Great Find!!!

While browsing on cafe press I found this great design on shirts and other items and just knew I had to pass it on. I should be getting my shirt in about a week and hope that y'all will do the same to spread the beauty found in the modesty of head covering.

Promises of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary

"And He showed me that it was his great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting his heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treasures of which this Heart is the source. He should be honoured under that figure of this Heart and flesh, and its image should be exposed . . . He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing it special honour, He would pour forth His blessings and graces. This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these later days, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which he deserves to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion." ~St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

1. I will give them all graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heard shall be exposed and honoured.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday on nine consecutive months the grace of the final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

"Si iniquitates observaveris"

I absolutely love polyphonic chant so when I found this clip I had to post it. They really do an excellent job sight reading the piece. Enjoy!

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa was a truly extraordinary woman that was the epitome of a servant after Christ. Below are a few of my favorite quotes from her and an extremely exciting article discussing her possible canonization during this year.

“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

“Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house... let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness.”

“We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.”

"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world."

"How can there be too many babies? That's like saying there are too many flowers."

St. Teresa of Calcutta This Year?

Lay Group Prays for Anticipated Canonization

August 23, 2007
Zenit.org
CALCUTTA, India

This is the year for the canonization of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, or so hopes a group of Catholics in Calcutta.

The Catholic Association of Bengal, the largest lay organization of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, has declared 2007 the Year for the Canonization of Mother Teresa, AsiaNews reported.

The organization launched a two-week prayer campaign today, which will lead up to the 10th anniversary of the nun's death, with plans to continue the initial celebration until Sept. 23.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who founded the Missionaries of Charity, died Sept. 5, 1997, and was beatified in October 2003.

The organization's chairman, Eugene Gonsalves, told AsiaNews: "More than three years have passed since the title of 'blessed' was conferred on our beloved Mother Teresa.

"During her life, Mother was a living saint to many. There is no doubt that she is already a 'saint' to many more around the world.

"Sainthood for Mother Teresa in a real sense may not be far away as many miracles are happening by her intercession."

Gonsalves said the year will include special prayer services and celebrations of the Eucharist in different churches and institutions, to be announced in the coming months.

"We shall welcome everyone, poor and rich alike, as she did, without distinctions of faith, nationality or caste," Gonsalves said, all as "a sign of harmony, unity and devotion to Mother Teresa."

Saint Faustina

This wonderfully pious woman has become the most recent name on our list for future children. She was a shining example of devotion to our Lord. Her story according to Marian.org is as follows:

Saint Faustina Helena Kowalska was born in the village of Glogowiec west of Lodz, Poland, on August 25, 1905. She was the third of ten children. When she was almost twenty, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled young women.

The following year she received her religious habit and was given the name Sister Maria Faustina, to which she added "of the Most Blessed Sacrament," as was permitted by her Congregation's custom.

In the 1930s, Saint Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God's mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for reemphasizing God's plan of mercy for the world.

It was not a glamorous prospect. Her entire life, in imitation of Christ's, was to be a sacrifice -- a life lived for others. At the divine Lord's request, she willingly offered her personal sufferings in union with Him to atone for the sins of others; in her daily life she was to become a doer of mercy, bringing joy and peace to others; and by writing about God's mercy, she was to encourage others to trust in Him and thus prepare the world for His coming again.

Convinced of her own unworthiness, and terrified at the thought of trying to write anything, she nonetheless began keeping a diary in 1934 in obedience to the express wishes of her spiritual director, and then of Our Lord Himself. For four years she recorded divine revelations and mystical experiences, together with her own inmost thoughts, insights, and prayers. The result is a book of some 600 printed pages that, in simple language, repeats and clarifies the gospel story of God's love for His people, emphasizing, above all, the need to trust in His loving action in all the aspects of our lives. It also reveals an extraordinary example of how to respond to God's mercy and manifest it to others.

Saint Faustina's spiritual life was based on deep humility, purity of intention, and loving obedience to the will of God in imitation of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation gave her the strength to bear all her sufferings as an offering to God on behalf of the Church and those in special need, especially great sinners and the dying.

She wrote and suffered in secret, with only her spiritual director and some of her superiors aware that anything special was taking place in her life. After her death from tuberculosis in 1938, even her closest associates were amazed as they began to discover what great sufferings and deep mystical experiences had been given to this sister of theirs, who had always been so cheerful and humble. She had taken deeply into her heart God's gospel command to "be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful" as well as her confessor's directive that she should act in such a way that everyone who came in contact with her would go away joyful.

The message of mercy that Saint Faustina received is now being spread throughout the world; she was canonized by the Church on April 30, 2000; and her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, has become the handbook for devotion to The Divine Mercy. She would not have been surprised, for she had been told that the message of God's mercy would spread through her writings for the great benefit of souls.

In a prophetic statement she had declared:

I feel certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will begin. O doubting souls, I will draw aside for you the veils of heaven to convince you of God's goodness (Diary 281).

Saint Michael's Conference SW

Saint Michael's Conference was extraordinary! All the faculty and staff were pleasures to work with and the students were very receptive. It is unbelievable that I have to wait another 50 weeks for next years conference. Pictures can be found here.

Cathlomasstic Orthodoxy!

This comic was in the TCU newspaper a while back for Benedict. I think it perfectly illustrates the way we as catholics should embrace our faith.

She's Got A Way About Her

I simply love this!

I can only Imagine and the Blessed Sacrament

Why am I Catholic Video

Another video for consumption.

Getting Down to What Women Should Really Be Doing!

One thing that continues to frustrate me is the misconception most people have regarding the Christian roles of women(AKA, what we should be doing in our lives). Even at the Christian school I attend, there is a disregard and overall ignorance when it comes to what we as women should be doing and have as priorities. Finally, the purpose of this post is not to say what women are allowed to do in the church, just to show what our main focus in life should be.

After a conversation with a friend, I must bring up two examples that we are called to follow: our Holy and Blessed Mother Mary and St. Mary Magdalene. Obviously the BVM is the first woman we should try and emulate because she is the perfect example of full submission to God's will. Think about it, what would have happened if she had said, "Sorry Lord, I'm busy the next 30 years?" Now for St. Mary Magdalene, we are to look to her as an example of humility and penitence. If we recall, she came to Jesus, while a prostitute, and washed his feet with expensive perfume her hair and tears. Christ directed for her to be viewed as an example and she was forgiven of her sins then and there. She was also one of the first people to find the tomb empty and see Jesus following the resurrection.

Other examples of our responsibilities include, providing hospitality, caring for those less fortunate than ourselves, instructing the young, and the birthing, feeding and self-raising of children(Proverbs 31). Disregarding all the misogynistic jokes, making fun of our roles, that I often hear at social gatherings; it is a woman's purpose to be the helper and serve her husband. And yes, that does mean that we were made for the pleasure of men(within marital standing of course).

In closing, we should be proud of these facts. Woman is the pinnacle of creation made from flesh and bone, unlike the dirt of man. Also it took only Eve to tempt Adam into sinning, but Lucifer himself to deceive Eve. There is a greater purpose in the "menial" every day tasks, than what we see. We are to be helpmates and we should be the ones taking care of the children and our homes, including the utmost care and honoring of our husband. We make it possible for the husband to be the spiritual leader and head of the home. If we neglect this important calling we are impeding God's plan for men, in turn, causing strife in the home and between spouses. Snaps to those already doing these things in their daily lives! And, let us remind ourselves of our divine purpose the next time we feel unappreciated or unutilized performing the roles God has set forth for us in His infinite wisdom.