November Plenaries, Part 2

Some Suggestions (what I do:)

I try to get as many plenaries as I can each year (I’ve only been doing this for a few years now)…in other words, I visit a lot of cemeteries! Visiting various cemeteries is an adventure unto itself. Sometimes, with all the hills, it feels like hiking. Many have interesting historic elements. I find it is always intriguing, educational and spiritually beneficial. Bringing young ones helps them to confront the reality of death, hopefully before experiencing the loss of a loved one. I lost my father suddenly from a heart attack, when I was barely 7 years old. Needless to say, this was a deeply traumatic first experience with death. We should not seek to shelter our children from death, as they will certainly deal with it eventually. When a neighbor passed, when my son was little, I brought him to the wake, so he could have that experience. He dealt very well with it. After all, death is a natural part of life and God gives us the grace to handle it with His help, however terrible it may be.

Each year, I make a plan for visiting cemeteries in my area, or where loved ones are buried….and I make a list of the next 8 people I would like to attempt to get into Heaven. I keep a running list of those I have already performed the plenary for. For those I feel especially indebted to, I may perform it more than once. I have a set of prayers that I say, in addition to the requirements.

Do not take these plenaries lightly, as it is without saying, a truly extraordinary thing that is being done. Of course, our own unworthiness to expiate punishment for sin and be the vehicle through which a soul enters the eternal bliss of the Beatific Vision, is foremost in our minds. But we trust in what Holy Church teaches. As we accept God’s mercy in Confession, we also accept His willingness to bring His children in Purgatory unto Himself, through our profoundly small efforts. So…one must enter into this spiritual effort with the utmost of piety, humility and unspeakable awe. This spirit should follow you from the moment you enter the cemetery, to the moment you leave…and even for the rest of the day. This first week of November is truly blessed and rare in our journey through the Liturgical Year. And it changes you.

October is the Month of Our Lady of the Rosary & Respect for Life

October joyfully celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast is on the 7th and encourages devotion to this great gift, given through Saint Dominic.  It is especially consoling to pray the Holy Rosary during difficult times.  It may be a chore to pick up those beads and get it started, but you will never regret it.  Spiritual effort always comes back to you in blessings 100-fold!  October also, sorrowfully remembers the unborn and all those in our society whose lives are considered of less value, such as the handicapped and elderly.  Death will not remain in confinement.  It will continue to take more and more human territory until no one is safe.  This obvious fact mysteriously eludes so many.  We all must fight this fight.  The innocent and vulnerable need us.  Judgement is now upon us and has been a long time coming. 

+++   Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  Lord have mercy.   +++

The feast of the Annunciation is exactly 9 months before Christmas Day, March 25th.  On October 11th, we commemorate the Divine Maternity, as the Mother of God enters the final stages of carrying Our Lord in her womb.  How appropriate it is to remember pro-life intentions this month.

We continue to meditate here, upon the “Marian Triad of the Months.”  We have contemplated her most loving heart, her great sorrows and now her glory as Our Lady of the Rosary, which streams from her Immaculate Heart and is the antidote to our own sorrows.  Let us consider this Mariology and pray on it during the coming month, as many polycrises are heating up in the world and the future is quite uncertain.  Let us flee to Mary for consolation and guidance in examining our consciences well, so we may obtain mercy and not wrath, for ourselves, Holy Mother Church and the world.

On the last Sunday of October, we honor the King of Kings, Christ the King, in the traditional calendar.  We then enter into the “Triduum of Death,” to contemplate our mortality, roughly 4 weeks before a new Church year and our meditation upon the Incarnation!

Notable feasts of October:

1st-Saint Therese of Lisieux (new)

2nd-Holy Guardian Angels

3rd-Saint Therese of Lisieux (trad)

4th-First Friday of the Sacred Heart/Saint Francis of Assisi

5th-First Saturday of the Immaculate Heart/Saint Faustina

7th-OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

11th-DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY/Saint John XXIII

16th-Saint Margaret Mary (new)

17th-Saint Margaret Mary (trad)

18th-Saint Luke, Evangelist

19th-Saint Isaac Jogues & Companions, Martyrs of New York territory under the Native Americans

22nd-Saint John Paul II

24th-Saint Raphael the Archangel

27th-CHRIST THE KING

28th-Saints Simon & Jude

31st-Triduum of Death (till Nov 2nd)/All Hallows Eve

November 1st to 8th-Be Ready for the Plenary Indulgences!  Get 8 Loved Ones into Heaven!  (Get your instructions right here in the coming month.)

May is the Month of Our Lady

We begin on May 1st with the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman, a feast which reminds us of the dignity of holy employment.  There is much that can be contemplated on this, these days.  So many people are drawn into working for a system which is worldly at best and diabolical at worst.  It takes great trust to be willing to leave a job because it compromises your Catholic beliefs.  It is a leap of faith that God certainly will look kindly upon.  Let us pray to Saint Joseph for all those struggling with these issues.

The Ascension of Our Lord is celebrated on the traditional Thursday, the 9th or Sunday, the 12th.  Check your diocese to see if the 9th is a Holy Day of Obligation, though of course, those who love Our Blessed Lord would flee with great joy to attend Holy Mass and receive His Body…lest these great privileges be taken from us once again, as they were during the dreadful and unjust time of Covid lockdown. 

We have several Marian feasts in this month of Our Lady.  Our Lady of Fatima, whom Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to, is celebrated on the 13th, the date of the first Fatima apparition to the 3 children.  In the new calendar, we have the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, on the 20th.  On the 31st, we have a double Marian feast…the Visitation in the new and the Queenship in the trad.  There are so many ways to honor Our Lady during this month.  Consider attending Mass on one of her feasts or choose another devotion.  This is a wonderful time to think about the requests of Our Lady of Fatima, such as starting the First Saturday Devotions and praying the Rosary daily.

Pentecost or Whitsunday is celebrated (following the Vigil) on the 19th, followed by the traditional Octave of Pentecost.  Trinity Sunday is one week later, beginning a new Liturgical Season in the trad, Time After Pentecost, which remains until Advent.  We also remain in the Cycle of Easter, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Redemption.  Upon Advent, we begin the Cycle of Christmas, the Mystery of the Incarnation.

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) is the 30th, Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

We’re not done yet!  May gives us not only the Minor Rogation Days from the 6th to the 8th, but also the Ember Days of Summer, the 22nd, 24th and 25th.  So, a lot of prayer and penance this month for the coming season and for mercy.  The Rogation Days and The Ember Days are similar in spirit and intention, but with different origins.  A few more notable feasts…

3rd-Saints Philip and James the Less, new

11th-Saints Philip and James the Less, trad

14th-Saint Matthias

15th-Saint Isidore the Farmer (we like him!) Another link. Farmers need our support these days. Let’s not forget about our local farms. Saint Isidore, pray for us!

Here is the full trad calendar for May:  calefactory.org

February is the Month of the Passion of Our Lord

As of Septuagesima Sunday (this past Sunday), the traditional Liturgical Calendar moves from the Cycle of Christmas to the Cycle of Easter.  We remain in this second part for the rest of the year.  We have been meditating upon the Mystery of the Incarnation and now we contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption.  The Cycle of Christmas contained Advent, Christmastide and Time after Epiphany.  The Cycle of Easter contains Septuagesima, Lent, Passiontide, Easter Time and Time after Pentecost. 

As we begin our journey into the Redemption of our souls, we consider how to best conduct our approaching Lent.  This is the purpose of Septuagesima, to arrive at Lent fully prepared and ready to roll.  Otherwise, you wake up on Ash Wednesday and say, “Oh no, it’s Ash Wednesday already.  What am I giving up?  I just made coffee.  Should I give up coffee?  I don’t want to dump it now, that’s expensive coffee.”  Or…”Why did I buy all those cookies?”  You can laugh, but YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE! 

In terms of which Lenten practices you may wish to do, maybe think a bit creatively this year, instead of the “same old thing.”  As we discussed in our “Total Eclipse” post, the world is engulfed in sin and emerging chaos.  Prayer, fasting, penance and spiritual practices in general, are so needed at this time.  And being that February is a month devoted to the Passion of Our Lord, this may help point our exercises in that direction.  Of course, there are the Sorrowful Mysteries, which some say each day in Lent.  There are the litanies of the Passion and the Holy Cross.  Here also, is a Lenten Novena.

Following are some of the notable feasts of this month (we provide both trad and new feasts)…

2nd-Presentation of Our Lord (also known as Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Candlemas, when traditionally, candles are blessed)

3rd-St. Blaise (Blessing of Throats)

4th-Sexagesima Sunday

11th-Quinquagesima Sunday, Our Lady of Lourdes

13th-Shrove Tuesday (Holy Face of Jesus traditionally celebrated)

14th-Ash Wednesday (fast & abstinence), St. Valentine (wonderful day to offer up for the intention of chastity)

21st-Ember Wednesday of Lent/Spring

23rd-Ember Friday of Lent/Spring

24th-Ember Saturday of Lent/Spring, St. Matthias

Traditional Calendar for February

February is the Month of the Passion of Our Lord

How may we honor the Passion of Our Blessed Lord this month? Well, that’s not too hard, since Lent begins on the 22nd. There are numerous devotions to the Passion…we all know the wonderful Sorrowful Mysteries, which some say every day of Lent. Do your research, choose something and begin with the onset of Lent. It is always great to learn new devotions. If you find them online, do print them out…a very Catholic Prepper thing to do!

We are in the third month of what I have coined the “Christological Triad of the Months.” I previously suggested that we meditate upon the Divine Infancy, the Holy Name and the Passion of Our Lord, and how they might interrelate. We begin with the birth of Christ and the triad ends with His death. Joining the two is His Holy Name. The name of Jesus is a mystery we could easily contemplate our entire lives. Suffice it to say that it has something to do with His Identity and is therefore quite sacred, relating directly to the 2nd Commandment. Let us pray that we can all receive some enlightenment by the Holy Ghost on this interesting matter.

Don’t forget Septuagesima starts on the 5th and is our preparation for Lent, so we do not come to Lent saying to ourselves, “What am I doing? Oh no, it’s Lent already! I just drank my coffee. Am I giving up coffee? Oh nooooooooooo!” (I’m not giving up coffee. I did that once and almost died.)

In the trad Liturgical Calendar, we are closing the Time After Epiphany, which concludes the Cycle of Christmas, when we contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation. The Cycle of Easter, the Mystery of the Redemption, begins at Septuagesima (I am not typing that word again, it is hurting my post-concussive brain) and remains for the rest of the year, going through various sub-sections.

Here is your trad calendar for this month….calefactory.org

February is the Month of the Passion of Our Lord

This month we honor the sorrowful Passion of Our Blessed Lord as we enter the trad Season of Septuagesima on the 13th. Lent however, does not begin until March 2nd.

Looking at both old and new feasts: We have the Presentation of Our Lord on the 2nd, which took place forty days after his birth, along with His Mother’s ritual of purification. This is traditionally known as “Candlemas Day,” as a blessing of candles and procession takes place, honoring the Presentation of the Christ Child to His Father in the Temple, a momentous event in Judeo-Christian history. Saint Blaise and the traditional Blessing of Throats is on the 3rd. We celebrate 2 Doctors of the Church this month, 5th-century Egyptian Bishop Saint Cyril of Alexandria and 11th-century Cardinal Saint Peter Damian. Martyr Saint Apollonia, also of Alexandria, shares her feast with Saint Cyril on the 9th-she is invoked for dentistry problems. Let us not forget OUR LADY OF LOURDES on the 11th and Saint Bernadette on the 18th, a wonderful time to teach our children about the many miracles at Lourdes…and if you don’t have any Lourdes water, there are many sources online where it can be obtained. Let us celebrate a holy Saint Valentine’s Day, praying for the Capital Virtue and Fruit of the Holy Ghost, Chastity. Our dear Jacinta and Francisco Marto, sibling seers of Fatima, share a feast on the 20th.

How can we remember the Passion of Our Lord in the coming weeks? Of course, there are countless ways to do so-please pray and see where God is leading you. One way would be to observe a truly sincere Septuagesima, with confession and planning your Lenten spiritual exercises.

We will no longer be listing feasts, but you can GO HERE for your trad month of February. Wishing you blessings as we transition from the Mystery of the Incarnation to the Mystery of the Redemption!

Painting by Correggio, d 1534 from Wellington Collection

May: Month of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary

May is jam-packed and starts off with a bang with the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Please scroll down for our recent post on the indulgences in the “Year of Saint Joseph.” There are 2 that deal specifically with him under this title and one that refers to his feasts. Get yourself to confession and you’re all set!

There are various major feasts this month of Our Lord, Our Lady, the Holy Ghost and the Holy Trinity. We celebrate 3 Apostles and 5 Doctors of the Church, including Saint Athanasius, the earliest of the Doctors (born c 297). We recently discussed Saint Isidore the Farmer on his minor feast, but this month we have his main feast on the 15th.

May also contains both the Ember Days (of summer) and the Minor Rogation Days! These have separate origins but are very similar in character. Basically, these are traditional times of prayer and penance, associated with nature and the seasons. Trinity Sunday marks the end of Eastertide and the beginning of the Time after Pentecost, which we remain in until Advent.

And of course, May celebrates our Heavenly Mother. We have 4 major Marian feasts and a number of minor or less standard ones, not mentioned here. I will not give you a list this time of obvious ideas for Marian devotions, but pray on it and use your creativity, especially if you have young children (check this out: How to Plan a May Crowning for Kids ). Here are some wonderful products from The Catholic Company, which will serve you. As a prepper, I would be remiss if I failed to encourage you to purchase these types of products while you still can. Especially, I recommend good hardcover Catholic books and Bibles, as many as you can afford.

Here is a sampling of the feasts of May…

5/1-St. Joseph the Worker / First Saturday

5/2-St. Athanasius, Doctor, “The Father of Orthodoxy”

5/3-Sts. Philip & James the Less, Apostles, Martyrs (new)

5/4-St. Monica, Mother of St. Augustine

5/7-First Friday

5/9-St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor, “The Theologian” “The Christian Demosthenes”

5/10-Rogation Day / St. John of Avila, Doctor, “Apostle of Andalusia” “The Master”

5/11-Rogation Day / Sts. Philip & James the Less (trad)

5/12-Rogation Day

5/13-ASCENSION OF THE LORD (ASCENSION THURSDAY-please check your diocese for info on Holy Days of Obligation) / OUR LADY OF FATIMA / St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor, “Prince of Apologists” “Gentle Doctor of The Controversies”

5/14-St. Matthias, Apostle who replaced Judas, Martyr

5/15-St. Isidore the Farmer

5/16-ASCENSION OF THE LORD (some dioceses)

5/22-Vigil of Pentecost

5/23-PENTECOST SUNDAY (WHITSUNDAY)

5/24-BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

5/25-St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor, “Father of English History” (new)

5/26-Ember Wednesday after Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

5/27-St. Bede the Venerable (trad)

5/28-Ember Friday after Pentecost

5/29-Ember Saturday after Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

5/30-TRINITY SUNDAY / St. Joan of Arc

5/31-THE VISITATION / QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Notes: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church , a wonderful book of 728 pages, well worth the price. We give both old and new feasts, since people are coming from all parts of the world and all perspectives. Also, the future Church will not be divided-we must work toward unity.

April: Month of the Holy Eucharist

“Iesus Hominum Salvator”

J e s u s, S a v i o r o f M a n k i n d

The image above is the most wondrous gift in all the world, the Presence of Christ Himself. This Sacred Host shows the traditional Christogram (symbol for the Name of Christ) IHS, as it has often been depicted, with the surrounding design. This is a particularly stunning example. This Christogram has its origins in Greek, but later took on the Latin meaning above. Please see an informative article by Fr. William P. Saunders.

This month of the Holy Eucharist begins with Holy Thursday and the Easter Triduum. Traditionally, as of Septuagesima, we have entered The Easter Cycle, when we celebrate the Mystery of the Redemption. This is the second part of the Liturgical Year. We begin the meditation on our Redemption in sorrow and penance, but as of the Easter Vigil, we turn to joy and festivities, as Christ has achieved the victory on the Cross and is now Risen! This begins the Season of Eastertide, which lasts about 2 months, at which time we move to the Time After Pentecost. Easter Week is an octave of solemnities, which includes Easter Friday. The following Sunday celebrates Our Lord’s Divine Mercy, shown to us by Saint Faustina.

April gives us 5 Doctors of the Church, including Saint Catherine of Siena, one of only 4 women Doctors (the other 3 are Saint Therese, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Hildegard of Bingen).

What can we do to specially honor the greatest of Privileges, the Most Blessed Sacrament, this month? In keeping with the feast of Divine Mercy, please see Divine Mercy for America’s suggestions on this page: Devotion to the Holy Eucharist Adoration, receiving Holy Communion and Reparation are discussed, along with wonderful quotes from Saint Faustina. Here is an excerpt:

The life story of Saint Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament provides us with many shining examples of true devotion to the Holy Eucharist…devotion to Christ Himself, present throughout the centuries in the Sacred Host. Herein is contained “the whole spiritual good of the Church”…and herein lies St. Faustina’s greatest devotion, so much so that she added “of the Blessed Sacrament” to her name.

Here is an exquisite prayer composed by Saint Faustina:

“O Treasure of my heart, the only object of my love and entire delight of my soul, I want to adore You in my heart as You are adored on the throne of Your eternal glory. My love wants to make up to You at least in part, for the coldness of so great a number of souls. Jesus, behold my heart which is for You a dwelling place to which no one else has entry. You alone repose in it as in a beautiful garden.”

+ + +

Here is a sampling of this month’s notable feasts:

4/1-HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY, evening begins the EASTER TRIDUUM

4/2-GOOD FRIDAY (fast & abstinence) / First Friday

4/3-HOLY SATURDAY / First Saturday

4/4-+++ EASTER SUNDAY, THE SOLEMNITY OF SOLEMNITIES +++ / St. Isidore of Seville, Doctor, Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages

4/11-DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY / Quasimodo Sunday / Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Unity of the Church

4/16-St. Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

4/21-St. Anselm, Doctor, Father of Scholasticism, Defender of the Rights of the Church

4/25-Good Shepherd Sunday / Rogation Day (prayer & penance) / St. Mark the Evangelist, Martyr

4/26-OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL

4/27-St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Catechism

4/28-St. Louis de Montfort / St. Gianna Molla, 20th Century

4/29-St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor, The Seraphic Virgin, Mystic of the Incarnate Word, Mystic of the Mystical Body of Christ (new)

4/30-St. Catherine of Siena (trad)

Image courtesy https://frbonnie.com

Passiontide / The Greatest Anniversary

As of yesterday, the fifth Sunday in Lent called Passion Sunday, Holy Church has entered the 2-week time of Passiontide.

From The New Marian Missal: “The Mass of Passion Sunday is full of the thought of the Passion of Jesus and of the infidelity of the Jews…” We are now beginning to contemplate more deeply, the sufferings of Our Blessed Lord for these final 2 weeks of Lent. Let us merge these contemplations with the sufferings of the Church at this time. Let us offer up our Passiontide for the great needs of the Holy Father and the entire Body of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. May we pray for any areas where the public celebration of the Easter Mass will be prohibited, which is an abuse of basic human rights.

+ + +

Today is my First Holy Communion Anniversary, the feast of Saint Isidore the Farmer. I am so grateful that I have been able to remember this date because it is the greatest of anniversaries, the union with Christ Himself. It is sad many do not remember the date of their First Holy Communion. Parents should try to instill this in their children and perhaps even celebrate it in some way. Going to Mass would be wonderful and also reciting prayers in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Actually, the dates of all our sacraments should be well-recorded and remembered in some way. If you can’t remember, I might suggest just choosing a date near when you think it was and begin celebrating it on that day.

I pray for my catechism teachers at Saint Patrick’s School in Smithtown, New York, who gave me the knowledge that I was receiving Jesus that day. God bless them!

Was God trying to tell me something about Saint Isidore? He is an inspiration to me and his story relates to the mission of Nomen Christi Apostolate. I had wanted to write about him today, but the project spiraled in an amazing direction and I was not able to complete it. Look for this post later in the week…

February: Month of the Passion of Our Lord

We are keeping track of where we are in the Liturgical Year. As of the last day of January, we have moved from “Season After Epiphany” to “Season After Septuagesima,” or simply “Septuagesima.” This is the brief time before Lent, when the vestments turn purple and we begin to contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption: The Cycle of Easter has begun! During Septuagesima, we prepare for Lent so we are not caught on Ash Wednesday with no plan. This year, roughly one year into a changed world, it is more important than ever, to be prepared for Lent and to give God our very best. We must do all we can to secure mercy for the world and Holy Church at this hour. In many places last Easter, the churches were closed (including New York, where I live) and people could not receive Our Blessed Lord on this greatest of all solemnities. Let us celebrate a worthy Lent this year, that we may joyfully attend Holy Mass on Easter this year!

It is also important though, to remain positive and not to stress ourselves too much. We are all traumatized from the past year and concerned about the state of the world. We must practice good self-care and stress reduction. So there needs to be a balance between our penitential practices and remembering the joy of life. The most important thing is love. Love for God, for self and for neighbor. When in doubt, just love!

Traditionally in Lent, meat is eaten at only one meal and of course, no meat on Fridays. Being that February is devoted to the Passion of Our Lord, we may wish to think about how we may integrate this into our Lenten activities. We also have the Ember Days this month-further opportunity for prayer and penance.

On the 2nd of the month, we celebrate the Presentation of Our Lord, a topic we dealt with in Lesson 4 of our Prepper Rosary Program. On Shrove Tuesday, we adore the Holy Face of Jesus, a wonderful contemplation as Lent is about to begin. This month also honors 2 Doctors of the Church, Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, St. Apollonia and Francisco & Jacinto Marto, 2 of the Fatima children who died young. Following is a sampling of the feasts of February. Septuagesima* and Lenten blessings to all!

2/2-PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD, traditionally also known as the PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY and Candlemas

2/3-St. Blaise, Blessing of Throats

2/5-First Friday / St. Agatha, Martyr honored in Canon of Mass

2/6-First Saturday / St. Titus, Companion of St. Paul

2/7-Sexagesima Sunday

2/8-St. Josephine Bakhita, 20th Century Saint

2/9-St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor, “Doctor of the Incarnation,” “Seal of the Fathers” / St. Apollonia, Martyr, Patroness of Dentistry

2/11-OUR LADY OF LOURDES

2/14-Quinquagesima Sunday / St. Valentine, Martyr, Patron of lovers, epileptics and beekeepers / Sts. Cyril & Methodius

2/16-HOLY FACE OF JESUS, Shrove Tuesday

2/17-ASH WEDNESDAY, fast & abstinence

2/18-St. Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

2/20-Francisco & Jacinta Marto, Seers of Fatima, 20th Century Saints

2/21-St. Peter Damian, Doctor, “Monitor of the Popes” (new)

2/22-Chair of St. Peter

2/23-St. Polycarp, Martyr / St. Peter Damian (trad)

2/24-Ember Wednesday in Lent / St. Matthias, Apostle who replaced Judas, Martyr

2/26-Ember Friday in Lent

2/27-Ember Saturday in Lent

* I’ve typed this word so many times over the years, I just don’t care anymore! Of course, the spell check does not know of such things. Please don’t contact me to tell me I spelled it wrong:)

Image courtesy http://www.jesusdivinemercy.com