Chiara F Mathews on Bill Kassel's Podcast / Good Shepherd Catholic Radio!

Listen to Chiara F Mathews discuss the “Eclipse Pilgrimage of mercy”

(at 20:08 minutes)

Bill Kassel, host of the radio show “Free Expressions” on Good Shepherd Catholic Radio out of Michigan, was gracious enough to request an interview about our “Eclipse Pilgrimage of Mercy.”

It’s a short discussion relating the main points of the Pilgrimage and why it is important and relevant for the entire world. I am deeply grateful to Bill for this opportunity. Please have a listen and here is more about Mr. Kassel and “Free Expressions” from his website:

“Bill Kassel has made a specialty of communicating religious ideas and moral principles in highly accessible ways to a broad public.  He is the author of two Christian mysteries: Holy Innocents (2000) and This Side of Jordan (2005).  He is also a songwriter, Christian entertainer, and humorist…

Writing under his own byline or as a ghostwriter for others, he has authored or edited non-fiction books as well as articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Newsweek, National Catholic Register, American Legion Magazine, and numerous other publications.”

Kassel’s most recent book My Brother’s Keeper, a novel about the family of Jesus, has won the 2018 “Catholic Arts & Letters Award.” Here’s more:

“MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is an imaginative and riveting historical / religious novel in the tradition of such bible-based classics as Ben Hur, The Robe, and The Silver Chalice. It offers a sweeping vision of a nation at its tipping point — a proud and ancient people facing economic stress, political division, and the specter of radicalism and violence, conditions not unlike those of our own time. This is a sprawling tale with a fresh and compelling perspective on Jesus and his family that will make you reconsider the story that’s at the very heart of Western Civilization.”

Kassel also writes a blog, see above link for further exploration of his work.

Good Shepherd Catholic Radio is affiliated with EWTN, Ave Maria Radio and the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan.

Holy Name of Jesus Tridentine Mass

We had the privilege of attending this Mass recently at a church on Long Island which occasionally offers the Latin Mass on feastdays. In this month of the Holy Name of Jesus, it was wonderful to attend this Mass for the first time. Here is the Introit and a link to the full Propers, which you may wish to pray with your family during the remainder of January:

In the name of Jesus let every knee

bow of those that are in heaven, on

earth, and under the earth; and let

every tongue confess that the Lord

Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the

Father. O Lord, our Lord,

how wonderful is Thy Name in the

whole earth.

Glory be to the Father

and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now and

ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

mass proper: holy name of jesus

(Propers on extraordinaryform.org are PDFs and may easily be printed!)

January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ Nomen Christi!

Holy Church in her wisdom, begins the secular New Year honoring Mary, Mother of God, imploring her much-needed intercession along with the Circumcision of Our Lord in the traditional calendar.  The significance of the Circumcision is twofold:  Our Blessed Infant Lord, though the Son of God, was still subject to the Law and this is the ritual in which He received the Name “Jesus,” meaning “God saves.”  This Name invokes both the identity and mission of Christ. 

Following the Circumcision, we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus, which is also the theme of the Month of January.  We begin a new year contemplating the Name of Christ Jesus.  We honor His identity as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and His mission as our Redeemer, the shedding of His innocent Blood at the Circumcision, a reminder of His Sacrifice upon the Cross.  What better way to start a new year than to flee to Our Lord and His Mother! 

“Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33

Epiphany of Our Lord is held on January 6th, in both the trad and new calendars.  The feast of the Holy Family is Sunday, the 7th, which is also the new feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.  The trad feast of the Baptism is on the 13th.  Our Lady of Prompt Succor is honored on the 15th.

Septuagesima Sunday is the 28th, beginning the short season of Septuagesima, a preparation for Lent.

As we discussed a “Marian Triad of the Months” from August to October, we now celebrate a “Christological Triad of the Months” from December to February:  The Divine Infancy, the Holy Name and the Passion of Our Lord.  Please note, these “triads” are not official Church ideas, but something unique to this Apostolate.  We strive to see how these months tie together theological themes and present an opportunity for prayer and meditation. This ministry also has a special dedication to the Holy Name and Our Lady of Fatima.

Traditional Catholic Calendar for January

New Year’s Blessings to all! Let us pray for a holy, happy and healthy 2024 and think positively about the coming year.

This is the year the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

By the way, how did you do with the December Prepper Challenge? It’s totally understandable if Christmastime got in your way. The good news is…there’s a new month…and a new year…to continue to work on our “15 Points Preparedness Worksheet.” Scroll down to the December post or find it on the Home page. Choose the 5 things you think are most important right now and make a plan. Your future self will thank you! And feel free to email us and share your progress-comments may be posted.

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Christ

April is the month when we honor the Body of Christ, and July, we honor His Blood.  The birthstone for July is the red ruby, seemingly reflecting the red Blood of Our Lord, raised up in adoration this month.  God made all things of the natural world and they continually praise Him, each in its own way.  A life of authenticity is a life immersed in His creation, the surest way to happiness.

July 1st is the feast of the Most Precious Blood, in the traditional calendar.  The ensuing week invokes many who shed their own blood, directing humanity to that which was shed upon the Holy Cross.  We celebrate the Visitation on the 2nd, when Saint John the Baptist leapt in Saint Elizabeth’s womb, the one who paved the way for Christ and was martyred in the process.  The 3rd, we honor Saint Thomas, the one who doubted, but later also gave his life, doubting no more.  And on the 6th, there is Saint Maria Goretti, the young girl who gave her life for purity.  Later in the month, on the 25th, Saint James the Greater is honored, also a martyred Apostle. 

Also from the 1st Century, Saints Mary Magdalen on the 22nd, Joachim & Anne on the 26th and Martha on the 29th.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who gave Saint Simon Stock the miraculous Brown Scapular, is celebrated on the 16th.

Almighty and Eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by His Blood.  Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may worthily adore the Price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of this present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in Heaven.  Through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

From the Litany of the Most Precious Blood

This month’s Roman Catholic Traditional Calendar:  Calefactory.org

Please note, we discuss both trad and new feasts.

Traditional Priest is Doing Something Amazing in the Italian Alps!

Young Priest Turns Forsaken Farm into Paradise Homestead

I was blown away by the above video. Below are the notes provided by the video-maker, Kirsten Dirksen (she’s got a great YouTube channel, but this is not necessarily an endorsement of all her content). The video is 23 minutes, well-worth your time. We all need to be thinking this way going forward, due to the state of the world. This priest also has filmed 2 documentaries-link is below-I have not seen them yet, but I’m sure they are good…

Five years ago Catholic priest Johannes Schwarz left his parish to "withdraw for a few years" in the Italian Alps (in the shadow of his beloved Monte Viso). He bought an old "rustico" - stone farm building - for 20,000 euros and transformed it into his mountaintop hermitage.

Inspired by the early Christian desert hermits from the "200s and 300s when some people went into the deserts of Egypt and Palestine searching for a more rigorous life", Schwarz found something remote: he has only one full-time neighbor on the entire mountainside and in winter, he often has to snowshoe for a couple hours just to buy food and supplies.

To be as self-sufficient as possible, he makes his own bread and stores plenty of potatoes which he grows using Ruth Stout's "No-Work" gardening method. To grow much of his own fruit and produce, he terraced the steep hillside (using stones from the area) to create micro-climates. "You try to build walls that have southern exposure because they heat up during the day and they give off the warmth and can make a difference of several degrees." (Studies show differences of 27°F/15°C in the ultra-deep Incan terraces). He grows plenty of tomatoes inside his self-built recycled greenhouse.

For heating and cooking, he built a combination rocket stove and masonry heater by creating his own casts and loam coating. His refrigerator, which he transported up the hill on top of his bicycle, is kept in the unheated room, along with his food stores. He uses a tiny 30-year-old 3-kilogram washing machine and built his bathroom out of salvaged materials. To transport the lumber up the hill for his remodel, he got some help from a local farmer.

He divided the old barn into four small rooms on two floors; the living room/kitchen and pantry on the ground floor and a chapel and bedroom upstairs. His bedroom also serves as an editing studio where he creates videos on philosophy and religion.

He created a wooden-arched indoor chapel where he “celebrates the traditional Latin mass” alongside a wall he painted with Byzantine, romanesque and gothic styles in appreciation of "the symbolism of the ancient art."

Johannes’ pilgrimage films: https://www.reelhouse.org/birettballett

10th Day of Christmas

The Ten Commandments

Also known as “The Decalogue”

1 ~ I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.

2 ~ Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.

3 ~ Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.

4 ~ Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

5 ~ Thou shalt not kill.

6 ~ Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

7 ~ And thou shalt not steal.

8 ~ Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

9 ~ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.

10 ~ [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s] house, nor his field… nor any thing that is his.

Charlton Heston poster at Bonanza.com-buy here!

January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

~ 2022 ~

"This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein."

Psalms 117:24

[Edited since posting.]

Holy Mother Church begins the new year honoring Our Lady as “Mother of God.” What could be more consoling or joyful? If she has this new year in her hands, what have we to fear? If we honor her this day, surely graces will come upon us and our families, even if hard times are ahead. Though it is not a holy day of obligation in the US, why would we want to miss this opportunity to flee to her at the outset of the year, showing our love for her and making reparation to her Immaculate Heart? And what a wonderful time to begin the Communion of Reparation 5 First Saturdays! January 1st also commemorates Our Lord’s first shedding of blood, his circumcision at 8 days old, in the old calendar. This is also the moment He received His Holy Name in the Temple, not to be confused with the Presentation, which was 40 days after birth. We are still in the Cycle of Christmas and remain joyful that a Savior has been given to us!

We celebrate 6 Doctors of the Church this month. On the 2nd, St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen share the day. They were actually friends and colleagues, along with Basil’s brother St. Gregory of Nyssa. The 3 are referred to as “The Three Cappadocians,” as they were all influential early theologians. Each month, I have been researching the best known works of the Doctors, along with how you can obtain them. This takes time to do the research and get you the best resources. I will continue to do so as time allows (which is not tonight), otherwise I will simply provide links to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Remember, it would take 35 years to read each of the Doctors, if you read one per year!

The 22nd is the 49th Anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. Lord, have mercy. Many of you do not need this reminder, but if you have not been active in the pro-life movement, please pray on it and consider getting involved. All human rights are currently being eroded before our very eyes, which was predictable when the fundamental right to life was taken from the unborn. When you defend them, you defend our whole future!

Nomen Chisti Apostolate is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima. “Nomen Christi” means “Name of Christ” in Latin. How can we honor His Name this month? There are many ways to do so….attending Mass on the feast, prayers and devotions and considering how we defend His Name when it is disrespected in our presence…please see The Second Commandment-What Does it Mean to Us?

The following is a partial listing of old and new feasts this month, for your consideration. Where “old” or “new” is indicated, it is the second occurring feast. Please consult your own calendars for more detail…

1/1-CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD / MARY HOLY MOTHER OF GOD / First Saturday

1/2-EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD / MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS / St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church / St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church

1/3-MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS (new)

1/4-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, First American Saint

1/5-St. John Neumann

1/6-EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD (trad) / Sts. Caspar, Balthasar & Melchior, the Three Magi (non-standard)

1/7-First Friday

1/9-BAPTISM OF OUR LORD / THE HOLY FAMILY

1/13-BAPTISM OF OUR LORD (trad) / St. Hilary of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church

1/14-St. Hilary of Poitiers (trad)

1/21-St. Agnes, Martyr, invoked in Canon

1/22-+++Anniversary of US Court Decision Roe vs. Wade, Day of Prayer for Unborn+++

1/24-St. Timothy, Disciple of St. Paul / St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church

1/25-Conversion of St. Paul

1/26-Sts. Timothy & Titus, Disciples of St. Paul / St. Polycarp, Martyr

1/27-St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church

1/28-St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church

1/29-St. Francis de Sales (trad)

1/31-St. John Bosco, Founder of the Salesian Society

Image from cornerstonepca.com

7th Day of Christmas

Fortitude ~ Temperance ~ Faith ~ Charity ~ Hope ~ Justice ~ Prudence

The Seven (Traditional) Virtues

The Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope & Charity

The Four Cardinal Virtues: Fortitude, Temperance, Justice & Prudence

There are also the Seven Capital Virtues: Chastity, Generosity, Temperance, Brotherly Love, Meekness, Humility & Diligence

Catholic Bible 101: The Virtues

The paintings above, “The Seven Virtues,” were commissioned by a 15th century Italian courthouse. Strangely, the first, “Fortitude,” was painted by Sandro Botticelli (it is considered his first masterpiece) and the rest by Piero and Antonio Pollaiuolo. For a wonderful article, with detailed descriptions and theological discussion, please see portraitofasometimeslady.com.

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