HOLY PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS

Lord, Thy Will Be Done

2011-06-12T21:07:00.000+02:00

After Teresa's death, the following lines were found in her writing book:

Father of all, we fain would say, as did Thy only Son,
In every hour of every day, Oh let Thy Will be done.
In thought, in word, in deed, in death, things finished or begun,
Let every transitory breath whisper: Thy Will be done.
In daily cares to thousands known, or known perchance to none,
Let this request be heard above: Oh! Lord, Thy Will be done.
In sickness though some stroke unseen may oft the senses stun,
Let grace suggestive intervene to feel Thy Will be done.
In health, when in its full career the race of man is run,
Let joy be taught by holy fear to pray: Thy Will be done.
Amid the rocks and shoals of life which few can ever shun,
Let peace compose each spark of strife and cry: Thy Will be done.
And when the bow of hope shall blend all colours into one,
Time with eternity shall end with: LORD, THY WILL BE DONE.

Teresa's Prayer To Mary

2011-06-12T20:21:00.000+02:00

O Mary, I implore Thee by all the love and homage Thou hast bestowed on this Seat of Divine Wisdom before which the Cherubim and Seraphim lie prostrate in awe and trembling, fear and love, by this Sacred Head which Thou hast so often pressed on Thy Immaculate Heart and pillowed on Thy bosom. Oh Mary and Joseph, oh ye Choirs of Angels and glorious Assembly of Saints, raise now your minds, your hearts, and your hands to the adorable Trinity and beg the holy of Holies to look upon these warm vermilion drops of priceless worth, The Precious Blood of Jesus that have obeyed to the orders of His Divine Wisdom, ask Him through His obedience unto death, through the Wisdom and Love He has displayed towards His creatures, to arise and spread this light over the whole face of the earth. Where should we all be if it were not for His Infinite Wisdom and Love? In the Nothingness out of which He called all things. Then let all creatures acknowledge, praise, bless and love this Wisdom, let them adore the Sacred Head of Jesus as its Seat. Not my will but Thine be done. I mean that I am ready to await Thy good pleasure, but Oh Lord, Thou knowest how this fire burns within me, Thou knowest all things. My love and my desires are not hidden from Thee. Amen.

From the booklet: Teresa Helena Higginson and the devotion to The Sacred Head of Christ, Seat of Divine Wisdom

Prayer to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

2011-06-12T15:31:00.000+02:00

O DIVINE Jesus, lonely to-night in so many Tabernacles, without visitor or worshipper, I offer Thee my lonely heart, and may its beatings be a prayer of love to Thee. Thou art ever watching under Sacramental veils; in Thy Love Thou never sleepest, and art never weary in Thy vigil for sinners. O Loving Jesus, O Lovely Jesus, may my heart be a lamp, the light of which shall burn for Thee alone. Watch Sacramental Sentinel, watch for the weary world, for the erring soul and for Thy poor lonely child. Amen.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, that I could water with my tears those places where the marks of Thy Love have been received only with contempt and indifference. In reparation for such injuries, I offer Thee the love of all just souls, the ardour of the angels, and above all, the tender sentiments of Thine Immaculate Mother. Permit me to unite with that offering the affections of my heart. Amen.

Complaints of the Soul of Our Blessed Lord

2011-06-12T14:40:00.000+02:00

MY Soul is not known. My Soul is not loved. Night and day I see living lamps burning before My Altar. My Sacrament of love finds worshippers and victims; but My Soul does not meet with sympathising souls. Every day I give Myself to My creatures, and, swallowed up in this union, they praise everything in Me but My Soul and My Sacred Head crowned with thorns, the Seat of divine Wisdom... Each day My Cross is bathed with tears, and the daughters of Zion cannot be comforted, because they see me without brightness and beauty, but few there are who compassionate the anguish of My Soul, sorrowful unto death. My Heart has found thousands of hearts, but My Soul remains solitary, and My Thorn crowned Brow unhonoured. My Face besmeared, and My Eyes and Mouth filled with congealing Blood, and no one is there to wipe It away and refresh My parched Lips and swollen tongue.
"My Soul is Sorrowful even unto death, and I have looked for some one to comport Me and there is none."

From: Devotions to the Sacred Head of Our Blessed Lord; Imprimatur: Jacobus Canonicus Carr, Pro Episcopo Liverpolitano.

Memorare to the Divine Soul

2011-06-12T14:22:00.000+02:00

REMEMBER, O most Holy Soul of my Jesus, all Thou hast done and suffered for my soul, and let it not perish. I beseech Thee, through the anguish that forced Thy very Hearts Blood from Thy Sacred Veins, and I conjure Thee to bathe mine, and all poor sinners in that precious Stream, which ran down in ruby drops upon the ground. Remember the deep and boundless love Thou hast shown to it, and drive not away from Thee, fainting under the weight of its miseries and sorrows. O deign to feel for its weakness; behold the dangers which encompass it on all sides, the evils which cause it to sigh and groan.
Full of trust and love, it comes to Thee, O most tender and compassionate of all Souls; receive it in Thy Mercy and Goodness; cause it to feel the effects of Thy most plentiful Redemption, and the excess of Thy burning love. Show Thyself its advocate with Thy Heavenly Father, in the name of all Thy merits, Thy humiliations, and sufferings, and grant its strength in all its struggles and grace to love and console Thee in time, that it may possess, praise, and thank Thee for all eternity. Amen.
Soul of Jesus, sorrowful unto death, would that I could console Thee in Thy bitter anguish and grief.

From: Devotions to the Sacred Head of Our Blessed Lord; Imprimatur: Jacobus Canonicus Carr, Pro Episcopo Liverpolitano.

Prayer to the Soul of Jesus Sorrowful unto Death

2011-06-12T13:57:00.000+02:00

REMEMBER, O most sorrowful Soul of my Jesus, the fearful agony that Thou didst endure, when plunged into the depths of Thy Father's Justice and Wrath, Thou didst cry out, "My Father, if it be possible, let this bitter Chalice pass from me, nevertheless not My Will but Thine be done"; and when overwhelmed in deepest woe, Thou didst complain that "Thy Soul was sorrowful, even unto death"; and when agonising, dying, and deserted by all, even by Thine eternal Father, these words of wondrous mystery were wrung from Thee, "My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken Me!"
Remember the sighs, the groans, the anguish of soul, the agony of mind, and the breaking of Thy Loving Heart. Remember the many stripes, the blows, the insults, the blasphemies, the thorns, the Blood, the Tears, the stripping of Thy garments, the shame, the prayers, the separation of Thy Holy Soul from Thine adorable Body.
Remember the Wisdom of Thy Sacred Head that contrived so much suffering, and would thus prove the Love of Thy Sacred Heart, for the souls of Thy children. Remember, too, what Mary suffered. Remember the price I have cost Thee, and when Thou beholdest all these fearful tortures, have mercy and pity on my soul, and forgive me through Thy Precious Blood. Why O my crucified, loving Jesus, are so many souls in darkness and sin? Art Thou not the Almighty God? the God of Wisdom, of Knowledge, of Light? Art Thou not our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sanctification, our holy and strong God? Why then is our enemy and Thine so bold? O Lord, for the love Thou hast for souls, for the price we have cost Thee, for the glory of Thy name, arise and show that Thou art the Living God. Lighten up every darkness by the Light of Thy Divine Wisdom; expel all heresies by spreading the Truth of Thy doctrines, and the beauty of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith throughout all nations. Consume all hearts with the burning Fire of Thy Love. Draw all souls to Thy Soul, that we may console and comfort Thee here, by weeping over sin, which is the cause of Thine intense sorrow. Hide us, dear Jesus, in Thy Wounds, bathe our souls in Thy most precious Blood. Stamp Thy sacred Head and Face deeply in our hearts and souls, that we may never forget Thee, nor the sorrow we have caused Thee. Remember us, Lord in Thy Kingdom. Grant us Pardon and peace here, and eternal happiness in the world to come. Let us keep near Thee, Jesus, in Thy Sorrow, that we may be found worthy to dwell for ever with Thee, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, One God in Three distinct Persons, in the world without end.
Amen. Jesus, Mary, Joseph. Amen.

From: Devotions to the Sacred Head of Our Blessed Lord. Imprimatur: Jacobus Canonicus Carr, Pro Episcopo Liverpolitano.

Prayer in Honour of the Sacred Head as The Seat of Divine Wisdom

2011-06-12T10:56:00.001+02:00

MY Lord and my God, humbly prostrate before Thee, I adore Thy Sacred Head as the seat of Divine Wisdom, the Shrine of the Powers of Thy most holy Soul and Intellectual Faculties, and the centre of five Senses of Thine adorable Body.
When I gaze into the depths of this fathomless abyss of Goodness, Power, and Wisdom, which has contrived and instituted such unheard of ways and means of proving Thine infinite Love, and lavishing Thy choicest gifts upon me, Thy poor child, I am lost in astonishment and admiration.
O Light of lights, in whose glorious rays I see fresh mines of Wealth in the Sacred Heart; O Sun of Justice, in whose intense heat I feel the burning Love that consumes the Sacred Heart:
O Will, which was always in meek subjection to Thy heavenly Father's, control me in all things, as Thou didst govern all the affections and motions of the Sacred Heart of the God made Man.
O Understanding, which knows all things, ever guide me with Thy Light.
O Memory, in which past, present, and future are at once reflected, which is ever mindful of me, and always seems studying some new means of giving fresh favours, force me to love Thee more and more.
Oh! by the bright shining light of Thine Eyes, teach me to see Thee in all things; and by Thine Ears, which are ever open to the prayers of the needy, grant that I may ever hear the voice of Thy Church, and listen to Thy holy inspirations. Oh, give me always a love and a relish for what is right and just. Let me taste how sweet Thou art. Let me be drawn by the odour of Thy Virtues, and feel forever the intense joy of seeing, loving, praising, blessing and glorifying Thee for all eternity. O Flood of Light! Mine of Wealth! Ocean of Goodness! Sea of Mercy! Fountain of Living Waters! Fire of Love! Source of all Good! to Thee I consecrate myself with that I am or have. O Sacred Head, Seat of Divine Wisdom, Tabernacle of God with man; in Thee I behold at once a celestial and terrestrial Paradise, a new heaven, and a new Earth; the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared and adorned as a bride glowing with light and glory, in whose sparkling crystals I behold all the attributes of the Godhead reflected as a sea of glass. O Rainbow of Peace! O Burning Bush! O Peerless Pearl! Storehouse of the Treasures of God! O Lamp, ever burning! Brightness unfading! Sun for ever shining! O Tree of Life! Life and Light of those who are Thine! O Seal of the Elect.
O Wisdom without beginning or end! Boundless knowledge! Love so great that we cannot understand it! To Thee I raise my prayer of love, reparation and thanksgiving from the centre of the Sacred Heart, where I safely hide; and I beg of Thee to accept, O my Jesus, all the treasures of this infinite mystery of love and riches, in atonement for my coldness, misery, and poverty. O Jesus, my beloved Jesus, I love Thee far more than I can tell; Jesus, my Spouse, and my treasure, I grieve that Thou art so little known and so much offended. Jesus, my Life and my Light, may all minds know Thee, all hearts love Thee, and all tongues praise Thee, now and for ever more, Amen. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! O Seat of Divine Wisdom, have mercy on me, O Sacred Head and loving Heart, guide me with Thy Light, and consume me with Thy fire. Amen.

From: Devotions to the Sacred Head of Our Blessed Lord, Imprimatur: Jacobus Canonicus Carr, Pro Episcopo Liverpolitano.

Prayer to the Sacred Head

2011-06-12T10:35:00.000+02:00

O WISDOM of the Sacred Head, guide me in all my ways. Love of the Sacred Heart, consume me with thy fire.
Three Glorias, in honour of the Divine Will, Memory and Understanding.
O Seat of Divine Wisdom, and guiding Power, which governs all the motions and love of the Sacred Heart, may all minds know Thee, all hearts Love Thee, and all tongues praise Thee, now and for ever more.

Let Us Pray

DEAREST Jesus, teach me to be generous, teach me to serve Thee as Thou deservest, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward, except to know that I do Thy Will, O my God.

From: Devotions to the Sacred Head of Our Blessed Lord - Imprimatur: Jacobus Canonicus Carr, Pro Episcopo Liverpolitano.

How Great Thou Art - With Carrie Underwood & Paul O. Schenker

2011-05-21T11:07:00.000+02:00

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Prayer of Teresa Higginson for the spread of devotion to the Sacred Head of Our Lord

2011-02-05T10:32:00.001+01:00

O infinite Wisdom, boundless Love, how unsearchable are Thy ways! Make known, O Lord, Thy desire to have Thy Sacred Head honoured as the Seat of divine Wisdom, and to have Thy holy Soul, sorrowful unto death, comforted. Arise and show that Thou art the Almighty God. Make known the burning desire of Thy Sacred Heart. Make haste, O Lord, for Thy own dear sake.
Do not delay; I conjure Thee through Thy most Precious Blood, and for Thy bitter Passion's sake.
I ask Thee, O ever Blessed Trinity, in the holy name of Jesus, in honour of this same Seat of Divine Wisdom, and through the burning love of His Sacred Heart; I ask Thee in the name of Mary and Joseph, and for the salvation of souls, that Thou wilt make known and spread this Devotion.
O Lord Thou knowest the desire with which I desire to satisfy Thee; yet how weak and helpless I am; and how little is yet done.
Speak, Lord, and say what Thou wouldst have us do.
Amen.

Imprimatur: Liverpolii die 13 Sep. 1931, + Ricardus Archiepiscopus Liverpolitanus.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Trois-Epis, Alsace - France

2010-10-23T17:56:00.000+02:00

We welcome you, pilgrim and visitor, to this place where, in the person of Mary, God has visited Alsatian soil. In a natural setting, amidst lakes, vineyards and castles, "Our Lady of the Three Ears of Corn" invites you to meditation and prayer.

Here, on May 3, 1491, Mary appeared to Thierry Schoeré, a blacksmith on his way from Orbey to the market in Niedermorschwihr to buy some corn.
She was holding an icicle in one hand, a portentous symbol of sorrow and desolation; in the other, she held three beautiful ears of corn on a single stalk, bringing promise of abundance and blessings. She told the blacksmith:
"Fear not, make haste and go as quickly as you can to Niedermorschwihr. Tell the inhabitants that they should mend their ways and journey to this mountain in procession".
But Thierry Schoeré was afraid, he told no-one a word of what had happened... it required a sign, a sack of wheat that it was impossible to lift from the ground, symbolising all the fears that paralyse us... Only then did he dare to deliver the message of life Mary had given him.

As early as 1491, a modest wooden chapel was erected on the site of the apparition, then replaced in 1493 by a stone building. A priest, assisted by a hermit, ministered to the shrine until the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).
The chapel was burnt down in 1636, but rose from its ashes with the arrival of a religious community. Several communities followed one after the other until the Revolution, when the shrine was closed. It was restored to worship in 1804.
The Redemptorists settled in Trois-Epis on July 11, 1912 and have continued to spread Mary's message ever since then.

The chapel of the apparition
A historic site, but above all a place dedicated to prayer and meditation... On entering the chapel, pilgrims are welcomed by a statue of Mary dating from 1950, which calls to mind the two symbols of the apparition.
As you move towards the choir, two discoveries await you above the high altar: a pietà dating from the late XVth century, "le petit vieux image miraculeux" and a painting representing the Visitation, for it is to this episode of the life of the Virgin Mary that the chapel is dedicated. In the choir, two paintings depict the Apparition of 1491.
On the left-hand altar, a statue of Saint Antony the Hermit is a vivid reminder that he Antonines spent more than a century at Trois-Epis. On the right-hand altar, another statue, carved in wood, represents Saint Antony of Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorist congregation. The numerous thanksgiving plaques covering the walls of the chapel are a tribute to Mary for the many graces received through her intercession. At the far end of the chapel, visitors can admire another statue of Mary which was rescued from the fire of 1636.
Before finally leaving, you will see a stone lodged between the choir and the nave, bearing the date of 1693, indicating the year the chapel was built.

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Before the Mariensäule in Munich

2010-09-22T21:10:00.000+02:00

Holy Mother of the Lord!
Our ancestors, at a time of trouble, set up your statue here, in the very heart of Munich, and entrusted the city and country to your care. They wanted to meet you again and again along the paths of their daily life, and to learn from you the right way to live, to find God and to live in harmony. They gave you a crown and a sceptre, which at that time were symbols of dominion over the country, because they knew that power and dominion would then be in good hands - in the hands of a Mother.
Your Son, just before his farewell to his disciples, said to them: "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all" (Mk 10:43-44). At the decisive hour in your own life, you said: "Here I am, the servant of the Lord" (Lk 1:38). You lived your whole life as service. And you continue to do so throughout history. At Cana, you silently and discreetly interceded for the spouses, and so you continue to do. You take upon yourself people's needs and concerns, and you bring them before the Lord, before your Son. Your power is goodness. Your power is service.
Teach us - great and small alike - to carry out our responsibilities in the same way. Help us to find the strength to offer reconciliation and forgiveness. Help us to become patient and humble, but also free and courageous, just as you were at the hour of the Cross. In your arms you hold Jesus, the Child who blesses, the Child who is also the Lord of the world. By holding the Child who blesses, you have yourself become a blessing. Bless us, this city and this country! Show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb! Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Benedict XVI to München, Altötting and Regensburg (September 9-14, 2006), Marienplatz, München, Saturday, 9 September 2006

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Hail Holy Queen - Salve Regina - Video (1)

2010-01-25T09:08:00.002+01:00

Mary, Co-Redemptrix

2009-08-10T08:06:00.005+02:00

Our Holy Lady Mary

2009-08-09T21:33:00.006+02:00

The "Sweet Mother" of Birnau

2009-07-09T16:16:00.004+02:00

Since 1790 the statue of the Mother of God, especially highlighted as a focal point of the shrine and as the mediatrix of all grace, has been shining like a pearl in an oyster at the center of this classical monument which is the high altar. According to experts and admirers this image of Our Lady of Birnau, which is part of the group of "beautiful Madonnas", merits the title of "most beautiful enthroned statue of Mary in upper southern Bavaria". The great fresco overhanging the church nave is also devoted to this image. Angels can be seen introducing the miraculous statue into the new sanctuary in order to heighten its prestige and perpetuate the tradition of Marian devotion in Old-Birnau.
The sculpture measures roughly one meter in height. The soft drape of the clothing and the deep folds between the feet indicate a Gothic work of about 1430. According to the research of Jurgen Michler the Birnau statue is comparable to statues which came into being in Ulm during the years 1420-1436. Crafted and decorative stone sculptures of the façade of the cathedral of Ulm help to establish stylistic kinships (both in terms of decorative technique and plastic beauty) between the Virgin of Birnau and the Ulm school, especially the "master of the Dornstadt altar". Since, furthermore, a written source from 1430 testifies to the activity in Uberlingen of a "master of Ulm", it is not difficult to situate the style of our statue in the same period of the history of art. What, on the other hand, remains obscure is the reason why a new statue of the Virgin was made around 1430 for the pilgrimage of Old-Birnau. What had happened to the first miraculous statue? It seems that, if the "mellow style" of the present work bears without a doubt the mark of Gothic art, the sculptor was probably inspired by a seated model of a Romanesque Madonna. One naturally thinks of the previous statue from Birnau. In addition, the typological features of the old miraculous statue from the hermitage, often imitated, show through in the Gothic Birnau copy. What was new in the region around Lake Constance around 1430 was the use of the crescent moon motif at the feet of sculptures representing the Virgin (cf. the Madonna of Eriskirch, 1410). This half moon fitted around the face of the woman of the Apocalypse has to be seen in parallel with the radiating nimbus placed behind the seated figure, which has now disappeared (cf. the representation of the miraculous statue by Christopher Lienhard, 1708). The rays of sunlight (light and warmth of God) and the moon help us to recognize in Mary this woman of the Apocalypse who has existed from time immemorial in the plan of salvation of God as mother of the Savior and mediatrix of all grace (Ap 12:1-5). In the footsteps of Christian Antiquity the Middle Ages readily used the sun and the crescent moon as symbols of the royalty of Christ. In the Baroque era this allegory was also applied to Mary, due to the fact that the moon reflects the light of the sun.
In 1746 the miraculous statue of Old-Birnau was transferred, with a subterfuge, to the abbey of Salem, whence in 1750 it reached its place in the new sanctuary beside the lake. "Our Lady" holds her son, the Word of God made man, majestically on her knees. She presents her son for the salvation of the world. Around 1900 two restoration artists from Uberlingen, the Mezger brothers, replaced the hands and the lost attributes of the two figures and gave them a new coloring. Similarly the gestural symbols were added at the beginning of the 20th century according to ancient models: the bitten apple as an allusion to the original sin as well as the little cross of the child Jesus represent the symbols of the salvation wrought by Christ.

Mary, star of the sea

"You who feel far from firm ground, carried off by the waves of this world amidst the storms and tempests, if you do not wish to founder, do not let your gaze waver from the light of this star. If the winds of temptation rise up, if you run into the rocks of tribulation, look at the star, invoke Mary. If you are shaken about by the waves of pride, ambition, betrayal or jealousy, look at the star, invoke Mary. If anger or avarice or impure desires toss about the little boat of your soul, look at Mary. If you are troubled by the enormity of your crimes, ashamed of the grubbiness of your conscience, frozen with terror at the thought of judgment, or if you begin to be engulfed by the abyss of sadness, by the depths of despair, think of Mary. In danger, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, invoke Mary."

(Extract of a sermon of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux)

Confession of the Integral Holy Catholic Faith

2009-06-10T11:37:00.005+02:00

We, Priests of the Holy Catholic Church, truly convinced that the integrity of the Faith takes precedence over an opening up to the world or oecumenism, declare publicly our Faith, and we urge you, brethren, to keep yours intact, to live it completely and, if God gives you the grace, to profess it publicly, without arrogance, but with pride.

We believe and profess all the truths which the Church believes and teaches. In particular:
We believe in the existence of one God in three Persons equal and distinct, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, consubstantial with the Father, took a human nature exactly like ours, with the exception of sin, and that He possesses two natures in one person, the second Person of the Holy Trinity.
We believe in the Holy Ghost, Who is also God, and proceeds from the Father and the Son.
We believe in the birth in time of Christ, of a Mother always a Virgin and full of grace, Immaculate in her Conception and glorious in Heaven in her body and soul.
We believe that the triune God made everything which exists for man, but that He created man for Himself: so that man might know Him, love Him, serve Him and by this means merit the eternal happiness of Heaven.
We believe that the human race descended from a single couple: the first man and woman whom we call Adam and Eve.
We believe that Adam, the head of mankind committed a real sin which deprived him of God's friendship. This sin, "which is the death of the soul", is transmitted by generation to all the children of Adam who, because of this, the Blessed Virgin Mary excepted, are born in a state of sin, that is to say "spiritually dead." This is original sin.
We believe that little children, even though born of Christian parents, must be baptised to obtain Eternal Life, and that they should be baptised as soon as possible.
We believe in the sorrowful Passion, the Death and the bodily Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who ascended to the right hand of the Father, from whence He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead.
We believe that at the coming of the Glorious Christ, all men will rise from the dead with their bodies, and that each one will render an account of his own acts. Those who have done good will enter eternal Life and those who have done evil will go into eternal fire.
We believe in the existence of Angels and we believe that they watch over the Church and over every man. We believe also that the unfaithful angels, Satan and the demons, personal beings, prowl in the world and against the Church for the ruin of souls.
We believe in the existence of eternal Hell which was made for Satan and his angels, where those who die whilst not in a state of grace, are punished.
We believe that the evil in the world does not come from unexplained antagonisms but, in truth, from original sin and our own sins.
We believe that man possesses a spiritual and immortal soul which continues to exist after the destruction of the body and which, whilst awaiting the resurrection of the body, will go either to Heaven, Purgatory or Hell, according to what it has merited.
We believe all the truths contained in the Holy Scriptures and in Tradition, including the historical character of the accounts of the hidden life of Jesus (the Gospels recording His infancy) and of His miracles.
We believe that we must venerate the Saints and honour their images, and we believe in their intercession.
We believe in the reality of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in which Jesus Christ, really and substantially present with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, offers Himself to God the Father, as He did on the Cross, for our sins.
We believe that the term "transubstantiation" is so perfectly fitted to describe the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, that there is no need to look for a new formula for this mystery of Faith. (Cf. Pope Paul's Encyclical Mysterium Fidei.)

We believe that the Real Corporal Presence of Jesus Christ remains in the Eucharist as long as the sacramental species remain after Communion, or in the Host reserved in the Tabernacle.
We believe that the Sacrament of Penance blots out our sins by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, provided that the required dispositions are present.
We believe in the reality of the divine action through the seven sacraments, the rites of which have been entrusted to the Church.
We believe that Jesus Christ, Our Lord, founded a Church which He called "My Church", to distinguish it from the churches which are not "His." It is "the House of God, the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth." (Matt. XVI, 18; 1 Tim III, 15)
This Church God has provided with certain marks of her institution by which she can be recognized as the Guardian and Mistress of the Revealed Word. And we believe that the Roman Catholic Church alone possesses these wonderful marks which indicate her origin: unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity.
We believe that the Church of Christ is visible and hierarchical and that she teaches with God's authority, all that Jesus has revealed to us (see Matt. XXVIII, 20). At the summit of the hierarchy Christ has established Peter and his successors, Bishops of Rome, with direct jurisdiction over the whole universal Church, over all the Bishops, Priests, and faithful and over each one of them.
We believe that the unity of the Church is not something yet to be achieved: it has existed from the beginning and will never cease to exist. It is a mark which distinguishes her from other churches and is one of the Truths of our Credo. "Credo ... et UNAM Ecclesiam."
We believe that those who are separated from her, have objectively the obligation, in order to ensure their salvation, to come back into the sole Church of Jesus Christ, and that we have the duty to facilitate their return but without changing thereby the Catholic Faith.
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ, although composed of sinners, is a HOLY Church. Holy in her Head, Jesus Christ, Holy in her doctrine, Holy in her Sacraments, Holy in her members: those in Heaven, those in Purgatory, and those on earth who are in a state of grace.
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is APOSTOLIC
because the Priesthood, and the jurisdiction of her Hierarchy comes from the Apostles by a direct and unbroken succession.
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ was founded on Peter. She was entrusted to the care of Peter and to the Bishops united with him. This is the Roman Catholic Church, because only the Bishop of Rome is the successor of Peter.
We believe in the permanence of the traditional doctrine taught by the Church, in the objective meaning of the formulas which express her Dogmas, and in the Truth which she teaches.
We believe that the truths of Faith remain absolutely independent of the way men think or live, because Truth comes from God, by tradition through the Church, and not from the religious instinct of the masses.
We reject also that spirit of inquiry which, under the pretext of a better formulation of doctrine, ends by changing the Truths which we have believed until now.
With the Apostle we think that "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is sick about questions and strifes of words; from which arise envies, contentions, blasphemies, evil suspicions." (I Tim VI, 3 and 4)
There, Brethren, is what we believe and what we profess: EVERYTHING WHICH THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVES AND TEACHES. And we believe it and hold it to be true because God has revealed it to us and He, and the Church which teaches us through her infallible Magisterium, can neither be deceived nor deceive.
We have been baptized in this Catholic Faith.
It is this Catholic Faith which we professed on the day of our Confirmation.
It is this Catholic Faith which the Church, our Mother, made us promise to preserve before imposing her hands on us.

May God preserve us from being perjurers. May Mary, Mother of the Church, and Mother of God, and all the Angels and Saints obtain for us the grace to live and die in and for the Catholic Faith. Amen.

Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem - Sing forth, O Sion, sweetly sing

2009-06-07T18:06:00.006+02:00

Sing forth, O Sion, sweetly sing
The praises of thy Shepherd-King,
In hymns and caticles divine;
Dare all thou canst, thou hast no song
Worthy his praises to prolong,
So far surpassing powers like thine.

To-day no theme of common praise
Forms the sweet burden of thy lays –
The living, life-dispensing food –
That food which at the sacred board
Unto the brethren twelve our Lord
His parting legacy bestowed.

Then be the anthem clear and strong,
Thy fullest note, thy sweetest song,
The very music of the breast:
For now shines forth the day sublime
That brings remembrance of the time
When Jesus first his table blessed.

Within our new King's banquet-hall
They meet to keep the festival
That closed the ancient paschal rite:
The old is by the new replaced;
The substance hath the shadow chased;
And rising day dispels the night.

Christ willed what he himself had done
Should be renewed while time should run,
In memory of his parting hour:
Thus, tutored in his school divine,
We consecrate the bread and wine;
And lo – a Host of saving power.

This faith to Christian men is given –
Bread is made flesh by words from heaven:
Into his blood the wine is turned:
What though it baffles nature's powers
Of sense and sight? This faith of ours
Proves more than nature e'er discerned.

Concealed beneath the twofold sign,
Meet symbols of the gifts divine,
There lie the mysteries adored:
The living body is our food;
Our drink the ever-precious blood
In each, one undivided Lord.

Not he that eateth it divides
The sacred food, which whole abides
Unbroken still, nor knows decay;
Be one, or be a thousand fed,
They eat alike that living bread
Which, still received, ne'er wastes away.

The good, the guilty share therein,
With sure increase of grace or sin.
The ghostly life, or ghostly death:
Death to the guilty; to the good
Immortal life. See how one food
Man's joy or woe accomplisheth.

We break the Sacrament; but bold
And firm thy faith shall keep its hold;
Deem not the whole doth more enfold
Than in the fractured part resides:
Deem not that Christ doth broken lie;
'Tis but the sight that meets the eye;
The hidden deep reality
In all its fulness still abides.

Behold the bread of angels, sent
For pilgrims in their banishment,
The bread for God's true children meant,
That may not unto dogs be given;
Oft in the olden types foreshowed;
In Isaac on the altar bowed,
And in the ancient paschal food,
And in the manna sent from heaven.

Come then, good Shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us still, still keep us thine;
So we may see thy glories shine
In fields of immortality;

O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present good, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
Amen. Alleluia.

Teresa Helena Higginson

2009-05-20T15:51:00.007+02:00

Here is the complete text of Teresa's biography by Lady Cecil Kerr, first published in 1926:

Servant of God, The Spouse of the Crucified, 1944-1905,
by Cecil Kerr

Teresa Higginson's great mission was to promote devotion to the Sacred Head of Our Lord as the Seat of Divine Wisdom, not as a substitute for devotion to the Sacred Heart, but as its perfection. At first this sounds a little strange! But it only takes some reflection to recognise the extraordinary sense it makes. It is the head that controls and directs the heart; wisdom guides love.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by St. Antiochus

2009-05-04T07:45:00.004+02:00

O Holy Spirit, most merciful Comforter: You proceed from the Father in a manner beyond our understanding. Come, I beseech You, and take up your abode in my heart. Purify and cleanse me from all sin, and sanctify my soul. Cleanse it from every impurity, water its dryness, melt its coldness, and save it from sinful ways. Make me truly humble and resigned, that I may be pleasing to You, and that You abide with me forever. Most blessed Light, most amiable Light, enlighten me. O rapturous Joy of Paradise, Fount of purest delight, my God, give yourself to me, and kindle in my innermost soul the fire of your love. My Lord, instruct, direct, and defend me in all things. Give me strength against all immoderate fears and against despondency. Bestow upon me a true faith, a firm hope, and a sincere and perfect love. Grant that I always do your most gracious will. Amen.

Prayer commending ourselves to God

2009-04-28T16:22:00.004+02:00

O Lord, into your most merciful hands I commend my body and soul, thoughts and acts, desires and intentions. I commend the needs of my body and soul, future and past, my faith and hope, the end of my life, the day and hour of my death, the burial and resurrection of my body. O most merciful God, whose clemency the sins of the world can never transcend, take me, a sinner, under the wings of your protection and deliver me from every evil. Cleanse my iniquities, grant me a reformation of my life, and protect me against future transgressions, that I may in no manner ever anger You. Shelter my weakness from passions and evil persons, guard me against my visible and invisible enemies, lead me on the road of salvation and to Yourself, the safe harbor and haven of my desires. Grant me a happy, peaceful, Christian death, and protect me from evil spirits. Be merciful to me, your servant, at the great judgment, and number me among the blessed flock who stand on your right, that, together with them, I may forever glorify You, my Creator. Amen.

Stabat Mater

2009-03-30T14:09:00.007+02:00

In the shadow of the rood,
Broken-hearted there she stood
Near her Son and Lord:
While her soul, His doom lamenting,
Yet in sacrifice consenting
Felt the cleaving sword.

Came there ever to another
Grief like thine, O wounded Mother,
As thou looked'st upon
Him, the Son of God, all holy,
And of thee, a Virgin lowly,
Sole-begotten Son?

Who so lost of human feeling
As to hide his tears revealing
Sympathy with thine?
Who that e'er was born of woman,
In a tenderness so human
Sees not love Divine?

To the lash, for sin atoning,
Lo! He bows! and thou, O moaning
Mother, now must see
Limb from limb His spirit languish
And His latest look of anguish
Turned in love to thee!

Let me near the fountain growing
Of thy tenderness o'erflowing,
Drink my fill thereof;
Let the fervent flames illuming
All thy soul a fire consuming,
Kindle mine to love.

Thou alone no ransom needing,
Let thy Son, the Victim bleeding
For my sin atone:
What for me my God and Brother
Deigns to bear, O sinless Mother,
Learn not thou alone.

One with thee, thy vigil keeping,
One with thee, the Mourner, weeping
Near His sacred side,
Where thy soul in desolation
Waits of woe the consummation,
Let my soul abide.

Virgin, Earth's divinest blossom,
Spurn not from thy fragrant bosom
Dews that fall for thee!
Make me near thy Son remaining,
Simon-like, His cross sustaining,
One in sympathy!

Let me from His life-distilling
Wounds, mine empty chalice filling,
Quaff the crimson wine.
Lest the flames, devouring end me,
In thy chastity defend me
From the wrath Divine.

Lord, through her who brought
Thee hither,
Let me hence departing whither
Thou the way hast found,
Come, through Death's opposing portal,
To the Victor's palm immortal,
With Thy glory crowned.

Rev. John B. Tabb.

Prayer to St. Joseph

2009-03-24T17:08:00.006+01:00

To thee, O Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and, having implored the help of thy thrice-holy Spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg thee also to take us under thy protection. By that charity, wherewith thou wert united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and by that fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray that thou wilt look down with gracious eyes upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His Blood, and wilt succor us in our need by thy power and strength.

DEFEND, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the peril of His life, so now defend God's holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, that imitating thy example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death and attain to everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen.

(Raccolta)

The Mother of the Saviour Mother of God

2009-03-09T17:02:00.005+01:00

Mary has identified herself in some way in all her visits. She made herself known to Catherine Labouré by the inscription she wished placed on the Miraculous Medal: "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." Our Lady of La Salette gave herself no name but spoke of her Son, as she did at Pontmain. At Lourdes, Mary said: "I am the Immaculate Conception." And at Fatima she called herself Queen of the Rosary. At Banneux, Our Lady first said she was the Virgin of the Poor and this, together with her clothing, her rosary and the supernatural manner of her apperarance naturally inclined a few people to believe she was Our Lady. But many othes were skeptical because of this very title. They saw politcal implications in it and even thought that Mariette, the daughter of a poverty-stricken family, had invented it. They certainly knew nothing of Mariette, who was quite incapable of such flights of fancy. It was, though, not long before Our Lady swept these doubts away by presenting herself in the name that sets her above the angels and marks her off from all other creatures.
Mariette insisted that Our Lady called herself by this title: "The Mother of the Saviour Mother of God", and that she did not say she was: "The Mother of the Saviour and the Mother of God", which is what one would expect her to say. Does it matter? It does. The truth is always important and, in this particular case, Our Lady's title, as she herself gave it, carries an emphasis which makes it subtly different from that which she might have used by did not. "Mother of the Saviour" and "Mother of God" are both traditional names of Our Lady, but here they become one title, indissolubly welded together. Never before had the two names been joined in this manner until she herself did so at Banneux, and this union stresses how intimately she is involved in our salvation: "no single individual can even be imagined who has ever contributed or ever will contribute so much towards reconciling man with God." This the Church, the Fathers and the general faithful have always known, but at Banneux we are reminded again that she is indeed "a worthy and acceptable Mediatrix to the absolute Mediator - who is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. By disclosing herself in the plenitude of her power at this, her last appearance (at Banneux), she makes it clear that the Mother of the Saviour Mother of God does not descend among us solely to heal the sick; her purpose is to lead us to a greater knowledge and love of her Son.
Our Lady's third and final exhortation: "Pray a lot" gains an even greater force and urgency coming, as it did, immediately after she had gravely announced that she was in truth the woman chosen by God to be His Mother and given by Him to be ours.

Looking back over Our Lady's words at Banneux we see that:
She wishes to be honored as the Virgin of the Poor.
She presents a gift to the people of every race and nation - a spring.
She expresses a wish: for a little chapel.
She makes a promise: to comfort and relieve the sick and to relieve all suffering.
She demands from us: confidence and constant prayer.
She fulfills her mission as Mother of the Saviour.
She reveals the greatness of her power as Mother of God.
She will pray for us, protect us, blss us and lead us to her Son, our Saviour and our God.

From: Virgin of the Poor - The Apparitions of Our Lady at Banneux - by John Beevers - Abbey Press, St. Meinrad, Indiana 47577 - 1972

Cardinal Newman's Prayer for the Poor Souls

2008-11-28T10:11:00.002+01:00

Newman Reader - Verses on Various Occasions - Verse 173

HELP, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,
The souls to Thee so dear,
In prison for the debt unpaid
Of sins committed here.

Those holy souls, they suffer on,
Resign'd in heart and will,
Until Thy high behest is done,
And justice has its fill.
For daily falls, for pardon'd crime,
They joy to undergo
The shadow of Thy cross sublime,
The remnant of Thy woe.

Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,
The souls to Thee so dear,
In prison for the debt unpaid
Of sins committed here.

Oh, by their patience of delay,
Their hope amid their pain,
Their sacred zeal to burn away
Disfigurement and stain;
Oh, by their fire of love, not less
In keenness than the flame,
Oh, by their very helplessness,
Oh, by Thy own great Name,

Good Jesu, help! sweet Jesu, aid
The souls to Thee most dear,
In prison for the debt unpaid
Of sins committed here.

The Oratory. 1857. (From: http://cathcon.blogspot.com/)

Novena in Honor of The Holy Spirit

2008-08-20T14:05:00.003+02:00

FIRST DAY

V. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

LET US PRAY

O God, Who by the Light of the Holy Spirit, didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Act of Contrition

"O God be merciful to me as sinner." I am sincerely sorry for all the sins, faults, and infidelities of my life because they offend thee, my chief Benefactor and sovereign Good. I firmly resolve by the grace of the Holy Spirit to sin no more. Amen.

Prayer of Humility

O God, Who resisteth the proud and bestoweth Thy grace on the humble, grant us the virtue of true humility of which Thine only begotten Son showed to the faithful an example in Himself; that we may never provoke Thee to anger by our pride, but rather receive through humility the gift of Thy grace. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Roman Missal)

Reflection

The Blessed Virgin Mary taught us how to respond to the inspiration of divine grace. When the Angel Gabriel announced to her: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore, also, the Holy, which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (1 Luke 1:35) Mary answered: "Be it done unto me according to Thy word" (2 Luke 1:36)

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Divine Redeemer, Who said: "I will ask the Father, and He will grant you another Advocate to be with you for all time, the Spirit of Truth" (1 John 14:16) I consecrate myself to the eternal Spirit of God.
Aspiration of love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, alert me to be ever aware of Thy indwelling; stimulate the eyesight of my soul to discern the unfailing light of divine grace. Adorable Holy Spirit, have compassion on the dullness of my mind and the weakness of my will. Illuminate and strengthen me to trample on temptation.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, the prevision to look to my last end by cooperating now with Thy holy inspirations - all for the greater honor and glory of God; the Spirit of Understanding to deepen my grasp of eternal truths; the Spirit of Counsel to prudently choose the best way of pleasing God; the Spirit of Fortitude to stand up fearlessly in opposition to evil; the Spirit of Knowledge - self-Inspection regarding my fidelity to God's laws and the duties of my state in life; the Spirit of Piety to enable me to prefer my Divine Lover and His Will to earthly creatures; the Spirit of Fear of the Lord to realize the folly and ingratitude of defying my Lord and my God.
Kneeling before Thee, O Divine Consoler, let me press to my heart the pierced feet of Jesus, look into His open side and trust in His Precious Blood channeled to my soul through the Sacraments.
O Holy Spirit enfold all mankind with Thy Sevenfold Gifts. Keep me faithful unto death that I may win the crown of life. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

SECOND DAY