December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception

The good Christian name “John” is well-represented this month, as we honor 5 saints by this name:  one the beloved of Christ, 2 Doctors of the Church, one visionary and one priestly professor.  We also honor 5 Doctors of the Church:  in addition to the 2 Johns, we have 2 Peters and St. Ambrose.  December also contains the Ember Days, adding further to the preparation of Advent through prayer and penance.  These are loosely concerned with the seasons, so there are many ways to be creative with children, combining the Ember Days, the coming season of winter and Christmas.  It is wonderful to teach our children these traditions, so they will develop a love for the Catholic Faith and its many-faceted riches.

As for our themes this month, it is not difficult to combine the Divine Infancy with the Immaculate Conception.  Mother and Child are inseparable, as the beautiful painting above shows.  The Child Jesus points us toward His Nativity and the time of spiritual preparation for this joyful celebration.  The sinless Virgin Mother serves to glorify the Infant Himself.  There are many ways we can creatively celebrate both Mother and Child.  One possibility is to participate in pro-life activities-there are so many ways to do this and to use one’s unique gifts.  We may have done this 2 months ago in October, but the unborn ceaselessly need our help.  If you do not have much time, you can always pray and offer up for them.  Only 3 days after Christmas, we honor the Holy Innocents, further encouragement to remember God’s precious little ones this month as we prepare to celebrate His birth.

Here are some notable feasts from both the old and new calendars of the Roman Rite…

3-First Friday / St. Francis Xavier

4-First Saturday / St. John Damascene, Doctor of the Church, Author Fount of Knowledge / St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor of the Church, Author of many great sermons / St. Barbara, Martyr

5-2nd Sunday of Advent (purple candle)

6-St. Nicholas

7-St. Ambrose, Doctor of the Church, Author De Virginibus

8-IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY (obligation)

9-St. Juan (John) Diego, Seer of Our Lady of Guadalupe

10-OUR LADY OF LORETO

12-Gaudete Sunday (pink candle) / OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

13-St. Lucy / St. Odilia, Martyrs, Patronesses of the eyes (Odilia’s feast is non-standard)

14-St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Author Dark Night of the Soul

15-Ember Wednesday in Advent (trad meat at one meal)

17-Ember Friday in Advent

18-Ember Saturday in Advent (trad meat at one meal)

19-4th Sunday of Advent (purple candle)

21-St. Thomas, Apostle / St. Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church, Author Summa of Christian Doctrine

23-St. John of Kanty, Priest, Professor of Sacred Scripture

24-VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY

25-NATIVITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (obligation)

26-THE HOLY FAMILY / St. Stephen, Protomartyr

27-St. John the Evangelist

28-The Holy Innocents

The stunning painting above is “Virgin with Angels” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. This is an ornament which can be purchased here.

November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory-Part II

“Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.”

When combining Holy Church’s old and new calendars, we see the following features for the month of November…

The month has begun in the midst of the Triduum of Death, reminding us of the brevity of this life and the glory which awaits the Children of God. I recall hearing the following lyrics in early childhood-I think it made some impression on me:

“O when the saints go marching in, When the saints go marching in

O Lord I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in”

What a wonderful month that begins contemplating the Church Triumphant and ends in expectation of the Birth of Our Savior!

The Triduum concludes with All Souls Day, reminding us that for most, there will be a cleansing of suffering. Therefore, this month is dedicated to the souls still undergoing this suffering, the Church Penitent, with special indulgences given. We celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church, 2 of whom are called “great.” We have another saint honored with this title, Saint Gertrude the Great. She was given this title by Pope Benedict XIV to distinguish her from her abbess superior, another Saint Gertrude. We can presume this pope found her mystical writings to be worthy of this title. Gertrude the Great is also invoked for the holy souls, whom she was dedicated to-it is fitting that her feast is in November. On the 21st in the new calendar, we honor Christ, King of the Universe. We celebrated Christ the King on October 31st in the old. Let us be the Church Militant, showing our acknowledgment of Christ’s rule over us, won by His Blood, at this critical moment in history. On the same day, we have Our Lady’s Presentation as an infant, not to be confused with her Purification (or Our Lord’s Presentation).

Here are some notable feasts for the remainder of this month and below is a follow-up from the previous post on Holy Souls devotions…

10-Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church, Author The Tome

13-St. Frances “Mother” Cabrini, Founder Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 20th Century Saint

15-St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church, Patron of scientists, Author On Cleaving to God

16-St. Gertrude the Great

18-Dedication of Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul

21-CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE / PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

22-St. Cecilia, Patroness of music

23-St. Felicitas, Martyr, invoked in Canon of Mass

24-St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Author Dark Night of the Soul

28-First Sunday of Advent

30-St. Andrew, Apostle

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Vatican Extends Traditional…Indulgences

From the above article…

“Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience, said the indulgences traditionally obtained [for departed souls] during the first week of November [11/1-8] can be gained throughout the entire month of November…Indulgences are granted when a Catholic visits a cemetery to pray for the dead, goes to confession, attends Mass and receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the Pope.”

What the article left out about the obtaining of a plenary indulgence: one must be in a state of grace when the indulgenced act is performed, must be detached from sin and must perform all criteria within 20 days before or after.

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Amen.

The above Holy Hour was taken from the most recent edition of…

benedictus: the traditional catholic companion

This monthly booklet is published by Sophia Institute Press and is a wonderful Catholic guide and missal for the Tridentine Mass. The page above contains glowing comments by the likes of Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Vigano, Bishop Schneider and Bishop Strickland. (So you know its good.) My only beef with it, as a sustainability proponent, is that it uses too much paper, as the entire mass (quite conveniently) is repeated for each Sunday. This was my husband’s idea to subscribe, after hearing about it online. In spite of all the tree destruction, I am starting to really like my Benedictus and rely on it. Each one comes with a beautiful prayer card which can be used as a bookmark, and the price is only $5.00 a month! Please see the above link for further details.

As for the Holy Hour above, it is not indicated what the source is. It seems to be an opening prayer for an hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament. I suppose the rest of the hour could be performed in silent meditation or organized prayer. I am not aware of an indulgence attached to it, though there may be. It is quite beautiful. I was not able to find it elsewhere on the internet. If you would like a good copy or the source, please contact Sophia Institute Press.

In addition to Benedictus, this company publishes all sorts of other things, including a very interesting series of catechetical documents from antiquity…

tradivox: catholic catechism index

From the website…

“From as early as the 9th century, scores of faithful priests, bishops, popes, saints, and Church councils have published succinct, reliable summaries of Catholic doctrine: catechisms…Now, for the first time ever, dozens of historic catechisms are being unearthed and painstakingly restored. They are being reformatted for publication and presented to you in this gorgeous 20-volume, cross-indexed collection. The catechisms of several Popes and Church Councils are included; such as the world-renowned Catechism of the Council of Trent, those of the Synods of Maynooth and Baltimore, and the catechism of Pope St. Pius X. Here also are those classical handbooks of Catholic doctrine authored by the great Saints and Doctors of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Peter Canisius, and St. Robert Bellarmine. The many historical catechisms of Catholic doctrine featured in this series include both titles that are well known, as well as some that have not been printed or read in centuries. Originating from regions as diverse as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and North America, the many catechisms contained in this series demonstrate the remarkable universality of the Catholic Faith as never before.”

Well, they’ve got me sold. That’s why I just bought the first 4 volumes and subscribed to the series, at $25.00 every 3 months. I always say as a prepper, you can never have enough good, hardcover Catholic books. Who knows how long these will be available in the current climate?

Wishing you blessings in this month of November and the coming Season of Advent.

November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory-Part I

[Edited since posting.]

“May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord, with Thy saints forever, for Thou art kind. Grant them everlasting rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, with Thy saints.”

The above text is from the “Communion” of the Tridentine Mass for All Souls Day. The rainbow photo was taken by my son at a lake in New Jersey on All Hallows Eve. The photo below it is from the All Souls Day Mass at one of the churches we attend on Long Island. You can see the beautiful and rare black vestments. Though this Mass is solemn, we are also joyful that upon its celebration, many souls likely ascend to Heaven from their stay in the fires of Purgatory…a place of refreshment, light, peace and unspeakable joy!

How can we honor and assist the Holy Souls this month? Here are a few suggestions:

1) A partial indulgence may be obtained by visiting a cemetery with mental prayer for the Holy Souls. There is a similar plenary, which has been extended by the Vatican-will discuss this in another post.

2) A partial indulgence may be obtained by recitation of the Office of the Dead.

3) A partial indulgence may be obtained by recitation of the De Profundis.

4) Remember the Holy Souls in daily family prayer, litanies, the Rosary, etc. Attend weekday Mass for the Holy Souls.

5) Perform a Holy Hour for the Holy Souls, either at home or organized at your church with pastoral permission (we will be posting one soon).

6) Obtain one of the plenary indulgences for the Year of Saint Joseph.

Wishing you blessings during this month of November…stay tuned for Part II…

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

In this month of Our Lady of Sorrows, if you are not familiar with the “Seven Sorrows Chaplet,” here is where you can purchase one. Mine is shown above, depicting Our Lady with seven swords piercing her Immaculate Heart, the month of which we have just celebrated. It has been such a blessing to pray this chaplet over the years, as a family. In addition to the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we honor Our Blessed Mother in 4 other major feasts this month.

We celebrate 5 Doctors of the Church in September. As I stated last month, I am now indicating a major work authored by each Doctor. Please consider reading some of these wonderful works of Holy Church’s antiquity. Obtaining good quality hard-cover books is a great idea from a “prepper” point of view. How long before these classics are considered “unessential items?” We have several 20th Century saints this month and also the Ember Days in September, traditional days of penance and prayer for the coming season. Ember Days are wonderful to celebrate with children, incorporating crafts and giving them a love for the Catholic Faith and her traditions.

Let us remember the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Let us offer prayers for those departed, along with their loved ones…for those who continue to suffer with physical and mental disability…and for those responsible. Lord have mercy.

Here is a sampling of feasts for this month:

9/3-First Friday / Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church, author Pastoral Care / Pope St. Pius X, 20th Century Saint

9/4-First Saturday

9/5-St. Teresa of Calcutta, Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, 20th Century Saint

9/8-BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

9/12-MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

9/13-St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, author On the Priesthood

9/14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

9/15-OUR LADY OF SORROWS (new) / SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY (trad)

9/17-St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, author The Controversies / St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church, author Scivias (Know the Ways of the Lord) / Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

9/19-OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE

9/21-St. Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist of Gospel, Martyr

9/22-Ember Wednesday in September (trad meat at one meal)

9/23-St. Pio of Pietralcina, 20th Century Saint

9/24-OUR LADY OF RANSOM / Ember Friday in September

9/25-Ember Saturday in September (trad meat at one meal)

9/27-St. Vincent de Paul, Founder of the Vincentians

9/29-Sts. Michael, Gabriel & Raphael / Michaelmas Day

9/30-St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, author Latin Vulgate Bible

August is Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

~~~ immaculate heart of mary, pray for us! ~~~

Whatever our difficulties and sorrows may be, we have been given, by Our Lord Himself from the Cross, the most wonderful of Mothers! Let us this month, flee to her in all our need and honor her Most Immaculate Heart, so desiring of reparation. This is a fabulous time to start the “Communion of Reparation 5 First Saturdays,” instituted by Our Lady of Fatima. The feast of the Immaculate Heart is celebrated on the 22nd, along with the Queenship of Our Lady-what a beautiful double Marian feast! Of course, we also have the Assumption, a holy day of obligation, on the 15th, along with several other feasts of Our Lady this month. August gives us 3 saints with particular love for Mary: Saints Alphonsus, Dominic and Maximilian Kolbe. In addition, we celebrate the father of the Blessed Virgin, the day after the Assumption. Let us not forget the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the 4th Luminous Mystery, on the 6th.

We honor both Saint Teresa Benedicta and Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who met their deaths at Aushwitz, Kolbe one year earlier. We also have Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Fiacre, both patrons of gardeners on the 30th!

We have spent the past year giving the titles (names attributed to them) of all 35 Doctors of the Church. We will now begin to provide one of their best-known works with each noted feastday. This month, we honor 3 of the most superlative Doctors! Saint Alphonsus has been noted as the most popular writer of all time (including Shakespeare)…Saint Bernard is quite possibly the most prolific miracle-worker of all time…and Saint Augustine has been called the “Doctor of Doctors,” his Confessions being the most widely read spiritual book for 1,000 years.*

Here are some notable feasts this month from both the old and new calendars:

8/1-St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church, Founder of the Redemptorists, author The Glories of Mary

8/2-St. Alphonsus Liguori (trad)

8/4-St. John Vianney / St. Dominic, Seer of the Holy Rosary

8/5-OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS

8/6-First Friday / TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

8/7-First Saturday

8/8-St. John Vianney (trad) / St. Dominic (new)

8/9-St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Jewish convert, killed at Aushwitz

8/11-St. Clare (Chiara) of Assisi

8/12-St. Clare (Chiara) of Assisi (trad)

8/14-St. Maximilian Kolbe, martyred at Aushwitz / VIGIL OF THE ASSUMPTION

8/15-THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Holy Day of Obligation)

8/16-St. Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin

8/17-OUR LADY OF KNOCK

8/20-St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church, author Canticle of Canticles

8/21-St. Pius X, Pope of the Eucharist

8/22-QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY / IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

8/23-St. Rose of Lima, Patroness of Gardeners

8/24-St. Bartholomew, Apostle

8/27-St. Monica, Mother of St. Augustine / SEVEN JOYS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (non-standard)

8/28-St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, author Confessions

8/29-Passion of St. John the Baptist

8/30-St. Rose of Lima (trad) / St. Fiacre of Brie, Patron of Gardeners (non-standard)

* Source: The 35 Doctors of the Church Buy it!

Image courtesy acatholiclife.blogspot.com

July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

This chalice is claimed to be the actual Holy Grail, used by Our Blessed Lord to contain His Most Precious Blood at the Last Supper. It is humbly housed behind an altar in a small chapel within the Cathedral of Valencia, Spain. The exquisite agate stone cup (this photo does not do it justice) is the actual relic, whereas the gold and jewel base was fashioned later. Here is a short article about the topic: The Holy Grail in Valencia. There is also a book by Janice Bennett, which deals extensively with the history and archeological study of the chalice: Saint Laurence & the Holy Grail, Ignatius Press (makes a great gift-I bought it for my father-in-law).

We honor the Precious Blood during the month of July, particularly on the 1st of the month. Here is a beautiful litany to add to your devotions:

Litany of the most precious blood of jesus

July gives us 2 Marian feasts, 4 companions of Christ, 3 Doctors of the Church and the parents of Our Lady. Here is a sampling of some notable feasts this month…

7/1-MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD / St. Junipero Serra

7/2-First Friday / THE VISITATION

7/3-First Saturday / St. Thomas, Apostle

7/6-St. Maria Goretti, Young Martyr of Purity

7/7-Sts. Cyril & Methodius

7/14-St. Kateri Tekakwitha / St. Bonaventure, Doctor, “The Seraphic Doctor”

7/15-St. Bonaventure (new)

7/16-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

7/19-St. Vincent de Paul

7/21-St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor, “The Apostolic Doctor”

7/22-St. Mary Magdalen

7/23-St. Bridget of Sweden

7/25-St. James the Greater, Apostle / St. Christopher, Patron of Travelers

7/26-Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7/29-St. Martha, Companion of Christ

7/30-St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor, “The Golden-Worded”

7/31-St. Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus

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Commentary on Independence Day, USA: Excuse me, In Dependence Day. A number of years ago, I created a stir on Catholic Answers Forum (recently defunct), by posting “Boycott the 4th of July.” It upset many people and the comments went on for pages. It has always been difficult for me to celebrate a nation that kills its own children (Joan Andrews Bell called it “an obscene pretended peace”). I would however, at times, manage to get myself to some fireworks to have a nice family & friends time. I would rationalize it by telling myself I was really celebrating the true spirit of America, put forth by our founders. In light of the past year, I can no longer muster this small bit of heart-warming feeling. I have nothing now but complete disgust for a nation that has utterly lost all sense of human rights, freedom and morality. The Declaration of Independence is dead. It is too late to fix the System. The only thing left is to escape and build a new world based on the opposite paradigm: Love for God and love for neighbor. I will spend the 4th in mourning and penance. If you have no idea why I’m saying this, you have a lot of work to do. Please pray on it.

As severe as these words are, they are not meant to be a downer. I have said before, we must look toward the Newer World Order (I hope that term really bothers the AI that spiders through the internet:) we should be creating, starting NOW, with hope and excitement. Like Lot, don’t look back. Look forward to the restoration of Holy Church and love to reign over all the earth! Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we pray for the United States of America at this hour and for the unborn. Precious Blood of Christ, have mercy on us for the countless sacrileges against Thee. Amen.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30

Note: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church. We have completed a whole year of providing these titles (which I hope has piqued your interest in these extraordinarily accomplished saints) and promoting this wonderful book, so this will not be continued.

June: Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy Upon Us!

“My Divine Heart is so inflamed with love for mankind … that It can no longer contain within Itself the flames of Its burning charity and must spread them abroad.”

Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as we know it today, began in France after Saint Margaret Mary received several visions. Our Lord requested a devotion of reparation, the Nine First Fridays and a feast of reparation, to be held the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. We know this feast as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is linked to Corpus Christi because His Heart is contained within His Corpus. There is also an indulgenced novena for this feast, to be started this year, June 2nd. See Novena to the Sacred Heart. What a wonderful time it is this month, to perform one of these great treasures of the Faith! There has never been a time when it has been more needed.

The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart. Holy Church shows us how intimately the 2 Hearts are joined, they are celebrated together. Just as Our Lord asked Saint Margaret Mary for reparation to His Heart, Our Lady of Fatima asked for reparation to her heart, particularly in the Five First Saturdays, which mirrors the Nine First Fridays.

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“In order that favors may flow in greater abundance on all Christians, even on the whole human race, from the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, let the faithful see to it that devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God be closely joined to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus … It is, then, entirely fitting that the Christian people — who received the divine life from Christ through Mary — after they have paid their debt of honor to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, should also offer to the most loving Heart of their Heavenly Mother the corresponding acts of piety, affection, gratitude and expiation.”

Venerable Pope Pius XII, 20th Century Pope

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June also celebrates the birth of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Barnabas and 2 other early Christian warriors, Peter and Paul (whose potential was seen initially by Barnabas). We honor 4 Doctors of the Church, including the beloved Franciscan Saint Anthony of Padua, often shown with the Christ Child in his arms (one of his companions once peered at him and saw the young Jesus with him). Here is a selection of some of June’s notable feasts….

6/3-CORPUS CHRISTI (trad)

6/4-First Friday

6/5-First Saturday

6/6-MOST HOLY BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST (new)

6/9-St. Ephrem, Doctor, “Harp of the Holy Ghost” “Mary’s Own Singer” “Father of Hymnody”

6/11-MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS (Friday solemnity) / St. Barnabas, Early Apostle (recruited St. Paul from Tarsus, probably martyred)

6/12-IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

6/13-St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor, “Doctor of the Gospel” “Hammer of Heretics” “Ark of Both Covenants”

6/14-St. Basil the Great, Doctor, “Father of Eastern Monasticism”

6/18-St. Ephrem (trad)

6/22-St. Thomas More, Martyr

6/23-Vigil of Nativity of St. John the Baptist

6/24-Nativity of St. John the Baptist

6/26-St. (Monsignor) Josemaria Escriva, 20th Century Saint, Founder of Opus Dei

6/27-St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor, “Doctor of the Incarnation” “Seal of the Fathers”

6/28-Vigil of Sts. Peter & Paul

6/29-Sts. Peter & Paul, Apostles

6/30-First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

Notes: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church. 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.

Image courtesy patheos.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.”

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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

March: Month of Saint Joseph

Within this “Year of Saint Joseph,” we now celebrate the “Month of Saint Joseph,” which also includes his feast on the 19th. We remain in Lent throughout the month. Perhaps some of our Lenten exercises can include devotions to the Foster-Father of Our Lord. We will be posting some prayers to Saint Joseph on his feastday.

March also includes 2 Marian feasts, the Annunciation and the lesser feast of the Seven Sorrows (one week before Good Friday). Interestingly, Saint Gabriel is celebrated the day before the feast of the Annunciation. We also honor 4 Doctors of the Church, including Pope St. Gregory the Great, who is considered by some “The Greatest of the Great” (in other words, the greatest Pope who ever lived, having a reign of only 14 years). This got me very curious about him, so look for a post on his feast, which will try to understand his charism. Saint Isidore the Farmer’s feast is on the 22nd, which brings to mind the mission of Nomen Christi Apostolate: the pursuit of a life closer to nature and more self-reliant. In the USA, I don’t think we are in danger of forgetting the feast of St. Patrick, much beloved by the many Irish whose ancestors settled here (myself included).

The month ends in Holy Week, our final Lenten penitential efforts, to prepare for the glorious feast of the Resurrection, the greatest of all solemnities. May we continue through the month of March to give the Most Holy Trinity our very best, to secure mercy for ourselves, our loved ones, Holy Church and the whole world at this hour. Here are some notable feasts coming up….

3/3-St. Katharine Drexel, 20th Century Saint

3/5-First Friday

3/6-First Saturday / Sts. Felicity & Perpetua, invoked in Canon of Mass (trad)

3/7-Sts. Felicity & Perpetua (new) / Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor, “The Angelic Doctor,” “The Common Doctor”

3/12-Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor, “The Greatest of the Great”

3/17-St. Patrick, Patron of Ireland

3/18-St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor, “Doctor of Catechesis”

3/19-St. Joseph (solemnity, no Friday penance)

3/21-Passion Sunday (trad) / St. Benedict

3/22-St. Isidore the Farmer

3/24-St. Gabriel the Archangel, Angel of the Annunciation

3/25-THE ANNUNCIATION

3/26-SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

3/27-St. John Damascene, Doctor, “Doctor of Christian Art,” “Doctor of the Assumption”

3/28-PALM SUNDAY

3/31-Spy Wednesday

Image courtesy http://sacredheart-op.org