Ancient Rome: A State Born From Patriarchal Societies

November 17, 2011

The classic work of Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges, The Ancient City, initially welcomed with enthusiasm, came under criticism over the course of time. Some, for example, faulted it for being too “systematic.” Nonetheless, by its exemplary erudition, its lucidity of thought, and its clarity of exposition, The Ancient City still ranks among the true […]

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November 17 – This Queen Cared for the Sick and Suffering

November 17, 2011

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Also called St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, born in Hungary, probably at Pressburg, 1207; died at Marburg, Hesse, 17 November (not 19 November), 1231. She was a daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary (1205-35) and his wife Gertrude, a member of the family of the Counts of Andechs-Meran; Elizabeth’s brother succeeded […]

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November 18 – He Started the Cluniac Reform

November 17, 2011

St. Odo of Cluny Odo was born in 879 in Maine, and was the son of a pious and surprisingly learned layman, Abbo. Though vowed by his father to St. Martin in babyhood, he was given a military training and became a page at the court of Duke William. But the exercises of war and […]

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Reaction and Historical Immobility

November 10, 2011

Chapter II 1. What Is To Be Restored If the Revolution is disorder, the Counter-Revolution is the restoration of order. And by order we mean the peace of Christ in the Reign of Christ, that is, Christian civilization, austere and hierarchical, fundamentally sacral, antiegalitarian, and antiliberal. 2. What Is To Be Innovated However, by force […]

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November 11 – Patron of Veterans and Soldiers

November 10, 2011

St. Martin of Tours Bishop; born at Sabaria (today Steinamanger in German, or Szombathely in Hungarian), Pannonia (Hungary), about 316; died at Candes, Touraine, most probably in 397. In his early years, when his father, a military tribune, was transferred to Pavia in Italy, Martin accompanied him thither, and when he reached adolescence was, in […]

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The donkey, St. Martin, and the Wine

November 10, 2011

Old legend says that while St. Martin was visiting a monastery, his donkey enjoyed itself eating the grape vines outside in the vineyard. When the monks perceived the destruction they uttered loud cries believing the vineyard was ruined beyond redemption. But the grape vines recovered, and to the monks’ absolute amazement, the grapes that autumn […]

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St. Martin Croissants

November 10, 2011

Over the centuries, commemorations of St. Martin’s feast day have given rise to many customs and traditions. One of them is the St. Martin croissant. Known as Rogal Świętomarciński or marcinki in Poland, these St. Martin’s croissants are a source of special pride in the Poznań region, where tons of them are consumed in the […]

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November 12 – Constable of France: he fought his entire life and died in battle at age 74

November 10, 2011

Anne de Montmorency had proven many times before that his race does not degenerate and the brave blood of an illustrious line of ancestors flowed in his veins. Imperious, severe, of a stern mood, he had undeniable bravery and strict fidelity to his duty. Although success had not always been on a par with his […]

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Video Tribute to Colonel John Ripley (USMC)

November 10, 2011

He had endeared himself to Marines for 40 years. He was a legend already in life. His example as Catholic father, model Marine, and fearless contender in the Cultural War is looked up to and admired by millions of Americans. Video

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November 10 – First Pope to Be Called “Great”

November 10, 2011

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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A repentant Don John of Austria receives Holy Communion

November 7, 2011

[Don John of Austria] set out at the end of October, without saying farewell to anyone, and, as the story goes, went to the Escorial to return again to Madrid, where Escovedo awaited him, arranging with the Treasurer Garnica the necessary funds for paying the troops in Flanders. At the Escorial D. John took leave […]

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The decay of the Middle Ages

November 7, 2011

In the fourteenth century, a transformation of mentality began to take place in Christian Europe; in the course of the fifteenth century, it became ever more apparent. The thirst for earthly pleasures became a burning desire. Diversions became more and more frequent and sumptuous, increasingly engrossing men. In dress, manners, language, literature, and art, the […]

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November 7 – He Went on Crusade to Atone for His Sins

November 7, 2011

Saint Engelbert of Cologne Archbishop of that city (1216-1225); born at Berg, about 1185; died near Schwelm, 7 November 1225. His father was Engelbert, Count of Berg, his mother, Margaret, daughter of the Count of Gelderland. He studied at the cathedral school of Cologne and while still a boy was, according to an abuse of […]

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Britain’s oldest family business opened when Henry VIII ruled

November 7, 2011

RJ Balson and Sons, a butchers based in Bridport, Dorset, boasts an astonishing history that is almost 500 years old. Experts have traced the businesses roots back through 25 generations to when founder John Balson opened a stall in the town’s market on South Street in 1535. Since then dozens of family members have worked […]

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November 4 – Fearless and Faithful, He Reformed the Church

November 3, 2011

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 3 – The patron of the hunt

November 3, 2011

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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Video clip of a French hunting club at its St. Hubert Mass

November 3, 2011

Saint Hubert has been the patron saint of hunters for centuries. This short video clip shows a French hunt club at its annual St. Hubert Mass in 2009. In the town square outside the church, framed by charming houses and shops, the huntsmen play their horns and the hounds pile up on each other to […]

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The Pacifist and Antimilitarist Character of the Revolution

November 3, 2011

[previous] The pacifist and therefore antimilitarist character of the Revolution is easily grasped in light of the preceding chapter. 1. Science Will Bring an End to War, The Military, and Police In the technological paradise of the Revolution, peace has to be perpetual, for science has shown that war is evil, and technology can overcome […]

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Athanase de Charette and the Battle of Mentana

November 3, 2011

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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November 1 – She judged Israel

October 31, 2011

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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Louis XVI forbids the use of a more destructive explosive

October 31, 2011

The Italian scientist Poli invented an explosive ten times more powerful than gunpowder and he detonated it during an exhibition before Louis XVI. Pondering on the destructive power he had just seen, the king turned to Poli and said: “Your invention is most terrible and I will reward you for your studies. However, war is […]

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Is Being Noble and Leading a Noble’s Life Incompatible with Sanctity?

October 31, 2011

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 ideological and political currents spawned by the French Revolution, has been challenged by serious historiography with growing efficacy. This […]

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October 31 – He forced the devil to build a church

October 31, 2011

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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Marie Antoinette took care of the sick and needy herself

October 27, 2011

Whenever succoring the sick and the needy, Marie Antoinette never stopped to consider the distance between her social position and that of the unfortunate person she was assisting. One day, as some of the Queen’s servants entered her suite, they were astonished to find her taking care of an old man who was lying down. […]

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Feudalism: Work of the Medieval Family

October 27, 2011

Frantz Funck-Brentano, a member of the Institute of France, describes the role of the family in the constitution of feudal society in his celebrated work L’Ancien Régime.   The Ancien Régime grew out of feudal society. Nothing contradicts this. As for the feudal system, it was produced, in that astonishing period which ran from the […]

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October 27 – This Christian King Invaded Arabia

October 27, 2011

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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October 28 – Saint, Soldier, Statesman

October 27, 2011

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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AFP: Presence of former King Michael in Romanian Parliament- unprecedented event

October 27, 2011

Romania’s former king Michael will address Parliament Tuesday, on his 90th birthday, for the first time since he was deposed in 1947, the French Agency says, quoted by Agerpres. Michael is the only survivor of the heads of state during WWII. “The king is very excited, he has been waiting for this moment for a long […]

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The Chouan family gave everything for altar and throne

October 24, 2011

When hostilities commenced, the family of Jean Chouan consisted of seven persons: his mother, his four brothers, Pierre, Jean, François and René; and his two sisters Perrine and Renée. By the 1st August 1794, the youngest of the four brothers was the only one of the seven left alive; the rest had all perished. The […]

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The Denial of Sin in Liberalism and Socialism

October 24, 2011

In each of its stages, the Revolution has sought to de-emphasize or radically deny the existence of sin. A. The Immaculate Conception of the Individual In its liberal and individualistic phase, the Revolution taught that man is endowed with an infallible reason, a strong will, and orderly passions. Hence the concept of a human order […]

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Video – We Band of Brothers

October 24, 2011

Henry V This day is called the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, shall stand a tip-toe when the day is named, and rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and see old age, will yearly, on the vigil, feast his neighbours, and say; […]

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October 25 – Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, but we in it shall be remember’d

October 24, 2011

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 21 – The Tale of Saint Ursula

October 20, 2011

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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Revolution and Legitimacy

October 20, 2011

[previous] 2. Revolution and Legitimacy A. Legitimacy Par Excellence In general, the concept of legitimacy is focused on only in the context of dynasties and governments. Though heeding the teachings of Leo XIII in the encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes, one cannot ignore the question of dynastic or governmental legitimacy, for it is an extremely […]

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October 21 – Blessed Karl, Emperor of Austria

October 20, 2011

(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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Video – Marriage of Princess Zita and Archduke Carl, October 21, 1911

October 20, 2011
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Canada endorses repeal of 1701 statutory nullification of the rights of Catholics to the British crown

October 20, 2011

  For the article in The Gazette of Montreal, click here.

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October 21 – In battle they called him “The Hammer”

October 20, 2011

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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Queen Elizabeth II reflects on her life – rare footage

October 20, 2011

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Washington DC – flush with royals

October 20, 2011

The Washington Post reports on local royals “While Washington is traditionally a destination for those who seek power, it’s also a refuge for those who no longer have it. Many of the royals who call the region home are in exile; others came because their grandparents or parents, who were deposed, thought that the United […]

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Prince Harry stuns instructors with helicopter skills

October 20, 2011

“His handling, hand-eye co-ordination, reaction speeds — he’s a natural.” Prince Harry has stunned instructors on his Apache helicopter course in America by coming top of the class. He is currently taking part in Exercise Crimson Eagle, which gives Army Air Corps pilots vital experience in live firing exercises on vast military ranges in the […]

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October 19 – This Earl was found guilty of praying, and starved to death in the Tower

October 17, 2011

 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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October 19 – Barefoot from Spain to Rome

October 17, 2011

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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While hunting, Marie Antoinette took pains not to damage the harvest

October 17, 2011

One time, when Louis XVI was hunting in Compiègne, Marie Antoinette followed the beaters in a barouche. The buck fled straight to where the king and the hunt were waiting, racing straight through a wheat field. Marie Antoinette ordered her driver not to follow the pursued animal. She did not want to damage the harvest […]

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Part I, Chapter VI: The March of the Revolution

October 17, 2011

CHAPTER VI The March of the Revolution The previous considerations gave us some data about the march of the Revolution, namely, its processive character, its metamorphoses, its outbreak in the innermost recesses of the human soul, and its externalization in acts. As can be seen, the Revolution has a whole dynamic of its own. We […]

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October 18 – A date which will live in infamy

October 17, 2011

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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Lord Nicholas Windsor takes public stand against abortion

October 13, 2011

Chivalry commands us to “respect all weaknesses, and … constitute thyself the defender of them.” So it is very encouraging to see a member of the British royal family help to launch an international initiative defending the weakest of our neighbors, the unborn threatened by abortion. The National Catholic Register announces that: “Lord Nicholas Windsor, […]

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Nobles Gather to Study Their Role in Society

October 13, 2011

The Wall Street Journal reports a gathering of the Association for the Mutual Assistance of the French Nobility (ANF) from the southern French region of Auvergne in the castle of Parentignat to mingle and share ideas. Talks were entitled: “The role of the nobility in European civilization,” “The nobility in a Europe on the move,” […]

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Video of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 (Part 7/7)

October 13, 2011

Previous segments: Part 6 Part 5 Part 4 Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

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Last Letter of Marie-Antoinette

October 13, 2011

October 16, 1793 letter written by Marie-Antoinette Queen of France a few hours before her execution to her sister-in-law Madame Elisabeth: 16th October, 4.30 A.M. It is to you, my sister, that I write for the last time. I have just been condemned, not to a shameful death, for such is only for criminals, but […]

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Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of France and Capetian Widow

October 13, 2011

(A lecture by Plinio Correa 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 Hapsburg, and later Marie Antoinette of Bourbon, brings to memory the series of extraordinary and unforeseen events that together make […]

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October 13 – His reign was one of almost unbroken peace

October 13, 2011

St. Edward the Confessor King of England, born in 1003; died 5 January, 1066. God often gives bad princes in his wrath; but in a good king he bestows a great public blessing on a nation. A wise king is the upholding of his people. (1) As the judge of the people is himself, so […]

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Why celebrate Columbus Day?

October 10, 2011

Columbus and Divine Providence by Jeremias Wells Christopher Columbus certainly ranks as one of the greatest men of achievement the world has ever known, and also justly one of the most renowned, for the entire history of Europeans in America originated from his vision, religious sense and adventurous spirit. As can be expected in a […]

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The United States: An Aristocratic Nation Within a Democratic State

October 10, 2011

Introduction  (part 2) The United States is universally considered the republic par excellence, whose very Declaration of Independence consecrated the principle that “all men are created equal.” It is the nation of “self-made men,” where anyone can rise “from rags to riches”; the nation of individual liberties, where authority and hierarchy are viewed with suspicion; […]

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October 11 – Model Archduke, both spiritual and temporal

October 10, 2011

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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October 10 – This man is proof that God can take good out of evil

October 10, 2011

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 7 – How the Rosary saved Christendom

October 6, 2011

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary Here is but a small fraction of the victories directly obtained from God through the Holy Rosary: The Battle of Lepanto which saved Rome and Vienna, and thus the Pope and the Emperor, from Moslem subjugation The deliverance of Vienna by Sobieski The victory given to Prince […]

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The United States: An Aristocratic Nation Within a Democratic State

October 6, 2011

Introduction  (part 1) The main text of this book established the legitimacy, utility, and role of the nobility and other traditional elites within contemporary society. Special attention was placed on the traditional nobility in the European context, that is, the military nobility of rural origin. In his memorable allocutions to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility, […]

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Video of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 (Part 6/7)

October 6, 2011

http://youtu.be/X8hDPGPV-k0 Previous segments: Part 5 Part 4 Part 3 Part 2 Part 1

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October 6 – Princes and popes coveted the advice of this silent man

October 6, 2011

St. Bruno Confessor, ecclesiastical writer, and founder of the Carthusian Order. He was born at Cologne about the year 1030; died 6 October, 1101. He is usually represented with a death’s head in his hands, a book and a cross, or crowned with seven stars; or with a roll bearing the device O Bonitas. His […]

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