Thy Kingdom Come - January 2026
- Various
- Dec 31
- 50 min read
Contents
From Darrell Bennett
Revelations 7:9-17 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/7
After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches* in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from* our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”
All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;* they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Numbers 6:22-27 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/6
The LORD said to Moses:
Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.
From the Spiritual DirectorFr. Dean Danos |
Make Us the Bread, Mary, We Need to be Fed— by Hubert J. Richards |
1. The baker woman in her humble lodge received a grain of wheat from God. For nine whole months the grain she stored. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Make us the bread, Mary, Mary. Make us the bread, we need to be fed. 2. The Baker woman took the road which led to Bethlehem, the house of bread. To knead the bread she labored through the night, and brought it forth about midnight. Bake us the bread, Mary, Mary. Bake us the bread, we need to be fed.
 3. She baked the bread for thirty years by the fire of her love and the salt of her tears, by the warmth of a heart so tender and bright, and the bread was golden brown and white. Bring us the bread, Mary, Mary. Bring us the bread, we need to be fed.
4. After thirty years the bread was done. It was taken to town by her only son; the soft white bread to be given free to the hungry people of Galilee. Give us the bread, Mary, Mary. Give us the bread, we need to be fed.
5. For thirty coins the bread was sold, and a thousand teeth so cold, so cold, tore it to pieces on Friday noon when the sun turned black and red the moon. Break us the bread, Mary, Mary, Break us the bread, we need to be fed.
6. And when she saw the bread so white, the living bread she had made at night, devoured as wolves might devour a sheep, the baker woman began to weep. Weep for the bread, Mary, Mary. Weep for the bread, we need to be fed.
7. But the baker woman’s only son appeared to his friends when three days had run on the road which to Emmaus led, and they knew him in the breaking of bread. Lift up your head, Mary, Mary. Lift up your head, for now we’ve been fed.
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Distracted at Mass? — A Prayer Before Mass |
Come, Holy Spirit Quiet My Heart and My Head, as I Gather with Family, Friends, and Neighbors to Celebrate Mass.
Quiet the Thoughts and Distractions that Will Keep Me From Worship.
Open My Mouth in Prayer. Open My Ears to Hear God’s Word. Open My Eyes to the Mystery of the Eucharist. Open My Heart to Receive Jesus with Love.
May I go Forth Strengthened to Take the Mass Into My Life Today. Amen. 
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Lovely Lady Dressed In Blue — by Mary Dixon Thayer |
Lovely Lady dressed in blue Teach me how to pray! God was just your little boy, Tell me what to say!
Did you lift Him up, sometimes, Gently on your knee? Did you sing to Him the way Mother does to me?
Did you hold His hand at night? Did you ever try Telling stories of the world? O! And did He cry?  Do you really think He cares If I tell Him things Little things that happen? And Do the Angels' wings
Make a noise? And can He hear Me if I speak low? Does He understand me now? Tell me for you know.
Lovely Lady dressed in blue Teach me how to pray! God was just your little boy, And you know the way.
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Special Intention of Pope Leo XIV |
For prayer with the Word of God Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2026
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Our Lady of Prompt Succor (January 8th) Patroness of New Orleans and Louisiana |
Taken from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor https://www.shrineolps.com/history
 French Ursulines arrived in New Orleans in 1727 and established the oldest school for girls currently operating in what is now the United States. During a period of crisis after a large group of nuns left New Orleans for Cuba in 1803, Mother St. Andre Madier, one of the seven nuns who remained, appealed to her cousin, an Ursuline in France whom the reign of terror had forced to leave her monastery at Pont-Saint-Espirt. She was Mother St. Michel Gensoul, a remarkable woman of great talent and interior piety, who, during the exile in Montpellier, opened a boarding school for girls there. Fearing for the flourishing school, Bishop Fournier refused to request her leave, saying that only the Pope, then a prisoner of Napoleon, could give such a permission. One day while praying before a statue of the Blessed Mother, she was inspired to say, "O most holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain a prompt and favorable answer to my letter, I promise to have you honored in New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor."
Since the end of December 1810, when Mother St. Michel, her companions and the statue arrived in New Orleans, devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor has grown in New Orleans and Louisiana, and has spread through the United States and even beyond. In the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII granted the solemn crowning of the statue, an honor carried out splendidly by Archbishop Janssens on November 10, 1895. In 1912 this devotion was officially approved by Rome.
From conversations, letters, contributions, requests for Masses of thanksgiving and similar sources, generations of Ursulines and friends of Our Lady of Prompt Succor have learned about many of the favors granted through the intercession of Our Lady in response to pleas for quick and favorable help. We will never know them all. But those we know are a source of encouragement and hope to all who count on Our Lady's help.
Among them, two interventions of Our Lady in particular come from early New Orleans as important to the city and its people. The first has to do with one of the great fires which periodically threatened the city, the Ursuline Convent included. On Good Friday in 1788, frightened residents joined the sisters in the convent chapel, begging Our Lady to save them and their homes from the raging wind and flames.
Within minutes, the wind turned back on itself, and in a short time, the fire had lost its momentum and burned out, leaving the convent unharmed, while nearly 800 buildings in the City were destroyed.
 The second well-known intervention of Our Lady of Prompt Succor concerns the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. General Andrew Jackson arrived to defend New Orleans on January 23, 1814. He urged the residents and the Sisters to evacuate for fear that the recent burning and pillaging of Washington D.C. by the British Army would also take place in New Orleans, a key port of entry to the mighty Mississippi River. When the Sisters refused to leave, citing the needs of those whom they served, the General asked them to pray, at which time they began all-night vigils of prayer. During the night of January 7, Andrew Jackson and his relatively small, little-prepared and ill-equipped band of soldiers organized their defenses against the large, very well equipped British Army which would attack the city before dawn.
At the same time, many citizens not directly involved in the army joined the Ursuline Sisters in their all-night vigil in their chapel on Chartres Street, imploring Our Lady of Prompt Succor to give the victory to Jackson for the United States, saving the city of New Orleans from British control. During the night, the Ursuline Superior, Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin, promised Our Lady that if Jackson and his men were victorious, a Mass of thanksgiving would be sung every year in memory of her saving help to the city on that day. As dawn was breaking, Bishop DuBourg began a Mass for the same intention. At the very moment of Communion a courier rushed into the chapel announcing that Jackson and his men had won the battle, and the chapel rang out with the joyous singing of the Te Deum. Following the battle, General Jackson wrote a letter to Bishop DuBourg calling for a gathering of all citizens to give thanks for “the great assistance we have received from the Ruler of all events.”
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Mary’s ApparitionOur Lady of Banneux |
Letter of John Paul II: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_19990731_banneux.html
1. Fifty years ago, on 22 August 1949, Bishop Louis-Joseph Kerkhofs, your predecessor in the see of Liège, definitively recognized the reality of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Poor in Banneux. Moved to recall the Eucharist which I myself, during my Apostolic Visit to Belgium in May 1985, had the joy of celebrating in this shrine which has an important outreach, I gladly join in the prayer of the pilgrims who go there to seek comfort and strength from Our Lady of Banneux, invoked by the name of Our Lady of the Poor, Health of the Sick. With the whole Church, I thank the Lord for the outstanding mission carried out by the Mother of the Saviour and for the example of faith she offers the entire Christian people, called, like her, to follow Christ, every day repeating her "yes", her fiat. 2. In 1933, a few years before the Second World War, Mary appeared in Banneux as a messenger of peace. In a certain way she was summoning the leaders of society to become the artisans of peace and educators of peoples, inviting each person to care for his brothers and sisters, the lowliest, the most despised and the suffering, who are all beloved by God. Today it is still up to us to pray that "Mary, Mediatrix of grace, ever watchful and concerned for all her children, [may] obtain for all humanity the precious gift of harmony and peace" (Message on the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War in Europe, 8 May 1995, n. 16).
3. In contemplating the Virgin Mary, the faithful discover the marvels God worked in his humble handmaid, and in her, Mother of the Church and Queen of Heaven, see the prefiguration of what humanity is called to be through the grace of salvation which was obtained for us through the Saviour's Death and Resurrection. The faithful who enrol in Mary's school take a path of prayer that guarantees a Christian life; with her they discover the mercy of the Father who stoops down to all human beings, especially the poor, the little and the suffering. Therefore we can tirelessly repeat with Mary her canticle of thanksgiving: "He has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" (Lk 1: 48).
 4. Every pilgrimage a Christian makes is an important moment in his spiritual life. It helps him discover the power of prayer which unifies the being and is the source of the witness each person is called to bear, and of his mission. With Mary we become humble children in the Lord's hands, asking forgiveness for our faults and thereby rediscovering the joy of being God's children who know they are infinitely loved and so have a deep desire to be converted. Whoever you are, as St Bernard said, "when you are assaulted by the winds of temptation, when you see the pitfalls of misfortune, look at the Star, call upon Mary". "If, troubled by the burden of sin and ashamed at the blemishes on your conscience, you begin to feel overcome by sadness and the temptation to despair, think of Mary. In peril, anguish and doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name be for ever on your lips and in your heart. And to obtain her intercession, never cease to follow her example". Be certain that "in following her, you will not stray and in calling upon her, you will not despair" (Second homily on the Gospel passage: "The Angel Gabriel was sent"). Then, on returning to their daily lives, the faithful receive the grace of renewed trust. They are made more attentive to God's word and the responsibility they receive through their Baptism. They also recognize more readily God's signs on their path.
5. The apparitions of Banneux invite Christians to question themselves about the mystery of suffering, which finds its meaning in the mystery of the Cross of the Lord. When he faces suffering which, in human terms, is inexplicable, the believer turns spontaneously to God who alone can help him to bear it and endure it, sustaining his hope of salvation and eternal beatitude. In a very special way, God is tenderly and lovingly present to every person afflicted by illness, for he is moved by the experiences of his people, the people he loves, to whom he wants to bring relief and comfort. "Then the Lord said, "I have seen the affliction of my people ... and have heard their cry.... I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them ... and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land'" (Ex 3: 7-8). As I explained in the Apostolic Letter Salvifici doloris, every person who offers his suffering contributes mysteriously to raising the world to God, and shares especially in the work of our redemption (cf. n. 19). He is thus joined particularly to Christ our Saviour.
6. I also commend to God those whose mission it is to care for their brethren, to help them and to accompany them with compassion in their physical and moral trials, as well as the members of the pastoral care teams in the hospitals and clinics and everyone who visits the sick and the elderly.
Following the example of the Good Samaritan, they are, as it were, the loving hand of the Lord outstretched to those who are suffering in body and soul; they show them that no trial whatsoever can take away their dignity as children of God (cf. ibid., nn. 28-30). May they tirelessly continue their mission, thus reminding the world that every human life, from its origin to its natural end, is precious in God's eyes!
7. As I entrust you to the intercession of Our Lady of Banneux and the saints of your land, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, as well as to the faithful who travel to the shrine of Banneux in the spirit of the Great Jubilee and to the priests and faithful of your Diocese and of all the Dioceses of Belgium. From the Vatican, 31 July 1999.
The Apparitions: https://banneux-nd.be/en/the-apparitions/
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From the EditorJ. Bennett |
To the Reader:
I am very excited to say we have come a long way over this previous year and are able to restart “Thy Kingdom Come”! We have faced challenges with Trademarks, technology, phones, and emails. I apologize if you have reached out to us, and we have not responded. I believe everything is back up and running, so I should be reaching back out soon. Momma Mary freed us of these difficulties, so we can continue answering her call of bringing more people to her son, our Eucharistic King.
If you have read our previous issues of Thy Kingdom Come, you will notice a distinct difference in the format and organization of this newsletter. We are hoping this will make reading and printing this document easier. We have also increased the type of information we will cover each month – adding sections for apologetics, Church documents, and information on what the Church teaches.
As we enter into 2026, we ask for your prayer that this work of the Mission may touch the heart, convert sinners, and provide a light in the darkening world we find ourselves living.
May the Sorrowful and Hopeful Mother of God reign in our hearts and unite us to the Eucharistic Heart of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sine Cera,
Joseph Bennett Editor and Secretary 
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Membership — A Crusade of Prayer |
Throughout history, God has called upon humanity to pray and sacrifice in reparation for sins committed against the Eucharistic Heart. This call is echoed by the Blessed Mother of God through her apparitions – from LaSalette to Fatima, from China to Lourdes.
In today’s world, the tears of our Lady rings out her plea ever stronger.
As her children, Miracle of the Rosary Mission implores you to join us in our yes to Mary in our crusade of prayer and total surrender to the Christ, Emmanuel, through her hands. By becoming a Knight of Emmanuel, you pledge prayer and offerings in reparation for sins and for the conversion of sinners.
Ultimately, our commitment to our Lord through our Lady brings a hope to have someone in adoration every hour of the day throughout the world. A great task, but necessary, for He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, awaiting us upon his glorious throne.
Membership is 100% free. The only reason we request your name and contact information is to ensure communication of any upcoming events can be provided to members.
Note: We understand life happens. We often come into unexpected situations which prevent  us from doing everything we desire to do within a day. Thus, to clarify, the above requirements/expectations are not binding. They are meant to be a guide to bring greater focus on prayer and adoration within one’s state of life.
The general membership requirements for Knights of Emmanual are as follows:
1. Mass: Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, unless you are unable to attend. In this case, we recommend a Spiritual Act of Communion. 2. Confession: Go to Confession monthly. In the case of mortal sin, go as soon as possible. 3. Adoration: Attend adoration as often and as frequently as possible given each person’s state of life. 4. Scripture: Read and Pray with Scripture for 30 Minutes a Week. 5. Total Consecration: Pray of the shortened form of the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary by St. Louis de Montfort daily. 6. Rosary: Pray One (1) Set of Mysteries of the Rosary Daily. 7. The Brown Scapular: The following is taken from: https://www.sistersofcarmel.com/brown-scapular-information.php?srsltid=AfmBOopQdE6t4PnIciIiMScFI-10I1BwLDC7GeDfJ4JtRbXjhKz0HJlO · Wear the Brown Scapular continuously. · Observe chastity according to one’s state in life (married/single). · Recite daily the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin OR Observe the fasts of the Church together with abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays OR With permission of a priest, say five decades of Our Lady’s Most Holy Rosary OR With permission of a priest, substitute a good work. 8. Divine Mercy: Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet Daily. 9. Chaplet of St. Michael: Pray the Chaplet of St. Michael at least once a week. 10. Prayer Intentions: Pray for the following intentions daily.
 · For the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Compassionate Heart of St. Joseph · For the Glorious Reign of the Eucharistic Heart · For the members and works of Miracle of the Rosary Mission · For the Holy Father and his intentions · For the local (arch)bishop and their intentions · For the Poor Souls on Earth, the Conversion of Sinners, and the Salvation of Souls · For the Holy Souls in Purgatory to Gain Relieve and be Brought to Heaven · For the Intentions in the MRM Prayer Intentions Books and those of our members · For those who have asked us for prayer · For the sick and suffering · In Honor of the Angels, Particularly Our Guardian Angel
To submit your information, please visit: https://www.miraclerosarymission.org/membership or email us at info@miraclerosarymission.org
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News and Upcoming Events | |||
Prayer Line | We will be increasing our promotion of our prayer line.
· Requests by Email: PrayerRequest@miraclerosarymission.org
· Requests by Text Message: 985-228-1126
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Social Media | We will be increasing our activity, including the promotion of our social media sites. | ||
Website | While we have made progress on the website, we still have a ways to go. Currently, we have one person working on the website while maintaining fulltime employment outside of this volunteered time.
We are looking for additional volunteers who can help. | ||
Prayer Book | We are currently working to revise the MRM prayer book. We are hoping to have the revised ready for ordering by Mid-year, depending upon volunteers. Currently, the person volunteering for the website is also our volunteer working on the prayer book. | ||
Trademarks | Miracle of the Rosary Mission, Inc. | Trademark issued 2025 January 21 | |
Knights of Emmanuel
| Trademark issued 2025 January 14 | ||
Thy Kingdom Come | Trademark issued 2025 November 18 | ||
Miracle of the Rosary Chapel | In Process | ||
Bethany House | In Process | ||
| Trademark issued 2025 March 04 | ||
|  | Trademark issued 2025 February 04 | |
 | Trademark issued 2025 February 11 | ||
Prayer Intentions | ||
Universal Church | Local Church | Mission |
The Holy Father and His Intentions | Our Local Bishop, Priests, and Religious | The Works of the Mission |
In Expiation for Sins Against the Holy Trinity | Our Local Secular 3rd Orders | To Fulfill Mary’s Call of Prayer and Repentance |
In Expiation for Sins Against the Eucharistic Heart | Private and Canonical Hermits | For the Salvation of Souls and the Conversion of Sinners |
In Expiation for Sins Against the Immaculate Heart of Mary | Our Local Parish and Parish Priest | An Increase of People Obtaining the Sacraments |
In Expiation for Sins Against the Compassionate Heart of St. Joseph | An Increase of Vocations | For an Increase in Adoration |
Celebration of the MonthThe Epiphany of the Lord |
A Homily by Pope Francis 06 January 2025 Taken from: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2025/documents/20250106-omelia-epifania.html
“We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage” (Mt 2:2). This is the testimony that the Magi gave to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, announcing to them that the king of the Jews was born.
The Magi testified that they had set out in a different direction in their lives because they had seen a new light in the sky. Let us pause to reflect on this image as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord during this Jubilee of hope. I would like to highlight three characteristics of the star about which Matthew the Evangelist speaks: it is bright, it is visible to all and it points the way.
First of all, the stars are bright. Many rulers at the time of Jesus called themselves “stars” because they felt important, powerful and famous. Yet the light that revealed the miracle of Christmas to the Magi was not any of these “lights”. Their artificial and cold splendor, arising from their scheming and power games, could not satisfy the needs of the Magi who were searching for newness and hope. Instead, they were satisfied by a different kind of light, symbolized by the star, which illumines and warms others by allowing itself to burn brightly and be consumed. The star speaks to us of that unique light that can show to all people the way to salvation and happiness, namely that of love. This is the only light that can make us happy.
Above all, this light is the love of God, who became man and gave himself to us by sacrificing  his life. As we reflect, then, we can see that this light likewise calls us to give ourselves for one another, becoming, with his help, a mutual sign of hope, even in the darkest nights of our lives. Let us think about this: are we radiant with hope? Are we able to give hope to others with the light of our faith?
The star led the Magi to Bethlehem by its brightness. We too, by our love, can bring to Jesus the people that we meet, enabling them to see in the Son of God made man the beauty of the Father’s face (cf. Is 60:2) and his way of loving, which is through closeness, compassion and tenderness. Let us never forget this: God is close, compassionate and tender. This is love: closeness, compassion and tenderness. Moreover, we can do this without the need for extraordinary means or sophisticated methods, but simply by making our hearts bright with faith, our gazes generous in welcome, our gestures and words full of gentleness and kindness.
Thus, as we reflect on the Magi, who fixed their eyes on heaven in searching for the star, let us ask the Lord that we might be bright lights that can lead one another to an encounter with him (cf. Mt 5:14-16). How sad it is when someone is not a light for others.
Now we come to the second of the star’s characteristics: it is visible to all. The Magi were not following the clues of a secret code, but a star that they saw shining in the sky. While they observed it, others – such as Herod and the scribes – were not even aware of its presence. Yet the star is always there, accessible to those who raise their glance to heaven in search of a sign of hope. Are we a sign of hope for others?
This too holds an important message. God does not reveal himself to exclusive groups or to a privileged few. God offers his companionship and guidance to those who seek him with a sincere heart (cf. Ps 145:18). Indeed, he often anticipates our own questions, coming to seek us even before we ask (cf. Rom 10:20; Is 65:1). For this reason, in Nativity scenes, we portray the Magi with the features of all ages and races: a young person, an adult, an elderly person, reflecting the different peoples of the earth. We do this in order to remind ourselves that God seeks everyone, always. God seeks everyone, everyone. We do well to meditate on this today, at a time when individuals and nations are equipped with ever more powerful means of communication, and yet seem to have become less willing to understand, accept and encounter others in their diversity!
 The star, which shines in the sky and offers its light to all, reminds us that the Son of God came into the world to encounter every man and woman on earth, whatever ethnic group, language or people to which they belong (cf. Acts 10:34-35; Rev 5:9), and that he entrusts to us that same universal mission (cf. Is 60:3). In other words, God calls us to reject anything that discriminates, excludes or discards people, and instead to promote, in our communities and neighborhoods, a strong culture of welcome, in which the narrow places of fear and denunciation are replaced by open spaces of encounter, integration and sharing of life; safe spaces where everyone can find warmth and shelter.
The star is in the sky, then, not in order to remain distant and inaccessible, but so that its light may be visible to all, that it may reach every home and overcome every barrier, bringing hope to the most remote and forgotten corners of the planet. It is in the sky so that it can tell everyone, by its generous light, that God does not refuse or forget anyone (cf. Is 49:15). Why? Because he is a Father whose greatest joy is to see his children returning home, gathered together from all parts of the world (cf. Is 60:4). He delights to see his children building bridges, clearing paths, searching for those who are lost and carrying on their shoulders those who struggle to walk, so that no one is left behind and all may share in the joy of the Father’s house.
The star speaks to us of God’s dream that men and women everywhere, in all their rich variety, will together form one family that can live harmoniously in prosperity and peace (cf. Is 2:2-5).
This brings us to the third of the star’s characteristics: it points the way. This too is a helpful insight, especially in the context of the Holy Year that we are celebrating, in which one of the main features is pilgrimage. The light of the star invites us to undertake an interior journey that, as Saint John Paul II wrote, frees our hearts from all that is not charity, in order to “encounter Christ fully, professing our faith in him and receiving the abundance of his mercy” (Letter concerning Pilgrimage to the Places linked to the History of Salvation, 29 June 1999, 12).
Walking together is “traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life” (cf. Spes Non Confundit, 5). By looking at the star, we can also renew our commitment to be women and men of “the Way”, as Christians were referred to in the first years of the Church (cf. Acts 9:2). Thus may the Lord make us lights leading others to himself; may he make us generous, like Mary, in giving of ourselves, welcoming and humble in walking together, so that we may meet him, recognize him and do him homage. Renewed by him, may we go out to bring the light of his love into the world. |
Quote of the MonthBy St. John Bosco
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Eucharistic Miracle of the Month | Santarem, Portugal |
Related Items: · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z5mR-uYpok · Book: “Miracles of the Eucharist of Portugal”
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Mary’s Title of the Month | Mother of God, January 1st
Mary ALWAYS points us to her son, Jesus!
Related Items: · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sjxpuQ3TG8 · Book: “Theotokos: Woman, Mother, Disciple- A Catechesis on Mary, Mother of God, Vol. 5” By Saint Pope John Paul II https://www.amazon.com/Theotokos-Woman-Mother-Disciple-Catechesis/dp/0819874019
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Male Saint of the Month | St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen (January 2nd) Related Items: · Video: https://youtu.be/bzc_mftuThI?si=GlaPq6fWSVoin6CH · Book: “Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen (Bishops and Doctors): A Journey through their Remarkable Lives and Lasting Legacies”
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St. Anthony the Abbot (January 17th)
St. Anthony the Abbot is the founder of monasticism. At the age of 20, he walked into church just as the Gospel was being proclaimed: “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast.” (Mt 19:21). He relinquished his possessions and took up the ascetic life.
Related Items: · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEG3oW4d-tg
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St. Francis de Sales (January 29th)
St. Francis was born into a noble family and received a top-notch education in law. His family had plans for him to be married, but he chose to follow God’s calling to the priesthood. He was a tireless educator and learned sign language to teach one deaf man about God. He is the patron of the deaf and of adult education. He is best remembered for his skills as a writer.
Related Items: · Video: https://youtu.be/sHvoGxuaqWA?si=Aa61v9ifAWjXUP7A · Book: https://a.co/d/1RGBPs3 | |
Female Saint of the Month
| St. Angela Merici |
Related Items: · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZEQ4K5tyJc · Book: “THE VISIONARY HEART OF ST. ANGELA MERICI: Founding a Movement to Empower Women Through Faith” | |
Martyr of the Month | St. Agnus |
St. Agnus, Virgin and Martyr, was only 13 when she dedicated herself to Christ. She was handed over to the authorities, who tried to despoil her purity by putting her in a brothel, but any man who made advances on her was blinded and paralyzed. Then, they tried to burn her at the stake, but the wood would not ignite. Finally, she was decapitated outside Rome. St. Agnus went to her execution more cheerfully than others going to their wedding. Agnus in Latin means “Lamb”. In Greek, Agnos, “Pure”.
Related Items: · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6POa1pimew · Book: “On Virginity” by St Gregory of Nyssa, St Clement of Rome and St Ambrose
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Virtue – Habit of the MonthHope |
Taken from Ascension Press: https://ascensionpress.com/blogs/articles/complete-list-of-virtues-and-vices-every-catholic-should-know?srsltid=AfmBOorDrIUEWw3KVAccX75kSwSNnk8BggSC8VQprzcrfY3KtE_vhjrP
Hope “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1817).
Opposing vices: fear, despair, presumption.”
Book: “The Virtue of Hope: How Confidence in God Can Lead You to Heaven” by Fr. Philip Bochanski
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Spiritual Book of the MonthThe Dark Night of the Soul |
Taken from Amazon: https://a.co/d/6KfFqDk
“The great Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross became a Carmelite monk in 1563 and helped St. Teresa of Avila to reform the Carmelite order — enduring persecution and imprisonment for his efforts. Both in his writing and in his life, he demonstrated eloquently his love for God. His written thoughts on man's relationship with God were literacy endeavors that placed him on an intellectual and philosophical level with such great writers as St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.
In this work — a spiritual masterpiece and classic of Christian literature and mysticism — he addresses several subjects, among them pride, avarice, envy, and other human imperfections. His discussion of the "dark night of the spirit," which considers afflictions and pain suffered by the soul, is followed by an extended explanation of divine love and the soul's exultant union with God.
This fine translation by E. Allison Peers "is the most faithful that has appeared in any European language: it is, indeed, much more than a translation for [Peers] added his own valuable historical and [critically interpretive] notes." — London Times.” |
Educational Book of the MonthJesus and the Jubilee: The Biblical Roots of the Year of God’s Favor |
Summary Taken From: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Jubilee-Biblical-Roots-Favor/dp/1645854051
“Jubilee means joy—a joy that’s not fleeting, a joy that lasts. In biblical times, a jubilee was a time to rejoice. And this is still the case when the Church announces a jubilee.
In Jesus and the Jubilee, biblical scholar John Bergsma gets to the roots of the jubilee, showing how this practice was established in order to preserve freedom, family, and the fullness of God’s blessing for the ancient Israelites.
But what the Israelites were promised by God—and experienced partially—was truly fulfilled by Jesus. As Jesus and the Jubilee reveals, the Catholic Church is the perpetual jubilee, offering redemption, release from spiritual bondage, return to our true home and family, and rest in God’s fullness.
Discover how the jubilee is the very center of Jesus’s mission and how we can fully participate in this ongoing “year of favor.””
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About the Author John Bergsma
Taken from https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JOMGN0/about
“John Bergsma is Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville since 2004, and Vice President for Mission and Biblical Theology at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology since 2020. Twice voted Faculty of the Year by graduating classes at Franciscan University, he is a popular teacher whose love of scripture inspires his students.
Bergsma earned a B.A. in Classical Languages and the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Master of Theology (Th.M.) degrees, and served as a Protestant pastor before entering the Catholic Church in 2001, while completing his Ph.D. in Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has published over twenty popular and academic books on Scripture and the Catholic Faith, and a similar number of scholarly essays. A frequent speaker at conferences and parishes, Dr. Bergsma appears regularly on Catholic radio, podcasts, and television. He and his wife Dawn live in Steubenville, OH, and have eight children and a growing number of grandchildren.” |
Locations to Buy
· Amazon: https://a.co/d/0j8XCYV
· St. Paul Center: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/jesus-and-the-jubilee-the-biblical-roots-of-the-year-of-gods-favor
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Saint Book of the MonthIntroduction to the Devout Life |
Summary Taken from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Devout-Life-Image-Classics/dp/0385030096
Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life has remained a uniquely accessible and relevant treasure of devotion for nearly four hundred years. As Bishop of Geneva in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, Francis de Sales saw to the spiritual needs of everyone from the poorest peasants to court ladies. The desire to be closer to God that he found in people from all levels of society led him to compile these instructions on how to live in Christ. Francis’s compassionate Introduction leads the reader through practical ways of attaining a devout life without renouncing the world and offers prayers and meditations to strengthen devotion in the face of temptation and hardship.
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About the Author Taken from: https://visitationannecy.org/lordre-de-la-visitation/saint-francois-de-sales/
François de Sales was born on August 21, 1567, at the Château de Sales in Thorens, 20 km from Annecy. He studied in La Roche-sur-Foron and Annecy before attending the Jesuit college of Clermont in Paris, and finally the University of Padua, where he earned doctorates in civil and canon law. Upon his return to Savoy, he was admitted as a lawyer to the Sovereign Senate of Chambéry.
Preferring the priesthood, he was ordained on December 18, 1593, in Annecy Cathedral. He offered himself as a missionary to evangelize the Chablais region, where he experienced arduous work, disappointments, frustrations, and discouragement, but also profound joys, for several years. Ultimately, his labors and patience bore fruit: the Chablais returned to Catholicism.
François was ordained bishop on December 8, 1602, in the church of his native village, where he had been baptized. He spent the 20 years of his episcopate preaching, traveling throughout his diocese, reforming the clergy and religious orders, while maintaining a voluminous correspondence.
In 1608, he wrote Introduction to the Devout Life , making holiness accessible to all walks of life. This work was the fruit of his experience as a pastor, missionary, confessor, and spiritual director. In 1604, he preached Lent in Dijon, where he met Baroness Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, with whom he founded the Visitation of Holy Mary in Annecy in 1610. In 1616, he wrote Treatise on the Love of God for Souls More Advanced on the Spiritual Path. This work was inspired by the confidences shared with him by Mother de Chantal and the first Visitation nuns.
He died in Lyon on December 28, 1622, while carrying out his ministry. His body was transported to Annecy and buried in the small church of the Visitation.
Francis de Sales was canonized on April 19, 1665. He is the patron saint of journalists and writers. He is also the patron saint of deaf-mutes for having taken under his protection, for 17 years, the deaf-mute Martin, whom he himself patiently taught and catechized.
Saint Francis de Sales was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1877 by Pope Pius IX. |
Inspiring Book of the MonthCoat of Many Colors |
Summary Taken from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Coat-Many-Colors-Dolly-Parton/dp/0451532376 “Country music legend Dolly Parton's rural upbringing in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee provides the backdrop for this special picture book. Using lyrics from her classic song "Coat of Many Colors," the book tells the story of a young girl in need of a warm winter coat. When her mother sews her a coat made of rags, the girl is mocked by classmates for being poor. But Parton's trademark positivity carries through to the end as the girl realizes that her coat was made with love "in every stitch." Beautiful illustrations pair with Parton's poetic lyrics in this heartfelt picture book sure to speak to all young readers.” |
About the Author Dolly Parton Taken from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00ATTPTMG/about “Dolly Parton is a singer, songwriter, actress, producer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. The composer of over 3,000 songs, she has sold over 100 million records worldwide, and given away millions of books to children through her nonprofit, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.” |
State of Life Book of the MonthDiscernment of Spirits in Marriage: Ignatian Wisdom for Husbands and Wives |
Summary Taken from Amazon: https://a.co/d/dF0AOEx
“To navigate the inevitable ups and downs of our spiritual lives, countless souls have found comfort and guidance in St. Ignatius of Loyola's Rules for Discernment. For the past forty years, popular retreat master and author Fr. Timothy Gallagher has been at the forefront of making St. Ignatius's Rules understandable and applicable to hundreds of thousands of Catholics seeking greater sensitivity to the "movements of their souls. Now Fr. Gallagher returns with a more focused mission: to help you apply these rules to your role as a husband or a wife.
In Discernment of Spirits in Marriage, Fr. Gallagher aims to free you from discouragement and assist you in finding peace in your spiritual life and in your marriage. He will help you determine what is of God and what is not and will show you how the enemy works to discourage you in your daily spousal interactions in order to undermine both your spiritual growth and your marital bond. Best of all, you ll learn what to do about it!
With St. Ignatius and Fr. Gallagher as your guides, you'll learn: · How to identify and remove spiritually harmful habits · The eleven forms of spiritual desolation and the four things you must do to combat it · Why God permits spiritual dryness · The easiest way to resist temptation · Your marriage's most vulnerable place and how to strengthen it · The four tactics of the enemy and the grace-filled responses you can offer to each · The five ways in which God strengthens husbands and wives who seek to grow spiritually” |
About the Author Fr. Timothy Gallagher: Taken from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JSA714/about
“Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. He obtained his doctorate in 1983 from the Gregorian University. He has taught (St. John's Seminary, Brighton, MA; Our Lady of Grace Seminary Residence, Boston, MA), assisted in formation work for twelve years, and served two terms as provincial in his own community. He has dedicated many years to an extensive ministry of retreats, spiritual direction, and teaching about the spiritual life. Fr. Gallagher is the author of eight books (Crossroad) on the spiritual teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the life of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. He currently holds the St. Ignatius Chair for Spiritual Formation at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver, CO.
His titles include: · The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide to Everyday Living · The Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today · Spiritual Consolation: An Ignatian Guide for the Greater Discernment of Spirits · An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According to the Spiritual Exercises Meditation and Contemplation: An Ignatian Guide to Prayer with Scripture · Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making · A Reader's Guide to The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living · A Handbook for Spiritual Directors: An Ignatian Guide to Accompanying Discernment of God's Will · Begin Again: The Life and Spiritual Legacy of Bruno Lanteri · Praying the Liturgy of the Hours: A Personal Journey
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Locations to Buy
Amazon: https://a.co/d/dF0AOEx
Sophia Institute Press: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/discernment-of-spirits-in-marriage/?srsltid=AfmBOorFnK82yorCprEP4WD5_JsNoSzgKI1Bieey9rZdFR2FSqHScN-d
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Church Document of the MonthDilexi Te: To All Christians on Love for the Poor | |
Summary | Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation. |
About the Author | Pope Leo XIV |
Locations: | |
Doctrine and DogmaCatholic Answers (www.catholic.com) | |
What Does the Catholic Church Teach? | |
Topic: “Who Put Together the Bible and What Year?” Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/who-compiled-the-bible-and-when | |
Video: https://youtu.be/4e0QS9GeAuM?si=ON8AwpRtABJStxVg Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/who-compiled-the-bible-and-when
Answer: “The Old Testament books were written well before Jesus’ Incarnation, and all of the New Testament books were written by roughly the end of the first century A.D. But the Bible as a whole was not officially compiled until the late fourth century, illustrating that it was the Catholic Church who determined the canon—or list of books—of the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Bible is not a not a self-canonizing collection of books, as there is no table of contents included in any of the books.
Although the New Testament canon was not determined until the late 300s, books the Church  deemed sacred were early on proclaimed at Mass, and read and preached about otherwise. Early Christian writings outnumbered the 27 books that would become the canon of the New Testament. The shepherds of the Church, by a process of spiritual discernment and investigation into the liturgical traditions of the Church spread throughout the world, had to draw clear lines of distinction between books that are truly inspired by God and originated in the apostolic period, and those which only claimed to have these qualities.
The process culminated in 382 as the Council of Rome, which was convened under the leadership of Pope Damasus, promulgated the 73-book scriptural canon. The biblical canon was reaffirmed by the regional councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397), and then definitively reaffirmed by the ecumenical Council of Florence in 1442.
Finally, the ecumenical Council of Trent solemnly defined this same canon in 1546, after it came under attack by the first Protestant leaders, including Martin Luther.
For more on this topic check out one of our best sellers: The Bible is a Catholic Book by Jimmy Akin“ Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/who-compiled-the-bible-and-when
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Apologetics: Answering Questions with Scripture and Tradition | |
Topic: “Do the ‘Keys to the kingdom’ give the Church authority to declare anything sinful or not?” – By Karlo Broussard Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/do-the-keys-to-the-kingdom-give-the-church-authority-to-declare-anything-sinful-or-not | |
“Question: Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/do-the-keys-to-the-kingdom-give-the-church-authority-to-declare-anything-sinful-or-not My Catholic friend claimed that when Jesus gave St. Peter the “keys of the kingdom” in Matthew 16:19, he gave Peter and the Church the power to declare anything sinful or not. Thus, if the Church wishes, it could declare so-called gay marriage, sexual promiscuity—whether “gay” or straight—and other sinful behavior morally licit based on the power of the keys. What should I say in response?” | |
“Answer: Taken from Catholic Answers: https://www.catholic.com/qa/do-the-keys-to-the-kingdom-give-the-church-authority-to-declare-anything-sinful-or-not
“If by “declare anything sinful or not” your friend means the Church can determine acts to be morally good and bad, then your friend is mistaken. Perhaps instead he was trying to say that the Church has the authority to infallibly identify what is sin and what is not a sin. There is a difference. The Church cannot make up its own morality. It is merely the guardian of the truth concerning upright human behavior (1 Tim. 6:20). However, the Church does have the promise of Christ to infallibly identify those things that are morally harmful to the human person and those things which are morally good for the human person.
 So, when the Church definitively denounces a particular action as intrinsically evil, we can know with certainty that such a declaration is true, and the specific action denounced is gravely wrong. Furthermore, because of the gift of infallibility, the Church can never definitively declare that which is objectively sinful as good, nor can it change a definitively taught moral doctrine later down the road. Rest assured, the Church cannot definitively declare morally licit the human behaviors you mentioned above.”” | |
Submitted Articles | |
St. Matthew was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, and through the inspiration of the holy spirt wrote the Gospel of St Matthew, which is the first Synoptic Gospel. He was known for being employed as tax collector in Capernaum under the service of Herod, with the original name Levi son of Alpheus, before Jesus called him to join him in changing the world. St Matthew is the patron saint of accountants. St. Matthew died as a martyr by a sword wound while preaching the Gospel in Ethiopia likely around 60 AD. Prayer for the intercession of Saint Matthew during financial distress:
“O Saint Matthew, former tax collector and patron saint of financial matters, I humbly come before you, seeking your intercession as I struggle with my finances. I ask for your guidance in managing my resources wisely, and for the grace to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ’s provision for my needs.
Dear Jesus, please grant me a pure heart that seeks only what is pleasing to you. Help me to follow God’s Word and remain faithful in your service, even amidst worldly temptations. May Your Holy Spirit fill me with wisdom and discernment as I strive to create peace and stability in my life.
In times of financial uncertainty, let me not lose hope but remember God’s immense grace and the mercy He has shown to even the worst sinners. Through the intercession of Saint Matthew, may I find true peace and contentment in following Jesus and trusting fully in His divine providence. Amen.”
· By Janie Pitre | |
Flashback Article | |
Man and Woman are Loved by the Lord and Desired for One AnotherBy Anna Maria Canopi, O.S.B.Mater Ecclesiae Abbey, Isola S. GiulioPublished by L’Osservatore Romano July 21, 1993 Reprinted with permission in Thy Kingdom Come Volume 97 No. 3 | |
A mature fruit of Vatican II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church represents a synthesis of the Church’s perennial teaching, drawn up also with consideration for the different cultures and developments of human history, a dizzying change during this last part of the 20th century, so full of important events and changes at the world level. Each rapid change in our way of thinking is often accompanied by a practical relativism manifest in an arbitrary, permissive way of living. Christians too risk becoming accustomed to a certain worldly mentality and to letting themselves be guided by subjective opinions rather than by the sense of the true faith. 
For this reason, the Catechism devotes great attention to the Christian concept of the person and to interpersonal relationships; because there is a tense conflict between the two sexes in modern society, it does not fail to specify the basic points regarding this matter. It would, however, be too much to expect the Catechism to treat this “problem” in detail. As is the case for other subjects regarding the human person – male and female – the concept emerging from the Catechism is what the Church has always affirmed in the light of the Scriptures and Tradition and filtered through the various cultures of the peoples being evangelized.
It should be noted, however, that the ambiguity and lack of scruples of modern culture, characterized as it is by an unrestrained search for autonomy and selfish gratification of the instinct for possession and pleasure, has effects which appear to be extremely harmful, especially to women. The models of woman as held up and proposed by the mass-media are often so erroneous and disconcerting as to reduce women to a mere consumer product and, at the same time, to a poisoned food as it were which destroys whoever consumes it. If it is true that the shameful “marketing” of women can be traced back to remote times, it is also true that the mystery of sin is developing in an ever more refined and unforeseeable manner.
The exploitation of women, as happens nowadays, is a mortal blow to the heart of all humanity. This can be observed at every level (familial, professional, political, and social); therefore there is increasing interest in women’s identity and role in the Church and in human society as we are about to begin the third millennium of the Christian era in ever more dramatic living conditions.
Woman in the Design of Creation Sometimes explicitly and again implicitly, the Catechism first presents the face of the “eternal woman”, conceived and desired by God as an image of his loving devotion, together with man, her partner: “Man and woman are created, that is desired by God: perfectly equal in one way, inasmuch as they are human beings, and in the other way, in their respective identities as male and female. “To be man” or “to be woman” is a reality that is good and desired by God” (n.369). From this comes “the insuppressible and identical dignity” that mand and woman possess in the eyes of their Creator and which they must recognize in one another. Both “reflect the wisdom and goodness of the Creator”, both are loved by God, and are desired by God for one another”, (N.375), i.e. placed in a relationship of love. In this enrapturing reciprocity woman is particularly characterized by oblatory nature, as being a gift and source f=of consolation and joy for the other. She, in fact, “draws from man a cry of admiration, an exclamation of love and communion” because man “discovers woman as another “I” of the same humanity.” (cf. n. 371)
Since each is complete in him or herself and open to communion, they help and enrich one another precisely because of their difference (cf. n. 372) and in the measure because of their differences (cg.372) and in the measure in which each one authentically lives his or her own specific nature,. With this clear statement, we see the failure of all the vague reasons for seeking equality of the sexes based on the presumed rights of the women;= to “act like a man”, that is to assume typically male roles while renouncing her own; while on the contrary, “the harmony of the human couple and of society depends in part on the way in which complementarity; mutal need and reciprocal help are lived between the sexes” (cf. m 2333, 2433).
Unfortunately, from its beginnings the wonderful harmony of God’s creative plan suffered the tragic consequences of sin (cf. n. 400); a confusion of instincts caused a tension in the man-woman relationship, a tension which seems to be insuperable; a tension which often results in the most difficult and humiliating consequences for woman. This is not because she was more responsible for the fall, but because, due to her delicate biological and psychological structure, she is more vulnerable. This does not, however, imply a condition of inferiroty. The Catechism emphasizes the fact that, just as the temptation of the evil one came through a woman, so too the priceless grace of redemption (Gn 3:15) a battle between “the serpent and the woman” is foretold, one in which her descendants will be victorious. The reference is to Mary whom God chose and planned as the “new Eve”, true mother of the living, our mother in the order of grace, the mother, that is, of mankind reborn in Christ, victorious over sin and death (cf. nn. 410-411).
Woman in the Plan of Redemption
Before Mary and approaching her over the centuries, woman had partially regained her dignity through physical and spiritual motherhood, and she had already enlightened and sustained the journey of human generations. The “holy woman” of the people of the old covenant – Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hanna, Judith, Esther, in fact “kept the hope of the salvation of Israel alive” (cf. n. 64) He who was “born of woman”, of the integral woman, all beautiful in the order of grace, was in a certain way conceived and borne in the womb by “many other women” who by their generous dedication in service to life, had helped to prepare the new times (cf. n. 489)
 Last of all, in the fullness of time, Jesus himself, while choosing men to be his Apostles on whom he would found the Church, does not deprive himself of the help of the female element (cf. Lk 8:1-3); rather he stresses its irreplaceable value, proposing it as the example of faith, constancy, and total devotion (cf. Mt 9:20-22; 15:21-28; 26:6-13; Lk 10:38-42; 18:1-5; 21:1-4, etc.) It was the women who, together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, had the courage to follow Christ as far as Calvary and to remain steadfast at his cross and his tomb with that intense empathy which makes them capable of living and dying in others. They thus had the privilege of being the first to see and announce the risen Christ; “Mary Magdalen and the holy women who were going to finish embalming Jesus’ body…were the first to meet the risen Lord. The women were thus the first messengers of Christ’s resurrection for the Apostles themselves” (n. 641).
In this wording the Catechism seems to stress this fact intentionally, as if to emphasize that one can see with the intuition of the heart – an essential prerogative of women! – before one can see with the senses and reason. For the same reason the “holy women” – and the Catechism notes this too with interest – together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, persevere in prayer where the disciples of the risen Lord are gathered to await Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:12-14). Thus in a certain way they bear in their maternal womb the new “People of God”, the true Israel, they watch over its birth, and they support its first steps (cf. n. 965).
It may not be excessive to state that woman has a certain con-naturalness with the Holy Spriit because of her capacity to love, to welcome life, and to give it. For this reason, in Mary she is placed at the source of regenerating grace. The Church is “feminine”, as is the community of the redeemed incorporated into Christ its Head, mother and nurse of all those whom she generates in the Spirit. The feminine element has its own irreplaceable position in the economy of redemption because it expresses the tenderness of the merciful and patient God who suffers…The exclusion of women from the ordained priesthood, to which the Catechism soberly refers in n. 1577, should not be misunderstood as a limitation or, worse, as a discrimination, but rather as the acknowledgement of a different way of participating in the work of redemption with respect to the creative and redemptive design of God in the explicit will of Jesus Christ.
Beyond every question of a social and cultural nature, it is evident that the role of woman in the Church has always been essentially maternal and charismatic. For this reason, because of the original grace which she is the bearer, woman can exercise a profound and beneficial spiritual influence on the ministry of the sacred hierarchy.
Woman in the Family
 The Catechism, for reasons that are more than justified, gives ample coverage to the sacrament of Marriage and the family. In this area, woman’s dignity and irreplaceable mission are greatly emphasized. Together with the man she is the minister of the sacrament of Marriage (n. 1623) and from that sacrament she receives the grace to love “with a supernatural love that is sensitive and fruitful” (n. 1642) in the bond of indissolubility and chaste fidelity (cf. nn. 1643-1648) and in the generous willingness to welcome life and to care for her children (cf. nn. 1652-1653). Furthermore, by her example of self-denial and active charity, woman – wife and mother – is called to make her family a “domestic church” in which God is known, honored, prayed to, and witnessed to in a holy life. In this holy environment she exercises her baptismal priesthood, handling on the nourishing the faith in her children and giving them ja Christian upbringing (cf. nn. 1656-1657; 2685). Those who can say that they learned the faith of Mother Church at their own Mother’s knee know how important and decisive that is in giving direction to their lives. Often behind great saints there are holy mothers. Most often, however, they remain in the background or – like Mary – they act as a monstrance.
The Catechism does not fail to consider the great perils which today threaten the dignity of woman and thus the integrity of the family. When woman wanders from the way of the Lord, she may disfigure the maternal face of God (cf. n. 239); she ceases to be an image of his loving tenderness and, rather than placing herself at the service of life, she rejects it in the name of an ill-conceived emancipation, as though maternity – with all the duties and sacrifices it entails – were a burden and enslavement rather than a gift and an honor. Here then is the scourge of abortion (cf. n. 2271) and, next to it, many other temptations which can distract woman – as much as man – from her noble task and lead her on the road to perversion and self-destruction (cf. n. 2353). Such is not only the rejection of motherhood, but also the pretext of producing children by manipulating the laws of nature (cf. nn. 2376-2378).
The Consecrated Woman
As if to neutralize the disastrous consequences of these rampant forms of desecrating life, the charism of consecrated virginity also exists in the Church (cf. nn. 918-933). There are women who, through a special vocation beyond the natural level, offer themselves to God with an undivided heart and anticipate in time the eternal reality of the mystical marriage of Christ and his Church. The Catechism notes, quoting the rite of the consecration of virgins, that they are “the transcendent sign of the love of the Church for Christ, the eschatological image of the heavenly Bride and of the life to come” (n. 923). Precisely because of their total dedication to God, these women become universal mothers in the order of grace and by their presence they offer the Church and mankind, especially the most materially and spiritually poor and needy, an inexhaustible source of charity, tender compassion and consolation.
Like a spring of water, hidden but full of boundless spiritual life, is the presence of consecrated women in the monastic and contemplative life (cf. nn. 2687; 2691) Their radical separation from the world in order to live in God’s presence in pure offering and unceasing prayer, makes them closer to all people and renders them, in a certain way, the sould of every other vocation or mission in the Church; this is so because prayer is the “living source” which nourishes faith and charity and makes their works bear fruit.
The Catechism, however briefly, has not failed to indicate among the guides of the spiritual life and the teachers of prayer, some women who, by sanctifying themselves in the silence of the cloister, have enriched the Church with that “wisdom of the heart” which alone makes us appreciate God (cf. nn. 2558; 2704; 2709). Furthermore we are reminded that “in the catacombs of the Church is often depicted as a woman in prayer with arms open, raised in prayer…” (cf. n 1368).
Perhaps this wonderful, touching image – and there are many of them living, visible or hidden – would be sufficient to erase all the deformed images of woman that mar the social environment and make “the world ugly” in the eyes of those who cannot see spiritual beauty; the consoling beauty which is the reflection of the glory of God in the Blessed Virgin Mary and in souls in which the Church is the perpetually young virgin-bride-mother (cf.n. 2502). | |
Why Mary? Isn’t Jesus Enough?By Msgr. Bob Guste | |
Would not the true Church be one that is true to the commandment of the Lord: “Honor your father and your mother” – the only one of the ten commandments that has a specific earthly blessing attached to it? Wouldn’t Jesus do that for His own mother and want us to do the same? Would it not be a Church that fulfills the ancient prophecy of Mary, “behold, from now on all ages will call me blessed.” (Lk 1:48)? Wouldn’t it be a Church that repeats the biblical praises of Mary expressed by God’s angel and by Elizabeth, “inspired by the Holy Spirit”: Hail, favored one (full of grace)! The Lord is with you…Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:28, 42)? Would it not also be a Church that perceives the scriptural and providential role of Mary as the first to be touched by Jesus Christ both physically and spiritually – the model of all who would ever be called to open their lives to Him and become participants in His mission and His Church?
It was during that sabbatical of 1982 that I made a trip with the primarily black gospel choir from my last pastorate, which had been invited to sing at a number of different places in France. Towards the end of the journey, we hoped to travel down to the town of Lourdes – not to give a concert but as pilgrims. On the plane over, someone had shared with me a Reader’s Digest article about this shrine. It stated that of all the places of religious pilgrimages on this earth, including Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca – there is none that draws more people than that spot in the Pyrenees where Our Blessed Lady appeared to St. Bernadette, a 14 year old peasant girl. We were in Lourdes only one afternoon and evening and left early the next morning. I remember the words that were ringing in my heart as the bus pulled off from that little town:
Bob, if you’re interested in spiritual renewal, don’t neglect My mother. For I’m using her to bring my people back to Me and to be renewed in me.
The new surge of Marian devotion since that time and the reports of apparitions – in  Medjugorje, the Ukraine, Africa, Japan, and other parts of the world – seem to confirm these words. I’ve witnessed, over the years, that truly God is using Mary in a remarkable, powerful way as an instrument of conversion, evangelization, and spiritual renewal. Through her, God’s people are being called back to Jesus and His Church; Christians are being called to a greater unity; Christians and non-Christians are called to know and love one another and the world is being called (in spite of many set-backs) to a new unity and peace. To me, when a Church recognizes the place of Our Lady in Christian life and the life of the world today – it is at least one of the signs that it is truly the Church of Our Lord. It is still his plan, as in the beginning, that we find “the child with Mary, his mother” (Mt. 2:11).
For years of my own life, even most of my life as a student for the priesthood, I had no personal devotion to Mary. I went through the motions but did not understand the meaning of it all and why it was important. It seemed to me that Jesus was enough. But then one night just about a year before ordination, I prayed a prayer to Our Lady, saying something like this,
Mary, you know I don’t have devotion to you. I don’t even understand why I should pray to you. It seems Jesus is enough. But I know I’m missing something, and I ask you to pray for me that I might understand.
Try that sometime, if you’re in the same fix and mean it from your heart.
That prayer in the night was a turning point for me. Beginning a few months after that prayer, things began to happen in my life and doors of understanding began to open, to this day, that have progressively led me to Our Lady – but always through her more closely to Jesus and His Church. Much of this, I’ve been able to express in a published, personal testimony about Mary called, “Mary at My Side”.
The first realization that came to me was that God did not have to choose Mary – any more than He had to choose anyone of us to anyone at all to fulfill His plan. He didn’t even have to send His Son. But in the plan of salvation in which God would take flesh and become one of us. Mary was involved as His Mother.
God chose to use her to be the one through whom the Savior would come into this world. And He still uses her as one through whom the world comes to the Savior. She was associated with Him in His mission on earth, and she is still associated with Him in His continuing mission in heaven.
 As a young, newly-ordained priest, I witnessed this most vividly when I had my first opportunity to go to Lourdes. We arrived late in the afternoon, checked into a little hotel, then rushed over to the grotto for the evening candlelight procession. My eyes popped open with wonder as I watched and took part in this nightly gathering assembled from all over the world carrying the lighted candles (a symbol of Jesus, the Light of the World), praying the rosary and singing the Aves to Mary.
After the procession wound its way through the grounds, it stopped in front of the huge Lourdes basilica and the whole throng with one voice and in the common language of Latin together proclaimed the creed of Christian and Catholic faith. Then the doors of the basilica opened (the custom in those days) and that whole mass of humanity surged into the basilica for benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. To me, it was like a dramatic portrayal of the role of Our Lady in the life of the Church and the world today.
She gathers her children together from all corners of the earth and brings them to Jesus – to renew their allegiance to Him and His Church and fall down in adoration before Him.
The experience of the Magi, representing the nations of the earth, was being repeated again as people found “the child with Mary, his mother…and did him homage” (Mt 2:11). Like the star of Bethlehem, she leads us to Jesus and His Church.
The subsequent visits to Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, and other places of apparitions of Our Lady have confirmed the impression that struck me that night as a young priest. The center of devotion is not Our Lady, but Our Lord.
At Lourdes, for example, throughout the day many people spend periods of prayer in the quiet and reverenced of the adoration chapel where the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord is publicly venerated, take part in the Masses offered several times daily, listen to the proclamation of God’s Holy Word and visit in great numbers the reconciliation chapel where confessions are heard in many different languages, being reconciled with God, His Church, and one another. Each afternoon there is a gathering of the sick, many of whom are rolled out in wheel chairs and stretchers to receive the blessing of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – a beautiful witness of both love of God and neighbor since each invalid is assisted by a volunteer. Most of the healings that take place at Lourdes – those that pass the grueling examination of the famed “medical bureau” – most of these are the healings that occur during this eucharistic blessing.
Marian devotion, rightly understood and practiced, is Christ-centered. Her great desire is, as she says in the Gospel, that you and I “do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).
Another realization that came to me over the years was that the passages in the Bible about Mary are there not just to tell us about Mary but also about ourselves. The way she responded to Jesus and the plan of salvation is given to us as a model for all time.
 From the first “May it be done to me” (Lk 1:38) to her standing below the cross (Jn 19:25-27) and her prayer with the Church in the cenacle awaiting the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14), she is presented as “the first Christian,” and model and mother of all who would - after her - follow Jesus Christ.
She was the closest to Him in body and spirit and as queen of “the communion of saints”. She intercedes with her Son for all His brothers and sisters, who are spiritually her children as well. A great grace for me during the sabbatical was that of entrusting myself, my priesthood and ministry, and my commitment to celibacy – to her special care and protection. What joy accompanied this! What help and blessings have come from it! Frequently renewing this consecration and wearing a medal and scapular of Our Lady help to keep me mindful of her constant love and care. Through many outside the Catholic Church (and a good number within) struggle with devotion to her (as I did), Mary is proving in many quarters to be more of a bridge than a barrier in ecumenical relations.
· The Orthodox Church, though separated from Catholic unity in the eleventh century, has always retained a great devotion to Our Lady; it seems to even be stronger than that of many practicing Catholics in the United States who have either abandoned or neglected devotion to her.
· Muslims too have a great reverence for Mary. There are more references to her in the Koran than in the Bible! There is also an amazing new interest in Marian devotion among our protestant brothers and sisters.
· Many Christians of various denominations have been discovering anew the special role and place of Mary for us today. Examples of this are Anglican theologian John Macquarrie’s Mary for all Christians, the book on Mary by Max Thurian as a Calvinist, the Methodist minister’s Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, on the mysteries of the rosary, and Pentecostal minister Jerry Sandidge’s paper entitled A Pentecostal Perspective of Mary Presented at the 1981 Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue.
Rather than a cause of division among Christians, Mary can be for us a source of unity. She is mother of us all. What’s in a mother’s heart if not the prayer that her family, her children be together?
That she and all the saints in heaven can pray for us, is a teaching of the Catholic Church – affirmed again at the Second Vatican Council. It’s part of what has been believed from early times as expressed in the Apostles Creed about “the communion of saints”. These brothers and sisters of ours, this “cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1), don’t forget us once they get to the goal but urge us on by their example and their prayers. We can be in a wonderful “communion” with them as life goes along. They are part of the family of the Church – the Church triumphant. They, with the angels, are our special friends and companions, particularly our guardian angel and our patron saint.
Queen of them all, however, is Mary.
The book of Revelations speaks about those who “stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple” (Rev 7:15). They sing God’s praises (v. 10) and “the prayers of all the holy ones” rise like incense before the Lord (Rev 8:3-4). Their prayers can be offered for us, and she who interceded with her Son at the marriage feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-11) still intercedes for us in our needs.
If you’re Catholic and you’ve wandered away from the family of the Church or are tempted to do so – think of Mary and regularly ask her prayers. You can do the same if you are not Catholic.
My experience and that of countless others is that she helps to draw us closer to Jesus, His Church and all our brothers and sisters in the human family.
She is Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and Queen of Peach.
Referenced: · Gift of the Church is serialized column excerpted from the book The Gift of the Church: Copyright 1993, by Queenship Publishing; Santa Barbara, Califonia. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission in Thy Kingdom Come Volume 97 No. 3.
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History of the Mission | |
TEE-BEB: In His Own Words
One morning, January 20, 1975, I was driving on the overpass in Schriever, Louisiana at 4:30 in the morning. That was the first time The Mother started talking to me. She started talking all of a sudden, without any warning.
At first, I thought the voice was coming from my radio. But I had turned my radio off. It surprised me so much I let go the wheel. I could see the road but I couldn’t drive my car.
She started talking to me. She said that she was the Mother of God. She was telling of the trouble I was going to have with my family. But, it would all be for the best. She asked me to tell the people to pray the rosary as they were getting away from her rosary, getting away from the Church.
She said many people were going to get sick. Many would be confused and would need healing. She asked me to pray over people. She gave me a prayer and told me that her Son would send many people to my house. I was to pray for everybody that came to my house and was to help everyone. The only way they could be healed was to turn to her Son. She told me to tell the people: Go to Church! Go to confession! Go to communion! Visit the Blessed Sacrament every day! She said we have to turn to her Son.
She asked me to ask the children to pray the rosary every day. We give away rosary beads all the time at my house. She told me when you pray the rosary she will bring you back to her Son. She wants the people to pray the rosary to save themselves.
Children are getting away from their mothers and fathers. Everyone will suffer with their children. We have to pray the rosary and put everything in God’s hands. We were not to worry about anything, but continue to pray the rosary, and He would save our children.
This is the promise she made to me. Our children will be saved if we pray the rosary and put everything in God’s hands. He is there! He loves us! He loves our children! He loves us! We are responsible for our children. Sometimes our children do bad things, but we have to pray, and He will help us.
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Donations | |
By Mail:
| P.O. Box 394 — Raceland, LA 70394 |
By Zeffy:
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The following are estimated expenses for 2026. This does not include any additional improvements to the Lot in Lockport, any repairs to the statues/cross that may be needed, etc. Figures are based upon 2025 expenses.
Type | Amount |
Entergy | $ 660.46 |
Lockport Insurance | $ 733.95 |
Accountant | $ 200.00 |
St. Joseph Closet | $ 1,131.30 |
QuickBooks | $ 500.04 |
Phone | $ 360.00 |
Lawn | $ 1,075.00 |
P.O. Box | $ 78.00 |
Other | $ 114.58 |
Total | $ 4,853.33 |
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