Devotion to Our Lady |
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St. Michael Poster # 1
Available in THREE SIZES. (1) PDF file (8.5 inches x 11 inches) (2) PDF file (11 inches x 17 inches) (3) PDF file (13 inches x 19 inches) |
St. Michael Poster # 2
Available in THREE SIZES. (1) PDF file (8.5 inches x 11 inches) (2) PDF file (11 inches x 17 inches) (3) PDF file (13 inches x 19 inches) |
St. Michael Poster # 3
Available in THREE SIZES. (1) PDF file (8.5 inches x 11 inches) (2) PDF file (11 inches x 17 inches) (3) PDF file (13 inches x 19 inches) |
St. Michael Poster # 4
Available in TWO SIZES. (1) PDF file (11 inches x 17 inches) (2) PDF file (13 inches x 19 inches) |
DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF OUR LADY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS (TURIN, ITALY)
The vast and magnificent basilica of Our Lady in Turin, Italy, built by Saint John Bosco between 1863 and 1868, was inspired by a dream-vision which he had in October 1844. The Blessed Virgin showed Don Bosco a vast and lofty church and said: “This is my house; from it my glory shines forth. You will understand everything when, with your material eyes, you will see in actual fact what you now see with the eyes of your mind.” Nineteen years later, Don Bosco finally set to work on the basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians. Our Lady, in a second vision, chose the location as that of the place of the martyrdom of Saint Adventer Solutor and Saint Octavious, who were both soldiers under the Emperor Maximianus in the fourth century. When the foundation of the church was laid, Don Bosco went to the contractor, Charles Buzzetti, and told him: “I want to pay you at once for this fine work. I don’t know if it will be much, but this is all I have.” He then took out his little purse and emptied the contents into the hand of the contractor, who was expecting a handful of gold coins. His jaw dropped in dismay when he saw in his hand only eight pennies. “Don’t be alarmed,” Don Bosco quickly added with a smile, “the Madonna will see to the payment of her church. I am just the instrument, the cashier.” And to those standing by he concluded, “You will see!” “The whole church was put up by means of graces granted by Mary,” Don Bosco often said. One sixth of the cost, about one million lire in those days, was borne by the generous contributors, devout persons; the rest came from the small offering of those who had been aided by Mary either in health, in business, in family matters, or in some other way. “Every stone, every ornament, represents one of her graces,” insisted Don Bosco. The original contractor, who received the eight cents, later testified that, “The Church was paid for to the last cent.” Among the monuments of the Church, the most splendid is the painting above the main altar. Our Blessed Lady Help of Christians occupies the central position, and is surrounded by symbols: God the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and Evangelists. It measures more than 33 yards square, and is bordered with gold. There was much opposition to the project of building a church dedicated to and in honor of Our Lady Help of Christians, but Don Bosco insisted. It appears he had a supernatural knowledge that the future of his own congregation, and that of the whole world in the not too distant future, depended on the powerful protection of Mary, Help of Christians, just as it had needed and obtained that protection at Lepanto on October 7, 1571, and at Vienna, on September 12, 1683. Don Bosco won out, and the vast church was consecrated and dedicated on June 9, 1868. The dedication festivities lasted nine days, and on each day a Bishop preached while another took part in the religious ceremonies. By the turn of the nineteenth century the Church of Our Lady Help of Christians in Turin had become famous, and in 1911, Pope Saint Pius X gave it the crowning glory by raising it to the rank of a Basilica – The Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians! |
OUR LADY OF VIVONNE (SAVOY, FRANCE)
The Abbot Mathieu Orsini wrote: “Our Lady of Vivonne, in Savoy, where a miraculous image is venerated, which was found by a ploughman while preparing his field for the spring planting.” Vivonne is a village in France having a population of somewhat less than 5,000 inhabitants and located about 20 kilometers south of Poitiers. It is situated on a rocky height looking down upon the three rivers that flow through the region. There are apparently two churches in the village, the better known church being the church of Saint George, on which construction began in the twelfth century. The other church is Our Lady of Sais-les-Vivonne. According to tradition, a farmer was plowing his field when he overturned something peculiar in the sod. To his great surprise, the man found the object was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The good farmer took the statue now known as Our Lady of Vivonne, or Notre-Dame de Vivonne, that he had found back to his home. After lovingly cleaning the debris from the statue, the farmer took the statue to the local church and gave it to the pastor of the parish. The pastor immediately placed the statue that had just been discovered in the church later that same day. The next morning when the priest returned to the church, he found that the statue was missing. After much inquiry and searching for the statue, the farmer found the statue was once again in his field. The man returned the statue to the church, but once again it disappeared from its place, only to be found again in the field. This occurred a total of three times before it was decided to build a shrine in the field where the statue had first been found. The strange phenomenon brought people from near and far to the shrine. Soon the image proved to be miraculous and pilgrimages were formed. The church which was built to honor the image of Our Lady was given to the Carmelite Order. |
OUR LADY OF OROPA (VERCELLI, ITALY)
Our Lady of Oropa, near Bielle, in Savoy; this image, of cedar wood, six feet high, is in a chapel, which Saint Eusebius, Bishop of Bercelli, caused to be built, about the year 380; he often retired thither during the troubles caused by the Arians. The sanctuary of the black Virgin of Oropa, high in the Alps north of Biella, is traditionally associated with Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, who died in 371; but the circumstances of the story are anachronistic. Yet the shrine is certainly an old one, and throughout the Middle Ages was associated with a Community of Canon Regulars. The vast range of buildings, there today was begun by the dukes of Savoy, early in the seventeenth century, and forms one of the most complete pilgrimage centers in the world (there is even a cinema theater). It is recorded that her in 1895, contemplating the space and beauty of the mountains, Marconi heard the first call to his life’s work. The black painted cedar-wood statue has been crowned four times, the last time in 1920; the three superimposed diadems (the fourth is represented by a halo of twelve stars) can hardly be said to add to the beauty of the image. Saint Eusebius who had been exiled into Syria because of his differences with the Arians, died in the year 370. While in exile, the Emperor Constantine permitted him some freedom. Eusebius discovered among some ruins in Jerusalem three statues of Our Lady. On his triumphant return after the Arians had been temporarily overthrown, he gave two of the statues away. The third he kept for himself, placing it in a little hermitage at Oropa which he often visited. In the 5th and 6thcenturies when Arianism again reared its ugly head, the faithful Catholics took refuge at the shrine of Our Lady of Oropa. At one time it was decided to transport the statue to another place. As the procession marched along, the statue became so heavy that the men who carried it could not move on. Only when they decided to take Our Lady back to her original shrine at Oropa were they able to move. The chapel of Our Lady of Oropa is a beautiful one and thousands of pilgrims today make their way there as they have done over the centuries. The Holy See asked the authorities in 1856 to make a list of the miracles recorded at the shrine. It is long and impressive. Then, as now, Our Lady of Oropa has a way with her Divine Son. |
St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast day July 26th Click on the banner below St. Christina, Virgin & Martyr
Feast day July 24th Click on the banner below |
St. James the Great, Apostle & Martyr
Feast day July 25th Click on the banner below St. Mary Magdalen
The Saint for Our Age Click on the banner below |
READINGS & DAILY PRAYERS TO THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS
The prayers and readings will be changed daily click on the banner below JULY IS THE MONTH OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
THE 20th and 21st Centuries are the Age of Martrys Read the July Series of Articles on Martyrdom click on the banner below for the true spirit of the Church |
WE ARE LIVING IN AN AGE OF MARTYRDOM
Learn from the past how to act in the future click on the banner below for a daily lesson from the martyrs—with a new martyr being added each day NORTH AMERICA HAS VERY FEW SAINTS IN HER
SHORT CATHOLIC HISTORY The lives of the North American Martyrs may be our future! click on the banner below |
THE SURFER'S WOE
Poster for download click here to go to the download page POSTER IS AVAILABLE IN THREE SIZES
8.5 x 11 inches 11 x 17 inches 13 x 19 inches Some spend hours on the internet Surfing, searching for what they can get About the world's demise they want to know But to Creator of the world they rarely go If you count the hours on the website spent It is more than the hours of prayer during Lent Perhaps we should seek much less to know And seek much more spiritually to grow |
THE JESSE TREE 2016 CALENDAR
Listing the Holy Days of Obligation and other important feasts of the Liturgical Year This poster is available in TWO SIZES. (1) Adobe PDF file (11 inches x 17 inches) (2) Adobe PDF file (13 inches x 19 inches) THE CALENDAR POSTERS ARE FOUND AT THE TOP OF THE DOWNLOADS PAGE (click here) or on the poster opposite. A Jesse Tree is a depiction of the genealogy of Jesus designed in such a way as to show that He springs from the "root of Jesse" as stated by the prophecy of Isaias 11:1: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse [David's father], and a flower shall rise up out of his root.” This prophecy was recalled by St. Paul, and on the first Sunday of Advent, we remember his words with the Epistle reading of Romans 15:4-13, which reads, in part: “Wherefore receive one another, as Christ also hath received you unto the honor of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. But that the Gentiles are to glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘Therefore will I confess to Thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to Thy name!’ And again he saith: ‘Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people!’ And again: ‘Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and magnify Him, all ye people!’ And again Isaias saith: ‘There shall be a root of Jesse; and He that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope!’” |
HOUSE OF PRAYER OR FASHION?
Poster available in THREE sizes (1) A PDF poster measuring 11 x 8.5 inches (Letter Size) (2) A PDF poster measuring 17 x 11 inches (Tabloid Size) (3) A PDF poster measuring 19 x 13 inches (Super Photo Size) For Holy Mass I must myself prepare!
But is time spent on prayer or my face and hair? I must take care to appear my best! But is it for Our Lord, or all the rest? Do I go Our Lord to see? Or do I go so that all can see me? |
READ THE "UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON PURGATORY"
CLICK HERE OR ON THE BOOK COVER TO GO TO THE APPROPRIATE PAGE At the expressed desire of the Directors of the Bulletin Notre Dame de la Bonne Mort (Our Lady of the Good Death), this pamphlet is published with all the reservations ordered by the Church in the decree of Pope Urban VIII, and as a purely historical document. It was sent to that periodical by a zealous and devout missionary and is a pious document based on alleged conversations between a nun and a soul in Purgatory. This manuscript contains very interesting statements about the life beyond the grave, particularly about Purgatory. The details are intermingled with much spiritual direction. Its authenticity is beyond doubt. A nun, identified for us merely as Sister M. de L. C., of a convent at V., without warning began to hear prolonged sighs beside her. This was in November 1873. She cried out, “Oh, who are you, you frighten me. Whatever you do, don’t show yourself. Tell me, who are your?” No answer was forthcoming. The sighs continued and even came nearer. In vain did the poor Sister multiply her prayers, communions, ways of the cross, and rosaries. The sighs did not cease and remained unexplained until February 15, 1874, when a voice she recognized was heard saying: “Do not be afraid, you will not see me in my sufferings. I am Sister M. G.” Sister M. G. was a nun who had died at V., a victim to devotion and duty, February 22nd, 1871, at the age of 36.
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PRAY MORE, PLAY LESS
Poster available in THREE sizes 1. PDF 8.5 inches by 11 inches 2. PDF 11 inches by 17 inches 3. PDF 13 inches by 19 inches (click here) to go to downloads page |
THE HOLY SOUL-UTION TO YOUR PROBLEMS!
Poster available in THREE sizes 1. Adobe PDF 8.5 inches by 11 inches 2. Adobe PDF 11 inches by 17 inches 3. Adobe PDF 13 inches by 19 inches (click here) to go to downloads page |
SHAME ON YOU!
Poster available in THREE sizes 1. PDF 8.5 inches by 11 inches 2. PDF 11 inches by 17 inches 3. PDF 13 inches by 19 inches (click here) to go to downloads page |
ST. RAPHAEL ARCHANGEL POSTER
(feast day today: October 24th) Click on the St. Raphael poster alongside to go to the DOWNLOADS page. Scroll down and look under "ANGEL POSTERS" Available in THREE sizes (1) Letter Size ( 8.5 inches x 11 inches) (2) Tabloid Size (11 inches x 17 inches) (3) Super Photo Size (13 inches x 19 inches) |
Poster FATIMA MIRACLE OF THE SUN Poster available in TWO sizes only 1. Adobe PDF 11 inches by 17 inches 2. Adobe PDF 13 inches by 19 inches (click here) to go to downloads page |
HOW MANY ROSARY ROUNDS FIRED?
Poster available in THREE sizes (1) A PDF poster measuring 11 x 8.5 inches (Letter Size) (2) A PDF poster measuring 17 x 11 inches (Tabloid Size) (3) A PDF poster measuring 19 x 13 inches (Super Photo Size) Praying like a machine-gun may be fun,
But with fast prayers battles are seldom won! Yet victory needs bullets to fly through the air. Likewise the Church's triumph needs lots of prayer. In war a soldier fights more than just ten minutes a day Soldiers of Christ must force themselves much more to pray. |
WHICH GROUP DO YOU BELONG TO?
Poster available in LETTER size only (click here) to go to downloads page (1) A PDF poster measuring 11 x 8.5 inches (Letter Size) Our thorn-crowned Savior stands alone
His "faithful" followers have all away flown The banner of the Cross is unfurled Yet they prefer the banner of the world No prayer, or penance, or sacrifice is found As the worldlings prefer to flock around The allurements that the world presents Making Hell rejoice, while Heaven laments Blindly they follow the broad wide road Seeking fun, rejecting the Cross and its load For pleasure and wealth is before their eyes Blinding them to their ultimate demise |
ANGEL COP SPEEDING TICKET
Poster available in THREE sizes (1) A PDF poster measuring 11 x 8.5 inches (Letter Size) (2) A PDF poster measuring 17 x 11 inches (Tabloid Size) (3) A PDF poster measuring 19 x 13 inches (Super Photo Size) Do you have a license to pray?
Or do you wing it every day? The Rules of Prayer do you heed? Or do you disregard them as you speed? Prayer can be a matter of life and death So don't blurt out prayers in one single breath! He who prays well, also lives well But he who prays badly may end up in ....! |
CHAINED TO THE WORLD
Poster available in THREE sizes (1) A PDF poster measuring 11 x 8.5 inches (Letter Size) (2) A PDF poster measuring 17 x 11 inches (Tabloid Size) (3) A PDF poster measuring 19 x 13 inches (Super Photo Size) Our Lord came the world to save
Yet we make ourselves of the world a slave! The Kingdom of God we first should seek, Yet most seek the world all through the week! We gorge on the world with appetite unrestrained, Until the prince of the world has us entangled and chained! |
A saint who is sad, is indeed a sad saint!
Yet if your god is your belly, a saint you ain't! A bit of humor with a little truth, Can help us change, as we grow long in the sweet tooth! Many a true word can be said in jest, If their goal is to bring out of us our best! Faith grows dim when we God no longer seek; And that, in turn, makes our love of God weak! For we were made to love God with all our heart! Yet today God is forsaken and many from Him depart! When man turns from God to material things, Inevitably chastisement this brings! |
Crosswords can be a fun way of reminding ourselves of what we already know and also learning new facts that we did not know. We hope to regularly post crosswords that deal with a variety of aspects concerning Our Lady: her life, her apparitions, her messages and devotion to her in general. We hope you find time over your favorite snack or drink to tackle these not-too-difficult crosswords.
You can download each crossword in an Adobe PDF format (which will include the blank crossword, the clues and a filled-in crossword showing the correct answers; or you can print the crossword from what you see online, that is on your computer screen (which will include the blank crossword and the clues, BUT NO ANSWERS, as the answers will be posted a day or two later. Enjoy! Ave Maria! (CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE PAGE) |