Photo of the Week: Detail of the Facade of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Celebrating the Feast of San Corrado di Baviera

San Corrado di Baviera, ora pro nobis

Following our weekly Friday Stations of the Cross devotion, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (aka Sanfedisti) gathered at Amunì Ristorante in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, for a modest but delicious dinner, sans meat, dairy and eggs, in celebration of the Feast of San Corrado di Baviera. A taste of what’s to come at our Third Annual Tavola di San Giuseppe on Sunday, we broke our Lenten fast with a little pasta con sarde with toasted breadcrumbs and crispy fried sardines and anchovies. Evviva San Corrado di Baviera!

The Stations of the Cross

Way of the Cross booklets by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira & St. Alphonsus Liguori

Pasta con sarde

Fried sardines and anchovies

(L) We paired our dinner with some Catarratto wine from Sicily.
(R) The so-called Testa di moro, or the head of a Moor, planter

Carretto Siciliani and the head of a Sicilian girl, planter

Feast of San Salvatore da Horta

San Salvatore da Horta, ora pro nobis

March 18th is the feast of St. Salvator of Horta (1520-1567), Franciscan Lay Brother, ascetic, and wonderworker. Renowned for his holiness and humility, St. Salvator miraculously healed the sick with the sign of the Cross.

Attracting thousands of desperate pilgrims wherever he settled, his superiors and confreres viewed him with suspicion and considered him a nuisance. In Barcelona, he was even denounced to the Inquisition but was soon found innocent of wrongdoing.

Expelled repeatedly from the friaries, St. Salvator did, however, spend almost twelve years at Horta in Tarragona, Catalonia. Transferred from here as well, he finally arrived at a friary in Cagliari, Sardinia, in November 1565, where he died two years later, saying, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Salvator of Horta. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The sculpture is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious statuary and relics. Evviva San Salvatore da Horta!

Prayer to St. Salvator of Horta

Almighty God, author of all miracles, we thank you for your wonder-working servant, St. Salvador. Throughout his life he was known to call down special heavenly graces for many who sought his intercession. By his great faith and exceptional humility, he was able to move mountains in the lives of your people and inspire them to seek you above all else. On this day, I too call upon his saintly help to assist with this most challenging need (mention intention). Grant that, above all, I may have the grace of joyful surrender to your Divine Providence. Through the intercession of St. Salvador, I abandon myself to your Holy Will. Amen.

New Book - For the Whole Christ: Catholic Christendom versus Revolutionary Disorder (Volume 1 of Dr. John Rao's Collected Works)

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• For the Whole Christ: Catholic Christendom versus Revolutionary Disorder (Volume 1 of Dr. John Rao's Collected Works) by Dr. John Rao

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Publication Date: March 20, 2023
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Pages: 656

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Feast of Santa Gertrude di Nivelles

Santa Gertrude di Nivelles, ora pro nobis

March 17th is the Feast of St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Abbess, Ascetic, and Foundress. Born in Nivelles, Brabant, in 626, St. Gertrude was the daughter of Blessed Pepin I of Landen and St. Itta of Metz. Her older sister St. Begga was an ancestor of Charles Martel and Emperor Charlemagne.

When her father died in 639, her mother founded a Benedictine double monastery for men and women at Nivelles and appointed St. Gertrude as the first abbess. Primarily focused on instructing the monks and nuns in Holy Scripture, she also used her family’s wealth to build several churches, monasteries and hospices.

Enfeebled by her severe penances and self-deprivation, she resigned her office and appointed her niece St. Vulfetrude as her successor. She was revered as a saint immediately following her death in 659.

Patron saint of sailors and travelers, St. Gertrude is invoked against fever, plague, rats and mice. Her patronage of cats appears to be a recent attribute—possibly associated with her protection against rodents. Her patronage of sailors and travelers stems from her miraculous intercession at sea, famously protecting a ship under attack by a giant sea monster.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Gertrude of Nivelles. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Santa Gertrude di Nivelles!

Prayer to St. Gertrude of Nivelles

Dear St. Gertrude, you have long been venerated as a patron against rats and mice. Please intercede for us, we pray, and ask God to rid our home of all mice. We ask for your prayers as we work to reclaim our home as ours alone, free from mice and any other pests. Amen

Celebrating the Feast of San Longino

San Longino, ora pro nobis

Pictured is my makeshift shrine dedicated to San Longino, the Centurion.[1] Devoted to the Holy Martyr, our prayer group privately prayed the novena, from March 6th to March 14th, as part of our Lenten meditations and in preparation for the feast on March 15th. In celebration, we broke our Lenten fast with a modest dinner, naturally, sans meat, eggs and dairy. Evviva San Longino!

Novena to St. Longinus

O Saint Longinus, you were chosen as the venerable gate keeper and was granted the gift of discernment by the Lord. An eyewitness of God's miracle who glorified the resurrected Christ. To your death, you remained Christ's soldier and for Christ you gave your head.

Pray for us, therefore, O St. Longinus so that being inspired by your example and assisted by your prayers, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and reach eternal life to praise and thank God in heaven with you.

I ask you to pray to God this special request if it be His holy will.

(Mention your requests )

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Almighty, Eternal God, You were pleased to make Your Church illustrious through the varied splendor of St. Longinus. As we venerate his memory, may we also follow such shining examples of virtue on earth and thus obtain merited crowns in Heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Longinus Patron Saint of the blind and people with poor eyesight, Pray for us.
St. Longinus Patron Saint of Labor and Power, Pray for us.
St. Longinus Patron Saint of Good Discernment, Pray for Us.

[1] Framed print of The Holy Lance by Louis Charbonneau-Lassay

Feast of Sant'Eriberto di Colonia

Sant'Eriberto di Colonia, ora pro nobis

March 16th is the Feast of St. Heribert (c.970–1021), German nobleman, provost at Worms Cathedral, Counselor to Emperor Otto III, Archbishop of Cologne and Wonderworker. Ordained a priest in 994, he was appointed the chancellor of Italy and later Germany by Otto III. Elected Archbishop of Cologne, he received ecclesiastical investiture and the pallium at Benevento from Pope Sylvester II on July 9, 999. During a severe drought, he prayed for rain and a torrential downpour saved the harvest and prevented a looming famine. For this miracle, he is invoked for rain and against drought.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Heribert of Cologne. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Sant'Eriberto di Colonia!

Prayer to St. Heribert of Cologne

God, Light and Shepherd of souls, You established St. Heribert as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us through his intercession to keep the Faith he taught by his word. Amen.

Ponderable Quote ‘The Guerrillas of Tradition’ by Pietro Golia

Pietro Golia

In the voice of the brigand resonates the deep memory of peoples condemned to silence, and for this very reason, they are legendary. Certainly those ignorant rebels who in all ages have dared to mock the Jacobins, the progressive priests, the rich bourgeois, and the millionaires are like an intolerable challenge to the established order of censorship and lies. The masters of thought and the proprietary class of academic truths have already pronounced their final anathema; even if they try to mystify between ambiguity and minimalism while also salvaging the legend of banditry from a class struggle perspective; which was not only a revolt of the landless for an agrarian revolution but was a people's rebellion to restore the perennial values of tradition. Legitimist historiography itself fails to fully understand the phenomenon of brigandage. Be wary of the armed mobilization of the masses, of the constant claim that they make of their own autonomy, of the populism of Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo of Calabria; he is horrified by the tragic and sometimes mocking violence of these peasants in revolt. Hence the isolation of brigandage: the Jacobins are repugnant to the brigand, while the legitimists inspire distrust and fear. This is why Italy was able to sink the blade of special laws into the sand of class interests, of conservatism and class transformations, of the predatory culture of the overpowering invaders.

* Translated from I Guerriglieri Tradizione, di Pietro Golia. Original text can be found at Alta Terra di Lavoro

Feast of Santa Luisa de Marillac

Santa Luisa de Marillac, ora pro nobis

March 15th is the Feast of St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660), Mystic of the Holy Spirit, wife, mother, teacher, nurse, co-foundress and superior of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity, servants of the sick and poor. She is the patron saint of social workers.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Louise de Marillac. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Santa Luisa de Marillac!

Prayer to St. Louise de Marillac

Loving and compassionate God, we celebrate with great joy the faith and works of our patroness St. Louise de Marillac. Instill in us the fire of her love, the tenacity of her belief, and the tenderness of her care for the most abandoned. Draw us together into the light of your presence and help us to trust in the power of your Spirit, leading us to ever closer to you, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Remembering The Ides of March

The Death of Julius Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini (1771-1844),
Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Napoli

"Beware the ides of March," a warning given by a seer in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar that has, like many of his phrases, survived centuries. Most have heard it, less have basic understanding of what it means, less still have a deeper understanding.

In ancient Rome, every month had an ides, sort of a midpoint, but not exactly. It was usually the thirteenth, but the fifteenth for four months (March, May, July, and October). The ides were sacred to Jupiter and religious observances were held to him on those days. The ides of March was also known for settling debts, and possibly because of that was chosen as the date for the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.

After returning to Rome from his success in Gaul, Julius Caesar declared himself dictator for life, understandably angering other powerful figures who were trying unsuccessfully to suppress him, people whose power were lessened as a result. Caesar enlarged the senate, created necessary government reforms, rebuilt cities and granted citizenship to foreigners living in Rome, all seen as positive developments. Things that needed to be done were getting done, but not everyone was pleased by Caesar's path. Less than a year after his declaration, on the ides of March, Senators Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius led a group of approximately 60 conspirators in the fatal stabbing of Julius Caesar, causing a civil war that shaped the Roman Empire that replaced the Republic. This was a significant event in human history because of the longevity and influence of the Roman state, and the effect it had echos throughout the world even to this day. For those who scoff at this I would remind them of the extensive Roman influences in modern language, architecture, engineering, religion, law, and structures of government. This is true of other ancient civilizations as well, but the impact of Rome is not something that can be ignored by anyone with an adequate education.

Vercingetorix Throws Down his Arms at the Feet of Julius Caesar (1899)
by Lionel Noel Royer (1852-1926), Musée Crozatier, Le Puy-en-Velay

It is believed that William Shakespeare found his sympathetic portrayal of Brutus in the work Parallel Lives, by Plutarch, but although he was praised and admired by his peers in his time, he was also arrogant and said to be petty and cruel. The real measure of a man can be seen when they have power over others. Look at how people treat those of lower status to see their true natures. The patriotic idealism that he used to justify his actions, in retrospect, is often seen as an attempt to preserve his own status. Caesar trusted Brutus, and his trust was abused in the worst possible way; the feeling is captured by Shakespeare: "Et Tu Brute?" often translated as "You too, Brutus?"

My thoughts on the ides of March do touch on the greater political and historical aspects, but also on the cultural significance of the act itself. I'm not the only one to dwell on this, and by a great margin, not the greatest thinker to do so. In Dante's Inferno, Canto XXXIV describes the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell. As Dante and Virgil advance through the cold mist toward an indistinct giant figure, they see the souls of sinners trapped in ice beneath their feet. These are the souls of the most evil of sinners, those who betrayed their benefactors. Nearing the giant figure at the very center of the lowest level of Hell, they recognize it as Satan himself. He is terrifying and gigantic, and has three faces. Each mouth is chewing on a soul, the three greatest sinners within human history, all traitors to their benefactor: Judas Iscariot, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius. That, in Dante's perspective, Brutus and Cassius shared the fate of Judas Iscariot and warranted the direct attention of Satan himself illustrates the seriousness of their actions. The betrayal of a benefactor, a benevolent leader, is such a dishonorable act that both Christians and the pagans that came before them can clearly agree on the level of contempt such an act deserves.

Dante and Virgil traversing the frozen Cocytus River in the underworld
from Gustave Doré's 1857 illustrations for Dante's Inferno

In today's rapidly devolving social culture, Brutus and Cassius might even be seen as revolutionaries and considered heroes by the unenlightened and short sighted. This is not surprising, as revolutionary activists such as Saul Alinsky have referred to Lucifer himself in a flattering light, or at least flattering from their perspective, and labelled him the first radical or original revolutionary. Such people will praise anything tearing down the old order without regard to why its ideas and traditions became entrenched in the first place, namely that they provide the means of continuity of civilization. This is done on purpose in order to replace it with their own theoretical system. It should be no surprise that the social experiments forced on nations by these people fail, they've removed the foundations that have, through time and experience, held civilization together. The revolutionaries will never take responsibility for the failures, those responsible will always claim that it wasn't really their idealized society that failed and will start their revolutions all over again, doing and saying the same things and getting the same painful and disappointing results.

Most of the self proclaimed revolutionaries I've encountered, and the people who support them, did not come from the proletariat that they seem to think they are defending. They were mostly effete professors or spoiled university students whose bourgeois parents were paying for their education and lodging while they went slumming, always having a room to go back home to on the holidays. They enjoyed a bourgeois lifestyle while doing whatever they could to undermine the system which made it possible. They ignored the past and very predicable future outcomes of their chosen ideology, which would include the proactive destruction of the middle class (including their parents and themselves) and, ironically, the oppression of the masses. I suppose they all think they will be become post-revolution party leaders or something along those lines, but that certainly won’t happen for most of them, as history has shown, the revolution always devours its children.

Lucifer gnawing on the souls of traitors in the Ninth Circle of Hell
from Gustave Doré's 1857 illustrations for Dante's Inferno

I don’t believe that Saul Alinsky or most of his comrades actually worshipped Satan, despite their praise of the Lord of Lies. Alinsky was a self proclaimed agnostic and promoted an ideology that either directly promoted atheism or heavily leaned towards it, depending on how much it could get away with at a given time. However, that an agnostic or atheist would choose the most loathsome and horrifying supernatural figure possible to identify with says a lot about their character (the same can be said of those invoking the demon Lilith). On the other hand, Alinsky may have a point in saying that Lucifer was the first radical or revolutionary because, if the revolution devours its children, Lucifer ends up chewing on Brutus and Cassius, at least in Dante’s Inferno.

The sin of betraying a benefactor, whether it be Jesus Christ, Julius Caesar, or one’s parents, who are doing the best they can for their children, is serious not only because of the dishonor involved, but because it is a vital part of the self-destructive ideological dogmas that are saturating the world today. To tear down a nation without using an army, they first need to turn it against itself and its citizens’ own best interests. For that, they need people to betray their benefactors. That they will ultimately falter is little compensation for what will be lost during the process.

Honor your benefactors. Honor family that support and love you. Remember the sacrifice of the Christ, and remember the ides of March.

~ By Lucian

Francesco II di Borbone un Re Cattolico Oscurato

In Conversano, Bari

Feast of Santa Matilde di Ringelheim

Santa Maltile di Ringelheim, ora pro nobis

March 14th is the feast of St. Matilda of Ringelheim (c.892–968), Saxon Queen and Benedictine Oblate. In 909, she married Henry the Fowler, Duke of Saxony and future King of East Francia, and bore him five children—three sons and two daughters. As queen, she built numerous hospitals and monasteries. When King Henry passed away in 936, she had a monastery built in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, where he was interred, and she served as the first abbess.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Matilda of Ringelheim. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Santa Matilde di Ringelheim!

Prayer to St. Matilda of Ringelheim

O God, by whose grace the blessed Matilda enkindled with the fire of thy love, became a burning and a shining light in thy Church:Grant that we may be inflamed with the same spirit of discipline and love, and ever walk before thee as children of light; through JesusChrist our Lord. Amen.

Saying Farewell (For Now) to St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach, Brooklyn

High Altar at St. Finbar Church

“It’s a persecution of Latin Mass Catholics, plain and simple.” ~ Fr. Gerald E. Murray *

After four years, the Traditional Latin Mass will no longer be celebrated at St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Fr. Rafael Perez was the celebrant.

For the time being, the only remaining Tridentine Mass still being regularly celebrated in Brooklyn, New York, is at Our Lady of Peace Church (522 Carroll Street).

* Fr. Gerald E. Murray on The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, EWTN, February 23, 2023

Photo of the Week: Detail of the Facade of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Feast of Santa Teresa Margherita del Cuore di Gesù

Santa Teresa Margherita del
Cuore di Gesù, ora pro nobis

March 11th is the Feast of St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, Virgin, Mystic, and Discalced Carmelite Nun. Anna Maria Redi was born to a noble and pious family on July 15, 1747 at Arezzo, Grand Duchy of Tuscany. At seventeen, after receiving a sign from St. Teresa of Avila, she entered the Carmelite Monastery of Santa Apollonia in Florence, where she diligently worked in the infirmary and served as a sacristan. Taking the religious name Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, she received her habit on March 11, 1764 and professed her vows two years later on March 12, 1766. Foreseeing her own death, she soon suffered a sudden attack of peritonitis and died on March 7, 1770 in Florence at the age of 23. The Carmelite Order commemorates her on September 1st.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Santa Teresa Margherita del Cuore di Gesù!

Prayer to St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart

O seraphic Saint Teresa Margaret, you consumed your earthly life so quickly experiencing that God is Charity and that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ardent furnace of love, obtain for us to be inflamed like you, by a fervent, generous and holy life. O Angel of Carmel, intercede for us so that your virtues of humility and innocence, penance and charity, with which you offered yourself virginally to the Lord, may be ours too, so that our life may be totally consecrated to the perfect service of God. Amen.

Remembering the Martyrs of Tradition

La Verdad a los Mártires de la Tradición [3]

“We must procure suffrages for the souls of those who have preceded us in this secular struggle, and honor their memory in all imaginable ways, so that they serve as an encouragement and example for the young and keep alive in them the sacred fire of love for God, the Country and the King.” ~ Don Carlos VII [1]

March 10th, as designated by Don Carlos VII in 1895, in remembrance of the anniversary of the death of his grandfather Don Carlos V, is a national holiday in honor of the martyrs who have “perished in the shadow of the flag of God, Country and King on the battlefields, in exile, in dungeons and hospitals.” [2] 

In memory of the Martyrs of Tradition (Mártires de la Tradición), we pray for the happy repose of their souls.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

_____________________________

[1] S.M.C. Don Carlos VII, in a letter from his exile in Venice to his Chief Delegate, the Marquis of Cerralbo

[2] Ibid

[3] Illustration from La Verdad: Periódico Popular Tradicionalista, Año XVI Número 751 - 1913 marzo 10

Feast of Santa Francesca Romana

Santa Francesca Romana, ora pro nobis

March 9th is the Feast of St. Frances of Rome (Francesca de' Ponziani, née Bussa de' Leoni), wife, mother, widow, mystic, ecstatic, and foundress. Born in Rome in 1384 to a noble family, St. Frances was obliged by her father to marry at an early age. Distraught and ill because she had to give up her religious vocation, she was visited in a dream and healed through the intercession of St. Alexius of Rome. She had three children, Battista, Evangelista and Agnes.

A great benefactress of the poor and sick, she was renowned for her extraordinary acts of charity and holiness. In 1425 she founded the Olivetan Oblates of Mary, a monastic community under the Rule of St. Benedict committed to prayer and service to the needy. Despite her noble birth, she lived modestly and begged for alms for the poor. Derided by the patricians, the common people embraced her as one of their own and nicknamed her “the poor girl of Trastevere.”

As a widow (1436), she retired among her oblates at Tor di Specchi and was made superior. Foreseeing her own death, she died on March 9, 1440 at the age of fifty-six.

Co-patroness of Rome, with Saints Peter and Paul, she is invoked against plagues and for the liberation of the Souls in Purgatory. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared her the patron saint of motorists because her guardian angel used to light her path whenever she traveled.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Frances of Rome. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The polychrome wood sculpture is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious statuary and relics. Evviva Santa Francesca Romana!

Prayer to St. Frances of Rome

Merciful Father, in Frances of Rome you have given us a unique example of love in marriage as well as in religious life. Keep us faithful in your service, and help us to see and follow you in all the aspects of life. 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.

Download the Latest Edition of 'Il Portastendardo di Civitella del Tronto' at Ernesto il Disingannato

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Photo of the Week: Winged God Riding a Lion in the Historic Center of Naples

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Feast of Sante Perpetua and Felicita

Sante Perpetua e Felicita, orate pro nobis

March 6th is the Feast of Saints Felicitas and Perpetua, Martyrs. They are the patron saints of mothers, expectant mothers, ranchers and butchers.

Arrested and tortured for their Faith, Perpetua, a noblewoman from Carthage with a newborn child, and her servant, Felicitas, an expectant mother, along with the Martyrs Saturino, Revocato and Secondulo, were driven before a large crowd to be trampled and gored by wild beasts.

Their bloodlust sated, the mob demanded an end to their suffering and the mutilated victims be put to the sword. The young heroines were beheaded.

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to Saints Felicitas and Perpetua. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva Sante Perpetua and Felicita!

Prayer to Saints Felicitas and Perpetua

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we may reverence with unceasing devotion the triumphs of Thy holy Martyrs, Perpetua and Felicitas; though we cannot worthily celebrate their merits, we may at least approach them with our humble service.

Saying Farewell (For Now) to Holy Name of Jesus Church

After Mass Fr. Leo Camurati and servers take a commemorative photo 

“It’s a persecution of Latin Mass Catholics, plain and simple.” ~ Fr. Gerald E. Murray *

After ten years, the Traditional Latin Mass will no longer be allowed to be celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. The final Mass, celebrated by Fr. Leo Camurati, O.P., was solemn and well attended. They unquestionably had one of the best choirs in New York City. 

Though sad, we are confident the persecution of Traditional Catholics will only make us more resolute and unswerving in our Faith. We offer prayers for our dear friends in the Brooklyn Latin Mass society who worked tirelessly on organizing and promoting the Masses at this beautiful little church.

In addition to Holy Name, we’re sorry to say the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Finbar, St. Cecilia, and (my current Parish) Our Lady of Peace in Brooklyn has already been or is on the brink of being shut down. Rumors abound about where we will be relocated to, but until they are confirmed, we are keeping silent. One thing is for sure, we will do our best to support the new locations wherever they may be. 

(L) Beautiful High Altar. (R) Missalettes were generously provided by
Brooklyn Latin Mass. In solidarity with our brethren in Spain,
we also offered prayers for the Mártires de la Tradición

* Fr. Gerald E. Murray on The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, EWTN, February 23, 2023

Novena to St. Longinus

San Longino, ora pro nobis

Pray Novena to St. Longinus for nine consecutive days, March 6th to March 14th, in preparation for the Feast on March 15th. Evviva San Longino!

O Saint Longinus, you were chosen as the venerable gate keeper and was granted the gift of discernment by the Lord. An eyewitness of God's miracle who glorified the resurrected Christ. To your death, you remained Christ's soldier and for Christ you gave your head.

Pray for us, therefore, O St. Longinus so that being inspired by your example and assisted by your prayers, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and reach eternal life to praise and thank God in heaven with you.

I ask you to pray to God this special request if it be His holy will.

(Mention your requests)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Almighty, Eternal God, You were pleased to make Your Church illustrious through the varied splendor of St. Longinus. As we venerate his memory, may we also follow such shining examples of virtue on earth and thus obtain merited crowns in Heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Longinus Patron Saint of the blind and people with poor eyesight, Pray for us.
St. Longinus Patron Saint of Labor and Power, Pray for us.
St. Longinus Patron Saint of Good Discernment, Pray for Us.

* Pictured is my makeshift shrine to San Longino with image of The Holy Lance by Louis Charbonneau-Lassay.

The Solemn Oath of the Papal Zouaves

Pope Pius IX with exiled King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies in Anzio in 1862
on the occasion of the military maneuvers of the Papal Army. Also pictured are
General Hermann Kanzler, commander of the army, Minister of War De Mérode,
and Lieutenant Colonel Athanase de Charette, commander of the Papal Zouaves

After the official creation of the Papal Zouaves on January 1, 1861. The 600 man battalion swore a solemn oath to defend the Papal States. The oath ceremony took place on January 10, 1861 at St. John Lateran in Rome.

The Papal Zouave Chaplain Fr. Daniel administered the oath to the Zouaves. He said to them:

So far you have committed yourself individually but today all together we want to solemnly swear fidelity to God, to His service, to the Church and her rights. To its kingly head, temporal prince, spiritual head. We promise to defend his rights and die rather than abandon them cowardly. For my part gentleman in the presence of this battalion, which I respect and love in the presence of God and the Church, I swear to remain always faithful to the Church, to her doctrine, and to her rights. I say this oath out of complete fidelity and devotion to serve you and for the salvation of your souls. Now I will hear your oath.

The formula of the Papal Zouave solemn oath:

I swear to Almighty God to be obedient and faithful to my sovereign, the Roman Pontiff, our very Holy Father, Pope Pius IX and his legitimate successors.

I swear to serve him with honor and fidelity and to sacrifice my life for the defense of his august and sacred person, for the support of his sovereignty and for the maintenance of his rights.

I swear not to belong to any civil or religious sect, to any secret society or corporation, whatever they might be, having for its direct or indirect goal to offend the Catholic religion and to corrupt society.

I swear to not join any sect or society condemned by the decrees of the Roman Pontiffs.

I swear also to the very good and great God to not have any direct or indirect communication with the enemies, whoever they might be, of religion and the Roman Pontiffs.

I swear all of this on the holy Gospel, so help me God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, so be it.

Immediately after the oath was said the officers raised their swords and arms were presented by the battalion. Thus the Church had new protectors.

Bl. Pope Pius IX, pray for us!

By Brendan Cassell (Papal Zouave History @PapalZouaveUS)

The Wisdom of J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” (The Hobbit, p.259*)

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.50*)

"Do not be so quick to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise do not see all ends." (Fellowship of the Ring, p.58*)

“The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot forever fence it out.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.82*)

“Courage is found in unlikely places.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.83*)

“Not all those who wander are lost.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.167*)

“A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.167*)

“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.226*)

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.339*)

“He that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.252*)

“Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.262*)

“Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.262*)

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.274*)

“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.274*)

“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.352*)

“You may learn something, and whether what you see be fair or evil, that may be profitable, and yet it may not. Seeing is both good and perilous.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.354*)

“Do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.” (Fellowship of the Ring, p.365*)

“For behold! the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed.” (The Two Towers, p.501*)

“The wise speak only of what they know.” (The Return of the King, p. 503*)

“Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.” (The Return of the King, p. 767*)

“Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.” (The Return of the King, p. 859*)

“The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.” (The Return of the King, p. 937*)

* Gleaned from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings box set, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994

New Book — The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947): The Paladins of France in America

Forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. Available at Amazon.com

• The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947): The Paladins of France in America by Jo Ann Cavallo

Publisher: Anthem Press

Publication Date: June 13, 2023

Hardback: $110.00

Language: English

Pages: 250

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