January 11 – Wounded in a duel

January 8, 2015

Blessed Bernard Scammacca, O.P. He was born in 1430 to a noble family of Catania, Sicily and given the name Anthony. As was typical of young men at that time, he fought duels. In one of them, his leg was badly wounded. As Anthony convalesced, he had time to think about his life and his […]

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January 12 – He promoted the use of stained glass

January 8, 2015

St. Benedict Biscop An English monastic founder, born of a noble Anglo-Saxon family, c. 628; died 12 January 690. He spent his youth at the court of the Northumbrian King Oswy. When twenty-five years old, he made the first of his five pilgrimages to Rome. On his return to England, Benedict introduced, whenever he could, […]

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January 12 – “The English Saint Bernard”

January 8, 2015

St. Aelred Abbot of Rievaulx, homilist and historian (1109-66). St. Aelred, whose name is also written Ailred, Æthelred, and Ethelred, was the son of one of those married priests of whom many were found in England in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. He was born at Hexham, but at an early age made the acquaintance […]

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About the Catholic monarchy ban…

January 5, 2015

According to The Telegraph: Newly-declassified documents showed Scotland’s first First Minister…consulted the Queen and the UK Government over…the ban on Roman Catholics ascending to the throne… Last year the Coalition passed the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which meant that members of the Royal Family who married a Catholic would no longer lose their […]

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Which British Royal has the most engagements?

January 5, 2015

According to the Daily Express: The Queen, who will be 89 in April, and Prince Philip, 94 in June, both increased their workloads, as did three of her now often forgotten cousins and three out of her four children. But despite providing the glamour, William, Kate, and Harry, with 143, 91 and 94 official duties […]

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The great courtesy of the Sun-King

January 5, 2015

One day Louis XIV was informed that certain members of the court refused to invite Molière to join them for a meal since he was just a playwright. One morning, as the king sat down for breakfast, he invited Molière to join him at the table and enjoy the repast. Then, while keeping up the […]

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True Glory Can Only Be Born of Pain

January 5, 2015

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira From every side of the parade grounds, with habitual and quite natural enthusiasm, a huge crowd watches a trooping of the Queen’s Royal Grenadiers in their ceremonial uniforms. New military tactics forced uniforms like these into obsolescence long ago. Nevertheless, these black trousers, red coats with white belts, gloves and […]

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January 7 – St. Aldric

January 5, 2015

St. Aldric Bishop of Le Mans in the time of Louis le Debonnaire, born c. 800; died at Le Mans, 7 January, 856. As a youth he lived in the court of Charlemagne, at Aix la Chapelle, as well as in that of his son and successor Louis. By both monarchs he was highly esteemed, […]

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January 7 – “Royal bandits must hang from the highest mast”

January 5, 2015

St. Canut, second son of Eric the Good, king of Denmark, was made duke of Sleswig, his elder brother Nicholas being king of Denmark. Their father, who lived with his people as a father with his children, and no one ever left him without comfort, says the ancient chronicle Knytling-Saga, p. 71. died in Cyprus, […]

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January 7 – St. Kentigerna

January 5, 2015

St. Kentigerna, Widow She is commemorated on the 7th of January, in the Aberdeen Breviary, from which we learn, that she was of royal blood, daughter of Kelly, prince of Leinster in Ireland, as Colgan proves from ancient monuments. She was mother of the holy abbot St. Fœlan, or Felan. After the death of her […]

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January 8 – Hapsburg Saint

January 5, 2015

St. Gudula (Latin, Guodila) Born in Brabant, Belgium, of Witger and Amalberga, in the seventh century; died at the beginning of the eighth century. After the birth of Gudula her mother Amalberga, who is herself venerated as a saint, embraced the religious life, and according to tradition received the veil at the hands of St. […]

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January 8 – St. Severinus

January 5, 2015

St. Severinus Abbot, and Apostle of Noricum, or Austria A.D. 482. We know nothing of the birth or country of this saint. From the purity of his Latin, he was generally supposed to be a Roman; and his care to conceal what he was according to the world, was taken for a proof of his […]

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The Young Prince and The Officer

January 1, 2015

The Duke of Bourgogne, grandson of Louis XIV of France, was educated by the great Bishop of Cambrai, Fenelon. He made so much progress under this learned and virtuous tutor that, as he grew up, he was the admiration of the whole kingdom, on account of those qualities which form great princes and prepare them […]

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The Devil’s False Promise of Happiness

January 1, 2015

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira This scene is from the island of Ischia, in Italy, after a storm. Nature has recovered her cheerful appearance and an elderly peasant woman accompanied by her children – perhaps her grandchildren – walks up a hillside. The road is not made of asphalt, nor is it lined with movie […]

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January 2 – The Infant of Prague

January 1, 2015

Its earliest history can be traced back to Prague in the year 1628 when the small, 19-inch high, wooden and coated wax statue of the Infant Jesus was given by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz (1566–1642) to the Discalced Carmelites, to whom she had become greatly attached. The princess had received the statue as a wedding […]

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January 2 – St. Basil the Great

January 1, 2015

St. Basil the Great Bishop of Caesarea, and one of the most distinguished Doctors of the Church. Born probably 329; died 1 January, 379. He ranks after Athanasius as a defender of the Oriental Church against the heresies of the fourth century. With his friend Gregory of Nazianzus and his brother Gregory of Nyssa, he […]

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January 2 – St. Gregory of Nazianzus

January 1, 2015

St. Gregory of Nazianzus Doctor of the Church, born at Arianzus, in Asia Minor, c. 325; died at the same place, 389. He was son — one of three children — of Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus (329-374), in the south-west of Cappadocia, and of Nonna, a daughter of Christian parents. The saint’s father was originally […]

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January 3 – Saint Joseph Mary Tomasi

January 1, 2015

Saint Joseph Mary Tomasi The very eminent servant of God Joseph Mary Tomasi, Cardinal, whom Pope Pius VII decorated with the honors of the Blessed in 1803, and whom today the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II ascribes solemnly in the book of the Saints, was born at Licata, in Sicily, the Diocese of Agrigento, on […]

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January 3 – The saint who twice saved Paris

January 1, 2015

St. Genevieve Patroness of Paris, born at Nanterre, circa 419 or 422; died at Paris, 512. Her feast is kept on 3 January. She was the daughter of Severus and Gerontia; popular tradition represents her parents as poor peasants, though it seems more likely that they were wealthy and respectable townspeople. In 429 St. Germain […]

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January 3 – Nicknamed the “Archangel”

January 1, 2015

St. Odilo Fifth Abbot of Cluny, born c. 962; died 31 December, 1048. He was descended from the nobility of Auvergne. He early became a cleric in the seminary of St. Julien in Brioude. In 991 he entered Cluny and before the end of his year of probation was made coadjutor to Abbot Mayeul, and […]

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January 4 – Patroness of those afflicted by sexual temptation

January 1, 2015

Blessed Angela of Foligno Umbrian penitent and mystical writer. She was born at Foligno in Umbria, in 1248, of a rich family; died 4 January, 1309. Married at an early age, she loved the world and its pleasures and, worse still, forgetful of her dignity and duties as wife and mother, fell into sin and […]

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January 4 – American Aristocracy

January 1, 2015

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Foundress and first superior of the Sisters of Charity in the United States, b. in New York City, 28 Aug., 1774, of non-Catholic parents of high position; d. at Emmitsburg, Maryland, 4 Jan., 1821. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley (b. Connecticut and educated in England), was the first professor of anatomy […]

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Epiphany – The Three Kings made the Kingship of Christ Manifest to the Pagan World

January 1, 2015

The Epiphany of Our Lord Saints Balthasar, Caspar and Melchior Epiphany, which in the original Greek signifies appearance or manifestation, as St. Augustin observes, (1) is a festival principally solemnized in honor of the discovery Jesus Christ made of himself to the Magi, or wise men; who, soon after his birth, by a particular inspiration […]

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Lessons from the Holy Grotto

December 29, 2014

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira In the moral order, the world is composed largely of sinners, selfish creatures who live not to serve God, but to please themselves. These self-serving souls comprise the vast majority of mankind, especially in times of decadence – as were the days of Our Lord, as are our own. In […]

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London Palaces withdraw ceremonial guards

December 29, 2014

According to The Telegraph: The instantly recognisable Queen’s Guards have been moved from their sentry boxes in front of the various royal premises and now stand guard behind locked gates or fences. Although they had already been moved behind the gates at Buckingham Palace, the same has now happened at Clarence House, St James’s Palace […]

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Marie Antoinette the peacemaker

December 29, 2014

Amidst an ongoing argument as to who was the greatest, between those who admired Niccolò Piccinni and those who admired Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck, the former was introduced to Marie Antoinette, who immediately offered to sing for him. Having accompanied the famous composer to the piano she chose a musical score. Only later did she realize […]

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December 30 – Princess, Orphan, Foundress

December 29, 2014

Blessed Margaret Colona Poor Clare, also known as Margarita Colonna, born in Rome, date uncertain; died there, 20 September, 1284. Her father, Prince Odo Colonna, and her mother died in Rome when she was still a young girl, and she was left to the care of her two brothers, the youngest of whom was raised […]

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December 30 – He Preached Sanctity in Marriage and Chastity in Priesthood

December 29, 2014

St. Egwin Third Bishop of Worcester; date of birth unknown; d. (according to Mabillon) 20 December, 720, though his death may have occurred three years earlier. His fame as founder of the great Abbey of Evesham no doubt tended to the growth of legends which, though mainly founded on facts, render it difficult to reconcile […]

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December 31 – Ideal Bishop, Skilled Goldsmith

December 29, 2014

St. Marius Aventicus (Or AVENTICENSIS) Bishop of Avenches (Switzerland) and chronicler, born about 530 in the present Diocese of Autun; died at Lausanne, 31 December, 594. Of the events of his life little is known. From an inscription on his tomb in the church of St. Thyrsius in Lausanne (published in the “Monumenta Germ. Scriptores”, […]

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December 31 – The patrician girl who befriended St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and the Empress

December 29, 2014

St. Melania (the Younger) Born at Rome, about 383; died in Jerusalem, 31 December, 439. She was a member of the famous family of Valerii. Her parents were Publicola and Albina, her paternal grandmother of the same name is known as Melania, Senior. Little is known of the saint’s childhood, but after the time of […]

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January 1 – As bishop, he was harsh to himself, to his clergy, and to any king

December 29, 2014

St. Fulgentius (FABIUS CLAUDIUS GORDIANUS FULGENTIUS). Born 468, died 533. Bishop of Ruspe in the province of Byzacene in Africa, eminent among the Fathers of the Church for saintly life, eloquence and theological learning. His grandfather, Gordianus, a senator of Carthage, was despoiled of his possessions by the invader Genseric, and banished to Italy, his […]

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January 1 – Another hero from Cluny

December 29, 2014

St. William Abbot of Saint-Bénigne at Dijon, celebrated Cluniac reformer, born on the Island of Giuglio on Lake Orta near Novara in Piedmont in 962; died at Fecamp, one of his reformed monasteries in Normandy, 1 January 1031. At the age of seven he was brought as an oblate to the Benedictine monastery of Locedia […]

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January 1 – The Virgin Mary was “of the house of David”

December 29, 2014

Mary’s Davidic ancestry St. Luke (2:4) says that St. Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be enrolled, “because he was of the house and family of David”. As if to exclude all doubt concerning the Davidic descent of Mary, the Evangelist (1:32, 69) states that the child born of Mary without the intervention of […]

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Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2014

 

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Royal vow is not a political promise

December 25, 2014

According to the Daily Express: On her 21st birthday in 1947 the then Princess Elizabeth took to the airwaves… “I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. “I should like to make that dedication now. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short […]

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The Christmas of a Chouan

December 25, 2014

From 1793 to 1800, the region of Fougères, in Northeast France, was the scene of the epic struggle of the Chouans (pronounced “Shwan”). The Chouans were peasants who rose up against the French Revolution in defense of the Monarchy and the Church. One winter’s night in 1795, a column of soldiers of the revolutionary Republic […]

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Christmas in Italy, Germany, and Brazil

December 25, 2014

Three different ways of commemorating Christmas; three varieties of contemplation Saint of the Day,  December 21, 1973   If we imagine an elaborate nativity scene in certain regions of Italy, we can see all the figures taking very emphatic attitudes: the Child Jesus lying in the manger, reaching out to Our Lady; She bent over […]

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December 26 – He had the face of an angel

December 25, 2014

St. Stephen One of the first deacons and the first Christian martyr; feast on 26 December. In the Acts of the Apostles the name of St. Stephen occurs for the first time on the occasion of the appointment of the first deacons (Acts, vi, 5). Dissatisfaction concerning the distribution of alms from the community’s fund […]

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December 27 – Divorced Saint

December 25, 2014

St. Fabiola of Rome A Roman matron of rank, died 27 December, 399 or 400. She was one of the company of noble Roman women who, under the influence of St. Jerome, gave up all earthly pleasures and devoted themselves to the practice of Christian asceticism and to charitable work. At the time of St. […]

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December 27 – Son of Thunder

December 25, 2014

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Styled in the gospel, The beloved disciple of Christ, and called by the Greeks The Divine, he was a Galilean, the son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother to St. James the Great, with whom he was brought up to the trade of fishing. From his acquaintance with […]

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December 28 – Ordered to swear allegiance to Napoleon, he replied “I cannot. I ought not. I will not!”

December 25, 2014

Bl. Gaspare del Bufalo Founder of the Missionaries of the most Precious Blood (C.P.P.S.); born at Rome on the feast of the Epiphany, 1786; died 28 December, 1837. His parents were Antonio del Bufalo, chief cook of the princely family of Altieri, and his wife Annunziata Quartieroni. Because of his delicate health, his pious mother […]

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December 29 – Blessed William Howard

December 25, 2014

Blessed William Howard 1st Viscount Stafford, martyr; born 30 November, 1614; beheaded Tower-Hill, 29 December, 1680. He was grandson of the Saint Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, mentioned above, fifth son of Earl Thomas (the first great art collector of England), and uncle of Thomas Philip, Cardinal Howard. Brought up as a Catholic, he was […]

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December 29 – His Staff Did More Damage Than His Sword

December 25, 2014

St. Thomas à Becket Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London, born at London, 21 December, c. 1118; died at Canterbury, 29 December, 1170. St. Thomas was born of parents who, coming from Normandy, had settled in England some years previously… Read more here.

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December 29 – David, the ancestor of Jesus

December 25, 2014

King David In the Bible the name David is borne only by the second king of Israel, the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth, iv, 18 sqq.). He was the youngest of the eight sons of Isai, or Jesse (I Kings, xvi, 8; cf. I Par., ii, 13), a small proprietor, of the tribe of […]

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Video – Christmas in French salons

December 22, 2014

Since no door in the town of Bethlehem was opened to the Holy Family, the Infant Jesus was born in a poor stable manger heated only with an ox and ass. In reparation for such lack of hospitality, every year at Christmas, French noble houses open their doors to the Christ Child, his holy Mother, […]

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At Christmas, Queen imitates Good King Wenceslaus

December 22, 2014

According to The Scotsman: People can become isolated and struggle financially during the long winter months, according to local councillors who have teamed up with gamekeepers, estate owners, charities and volunteers to supply food and fuel to those hit the hardest. Tillypronie estate by Aboyne will supply pheasants, Balmoral is donating logs and vegetables and […]

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The British Monarchy costs as much as…

December 22, 2014

According to Royal Central: In this past year, the British Monarchy cost taxpayers £35.7 million. That represents a cost of 56 pence per person in the United Kingdom. The President of France…cost…£91 million. The total cost works out at £1.43 per person in France. A little further south and we find the Italian Republic. Its […]

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The General At His Daughter’s Death-Bed

December 22, 2014

In the United States of America there lived, sometime ago, a General in the army, who was known in all that country to be an Atheist. His wife was a good Catholic, and tried to bring up their daughter, who was their only child, in the fear of God; and although her father endeavored to […]

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Charlemagne, Cornerstone of the Middle Ages

December 22, 2014

Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira,  Saint of the Day, October 30, 1972   Here is an excerpt on Charlemagne taken from the renowned historian, J.B. Weiss’ História Universal: “In 772, at the age of 30, Charles took over the government of the Kingdom of the Franks. He was rightly called Charles the Great, a name he […]

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December 23 – The Knights of Aviz and Their Cistercian Founder

December 22, 2014

Saint John of Cirita Memorial: 23 December Benedictine monk, also known as John Ziritu. Hermit in Galacia. Monk at Toronca, Portugal, which he helped turn into a Cistercian house. Wrote the Rule of the Knights of Aviz (Portuguese: Ordem Militar de Avis).  Died, c. 1164. The Military Order of St. Benedict of Aviz A military […]

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December 23 – He Always Held His Soul in His Hands

December 22, 2014

Saint Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão Born 1739, in the village of Santo Antonio da Vila de Guaratinguetá, Brazil; died 23 December, 1822, at the Convent of Light, São Paulo, Brazil. His father, also named Anthony, belonged to an illustrious Portuguese family and was well educated, as evidenced by his writings. He excelled in business, the […]

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December 23 – Duke of Guise

December 22, 2014

HENRI I DE LORRAINE Prince de Joinville, and in 1563 third Duke of Guise, born 31 Dec. 1550, the son of François de Guise and Anne d’Este; died at Blois, 23 Dec., 1588. The rumours which attributed to Coligny a share in the murder of François de Guise hailed in the young Henri de Guise, […]

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December 24 – Sts. Trasilla and Emiliana

December 22, 2014

Aunts of St. Gregory the Great, virgins in the sixth century, given in the Roman Martyrology, the former on 24 December, the latter on 5 January. St. Gregory (Hom. XXXVIII, 15, on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and Lib. Dial., IV, 16) relates that his father, the Senator Gordian, had three sisters who vowed themselves […]

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December 25 – On Christmas Day, He Died

December 22, 2014

St. Peter Nolasco Born at Mas-des-Saintes-Puelles, near Castelnaudary, France, in 1189 (or 1182); died at Barcelona, on Christmas Day, 1256 (or 1259). He was of a noble family and from his youth was noted for his piety, almsgiving, and charity. Having given all his possessions to the poor, he took a vow of virginity and, […]

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Visit Windsor Castle while it is decorated for Christmas

December 18, 2014

According to the Royal Collection Trust: Windsor Castle’s magnificent State Apartments have been transformed for the festive season with an array of decorations, from seasonal garlands lining the Grand Staircase to bedecked Christmas trees, including a Nordman Fir from the Windsor Great Park standing at six metres tall in St George’s Hall. In the State […]

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Isabella the Catholic brings change to Chess

December 18, 2014

The game of chess originated in India some 1,500 years ago, being called back then chaturanga. Like all other traditions, chess was passed on from one generation to another, being slowly improved over time, and one of these improvements was the Queen piece. Today, the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board, but […]

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Chess Pie Recipe

December 18, 2014

Chess Pie   INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter 2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 eggs 1 tablespoon cornmeal 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell     DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla […]

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Embracing the Fight to Restore Christendom

December 18, 2014

One might ask if the impending collapse can be avoided. We would answer that the course of history is not predetermined, although its lessons are often repeated. If we are to avoid the crisis, we must turn our efforts now to our grand return home. As Catholic countrymen concerned with the future of our nation, […]

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December 19 – How Tumultuous Times Reveal Noble Souls

December 18, 2014

Pope Blessed Urban V Guillaume de Grimoard, born at Grisac in Languedoc, 1310; died at Avignon, 19 December, 1370. Born of a knightly family, he was educated at Montpellier and Toulouse, and became a Benedictine monk at the little priory of Chirac near his home. A Bull of 1363 informs us that he was professed […]

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December 19 – Pope St. Anastasius I

December 18, 2014

Pope St. Anastasius I A pontiff who is remembered chiefly for his condemnation of Origenism. A Roman by birth, he became pope in 399, and died within a little less than four years. Among his friends were Augustine, and Jerome, and Paulinus, Jerome speaks of him as a man or great holiness who was rich […]

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