Holy Communion, we feel something extraordinary, a comfort which pervades the whole body, and penetrates to the extremities. What is this comfort? It is Our Lord, who communicates Himself to all parts of our bodies, and makes them thrill. We are obliged to say, like Saint John, "It is the Lord!" Those who feel absolutely nothing are very much to be pitied.

Read more on St. John Vianney

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Our Lady of Sorrows

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, where we remember the pain Mary experienced in Christ's passion. How appropriate that today is Friday - the day Jesus died on the Cross.

Read my post on Our Lady of Sorrows.

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