St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius of Loyola - Patron of Retreats and of Soldiers - July 31st

This famous founder of the Jesuits was a son of one of the most noble families of Spain. As a boy he was sent to be a page at the royal court, and there he lived on the desire to become a great soldier and win a fair lady. Later, he did, indeed, win honor for his courage in the battle of Pamplona. However, a wound from a cannon ball forced him to spend months in bed back at Loyola Castle.

Ignatius asked for some stories of knights to pass the time, but the only books on hand were stories of Our Lord and the Saints. Having nothing else to do, he read them, and his life changed from that time on. He said to himself: “These were men like me, so why can’t I do what they have done?” All the glory he had wanted before seemed worthless now, and he began to imitate the Saints in their prayers and penances and good works.

St. Ignatius had to suffer terrible temptations and humiliations before he began his great work of founding the Society of Jesus. Imagine going back to school to study Latin grammar with little boys when you are a man of thirty-three! Yet Ignatius did it because he knew he would need knowledge to help him save souls. With patience and even a laugh now and then, he took the boys’ jeers and taunts. For teaching and encouraging people to pray, he was even suspected of heresy and put in jail for a while! But that did not bother the Saint. “The whole city does not contain as many chains as I desire to wear for love of Jesus,” he said.

Ignatius was forty-three when he graduated from the University of Paris. With six other students, he made the vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. They also promised to work for God in whatever way the Holy Father thought best. Later they became priests and formed the religious order of the Jesuits. Before Ignatius died, there were one thousand Jesuits and they were doing much good teaching youth and preaching.

It was the Saint’s tremendous love of Jesus which made him want to keep working for the greater glory of God. He often prayed: “Give me only Your love and Your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask.”

The reading of the lives of Jesus and His Saints changed Ignatius’ whole life. Let us, too, read these inspiring books, so that we will find it easier to be virtuous and to put our lives to good use, as the Saints did.

Blessed Everard Hanse

Blessed Everard Hanse - July 30th

Everard was born in England of a non-Catholic family. He went to the University of Cambridge, and became a minister. As a preacher he was very popular, and he was quite proud of his success. Everard’s brother William, who had become a Catholic, tried to bring him into the Church, but Everard did not seem to want to listen. However, a serious sickness made him look deep into his own heart, and his brother’s words began to take effect. He sent for William and was received into the Church.

Everard became a priest after studying in France. Then, although he knew he was risking his life, he went back to England, where the Catholics were being persecuted. Just three months later, he was arrested. When he declared that he believed the Pope was the Head of the Church and that he wished all men could believe the Catholic Faith, as he did, he was condemned to death.

From prison, Blessed Everard wrote to his brother: “I cannot tell you how contented I am. This dignity (of being a martyr) is too high for a sinner, but God is merciful. The day and hour of my birth to eternal life are near.” At the place of execution he begged all Catholics to pray for him and with him! Even as he was suffering, he murmured, “O happy day!”

Let us learn from this glorious Martyr how to take little pains for the love of God, without complaining.

St. Martha

St. Martha - Patroness of Cooks and Domestic Servants - July 29th

Martha was the sister of Mary Magdalen and Lazarus, and she lived with them in the little town of Bethany near Jerusalem. They were dear friends of Jesus, and He often came to visit them. In fact, the Holy Gospel tells us: “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus.” It was St. Martha who lovingly served Our Lord when He visited them.

One day as she was going about the house preparing everything for Jesus, she asked Him to tell her sister Mary to help her. For Mary was sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. Our Lord was very pleased with Martha’s loving service, but He wanted her to know that listening to God’s word and praying is even more important. So He said gently: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things, but only one thing is necessary, Mary has chosen the better part.”

St. Martha’s great faith in Jesus was seen when her brother Lazarus died. As soon as she heard that Jesus was coming to Bethany, Martha went to meet Him and said: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would have not died.” Then Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise. He said: “He who believes in Me, even if he die, shall live. Do you believe this?” And Martha answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are Christ, the Son of God, Who has come into the world.” Afterwards, Our Lord worked a great miracle and raised Lazarus from the dead!

Later, Jesus came again to have supper with Lazarus, and St. Martha served them at table as always, but this time with much greater love and joy.

Jesus said to Martha that to take care of our soul is more important than to take care of our body. Our body will die one day, but our soul will live forever. Therefore we have to give more importance to our soul, to be sure to save it.

St. Botvid

St. Botvid - July 28th

This Saint was born in Sweden and brought up a pagan. But when he went to England, he became a Christian. Although he was not a priest, he felt a great desire to preach the Gospel. He wanted to share his new Faith with his own countrymen.

For this reason, St. Botvid returned to Sweden to work for Our Lord there. But he was not even satisfied then. He wanted the Gospel to be preached in Finland, too. So he bought a Finnish slave, taught him the Faith, and then set him free to go back to his own country and make converts there.

That man repaid the Saint for his goodness by a terrible act of ingratitude. St. Botvid set out in a boat to take him across the sea to Finland. When they went ashore for the night and the Saint was asleep, the wicked slave killed Botvid and sailed away with the boat. Friends of the Saint came looking for him when he did not return, and a little bird led them to his body.

St. Botvid is honored as a martyr of charity and as one of the apostles of Sweden.

Today I will show appreciation and gratitude to my parents and teachers, who care so much for me.

St. Pantaleon

St. Pantaleon - Patron of Doctors - July 27th

Pantaleon came from Nicomedia, near the Black sea, in Asia. He was such a famous doctor that the Emperor himself chose him for his own doctor. There, at the wicked, pagan court, Pantaleon got into trouble. He was a Christian, but little by little he let the bad example all around him ruin him. He began to agree with the false wisdom praised by the pagans, until at last he committed the great sin of giving up his Christian Faith entirely.

A holy priest named Hermolaos was deeply saddened to see the famous doctor desert Our Lord. He went to him and, with his wise, kind words, made him realize what a sin he had committed. Pantaleon listened to him and admitted that he had done very wrong. He detested his sin and joined the Church once more. To make up for what he had done, he greatly desired to suffer and die for charity by taking care of poor sick people without any charge.

When the Emperor Diocletian began his persecution, Pantaleon at once gave away everything he owned to the poor. Not long afterwards, some jealous doctors accused him of being a Christian, and he was given the choice of denying his Faith or being put to death. Pantaleon absolutely refused to say he was not a Christian and no torture could make him do it.

There has been strong devotion in past ages to this Saint. In the East he is called the “Great Martyr and Wonder-worker.”

Let us avoid all companions, TV and radio programs, or books and magazines which could be a danger to our Faith.

St. Anne

St. Anne - Patroness of Canada, of Cabinet-Makers and of Housewives - July 26th

St. Anne is the grandmother of Our Lord and the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She and her husband, St. Joachim, had spent their lives in worshipping God and doing good, but they had one great sorrow: God had not sent them any children. For years and years, Anne begged the Lord to give her a child, and she promised to consecrate it to Him if He would. When she was already old, God answered her prayer in a far better way than she could ever have dreamed.

For the child born to St. Anne was the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the holiest of all women, the one who was to become the Mother of God. Anne took tender care of little Mary for a few years and then gave her to the service of God, as she had promised she would.

After Mary had gone to live in the holy Temple at Jerusalem, St. Anne continued her life of prayer until God called her to Heaven. Knowing what a great Saint she is, Christians have always been devoted to St. Anne, and have built beautiful churches in her honor. Perhaps one of the most famous is the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre in Canada, where great crowds go to ask her help in their sufferings.

St. Anne is a great saint because even though it cost her great pain, she gave Mary to God. If you feel the divine call, pray to St. Anne. She will help you to follow it, despite many difficulties.

St. James the Greater

St. James the Greater - Patron of Spain, of Chile, of Pilgrims and of Manual Laborers - July 25th

James was a fisherman like his father Zebedee and his brother John. He was on his father’s boat mending his nets when Our Lord passed by and called him and John to become fishers of men. At once they left their father and their boats to follow Jesus.

James, with St. Peter and St. John, was a special companion of Our Lord. With them, he was permitted to see what the other Apostles did not see. He was there when Our Lord raised the daughter of Jarius to life. He was taken up the mountain to see Jesus shining like the sun with His robes white as snow. He was allowed to stay with Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Holy Thursday night when He sweat blood.

St. James was an impulsive, outspoken man, who wanted Jesus to send fire down on the villages which did not receive Our Lord. But he had great faith in Jesus, and he learned to become humble and meek. To him was given the honor of being the first Apostle to die for Our Lord. The Holy Bible tell us that King Herod Agrippa had St. James put to death by the sword.

The judge who was suppose to condemn the Apostle was so moved by St. James’ faith in Jesus that right than and there he declared himself to be a Christian. For that, he, too, was condemned to death to be beheaded. As he walked beside St. James to his execution, he begged the Apostle to forgive him for arresting him. St. James turned and embraced him. “Peace be to you!” he said, and kissed him. And they died for Jesus together.

Jesus loves and chooses who are generous and ready to say “yes”.

St. Boris and Gleb

St. Boris and Gleb - July 24th

These two brothers were sons of St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first Christian prince in Russia. Their father had had many wives before he was converted, but afterwards he had lived as Jesus teaches us in the Gospel. Boris and Gleb were his sons by his Christian wife Anne, and they were true Christians themselves.

In order to have more power when King Vladimir died, his oldest son planned to kill both Boris and Gleb. Boris was warned as he was coming back with his soldiers from a battle against some wandering tribes. His men at once prepared to defend Boris from his brother, but he would not permit it, “it is better for me to die alone,” he said, “than to be the occasion of death to many.” So he sent them away and sat down to wait. During the night, he thought about the martyrs who had been put to death by their own close relatives, and he thought of how empty everything on earth is except good deeds, true love, and true religion. When in the morning, his brother’s hired murderers arrived and began striking him with spears, Boris did nothing but call down peace on them.

St. Gleb was killed soon after. The wicked older brother invited him to come to his palace for a friendly visit. As he was sailing down the river Gleb’s boat was boarded by fierce, armed men. He was terrified at first and begged them not to kill him. Yet he would not defend himself by fighting-not even when he saw that they were determined to kill him. Instead, St. Gleb quietly prepared himself to die. “I am being killed,” he said, “and for what I do not know. But you know, Lord. And I know You said that for Your name’s sake brother would bring death to brother.”

Only a few years after their death, the people of Russia began going on pilgrimages to the tomb of the two brothers and miracles took place. Saints Boris and Gleb are called martyrs, because they accepted death as Christ did, without defending themselves.

If anyone hurts our feelings today, we will be patient and forgiving.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi

St. Lawrence of Brindisi - July 23rd

The name of this Italian saint was Caesar de Rossi. He took the name Lawrence when he became a Capuchin monk at the age of sixteen. He was sent to the University of Padua to study theology but he surprised everyone by learning six foreign languages, also. St. Lawrence had a wonderful knowledge of the Holy Bible, too.

After he was ordained a priest, he became a popular preacher, and because he could speak Hebrew, he worked for the conversion of the Jews living in Rome.

Later, St. Lawrence was sent to establish his Order of Capuchins in Austria, where the Emperor and others did not want them. By his tender care for victims of a plague, the holy priest won the Emperor to his cause, and many monasteries were opened. Next, the Emperor asked the Saint to persuade the German princes to fight the Turks, who were trying to wipe out Christendom. He did convince the princes, but the leaders insisted that he go with the army into battle to make the victory sure. When the soldiers saw how large the Turkish army was, they wanted to retreat. So St. Lawrence himself led the charge, with the crucifix in his hands. He made them all call on the holy name of Jesus and told them to fear nothing. The Turks were completely defeated, and all the praise for the victory went to St. Lawrence.

But the Saint never prided himself for having done anything good. He put all his trust in God and gave all the glory to Him.

Prayer is the secret of success. The person who prays will always be courageous and successful.

St. Mary Magdalen

St. Mary Magdalen - Patroness of Penitent Sinners - July 22nd

Mary Magdalen was well known as a sinner when she first saw Our Lord. She was very beautiful and very proud, but after she met Jesus, she felt great sorrow for her evil life. When Jesus went to supper at the home of a rich man named Simon, Mary came to weep at His feet. Then with her long beautiful hair, she wiped His feet dry and anointed them with expensive perfume. Some people were surprised that Jesus let such a sinner touch Him, but Our Lord could see into Mary’s heart, and he said: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much.” Then to Mary He said kindly, “Your faith has made you safe. Go in peace.”

From then on, with the other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles. And when Our Lord was crucified, she was there at the foot of His cross, unafraid for herself, and thinking only of His sufferings. No wonder Jesus said of her: “She has loved much.”

After Jesus’ body had been placed in the tomb, Mary went to anoint it with spices early Easter Sunday morning. Not finding the sacred body, she began to weep, and seeing someone whom she thought was the gardener, she asked him if he knew where the Body of her beloved Master had been taken. But then the Person spoke in a voice she knew so well: “Mary!” It was Jesus, risen from the dead! And He had chosen to show Himself first to Mary Magdalen, the repentant sinner.

Today I will often say the invocation, “Jesus, make me love You more and more.” When the love of God fills our hearts, it purifies them from every stain of sin.

St. Praxedes

St. Praxedes - July 21st


This Roman maiden came from a family of saints who had been converted by the great Apostles Peter and Paul. When she and her sister, St. Pudentiana, were left with a huge fortune by their holy father, Senator Pudens, they used it all for God. Together they prayed, read sacred books, helped the poor, and comforted the Christians suffering in prison for the Faith.


When St. Pudentiana died, Praxedes continued doing the same good deeds alone. Although the Christians were being persecuted terribly and she helped them in every way she could, the Saint herself was never arrested. Perhaps because she came hid Christians in her home, gave all her money away, and even buried the bodies of the martyrs.


Her heart broke to see how the Christians had to suffer, especially when she had nothing left to give away. It was then that she asked God to take her to Heaven, since she could not be of any service any more.


Today I will offer to Our Lord a few little sacrifices for the persecuted Christians in different parts of the world.

Padre Pio and America

Padre Pio and America

By: Frank M. Rega

First titled, The Holy Man on the Mountain, this book tells the fascinating life story of Padre Pio, with emphasis on his life as a seminarian, young priest and his early decades at San Giovanni Rotondo. Incredible is the number of times the Capuchins sent him home sick unto death while a seminarian and young priest and how he was finally sent to remote San Giovanni Rotondo “for a couple of weeks of mountain air”. He never left. But from this small, remote mountain friary, he became world famous and exercised unbelievable influence on the entire world–though early on, he was forbidden by his superiors to preach, to write or to correspond. A few clerics developed enmity toward Padre Pio, resulting several times in orders from his superiors that he be moved. It is simply hilarious to learn why he never was–though being under obedience, he was entirely willing to do so.

The author also weaves in the Saint’s early work with L’Americana, Mary Pyle, his “foreign ambassadress,” and then with the American GI’s who came to visit him during WWII, when San Giovanni Rotondo was liberated from the Germans. Padre Pio developed a special love for Americans and America–to the point that he wished that all Americans would become his spiritual children.

This book demonstrates Padre Pio’s great love for his parents, his amazing sense of humor, his abstemious eating, his uncanny knowledge of people (even before they visited), and his profound supernatural awareness. In sum, Padre Pio and America is an inspiring book that will instill a profound awe in readers because it shows the impact a truly saintly priest can have on all who come into contact with him–and in Padre Pio’s case, even on the whole world!

To order this book, go to:

https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage_gr/product_id/686/

Meaning of the Ceremonies at The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

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The Meaning of the Ceremonies at

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Adapted from

Fr. John Young’s (SSPX) Sermon

1. The priest going into the sanctuary with the acolytes and praying at the foot of the altar represents Christ praying in the Garden of Olives with His selected Apostles.

2. The priest bowing low during the Confiteor represents Christ prostrating Himself on the ground and sweating blood.

3. The priest ascending and kissing the altar represents Judas betraying Our Lord with a kiss.

4. The priest reading the Introit represents Our Lord asking the Romans: “Whom do you seek?”

5. The thrice repeated Kyrie Eleison represents Peter’s threefold denial of Our Lord.

6. The Gloria in Excelsis Deo represents Christ telling Pilate that He is a King.

7. The first Dominus Vobiscum represents Christ looking at Peter and converting him.

8. The reading of the Epistle represents Christ questioned by Pilate.

9. The reading of the Gospel represents Christ being questioned by Herod.

10.The reading of the Creed represents Christ telling Pilate that He is the only-begotten of God and that He shall come again in the clouds to judge the world.

11.The uncovering of the chalice represents Christ being stripped of His garments.

12.The offering of the host represents Christ being scourged.

13. The offering of the chalice represents Christ being crowned with thorns.

14.The washing of the priest’s fingers represents Pilate washing his hands before the people and proclaiming that he is innocent of the blood of this just Man.

15. The priest turning and saying: “Orate Fratres” represents Pilate taking Christ before the crowd saying: “Behold the Man”.

16. The priest reading the Preface represents the death sentence of Christ read by Pilate.

17. The silent recitation of the Canon represents Christ’s silence when interrogated by Pilate.

18. The priest extending his hands over the chalice at the Hanc Igitur represents Simon of Cyrene extending his hand to help Jesus carry His Cross.

19. The consecration of the host represents Christ being nailed to and elevated on the Cross.

20. The consecration of the wine represents Christ’s blood flowing from the Cross.

21. The priest breaking the silence of the Canon with the words “Nobis quoque peccatoribus” represents the good thief asking to be remembered by Our Lord.

22. The priest reciting the Our Father represents the Seven Last Words on the Cross.

23. The breaking of the Host represents Christ’s death upon the Cross and the earthquake that followed.

24. The dropping of the piece of Host into the chalice represents Christ’s soul going down to Limbo.

25. The Agnus Dei represents the conversion of the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Christ.

26. The “Domine non sum dignus” represents the bystanders beating their breasts and confessing that this Man is the Son of God.

27. The priest receiving Communion represents Our Lady receiving the Body of Jesus into her arms.

28. The Communion of the faithful represents the Apostles putting the Body of Jesus into the sepulcher.

29. The priest cleansing the chalice represents Christ being anointed by the holy women.

30. The priest cleansing the chalice represents Christ being anointed by the holy women.

31. The priest saying the Ite Missa Est represents Christ telling His Apostles to go preach the Gospel.

32. The final blessing represents Christ blessing His Apostles before His Ascension.

33. The Last Gospel represents the Apostles preaching the Gospel to the whole world.

St. Jerome Emiliani

St. Jerome Emiliani - Patron of Orphans and Abandoned Children - July 20th

Jerome was the son of a noble family of Venice, Italy. He was a good soldier and was put in command of a fortress high in the mountains. While defending this post, he was taken prisoner and thrown into a dungeon. Chained in that miserable prison, he began to regret the careless way he had been living. He was sorry that he had thought so little about God. Jerome promised the Blessed Mother that he would live a better life is she would help him. His prayers were answered and he escaped to safety.

With a grateful heart, he went straight to a church and hung up his chains in front of Mary’s alter. Later Jerome became a priest and devoted himself to works of charity. His special love was for the many homeless orphan children he found in the streets. He rented a house for them, gave them clothes and food, and taught them the catechism.

St. Jerome started a Congregation of men to take care of the poor, especially orphans, and to teach youth. He did all he could for the poor peasants, too. He would work with them in the fields and talk to them of God’s goodness while he worked.

The Pope named St. Jerome Emiliani the patron saint of orphans and homeless children.

Let us respect our companions and let us try to give them good example.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul - Patron of Charitable Institutions - July 19th

Vincent was the son of poor French peasants. When he grew up and became famous, he loved to tell people how he had taken care of his father’s pigs. Because he showed himself to be very intelligent his father sent him to school. And after finishing his studies Vincent became a priest.

At first, he was given an important position as the teacher of rich children, and he lived rather comfortably. Then one day, he was called to the side of a dying peasant, and in front of many people, this man declared that all his past confessions had been bad ones, all sacrileges! Suddenly Vincent realized how badly the poor people of France needed spiritual help. When he began to preach to them, crowds went to confession, and he finally decided to found a congregation of priests to work especially among the poor.

The charities of St. Vincent de Paul were so many that it seems impossible for one man to have done so much. He took care of criminals who were made to labor in the sailing ships. He founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity with St. Louise de Marillac. He opened hospitals and homes of money for poor areas, sent missionaries to many countries, and bought back prisoners from the Mohammedans. So charitable a man, however, humbly admitted that he was not so by nature. “I would have been hard, rough and ill-tempered,” he said, “were it not for God’s grace.”

Am I selfish? Jesus asks me to be good to others, especially to those who suffer. He says to me, too, “Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me”.

St. Camillus de Lellis

St. Camillus de Lellis - Patron of Sick and Hospitals - July 18th

This Italian Saint’s life for twenty-five years was not one to be imitated, because he was a rough-and-ready soldier with a terrible love of gambling and temper that got him into trouble all the time.

At last he had gambled away every penny he had, plus his gun, and even the shirt he was wearing. To earn some money, he took a job with builders putting up a new monastery for the Capuchin monks. The Superior there urged Camillus to change his ways, and his words had a good effect. Camillus kept thinking about them until he finally fell to his knees and begged God for mercy. Then he entered the Capuchin monastery, but a bad sore on his leg made it impossible for him to stay.

St. Camillus went to a hospital in Rome, and though his leg pained him all his life, it healed enough to let him work there tending the sick. In each person, Camillus felt he was serving Jesus Himself, and people were amazed to see how gentle and tender this tall, husky man was with his poor patients. In those days, hospitals did not have regular nurses, and very often rough, careless servants made the patients suffer greatly. So St. Camillus founded a congregation of devoted servants of the sick.

Even when he was very sick, the Saint dragged himself out of his bed to ask the patients if they wanted anything. Once, one sick man begged him to make his bed a little more comfortable. “You beg me!” exclaimed Camillus. “Don’t you know yet that you have to give me orders, for I am your servant?”

Let us visit the poor and the sick to help them. One day Jesus will tell us, “I was hungry and you fed Me; I was sick and you visited Me”.

Our Lady’s Message at La Salette

Our Lady’s Message at La Salette

Compiled by CFN (Catholic Family News)

“And so, My children, you will pass this on to all My people.”
Words of Our Lady of La Salette to Melanie and Maximin - Sept. 19, 1846

Editor’s Note: We present for the purpose of wide distribution a portion of the message of Our Lady of La Salette. This is taken from the booklet “Apparition of the Blessed Virgin at La Salette” and carries the 1879 Imprimatur of Bishop Zola of Lecce. What follows is a transcript, without commentary, of the original 1879 edition.

“Melanie, what I am about to tell you now will not always be a secret. You may make it public in 1858.

“The priests, ministers of My Son, the priests by their wicked lives, by their irreverence and their impiety in the celebration of the holy mysteries, by their love of money, their love of honors - and pleasures, the priests have become cesspools of impurity. Yes, the priests are asking for vengeance, and now vengeance is hanging over their heads. Woe to the priests and to those dedicated to God who by their unfaithfulness and their wicked lives are crucifying My Son again! The sins of those dedicated to God cry out towards Heaven and call or vengeance, and now is at their door, for there no one left to beg mercy and forgiveness for the people. There are no more generous souls, there is no one worthy of offering a stainless sacrifice to the Eternal for the sake of the world.

“God will strike in an unprecedented way. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God will exhaust His wrath upon them, and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together.

“The chiefs, the leaders of the people of God have neglected prayer and penance, and the devil has bedimmed their intelligence. They have become wandering stars, which the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will allow the old serpent to cause divisions in every society and in every family. Physical and moral agonies will be suffered. God will abandon mankind to itself and will send punishment which will follow one after the other for more than thirty-five years.

“The Society of men is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and gravest events. Men must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink from the chalice of the wrath of God.

“May the curate of My Son, Pope Pius IX never leave Rome again after 1859; may he, however be steadfast and noble, may he fight with the weapons of faith and love. I will be at his side. May he be on guard against Napoleon, he is two-faced and wishes to be Pope as well as Emperor, God will soon draw back from him. He is the mastermind who, always wanting to ascend further, will fall on the sword he wished to use to force his people to be raised up.

“Italy will be punished for her ambition in wanting to throw off the yoke of the Lord of Lords. And so she will be left to fight in war; blood will flow on all sides. Churches will be locked up or desecrated. Priests and religious orders will be hunted down, and made to die cruel death. Several will abandon the faith; and a great deal of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true religion; among these people there will even be bishops.

“May the Pope guard against the performers of miracles. For the time has come when the most astonishing wonders will take place on the earth and in the air.

“In the year 1864, Lucifer together with a large number of demons will be unloosed from hell; they will put an end to faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God. They will blind them in such a way, that, unless they are blessed with a special grace, these people will take on the spirit of these angels of hell; several religious institutions will lose all faith and will lose many souls.

“Evil books will be abundant on the earth, and the spirits of darkness will spread a universal slackening in all that concerns the service of God. They will have great power over nature; there will be churches built to serve these spirits. People will be transported from one place to another by these evil spirits, even priests, for they have not been guided by the good spirit of the Gospel which is a spirit of humility, charity and zeal for the glory of God. On occasions, the dead and the righteous will be brought back to life.1

“Everywhere there will be extraordinary wonders, as the true Faith has faded and false light brightens the people. Woe to the Princes of the Church who think only of piling riches upon riches to protect their authority and to dominate with pride.

“The Vicar of My Son will suffer a great deal, because for a while the Church will yield to large persecution and a time of darkness, and the Church will witness a frightful crisis.

“The true Faith to the Lord having been forgotten, each individual will want to be on his own and be superior to people of the same identity, they will abolish civil rights as well as ecclesiastical, all order and justice will be trampled down under-foot and only homicides, hate, jealous, lies and dissension would be seen without love for country or family.

“The Holy Father will suffer a great deal. I will be with him until the end and receive his sacrifice.

“The mischievous would attempt his life several times to do harm and shorten his days but neither him nor his successor will see the triumph of the Church of God.

“All the civil governments will have one and the same plan, which will be to abolish and do away with every religious principle, to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and vice of all kinds.

"In the year 1865, there will be desecration of holy places. In convents, the flowers of the Church will decompose and the devil will make himself King of all hearts. May those in charge of religious communities be on their guard against the people they must receive, for the devil will resort to all his evil tricks to introduce sinners into religious orders, for disorder and the love of carnal pleasures will be spread all over the earth.

“France, Italy, Spain and England will be at war. Blood will flow in the streets. Frenchmen will fight Frenchmen, Italian will fight Italian. A general war will follow which will be appalling. For a time, God will cease to remember France and Italy because the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been forgotten. The wicked will make use of all their evil ways. Men will kill each other, massacre each other even in their own homes.

“At the first blow of His thundering sword, the mountains and all Nature will tremble in terror, for the disorders and crimes of men have pierced the vault of the heavens. Paris will burn and Marseille will be engulfed. Several cities will be shaken down and swallowed up by earthquakes. People will believe that all is lost. Nothing will be seen but murder, nothing will be heard but the clash of arms and blasphemy.

“The righteous will suffer greatly. Their prayers, their penances and their tears will rise up to Heaven and all of God’s people will beg for forgiveness and mercy and will plead for My help and intercession. And then Jesus Christ, in an act of His justice and His great mercy will command His Angels to have all His enemies put to death. Suddenly, the persecutors of the church of Jesus Christ and all those given over to sin will perish and the earth will become desert-like. And then peace will be made, and man will be reconciled with God. Jesus Christ will be served, worshiped and glorified. Charity will flourish everywhere. The new kings will be the right arm of the holy Church, which will be strong, humble, pious in It’s poor but fervent imitation of the virtues of Jesus Christ. The Gospel will be preached everywhere and mankind will make great progress in the faith, for there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ and man will live in fear of God.

“This peace among men will be short-lived. Twenty-five years of plentiful harvests will make them forget that the sins of men are the cause of all the troubles on this earth.

“A forerunner of the Antichrist, with his troops gathered from several nations, will fight against the true Christ, the only Savoir of the world. He will shed much blood and will want to annihilate the worship of God to make himself looked upon as a God.

“The earth will be struck by calamities of all kinds (in addition to plague and famine which will be widespread). There will be a series of wars until the last war, which will then be fought by the ten Kings of the Antichrist, all of whom will have one and the same plan and will be the only rulers of the world. Before this comes to pass, there will be a kind of false peace in the world. People will think of nothing but amusement. The wicked will give themselves over to all kinds of sin. But the children of the holy Church, the children of My faith, My true followers, they will grow in their love of God and in all the virtues most precious to Me. Blessed are the souls humbly guided by the Holy Ghost! I shall fight at their side until they reach a fullness of years.

“Nature is asking for vengeance because of man, and she trembles with dread at what must happen to the earth stained with crime. Tremble, earth, and you who proclaim yourselves as serving Jesus Christ and who, on the inside, only adore yourselves, tremble for God will hand you over to His enemy, because the holy places are in a state of corruption. Many convents are no longer houses of God, but the gazing grounds of Asmodeas and his like. It will be during this time that the Antichrist will be born of a false Hebrew nun, a false virgin who will communicate with the old serpent, the master of impurity, his father will be B. At birth, he will spew out blasphemy; he will have teeth, in a word, he will be the devil incarnate. He will scream horribly, he will feed on nothing but impurity. He will have brothers who, although not devils incarnate like him, will be children of evil. At the age of twelve, they will draw attention upon themselves by the gallant victories they will have won; soon they will each lead armies, aided by the legions of hell.

“The seasons will be altered, the earth will produce nothing but bad fruit, the stars will lose their regular motions, the moon will only reflect a faint reddish glow. Water and fire will give the earth’s globe convulsions and terrible earthquakes which will swallow up mountains, cities, etc…

“Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.

“The demons of the air together with the Antichrist will perform great wonders on earth and in the atmosphere, and men will become more and more perverted. God will take care of his faithful servants and men of good will. The Gospel will be preached everywhere, and all get to know the truth.

“I make an urgent appeal to the earth. I call on the true disciples of the living God who reigns in Heaven; I call upon the true followers of Christ made man, the only true Savior of men; I call on My children, the true faithful, those who have given themselves to Me so that I may lead them to My Divine Son, those whom I carry in My arms, so to speak, those who have lived on My spirit. Finally, I call upon the Apostles of the Last Days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in scorn for the world and for themselves, in poverty and in humility, in scorn 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 they came out and filled the world with light. Go and reveal yourselves to be My cherished children. I am at your side and within you, provided your faith is the light that shines upon you in these unhappy days. May your zeal make you famished for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of the light, you, the few who can see. For now is the time of all times, the end of all ends.

“The Church will be in eclipse, the world will be in dismay. But now Enoch and Eli will come, filled with the spirit of God. They will preach with the might of God, and men of good will will believe in God, and many souls will be comforted. They will make great steps forward through the virtue of the Holy Ghost and will condemn the devilish lapses of the Antichrist. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! There will be bloody wars and famines, plagues and infectious diseases. It will rain with a fearful hail of animals. There will be thunderstorms which will shake cities earthquakes which will swallow up countries. Voices will be heard in the air. Men will beat their heads against walls, call for their death, and on another side death will be their torment. Blood will flow on all sides. Who will be the victor if God does not shorten the length of the test? All the blood, the tears and the prayers of the righteous, God will relent. Enoch and Eli will be put to death. Pagan Rome will disappear. The fire of Heaven will fall and consume three cities. All the universe will be struck with terror and many will let themselves be led astray because they have not worshipped the true Christ who lives among them. It is time; the sun is darkening; only faith will survive.

“Now is the time; the abyss is opening. Here is the King of Kings of darkness, here is the Beast with his subjects, calling himself the savior of the world. He will rise proudly into the air to go to heaven. He will be smothered by the breath of the Archangel Saint Michael. He will fall, and the earth, which will have been in a continuous series of evolutions for three days, will open up its fiery bowels; and he will have plunged for eternity with all his followers into the everlasting chasm of hell. And then the water and fire will purge the earth and consume all the works of men’s pride and all will be renewed. God will be served and glorified.”

Note: 1. In a letter to Father Combe, dated October 7, 1899, Melanie corrects these words in parenthesis which are her own, she says, and which she judges to be unclear and inaccurate. “That it to say”, she writes, “that in those days, which only seem like twenty years ago, some perverted people (Italian: malvages) had given themselves over to devotion to the demon of magic. These people would cause to appear in the eyes of the curious, acquainted and theirs who had not led a Christian way of life. These supposedly resurrected individuals appeared in heavenly glory. People known to have lived in the fear of God appeared to be in horrible suffering and urged their friends and acquaintances not to follow in their footsteps, and they preached a Gospel opposed to that of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that these bizarre occurrences may be out down to the fashion for spiritualistic evocations and demoniac practices which no doubt will one day be brought to light through a thorough examination of Luciferian archives of Freemasonry.” - In the same letter, Melanie takes care to explain that where it is said that people will be transported from one place to another, it must be understood as to be in rare cases only.

St. Alexis

St. Alexis - Patron of Pilgrims and Beggars - July 17th

Alexis was the only son of a rich Roman senator. From his good Christian parents, he learned great charity for the poor and it made him very happy to give help to beggars. Alexis wanted to give up his wealth and honors but his parents had chosen a rich bride for him. Because it was their will, he married her. Yet right on his wedding day, he obtained her permission to leave her for God. Then, in disguise, he traveled to Syria in the East and lived in great poverty near a church of Our Lady.

One day, after seventeen years, a picture of our Blessed Mother spoke to tell the people that this beggar was very holy. She called him “the man of God.” Alexis became famous, and that was the last thing he wanted, so he fled back to Rome. He came as a beggar to his own home. His parents did not recognize him, but they were very kind to all poor people and so they let him stay there. In a corner under the stairs, Alexis lived for seventeen years. He used to go out only to pray in church and to teach little children about God. The servants were often very mean to him, and though he could have ended all these sufferings just by telling his father who he was, he chose to say nothing. What great courage and strength of will that took!

After Alexis died, his family found a note on his body which told them who he was and how he had lived his life of penance, from the day of his wedding until then, for the love of God.

If God asks you to leave your dear ones for Him, generously obey the call of our heavenly Father.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

- July 16th

Mt. Carmel is a mountain in Palestine. It became famous when the prophet Elias, who lived before Our Lord was born, worked a great miracle there. For many years there had been no rain in that land, and everything was dying. Elias went up Mt. Carmel to beg the Lord to send the rain, and his prayer was answered.


Much later, after Pentecost, some of the Jews who had become Christians decided to build a shrine on Mt. Carmel in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. There, several times a day, they went to pray together. For this reason the people started to call them “friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.” This was the way the Carmelite Order was begun.


Many, many years later, St. Simon Stock, an Englishmen, became Superior of all the Carmelites. Since they were bring persecuted, he prayed with great confidence to Our Lady. In her goodness, she appeared to St. Simon and gave him the brown scapular, promising her protection to all those who would wear the blessed habit. Many miracles proved her words.


St. Pius X said that the same blessings could be had by wearing the scapular medal, which has a picture of Our Lady of the Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other.


Let us wear the holy scapular or medal. We will be protected by Our Lady in life and helped by her in death. And after death, she will bring us to Heaven.

St. Henry the Emperor

St. Henry the Emperor - Patron of Benedictine Oblates - July 15th

Henry was Duke of Bavaria when one night he had an unusual vision. St. Wolfgang, who had been his beloved teacher when he was a boy, appeared to him and pointed to the words, “After six” written on the wall. What could that mean? Perhaps Henry was to die in six days? With that thought, he prayed with great fervor for six days, only to find himself alive and in perfect health. Perhaps it meant six month? The good Duke devoted himself to doing good more than ever. At the end of six months, he was healthier than before. So he decided he had six years to get ready for a holy death. But instead of dying after that time had passed, he was elected Emperor of Germany, and then he understood what the vision had meant.

As Emperor, Henry worked hard to keep his people happy and at peace. To defend justice he had to fight many wars, but he always won, since before every battle he prayed and made his soldiers pray. He preserved both his purity and his humility, even though as Emperor, he received great honor and power. He and his wife, St. Cunegundes, lived as brother and sister, and when they went to Rome to be crowned Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, it is said that Jesus rewarded Henry for his purity and justice with a wonderful vision. The Saint was praying in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, when he saw Our Lord Himself, Jesus the Eternal Priest, offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!

Even when we are very busy, we should stop a few minutes now and then, to say a prayer for the salvation of our souls.

St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi - May 11th

Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Sardinia. Though he was a sickly boy, he worked hard in the fields to help support the family of eleven. When he was about seventeen, he fell ill, and promised to become a Franciscan if he should get better. But when the illness left him, his father said, “We did not promise to do anything in a hurry. It’s the same whether you keep your promise today or next year.” A couple of years later, Ignatius was almost killed when he lost control of his horse. Suddenly, however, the horse stopped and trotted on quietly. Ignatius was convinced, then, that God had saved his life, and he made up his mind to become a religious at once.

Brother Ignatius never had any important position in the Franciscan Order. For fifteen years he worked in the weaving shed of one monastery and then for forty years, until he died at the age of eighty, he was out on the road as a begging friar. Sometimes doors were slammed in his face, sometimes the weather was bad, and always, there were miles and miles to be walked. Yet Ignatius held himself erect, kept calm and cheerful, and did good everywhere he went. He visited the sick, made peace between enemies, converted sinners, and advised people in trouble. He especially loved children, and they loved him so much.

There was one house from which Brother Ignatius never begged anything. The owner was a rich moneylender who made the poor pay back much, much more than they could afford. This man felt humiliated because Ignatius never came to beg from him, and he complained to the Superior of the monastery. The Superior ordered Brother Ignatius to go to that house, because he did not know what kind of man the moneylender was. The Saint obeyed and brought back a large sack of food. It was then that God worked a miracle, for when the sack was emptied, blood dripped out! ‘This is the blood of the poor,” explained the Saint. “That is why I never ask for anything at that house.”

The seventh commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not steal.” Let us be honest and keep our conscience clean, not only when it is a matter of big things, but even small things, such as stealing apples from a neighbor’s tree or by cheating on a test in school.

St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure - July 14th

Bonaventure’s name means “good luck”, and it is said that St. Francis of Assisi gave it to him when he was a baby, after curing him from a serious sickness. Bonaventure became a Franciscan and left his own country of Italy to study at the University of Paris. He became a learned writer and such a great lover of God that he was called the “Seraphic Doctor.”

One of Bonaventure’s famous friends was St. Thomas Aquinas. Thomas asked him one day where he got all the beautiful things he wrote. St. Bonaventure took his friend by the hand and led him to his desk. Pointing to the large crucifix which always stood on the desk, he said, “Look! It is He Who tells me everything. He is my only Teacher.” Another time, when Bonaventure was writing the life of St. Francis of Assisi, he was so full of fervor that St. Thomas exclaimed: “Let us leave a Saint to write the Saint!”

St. Bonaventure always kept himself humble, even though his books made him famous. The Pope wanted him to become an Archbishop, but Bonaventure begged to be excused from the honor. He did accept the office of Superior of the Franciscans because he knew it was God’s will. Then, later on, another Pope commanded him to become a Cardinal, and he sent two messengers to present him with the red hat that is given only to Cardinals. The Pope’s messengers found the Saint washing dishes in one of the monasteries! Since his hands were greasy, he asked them to hang the hat on a tree branch, and to be patient with him until he finished the dishes. Then he dried his hands and sorrowfully went out to accept the new honor. As a Cardinal, St. Bonaventure was a great help to the Pope, Blessed Gregory X. It was said, “No one ever saw Bonaventure without feeling great respect and affection for him, because he was gentle, polite, humble, pleasing to all, prudent, pure, and virtuous in every way.”

“Jesus is my only Teacher,” said St. Bonaventure. We, too, should have a crucifix on our desk, or in our own room and turn often to Jesus for light and for strength.

St. Francis Solano

St. Francis Solano - Patron of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru - July 13th

Francis was born in Spain. Even as a young boy, he was a wonderful peacemaker. Once he threw himself between two fighting boys and took blows from both of them without moving. In that way, he forced them to stop, because neither wanted to hit him.

When he was twenty, Francis became a Franciscan. His desire to be a missionary was satisfied when he was sent to Peru in South America. On the way, he preached the Faith to many Negro slaves. When their ship was wrecked in a storm, the captain ordered everyone, except the slaves, to save themselves in a lifeboat. But Francis refused to leave the slaves alone on the sinking ship. He stayed with them, prayed with them and baptized them. Right afterwards, half the ship went down. Francis and the rest of the slaves were rescued, and he got safely to Peru.

There the Saint learned the many Indian languages, traveled far and wide preaching, and baptized great numbers. He worked so many miracles that he was called the “Wonder-worker of the New World.” Yet he was so simple that in his great love for Our Lady, he loved to play his flute and sing in front of her altar.

The courage of St. Francis Solano was amazing. Once when some Indians planned to massacre a great number of Christians, he went out alone to try to talk them out of it. And he spoke so beautifully of how Jesus suffered and died for us that on that very day, many of those men accepted the Faith and were baptized!

The way to please God the most is to do something good for our neighbor every time we can, and to do it for the love of God. At the judgment, Jesus will tell us, “What you did to other, you did to Me.” And He will reward us.

St. John Gualbert

St. John Gualbert - July 12th

St. John was the son of an Italian nobleman. He and his father were heartbroken when the only other brother, Hugh, was murdered by a man who was supposed to be his friend. Urged on by his father and by his own anger, John began looking for a way to avenge his brother’s death. He felt that his personal honor depended on it.

One Good Friday, he came face to face with the murderer in a narrow passageway. John drew his sword and started toward the man, who fell upon his knees and crossed his arms on his chest, imploring forgiveness, in the name of Our Lord’s holy Passion and Death. At that moment, John remembered how Jesus forgave His murderers as He was dying on the cross. With a tremendous effort, he dropped his sword, embraced his enemy and moved on down the road.

When he came to a monastery church, he went and knelt before the crucifix and asked for forgiveness for his sins. Then a miracle happened! Christ on the cross bowed his head three times, as if to tell John that He was pleased with him for forgiving his enemy and that his own sins were forgiven. Such a change came over John that he went straight to the Abbot of that monastery and asked if he could join the monks.

When John’s father heard about it, he said he would burn the whole monastery if his son did not come out. The monks did not know what to do, but John solved the problem by cutting off his hair himself and borrowing a habit from one of the monks. Even his father was moved at that, and so he let him remain.

St. John later went off to live a stricter life and to start his own Community of monks. He became a model to all for his great love for poverty and for the poor, and by his humility. God granted him the power to work miracles and cure the sick who came to him for help.

Even the greatest offenses can be forgiven with the help of God. If we forgive those who do wrong to us, God will also forgive us our offenses to Him.

St. Oliver Plunkett

St. Oliver Plunkett - July 11th

Oliver was an Irishman who went to Rome when he was sixteen to become a priest. After he was ordained, he could not go back to Ireland because of the persecution there, so he became a teacher of theology in Rome. For twelve years, he led a busy and virtuous life until the Pope made him Archbishop of the most important diocese in Ireland.

St. Oliver was able to labor for his people only two years before a new persecution forced him to go into hiding. But in those two years he put new fervor and love of God into the hearts of the Catholics in Ireland. He converted many desperate bandits; he made peace between disagreeing groups; he corrected wrong practices, and he won the love and respect even of the Church’s enemies.

This holy Archbishop was inclined to be touchy and hot-tempered, but his humility and charity kept his temper under control. In fact, he defended a bishop who had had disagreement with him and even cared for him tenderly when the bishop lay dying in prison.

St. Oliver was put to death for the Faith, after spending nine months in jail himself. Always cheerful and kind, he prayed for his enemies before he died.

Those who truly love God also love their neighbors, and willingly sacrifice themselves for them.

St. Felicity and Her Seven Sons

St. Felicity and Her Seven Sons - July 10th

Felicity was a noble Christian women of Rome. After her husband’s death, she served God and employed herself in prayer and works of charity. Her good example led others to embrace the faith. This angered the pagan priests, who complained to Antoninus Pius, the Emperor. They said she was an enemy of the state because she was making the gods angry. So the Emperor ordered Felicity arrested along with her seven sons. She came, calm and unafraid. The governor took her aside and tried in vain to make her sacrifice to the gods. He ended with the words, “Unhappy women, if you wish to die, die! But do not destroy your children!”

“My children,” she said, “will live forever if, like me, they scorn the idols and die for their God.”

This holy mother was forced to watch her sons being put to death. One was scourged, two were beaten with clubs, three beheaded and another drowned. Four months later, she, too, was beheaded. Her strength came from knowing that in Heaven she would be with God and her sons forever in perfect happiness.

St. Felicity, we may say, was martyred eight different times, because she had to watch each of her sons die before she too gave up her life for Jesus. What courage and faith!

Let us pray every day that God will bless our family and friends and that we will all meet again in Heaven.

St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More - Patron of Lawyers - July 9th

Thomas More is a famous English writer and martyr. He was a good scholar and studied to become a lawyer. While he was in school, his father gave him only a small allowance, so that he would not get into mischief. St. Thomas was always grateful to him for bringing him up strictly, and even when he had a much higher position than his father, he would ask his blessing right in public.

St. Thomas married, because he knew that was God’s will for him. His wife was a simple women who could not even read or write, but Thomas patiently tried to teach her. She loved him and her four children very much and did all she could to make her brilliant husband happy. People liked to pay visits to the More family. One of the young children there read from the Bible during meals. Then they would have fun telling jokes and making each other laugh. St. Thomas often had poorer neighbors in to dinner, too, because he always helped the poor as much as he could. This saint loved to delight his guests with surprises-he even kept some playful monkeys as pets! Yet no one knew that such a merry man always wore a painful hair short and practiced other severe mortifications.

St. Thomas held a number of important offices under the King, Henry VIII. He was his favorite and sometimes the King put his arm affectionately around Thomas’ shoulder. Yet, although the Saint was a most loyal subject, he was loyal to God first of all. In fact, when the King tried to make him disobey God’s law, Thomas refused. Henry wanted to obtain a divorce from his wife to marry another women, but the Pope could not give permission, since that is against God’s law. Henry was stubborn and at last he left the Church. He wanted everyone to recognize him as the head of the Church in England, but St. Thomas was one of those who remained faithful to God. He was condemned to death for that, yet he forgave his judges and said he hoped he would see them in Heaven.

At the scaffold, where he was to die, St. Thomas kissed his executioner and then joked, saying that his bread should not be cut off because it had not done anything wrong! And so he died, this holy martyr who had said: “I am the King’s good servant, but God’s servant first.”

Like St. Thomas More, we want to be the best and most affectionate children of our Holy Mother the Church.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal

St. Elizabeth of Portugal - Patroness of Peacemakers - July 8th

Elizabeth was a Spanish princess who was given in marriage to King Denis of Portugal at the age of twelve. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to Mass every day. Elizabeth was a holy wife, but although her husband was fond of her at first, he soon began to cause her great suffering. Though a good ruler, he did not imitate his wife’s love of prayer and other virtues. In fact, his sins to impurity gave great scandal to the people.

Later, to make matters worse, the King believed a lie told about Elizabeth and one of her pages by another pages, who was jealous of his companion. In great anger the King ordered the one he believed guilty to be sent to a lime-burner. The lime-burner was commanded to throw into his furnace the first page who came. The good page set out obediently, not knowing death was waiting for him. On his way he stopped for Mass, since he had the habit of going daily. The first Mass had begun, so he stayed for a second one. In the meantime, the King sent the wicked page to the lime-burner to find out if the wicked page had been killed. And so it was this page who was thrown into the furnace! When the King, learned what had happened, he realized that God had saved the good page, punished the liar, and proven Queen Elizabeth to be innocent.

This amazing event helped greatly to make the King live better. He apologized to his wife in front of everyone and began to have great respect for her. In his last sickness, she never left his side, except for Mass, until he died a holy death. St. Elizabeth lived for eleven years more, doing even greater charity and penance. She was a wonderful model of kindness toward the poor and a successful peacemaker between members of her own family and between nations.

Because St. Elizabeth was faithful to daily Mass, she found strength to carry her many great crosses. And because her page was faithful to daily Mass, he escaped death. Let us, too, try our best to make it a habit to go to Mass daily.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius

Sts. Cyril and Methodius - July 7th

These two brothers were born in Macedonia. Methodius was much older than Cyril, but they both became priests and shared the same holy desires to spread the faith. Cyril was the first to lead a group of missionaries to central Europe to convert a people called Khazars. He learned their language in a short time and succeeded in converting both ruler and his people.

The mission of Methodius, who had become a monk, had a very unusual beginning. He was an excellent artist and was sent to the King Bulgaria to paint a picture for his palace. The king, a pagan, asked the saint to paint a terrifying scene, and St. Methodius painted a tremendous picture of the Last Judgement. When he explained it, it made a great impression on the King. In this wise way, Methodius had a chance to preach the Faith, and the King was converted. At first the people were angry, but before too long, they followed their King’s example.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are called the Apostles of the Southern Slavs, because they brought the Faith to so many of the Slavic people. They also are remembered for having invented an alphabet in which the Slavic language might be written.

After St. Cyril died, his holy brother continued his work for another fifteen years.

Let us always remember that after death, Jesus will judge us for every thought, word and action.

What is a Sacrament?/Confession Guide

The Ten Commandments

1. I AM THE LORD, THY GOD; THOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME.
2. THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD, THY GOD, IN VAIN.
3. REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY.
4. HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER.
5. THOU SHALT NOT KILL.
6. THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.
7. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.
8. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAISNT THY NEIGHBOR.
9. THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S WIFE.
10. THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR'S GOODS.


The Seven Sacraments

Baptism
Confirmation
Penance
Holy Eucharist
Extreme Unction
Holy Orders
Matrimony

What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace, instituted by Jesus Christ.

Going to Confession

1. Know your sins.
2. Be sorry for them.
3. Promise Jesus never to sin again.
4. Confess your sins to the priest.
5. Do the penance the priest gives you.

"Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (say how long it has been since your last or if it is your first just say, 'this is my first confession') since my last confession and these are my sins:"

Name your sins and number how many times committed.
After you say your sins you say:

"For these and all the sins from my past life, I am heartily sorry."

Then listen to the priest's advice and do the penance he gives you after you leave the confessional box, and if you have any questions and would like some advice, ask the priest.

Then you say the Act of Contrition loud enough for the priest to hear you:

"Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee; and I detest all my sins because I dread the lost of Heaven and the pains of Hell: but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen."

Jesus Christ gave us the Sacrament of Penance. By confessing our sins, we receive forgiveness and grace from Him.

References:
http://www.sspxafrica.com/documents/2004_April/Just_for_the_little_ones.htm
You can find books on the Sacrament of Penance at: http://www.tanbooks.com/index.php?keyword=Confession&PHPSESSID=d4ea74fdd4d57deaf4e92fd7d3cfad5f&page=shop/search&user_id

St. Maria Goretti

St. Maria Goretti - Patroness of Children, Children of Mary, Girls, Rape Victims, Young - July 6th

Mary was the young daughter of a poor Italian widow. She was nicknamed Marietta, and at the age of twelve was already a very pretty young lady. She helped her mother on the farm, in the house and with the care of the other children. Never did she complain because they were so poor. In fact, she cheered up her poor mother and was a great comfort to her. She went to Mass regularly even though it meant a two-hour walk, and she went as often as she could to confession and Holy Communion.

Marietta was also very modest and careful to guard her purity. When a young man named Alexander tried a few times to make her sin, she absolutely refused and she did her best to avoid him from that time on. Then one summer day, she was alone in the cottage mending clothes, and Alexander came again to try to make her sin. This time, he dragged the poor girl into a room and when she tried to scream, he stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth. Yet she managed to keep saying, ‘No, no! It is a mortal sin. God doesn’t want it. If you commit you will go to hell!” And she struggled as much as she could. Furiously Alexander began to strike her with a knife. Again and again he struck, and then he ran away.

Marietta was taken to a hospital, where she died about twenty-four hours later. During her last hours, she forgave her murderer. Her only worry was for her mother. With great joy, she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and then went to Heaven.

Alexander was sent to prison where, for a long time, he did not repent of his horrible crime. Then one night he had a dream or vision of Mary Goretti offering him flowers. From that moment on he was a changed man. When he was freed from prison after many years, the first thing he did was to beg Mary’s mother for forgiveness.

On the day Mary Goretti was declared “Blessed,” her own mother was there in Rome for the great celebration. And when the Pope declared Mary as saint, more people gathered to honor her than had ever come for such a ceremony before. St. Mary Goretti is called a “martyr of holy purity.”

Alexander had become so impure because he used to read bad magazines. Mary Goretti was so pure, instead, because she went to the Sacraments as often as possible. Let us imitate this heroic young girl. Jesus will give us the strength we need to keep pure.

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria - July 5th

Anthony was born in Italy. While he was still young, his father died, but his good mother raised his carefully. She encouraged him in the special love he felt for the sufferings of poor people, and sent him to the University of Padua to become a doctor. Anthony was only twenty-two when he graduated.

The young doctor was very successful, yet he did not feel satisfied with his work. He wanted to become a priest. He began to study theology while still continuing to care for the sick, to comfort and inspire the dying. He used all his spare moments to read and meditate on the Epistles of St. Paul. He had read the life of the great Apostle many time, and had given much thought to his virtues. Now he was burning with a strong desire to become a saint and to save souls.

So, after he was ordained a priest, St. Anthony Mary moved to the great city of Milan, to be able to help many more people. He also founded a Congregation of priests under the protection of St. Paul. In imitation of the Apostle, he and his priests preached everywhere, in churches or streets. They repeated the words and sentences of the Letters of St. Paul, explaining them with easy words, and their sermons were very successful.

Later, St. Anthony directed the founding of a Congregation for women devoted to saving girls from lives of sin. The Saint had a great love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and it was he who began the holy practice of the Forty Hours Devotion.

St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria used to say, “I have never asked St. Paul for a grace without having received it.” In imitation of him, let us ask St. Paul for the grace we need the most.

St. Bertha

St. Bertha - July 4th

This French saint was twenty years old when she married a good man named Siegfrid. He came from a noble family like her own.

Together Bertha and her husband loved and served God, and the Lord sent them five children. After Siegfrid died, Bertha entered the convent in Northern France which she and her husband had built. With her went her two oldest daughters, Gertrude and Deotila.

St. Bertha helped to have three great churches built in France. One of these was in honor of the famous St. Martin of Tours. Another great work she did was to increase the fervor with which the Sisters in her Community served God. Then she made her daughter, St. Deotila, Abbess of the convent. After all this, St. Bertha retired alone to a cell near the chapel. There, hidden and content, she lived a life of mortification and continual prayer until she died.

All saints became saints, because they filled their lives with good works and prayer. Selfish or lazy people will never become saints, unless they change.

St. Heliodorus

St. Heliodorus - July 3rd

Helidorus was a soldier who met the great St. Jerome and became his disciple. When St. Jerome went to the East with other companions, Heliodorus went with them. But he refused to follow Jerome when the Saint moved into the desert to live.

Heliodorus loved and respected St. Jerome as his guide and teacher in divine things. Yet he felt that duty called him back to work for souls in the cities, instead of staying in the desert as a hermit.

St. Heliodorus was named Bishop of his own city shortly after he returned home. He made an excellent Bishop, full of zeal for the good of souls. St. Jerome never lost his affection for Helidorus, even though he had been very hurt when he left. In fact, he told the priest Nepotian to take Heliodorus as his model of a Christian pastor. And in the Introduction to one of the books of the bible which he translated, St. Jerome thanked Heliodorus for the great encouragement and gifts of money he had given him to carry on his work.

These two great Saints had to separate to labor in different ways for God, but their lives show that they still loved each other and sanctified themselves.

We will respect everyone’s good ideas, even when they are different from our own.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

- July 2nd

Visitation means, “visit.” From the Archangel Gabriel, the blessed Virgin Mary had learned that her cousin Elizabeth was to become a mother in her old age. At once, then, she started out on the long journey to her cousin’s home. Mary hid the great privilege she herself had just received of becoming God’s mother, but she went to congratulate her dear cousin. She knew, too, that Elizabeth would need her help.


The trip Mary had to make was long and painful and dangerous, but she did not let that stop her from her errand of charity. When she reached her cousin’s house, she was the first to greet Elizabeth. At that moment, God revealed to Elizabeth that Mary had become His mother. “How have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth cried. Hearing this praise, the humble Mary took no pride in it. Instead, she gave all the credit to God, Who had so blessed her.


“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,” she said. “For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid, and holy is His Name.”


What graces the Blessed Virgin Mother brought to the home of her cousin! St. John, while still hidden in his mother’s womb, was cleansed of original sin; Zachary was able to speak again, and St. Elizabeth was filled with the gifts of God, the Holy Ghost.


Mary stayed three months at her cousin’s home. With great kindness and love, she helped Elizabeth, doing every little service she could for her.


Just as Elizabeth’s home was filled with graces by Mary’s visit, so will we be blessed if we are devoted to out Heavenly Mother.

The Precious Blood of Our Lord

The Precious Blood of Our Lord

- July 1st

It was mostly St. Caspar del Bufalo who spread the special devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus. This holy priest of Italy was determined to make people honor the Precious Blood, and his sermons were like “religious earthquakes.”

St. Caspar founded the Missioners of the Precious Blood, and another holy soul, Blessed Mary de Mattias was inspired by one of St. Caspar’s sermons to start a Congregation of Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood. St. Caspar said he would die happy if a feast were established in honor of Our Savior’s Precious Blood. Just twelve years after his death, Pope Pius IX established this Feast.


It is only right that we should honor the Precious Blood of Jesus, as we honor His Sacred Heart. Jesus shed His precious Blood for our salvation many times during His life: when he was circumcised, when He sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was scourged and crowned with thorns, when the soldiers nailed His hands and feet to the cross, and when His heart was pierced with a sword.


Jesus shed His blood to the last drop to save us from hell. To honor the Precious Blood today we will offer to Jesus some little sacrifices.

Feast of the Most Precious Blood

Feast of the Most Precious Blood - July 1st

(The following is taken from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for July 1, in Volume XII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

John the Baptist has pointed out the Lamb, Peter has firmly established his throne, Paul has prepared the bride; their joint work, admirable in its unity, at once suggests the reason for their feasts occurring almost simultaneously in the cycle. The alliance being now secured, all three fall into shade; whilst the bride herself, raised up by them to such loftly heights, appears alone before us, holding in her hands the sacred cup of the nuptial-feast."

"This gives the key of today's solemnity, revealing how its appearance in the heavens of the holy liturgy at this particular season is replete with mystery. The Church, it is true, has already made known to the sons of the new covenant, in a much more solemn matter, the price of the Blood that redeemed them, its nutritive strength, and the adorng homage is its due. On Good Friday, earth and heaven beheld all sin drowned in the saving stream, whose eternal flood-gates at last gave way beneath the combined effort of man's violence and of the love of the divine Heart. The festival of Corpus Christi witnessed our prostrate worship before the altars whereon is perpetuated the Sacrifice of Calvary, and where the outpouring of the precious Blood affords drink to the humblest little ones, as well as to the mightiest potentates of earth, lowly bowed in adoration before it."

"How is it, then, that holy Church is now inviting all Christians to hail, in a particular manner, the stream of life ever gushing from the sacred fount? What else can this mean, but that the preceding solemnities have by no means exhausted the mystery? The peace which this Blood has made to reign in the high places as well as in the low; the impetus of its wave bearing back the sons of Adam from the yawning gulf, purified, renewed, and dazzling white in the radiance of their heavenly apparel; the sacred Table outspread before them on the waters' brink, and the chalice brimful of inebriation - all this preparation and display would be objectless, all these splendours would be incomprehensible, if man were not brought to see therein the wooings of a love that could never endure its advances to be outdone by the pretensions of any other. Therefore, the Blood of Jesus is set before our eyes at this moment as the Blood of the Testament; the pledge of the alliance proposed to us by God [Exodus 24: 8; Hebrews 9: 20]' the dower stipulated by eternal Wisdom for this divine union to which He is inviting all men, and its consummation in our soul which is being urged forward with such vehemence by the Holy Ghost."

"'Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ,' says the apostle, 'a new and living way which He hath dedicated for through the veil - that is to say, His flesh - let us draw near with a pure heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful that hath promised. Let us consider one another to provoke unto charity and to good works [Hebrews 10: 19-24]. And may the God of peace who brought again from the dead the great Pastor of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Blood of the everlasting Testament, fit you in all goodness, that you may do His will: doing in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom is glory forever and ever. Amen! [Hebrews 13: 20,21].'"

"Nor must we omit to mention here, that this feast is a monument of one of the most brilliant victories of holy Church in our own age. [Blessed Pope] Pius IX had been driven out from Rome in [November] 1848 by the triumphant revolution; but the following year, just about this season, his power was re-established. Under the aegis of the apostles on June 28 and the two following days, the eldest daughter of the Church [a former nickname for France], faithful to her past glories, swept the ramparts of the eternal city; and on July 2, Mary's festival [the feast of the Visitation on the traditional calendar], the victory was completed. Not long after this, a twofold decree notified to the city and the world the Pontiff's gratitude and the way in which he intended to perpetuate, in the sacred liturgy, the memory of these events."