November 10 – Who Was the First Pope to Be Called “Great,” and Why?

November 7, 2013

Pope St. Leo I (the Great) Place and date of birth unknown; died 10 November, 461. (Reigned 440-61). Leo’s pontificate, next to that of St. Gregory I, is the most significant and important in Christian antiquity. At a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest obstacles to her progress in consequence of the hastening […]

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Who Carries the Longest Sword in the British Army?

November 4, 2013

According to Pooley Sword: Because British cavalry officers always led their men from the front, the officer’s charger was the most imposing horse on the battlefield – a larger, more powerful animal than the ordinary trooper’s horse. This called for a weapon of comparable dimensions, and the Household Cavalry Officer’s sword is the longest in […]

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Former Government Official: Queen Elizabeth Does Not Represent New Zealand Interests

November 4, 2013

According to Royalty News: Peter Hamilton, former secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, spoke out at the NZ Republican Movement’s annual meeting…, saying his 35 year career had brought home the missed opportunities caused by having the Queen as the country’s titular head… Mr Hamilton also said that when he was invited, during his time […]

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An elite American lady’s sublime attraction to the Catholic Church

November 4, 2013

My sister, Mimoli Crawford, had several times in her life wanted to become a Catholic. My mother had always done her best to prevent it. I remember at one time Mimoli wrote her a long letter with a list of “plain reasons for joining the Church of Rome.” My mother had an old friend, an […]

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Leaders are called to higher virtue

November 4, 2013

For these [leadership] characters to be truly representative, they cannot be just good administrators. They must practice not only common virtue but the extraordinary valor found in those who sacrifice for the common good. It is especially found in those who love their neighbor for the love of God when practicing Christian charity. We might […]

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St. Hubert, patron of the hunt and some liqueurs

November 4, 2013

As the pleasure-loving firstborn son of the Duke of Aquitaine, Hubert loved the chase. Little did he realize though, that God would use his favorite pastime to bring about his spiritual conversion. He was hot in the pursuit of a noble stag when, upon reaching a forest clearing, it turned and faced him. Suspended in […]

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November 4 – Fearless and Faithful, He Reformed the Church

November 4, 2013

St. Charles Borromeo Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal-Priest of the Title of St. Prassede, Papal Secretary of State under Pius IV, and one of the chief factors in the Catholic Counter-Reformation , was born in the Castle of Arona, a town on the southern shore of the Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, 2 October, 1538; died […]

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November 6 – Duchess d’Alençon

November 4, 2013

Blessed Margaret of Lorraine Duchess d’Alencon, religious of the order of Poor Clares, born in 1463 at the castle of Vaudémont (Lorraine); died at Argentan (Brittany) 2 November, 1521. The daughter of Ferri de Vaudimont and of Yolande d’Anjou, little Margaret became an orphan at an early age and was brought up at Aix-en-Provençe, by […]

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November 6 – St. Winnoc

November 4, 2013

St. Winnoc Abbot or Prior or Wormhoult, died 716 or 717. Three lives of this saint are extant: the best of these, the first life, was written by a monk of St. Bertin in the middle of the ninth century, or perhaps a century earlier. St. Winnoc is generally called a Breton, but the Bollandist […]

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Who Missed the Royal Christening?

October 31, 2013

According to Postmedia News: While other members of the Royal Family were sitting down to tea and a slice of traditional wedding cake after Prince George’s christening…, the Princess Royal was hard at work — in Canada. “The Princess Royal’s no-nonsense approach to royal life and duty explain a lot about the lack of official […]

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British Monarchy: First Photograph of Four Generations Since Queen Victoria

October 31, 2013

According to The Telegraph: One picture…shows the Queen posing with the next three kings of Britain…the first such photograph for 114 years. The last similar occasion was in 1899, when an 80-year-old Queen Victoria posed with her direct successors Edward VII, George V and Edward VIII. This time, the Queen, who is 87, is pictured […]

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Franciscan missionaries of Texas who paid the ultimate price

October 31, 2013

We do well and practice the virtues of justice and gratitude when we honor our fallen soldiers; the warriors who gave their lives on the field of battle to defend the nation. We do well to honor policemen when they are killed in the carrying out of their law enforcement duties. Similarly, we honor firemen […]

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None Dare Call It Feudal

October 31, 2013

[O]ur own history is full of “Washingtonian” figures born of great sacrifice, often in times of crisis. On a national scale, we can identify those famous statesmen, generals, soldiers, religious figures, artists, professors, businessmen, and so many others who embodied and distilled those admired and sturdy virtues that built our great nation. We might also […]

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October 31 – He forced the devil to build a church

October 31, 2013

St. Wolfgang Bishop of Ratisbon (972-994), born about 934; died at the village of Pupping in upper Austria, 31 October, 994. The name Wolfgang is of early German origin. St. Wolfgang was one of the three brilliant stars of the tenth century, St. Ulrich, St. Conrad, and St. Wolfgang, which illuminated the early medieval period […]

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November 1 – For saving her people, she was made their judge

October 31, 2013

Deborah the Prophetess (also known as Debbora the Judge, Deborah the Matriarch) Prophetess and judge: she was the wife of Lapidoth and was endowed by God with prophetic gifts which secured for her the veneration of the divided Israelitic tribes and gave her great authority over them. Her wisdom was first displayed in settling litigious […]

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All Saints’ Day: How many saints were noble?

October 31, 2013

All Saints’ Day: Is Being Noble and Leading a Noble’s Life Incompatible with Sanctity? by Plinio Correa de Oliveira The current misunderstanding of nobility and the analogous traditional elites results largely from the adroit but biased propaganda spread against them by the French Revolution. Such propaganda, continuously disseminated throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by […]

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November 3 – Patron of hunting

October 31, 2013

St. Hubert Confessor, thirty-first Bishop of Maastricht, first Bishop of Liège, and Apostle of the Ardennes, born about 656; died at Fura (the modern Tervueren), Brabant, 30 May, 727 or 728. He was honored in the Middle Ages as the patron of huntsmen, and the healer of hydrophobia (rabies). He was the eldest son of […]

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November 3 – The Battle of Mentana

October 31, 2013

It was a dark and gloomy morning, pouring rain, when this little army of some five thousand men filed out of the Porta Pia in a colorful parade, Pius IX’s Swiss General Rafael de Courten’s papal troops leading and the French contingent bringing up the rear…. Famous since classical times as a suburban retreat some […]

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Regenerating a Culture of Leadership

October 28, 2013

In face of the present crisis, there are plenty of people who have leadership qualities and succeed fabulously in what they do. There are also plenty of people who need help and direction in dealing with the huge problems we face. What is missing is a way to unite the two groups. We need to […]

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October 28 – Uncommon Valor

October 28, 2013

Col. John W. Ripley: Uncommon Valor By Jeremias Wells When a society no longer respects and honors the fighting men willing to shed their blood for its principles, the fault lies not with the fighting men but with society itself. Ingratitude is a subtle vice, but a vice nevertheless. Saint Thomas Aquinas says that a […]

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October 28 – Saint, Soldier, Statesman

October 28, 2013

Saint Alfred the Great In this incomparable prince were united the saint, the soldier, and the statesman in a most eminent degree. Sir Henry Spelman (Conc. Brit.) gives us his character in a rapture. “O, Alfred,” says he, “the wonder and astonishment of all ages! If we reflect on his piety and religion, it would […]

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Prince George baptized with water from the River Jordan

October 24, 2013

According to CBS News: Prince George of Cambridge was christened Wednesday at a rare four-generation gathering of the royal family in London. Palace officials said water from the River Jordan…would be used for the christening. The river’s waters have often been used…on…royal infants. Some royal watchers camped outside the palace for more than 24 hours […]

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Colonel José de Escandón is ennobled for establishing settlers in South Texas

October 24, 2013

[D]on José [de Escandón] lost little time in acting but did not sacrifice effectiveness to haste. Working with his lieutenants to conduct a publicity campaign along the frontier, he and his officers had little difficulty recruiting potential settlers…. Among those recruited as settlers in the new province were ranchers who already owned large herds of […]

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John Wayland: On the True Gentleman

October 24, 2013

“The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself […]

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October 25 – The original hood

October 24, 2013

Hugh Capet King of France, founder of the Capetian dynasty, born about the middle of the tenth century; died about 996, probably 24 October. He was the second son of Hugh the Great, Count of Paris, and Hedwig, sister of Otto I, German Emperor, and was about ten years old when he inherited from his […]

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October 25 – Memorial of Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, Many of Them Nobles

October 24, 2013

February 27 – Are You Hiding a Priest? May 4 – They believed in the religious exemption, but only at first May 22 – Queen’s Confessor                June 19 – Execution of second group of those who believed in the religious exemption, but only at first August 30 – She smuggled a priest out of prison

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October 25 – Crispin and Crispian and the baron of Renty

October 24, 2013

Martyrs of the Early Church who were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October, 285 or 286. It is stated that they were brothers, but the fact has not been positively proved. The legend relates that they were Romans of distinguished descent who went as missionaries […]

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October 27 – The Christian King Who Invaded Arabia

October 24, 2013

St. Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia, Confessor The Axumite Ethiopians, whose dominions were extended from the western coast of the Red Sea, very far on the continent, were in the sixth century a powerful and flourishing nation. St. Elesbaan their king, during the reign of Justin the Elder, in all his actions and designs had no […]

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Forbidden to Stand for “God Save the Queen”

October 21, 2013

According to the Daily Express: A 74-YEAR-OLD artillery veteran was forbidden to stand up for the national anthem at a concert in case members of the audience fell into each other! This daft edict was issued by Suffolk’s Bury St Edmunds Council which later…said the guidelines had been misapplied. I cannot see that it is […]

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Buckingham Palace leaking and crumbling

October 21, 2013

According to the Daily Express: A report published this week paints a grim picture of the state of disrepair of the Queen’s main residence, while conditions are just as desperate at many of the nation’s other royal buildings. …staff are forced to use buckets to catch rainwater to protect priceless works of art around the […]

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Catholic-educated Empress Michiko celebrates birthday

October 21, 2013

According to Royal News 24: Today is the 79th birthday of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Michiko of Japan. She was educated at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo and later studied at Harvard and Oxford. On the 27th November 1958 she became engaged to Crown Prince Akihito… They were married on the 10th April […]

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What Is a Representative Character?

October 21, 2013

A representative character is a person who perceives the ideals, principles, and qualities that are desired and admired by a community or nation, and translates them into concrete programs of life and culture. We might point to famous figures like General George Patton or those lesser known people such as self-sacrificing clergy, devoted teachers, or […]

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October 21 – Hammer of Muslim invaders

October 21, 2013

Charles Martel Born about 688; died at Quierzy on the Oise, 21 October, 741. He was the natural son of Pepin of Herstal and a woman named Alpaïde or Chalpaïde. Pepin, who died in 714, had outlived his two legitimate sons, Drogon and Grimoald, and to Theodoald, a son of the latter and then only […]

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October 21 – Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria

October 21, 2013

(Also known as Carlo d’Austria, Charles of Austria) Born August 17, 1887, in the Castle of Persenbeug in the region of Lower Austria, his parents were the Archduke Otto and Princess Maria Josephine of Saxony, daughter of the last King of Saxony. Emperor Francis Joseph I was Charles’ Great Uncle. Charles was given an expressly […]

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October 21 – The Tale of Saint Ursula

October 21, 2013

Once upon a time, there was once a just and most Christian King of Britain, called Maurus. To him and to his wife Daria was born a little girl, the fairest creature that this earth ever saw. She came into the world wrapped in a hairy mantle, and all men wondered greatly what this might […]

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October 23 – The amazing story of San Juan Capistrano and the Siege of Belgrade

October 21, 2013

St. John of Capistrano Born at Capistrano, in the Diocese of Sulmona, Italy, 1385; died 23 October, 1456. His father had come to Naples in the train of Louis of Anjou, hence is supposed to have been of French blood, though some say he was of German origin. His father dying early, John owed his […]

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Prince William dubs his first knight today

October 17, 2013

According to the Daily Express: The Duke of Cambridge will represent the Queen during the hour-long event on Thursday when he will hand out medals and dub new knights with a sword. …a royal insider said…“he realises this is the biggest day in the lives of some people who are being honoured, and he wants […]

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge break with traditions in choice of royal godparents and venue

October 17, 2013

According to The Telegraph: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have once again broken with royal tradition to choose friends from their schools and university to be godparents to Prince George. The couple’s decision…is in stark contrast to William’s own godparents from his 1982 christening: the former King Constantine of Greece, Princess Alexandra, the Honourable […]

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October 17 – Anniversary of state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Vatican

October 17, 2013

According to Royal News 24: On this day in 1980, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom made history by becoming the first British monarch to pay a state visit to the Vatican. The Queen had visited the Vatican before, first as Princess Elizabeth during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII and again […]

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October 17 – The Battle of Cholet

October 17, 2013

The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French Republican forces under General Léchelle and French Royalist Forces under Louis d’Elbée. The battle was fought in the town of Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, and resulted in a Republican victory. D’Elbée was wounded and captured; […]

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October 18 – The day that sparked the Crusades

October 17, 2013

Destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre On October 18, 1009, under Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, orders for the complete destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection, were carried out. The measures against the church were part of a more general campaign against Christian places […]

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October 19 – Barefoot from Spain to Rome

October 17, 2013

St. Peter of Alcántara Born at Alcántara, Spain, 1499; died 18 Oct., 1562. His father, Peter Garavita, was the governor of the place, and his mother was of the noble family of Sanabia. After a course of grammar and philosophy in his native town, he was sent, at the age of fourteen, to the University […]

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October 19 – Prayer was his crime

October 17, 2013

Saint Philip Howard Martyr, Earl of Arundel; born at Arundel House, London, 28 June 1557, died in the Tower of London, 19 October, 1595. He was the grandson of Henry, Earl of Surrey, the poet, executed by Henry VIII in 1547, and son of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk executed by Elizabeth 1572. Philip II of […]

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The Boal family and its gradual social rise

October 16, 2013

by Raymond Drake For many people worldwide, our pervasive liberal culture leads them to think of America as frenetic Wall Street trading or gambling in Las Vegas. Or they recall sports figures like Michael Phelps or film stars like Clint Eastwood. Others will remember our magnificent landscapes such as the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls. […]

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King of Bhutan will end polygamy in his monarchy

October 14, 2013

Today is the wedding anniversary of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Bhutan. King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck married Jetsun Pema, the granddaughter of the Governor of Trashigang, at Punakha Dzong in 2011. During the ceremony, she was presented with the Crown of the Druk Gyal-tsuen and declared Queen consort of Bhutan. Although Bhutanese […]

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For Monarchy: Marriage Boosts Popularity, Divorce Makes It Plummet

October 14, 2013

According to Hello! Magazine: The British Social Attitudes survey…found that…in 2012 only 5% of people said that they thought the monarchy should be abolished…while 45% of people said that they felt it is “very important” that Britain continues to have a monarchy. The positive result in 2012 came six years after the figure dropped to […]

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Who Was Christopher Columbus, and Why Is He Important?

October 14, 2013

Christopher Columbus (Italian CRISTOFORO COLOMBO; Spanish CRISTOVAL COLON.) Born at Genoa, or on Genoese territory, probably 1451; died at Valladolid, Spain, 20 May 1506. His family was respectable, but of limited means, so that the early education of Columbus was defective. Up to his arrival in Spain (1485) only one date has been preserved. His […]

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We Need Representative Characters Today

October 14, 2013

Our needs are different from those of feudal times. We do not seek the military chieftains who, in the face of barbarian invasions, took upon themselves the task of resisting barbarian hordes. Instead we seek those figures who take upon themselves the more subtle task of becoming what some sociologists call “representative characters” who, not […]

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The Queen’s German prince and the beef recipe in his honor

October 14, 2013

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha married his first cousin, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, when they were both 20. Contrary to today’s contraceptive culture, nine children blessed their marriage. He administered ably and expanded the patrimony of the British royal family. He championed the abolition of slavery and strove to eliminate child labor […]

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October 15 – Interior Castle

October 14, 2013

St. Teresa of Avila Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada, born at Avila, Old Castile, 28 March, 1515; died at Alba de Tormes, 4 Oct., 1582. The third child of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda by his second wife, Doña Beatriz Davila y Ahumada, who died when the saint was in her fourteenth year, Teresa […]

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October 16 – Duchess and saint

October 14, 2013

St. Hedwig Duchess of Silesia, born about 1174, at the castle of Andechs; died at Trebnitz, 12 or 15 October, 1243. She was one of eight children born to Berthold IV, Count of Andechs and Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia. Of her four brothers, two became bishops, Ekbert of Bamberg, and Berthold of Aquileia; Otto […]

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October 16 – Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of France and Capetian Widow

October 14, 2013

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Most Reverend Monsignor Director of this Academy, Gentlemen Academicians: A simple listing of the titles with which she was known during her short life as Marie Antoinette of Habsburg, and later Marie Antoinette of Bourbon, brings to memory the series of extraordinary and unforeseen events that together make up the […]

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New Prince George Christening coins go on sale

October 10, 2013

According to The Telegraph: The special coins…go on sale today to mark the christening of…Prince George. The design features the Lily Font from the Tower of London and two harp-playing cherubs. At the foot of the coin is the royal motto “Dieu et mon droit” – God and my right. Prince George will be christened […]

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Grand Ducal Family honors late Grand Duchess with concert

October 10, 2013

According to the Luxemburger Wort: Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Jean together with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie on Friday honoured Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte with a concert at the Philharmonie. Friday’s concert saw the Paris Orchestra perform… Joséphine-Charlotte was born on October 11, 1927, as the oldest child and only daughter of King Leopold […]

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Knights of Malta visit King of Sweden

October 10, 2013

According to the Swedish Royal Court: On Friday 4 October, The King received representatives of the…the Order of Malta at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The King has been patron of the Swedish Order of Saint John since 1974. During their visit to Sweden, representatives…also visited Stockholm Nursing Home and Stockholm City Mission. The Order […]

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For Charlemagne, a king should strive to bring his people to God

October 10, 2013

“One key—probably the most important one—to Charlemagne’s political thought is Augustine’s City of God, which, next to the Bible, was his favorite book. In reflecting on the temporal and heavenly realms, the patriarch took issue with ascetics who urged withdrawal from fallen human society in pursuit of an attainable holiness. He pointed out that perfection […]

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Could the Feudal Bond Be Helpful to Us Today?

October 10, 2013

Notwithstanding its human shortcomings, [the feudal bond] is a flexible and creative bond inside a family-like relationship. It is a bond that permeated all society from top to bottom generating ties of friendship and mutual responsibility. It is a sacred bond founded upon roots of a religious unity. We find in it the balanced application […]

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Desktop Wallpapers – Complete Collection

October 10, 2013

To add any of these desktop wallpapers to your computer, click on the size that you want for that image and save it to your computer. Then right-click on the desktop – select Properties from the context menu – go the Desktop tab – Browse and open the image you made – position the image (Center, […]

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October 10 – How to overcome bad ancestry

October 10, 2013

St. Francis Borgia (also known as Francisco de Borja y Aragon), born 28 October, 1510, was the son of Juan Borgia, third Duke of Gandia, and of Juana of Aragon; died 30 September, 1572. The future saint was unhappy in his ancestry. His grandfather, Juan Borgia, the second son of Alexander VI, was assassinated in Rome […]

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October 11 – Model Archduke, both spiritual and temporal

October 10, 2013

St. Bruno the Great, Archbishop of Cologne Bruno the Great (or Bruno I) (925–965) was Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, from 953 until his death, and Duke of Lotharingia from 954. He was the brother of Otto I, king of Germany and later Holy Roman Emperor. Bruno was the youngest son of Henry the Fowler and […]

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