Catholic Devotions Apostolate

RELIC OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE (in California)

2011-02-17T10:15:00.001-08:00

RELIC OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE

Friday- February 18, 2011

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church

2020 East San Antonio Street

San Jose, California 95116

408-258-7057

7:45 am Candlelight procession with Relic into Church, 8 amSpanish Mass, 9 am Chaplet inSpanish, 1 pm Rosary in Spanish,5:30 pm English Mass, 6:30 pm.Chaplet in English, 8 pm departure of Relic

Saturday-February 19, 2011

At Oratory of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

1298 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, California 95050

10 am Tridentine Mass with Veneration until 12 Noon

Same day also at:

At St.Thomas More church

1300 Junipero Serra Boulevard

San Francisco, CA

3 pm Candlelight procession with Relic into Church, 4 pmChaplet Prayer, 5 pm Mass, 6pm Rosary,

8 pm departure ofRelic

Sunday- February 20, 2011

At Vallombrosa Center

250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, CA

9 am Veneration in Chapel, 10:30am Candlelight procession fromChapel to Corpus Christi Monastery

(across the street)

On same day also at:

At Corpus Christi Monastery

215 Oak Grove Avenue
Menlo Park, California 94025-3272

11 am Mass, Veneration after Mass until Vespers at 5 pm,Benediction immediately following Vespers

Tuesday- February 22, 2011

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

751 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, CA

12:15 pm Mass, 5 pm Moleben (Byzantine Christian prayerservice), 6 pm Special Mass

Friday- February 25, 2011

St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church

15333 Woodard Road

San Jose, California 95124

Fri—8:15 am Candlelight procession with Relic into Church, 8:30 am Mass, 6pm Special Mass, 8 pm Veneration ends

Saturday- February 26, 2011- again at St.Frances Cabrini

St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church

15333 Woodard Road

San Jose, California 95124

408-879-1120

Sat—8:30 am Mass with all day Veneration after Mass, 12 Noon Special Mass, 5:00 pm English Mass, 6:45 pmVietnamese Mass, 8:30 pm departure of Relic

Sunday-February 27, 2011

At St.Francis of Assisi church

1425 Bay Road

East Palo Alto, CA

Time of veneration: from 9 am to 7 pm

Monday- February 28, 2011

Poor Clare Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

28210 Natoma Road

Los Altos, California 94022

650-948-2947

10 am Mass with Veneration until 2 pm (open to public),

Veneration for the Poor Clares from 2-8 pm (private)

Charlie Brown Christmas

2010-12-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Novena to Immaculate Conception

2010-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

PRAYER TO THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain,
so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.
Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, world without end.

Amen.

First, recite the Prayer to the Immaculate Conception.
Then, recite the appropriate prayer of each of the nine days.

Day One

O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy, receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor we now request...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
Amen.

Day Two
O Mary, ever blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of angels and of saints, we salute you with the most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception, We thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all our necessities we have recourse to you with unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
Amen.

Day Three
O Blessed Virgin Mary, glory of the Christian people, joy of the universal Church and Mother of Our Lord, speak for us to the Heart of Jesus, who is your Son and our brother. O Mary, who by your holy Immaculate Conception did enter the world free from stain, in your mercy obtain for us from Jesus the special favor which we now so earnestly seek...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.
Amen.

Day Four
O Mary, Mother of God, endowed in your glorious Immaculate Conception with the fullness of grace; unique among women in that you are both mother and virgin; Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ, we ask you to look down with a tender heart from your throne and listen to our prayers as we earnestly ask that you obtain for us the favor for which we now plead...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Day Five
O Lord, who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, did prepare a fitting dwelling for your Son, we beseech you that as by the foreseen death of your Son, you did preserve her from all stain of sin, grant that through her intercession, we may be favored with the granting of the grace that we seek for at this time...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Day Six
Glorious and immortal Queen of Heaven, we profess our firm belief in your Immaculate Conception preordained for you in the merits of your Divine Son. We rejoice with you in your Immaculate Conception. To the one ever-reigning God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in Person, one in nature, we offer thanks for your blessed Immaculate Conception. O Mother of the Word made Flesh, listen to our petition as we ask this special grace during this novena...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Day Seven
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and my mother, from the sublime heights of your dignity turn your merciful eyes upon me while I, full of confidence in your bounty and keeping in mind your Immaculate conception and fully conscious of your power, beg of you to come to our aid and ask your Divine Son to grant the favor we earnestly seek in this novena... if it be beneficial for our immortal souls and the souls for whom we pray.
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Day Eight
O Most gracious Virgin Mary, beloved Mother of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, intercede with him for us that we be granted the favor which we petition for so earnestly in this novena...O Mother of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. O Glorious Mother of God, in memory of your joyous Immaculate Conception, hear our prayers and obtain for us our petitions.
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will.

Day Nine
O Mother of the King of the Universe, most perfect member of the human race, "our tainted nature’s solitary boast," we turn to you as mother, advocate, and mediatrix. O Holy Mary, assist us in our present necessity. By your Immaculate Conception, O Mary conceived without sin, we humbly beseech you from the bottom of our heart to intercede for us with your Divine Son and ask that we be granted the favor for which we now plead...
(State your intention here...)
O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

2010-11-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these Blessed Souls. Have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy Blessed Soul, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(Recommend yourself to the Souls in Purgatory and mention your intentions here)

Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever. Amen.

Day 1 Jesus, my Savior I have so often deserved to be cast into hell how great would be my suffering if I were now cast away and obliged to think that I myself had caused my damnation. I thank Thee for the patience with which Thou hast endured me. My God, I love Thee above all things and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee because Thou art infinite goodness. I will rather die than offend Thee again. Grant me the grace of perseverance. Have pity on me and at the same time on those blessed souls suffering in Purgatory. Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 2 Woe to me, unhappy being, so many years have I already spent on earth and have earned naught but hell! I give Thee thanks, O Lord, for granting me time even now to atone for my sins. My good God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. Send me Thy assistance, that I may apply the time yet remaining to me for Thy love and service; have compassion on me, and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory. O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgator

Day 3 My God! because Thou art infinite goodness, I love Thee above all things, and repent with my whole heart of my offenses against Thee. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and, at the same, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory. And thou, Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and thePrayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 4 My God! because Thou art infinite goodness, I am sorry with my whole heart for having offended Thee. I promise to die rather than ever offend Thee more. Give me holy perseverance; have pity on me, and have pity on those holy souls that burn in the cleansing fire and love Thee with all their hearts. O Mary, Mother of God, assist them by thy powerful prayers.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 5 Woe to me, unhappy being, if Thou, O Lord, hadst cast me into hell; for from that dungeon of eternal pain there is no deliverance. I love Thee above all things, O infinite God and I am sincerely sorry for having offended Thee again. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory. O Mary, Mother of God, come to their assistance with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 6 My Divine Redeemer, Thou didst die for me on the Cross, and hast so often united Thyself with me in Holy Communion, and I have repaid Thee only with ingratitude. Now, however, I love Thee above all things, O supreme God; and I am more grieved at my offences against Thee than at any other evil. I will rather die than offend Thee again. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me, and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory. Mary, Mother of God, come to their aid with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 7 God, Father of Mercy, satisfy this their ardent desire! Send them Thy holy Angel to announce to them that Thou, their Father, are now reconciled with them through the suffering and death of Jesus, and that the moment of their deliverance has arrived.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 8 Oh my God! I also am one of these ungrateful beings, having received so much grace, and yet despised Thy love and deserved to be cast by Thee into hell. But Thy infinite goodness has spared me until now. Therefore, I now love Thee above all things, and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I will rather die than ever offend Thee. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance. Have compassion on me and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in Purgatory. Mary, Mother of God, come to their aid with thy powerful intercession.

Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Prayer to Our Suffering Savior for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Day 9

My God! How was it possible that I, for so many years, have borne tranquilly the separation from Thee and Thy holy grace! O infinite Goodness, how long-suffering hast Thou shown Thyself to me! Henceforth, I shall love Thee above all things. I am deeply sorry for having offended Thee; I promise rather to die than to again offend Thee. Grant me the grace of holy perseverance, and do not permit that I should ever again fall into sin. Have compassion on the holy souls in Purgatory. I pray Thee, moderate their sufferings; shorten the time of their misery; call them soon unto Thee in heaven, that they may behold Thee face to face, and forever love Thee. Mary, Mother of Mercy, come to their aid with thy powerful intercession, and pray for us also who are still in danger of eternal damnation.
Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the

Be careful with the practice of yoga

2010-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

The practice of Yoga is also rampant in Novus Ordo religious orders. Since the wicked practice of Yoga is rampant in not only Novus Ordo religious orders but also secular institutions, such as the YMCA, we feel that it is important to quickly discuss what’s wrong with it. Isn’t Yoga just
stretching? No. We will quote a Novus Ordo priest, Fr. James Manjackal, who is very
knowledgeable about the subject:

“What is Yoga? The word Yoga means “union”, the goal of Yoga is to unite one’s
transitory (temporary) self, “JIVA” with the infinite “BRAHMAN”, the Hindu concept
of God. This God is not a personal God, but it is an impersonal spiritual substance
which is one with nature and cosmos. Brahman is an impersonal divine substance that
‘pervades, envelopes and underlies everything.’

Yoga has its roots in the Hindu !

Upanishads, which is as old as 1.000 BC, and it tells about Yoga thus, ‘unite the light within you with the light of Brahman.’ ‘The absolute is within one self’ says the Chandogya Upanishads, ‘TAT TUAM ASI’ or ‘THOU ART THAT.’ The Divine dwells
within each one of us through His microcosmic representative, the individual self called Jiva. In the Bhagavad Gita, the lord Krishna describes the Jiva as ‘my own eternal portion,’ and ‘the joy of Yoga comes to yogi who is one with Brahman.’

In A.D. 150, the yogi Patanjali explained the eight ways that lead the Yoga practices from ignorance to enlightenment – the eight ways are like a staircase – They are self-control (yama), religious observance (niyama), postures (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), sense control (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), deep contemplation (dhyana), enlightenment (samadhi). It is interesting to note, here, that postures and breathingexercises, often considered to be the whole of Yoga in the West, are steps 3 and 4
towards union with Brahman!
Yoga is not only an elaborate system of physical exercises, it is a spiritual discipline, purporting to lead the soul to samadhi, total union
with the divine being. Samadhi is the state in which the natural and the divine become one, man and God become one without any difference (Brad Scott: Exercise or religious practice? Yoga: What the teacher never taught you in that Hatha Yoga class” in The Watchman Expositor, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2001).”

To summarize, Yoga is a spiritual discipline which attempts to unite one with the divine within oneself and united with all of creation through breathing, physical exercises, concentration, etc. The idea that the divine is to be found within oneself is, of course, occultic.
The idea that the divine permeates all of creation – the idea upon which the practice of Yoga is based and toward which it is geared – is Pantheism and condemned by Vatican I.

Pope Pius IX, First Vatican Council, On God the Creator of all things:
"The holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church believes and confesses that there is one, true, living God, Creator and Lord of heaven and earth... who, although He is one, singular, altogether simple and unchangeable spiritual substance, must be proclaimed distinct in reality and essence from the world..."

Pope Pius XI on March 14, 1937:
"Whoever identifies, by pantheistic confusion, God and the universe, by either
lowering God to the dimensions of the world, or raising the world to the dimensions of God, is not a believer in God."

A Catholic Dictionary, by Attwater: "Pantheism - A false philosophy which consists in confounding God with the world. According to some the world is absorbed by God
(Indian pantheists, Spinoza); others teach that God is absorbed by the world of which he is the force and the life... But all [Pantheists] seek to establish an identity of substance between God and the world."

The Catholic Encyclopedia:
"Pantheism, the view according to which God and the world are one."

Since, as we saw above, the practice of Yoga is based on the idea of union with the divine within oneself and within all of creation, the practice of Yoga is therefore an expression of belief in the condemned pantheistic heresy that God and His creation are a single thing.

Practicing Yoga, therefore, is practicing a false religion and expressing belief in a false god. The conservative Novus Ordo priest we quoted above, who is outraged by the rampant practice of Yoga in “Christian” and “Catholic” circles, summed the situation up quite well:

“The practice of Yoga is pagan at best, and occult at worst. This is the religion of
antichrist and for the first time in history it is being widely practiced throughout the Western world and America. It is ridiculous that even yogi masters wearing a Cross or a Christian symbol deceive people saying that Yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism and say that it is only accepting the other cultures. Some have masked Yoga with Christian gestures and call it “Christian Yoga.” Here it is not a question of accepting the culture of other people, it is a question of accepting another religion...”

Profession of Catholic Faith

2010-09-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Profession of Catholic Faith

Promulgated solemnly by Pope Pius IV and the Council of Trent

● I, N., with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the symbol of faith which the holy Roman Church uses; namely:

● I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in

● one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten not made, of one substance (consubstantial) with the Father, through whom all things were made;

● who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was made incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

● He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, died, and was buried; and

● He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven;

● He sits at the right hand of the Father, and He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

● And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, and giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who equally with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified; who spoke through the prophets.

● And I believe that there is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.

● I confess one baptism for the remission of sins; and I hope for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

● I resolutely accept and embrace the apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions and the other practices and regulations of that same Church.

● In like manner I accept Sacred Scripture according to the meaning which has been held by holy Mother Church and which she now holds. It is Her prerogative to pass judgment on the true meaning and interpretation of Sacred Scripture. And I will never accept or interpret it in a manner different from the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.

● I also acknowledge that there are truly and properly seven sacraments of the New Law, instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, and that they are necessary for the salvation of the human race, although it is not necessary for each individual to receive them all.

● I acknowledge that the seven sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony; and that they confer grace; and that of the seven, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders cannot be repeated without committing a sacrilege.

● I also accept and acknowledge the customary and approved rites of the Catholic Church in the solemn administration of these sacraments.

● I embrace and accept each and every article on Original Sin and Justification declared and defined in the most holy Council of Trent.

● I likewise profess that in Mass a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice is offered to God on behalf of the living and the dead, and that the Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially present in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and that there is a change of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood; and this change the Catholic Church calls transubstantiation.

● I also profess that the whole and entire Christ and a true Sacrament is received under each separate species.

● I firmly hold that there is a purgatory, and that the souls detained there are helped by the prayers of the faithful.

● I likewise hold that the saints reigning together with Christ should be honored and invoked, that they offer prayers to God on our behalf, and that their relics should be venerated.

● I firmly assert that images of Christ, of the Mother of God ever Virgin, and of the other saints should be owned and kept, and that due honor and veneration should be given to them.

● I affirm that the power of indulgences was left in the keeping of the Church by Christ, and that the use of indulgences is very beneficial to Christians.

● I acknowledge the holy, Catholic, and apostolic Roman Church as the mother and teacher of all churches; and…

● I unhesitatingly accept and profess all the doctrines (especially those concerning the primacy of the Roman Pontiff and his infallible teaching authority) handed down, defined, and explained by the sacred canons and ecumenical councils and especially those of this most holy Council of Trent (and by the ecumenical Vatican Council I). And at the same time:

● I condemn, reject, and anathematize everything that is contrary to those propositions, and all heresies without exception that have been condemned, rejected, and anathematized by the Church.

● I, N., promise, vow, and swear that, with God’s help, I shall most constantly hold and profess this true Catholic faith, outside which no one can be saved and which I now freely profess and truly hold. With the help of God, I shall profess it whole and unblemished to my dying breath; and, to the best of my ability, I shall see to it that my subjects or those entrusted to me by virtue of my office hold it, teach it, and preach it. So help me God and His holy Gospel. Amen.

How to transform a modern altar into a sacred altar

2010-09-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

LITANY of SPIRITUAL WARFARE

2010-09-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

LITANY of SPIRITUAL WARFARE

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) for the sake of your Holy Name, hear us.

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) we beseech You, graciously hear us.

God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, divine Advocate, have mercy on us.
Most Holy Trinity, one God in Three Persons, have mercy on us.

From the spirit of fear…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of idolatry…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of confusion…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of distortion…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every deception and all lies…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of pornography…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of fornication…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of adultery…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of homosexuality…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of masturbation…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every impure and unholy thought…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of rape…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of incest…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every form of sexual violence…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of blasphemy…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of sacrilege…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every profanity and obscenity…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of suicide…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of assisted suicide…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of murder…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of abortion…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of euthanasia…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of artificial contraception…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of wrath…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of lust…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of gluttony…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of envy…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of pride…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of covetousness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of slothfulness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of ignorance…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of disobedience…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of self-righteousness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Satanism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Witchcraft…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Voodoo…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Astrology…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Reiki…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Tarot Card reading…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Devil worship…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of pagan eastern meditation…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Divination…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Channeling…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Psychic Healing…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Spiritualism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Christ Consciousness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Enlightenment…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Hypnotherapy…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Theosophy…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of pagan human sacrifice…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of unholy visions and dreams…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every abomination of the Occult…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every New Age spirituality and practice…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every form of paganism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every form of Godlessness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of false prophets…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of false messiahs…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of false teachers…deliver us, O Jesus!
From every spirit of demonic possession…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the desire for and love of every form of worldly power …deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the desire for wealth and the love of money…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the desire for fame and the love of recognition…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the desire for honors and the love of exaltation…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the pride of life…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the lusts of the flesh…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the lusts of the eyes…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the enticements of the world, the flesh, and the Devil…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Consumerism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Humanism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Egoism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Individualism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Hedonism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Relativism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Materialism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Rationalism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Polytheism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of Nihilism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every form of excessive self-indulgence…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of bulimia…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of anorexia…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of over-eating…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every form of lack of self-control…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of atheism and disbelief…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of agnosticism and indecision…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every heresy and wrong belief…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of apostasy…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of schism…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of every demon-inspired mental illness…deliver us, O Jesus!
From the spirit of the Antichrist…deliver us, O Jesus!

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) in Your loving mercy, hear our prayer.

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) we beseech You: cover us with Your most Precious Blood.

Satan, also known as the Devil and Lucifer…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, full of empty promises…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, master of the glamour of evil…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, prince of the power of the air…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, murderer from the beginning…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, liar from the beginning…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, holder of the power of death…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, primordial enemy of the gift of life…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, ancient serpent in the Garden of Eden…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, deceptive angel of light…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, ancient deceiver of the whole world…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, ruin of the souls of men…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, ancient tempter of the human race…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, god and ruler of this world…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, prince of the kingdoms of this world…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, holder of the mark of the Beast…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, fallen like lightning from the sky…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, leader and source of the fall of the angels…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, ancient dragon of the underworld…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, whose end is eternal damnation…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, whose end is the eternal torments of Hell…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, whose end is the second death and lake of fire…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, whose end is the depths of the great Abyss…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, primordial enemy of the faith…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, cast out of heaven by the Archangel Michael…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, powerless against the Cross of the Lord…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, powerless against Christ, the even-stronger man…I renounce in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, crushed under the foot of the Savior…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, whose knee must bend at the name of Jesus…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, always subject to the power of Almighty God…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, condemned in the sight of God and of all creation…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, who flees from us at our resistance…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, powerless over the sinless Christ, the Son of God…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!
Satan, powerless over Mary, the Immaculate Conception…I renounce you in the name of Jesus Christ!

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) save us from the power of our adversary, the Devil.

V.) O Lord Jesus Christ,
R.) keep us free from the snares of the Evil One.

By the strength of Your most holy Incarnation, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your mysterious hidden life, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your life-giving Baptism, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your holy miracles, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of your good and mighty deeds, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your preaching of the Gospel, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your most luminous Transfiguration, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the institution of Your holy Church, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your redeeming Passion, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your saving Crucifixion, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength (bow) of Your most solemn Death, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your most glorious Resurrection, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your most blessed Ascension, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of Your sending of the Holy Spirit, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the preaching of Your holy Apostles, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the good and mighty deeds of Your holy Apostles, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the faith of Your holy Church, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the good works of Your holy Church, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the sacraments of Your holy Church, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of all the Holy Masses of Your holy Church, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!
By the strength of the intercession of all Your Saints and Angels, free us from evil, Lord Jesus!

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory Be….

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord!

V.) Our help is in the Name of the Lord,
R.) Who made heaven and earth.

LET US PRAY:

Almighty and ever-living God, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, You offer to us the fullness of life in this world and the joy of eternal life forever in Your Kingdom. Through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and by the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, and of all the Saints and Angels, may we know Your protection, in this life, from all the snares of the Devil. Help us to remain faithful to You, so that we may enjoy the glory of heaven in the life to come. Be always near us, protect us from all evil, grant us Your blessings, clothe us with the full Armor of God, and grant us continued strength and grace in our earthly battle against Satan and all the powers of darkness.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Prayer to Our Queen of Victories for Conversion

2010-09-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Given in Rome, at St. Peter's, the 1st of September, 1883, in the sixth year of Our Pontificate.

PRAYER TO OUR QUEEN OF VICTORIES

O Mary, merciful Refuge of Sinners and Mother of all mankind! Behold how many souls are lost every hour! Behold how countless millions of those who live in India, in China, and in barbarous regions do not yet know Our Lord Jesus Christ! See, too, how many others are far from the bosom of Mother Church which is Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman! O Mary ... life of our hearts ... let not the Precious Blood and fruits of Redemption be lost for so many souls!

Grant that a ray of Heavenly light may shine forth to enlighten those many blinded understandings and to enkindle so many cold hearts. Intercede with thy Divine Son, and obtain grace for all pagans, Jews, heretics, and schismatics in the whole world to receive supernatural light and to enter with joy into the bosom of the true Church. Hear the confident prayer of the Supreme Pontiff that all nations may be united in one faith, that they may know and love Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of thy womb ... And then all men shall love thee also, thou who art the salvation of the world, arbiter and dispenser of the treasures of God . . . And, glorifying thee, O Queen of Victories, who, by means of thy Rosary, dost trample upon all heresies, they shall acknowledge that thou givest life to all nations, since there must be a fulfillment of the prophecy: "All generations shall call me blessed." Amen.

-----Pope Pius XI

Prayer to Divine Providence-Devout Acts to Be Made Every Day

2010-09-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Prayer to Divine Providence

O Sweet and Tender Providence of God, into Thy hands I commend my spirit, to Thee I abandon myself, my hopes, my fears, my desires, my repugnances, my temporal and eternal prospects. To Thee I commit the wants of my perishable body, to Thee I commit the far more precious interests of my immortal soul, for whose interests I have nothing to fear while I withdraw it not from Thy bosom. Though my faults are many, my misery great, my spiritual poverty extreme, my hope in Thee surpasses all. It is greater than my difficulties, stronger than death. Though temptations should assail me, I will hope in Thee, though I should sink beneath my weakness, I will hope in Thee still, though I should break my resolutions a thousand times, I will look to Thee confidently for grace to keep them at last; though Thou shouldst slay me, even then will I trust Thee, for Thou art my God, my Father and my Friend. Thou art my kind, my tender, my indulgent Parent, and I am Thy loving Child, who cast myself into Thy Arms and beg Thy blessing, who put my trust in Thee, and so trusting, shall never be confounded.

Providence did provide. Providence can provide. Providence will provide. O loving Providence of God we commit this cause to Thee.

------From the Precious Blood and Mother Prayer book

Devout Acts to be Made Every Day

I adore Thee, my God, Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons and one only God!

I humble myself in the abyss of my nothingness to the will of Thine infinite majesty.

I firmly believe all that Thou hast deigned to make known to me by means of the Holy Scripture and Thy holy Church, because Thou has said so; and I am ready to give my life a thousand times for this faith.

I place all my hope in Thee. Whatever good I may have, whether spiritual or temporal, either in this life or in the next, I hope for from Thee, through the merits of Jesus Christ, O God, my life and my only hope!

I love Thee, Infinite Goodness, with all the affection of my heart and of my soul, because Thou dost merit all my love. I wish I knew how to love Thee as the Angels, the Saints, and just men love thee. I unite my imperfect love to that which all the Saints, Most Holy Mary, and Jesus Christ, bear to Thee.

My God, because Thou art the supreme good, infinitely worthy of being loved and served, I am sorry and repent of all my sins, detesting them as much as possible above every other evil. I resolve for the future rather to die than to consent to anything that may give Thee the slightest displeasure.

I offer Thee now and forever my body, my soul, and all my senses and faculties, my memory, my understanding, and my will. Do with me, Lord, and with all that belongs to me, what Thou pleasest. Give me Thy love and final perseverance, and grant that in all temptations I may always have recourse to Thee.

I resolve to employ myself entirely in those things which are pleasing to Thee, being ready to suffer any pain and labor in order to please Thee, saying always, Lord, may Thy will be done!

I desire that all should serve and love Thee. I would gladly spend my time in persuading all mankind to love and honor Thy Majesty.

I offer to Thy Majesty all the works I shall ever do, steeping them in the blood of Jesus, my Redeemer.

I intend to gain all the indulgences that I can in my actions this day, and to apply them by way of suffrage to the Souls in Purgatory.

I recommend to Thee all the Souls in Purgatory, as also all sinners; enlighten and strengthen these unhappy creatures, that they may know and love Thee.

I rejoice exceedingly that Thy happiness is infinite, and will never have an end.

I thank Thee for all the graces and benefits that Thou hast bestowed upon all mankind, but especially upon me, who have been more ungrateful than others.

My beloved Jesus, I take refuge within Thy sacred Wounds: do Thou there defend me this day, and forever, from all temptations, till Thou shalt grant me to see Thee and love thee eternally in Paradise. Amen.

This is my hope, and so may it be.

------- St. Alphonsus Liguori, Prayer, the Great Means of Salvation

SAVE YOUR CHILDREN

2010-09-06T13:40:00.001-07:00

SAVE YOUR CHILDREN

DURING a cenacle in the United States, a Marian priest, Father Stephan Gobbi of Italy, was asked how parents could save their children who had been led astray or were in danger of being seduced by the allurements of the world and false religions, led like little lambs to the slaughter as it were.

He answered:

PRAY the Rosary
EVERY TIME you pray the Rosary say:
"I bind all my children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Our Lady "will see to their souls."

Devotions and Prayers with Plenary Indulgences

2010-09-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

This list is a convenient compilation of all the ways to obtain a plenary indulgence. Note that in addition to the described work, obtaining a plenary indulgence also has the following conditions :

Sacramental confession. A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences; but Communion must be received and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff must be recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence.
Eucharistic Communion.
Prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. The condition of praying for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary; nevertheless, each one is free to recite any other prayer according to his piety and devotion.
It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent. If the latter disposition is in any way less than perfect or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be partial only, saving the provisions given in Norms 34 and 35.

A list of some acts, devotions and prayers that come with plenary indulgences:

1- Reading of the Sacred Scripture
A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who with the veneration due the divine word make a spiritual reading from Sacred Scripture.
A plenary indulgence is granted, if this reading is continued for at least one half an hour.

2 -Recitation of the Holy Rosary

A plenary indulgence is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, a religious Community or pious Association; a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances.

3- Exercise of the Way of the Cross

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who make the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross.
In the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross we recall anew the sufferings, which the divine Redeemer endured, while going from the praetorium of Pilate, where he was condemned to death, to the mount of Calvary, where he died on the cross for our salvation.
The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected.
For the erection of the Way of the Cross fourteen crosses are required, to which it is customary to add fourteen pictures or images, which represent the stations of Jerusalem.
According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of fourteen pious readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual mysteries of the stations.
A movement from one station to the next is required.

4- Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who visit the Most Blessed Sacrament to adore it; a plenary indulgence is granted, if the visit lasts for at least one half an hour.

And more on Plenary Indulgences:

5- Papal Blessing

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously and devoutly receive, even by radio [or television] transmission, the Blessing of the Sovereign Pontiff, when imparted to Rome and the World.

6- Eucharistic Congress

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly participate in the customary solemn eucharistic rite at the close of a Eucharistic Congress.

7- Diocesan Synod

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who during the time of the diocesan Synod devoutly visit the church, in which the Synod is being held, and there recite one Our Father and the Creed.

8- Pastoral Visitation

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a church or a public or semipublic oratory during the time that a pastoral visitation is being held; but a plenary indulgence, to be gained once only, is granted, if during the time of the visitation they assist at a sacred function at which the Visitator presides.

Obtainable on special days:

9- January 1st :Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (Veni, Creator)

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
And in our souls take up your rest;
Come with your grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which you have made.

O Comforter, to you we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above.

You in your sevenfold gifts are known;
You, finger of God's hand we own;
You, promise of the Father, you
Who do the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us your peace instead;
So shall we not, with you for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may your grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know;
And you, through endless times confessed,
Of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
With you, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly recite the hymn Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest.
A plenary indulgence is granted, if the hymn is recited publicly on the 1st of January and on the feast of Pentecost.

10 - All Fridays of the Lent: Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before your face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech you to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment, while I contemplate with great love and tender pity your five wounds, pondering over them within me, calling to mind the words which David, your prophet, said of you, my good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones" (Ps 21, 17-18).

A plenary indulgence is granted on each Friday of Lent and Passiontide to the faithful, who after Communion piously recite the above prayer before an image of Christ crucified;
on other days of the year the indulgence is partial.

11- on Holy Thursday : Down in adoration falling (Tantum ergo)

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.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who reigns on high,
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty. Amen.

V. You have given them bread from heaven,
R. Having all sweetness within it.

Let us pray. O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament left us a memorial of your Passion: grant, we implore you, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood, as always to be conscious of the fruit of your Redemption. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen. (Roman Breviary)

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly recite the above strophes. But
a plenary indulgence is granted on

Holy Thursday and on
the feast of Corpus Christi,

if they are recited in a solemn manner.

12- on Good Friday: Adoration of the Cross

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who in the solemn liturgical action of Good Friday devoutly assist at the adoration of the Cross and kiss it.
On the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

13- on Feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus: Most sweet Jesus -- Act of Reparation

Most sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before you, eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries to which your loving Heart is everywhere subject.
Mindful, alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation, not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow you, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the promises of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of your law.
We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against you; we are now determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holy-days, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against you and your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which your Vicar on earth and your priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of your divine love, and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which you have founded.
Would that we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of your divine honor, the satisfaction you once made to your Eternal Father on the cross and which you continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of your grace, for all neglect of your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth, we will live a life of unswerving faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the Gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending you and to bring as many as possible to follow you.
O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mother, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to you, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, God, forever and ever. Amen.

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the above act of reparation.
A plenary indulgence is granted if it is publicly recited on he feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

14 - Visit to a Cemetery each day from 1st to 8th of November

An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed.
The indulgence is plenary each day from the 1st to the 8th of November; on other days of the year it is partial.

15- Visit to a Church or Oratory on All Souls Day

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of all the faithful departed, piously visit a church, a public oratory or -- for those entitled to use it -- a semipublic oratory.
The above indulgence can be acquired either on the day designated above or, with the consent of the Ordinary, on the preceding or following Sunday or the feast of All Saints.
The above indulgence is contained in the Apostolic Constitution The Doctrine of Indulgences, Norm 15, with account being taken of proposals made to the Sacred Penitentiary in the meantime.

16- on last day of the year: The Te Deum (Te Deum)

O God, we praise you, and acknowledge you to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships you.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to you:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of your glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise you.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges you:
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Your adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, you are the King of glory!
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When you took it upon yourself to deliver man,
You did not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Having overcome the sting of death,
you opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that you will come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg you to help your servants whom you have
redeemed with your Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with your Saints in everlasting glory.
Save your people, O Lord, and bless your inheritance!
Govern them, and raise them up forever.
Every day we thank you.
And we praise your Name forever; yes, forever and ever.
O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in you.
O Lord, in you I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who recite the Te Deum in thanksgiving.
But a plenary indulgence is granted, if the hymn is recited publicly on the last day of the year.

17- Visit to a Church or an Altar on the day of its consecration

A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who visit a church or an altar on the day itself of its consecration, and there recite one Our Father and the Creed.

Devotions and Prayers with Partial Indulgences

2010-09-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hidden God (Adoro te devote)

(A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who recite devoutly the above hymn).

Hidden God, devoutly I adore you,
Truly present underneath these veils:
All my heart subdues itself before you,
Since it all before you faints and fails.

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit,
Hearing only do we trust secure;
I believe, for God the Son has said it --
Word of Truth that ever shall endure.

On the cross was veiled your Godhead's splendor,
Here your manhood lies hidden too;
Unto both alike my faith I render,
And, as sued the contrite thief, I sue.

Though I look not on your wounds with Thomas,
You, my Lord, and you, my God, I call:
Make me more and more believe your promise,
Hope in you, and love you over all.

O memorial of my Savior dying,
Living Bread, that gives life to man;
Make my soul, its life from you supplying,
Taste your sweetness, as on earth it can.

Deign, O Jesus, Pelican of heaven,
Me, a sinner, in your Blood to lave,
To a single drop of which is given
All the world from all its sin to save.

Contemplating, Lord, your hidden presence,
Grant me what I thirst for and implore,
In the revelation of your essence
To behold your glory evermore.

Act of Spiritual Communion (Communionis spiritualis actus)

An Act of Spiritual Communion, according to any pious formula, is enriched with a partial indulgence.

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that you are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you; never permit me to be separated from you.

Magnificat (Magnificat)

(A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the canticle of the Magnificat.)

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;

Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm,
he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has given help to Israel, his servant,
mindful of his mercy --
Even as he spoke to our fathers --

to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Hail, Holy Queen (Salve, Regina)

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy; hail our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. (Roman Breviary) partial indulgence

Exercise of the Way of the Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium)

The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected.
For the erection of the Way of the Cross fourteen crosses are required, to which it is customary to add fourteen pictures or images, which represent the stations of Jerusalem.
According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of fourteen pious readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual mysteries of the stations.
A movement from one station to the next is required.

But if the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from station to station, it suffices if at least the one conducting the exercise goes from station to station, the others remaining in their place.
Those who are "impeded" can gain the same indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For those belonging to Oriental rites, amongst whom this pious exercise is not practiced, the respective Patriarchs can determine some other pious exercise in memory of the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ for the gaining of this indulgence.

The Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus bears his cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother
5. Jesus is helped by Simon
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls a second time
8. Jesus speaks to the women
9. Jesus falls a third time
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments
11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross
12. Jesus dies on the Cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the Cross
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff (Oremus pro Pontifice)

V. Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff N.

R. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. (Roman Breviary)

partial indulgence.

Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. (Roman Breviary) partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory.

Renewal of Baptismal Promises (Votorum baptismalium renovatio)

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who renew their baptismal promises according to formula in use ; but
a plenary indulgence is granted, if this is done

in the celebration of the Paschal Vigil or
on the anniversary of one's baptism.

Renewal of Baptismal Promises

I, N. N., who through the tender mercy of the Eternal Father was privileged to be baptized "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19, 5) and thus to share in the dignity of his divine Sonship, wish now in the presence of this same loving Father and of his only-begotten Son to renew in all sincerity the promises I solemnly made at the time of my holy Baptism.

I, therefore, now do once again renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born into this world and who suffered and died for my sins and rose again. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church.

Taught by our Savior's command and formed by the word of God, I now dare to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost (Veni, Sancte Spiritus)

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. (Roman Missal)
partial indulgence.

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (Veni, Creator)

(A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly recite the hymn Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest.A plenary indulgence is granted, if the hymn is recited publicly on the 1st of January and on the feast of Pentecost.)

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
And in our souls take up your rest;
Come with your grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which you have made.

O Comforter, to you we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above.

You in your sevenfold gifts are known;
You, finger of God's hand we own;
You, promise of the Father, you
Who do the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us your peace instead;
So shall we not, with you for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may your grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know;
And you, through endless times confessed,
Of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
With you, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Adoratio Sami Sacramenti)

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who visit the Most Blessed Sacrament to adore it; a plenary indulgence is granted, if the visit lasts for at least one half an hour.

Down in adoration falling (Tantum ergo)

(A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who devoutly recite the above strophes. But
a plenary indulgence is granted on Holy Thursday and on the feast of Corpus Christi.)

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.

To the everlasting Father,
And the Son who reigns on high,
With the Holy Spirit proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honor, blessing,
Might and endless majesty. Amen.

V. You have given them bread from heaven,
R. Having all sweetness within it.

Recitation of the Holy Rosary

"Now the Rosary is a certain formula of prayer, which is made up of fifteen decades of "Hail Marys" with an "Our Father" before each decade, and in which the recitation of each decade is accompanied by pious meditation on a particular mystery of our Redemption." (Roman Breviary)
The name "Rosary," however, is commonly used in reference to only a third part of the fifteen decades.
The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The recitation of a third part only of the Rosary suffices; but the five decades must be recited continuously.
The vocal recitation must be accompanied by pious meditation on the mysteries.
In public recitation the mysteries must be announced in the manner customary in the place; for private recitation, however, it suffices if the vocal recitation is accompanied by meditation on the mysteries.
For those belonging to the Oriental rites, amongst whom this devotion is not practiced, the Patriarchs can determine some other prayers in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary (for those of the Byzantine rite, for example, the Hymn "Akathistos" or the Office "Paraclisis"); to the prayers thus determined are accorded the same indulgences as for the Rosary

Have mercy on me (Miserere)

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who with repentant heart recite the psalm Have mercy on me (Ps 50).

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.

For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,"

That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me;

Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
the bones you have crushed shall rejoice.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.

A clean heart create for me, O God, a
nd a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your holy spirit take not from me.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.

Free me from blood guilt, O Lord, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Be bountiful, O Lord, to Sion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts; then shall they offer up bullocks on your altar.

Indulgences

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The word indulgence (Latin indulgentia, from indulgeo, to be kind or tender) originally meant kindness or favor; in post-classic Latin it came to mean the remission of a tax or debt. In Roman law and in the Vulgate of the Old Testament (Isaiah 61:1) it was used to express release from captivity or punishment. In theological language also the word is sometimes employed in its primary sense to signify the kindness and mercy of God. But in the special sense in which it is here considered, an indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has been forgiven. Among the equivalent terms used in antiquity were pax, remissio, donatio, condonatio.

What an indulgence is not

To facilitate explanation, it may be well to state what an indulgence is not. It is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power. It is not the forgiveness of the guilt of sin; it supposes that the sin has already been forgiven. It is not an exemption from any law or duty, and much less from the obligation consequent on certain kinds of sin, e.g., restitution; on the contrary, it means a more complete payment of the debt which the sinner owes to God. It does not confer immunity from temptation or remove the possibility of subsequent lapses into sin. Least of all is an indulgence the purchase of a pardon which secures the buyer's salvation or releases the soul of another from Purgatory. The absurdity of such notions must be obvious to any one who forms a correct idea of what the Catholic Church really teaches on this subject.

What an indulgence is

An indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God's justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive. Regarding this definition, the following points are to be noted:

In the Sacrament of Baptism not only is the guilt of sin remitted, but also all the penalties attached to sin. In the Sacrament of Penance the guilt of sin is removed, and with it the eternal punishment due to mortal sin; but there still remains the temporal punishment required by Divine justice, and this requirement must be fulfilled either in the present life or in the world to come, i.e., in Purgatory. An indulgence offers the penitent sinner the means of discharging this debt during his life on earth.
Some writs of indulgence—none of them, however, issued by any pope or council (Pesch, Tr. Dogm., VII, 196, no. 464)—contain the expression, "indulgentia a culpa et a poena", i.e. release from guilt and from punishment; and this has occasioned considerable misunderstanding (cf. Lea, "History" etc. III, 54 sqq.). The real meaning of the formula is that, indulgences presupposing the Sacrament of Penance, the penitent, after receiving sacramental absolution from the guilt of sin, is afterwards freed from the temporal penalty by the indulgence (Bellarmine, "De Indulg"., I, 7). In other words, sin is fully pardoned, i.e. its effects entirely obliterated, only when complete reparation, and consequently release from penalty as well as from guilt, has been made. Hence Clement V (1305-1314) condemned the practice of those purveyors of indulgences who pretended to absolve "a culpa et a poena" (Clement, I. v, tit. 9, c. ii); the Council of Constance (1418) revoked (Sess. XLII, n. 14) all indulgences containing the said formula; Benedict XIV (1740-1758) treats them as spurious indulgences granted in this form, which he ascribes to the illicit practices of the "quaestores" or purveyors (De Syn. dioeces., VIII, viii. 7).
The satisfaction, usually called the "penance", imposed by the confessor when he gives absolution is an integral part of the Sacrament of Penance; an indulgence is extra-sacramental; it presupposes the effects obtained by confession, contrition, and sacramental satisfaction. It differs also from the penitential works undertaken of his own accord by the repentant sinner — prayer, fasting, alms-giving — in that these are personal and get their value from the merit of him who performs them, whereas an indulgence places at the penitent's disposal the merits of Christ and of the saints, which form the "Treasury" of the Church.
An indulgence is valid both in the tribunal of the Church and in the tribunal of God. This means that it not only releases the penitent from his indebtedness to the Church or from the obligation of performing canonical penance, but also from the temporal punishment which he has incurred in the sight of God and which, without the indulgence, he would have to undergo in order to satisfy Divine justice. This, however, does not imply that the Church pretends to set aside the claim of God's justice or that she allows the sinner to repudiate his debt. As St. Thomas says (Supplement.25.1 ad 2um), "He who gains indulgences is not thereby released outright from what he owes as penalty, but is provided with the means of paying it." The Church therefore neither leaves the penitent helplessly in debt nor acquits him of all further accounting; she enables him to meet his obligations.
In granting an indulgence, the grantor (pope or bishop) does not offer his personal merits in lieu of what God demands from the sinner. He acts in his official capacity as having jurisdiction in the Church, from whose spiritual treasury he draws the means wherewith payment is to be made. The Church herself is not the absolute owner, but simply the administratrix, of the superabundant merits which that treasury contains. In applying them, she keeps in view both the design of God's mercy and the demands of God's justice. She therefore determines the amount of each concession, as well as the conditions which the penitent must fulfill if he would gain the indulgence.

Various kinds of indulgences

An indulgence that may be gained in any part of the world is universal, while one that can be gained only in a specified place (Rome, Jerusalem, etc.) is local. A further distinction is that between perpetual indulgences, which may be gained at any time, and temporary, which are available on certain days only, or within certain periods. Real indulgences are attached to the use of certain objects (crucifix, rosary, medal); personal are those which do not require the use of any such material thing, or which are granted only to a certain class of individuals, e.g. members of an order or confraternity. The most important distinction, however, is that between plenary indulgences and partial. By a plenary indulgence is meant the remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin so that no further expiation is required in Purgatory. A partial indulgence commutes only a certain portion of the penalty; and this portion is determined in accordance with the penitential discipline of the early Church. To say that an indulgence of so many days or years is granted means that it cancels an amount of purgatorial punishment equivalent to that which would have been remitted, in the sight of God, by the performance of so many days or years of the ancient canonical penance. Here, evidently, the reckoning makes no claim to absolute exactness; it has only a relative value.
God alone knows what penalty remains to be paid and what its precise amount is in severity and duration. Finally, some indulgences are granted in behalf of the living only, while others may be applied in behalf of the souls departed. It should be noted, however, that the application has not the same significance in both cases. The Church in granting an indulgence to the living exercises her jurisdiction; over the dead she has no jurisdiction and therefore makes the indulgence available for them by way of suffrage (per modum suffragii), i.e. she petitions God to accept these works of satisfaction and in consideration thereof to mitigate or shorten the sufferings of the souls in Purgatory.

Dispositions necessary to gain an indulgence

The mere fact that the Church proclaims an indulgence does not imply that it can be gained without effort on the part of the faithful. From what has been said above, it is clear that the recipient must be free from the guilt of mortal sin. Furthermore, for plenary indulgences, confession and Communion are usually required, while for partial indulgences, though confession is not obligatory, the formula corde saltem contrito, i.e. "at least with a contrite heart", is the customary prescription. Regarding the question discussed by theologians whether a person in mortal sin can gain an indulgence for the dead, see PURGATORY. It is also necessary to have the intention, at least habitual, of gaining the indulgence. Finally, from the nature of the case, it is obvious that one must perform the good works — prayers, alms deeds, visits to a church, etc. — which are prescribed in the granting of an indulgence.

The Purgatory

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" It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Mac 12:4a)

Where or what is Purgatory?

Purgatory is a place for purification. It was taught from the earliest days of the Church and was accepted with undoubting faith wherever the Gospel was preached. The doctrine is revealed in Holy Scripture, and has been handed down by Tradition, taught by the infallible Church and believed by the millions and millions of faithful of all times.

Only those souls that are completely free of sin can enter heaven. It stands to reason, then, that the soul with unforgiven sins or the souls of those who have not yet atoned for their sins during their lifetime, yet tried to live as God would have us live, cannot enter Heaven and do not deserve Hell.

Purgatory, then, is a place of temporal punishment for those who die in God's grace, but are not entirely free from venial sins or have not entirely paid the satisfaction due to their sins. The existence of purgatory is universally taught by all the Fathers of Church. The words of OurLord , "Thou shalt not come out from it until thou hast paid the last penny" are very clear (Matt. 5 :25) Later, when speaking of the sins againt the Holy Spirit, Jesus says such a sin "will not be forgiven either in this world or in the next," implying that there are some sins that cannot be atoned for in this world (Matt. 12:32).

Saint Paul shows his belief in purgatory when, in his second letter to Timothy he prays for the deceased Onesiphorus. "May the Lord grant him to mercy from the Lord on that day. (2 Tim. 1 :18). Even in the Old Testament there was a belief in the existance of purgatory, for there we find Judas Machabeus sending 12,000 drachmas to Jerusalem to have sacrifiices offered for the sins of the dead. That chapter ends with the advice: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Mach. 12 :46).

Proofs, according to the Holy Bible:

Old Testament

The tradition of the Jews is put forth with precision and clearness in 2 Maccabees. Judas, the commander of the forces of Israel.

making a gathering . . . sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead). And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. (2 Maccabees 12: 43-46)

At the time of the Maccabees the leaders of the people of God had no hesitation in asserting the efficacy of prayers offered for the dead, in order that those who had departed this life might find pardon for their sins and the hope of eternal resurrection.

New Testament

There are several passages in the New Testament that point to a process of purification after death. Thus, Jesus Christ declares (Matthew 12:32): "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man , it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." According to St. Isidore of Seville these words prove that in the next life "some sins will be forgiven and purged away by a certain purifying fire."St. Augustine also argues "that some sinners are not forgiven either in this world or in the next would not be truly said unless there were other sinners who, though not forgiven in this world, are forgiven in the world to come". The same interpretation is given by Gregory the Great; St. Bede, St. Bernard and other eminent theological writers.

A further argument is supplied by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 :

"For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every man`s work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man`s work, of what sort it is. If any man`s work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man`s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."

In purgatory, souls suffer for a while in satisfaction for their sins before they can enter heaven. The principal suffering of these souls consists in the pain of experiencing, on the one hand, an intense longing for God and, on the other, a realisation that they are hindered from possessing Him by reason of their past sins. Unlike the souls in hell, they are certain of one day seeing God. They can be helped, moreover, by the prayers of the faithful on earth, and especially by the offering of Mass.

In the "Decree on Purgatory," we read, "The Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Spirit and in accordance with Sacred Scripture and the ancient Tradition of the Fathers, has taught in the holy Councils and most recently in this ecumenical Council that there is a purgatory, and that the souls detained there are helped by the acts of intercession ... of the faithful and especially by the acceptable Sacrifice of the altar" (Council of Trent,1563).

WHAT THE SAINTS SAY ABOUT THE PURGATORY:

St. Padre Pio had a very special relationship with the Holy Souls..indeed such was the relationship that they were his frequent visitors..and led him to say: "I see so many souls from Purgatory that they don't frighten me any more. More souls of the dead than the living climb this mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers."

When Padre Pio was asked how long a particular soul would stay in Purgatory he replied "At least one hundred years. We must pray for the Souls in Purgatory. It is unbelievable, what they can do for our spiritual good, out of gratitude they have towards those on earth who remember to pray for them."

St. John Chrysostom - “Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice (Job 1:5), why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them” (Homilies on 1 Corinthians 41:5 [A.D. 392]).
St. John Chrysostom also recommends to every Christian family that they have a box at some convenient place in their home and that they put into it pennies, which will be used to have masses said for the Poor Souls.

St. Augustine - “But by the prayers of the Holy Church, and by the salvific sacrifice, and by the alms which are given for their spirits, there is no doubt that the dead are aided, that the Lord might deal more mercifully with them than their sins would deserve. The whole Church observes this practice which was handed down by the Fathers: that it prays for those who have died in the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, when they are commemorated in their own place in the sacrifice itself; and the sacrifice is offered also in memory of them, on their behalf. If, then, works of mercy are celebrated for the sake of those who are being remembered, who would hesitate to recommend them, on whose behalf prayers to God are not offered in vain? It is not at all to be doubted that such prayers are of profit to the dead; but for such of them as lived before their death in a way that makes it possible for these things to be useful to them after death”.

“Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter, but all of them before that last and strictest judgment. But not all who suffer temporal punishments after death will come to eternal punishments, which are to follow after that judgment” (The City of God 21:13 [A.D. 419]}.

St. James the Apostle gives a method of avoiding or lessening our stay in Purgatory. He says: “He who saves a soul saves his own and satisfies for a multitude of sins.”

St. Margaret Mary – “If only you knew with what great longing these holy souls yearn for relief from their suffering. Ingratitude has never entered Heaven.”

St. John Vianney - "We must say many prayers for the souls of the faithful departed, for one must be so pure to enter heaven."

St. Bernard highly praises St. Malachy for his devotion towards the souls in Purgatory. When he was a deacon, he loved to assist at the funerals of the poor, accompanying their remains to the cemetery with as much zeal as he ordinarily saw those unfortunate creatures neglected after their death. He had a sister, filled with the spirit of the world who thought her brother degraded himself and his family by associating with the poor. She understood neither Christian Charity nor the excellence of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He told his sister that she had forgotten the teaching of Jesus and that she would one day repent of her thoughtless words.

His sister died while still young and went to render an account to the Sovereign Judge of the worldly life she had led. St. Malachy offered the Holy Sacrifice for her and prayed much for her. In time, having many others to pray for, he neglected his poor sister. She appeared to her brother during his sleep. He saw her standing in the middle of the area before the church, sad, clad in mourning, and entreating his compassion, complaining that for the last thirty days he had neglected her. He awoke suddenly and remembered in reality it was thirty days since he had celebrated Mass for his sister. On the following day he began anew to offer the Holy Sacrifice for her. Then she appeared to him at the door of the church, kneeling upon the threshold, and lamenting that she was not allowed to enter. He continued his suffrages. Some days later he saw her enter the church and advance as far as the middle of the aisle, without being able to approach the altar. He saw it was necessary to persevere, so he continued to offer the Holy Sacrifice for the repose of her soul. Finally, after a few days he saw her near the altar, clad in magnificent attire, radiant with joy, and free from suffering.

“By this we see,” adds St. Bernard, “how great is the efficacy of the Holy Sacrifice to remit sins, to combat the powers of darkness, and to open the gates of Heaven to those souls which have quitted this earth.”
Bl. Ana of the Angels--a lover of the Holy Souls

Bl. Ana of the Angels, was a Dominican cloistered nun of Peru. Like any Dominican nun worth her salt she lived to a good old age, dying at 90 years of age! Following is a brief account of her life:

Ana de Monteagudo y Ponce de Leon was born in the Peru in the city of Arequipa in 1602. At the age of fourteen Ana was withdrawn from school for a marriage arranged by her father but she resisted vehemently. Persecution by her father and family only served to intensify her decision to become a Dominican nun. St. Catherine of Siena appeared to her and showed her a white habit, saying: "Ana, my child, I have prepared this habit for you. Leave all to God. Nothing will be wanting to you."

Ana's fears vanished and she fled to the monastery of St. Catherine by night. Next morning her irate father rushed to the monastery and heaped verbal abuse on his daughter, humiliating her in front of the nuns and telling her he would never pay the dowry needed for her profession. She was disinherited and abandoned by her father. Eventually, her brother who was a priest, provided the dowry. Once professed in the monastery, Ana's nobility, courage, modesty, prayerfulness, and humility won the heart of the community. She was elected successively novice-mistress, sacristan, and prioress. At a hint of the bishop, she undertook a reform of the community whose worldliness and laxity had begun to cause gossip in the city. However the rigor of her reform aroused lively resentment and even threats of resistance and bodily harm. Heaven blessed the courage of Ana with remarkable charisma. She became universally admired among the people for prophecy, bilocation, supernatural discernment, visions, and miracles. Peruvians and foreigners sought her prayers and counsel.

King Phillip IV of Spain, a Dominican tertiary, appeared to Ana after his death in 1665 asking her intercession and revealed to her later that he entered heaven three days after his death thanks to her prayers. Ana's spiritual life was molded largely on that of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Patron of Holy Souls. One day she beheld in a vision the Mother of God seated on a golden throne with St. Nicholas and a legion of angels beside her. St. Nicholas conducted her to Purgatory where she saw with horror a great throng of souls crowded together in the purifying flames. The saint said to her: "On earth I helped the Poor Souls; I now consign that noble office to you." The compassionate nun offered to take upon herself the sufferings of the most abandoned souls in Purgatory and God accepted the offer. Although she was by this time 80 years of age, she accepted the unusual apostolate and suffered ten years of moral and physical torments. She was a beautiful model of the purest chastity and of the communion of saints. Ana's decade of atonement, during which she lost her sight completely, was sweetened by periods of divine consolation. Angels came to relieve her suffering and souls from Purgatory appeared at her bedside to thank her for her prayers.

St. Bernard appeared with the Sacred Host for her communion and adoration. St. Nicholas showed her the thousands of souls which had entered heaven thanks to her charity.

Ana died on January 10, 1686 at the age of ninety and when her body was later exhumed it was found incorrupt and fragrant. Many miracles of healing occurred during and after her burial. Pope Paul VI declared her venerable in 1975 and Pope John Paul II beatified her in February of 1985.

ST. GERTRUDE AND THE POOR SOULS

St. Gertrude entertained a deep compassion for the souls in Purgatory. At Holy Communion she besought our loving Savior with tender, fervent petitions, to be merciful to these dear sufferers. Once Gertrude prayed with particular fervor for the faithful departed. On asking Our Lord how many souls His mercy would deliver, she received this reply: “My love urges Me to release the poor souls. If a beneficent king leaves his guilty friend in prison for justice’s sake, he awaits with longing for one of his nobles to plead for the prisoner and to offer something for his release. Then the king joyfully sets him free. Similarly, I accept with highest pleasure what is offered to Me for the poor souls, for I long inexpressibly to have near Me those for whom I paid so great a price. By the prayers of thy loving soul, I am induced to free a prisoner from purgatory as often as thou dost move thy tongue to utter a word of prayer!”

Our Savior also instructed Gertrude for whom she should pray most. On the day when the community commemorated in common the death of their parents, our saint saw the happy souls ascend from dense darkness like sparks from a flaming forge. She inquired if all these were relatives. Our Lord replied: “I am thy nearest relative, thy father and thy mother. Therefore, My special friends are thy nearest relatives, and these are among those whom I have liberated.”

(taken from St. Gertrude the Great by Tan Books and Publishers)

An Account of Purgatory -St Magdalen de Pazzi-

The following is an account of that of St. Magdalen de Pazzi, a Florentine Carmelite, as it is related in her Life by Father Cepare.

Some time before her death in 1607, the servant of God, Magdalen de Pazzi, being one evening with several other Religious in the garden of the convent, was ravished in ecstasy, and saw Purgatory open before her. At the same time, a voice invited her to visit all the prisons of Divine Justice, and to see how truly worthy of compassion are the souls detained there.

At this moment she was heard to say, "Yes, I will go." She consented to undertake this painful journey. In fact, she walked for two hours round the garden, which was very large, pausing from time to time. Each time she interrupted her walk, she contemplated attentively the sufferings which were shown to her. She was then seen to wring her hands in compassion, her face became pale, her body bent under the weight of suffering, in presence of the terrible spectacle with which she was confronted.

She began to cry aloud in lamentation, "Mercy, my God, mercy! Descend, O Precious Blood, and deliver these souls from their prison. Poor Souls! you suffer so cruelly, and yet you are content and cheerful. The dungeons of the martyrs in comparison with these were gardens of delight. Nevertheless there are others still deeper. How happy should I esteem myself were I not obliged to go down into them."

She did descend, however, for she was forced to continue her way. But when she had taken a few steps, she stopped terror-stricken, and, sighing deeply, she cried, "What! Religious also in this dismal abode! Good God! how they are tormented! Ah, Lord!" She does not explain the nature of their sufferings; but the horror which she manifested in contemplating them caused her to sigh at each step. She passed then into less gloomy places. They were the dungeons of simple souls, and of children in whom ignorance and lack of reason extenuated many faults. Their torments appeared to her much more endurable than those of the others. Nothing but ice and fire were there. She noticed that these souls had their guardian angels with them, who fortified them greatly by their presence; but she saw also demons whose dreadful forms increased their sufferings.

Advancing a few paces, she saw souls still more unfortunate, and she was heard to cry out, "Oh! how horrible is this place; it is full of hideous demons and incredible torments! Who, O my God, are the victims of these cruel tortures? Alas! they are being pierced by sharp swords, they are being cut into pieces." She was answered that they were the souls whose conduct had been tainted with hypocrisy.

Advancing a little, she saw a great multitude of souls which were bruised, as it were, and crushed under a press; and she understood that they were those souls which had been addicted to impatience and disobedience during life. While contemplating them, her looks, her sighs, her whole attitude was compassion and terror.

A moment later her agitation increased, and she uttered a dreadful cry. It was the dungeon of lies which now lay open before her. After having attentively considered it, she cried aloud, "Liars are confined in a place in the vicinity of Hell, and their sufferings are exceedingly great. Molten lead is poured into their mouths; I see them burn, and at the same time tremble with cold."

She then went to the prison of those souls which had sinned through weakness, and she was heard to exclaim, "Alas! I had thought to find you among those who have sinned through ignorance, but I am mistaken; you burn with an intenser fire."

Farther on, she perceived souls which had been too much attached to the goods of this world, and had sinned by avarice.

"What blindness," said she, "thus eagerly to seek a perishable fortune! Those whom formerly riches could not sufficiently satiate, are here gorged with torments. They are smelted like metal in the furnace."

From thence she passed into the place where those souls were imprisoned which had formerly been stained with impurity. She saw them in so filthy and pestilential a dungeon that the sight produced nausea. She turned away quickly from that loathsome spectacle. Seeing the ambitious and the proud, she said, "Behold those who wished to shine before men; now they are condemned to live in this frightful obscurity."

Then she was shown those souls which had been guilty of ingratitude towards God. They were prey to unutterable torments, and, as it were, drowned in a lake of molten lead, for having by their ingratitude dried up the source of piety.

Finally, in a last dungeon, she was shown souls that had not been given to any particular vice, but which, through the lack of proper vigilance over themselves, had committed all kinds of trivial faults. She remarked that these souls had share in the chastisements of all vices, in a moderate degree, because those faults committed only from time to time rendered them less guilty than those committed through habit.

After this last station the saint left the garden, begging God never again to make her witness of so heartrending a spectacle: she felt that she had not strength to endure it. Her ecstasy still continued, and, conversing with Jesus, she said to Him, "Tell me, Lord, what was your design in discovering to me those terrible prisons, of which I knew so little, and comprehended still less? Ah! I now see; you wished to give me the knowledge of your infinite sanctity, and to make me detest more and more the least stain of sin, which is so abominable in your eyes."

Taken from: Purgatory Explained
Compiled by: Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J.

The length of time souls are detained in Purgatory depends on:

a) the number of their faults;
b) on the malice and deliberation with which these have been committed;
c) on the penance done, or not done, the satisfaction made, or not made for sins during life;
d) much, too, depend on the suffrages offered for them after death by friends and relatives still alive.

What can be safely said is that the time souls spend in Purgatory, as a rule, is very much longer than people commonly imagine.

These are just few examples of the Saints about the Purgatory. Praying for the Souls in Purgatory and offering Masses for them is a great work of mercy and charity!! They are so happy when we help them to enter the Heaven that they help us in all our needs, and help us to enter in Heaven too. Please, pray for them.6)

Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory

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Prayer dictated by Jesus to Saint Matilde
to help the souls of the dead ones in the Purgatory

(To recite with devotion and love the following prayer for nine consecutive days)

Father ours that you are in the skies I pray you, or celestial Father, forgives to the poor souls of the purgatory, because they have not loved You, them Lord and Father, that You, for pure your grace, has made your daughters, and you/they has not made you that honor, that you/they owed to you, but you/they have estranged You with the sin from their heart, where You wanted to always live. To wash that debts I offer to You that love and honor, that Your Unigenito Child You has made during all of his life on the earth and all the actions and the actions of penitence and satisfaction, with which He has washed the sins of the men and you/he/she has expiated them. Amen!

Your name is sanctified Me I incessantly beg You, or buonissimo Father, forgives to the poor souls, because not they have always honored worthily Your Saint name, but you/they have superficially had instead so often it on the mouth and with a life of sin they are made some name of Christians unworthy. In reparation of these sins of theirs, I offer to You the whole honor, that Your beloved Child has made You on the earth with his preaching and his works for Your Name. Amen!

Your kingdom I come I pray You, agreeable Father, forgives to the poor souls, because them not always and with great desire you/they have looked for You and your kingdom with thoughtful diligence. For reparation of their superficiality in to do the good, I offer to You the saints desires of Your child, with which He desires and he/she asks, that also they are coeredi of his Kingdom. Amen!

Is done your wish as in sky so in earth I pray You, or benign Father, forgives to the poor souls because not you/they have always submitted their wish to Yours and you/they have not tried to complete her/it in all the things, but they too often live according to his/her own will and so you/they have acted. For their disobedience I offer to You the perfect union of the loving Heart of Your Child with Your holy wish and his deep subjugation with which He was You obedient up to the death in cross. Amen!

Give to us our daily bread today I pray You, Agreeable Father, forgives to the poor souls, because not they always have ricevuto the Holy Sacrament of the altar with deep desire, but often without devotion or even unworthily, or you/they have neglected to receive him/it. For these sins of theirs I offer to You the great Holiness and the devotion of Jesus Cristo, Your Child, as also his great love with which He has made to us this holy gift and you/he/she has given Well to us this tall. Amen!

You put again to us our debts as we put again them to us to our debtors I pray You, buonissimo Father forgives to the poor souls of the purgatory all the debts, on that they are assumed if with the seven capital sins, and above all, because they have not loved their enemies and you/they have not wanted to forgive them. For these sins I offer to You the loving prayer, that Your Child has addressed on the Cross for his enemies. Amen!

And not to induce to us in temptation I pray You, or benign Father, forgives to the poor souls, because them so much you/they have not often opposed any resistance to the temptations and their passions, but you/they have followed the malignant enemy and you/they have satisfied the desires of the meat. For these them manifold and different sins I offer to You the glorious victory of Jesus Cristo, with which He has won the world and his job, his works, his holy life and his bitter Passion. Amen!

But free us from the evil it is for all the punishments for the worths of Your beloved Child, and you conduct the poor souls and us in the Kingdom of the eternal glory, that you are You same. Amen!

Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great
(as dictated by Jesus, every time we say this prayer it releases 1,000.00 souls from the Purgatory)

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for all sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen

Traditional Latin Mass: Feast of the Sacred Heart

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Devotion to the Infant of Prague

2010-07-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Origin Of The Divine Infant Of Prague

A special devotion to the Divine Child originated with the Carmelites in the city of Prague, Bohemia, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Princess Polyxenia of Lobkowitz had received as a wedding gift from her mother a statue of the Divine Child, previously brought from Spain. After the death of her husband, the princess devoted herself to works of charity and was particularly helpful to the Carmelites in Prague. When in 1628 the Carmelite Monastery had been reduced to poverty, owing to the ravages of war, the princess gave her precious statue to the Carmelites, saying:

"I give you what I prize most highly in the world; honor and respect the Child Jesus and you shall be in want."

Her gift was placed in the Carmelite oratory. The words of the princess proved prophetic for as long as the Carmelites kept up their devotion the Divine Infant of Prague everything prospered with them. The Carmelites were later forced to flee from the city and in the confusion of the war they were unable to take with them their miraculous statue. The invaders seized it and threw it into a pile of rubbish.

In 1635, peace came to Prague and the Carmelites returned. One of them, Father Cyril, who has previously received great spiritual help through his devotion to the infant of Prague, sought the statue and found it amidst the rubbish. Overjoyed, he placed the statue again in the oratory. As Father Cyril was one day praying, devotedly before the statue, he heard a voice saying: "HAVE MERCY ON ME AND I WILL HAVE MERCY ON YOU. RETURN MY HANDS TO ME AND I SHALL GIVE YOU PEACE, THE MORE YOU HONOR ME, THE MORE I SHALL BLESS YOU." Startled by these words, Father Cyril examined the statue and upon drawing aside the mantle covering it, he found that both hands of the statue were broken off. The hands were restored to the statue through the generosity of a devotee of the Divine child. Once more peace and prosperity returned to the Carmelites.

Devotion to the Divine Child had always been practiced by the Carmelites for through their Mother, Mary, this Divine Child had come to the world. St. Theresa of Jesus practiced particular devotion to the Divine Child. St. Therese, the Little Flower, was also a most fervent venerator.

Devotion to the Infant Jesus is another aspect of honoring Christ's Incarnation. It is to marvel at His having humbled Himself by taking on a human nature, subjecting Himself to all that flesh is heir to (minus the effects of original sin, of course), even subjecting Himself to the earthly authority of Mary and Joseph. Recognized even in the Virgin's womb by St. John the Baptist and his mother, after His Nativity, the Child Jesus was adored first by the shepherds and then by the Magi, and has been revered by Saints ever since. Many of the heroes and heroines of our Faith had a special devotion to the Child Jesus, some even having been blessed by visions of Him as a boy. St. Christopher, St.Anthony of Padua, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Rose of Lima, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (whose religious name is "St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face"), St. Francis of Assisi with his creche, and, of course, Our Lady and St. Joseph, are particularly associated with the Divine Child and many are pictured with Jesus as a child in art.

More about the origin of this great devotion:

In Prague, Czech Republic, there is a statue of the Christ Child known as the "Infant of Prague." The statue is Spanish in origin, having ended up in its present country when it was taken there as a wedding gift given to a Spanish woman upon her marriage to a Czech nobleman. It passed down through that family, and was eventually given to the Disalced Carmelites there.

In 1628, the Carmelites had to escape the area when the Saxons, and then the Swedes, attacked. Father Cyril a Matre Dei returned to Prague in 1638 and found the statue lying in what was left of the church, its arms broken. He placed it back in the oratory for veneration and, while praying near it one day, heard the voice of the Infant Jesus say to Him, "Have pity on Me and I will have pity on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you". In that war-torn era, the priest didn't have the money to carry out that wish, so prayed for guidance. He heard the Child Jesus again, "Place Me near the entrance of the sacristy and you will receive aid." And so it happened. Within a few days, a rich man came by and offered to repair the statue.

The statue became known for its association with the miraculous, including healings and, especially, for the protection of the church through so many wars that followed. Many benefits are said to come to those who worship Christ under His title of the "Infant of Prague." There are prayers and novenas to Him under this name.

The statue is around 18½ inches tall and made of wax, possibly with a wooden inner core. The Christ Child holds a globe surmounted by a Cross -- symbolizing His Kingship. His right hand is raised in a blessing, his first two fingers extended to signify His two natures. The statue was not originally dressed (see picture at right to see statue in its original state), but was first crowned by Bernard Ignatius in 1651, and was solemnly coronated by the Bishop of Prague in 1655. Now it is always seen not only crowned (see above), but dressed in regal, priestly robes (the statue has over 85 different robes, including one sent by Empress Mary Theresa). Since 1788, sometimes two rings adorn the statue's fingers, gifts from a noble family in gratitude for the cure of their daughter.

The statue can be seen in the Church of St. Mary the Victorious and St. Anthony of Padua, (in the care of the Discalced Carmelites), Karmelitska 9, 118 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic. Replicas can be bought at many different Catholic gift shops, and the image of the Infant of Prague is often represented two-dimensionally in paintings and on Holy Cards.
on the history of this great devotion.

PRAYERS TO INFANT OF PRAGUE:

"Prayer in Affliction" to the Infant of Prague

O Dearest Jesus tenderly loving us, Thy greatest joy is to dwell among men, and to bestow Thy blessing upon us! Though I am not worthy that Thou shouldst behold me with love, I feel myself drawn to Thee, O dear Infant Jesus, because Thou dost gladly pardon me and exercise Thy almighty power over me. So many, who turned with confidence to Thee, have recieved graces and had their petitions granted. Behold me, in spirit I kneel before Thy miraculous image on Thy altar in Prague, and lay open my heart to Thee, with its prayers, petitions and hopes. My greatest need in particular -- (mention your intentions here) -- I enclose it in Thy loving Heart.

Govern me, and do with me and mine, according to Thy holy will, for I know that in Thy Divine wisdom and love Thou wilt ordain everything for the best. Almighty, gracious Infant Jesus, do not withdraw Thy hand from us, but protect and bless us forever. I pray Thee, sweetest Infant, in the name of Thy Blessed Mother Mary who cared for Thee with such tenderness, and by the great reverence with which Saint Joseph carried Thee in his arms, comfort me and make me happy that I may bless and thank Thee forever from all my heart Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Infant Jesus

O most gracious Infant Jesus, prostate before Thee, I offer Thee most fervent thanks for the blessings Thou hast bestowed upon me. I shall incessantly praise Thine ineffable mercy and confess that Thou alone art my God, my helper, and my protector. Henceforth, my entire confidence shall be placed in Thee, everywhere will I proclaim Thy mercy and generosity, so that Thy great love and great deeds which Thou preformest may be acknowledged by all. May devotion to Thy holy infancy extend more and more in the hearts of all Christians, and may all who experience Thy assistance persevere in returning unceasing gratitude to Thy most holy Infancy to which be praise and glory for all eternity Amen.

Novena to the Infant of Prague
Say once an nour for nine hours on one single day

O Jesus, Who has said ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek and I ask that my prayer may be granted.

(Mention your intentions here)

O Jesus, Who has said all that you ask of the Father in My Name, He will will grant you, through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father in Thy Name, that my prayer be granted.

(Mention your intentions here)

O Jesus, Who has said "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass", through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.

(Mention your intentions here)

A TRUE LETTER OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

2010-07-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Consecrating the Drops of Blood which Our Lord lost on His way to Calvary.

Copy of a letter of the Oration found in the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, preserved in a silver box by His Holiness and by the Emperors and Empresses of the Christian Faith.

St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers, upon which there appeared to them Our Lord Jesus Christ Who spoke to them in the following manner:

"I descended from Heaven to the Earth in order to convert you. In olden times people were religious and their harvests were abundant; at present, on the contrary, they are scanty.

If you want to reap an abundant harvest you must not work on Sunday, for on Sunday you must go to Church, and pray to God to forgive your sins. He gave you six days in which to work and one for rest and devotion and to tender your help to the poor and assist the Church.

Those people who brawl against My religion and cast slurs on this Sacred Letter, shall be forsaken by Me.

On the contrary, those people who shall carry a copy of this letter with them shall be free of death by drowning and from sudden death. They shall be free from all contagious diseases and lightning; they shall not die without Confession, and shall be free from their enemies and from the hand of wrongful authority, and from all their slanderers and false witnesses.

Women in peril at child-birth will, by keeping this Oration about them. immediately overcome the difficulty. In the houses where this Oration is kept,no evil thing will ever happen: and forty days before the death of a person who has this Oration about him or her, the Blessed Virgin will appear to him or her. So said St. Gregorius.

TO ALL THOSE FAITHFUL WHO SHALL RECITE FOR 3 YEARS, EACH DAY 2 OUR FATHER, 2 HAIL MARY, 2 GLORY BE, IN HONOR OF THE DROPS OF BLOOD I LOST, I WILL CONCEDE THE FOLLOWING 5 GRACES:

1. The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.
2. You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.
3. If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.
4. It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.
5. I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.

Be it known that the number of armed soldiers were 150; those who trailed me while I was bound were 23. The executioners of justice were 83; the blows received on my head were 150; those on my stomach, 108; kicks on my shoulders, 80. I was led, bound with cords by the hair, 24 times; spits in the face were 180; I was beaten on the body 6666 times; beaten on the head 110 times; I was roughly pushed, and at 12 o' clock I was lifted up by the hair; pricked with thorns and pulled by the beard 23 times; received 20 wounds on the head; thorns of marine junks, 72; pricks of thorns in the head, 110; mortal thorns in the forehead, 3. I was afterwards flogged and dressed as a mocked king; wounds in the body, 1000. The soldiers who led Me to the Calvary were 608; those who watched Me were 3, and those who mocked Me were 1008; the drops of blood which I lost were 28,430."

BENEDETTA DA SS., POPE LEO XIII, IN ROMA 5 APRILE 1890

The following list of miracles and promises or warnings attached are published here, but with the caution that we do not know if the approval of Pope Leo XIII was for this portion as well:

MIRACLES ACCOMPLISHED BY THE SACRED LETTER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

A second and similar copy of this Letter has been found in a place called "Pursit," three leagues from Marseilles, written in golden letters, and believed to be of supernatural origin. It was found by a boy 7 years old of the same town. With it is an appendix and declaration of the 2nd of January, 1750, which says: "All those who work on Sunday, will be cursed by me, for on the Sacred day you must rest, go to Church, attend all Divine Services, so that you and your generation will be blessed.

If on the contrary you do not believe this you will be chastised, and to your children I will send pest, famine, war, spasms and heartaches; to show you My anger, you will see signs in the sky, thunders and earthquakes.

Those who do not believe that this letter is written by Divine workmanship and dictated by the Sacred Mouth of Christ, and who will keep it hidden from other persons, will be cursed by God and condemned on the Day of Judgment. To those who will publish it, if they have many sins and are truly repentant for having offended Me, even though they have done some injury to their neighbors, when they ask pardon I will cancel their sins. Those who will copy this, or read it, or who will induce others to read it, will be free from all temptations."

A certain Spanish Captain traveling by land near Barcelona, saw a head severed from the body, which spoke to him as follows, "As you are bound for Barcelona, my good man, for God's sake send hither a Priest so that I may confess myself. It is already three days now that I have been attacked by robbers, and I cannot die without first confessing myself." The Captain brought the Confessor to the place; the living head confessed and then expired. On the body from which the head had been severed, the present Oration was found. On that occasion it was approved by several Tribunals of the Holy Inquisition and by the Queen of Spain. The said Paters, Glorias and Aves can be recited for the benefit of any soul.

At the time of the terrible earthquake in Northern Italy and in France, a girl from Nice named Nathaline was caught under a fallen house and remained 3 days buried alive. When unearthed, a copy of this Letter was found on her! She was illiterate and uneducated. When found she was sleeping, untouched by the devastation of the earthquake!

On March 12, 1821, many emigrants from S. Giovanni Incarico, in the Province of Caserta (Italy) sailed for America to look for work. During the trip they were caught in a most terrible storm, which threw their ship into collision with a warship. This caused it to sink. The event occurred on the 19th, St. Joseph's Day. Out of the 667 people on board, only 9 were saved. Everyone of them had a copy of this Letter of Christ in his possession. The survivors were found almost naked, wearing only their vests, in the pockets of which the Letters were found, dry and not even wrinkled!

Two of the survivors from the same town, named Luigi Ceccaccio and Francesco Nero, furnished ample and substantial proof of the miraculous event.

Another miracle of the Sacred Letter of Jesus Christ was revealed at the Island of Iri, also in Italy. A man was peacefully sleeping in his bed, when a mysterious hand shook him abruptly and a voice thundered: "Get up in haste, and save yourself, in a corner of the house!" Promptly complying with the divine warning, the man rose and reached, pale and trembling, a remote corner, just in time to see the floor whereon he had lain in bed, sink into a deep abyss. This Letter saved him.

Another miracle was accomplished by the "Mater Dolorosa" three miles from the town of Castelpetrosa, in the Province of Campobasso, Italy. A 13 year old shepherdess, named Maria Grazia Estassia Bibiana, was attending to her duties in the vicinity of an old Convent. Suddenly appeared to her, and to her astonished mother who was nearby, the Virgin Mater Dolorosa, who told them: "Come with me to this old Church, wherein My Son is vexed with the people of the world, as there are too many sins committed, vice is rampant everywhere; religion is neglected. Therefore destructive earthquakes, pestilence and famine are putting humanity to severe punishment. Go to Church and receive your Holy Communion at least once a year. Thus, He will pardon your sins." Then the Virgin disappeared.

Another miracle was reported recently. In the last days of June, 1889, there appeared at the railroad station of Ancona a woman in mourning. She said she was to go to Rome but lacked the money to pay for her ticket. The train left the station but after a while it stopped. Though 5 more engines were added, it would not budge. A gentleman on the train, named Chev Morelli, thought of the black dressed lady who could not board the train at the station for the lack of the money to pay her fare to Rome. He went immediately to find her, and he offered to pay for it. He paid, in fact, 47 lires for a first class ticket to Rome. This the lady accepted under the condition that she travel alone. No sooner had the lady boarded the train, than it started up speedily, to the astonishment of all.

Chev Morelli, upon reaching Rome, wished to pay his respects to the lady. He went to the car where she had been seated. However, no one was there, and on the seat he found 2,000 lire in money and a note in golden letters, which read, "I am the Mater Dolorosa Virgin; and I wish to tell the sinners of the world that they must redeem themselves, believe in God and serve Him. Otherwise, a great calamity will soon befall Christianity."

His Holiness the Pope received a letter October 2nd, 1889 wherein it was stated that if in the future the people would not renounce the devil and all his work, mortifying all evils and corrupt dealings, and make solemn vows of proceeding daily in all virtue and godliness of living, they would be overcome by disaster. This Letter was sent by the Saviour, Christ. It mentioned the appearance of the Mater Dolorosa at Ancona. It declared that on the last Good Friday no visitors were seen at the Holy Sepulchre. It sid that people should remember the Day of Judgment, when the faithful shall enjoy the Glory of the Heavens and the ungodly shall be overwhelmed in a storm of snares, fire, brimstones, and bolts.

On July 2nd, 1889, when a terrible flood caused ruin, misery and appalling loss of life, the few survivors found in the many districts stricken by the disaster were in many cases in possession of the Sacred Letter.

One Giovanni Santarello who happened to be in France at the time of the earthquake, which made thousands of victims in the Southern Departments, was found buried alive under the wreck of a house after remaining in a deep anxiety four days and four nights. A copy of this Sacred Letter was found on him.

In commemoration of the apparition of the Mater Dolorosa Virgin in Ancoma, the people of the Township of Castelpetrosa, in the Province of Campobasso were so deeply shaken by the divine event that a great revival of worship was proclaimed and a pilgrimage was organized. At a meeting of the leading citizens, the clergy and authorities, it was resolved to build a great temple in honor of the Holy Virgin. On the day set for the laying of the cornerstone, a great gathering of bishops, priests, high church dignitaries and the laity, assisted by several hundred workmen, were ready to start the ceremony. Suddenly all tools, picks and shovels disappeared. To the spectators' terrified eyes appeared the Mater Dolorosa Virgin, who said: "Why are you digging this ground? Yonder, amid those beautiful woods, you will find the Sanctuary for your worship."

Speechless and confused the people beheld, as she vanished, the Virgin ascending to the heavens. A few days afterwards, three miles from Castelpetrosa, in the vicinity of the old Convent, three magnificent fountains were found beside a shrine decked with flowers and golden stars, seemingly erected by a divine hand.

On the solemn occasion of the last Pope's Jubilee, the Saviour, Christ, made His sudden appearance to the Pope, who was then on his throne, surrounded by cardinals, bishops and high dignitaries of the Church. The Holy Spirit spoke thus: "People of the world, forsake your sins or else the end shall soon be forthcoming!" Our Lord then disappeared. All present threw themselves at the feet of the Pope, beseeching pardon and clemency!

OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done,
on earth, as it is in Heave. Give us this day our
daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

GLORY BE

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.

Morning Offering

2010-07-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Morning Offering

BASED ON THREE REVELATIONS OF OUR LORD
To St. Mechtilde and Two Mystics

DEAR LORD, I adore Thy Sacred Heart, which I desire to enter with acts of love, praise, adoration, and thanksgiving. I offer Thee my own heart as I sigh to Thee from its very depths, asking that Thou will worketh through me in all that I do this day; thus may I draw Thee closer to me than Thou wert before. I offer Thee all the crosses and sufferings of the world, in union with Thy life on earth, in expiation for sins. Please join my every action and heartbeat to the pulsations of Thy Heart. I unite all my works of this day to those labors Thou didst perform while Thou wert on earth, bathing them in Thy Precious Blood, and I offer them to the Heavenly Father so that many souls may be saved. Amen.

This prayer is based on the following revelations:

"When you awake, enter at once into My Heart, and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . . more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be able to save many souls that way."

-------Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menendez [1890-1923]

"When you awake in the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without drawing Me nearer to him than I was before."

-------Our Lord to St. Mechtilde [1241-1298]

"It is not merely by praying that souls are saved, but through the actions of even the most ordinary lives lived for God . . . Offer Me everything united to My life on earth.
. . . Offer Me all the crosses of the world. There are so many, and few think of offering them to Me in expiation for sins . . ."

-------Our Lord to Gabrielle Bossis [1874-1950]

Act of Consecration to the
Most Precious Blood

Blood of Jesus, inebriate me! O Jesus, my Beloved Savior, ever present in the Tabernacle, to be the strength, the joy and the food of souls, I come to consecrate myself to Thy Precious Blood, and to pledge Thee my sincere love and fidelity. Pierced with sorrow at the remembrance of Thy sufferings, the contemplation of the Cross, and the thought of the outrages and contempt lavished by ungrateful souls upon Thy dear Blood, I long, O my Jesus, to bring joy to Thy Heart, and to make Thee forget my sins, and those of the whole world, by consecrating my body and soul to Thy service. I desire, my Jesus, to live henceforth, only by Thy Blood and for Thy Blood. I now choose It as my greatest treasure and the dearest object of my love.

O merciful Redeemer, deign to regard me as a perpetual adorer of Thy Most Precious Blood, and be pleased to accept my prayers, my deeds and my sacrifices, as so many acts of reparation and love.

Heavenly Wine, giver of purity and strength, pour down upon my soul. Make of my heart a living chalice from which grace shall constantly flow on those that love Thee, and especially on poor sinners that offend Thee. Teach me to honor Thee and to make Thee honored by others. Give me power to draw to Thee cold and hardened hearts, that they may feel how infinitely Thy consolations surpass those of the world.

O Blood of my Crucified Savior, detach me from the world, and the spirit of the world. Make me love suffering and sacrifice, after the example of St. Catherine of Sienna, who loved Thee so much [and whom I choose again today as my special patroness].

O Precious Blood, be my strength amid the trials and struggles of exile. Grant that at the hour of death I may be able to bless Thee for having been the comfort and the sanctification of my soul, before becoming, in Heaven, the everlasting object of my love and praise.

Saints of God, who owe thy happiness to the Blood of Jesus; Angelic spirits, who sing Its glory and power, august Virgin, who to It owest the privileges of thine Immaculate Conception and Divine Maternity, help me to pay to the Precious Blood of my Redeemer a perpetual homage of adoration, reparation and thanksgiving.

Amen.

Prayers to Our Lady of Fatima

2010-07-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Most holy Virgin, who hast deigned to come to Fatima, to reveal the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, that meditating on the Mysteries of Our Redemption recalled therein, we may obtain the conversion of Russia. And (here name other favors you are praying for); which we ask you in this Novena, for greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of souls. Amen.

Novena To Our Lady Of Fatima
Pray for 9 consecutive days

Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this favor that I so earnestly seek, request which I ask of you in this novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of all people. Amen.

Pray 3 sets of : 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, and 1 Glory Be

Litany of Our Lady of Fatima
Feast Day: May 13

Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for our beloved country.
Our Lady of Fatima, Sanctify our clergy.
Our Lady of Fatima, Make our Catholics more fervent.
Our Lady of Fatima, Guide and inspire those who govern us.
Our Lady of Fatima, Cure the sick who confide in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, Console the sorrowful who trust in thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, Help those who invoke thine aid.
Our Lady of Fatima, Deliver us from all dangers.
Our Lady of Fatima, Help us to resist temptation.
Our Lady of Fatima, Obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of thee.
Our Lady of Fatima, Help those who are dear to us.
Our Lady of Fatima, Bring to Holy Catholic Church those who are in error.
Our Lady of Fatima, Give us back our ancient fervor.
Our Lady of Fatima, Obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Our Lady of Fatima, Bring all men to the feet of thy Divine Child.
Our Lady of Fatima, Obtain peace for the world.

O Mary conceived without sin,
Pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Let Us Pray: O God of infinite goodness and mercy, fill our hearts with a great confidence in Thy dear Mother, whom we invoke under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Fatima, and grant us by her powerful intercession all the graces, spiritual and temporal, which we need. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Prayers Taught to the Children at Fatima

Pardon Prayer

O My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love you! And I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love you.

Prayer of Reparation

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore thee profoundly. I offer thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of thee the conversion of poor sinners.

Eucharistic Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, I adore you! My God, my god, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament!

Sacrifice Prayer

O my Jesus, it is for love of you, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Rosary Decade Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

Our Lady's Requests at Fatima

Do you know the requests of Our Lady of Fatima to bring peace to the world?
She promised that when a sufficient number of people fulfill her requests, "Russia will be converted and a period of peace will be granted to the world."

Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have occurred periodically in the history of the Church since the time of St. Gregory the Wonder-worker (who died in 270 AD). And, when these apparitions did occur, it is plausible to believe that there must have been a serious reson that called for a special message for God's people. Our concern is with the apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, which took place successively on the 13th day of the month from May until October in 1917.

At the conclusion of her first appearance on May 13, 1917, Our Lady told the 3 children, Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco: "Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war."

In the apparition of July 13, the Blessed Virgin added 2 more requests: devotion to her Immaculate Heart and Communions of reparation on the first Saturday of each month. Then, in the apparition on September 13, she again stressed the importance of the daily recitation of the Rosary.

In the final apparition in October, Our Lady identified herself as the Lady of the Rosary, again urging its daily recitation.

Why did she repeatedly insist on the praying of the Rosary? First of all, we should note that praying this devotion is much more than the automatic repetition of words (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be); it is primarily a mental prayer. This is why one of the 20 mysteries--joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious--is announced at the beginning of each decade of the Rosary. The announced mystery becomes the subject matter of the reflection and meditation.

There are various types of mental prayer:

MEDITATION
Meditation is the first and lowest form of mental prayer. It is comprised of 3 steps: the consideration of some sacred truth, the application of that truth to one's own life here and now, and the resolution to carry the truth into practice. It is an eminently practical form of prayer, and it disposes a person to grow in virtue and thereby form a good Christian character.

AFFECTIVE PRAYER
The second type of mental prayer is called "affective" prayer because love is its motivating power. Unlike meditation, which concentrates on one's self-improvement, affective prayer is oriented to the Other, Who is God. It brings the soul into the Divine Presence and is usually a very consoling type of prayer.

CONTEMPLATION
Contemplation is described as a "loving gaze." The individual is no longer intent on making particular acts and considerations, but is content to remain in a state of loving awareness of God.

3 ROSARY METHODS
Any one of these three forms of prayer may be used in the recitation of the Rosary. When meditating on the mysteries, a person considers the content and meaning of the event in the life of Jesus or Mary. For example, in the 5th Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion and Death of Christ, one will consider the significance of His death, make it meaningful to his life, and resolve to carry into practice the lessons learned.

If one recites the Rosary as affective prayer, sentiments such as petition, gratitude, contrition, compassion, or love will be aroused in response to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross during the 5th Sorrowful Mystery.

If the Rosary is prayed in a more contemplative manner, the stance of the individual before the 5th Sorrowful Mystery will be one of silent vigil, similar to that of Mary at the foot of the cross, or of adoration, as when we say: "We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world."

The Rosary is a prayer form that satisfies our basic spiritual need, namely, to know Christ, to love Him, and gradually to "put on the mind of Christ," as St. Paul says. The 20 mysteries of the entire Rosary take us through the major events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Thus, daily recitation of the Rosary keeps us in the company of the Lord and His Mother.

Are We Actually Doing What She Requests?

Are you offering up your daily tasks as a sacrifice in reparation?
Are you praying the Rosary daily?
Are you wearing the Brown Scapular as a sign of personal consecration--and making acts of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
Are you fulfilling Our Lady's First Saturday's Communion request?
Are you making frequent visits to church--adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament? Mass--Communion?
Are you making a Holy Hour at least once a week in reparation for the sins of the world and for the conversion of sinners?

Our Lady of Fatima Said*:

OFFERING: "Will you offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He sends you? In atonement for all the sins that offend Him? And for the conversion of sinners?"
BLESSED SACRAMENT: Our Lady opened her hands and flooded the children in light. They fell to their knees, repeating: "O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, My God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament!"
HEAVEN: "I come from heaven." Our Lady promised that the children to whom she appeared will go to heaven, but one of them would have to pray many rosaries.
PURGATORY: "She is in purgatory." Our Lady was referring to a friend of the children who had recently died--her name was Amelia.
ROSARY: "Say the Rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world. Add after each decade the following prayer: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy."
IMMACULATE HEART: "My Immaculate Heart will be your comfort and the way which will lead you to God."
SACRIFICES: "Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: "O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
HELL: "You have seen hell, where the souls of sinners go. It is to save them that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace." As Our Lady spoke these words, she opened her hands, and the children were able to see a sea of fire. Plunged in this flame were devils and souls that looked like transparent embers; others were black or bronze, and in human form; these were suspended in flames which seemed to come from the forms themselves--there to remain, without weight or equilibrium, amid cries of pain and despair which horrified the children so that they trembled with fear. The devils could be distinguished from the damned souls by the terrifying forms of weird and unknown animals in which they were cast. (taken from the memoirs of Lucia)
5 WARNINGS: "If my requests are not granted, Russia will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed!"
PEACE: "If my requests are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace.... In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.... a period of peace will be granted to the world."
PRAY: "Pray, pray, a great deal, and make the sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because they have no one to make sacrifices and pray for them."
WAR: "War is a punishment from God for sins!"
AMEND: "I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not continue to offend Our Lord Who is already deeply offended."
ST. JOSEPH: The only saint who appeared at Fatima besides Our Lady. St. Joseph held the Child Jesus in his arms and blessed the 70,000 people three times. It is he of whom it has been said: "The sound of victory will be heard when the faithful recognize the sanctity of St. Joseph."
SCAPULAR: In the final vision, on October 13, 1917, Our Lady silently held out the Scapular. Lucia has said the Blessed Mother wants everyone to wear it.... "The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable."
1st SATURDAY DEVOTION: "I promise to help at the hour of death with graces needed for salvation, whoever: on the 1st Saturday of 5 consecutive months, shall confess and receive Holy Communion; recite 5 decades of the Rosary; and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to my Immaculate Heart."
FASHIONS: "Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much."
6th COMMANDMENT: "More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason."
MARRIAGES: "Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God."
PRIESTS: "Priests must be pure, very pure. They should not busy themselves with anything except what concerns the Church and souls. The disobedience of priests to their superiors and to the Holy Father is very displeasing to Our Lord."

* These quotations are in the exact order in which Our Lady of Fatima spoke them beginning with the first apparition on May 13, 1917.

Saint Padre Pio Prayer

2010-07-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

Chaplet of St. Padre Pio
(contains medal, Crucifix, and 3 sets of 3 brown beads)

Oh Jesus, full of grace and charity, victim for sinners, so impelled by Your love of us that You willed to die on the cross, I humbly entreat Thee to glorify in heaven and on earth, the servant of God, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, who generously participated in Your sufferings, who loved Thee so much and laboured so faithfully for the glory of Your heavently Father and for the good of souls. With confidence, I beseech Thee to grant me, through his intercession, the grace of (mention your intentions) which I ardently desire.

Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary's and 3 Glorias.

Prayer by Padre Pio

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You. Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much and to be in Your company always.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You. Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love. Amen.

Beloved Padre Pio, Saint of Petrelcina, today I come to add my prayer to the thousands of prayers offered to you everyday by those who love and venerate you. They ask for cures and healings, earthly and spiritual blessings, and peace for body and mind. Because of your friendship with the Lord, he heals those you ask to be healed, and forgives those you forgive.

Through your visible wounds of the Cross, which you bore for 50 years, you were chosen in our time to glorify the crucified Jesus. Because the Cross has been replaced by other symbols, please help us to bring it back in our midst, for we acknowledge it is the only true sign of salvation.

As we lovingly recall the wounds that pierced your hands, feet and side, we not only remember the blood you shed in pain, but your smile and the invisible halo of sweet smelling flowers that surrounded your presence, the perfume of sanctity.

Saint Pio, the healings of the sick have become the testimony that the Lord has invited you to join the holy company of saints. In your kindness, please help me with my own special request: (mention here your petition, and make the sign of the Cross.)

Bless me and my loved ones. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rosary of the Holy Wounds

2010-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Rosary of the Holy Wounds
(use regular rosary beads)

O Jesus, divine Redeemer, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world! Amen.
O Powerful God! O Holy God! O Immortal God! Have pity on us and upon the whole world! Amen
Pardon and mercy, O my Jesus, during these present dangers. Pour on us Thy Most Precious Blood! Amen
O Eternal Father, be merciful to us through the Blood of Jesus Christ Thy only Son! Be merciful to us, we beseech Thee!

On the small beads say:
My Jesus, pardon and mercy, through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds!

On the larger beads:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls.

Prayers to Know the Will of God

2010-07-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Prayer for One's Vocation

Eternal Father, I believe in Your infinite wisdom and love. I believe that You have created me for heaven, that You have traced for me the way with all the necessary graces to arrive at it, and that there You await me for the eternal reward of a faithful servant.

I beseech You, through the merits of Jesus Christ my divine Master, and through Mary, Queen of Apostles, enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may clearly see this way and generously tread along this path.

Help me so that at the moment of death I may be able to say as St. Paul did: "I have finished my course, I have fought the good fight; for the rest there is laid up for me a crown of justice." Amen.

Act of Conformity to God's Will

O my God, I do not know what will happen today, but it is enough for me to know and to believe that nothing will happen to me that is not permitted by You from all eternity for my greater good.

I adore Your holy and eternal dispositions. I surrender myself with all my heart to Your fatherly love. I make of everything a loving sacrifice in union with that of my Divine Saviour.

I ask, in His Name and through the merits of His Passion, the grace of patience and perfect submission to You in all my sufferings, so that whatever You permit to happen may be for Your greater glory and my sanctification. Amen.

Prayer to Know the Will of God

Lord, what is Your will that I do? I am completely open to Your plan for me. I desire to live only in You and to be guided by You forever. Grant that Your holy wll may be carried out perfectly in me.

~~ St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)

Prayer for Unity of Will with God

O God, my spiritual and corporal existence is Yours since You are my Creator. But my will is mine because You have created it as free and want it to remain such. However, I am free to offer it in homage to You and to make it a sacrifice of praise and honor to You. Hence, I give my will entirely to You, so that it no longer belongs to me.

Henceforth, I must be careful to let nothing proceed from my heart that would be unworthy of You. I must exert constant vigilance over my will to avoid taking away from You what is not truly Yours. Amen.

~~St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660)

Prayer to Do Always the Will of God

O Lord, regulate all things by Your wisdom, so that I may always serve You in the manner that You will rather than in the manner that I will. Do not punish me by granting what I will if it offends against Your love, for I want Your love to live always in me. Help me to deny myself in order that I may serve You. Let me live for You--Who in Yourself are the true life. Amen.

~~St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1584)

Prayer that God Will Speak Inwardly

Speak, O Lord, for Your servant is listening. I say, Your servant, because at last I am such. I am Your servant and I want to be; I want to walk in Your way all the days and nights of my life.

Fill me with a spirit to understand what Your holy plans are for me. And reduce my desires to the single desire to understand Your sublime truths.

Speak, in order to console my anxious soul. Speak, in order to lead it to repentance. Speak, so that Your glory, thus more exalted, will grow eternally. Amen.

Prayer of Complete Trust in God

O kind and merciful God, in Your Hands I place my hopes and fears, my likes and dislikes, my happiness and unhappiness, my joys and sorrows. I offer You the needs of my perishable body and the more important ones of my imperishable soul. I do not have to be afraid for my soul as long as I leave it in Your loving care.

Great are my failings and my wretchedness, but even greater is my hope in You. It is stronger than my weakness, greater than my difficulties, and mightier than death.

Though assailed by temptation, I will hope in You. Though I may falter because of weakness, I will continue to trust in You. Though I may not live up to my promises, I will confidently seek grace from You to renew and keep them. Though You may take away my earthly life, even then I will maintain my hope in You.

You are my Father and my God, the ground of my salvation. You are my gracious and loving Father, and I am Your beloved child. I cast myself in Your Arms and ask for Your blessing. I place all my trust in You and I know that I will not be confounded. Amen.

Help Me To Let Go, and Let God

Dear Lord, Help me to let go and let You. Urge me to let go of my impatience and to open my heart to Your Loving Patience. Teach me how to let go of my pompous attitude in thinking I'm the only one capable of solving all of my problems. Counsel me on how to let go of my cares, my worries and the noises in my life ...and to let You surround me with Your Tranquil Assurances of my comfort.

Encourage me to let go of my selfishness and let You show me the benefit of praying for others who seek Your Protection, Your Healings, Your Forgiveness, Your Compassion and Your Rainbows after raging storms. Remind me, Lord, of the Holy Benefits when I let go and let You lead me on Your Path. Smile with me, Lord, when I finally let go and let You take over. Nod Your Head in Sanctified Approval when I let go of my follies and let You replace them with positive goals in my life. Amen.

Glory, Honor and Praise to You, Lord, forever and ever.

Prayer to Do God's Will

God, our Father, help us not to lose sight of heavenly realities while we apply ourselves diligently to the circumestances of our earthly lives. Enable us to hear Your voice, follow Your will, pursue Your purpose, and accept Your judgments. Help us to act to please You rather than ourselves or others. And after our earthly lives are over, let us be united with Your Son in the unity that You share with Him and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer for My Vocation

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission.... I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it--if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. Amen.

~~by John Henry Newman, taken from "Prayers for Today," published by Leaflet Missal Co.

The Litany of Divine Providence

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.

God, all-knowing and all-wise, Have mercy on us.
God, all-powerful and all-good, Have mercy on us.
God, most patient and most merciful, Have mercy on us.
Father of mercy and consolation, Have mercy on us.
God, wonderful and inscrutable in Thy plans, Have mercy on us.
God, in Whose hands is our life, Have mercy on us.
God, from Whom all good things and every perfect gift comes, Have mercy on us.

Thou Who hast made all things for the service of man, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who governest all with wisdom and love, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who fillest all living things with blessing, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who dost clothe the lilies of the field and feed the birds of the air, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who dost number the hairs of our head, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who seest in secret, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who makest the sun to shine upon the good and the bad, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who allowest it to rain upon the just and the unjust, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who workest all things for the benefit of those who love Thee, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who sendest temporal sufferings for our correction and good, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who dost reward Christian patience with an eternal reward, Have mercy on us.

God, our sole refuge and hope, Have mercy on us.
God, our only consoler and helper, Have mercy on us.
Be merciful, Spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, Deliver us, O Lord.
From all sin, Deliver us, O Lord.
From all murmurings and complaints against Thy holy decrees, Deliver us, O Lord.
From cowardice and impatience, Deliver us, O Lord.
From mistrust in Thy Divine Providence, Deliver us, O Lord.
From too great trust in riches and the favor of men, Deliver us, O Lord.
From immoderate concern for temporal things, Deliver us, O Lord.
From misuse or neglect of Thy gifts and benefits, Deliver us, O Lord.
From ingratitude toward Thy loving kindness, Deliver us, O Lord.
From uncharitableness toward our neighbor, Deliver us, O Lord.
From obduracy in sin, Deliver us, O Lord.
From all dangers of body and soul, Deliver us, O Lord.
From Thy well-merited chastisements, Deliver us, O Lord.
From earthquake, pestilence, famine and distress, Deliver us, O Lord.
From disease, hunger and war, Deliver us, O Lord.
From a wicked and unprovided death, Deliver us, O Lord.
On the day of judgment, Deliver us, O Lord.

We sinners beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may always trust in Thy Divine Providence, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That in good fortune we may not become proud and godless, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That in misfortune we may not become discouraged and impatient, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may submit simply to all Thy decrees, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may praise Thy name whether Thou givest or takest away, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thy will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may seek consolation from Thee in time of trial, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest give us what is necessary for the support of our life, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That in all adversities we may grow in patience and humility, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest accompany all our labors with Thy blessing, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest reward our temporal sufferings with eternal joys, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest fill our spiritual and civil rulers with the spirit of truth and the fear of God,
We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest pity all who suffer want, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest console and raise up all the abandoned and oppressed, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou mayest reward our benefactors with eternal goods, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may praise and glorify Thy Divine Providence now and forever, We beseech Thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Pray 1 Our Father and 1 Hail Mary

All eyes are turned to Thee, O Lord, And Thou givest them food in season.
Thou openest Thy gentle hand, And fillest with blessing all living things.

V. Lord, show us Thy mercy,
R. And grant us Thy salvation.

Let Us Pray: O God, Whose Providence is never frustrated in its decrees, we beseech Thee to keep from us all harm and grant us every blessing, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Litany of Resignation to the Will of God

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father, Who hath created me, allowed be Thy will.
God the Son, Who hath redeemed me, Not my will but Thine be done.
God the Holy Ghost, Who hath offered sanctification, Blessed be the Most Sweet Will of God.
Thou Who dost know and foresee all things, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who dost govern and rule all things, Have mercy on us.
Thou Who, according to Thy inscrutable designs, dost effect all things in a wonderful manner,
Have mercy on us.
Thou Who dost permit evil in order thence to derive good for the salvation of the elect,
Have mercy on us.

In all things and in all possible events, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In all circumstances and disgraces, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In my state and employment, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In my affairs and occupations, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In all my actions, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In my health and strength, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In my body and soul, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In my life and death, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In myself and in those who belong to me, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In all men and angels, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In all creatures, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
In all parts of the earth, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
At all times, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
For all eternity, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Although weak nature complains, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Although it costs much to self-love and sensuality, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Solely and only through love for Thee and Thy good pleasure, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Because Thou art my Creator, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Because Thou art the Supreme Lord of all things, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Because Thou art infinite perfection, therefore do I say, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
with all the Saints in Heaven, With the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.
With Jesus in the Garden of Olives, Thy Holy Will be done, O my God.

Pray 1 Our Father

V. May the just, most amiable will of God be done in all things.
R. May it be praised and magnified forever! Amen.

Let Us Pray: Grant me Thy grace, O Father, that perfect resignation to Thy Holy Will may be with me, and labor with me, and continue with me to the end. Grant me always to desire and will that which is most acceptable to Thee and which pleaseth Thee best. Let Thy will be mine, and let my will always follow Thine and agree perfectly with it. Let me always will and not will the same with Thee; let me not be able to will or not will anything except what Thou willest or willest not. Amen.

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus During a Holy Hour of Reparation

2010-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
During a Holy Hour of Reparation

For 1 Fold, 1 Shepherd; For Reparation, for Sinners,
for Thanksgiving, and for a Just Peace

Pope Pius XI wrote, in his encyclical "Miserentissimus": "...that the necessity of Expiation or Reparation is especially urgent today must be evident to everyone who considers the present plight of the world.... The Sacred Heart of Jesus promised to St. Margaret Mary that He would reward abundantly with His graces all those who should render this honor to His Heart."

A "holy hour" may be made individually or in a group. They are held in a Catholic Church preferably where there is Eucharistic Adoration; but also may be held if the Blessed Sacrament is not exposed, but is still in the Tabernacle.

This is HIS HOUR

The Sacred Heart of Jesus began this devotion of the Holy Hour of Reparation, when He entered the Garden of Gethsemane on Mount Olivet. He said to His apostles: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay you here and watch with Me." Later, He said to them: "Could you not watch one hour with Me? Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation." (Matt. 26: 38, 40, 41)

As Jesus spoke to His apostles, so He pleads with us to stay and watch and pray with Him. His Sacred Heart is filled with sadness, because so many doubt Him, despise Him, insult Him, ridicule Him. In the Sacrament of Love, so many forget Him. Every mortal sin brings down the terrible scourges on His Sacred Body, presses the sharp thorns into His Sacred Head, and hammers the cruel nails into His Sacred Hands and Feet. The ingratitude of mankind continually pierces His Sacred Heart.

When Jesus saw the sins of the world and the reparation that must be made to His Heavenly Father, He began to fear and be sad and sorrowful. "Kneeling down, He prayed: 'Father, if Thou will, remove this chalice from Me. But not My will, Thine be done.' There appeared an angel from heaven to strengthen Him; and being in agony, He prayed the longer, and His sweat became as drops of blood trickling to the ground." (Luke 22: 41, 44)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary: "Make reparation for the ingratitude of men. Spend an hour in prayer to appease divine justice, to implore mercy for sinners, to honor Me, to console Me for My bitter suffering when abandoned by My apostles, when they did not watch one hour with Me."

Prayers for the Holy Hour

Make the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Here make your intentions for the Holy Hour)

Pray: O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that in the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee!

Act of Contrition:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us!

Act of Spiritual Communion:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art really present in the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I love Thee above everything else, and I long to receive Thee into my soul. I cannot now receive Thee in Holy Communion, but I beg Thee to come to me at least spiritually. I embrace Thee as already there, and unite myself entirely to Thee. Grant that I may never be separated from Thee!

I adore Thee every moment, O Living Bread from heaven, Great Sacrament!

Offering of the Holy Hour:

My Sweet Jesus, I desire to spend this hour with Thee, to console Thee, and to make some reparation by the love of my poor heart for the agony Thou didst suffer in Gethsemane. In that lone hour, Thou wast forsaken, and the creatures, whom Thou didst create to love Thee, loved Thee not. The weight of all our sins pressed on Thee, and mine as well; and for the sorrow which I caused Thee then by my sins, I will endeavor to repay Thee now by my love. Strengthen it, my Jesus, that it my in some small measure give Thee consolation.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, strengthened in Thine agony by an angel, comfort us in our agony.

Opening Prayer to the Blessed Sacrament:

My Lord Jesus Christ, it is Thy great love for men that keeps Thee day and night in this Sacrament, full of pity and love, expecting, inviting, and welcoming all who visit Thee. I believe that Thou art really present in the Sacrament of the Altar. From the depth of my nothingness, I adore Thee, and I thank Thee for the many graces Thou hast given me, especially for the gift of Thyself in this Sacrament, for the gift of Thy most holy Mother as my intercessor, and for the privilege of visiting Thee in this Church.

I now speak to Thy most loving Heart with a threefold intention: to thank Thee for the gift of Thyself, to atone for all the insults which Thy enemies heap upon Thee in this Sacrament, and to adore Thee wherever Thy Eucharistic Presence is dishonored or forgotten.

My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I am very sorry for my ingratitude to Thy infinite goodness. I now resolve with the help of Thy grace, never to offend Thee again. And, sinful as I am, I consecrate to Thee my entire self, my whole will, my affections, my desires, and all that I have. From now on, do with me and mine as Thou please. I ask for and desire only Thy love, final perseverance, and the grace to always do Thy holy will.

I intercede with Thee for the Souls in Purgatory, especially for those who were most devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, and to Thy most holy Mother. I recommend to Thee also, all poor sinners. And lastly, my dear Saviour, I unite all my desires with the desires of Thy most loving Heart. Thus united, I present them to Thy Eternal Father, and beg Him in Thy Name and for the love of Thee, to hear and answer them.

~~ St. Alphonsus deLiguori

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our heart like unto Thine.

Act of Faith:

O my God! I firmly believe all the sacred truths which Thy holy Catholic Church believes and teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.

Act of Hope:

O my God! Relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain the pardon of my sins, the assistance of Thy grace, and life everlasting through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Act of Love:

O my God! I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself, for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

Jesus, I live for Thee; Jesus, I die for Thee; Jesus, I am Thine in life and in death. Amen.

Act of Charity:

O good and merciful Saviour, it is the desire of my heart to return Thee love for love. My greatest sorrow is that Thou art not loved by all men, and, in particular, that my heart is so cold, so selfish, so ungrateful. Deeply sensible of my own weakness and poverty, I trust that Thy own grace will enable me to offer Thee an act of pure love. And I wish to offer Thee this act of love in reparation for the coldness and neglect that are shown to Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love by Thy creatures. O Jesus, my sovereign good, I love Thee, not for the sake of the reward which Thou hast promised to those who love Thee, but purely for Thyself. I love Thee above all things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and above myself and all that is not Thee, protesting in the presence of heaven and earth that I will live and die purely and simply in Thy holy love, and that if to love Thee thus I must endure persecution and suffering, I am perfectly satisfied, and I will ever say with St. Paul: "Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ."

O Jesus, Supreme Master of all hearts, I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee, because I am now all Thine own. Rule over me and transform my soul into the likeness of Thyself so that it may bless and glorify Thee forever in the abode of the saints. Amen.

Sweet Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and on our erring brethren.

Prayer to Christ the King:

O Christ Jesus, I acknowledge Thee King of the Universe. All that has been made has been created for Thee. Make full use of Thy rights over me. I renew the promises I made in Baptism, when I renounced Satan and all his pomps and works, and I promise to live a good Christian life; and especially I undertake to help, to the extent of my means, to secure the triumph of the rights of God and of Thy Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer Thee my efforts to obtain that all hearts may acknowledge Thy Sacred Royalty, and that so the Kingdom of Thy peace may be established throughout the entire universe. Amen.

Jesus, King and Center of all hearts, through the advent of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.

Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united to the Word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, keeper of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, where dwells the fullness of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in Whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, in Whose fullness we have all received, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,
R. Make our hearts like unto Yours.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Your beloved Son and upon the praise and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners. In Your goodness, grant all people pardon when they seek Your Mercy, in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You forever and ever. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me.

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus :

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thee. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known Thee; many, too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart.

Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.

Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart
that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!

Act of Reparation:

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee!

The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus! The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hopes of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole hope of mankind! The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus! The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most liberal Heart of Jesus! The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of every virtue! The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more w shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of souls! The more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more we will honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!

O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

Praise and adoration ever more be given to the most Holy Sacrament!

Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary, and then:

Let us pray: O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, I thank Thee, that Thou didst die on the Cross for my sins.

To the Queen of the Holy Rosary:

O Queen of the most holy Rosary, in these times of brazen impiety, show again thy power, with the signs which accompanied thy victories of old, and from the throne where thou art seated, dispensing pardon and grace, in pity watch over the Church of thy Son, His Vicar, and every order of the clergy and laity, suffering in grievous warfare. Hasten, O most powerful destroyer of heresy, hasten the hour of mercy, seeing that the hour of judgment is daily challenged by innumerable offenses. Obtain for me, the lowest of men, kneeling suppliant in thy presence, the grace which may enable me to live a just life on earth, and reign with the just in heaven, whilst with the faithful throughout the world, O Queen of the most holy Rosary, I salute thee and cry out: Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to Thee through Mary.

To Jesus Abandoned:

With Mary Immaculate, let us adore, thank, implore and console, the Most Beloved and Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

O Divine Jesus, lonely tonight in so many Tabernacles, without visitor or worshipper, I offer Thee my poor heart. May its every throb be an act of love for Thee. Thou art always watching beneath the Sacramental Veils; in Thy love Thou dost never sleep and Thou art never weary of Thy vigil for sinners. O lonely Jesus, may the flame of my heart burn and beam always in company with Thee.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine!
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

Veneration of the Thorn-Crowned Head of Our Saviour:

And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His Head. They began to spit upon Him, and they gave Him blows. Others smote His Face and said: "Prophesy, who is it that struck Thee?"

O holy Redeemer! Thou art clothed with a scarlet cloak, a reed is placed in Thy Hands for a scepter, and the sharp points of a thorny crown are pressed into Thy adorable Head. My soul, thou canst never conceive the sufferings, the insults and indignities offered to our Blessed Lord during this scene of pain and mockery.

I therefore salute Thee and offer Thee supreme homage as King of Heaven and Earth, the Redeemer of the World, the Eternal Son of the Living God. O my afflicted Saviour! O King of the World, Thou art ridiculed as mock king. I believe in Thee and adore Thee as the King of kings and Lord of lords, as the supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth.

O Jesus! I devoutly venerate Thy Sacred Head pierced with thorns, struck with a reed, overwhelmed with pain and derision. I adore the Precious Blood flowing from Thy bleeding Wounds. To Thee be all praise, all thanksgiving, and all love forevermore.

O meek Lamb, Victim for sin! May Thy thorns penetrate my heart with fervent love, that I may never cease to adore Thee as my God, my King, and my Saviour.

Behold, O God, our Protector.
And look upon the Face of Thy Christ.

Let us pray: O my beloved Saviour, at sight of Thy most Holy Face disfigured by suffering, at the sight of Thy Sacred Heart so full of love, I cry out with St. Augustine: "Lord Jesus, imprint on my heart Thy sacred Wounds, so that I may read therein sorrow and love; sorrow, to endure every sorrow for Thee; love, to despise every love for Thee." Amen.

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee,
because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

To Our Lord on the Cross:

My Crucified Jesus, mercifully accept the prayer which I now make to Thee, for help in the moment of my death, when at its approach, all my senses shall fail me.

When, therefore, O sweetest Jesus, my weary and downcast eyes can no longer look up to Thee, be mindful of the loving gaze which I now turn on Thee and have mercy on me. When my parched lips can no longer kiss Thy most Sacred Wounds, remember then those kisses which I now imprint on Thee, and have mercy on me. When my cold hands can no longer embrace Thy Cross, forget not the affection with which I embrace it now, and have mercy on me. And when, at length, my swollen and lifeless tongue can no longer speak, remember that I called upon Thee now.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, to you I commend my soul. Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ
to heal the wounds of our souls.

Devotion in Honor of the Five Holy Wounds:

As I kneel before Thee on the Cross, most loving Saviour of my soul, my conscience tells me it is I who have nailed Thee to that Cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearying Thee with my monstrous ingratitude.

My God, my chief and most perfect Good, worthy of all my love, seeing Thou hast ever loaded me with blessings, I cannot now undo my misdeeds, as I would most willingly, but I can and will loathe them, grieving greatly for having offended Thee Who art infinite Goodness. And now, kneeling at Thy Feet, I will try at least to compassionate Thee, to give Thee thanks, to ask of Thee pardon and contrition. Wherefore, with heart and lips I pray:

To the Wound of the Left Foot: Holy Wound of the Left Foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love whereby Thou wast wearied in overtaking me on the way to ruin, and didst bleed amid the thorns and brambles of my sins. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, in atonement for my sins, all of which I detest with sincere and bitter contrition.

To the Wound of the Right Foot: Holy Wound of the Right Foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love which pierced Thee with such torture and shedding of Blood in order to punish my wanderings and the guilty pleasures I have granted to my passions. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and I pray unto Him for grace to weep over my transgressions with burning tears, and to enable me to persevere in the good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the commandments of my God.

To the Wound of the Left Hand: Holy Wound of the Left Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for having in Thy love, spared me the scourges and eternal damnation which my sins have merited. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and I pray Him to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy fruits of penance, and so disarm the angry justice of my God.

To the Wound of the Right Hand: Holy Wound of the Right Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all m y miserable obstinacy. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and I pray Him to change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will of God.

To the Wound of the Sacred Side: Holy Wound in the Side of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee, my Jesus, for the love which suffered Thy Side and Heart to be pierced, that the last drops of Blood and Water might issue forth, making my redemption to abound. I offer to the Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most sacred humanity, that my soul may enter once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and from It may never more depart.

Sacred Heart of my Jesus, grant that I may ever love Thee more and more.

Prayer for Increase of Daily Holy Communions:

O Sweetest Jesus, Who camest into this world to give to all the life of Thy grace, and Who, to preserve and sustain it, didst will to be the remedy of our daily infirmities, and our daily Food; humbly we pray Thee, by Thy Heart, all on fire for love of us, to pour out Thy Holy Spirit upon all, so that those who are unhappily in mortal sin may be converted to Thee, and recover the life of grace which they have lost; and those who by Thy gift still live this divine life, may every day, when they are able, approach devoutly to Thy holy table, where, in daily Holy Communion, receiving every day the antidote to their daily venial sins, and nourishing the life of grace in their hearts, and purifying more and more their souls, they may come at last to the enjoyment with Thee of eternal beatitude. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love of Thee.

Prayer for Those in Their Last Agony:

O Most merciful Jesus, Lover of Souls; I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thy Immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and are to die this day. Amen.

Heart of Jesus Agonizing, have mercy on the dying.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph.

Prayers for the Holy Father:

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, look down with favor upon Thy servant, (name), whom Thou hast deigned to appoint the supreme Pastor of Thy Church; grant, we beseech Thee, that both his word and example may benefit those over whom he has been placed, so that together with the flock entrusted to his care he may attain unto life everlasting, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pour in richest fullness Thy blessings upon Holy Church, the Pope, and all the clergy; grant perseverance to the just, conversion to sinners; enlighten the unbelievers; bless our relatives, friends, and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the souls in Purgatory; and extend over all hearts the gentle dominion of Thy love.

Lord Jesus, shelter our Holy Father the Pope, under the protection of Thy Sacred Heart.
Be Thou his light, his strength, and his consolation.

The Importance of the Family Rosary

2010-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Importance of the Family Rosary

This article is taken from the booklet "Our Glorious Faith and How To Lose It" written by Fr. Hugh Thwaites, S.J. It contains different stories of how we can lose our faith but this paper will deal only with the Holy Rosary. Fr. Thwaites' words on this subject are as follows:

Without delay now, I want to talk about my theme. It seems to me that a principal cause of the loss of faith is the dropping off in the practice of the family rosary.

In Austria, after World War II, there was a complete collapse of vocations. One year, apparently, no one at all entered the seminaries. So the bishops held a synod, to find out how it could be that this had happened. The conclusion they reached was that the war had so disrupted family life that the centuries-old practice of the rosary in the home had stopped, and had just not started up again. This is my experience, too; when the rosary goes, the faith soon collapses.

I remember someone telling me of a friend of his, a great Catholic, the pillar of the parish, whose children had all lapsed, one after the other. They had all fallen away from the sacraments and from attending Mass. So I said to him, "I wouldn't mind betting that your friend had been brought up to recite the family rosary when he was a boy, and that his children haven't." The next time I saw him, he said that this was indeed true. His friend had recited the family rosary at home when he was a boy, and when he had got married and started his own family they all said the rosary. But then, one evening when they were about to start the rosary, one of the children switched on the television, and that was that. The custom of the family rosary was dropped, and in due course, they gave up the practice of the faith.

After this life, that one unrebuked action will be seen to have affected the eternity of many people. God sent His Mother to Fatima to tell us that we had to say the rosary every day. There were no other prayers She asked us to say. Accordingly, we should do what She asked.

A layman I met once who did not say his rosary told me that he read the breviary every day. That is fine. It is what priests have to do. It is the prayer of the Church. So in a way it is better than the rosary. But it is not what Our Lady asked for. She asked for the rosary. If a mother sends her child to the shop for a bottle of milk, and he comes back instead with ice cream, is she pleased? In a way, ice cream is better than milk, but it is not what she asked for.

In that most holy home at Nazareth, do you think that Our Lady had to ask for anything twice? If we want in any way to be like Jesus, we must do what His Mother asks. If we do not, can we expect things to go right? We cannot with impunity disobey the Mother of God. She knows better than we the dangers of this spiritual warfare. She sees more clearly than we do the dangers that beset us. She warns us: You must say your rosary every day.

If the garage mechanic warns you that your car needs repairing or else it will break down, surely you would heed that warning. If the gas gauge warns you that you need more gas, do you do nothing about it? And if Our Lady comes to Fatima and tells us, not just once but six times, that we must say the rosary every day, do we disregard that warning? If we do, we have only ourselves to blame when we find that our children have lapsed from the faith.

I know that Fatima is only a private revelation, but nevertheless the Church has endorsed it, and that makes it rash for us to disregard it. If the Church informs us that Our Lady really did come to Fatima and tell us these things, then we must harken to her words. It really seems to me that those Catholics who do not take Fatima seriously and say the rosary every day in their homes are very akin to the Jews who laughed at Jeremiah. If God sends us His prophets and we do not take them seriously – well, we have the whole of the Old Testament to tell us what happens as a result. But at Fatima, God sent us, not His prophets, but His Immaculate Mother.

So I think that the abandonment of the family rosary is a main reason why so many Catholics have lost the faith. It seems to me that the Church of the future is going to consist solely of those families who have been faithful to the rosary. But there will be vast numbers of people whose families used to be Catholic.

In my work of going round visiting homes, I have seen this conclusion borne out time and again. Homes can be transformed by starting the recitation of the daily rosary. I remember a woman telling me that she could not thank me enough for having nagged her into starting it; it had united her family as never before. And I remember another home where I called. There was a strange tension there: the children were silent and the wife seemed withdrawn, but the husband was willing to start the family rosary. When I called back again a couple of months later, the atmosphere was quite different. The children were chatty and the wife was friendly, and the husband walked down the road with me afterwards and said how amazing it was that the home was so much happier.

One reason, I think, why the daily rosary makes for a happy home, is this. From what some possessed people have said, and from what some of the saints have said, it seems certain that demons fear the rosary. It makes their hair stand on end, so to speak. Holy water certainly drives them out, but they come back again. The daily rosary drives them out and keeps them out. It is rather like living in an old house where there are mice everywhere. The only way to get rid of them is to bring cats. If you get a couple of cats, after a week or two there simply will not be any more mice. Mice fear the very smell of cats. And in a home where the rosary is said every day, after a time the demons realize they are impotent in front of Our Lady, and go elsewhere.

This must be one reason why, as they say, "the family that prays together stays together." In that home, utterly free of evil spirits, there is an atmosphere one does not find outside. In a demon-infested city like London, where I live, such a home is an oasis of God's grace, and people find a comfort and peace there which they enjoy greatly. We human beings are not meant to live in the company of demons, but with God and with the angels and saints in heaven.

So, as I see it, in this effort we are making to keep the faith and pass it on, the practice of the rosary is absolutely indispensable. Whatever else a person may do, even though they go to Mass every day, they still need to say the rosary in their home. It is the medicine our Mother has told us to take, to keep our faith strong and healthy.

Page 2

The Power of the Rosary

The most holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or, above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the holy Rosary. With the holy Rosary, we will save ourselves; we will sanctify ourselves; we will console our Lord, and obtain the salvation of many souls. Conversation between Sr. Lucy of Fatima and Fr. Fuentes, Dec. 26, 1957

"The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors." Pope Pius XI

"Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been so favored by so many miracles as the Rosary devotion." Pope Pius IX

"The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying." Pope Leo XIII

St. Dominic prayed to Our Lady that she would force the devils who possessed a man to reveal the truth about devotion to her. The devils were forced by Our Lady to reveal: "Now that we are forced to speak we must also tell you this: Nobody who perseveres in saying the Rosary will be damned, because she obtains for her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins and by means of this they obtain God's forgiveness and mercy."

THREE HAIL MARY'S PRAYER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF UNBORN CHILDREN

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THREE HAIL MARY'S PRAYER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF UNBORN CHILDREN

Christian prolifers who have spent time counseling in front of abortion clinics have often observed the power of prayer to save the lives of unborn children. God pours out special graces to save the lives of unborn children when His followers petition Heaven to redirect women away from having abortions. Your prayers today can save a life. Prayers said to the Virgin Mary can prevent abortion from taking place.

Mother Teresa said that "the fruits of abortion are nuclear war." When Mother Teresa said this she was indicating that the complete disrespect for life, especially the lives of the unborn, would bring about a nuclear war.

During each day, offer up three Hail Mary's several times each day asking the Blessed Mother to redirect women throughout the world away from the abortion clinics and toward giving birth to their children. If you want to say rosaries each day to save unborn children; this is also recommended.

PRAYER TO THE PASSION AND WOUNDS OF JESUS

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PRAYER TO THE PASSION AND WOUNDS OF JESUS

A Very powerful Prayer To Obtain A Favor:

PRAY THE FOLLOWING:

O great passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if it be for my salvation.

---------

Promises Of Our Lord

"I will grant all that shall be asked of Me through the invocation of my Holy Wounds."

"With my Wounds and my Divine Heart you can obtain all."

---------

PRAY THE FOLLOWING:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls."

"My Jesus, pardon and mercy, by the merits of Thy Holy Wounds."

The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary Devotion

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The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary Devotion
The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). This devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:

I will grant peace to their families.

They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.

I will console them in their pains and I will accompany
them in their work.

I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.

I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.

I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

THE SEVEN SORROWS:

The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2: 34, 35)

The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13-14)

The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 3: 43-45)

The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.

The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.

The burial of Jesus.

(Say one Hail Mary while meditationg on each Sorrow)

The Hail Mary:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus

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Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus

O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy Flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other Wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen.

It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and Our Lord answered: "I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through Its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins."

Imprimatur: Thomas D. Beaven
Bishop of Springfield, Ma.

This revelation and promise of Our Dear Savior is another proof of His unlimited mercy. You are urged to say the prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus daily and distribute this prayer on a continuous basis, so that others may share in this blessing.

SEVEN OFFERINGS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

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SEVEN OFFERINGS OF
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the propagation and exaltation of my dear Mother the Holy Church, for the safety and prosperity of her visible Head, the Holy Roman Pontiff, for the cardinals, bishops and pastors of souls, and for all the ministers of the sanctuary.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Blessed and praised forevermore be Jesus Who hath saved us by His Precious Blood! Amen.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the peace and concord of nations, for the conversion of the enemies of our holy faith and for the happiness of all Christian people.

Glory be, etc. above

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the repentance of unbelievers, the extirpation of all heresies, and the conversion of sinners.

Glory be, etc. above

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all my relations, friends and enemies, for the poor, the sick, and those in tribulation, and for all those for whom Thou willest I should pray, or knowest that I ought to pray.

Glory be, etc. above

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all those who shall this day pass to another life, that Thou mayest preserve them from the pains of hell, and admit them the more readily to the possession of Thy Glory.

Glory be, etc. above

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all those who are lovers of this Treasure of His Blood, and for all those who join with me in adoring and honoring It, and for all those who try to spread devotion to It . .

Glory be, etc. above

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for all my wants, spiritual and temporal, for the holy souls in Purgatory, and particularly for those who in their lifetime were most devoted to this Price of our redemption, and to the sorrows and pains of our dear Mother, most Holy Mary . . .

Glory be, etc. above

Blessed and exalted be the Blood of Jesus, now and always, and through all eternity. Amen.

A HIDDEN TREASURE

Appearing to one of the sisters of her community shortly after her death, St. Teresa of Avila told the sister that she would be willing to return to a life of suffering on earth until the end of time if thereby she could merit that degree of glory with which God rewards one devoutly recited "Hail Mary." St. Paul speaks in like manner when he says: "The sufferings of this life are not to be compared with the glory to come."

If one short prayer is thus rewarded, what reward awaits those who offer to the Eternal Father, the Precious Blood of Jesus. "An offering," says Father Faber, is "More than a prayer." "In prayer we are the recipients, but when we make an offering God vouchsafes to accept something from us." In Our Lord's own words to Sister Mary Martha Chambon, Apostle of the Holy Wounds, " To offer to the Eternal Father the Sacred Wounds of Jesus is to offer Him His Glory, to offer Heaven to Heaven." Each time you offer to My Father the merits of My Divine Wounds," He said to her, "You gain an immense fortune . . . You must not remain poor, your Father is very rich."

If you and I, at this very moment, were standing on the threshold of eternity, we would see a limitless duration extending before us which our vision would fail to terminate. Looking on this endlessness the awful truth would come to us that the time of merit had passed forever. The saints realized this truth while yet in life, and we can see the vastness of their reward.

Those who have passed into eternity realize that there will be no further opportunities for additional merit, for time has passed forever. If regrets were possible in Heaven, unused opportunities would be the cause, for the blessed know what greater capacity for giving accidental honor to God they would have had if they had used all their opportunities. Because of God's mercy they have no regrets, but their status is sealed forever.

The position of the priest in heaven must be tremendous for he offers daily a Victim-of-Infinite-Worth; and yet each one of us can offer the same Victim in a different manner by sincerely saying:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus."

Just suppose that if you were to make the seven offerings each day. It would take only a few minutes of time, and yet the vast merit gained would last eternally.

What an investment!

THE PRECIOUS BLOOD AND HEAVEN
Promises of Our Lord to
Sister Mary Martha Chambon

Those who pray with humility and who meditate on My Passion, shall one day participate in the glory of My Divine wounds. Their members will receive from them a resplendent beauty and glory.

The more you shall have contemplated My Painful wounds on this earth, the higher shall be your contemplation of them glorious in Heaven.

The soul who during life has honored and studied the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered Them to the Eternal Father for the Souls in Purgatory will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the Angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory will receive her and crown her.

REFLECTIONS

Life is short-and death is sure,-
The hour of death remains obscure.
A soul you have-an only one
If that be lost all hope is gone.-
Waste not your time-while time shall last-
For after death-'tis ever past.-
The all-seeing God-your Judge will be-
Or heaven or hell-your destiny.
All earthly things-will fleet away.
Eternity-will ever stay.

With Ecclesiastical Approbation

Devotion to the Drops of Blood of Jesus

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Devotion to the Drops of Blood
Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ
on His Way to Calvary

St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers, upon which Our Lord revealed to them:

To all the faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 "Our Fathers", 2 "Hail Marys" and 2 "Glory Bes", in honor of the drops of Blood I lost, I will concede the following 5 graces:

1st The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.

2nd You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.

3rd If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.

4th It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.

5th I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.

Blessed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890.

Please keep this prayer card with others that you say daily to remind you to recite these prayers. Please record the date you started:

____/____/____

Mo Day Year

The thought of saving souls should always be on our mind. St. John Bosco stated it well: "There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the last drops of His blood." St. Vincent de Paul tells us that: "The Salvation of men and our own are so great a good that they merit to be obtained at any price."

Sad to say, the great majority of Catholics put forth little or no effort in promoting the greater honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls. Let us keep in mind that if we manage to save one soul, we also ensure the salvation of our own. The Holy Ghost reveals this to us in the Holy Bible. (St. James 5:19,20)

Prayers to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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Prayer to
Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O Most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity.
O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein You are my Mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech You from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity. There are none that can withstand Your power.
O show me herein You are my Mother.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O show me herein You are my Mother.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O show me herein You are my Mother.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.

O most beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendour of Heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my
necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. O
holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from
the bottom of my heart, to succour me in this necessity; there are none that can
withstand your power.
Amen

O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, blessed mother of the Son of God, immaculate virgin, assist us in our necessity. O star of the sea, help us and show us the way. Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to you.
Holy Spirit, you who solve all problems, light all roads, so that we can attain our goal. You who gave us the diving gift to forgive and forget all evil against us, and who are with us in all instances in our lives, thank you for all things, as you confirm once again that we are never to be separated from you in eternal glory. AMEN

Novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Never Known To Fail)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven.
Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity.
Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother.
Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (Mention your request here).
There are none that can withstand your power.
Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times).
Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times).
Amen.
Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then you must publish it and it will be granted to you.

Nine Day Novena to
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

First Day

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother!
(Mention your request here)
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Second Day

Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Third Day

O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as your faithful children. may we always wear it with honor by avoiding sin and imitating your virtues. Help us to be faithful to this desire of ours.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Fourth Day

When you gave us, Gracious Lady, the Scapular as our Habit, you called us to be not only servants, but also your own children.
We ask you to gain for us from your Son the grace to live as you children in joy, peace and love. (Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Fifth Day

O Mother of Fair Love, through your goodness, as your children, we are called to live in the spirit of Carmel. Help us to live in charity with one another, prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God's people.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Sixth Day

With loving provident care, O Mother Most Amiable, you covered us with your Scapular as a shield of defense against the Evil One.
Through your assistance, may we bravely struggle against the powers of evil, always open to your Son Jesus Christ.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Seventh Day

O Mary, Help of Christians, you assured us that wearing your Scapular worthily would keep us safe from harm. Protect us in both body and soul with your continual aid. may all that we do be pleasing to your Son and to you.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Eighth Day

You give us hope, O Mother of Mercy, that through your Scapular promise we might quickly pass through the fires of purgatory to the Kingdom of your Son. Be our comfort and our hope.
Grant that our hope may not be in vain but that, ever faithful to your Son and to you, we may speedily enjoy after death the blessed company of Jesus and the saints.
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Ninth Day

O Most Holy Mother of Mount Carmel, when asked by a saint to grant privileges to the family of Carmel, you gave assurance of your Motherly love and help to those faithful to you and to your Son.
Behold us, your children.
We glory in wearing your holy habit, which makes us members of your family of Carmel, through which we shall have your powerful protection in life, at death and even after death.
Look down with love, O Gate of Heaven, on all those now in their last agony!
Look down graciously, O Virgin, Flower of Carmel, on all those in need of help!
Look down mercifully, O Mother of our Savior, on all those who do not know that they are numbered among your children.
Look down tenderly, O Queen of All Saints, on the poor souls!
(Mention your request here)
Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

About the Devotion of the Brown Scapular

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About the Devotion of the Scapular

HISTORY / PROMISE

“Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in

danger and a pledge of

peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fir

e.”

This is Mary’s

romise made July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock

One of the great mysteries of our time is that the majority of Catholics either ignores, or has

entire

ly forgotten this Heavenly promise o

f the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady further says:

“Wear the Scapular devoutly and perseveringly. It is my garment. To be clothed in it means

you

are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to

secure eternal life.”

Old Testament History

Mount Carmel is on the northwestern coast of Palestine. The Hebrew word for Carmel means

'Beautiful Garden Land'. Truly that is what Our Lady is, the beautiful garden that brought forth

Jesus Christ, Our Savior.

The Origin of Carmel goes back to abo

ut 860 B.C. to the time of the prophet Elias and his

victory over the pagan prophets and their god, Baal

. The account of this event is given in 3

Kings 18:21-40.

he Jewish people had tak

en to worshipping false gods,

especially the god

Baal. Their evil King Achab had married the gentile, Jezebel, who

worshipped Baal. The king

built a temple to this pagan deity. When the prophets denounced

him for this, he had them

killed. Elias stood firm and challenged the prophets of Baal to gather

on Mount Carmel to

determine which God, Baal or the Lord was the true God. Each built a

stone altar with firewood

and a sacrificial bull upon it. The "God" who would send fire from

Heaven upon the altar would

be accepted as the true God.

The prophets of Baal prayed and danced and chanted all day to no avail. Elias, though before

beginning his prayer poured gallons of water over his sacrifice, making it humanly impossible

to light the fire. Elias called upon the Lord and immediately a bolt of lightning came down from

heaven consuming the sacrifice and the stones of the altar.

The pagan prophets were killed and Elias went into hiding on Mount Carmel. Later a

community of prophets joined him. They dwelt in caves, praying to God, living in peace.

Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Before coming into Europe, the Carmelites were hermits living on Mount Carmel in Palestine.

They believed themselves to be the spiritual sons of Elias. They led a life of contemplation,

modeled after the prophet.

At the base of

his holy mountain

; in the little village of Nazareth, the Incarnation was

accomplished. The Blessed Virgin Mary, there in the shadow of Mount Carmel, uttered her

sublime “fiat” thus enabling the second Person of the Blessed Trinity to become Man for our

salvation. To the wondrous delight of the hermits, Our Lady with Saint Joseph and the Child

Jesus visited Mount Carmel upon returning from their two years of exile in Egypt. As a result of

this visit the contemplatives of Carmel professed their unqualified belief in Jesus as the long

awaited Messias, the Saviour of the World. Tradition assures us that, because of their childlike

faith, the Carmelites were among the first to be baptized by the Apostles after Pentecost.

Likewise, their great love for the Mother of God induced them to erect on Mount Carmel the first

Church honoring Our Lady. Moreover, as a reward for their devotion to Mary, the Carmelites

were the first to be entrusted with the guardianship of the Holy House of Nazareth, following

Our Lady’s death and Assumption into Heaven.

great was their Love for Our Blessed

Mother that

the Carmelites

were

known as

the "Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel".

Many of the holy

Carmelites

were forced to leave Palestine

ecause of the Saracen invasion.

St. Louis IX of France

conducted them to

Europe. As they were leaving they sang the Salva

Regina. Our Lady

appeared to them and

promised to be their Star of the Sea. Along the way

some stayed in

Cyprus, others in Naples.

Still some went to France to live. A few went on to

England. Lord

Richard de Grey gave them

Alyesford in Kent.

St. Simon Stock, Vicar General of the Carmelite Order

It was in England that Simon Stock joined the group, later to be elected their first Vicar General.

Many problems plagued the new order. The people made fun of the 'striped bedouin mantle'.

Others felt there were enough religious

orders already. To make matters worse there was

internal strife and bickering between the older and younger monks.

By 1251, St. Simon realized that Our Lady was his only hope. With tears in eyes, he saluted her

as the Flower of Carmel and the Star of the Sea. He prayed fervently for her "privilegium". The

special protection a Lord gave to his vassals. The Lord would protect his life and property, in

return for the loyalty of the one making the request.

In the 13th century there was no commerce or industry. Land was the only means of a

livelyhood. The vassals paid homage to the Lord of the land. The Lords owned the land and by

this act of homage the vassal was given the right to till the land. He was guaranteed the

protection of the Lord.

The scapular was not something new to medieval Europe. It had been around since around

550, when the monastic orders came about. The two pieces of cloth joined at the shoulders

and hanging down the back and breast had deep spiritual meaning. Our Lord said in the

gospels,

'My yoke is sweet and my burden is light.'

The monks by putting on this garment

realized that the sweet burden of Divine service was upon him and the whole day was

dedicated to God.

Faith and actual living were one in the middle ages. The monk presented himself to God, His

Divine Master, just as a vassal presented himself to his lord 'to pay homage.' So too, did the

friar make his vows to God.

As we have seen the idea of the scapular and the giving of yourself to another for protection

was not a novel idea. Our Lady chose that which was traditional and widely practiced.

Our Lady appears to St Simon Stock

While praying, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, giving him the Brown Scapular

and

making this promise

"Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of

peace. Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire."

There are those today who say this apparition doesn't have the documentation to prove its
validity. John Haffert in his book, "Mary in Her Scapular Promise," states that the documents
were originally stored in the Carmelite libraries at Bordeaux and at London. A hundred years
after the Vision, the library at Bordeaux was burned by the city officials to prevent the spread of
the Black Plague. During the Anglican schism, Henry VIII ordered the London library burned to
the ground.

But there is one document that is authentic. In 1389, the General of the Carmelite Order, John
Grossi, wrote the book known as "The Viridarium". It is a catalogue of the Carmelite Saints and
gives an accurate account of the Vision. John Grossi consulted and talked to companions of
St. Simon. He had access to all the libraries in the Order. He explicitly declared that he wrote
nothing in his Viridarium that was not from the ancient documents.

After Our Lady appeared to Saint Simon, almost immediately a miraculous change took place
in the Order. The order was saved, its Marian character confirmed and Mary became more a
Mother than a Queen to it. In the beginning only the Carmelites wore the scapular. But by the
14th century the privilege of wearing the scapular extended outside the order. Lay groups and
third orders were formed. Some of these groups were called confraternities.

Still Our Lady continued to favor the Carmelite Order and her scapular with further blessings
and promises. In 1321, St. Peter Thomas was told by Our Heavenly Mother that 'the Order of
Carmel is destined to exist until the end of the world'.

More true stories about the Devotion of the Brown Scapular by the Saints:

St. Alphonsus had a very special devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and while alive wore his brown scapular faithfully. Many years after his death his grave was opened; the body and priestly vestments in which he was buried had turned to dust! But his scapular was found PERFECTLY INTACT!
St. Alphonsus Liguori's Brown Scapular is still miraculously intact and on exhibit in his Monastery in Rome

The Brown Scapular | Garment of Grace

The Thirteenth Century was a turbulent time and the Church was threatened by enemies on all sides. It was then that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, Superior General of the Carmelite Order, on July 16, 1251, and in her hand she held the "Garment of Grace", which we know as the Brown Scapular, and She gave this promise:

"Take this Scapular, it shall be a Sign of Salvation, a Protection in Danger and a Pledge of Peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." - Promise of Our Lady made July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock

Pope Benedict XV, addressing seminarians in Rome:
"Let all of you have a common language and a common armor: The language, the sentences
of the Gospel - the common armor, the Brown Scapular of the Virgin of Carmel which you
ought to wear and which enjoys the singular privilege and protection after death."

The Brown Scapular | A True Story
You will understand why the Devil works against those who promote the brown scapular when
you hear the true story of Venerable Francis Yepes. One day his Scapular fell off. As he
replaced it, the Devil howled, “Take off that habit which snatches so many souls from us! All
those clothed in it die piously and escape us!” Then and there Francis made the Devil admit
that there are three things which the demons are most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus; the
Holy Name of Mary and the Holy Scapular of Carmel.

The Brown Scapular | A Sacramental

"One of the most remarkable effects of sacramentals is the virtue to drive away evil spirits
whose mysterious and baleful operations affect sometimes the physical activity of man. To
combat this occult power the Church has recourse to exorcism, and sacramentals" (The
Catholic Encyclopedia., 1913, VXIII, p. 293

Undoubtedly, Satan is pleased with the tremendous lack of gratitude shown toward the Scapular. The Prince of Darkness despises devotion to Mary, for he knows that in the end the humble Virgin shall crush his head. He is especially humiliated by those who practice this simple wordless Marian devotion, for all who piously wear the Scapular join themselves to Mary in a mystical union. Scapular wearers show that they wish to be perpetually united to Our Lady even though they may not be always conscious of, or adverting to their union. The Blessed Mother in turn, is continually protecting, and assisting her special children who are clothed in the scapular of Carmel, that they might pass through the temptations and trials of this life to the never ending happiness of Heaven. This is the essence of Mary’s promise. To those who piously wear the Scapular she will grant either final perseverance in the state of grace or the grace of final contrition. It must be added that she will not grant the gift of final repentance to obstinate sinners who sacrilegiously use the scapular as an excuse for sin. Such unfortunate souls invariably, at one point, rid themselves of the holy garment and die without the consolation of its promise

What the Saints say about the Brown Scapular:

"When Mary became the Mother of Jesus, true God and true Man, She also became our Mother. In His great mercy, Jesus wished to call us His brothers and sisters, and by this name He constituted us adopted children of Mary." - St. John Bosco

Nobody loves Our Blessed Lady more then Her Son, Jesus Christ. As Christians we imitate Christ's own love in loving His Mother as our own. For in Christ we have become the children of God and the children of Mary (Rev 12:17). "Spreading devotion to Our Lady's Scapular is the most favored of all forms of love expressed to Our Blessed Mother." - St. Claude de la Colombiere

“Modern Heretics make a mockery of wearing the Scapular. They decry it as so much trifling nonsense.” - St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Saints devoted to the Brown Scapular:

St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Peter Claver
St. Robert Bellarmine, SJ
St. Claude de la Colombiere
St. Vincent Pallotti
St. John Vianney, Cure of Ars
St. Bernadette Soubirous
St. John Bosco
St. Maximilian Kolbe
St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Pope St. Pius X
St. Conrad
and many more!!

Catholic Devotions Apostolate

RELIC OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE (in California)

Charlie Brown Christmas

Novena to Immaculate Conception

Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Be careful with the practice of yoga

Profession of Catholic Faith

How to transform a modern altar into a sacred altar

LITANY of SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Prayer to Our Queen of Victories for Conversion

Prayer to Divine Providence-Devout Acts to Be Made Every Day

SAVE YOUR CHILDREN

Devotions and Prayers with Plenary Indulgences

2 -Recitation of the Holy Rosary

3- Exercise of the Way of the Cross

4- Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

5- Papal Blessing

6- Eucharistic Congress

7- Diocesan Synod

8- Pastoral Visitation

Obtainable on special days:

9- January 1st :Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (Veni, Creator)

10 - All Fridays of the Lent: Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus

11- on Holy Thursday : Down in adoration falling (Tantum ergo)

12- on Good Friday: Adoration of the Cross

13- on Feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus: Most sweet Jesus -- Act of Reparation

14 - Visit to a Cemetery each day from 1st to 8th of November

15- Visit to a Church or Oratory on All Souls Day

16- on last day of the year: The Te Deum (Te Deum)

17- Visit to a Church or an Altar on the day of its consecration

Devotions and Prayers with Partial Indulgences

Hidden God (Adoro te devote)

Act of Spiritual Communion (Communionis spiritualis actus)

An Act of Spiritual Communion

Magnificat (Magnificat)

Hail, Holy Queen (Salve, Regina)

Exercise of the Way of the Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium)

The Stations of the Cross

Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff (Oremus pro Pontifice)

Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)

Renewal of Baptismal Promises (Votorum baptismalium renovatio)

Renewal of Baptismal Promises

Come, Holy Ghost (Veni, Sancte Spiritus)

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (Veni, Creator)

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Adoratio Sami Sacramenti)

Down in adoration falling (Tantum ergo)

Recitation of the Holy Rosary

Have mercy on me (Miserere)

Indulgences

What an indulgence is not

What an indulgence is

Various kinds of indulgences

Dispositions necessary to gain an indulgence

The Purgatory

Old Testament

New Testament

Prayers for the Souls in Purgatory

Traditional Latin Mass: Feast of the Sacred Heart

Devotion to the Infant of Prague

A TRUE LETTER OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

Morning Offering

Prayers to Our Lady of Fatima

Novena To Our Lady Of FatimaPray for 9 consecutive days

Saint Padre Pio Prayer

Rosary of the Holy Wounds

Prayers to Know the Will of God

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus During a Holy Hour of Reparation

The Importance of the Family Rosary

THREE HAIL MARY'S PRAYER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF UNBORN CHILDREN

PRAYER TO THE PASSION AND WOUNDS OF JESUS

The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary Devotion

Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus

SEVEN OFFERINGS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

SEVEN OFFERINGS OFTHE PRECIOUS BLOOD

Devotion to the Drops of Blood of Jesus

Devotion to the Drops of BloodLost by our Lord Jesus Christon His Way to Calvary

Prayers to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

About the Devotion of the Brown Scapular

Novena To Our Lady Of Fatima
Pray for 9 consecutive days

SEVEN OFFERINGS OF
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

Devotion to the Drops of Blood
Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ
on His Way to Calvary