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| St. Boniface pray for us! |
What is needed is not a revolution in the opposite direction, but the opposite of a revolution. ~ Joseph de MaistreWatching in abject horror the obscene pantomime coming out of Vatican City these days, I can’t help but notice the similarities between my own thoughts and many of those on the front lines. For example, to help prevent a crisis of faith over the implicit and explicit heresies at the Pan-Amazon Synod, Michael J. Matt of the Remnant newspaper has recently suggested at a round table discussion in Rome that Catholics the world over make special appeal to the intercession of St. Boniface (c.675-754 AD), the Apostle of the Germans who took an axe to their idolatrous totem. In recent months, I’ve been reflecting on this myself during my frequent visits to the Church of St. Boniface (109 Willoughby St.) in Brooklyn, New York. Since I began spending time at the old German church, I’ve included the great saint in my daily supplication, praying for fortitude and guidance in the face of this modern barbarism.
A tranquil oasis in the midst of mushrooming high-rises and urban sprawl, St. Boniface offers an invaluable place of refuge for solemn prayer and quiet contemplation that the nearby Commons, Willoughby Square (aka “Abolitionist Square”), and other bustling parks cannot. In site of the tabernacle, I pray the Rosary regularly beneath the church’s stained glass depiction of Christ appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, which happens to sit above the shrine of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890). This in turn has led me to pray for Cardinal Newman, who will finally be canonized on Sunday, October 13th.
For me, the secluded haven also serves as the perfect place to carry out my forty-day crusade of prayer and fasting. Proposed on September 12th by Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider over theological errors and heresies connected to the Instrumentum Laboris (the Working Document) for the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon, the crusade is set to conclude on October 26th, the day before the Synod ends. After what we’ve seen thus far at this sacrilegious exhibition, it appears we faithful are going to have to double our efforts these coming days.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, Thursday, October 10th, the Feast of St. Francis Borgia
Prayer to St. Boniface
May the Martyr Saint Boniface be our advocate, O Lord, that we may firmly hold the faith he taught with his lips and sealed in his blood and confidently profess it by our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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| (L) Window with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (R) Window with St. Henry II and St. Cuunegunde |
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| Shrine for Cardinal Newman with relic |
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| Trifold leaflets with Novena prayers for Cardinal Newman are available at the church |
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| (L) The Window of the Martyrdom of St. Boniface. (R) The Window of St. Boniface Preaching to the Pagans |
