Saint Clotilda, Queen and Widow
by VP
Posted on Tuesday June 03, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
St. Clotilda praying at the foot of Saint Marc's Tomb. Public domain
"The Mission of the Christian Woman: If death has entered the world through the guilt of a woman, woman has, on the other hand, oftentimes been invested with the mission of bringing salvation to the world. It suffices to mention Deborah, Judith, the incomparable Mary, Mother of God; and, coming down to our own times, Genoveva and Clotilda, to the latter of whom France owes Christianity. Being the wife of Clovis, who was a pagan, like the rest of his people, she urged her husband to become a Christian, and each day entreated Heaven to grant his conversion. Heaven came to her assistance. When he was on the point of losing the battle of Tolbiac and his troops had already begun to fly, a sudden thought recurred to the mind of Clovis, and he exclaimed: "God of Clotilda! if Thou givest me the victory, I will become a Christian." God vouchsafed to grant him the victory, and Clovis was true to his word. let not this great boon, however, allow us to forget the other virtues of Clotilda, - her humility, piety, resignation, love for the poor, her austerities, and zeal for religion. She died at Tours in 543, having had a revelation of her death thirty days beforehand, while praying at the tomb of St. Martin. Moral reflection: St. Peter traces out the mission of the Christian woman, "To win the heart of those that believe not the word." (1 Peter 3. 1.). Pictorial half hours with the saints, by Abbe Auguste François Lecanu
Prayer:
Hail, gentle and loving St. Clotilde, sweet illustrious Queen of the Franks, who by thy faith and perseverance in the Lord didst convert thy husband and made France for many centuries a venerable stalwart of the Catholic faith, I implore thy powerful intercession in this my great need. Assist me, holy St. Clotilde, from thy height of glory in heaven. Thou, who during thy earthly sojourn, didst drink deeply from the Saviour's chalice of sorrows, have pity on my dire distress, especially . . . (Here make your intention). Grant also that through my sorrows I may, like thee, purify my faith and never lose hope in the mercy of God. Amen.
Saints Charles Lwanga and Companions: Faithful unto Death
by VP
Posted on Tuesday June 03, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
"In 1879 Catholicism began spreading in Uganda when the White Fathers, a congregation of priests founded by Cardinal Lavigerie were peacefully received by King Mutesa of Uganda. The priests soon began preparing catechumens for baptism and before long a number of the young pages in the king’s court had become Catholics. However, on the death of Mutesa, his son Mwanga, a corrupt man who ritually engaged in pedophilic practices with the younger pages, took the throne.
When King Mwanga had a visiting Anglican
Bishop murdered, his chief page, Joseph Mukasa, a Catholic who went to
great length to protect the younger boys from the king’s lust, denounced
the king’s actions and was beheaded on November 15, 1885. The 25 year old Charles Lwanga, a man
wholly dedicated to the Christian instruction of the younger boys, became
the chief page, and just as forcibly protected them from the kings advances.On the night of the martyrdom of Joseph
Mukasa, realizing that their own lives were in danger, Lwanga and some
of the other pages went to the White Fathers to receive baptism. Another
100 catechumens were baptized in the week following Joseph Mukasa’s death.
The following May, King Mwanga learned
that one of the boys was learning catechism. He was furious and ordered
all the pages to be questioned to separate the Christians from the others.
The Christians, 15 in all, between the ages of 13 and 25, stepped forward.
The King asked them if they were willing to keep their faith. They answered
in unison, “Until death!” "
Catholic News Agency, used with Permission
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
O God, by whose providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the
Church: Grant that we who remember before you the blessed martyrs of
Uganda, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to
whom they gave obedience even unto death, and by their sacrifice brought
forth a plentiful harvest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end,
Amen
OUR FATHER
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
GLORY BE
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
O Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer, through your passion and death, we adore and thank Thee.
Holy Mary, Mother and Queen of Martyrs, Obtain for us sanctification through our sufferings.
Holy Martyrs, followers of the suffering Christ, obtain for us the grace to imitate Him.
St.
Joseph Balikuddembe, first Martyr of Uganda, who inspired and
encouraged Nephytes, obtain for us a spirit of truth and justice.
St. Charles Lwanga, patron of the Youth and Catholic Action, obtain for us a firm and zealous faith.
St. Matthias Mulumba, ideal Chief and follower of Christ meek and humble, obtain for us a Christian gentleness.
St. Dionysius Sebuggwawo, zealous for the Christian Faith and renowned for your modesty, obtain for us the virtue of modesty.
St. Andrew Kaggwa, model Catechist and teacher, obtain for us a love of the teaching of Christ.
St. Kizito, child resplendent in purity and Christian joy, obtain for us the gift of joy in our Lord.
St. Gyaviira, shining example of how to forgive and forget injuries, obtain for us the grace to forgive those who injure us.
St. Mukasa, fervent catechumen rewarded with the Baptism of your blood, obtain for us perseverance unto the death.
St.
Adolfus Ludigo, conspicuous by your following of our Lord's spirit of
service to others; obtain for us a love of unselfish service.
St.
Anatoli Kiriggwajjo, humble servant preferring a devout life to wordly
honours; obtain for us to love piety more than earthly things.
St. Ambrosius Kibuuka, young man full of joy and love of your neighbour; obtain for us fraternal charity.
St.
Achilles Kiwanuka, who for the sake of Christ detested vain
superstitious practices; obtain for us holy hatred of superstitious
practices.
St. John Muzeeyi, prudent councilor, renowned for the practice of works of mercy; obtain for us a love of those works of mercy.
Blessed
Jildo Irwa and Blessed Daudi Okello who gave up your lives for the
spread of the Catholic Faith; obtain for us the zeal of spreading the
Catholic Faith.
St. Pontaianus Ngondwe, faithful soldier, longing for
the martyr's crown; obtain for us the grace to be always faithful to
our duty.
St. Athanasius Bazzekuketta, faithful steward of the royal treasury; obtain for us a spirit of responsibility.
St. Mbaaga, who preferred death to the persuasions of your parents; obtain for us to follow generously divine grace.
St. Gonzaga Gonza, full of sympathy for prisoners, and all who were in trouble; obtain for us the spirit of mercy.
St. Noe Mawaggali, humble worker and lover of evangelical poverty; obtain for us love of evangelical poverty.
St.
Luke Baanabakintu, who ardently desired to imitate the suffering Christ
by Martyrdom; obtain for us a love of our motherland.
St. Bruno
Serunkuuma, soldier who gave an example of repentance and temperance;
obtain for us the virtues to repentance and temperance.
St. Mugagga, young man renowned for your heroic chastity; obtain for us perserverance in chastity.
Holy Martyrs, firm in your fidelity to the true Church of Christ; help us to be always faithful to the true Church of Christ.
Let us pray
O
Lord Jesus Christ, who wonderfully strengthened the Holy Martyrs of
Uganda St. Charles Lwanga, Matthias Mulumba, Blessed Jildo Irwa, Blessed
Daudi Okello and their Companions; and gave them to us as examples of
faith and fortitude, chastity, charity, and fidelity; grant, we beseech
you, that by their Intercession, the same virtues may increase in us,
and that we may deserve to become propagators of the true faith. Who
lives and reigns world without end. Amen
St. Charles Lwanga
and the Martyrs of Uganda, we come to you asking your prayers of
intercession on behalf of all who suffer from the unjust exercise of
authority. May you who were so cruelly persecuted for your faith in
Jesus Christ intercede for all who are oppressed, that they might be
comforted by the Divine Mercy and empowered by the gift and grace of
fortitude. May justice be the goal of all people and may all who are
called by the name Christian join together in works of redemption
directed at the sins and the structures of sin that afflict our
communities. Amen.
Saint Pothinus, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Monday June 02, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
Saint Pothin ; Vitraux de Lucien Bégule (1901), Église Saint-Irénée.
"ARDOUR FOR MARTYRDOM. - St. Pothinus had founded at Lyons one of the first churches in the whole of Gaul; the body of Christians was already numerous and making great progress, when the pagan priests, alarmed for their gods, excited a tumult among the people. Pothinus was then more than ninety years old, and had almost lost the use of his limbs; but in order to proceed to the presence of the judge, he suddenly summoned up strength. The blasphemies of the thronging multitude accompanied his steps. "What is this God of the Christians?" asked one. "You will know Him, if worthy of it," replied the old man. At this firm and bold answer, the anger of the people knew no bounds. Pothinus was loaded with blows, and beaten down with the missiles hurled at him; he was, however, snatched from their violence, and taken to prison, where, after two days, he expired. This happened in the year 177. Forty-seven other martyrs, who had been arrested at the same time, underwent various tortures. Cemented thus with the blood of its founders, the Church of Gaul became indestructible.
MORAL REFLECTION. Even thus did the Apostles rejoice "that they were accounted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus." (Acts v. 41.)" Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints, Abbe Lecanu
Sunday after the Ascension: The Holy Spirit
by VP
Posted on Sunday June 01, 2025 at 01:00AM in Sunday Sermons
The Ascension - James Tissot
" When the Paraclete cometh the Spirit of Truth." JOHN XV. 2, 6.
1. Our Lord's promise to send the Holy Spirit was not for the Apostles only.
2. But for all His disciples until the end of time.
3. How we need the Holy Spirit.
4. His work within our souls-faith, holy fear, piety, and peace.
OUR Blessed Lord, before He departed and left His disciples, consoled them by telling them of the Paraclete, Whom He would send them. He knew how they would grieve at His departure; how they would miss Him, Who had been to them strength and solace and inspiration. So He tells them that He would send another Paraclete-Comforter. It would be for Him -the Holy Spirit of God, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity-to teach them, to warn them, to defend them from evil. Recall His words: "I will ask the Father and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever" (John xiv. 16). "When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will teach you all truth" (John xvi. 13). "The Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you" (John xiv. 26).
We see that our Lord's promise was not only meant for the disciples there present, but for all His disciples until the end of time-" that He may abide with you for ever." Yes, for each soul of man has need of the Spirit of Truth, that we may keep His commandments and abide in His love. We need the Holy Spirit because of our own nature we are weak and ignorant and sinful. Self, self-seeking would soon become our guide, our master, and ultimately our ruin, if not checked and made subservient to the Holy Spirit. We need likewise the Holy Spirit to counteract the false standards, the allurements, the seductions of the world. We have to live in the world, yet we have to endeavour to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. We need the Spirit of Truth finally and most emphatically, "that we may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is. . . against the spirits of wickedness. Therefore, take unto you the armour of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect . . . with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. vi. 11-17). We are often warned in the Scripture about the evil one," lest we fall into the snares of the devil," as St. Paul says (1 Tim. iii. 7).
From the dangers from ourselves, the world, the spirit of evil, we see most plainly the absolute necessity of receiving, obeying, and being guided by the Spirit of Truth. With the help of God, let us try to realize what the presence of the Holy Ghost is to our soulsHis power, His holy gifts, and the effects of His presence. Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you,” says St. Paul (1 Cor. iii. 16).
The Spirit of God, that other Paraclete, as our Blessed Lord called Him, is given to us in order to inspire our souls with noble aspirations and courage to endeavour to fulfil them. "To us God hath revealed them by His Holy Spirit . . that we may know the things that are given to us by God” (1 Cor. ii. 10, 12). It is He Who teaches us to believe, to pray, to endure. The Spirit not only teaches us, but with His divine power enables us to fulfil our duties. "The Spirit also helps our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself asketh for us" (Rom. viii. 26).
Thus the Spirit works within our soul, and the first effect is the holy fear of God. That holy fear is “the beginning of the fulness of wisdom." It is not a servile fear, but a fear that makes us feel and appreciate the presence of God, that we are partakers of the Spirit of God" (Heb. vi. 4). A fear it is that makes us anxious about God, to remember that His all-seeing eye is upon us, to long and try to please Him in all we do.
And the second effect speedily develops from this reverential fear into the love of God, which is called piety. Piety is that disposition of heart that turns to God as our Father; and makes us look upon the Son of God, our blessed Redeemer, as our Friend! our Brother! "Because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts" (Gal. iv. 6). This piety is the power that makes us adhere to God, and strive to give our whole heart to Him.
Peace is the third effect; that peace which the world cannot give. A peace in spite of our life being a warfare! A warfare against self, the world, and the evil one. This is the blessed peace of a soul that believes and trusts that it is cared for and loved and protected by its God, and is striving to be faithful to Him.
But we must not be content that the Holy Spirit has taught all this, and that we know it and believe it To know the Truth is not all. To know the blessed effects that the indwelling of the Spirit would work in our hearts is not sufficient. Besides knowing, we must be led by the Spirit, we must walk by the Spirit; and to do this we must day after day most carefully, patiently, lovingly, cherish the Spirit of God within us." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Francis Paulinus Hickey
St. Pamphilus, MARTYR, A.D. 309.
by VP
Posted on Sunday June 01, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
"A PRIEST of great learning and sanctity, and particularly honoured by the historian Eusebius. He led a most austere life, retired from the world and its company. He was apprehended by order of Urbanus, the cruel governor of Palestine, and most inhumanly tortured with iron hooks. When the governor could no longer bear the horror of his own cruelty, he ordered the martyr to be cast into prison, to wait the coming of a new governor. Urbanus was succeeded by Firmilian, who passed sentence of death upon St. Pamphilus. He was beheaded on the 16th of February, in the year 309.
When you consider the torments of the martyrs, and then reflect how every peevish word, uneasy humour, and trifling contradiction, is too much now for your patience; have you not reason to blush and be confounded at your weakness, and think that on these days of martyrs you ought to ask for a better spirit, that you may approach something nearer to what you honour in them. O God, help this sinful, and yet proud impatient clay. Give us strength from heaven, for of ourselves we have none.
If you are united with the martyrs in faith, show your faith to be like theirs; that is, let it be accompanied with constancy and courage. You have frequent opportunities of trying it in public, when the irreligious, profane, and sinful discourses of others oblige you to espouse the cause of virtue and truth, for preventing ill impressions upon the hearers. You have as many trials of it when the difficulties of life, the obstinancy of temptations, and your own weakness overwhelm you. It is here that your faith must come to your assistance. What is your faith, if it be only vigorous in time of peace, and sinks in time of difficulties? This is not the faith of the martyrs.
Begin the month by a hearty oblation of yourself, and all under your care to Almighty God. Beg His blessing and protection; ask grace for the amendment of past failings, and let these put you upon resolutions of being more watchful, and avoiding all occasions of sin." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Queenship of Mary
by VP
Posted on Saturday May 31, 2025 at 01:00AM in Tradition
Our Lady, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Front Royal, VA
"Queen
of heaven, thy immense love for God maketh thee likewise love His
Church. We pray thee, come to its help amidst the ills under which it is
now suffering, rent asunder as she is by her own children. Thy prayers,
being a mother’s, can obtain all from that God Who loveth Thee so well.
Pray
then, pray for the Church; ask for enlightenment for so many
unbelievers who are persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls the
necessary strength to resist being caught in the snares of the
unbelievers who would drag them down into their own ruin.
Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Proclaiming the Queenship
of Mary to the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates,
Archbishops, Bishops, and Other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion
with the Holy See.
"47. Since we are convinced, after
long and serious reflection, that great good will accrue to the Church
if this solidly established truth shines forth more clearly to all, like
a luminous lamp raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We decree and
establish the feast of Mary's Queenship,
which is to be celebrated every year in the whole world on the 31st of
May. We likewise ordain that on the same day the consecration of the
human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary be
renewed, cherishing the hope that through such consecration a new era
may begin, joyous in Christian peace and in the triumph of religion.
48.
Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of
grace and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in
adversity, light in darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them
strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing
homage, filled with filial loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her
churches be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored; may the
beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may Christians gather, in
small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in
hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in highest reverence, a
name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none utter
blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced
with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be
so bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name."
(...)
52.
Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear
these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate,
and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our
eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks,
as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our
heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction."
Source: Ad Caeli Reginam
St. Petronilla, Virgin
by VP
Posted on Saturday May 31, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
VIRGINITY.-Ancient authors recount that St. Petronilla was the daughter of St. Peter; that God had endowed her with great beauty, and that she was living at Rome in the practice of all virtues befitting Christian virgins, when she was asked for in marriage by a Roman knight named Flaccus. Petronilla, who had taken a vow to belong to God alone, being unable to free herself from his earnest importunity, begged for a delay of three days, in order that she might maturely weigh the matter. During this interval she prepared for death, and fervently prayed to God to withdraw her from this world. On the third day, indeed, she was found dead in the attitude of prayer. Whatever may be the truth of these details, which are withal adopted by the Martyrology, it is admitted that the veneration cherished for Petronilla is very ancient and wide-spread throughout the Church. There existed formerly on the Way of Ardea a cemetery, and a very famous monument dedicated in her name, which Pope Gregory III. had marked out as a station for pilgrims.
MORAL REFLECTION.-" Concerning virgins I have no commandment, but I give counsel that it is good so to be."-(1 Cor. vii. 25.)" Pictorial Half hour with the Saints by Abbe Lecanu
St. Felix, POPE AND MARTYR, A.D. 274.
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 01:00AM in Saints
"He was a Roman by birth, and succeeded St. Dionysius in the government of the Church in 269. Paul of Samosata, the proud bishop of Antioch, to the guilt of many enormous crimes added that of heresy, teaching that Christ was no more than a mere man, in whom the Divine Word dwelt by its operation, and as in its temple, with many other gross errors concerning the capital mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation. Two councils were held at Antioch to examine his cause, but by various arts and subterfuges, he escaped condemnation. However, in a third, assembled at the same place in 269, being clearly convicted of heresy, pride, and many scandalous crimes, he was excommunicated and deposed; and Domnus was substituted in his place. Paul still maintained himself in the possession of the episcopal house. The bishop therefore had recourse to the Emperor Aurelian; who, though a Pagan, gave an order that the house should belong to him to whom the bishops of Rome and Italy adjudged it.
The persecution of Aurelian breaking out, St. Felix, fearless of dangers, strengthened the weak, encouraged all, baptized the catechumens, and continued to exert himself in converting infidels to the faith. He himself obtained the glory of martyrdom, after governing the Church five years.
Pray for the present pope, bishop of that holy see, that he may be divinely assisted with all necessary helps for satisfying the duties of his
charge. Pray for all that suffer for their faith, that God would be
their comfort and support. Pray for patience for yourself in all
troubles. Every day brings its trials: be not overcome by small ones,
and prepare for greater. To suffer with humility and patience, is the disposition of a martyr. This you are to pray for on the days of martyrs, and be solicitous to practise something of it: for why should your life be a contradiction to your prayers? The example of Christ, and of all his saints, ought to encourage us under all trials to suffer with patience and even with joy." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Saint Jeanne d'Arc
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 01:00AM in Prayers
Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, Brittany
Prayer to St. Joan of Arc
Lord, You wondrously raised up St. Joan,
the Virgin, to defend the Faith and her country. Through her
intercession grant that the Church may overcome the snares of her
enemies and enjoy unbroken peace. Amen.
"What a spectacle," says Father Ayroles "to see this unlettered girl of nineteen years, weakened by the torments of her prison, defending herself unaided against an army of men, who were reputed to be depositories of human and divine knowledge, banded together to drag from her some incriminating word!"
What a shocking scandal for the gentle, pious peasant maiden from fair Domremy! It was an evil time; a time of schismatics and anti-popes, when king and nobles intrude into highest ecclesiastical positions their illegitimate sons or unworthy favorites. Relaxation of discipline was notorious, and all the excesses of the next century, the sixteenth, naturally followed."
Some of the Sanhedrin:
With Bishop Cauchon we are already acquainted. He had no more right to judge Joan than had the Khan of Tartary. He appointed himself; and whatever authority was lacking was conferred, in intent at least, by the university of Paris and the king of England. Neither had he any ecclesiastical jurisdiction. That Joan was taken prisoner at Compiegne was no more a reason for Cauchon to judge her anywhere, and least of all out of his diocese, than which the University of Paris had for the judging the Pope. "Fecit, tamen", as St. Augustine says of Pontius Pilate: "They did it, nevertheless."
Thomas Courcelles was especially chosen by Cauchon. He was one of the six doctors sent by the University of Paris to examine the Maid. All through the trial he was very exact in his task, and very well paid in the sum of one hundred and thirteen livres. Courcelles was one of the few in favor of subjecting Joan to torture. M. Quicherat calls him, and truly enough, "the father of Gallican liberties"; for probably no one dictated more articles than he in the schismatical council of Basle. He was the foe of Pope Eugene IV, and supporter of the anti-pope Felix V.
Erar, another of the doctors, preached at Joan in the cemetery at Rouen a discourse of extreme and unworthy violence. He was one of those who brutally tried to force Joan to sign a lying retraction. He had been rector of the University of Paris; and, like his brethren, was as anti-papal as he was anti-French.
Nicolas Midi, another of the Paris envoys, the last to preach at Joan before her execution, is supposed to have been the author - and calumniator - of the famous, or infamous XII Articles, sent from Rouen to Paris as a summary of the trial, and in which the defense is mutilated, or omitted.
Estivet, the prosecutor, canon of Beauvais, whence he was driven with Cauchon, was, of all this group, the lowest. His language resembled that of the English soldiers to Joan at Orleans.
The clergy of Rouen had been won over by the Duke of Bedfort, who showed them many favors. On October 23rd, 1430, when the price of the Maid was being handed over, he was admitted into the body of canons of the Cathedral of Rouen. The religious orders, especially the Benedictines were very numerous. We find them, unfortunately, cutting an evil figure in the trial of Joan. Gilles Duremort, abbot of Fecamp, and member of the English royal council, received the sum of one thousand livres for his share in the iniquitous transaction. He was an intimate friend of Bishop Cauchon, and was afterwards made bishop of Coutances. He did not reside in his monastery but in his fine palace at Rouen; as did his fellow-religious like character, Nicolad Lerous, abbot of Jumieges, and Pierre Miget, prior of Longueville.
Several Englishmen took part in the Process especially at decisive points. Of these was William Hayton, a bachelor in theology, secretary of the king and member of the royal council, who voted for Joan's death.
"In the name of the Lord, amen." Cauchon declares her a heretic, and cuts her off from the Church as a rotten member, and hands her over to the civil power.
(...) Joan denied that she was a heretic or schismatic; and she maintained the truth or her revelations to the last. Bishop de Mailly withdrew, in order not to see her die.
The executioner told of the cruel binding to the stake on the plaster platform, which was so high that the flames hardly reached it; and this moved the rough man to much pity for Joan. She knelt, and with tears begged pardon of all, and uttered her forgiveness for those who were guilty of her death. She prayed much - for half an hour, it is said - with indescribable devotion. Of the priests she begged Masses for the repose of her soul. (...) Then as the fire rose up, she bade the priest to go down from the platform, and begged him to hold up the crucifix straight before her eyes until she died.
(...) The English were growing harshly impatient for Joan's death and their own dinner. As Massieu was consoling her in her last agony, some of their captains cried out, "Priest, do you mean to have us dine here?" Some of them laughed at the death scene; but many of them also wept. As the flames ascended, Joan never ceased to call aloud to "her Lord" and her Saints. At last, as she bowed her head, and yielded up her pure souls to God, the sacred name of Jesus, uttered in a loud voice, was the last word on her lips.
Source: St. Joan of Arc: The Life-story of the Maid of Orleans By Rev. Fr. Denis Lynch, S.J. 1919
Novena for Priests for Pentecost (May 30 to June 7)
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 01:00AM in Prayers
"Our Lord says: "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest." (Matt. 9.38). Remember that a priest is the salvation or the perdition of his flock. In the Old Testament we read that when other scourges were of no avail to turn the people, hardened in sin, from their evil ways, God sent upon them the heaviest scourge of all, wicked and corrupt priests. Let us therefore make it our continual prayer, that we may have good priests. The Ember days are appointed for this purpose. Special prayer should be offered to the Holy Ghost, for unless a priest is enlightened by the Holy Spirit we may apply to him the words: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit." (Matt. 15.14)." The Catechism Explained: An exhaustive Exposition of the Christian Religion by F.r Francis Spirago 1899
Novena:
"Jesus, Good Shepherd, You sent us the
Holy Spirit to guide Your Church and lead her faithful to You through
the ministry of Your priests. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grant to Your priests wisdom in leading, faithfulness in teaching,
and holiness in guarding Your sacred Mysteries.
As they cry out
with all the faithful, "Abba, Father!" may Your priests be ever more
closely identified with You in Your divine Sonship and offer their own
lives with You, the one saving Victim. Make them helpful brothers of one
another, and understanding fathers of all Your people. On this
Pentecost Sunday, renew in Your priests deeper faith, greater trust in
You, childlike reliance on our Mother Mary, and unwavering fidelity to
the Holy Father and his bishops.
Holy Mary, intercede for your priests.
St. Joseph, protect them.
St. Michael, defend them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Amen."
(approved by Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC)
- "Pope Leo XIII, May 9, 1897, decreed that a novena to the Holy Ghost should be made every year in preparation for the feast of Pentecost. (...) During this novena no particular form of prayer is of obligation. Any prayer to the Holy Ghost will suffice. (Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Holy Spirit: Divinum Illud Munus)
Novena to the Holy Ghost in Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost: The
novena of the Holy Spirit is the chief of all the novenas, because it
was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by the holy apostles
and the most Holy Mary in the supper room, being distinguished by so
many remarkable wonders and gifts; principally by the gift of the same
Holy Spirit, a gift merited for us by the passion of Jesus Christ
Himself. Jesus Himself made this known to us when He said to His
disciples that if He did not die He could not send us the Holy Ghost:
"If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will
send Him to you" (John xvi. 7). We know well by faith that the Holy
Ghost is the love that the Father and the Eternal Word bear one to the
other; and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our
souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is particularly
attributed to the Holy Ghost. As St. Paul says, "The charity of God is
poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us (Rom.
v. 5). In this novena, therefore, we must consider, above all, the great
value of divine love, in order that we may desire to obtain it, and
endeavor, by devout exercises, and especially by prayer, to be made
partakers of it, since God has promised it to him who asks for it with
humility: Your Father from heaven will give the good Spirit to them that
ask Him" (Luke xi. 13).
Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the Church: "O
Holy Spirit, our Creator, come to the aid of Thy Holy Church, and
strengthen and confirm it by Thy supreme power against the incursions of
its enemies; and by Thy love and grace renew the spirit of Thy servants
whom Thou hast anointed, so that they may glorify in Thee the Father
and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”—(Indulg. 100
days. Resc. Aug. 26, 1889.)
Short Prayer to the Holy Ghost : Holy
Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; give to all peoples the
brightness of Thy light, that they may be well-pleasing to Thee in unity
of faith. (Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. Leo XIII, July 31,
1897.)
Source: My Prayer Book; Happiness in Goodness: Reflections, Counsels, Prayers and Devotions By Francis Xavier Lasance
