December 21 – Doctor of the Church & Second Apostle of Germany

December 18, 2014

St. Peter Canisius Born at Nimwegen in the Netherlands, 8 May, 1521; died in Fribourg, 21 November, 1597. His father was the wealthy burgomaster, Jacob Canisius; his mother, Ægidia van Houweningen, died shortly after Peter’s birth. In 1536 Peter was sent to Cologne, where he studied arts, civil law, and theology at the university; he […]

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December 22 – “I swear by St. Eimhin’s bell…”

December 18, 2014

Abbot and Bishop of Ros-mic-Truin (Ireland), probably in the sixth century. He came of the royal race of Munster, and was brother of two other saints, Culain and Dairmid. Of the early part of his religious life little is known. When he became abbot of the monastery of Ros-mic-Truin, in succession to its founder, St. […]

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Royals commemorate heroic “Nuts!”

December 15, 2014

According to Hello Magazine: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians returned to their official royal engagements on Saturday…when they stepped out in Bastogne for the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Throwing nuts is a tradition on the anniversary and is a tribute to the general who simply […]

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Marie Antoinette helps the poor

December 15, 2014

Distressed at the plight of the poor resulting from the Winter’s severity, Queen Marie Antoinette saved three hundred thousand francs from her personal budget and turned this sum over to her ladies-in-waiting, the parish priests of Paris, and charitable organizations for distribution among the needy. She also encouraged her daughter to do the same, and […]

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United in Common Struggle, for a Common Cause

December 15, 2014

History records how crisis and adversity have the effect of uniting men in common cause. In fact, no greater bond is forged than when people suffer together, as can be seen in the wartime ties among soldiers, or in the struggle for education that unites alumni for life. Common struggles often initiate changes that would […]

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December 16 – St. Adelaide: Most Important Woman of Her Century

December 15, 2014

St. Adelaide (ADELHEID). Born 931; died 16 December, 999, one of the conspicuous characters in the struggle of Otho the Great to obtain the imperial crown from the Roman Pontiffs. She was the daughter of Rudolph II, King of Burgundy, who was at war with Hugh of Provence for the crown of Italy. The rivals […]

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December 16 – Saint Judicael ap Hoel

December 15, 2014

Saint Judicael ap Hoel (c. 590 – 16 or 17 December 658) was the King of Domnonée and a Breton high king in the mid-seventh century. According to Gregory of Tours, the Bretons were divided into various regna (subkingdoms) during the sixth century, of which Domnonée, Cornouaille, and Broweroch are the best known; they had […]

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December 16 – Can Whistleblowers Be Saints? This One Was…

December 15, 2014

St. Ado, Archbishop of Vienne, Confessor Born about 800, in the diocese of Sens; died 16 December, 875. He was brought up at the Benedictine Abbey of Ferrières, and had as one of his masters the Abbot Lupus Servatus, one of the most celebrated humanists of those times. By his brilliant talents and assiduous application […]

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December 17 – St. Olympias

December 15, 2014

Born 360-5; died 25 July, 408, probably at Nicomedia. This pious, charitable, and wealthy disciple of St. John Chrysostom came from an illustrious family in Constantinople. Her father (called by the sources Secundus or Selencus) was a “Count” of the empire; one of her ancestors, Ablabius, filled in 331 the consular office, and was also […]

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December 17 – St. Begga, Widow and Abbess

December 15, 2014

This saint was daughter of Pepin of Landen, eldest sister to St. Gertrude of Nivelle, and married Ansegise, son to St. Arnoul, who was some time mayor of the palace, and afterwards bishop of Metz. Her husband being killed in hunting, she dedicated herself to a penitential state of retirement, and, after performing a pilgrimage […]

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December 17 – St. Sturmius and the diocese of Fulda

December 15, 2014

To systematize the work of evangelizing Germany, St. Boniface organized a hierarchy on the usual ecclesiastical basis; in Bavaria the Dioceses of Salzburg, Freising, Ratisbon, and Passau; in Franconia and Thuringia, Würzburg, Eichstätt, Buraburg near Fritzlar, and Erfurt. To facilitate missionary work farther north, especially among the Saxons, he sought a suitable spot for the […]

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Do not mollycoddle Royals

December 11, 2014

According to the IJReview: The way the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge…paid their respects at a 9/11 commemorative site is an example of absolute class. The couple is known for their patriotism and their deep respect for those in military and service roles. Prince William wanted to serve in Afghanistan…. William said in an interview: […]

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge admire “the courage to rebuild” after 9/11

December 11, 2014

According to The Telegraph: …the Duchess of Cambridge admitted she was unprepared for just how affecting it would be as she spoke of her “awe” at what she was seeing. …the Duchess placed a bouquet of white roses – the State flower of New York – on part of the National 9/11 Memorial. A handwritten […]

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Canadian councillor will only swear allegiance to a queen if her ancestors have not been horrible

December 11, 2014

According to the Times-Colonist: Victoria’s new mayor, Lisa Helps, declined to swear allegiance to the Queen at her inauguration Thursday, stirring controversy on her first day in office. In addition to Helps, three councillors chose not to say the oath. Helps said underlying her decision was respect for First Nations. “I have nothing against the […]

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Louis XIV defends the court preacher

December 11, 2014

Though Louis XIV lived for years in marital infidelity, having relations with mistresses, he always paid close attention to the preachers whose duty it was to reprimand him and the other members of the Court for their errors. When some nobles complained to Louis XIV about a sermon of Father Jules Mascaron that had displeased […]

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We Must Respond to the Father’s Love

December 11, 2014

There is a final aspect in the Prodigal Son’s grand return home that is often disregarded, but herein lies the key point. We are told that the son longed for his father, but it is clear that the father longed much more for his son. Indeed, the father watched from afar for news of his […]

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December 12 – Guadalupe: She Who Smashes the Serpent

December 11, 2014

by Cesar Franco Pope Pius XII gave Our Lady of Guadalupe the title of “Empress of the Americas” in 1945. Since December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this is a propitious moment to recall how She reigns over our nation from Heaven, protecting and guiding us with Motherly solicitude and tenderness. […]

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December 13 – Elected Pope to Fight the Emperor

December 11, 2014

Pope Callistus II Date of birth unknown; died 13 December, 1124. His reign, beginning 1 February, 1119, is signalized by the termination of the Investiture controversy which, begun in the time of Gregory VII, had raged with almost unabated bitterness during the last quarter of the eleventh century and the opening years of the twelfth. […]

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December 13 – “The eyes which I must please are a hundred miles from here”

December 11, 2014

St. Jane Frances de Chantal Born at Dijon, France, 28 January, 1572; died at the Visitation Convent Moulins, 13 December, 1641. Her father was president of the Parliament of Burgundy, and leader of the royalist party during the League that brought about the triumph of the cause of Henry IV. In 1592 she married Baron […]

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December 13 – St. Odilia

December 11, 2014

St. Odilia Patroness of Alsace, born at the end of the seventh century; died about 720. According to a trustworthy statement, apparently taken from an earlier life, she was the daughter of the Frankish lord Adalrich (Aticus, Etik) and his wife Bereswinda, who had large estates in Alsace. She founded the convent of Hohenburg (Odilienberg) […]

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December 13 – The girl named Lucy, opposite of Lucifer

December 11, 2014

St. Lucy A virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily, whose feast is celebrated by Latins and Greeks alike on 13 Dec. According to the traditional story, she was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283. Her father was of Roman origin, but his early death left her dependent upon her mother, […]

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December 14 – Son of a disinherited noble

December 11, 2014

St. John of the Cross Founder (with St. Teresa) of the Discalced Carmelites, doctor of mystic theology, born at Hontoveros, Old Castile, 24 June, 1542; died at Ubeda, Andalusia, 14 Dec., 1591. John de Yepes, youngest child of Gonzalo de Yepes and Catherine Alvarez, poor silk weavers of Toledo, knew from his earliest years the […]

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Andrée de Jongh: Made A Countess For Her War-Time Heroism

December 8, 2014

Again and again she risked her life to save British and American servicemen escape from Nazi-occupied Belgium and France. The daughter of a Belgian schoolmaster, Andrée de Jongh greatly admired Edith Cavell—a Red Cross nurse who was killed by the Germans during World War I for helping British soldiers escape—and was determined to emulate her […]

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We Must Clash with a Misguided Culture

December 8, 2014

“And rising up, he came to his father.” With these simple words, Saint Luke (15:20) outlines the Prodigal Son’s plan of action, which must also be ours. In our desire to leave the crisis, it is not enough to simply isolate ourselves, move away, or search for another frenetic party. We must rise up against […]

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December 9 – Banker and Saint

December 8, 2014

St. Peter Fourier Known as LE BON PÈRE DE MATTAINCOURT (Good Father of Mattaincourt), born at Mirecourt, Lorraine, 30 Nov., 1565 died at Gray, Haute-Saône, 9 Dec., 1640. At fifteen he was sent to the University of Pont-à-Mousson. His piety and learning led many noble families to ask him to educate their sons. He became […]

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December 10 – To protest the emperor, he paid special honor images and relics

December 8, 2014

Pope St. Gregory III (Reigned 731-741.) Pope St. Gregory III was the son of a Syrian named John. The date of his birth is not known. His reputation for learning and virtue was so great that the Romans elected him pope by acclamation, when he was accompanying the funeral procession of his predecessor, 11 February, […]

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December 10 – Who Was the First Pope to Live in a Palace?

December 8, 2014

Pope St. Miltiades The year of his birth is not known; he was elected pope in either 310 or 311; died 10 or 11 January, 314. After the banishment of Pope Eusebius, the Roman See was vacant for some time, probably because of the complications which has arisen on account of the apostates (lapsi), and […]

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December 11 – Pope Falsely Accused of Adultery

December 8, 2014

Pope St. Damasus I Born about 304; died 11 December, 384. His father, Antonius, was probably a Spaniard; the name of his mother, Laurentia, was not known until quite recently. Damasus seems to have been born at Rome; it is certain that he grew up there in the service of the church of the martyr […]

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December 11 – Her Name Was “Mother Marvelous”

December 8, 2014

St. María de las Maravillas de Jesús Pidal y Chico de Guzmán was born in Madrid, Spain, on 4 November 1891. She was the daughter of Luis Pidal y Mon, Marquis of Pidal, and Cristina Chico de Guzmán y Munoz. At the time her father was the Spanish ambassador to the Holy See and she grew […]

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St. Vincent of Paul and The Forsaken Children

December 4, 2014

At the time when St. Vincent lived there existed in France a cruel custom, which seems to us almost incredible. Every year in the streets of Paris alone from three to four hundred newly-born infants were left to perish. Their unnatural mothers, who might already have had a number of little ones to support, would […]

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Longing for the Father’s House

December 4, 2014

We must remember our father’s house—that rich Christian order from whence we came. That is why we have made such a great effort to describe that organic, virtuous, spontaneous, and providential order in all its calm and simple grandeur. We invoke the memory of those cohorts of legendary saints and leaders inside society from top […]

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December 5 – Noble matron faithful unto death

December 4, 2014

St. Crispina A martyr of Africa who suffered during the Diocletian persecution; born at Thagara in the Province of Africa; died by beheading at Thebeste in Numidia, 5 December, 304. Crispina belonged to a distinguished family and was a wealthy matron with children. At the time of the persecution she was brought before the proconsul […]

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December 6 – Good St. Nicholas

December 4, 2014

Life of Saint Nicholas from Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de Voragine Here beginneth the Life of Saint Nicholas the Bishop. Nicholas is said of Nichos, which is to say victory, and of laos, people, so Nicholas is as much as to say as victory of people, that is, victory of sins, which befoul people. Or […]

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December 6 – Martyr of the Muslims

December 4, 2014

St. Peter Paschal, Bishop and Martyr This saint was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1227, and descended of the ancient family of the Paschals, which had edified the Church by the triumphs of five glorious martyrs, which it produced under the Moors. Peter’s parents were virtuous and exceedingly charitable; and St. Peter Nolasco often lodged […]

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December 7 – The People Acclaimed Him as Bishop Even Though He Was Unbaptized

December 4, 2014

St. Ambrose Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397; born probably 340, at Trier, Arles, or Lyons; died 4 April, 397. He was one of the most illustrious Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and fitly chosen, together with St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Athanasius, to uphold the venerable Chair of the Prince […]

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December 8 – The Immaculate Conception: The Celebration of Privilege

December 4, 2014

The new dogma deeply shocked the essentially egalitarian mentality of the French Revolution, which since 1789 had despotically held sway in the West. The Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the […]

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Prince Harry admits behavior not up to princely standards

December 1, 2014

In an interview with Man of the World magazine to be released Wednesday, Prince Harry admits his behavior in Las Vegas was not up to a prince’s standards: “It was probably a classic case of me being too much Army and not enough prince.”

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Royals visit Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of children from the Nazis

December 1, 2014

According to BBC News: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were given a tour of…Holyport College… During the visit, the royal couple met Sir Nicholas Winton, who lives near the school which has named its reception building after him. Sir Nicholas, dubbed the “British Schindler”, helped to save hundreds of children, mainly from Jewish […]

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American social mobility identical to medieval England

December 1, 2014

According to CBS13: A UC Davis economics professor…Gregory Clark is sharing his research as a hard truth… “America has no higher rate of social mobility than medieval England…” Clark crunched the numbers in the U.S. from the past 100 years. His data shows…that social mobility here is no different than in the rest of the […]

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Saying the truth to an immoral king, but with spirit

December 1, 2014

When passing through a town, Henry IV asked that they bring him the wittiest citizen, to entertain him during lunch. He was introduced to a M. Gaillard, who sat down at the table across from the king. The king immediately quipped: ― “What is the distance between gaillard (daring, entertaining, gallant) and paillard (libertine, dissolute)?” […]

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Grand Return Home

December 1, 2014

We have presented the specter of a great crisis that has as its immediate cause an impending economic crash that will trigger as its effect the breakdown of our national consensus and American way of life. Although this crisis will wreak great material havoc upon us, its greatest damage will be spiritual. While we have […]

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December 2 – Cause of Our Joy

December 1, 2014

Our Lady of Joy (aka Notre Dame de Liesse, or Causa Nostrae Laetitiae) In 1134 three Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, prisoners of the Muslims in Egypt, miraculously found or received in their prison a statue of Our Lady, which they named Our Lady of Joy, or Notre Dame de Liesse. […]

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December 2 – St. Chromatius

December 1, 2014

St. Chromatius Bishop of Aquileia, died about 406-407. He was probably born at Aquileia, and in any case grew up there. He became a priest of that church and about 387 or 388, after the death of Valerianus, bishop of that important city. He was one of the most celebrated prelates of his time and […]

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December 3 – Apostle of the Indies

December 1, 2014

St. Francis Xavier Born in the Castle of Xavier near Sanguesa, in Navarre, 7 April, 1506; died on the Island of Sancian near the coast of China, 2 December, 1552. In 1525, having completed a preliminary course of studies in his own country, Francis Xavier went to Paris, where he entered the collège de Sainte-Barbe. […]

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December 4 – Saint Barbara

December 1, 2014

Saint Barbara Virgin and Martyr. There is no reference to St. Barbara contained in the authentic early historical authorities for Christian antiquity, neither does her name appear in the original recension of St. Jerome’s martyrology. Veneration of the saint was common, however, from the seventh century. At about this date there were in existence legendary […]

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December 4 – Saint Osmund, founder of the Cathedral system of Church governance

December 1, 2014

Saint Osmund Bishop of Salisbury, died 1099; his feast is kept on 4 December. Osmund held an exalted position in Normandy, his native land, and according to a late fifteenth-century document was the son of Henry, Count of Séez, and Isabella, daughter of Robert, Duke of Normandy, who was the father of William the Conqueror […]

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December 4 – From a Muslim court, he opposed the Christian Emperor…and won!

December 1, 2014

St. John Damascene Born at Damascus, about 676; died some time between 754 and 787. The only extant life of the saint is that by John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, which dates from the tenth century (P.G. XCIV, 429-90). This life is the single source from which have been drawn the materials of all his biographical […]

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The Tartars Besiege The Church Of Kiev

November 27, 2014

St. Hyacinth had just completed a magnificent church at Kiev, in Poland, which he dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God. One day as he had just finished the celebration of Holy Mass, it was announced to him that the Tartars, the most implacable enemies of the Christian name, had reached the walls of […]

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The Approaching Storm

November 27, 2014

The storm approaches. Each of us has a job to do. On a personal level, we should look for ways to rid ourselves of frenetic intemperance and adopt more organic and temperate lifestyles as a means of preparing for the coming crisis. Yet more important is to go beyond our personal lives and consider the […]

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November 28 – December 27 – Siege of Jasna Góra

November 27, 2014

Lessons in Psychological Warfare from the Siege of Jasna Góra, November 28-December 27, 1655 This account of the siege of  Częstochowa is based on the Memoirs of the Siege of Czestochowa by Father Augustine Kordecki (Pamietnik oblezenia Częstochowy, edited and with a preface by Jan Tokarski, London, Veritas, 1956.) Written by Friar Kordecki in response […]

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November 28 – Count Louis de Baude Frontenac

November 27, 2014

Count Louis de Baude Frontenac A governor of New France, born at Paris, 1662; died at Quebec, 28 Nov., 1698. His father was captain of the royal castle of St-Germain-en-laye; his mother, née Phelypeaux, was the daughter of the king’s secretary of state; Louis XIII was his godfather. By his valour and skill he won […]

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November 29 – Grandson of the one who defeated Charles Martel in battle

November 27, 2014

St. Radbod, Bishop of Utrecht, Confessor This holy prelate was, by his father, of noble French extraction; and, by his mother, Radbod, the last king or prince of the Frisons was his great grandfather, whose name was given him by his mother. The first tincture of learning and piety he received under the tuition of […]

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November 29 – The coronation of St. Louis IX of France

November 27, 2014

Traditionally, new sacred music was composed for a coronation. The motet…which was sung for the anointing of Louis IX has come down to us. It was called Gaude, felix Francia…. The boy who was to be anointed and crowned was already on a platform built in front of the chancel, surrounded by the great lords […]

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December 1 – The Virgin Mary appears to General Gaston de Sonis after his army’s losses at Patay promising that France would survive

November 27, 2014

On the night of December 1 [1870], the Zouaves were ordered to advance to Patay [France], where Joan of Arc had won a renowned victory against the English. [General Louis-Gaston de] Sonis asked [Colonel Athanase de] Charette, who had no flag of his own, to lend him… Read more here.

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December 1 – Billionaire Saint

November 27, 2014

Saint Eligius (French: Eloi), Bishop of Noyon-Tournai, born at Chaptelat near Limoges, France, circa 590, of Roman parents, Eucherius and Terrigia; died at Noyon, December 1, 660. His father, recognizing unusual talent in his son, sent him to the noted goldsmith Abbo, master of the mint at Limoges. Later Eligius went to Neustria, where he […]

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December 1 – He Hid Priests in His Manorhouse

November 27, 2014

Blessed Richard Langley Layman and martyr, b. probably at Grimthorpe, Yorks, England, date unknown; d. at York, 1 Dec., 1586. From his father, Richard Langley, of Rathorpe Hall, Walton, he probably inherited Rathorpe, but for the greater part of his life continued to reside on his estate at Ousethorpe, in the East Riding. His mother […]

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Labour MP demands a wallflower king

November 24, 2014

According to The Guardian: Prince Charles’ intention to become an “activist” king could force the nation’s political class to rethink the role of the monarchy, MPs have been told. [Labour MP Roger] Godsiff told parliament on Thursday that “…parliaments…are going to have to decide what the role of the monarchy is in relation to the […]

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Brides-to-be sacrificed their gowns so the Princess bride could have a better one

November 24, 2014

According to Hello Magazine: Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on Thursday …the pair have seen the country go through many changes in their 67 years of marriage. In 1947, rationing was still in place when Elizabeth and Philip’s nuptials took place two years after WWII had finished. Ahead […]

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No jeans, Royals remind US reporters

November 24, 2014

According to Politico: Buckingham Palace advises reporters covering the royals to adhere to a certain dress code, according to guidance posted on the palace website. “Journalists wishing to cover Royal engagements, whether in the United Kingdom or abroad, should comply with the dress code on formal occasions out of respect for the guests of The […]

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An Appeal to Sacrifice

November 24, 2014

It is not enough to understand the crisis or even to engage in the debate. The future belongs to those who believe America is worth fighting for. Ours is an appeal to sacrifice. It is an appeal to leave behind the party of frenetic intemperance that captivates so many with games, gadgets, and amusements—modern bread […]

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