I notice alot of people in the limelight often say, I'm a Christian and I wear a Cross, yet anyone can wear a Cross. It is the Crucifix that has the truest power. The sanitation of the Cross is such a true statement and it has been going on for so long here too.
They do really wonderful Crucifixes in Spain , personally I think the more realistic the better and the Spanish really go to town on realism.
Yes, the old Vampire movies. The modern ones tend to have Vampires as heroes or kind of anti heroes. Bad creatures struggling with being good. Very confusing. Actually in the original Bram Stoker book he had them using communion hosts more to fight the vampires. A funny thing maybe for a Protestant like Bram Stoker to be doing.
I think a Sacramental like a Cross or a medal if we use it for prayer for a while can grow in holiness. It is like old Churches. Which is why I like old Churches best. Who knows how many Masses have been said there and how many saints have passed through the doors?
FEAST OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER, 2026 OUR LADY OF SORROWS The title, Our Lady of Sorrows, given to our Blessed Mother focuses on her intense suffering and grief during the passion and death of our Lord. Traditionally, this suffering was not limited to the passion and death event; rather, it comprised the seven dolors or seven sorrows of Mary, which were foretold by the Priest Simeon who proclaimed to Mary, This child [Jesus] is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare (Luke 2:34-35). These seven sorrows of our Blessed Mother included the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt; the loss and finding of the child Jesus in the Temple; Mary's meeting of Jesus on His way to Calvary; Mary's standing at the foot of the cross when our Lord was crucified; her holding of Jesus when He was taken down from the cross; and then our Lord's burial. In all, the prophesy of Simeon that a sword would pierce our Blessed Mother's heart was fulfilled in these events. For this reason, Mary is sometimes depicted with her heart exposed and with seven swords piercing it. More importantly, each new suffering was received with the courage, love, and trust that echoed her fiat, let it be done unto me according to Thy word, first uttered at the Annunciation. This Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows grew in popularity in the 12th century, although under various titles. Granted, some writings would place its roots in the eleventh century, especially among the Benedictine monks. By the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the feast and devotion were widespread throughout the Church. Interestingly, in 1482, the feast was officially placed in the Roman Missal under the title of Our Lady of Compassion, highlighting the great love our Blessed Mother displayed in suffering with her Son. The word compassion derives from the Latin roots cum and patior which means to suffer with. Our Blessed Mother's sorrow exceeded anyone else's since she was the mother of Jesus, who was not only her Son but also her Lord and Savior; she truly suffered with her Son. In 1727, Pope Benedict XIII placed the Feast of Our Lady of Compassion in the Roman Calendar on Friday before Palm Sunday. This feast was suppressed with the revision of the calendar published in the Roman Missal of 1969. In 1668 the feast in honor of the Seven Dolors was set for the Sunday after September 14, the Feast of the Holy Cross. The feast was inserted into the Roman calendar in 1814, and Pope Pius X fixed the permanent date of September 15 for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary (now simply called the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows). The key image here is our Blessed Mother standing faithfully at the foot of the cross with her dying Son: the Gospel of St. John recorded, Seeing His mother there with the disciple whom He loved, Jesus said to His mother, 'Woman, there is your son.' In turn He said to the disciple, 'There is your mother.' (John 19:26-27). The Second Vatican Council in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church wrote, A...She stood in keeping with the divine plan, suffering grievously with her only-begotten Son. There she united herself, with a maternal heart, to His sacrifice, and lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth (#58). St. Bernard (d. 1153) wrote, Truly, O Blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart.... He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since His (De duodecim praerogatativs BVM). Focusing on the compassion of our Blessed Mother, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, reminded the faithful, Mary Most Holy goes on being the loving consoler of those touched by the many physical and moral sorrows which afflict and torment humanity. She knows our sorrows and our pains, because she too suffered, from Bethlehem to Calvary. 'And thy soul too a sword shall pierce.' Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and the mother always understands her children and consoles them in their troubles. Then, she has that specific mission to love us, received from Jesus on the Cross, to love us only and always, so as to save us! Mary consoles us above all by pointing out the Crucified One and Paradise to us! (1980). Therefore, as we honor our Blessed Mother, our Lady of Sorrows, we honor her as the faithful disciple and exemplar of faith. Let us pray as we do in the opening prayer of the Mass for this feast day: Father, as your Son was raised on the cross, His Mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings. May your Church be united with Christ in His suffering and death and so come to share in His rising to new life. Looking to the example of Mary, may we too unite our sufferings to our Lord, facing them with courage, love, and trust. THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY: 1. THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON (Luke 2:25-35) 2. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT (Matthew 2:13-15) 3. LOSS OF THE CHILD JESUS FOR THREE DAYS (Luke 2:41-50) 4. MARY MEETS JESUS ON HIS WAY TO CALVARY (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) 5. CRUCIFIXION AND DEATH OF JESUS (John 19:25-30) 6. THE BODY OF JESUS BEING TAKEN FROM THE CROSS (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) 7. THE BURIAL OF JESUS (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47) PATRON: People named Dolores, Dolais, Deloris, Dolorita, Maria Dolorosa, Pia, and Pieta. PRAYER: O God, who willed that, when your Son was lifted high on the Cross, his Mother should stand close by and share his suffering, grant that your Church, participating with the Virgin Mary in the Passion of Christ, may merit a share in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
SAINTS OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER, 2026 SAINTS CORNELIUS AND CYPRIAN SAINT CORNELIUS POPE AND MARTYR (251 - 253) Pope Cornelius was the successor to Pope Fabian. During his reign a controversy arose concerning the manner of reinstating those who had fallen from the faith under the duress of persecution. The Novatians accused the Pope of too great indulgence and separated themselves from the Church. With the help of St. Lucina, Cornelius transferred the remains of the princes of the apostles to places of greater honor. On account of his successful preaching the pagans banished him to Centumcellae, where he died. St. Cyprian sent him a letter of condolence. At the time of Pope Cornelius there were at Rome forty-six priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons, forty-two acolytes, fifty-two clerics and more than five hundred widows who were supported by the Church (according to Cornelius' letter to Bishop Fabian of Antioch). PATRON: Against ear ache; against epilepsy; fever; cattle; domestic animals. SAINT CYPRIAN BISHOP AND MARTYR (200 – 258) Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus, illustrious as a pagan rhetorician in Carthage, embraced the true faith in the year 246 and was soon thereafter consecrated priest and bishop of that city (248). He was an energetic shepherd of souls and a prolific writer. He defended the unity of the Church against schismatic movements in Africa and Italy, and greatly influenced the shaping of Church discipline relative to reinstating Christians who had apostatized. He fled during the Decian persecution but guided the Church by means of letters. During the Valerian persecution (258) he was beheaded. He suffered martyrdom in the presence of his flock, after giving the executioner twenty-five pieces of gold. St. Jerome says of him: "It is superfluous to speak of his greatness, for his works are more luminous than the sun." Cyprian ranks as an important Church Father, one whose writings are universally respected and often read in the Divine Office. His principal works are: On the Unity of the Church; On Apostates; a collection of Letters; The Lord's Prayer; On the Value of Patience. PATRON: Algeria; North Africa. PRAYER: God our Father, in Saints Cornelius and Cyprian you have given your people an inspiring example of dedication to the pastoral ministry and constant witness to Christ in their suffering. May their prayers and faith give us courage to work for the unity of your Church. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
You can see why these early Catholics were so angry. Many, many people had been died for their Faith . Many others had agreed to Sacrifice to the Pagan Gods and had done so Apostasising and thus they had saved their lives at the expense by denying Christ. Later they repented and wanted to return to the Church. Many, many Catholics thought this was wrong and they should be out for good. Excommunicated permanently. They regard them being forgiven as a kind of cheap grace. The Church on the other hand decided to show them mercy and let them return. It reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son were the elder brother was outraged when his younger brother returned home and got the Royal treatment. The elder son thought this was unfair. On the other hand I recall an Irish priest warn against taking confession to be a kind of hand washing exercise. A kind of revolving door. We must have sincere repentance and a sincere desire to reform our lives. I would for example hope that those Catholics who denied Christ would consider why exactly they had done so and change their lives with this New Start so that the next time around that they would stand firm. Padre Pio one time refused to give a guy absolution one time as he sometimes did and it turned out this guy had a Mistress he was determined to keep whilst married. He had no true sorrow for sin or determination to change his lifestyle. He just wanted the hand washing thingy.
SAINTS OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER, 2026 SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE THE STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE BISHOP, CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (4 OCTOBER 1542 - 17 SEPTEMBER 1621) He was born at Montepulciano in Tuscany on October 4, 1542, the feast of the Poverello of Assisi toward whom he always cherished a special devotion. The day on which he died, September 17, is now the feast in honor of the stigmata of St. Francis. In 1560 Robert Bellarmine entered the Society of Jesus. He easily ranks among its greatest men, illustrious for learning as well as for piety, humility, and simplicity of heart. If it were possible to summarize his life in a single sentence, one that would resolve all the varied activities and accomplishments of his long career, a verse from the psalm might serve: "If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten." His most important work was controversial in nature but the impact of his presentation "resembled the final chord in a mighty cantata, a chord that resounded through all the vice and scandal resulting from the internal corruption of the Church of that day, and that chord heralded Mother Church as one, holy, and Catholic" (E. Birminghaus). Bellarmine also acted as confessor to the youthful Aloysius and John Berchmans. It might be asked why three hundred years passed before the beatification and canonization of Bellarmine. Long ago Bishop Hefele pointed to the reason when he wrote: "Bellarmine deserves the highest degree of respect from Catholics, even though he has not been canonized. Those who labored to besmirch him have only erected a monument of shame for themselves!" Finally in 1923, he was beatified; canonization followed in 1930, and on September 17, 1931, Pope Pius XI declared him a doctor of the Church. PATRON: Canon lawyers; canonists; catechists; catechumens. PRAYER: O God, who adorned the Bishop Saint Robert Bellarmine with wonderful learning and virtue to vindicate the faith of your Church, grant, through his intercession, that in the integrity of that same faith your people may always find joy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. THE STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI SEPTEMBER 1224 St. Francis imitated Christ so perfectly that towards the end of his life our Lord wished to point him out to the world as the faithful imitator of the Crucified, by imprinting His five wounds upon his body. Two years before his death, when, according to his custom, St. Francis had repaired to Mt. La Verna to spend the 40 days preceding the feast of St. Michael the Archangel in prayer and fasting, this wonderful event took place. ST. BONAVENTURE GIVES THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT OF IT: "Francis was raised to God in the ardor of his seraphic love, wholly transformed by sweet compassion into Him, who, of His exceeding charity, was pleased to be crucified for us. On the morning of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as he was praying in a secret and solitary place on the mountain, Francis beheld a seraph with six wings all afire, descending to him from the heights of heaven. As the seraph flew with great swiftness towards the man of God, there appeared amid the wings the form of one crucified, with his hands and feet stretched out and fixed to the cross. Two wings rose above the head, two were stretched forth in flight, and two veiled the whole body." "Francis wondered greatly at the appearance of so novel and marvelous a vision. But knowing that the weakness of suffering could nowise be reconciled with the immortality of the seraphic spirit, he understood the vision as a revelation of the Lord and that it was being presented to his eyes by Divine Providence so that the friend of Christ might be transformed into Christ crucified, not through martyrdom of the flesh, but through a spiritual holocaust." "The vision, disappearing, left behind it a marvelous fire in the heart of Francis, and no less wonderful token impressed on his flesh. For there began immediately to appear in his hands and in his feet something like nails as he had just seen them in the vision of the Crucified. The heads of the nails in the hands and feet were round and black, and the points were somewhat long and bent, as if they had been turned back. On the right side, as if it had been pierced by a lance, was the mark of a red wound, from which blood often flowed and stained his tunic." Although St. Francis strove to conceal the marks he was not able to keep them a complete secret. After his death they were carefully examined, and they were attested as authentic. To commemorate the importance of the five wounds, Pope Benedict XI instituted a special feast which is celebrated on September 17th.. At the heart of the Feast is a recognition that what appeared externally on the body of St. Francis was reflecting his interior conformity to the lived example of Jesus Christ. PRAYER: O Lord Jesus Christ, who, when the world was growing cold, did renew in the flesh of the most blessed Francis the sacred stigmata of Thy Passion, in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy love, graciously grant unto us, that yoked to his merits and prayers we may bear the Cross, and bring forth fruits worthy of penance: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Since things began to fall apart in the Church with the onslaught of Pope Frankie I see St Robert Bellarmine quoted again and again about the possibility of a False Pope and what it meant for ordinary Catholics: De Romano Pontifice Book II, Chapter 30 by St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church ...This principle is most certain. The non-Christian cannot in any way be Pope, as Cajetan himself admits (ib. c. 26). The reason for this is that he cannot be head of what he is not a member; now he who is not a Christian is not a member of the Church, and a manifest heretic is not a Christian, as is clearly taught by St. Cyprian (lib. 4, epist. 2), St. Athanasius (Scr. 2 cont. Arian.), St. Augustine (lib. de great. Christ. cap. 20), St. Jerome (contra Lucifer.) and others; therefore the manifest heretic cannot be Pope. Finally, St. Thomas also teaches (S. Theol., II-II, q. 39, a. 3) that schismatics immediately lose all jurisdiction, and that anything they try to do on the basis of any jurisdiction will be null. Therefore, the true opinion is the fifth, according to which the Pope who is manifestly a heretic ceases by himself to be Pope and head, in the same way as he ceases to be a Christian and a member of the body of the Church; and for this reason he can be judged and punished by the Church. This is the opinion of all the ancient Fathers, who teach that manifest heretics immediately lose all jurisdiction, and outstandingly that of St. Cyprian (lib. 4, epist. 2) who speaks as follows of Novatian, who was Pope [antipope] in the schism which occurred during the pontificate of St. Cornelius: "He would not be able to retain the episcopate, and, if he was made bishop before, he separated himself from the body of those who were, like him, bishops, and from the unity of the Church."
I saw this at Chapel this morning. A great favurite. One of the reasons I love her is her music. The fact that she did Sacred Dancing as well is less well known. Also her prophesies.
