Dignity

September 15, 2014

Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira A magistrate has a dignity that is proper to him that a servant does not have. Dignity and mutual respect in dealing with men make social life bearable and even agreeable. Because of the sad consequences of Original Sin coupled the vulgarity of our times, human convivium becomes impossible […]

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September 16 – St. Cyprian of Carthage

September 15, 2014

St. Cyprian of Carthage (Thaschus Cæcilius Cyprianus). Bishop and martyr. Of the date of the saint’s birth and of his early life nothing is known. At the time of his conversion to Christianity he had, perhaps, passed middle life. He was famous as an orator and pleader, had considerable wealth, and held, no doubt, a […]

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September 16 – The pope who exacted tribute from the Mohammedan ruler of Tunis

September 15, 2014

Pope Blessed Victor III Born in 1026 or 1027 of a non-regnant branch of the Lombard dukes of Benevento; died in Rome, 16 Sept., 1087. Being an only son his desire to embrace the monastic state was strenuously opposed by both his parents. After his father’s death in battle with the Normans, 1047, he fled […]

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September 17 – Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

September 15, 2014

Early in August, 1224, Francis retired with three companions to “that rugged rock ‘twixt Tiber and Arno”, as Dante called La Verna, there to keep a forty days fast in preparation for Michaelmas. During this retreat the sufferings of Christ became more than ever the burden of his meditations; into few souls, perhaps, had the […]

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September 17 – Greatly venerated even during her life

September 15, 2014

St. Hildegard Born at Böckelheim on the Nahe, 1098; died on the Rupertsberg near Bingen, 1179; feast 17 September. The family name is unknown of this great seeress and prophetess, called the Sibyl of the Rhine. The early biographers give the first names of her parents as Hildebert and Mechtildis (or Mathilda), speak of their […]

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A Countess Who Desired the Election of Pope St. Pius X

September 11, 2014

Before traveling to Rome for the conclave that would elect him Pope, St. Pius X received a visit from the Countess of Capegna who expressed her desire that he be the chosen one: —    “Your Eminence, I pray that the Holy Ghost will deign to land upon you.” —    “Countess,” replied the saint, “your opinion […]

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Catholic Universality and Pagan Internationalism

September 11, 2014

Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira   Our article deals with two Japanese works of modern art. In the first picture, Japanese painter Nobuya Abe (1913-1971) presents the suffering of a contemporary oriental man imploring the aid of humanity. It is a scene of diabolical ugliness, absolute despair and a total absence of any thought […]

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September 12 – The Holy Name of the Virgin Mary; in thanksgiving for the victory over the Turks at Vienna

September 11, 2014

The Festival of the Holy Name of the Virgin Mary Pope Innocent XI extended this feast to the universal Church as a solemn thanksgiving for the relief of Vienna, when it was besieged by the Turks in 1683. The Turks had formerly laid siege to Vienna, under Solyman the Magnificent, in 1529, in the reign […]

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Video – How Sobieski Redefeated the Turks at the Battle of Vienna, September 12, 1683

September 11, 2014

Before he set out, Sobieski had sent a letter to Innocent XI, in which he wrote: “When the good of the Church and Christianity is concerned I shed my blood to the last drop, together with the whole kingdom. Since my kingdom and I are two bulwarks of Christianity”. To commemorate Sobieski’s victory Pope Innocent […]

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Simon de Montfort Crushes the Albigensians at Muret

September 11, 2014

At the Battle of Muret on 12 September 1213 the Crusading army of Simon IV de Montfort defeated the Catharist, Aragonese and Catalan forces of Peter II of Aragon, at Muret near Toulouse. Simon IV de Montfort was the leader of the Albigensian Crusade to destroy the Cathar heresy and incidentally to join the Languedoc […]

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September 13 – He had a mouth of gold

September 11, 2014

St. John Chrysostom (Chrysostomos, “golden-mouthed” so called on account of his eloquence). Doctor of the Church, born at Antioch, c. 347; died at Commana in Pontus, 14 September, 407. John — whose surname “Chrysostom” occurs for the first time in the “Constitution” of Pope Vigilius (cf. P.L., LX, 217) in the year 553 — is […]

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September 14 – His gallant defeat spared Canada from the French Revolution

September 11, 2014

Marquis de Louis-Joseph Montcalm-Gozon A French general, born 28 Feb., 1712, at Candiac, of Louis-Daniel and Marie-Thérèse de Lauris; died at Quebec 14 Sept., 1759. He was descended from Gozon, Grand Master of Rhodes of legendary fame, The warlike spirit of his ancestors had given rise to the saying: “War is the tomb of the […]

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September 14 – Formerly a sign of abject disgrace, it now adorns even crowns and crests

September 11, 2014

The Cross could not be decently mentioned amongst Romans, who looked upon it as an unlucky omen, and as Cicero says, not to be named by a freeman. However, the Emperor Constantine attributed his victory in the Quintian fields, near the bridge Milvius, to the Cross of the Christians, the inscription of which he caused […]

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September 15 – The noble apostle of purgatory

September 11, 2014

St. Catherine of Genoa (also known as Caterina Fieschi Adorno.) Born at Genoa in 1447, died at the same place 15 September, 1510. The life of St. Catherine of Genoa may be more properly described as a state than as a life in the ordinary sense. When about twenty-six years old she became the subject […]

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September 15 – Grandmother of Good King Wenceslaus

September 11, 2014

St. Ludmilla Wife of Boriwoi, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia, born at Mielnik, circa 860; died at Tetin, near Beraun, 15 September, 921. She and her husband were baptized, probably by St. Methodius, in 871. Pagan fanatics drove them from their country, but they were soon recalled, and after reigning seven more years they […]

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Official baby announcement for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

September 8, 2014

According to a press release from Kensington Palace: Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news. As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from Hyperemesis […]

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Prince Charles describes Islamic State as “diabolic evil”

September 8, 2014

According to The Telegraph: The Prince of Wales has written… “Although words seem hopelessly inadequate at such an unimaginable time of suffering, I did just want to offer, through you, my special prayers and profound sympathy to all the members of the Caldean Catholic Church in Iraq. “It is my fervent hope and prayer that […]

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St. Pius X Refuses to Bless Austria’s Troops

September 8, 2014

As his troops mobilized and prepared to march against Serbia in 1914, starting the First World War, Franz Josef asked Saint Pius X to give the Apostolic Blessing to the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s soldiers. The holy Pontiff answered: — “I am the Pope of all Catholics and cannot bless some as they attack the others.” Vicente […]

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Spiritual Decoration vs. Materialist Decoration

September 8, 2014

Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira In the first picture, 1,500 representatives of the United Nations meet in the Assembly Chamber of the Luxembourg Palace built between 1615 and 1620 for Maria de Medici under the direction of Solomon de Brosse. The ambience is admirably suited to an event of such magnitude. The very natural […]

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September 10 – Arrested while preaching

September 8, 2014

St. Edward Ambrose Barlow (Alias RADCLIFFE and BRERETON.) Priest and martyr, born at Barlow Hall, 1585; died 10 September, 1641. He was the fourth son of Sir Alexander Barlow, Knight of Barlow Hall, near Manchester, by Mary, daughter of Sir Uryan Brereton, Knight of Handforth Hall, Co. Chester, and was baptized at Didsbury Church 30 […]

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September 11 – The Italian army invades the Papal States without a declaration of war

September 8, 2014

The King of Italy sends an ultimatum to Blessed Pope Pius IX As the French military situation deteriorated [in the Franco-Prussian War], the government in Florence grew bolder. Near the end of August [1870], the Italian cabinet issued a circular letter to all the governments of Europe, in which it declared that the time had […]

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September 11 – Burned slowly to death for Christ

September 8, 2014

Blessed Charles Spinola Born in Genoa in 1564, he was the son of the Count of Tassarolo, and the nephew of Cardinal Philip Spinola. He was educated in Spain and in the Jesuit school in Nola, Italy. He entered the noviatiate in 1584, and was ordained in 1594. In 1596, he received a letter appointing […]

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The Great Siege of Malta, May 18–September 11, 1565, was won because of one man

September 8, 2014

On the morning of August 18th the excessively heavy bombardment of Senglea warned them that an attack was imminent. It was not slow to develop. The moment that the rumble of the guns died down, the Iayalars and Janissaries were seen streaming forward across the no-man’s-land to the south. The attack developed in the same […]

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Dutch King opens enthanol plant in Iowa

September 4, 2014

According to RoyalBlog.nl: The King will officially open the plant and receive a tour of the new facility [which] will process 770 tons of corn cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk daily to produce 20 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year, later ramping up to 25 million gallons per year. Plant personnel are currently […]

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Louis XV fends off flattery

September 4, 2014

While visiting the office of the Minister of War, Louis XV saw a pair of spectacles on the table. He picked them up and said: “Let me try them, to see how good they are.” He began to read a paper that had been left on the table with feigned neglect and immediately perceived that […]

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Refinement without Weakness, Strength without Brutality

September 4, 2014

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira   Public opinion in the Romantic era was attracted by refined, subtle and fragile souls. We would say exaggeratedly fragile, if fragility was not already in itself a defect and an exaggeration. In our days, when the struggle for survival of body and soul requires ceaseless effort, people’s admiration turns […]

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September 5 – Unashamed to beg alms even from his noble family

September 4, 2014

St. Laurence Justinian, Bishop and Confessor, First Patriarch of Venice Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice, born in 1381, and died 8 January, 1456. He was a descendant of the Giustiniani, a Venetian patrician family which numbered several saints among its members. Lawrence’s pious mother sowed the seeds of a devout religious life in the […]

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September 6 – Blessed Thomas Tsuji

September 4, 2014

Born to the Japanese nobility in Sonogi on the island of Kyushu about the year 1571. Educated by Jesuits at Arima, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1587. He traveled all over Japan and became known for his eloquent, persuasive preaching. After the publication of an edict banning Catholic priests, he followed eighty of […]

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September 7 – The Outrage of Anagni

September 4, 2014

It had been the practice to speak of the spiritual and temporal powers in terms of pope and emperor, and it was long before it was realized, at least on the papal side, that the civil power, defeated as emperor, had returned to the attack with more aggressive vigour as the Monarchy and the State. […]

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September 7: Richard the Lionheart defeats Saladin at Arsuf – Video

September 4, 2014

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September 7 – Grandson of Queen St. Clotilda

September 4, 2014

St. Cloud, Confessor A.D. 560. St. Cloud, called in Latin Chlodoardus, is the first and most illustrious saint among the princes of the royal family of the first race in France. He was son of Chlodomir, king of Orleans, the eldest son of St. Clotilda, and was born in 522. He was scarcely three years […]

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September 8 – The Davidic ancestry of Mary

September 4, 2014

As we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us recall her 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 […]

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September 8 – He added the Agnus Dei to the Mass

September 4, 2014

Pope St. Sergius I (Reigned 687-701), date of birth unknown; consecrated probably on 15 Dec., 687; died 8 Sept., 701. While Pope Conon lay dying, the archdeacon Pascal offered the exarch a large sum to bring about his election as his successor. Through the exarch’s influence the archdeacon was accordingly elected by a number of […]

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Blessed Marco d’Aviano – God’s Preacher During the 1683 Siege of Vienna

September 1, 2014

Father Marco d’Aviano, an Italian mission preacher calling to repentance did not stint his zeal at this gloomy moment. For some time previously his reputation had attracted attention north of the Alps. Charles of Lorraine’s court at Innsbruck wished to invite him, but Pope Innocent at first refused permission. Then the Wittelsbach court in Munich, […]

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The Deception of Utopias

September 1, 2014

Someone might object that such concepts do not correspond to reality. Men often seek false “utopias,” only to be disillusioned, a fact which gives foundation to the popular notion that all dreams are illusions or even dangerous fantasies. We would not dispute such claims. Like all things linked to man’s fallen nature and fertile imagination, […]

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September 2-3 – The September Martyrs of the French Revolution, Blessed John du Lau and Companions

September 1, 2014

Martyrs of September (Also known as: Martyrs of Paris or Martyrs of Carmes) In 1790, the revolutionary government of France enacted a law denying Papal authority over the Church in France. The French clergy were required to swear an oath to uphold this law and submit to the Republic. Many priests and religious took the […]

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September 3 – All the principles of Catholicism can be found in his life

September 1, 2014

Pope St. Gregory I (“the Great”) Doctor of the Church; born at Rome about 540; died 12 March 604. Pope Gregory is certainly one of the most notable figures in Ecclesiastical History. He has exercised in many respects a momentous influence on the doctrine, the organization, and the discipline of the Catholic Church. To him […]

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September 4 – She predicted the speedy death of the emperor

September 1, 2014

St. Rose of Viterbo (also Rosalia, and in Sicily affectionately nicknamed La Santuzza) Virgin, born at Viterbo, 1235; died 6 March, 1252. The chronology of her life must always remain uncertain, as the Acts of her canonization, the chief historical sources, record no dates. Those given above are accepted by the best authorities. Born of […]

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St. Bertha, Queen of Kent

September 1, 2014

St. Bertha, Queen of Kent Died circa 612. She was a Frankish princess, daughter of Charibert and the pious Ingoberga. In marrying the pagan King Ethelbert of Kent, she brought her chaplain Liudhard with her, and restored a Christian church in Canterbury, which dated form the Roman occupation, dedicating it to St. Martin. The present […]

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Charlemagne’s sword and seal

August 28, 2014

Charlemagne had his seal embossed in the pummel of his sword, and used it to seal his letters, which he would then hand over to a courier, saying, “These are my orders.” He would then show his sword, and add, “And here is what makes my enemies respect them.” Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anécdotes (Paris: […]

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King now more protected from military coups

August 28, 2014

According to the Middle East Monitor: A number of constitutional amendments passed by the Jordanian parliament recently are designed to make King Abdullah II immune from potential coups, analysts say. Welcomed by pro-monarchy MPs and opposed by Islamists, the amendments grant the king the power to appoint and dismiss senior army officers. Abdelhady Al-Magaly MP […]

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Unusual Royal Warrant Holders

August 28, 2014

According to the Londonist: Have you ever wondered who’s responsible for the Queen’s internet connection, or whom she might call if Buckingham Palace were suddenly overrun with rats? It’s a tough job, but somebody needs to make sure Her Majesty has 24/7 access to the internet. BT stepped up to the mark in 2007, and…is […]

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Practical Nature of These Dreams

August 28, 2014

If these terms sound too abstract and unattainable, historian Lewis Mumford clarifies the issue by emphasizing the extremely practical nature of our dreams and distinguishing them from idle fantasy. He defines a dream very simply as an ideal vision whereby a social unit conceives “a reconstituted environment which is better adapted to the nature and […]

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August 28 – Restless Heart

August 28, 2014

St. Augustine of Hippo The great St. Augustine’s life is unfolded to us in documents of unrivaled richness, and of no great character of ancient times have we information comparable to that contained in the “Confessions,” which relate the touching story of his soul, the “Retractations,” which give the history of his mind, and the […]

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August 29 – Converted by her slave

August 28, 2014

St. Sabina Widow of Valentinus and daughter of Herod Metallarius, suffered martyrdom about 126. According to the Acts of the martyrdom, which however have no historic value, she lived at Rome and was converted to Christianity by her female slave Serapia. Serapia was put to death for her faith and later, in the same year, […]

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August 29 – King and Confessor

August 28, 2014

St. Sebbi, or Sebba This prince was the son of Seward, and in the year 664, which was remarkable for a grievous pestilence, began to reign over the East Saxons, who inhabited the country which, now comprises Essex, Middlesex, and the greater part of Hertfordshire; he being the tenth king from Erkinwin, founder of that […]

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August 30 – Gallant Lady

August 28, 2014

St. Margaret Ward Martyr, born at Congleton, Cheshire; executed at Tyburn, London, 30 Aug., 1588. Nothing is known of her early life except that she was of good family and for a time dwelt in the house of a lady of distinction named Whitall then residing in London. Knowing that William Watson, the priest who […]

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August 30 – Saved by the cross

August 28, 2014

Blessed Bronislava (or Bronislawa) of Poland Born in 1230 to an important Polish family, her grandfather had founded the Premonstratensian monastery at Zwierzyniec near Cracow where Bronislava’s aunt Gertrude had entered, later becoming prioress at Imbramowice. Bronislava was also a cousin of the Dominican Saint Hyacinth and related to Saint Jacek and Blessed Czeslaw. Bronislava entered the convent at Zwierzyniec at the […]

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August 31 – Born of a dead mother

August 28, 2014

St. Raymond Nonnatus (Not-Born) (In Spanish SAN RAMON). Born 1200 or 1204 at Portello in the Diocese of Urgel in Catalonia; died at Cardona, 31 August, 1240. His feast is celebrated on 31 August. He is pictured in the habit of his order surrounded by ransomed slaves, with a padlock on his lips. He was […]

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An infant King learns his manners

August 25, 2014

Upon being introduced to His Excellency, Most Rev. Henri Charles du Cambout de Coislin, bishop of Metz, Louis XV, a child at the time, exclaimed: “My, how ugly he is.” Upon leaving, the bishop said: “We have a very rude boy here.” Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anécdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. 2, p. 42 […]

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Romanian presidential candidates unanimously pay tribute to King Mihai

August 25, 2014

According to Royalblog: The reason for the tribute is the 70th anniversary of the “coup” that King Mihai committed… The coup was daring because Romania could not expect the allies to come to its aid; and the USSR especially was not happy with the turnaround. Stalin wanted to control Romania and didn’t want it as […]

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Egalitarianism: The True Religious Battle of Our Days

August 25, 2014

For over five hundred years a terrible ideological battle has been waging throughout the world, especially the Christian West. It aims to create a culture and civilization that entirely subverts not only the order of God’s creation, but also the very idea of God Himself. According to the Marxist doctrine, this can only be accomplished […]

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August 25 – King, Crusader, Saint

August 25, 2014

Saint Louis IX King of France, son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, born at Poissy, 25 April, 1215; died near Tunis, 25 August, 1270. He was eleven years of age when the death of Louis VIII made him king, and nineteen when he married Marguerite of Provence by whom he had eleven children. […]

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August 25 – How do you portray a saint?

August 25, 2014

August 25 is the feast of Saint Louis IX, king, confessor of the Faith, Crusader and model of a Catholic head of state. There are two different ways people picture Saint Louis IX. One is as he truly was, the other is a soft, effeminate distortion of his person. This dichotomy is similar to the […]

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August 26 – She survived the Terror and founded the Daughters of the Cross

August 25, 2014

Saint Elizabeth Bichier des Ages She was born of a rich, noble family on July 5, 1773, at the Château des Ages, France. Raised in a pious home, she developed at an early age a close relationship with God and a genuine love for the poor. She was twenty-five when she first met André Hubert […]

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August 27 – Never underestimate the prayers of a mother

August 25, 2014

St. Monica Widow; born of Christian parents at Tagaste, North Africa, in 333; died at Ostia, near Rome, in 387. We are told but little of her childhood. She was married early in life to Patritius who held an official position in Tagaste. He was a pagan, though like so many at that period, his […]

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August 27 – “Conform I would not, for it was against my conscience”

August 25, 2014

Saint David Lewis, alias Charles Baker (Recté, according to his own entry in the English College David Henry Lewis). An English Jesuit martyr, born in Monmouthshire in 1616; died at Usk, 27 August, 1679. His father, Morgan Lewis, was a lax Catholic, afterwards converted; his mother, Margaret Pritchard, was a very devout Catholic. David was […]

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August 24 – Saint Bartholomew’s Day: the real story

August 24, 2014

Saint Bartholomew’s Day This massacre of which Protestants were the victims occurred in Paris on 24 August, 1572 (the feast of St. Bartholomew), and in the provinces of France during the ensuing weeks, and it has been the subject of knotty historical disputes. The first point argued was whether or not the massacre had been […]

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St. Ferdinand is acclaimed King of Castile

August 21, 2014

The men with the most authority and wisdom in Valladolid then assembled to consider where the public proclamation the new King would take place. Not finding a place in town large enough, they decided to build a platform on the Mercado field, close to the walls of the city. It took only a few hours […]

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Forging a New Argument To Use in the Battle of Ideas Is Like Issuing a New Weapon to a Soldier

August 21, 2014

There is a famous moment in the life of St. Thomas Aquinas that illustrates well the importance of finding arguments. St. Thomas was having lunch with King St. Louis of France. During the conversation, forgetful of the fact that he was at the table of the king, St. Thomas began thinking about other matters. Suddenly […]

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