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Watching Cardinal Dolan give the homily at Mass today at the National Eucharistic Conference, I want to paraphrase a joke he told:
A couple of guys, knowing he was a priest, decided to bait him.
They loudly exclaimed: “I wouldn’t want to go to Italy…too many Catholics there”.
“I wouldn’t want to go to Ireland…too many Catholics there”
The Cardinal replied:
“Then go to hell…….there are no Catholics there!”
According to Vatican News:
Based on new regulations, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has expressed its positive opinion regarding the devotion to Our Lady of Montichiari (Rosa Mystica) in northern Italy. This approval is conveyed through a letter to Bishop Pierantonio Tremolada, with the endorsement of Pope Francis
“The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has stated that it found no elements in the messages disseminated by Pierina Gilli that contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church on faith and morals. This declaration is included in a letter published on July 8, signed by the Prefect of the DDF, Victor Manuel Fernandez, and approved by the Pope. The letter addresses the devotion to Maria Rosa Mystica (‘Mary Mystical Rose’) and the messages that Pierina Gilli claims to have received from the Virgin Mary in 1947 and 1966. The letter highlights the positive aspects of these messages, while also noting some elements that require clarification to prevent misunderstandings.”
For the full report, click here.
Sister Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis, founder of the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family of Sherbrooke, will be declared a saint on Oct. 20.
Born Virginie Alodie on May 12, 1840, in L’Acadie, Quebec, Blessed Marie-Leonie founded her institute to collaborate with and support the religious of Holy Cross in educational work, in 1880 in New Brunswick.
Today her sisters work in over 200 institutions of education and evangelization in Canada, the United States, Italy, Brazil, Haiti, Chile, Honduras, and Guatemala.
“She always felt a call to support priests in their ministry”, said Bishop Poitras, and “events led her to found a new community which was recognized in 1896 by the Bishop of Sherbrooke: the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.”
Mother Mary Leonia died on May 3, 1912, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, at the age of 72. She was beatified in Montreal on Sept. 11, 1984, by Saint John Paul II, during his visit to Canada.
Her body lies in Basilica-Cathedral of Saint Michael Cathedral in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Source: Catholic News Agency
When you travel abroad and use your credit or debit cards, you are probably going to be charged a “Foreign Transaction Fee”. These can quickly add up if you are not careful. Here are some interesting statistics.
With summer travel on the horizon, WalletHub today released the results of a nationally representative International Credit Card Survey gauging people’s opinions on various aspects of spending money abroad, along with editors’ picks for the Best International Credit Cards of 2024 and a new Currency Exchange Study that highlights easy ways to save.
Key Findings:
“Most people agree that foreign transaction fees are a rip-off, according to a new WalletHub survey, and that’s without even realizing that foreign fees can apply to orders from the U.S. placed with a foreign merchant. More than 2 in 5 people say they’ve been charged a foreign fee on an online purchase, for example. Despite how common and unpopular foreign fees are, around one-third of us still have no idea whether our credit cards charge foreign fees. Figuring that out before your next trip abroad or major purchase from an international merchant is a must. A credit card with no foreign fee can save you 3% in fees and more than 6% on currency conversion, according to WalletHub’s research.”
The above is brought to you by Wallethub.
The following is Courtesy of “The Catholic CEO”
Many think that western business leaders invented business concepts…..This is not correct.
Followers may guess my views on the monastic life.
Monasteries invented data storage and retrieval systems. They were called libraries. They also didn’t need photocopiers – they had their own copiers.
Monasteries invented business governance practices. What is a chapter but a town hall meeting? What is an abbot’s council but an executive committee?
Abbeys invented fund-raising. How do you think they built the great abbeys of Europe? Very little of the money was “borrowed”. Abbots had to work the room long before corporate America thought of it.
Conservation? Green practices? Circular economy? The monks were doing this 1500 years ago. There’s nobody in ag-tech that can build a water recirculation system like the monks. There’s nobody that can get that extra inch of hair on a sheep like monks can.
Crop science? Crop yield? Hah. They still run circles around people who can’t even grow crops on the same land for more than about 50 years. They do centuries of crop yields from the same fields – naturally.
Business management systems. The monks were doing it long before the invention of double entry bookkeeping.
Staying out of bank debt. The monks were doing it long before anyone else realized the debt trap of usury.
Five star hospitality? Well, I don’t mean rooms like in luxury hotels. But for care of the pilgrim traveler, even at great inconvenience to them, they still have short term rental accommodations beat.
Ride sharing? Hah. They had a network of wagons and watercraft to take goods to market before some business guy thought of it.
The long view? Abbeys are built for a thousand years. They are beautiful, unlike the glitzy towers of today’s utilitarian monstrosities.
Radio and electronic communications networks. Okay, maybe not as fast – but they could get a message across Europe before anyone or any current tech, at the time.
The knowledge economy? They didn’t need Chat GPT or AI. They had “real I”.
Corporate structure? CEO. CTO. CFO. CMO. Treasurer. Hah. They had those 1500 years ago!
Investigations into employee theft, missing inventory, and other misdeeds. No need for such things. The monks have a process called “Chapter of Faults”. Check it out.
Company security. Nope. They’ve had 1500 years of knights and templars. Way before the idea of a police force came into being.
Finally, remember that the monks invented the university system, the hospital system, and the welfare system. They kept the culture alive in tough times, and will do so again in our era when it all collapses. Or when the asteroid hits!
I could go on.
You can learn more about “The Catholic CEO” here.
It is impossible not to notice that many Catholic churches built in the last 50 years lack the beauty and majesty of the churches in the years and centuries of the past. Many lay the blame on Vatican II, which seemed to want to throw tradition out the window. We are not here to debate the good and bad of the Second Vatican Council, but certainly no one can deny that many of the changes relating to church architecture were not inspirational. Suddenly churches were built somewhat resembling bomb shelters, and the interiors were devoid of many of the things that made the church a Catholic church.
Inside, the Eucharist was placed out of sight, or at least not in a prominent place. Stained glass windows and statues were minimalized. Altar rails quickly disappeared. Statues? Not too many and often not prominent. Often times, it was the Diocesan building committees that wanted this…not the individual pastors or their congregations. Want to put the tabernacle front and center? You were lucky it was (literally, in some cases) in a closet somewhere.
For example, when we look at the magnificent Chartres Cathedral in France, built between 1134 and 1260, during the “Dark Ages” (they weren’t really all that dark if you look at church architecture….some of the most beautiful churches were built during this time.)
Cathedrals and churches were meant to be inspiring….and many of them still are today. We doubt the same will be said about some of these modern buildings 100 years from now .
To the left is just one of the many side altars in Chartres Cathedral.
One of the colors used in the windows is unique…..dubbed “Chartres Blue”. In future centuries, will these new churches be equally inspiring? We doubt it.
Of course, some of the construction revolves on making the buildings less expensive to build and more efficient so far as heating and cooling costs are concerned. And while it is true that the Eucharist is the same no matter what the church looks like, we do like to enter a place that evokes a certain feeling that this is no ordinary space.
Is the pendulum starting to swing back?
Like any idea that is taken to excess, we are starting to see a renewed interest in Catholic churches that look like…..Catholic churches.
We list several of these churches on our site, most recently Saint Mary’s Church in Fennimore, Wisconsin as shown on the left.
The restoration work was done by Conrad Schmitt Studios. We have no relationship with them, but they appear to do outstanding restoration work for churches.
Another beautiful church…not a restoration, but a brand new construction, is Saint Francis Xavier Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Another source we note is that of FyndersKeepers. They offer a large range of used and restored altars, altar rails, stations of the cross, candle holders….just about everything you can think of.
Again, we do not have a business relationship with them, but they appear to have an excellent reputation.
Please leave a comment….we would love to know about it.
If you want to know the truth of what is happening to Christians in Gaza, we invite you to join this presentation by Select International Tours on March 14th at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Jeff Cavins and Fr. Leo Patalinghug will host a live online event Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
If you have traveled with Select International Tours, you may know that in addition to running a pilgrimage company, they also run a charitable foundation called Select to Give, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity founded in 2014.
What you may not know is the purpose and the scope of their foundation. You may not know that their primary focus is to help the suffering Christians who live in Bethlehem and Gaza. Select to Give is a large part of their mission, and they are grateful to each of you who has taken the time to learn about the foundation and support their work in the past.
The online event will be hosted by Jeff Cavins and Fr. Leo Patalinghug, with guests including Gus Lloyd, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Fr. David Michael Moses, as well as Christians from the Holy Land who share their personal experience of the current situation in the Holy Land.
You will hear from a Select to Give American volunteer who has chosen to live in Bethlehem during the last six months to help those in need the most. A very special guest will be the Pastor of Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Parish in Gaza. You can hear a first-hand testimonial from someone we can trust who lives in Gaza.
Click here to view the Live Presentation on March 14
The event will hosted on the Apostle website and will begin promptly at 8:00 PM. Please be sure to click the link above and create a Free Login with your email beforehand.
Donations: If you would like to support this effort, they will be accepting tax-deductible donations via credit card during the event. If you wish to donate by mail, please make your check payable to Select to Give, Inc. and mail it to:
Select to Give, Inc.
c/o Select International Tours
85 Park Ave.
Flemington, NJ 08822
A tax letter confirming your donation will be sent via email within 10 business days of the event.
Please help us promote this exceptional chance to learn from Christians currently residing in the Holy Land. Utilize the image and links above on your social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or via emails and texts. By broadening this campaign’s reach, they can connect with more Christians concerned about the struggles of our brethren in the Holy Land.
It is strange to realize that the area where Jesus was born, lived and died is now an area Christians are a minority. Those do live there face discrimination and worse. And, of course, the ongoing war in Gaza has made things even more difficult. But there is a way to help these Christians when you book a tour with Select International Tours.
Select to Give is a not-for-profit foundation, founded by Select International Tours.
Select International Tours is an award winning, thirty year old, faith based tour operator specializing in group trips to Europe, the Holy Land, Canada, Mexico, South America and the USA.
The Faith Travel Association awarded the “Impact Award” to Select International Tours for innovation and quality in travel.
Select to Give Foundation exists to help the Christians of the Holy Land and the Middle East!Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, they support innovative community efforts to help Christians achieve a safer and more prosperous existence. They work on several projects to assist Christians with education, medical care, financial support, and meeting basic human needs.
Select to Give sends Every Dollar to the Holy Land:
Select to Give is 100% volunteer-administered. They have zero overhead, which allows them to spend every dollar to directly support Christian Families living in the Holy Land.
An added bonus when you sign up to travel with Select International Tours, regardless of destination….. a percentage of your registration fee is donated to Select to Give, with no additional cost to you.
Click here to learn more about the Select to Give Foundation.
And here is a video from 2020 that describes Select to Give and its founder, Edita Krunic.
A Plenary Indulgence for the 800th Anniversary of the Approval of the Rule of St. Francis
This Christmas season, Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence by praying in front of a nativity scene located in a Franciscan church which includes our very own, St. Francis of Assisi. The indulgence will be available from December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, through February 2, 2024, the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those wishing to receive the indulgence must pray in front of a nativity scene at a Franciscan church.
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church that removes the temporal punishment due to sin. In order to receive this indulgence, one must have a detachment from all sin, including venial; receive the Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of confession within 20 days of praying in front of a nativity scene. In addition, those attempting to receive the indulgence must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
“We ask you to share this “privilege” in all our locations, which fits in well with the special relationship that was established between Saint Francis and the Church when he asked the Pope for the indulgence of those who visited the Porziuncola, and we hope that it will be an opportunity for communion and spiritual renewal for every brother and sister. in the entire Franciscan family,” said the conference in a statement.
In 1223, St. Francis created the first nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, to marvel at the mystery of the incarnation.
Although “Giving Tuesday” in the USA has passed, we urge you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to Select to Give, a charity founded by Select International Tours.
Sadly, Christians are a minority in the land where Jesus was born and preached. They need our help.
Every penny of your donation will go directly to the aid of Christians living in Gaza, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Ukraine.
You can find more information about Select-to-Give here.