Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: Mary

The Fatima Secret: The Persecution of the Church

Recently we have all been stunned by the increasing persecutions of the Church throughout the world: thousands of Christians either killed or made homeless, the legalistic attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs including marriage, and the appalling revelations about Planned Parenthood. One of the subjects I spent a great deal of time studying over the years has… Read More ›

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Mary’s Part in the Latter Times

The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished. Mary scarcely appeared in the first coming of Jesus Christ so that men, as yet insufficiently instructed and enlightened concerning the person of her Son, might not wander from the truth by becoming too strongly attached to her. This would… Read More ›

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Saint Cyril of Alexandria’s Defense of Mary

Saint Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria during the early part of the 5th century and a key figure in the Christological controversies of his time. His debate with the heretic Nestorius was the impetus for the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD where the Church officially adopted the long held understanding that… Read More ›

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Understanding Catholic Devotion To Mary

. . .  it is not surprising that those who are not Catholic often have a completely wrong conception of Catholic devotion to the Mother of God. They imagine, and sometimes we can understand their reasons for doing so, that Catholics treat the Blessed Virgin as an almost divine being in her own right, as… Read More ›

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Francis, Fatima and the End of the World

At the end of April it was confirmed that Pope Francis will travel to Fatima for the one hundredth anniversary of the Marian apparitions, and it is rumored that he will use the occasion to canonize the two youngest seers, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. This week, on the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady… Read More ›

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Secrets of Fatima ‘lift veil’ on anti-Christian persecution, says Vatican cardinal

CatholicHerald.uk. “There is no fourth secret and there are no other hidden secrets,” says Cardinal Amato The “secrets” of Our Lady of Fatima tell of today’s Christian persecution, in addition to the martyrdom of the past century, Cardinal Angelo Amato has said. The prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes made the comment as he… Read More ›

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12 Steps to avoid Purgatory

1. In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive, every good work you perform have the express intention of imploring God to grant you a holy and happy death and no Purgatory. Surely God will hear a prayer said with such confidence and perseverance. 2. Always wish to do God’s… Read More ›

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The Annunciation:The Freedom of Religion

. . . She was planned for a role in the drama of redemption by God, as a child is planned for a musical career by his physical parents, but it was not fulfilled until this moment. The Holy Trinity never possesses a creature without the consent of His will. When, therefore, Mary had heard how… Read More ›

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Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to him! Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered… Read More ›

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Mary: A Model For Our Pilgrim Way

3. “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country…” (Lk 1:39). The words of the Gospel story have once more brought before the eyes of our hearts the young maiden of Nazareth as she makes her way to that “city of Judah” where her kinswoman Elizabeth lived, in order to… Read More ›

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