Fr. R. Vierling, D.Min, M.A., M.Div. / “I am a Catholic man and a priest. In that Faith have I lived and in that Faith I intend to die.’ (St. Edmund Campion)
55 Christians have been massacred within the last 24 hours in Nigeria amid an ongoing persecution and genocide led by Islamic militants.
Schools, churches and homes were burned and ransacked by Muslim gunmen from the Fulani tribe in Plateau province.
More than 100 people were
Modern science cannot explain many aspects of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The image shows no sign of deterioration after 500 years. The tilma or cloak of Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey
Ven. Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan of Vietnam:
I was in prison for 13 years, 9 of which in solitary confinement. Two guards watched me but never spoke to me; just yes and no.
But I knew that after all, they were my brothers and I had to be kind to them. I had no gift to offer as a
For the third time in sixty years, St. Rita's uncorrupted body was removed from her glass enclosure. The fragrance of rose, characteristic of Saint Rita, filled the entire sanctuary.
Died in the 15th century, her body was preserved intact and it spreads the fragrance of rose.
Once upon a time, the devil appeared to three monks and said: If he gave you power to change something from the past, what would you change?
The first of them had great apostolic fervor and he answered, “I would prevent you to make Adam and Eve fall into sin, so that mankind
The Little Sister Disciples of the Lamb is an order for women with Down’s Syndrome. Following the ‘little way’ of the Little Flower, these religious lead a life of prayer, work, sacrifice and adoration. Their vocation bears witness to the dignity and sacredness of all human life.
The three monks and the devil—
The devil appeared to three monks and said to them: if I give you power to change something of the past, what would you change?
The first of them, with great apostolic fervor answered: “I would prevent you from causing Adam and Eve to fall into
Praying for the repose of the soul of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, the Most Reverend David O’Connell, who was shot and killed yesterday. The bishop was noted for his work among the poor and disadvantaged, his pro-life activism, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May this
A Catholic man delivering a speech to a Catholic audience on a Catholic college campus and citing Catholic doctrine is problematic only to bigots and Catholics who take their cues from the editorial pages of the NY Times.
WATCH: Three-time Catholic Super Bowl Champ Harrison Butker BLASTS woke priests, perfectly unpacks problem with "celebrity priests"🔥
Imagine if everyone had this level of clarity.
The pretzel has a deep spiritual meaning for Lent. In fact, it was the ancient Christian Lenten bread as far back as the fourth century. In the old Roman Empire, the faithful kept a very strict fast all through Lent: no milk, no butter, no cheese, no eggs, no cream and no meat.
By the grace of God, I have been a priest for 32 years. I have never been approached to give a blessing to an adulterer for their adultery, a liar for their lies, a thief for their thefts, etc. I have been approached by fellow sinners who ask a blessing to petition God to help
“America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance — it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the
Arguably the most influential churchman of our time. It saddens me to think what could have been (and avoided) had he continued in the Petrine ministry—but God’s holy will be done. Please offer a prayer for Pope Benedict in what is reportedly his final hours with us.
That a Roman Catholic President can advocate for the protection and expansion of a homicidal evil with nary a word about canonical sanction from our bishops is a sad commentary on the state of the Church.
In the 1660s, after Protestants closed all Catholic Churches in the Netherlands, a German merchant cut out the top three floors of his home and built a hidden church in Amsterdam, where Catholics met for Holy Mass until the 1850s, when Catholicism was again legalized and hidden
This photo was the winner of the World Press Photo of the year 1962 and the 1963 Pulitzer Prize winner for Photography. It was taken by Hector Rondon Lovera in Venezuela of a dying soldier clinging to the cassock of Fr. Luis Padillo.
Braving the streets amid sniper fire, to
This young man was on my hall staff at the University of Notre Dame. You will not meet a finer, more ethical gentleman than Steve Friend. I have no doubt as to the veracity of what he has brought to light.
Fr Martin will probably say later “what I meant was civilly married, I uphold Catholic doctrine.”
Meanwhile people will fulminate, and he’ll say, “I’m not sure why…”
And we’ve seen this movie 100x before.
“At the root of this (gender theory) is the work of Satan, who wants to build an actual anti-creation. This is the ultimate and terrible challenge which Satan is hurling at God. ‘I am demonstrating to you that I am capable of constructing an alternative to your creation'. And man
One of the most amazing things about the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the eyes. Using digital technology, the images in the eyes of Our Lady were enlarged many times, revealing that each eye reflected the figure of the Indian Juan Diego opening his tilma in front of Bishop
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fundamental truth of our faith. Jesus intended it to take place in such a way that nobody could reasonably deny it. There is no historical fact which can be upheld by such clear and ample evidence as the Resurrection of Our Lord. It emerges
It is generally believed that Our Blessed Lady died, since she would not have wished to escape death any more than her divine Son did. Our Lord, however, had seen her sharing in His agony and death upon Mount Calvary, and He willed that her own death would be so peaceful as
The Carmelite Sisters of Kharkov and Kiev, staring in the face of war, have decided to remain in their monasteries. Please keep them in your worthy prayers.
Brief explanation of why only a male priest can image Christ:
The priesthood is a sacramental presence, that when the priest acts, Jesus Christ acts. This is why priests are men. In November, a journalist asked Pope Francis if women priests were a possibility. The pope said
March 11 is nine days before the Solemnity of St. Joseph (celebrated this year on March 20) and the day to begin a nine-day novena to St. Joseph for his feast day.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Joseph, you are the faithful
A Polish artisan and jeweler is hoping that his craft leads people to God. After experiencing a miraculous healing, he decided to dedicate his life to sacred art and, in particular, to creating monstrances that house the Body of Christ worldwide.
“God is beautiful and we want to
A Louisiana Catholic father of five is now under attack after he made an Instagram post on Sunday commemorating the Sacred Heart of Jesus and providing his followers with ways they can protect themselves from “false pride”.
St. Bernadette Soubirous, the oldest of six children, was born in Lourdes, France, in 1844. At the age of 14, between 11 February 1858 and 16 July 1858, Bernadette had 18 visions of the Immaculate Conception in a local grotto near the bank of the River Gave, near Lourdes. During
Today in Fatima in 1917, the marvelous Miracle of the Sun took place. The story begins in the village of Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917. On that fateful day near that tiny village, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, appeared to three young peasant children: Francisco,
Pulled from Facebook. Unidentified abandoned Catholic church in Chicago. Should not the diocese at the very least remove all of its liturgical/artistic appointments? (1/2)
St. Anthony was not born a saint, but he became one as the result of prayer, self-denial and penance, which attracted to him God’s many graces.
On a summer evening in the year 1219 five mendicant friars arrived at the gate of the ancient Abbey of Coimbra, asking for hospitality
“Instead of helping the poor, we go shopping. Instead of spending meaningful time with our families and friends, we look for videos on the Internet. We cocoon ourselves in a web of narcotics, from entertainment to self-help gurus to chemicals. We wrap ourselves in cheap comforts
In 1960, Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, Archbishop of Genoa, published a pastoral letter on modesty in dress for which he was roundly mocked. However, in point of fact, the Cardinal was among the first to sound the alarm on what is known now as gender theory.
“The wearing of men’s
Today is the Sunday of Divine Mercy, the Octave Day of Easter.
The Divine Mercy Sunday origin is from a revelation to Saint Faustina, a Sister of Mercy in Poland who initiated the Divine Mercy devotion. Between 1930 and 1938 Jesus requested numerous times a Feast of Divine
St. Peter was by nature impetuous and generous. He loved Jesus sincerely. Even after the other Apostles had run away when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane (Cf. Mt. 26:56), he followed Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. “Peter was following at a
Today is the Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina (1887-1968), more popularly known as Padre Pio was born in 1887 in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina. He joined the Capuchin Friars at the age of sixteen and was ordained a priest seven years later. For fifty years at the
If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. Sacrifice a lamb without blemish, commanded Moses, and sprinkle its blood on your doors. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an
Novena to St. Joseph: Day Two
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I come
According to Croatian tradition, when a couple gets married, the priest tells them they have found their cross in each other: "It is a cross to love, to carry it with you, a cross that is not to throw away but to treasure."
In light of recent news stories, two thoughts:
a) The Church needs to restore the altar rail and return to the practice of the faithful receiving Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling.
b) The Sacrament of Penance with priest and penitent separated by a partition/screen
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be pathetically cheapened by treating it as just another devotion. On the contrary, it contains in its doctrinal foundation what the popes have reminded us are the seven cardinal mysteries of our Faith, which the world denies but faithful
Benedict XVI has returned to the Father’s House. Benedict has passed, but his rich theological legacy remains for our study, reflection, and prayer. May this good and faithful servant of the Truth rest in eternal peace.
Some people think that they are good Christians because they avoid committing grave sin and more or less fulfil their duties. They do not entirely omit their prayers, but they are content to recite them listlessly.
They go to Mass on days of obligation, but they are afraid of
A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who on the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, publicly recite the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Christ the King (Iesu dulcissime, Redemptor); a partial indulgence is granted for its use in other
According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, these are the spiritual exercises by which one should begin each day:
1. “When you awake in the morning, your first thought should be to raise your mind to God and offer Him all the actions of that day, asking Him to help you by His grace.”
Carlo Acutis was born May 3, 1991, in London though his family moved to Milan shortly after. From a young age, Carlo seemed to have a special love for God, even though his parents weren’t especially devout. His mom said she had been to Mass only for her First Communion, her
Nearly two centuries after the repeal of England’s anti-Catholic penal laws, a Catholic was arrested and charged for the crime of praying inside her own head.
From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope:
You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message.
When I die, I hope no one will say "well, at least he is in a better place." Do not assume that for myself nor for anyone else. This is why we pray for our deceased loved ones. This is why we have the Holy Mass offered for their blessed repose. This is why the deceased are
Every autumn a huge golden Celtic cross appears in the forests of County Donegal, Ireland. 3000 Japanese larch trees were planted amongst pine trees in such a way that a cross pattern is created when the larch trees turn yellow.
#Catholic
“Who’s going to save our Church? It’s not our bishops, it’s not our priests and it is not the religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that the priests act like priests, your bishops act like
A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart.
A plenary indulgence is granted if it is publicly recited on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prayer:
Most sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men
“Unless there is a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday. The Cross is the condition of the empty tomb, and the crown of thorns is the preface to the halo of light.” (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen)
Photo: New York City skyline, Good Friday, 1956.
Statement of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in the U.S.A. on the declaration, Fiducia Supplicans:
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (USA) wishes to address the recent turmoil over the proper interpretation and application of Fiducia Supplicans from the Dicastery of the
Did you know that the pretzel has a deep spiritual meaning for Lent? In fact, it was the ancient Christian Lenten bread as far back as the fourth century. In the old Roman Empire, the faithful kept a very strict fast all through Lent: no milk, no butter, no cheese, no eggs, no
Pope Francis: “I say this about abortion: in any second-year university embryology book it says that a month after conception, even before the mother is aware [she is pregnant], the entire organ system is already drawn inside and the DNA is clear. In other words, it is a living