January 1 – Cluny produces another hero

December 30, 2013

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 30, 2013

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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Queen Elizabeth II urges contemplation, prayer and time for reflection during 2014

December 26, 2013

We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock. Be it through contemplation, prayer, or even keeping a diary, many have found the practice of quiet personal reflection surprisingly rewarding…. Reflection can take many forms. …the arrival of […]

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Merry Christmas!

December 26, 2013

 

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Alfred the Great’s first battle and victory against the pagans at Ashdown

December 26, 2013

Christmas 870-71 must have been a time of intense anxiety to the whole Christian people of Wessex. The young King [Ethelred] had indeed shown himself already a prompt and energetic leader in his march to Nottingham at the call of his brother-in-law. But, unless perhaps in the skirmishes outside that beleaguered town in the autumn […]

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The Church Is Embedded in the Temporal Order

December 26, 2013

While we acknowledge that the Church’s sphere is essentially spiritual, this fact does not change the reality that the Church is a visible community of the faithful. She is a living force, an organized hierarchical institution, and a public forum that projects Her immense influence into society and history. She is found in the world, […]

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December 27 – The divorced saint

December 26, 2013

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 29 – Blessed William Howard

December 26, 2013

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 26, 2013

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. No reliance can be placed upon the […]

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December 29 – David, the ancestor of Jesus

December 26, 2013

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 23, 2013

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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What Happens to an Ungrateful City?

December 23, 2013

Based on an article by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Yes! I can still remember that tiny, but charming village and its square with the enchanting Church. I can even remember how the light of the morning sun used to set the stained glass windows on fire! And its steeple with the big clock…and the bells! […]

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Did Jesus wish to be born noble?

December 23, 2013

From the Allocution of Leo XIII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on January 24, 1903: And Jesus Christ, although He chose to spend His private life in the obscurity of a lowly dwelling, passing for the son of a laborer, and although in public life He so loved to associate with the common people, […]

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Gruff greeting to popular royals

December 23, 2013

According to The West Australian: The Australian Republican Movement welcomes Prince William and wife Kate but says their visit in April will not change the argument for a republic. “It’s always nice to have international visitors,” national director David Morris told AAP. When asked about the celebrity status of the royal couple, Mr Morris said it […]

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Birthday

December 23, 2013

According to Royal News 24: Today is the 60th birthday of Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia. Born in 1953, she is the only child of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia and Princess Leonida Bagration-Mukhrani. She was born in Madrid where her family lived in exile. Her father issued a […]

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The Church and State Have Specific Ends and Goals

December 23, 2013

[T]he Church and the State are both independent perfect societies with specific ends and goals. Each is juridically competent to provide all the necessary and sufficient means to carry out its purpose; each is sovereign in its own sphere. The Church has as Her immediate and specific purpose the promotion of the supernatural life and […]

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December 23 – The Knights of Aviz and Their Cistercian Founder

December 23, 2013

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 23, 2013

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 24 – Sts. Trasilla and Emiliana

December 23, 2013

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 23, 2013

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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Alfred the Great saves and adopts an abandoned, newborn babe

December 19, 2013

Alfred the Great was one day hunting along with a large company of his nobles. Suddenly there fell upon their ears a sound like the crying of a little child, which seemed to come from the top of a high rock not far distant. The King ordered one of his attendants to go and see […]

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Royal backing sells British goods

December 19, 2013

According to AFP: Royal Warrants are granted to people or companies who regularly supply goods for a minimum of five consecutive years to Queen Elizabeth…. Companies with warrants…feature the coat of arms..on their packaging… “The Royal Warrant is…especially valued in…the Middle East, Far East, US and Commonwealth countries,” said Richard Peck, secretary of the Royal […]

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Parts of Imperial Palace will allow public visitors for the first time

December 19, 2013

According to The Wall Street Journal: To mark the 80th birthday of Emperor Akihito on Dec. 23, the Imperial Household Agency will for the first time offer special visits to sections of the Imperial Palace that are normally off limits to the public. A total of 600 visitors will get the opportunity to visit the […]

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The Role of the Church in Society

December 19, 2013

Upon defining the State as a structure at the heart and soul of economy, we do not hesitate to address the essential role of the Church in this organic order. From our avowedly Catholic perspective, it is natural that we will refer specifically to the role of the Catholic Church. This is all the more […]

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December 19 – How Tumultuous Times Reveal Noble Souls

December 19, 2013

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 21 – Doctor of the Church & Second Apostle of Germany

December 19, 2013

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 19, 2013

St. Eimhin 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 […]

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Our Christmas gift to you

December 19, 2013

Return to Order for Kindle is available FREE as our Christmas gift and THANK YOU for your friendship. We are delighted to offer a complimentary Kindle copy of the book to you. Even better, you can send the link to your friends, and they can get a Kindle copy of Return to Order FREE, too! […]

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The Effect of the Queen’s Speech

December 16, 2013

According to the Daily Express: …there was a massive sales rise in both broaches (83%) and pearls (47%) during the Queen’s Speech in 2012 after she wore one for the annual television appearance. With a combined viewing figure of 8.3million…, a lot of people sat down to listen to the Queen’s round-up of the previous […]

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

December 16, 2013

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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The Empty Reliquary

December 16, 2013

According to The Telegraph: …the Stone of Scone…ripped from the chair made for it …the Lord Chancellor…ignored the donation of the stone by Edward I in 1297 to the shrine of Edward the Confessor. The chair then made for it, still surviving, was used liturgically there by priests during Mass. When Edward III…tried to give […]

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King and Queen allowed to live in their own country

December 16, 2013

According to Royal News 24: Their Majesties King Constantine II and Queen Anne Marie of the Hellenes are to return to live in Athens for the first time in 46 years. … To read the entire post on Royal News 24, please click here.  

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St. John Chrysostom challenges the Roman Empress

December 16, 2013

Eudoxia, Empress of Constantinople, hated St. John Chrysostom, because he always spoke to her of her faults, which she did not try to correct. One day, being very angry, she said to him: “I am going to banish you from this city, and send you into the most distant parts of my empire. In this […]

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The State: The Highest Good in the Temporal Order

December 16, 2013

Since the State deals with the common good of all its members, Aristotle and Catholic authors from Saint Augustine onward have long regarded the State as the highest and most important earthly form of social union. That is why so many go even to the point of sacrificing their lives for its continuance. A State […]

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

December 16, 2013

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 16, 2013

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 16, 2013

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 16, 2013

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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December 12 – Guadalupe: She Who Smashes the Serpent

December 12, 2013

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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Bad elites hastened the fall of Constantinople

December 12, 2013

Resolved to defend the capital unto the very last breath, Constantine [XII] searched for help on all sides. He first turned his gaze to Rome. Shortly before his death, the Emperor John had distanced himself from unity with the Catholic Church. Constantine implored Pope Nicholas V for assistance and offered to bring about this Union […]

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Representative Figures and the State

December 12, 2013

[T]here is little need for big government in the organic State since shared authority is expressed everywhere. In such an atmosphere, representative figures at all social levels play their important role. In fact, this model of the State relies much more on human relationships than on money contracts. It governs more by influence than by […]

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December 13 – Elected Pope to Fight the Emperor

December 12, 2013

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 12, 2013

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 12, 2013

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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Saint Lucy candle ceremony video and recipes

December 12, 2013

  Saint Lucy Day and Saint Lucy Buns   Sadly, Scandinavia joined the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century and thus lost that link with the Papacy forged in 960 with the baptism of Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, king of Denmark and Norway. With Protestantism, devotion to most saints was abandoned, but among the few that […]

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December 13 – The girl named Lucy, opposite of Lucifer

December 12, 2013

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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Royal Wedding diadem goes on display

December 9, 2013

According to AFP: …the royal diadem worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding [and] hundreds of glimmering treasures go on show this week in a major Paris exhibit…running until February 16 under the famous glass roof of the Grand Palais exhibition hall… Queen Elizabeth II…made available the tiara…which the queen lent to Prince William’s bride […]

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“Royal Stardust” as Prince William distributes medals to soldiers returning from Afghanistan

December 9, 2013

According to the News and Diary of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall: The Duke of Cambridge has presented medals to members of the Irish Guards who have recently returned from operations in Afghanistan. The Duke, who is Colonel of the regiment, presented operational service medals to soldiers of No. 2 Company, […]

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St. Elizabeth of Hungary instructs her ladies on Christian charity

December 9, 2013

Among the Saints of the Middle Ages there is no one better known or better loved than St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The people used to call her the “dear St. Elizabeth,” because she was so charitable to the poor, and was so kind to all who were in affliction. Of all the works of charity […]

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Keeping the State Within Its Proper Limits

December 9, 2013

When the State’s sovereign power stays within its limits, less force and money are needed to maintain it. There is, for example, little need for huge budgets, since much of this federation of autonomous associations is in private or quasi-private hands. “Perhaps the most striking character of the feudal State was its almost absolute lack […]

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The Immaculate Conception: The Celebration of Privilege

December 9, 2013

Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner did we implore the help of the entire […]

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December 9 – Banker and Saint

December 9, 2013

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 9, 2013

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 – The First Pope to Live in a Palace

December 9, 2013

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 9, 2013

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 9, 2013

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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Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein: Leadership starts with having a gift for it

December 5, 2013

According to the Financial Times: Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein on leadership: “I think it can be taught, but of course, to be successful, you have to be at least gifted to a certain extent. When I was a boy I was taught to play the piano. The teacher gave up soon because I was […]

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Corrupt democracy spurs Thai monarchists to protest in the streets

December 5, 2013

According to the Royal News Blog: Their [the protesters] leader, Suthep Thuagsuban, a veteran Democrat party MP who resigned to spearhead the protests, has publicly indicated that the protesters’ goal is to replace Yingluck with a “people’s government” and to elevate the role of the monarchy in Thailand’s electoral democracy. The protesters are fed up […]

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Lady Amelia Windsor as débutante in Paris

December 5, 2013

According to the Royal Forums: Lady Amelia Windsor, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of St Andrews, made her début into society at the Bal des Débutantes in Paris…. Lady Amelia Windsor was born on 24 August 1995….  She is the granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. To read the full post […]

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At age 5, St. Jane Frances de Chantal stands up for the Faith

December 5, 2013

A gentleman, who followed the heresy of Calvin, came to pay a visit to the parents of St. Jane Frances de Chantal. She was then only five years old. One day, while she was playing in the room where the gentleman was conversing with another person, she heard him say that he did not believe […]

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