Alfred the Great’s fighting days started early

May 13, 2013

With such garniture then of one kind or another, gathered together in these early years, the young crown prince stands loyally by the side of the young king his brother, looking from their western home over an England already growing dark under the shadow of a tremendous storm. When it bursts, will it spend itself […]

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The People and the Shapeless Multitude: Two Distinct Concepts

May 13, 2013

The admirable teachings of Pius XII explain this difference [between people and masses] very well, clearly describing the natural concord that can and should exist between the elites and the people, contrary to the assertions of the prophets of class struggle. Pius XII affirms in his 1944 Christmas radio message: “The people, and a shapeless […]

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May 15 – Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac

May 13, 2013

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac (December 27, 1556 – February 2, 1640) was founderess of the order The Company of Mary Our Lady. She was born in Bordeaux, France in 1556 to a prominent family. Her father, Richard de Lestonnac, was a member of the French Parliament while her mother, Jeanne Eyquem, was the sister of […]

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May 15 – Beautiful Princess, Tragic Story

May 13, 2013

St. Dymphna Virgin and martyr. The earliest historical account of the veneration of St. Dymphna dates from the middle of the thirteenth century. Under Bishop Guy I of Cambrai (1238-47), Pierre, a canon of the church of Saint Aubert at Cambrai, wrote a “Vita” of the saint, from which we learn that she had been […]

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Special Announcement!

May 9, 2013

SORRY! EWTN just called and said Mr. Horvat’s interview tonight at 8PM EST had to be rescheduled due to technical troubles. Author John Horvat will be rescheduled for another day with EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo. Sorry for this change.

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First official engagement of the new Dutch king and queen

May 9, 2013

According to Hello! Daily News: “King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima‘s beaming smiles and brightly-coloured outfits were nowhere to be seen at their first official engagement as the new monarchs of the Netherlands on Saturday. “Willem-Alexander, 46, and Maxima, his Queen consort, were in Amsterdam over the weekend to attend a memorial for Dutch soldiers lost during […]

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Despite her 87 years, Elizabeth II continues serving as Queen

May 9, 2013

According to the Express: “THE announcement by Buckingham Palace that the Queen will miss the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November is the first official acknowledgement that she is struggling to do part of her job…. “She has served the nation and Commonwealth brilliantly and still does incredible work for a woman […]

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Ongoing anti-monarchical efforts to topple the Norwegian throne

May 9, 2013

As reported in Royalty News: “This is now the 12th time, tri-partite coalition members of the Socialist Left (SV) would love to see Norway convert to being a republic. “We have been proposing this should materialise, for the last eleven terms in parliament,” Snorre Valen states. The MP, who sits on parliament’s Standing Committee on […]

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The Last Battle of the Valiant Don Alonso de Aguilar

May 9, 2013

To such as feel an interest in the fortune of the valiant Don Alonso de Aguilar, the chosen friend and companion-in-arms of Ponce de Leon, marques of Cadiz, and one of the most distinguished heroes of the war of Granada, a few particulars of his remarkable fate will not be unacceptable. For several years after […]

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Why do we have a problem with social inequality?

May 9, 2013

Before beginning the study of Pius XII’s allocutions to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility, it seems useful to forestall any shock that the reading of these commentaries may cause in people influenced by today’s radically egalitarian populism. The same shock may also come to others—perhaps even some belonging to the nobility or analogous elites—who fear […]

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May 10 – Saint Damien: A Hero Who Died on the Battlefield of Honor

May 9, 2013

Born Joseph de Veuster in Tremelo, Belgium, he took the religious name of Damien when he joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. There are few places on Earth more beautiful than Hawaii. While this idyllic paradise may be the destination spot for tourists and honeymooners, Joseph de Veuster was eager […]

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May 11 – Holy Merovingian

May 9, 2013

St. Aldegundis Virgin and abbess (c. 639-684), variously written Adelgundis, Aldegonde, etc. She was closely related to the Merovingian royal family. Her father and mother, afterwards honored as St. Walbert and St. Bertilia, lived in Flanders in the province of Hainault. Aldegundis was urged to marry, but she chose a life of virginity and, leaving […]

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May 12 – She said no to the crowns of England, France and the Holy Roman Empire

May 9, 2013

Blessed Joanna of Portugal Born at Lisbon, 16 February, 1452; died at Aveiro, 12 May, 1490; the daughter of Alfonso V, King of Portugal, and his wife Elizabeth. She was chiefly remarkable for the courage and persistence with which she opposed all attempts on the part of her father and brother to make her marry.  […]

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Extra! Extra! Special!

May 8, 2013
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May 6th – New Swiss Guards sworn in – Rome Reports

May 6, 2013

According to Rome Reports: The Guard’s new recruits … prepare for the swearing-in ceremony on May 6. One by one, the Colonel calls them up to take their oath to become a part of the Pope’s personal guard. With one hand on the flag of the Swiss Guard and with the other, they raise three […]

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Royal succession in Netherlands reminds us that thrones of monarchy are safe in Europe – The Irish Times

May 6, 2013

According to The Irish Times: …Europeans are in love with blue-blooded families. …royalty has proved remarkably resilient. Even as the French Revolution seemed to have sounded the death knell for kingship, the Habsburg Empire, for example, existed until the first World War. Today, 10 European countries are monarchies. The uncomfortable truth for republicans is that […]

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Queen Maria Finally Returns To Her Homeland – Royalty News

May 6, 2013

According to Royalty News: …the body of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia is at last being permitted to coming back home. The monarch, who is 2nd cousin once removed of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, will go back to Serbia following exhumation from the Royal burial ground at Frogmore, Windsor. Queen Maria resided in […]

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Archduke Albrecht: an elite soul

May 6, 2013

There was one person at the Austrian court who thoroughly understood and appreciated the anxiety displayed by the Empress with regard to the Crown Prince’s marriage and who also thoroughly mistrusted the possibility of his future happiness with Stéphanie. That was old Archduke Albrecht, the uncle of the Emperor, and one of the few persons […]

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The Legitimacy and Even Necessity of Just and Proportional Inequalities Among the Social Classes

May 6, 2013

The Marxist doctrine of class struggle considers all inequalities unjust and harmful. Consequently, it proclaims the legitimacy of the mobilization of the lower classes on a global scale in order to suppress the higher classes. “Workers of the world unite!” is the well-known cry with which Marx and Engels ended the Communist Manifesto of 1848. On the […]

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May 6 – Prince, priest, pioneer

May 6, 2013

Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin Prince, priest, and missionary, born at The Hague, Holland, 22 December, 1770; died at Loretto, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 6 May, 1840. He was a scion of one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most illustrious families of Russia. His father, Prince Demetrius Gallitzin (d. 16 March, 1803), Russian ambassador to Holland at the time […]

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May 6 – Blessed Francis de Montmorency Laval

May 6, 2013

Blessed Francis de Montmorency Laval First bishop of Canada, born at Montigny-sur-Avre, 30 April, 1623, of Hughes de Laval and Michelle de Péricard; died at Quebec on 6 May, 1708. He was a scion of an illustrious family, whose ancestor was baptized with Clovis at Reims, and whose motto reads: “Dieu ayde au primer baron […]

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May 7 – The Pope who adopted two princes

May 6, 2013

Pope St. Benedict II Date of birth unknown; died 8 May, 685; was a Roman, and the son of John. Sent when young to the schola cantorum, he distinguished himself by his knowledge of the Scriptures and by his singing, and as a priest was remarkable for his humility, love of the poor, and generosity. […]

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May 7 – Bl. Agnellus of Pisa

May 6, 2013

Bl. Agnellus of Pisa Friar Minor and founder of the English Franciscan Province, born at Pisa c. 1195, of the noble family of the Agnelli; died at Oxford, 7 May, 1236. In early youth he was received into the Seraphic Order by St. Francis himself, during the latter’s sojourn in Pisa, and soon became an […]

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May 8 – Apparition of St. Michael

May 6, 2013

Well known is the apparition of St. Michael the Archangel (a. 494 or 530-40), as related in the Roman Breviary, 8 May, at his renowned sanctuary on Monte Gargano, where his original glory as patron in war was restored to him. To his intercession the Lombards of Sipontum (Manfredonia) attributed their victory over the Greek […]

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May 8 – Matriarch of the Carolingian family

May 6, 2013

Saint Itta (or Itta of Metz) (also Ida, Itte or Iduberga) (592–652) was the wife of Pepin of Landen, mayor of the palace of Austrasia. Her brother was Saint Modoald, bishop of Trier. Her sister was abbess Saint Severa. There is no direct record of their parents, but it has been suggested that she was […]

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First official picture of the new Dutch king and queen – Hello! Magazine

May 2, 2013

According to Hello! Magazine: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Queen Maxima have released their first official photo as leaders of the House of Orange. The couple, who have been married for 11 years, were both resplendent in their regal finery and looked confident ahead of their new roles. Following a ceremony on […]

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As Dutch prepare for new king, republicans ask to abolish monarchy – The Christian Science Monitor

May 2, 2013

According to The Christian Science Monitor: …anti-monarchists numbers are small. The workshop in Amsterdam was attended by nine republicans – they were almost outnumbered by journalists. The Dutch monarchy…is something of an oddity in Europe. While many European nations had a monarchy first and then a republic, the Netherlands took a different, anachronistic route. At […]

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MacArthur’s “I shall return” becomes the symbol of hope in the Philippines

May 2, 2013

The next day, Wednesday, March 18, the New York Times banner headline had read: MACARTHUR IN AUSTRALIA AS ALLIED COMMANDER/MOVE HAILED AS FORESHADOWING TURN OF THE TIDE. Now it was Friday, and he was in the Adelaide station. Knowing that reporters would be there, asking for a statement, he had scrawled a few words on […]

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A multi-secular struggle between nobility and leveling egalitarianism

May 2, 2013

In the Middle Ages, the nobility had constituted a social class with specific functions within the State, which entailed certain honors and corresponding obligations. During modern times this situation had gradually lost its stability, prominence, and brilliance, so that even before the Revolution of 1789, the distinction between the nobility and the people was considerably […]

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Desktop Wallpapers – 4 New Ones To Choose From

May 2, 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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May 2 – The princess with two sisters who are also saints

May 2, 2013

St. Mafalda of Portugal In the year 1215, at the age of eleven, Princess Mafalda (i.e. Matilda), daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal, was married to her kinsman King Henry I of Castile, who was like herself a minor. The marriage was annulled the following year on the ground of the consanguinity of the […]

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May 3 – Sword-bearer to the Emperor

May 2, 2013

St. Ansfried of Utrecht Ansfried (aka Ansfridus or Aufridus) was born ca. 940, and died May 3, 1010 near Leusden.) He was a nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire and sword-bearer for Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Till 995 he was Count of Huy, then he became bishop of Utrecht. He is also the founder […]

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May 4 – They believed in the religious exemption, but only at first

May 2, 2013

The Carthusian Martyrs were the monks of the London Charterhouse, the monastery of the Carthusian Order in central London, who were put to death by the English state in a period lasting from the 19 June 1535 till the 20 September 1537. The method of execution was hanging, disembowelling while still alive and then quartering. […]

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The Hungarian countess whom communism sent into impoverished exile

April 29, 2013

The New York Times writes about an exiled Hungarian countess who died in New York on April 15: “The death of Ilona DeVito di Porriasa last week, at 73, went largely unnoticed beyond her family and friends. But if nothing else, her story, as recounted by surviving relatives, peels back the hard shell of the city, […]

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Dutch egalitarian anti-royalists protest their new king

April 29, 2013

According to Expatica.com: “While the Netherlands parties in gaudy orange as the new king takes the throne on April 30, a small group of defiant republicans will protest the monarchy’s very existence by wearing white…. “The monarchy is something from another century that no longer fits with democratic values,” Anjo Clement, head of the Netherlands […]

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Caving to egalitarian pressure, the UK ends male primogeniture in royal succession

April 29, 2013

According to the BBC: “A bill which ends succession to the Crown based on gender has become law. “It means the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first child could become monarch, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl. “Under the previous law, dating back to 1701, women were superseded by their brothers […]

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9-year-old Crown Prince Alfonso’s first battle against the Moors

April 29, 2013

The King [Saint Ferdinand] was still not satisfied.Since he had not been able to go in person to the battle, which he considered his God-given mission in this world, he decided to send to it his dearest possession, his firstborn and heir the Infante, Alfonso, a boy of nine…. But the little Infante was so […]

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The Universal Scope of the Allocutions of Pius XII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility

April 29, 2013

Chapter 2 The Universal Scope of the Allocutions of Pius XII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility The Situation of the Italian Nobility in the Pontificate of Pius XII 1. Why Focus Specifically on the Italian Nobility? In 1947 the constitution of the Italian Republic abolished all titles of nobility. (1) The last blow was […]

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April 29 – The Templars, Knights of Calatrava, of St. Lazarus, of Alcantara, of Avis, of St. Maurice, all trace their existence to this austere monk

April 29, 2013

St. Robert of Molesme Born about the year 1029, at Champagne, France, of noble parents who bore the names of Thierry and Ermengarde; died at Molesme, 17 April, 1111. When fifteen years of age, he commenced his novitiate in the Abbey of Montier-la-Celle, or St. Pierre-la-Celle, situated near Troyes, of which he became later prior. […]

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April 29 – In 11th century Christendom, no king or bishop dare oppose him

April 29, 2013

Saint Hugh the Great Abbot of Cluny, born at Semur (Brionnais in the Diocese of Autun), 1024; died at Cluny, 28 April, 1109. His early life The eldest son of Count Dalmatius of Semur and Aremberge (Aremburgis) of Vergy, Hugh was descended from the noblest families in Burgundy. Dalmatius, devoted to war and the chase, […]

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April 30 – Crusader Pope

April 29, 2013

Pope Saint Pius V Born at Bosco, near Alexandria, Lombardy, 17 Jan., 1504 elected 7 Jan., 1566; died 1 May, 1572. Being of a poor though noble family his lot would have been to follow a trade, but he was taken in by the Dominicans of Voghera, where he received a good education and was […]

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Columbus raises a Cross in Hispaniola and miracles follow

April 25, 2013

An account of several miracles indirectly attributable to the discoverer of America is given by the Count de Lorgues in his “Christophe Colomb.” The following relates to a cross which he erected in Hispaniola, at Fort Conception: At the beginning of April, 1495, Columbus visited for the second time the Royal Plain, where the year […]

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Pius XII and the Roman nobility

April 25, 2013

He [Pius XII] belonged to a noble family, whose sphere of relations was naturally among the nobility. In 1929, one prominent member of his family was graced with the title of marquis; and the Pope’s nephews, Don Carlo Maria, Don Marcantonio, and Don Giulio Pacelli, each received the hereditary title of prince from King Victor […]

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April 26 – She inspired the Albanians to resist the Turks

April 25, 2013

Our Lady of Good Counsel January of 1467 saw the death of the last great Albanian leader, George Castriota, better known as Scanderbeg. Raised by an Albanian chief, he placed himself at the head of his own people. Subsequently, Scanderbeg inflicted stunning defeats on the Turkish army and occupied fortresses all over Albania. With Scanderbeg’s […]

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April 26 – Nephew of the Duke of Maqueda

April 25, 2013

St. Rafael Arnáiz Barón (9 April 1911, Burgos, Spain – 26 April 1938, Dueñas, Palencia, Spain) Rafael Arnáiz, known in the monastery as Brother María Rafael, was born on 9 April 1911 in the city of Burgos, in north-central Spain. He was the first of four sons born to a well-to-do, deeply Christian and Catholic […]

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April 27 – Noble Model of Confidence

April 25, 2013

Peter Armengol was born in Guárdia dels Prats, a small village in the archdiocese of Tarragon, Spain in 1238. He belonged to the house of the barons of Rocafort, descendants of the counts of Urgel, whose ancestors were directly linked to the counts of Barcelona and the monarchs of Aragon and Castile. From Brigand to […]

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Queen Elizabeth II marks 87th birthday – RoyalBlog.nl

April 22, 2013

According to the RoyalBlog.nl: The gun salutes – from the Tower of London and across the United Kingdom – will have to wait…. Queen Elizabeth II can celebrate her 87th birthday in peace and quiet Sunday, and in private, together with Prince Philip. The Queen shows no signs of slowing down much, in this the […]

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Winnipeg MP wants Queen nixed from pledge of allegiance – CBC News

April 22, 2013

According to CBC News: Winnipeg member of Parliament Pat Martin has plans for a bill that would change the way newcomers become citizens. The NDP MP wants to see new Canadians pledge their allegiance to Canada instead of Queen Elizabeth. “It’s the nation state of Canada that we’re loyal to — not the queen of […]

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Grace Kelly: Forever the princess of style – USA Today

April 22, 2013

According to USA Today: There was a sly grandeur to her, a gentility and easy grace unsullied by the smut of tabloids or Twitter. So it’s little wonder that Grace Kelly, who went on to marry a prince and sashay from glitzy Hollywood to glamorous Monaco, remains iconic to this day. To read the entire […]

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Danish royals unite to celebrate Queen Margrethe’s 73rd birthday – Hello! Magazine

April 22, 2013

According to Hello! Magazine: The Danish royal family gathered to celebrate Queen Margrethe’s 73rd birthday… Although the monarch – dressed in a fetching tartan skirt and bright red jacket – was on fine form, it was her young grandchildren who stole the show. The balcony at Copenhagen’s Amalienborg Palace was transformed into a stage for […]

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Marie Antoinette comforts the Dauphin

April 22, 2013

The rioting mob forced the French royal family to leave Versailles and settle in the Tuilleries but that Parisian palace caused a doleful impression in everyone as it had been unoccupied for some years. The six-year old Dauphin exclaimed: —“But everything is so ugly here, Mamma!” Filled with sadness, the Queen tried to comfort him, […]

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The Nobility’s Duty: To Avoid Sinking into Anonymity; To Resist the Influence of Modern Egalitarianism

April 22, 2013

Pius XII paternally insists that the nobility not let itself be diluted in the anonymity into which the indifference and hostility of many, spurred on by crude modern egalitarianism, seek to drag it. He likewise points out another relevant mission: By cultivating and disseminating its living traditions, the nobility should help preserve the values of […]

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Affinity between Dobos Torte and aristocracy: Recipe

April 22, 2013

Famous worldwide and with 100 ways to make it, Dobos Torte has become one of Hungary’s successful culinary ambassadors. The original creation of Jozsef C. Dobos, a Hungarian pastry chef, it made its debut at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885. In light of its outstanding success, it was most appropriate that Hungary’s […]

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Who Was the Original Knight in Shining Armor?

April 22, 2013

St. George Martyr, patron of England, suffered at or near Lydda, also known as Diospolis, in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine. According to the very careful investigation of the whole question recently instituted by Father Delehaye, the Bollandist, in the light of modern sources of information, the above statement sums up all that […]

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April 23 – Noble Bohemian

April 22, 2013

St. Adalbert of Bohemia Born 939 of a noble Bohemian family; died 997. He assumed the name of the Archbishop Adalbert (his name had been Wojtech), under whom he studied at Magdeburg. He became Bishop of Prague, whence he was obliged to flee on account of the enmity he had aroused by his efforts to […]

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April 24 – “I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it”

April 22, 2013

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen Born in 1577, at Sigmaringen, Prussia, of which town his father Johannes Rey was burgomaster; died at Sevis, 24 April, 1622. On the paternal side he was of Flemish ancestry. He pursued his studies at the University of Freiburg in the Breisgau, and in 1604 became tutor to Wilhelm von Stotzingen, […]

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Video: Thatcher’s coffin taken by gun carriage to St Paul’s Cathedral for her funeral – The Telegraph

April 18, 2013

According to The Telegraph: Margaret Thatcher’s coffin was paraded solemnly through the streets of London en route to St Paul’s Cathedral for her funeral, where the Queen led mourners from 170 countries to bid farewell… Parliament’s famous Big Ben bell was silenced as Baroness Thatcher’s coffin draped in the Union Jack was carried to a […]

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Moslem Seville surrenders to Saint Ferdinand

April 18, 2013

The Moors had no choice but to accept the iron will of that King Ferdinand, who, like a curse of Allah, crossed Andalusia exterminating Islam. The ambassadors returned with broader powers to act, and then Don Ferdinand received them. After they had been conducted to his tent, they found him waiting surrounded by his whole […]

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Organic society and human progress

April 18, 2013

 (based on a talk by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira – MNF of Sept. 29, 1993)   Organic society precedes aristocracy. The very principles from which an organic society may be reborn stem from an action of the Holy Ghost. Everything we say about organic society is part of a global view of the foundations […]

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April 18 – Blessed Marie de l’Incarnation

April 18, 2013

Bl. Marie de l’Incarnation Known also as Madame Acarie, foundress of the French Carmel, born in Paris, 1 February, 1566; died at Pontoise, April, 1618. By her family Barbara Avrillot belonged to the higher bourgeois society in Paris. Her father, Nicholas Avrillot was accountant general in the Chamber of Paris, and chancellor of Marguerite of […]

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