A convert to the faith recently wrote us an appreciative email. A native Kansan, he learned about things Catholic in his home state through our web site, which he reads regularly. Immediately below is a brief excerpt from his email, and further down is a gallery of photos that he took on the spot of Fray Juan Padilla’s martyrdom. I especially recommend reading historical marker he captured in this photo. Read More »

In his Letter to the Church in China, May 27, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI established May 24, the feast day of Our Lady Help of Christians, as a Universal Day of Prayer for the Church in China. A year later he composed the following prayer and asked that it be recited every year on May 24. Read More »

Zenit reports: Benedict XVI named Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, as his special envoy to the Aug. 29 celebration of the 1,500th anniversary of the Marian shrine at Mentorella.

The Shrine of Holy Mary of the Graces, which is situated about 30 miles from Rome, is on what is believed to be the site of the conversion of St. Eustachius (also known as Eustace). Prior to becoming a Christian, Eustachius was a centurion in the Roman army under the Emperor Trajan and had the name Placidus. Read more here.

The word “pilgrim,” derived from the Latin peregrinum, conveys the idea of wandering over a distance, but it is not just aimless wandering. It is a journey with a purpose, and that purpose is to honor God.

Pilgrimage has a long history in the true religion. Once the temple was built at Jerusalem (ca. 957 B.C.), all Jewish men were obliged to present themselves at it for the three major feasts: Pesach (the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Passover), Shavu’ot (the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles, or Festival of Ingathering), as per God’s ordinance in Deuteronomy 16:16-17. On their way to the Temple, they would sing the “pilgrim songs” (also called “songs of assent” or “gradual canticles”), namely, Psalms 119-133. To this day, these feasts are called, “Pilgrimage Festivals” by the Jews. Read More »

According to the UK’s Telegraph,”Researchers exploring the legend of Britain’s most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester.” If the researchers are correct in their conclusions, the “table” was not a table in the ordinary sense of the word, but a repurposed old Roman amphitheater that could fit over 1000 people. What led researchers to favor the Chester site were the ruins of a shrine to Christian martyrs inside it Read More »

From A Catholic Man website: About 3,500,000 pilgrims came to the Jasna Gora Shrine in the year 2009. – 167 national pilgrimages gathered 867,298 people. The biggest pilgrimages were: Radio Maryja Family, Renewal in the Holy Spirit, Farmers, Workers, Motorcyclists, Family of the John Paul II Schools, Anonymous Alcoholics, Children’s Yard Rosary Circles, Electricians, Married Couples and Families, Teachers, Legion of Mary, Postmen, Catholic Action, Railwaymen, Secular Franciscan Order and Amazon Women (breast cancer survivals).

Full article here.

Even the Royal Air Club of Zaragoza sent two planes to drop flowers from the heavens.  And two F-18s from the military did a fly over.  With the socialist government doing all it can to undermine the Catholic Faith in Spain this is a very encouraging response:  the humble children of Sant’ Iago still love the Blessed Mother.  Read article here.

The Church in the United States has always been predominately Irish as an institution. Even today, with Hispanics obviously bound to become the Catholic majority in the near future, she remains essentially Irish-American in character and spirit. Read More »

ROME (Catholic Online) – On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Servant of God John Paul II, in the year 1992, instituted the “World Day of the Sick”, calling the faithful to pray for those who are sick and to offer their own sickness and struggle, joined to the sufferings of Christ, on behalf of those in need. Catholic Online presents this marvelous letter from one who many believe is the next Saint of our age:

Full text here.

(Last time, I promised to follow up Ad Rem 89 with some concrete advice. This will come, God willing, but first something more timely for November.)

Fingerprints burned into a prayer book. A clearly visible charred hand print on a wooden table. Similar marks on shirt sleeves, a night cap, and aprons. These are among the curiosities to be seen in Rome’s Purgatory Museum. Read More »