Novena to Saints Anne & Joachim

by SANOL

FEAST JULY 26

Although Scripture is silent about the grandparents of Jesus, tradition tells us that Saints Anne and Joachim were married for many years before God blessed them with a child. During those years, they fasted, prayed and wept, mourning the child that would not come.

Years of longing did not weaken their trust in God, but grief eventually drove Saint Joachim into the wilderness to fast and pray. Saint Anne, remaining at home, dressed in mourning clothes and wept because she had no child of her own. Seeing her mistress distressed, a servant girl reminded Anne to put her trust in God. Saint Anne washed her face, put on her bridal clothes and went to a garden to plead with God for a child.

Angels appeared to Saint Anne in her garden and Saint Joachim in the desert, promising that, despite their old age, they would give birth to a child who would be known throughout the world. The new parents ran to meet one another at Jerusalem’s Golden Gate, and rejoiced in the new life which God had promised would be theirs.

When that child became a woman and pronounced her “Fiat” to Saint Gabriel, Saints Anne and Joachim saw an even more wondrous answer to their prayers. Not just a grandchild, but a Saviour who was God Himself, Jesus Christ.

On July 26, the Church honours these holy grandparents for their prayers, their trust, and most of all for the foundation of faith they laid in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life.

Beginning on July 18, pray the novena prayer below to Saints Anne and Joachim, trusting in their intercessory power with Our Lord, their Grandson, Jesus Christ.

Novena

To be prayed for nine consecutive days

O Holy Mother and Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as parents, you guided and nurtured Mary and, under your protection and love, watched her grow in holiness.

Through your faithfulness and goodness, the Will of God was fulfilled; the fruits of your virtue and faith brought salvation to the whole world with the birth of the baby Jesus.

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

Most Holy Saints Anne and Joachim, come close to us and guide our hands and our hearts in the way of virtue.

Help us to parent our children and grandchildren with a gentle heart as you did.

Show us how to raise our children in faith and bring our families into the Light of Jesus.

Remain close to us and help us on our journey to salvation.

Saints Anne and Joachim, we place our petitions in your hands and ask that you lay them before the child Jesus.

Seek this, my favour [Mention your request] but only if it be for the greater glory of God and the good of my soul.

Our Father….

Hail Mary….

Glory be to the Father….

St. Anne and St. Joachim: Pray for Us

Our Lady of Buglose

by SANOL

Feast Day June 29

Located about two leagues from Acqe in Glascony is the shrine containing a miraculous image of Our Lady of Buglose. The original shrine of Notre Dame de Buglose was burned and completely destroyed by the Huguenots, and the statue of Our Lady was hidden in a marsh. The exact location of the statue was eventually forgotten, as was the memory even that the place had once been the location of a shrine in honour of the Blessed Virgin.

Years later, a shepherd led his herd into the marshes and observed that one of his oxen did not go with the others, but went into an area of the marsh alone and began to bellow in a strange manner. The shepherd climbed a tree to see what was happening, and saw the ox licking an unknown object that was half buried in the mud. Not understanding the mystery, he ran into town to bring others back with him to see what had happened.

When the shepherd returned, the statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the baby Jesus in her arms had been revealed. It was respectfully removed from the water, and the bishop of Dax desired to take the image to his church in Pouy. He placed the statue in a cart that was pulled by oxen to transport it back to Pouy. The procession began with hymns and prayers, but had only gone a short distance when the oxen stopped and would not move any further. It was understood that the Blessed Virgin desired that her image should stay near the fountain.

The bishop accepted the revelation as a divine order, and thanks to the zeal and enthusiastic support of the people living in the region, a new church was built with prodigious speed. The shrine was for a long time popular as a place of pilgrimage in France; now it is further renowned as the birthplace of Saint Vincent de Paul. The house where he was born and where he spent his boyhood is still shown.

There have been many miracles at the shrine, as indeed Buglose had become known as a land of miracles. There were 19 miracles recorded in the year 1622 alone.

There is a fountain near the chapel marking the place where the statue of Our Lady of Buglose was found buried. In 1623, a man named Bernard Ducassou came to the shrine seeking a cure for the seven boils that covered his left leg. He spent the entire night in prayer, and the next day bathed at the fountain. The ulcers that would not heal were suddenly closed.

The above pilgrimage is merely a side issue for pilgrims on their way to the famous shrine of Our Lady where miracles are still granted to pious devotees.

*from The Woman in Orbit and other sources

James Fitzhenry, roman-catholic-saints.com, Marian Calendar

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon

by SANOL

FEAST JUNE 28

Bishop and Martyr

Irenaeus was born around the year 125 in a province in Asia Minor.

His own works establish a few biographical points, such as that he, as a child, heard and saw St Polycarp, the last known living connection with the Apostles, in Smyrna, before that aged Christian was martyred in 155.

According to tradition, St John the Apostle, as a very old man who had “seen the Lord” (i.e., Jesus), lived at Ephesus in the days when Polycarp was young. Thus, there were three generations between Jesus of Nazareth and Irenaeus of southern France.

He was a brilliant student and well versed in the Holy Scriptures, which led him to serve as a priest under St Pothinus, the first bishop of a local church.

His fellow clergy thought highly of him, so highly, in fact, that in 177 when the persecution of Catholics in Lyon in France began, they sent him away to Rome because St Pothinus wanted to preserve him from martyrdom.

Irenaeus returned to Lyon and the bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon, in France), an Apologist, a doctor of the church, and a leading Christian theologian of the 2^nd century.

All his known writings are devoted to the conflict with the gnostics. His principal work consists of five books in a work titled Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), written about 180, was a refutation of gnosticism. In the course of his writings, Irenaeus advanced the development of an authoritative canon of Scriptures, the creed, and the authority of the episcopal office.

The era in which Irenaeus lived was a time of expansion and inner tensions in the church. In many cases Irenaeus acted as mediator between various contending factions. The churches of Asia Minor continued to celebrate Easter on the same date (the 14th of Nisan) as the Jews celebrated Passover, whereas the Roman church maintained that Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday (the day of the Resurrection of Christ). Mediating between the parties, Irenaeus stated that differences in external factors, such as dates of festivals, need not be so serious as to destroy church unity.

Irenaeus asserted in a positive manner the validity of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament), which the gnostics denied, claiming that it upheld the laws of the Creator God of wrath. Though Irenaeus did not actually refer to two testaments, one old and one new, he prepared the way for this terminology. He asserted the validity of the two testaments at a time when concern for the unity and the difference between the two parts of the Bible was developing. Many works claiming scriptural authority, which included a large number by gnostics, flourished in the 2nd century. By his attacks on the gnostics, Irenaeus helped to diminish the importance of such works and to establish a canon of scriptures.

The development of the creed and the office of bishop also can be traced to his conflicts with the gnostics. On the basis of the New Testament alone, which is concerned with the salvation of humankind, the creed would not be expected to begin with an article about the creation of the world and humans. But, because the gnostics denied that the God revealed in the New Testament was the Creator, the first article of the creed was for polemical reasons directly connected with Genesis (“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”). Irenaeus refers to the creed as a “Rule of Truth” used to combat heresy.

The oldest lists of bishops also were countermeasures against the gnostics, who said that they possessed a secret oral tradition from Jesus himself. Against such statements Irenaeus maintains that the bishops in different cities are known as far back as the Apostles—and none of them was a gnostic—and that the bishops provided the only safe guide to the interpretation of scripture. With these lists of bishops, the later doctrine of “the apostolic succession” of the bishops could be linked. Even the unique position of authority of the bishop of Rome is emphasized by Irenaeus, though in an obscure passage.

Though there is no evidence, other than legendary, about his death, the last decade of the 2nd century is generally assumed to be the period in which Irenaeus died. In 2022 Irenaeus was declared a doctor of the church by Pope Francis.

Note: Taken from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Irenaeus

Our Lady of Monte Senario

by SANOL

Feast Day 19 June

The cradle of the order of the Servants of Mary began at Monte Senario in the year 1233 in the city of Florence, Italy, by a group of Hermits now known as the Seven Holy Founders. They were sons from different wealthy families, and they retired from the world for a life of prayer and devotion to the praises of Mary.

Leaving La Camarzia, a suburb of Florence, the seven went to Monte Senario in the region of Tuscany. Uncertain of what way of life to follow, they turned to Our Lady in prayer and supplication, and she appeared to them on the Feast of the Assumption in the year 1240.

The Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Monte Senario, presented the Seven Holy Founders with the habit of their new order, and an angel stood nearby bearing a scroll that was marked, “Servants of Mary.” He read to the Seven Holy Founders the following words: “You will found a new order, and you will be my witnesses throughout the world. This is your name: Servants of Mary. This is your rule: that of Saint Augustine. And here is your distinctive sign: the black scapular, in memory of my sufferings.”

From that day in 1240, the seven were known as the Servants of Mary, the Order of Servants of Mary, or the Servites. Members of the order take solemn vows to especially honour the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The sorrows are, in order, the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Holy Child at Jerusalem, meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, Jesus taken down from the Cross, and the burial of Christ.

According to an ancient document called the “Legenda de Origin ordini,” “Our Lady wanted to begin her Order with seven men to show everyone, with absolute clarity, that she wanted to adorn her Order, endowing it with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The Order gained official recognition in 1249, but was not officially approved until Pope Benedict IX issued a Bull in 1304. Their church on Monte Senario, rebuilt in 1700, is a favourite resort of pilgrims from Florence and further places. Mary, here as Our Lady of Monte Senario, as well as elsewhere, proves herself the miraculous Mother of God.

The names of the Seven Holy Founders are Saint Alexis Falconieri, Saint Bartholomew degli Amidei, Saint Benedict dell’Antella, Saint Buonfiglio Monaldi, Saint Gherardino Sostegni, Saint Hugh dei Lippi-Uguccioni, and Saint John Buonagiunta Monetti.

*from The Woman in Orbit and other sources.

James Fitzhenry, roman-catholic-saints.com, Marian Calendar

Saint Boniface of Mainz

by SANOL

Apostle of Germany

FEAST JUNE 5

Boniface was born Winfrid around the year 680 to a respected and noble English family, and it was to his father’s great displeasure that, at the young age of five, his son devoted himself to the monastic life.

Educated at the monastery school close to Exeter, with further studies guided by the monks and, later, directed by the learned Abbot Winbert at the Abbey of Nursling in Winchester, Boniface became a very learned and popular scholar.

His popularity and skill in teaching attracted many other students and scholars, for whose benefit he wrote the first Latin grammar known to have been compiled in English. After continued studies, he was ordained to the priesthood at the age of thirty.

Convinced of his calling to be a missionary, Winfrid declined the position of abbot at the monastery of Nursling and obtained from his superior permission to travel to Frisia to assist the famous missionary, St. Willibrord, who had been struggling for a long time to bring the Gospel home to his people. However, the mission ended in failure and Winfrid was forced to return to England a few months later.

Refusing to give up though, Winfrid set out for Rome to ask the Holy Father himself for an official mission and the backing of the Church. Pope Gregory II consented, gave him the new name of Boniface, and assigned him to work in Thuringia, Germany, where the Church was in bad shape, isolated, and subjected to superstition and heresy.

However, Boniface received no help from the local clergy and once more travelled to Frisia to join Willibrord and get training by the expert missionary. He was so helpful that St. Willibrord wanted to make Boniface his successor; but after three years of training, Boniface still felt the pull of the missionary work in Germany that he had left behind. Returning first to Rome where he was consecrated bishop by the pope, Boniface set out once more to Hesse.

Boniface had enormous work ahead of him. The pagans, though attracted to Christianity, were still bound by fear and superstition to their old religion and gods. To prove to them the falseness of their beliefs and the reality of the one true God, Boniface called the people together and, approaching the “sacred” oak of Geismar, struck it down with an axe, whereupon it split into four parts and fell to the grown in the shape of a cross. Yet, there stood Boniface, still holding his axe, unharmed by their gods.

The work of evangelization and conversion advanced steadily thereafter; and in answer to his appeal, monks and nuns enthusiastically began to arrive from England to assist him.

Boniface also lent his own support to the Frankish Church which was also in sad need of repair, setting up councils and synods and instituting reforms which revitalized the Church there.

One day, while camped in the open fields near the banks of the little river Borne with his attendants, he was awaiting the arrival of some confirmandi when they were attacked by a hostile band of pagans. The saint exhorted his companions to faith and courage and they all died the death of martyrs. St. Boniface’s body was taken to Fulda where it still rests.

St Boniface in Fulda — St Boniface crypt in Fulda

Corpus Christi

by SANOL

A Feast for the Soul

Also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, this feast honours Jesus Christ, really, truly, and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine. This mysterious Presence happens through what the Church calls transubstantiation (“a change of substance, not appearance”) when at the Consecration of the Mass, the priest says the words which Christ Himself pronounced over bread and wine, “This is My Body,” “This is the chalice of My Blood,” “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

On Maundy Thursday, the day before Our Lord suffered and died on the cross for our sins, the Church commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. As the Scribes and Pharisees were plotting to end Our Lord’s life and extinguish His presence in the world, He had already devised a way to be among us everywhere till the end of time. On this day, Our Lord, not wanting to leave us “orphans,” performed the first Mass at the Last Supper with His apostles in the upper room. Such a festival is precluded by the sad and sorrowful memories of the day — the betrayal of Judas, Christ’s agony and arrest, and Saint Peter’s denial — making it impossible to honour the Blessed Sacrament with appropriate solemn and joyful rites on such a sad day as this.

And so it remained until the Middle Ages until the thirteenth century. It was a humble nun in Belgium, Saint Juliana, Prioress of Mont Cornillon, who first suggested and advocated a special feast in honour of the Blessed Sacrament to be celebrated on a day other than Maundy Thursday.

From the time she was sixteen years old, she had a vision in prayer; it was as if the full moon appeared to her in brilliant light while a part of its disc remained black and lightless. Finally, Christ showed her the meaning of this picture in a vision. The moon represented the ecclesiastical year; the black spot indicated the lack of a festival in honour of the Blessed Sacrament. She was to announce to the authorities of the Church that God wished such a feast to be established.

In 1230 Juliana communicated her secret to a small group of learned theologians. As her message became publicly known, she suffered scorn and ridicule for years. But the bishop of her diocese (Liége) and some of his canons eventually lent a willing ear to her entreaties. In 1246 a diocesan synod decided in her favour and prescribed such a feast for the churches of Liége.

Could it have been a mere coincidence that one of the men supporting her efforts in Belgium later became pope? He was Jacques Pantaléon, Archdeacon of Liége. Upon his election to the papal office, he assumed the name of Urban IV (1261-1265). On September 8, 1264, six years after Juliana’s death, he established that festival in honour of the Holy Eucharist, which the saintly nun had proclaimed to be willed by God for the whole Church. It was celebrated with great solemnity on the Thursday after Pentecost week, and indulgences were granted to all who would receive Holy Communion or attend special devotions in addition to hearing Mass.

Pope Urban IV commissioned the great Dominican scholar Saint Thomas Aquinas to compose the new feast’s Mass and Divine Office texts. The splendour, depth, and devotion of the prayers and hymns that Saint Thomas wrote have enriched the liturgy with one of its most beautiful rituals. They are still used today, inspiring all who should hear them with a deeper devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Taking The Blessed Sacrament in procession in the streets

“Nor does anyone light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matt 5:15)

Beginning in the fourteenth century, throughout Christendom, the custom developed of carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a splendid procession through the town after the Mass on Corpus Christi Day. A Corpus Christi wreath of flowers surrounded the monstrance, a sacred vessel whose clear glass permits viewing the Sacred Host.

The Corpus Christi procession became the feast’s most prominent feature. It was a pageant in which princes, magistrates, and guild members participated. The procession began in the fourteenth century and was customarily followed by guild members performing mystery plays. As one can imagine, this was a feast day many Catholics looked forward to and fully participated in with great devotion.

In Catholic countries, such processions often went throughout the city. The faithful usually sing and pray, all in honour of our Eucharistic King. This practice has been promoted by popes, councils, and saints as a beautiful way to show the supreme importance of the Eucharist and our love for Our Lord present in flesh and blood.

During the procession, church bells are rung, and the faithful kneel in front of their homes to adore the Eucharistic Lord. Frequently, stops are made at various points called “stations” during the procession, and the Blessed Sacrament is placed on a reverently decorated altar table.

At the same time, a Gospel passage is read, and hymns are sung. One such sacred tribute is the hymn Tantum Ergo, written by Saint Thomas Aquinas:

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o’er ancient forms departing,
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.

“Corpus Christi,” in Latin, “the Body of Christ,” is a quintessential element of our Catholic Faith. For over two millennia, It has provided humanity with physical proof that, indeed, “The Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14). For so great a blessing and favour from God Himself, it is only fitting that we should set aside a special feast day in which to express our thanksgiving and adoration.

Through his 1947 Encyclical “Mediator Dei” (On the Sacred Liturgy), Pope Pius XII began a new stage in the Church’s teaching on the efficacy of prayer to Jesus present in the Sacrament of the altar. Here are some of his quotes on the importance of Eucharistic Adoration in our lives:

131. “When, therefore, the Church bids us adore Christ hidden behind the Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for spiritual and temporal favours, of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils, she professes her gratitude to Him, and she enjoys the intimacy of His friendship.”
132. “Now, during centuries, the Church has introduced various forms of this worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example, visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed.”

133. “These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth, and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb “who was slain.” Wherefore, the Church not merely approves these pious practices, which have spread everywhere throughout the world over the centuries, but makes them her own, as it were, and by her authority commends them.”

“…In this world, I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood.”

~ Saint Francis of Assisi

Written by Tonia Long

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

by SANOL

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

The Catholic Church dedicates the month of June to venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus to obtain graces and blessings.

Pray this Novena for nine consecutive days

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9

Day 1 – Man of Sorrows

O Jesus, who in Thy Bitter Passion didst become “the most abject of men, a man of sorrows,” I venerate Thy sacred Face whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now It has become as it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, under those disfigured features, I recognize Thine infinite Love, and I am consumed with desire to love Thee and make Thee loved by all men. The tears which well up so abundantly in Thy sacred eyes appear to me as so many precious pearls that I love to gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value. O Jesus, whose adorable Face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee to fix deep within me Thy divine image and to set me on fire with Thy love, that so I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Thy glorious Face in heaven.* Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 2 – Merciful Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly, I come to Thee, throwing myself into the arms of Thy tender mercy. Thou art my sure refuge, my unfailing and only hope. Thou has a remedy for all my evils, relief for all my miseries, reparation for all my faults, Thou canst supply for what is wanting in me in order to fully obtain the graces that I ask for myself and others. Thou art for me, and for us all, the infallible, inexhaustible source of light, of strength, of perseverance, peace and consolation. I am certain that my importunity will never weary Thee; certain, too, that Thou wilt never cease to aid, to protect, to love me, because Thy love for me, O Divine Heart, is infinite.

Have mercy on me then, O Heart of Jesus, and on all that I recommend to Thee, according to Thy own mercy, and do with us, for us, and in us, whatsoever Thou will, for we abandon ourselves to Thee with the full, entire confidence and conviction that Thou will never abandon us either in time or eternity. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 3 – Fountain of Blessings

O most holy heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 4 – Word Made Flesh

The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt amongst us. (John 1:14)

Eternal Word, made man for love of us, humbly prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind, and with the most profound veneration. To make amends for our ingratitude for so great a benefit, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, and offer Thee, our most humble and affectionate thanksgivings. Deeply conscious of that excess of humility, goodness, and sweetness, which we acknowledge in the Divine Heart, we petition Thee for Thy grace to imitate these virtues, so pleasing to Thee. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 5 – Admirable Redeemer

Jesus, our admirable Redeemer, humbly prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind, and with the most profound veneration. To testify the grief which we feel for our past insensibility to all the outrages and sufferings which Thy most loving Heart made Thee endure for our salvation, on Thy bitter Passion and death, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, in order that we may thank Thee with our whole soul. We admire the infinite patience and generosity of Thy Divine Heart, and petition Thee to replenish our hearts with that spirit of Christian mortification which will make us embrace sufferings courageously and fix our great consolation and all our glory in Thy cross. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 6 – Loving Heart

O Jesus, burning with love for us, humbly prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our whole mind, and with the most profound veneration. In order to make atonement for the outrages which Thy Divine Heart daily receives in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, we unite in sincerity of heart with all those who love Thee, and render Thee the most affectionate thanksgiving. We love, in Thy Divine Heart, that intensely burning love which Thou entertainest for Thine Eternal Father, and humbly beseech Thee to inflame our hearts with an ardent love of Thee and of our neighbour. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 7 – Divine Heart

O most amiable Jesus, we beseech Thee, by the sweetness of Thy Most Sacred Heart, to convert sinners, comfort the afflicted, assist the agonizing and to afford relief to the holy souls suffering in purgatory. Unite our hearts in the bonds of true peace and charity, deliver us from an unforeseen death, and grant that we may die in holiness and tranquillity of mind.

O Divine Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee with all the powers of my soul; I consecrate them to Thee forever, with all my thoughts, words, and actions and my whole self. I desire to adore Thee, to love Thee, and to glorify Thee, in the same manner, as far as possible, as Thou does adore love and glorify Thy Eternal Father. Be Thou, I beseech Thee, the Restorer of my weakness, and the Protector of my life, my refuge, and my asylum at the hour of my death. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 8 – Amiable Heart

O, Jesus! I beg of Thee, by the sighs and anguish in which Thou wert immersed for me during the whole course of Thy mortal life, to grant me a true contrition for my sins, a contempt of earthly things, an ardent desire of eternal glory, confidence in Thine infinite merits, and final perseverance in Thy grace.

O Heart of Jesus, all love, I offer Thee these humble prayers for myself, and for all those who unite in spirit with me in adoring Thee. Vouchsafe, through Thine infinite goodness, to receive and hear them; above all, for him who among us shall first depart from this mortal life. O amiable Heart of my Saviour, pour down upon him, in the agony of death, Thine interior consolations; receive him into Thy sacred Wounds; purify him from every defilement in this furnace of love, that Thou may grant him admittance into Thy glory, where he may become intercessor, before Thy presence, for all those who remain in this exile. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

Day 9 – Holy Heart

O Most Holy Heart of my dearly beloved Jesus, I desire to renew and to offer Thee these acts of adoration, and these prayers, every moment I breathe, to the end of my life, for myself, a miserable sinner, and for all who are associated with me to adore Thee. I recommend to Thee, O my Jesus, the holy Catholic Church, Thy beloved spouse and our true mother; also, the souls who are undergoing Thy justice and all poor sinners, the afflicted, the agonizing, and all mankind. Do not permit Thy Blood that was poured out for them, to become useless to them.

Vouchsafe, finally, to apply it for the relief of the souls in purgatory, and for those in particular who, during life, were wont devoutly to adore Thee.

O most amiable Heart of Mary, the most pure of all hearts of creatures, and the most replete with the love of the Heart of Jesus, at the same time most merciful towards us, poor sinners, obtain for us, from the Heart of our Redeemer, the graces we ask of thee. Mother of mercy, one look from thee, one movement of Thy Heart, burning with love for that of Jesus, thy divine Son, can fully console us. Grant us, therefore, this favour; and then this divine Heart of Jesus, through the filial love which it bore, and always will bear towards thee, shall not fail to hear and answer our request. Amen.

Adorable Heart of Jesus, please hear my prayer: Mention request here

REPEAT: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on me!” 5 times, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

The Holy Trinity

by SANOL

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which states that God is One in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Ghost – is central to our Catholic faith. This awesome teaching is so far beyond human understanding that it could only be known through revelation.

Yet as lofty and mysterious as it is, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity does not contradict our reason, nor totally elude our grasp. The great St. Patrick, when evangelizing Ireland, made the mystery “palpable” by using the humble shamrock, with its three leaves on the one stem, as an example.

Thus God is a pure, eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent spirit with one nature and one substance, but three distinct persons, the second of which, the Son, became man to redeem mankind from the original stain of Adam and Eve.

Scriptural Examples

Whilst the triune nature of God was known in the Old Testament, the clarity with which the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed in the New Testament is truly remarkable.

In St. Luke’s Gospel (1:35), the Archangel Gabriel says to the Virgin Mary:

“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

At Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, it is the Father Himself Who gives witness to the Son:

“And lo, the heavens were opened…And behold a voice from heaven saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16.

And while Jesus often speaks of His Father to His Apostles, He also distinctly mentions the Spirit to them in such passages as John 15: 26:

“But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he shall give testimony of me.”

Later, as Our Lord commands His disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the world, the triune nature of God shines forth in full splendour in the baptismal formula He entrusts to them:

“Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19

Notice one name but three persons.

Even Satan, while tempting Him in the desert, endeavoured to pry from Jesus His true identity: Was He the Son of God? Matthew 4:3, 6.

The Trinity Attacked, and Defined, through the Centuries

Throughout the history of the Church, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity has been challenged by multiple heresies.

Thus, as early as 259 AD, Pope Saint Dionysius was already defending the Trinitarian doctrine against the heretical errors of Sabellius who held that God had three “faces” or “masks” rather than being three distinct persons within the Godhead.

One of the most extensive declarations of the Church on the Blessed Trinity dates from 675 AD and was issued in Toledo, Spain, at that time in the throes of an Islamic invasion, whose Koranic claim branded Christians as idolaters because they adored Jesus Christ as God.

In 1213, in face of the Albigensian heresy which believed in a good and an evil source to creation, the Fourth Lateran Council defined:

“We firmly believe and profess without qualification that there is only one true God, eternal, immense, unchangeable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, and indescribable, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit: three persons but one essence, and a substance or nature that is wholly simple.”

Thus has the Church defended, and defined, the Trinitarian Dogma down through the centuries and into modern times.

Our God, not Distant, but a Friend

And so, through divine revelation and the definitions of the Church’s Magisterium based upon this same Revelation, we can know who our God is: one in substance, three in personhood, eternal, creator of all things visible and invisible, all powerful, everywhere present.

But such an awesome Creator is not distant from His creation. Our God is Love, and Love, by its very nature, is communicative. A marvellous aspect of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which has inspired and drawn the saints through the ages, is what is called the “indwelling of the Trinity”.

This doctrine teaches that not only is God present everywhere in a general way, but with those who keep His commandments, and live in His grace, He establishes an intimate relationship.

Our Lord Jesus pointed to this “indwelling” at the Last Supper when He said:

“I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth whom the world can never receive because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you.”

And just so we don’t think the Spirit alone dwells in us, Jesus clarified:

“If any one loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:16, 23.

So, not only the Holy Spirit, but the Father and the Son dwell in a soul keeping “His word”.

The indwelling of the Holy Trinity begins at Baptism and continues so long as that soul remains in God’s friendship and grace. Serious sin “expels” this presence, but can be regained with repentance, and a sincere sacramental confession.

Just as with any other relationship, we can grow in friendship with our three divine guests by prayer and the practice of the Christian virtues. The saints took this friendship all the way to deep union, a state that gave them uncommon love, joy, trust and fearlessness in all they did, even the gift of miracles. This divine friendship is offered to each and every one of us.

Indeed, the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is central to our faith, and our awesome patrimony.

Written by: Andrea F. Phillips

2024 Roses to Our Lady of Guadalupe

by SANOL

First-Time Impressions

This year, Anne and Lora met up with a group of other American pilgrims at the Shrine. It was wonderful to hear their first-time impressions of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the rose delivery.

Megan and Jeff, a young couple from Kansas had this to say:

Megan: “I think it was so beautiful to see all the people who stopped to take photos and to admire the roses from American devotees. It just really showed how much people in America love Our Lady and wanted to present beautiful flowers to her. We know that Our Lady’s appearance here in 1531 helped change the whole mindset of the Indians in regard to human sacrifice. Surely, Our Lady can impact America today to help stop the sacrifice of the unborn.

“My personal experience of the miraculous image was that it was so vibrant in color considering how old it is. No one would ever guess that it is from the 1500’s!

“Climbing up the Hill of Tepeyac and praying in silence at the Apparition Chapel at the top, knowing this was the way Saint Juan Diego walked and where Our Lady actually appeared, was my most intense spiritual experience.”

Jeff: “I was so profoundly impressed with the locals and pilgrims at the shrine. To see that many people, on any given day, who express their love and devotion to the Mother of God, was so intense. I was moved visiting the Apparition Chapel because it was the place where Our Lady actually appeared.

“The presentation of the roses, the devotion from ANF supporters, the florist and workers all amazed me. There is no place in America where people handcraft such a beautiful gift to give Our Lady. Although Dona Ara and her team were hired to do a job, the amount of time and care they spent putting all the bouquets together showed their own love for Our Lady. The love they showed in their work was the way they reciprocated Our Lady’s love for them.

“The amount of other pilgrims who also offered flowers along with the many flowers ANF gave to her astounded me. I felt that she absorbed all our prayers for our intentions and opened her Immaculate Heart to us. I felt this place was just so raw and real. Nowhere in the United States have I experienced this level of love and devotion.”

Theresa from California had this to say:

“The miraculous tilma was larger than I thought. I know Our Lady sees us all the time, but at the Shrine, I felt like she was looking directly at me in the eye. I felt her presence in a more tangible way because we can see her face the way she wants us to see it.

She is calling all of her children, faithful or not. Their souls recognize her call, even if the person is not so devout, and she can help all of us and work spiritual and even physical miracles.

“The rose delivery was a joyful occasion and enlivened the entire square. People were so happy to see the roses. True joy is so rare today in our troubled world, and the presentation of the roses in the plaza that day brought true joy to the people – and Our Lady!”

Felipe from Madrid, Spain:

“My impressions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, are the impressions I have of the people that were there, bestowing their love and showing their devotion to Our Lady.

“Our Lady introduced a unique piety at this Shrine. In other places where she has appeared, there is more formality, more of her queenship, perhaps more of her role as Mother of God, more of her role as Patroness and Protector of the Church, but here in Mexico City she exercises more of her role as MOTHER, personal and individual, always ready to help in any situation and at any moment.

“The people were treating her like their own family, on their knees, showing affection, just having a chat like they would to their earthly mother, crying and/or pleading for her help and intercession.”

These personal impressions reflect the tender intimacy with which Our Lady herself addressed Saint Juan Diego when she said:

“Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you. Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.”

We felt that this was the same motherly concern and love with which she received the many thousands of petitions laden with the cares, worries, concerns, sorrows, supplications and needs of our America Needs Fatima members, supporters and friends.

Thank You

With hearts full of gratitude, we would like to thank you for making us, in a sense, the ambassadors of your personal intentions and prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe. To be part of your own exchange of love with your Heavenly Mother, enriched each and everyone of us and highlighted once again how much we are a part of one family under the mantle and loving care of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Without your help, support and prayers, none of this would have been possible.

Dona Ara’s family of florists will forever be remembered in our grateful prayers for all their dedication and hard work in preparing another magnificent floral tribute to La Virgen de Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn.

Preparing a Tribute fit for a Queen

For the last four years, ANF has organized this massive tribute to Our Lady. After ANF & SANOL donors have signed up online to present the roses, we order the roses from long-time, local florist Dona Ara. Just as thousands of donations and prayer intentions came from all around the United States, Dona Ara sourced 14 520 roses from all around Mexico. This is no small feat, not just because of the sheer number of roses, but because she has to obtain them one week after Valentine’s Day!

First, Dona Ara gets 121 terracotta vessels and fills them with floral oasis. Then her team of about twenty relatives gathers palm branches and arranges them in each vessel as a background for the roses. Over a period of three days, the team painstakingly inspects each rose and arranges approximately ten dozen roses in each vessel. They remove all the thorns from the stems, pick off any imperfect petals and cut the base of each stem at a precise angle so that they last as long as possible.

The extraordinary attention and care of Dona Ara’s arrangements demonstrates the quality of her and her family’s devotion to “La Virgen.” The entire preparation is meticulously scheduled so that by the time the roses are presented to Our Lady, the buds have opened, representing our opening up to Our Lady, the Mystical Rose, so that the fragrance of our tribute fully blossoms before her.

Once all 121 ANF arrangements (including 2 SANOL arrangements) are ready, Dona Ara’s team of family and friends carries them and stages them in front of the shrine within sight of Our Lady’s image. As the thousands of multi-coloured roses arrived, pilgrims from all over Mexico and the world gathered around to admire them. Many pilgrims came to ask who was presenting such a tribute to the Virgin. ANF supporter Felipe Barandiaran, overheard several children asking their mother, “What is all this? What is going on?” Without missing a beat, the mother replied, “They are roses, roses for the Virgin to console her because roses symbolize life. Now, hurry up, we have to go.” It was as if the mother did not even have to think about it, she just knew what we were doing and understood its importance. One lady was so moved by what we were doing that she came up and kissed us on both cheeks!

After taking photos to record the tribute, Dona Ara’s little army of florists then carried each of the approximately 35-40 pound rose arrangements the last one hundred yards into the Basilica. The men in her family carried an arrangement on each shoulder, carefully placed there by the ladies. Until the boys get stronger, they carried just one arrangement at a time. Back and forth, the men bore the roses with great efficiency, never complaining nor showing any discomfort, happy to be the bearers of ANF’s tribute to the Virgin. With the help of the shrine personnel, they arranged the roses along the tall walls on each side of the miraculous tilma. Then the whole team gathered under one of the walls for a group photo. Like little children who have given their mother something special, joy and a sense of accomplishment radiated from their faces.

After the presentation of the roses, we lit 50 candles in supplication for the continued battle against the culture of death and in reparation for the sin of abortion. The 50 candles also represent a continuous prayer soaring heavenward beseeching the Protectress of the Unborn for the urgent abolition of this modern day human sacrifice.

Throughout the day, the intentions of all ANF and SANOL supporters were entrusted into the maternal heart of our Blessed Mother. Masses were arranged and Rosaries were prayed for these same intentions.

Pledge to Pray for South Africa

Will you sign the Pledge to Pray for South Africa?

In light of the growing moral, economic and social challenges facing our society, we invite you to stand with Our Lady of Fatima.

Her messages – a reminder of the major spiritual warfare raging in our midst and the urgent need for moral renewal – are more relevant than ever.

That’s why we are looking for dedicated souls willing to heed Our Lady’s Fatima messages that stress the need for fervent prayer in these turbulent times.

Will you sign the pledge by adding your name below now?

National Pledge to Pray for South Africa

I pledge to pray and beseech Almighty God to bring about the conversion of our country through the Rosary of His Most Holy Mother and lead us to national repentance and unity among individuals and communities.
I pledge to pray that through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the people of South Africa would be moved to show complete respect for the Commandments, basic standards of decency and virtue, and resist vice and immorality.
I pledge to pray for the enlightening of minds and souls across our nation that are trapped in the darkness of ignorance and sin that they may humbly acknowledge their sins and shortcomings and seek divine mercy and forgiveness.

SIGN THIS PLEDGE

MY PLEDGE TO PRAY FOR SOUTH AFRICA:

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Winning the heart and soul of South Africa for Mary by spreading the Fatima Message

Winning the heart and soul of South Africa for Mary by spreading the Fatima Message

FEAST JULY 26

Novena

FEAST JUNE 28

Bishop and Martyr

Feast Day 19 June

Apostle of Germany

FEAST JUNE 5

A Feast for the Soul

Taking The Blessed Sacrament in procession in the streets

“…In this world, I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood.”

~ Saint Francis of Assisi

The Catholic Church dedicates the month of June to venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus to obtain graces and blessings.

Pray this Novena for nine consecutive days

Day 1 – Man of Sorrows

Day 2 – Merciful Heart

Day 3 – Fountain of Blessings

Day 4 – Word Made Flesh

Day 5 – Admirable Redeemer

Day 6 – Loving Heart

Day 7 – Divine Heart

Day 8 – Amiable Heart

Day 9 – Holy Heart

Scriptural Examples

The Trinity Attacked, and Defined, through the Centuries

Our God, not Distant, but a Friend

First-Time Impressions

Megan and Jeff, a young couple from Kansas had this to say:

Theresa from California had this to say:

Felipe from Madrid, Spain:

Thank You

Preparing a Tribute fit for a Queen

First-Time Impressions

Megan and Jeff, a young couple from Kansas had this to say:

Theresa from California had this to say:

Felipe from Madrid, Spain:

Thank You

A Joyful Event in a Troubled World

Preparing a Tribute fit for a Queen

First-Time Impressions

Megan and Jeff, a young couple from Kansas had this to say:

Theresa from California had this to say:

Felipe from Madrid, Spain:

Thank You

A Joyful Event in a Troubled World

Preparing a Tribute fit for a Queen

First-Time Impressions

Megan and Jeff, a young couple from Kansas had this to say:

Theresa from California had this to say:

Felipe from Madrid, Spain:

Thank You