Sobieski Comes to the Relief of Vienna

July 17, 2014

On the day after Sobieski’s conference with Zierowski, unknown to them both, a messenger set out at top speed on the long journey from Vienna. Count Thurn covered 350 miles in 11 days, and arrived at the royal residence of Wilanów outside Warsaw on 15 July. Austria was being invaded, its capital city was in […]

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Egalitarianism: The Fundamental Error of Our Times

July 17, 2014

Prof. Corrêa de Oliveira, in his masterly work Revolution and Counter-Revolution, demonstrates that the chaos of the modern world has a cause. It is a profound cause that begets all the evils of the modern world. It has, if you will, its own personality, its own reason for being; and its name is “the Revolution.” […]

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July 17 – When the Saracens attacked Rome…

July 17, 2014

Pope St. Leo IV (Reigned 847-55) A Roman and the son of Radoald, was unanimously elected to succeed Sergius II, and as the alarming attack of the Saracens on Rome in 846 caused the people to fear for the safety of the city, he was consecrated (10 April, 847) without the consent of the emperor. […]

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July 17 – Martyred in the Name of Equality

July 17, 2014

The Sixteen Blessed Teresian Martyrs of Compiègne Guillotined at the Place du Trône Renversé (now called Place de la Nation), Paris, 17 July, 1794. They are the first sufferers under the French Revolution on whom the Holy See has passed judgment, and were solemnly beatified 27 May, 1906. Before their execution they knelt and chanted […]

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July 17 – The day the Tsar was murdered

July 17, 2014

Execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family In the early hours of 17 July 1918, the royal family was awakened around 2:00 am, told to dress, and led down into a half-basement room at the back of the Ipatiev house. The pretext for this move was the family’s safety — that anti-Bolshevik forces were […]

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July 18 – This soldier of hell became a soldier of heaven

July 17, 2014

Godfrey of Bouillon Duke of Lower Lorraine and first King of Jerusalem, son of Eustache II, Count of Boulogne, and of Ida, daughter of Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lower Lorraine; born probably at Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1060; died at Jerusalem, 18 July, 1100 (according to a thirteenth-century chronicler, he was born at Baisy, in Brabant; see […]

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July 18 – “Don’t drink water, drink beer” said the bishop

July 17, 2014

Saint Arnulf of Metz Statesman, bishop under the Merovingians, born c. 580; died c. 640. His parents belonged to a distinguished Frankish family, and lived in Austrasia, the eastern section of the kingdom founded by Clovis. In the school in which he was placed during his boyhood he excelled through his talent and his good […]

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July 19 – The knight who was afraid of water, but not afraid of martyrdom

July 17, 2014

Blessed Hroznata of Bohemia Founder of the Monasteries of Teplá and Chotěšov, born (c) 1170, died July 14, 1217. In the happy reign of Premysl, – also called Ottacar, – king of Bohemia, among the other magnates of the kingdom the first place at court, next to the king’s magnificence, was held by Hroznata, the […]

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July 19 – Her whole family became saints

July 17, 2014

St. Macrina the Younger Born about 330; died 379. She was the eldest child of Basil the Elder and Emmelia, the granddaughter of St. Macrina the Elder, and the sister of the Cappadocian Fathers, Sts. Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. The last-mentioned has left us a biography of his sister in the form of a […]

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July 19 – Penitent Nobility

July 17, 2014

St. Arsenius Anchorite; born 354, at Rome; died 450, at Troe, in Egypt. Theodosius the Great having requested the Emperor Gratian and Pope Damasus to find him in the West a tutor for his son Arcadius, they made choice of Arsenius, a man well read in Greek literature, member of a noble Roman family, and […]

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July 20 – Carolingian Reformer

July 17, 2014

St. Ansegisus Born about 770, of noble parentage; died 20 July, 833, or 834. At the age of eighteen he entered the Benedictine monastery of Fontanelle (also called St. Vandrille after the name of its founder) in the diocese of Rouen. St. Girowald, a relative of Ansegisus, was then Abbot of Fontanelle. From the beginning […]

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Certain souls only become great when the winds of misfortune blow upon them

July 14, 2014

         “There are certain souls who only become great when blown upon by the winds of misfortune.  Marie Antoinette, who was inconsequent as a princess and unpardonably frivolous in her life as a queen, nonetheless, was surprisingly transformed before the surge of blood and misery that flooded France. Historians will be consumed by admiration upon […]

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Charles V, the Duke of Alba, and Martin Luther

July 14, 2014

When the Protestants refused to accept the decrees of the Council of Trent, Charles V resolved to wage war, defeating them in the battle of Mühlberg on April 24, 1547. The duke of Alba was the commanding general of his troops. Having entered Württemberg, the Emperor asked to see the tomb of Luther, the friar […]

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Prince Charles awards Military Cross to “The Bomb Magnet”

July 14, 2014

According to the Mirror: Warrant Officer Class 1 Patrick Hyde – nicknamed The Bomb Magnet – has been awarded a Military Cross in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace Patrick, 38, was given his MC by Prince Charles… Afterwards, the senior soldier – who is Regimental Sergeant Major of the 4th Battalion The Rifles – gave […]

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A Recipe From The Crusaders

July 14, 2014

July 15th is the anniversary of the conquest of Jerusalem by Duke Godfrey of Bouillon and the First Crusade (1099). We thus offer our readers this panforte (strong bread) recipe, which tradition says hails from Crusader days. Fruits, nuts and honey, all commonly available to Crusaders, are among panforte‘s ingredients. As you bake and enjoy panforte, think of […]

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July 14 – St. Vincent

July 14, 2014

St. Vincent (MALDEGARIUS). Founder and abbot of the monasteries of Hautmont and Soignies, born of a noble family at Strepy les Binche, Hainault, early in the seventh century; died at Soignies, 14 July, 677. That he was not of Irish descent, as stated by Jean du Pont and some Irish writers, has been proved by […]

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July 14 – St. Francis Solanus

July 14, 2014

South American missionary of the Order of Friars Minor; born at Montilla, in the Diocese of Cordova, Spain, 10 March, 1549; died at Lima, Peru, 14 July, 1610. His parents, Matthew Sanchez Solanus and Anna Ximenes, were distinguished no less for their noble birth than for their virtue and piety. When Francis was twenty years […]

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July 14 – The Lily of the Mohawks

July 14, 2014

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks Kateri Tekakwitha was daughter of Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, and Tagaskouita, a devout Roman Catholic Algonquian woman. She was born in the Mohawk fortress of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York, in 1656. Kateri’s mother was baptized and educated by French missionaries in Trois-Rivières, like many of Abenaki […]

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July 15 – After conversion, he ordered the statues of the pagan gods chopped up and burned

July 14, 2014

St. Vladimir the Great Grand Duke of Kiev (Kieff) and All Russia, grandson of St. Olga, and the first Russian ruler to embrace Christianity, b. 956; d. at Berestova, 15 July, 1015. St. Olga could not convert her son and successor, Sviatoslav, for he lived and died a pagan and brought up his son Vladimir […]

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July 16 – Alfonso VIII of Castile crushes the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa

July 14, 2014

The Almohads, the new dynasty of Moroccan fanatics who had subdued all the Moslems in al Andalus, launched an all-out attack on the Christians by moving a huge army north into south central Spain. The impetuous Alfonso VIII of Castile, without waiting for reinforcements, attempted to bar the way at Alarcos. On July 18, 1195, […]

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July 16 – Catholic Spain’s fate in the balance at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

July 14, 2014

The following year was a memorable one for all Spain. King Alfonso of Castile, in face of the Almohade danger, had launched an alert to Christendom; answering it, the Christian princes had assembled not only from Spain but also from other countries. Pope Innocent III proclaimed a Crusade against the Moors of Spain and bestowed […]

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King Saint Ferdinand Rides to the Conquest of Córdoba

July 10, 2014

A page who entered quickly took him from his thoughts…. “Lord, Ordoño Alvarez de Asturias has come in great haste and says he has happy and marvelous news to give you.” “Ordoño Alvarez, who is stationed at the frontier? Tell him to enter immediately as my door is always open for my knights.” The young […]

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Idealizing a Life Together

July 10, 2014

In this atmosphere of cohesiveness and especially that of grace, the members of a society begin to idealize their life together. Some authors have referred to this sense of imagined perfection together as the creation of “utopias.” We feel this action is much better expressed in terms of how social units create their own myths, […]

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July 10 – Seven Holy Noble Brethren

July 10, 2014

Saints, martyred in Rome, in 150. According to legend, they were the sons of Saint Felicitas, and suffered martyrdom under Emperor Antoninus. Januarius, Felix, and Philip were scourged to death; Silvanus was thrown over a precipice; Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis were beheaded. Feast, Roman Calendar, 10 July. St. Felicitas, Martyr The earliest list of the […]

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July 10 – Charlemagne Was Punished for His Rudeness to Her

July 10, 2014

St. Amalberga A virgin, very much revered in Belgium, who is said to have been sought in marriage by Charles, afterwards Charlemagne. Continually repulsed, Charles finally attempted to carry her off by force, but though he broke her arm in the struggle he was unable to move her from the altar before which she had […]

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July 11 – The noble saint who fled the world, but the world ran after him

July 10, 2014

Saint Benedict of Nursia Founder of western monasticism, born at Nursia, c. 480; died at Monte Cassino, 543. The only authentic life of Benedict of Nursia is that contained in the second book of Saint Gregory’s “Dialogues”. It is rather a character sketch than a biography and consists, for the most part, of a number […]

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July 12 – St. John Gualbert and the Vallumbrosan Order

July 10, 2014

The name is derived from the motherhouse, Vallombrosa (Latin Vallis umbrosa, shady valley), situated 20 miles from Florence on the northwest slope of Monte Secchieta in the Pratomagno chain, 3140 feet above the sea. I. THE FOUNDER St. John Gualbert, son of the noble Florentine Gualbert Visdomini, was born in 985 (or 995), and died […]

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July 13 – The Crusaders attack Jerusalem

July 10, 2014

The attack began the night of July 13, [1099,] and the defenders let loose a hail of stones and rivers of Greek fire…. The battle hung in the balance during the morning hours of July 15. Archers shot blazing firebrands to drive the defenders from the walls, but the siege towers were battered and burned. […]

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July 13 – Saintly Elite

July 10, 2014

Blessed Marie-Azélie  née Guérin (23 December 1831 – 28 August 1877) was a French laywoman and the mother of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. Her husband was Blessed Louis Martin. Marie-Azélie Guérin was born in Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon, Orne, France and was the second daughter of Isidore Guérin and Louise-Jeanne Macé. She had an older sister, Marie-Louise, who […]

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July 13 – Good King Henry

July 10, 2014

St. Henry II German King and Holy Roman Emperor, son of Duke Henry II (the Quarrelsome) and of the Burgundian Princess Gisela; b. 972; d. in his palace of Grona, at Gottingen, 13 July, 1024. Like his predecessor, Otto III, he had the literary education of his time. In his youth he had been destined […]

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July 13 – Author of “The Golden Legend”

July 10, 2014

Bl. Jacopo de Voragine (Also DI VIRAGGIO). Archbishop of Genoa and medieval hagiologist, born at Viraggio (now Varazze), near Genoa, about 1230; died 13 July, about 1298. In 1244 he entered the Order of St. Dominic, and soon became famous for his piety, learning, and zeal in the care of souls. His fame as a […]

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July 13 – Saint Mildthryth

July 10, 2014

Saint Mildthryth (694–716 or 733), also Mildrith, Mildryth or Mildred, was an Anglo-Saxon abbess. Mildthryth was the daughter of King Merewalh of Magonsaete, a sub-kingdom of Mercia, and Eormenburh (Saint Eormenburga), herself the daughter of King Æthelberht of Kent, and as such appearing in the so-called Kentish royal legend. Her sisters Milburh (Saint Milburga of […]

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What the new 65,000-ton Royal Navy aircraft carrier represents

July 7, 2014

According to The Telegraph: …HMS Queen Elizabeth represents…a union of peoples more precious than rubies. A British ship built in a Scottish dockyard, named by our Queen for the defence of the entire realm reflects how much stronger every constituent part of the United Kingdom is by staying together. The Defence Secretary has warned of […]

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Video: Ancient Knights of the Thistle service in Edinburgh

July 7, 2014

The Order of the Thistle honors men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a significant way to national life and is the highest honor in Scotland. Photos here.

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Baroness Herbert of Lea: a convert to the Catholic faith

July 7, 2014

Mary Elizabeth Ashe à Court-Repington was born in Richmond, Surrey, on July 21, 1822. She was the only daughter of Lieutenant-General Charles Ashe à Court-Repington, member of Parliament, and the niece of William à Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury, British Ambassador to the Russian Imperial Court at St. Petersburg. In August 1846, at the age of […]

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The Birth of Society from Unity

July 7, 2014

[A]ll stable human relations can give rise to these powerful links that call to mind the intense spirit of the family.  To the degree that a social unit develops this bonding, it contributes firmness, resilience, and quality to the social fabric. Moreover, when nurtured by the Commandments and evangelical counsels, this natural society acquires a […]

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July 8 – The Pope who fought the democrats

July 7, 2014

Pope Blessed Eugene III Bernardo Pignatelli, born in the neighbourhood of Pisa, elected 15 Feb., 1145; died at Tivoli, 8 July, 1153. On the very day that Pope Lucius II succumbed, either to illness or wounds, the Sacred College, foreseeing that the Roman populace would make a determined effort to force the new pontiff to […]

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July 9 – St. Veronica Giuliani

July 7, 2014

Born at Mercatello in the Duchy of Urbino, Italy, 1660; died at Città di Castello, 9 July, 1727. Her parents, Francesco Giuliana and Benedetta Mancini, were both of gentle birth. In baptism she was named Ursula, and showed marvelous signs of sanctity. When but eighteen months old she uttered her first words to upbraid a […]

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Locals protest tourists

July 3, 2014

According to the London Evening Standard: Residents are protesting over plans to build a visitor centre for the boat that was the centrepiece of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. They are furious at plans to put the Gloriana, a rowbarge, in a Norman Foster-designed dry dock and boathouse in woodland at Orleans Park in Richmond. […]

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Video: Pope Francis Receives King Felipe VI of Spain

July 3, 2014

According to The Royal Correspondent: On the morning of Monday, June 30, 2014, His Holiness Pope Francis held a private audience inside the papal library at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican with Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. According to the Vatican News Agency, during today’s 40-minute meeting discussions focused […]

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García Moreno Saves Ecuador From Invasion and Treason

July 3, 2014

General Flores had quitted Ecuador, humiliated but not resigned. After a time he determined to equip a body of mercenary troops and try to reconquer the country. It was in the year 1846. He was at the Spanish Court, where his noble presence and his clever conversation captivated not only the princes, but Queen Cristina […]

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How to Form a Consensus

July 3, 2014

The best example of how a consensus is formed is the family. Amid the joys and sufferings of life together, the family is such a source of intense cohesion that even non-family members such as close friends can be assimilated into it with a high degree of adherence and affinity. The whole family is enriched […]

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July 4 – Unsung American Hero

July 3, 2014

St. Anthony Daniel Huron missionary, born at Dieppe, in Normandy, 27 May 1601, slain by the Iroquois at Teanaostae, near Hillsdale, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada, 4 July, 1648. After two years’ study of philosophy and one of law, he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome, 1 October, 1621. Sent to Canada in 1633 he […]

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July 3 – The Pope Who Condemned His Predecessor for Not Opposing Heresy

July 3, 2014

Pope St. Leo II Pope (682-83), date of birth unknown; d. 28 June, 683. He was a Sicilian, and son of one Paul. Though elected pope a few days after the death of St. Agatho (10 June, 681), he was not consecrated till after the lapse of a year and seven months (17 Aug., 682). […]

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July 4 – Patroness of victims of adultery, jealousy and unfaithfulness

July 3, 2014

ST. ELIZABETH was daughter of Peter III,  king of Aragon, and granddaughter of James I, who had been educated under the care of St. Peter Nolasco, and was surnamed the Saint, and from the taking of Majorca and Valentia, Expugnator or the Conqueror. Her mother, Constantia, was daughter of Manfred king of Sicily, and grandchild […]

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July 4 – St. Bertha of Blangy

July 3, 2014

St. Bertha (Abbess of Blangy in Artois) Died about 725. She was the daughter of Rigobert, Count of the Palace under Clovis II, and married Siegfried, a relation of the king. After twenty years, when he died, she determined to found a nunnery. Two buildings which she constructed fell down, but an angel in a […]

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July 5 – He founded the Barnebites and reformed two religious orders, but only lived 37 years

July 3, 2014

St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria Founder of the Clerks Regular of St. Paul, commonly known as the Barnabites; born in Cremona, Italy, 1502; died 5 July, 1539. While he was still an infant his father died, leaving the care of the child’s education to his mother, who taught him compassion for the poor and suffering by […]

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July 6 – Mother-in-law Woes

July 3, 2014

St. Godelina Born at Hondeforte-lez-Boulogne, c. 1049; died at Ghistelles, 6 July, 1070. The youngest of the three children born to Hemfrid, seigneur of Wierre-Effroy, and his wife Ogina, Godelina was accustomed as a child to exercises of piety and was soon distinguished for a solidity of virtue extraordinary for one of her years. The […]

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July 6 – The King Had Three Daughters, All Saints

July 3, 2014

St. Sexburga of Ely Died about 699. Her sisters, Sts. Ethelburga and Saethrid, were both Abbesses of Faremontier in Brie, St. Withburga was a nun at Ely, and St. Etheldreda became Abbess of Ely. Sexburga was the daughter of Anna, King of the East Angles, and was married about 640 to Earconbert, King of Kent. […]

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July 6 – Bl. Thomas Alfield

July 3, 2014

Bl. Thomas Alfield Priest, born at Gloucestershire; martyred at Tyburn, 6 July, 1585. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge (1568). He was afterwards converted and came to Douai College in 1576, but the troubles there compelled him to intermit his studies for four years, and he was eventually ordained and sent forth from Reims […]

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July 6 – Nobility dedicated to the eradication of slavery

July 3, 2014

Blessed Maria Teresia Ledóchowska (29 April 1863 – 6 July 1922) was a Roman Catholic nun and African missionary. She was the eldest of seven children. Members of the Polish nobility, she and her siblings – including Wlodimir Ledóchowski, Ursula Ledóchowska and Ignacy Kazimierz Ledóchowski were born on the estate of their father, Count Antoni […]

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100 Years Ago: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Triggered World War

June 30, 2014

According to The Royal Forums: Stemming from their own inquiry into the assassination, the Austro-Hungarian government presented the Serbians with a list of demands as an ultimatum on July 23 – if the demands were not agreed to within 48 hours, war would be declared. And it was on July 28, sparking a chain of […]

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Queen visits Royal Hospital Chelsea for centenary of Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassination

June 30, 2014

According to the Daily Mail: The Queen has paid tribute to First World War volunteers today at the Royal Hospital Chelsea… It is held on the centenary of the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28 1914. The killing is widely viewed as setting off a chain of events that caused the […]

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King will visit sensitive region

June 30, 2014

According to Expatica: Just a week into his reign, Spain’s King Felipe VI visits one of the country’s most politically sensitive regions Thursday: Catalonia, where an independence drive has raised tensions with Madrid. Catalan leaders’ plan for a referendum on independence from Spain has put them at odds with the national government, which insists such […]

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Throne of Robert the Bruce reconstructed with wood from Crusader times

June 30, 2014

According to BBC News: The tree from which the throne is carved was planted…at about the time Robert owned the estate, and was known locally as “the Bruce tree”. When the 18ft tree was felled by a fire in 2005, the timber was salvaged… Using an image from the Bruce’s official cast metal seal, which […]

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Nobles formed into an association for the protection of the good name and reputation of others

June 30, 2014

We need not extend ourselves on the more “official” aspects of the saint—protomartyr of the sacrament of Confession and patron saint of confessors, which helped the Church exalt the sacrament of Penance against its detractors; exterminator of the heresies against Protestantism; protector of Bohemia and the Catholic Empire—all this could have a political connotation. But […]

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When Men Dream

June 30, 2014

The quest for the sublime enters into our daily lives because it makes of us men of great desires.* It awakens in us demands that need to be satisfied. Hence, we can affirm that sublime ideals are among the most practical things that exist. On the platform of these ideals, we are moved to set […]

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June 30 – How One Humble Servant Transformed the New York Upper Class

June 30, 2014

Servant of God Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853) Born to slavery in Saint Domingue (present-day Haiti), Toussaint came to New York in 1789 with his master, Jean Bérard du Pithon, a French noble and prosperous planter who was fleeing the turmoil unleashed in Saint Domingue by the French Revolution. Two years later, his master died without having […]

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June 30 – He began a crusade against the immorality of his time

June 30, 2014

Blessed Januarius Maria Sarnelli One of S. Alphonsus’s earliest companions, fourth son of Baron Angelo Sarnelli of Ciorani, born in Naples 12 Sept., 1702; died 30 June, 1744. From his childhood he was remarkable for modesty, self-denial, piety, and great diligence in his studies. At the age of fourteen he desired to become a Jesuit, […]

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July 1 – Venerable Thomas Maxfield

June 30, 2014

Ven. Thomas Maxfield (Vere Macclesfield) English priest and martyr, born in Stafford gaol, about 1590, martyred at Tyburn, London, Monday, 1 July, 1616. He was one of the younger sons of William Macclesfield of Chesterton and Maer and Aston, Staffordshire (a firm recusant, condemned to death in 1587 for harbouring priests, one of whom was […]

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