Thursday, April 30, 2009

"be away in Boston..."

I'll be in Boston for the next few days for the protest and public act of reparation for the blasphemies in "Jerry Springer: The Opera" in front of the Boston Center for the Arts at 539 Tremont Street, on Friday at 6pm.  

The weather forecast for Friday says there's a 70% chance for a thunderstorm, with gusts of wind up to 40 miles an hour. 

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Now, Holy Scripture says that thunder and lightning and other such natural disasters are "God's Voices."

Psalm 77:18: "the voice of thy thunder in a wheel.   Thy lightning enlightened the world: the earth shook and trembled."

Could it be a coincidence that during the latest protest against "Jerry Springer: The Opera" in Cincinnati, there was a tremendous thunderstorm? 

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Severe storm in Sydney in 1991, picture taken with a Ricoh Mirai camera, 20 minutes exposure from Potts Point, Sydney, Australia.

1991(1991) -Author-Patriiick

I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. In short: you are free to distribute and modify the file as long as you attribute its author(s) or licensor(s).

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Notre Dame Loses $8.2 Million in Withheld Donations over Obama Scandal

DEARBORN, MI, April 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On the same day that former Vatican ambassador Mary Ann Glendon announced that she has decided to refuse Notre Dame's Laetare Medal due to the university's invitation of Obama to receive an honorary degree at this year's commencement ceremony, a group protesting the decision has announced that the university has also lost millions in donations because of the scandal.
(See: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042702.html)

Organizers of ReplaceJenkins.com, an online effort urging alumni and donors to the University of Notre Dame to withhold donations, announced Monday that they have personally confirmed over $8.2 million in withheld donations. The URL of the website - ReplaceJenkins.com - is a reference to the main demand of the group - that Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, who has firmly stood by the university's decision to honor Obama, be replaced with someone who will uphold the Catholic identity of the university.

The website has received over 900 pledges from alumni and donors promising to withhold future donations.  Several of the largest gifts include estate bequests to the University that have been removed from donors' wills. 

ReplaceJenkins.com organizers say they have personally confirmed a majority of the largest donations, and are continuing to verify the validity of millions of additional gifts.

ReplaceJenkins.com spokesperson David DiFranco (Class of '95) said: "We knew many donors and alums were unhappy with the decision to honor a pro-abortion president, but we never expected this large of a response.  We can hardly keep up, and this is only the beginning.  We can only imagine what fundraisers at the University are experiencing, but understandably not reporting."

DiFranco said that ReplaceJenkins.com has dismissed a number of submissions of withheld donations that were obviously false. He also said that the current figure of $8.2 million does not include a number of other large pledges that they are in the process of confirming.

"We are speaking directly with donors, and in several cases we have spoken with estate attorneys to confirm that Notre Dame has been stripped from a donor's will," he said. "We are going about this process with a critical eye in order that that the numbers we report are accurate.  For that reason, the $8.2 million we are reporting today is actually very conservative."

Alumni and financial supporters of the University of Notre Dame launched the online effort just over one week ago in an effort to withhold donations from Notre Dame, until Rev. John Jenkins, CSC is replaced.

"As momentum continues to build, we are now certain that the financial penalty resulting from the decision to honor the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history, will be enormous," said DiFranco. 

"The fact that this effort is necessary is unfortunate. However, alumni and supporters of Notre Dame have little other recourse than to protest with their pocketbooks.  We will continue our efforts as long as it is necessary to bring about positive change at Notre Dame that will honor 'Our Lady's' University."

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042704.html

Christ Statue taken in procession for first time since 1850

The swine flu epidemic is reaching such proportions in Mexico City that the Statue of Christ of Good Health was taken in public procession in the streets for the first time since 1850.

         Weeping Fatima Statue

Let's pray not only for the physical health of our Mexican brothers and sisters, but, above all, for their and our spiritual health -- complete conversion and return to Catholic living as Our Lady asked for at Fatima, when She said:

“Here have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go.  To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart... Pray, pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners. So many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them.”

52 Bishops Against Notre Dame "Betrayal" of Catholic Identity

By Kathleen Gilbert

SOUTH BEND, Indiana, April 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the swell of criticism against the Notre Dame scandal continues to rise, three more bishops have spoken out against the school's decision to honor president Obama at this year's commencement ceremony, bringing the total number of opposing bishops to 52.  President Obama is expected to deliver the University's commencement address and receive an honorary law degree May 17.

Bishop Joseph Galante of New Jersey's Camden diocese weighed in on the controversy in the April 24 edition of the "Catholic Star Herald."  Discussing how Catholics are expected to integrate Catholic faith and identity into daily life, Bishop Galante said Notre Dame's honoring of Obama "suggests that our foundational moral principles do not matter."

"These situations are often complex and each situation must be judged on the particular circumstances that pertain by those who are responsible for upholding Catholic teaching in the institution in question, whether at Notre Dame University or elsewhere," wrote Galante. 

"However, it would appear to me to be inappropriate specifically to honor an individual, particularly a prominent public official, who intentionally holds and deliberately advocates positions contrary to fundamental moral principles.

"To do so suggests that our foundational moral principles do not matter. To do so betrays our Catholic belief. To do so ignores the Church's Catholic identity and our own Catholic identity, which is more than a name or a label, but defines who and what we are at our core," Bishop Galante concluded.

As a publisher's note in the Catholic News & Herald this week, Bishop Peter Jugis of Charlotte, NC, wrote: "It is evident that action on the important issue of defending unborn human life must proceed along various fronts simultaneously.

"Public outcry over Notre Dame's decision must be accompanied by ongoing catechesis in our parishes, public witness by the entire Catholic Church and involvement in the political process in order to promote a culture that protects the sanctity of unborn human life.

"The problem of the lack of respect for the right to life of the unborn is so serious in our society that this multi-front approach is essential.  This is a task for laity, clergy, religious, parents and teachers - in short, for everyone.," wrote Bishop Jugis.

Earlier this month, Bishop Glen Provost of the diocese of Lake Charles, LA, issued a statement condemning the Notre Dame decision as displaying "total disregard" for U.S. bishops' policy.

"I must express my dismay at the fact that Notre Dame University would confer an honorary degree upon a commencement speaker who publicly, in theory and in action, espouses a position on such a fundamental issue as the life of the unborn that is in direct opposition to Catholic Church teaching," wrote Bishop Provost. 

"With all due respect to the person and the office of the President of the United States, at issue is a far more fundamental principle.  Such an action on the part of the University displays a total disregard for an instruction by the Bishops of this country on the consistency between the actions of Catholic institutions and what the Catholic Church teaches." 

"In this matter, I share the consternation of my brother bishops and of many Notre Dame alumni who have already voiced their objections.  I am in complete agreement with them," said the bishop.  "Appeals to 'academic freedom' or engagement should not prompt an indifference to what our actions imply. 

"In reflecting on the need to voice my objection, I am reminded of a statement in the letters of Madame de Sévigné that I read many years ago. 

"Expressing her regret at the death of a dear friend, which could have been prevented by decisive action, she writes:  'By saying, "I don't want to take responsibility for anything," people become responsible for everything.' 

"For both the individual Catholic living in this climate of moral relativism and for the Catholic institution bestowing an honor, this observation is particularly applicable," wrote Bishop Provost. 

"Honos habet onus ["Honor has responsibility"] applies as well to the one who bestows the honor."

The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama (in alphabetical order) are:

1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
11. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS
12. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
13. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
14. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
15. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
16. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
17. Bishop Joseph Galante - Camden, NJ
18. Bishop Victor Galeone - St. Augustine, FL
19. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
20. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN
21. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
22. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
23. Archbishop Alfred Hughs - New Orleans, LA
24. Bishop Peter Jugis - Charlotte, NC
25. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS
26. Bishop John LeVoir - New Ulm, MN
27. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
28. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
29. Bishop Paul Loverde - Arlington, VA
30. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL
31. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
32. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
33. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison, WI
34. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
35. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
36. Archbishop Joseph Naumann - Kansas City, KS
37. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
38. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
39. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
40. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
41. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH
42. Bishop Glen Provost - Lake Charles, LA
43. Cardinal Justin Rigali - Philadelphia, PA; Chairman, USCCB Pro-Life Committee
44. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA
45. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
46. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
47. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN
48. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR
49. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR
50. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL
51. Archbishop Donald Wuerl - Washington, D.C.
52. Bishop David Zubick - Pittsburgh, PA

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042807.html

.

Got heroism?

Just a quick note to tell you that my colleague and Fatima Custodian, Norman Fulkerson, has started a blog called Modern American Heroes.

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(Col. John Ripley in action; blowing up the Dong Ha bridge in Vietnam, and stopping the Communist invasion for days.)

When you get a chance you can check it out at:

http://modernamericanheroes.wordpress.com/

He will be posting articles about American Heroes, mostly military ones.

If you wish you can subscribe and when something new gets posted, you will receive an email letting you know.

Please note that if you do subscribe you will receive an email to activate your subscription which you will only need to click.

It's that easy.

Also, he is open to any suggestions of heroes that should have a mention.

Meanwhile, sit back, be calm and ADMIRE.

http://modernamericanheroes.wordpress.com/

Drunken Nation: Russia’s Depopulation Bomb

Drunken Nation: Russia’s Depopulation Bomb

Nicholas Eberstadt

Aspecter is haunting Russia today. It is not the specter of Communism—that ghost has been chained in the attic of the past—but rather of depopulation—a relentless, unremitting, and perhaps unstoppable depopulation. The mass deaths associated with the Communist era may be history, but another sort of mass death may have only just begun, as Russians practice what amounts to an ethnic self-cleansing.

Since 1992, Russia’s human numbers have been progressively dwindling. This slow motion process now taking place in the country carries with it grim and potentially disastrous implications that threaten to recast the contours of life and society in Russia, to diminish the prospects for Russian economic development, and to affect Russia’s potential influence on the world stage in the years ahead.

FULL STORY HERE:

http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11213&Itemid=72

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Vigilance: A Virtue Despised by Comfort Zone Catholics

By Michael Whitcraft

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Like an army with no sentry, the man who lacks vigilance is defenseless against Satan's attacks.

Modern man has a certain understanding of the virtues. When asked about them, meekness and kindness, even justice and fortitude immediately come to mind. However, there is one virtue which is almost entirely unknown. This virtue, which "…comprehends the rest, or supplies for all that may be wanting in them,"1 is vigilance.

The word vigilance means a close and alert watchfulness against danger. When applied to the spiritual life, it signifies the virtue whereby man directs this watchfulness against the three fetters pulling him towards damnation: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Like an army with no sentry, the man who lacks vigilance is defenseless against the continual assaults unleashed by the devil. In the Garden of Olives, Our Lord warned the apostles to this end, "Watch ye: and pray that ye enter not into temptation." (St. Matthew 26:41)

Three steps to Vigilance

To better understand vigilance, and therefore simplify its practice, the great Catholic thinker, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira divided it into three main steps: suspicion, watchfulness and pugnacity.

Suspicion

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Naturally we are more gluttonous than hogs.

Attempting to destroy the notions of good and evil in man, the Revolution2 denies the existence of Original Sin. As a result, modern man is not concerned about falling into sin and immerses himself in a world of immodest fashions, pornography and many other occasions of sin.

On the other hand, the Church teaches that after Original Sin man's inclinations are so corrupt and his passions so disordered that he is incapable of maintaining a friendship with God without the continual help of grace. St. Paul calls men "bodies of sin" (Rom. 6:6) and speaking of the soul, St. Louis de Montfort wrote:

We are naturally prouder than peacocks, more groveling than toads, more vile than unclean animals, more envious than serpents, more gluttonous than hogs, more furious than tigers, lazier than tortoises, weaker than reeds, and more capricious than weathercocks. We have within ourselves nothing but nothingness and sin, and we deserve nothing but the anger of God and everlasting Hell.3

St. Louis also notes that man's "best actions are ordinarily stained and corrupted by…[his] corrupt nature."4

Understanding this corruption leads one to see all one's ideas, thoughts and tendencies with the utmost suspicion. This is the first step to vigilance.

Watchfulness

Suspicion gives rise to watchfulness. The vigilant soul, mindful of his corrupt nature and the lengths to which the devil will go in his unholy struggle, is constantly on the look-out. "Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." (1 St. Peter 5:8)

Pointing out the addictive nature of vice, the Catholic Encyclopedia classifies it as "a habit inclining one to sin."5 Through watchfulness, the vigilant soul identifies his defects before they become habits and is therefore much more likely to overcome them.

Pugnacity

In a generic sense, pugnacity is the practice of utterly destroying one's enemies whenever, wherever and however they exist. Pugnacity applies to vigilance when it is interiorly exercised against one's defects.

Defects, like weeds left unchecked, will grow out of control and take over the garden of the soul. Also like weeds, once uprooted, any part left in the soil will soon grow back stronger than before.

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Our Lord Himself preached pugnacity.

The pugnacious soul, like a good gardener, spares no effort in uprooting and completely overcoming defects as soon as they appear. History is full of examples of pugnacious saints doing violence to themselves to conquer their defects. St. Francis of Assisi, for example, while plagued with impure thoughts, reportedly threw himself out of a window to take his mind off them.

Our Lord Himself preached this same pugnacity,

And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body go into hell. (St. Matthew 5:29-30)

Vigilance and Confidence

Realizing that his neighbor has the same bad inclinations that he has, the vigilant soul regards him with the same suspicion he regards himself. This is not to say that he is overly critical and unfriendly, but rather that he puts none of his confidence in mere creatures which St. Theresa called, "dry branches that break under the first pressure."6

Like the wise man who built his house on rock (St. Matthew 7:24-27), the vigilant man possesses that special confidence which is anchored only in the firm rock of God, His Divine Church and His Holy Mother. Satan may unleash tempests and floods of fury, and his secure house will not succumb.

Vigilance, the Key to Counter-Revolutionary Living

In his book, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira insightfully pointed out how the Revolution makes use of the tendencies of man to reach its insidious goals.7 It introduces temptations and obstacles inside culture contrary to the practice of Christian virtue. Because of this all-encompassing influence, vigilance is essential to identify and destroy these evils.

For this reason, anyone aspiring to a Counter-revolutionary life must especially consider this virtue in developing his spiritual life. Through this virtue, the ever-present assistance of Our Lady will give him the eyes to see and the power to overcome all adversity and attain sanctity to which all men are called.

Our Lady of Vigilance, pray for us.

______________
1. Ven. Louis of Granada, The Sinner's Guide, Chapter 47, http://www.ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/granada40-48.htm.
2. The Revolution here refers to the anti-Christian, five hundred year-old process, described by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in the book Revolution and Counter-Revolution.
3. St. Louis De Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, translated by Fr. Frederick William Faber, D.D., Tan Books and Publishers Inc., Rockford Ill. 1941, p. 49.
4. Ibid. p. 48.
5. The Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15403c.htm
6. Quoted by Fr. Thomas de Saint Laurent, The Book of Confidence, p. 26, America Needs Fatima, Crompond, NY, 1989.
7. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Chapter 5.

"We'd like to offer you hospitality"

What people are saying about the traditional marriage caravan:

We'd like to offer you hospitality
Hello, TFP...I am very sorry for what you went through in NH and Maine, and I would like to know if you're coming to the greater Boston area.  If so, we'd like to offer you hospitality aboard our charter yacht at that time.  Please let me know.

Keep on keeping on, and many blessings to you all.

Sincere regards,

A. H.

I came across your story being spit upon by a pro-homosexual marriage student
Dear Mr. Miller,
As I was preparing my Saturday evening homily, I remembered an email from a friend about an article from a TFP website about a Canadian cardinal who made wishy-washy statements on certain moral issues and the teachings of the Church.

Then after reading that article, I tried to read other articles and I came across your story being spitted upon by a pro-homosexual marriage student. I truly admire your courage and your patience in confronting evil and moral decadence that beset our society and the world today. Just as the early Christians were singing the Lord's praises while being fed to the beasts at the Coliseum, you portrayed heroism and inner peace when confronted with insult and rejection.

My prayers are with you and the whole group. May God continue to bless you and the TFP family.  Blessed be Jesus Christ who conquered sin and death.  Alleluia, alleluia!
Rev. E. L.
California

Keep up the great work
You are right, the media does not want us to see how many Americans value the family and marriage and other Judeo Christian values that this country was founded on.  God bless you in your efforts.

Mary Jane S.

God will bless you
What you are all doing is wonderful and God will bless you and those for whom you pray.  I will keep your intentions in my prayers and please do so for mine and my family as well.

Sean & Monica H.
Oakville, Canada

The Double Standard
The video was a little hard to follow as it constantly stopped to reload the images.  But I could tell from the still shots and a comment here or there that the person was determined to anger & mock you people.  Bet the coward wouldn't stand there and rip up the Koran and make mockery of it.

You would see how fast there would be negative response.  Ditto for them tearing up the Torah, they would find themselves facing 'hate speech.'

Angela C.

Keep up the good battle!
God Bless all of you students for standing up for traditional marriage!  Finally we see some practicing Catholic men promoting Christian values very publicly.

Although there is a young lost soul desecrating the Bible you bravely continue to remain charitable to him, the way Jesus would want you to.  Keep up the good battle!  Wisdom and truth will prevail over evil!
Mrs. Lynn G.

Prayers to all
Bless you for the work you are doing.  Every good wish and prayers to all of you.
Nancy A. W.
Cocoa Beach, Florida

An inspiration to see men defending the family
I was in Concord NH last week, thank you so much for being there and for everything you do.  I fight the war for the unborn here in NH and it was an inspiration to see men defending the family.  We have some good men here too, but not enough. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them (Ephesians 5:11).

God bless you,
Julie L.

Keep up the good work!

Dear TFP volunteers,

I was at the Marriage Rally this morning at the New Hampshire State House, where you made quite a good impression!  I had not heard of your organization until today but I'm impressed.  Keep up the good work!
Tim Mark
Goffstown, NH

Do Public Awards and Punishments Dignify and Encourage, or Corrupt and Humiliate?

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

We were recently asked to comment on the fact that the custom of granting awards to the best students is being abolished in several schools. At the root of this new policy is the idea that the public bestowal of awards is doubly harmful: exciting vanity in the beneficiaries of the honors and provoking feelings of guilt or inferiority complexes in the others.

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(U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with medals and dress uniform.)

Thus, we decided to discuss in this section how this theme vitally concerns the maintenance of sanity in ambiences, develops an appreciation for time-honored customs, and is essential for the life of a civilization.

This problem far transcends scholastic ambits, touching directly upon honors and punishments in human societies.

According to the doctrine of Saint Thomas, the fact that a person possesses authentic qualities and is recognized and honored for them by society is a good that surpasses health or riches, being inferior only to the grace of God, which transcends every other good (cf. Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 29, a. 1; II-II, q. 129, a. 3).

Thus, to deprive the best of their rightful honors is a flagrant injustice because it inflicts injury, and a most grave injury, precisely upon those who deserve the contrary.

Moreover, the awarding of honors does not make truly virtuous men proud, but stimulates them to advance farther in virtue. As for the others, it does not degrade them; rather, it invites them to a laudable imitation.

This was taught by Saint Pius X in the brief Multum ad excitandos of February 7, 1905, concerning the Supreme Order of Soldiers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, usually called the Order of Christ. This is the highest honorific Order of the Holy See, and, therefore, of all Christendom. He said:

"Rewards granted for merit contribute tremendously toward stirring in hearts the desire to practice generous acts, for if singularly deserving men of Church or society are vested with glory, they serve as a stimulus for all others to follow the same path to glory and honor. Following this wise principle, the Roman Pontiffs, our Predecessors, looked upon the knightly orders with special affection as another such stimulus to good. Through their initiative, many orders were created; others that had been previously instituted were restored to their original dignity and endowed with new and greater privileges."

In this spirit, the Holy Church established various honors to stimulate the laity. She also provided a variety of honorific titles to reward her priests, of which the titles of monsignor and honorary canon are characteristic examples.

In this same spirit, the Church established ceremonies suitable for inflicting a note of disgrace upon those deserving of it. We need only mention the terrible ritual of demotion of priests, or, in the Middle Ages, the analogous ceremony for knights who were deemed unworthy of the title.

Our first picture [sorry, I could not find this picture] shows the medal denoting singular rank in the Order of Christ. Everything about it -- its form, its color, the fact that it is to be worn openly on the chest -- indicates the Church's intention that it be visible to all and thus loudly proclaim the merits of its bearer.

The other picture [could not find this one either], a woodcut from 1565, shows a knight being demoted. Knighthood was a sacramental. Thus, the demotion of a knight was done not only with the intervention of the Church, but with her full approval. The picture shows a knight who dishonored his rank by some infamous crime mounted with derision on the cross-beam of a fence, as if on a wooden horse. To one side, a page holds his charger, which he has been compelled to dismount.

The ceremony is half-over. The knight has already been divested of his helmet and gauntlets, which lie cast on the ground. Two knights in ceremonial attire are now removing his brassards; in such manner, piece by piece, he will be stripped of all his armor. Gathered in the place of execution or at nearby windows, the public attends the ceremony, at once horrified and edified by it.

REMINISCENCES from days of yore, one might say. No. That ceremony, unfortunately secularized, still exists in all modern armies in the form of military demotion. And, even today, the Holy Church punishes infamy for the great benefit of defense of public morality, just as it also constantly and maternally confers honors upon deserving laymen and clergymen. The bestowal of honors is so well known and frequent that examples are superfluous.

As for the application of punishments for infamy, the Colombian magazine El Catolicismo of April 25, 1958, furnishes an example in the discreet words of the Cardinal Archbishop of Bogota, the essence of which is contained in the following paragraphs:

We, Crisanto Luque, Cardinal priest of the Holy Roman Church, titular of Saints Cosmas and Damian, by the grace of God and by the Apostolic Holy See, Archbishop of Bogota and Primate of Colombia,

Considering:

First, that Canon 2356 of the Code of Canon Law so disposes that bigamists...are ipso facto infamous, and, if they disregard the admonitions of the Ordinary and remain in their unlawful relationship, they should be excommunicated or punished with a personal interdict depending upon the gravity of their fault....

That by means of public documents, it was proven that Dr. Hernando Diaz Rubio and Mrs. Olga Pardo Pardo contracted between themselves a so-called civil marriage in Ibarra, Ecuador..., Dr. Diaz Rubio being bound by a previous marriage yet knowing intimately Mrs. Pardo Pardo;

We thus declare:

First, by the very fact of having ventured to contract this so-called civil matrimony, they are infamous and are subject to all canonical consequences of infamy by law...(Canons 2356 and 2294, sec. 1, Code of Canon Law);

This decree notifies the guilty parties and reminds them of their duty to separate under threat of being excommunicated if they remain in their unlawful relationship, and it is published by the press so that it might produce the desired social effects.

IN short, to confer public awards and inflict ignominious public punishments conforms to the morals and practices of the Holy Church. In our opinion, any pedagogical method that denies this cannot be considered effective, much less inspired.

[Catolicismo, Jan 1959; TFP Magazine, March-April 1993]

As same-sex marriage begins, Iowa may change ‘father’ and ‘mother’ on birth certificate

From: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=2731

Less than four weeks after an April 3 Iowa Supreme Court decision that imposed same-sex marriage upon the state, counties began to process same-sex marriage applications on April 27. In addition to changing the wording of “bride” and “groom” on marriage certificates, the state may also change “father” and “mother” on birth certificates.

Iowa’s bishops are calling for a marriage amendment to the state constitution-- a difficult task that would require passage by two consecutive general assemblies before the matter could be put to popular vote.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

Nazi Germany or 21st Century Comfort Zone Catholics?

This excerpt from an article written by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira after World War II, refers to the rise of Nazism.  But could it also apply to  comfort zone Catholics today? 

"Such is the weight of truth, so hard the burden of the good that unfortunately many people, albeit sincere Catholics allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by the maneuver. They lacked that hunger and thirst for justice which is the root of holy intransigence. They lacked that appetite for full-fledged Catholicism that would lead them to reject as an impurity any alliance with revolutionary leavens of the times.
"Things very markedly Catholic, exclusively Catholic, hurt their eyes as the sun hurts those of nocturnal birds. They preferred pale, diluted, indirect forms of Catholic radiation, like owls prefer moonlight. And they gave themselves body and soul to these tendencies of a clearly anti-Catholic character.
"In Italy, as in Germany and other places, a cohort of naïve and incautious, though well-intentioned people let themselves be enthralled and swept away by a bunch of crooks and adventurers of every ilk.
"And God alone knows with what furor and wrath countless threats were hurled at brothers in the Faith who indulged the luxury of being more lucid, perspicacious and vigorous in defense of the Faith."

Please go here for the full article:

 http://www.tfp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1179

Two More Mexican States Approve Pro-Life Constitutional Amendments by Heavy Majorities

Monday April 27, 2009

Pro-abortion opposition announces strategy to defeat measures using "human rights" complaints

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MEXICO, April 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The wave of pro-life constitutional amendments sweeping Mexico continued last week with the approval of two such measures by the states of Quintana Roo and Campeche. 

Meanwhile, a representative of a pro-abortion group cited plans to thwart the newly-passed legislation with a strategy of "human rights" complaints to state officials.

In the state of Quintana Roo, in the Yucatan Peninsula, a pro-life amendment was passed on April 21 with multipartisan support, in an 18-6 vote.   The state's new article 13 says: "The state of Quintana Roo recognizes, protects, and guarantees the right to life of every human being, holding expressly that from the moment of conception it enters under the protection of the law, and is treated as a subject of rights for all corresponding legal effects until its death, save the exceptions that are established by law."

In Campeche, just to the west of Quintana Roo, an amendment passed with the overwhelming majority of 26-2, with broad multiparty support. The language of the state's amendment was similar to that of Quintana Roo, saying that it protects life "from the moment of fertilization or conception until its natural death, with the exceptions already foreseen in ordinary legislation."

Although both amendments allow for exceptions in state legislation, they will likely prevent activist judges from imposing the legalization of abortion, and may prevent new legislation inspired by Mexico City's two-year-old abortion on demand law from being passed at the state level.

Aidé García, a member of the pro-abortion organization "Catholics for the Right to Decide," a group that has been officially condemned by the Catholic Church, told La Jornada that the group would be appealing to the state human rights commissions. Garcia claimed that abortion is a protected right under article 4 of Mexico's Constitution, which states that women have the right to decide the number and timing of their children.  However, the article does not mention abortion.

The president of Baja California's Human Rights Commission has already brought suit against the state's pro-life amendment in Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice. 

The passage of the amendments in the two states brings the number of states to ten that have recently altered their constitutions in some way to protect the right to life from conception or fertilization, including: Nayarit, Durango, Jalisco, Morelos, Chihuahua, Sonora, Colima, and Puebla.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042705.html

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El Salvador: Thousands against homosexual "marriage"

The Catholic Church in El Salvador presented 300,000 signatures in favor of Constitutional protection for the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Spero News

The Lawmaking Assembly of El Salvador will once more discuss the controversial theme of homosexual marriages on April 23. The declaration is ready to be approved and all the political parties, except the Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMLN), are ready to support a Constitutional amendment that establishes that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. The amendment needs 56 votes for approval. The Catholic Church presented 300,000 signatures against homosexual unions.

Full story:

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=123&id=19044&t=El+Salvador%3A+Thousands+against+gay+marriage

Monday, April 27, 2009

Atomic bomb of the Catholic Church

The book "True Devotion to Mary" is the atomic bomb that God put in the hands of the Church in anticipation of the bitterness of this century, not to kill but to resurrect.

                               image

                                       *        *       *

Today, April 28, we celebrate the feast of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, the author of "True devotion to Mary".   He was a priest, born in the French village of Montfort sur Meu in 1673.

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He died at Saint Laurent sur Sevre in 1716.  He was persecuted by the Catholic clergy of his day, which was under heavy Jansenist influence, and was allowed to preach in only two dioceses of France.  These diocese turned out to be the ones that put up the most resistance to the errors of the French Revolution.

He was a fiery preacher and did not shy away from entering taverns and bars to physically expel its raucous and drunken customers when this interfered with a Sunday sermon.

His most famous work, True Devotion to Mary was virtually unknown for many years after his death.  In sum, True Devotion to Mary, outlines the safest and surest way to heaven -- to Jesus, through Mary. 

In the book's preface in the English language, Father Faber wrote:

His preaching, his writing and his conversation were all impregnated with prophecy and with anticipations of the later ages of the Church. He comes forward like another St. Vincent Ferrer, as if on the days bordering on the Last Judgment, and proclaims that he brings an authentic message from God about the greater honor and wider knowledge and more prominent love of His Blessed Mother, and her connection with the second advent of her Son.

And here is an amazing comment written in 1945 shortly after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, on True Devotion to Mary by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveria:

"For two centuries now, the atomic bomb of the Catholic Church has been ready. When it actually goes off, we will understand the full meaning of the words of Scripture: 'non est qui abscondat is a calore ejus.' (Psalm 18: "and there is no one who hides from his heat.)

“The bomb’s name is very sweet.  Because the bombs of the Church are the bombs of a Mother.  It is called "True Devotion to Mary."  This book is a little over 100 pages long and each word is a treasure.

“This is the book of the times to come. (...) Again, this book "True Devotion" is the atomic bomb that God put in the hands of the Church in anticipation of the bitterness of this century, not to kill but to resurrect.”

Prof. Oliveria always emphasized the prophetic character of St. Louis de Montfort and the usefulness of his doctrine for our times.

"If someone were to ask me who is the apostle-model for our times, I would say without hesitation ‘Saint Louis de Montfort’, the missionary who died exactly 239 years ago!"

St. Louis de Montfort, like Elias the prophet, is the man most suited and appropriate for our day.

To order a copy of the book True Devotion to Mary, please go here:

http://www.tfp.org/bookstore/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=1&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=30&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Grueling week for TFP Student Action members in New Hampshire and Maine

This past week was grueling for TFP Student Action members traveling in New Hampshire and Maine, defending traditional marriage – God’s marriage.

Facing rude and sometimes violent opposition, traveling from city to city without a fixed place to eat or sleep can be grueling work, but when the cause is so noble, the hardship is no longer a burden. It is a privilege and an honor to defend the truth. That’s how the eight TFP volunteers traveling with me considered the task at hand.

Here are some campaign highlights:

Concord, New Hampshire:


After a pro-traditional marriage rally with over 500 participants was held at the State-house, a furious homosexual “marriage” advocate tore up a Bible in our faces while pronouncing anti-Catholic slurs. It was shocking to see this fellow just tearing up the Bible, throwing its pages in our face. Read the full report

Watch video footage of the shocking Bible desecration

After you watch the video, send your comments to studentaction@tfp.org. I would like to hear from you. And feel free to send the video to your friends.

From Augusta, Maine:

“There were so many people honking for traditional marriage that it was like the home team just won a game.” That is how a local resident of Augusta described the climate on the street after the TFP started campaigning for traditional marriage. The American people oppose same-sex “marriage” far more than the media wants us to believe. Read the full report

From Portland, Maine:

Shortly after we started campaigning in downtown Portland, a man in a pickup truck honked his horn for several seconds, rolled down his window and said: “Hey! I own property on this street. If they give you trouble here, come and stand on my property for a whole month!” Read the full report

From Nashua, New Hampshire:

“Thank you for doing this. It’s about time that I see real men,” said one resident from his vehicle visibly pleased with the TFP presence. “Same-sex ‘marriage’ is harmful because it will attract the wrath of God.” Read the full report

Please pray that America will resist the imposition of same-sex “marriage.”

If you’d like to support what TFP Student Action does to defend traditional moral values in America, please consider making an online gift here.

Thank you! Your gift will keep us on the front lines fighting the good fight.

Financial Disclosures

Awesome video: Traditional Marriage Caravan in New England

April 28 – Feast of the Great Marian Saint, Louis de Montfort

image

Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort was a priest, born in the French village of Montfort sur Meu in 1673.

He died at Saint Laurent sur Sevre in 1716.  He was persecuted by the Catholic clergy of his day, which was under heavy Jansenist influence, and was allowed to preach in only two dioceses of France.  These diocese turned out to be the ones that put up the most resistance to the errors of the French Revolution.

He was a fiery preacher and did not shy away from entering taverns and bars to physically expel its raucous and drunken customers when this interfered with a Sunday sermon.

His most famous work, True Devotion to Mary was virtually unknown for many years after his death.  In sum, True Devotion to Mary, outlines the safest and surest way to heaven -- to Jesus, through Mary. 

In the book's preface in the English language, Father Faber wrote:

His preaching, his writing and his conversation were all impregnated with prophecy and with anticipations of the later ages of the Church. He comes forward like another St. Vincent Ferrer, as if on the days bordering on the Last Judgment, and proclaims that he brings an authentic message from God about the greater honor and wider knowledge and more prominent love of His Blessed Mother, and her connection with the second advent of her Son.

And here is an amazing comment written in 1945 shortly after the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, on True Devotion to Mary by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveria:

"For two centuries now, the atomic bomb of the Catholic Church has been ready. When it actually goes off, we will understand the full meaning of the words of Scripture: 'non est qui abscondat is a calore ejus.' (Psalm 18: "and there is no one who hides from his heat.)

“The bomb’s name is very sweet.  Because the bombs of the Church are the bombs of a Mother.  It is called "True Devotion to Mary."  This book is a little over 100 pages long and each word is a treasure.

“This is the book of the times to come. (...) Again, this book "True Devotion" is the atomic bomb that God put in the hands of the Church in anticipation of the bitterness of this century, not to kill but to resurrect.”

Prof. Oliveria always emphasized the prophetic character of St. Louis de Montfort and the usefulness of his doctrine for our times.

"If someone were to ask me who is the apostle-model for our times, I would say without hesitation ‘Saint Louis de Montfort’, the missionary who died exactly 239 years ago!"

St. Louis de Montfort, like Elias the prophet, is the man most suited and appropriate for our day.

To order a copy of the book True Devotion to Mary, please go here:

http://www.tfp.org/bookstore/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=1&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=30&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Fatima Custodians Never Tire of Serving the Queen

America Needs Fatima activities include so many facets: anti-blasphemy campaigns, Mary in Every Home programs,
petition drives in defense of traditional marriage, distributions of devotional items, and so on.

image

 

However, there is one effort that is especially important—
the continuous effort of Our Lady’s faithful Fatima Custodians who travel from coast to coast taking her statue and message to thousands of homes every year.

In a world saturated with evil and selfishness, it is more than commendable to see young men sacrificing their lives, talents, time and the comfort of their homes to live on the road, practicing
their slavery of love to the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to Saint Louis de Montfort’s method.

image

 

Our Lady’s Custodians encounter all sorts of weather and road conditions as they travel from city to city across America.

In fact, the difficulties they encounter can only be imagined by
those who have experienced their life of dedication. Cars breaking down, sickness, uncharitable treatment, financial strain and bad weather are only the beginning.

And yet, they never stop.

During these one- to two-hour visits, the Fatima Custodian delivers a short talk on Fatima’s message, displays an
audiovisual presentation, and then invites those present to pray the Rosary together.

After the Rosary, the host or hostess usually serves refreshments
while the guests converse and exchange impressions about Our Lady’s message.

Within the space of one year, several thousand visits take place and tens of thousands of people are reached with the Fatima message.

These soldiers of Mary travel hundreds of thousands of
miles. The Fatima Custodians not only take the pilgrim statue into private homes, but also visit schools, hospitals, clubs, prisons and retirement homes.

At the end of a day’s work, few men rest their heads on the pillow with clearer consciences and more joyful hearts.

For indeed, Our Lady’s Custodians have run the good race, spread the good news, left many a soul with hope in their hearts and given them better means to live ever closer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and thus all the closer to the Heart of Jesus.

Recent US Ambassador to Vatican Turns Down Notre Dame Award

At the news of Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon’s decision to decline the University of Notre Dame’s offer of the prestigious Laetare Medal and a speaking platform on account of the selection of President Obama as commencement speaker, Cardinal Newman Society president Patrick J. Reilly issued the following statement:

“Mary Ann Glendon is one of the most accomplished Catholic and pro-life leaders of our time. In heroic fashion, she has willingly sacrificed an award that she richly deserves, as a casualty of Notre Dame's choice to betray its Catholic mission. We urge Catholics nationwide to continue to pray that Notre Dame will end this scandal.”

Full story here:

http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CardinalNewmanSociety/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/435/ItemID/530/Default.aspx

Keeping the Military Free

by John Horvat II

If anyone should know how to run the military, it is those who have years of experience at leading men at every echelon in both peace and war. It is these proud Americans who have served our country with honor who are now petitioning the President and members of Congress to keep our military free of the politically-motivated agenda of homosexual right activists and their allies.


Among the 1,115 signatures can be found a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, several Service Chiefs, a number of combat command, theater, and other major U.S. and allied force commanders, together with a Medal of Honor recipient and a thousand other flag and general officers.


The distinguished retired leaders have formed a special association called Flag & General Officers for the Military opposing the opening of military service to avowed homosexuals.

It enjoys solid support among active duty military men and women who recognize its positive effect on recruiting, morale and readiness.


Elaine Donnelly of The Center for Military Readiness is spearheading an effort to stop the repeal of Section 654 of U.S. Code Title 10 that recognizes how homosexuality is incompatible with military service. It recognizes that the military is a "specialized society" that is "fundamentally different from civilian life" that requires a unique code of personal conduct and demands "extraordinary sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, in order to provide for the common defense." It points out how conditions of military life are often "characterized by forced intimacy with little or no privacy."

In an April 15 op-ed piece in The Washington Post, four high-ranking retired military officers questioned the repeal of the law claiming: “Our past experience as military leaders leads us to be greatly concerned about the impact of repeal on morale, discipline, unit cohesion, and overall military readiness.”

Responding to arguments that the American military should be modeled after the Danish, Dutch or Canadian military services that admit homosexuals, the officers pointed out that it is the American military that is the model for the world and the envy of its adversaries, largely because of its cohesiveness, discipline and morale.

“As former senior commanders, we know that the reason for this long-standing envy is the unsurpassed discipline, morale and readiness of our military. The burden should be on proponents of repeal to demonstrate how their initiative would improve these qualities of our armed services. This they cannot do.”

The imposing of a pro-homosexual agenda upon the military would do more than just allow homosexuals to service in the military. Legislation introduced to repeal Section 654 (H.R. 1283) would impose on commanders a radical policy that mandates "nondiscrimination" against "homosexuality, or bisexuality, whether the orientation is real or perceived."

According to the letter to President Obama and Congress, repeal of this law would also prompt many dedicated people to leave the military. Polling by the Military Times revealed in its most recent survey, 10 percent said they would not reenlist if that happened, and 14 percent said they would consider leaving.

In term of numbers, that means a minimum of 228,600 people in the nation’s active-duty, reserve and National Guard forces would be lost. Especially crippling would be the lost of thousands of sergeants, petty officers and experienced mid-grade officers. Recruitment and retention difficulties are also foreseen.

The nation’s security is too precious to be left in the hands of politicians with an idealogical agenda. Rather, it should be left to the people who know what it takes to defend the nation.

Those who want more information about the many things that supporters of the law can do can go to the Center for Military Readiness by clicking this action link: Action Items to Oppose Repeal of Law on Homosexuality in the Military.

April 27: Feast of Saint Peter Armengol, the saint of confidence in Our Lady...

Saint Peter Armengol: Spanish. 13th century.
In his youth,  Peter Armengol was a great sinner.   He even joined a gang of highway robbers. 
But he later converted and joined the Mercedarian Order, where he dedicated the rest of his life to rescuing Catholic prisoners from Muslim jails.
The most memorable part of his life took place on trip to Bejaïa to ransom 18 children from the Muslims.  He didn't have enough money to pay the ransom so he  stayed behind as a pledge until the full sum of the ransom would arrive. 
However, the money for the full ransom did not arrive in time and he was hanged from the gallows.

                 image

(Painting of Our Lady of Confidence)

But his confidence in Our Lady was not mistaken.  She held him in the air so the noose could not do its deadly work. 

Finally, the full ransom money arrived, and Saint Peter was found to be still alive, hanging from the rope.  His confidence in Our Lady had saved him.
But for the rest of his life, he had a huge scar where the rope had been and a twisted neck. 
He died a holy death in 1304.

TFP-America Needs Fatima rosary rally against "Imagine No Religion" billboard in Kansas

042509 pub rosary 014

 

042509 pub rosary 001

 

042509 pub rosary 004

 

042509 pub rosary 011

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Miraculous fresco hovering in the air since 1467... Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano: Feast Day, April 26

Good Counsel Our Lady

This photo was taken by my friend Kenneth Drake a few weeks ago, of the miraculous fresco of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano.

Please read the full story of this miraculous fresco of Our Lady that today is venerated in the small town of Genazzano, Italy.

The Story of Our Lady of Genazzano

A view of the town of Genazzano, resting place of the miraculous painting of Our Lady.

A few miles from the city of Rome, lies Genazzano—a city rich in history and blessed with the presence of a miraculous painting of the Blessed Virgin that has an amazing story.

The origins of Genazzano date back to the times of the Roman emperors. Because of its proximity to Rome, the city was chosen by many patricians and imperial courtiers as a site for their country villas. The vast gardens surrounding these villas often served as the stage for perverse feasts, pagan games and heathen rituals in honor of the gods to whom the Romans attributed the fertility of their fields.

One of these celebrations was held every April 25 in honor of the goddess Flora or Venus. For this event, people of all social classes—freemen and slaves, patricians and plebeians—gathered together for a great feast. This practice gradually dissolved and the temples fell into ruins as the life-giving breath of Christianity regenerated the peoples of Europe.

In the third century, an order was given to build a shrine dedicated to the Mother of God under the tender invocation of Mother of Good Counsel on the ruins of the Roman temples.

As the years went by, the city became more populous and the shrine grew in fame. During the Middle Ages, the Franciscans and the Augustinians founded monasteries nearby. With the passing of years, the primitive temple erected in honor of the Mother of Good Counsel began to show signs of disrepair. Moreover, as the shrine was small, the faithful built larger and richer churches for their solemn functions.

In 1356, about a century before the appearance of the miraculous painting that would introduce Genazzano into the annals of marvels in the Church, Prince Pietro Giordan Colonna, whose family had acquired lordship of the city, assigned the most ancient church of the city and its parish to the care of the Hermits of St. Augustine. The faithful would thereby have the necessary pastoral assistance, and repairs could be made on the old church.

Although the prayers of the faithful intensified, financial difficulties prevented the necessary and urgent restoration of the ancient temple. But the Mother who gives wise counsel in every circumstance and attentively provides for the necessities of men chose a Third Order Augustinian, Petruccia de Nocera, to carry out a supernatural prodigy that would bring about the much-desired restoration.

Petruccia had been left a modest fortune following the death of her husband in 1436. Living alone, she dedicated most of her time to prayer and services in the church of the Mother of Good Counsel. It grieved her to see the deplorable state of the sacred premises, and she prayed fervently that they would be restored. Finally, she resolved to take the initiative. After obtaining permission from the friars, she donated her goods to initiate the restoration in the hope that others would help complete it once it was commenced.

A plan was drawn up for the building of a magnificent church. However, once that arduous undertaking had begun, Petruccia, who was already eighty years old, found that her generous offering was scarcely enough to complete the first phase of the new construction. To make matters worse, no one came forth to help.

To her dismay, the building had hardly risen three feet when construction came to a halt due to lack of resources. Her friends and neighbors began to ridicule her, and detractors accused her of imprudence. Others severely reprimanded her in public. To all of them she would say: "My dear children, do not put too much importance on this apparent misfortune. I assure you that before my death the Blessed Virgin and our holy father Augustine will finish the church begun by me."

On April 25, 1467, the feast day of the city's patron, Saint Mark, a solemn celebration began with Mass. It was Saturday, and the crowd began to gather in front of the church of the Mother of Good Counsel. The only discrepant note in the celebration was the unfinished work of Petruccia.

At about four in the afternoon, everyone heard the chords of a beautiful melody that seemed to come from heaven. The people looked up toward the towers of the churches and saw a white cloud that shone with a thousand luminous rays; it gradually neared the stupefied crowd to the sound of an exceptionally beautiful melody. The cloud descended on the church of the Mother of Good Counsel and poised over the wall of the unfinished chapel of Saint Biagio, which Petruccia had started.

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Genazzano.

Suddenly, the bells of the old tower began to ring by themselves, and the other bells of the town rang miraculously in unison. The rays that emanated from the little cloud faded away, and the cloud itself gradually vanished, revealing a beautiful object to the enchanted gaze of the spectators. It was a painting that represented Our Lady tenderly holding her Divine Son in her arms. Almost immediately, the Virgin Mary began to cure the sick and grant countless consolations, the memory of which was recorded for posterity by the local ecclesiastical authority.

The news of the painting and its miracles spread throughout the province and beyond, attracting multitudes. Some cities formed enthusiastic processions to see the picture that the people called the Madonna of Paradise because of its celestial entrance into the city. Numerous alms were donated as an answer to the unwavering confidence that Our Lady had inspired in Petruccia.

Amidst the general enthusiasm caused by the painting, Our Lady wished to divulge the true origin of the marvelous fresco to her devotees. Two foreigners named Giorgio and De Sclavis entered the city among a group of pilgrims that had come from Rome. They wore strange clothes and spoke a foreign tongue, saying they had arrived in Rome earlier that year from Albania. While most people had refused to believe their story, it had a special significance for the inhabitants of Genazzano.

*****

January of 1467 saw the death of the last great Albanian leader, George Castriota, better known as Scanderbeg. Raised by an Albanian chief, he placed himself at the head of his own people. Subsequently, Scanderbeg inflicted stunning defeats on the Turkish army and occupied fortresses all over Albania.

With Scanderbeg’s death, the Turkish army, finally free from the Fulminating Lion of War, poured into Albania, occupying all its fortresses, cities and provinces with the exception of Scutari, in the north of the country.

However, the city's capacity to resist was limited, and its capture was expected at any moment. With its fall, Christian Albania would be defeated. Faced with this prospect, those who wished to practice their faith in Christian lands began a sad exodus. Giorgio and De Sclavis also studied the possibility of fleeing, but something kept them in Scutari, where there was a small church, considered the shrine of the whole Albanian kingdom. In this church the faithful venerated a picture of Our Lady which had mysteriously descended from the heavens two hundred years before.

According to tradition, it had come from the east. Having poured out innumerable graces over the whole population, its church became the principal center of pilgrimage in Albania. Scanderbeg himself had visited this shrine more than once to ardently ask for victory in battle. Now the shrine was threatened with imminent destruction and profanation.

The two Albanians were torn by the idea of leaving the great treasure of Albania in the hands of the enemy in order to flee the Turkish terror. In their perplexity, they went to the old church to ask their Blessed Mother for the good counsel they needed.

That night, the Consoler of the Afflicted inspired both of them in their sleep. She commanded them to prepare to leave their country, which they would never see again. She added that the miraculous fresco was also going to leave Scutari for another country to escape profanation at the hands of the Turks. Finally, she ordered them to follow the painting wherever it went.

The next morning, the two friends went to the shrine. At a certain moment they saw the picture detach itself from the wall on which it had hung for two centuries. Leaving its niche, it hovered for a moment and was then suddenly wrapped in a white cloud through which the image continued to be visible.

The pilgrim painting left the church and the environs of Scutari. It traveled slowly through the air at a considerable altitude and advanced in the direction of the Adriatic Sea at a speed that allowed the two walkers to follow; after covering some twenty-four miles, they reached the coast.

With unbounded confidence, Giorgio and De Scalvis walked on the waves of the Adriatic Sea.

Without stopping, the picture left the land and advanced over the waters while the faithful Giorgio and De Sclavis continued to follow, walking on the waves much like their Divine Master had done on Lake Genesareth. When night would fall, the mysterious cloud, which had protected them with its shade from the heat of the sun during the day, guided them by night with light, like the column of fire in the desert that guided the Jews in their exodus from Egypt.

They traveled day and night until they reached the Italian coast. There, they continued following the miraculous picture, climbing mountains, fording rivers and passing through valleys. Finally, they reached the vast plain of Lazio from where they could see the towers and domes of Rome. Upon reaching the gates of the city, the cloud suddenly disappeared before their disappointed eyes.

Giorgio and De Sclavis began to search the city, going from church to church asking if the painting had descended there. All their attempts to find the painting failed, and the Romans incredulously regarded the two foreigners and their strange tale.

Shortly thereafter, amazing news came to Rome: a picture of Our Lady had appeared in the skies of Genazzano to the sound of beautiful music and had come to rest over the wall of a church that was being rebuilt. The two Albanians rushed to find their country's beloved treasure miraculously suspended in the air next to the wall of the chapel where it remains to this day.

Although some inhabitants found the strangers' story difficult to believe, careful investigation later proved that the two were telling the truth and that the image was indeed the same one that graced the shrine in Scutari.

*****

Thus Mary Most Holy, with the humble participation of a pious Third Order Augustinian on one side of the Adriatic and two faithful Albanians on the other, transported her mysterious fresco from the unhappy and unfortunate Albania to a little city very close to the heart of Christendom. Beginning her historic journey from that small Albanian shrine, which she had not chosen by chance, she traveled across the sea to pour on the world a new torrent of graces under the invocation of Mother of Good Counsel.


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Searching for heaven; the souls of the builders of the Middle Ages

For the medieval mind, this earth was a place of exile in which there was a paradise: the Holy Catholic Church, the only true church of the only true God.  And the stained glass windows were the windows of this paradise. 

 
The  Romans discovered the window, but they never made stained glass windows.
When did stained glass start?
When the desire for the marvelous started.
If the souls of the stained glass makers were not searching for this blue, green and gold, would they have taken the trouble to discover them?

 
They preferred to live a life of semi-poverty to find that perfect blue or green for a stained glass window of Our Lady, Saint Gabriel, or some other saint.
Afterward, they died happily: "Our Lady now has a perfect blue color in her stained glass window.  This is my contribution that will remain forever for Her glory."
And we would like to imagine that the angel that came to take their soul at death had the holiness and virtue to match the color of their dream. 
This was the death of an artisan who made the stained glass window.
 
He could say:
"My life has meaning and purpose; I made this color known to men, to the piety of the Church, for the glory of Our Lady in a certain mystery of Her life.  O sun!  You were created before me, but you were also made so one day your rays would cross my window.  For as long as you exist, for as long as the world exists, a ray of yours will cross the blue of my dreams, and brighten the granite floor and lift up the soul of some faithful that sees it.  My life is explained."
Behind the history of the stained glass window is the story of the souls that desired these colors.
But there's more.

It is the history of a family of souls that desired something marvelous that was far more universal than one color.   They desired the complete stained glass window. 

And above them were the souls who thought of the cathedral.

Why -- is not the stained glass window just part of the cathedral? 

The stained glass windows are the 'eyes' of the cathedral, if you will.
The soul of the Middle Ages that thought of the cathedrals and castles desired more, more and more.
When was this soul born?
When was the soul and spirit of the Middle Ages born?
We row up the river of Church history when we ask ourselves these questions.

All these souls who engendered the gothic, desired always more, more and more perfect things. 

And the day will come when the perfection of the Church and Christian Civilization will reach such a height that the Reign of Mary will be established on earth. 

And, therefore, art and culture, and the stained glass windows, plus many other things, will flourish and excel like never before.
We are in an era where the Reign of Mary is germinating.
To know what the Reign of Mary will be like, we should try to feel it pulsating in our souls and not so much try to plan or organize it.
(Taken from: http://tudosobreidademedia.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html.  Originally, from a lecture by Plínio Correa de Oliveira.  The translation is my own and it was not revised by the author. )

Video of Mass Celebrated by Lithuanian Bishop Eugenius Bartulis; 100 years of Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira

See video of the Mass here:

http://es.gloria.tv/?media=25441

On 12-13-2008, centennial of the birth of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
the Lithuanian Bishop of Siauliai, Msgr. Eugenius Bartulis, celebrated a solemn Latin Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in downtown São Paulo, Brazil.

He was assisted by Msgr. Gilles Wach, founder and prior-general of the Institute Christ the King Sovereign Priest.  Many other priests were present.

This video shows some footage of the celebration.

The standards and capes displayed by some of those present at the commemorations of the centennial of the birth of the Brazilian Catholic leader and intellectual (*12-13-1908 +10-3-1995) are symbols of the foreign associations they are affiliated with, and not of any Brazilian entity.

Saint Therese & Wholesome Regionalism & Leveling Cosmopolitanism

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Saint Theresa as a young lady, wearing the fashions of Paris of her times.

The following text is taken from an informal lecture Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on December 10, 1970. It has been translated and adapted for publication without his revision. – Ed.


There is an interesting passage in Saint Theresa’s famous Story of a Soul, in which she speaks of the cultural atmosphere that existed in Loreto when, as a child, she went on pilgrimage with her family:

I was indeed happy when on the way to Loreto. Our Lady has chosen an ideal spot in which to place her Holy House. Everything is poor, simple, and primitive; the women still wear the graceful dress of the country and have not, as in the large towns, adopted the modern Paris fashions. I found Loreto enchanting. And what shall I say of the Holy House? I was overwhelmed with emotion when I realized that I was under the very roof that had sheltered the Holy Family.[1]

This excerpt gives one a small taste of the sublime atmosphere the Holy House of Loreto created around itself. Furthermore, one perceives that the graces brought by the Holy House also formed the souls and customs of the local population.
At that time, traditional clothing was still worn by the people in many regions of Europe, and Saint Theresa opines that the local ladies did well to conserve their traditional dress.

A regional dress from Calabria, Italy.

She eulogizes the women for using the simple clothing of a bygone era, rather than wearing the latest Paris fashions. She believes that healthy regionalism is preferable to cosmopolitanism. This is a Counter-revolutionary position in face of the Revolution’s[2] efforts to finish with regional characteristics.

In this, Saint Theresa’s profoundly Counter-revolutionary soul shows itself. Her understanding of the correlation between temporal and spiritual life becomes manifest. She realizes that a good social organization favors the practice of virtue and sanctification. All this is contained in this small but dense excerpt.
Ironically, when she wrote this, certainly she was wearing Parisian fashions, since in France, only country girls wore regional clothing.

While modest, Paris’ fashions favored the leveling effect of cosmopolitanism. Observing the ladies in Loreto, she perceived this, and expressed her love of legitimate regional differences, even while she resigned herself to wearing the chaste clothing, common to her status.

Footnotes:

  1. T.N. Taylor, ed., Soeur Thérèse of Lisieux, The Little Flower of Jesus (New York: P.J. Kennedy and Sons, 1924), pp. 93-94.
  2. The terms “Revolution” and “Counter-revolution” are used here in the sense explained by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in his book, Revolution and Counter-Revolution. In this context the “Revolution” is a five-centuries-old process that seeks to destroy Christian civilization, especially through temporal society. The Counter-revolution, then, is made up of those willing to resist this process of de-Christianization.

“Rhode Island, Most Catholic State, Welcomes Gay Marriage”

WITHOUT A DOUBT

Posted Apr 23, 2009, BY BISHOP THOMAS J. TOBIN

That’s a headline we haven’t seen yet, dear readers, but probably will in the next couple of years. And, make no mistake about it – that’s exactly what the headline will say as the story makes its way around the state and across the nation.

The march toward gay marriage across our nation is relentless, and liberal New England is leading the way. The supporters of gay marriage in Rhode Island are well-organized and well-funded. They’re fiercely determined to impose their politically correct agenda on all the citizens of the state – human history, culture and moral principles not-withstanding. Anyone who opposes them is quickly labeled a bigot.

Full story at:

http://thericatholic.com/stories/2089.html#

"Warrior and lay brother -- comfort zone Catholics don't like the 'warrior' part..."

Beato Nuno Álvares PereiraB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Nuno Álvares Pereira, Confessor, Constable of Portugal, and Carmelite; he wore his warrior's armur together with the Carmelite habit -- XIV Century.

Comment of Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveria:

Even after becoming a lay Carmelite, Saint Nuno used his knight's armor under his habit to keep strong his warrior spirit.

This is of great interest to us because as a lay brother he was a religious.  And the  *"white heresy"that we fight would like to be able to say that no saint was a warrior, and that no good religious can be a warrior, and that war has something intrinsically evil -- and we affirm exactly the opposite.

( From a lecture on November 6, 1964 .  The text and translation has not been reviewed by the author.)

(* White heresy: a sugary, syrupy, sentimental false piety that detaches piety from reality, especially in refusing to acknowledge evil for what it is.)

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Here a more complete biography of Saint Nuno:

Saint Nuno Alvares Pereira: A Warrior and a Man of Faith

Written by Benjamin Hiegert

Count Saint Nuno Alvares Pereira

On April 26, 2009, the Portuguese Count Nuno Alvares Pereira is to be canonized, nearly six centuries after his death. Saint Nuno Alvares had a brilliant military career and became the Constable of Portugal. Later, out of gratitude for a miraculous victory he won over the Spaniards, Saint Nuno built the Gothic church of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel on a hill outside of Lisbon. He gave the church to the Carmelite order, and then joined them as a simple lay brother.

Saint Nuno’s combative life and his devotion serve as an example for Catholics today who must fight to affirm their Faith in a secular world. As we will see, he drew his strength for the fight from his great devotion to Our Lady.

Saint Nuno was born and grew up outside Ourem near Fatima where Our Lady appeared in 1917, and from his youth, he had an ardent devotion to her, the Rosary and to the Brown Scapular. During the 14th century, Portugal had nearly become a province of the Kingdom of Castile. Spain had already defeated Portugal’s armies, and the Portuguese court was weak and decadent. Most of Saint Nuno’s life was spent fighting the Spanish to preserve Portuguese independence. His most important battles were Atoleiros, Aljubarrota (very near Fatima), and Valverde inside of Spain.*

The Battle of Atoleiros

When John I was proclaimed king of Portugal, a Castilian army immediately entered the Portuguese provinces south of Lisbon. King John asked Count Nuno to put together an army to face the Spaniards, which he quickly did. By the time Count Nuno reached Estremoz, he had 300 horsemen and 1000 infantrymen. The Castilians had 5000 soldiers commanded by their best captains.

Count Nuno realized the danger of his situation and also that the greatest danger was discouragement, so he gave a short speech saying that if the Castilians were many, the more honor there would be for the Portuguese. He told anyone who was afraid to leave before the battle. Not one abandoned him.

The Holy Count had to adopt novel tactics at the battle of Atoleiros because of the odds. He formed his cavalry into a square and surrounded the outer edges with infantry holding lances. Behind each lancer, there was another man ready to pick up the lance if the first lancer were wounded or killed. Count Nuno rode in the middle of the square, giving orders and encouraging everyone. Immediately before the battle, he spoke again to his soldiers, and then jumped off his horse and knelt before his banner that had Our Lady at the foot of the Cross on one side and the Nativity on the other. The whole Portuguese army followed suit, and knelt and prayed before the standard. When they heard the roar of the advancing Castilian army, Count Nuno leapt onto his horse. The Portuguese responded to the Castilian war cry with “Portugal! Saint George!”

The Castilians thought the poorly armed Portuguese cavalry would not withstand the cavalry charge. They were so sure of this that they advanced without a plan. Upon the first impact, the Castilian horses were impaled upon the row of lances. Then the Portuguese rained arrows on the Castilian troops that were behind the stalled cavalry. Confusion, and then terror, spread through the Castilian ranks. The Castilian soldiers saw many of their leaders dead and began to flee. Count Nuno ordered the cavalry to give chase. Without the protection of their own cavalry, the Castilian soldiers did not stand a chance.
This was the first Portuguese victory under the new king, and the victory gave him time to unite the country and prepare for the larger attack.

The day after the tremendous victory of Atoleiros, Count Nuno made a six-mile pilgrimage barefoot, over cobblestones and rough terrain, to a nearby shrine of Our Lady in thanksgiving for her help. Upon arriving at the shrine, he found it dirty and profaned. The Castilians had quartered their horses in the church! With his own hands, he cleaned out the church and vowed to build an even more awesome shrine in her honor.

The Battle of Aljubarotta

The Battle of Aljubarotta

Despite several Portuguese victories, Castile continued to attack. Now, an army of 30,000 strong invaded Portugal and used scorched-earth tactics.

Count Nuno rushed with his army to the area outside of Leiria. Everyone knew this was to be the great, decisive battle of the war. When his cavalry arrived ahead of schedule at Aljubarotta, the king of Castile thought he found his chance to take Count Nuno off guard and kill him.

It was August 14, 1385, the eve of the feast of Our Lady’s Assumption, and the Portuguese army was fasting in preparation for the feast.

Once again, Count Nuno had a much smaller army, this time 8,000 Portuguese. The two armies maneuvered throughout the day to get into favorable positions. Once again, the Castilian cavalry charged into the Portuguese square formation. This time they almost broke through, but Count Nuno ordered the Portuguese cavalry he held in reserve on the flanks to attack.

This saved the Portuguese square, but the situation was desperate. The king of Castile ordered his reserves to attack, but they hesitated. In vain, the Castilian nobles tried to push them to the attack, but the troops in the rear began to flee. The Castilian king’s last option was to order another cavalry force to charge the Portuguese from the rear. Count Nuno, however, saw this coming and had a wall of lances ready to face the charge. After more brutal hand-to-hand fighting, the Castilian force also fled. Just then the main body of the Castilian infantry arrived at the battlefield. They retreated in disorder with the others to Leiria.
Out of gratitude for this great victory, King John built the great Gothic monastery of Batalha.

The Battle of Valverde

Next, the Portuguese army split in two. King John took half the army to northern Portugal to expel the Spaniards and the Holy Count went to the south. From the Spanish border, Count Nuno sent a message to the king of Castile that if he did not immediately recognize Portugal as an independent kingdom, he then would take the battle to Spanish soil. Count Nuno entered Spain and took control of several cities. He again divided his army, taking only about 300 knights to the Castilian camp. He hoped to lure the Castilians into a battle and then have the rest of his army launch a surprise attack. The Spaniards were in a strong strategic position on a hill across the river from Nuno and his men. The Spaniards sent half of their army to circle behind the Portuguese to attack from the rear. The prospects were grimmer than Atoleiros and Aljubarotta, and Count Nuno prayed as never before.

A map of medieval Portugal and Spain

He formed his men in the square formation and advanced toward the hill held by the Castilians. He hoped to take that hill, and then turn to face the other half of the Castilian army. As soon as the Portuguese crossed the river, the Castilians attacked.

Once again, Count Nuno was everywhere, shouting orders and words of encouragement to the soldiers. Then, he heard cries from the rear of the square as the other half of the Castilian army attacked. A dart wounded Count Nuno, but he ignored the pain and continued fighting. As the Castilian army pressed the attack on the vanguard, Count Nuno’s men called out for him, but he was nowhere to be found. A wave of panic swept through the Portuguese. Where was Nuno Alvarez? Had he been killed? Then, an officer found Count Nuno, kneeling in prayer between two huge rocks.

He was holding a reliquary containing a thorn from Our Lord’s Crown of Thorns. The officer cried out in despair, “We are lost!” Count Nuno responded, “My friend, it is not yet time. Wait a bit.” And he continued to pray. Then after a few moments, Count Nuno picked up his helmet and rose to his feet. He mounted his horse, and pointed out to his standard bearer the Master of Santiago who was at the top of the hill. “We must go up there with my standard!” Then leading the way and shouting “Forward! Forward!” to his men, Count Nuno advanced. To the Portuguese, it seemed almost a resurrection. The Portuguese soldiers surged forward with Count Nuno while the Castilians gave way. The Castilian army was so badly beaten there was no counterattack. With this victory of the battle of Valverde, Castile gave up subduing Portugal.

The Carmelite Constable

St. Nuno in the habit of a Carmelite donato.

Out of gratitude for the victory at Valverde, Count Nuno began construction of the shrine and monastery of Our Lady of the Scapular of Mount Carmel in Lisbon. This magnificent Gothic church was built on a hill outside Lisbon. Upon completion, Count Nuno wrote the Carmelite superior and asked the monks to take care of the shrine and to establish a monastery there.

Meanwhile, Count Nuno made arrangements for his property, setting aside a third for his grandchildren, a third for the poor and a third for his retirement. Then, he knocked on the door of the Carmelite monastery and asked the prior for permission to join the order as a type of lay brother called a donato. The prior was shocked but finally accepted Nuno. As a donato, he would be the lowest one at the monastery, and he would only take simple vows as opposed to solemn perpetual vows. Thus, he could leave the monastery to lead an army if Portugal were attacked.
King John was dismayed at the count’s decision. He sent his son Duarte to convince Nuno to give up, saying the enemies of Portugal would take advantage to attack. Count Nuno pulled aside the scapular of his habit and exposed the armor he wore underneath the Carmelite habit. He told Duarte to tell the king he was ready to come to the aid of his country whenever needed.

The Castilians also were curious. Since it was time to sign the peace treaty, the Castilian ambassador visited Nuno in the monastery. He could not believe Portugal’s great hero had become a simple monk. Again, Nuno uncovered the armor beneath his habit and warned them not to attack Portugal.
After eight years in the monastery, Nuno Alvares Pereira died on Easter Sunday of 1431. His life of fight and of faith in opposition to the world that was abandoning the Christ-centered spirit of the Middle Ages can serve as a guide for those who want to be faithful and to fight for the Church and Christian civilization in these turbulent times.
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* For an account of Saint Nuno Alvarez Pereira’s life, see John Haffert, The Peacemaker Who Went to War: The Life of Blessed Nun’Alvarez Pereira, Precursor of Our Lady of Fatima.