Mary's Catholics

We are in the last day of October, the month of the Holy Rosary. It is fitting to share to the world especially to the Catholics the reflections of the Popes about the Rosary.      The Rosary is well suited to the honor of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and for warding off impending dangers.   - Pope Sixtus IV, 212th Pope      The Rosary is the scourge of the devil.  - Pope Adrian VI,  218th Pope      The Rosary was instituted to appease the anger of God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. - Pope Gregory XIII, 226th Pope      Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world. - Blessed Pope Pius IX, 255th Pope      The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life.  It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings.  There is no more excellent way of ...

Last Sunday, October 21, 2012 was the canonization of seven new saints at the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI. Here are the seven new saints: 1.  Jacques Berthieu (November 1838 - June 1896) - Jesuit priest and missionary from Cantal, France who was killed in Madagascar for refusing to renounce his faith rather than accepting an offer from a village chieftain.  Beatified on October 17, 1965 by Pope Paul VI. 2.  Pedro Calungsod (c. 1654 - April 2, 1672) - Teenage sacristan and catechist from the Visayas region in the Philippines who went with the Jesuit missionaries to Guam and helped priests in converting the natives.  He was speared by a village chieftain.  Beatified on March 5, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. 3.  Giovanni Battista Piamarta (November 1841 - April 1913) - Italian priest, educator and founder of the "Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth".   Beatified on October 12, 1997 by Pope John Paul II. 4.  Carmen Salles y ...

October 21, 2012 is a very significant day for Filipino Catholics around the world.  Today is the canonization of the second Filipino saint, Blessed Pedro Calungsod who from now on will be known as St. Pedro Calungsod. But who is St. Pedro Calungsod? Name:  Pedro Calungsod (Calonsor in Spanish records) Date of Birth:  c. 1654 Birthplace:  Visayas region in the Philippines Died:  April 2, 1672 Feast Day:  April 2 Stained glass image at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Cebu City, Philippines Pedro Calungsod was a teenage Filipino sacristan and missionary catechist who died a martyr's death in Guam in 1672.  His place of origin could not be ascertained since there was no record that could point to his exact birthplace. In historical records, he was merely known as "Bisaya" or in English, "Visayan". The Visayans are a Filipino ethnic group living in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines.  Some of...

The Holy Rosary is composed principally and in substance of the "Our Father" and the "Hail Mary".  But what is the history of the Holy Rosary? In 1214, St. Dominic, a priest, was working hard for the conversion of the Albigensian heretics, but his efforts were hindered by the gravity of people's sins.  Feeling so depressed, he withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, France where he unceasingly prayed for three days and three nights.  He did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease God's anger.  His body was lacerated that he finally fell into a coma. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and said:   "Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?"    St. Dominic answered:   "Oh my Lady, you know far better than I do because next to your son Jesus Christ, you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation."   Our Lady replied:   "I want you to know th...

My favorite prayer is the holy rosary.  I learned how to pray the rosary when I was ten years old.  I came to know the praying of the rosary at an early age. When I was five, I saw many rosaries at the altar of my mom's room, and whenever I go to church I always saw people praying the rosary.  At the age of ten, out of curiosity, I asked my mom to teach me how to pray the rosary. At first, I really don't know the story and the importance of the holy rosary.  I just love praying it.  My knowledge of the importance and history of the holy rosary came in 1993 when I bought a book entitled " The Secret of the Rosary " by St. Louis Marie de Montfort.  I read and reread the book.  The more I understand the secret of the rosary, the more I love praying it. Just as the fetus is connected to the mother through the umbilical cord, Catholics are connected to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the holy rosary. While the umbilical cord is only temporary, the ...

Name:  Marie Francoise Therese Martin Birthdate:  January 2, 1873 Birthplace:  Alencon, France Parents:  Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin Siblings:  Marie, Pauline, Leonie and Celine The Martin couple had nine children but four of them died (three infants and a five year old) of Enteritis.  All of the five surviving daughters became nuns including Therese. Therese was baptized on January 4, 1873. On August 28, 1877, Therese's mother Zelie died of breast cancer at the age of forty-five.  Therese was only four years old.  Three months later, her Father moved the family to Lisieux. Towards the end of 1879, Therese had her first confession. Therese became sick and on May 13, 1883, she reported that she saw the Blessed Virgin Mary smiled at her.  She was then healed of her sickness. On May 8, 1884, Therese received her first Holy Communion. On December 25, 1886, Therese experienced a conversion that changed her life. On Novemb...