Marie Antoinette Confronts A Delirious Mob

March 31, 2016

A gaunt and haggard woman seized a drum and strode through the streets, beating it violently, and mingling with its din her shrieks of “Bread! Bread!” A few boys follow her—then a score of female furies—and then thousands of desperate men. The swelling inundation rolls from street to street; the alarm bells are rung; all […]

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Doctrine and Art: A Connection that the Communists Understand

March 31, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira When Stalin died, the Communist painter Picasso made a portrait of him that we reproduce here. “L’ Humanite, the Red daily of Paris, published his painting. However, Moscow condemned it. This was because the Communist canons of art hold that a portrait must look like a photograph as much as […]

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April 1 – Precursor of Our Lady of Fatima

March 31, 2016

St. Nuno De Santa Maria Álvares Pereira (1360-1431) Count St. Nuno Álvares Pereira, Constable of Portugal NUNO ÁLVARES PEREIRA was born in Portugal on 24th June 1360, most probably at Cernache do Bomjardin, illegitimate son of Brother Álvaro Gonçalves Pereira, Hospitalier Knight of St. John of Jerusalem and prior of Crato and Donna Iria Gonçalves […]

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April 1 – St. Hugh of Grenoble

March 31, 2016

Bishop and Confessor The first tincture of the mind is of the utmost importance to virtue; and it was the happiness of this saint to receive from his cradle the strongest impressions of piety by the example and care of his illustrious and holy parents. He was born at Chateau-neuf, in the territory of Valence […]

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April 1 – Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria

March 31, 2016

(Also known as Carlo d’Austria, Charles of Austria) Born August 17, 1887, in the Castle of Persenbeug in the region of Lower Austria, his parents were the Archduke Otto and Princess Maria Josephine of Saxony, daughter of the last King of Saxony. Emperor Francis Joseph I… Read more here.

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April 2 – St. Francis of Paola and the Bartlett Pear

March 31, 2016

The Bartlett pear is called “The Good Christian” in France, after St. Francis of Paola introduced it “Said to have originated in Calabria in southern Italy, Bartletts probably were introduced to France by St. Francis of Paola. St. Francis brought a young tree as a gift for King Louis XI of France, who had summoned […]

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April 3 – The man they trusted to collect the Crusader tax

March 31, 2016

St. Richard of Wyche Bishop and confessor, born about 1197 at Droitwich, Worcestershire, from which his surname is derived; died 3 April, 1253, at Dover. He was the second son of Richard and Alice de Wyche. His father died while he was still young and the family property fell into a state of great… Read […]

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The Annunciation – “Of His Kingdom, there shall be no end.”

March 31, 2016

The Annunciation, by Father Thomas de Saint-Laurent Out of love for us, the Eternal Word was made flesh in the chaste womb of Mary. His plan was marvelously arranged. From all eternity, He chose a man after His heart who would be the virginal spouse of His divine Mother, His adopted father on earth, and […]

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The Annunciation: He is King by right, and also by conquest

March 31, 2016

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira We will comment on this passage taken from Saint Luke: “And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was […]

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April 4 – Grandmother of the Templars

March 31, 2016

Saint Aleth of Dijon Mother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, she belonged to the highest nobility of Burgundy. Her husband, Tescelin, was lord of Fontaines. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was the third of her seven children.  At the age of nine years, Bernard was sent to a much renowned school at Chatillon-sur-Seine, kept by the […]

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April 4 – Patron Saint of Transitions

March 31, 2016

St. Isidore of Seville Born at Cartagena, Spain, about 560; died 4 April, 636. Isidore was the son of Severianus and Theodora. His elder brother Leander was his immediate predecessor in the Metropolitan See of Seville; whilst a younger brother St. Fulgentius presided over the Bishopric of Astigi. His sister Florentina… Read more here.

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The Inequality of Rights and Power Proceeds from the Very Author of Nature

March 31, 2016

From Leo XIII’s encyclical Quod Apostolici muneris, of December 28, 1878: For, indeed, although the socialists, stealing the very Gospel itself with a view to deceive more easily the unwary, have been accustomed to distort it so as to suit their own purposes, nevertheless so great is the difference between their depraved teachings and the […]

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Our Lineage Greatly Influences Our Actions

March 28, 2016

[previous] From the funeral oration for Philippe-Emanuel de Lorraine, Duke of Mercoeur and Penthièvre, delivered in the metropolitan church of Notre-Dame in Paris on April 27, 1602, by Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop-Prince of Geneva and Doctor of the Church: “It is always God Who grants us salvation; He is its great architect, but […]

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March 29 – One of many Irish missionaries who labored to convert Central Europe

March 28, 2016

St. Eustace Date of birth unknown, died March 29, 625. He was second abbot of the Irish monastery of Luxeuil in France, and his feast is commemorated in the Celtic martyrologies on the 29th of March. He was one of the first companions of St. Columbanus, a monk of Bangor (Ireland), who with his disciples […]

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March 30 – St. John Climacus

March 28, 2016

St. John Climacus Also surnamed SCHOLASTICUS, and THE SINAITA, born doubtlessly in Syria, about 525; died on Mount Sinai. 30 March, probably in 606, according the credited opinion — others say 605. Although his education and learning fitted him to live in an intellectual environment, he chose, while still young, to abandon the world for […]

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March 31 – St. Balbina

March 28, 2016

St. Balbina Memorials of a St. Balbina are to be found at Rome in three different spots which are connected with the early Christian antiquities of that city. In the purely legendary account of the martyrdom of St. Alexander (acta SS., Maii, I, 367 sqq.) mention is made of a tribune Quirinus who died a […]

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March 31 – Saint Eulogius of Alexandria

March 28, 2016

Saint Eulogius of Alexandria Patriarch of that see from 580 to 607. He was a successful combatant of the heretical errors then current in Egypt, notably the various phases of Monophysitism. He was a warm friend of St. Gregory the Great, corresponded with him, and received from that pope many flattering expressions of esteem and […]

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“Cowardly and reprehensible attacks”

March 24, 2016

According to FlandersNews.be: King Filip has addressed the nation following the terrorist attacks at Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station… “For all of us 22 March will never be a day like any other. Our whole country bears the pain of the lives that have been broken, of the profound wounds that have been inflicted.” […]

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United Nations unsuccessful in changing Japan law of succession

March 24, 2016

According to The Economist: The progenitor of Japan’s imperial line, supposedly 2,600 years ago, was female: Amaterasu, goddess of the sun. But for most of the time since, all emperors have been male. This has exercised the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Recently it concluded that Japan should let women inherit […]

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Jerusalem is conquered in the First Crusade

March 24, 2016

It was decided that the assault should begin during the night of 13-14 July…. The first task of the assailants was to bring their wooden castles right up to the walls…. All night long and during the day of the 14th the Crusaders concentrated on their task, suffering heavily from the stones and the liquid […]

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Reflections for Holy Week – Part 2

March 24, 2016

…continued How many souls will lose their faith? Certain truths about God and our supernatural end we can learn by using the reason He has given us. Because our reason has been clouded by sin, however, we can know other truths only because God has taught us. In His infinite goodness, He has revealed them […]

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March 25 – Saint Lucy Filippini

March 24, 2016

St. Lucy Filippini (13 January 1672 – 25 March 1732) She was orphaned at an early age when her parents both died. From there she went to live with her aristocratic aunt and uncle who encouraged her religious inclination by entrusting her education to the Benedictine nuns at Santa Lucia. Her career began under the […]

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March 26 – One of the distinguished men of his age

March 24, 2016

Geoffrey of Vendôme (GOFFRIDUS ABBAS VINDOCINENSIS.) A cardinal, b. in the second half of the eleventh century of a noble family, at Angers, France; d. there, 26 March, 1132. At an early age he entered the Benedictine community of the Blessed Trinity at Vendôme in the diocese of Chartres; and in 1093, while still very […]

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March 26 – St. Ludger

March 24, 2016

St. Ludger (Lüdiger or Liudger) Missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, first Bishop of Munster in Westphalia, b. at Zuilen near Utrecht about 744; d. 26 March, 809. Feast, 26 March. Represented as a bishop reciting his Breviary, or with a swan at either side. His parents, Thiadgrim and Liafburg, were wealthy Frisians of noble […]

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March 26 – Sheriff’s daughter, but God’s first.

March 24, 2016

St. Margaret Clitherow Martyr, called the “Pearl of York”, born about 1556; died 25 March 1586. She was a daughter of Thomas Middleton, Sheriff of York (1564-5), a wax-chandler; married John Clitherow, a wealthy butcher and a chamberlain of the city, in St. Martin’s church, Coney St., 8 July, 1571, and lived in the Shambles, […]

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March 27 – Royal Simplicity

March 24, 2016

St. Rupert (Alternative forms, RUPRECHT, Hrodperht, Hrodpreht, Roudbertus, Rudbertus, Robert, Ruprecht). First Bishop of Salzburg, contemporary of Childebert III, king of the Franks (695-711), date of birth unknown; died at Salzburg, Easter Sunday, 27 March, 718. According to an old tradition, he was a scion of the Frankish Merovingian family. The assumption of 660 as […]

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March 28 – Noble deeds make noble men

March 24, 2016

Josef Speckbacher A Tyrolean patriot of 1809, born at Gnadenwald, near Hall, in the Tyrol, 13 July, 1767; died at Hall, 28 March, 1820. Speckbacher was the son of a peasant and spent his youth in roaming, and he did not learn to read and write until later in life. At the age of twelve […]

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March 28 – Grandson of King Clovis

March 24, 2016

St. Gontran, King and Confessor Statue of St. Guntram He was son of King Clotaire, and grandson of Clovis I and St. Clotilda. Being the second son, whilst his brothers Charibert reigned at Paris, and Sigebert in Austrasia, residing at Metz, he was crowned King of Orleans and Burgundy in 661, making Challons on the […]

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March 28 – “I have fought for God and king, and it is for them that I am going to die”

March 24, 2016

The capture and death of the fearless Charette On the 21st February his troop, now reduced to less than two hundred men, was attacked by General Travot, one of the ablest officers of Hoche. The Vendeans behaved with the greatest courage, but they were overwhelmed with numbers. The eldest brother of the general, Charette la […]

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Nobility of Blood Is a Powerful Stimulus for the Practice of Virtue

March 24, 2016

[previous] From the magnificent sermon of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Archbishop of Milan, on the feast of Our Lady, September 8, 1584: “The beginning of the Holy Gospel written by Saint Matthew, which was proclaimed to you from this place a short while ago by Holy Mother Church, inspires us above all to examine attentively […]

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March 22 – The soldier who fought with sword in one hand and rosary in the other

March 21, 2016

St. Nicholas of Flüe, patron of: -Pontifical Swiss Guards  -Switzerland -difficult marriages -large families -judges Born 21 March, 1417, on the Flüeli, a fertile plateau near Sachseln, Canton Obwalden, Switzerland; died 21 March, 1487, as a recluse in a neighboring ravine, called Ranft. He was the oldest son of pious, well-to-do peasants and from his […]

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March 22 – The Le Moyne: nobles of North America

March 21, 2016

Le Moyne The name of one of the most illustrious families of the New World, whose deeds adorn the pages of Canadian history. Charles Le Moyne Founder of the family, b. of Pierre Le Moyne and Judith Duchesne at Dieppe on 1 August, 1626; d. at Ville-Marie (Montreal), 1683. On reaching Canada in 1641, he […]

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March 22 – He Stood Up to Hitler Without Flinching

March 21, 2016

Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen “Lion of Münster” Born     March 16, 1878 Dinklage Castle, Dinklage, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Confederation Died     March 22, 1946 (aged 68) Münster, Province of Westphalia, Germany Beatified     9 October 2005 Read more here.  

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March 23 – Generous Noble Missionary

March 21, 2016

St. Toribio Alfonso Mogrovejo (aka St. Alphonsus Turibius) Archbishop of Lima; b. at Mayorga, León, Spain, 1538; d. near Lima Peru, 23 March 1606. Of noble family and highly educated, he was professor of laws at the University of Salamanca, where his learning and virtue led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by […]

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March 24 – A deer guarded this noble saint from the unwanted advances of men

March 21, 2016

St. Catherine of Sweden Patroness against abortion and miscarriage. St. Catherine of Sweden. Photo by Smas. The fourth child of Saint Bridget and her husband, Ulf Gudmarsson, born 1331 or 1332; died 24 March, 1381. At the time of her death Saint Catherine was head of the convent of Wadstena, founded by her mother; hence […]

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God the Son Willed to Be Born of Royal Stock in Order to Gather in His Person Every Kind of Grandeur

March 21, 2016

[previous] From the writings on Saint Joseph by Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868): When God the Father resolved to give His Son to the world, He wanted to do it honorably, for He is worthy of all honor and all praise. He thus prepared Him a court and royal service worthy of Him: God wanted, […]

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A Danish Queen’s Etiquette – She Made the Little Prince Apologize

March 17, 2016

The Queen of Denmark, Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, was strict as a military commander and tolerated no opposition to her will or moderation of such punishment as she dealt out to her children. While a mere boy her eldest son, the Crown Prince, was caught one day trying to […]

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Embracing Christ and the Cross – Reflections for Holy Week

March 17, 2016

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira An authentic piety penetrates every recess of our souls, naturally stirring our most intimate emotions. Piety, however, is far more than feelings. It arises deep within ourselves from our knowledge of the truths that govern an interior life formed in accord with the Faith. To be sure, these life-giving truths […]

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March 18 – Martyr King

March 17, 2016

Saint Edward the Martyr King of England, son to Edgar the Peaceful, and uncle to St. Edward the Confessor; born about 962; died March 18, 979. His accession to the throne on his father’s death, in 975, was opposed by a party headed by his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, who was bent on securing the crown […]

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March 19 – Saint Joseph, Martyr of Grandeur

March 17, 2016

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira To have an idea of what Saint Joseph—the Patron of the Church—was like, we must consider two prodigious facts: he was the foster father of the Child Jesus and he was the spouse of Our Lady. The husband must be proportional to the wife. Now who is Our Lady? She […]

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March 19 – St. Joseph

March 17, 2016

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. LIFE Sources. The chief sources of information on the life of St. Joseph are the first chapters of our first and third Gospels; they are practically also the only reliable sources, for, whilst, on the holy patriarch’s life, as on many other […]

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March 20 – Homeless Noble Poet

March 17, 2016

Blessed Baptista Mantuanus (Or SPAGNOLI). Carmelite and Renaissance poet, born at Mantua, 17 April, 1447, where he also died, 22 March, 1516. The eldest son of Peter Spagnoli, a Spanish nobleman at the court of Mantua, Baptista studied grammar under Gregorio Tifernate, and philosophy at Pavia under Polo Bagelardi. The bad example of his schoolfellows […]

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March 20 – St. Wulfram

March 17, 2016

St. Wulfram Bishop of Sens, missionary in Frisi, born at Milly near Fontainebleau, probably during the reign of Clovis II (638-56); died 20 March, before 704, in which year a translation of his body took place (Duchesne, “Fastes épiscopaux de l’ancienne Gaule”, II, Paris, 1900, 413). His father Fulbert stood high in the esteem of […]

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March 20 – Vendor of Learning

March 17, 2016

St. Clement of Ireland Also known as Clemens Scotus (not to be confounded with Claudius Clemens). Born in Ireland, towards the middle of the eighth century, died perhaps in France, probably after 818. About the year 771 he set out for France. His biographer, an Irish monk of St. Gall, who wrote his Acts, dedicated […]

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March 20 – St. Cuthbert

March 17, 2016

St. Cuthbert Bishop of Lindisfarne, patron of Durham, born about 635; died 20 March, 687. His emblem is the head of St. Oswald, king and martyr, which he is represented as bearing in his hands. His feast is kept in Great Britain and Ireland on the 20th of March, and he is patron of the […]

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March 21-22 – James Harrison

March 17, 2016

James Harrison Priest and martyr; born in the Diocese of Lichfield, England, date unknown; died at York, 22 March, 1602. He studied at the English College at Reims, and was ordained there in September, 1583. In the following year he went on the English mission, where he laboured unobtrusively. In the early part of 1602 […]

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Mary, Joseph, and, Therefore, Jesus Were Born of Royal Stock

March 17, 2016

[previous] From a sermon of Saint Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) about Saint Joseph: Firstly, let us consider the nobility of the bride, that is, the Most Holy Virgin. The Blessed Virgin was more noble than any other creature that had been born in human form, that could be or could have been begotten. For Saint […]

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March 15 – Pope St. Zachary

March 14, 2016

Pope St. Zachary (ZACHARIAS.) Reigned 741-52. Year of birth unknown; died in March, 752. Zachary sprang from a Greek family living in Calabria; his father, according to the “Liber Pontificalis”, was called Polichronius. Most probably he was a deacon of the Roman Church and as such signed the decrees of the Roman council of 732. […]

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March 15 – Her nuns earned the name “Angels of the Battlefield”

March 14, 2016

St. Louise de Marillac Le Gras Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, born at Paris, 12 August, 1591, daughter of Louis de Marillac, Lord of Ferrieres, and Marguerite Le Camus; died there, 15 March, 1660. Her mother having died soon after the birth of Louise, the education of the latter […]

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March 16 – Chancellor to Italy and Germany

March 14, 2016

St. Heribert, Archbishop of Cologne Born at Worms, c. 970; died at Cologne, 16 March, 1021. His father was Duke Hugo of Worms. After receiving his education at the cathedral school of Worms, he spent some time as guest at the monastery of Gorze, after which he became provost at the cathedral of Worms. In […]

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March 17 – The Great and Noble Patrick

March 14, 2016

St. Patrick Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. He had for his parents Calphurnius and Conchessa. The former belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain. Conchessa was a […]

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March 17 – St. Gertrude of Nivelles

March 14, 2016

St. Gertrude of Nivelles Virgin, and Abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nivelles; born in 626; died 17 March, 659. She was a daughter of Pepin I of Landen, and a younger sister of St. Begga, Abbess of Andenne… Read more here.

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Our Lord Jesus Christ Willed to Be Born Poor, but He Also Wanted to Have a Signal Relationship with the Aristocracy

March 14, 2016

[previous] From the allocution of Benedict XV to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on January 5, 1917: Before God there is no preference of persons. Yet there is no doubt, writes Saint Bernard, that the virtue of nobles is more pleasing to Him, because it is more resplendent. Jesus Christ Himself was noble, as were […]

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St. Joan of Arc ring sold at auction

March 10, 2016

According to the BBC: The ring was bought by the Puy du Fou foundation, which runs a historical theme park in France, at auction in London for $425,000 (£300,000). Made in about 1400, the silver gilt devotional ring bears the inscription ‘IHS’ and ‘MAR’ for Jesus and Mary. The ring was offered for sale by […]

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Republican plans stalled in Jamaica and Barbados

March 10, 2016

According to RoyalBlog.nl: Chances are by the end of this year she [Elizabeth II] is still Queen of Jamaica and Queen of Barbados. It looks like both independent Caribbean island states will not carry out their plans to abolish the monarchy and exchange it for a republic. In both countries the Labour Party has been […]

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St. Louis Takes the Cross

March 10, 2016

It was the will of God that the King should be overtaken at Paris by a grievous sickness. He was brought so low, it was said, that one of the ladies who were nursing him said he was dead and wished to cover his face with the sheet. Another lady, who was on the other […]

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Saint Gemma Galgani: Dignity and Angelic Purity

March 10, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira This photograph is of Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), a famous mystic who lived in the enchanting town of Lucca, Italy. Her countenance is impressive for several reasons. First, we note her profound reflection and the harmony of her traits. Second, the saint’s gaze has something elevated and sublime about it. […]

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March 11 – Saint Sophronius

March 10, 2016

Saint Sophronius Patriarch of Jerusalem and Greek ecclesiastical writer, b. about 560 at Damascus of noble parentage; d. probably March 11, 638, at Jerusalem. In company with John Moschus he traveled extensively through the East and also went to Rome. He probably became a monk in Egypt about 580 and later removed to Palestine. From […]

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March 11 – Constantine the Great

March 10, 2016

His coins give his name as M., or more frequently as C., Flavius Valerius Constantinus. He was born at Naissus, now Nisch in Servia [Nis, Serbia —Ed.], the son of a Roman officer, Constantius, who later became Roman Emperor, and St. Helena, a woman of humble extraction but remarkable character and unusual ability. The date […]

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March 11 – Saint under the Caliphs

March 10, 2016

St. Eulogius of Cordova Spanish martyr and writer who flourished during the reigns of the Cordovan Caliphs, Abd-er-Rahman II and Mohammed I (822-886). It is not certain on what date or in what year of the ninth century he was born; it must have been previous to 819, because in 848 he was a priest […]

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