We continue what be began in our last number, a three-part study of spiritual childhood by Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. (1877-1964).
St. Teresa of the Child Jesus reminds us that the principal virtues of the child of God are those in which are reproduced in an eminent degree the innate qualities of the child, minus his defects. Consequently the way of spiritual childhood will teach us to be supernaturally ourselves minus our defects.
(This is dedicated to Heidi Beirich, director of “research” at the Southern Poverty Law Center, whose intelligent, nuanced writing style I attempt to imitate.)
The radical mercenary leftist fundraisers at the Southern Poverty Law Center are busily spewing out their trademark caterwauling again. Yes, the enemies of free speech and Christian social order are howling about the frenzied maniacs ready to escort Adolf Hitler himself down Main Street, U.S.A.
MERRIMACK, N.H. (TMC Press Release) – The Virginia-based Young America’s Foundation recently recommended the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts as one of the nation’s top conservative colleges in its sixth annual “Top Conservative Colleges” list.
Commenting on the list, Young America’s Foundation President Ron Robinson explained, “Given the liberal bias in higher education today, it is critical that we make these recommendations.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
I just read on the New Advent website the Catholic Encyclopedia’s excellent account of the life of Erin’s great apostle. I would highly recommend it if you can spare fifteen minutes today. I can’t think of anything I’ve read elsewhere over the years about the saint that …
That’s the motion that was debated last week in London, at an event hosted by the Spectator and held at the Royal Geographical Society. And guess what — “the 700-strong sell-out audience voted overwhelmingly in favour of the motion”!
Excerpt from The Catholic Herald:
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, author Piers Paul Read and Dom Anthony Sutch, former headmaster of Downside, spoke for the motion.
Anime cartoons and their characters are a huge cultic phenomenon, the most popular of all escapist media venues. It is very addictive and very dangerous, to the soul and the mind. I don’t post weird stories, but this blog by Zoe Romanowski from Inside Catholic, along with another, even …
One of the commentators on the relevant CWN article expressed it well: “It’s past time someone said this. Too often ecumenism is taken to mean the weakening of the teachings of the Church and the addition of non-Catholic ritual and beliefs.” A-m-e-n-!
Past time is better than no time — or, “better late than never.” All the scandal that has transpired, and is ongoing, in the name of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue should cease at these words of Cardinal Levada defining its purpose (or “final cause” to you Aristotelians out there): “Union with the Catholic Church is the goal of ecumenism.”
Our 2010 conference will be held on October 8 and 9 at Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire.
The information currently available is as follows:
Theme: “The Romance of Wisdom”
Cost: $100 for both days (Friday and Saturday). This includes meals. Single days without meals: $40.
Note: This year, Friday and Saturday will both be full days. There will be eight speakers giving presentations in addition to the master of ceremonies, our Prior, Brother Andre Marie.
Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello, apostolic nuncio to Japan, has a very perceptive insight into the subversive effects Buddhist doctrine has on the soul of a suffering devotee confronting hopelessness. From Sandro Magister’s latest column: “Why Life is Worth So Little in Prosperous Japan.”
“The Japanese do not have a personal …
[March 5, 2010 - Rome Reports (with hat tip to Rorate Caeli)]
Benedict XVI has formed a commission to investigate if Our Lady truly appeared in Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia.
The commission is part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Cardinal Camillo Ruini will preside over the commission. Ruini is the pope’s former vicar of Rome’s diocese. Ruini goal will be to explain to the pope what’s happening at the sanctuary which has become the third most visited in Europe.
Allegedly, at least 6 people have witnessed the Virgins apparitions there since 1981.
When the enemies of the Church, the enemies of Christianity in general, and those who want to “hold” the Catholic hierarchy’s “feet to the fire” constantly jabber about Pius XII’s supposed complicity in the Nazi murder of Jews, it becomes necessary to defend the truth as well as the honor of the Holy Father. He was, after all, not only innocent of the crime of which he stands accused by an angry mob, but was also proactive in the protection of innocent Jews. That’s history. Catholics have a particular duty to defend the Church’s honor, but even secular historians of the era ought to vindicate Pius XII, if only to protect the integrity of their science.
Along with our crusade in defense of the defined doctrine of no salvation outside the Church, Saint Benedict Center is committed to working for the conversion of America. The false ecumenism and religious indifferentism that infected the Church in the twentieth century did much to dissipate the promising momentum of conversions to the Faith that marked nineteenth century America.
It is astonishing to read about the great work that Catholic priests and religious, sisters and brothers, were doing throughout this vast land not so long ago. Converts were flocking into the Church because our priests were giving Protestants not only an invitation, but knowledge of the Faith, and a challenge to submit to a visible religious authority that had all the divine credentials. Whether it was through reading apologetic and polemical materials or by attending one of the thousands of missions given by Jesuits and Redemptorists, the hearts of non-Catholics were responding to grace in ever growing numbers. America was on its way to becoming a Catholic nation, and that was before the more massive waves of Catholic immigrants came here after the turn of the century.
It can happen again.
Montreal, February 19, 2010 (St. Joseph’s Oratory) — With a palpable sense of elation, a number of priests and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross (the religious family of Brother Andre), members of the archdiocese of Montreal, and Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal assembled today in the Consistory Hall of Vatican City to hear Pope Benedict XVI proclaim in their presence and in the presence of the College of Cardinals that Brother André will be canonized the October 17 in Rome. Read More »
Every Catholic of a certain age remembers the week in January when the Church Unity Octave or the Chair of Unity Octave was celebrated liturgically. The Octave began on January 18, Feast of St. Peter’s Chair in Rome, and ended on January 25, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. But, do we know how this important celebration came about? Most, even old timers, would have to say “No!” The story of the holy man who began this octave — as an Anglican, no less — and single handedly encouraged priests, bishops, and finally, the reigning pope to approve, adopt, and spread it throughout the universal church is a fascinating one. Read More »
Around here, the news of December 19 was received with great joy. I refer to the publication of the decree, approved by His Holiness, Benedict XVI, clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed Brother André. Because this news is so recent, and because his feast day is coming up this week (January 6, which is also the Epiphany), I would like to invite our readers to share our happiness and consider with us the virtues of this little man. Read More »
How did I miss this? The cause of my dear patron, Blessed Brother André, C.S.C., has made an important step forward. From the National Post’s religion blog:
A Vatican decision has moved Montreal’s Brother Andre one step closer to being canonized.
The Theological Commission for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican accepted unanimously on Saturday the healing powers of Brother Andre, a pious porter at College Notre Dame who went on to found St. Joseph’s basilica. He has been credited with healing the sick, the lame and the blind. Read More »
If Brother Andé Marie’s posting on Father Emil Kapaun interested you, you may care to learn something about another American Catholic military chaplain that received the Medal of Honor. He is the Bavarian-born Benedictine from Saint Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe, PA: Father Emmeran Bliemel, O.S.B. (”Father Emery,” as his men fondly called him.) He was the first American Catholic Chaplain to die on the battlefield.
What also makes him notable is that he received the Read More »
I wish I could locate the old book (one of those thick hardbound histories of Catholic heroes) in which I read about the event. It was on one of his later voyages to the New World. While sailing along the South American coast Columbus’ ship got caught in a huge storm. It wasn’t a hurricane, but the storm’s gale force winds and rain carried the ship along with it like a floating log as it swirled around the Atlantic. Days went by, then a whole week, with the crew helpless to escape the storm’s grip. Read More »
This year, the “observance” of Columbus Day (always a Monday) falls on the actual Columbus Day, October 12. The day is also the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, but this is not mere coincidence. The great Catholic explorer promised his disgruntled men that if land were not spotted on this feast of Our Lady, they would turn back to Europe. Our Lady, in whose holy name Columbus sailed, came to the rescue. Thus we see that the christening of the New World was a project of the Blessed Virgin from the very start. Read More »
Another candidate for American sainthood is Slovenian-born missionary Frederic Baraga. He has the unique distinction of being strongly influenced by one saint, Clement Mary Hofbauer, and being himself a strong influence on another, Bishop John Nepomucene Neumann. Both saints were Redemptorists. Hofbauer’s work and writings had a profound effect on Frederic when he was in the seminary at Vienna and Neumann devoured Baraga’s diary and missionary accounts while studying in the seminary at Prague. These inspiring relationes of our missionary bishop were the single most motivating factor in Saint John Neumann’s decision to offer himself for missionary work in the United States. Read More »
I think this is, for now, just in the cathedral. Lima is the city of saints, so may the fruit of their prayers continue to flourish. There are five saints who hailed from Lima: Saints Rose (1617, the first to be canonized from the New World), Martin de Porres (1639), Turibius (1606), Francis Solano ((1610), and John Massias (1645).
From the Rorate Caeli website:
A reader from Lima, Peru has informed Rorate that to receive holy communion at the Cathedral-Basilica of Lima, Perú, the faithful must now kneel in addition to receiving only on the tongue. For that purpose, two kneelers are now put before the steps of the high altar at the moment of Communion, just like in Papal Masses.
In his sermon on September 20, 2009 in the Cathedral, Juan Luis Cardinal Cipriani Thorne, Archbishop of Lima, made the following statement:
“The most respectful way of receiving the Eucharist is kneeling and on the tongue. We must recover a sense of respect and reverence due to the Eucharist, because the love to Jesus is the center of our Christian lives.Our souls are at stake.”
The Archbishop — who has tried to make Lima a “Eucharistic City” — also exhorted his flock to adore the Eucharistic Lord in the more than 70 adoration chapels in the city.
Book Review by Eleonore Villarrubia: Discovering a Lost Heritage: The Catholic Origins of America by Adam Miller
So, you think you know your American history? Well, this little gem of a book, a Catholic history of our country, will probably leave you quivering, both with shock at your lack of knowledge of some of the “true facts” of our past and with indignation that this information is not taught in American schools and is absent from standard textbooks. Read More »
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