The Catacombs

Welcome, Guest

You have to register before you can post on our site.

Search Forums

(Advanced Search)

Forum Statistics

» Members: 321
» Latest member: redeemer1
» Forum threads: 7,745
» Forum posts: 14,121

Full Statistics

Online Users

There are currently 508 online users.
» 0 Member(s) | 503 Guest(s)
Applebot, Baidu, Bing, Google, Yandex

Latest Threads

The Pope is Just the Vica...
Forum: Sedevacantism
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 09:48 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 75

The Pope is Just the Vica...
Forum: Uncompromising Fighters for the Faith
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 09:47 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 65

LITURGICAL COUNTER-REVOLU...
Forum: Uncompromising Fighters for the Faith
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 09:00 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 75

Feast of the Apparition o...
Forum: Our Lady
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 08:43 AM
» Replies: 5
» Views: 23,537

February 11th - Our Lady ...
Forum: February
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 08:42 AM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 5,519

Vatican approves Archbish...
Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
Last Post: Stone
Yesterday, 08:39 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 66

Fr. Hewko's Sermons: Appa...
Forum: February 2026
Last Post: Deus Vult
Yesterday, 12:05 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 85

Fr. Hewko Sermons: "Do No...
Forum: February 2026
Last Post: Deus Vult
02-10-2026, 06:23 PM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 87

FSSPX Announces Consecrat...
Forum: The New-Conciliar SSPX
Last Post: Stone
02-10-2026, 02:28 PM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 315

February 10th - St. Schol...
Forum: February
Last Post: Stone
02-10-2026, 01:55 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 9,733

The Pope is Just the Vicar: On the Footsteps of Fr. Calmel, O.P.

Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 09:48 AM - Forum: Sedevacantism - No Replies

The Pope is Just the Vicar: On the Footsteps of Fr. Calmel, O.P.

[Image: roger_calmel.jpg]

THE POPE IS JUST THE VICAR
by Cristiana de Magistris on conciliovaticanosecondo.it and published also in Corrispondenza Romana via Rorate Caeli [Emphasis The Catacombs] | October 10, 2014

When, in the years of Vatican Council II and the immediate post-Council, with revolutionary winds blowing over the Church of Christ, a Dominican theologian, Father Roger-Thomas Calmel, raised his counter-revolutionary banner, with his pen and his word, his voice was heard calling the faithful to relentless resistance in fidelity to Tradition always with an attitude of peace and even spiritual joy amongst trial.

The message of Father Calmel has never ceased to be relevant. But it becomes of particular interest when one is faced with it anew - and it is our case - of truth "always, everywhere and by all" established begins to waft the breath of the baleful doubt, starting from the top of the Catholic hierarchy.

The prophetic spirit of Father Calmel, is like few in the past 50 years, he had foreseen this tragic possibility and warned the faithful by providing them with the weapons to remain faithful to the Church at all times and thereby avoid the temptation of sedevacantism or even that which is more deadly, despair.

Since this is a crisis of authority, by which the errors are advocated by those who would have the task of condemning them, the point of departure, which is fundamental and indispensable, is to understand where the power of Authority comes from, starting at its vertex, the Pope.

Father Calmel began by stating that the Head of the Church is one, our Lord Jesus Christ, who "is always infallible, always sinless, always holy [...]. He is the only Head, because everyone else, including the highest, have no authority except by Him and through Him. "Going up to the sky, this invisible Head left to his Church a visible head as His Vicar, the Pope, "who only enjoys a supreme jurisdiction." "But if the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus, [...], he is only the Vicar: vicens regens, taking the place of Jesus Christ, but remains distinct from Him. "Evidently the Pope's prerogatives are quite exceptional, guarding the means of grace, the sacraments, and the revealed truth. He enjoys, in some cases, well-circumscribed and determined infallibility. For the rest, "he could be lacking in many regards." Church history - apart from a bunch of Pope Saints and a small number of unworthy Popes –is full of mediocre and imperfect Popes. This should neither surprise nor frighten. On the contrary, it is precisely in weakness, and sometimes even in the unworthiness, of the popes that brings out the Lordship of our Savior, who is the only Head of the Church, on which he exercises His government "holding in His hand even the insufficient Popes as well as their failures and limits".

Now, Father Calmel warns, because this trust in the invisible Head of the Church is so profound as to exceed all possible deficiencies of His Vicar on earth, it is necessary that our spiritual life "is referring to Jesus Christ and not to the Pope; that our interior life, which embraces - no need to say it - even the Pope and the hierarchy, is based not on hierarchy and the Pope, but on the divine Pontiff [...] from whom the visible supreme Vicar depend even more than other priests".

And for good reason, obvious to all as well as very basic: "The Church - writes this illustrious son of St. Dominic - it is not the mystical body of the Pope. The Church, with the Pope, is the mystical body of Christ. When the interior life of Christians is increasingly oriented to Jesus Christ, they do not fall into despair, even when they suffer unto agony from the shortcomings of the pope, be it an Honorius I or the antagonist popes at the end of the Middle Ages; or be it, in the extreme case of a pope who is lacking according to the new possibilities offered by modernism. "Even if a pope had come to the extreme limit to change the Faith", or blindness or spirit or fantasy (chimera) or to a mortal illusion" (among many offered by modernism), well, "the pope who could come to this point would not deprive the Lord Jesus His infallible government, who holds him in His hand, the pope mislead, and He would prevents him from committing to the perversion of faith, the authority received from above."

But even in these unfortunate cases, the interior life of Christians cannot exclude the Pope, without ceasing to be Christian. A real interior life, necessarily centered on Jesus Christ, always includes his Vicar and the obedience due to him, but "this obedience, far from being unconditional, is always practiced in the light of theological faith and natural law."

And here comes the thorny issue of obedience to the Vicar of Christ. Thorny, notes once again Father Calmel, only for those who want to ignore or disregard the articles of the Catholic faith regarding the Supreme Pontiff. It should be recalled that every Christian lives "through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ, through His Church, which is governed by the Pope, to whom we obey in all that is within his competence. We do not live totally, by and for the Pope, as though it were he that had purchased eternal redemption; that's why Christian obedience can neither always nor in all things identify the Pope with Jesus Christ. "

A Christian who wants to be unconditionally acceptable to the Pope, always and in everything "has necessarily abandoned himself to human respect" and he "demonstrates much superficiality and complicity." It is also true, recognizes the Dominican theologian, he who often preached obedience to the Vicar of Christ, which has more than the stench of servitude than the perfume of virtue, sometimes to make a career, or to prepare his head for the cardinal's hat, or to give luster to his Order or to his Congregation. But note well, "neither God nor the service of the Pope are in need of our lie: Deus non eget nostro mendacio." We must always remember the subordination of obedience to the truth and authority of Tradition. The Pope, like all men of the Church, cannot legitimately use of his authority if not to define or clarify the truth that has always been taught. If one depart from this path, it would cease the duty of our obedience and would be worth the admonition of St. Peter: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

The Pope – in as much as he is Pope - it is not always infallible, and - as a man - is never flawless. "We should not be shocked if trials, sometimes very cruel, came upon, the Church precisely by its visible head. We should not be shocked if, although subject to the Pope, we cannot follow him blindly, unconditionally, always and in everything. "But what can we do if a situation of this kind become the sad and unfortunate reality? In this case it should even more strongly orient one's interior life to the only Savior and Lord of the world, feeding of the Apostolic Tradition, with its dogmas, its immortal Missal and the Catechism, as well as prayer and penance.

On the other hand, Revelation has never taught that the Vicar of Christ is immune from inflicting on the Church such trials of this sort. And modernism, reigning for fifty years, it is certainly a fertile ground for them to sprout. But, if that happens - as seems to be happening - even though a sort of bewilderment and vertigo assail the souls of the faithful, we must remember that the Church is the Bride of Christ and it is He who - despite the human failures – guides us in His ineffable and often to us, incomprehensible providence. Father Calmel compares the state of our interior life overwhelmed by such a test to the prayer of the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane, when he said to the apostles while the soldiers were advancing: Sinite usque huc (Lk 22,51). "It's as if the Lord said: Scandal can get to this point; but leave it be, and according to My recommendation, watch and pray ... With My consent to drink the chalice, I have merited all grace for you, while you were asleep and you left Me alone; for you in particular I have obtained a grace of supernatural strength, that will be the measure of all your trials, also of the trials that could come to the Holy Church by the part of the Pope. I've now given you the ability of escaping this vertigo. "

The Christian soul that founds their interior life on the perennial Tradition has nothing to fear, even in what Father Calmel believes the worst of the trials for the Church: the betrayal of the Vicar.

With the optimism of the holy souls, while recognizing the immense tragedy that grips the Bride of Christ, he holds it to be, however, a grace to live in these times of trial, in which the greatest suffering of the children of the Church is precisely that it cannot follow the Pope as they would like. "We are docile children of the Pope, but we refuse to enter into complicity with the papal directives that lead to sin." Cardinal Cajetan does not hesitate to say that "We must resist the Pope who publicly destroys the Church." It is, in these cases, of a kind of "eclipse of the Papacy". This test, however, notes Father Calmel, cannot be "neither entire nor too long" and - above all - "we have the grace to sanctify ourselves" in this eclipse in which the Church is the Bride of Christ, despite everything. As was his habit, to elevate his gaze toward heaven and said, "We have the grace to suffer and endure without making it a tragedy. The Holy Virgin defends us. “

So, what to do?

The true children of the Church, as most wish to again see their Mother clothed in her glorious splendor, beginning with the visible Head, all the more they must put their lives, with the grace of God and preserving the Tradition, in the wake of the Saints. "Then the Lord Jesus will ultimately grant to His flock the shepherd of which he will endeavored to render himself worthy. To the insufficiencies or the defection of the Head, we must not add our own personal negligence. That the apostolic Tradition will live at least in the hearts of the faithful, even if, at the moment, languishing in the heart and in the decisions of those who are responsible at the level of the Church. Then surely the Lord will have mercy.” The true kind.

The Pope is Just the Vicar: On the Footsteps of Fr. Calmel, O.P.

Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 09:47 AM - Forum: Uncompromising Fighters for the Faith - No Replies

The Pope is Just the Vicar: On the Footsteps of Fr. Calmel, O.P.

[Image: roger_calmel.jpg]

THE POPE IS JUST THE VICAR
by Cristiana de Magistris on conciliovaticanosecondo.it and published also in Corrispondenza Romana via Rorate Caeli [Emphasis The Catacombs] | October 10, 2014

LITURGICAL COUNTER-REVOLUTION – The “hushed” case of Fr. Calmel

Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 09:00 AM - Forum: Uncompromising Fighters for the Faith - No Replies

LITURGICAL COUNTER-REVOLUTION – The “hushed” case of Fr. Calmel

[Image: padre-roger-thomas-calmel-282x300.jpg]

The Poor Knights of Christ in Ireland and the UK [Emphasis The Catacombs] | January 28, 2015

Dominican religious and Thomist theologian of great importance, director of souls, esteemed and sought throughout the whole of France, Catholic writer of a convincing logic and unambiguous clarity, Fr. Roger-Thomas Calmel (1914-1975) in the difficult years of the Council and the post-council period, was characterized by his counter-revolutionary action, through his preaching, writings and above all by his example, both on a doctrinal as well as a liturgical level.

But on a particular point the resistance of this son of St. Dominic reached heroism: the Holy Mass. The Catholic Faith is founded upon the Mass because it is in the Mass that our Redemption was wrought by Christ upon Calvary and this is perpetuated in the holy Sacrifice offered day after day.

1969 was the fateful year of the liturgical revolution, prepared for at length and finally imposed with authority upon a people who neither asked for nor desired it.

The birth of the new Mass was not peaceful. Against the hymns of victory of the novatores, there were the voices of those who did not want to trample upon the past––of almost two millennia––of a Mass which dated back to the apostolic tradition. This opposition was sustained by two Cardinals of the Curia (Ottaviani and Bacci), but remained completely unheeded.

The date upon which the new Ordo Missae became effective was fixed for 30th November, the first Sunday of Advent, and the opposition was not going to be placated. Paul VI himself, in two general audiences (19th and 26th November 1969), intervened, presenting the new rite of the Mass as the will of the Council and as a help to Christian piety.

On 26th November he said:

Quote:“The New rite of the Mass: it is a change in a venerable tradition that has gone on for centuries. This is something that affects our hereditary religious patrimony, which seemed to enjoy the privilege of being untouchable and settled. It seemed to bring the prayer of our forefathers and our Saints to our lips and to give us the comfort of feeling faithful to our spiritual past, which we kept alive to pass it on to the generations ahead. It is at such a moment as this that we get a better understanding of the value of historical tradition and the communion of the Saints. This change will affect the ceremonies of the Mass. We shall become aware, perhaps with some feeling of annoyance, that the ceremonies at the altar are no longer being carried out with the same words and gestures to which we were accustomed—perhaps so much accustomed that we no longer took any notice of them. This change also touches the Faithful. It is intended to interest each one of those present, to draw them out of their customary personal devotions or their usual torpor…”. And he continued by saying that it was necessary to understand the positive meaning of the reforms and to make of the Mass “a school of spiritual depth and a peaceful but demanding school of Christian sociology.”

“We shall do well––he said in the same audience––to take into account the motives for this grave change. The first is obedience to the Council. That obedience now implies obedience to the Bishops, who interpret the Council’s prescriptions and put them into practice…”. In order to repress the opposition to the Pope, there remained nothing but the argument of authority. And it is upon this argument that the whole game of the liturgical revolution was played.

Fr. Calmel, who by his articles was an assiduous collaborator of the magazine Itinéraires, had already faced the subject of obedience, which had become, after the council, the main argument of the novatores. But he affirmed that it is precisely in virtue of obedience that it is necessary to refuse every compromise with the liturgical revolution: “We are not treating here of causing a schism, but of conserving the tradition.”

With Aristotelian logic, he noted: “The infallibility of the Pope is limited, therefore our obedience is limited,” indicating the principle of the subordination of obedience to the truth, of authority to the tradition. The history of the Church has cases of Saints who were opposed to the authority of popes who were not saints. We call to mind St. Athanasius who was excommunicated by Pope Liberius and St. Thomas à Becket, suspended by Pope Alexander III. And above all we think of St. Joan of Arc.

On 27th November 1969, three days before the fateful day on which the Novus Ordo Missae came into effect, Fr. Calmel expressed his refusal with a declaration of exceptional importance, made public in the magazine Itinéraires. [...]

Quote:"I hold to the traditional Mass, that which was codified, but not fabricated, by St. Pius V, in the XVI Century, in conformity to a centuries old usage. I therefore refuse the Ordo missae of Paul VI.

Why? Because, in reality, this Ordo Missae does not exist. What exists is a universal and permanent liturgical revolution, permitted or desired by the reigning Pope, and which, for a quarter of an hour, puts on the mask of the Ordo Missae of 3rd April 1969. It is the right of every priest to refuse to wear the mask of this liturgical revolution. And I consider it my duty as a priest to refuse to celebrate the mass in an ambiguous rite.

If we accept this new rite, which fosters the confusion between the Catholic Mass and the Protestant supper––as the two cardinals (Bacci and Ottaviani) sustain and as a solid theological analysis demonstrates––then we will pass over, without delay, to an interchangeable Mass (as recognized, moreover, by a Protestant pastor) to a Mass which is completely heretical and therefore nothing. Initiated by the Pope, then diffused by him to the national Churches, the revolutionary reform of the Mass leads to hell. How can we accept to become accomplices of this?

You will ask me: by keeping the Mass of ages at all costs, have you reflected upon what you have exposed yourself to? Certainly. I risk, so to say, persevering in the way of fidelity to my priesthood, thus rendering to the High Priest, Who is our supreme Judge, the humble witness of my office as a priest. I also risk being able to reassure the faithful who have lost their way, those who are tempted to scepticism or desperation. Every priest, in fact, who remains faithful to the rite of the Mass which was codified by St. Pius V, the great Dominican Pope of the counter reform, permits the faithful to participate in the holy Sacrifice without any possible ambiguity,, to receive, without risk of being deceived, the incarnate and immolated Word of God, rendered truly present under the sacred Species.

On the contrary, the priest who conforms to the new Rite, composed of various pieces by Paul VI, collaborates on his part in progressively establishing a false mass where the Presence of Christ will no longer be authentic, but will be transformed into an empty memorial; therefore, the Sacrifice of the Cross will be nothing other than a religious meal where one eats a bit of bread and drinks a little wine, nothing else: just like the Protestants. In not consenting to collaborate in the revolutionary establishment of an ambiguous Mass, directed to the destruction of the Mass, to what temporal misfortune, to what difficulties in this world will this lead (those who will remain faithful to the Traditional Mass)? The Lord knows: therefore His grace is sufficient. In truth, the grace of the Heart of Jesus, coming to us from the holy Sacrifice and from the sacraments, is always sufficient. That is why the Lord tells us so calmly: “He that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal.”

I recognise unhesitatingly the authority of the Holy Father. I affirm, however, that every Pope, in the exercise of his authority, may commit abuses of authority. I retain that Pope Paul VI committed an abuse of authority of an exceptional gravity when he constructed a new Rite of the Mass upon a definition of the Mass which has ceased to be Catholic.

“The Mass––he wrote in his Ordo Missae––is the gathering of the people of God, presided by a priest, to celebrate the memorial of the Lord.” This insidious definition omits a priori what makes the Mass Catholic, which has never been nor ever will be reduced to the Protestant supper. And that is because the Catholic Mass does not treat of any Memorial whatsoever; the Memorial is of such a nature that it truly contains the Sacrifice of the Cross, because the Body and Blood of Christ are rendered truly present in virtue of the twofold consecration.

Now, whilst that appears to be so clear in the rite which was codified by St. Pius V so that one can not be deceived, in that which has been fabricated by Paul V1, it remains inconstant and ambiguous. Likewise, in the Catholic Mass the priest does not exercise any presidency whatsoever: signed by a divine character which introduces him into eternity, he is the minister of Christ who celebrates the Mass by means of him; it is a completely different thing to liken the priest to any pastor whatsoever, delegated by the faithful to keep their assemblies in good order. Well, whilst that is certainly evident in the rite of the Mass prescribed by St. Pius V, it is dissimulated, if not completely eliminated, in the new rite.

Simple honesty, therefore, but infinitely more the priestly honour, does not permit me to have the impudence to barter with the Catholic Mass, received on the day of my ordination. Since we are treating here of being loyal, and above all of a matter of divine gravity, there is no authority in the world, even a pontifical authority, which can stop me. On the other hand, the first proof of fidelity and love which the priest must give to God and to men is that of guarding intact the infinitely precious deposit which was entrusted to him when the Bishop imposed his hands upon him. It is above all on this proof of fidelity and love that I will be judged by the supreme Judge. I trust that the Virgin Mary, Mother of the High Priest, will obtain for me the grace to remain faithful to death to the Catholic Mass, true and without ambiguity. Tuus sum ego, salvum me fac (I am all Thine, save me).”

In the face of a text of such importance, and the taking up of a position which is so categorical, all the friends and supporters of Fr. Calmel trembled, awaiting the toughest sanctions from Rome. All, except for him, the son of St. Dominic, who continued to repeat: “Rome will do nothing, it will do nothing…”. And in fact Rome did nothing. The sanctions did not arrive. Rome remained silent before this Dominican friar who did not fear anything but the supreme Judge to Whom he would have to give an account of his priesthood.

Other priests, thanks to the declaration of Fr. Calmel, had the courage to come out into the open and to resist the abuses of power of an unjust and illegal law. Against those who recommended blind obedience to the authorities, he showed the duty of the insurrection; “The whole conduct of St. Joan of Arc showed that she had thought in this way: For certain, it is God Who permits it; but what God wants, at least whilst an army remains to me, is Christian justice and that I fight a good battle. Then she was burned….

To abandon ourselves to the grace of God does not mean to do nothing. Instead it means, remaining in love, to do all that is within our power…. He who has not meditated upon the just insurrections of history, such as the war of the Maccabees, the riding into battle of St. Joan of Arc, the expeditions of John of Austria, the revolt of Budapest, to he who has not entered into sympathy with the noble resistances of history… I refuse the right to speak of Christian abandonment…abandonment does not consist in saying: God does not want the crusade, let the Moors go free. This is the voice of laziness.”

We cannot confuse supernatural abandonment with a servile obedience. “The dilemma which is placed before all––Fr. Calmel points out––is not to choose between obedience and the faith, but between the obedience of the faith and the collaboration in the destruction of the faith.” We are all invited to do “within the limits which the revolution places upon us, the maximum possible to live the tradition with intelligence and fervour. Watch and pray.”

Fr. Calmel had understood perfectly that the form of violence exercised in the “post-conciliar Church” is an abuse of authority, exercised by demanding unconditional obedience, before which the clergy and many laypersons submit themselves, without attempting any form of resistance. “This absence of reaction––said Louis Salleron––seems to me to be tragic, because God will not save Christians without themselves, nor His Church without Her.”

“Modernism makes its victims walk under the banner of obedience––writes Fr. Calmel––, placing under the suspicion of pride any criticism whatsoever of the reforms, in the name of the respect which one owes to the pope, in the name of missionary zeal, of charity and of unity.” “To force one to remain silent out of fear,” wrote Cardinal Wyzynsky on 5th October 1954. It was necessary to paralyze or anesthetize under the pretext of the virtue of obedience, the holy Catholic resistance, to the point of accusing he who obeys the eternal tradition of disobedience. “But there are circumstances––Professor G. Chabot pointed out–– in which disobedience to an abusive use of authority is not only licit, but rather obligatory. In such circumstances it is a virtue to disobey.”

When they said to St. Athanasius: “You have all the bishops against you,” he replied: “This shows that they are all against the Church.” “The Catholics faithful to the Tradition, even if reduced to a handful of people, are the true Church of Jesus Christ.”

With regard to the problem of obedience in liturgical matters, Fr. Calmel stated: “The question of the new Rites consists in the fact that they are ambivalent: therefore they do not express in an explicit manner the intention of Christ and of the Church. The proof is in the fact that also the heretics use it with a tranquil conscience, whilst they reject and have always rejected the Missal of St. Pius V.” “It is necessary to be either stupid or fearful (or both of these at the same time) to consider oneself bound in conscience by liturgical laws which change more often than the ladies’ fashions and which are even more uncertain.”

In 1974 at a conference he said: “The Mass belongs to the Church. The new Mass belongs only to modernism. I hold to the Mass which is Catholic, traditional, Gregorian, because it does not belong to Modernism…. Modernism is a virus. It is contagious and one must flee from it. The witness is complete. If I give witness to the Catholic Mass, it is necessary that I abstain from celebrating any other Mass. It is like the burnt incense before the idols: either one grain or nothing. Therefore, nothing.”

Notwithstanding the open resistance of Fr. Calmel against the liturgical innovations, no sanction whatsoever arrived from Rome. The logic of the Dominican father is too forceful, his doctrine too orthodox, his love for the Church and for the perennial tradition too sincere, for him to be attacked. Nobody did anything against him because it was not possible. Then they wrapped the case up in the most conspiratorial silence, to the point that Fr. Calmel––known, in part, to the traditional French world––is almost unknown to the rest of the Catholic world.

In 1975, Fr. Calmel died prematurely, crowning his desire of faithfulness and resistance. In his Declaration of 1969 he asked the Most Holy Virgin that he may “remain faithful to death to the Catholic Mass, true and without ambiguity.” The Mother of God granted the desire of this beloved son who died without ever having celebrated the new Mass, in order to remain faithful to the supreme Judge to Whom he would have to given an account of his priesthood. (Cristiana De Magistris)

First published on 17th of February 2014 on Conciliovaticanosecondo.it

Vatican approves Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s cause for beatification

Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 08:39 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism - No Replies

Vatican approves Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s cause for beatification
Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria announced that the Holy See informed him that renowned evangelist Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified after years of delay.

[Image: Bishop_Fulton_J._Sheen_1956-810x500.jpeg]

[Image: Bishop_Fulton_J._Sheen_1956-810x500.jpeg]

Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Public domain

Feb 10, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — The cause of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, famous for his decades of televangelism, has been approved for beatification by the Vatican, during which the late bishop will be declared “blessed,” the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced on Monday.

In a February 10 statement, Sheen’s home Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria announced that the Vatican has officially approved the archbishop’s cause for beatification, with a ceremony forthcoming.

Sheen’s beatification was initially approved in 2019 but was delayed by the Diocese of Rochester, New York, as a precautionary measure, as the diocese – where he served as bishop – faced over 70 sex abuse allegations. However, the late bishop of Rochester had never been accused of abuse or cover-up.

“The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification,” Tylka wrote. “The next step in the process is the celebration of the Beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared ‘Blessed.'”

Sheen was declared “venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, meaning that he was recognized as having lived a life of heroic virtue.

Beatification, the first major step towards canonization, means the sovereign pontiff has declared that the individual not only lived a holy life but is in Heaven and requires that one miracle be attributed to his or her intercession. In 2019, Pope Francis recognized the miraculous healing of a stillborn child that had been credited to the late archbishop’s intercession.

Sheen was a popular teacher and radio and television personality in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. His television show “Life is Worth Living” reached millions of viewers of all backgrounds, supplementing more than 50 books.

“Archbishop Fulton Sheen was one of the greatest voices of evangelization in the Church and the world in the 20th century,” Tylka wrote in the announcement.

The bishop continued:

Quote:I have long admired his lifelong commitment to serve the Church as a priest, rooted in his deep devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist. As he journeyed through the different stages of his life, his ability to share the Gospel and truly relate to people drew countless souls into an encounter with Jesus – one that transformed not only his life, but more importantly, the lives of those he touched.

While the Catholic evangelist and media personality was expected to be beatified in 2019, the Vatican announced just a few weeks prior that the ceremony was to be postponed.

It was later revealed that the delay in the beatification was triggered by Bishop Salvatore Matano of the Diocese of Rochester as a precautionary measure while that diocese sorted through sex abuse lawsuits that had been recently filed at the time.

Sheen was bishop of Rochester from 1966 to 1969. A probe by Church authorities, who also revealed their results to civil authorities, found no allegations of abuse or cover-up on the archbishop’s part.

However, in its last-minute statement on December 5, 2019, the Rochester diocese cited concerns about advancing Sheen’s beatification “without a further review of his role in priests’ assignments.” While acknowledging that it had done its “due diligence in this matter,” the statement said that the beatification process allegedly needed “further study and deliberation.”

Sheen preached several sermons and conferences that are especially relevant in today’s crisis in both the Church and the world.

In an address on confession, he was discussing sin and its resulting weight of guilt on overall health when he turned to the question of what these impacts could mean in the United States following the infamous U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.

“Just think, my dear ladies, of how many mentally disturbed women we are going to have in the United States in the next 10 or 15 years when the guilt of abortion begins to attack the mind and soul,” he considered.

In 1947, in one of his most memorable radio sermons, then-Bishop Sheen laid out the dozen or so tricks the anti-Christ will use to destroy Christians and declared the anti-Christ would set up a “counter church” or the “ape of the church.”

“(The antichrist) will write books on the new idea of God to suit the way people live. He will invoke religion to destroy religion. He will even speak of Christ and say that he was the greatest man who ever lived,” Sheen said at the time.

“In the midst of all his seeming love for humanity and his glib talk of freedom and equality, he will have one great secret which he will tell to no one; he will not believe in God,” the bishop continued. “And because his religion will be brotherhood without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect.”

“He will set up a counter-Church, which will be the ape of the Church because he, the devil, is the ape of God. It will be the mystical body of the anti-Christ that will in all externals resemble the Church as the mystical body of Christ. In desperate need for God, he will induce modern man, in his loneliness and frustration, to hunger more and more for membership in his community that will give man enlargement of purpose, without any need of personal amendment and without the admission of personal guilt. These are days in which the devil has been given a particularly long rope,” he added.

+ + +

The Catacombs note: While the early talks and instruction of Archbishop Sheen were mostly admirable, it appears that he was nevertheless a true modernist. From a recent TIA article:

He was a modernist and an ecumenist to the core, and moreover an admirer of Teilhard de Chardin. [...]

Archbishop Sheen, an Enthusiast of Vatican II
Fulton Sheen, a Fan of Teilhard de Chardin
Fulton Sheen’s Flaws in Rhetorics
Sheen’s Co-Ownership Is Opposed to Catholic Teaching
Fulton Sheen Visits the Rochester’s Synagogue
Fulton Sheen’s ‘Ecumenical Firsts’ Bishop of Rochester
Arch. Fulton Sheen Pushes Vatican II Reforms
How Sheen’s Ecumenical Seminary Came to Life

Fr. Hewko's Sermons: Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes February 11, 2026

Posted by: Deus Vult - Yesterday, 12:05 AM - Forum: February 2026 - No Replies

Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes

February 11, 2026 (PA)

Fr. Hewko Sermons: "Do Not Shake Hands With Modernists!"- Abp Lefebvre 2/9/26

Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-10-2026, 06:23 PM - Forum: February 2026 - No Replies

"Do Not Shake Hands With Modernists!"- Abp Lefebvre

February 9, 2026 (PA)

Holy Mass in Pennsylvania [Philadelphia area] - February 15, 2026

Posted by: Stone - 02-10-2026, 01:47 PM - Forum: February 2026 - No Replies

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Quinquagesima Sunday

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.swncdn.com%2Fcms%...7c4befb00f]

Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026

Time: Confessions - 9:00 AM
   Holy Mass - 10:00 AM

Location: Clarion Hotel
   76 Industrial Highway
   Essington, PA 19029

Contact: rosamystica3329@gmail.com

Fr. Hewko's Sermons: St. Scholastica “Christ is Their Chosen Spouse” Feb. 10, 2026

Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-10-2026, 10:16 AM - Forum: February 2026 - No Replies

St. Scholastica “Christ is Their Chosen Spouse”

February 10, 2026 (PA)

Audio

France’s Forgotten Concentration Camp: The Martyred Priests of Île-Madame

Posted by: Stone - 02-09-2026, 01:08 PM - Forum: The Saints - No Replies

France’s Forgotten Concentration Camp: The Martyred Priests of Île-Madame

[Image: f4dd5c1a7bbb150619bc2bac1c3d9648_L.jpg]

The Remnant | February 7, 2026

Long before the Nazi camps, revolutionary France created a system designed to make priests die “without noise.” This is the suppressed history of the prison-ship martyrs of Île-Madame—and the faith that endured the Terror. Why were hundreds of priests made to die in silence during the French Revolution—and why was their story erased? This account of the prison-ship martyrs reveals a lineage of fidelity that echoes into the Church’s modern struggles.

Scrolling through search engine results for a “death camp” or “extermination camp,” one might be tempted to imagine that malicious, death-inducing internment was confined to Nazi camps or to the Soviet gulag. Although it would be naive to assume that the twentieth century had a monopoly on evil, it is nonetheless startling to realise the world’s very first concentration camp was located, not at Dachau, nor even in 19th-century Cuba, but in 18th-century France. There, near La Rochelle on the western coast, near a small island called Île-Madame, 829 priests were starved and tortured aboard prison ships designed for the slave trade,[1] and transformed by the Reign of Terror into efficient murder weapons. Over five hundred of them perished.

It was not by accident that this story escaped the world’s attention and our history books. The history of these priests was so carefully and entirely suppressed that it even disappeared for decades from the collective memory.[2] In the words of their torturer, the brutal and callous Capitaine Laly, “These men were torn from the book of the Republic. I was told to make them die without noise. ”[3]

Why should they have died without noise, these 829 priests herded with indignity through the towns and streets of France, beaten and stripped before being consigned to two prison ships bound for French Guiana – a place deliberately chosen for its murderous climate[4]? As a reminder of the historic allegiance of France to the Holy See, they were an embarrassment to the Republic; because they functioned as a stimulus to the faith of many, they were undesirables to be eliminated. Most of them had refused from the outset the route the Republic considered patriotic: the oath to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which removed the priest from his fidelity to the Pope and rendered him a schismatic civil servant of the government. Others among them, confronted with the fidelity of their brethren, would later retract that same oath.

It is to the credit of the French hierarchy that all but four of the bishops of France, along with over half of the clergy, refused the oath. Even the Terror regime was afraid to execute them all outright. Instead, it would bury all of them in opprobrium, chase many of them into exile, and murder the remaining unfortunates by inches on the prison ships which, due to their condition and the British blockade of the oceans, would never make it to French Guiana.

The deportation of the prisoners reads like an episode from a surrealist nightmare. Humiliating strip searches, insults and booing from the mob, inclement weather, accommodation with malefactors or in profaned churches were not the only sufferings endured on the long Calvary. On the march through Limoges, goats and donkeys arrayed in priestly garments were added to the procession of clergy, and a deacon was ritually guillotined[5]. At Cognac, they were taunted by an official, “If you were animals, we might have pity on you, but being monsters, you don’t deserve any compassion.[6]” Once arrived at their destination, the already demoralised and exhausted priests were welcomed on board the ships by being denuded of their last possessions. Not even a breviary was allowed.

On board they would learn an entirely different code of justice, the code of false accusations and rapid executions. Everything was punishable: to whisper in Latin was the sign of a conspirator[7]. Those subjected to a quick execution by gunfire were the fortunate ones; those left to rot on the ships had the crueller fate. From eight at night to eight in the morning, they were crammed into a space smaller than a coffin[8] for each one, without light, without air. As there were insufficient buckets for natural necessities and given the brutal necessity of climbing over bodies to reach those buckets, the air was soon filled with a terrible stench. To this suffering was added the freezing cold on deck during the day, and below deck, the horror of fumigations which were produced by plunging a red-hot cannonball into tar[9]. These fumigations made some of the priests spit blood; they produced a racking cough. The food, unsatisfying as it was, was infested with worms, infected with mould, or even more putrid matter. Forced to labour, deprived of the least intellectual enjoyment or companionship, the priests were put to a test of fidelity which is astonishing to contemplate.

All these outward tortures- to which the predictable dysentery and typhoid would soon be added- pale, however, in comparison to the spiritual sufferings, for if the physical sufferings were a purgatory, the behaviour of the crew was reminiscent of the demons in hell. One Abbe Maugras recorded of the crew’s behaviour “I doubt if the demons in hell could utter as many blasphemies against God and His Saints.”[10] Every prayer they uttered was greeted with a blasphemy so terrible that many resolved to keep silent. Nonetheless, by unanimous consent the entire body of priests resolved, in the face of death, to continue the Benedicite and to make the sign of the Cross before meals. Before their resolve, the crew was silenced. It was one of the priests’ rare victories.[11]

Providence, meanwhile, was not asleep. Somehow, the Blessed Sacrament and the holy oils remained undiscovered on one of the ships, the Deux-Associes, so that all of of the priests were able to receive Extreme Unction (and nearly all Holy Viaticum) before death, a death endured with sentiments of confidence and resignation so great that it comforted their voluntary nurses. “I have seen some of them after death whose faces were so beautiful that we could not stop looking at them,” recorded one of these helpers later.[12] And what hours of tender adoration were made by these priest-victims beside the Divine Host, which transformed the hell of the prison ships into a paradise of virtue, peace, and love of God! “We suffer not only with peace, but with sweetness, and we die with delight,” wrote one of them.[13]

The gentle hand of Our Lady was also to be seen in some of the reliefs given to the victims on her feast days. For instance, it was on the feast of her Assumption[14] that the priests received the welcome news of their disembarkation onto the island of Île -Madame, where they might nurse the sick and bury their dead. They hastened to consecrate their makeshift hospital and the island to Our Lady under the title of her Assumption, changing the name to Ile-Notre-Dame.

It was possibly there that one of the priest-nurses, whilst tending to his brethren, sculpted the relic and icon of their trial, the famous Prison Ship Cross which doubtless received the last pleading glance of the dying priests. The Corpus, worn with the devotion of over two centuries, is without arms, without hands. The armless Christ is seen as a symbol of the priesthood deprived of the liberty to offer Mass yet exercising their priesthood through suffering and interior prayer.[15]

Perhaps the most beautiful jewel to emerge from the bitter trial was the mutual support of the clergy. A group banded together and made nine serious resolutions for their spiritual lives: to avoid repining on account of the loss of their possessions; to live modestly and soberly if ever they were released; to avoid ever making public the story of what they had endured; to avoid useless longings for release from their fate; to spend the time of their imprisonment reflecting on their past and making serious resolutions for the future. Most touching is the promise to cover for posterity and to screen from a curious public any faults or weaknesses which their brethren, under tyranny, might happen to commit[16].

This magnanimity which grew under persecution was no weak flame, sputtering and dying after its first burst of radiance. Years later, a visitor called at Captain Laly’s house, where the man lived, now impoverished and far from the consolations of religion, as he only too well deserved. A visitor entered; Laly regarded him with horror, recognising in him one of the priests he had tortured. The priest left a bag of money on the table. “That is how a priest forgives,” he remarked.[17]

The terrible Laly later died repentant and converted - a conversion surely won by the magnanimity of his victims.

But if, as Commandant Laly desired, the ocean guarded her secrets, the soil of Île -Madame did not. The local peasantry transmitted the story of the holy priests and their cruel murder. Decades later, in 1863, a clergyman asked a praying peasant why he doffed his hat to pray in a field without church or shrine. Astonished, the peasant asked, “But Sir, is it possible that you do not know that the saints are buried here?”[18] Devotion grew and, in the nineteenth century, God was pleased to honour the sacrifice of His servants by a miracle: the path which connects the island to the mainland, and which had become dangerous, was renewed miraculously overnight[19]. It endures beneath the tread of countless annual pilgrims. There on Île -Madame lie buried (and honoured by a cross of simple galets or flat stones brought by generations of pilgrims) the bodies of some 254 priests, buried by their exhausted fellow-sufferers, who were forced to dig the burial places of their comrades but prevented from offering the briefest of funeral obsequies. They were buried in silence- but the stones still cry out.

For an intimate tie exists binding Catholics to those priests who died in witness to the spiritual independence of Christ’s kingdom on earth. If we can attend the Mass of Ages, it is due in no small part to the valiant efforts and rapid organisation of some French clergy and laity after the Second Vatican Council. It is likewise indisputable that the heroes of the ecclesiastical Revolution, slandered and reduced to penury, saying Mass in forests and in basements, are the spiritual heirs of the martyrs of the French Revolution. Across the centuries we hear the clarion call: “If we are the most unfortunate of men, we are also the happiest of Christians.”[20] It is our motto too.

[1] Poivert, L. (Chanoine): Les Martyrs des Pontons, pg 34

[2] La croix des pontons de Rochefort et Le Pelerinage a L’Ile-Madame, Documentary, Culture-Bible et Studio 4, 2023

[3] Un peu plus d’Histoire - PRÊTRES DÉPORTÉS sur les PONTONS : Diocèse de La Rochelle & Saintes: This quotation is also found generally, in the public domain, such as Les martyrs des Pontons de Rochefort (1794-1795) - Christ Roi and Les mouroirs flottants de Rochefort

[4] Poivert, L. (Chanoine): Les Martyrs des Pontons, pg 20

[5] Ibid, pg. 28

[6] Ibid, pg 27

[7] Les mouroirs flottants de Rochefort, https://fr.aleteia.org/

[8] La croix des pontons de Rochefort et Le Pelerinage a L’Ile-Madame, Documentary, Culture-Bible et Studio 4, 2023

[9] Chevreau, Guy, Les Pontons de Rochefort, 1974 : Kindle edition

[10] Chevreau, ibid.

[11]ibid.

[12]ibid.

[13] Poivert, L. (Chanoine): Les Martyrs des Pontons, pg 58

[14] Poivert, L. (Chanoine): Les Martyrs des Pontons, pg 66

[15] La croix des pontons de Rochefort et Le Pelerinage a L’Ile-Madame, Documentary, Culture-Bible et Studio 4, 2023

[16] An entire list of the nine resolutions is given at the website of the Diocese of Saintes at 9 Résolutions - PRÊTRES DÉPORTÉS sur les PONTONS. The resolutions are in the public domain and included in, for example, the present liturgical books of the Carmelite Order.

[17] Reportage du pèlerinage 2022 à l'Ile Madame • La Porte Latine

[18] La croix des pontons de Rochefort et Le Pelerinage a L’Ile-Madame, Documentary, Culture-Bible et Studio 4, 2023

[19] This is an oral tradition for which historical data are difficult to find, but the fact is maintained by local clergy and religious in France. See an example at Reportage du pèlerinage 2022 à l'Ile Madame • LPL

[20] La croix des pontons de Rochefort et Le Pelerinage a L’Ile-Madame, Documentary, Culture-Bible et Studio 4, 2023

Novena To The Holy Face - Starts on Feb 8 2026

Posted by: Stone - 02-08-2026, 12:11 PM - Forum: Novenas - No Replies

The Novena: To The Holy Face - Starts on Feb 8 2026

The Novena: To The Holy Face
Novena Begins : Sunday February 8, 2026
Novena Ends: Monday February 16, 2026
Feast of the Holy Face: February 17, 2026
Novena to the Holy Face — League of St. Martin

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn....87265e68f4]

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn....87265e68f4]

FIRST DAY
The Holy Face at Bethlehem

At the commencement say: Lord, I desire to seek thy Face; do not Thou repel me far from it on account of my sins; do not remove Thy Holy Spirit from me. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me; teach me in the way of Thy commandments.

Enter into the grotto at Bethlehem, consider the newborn Child, laid in the cradle, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes. Mary and Joseph stand before him and contemplate him. You also gaze upon his sweet and radiant Face. It is the Face of the Emmanuel, of the Son of “God with us”; of the “most beautiful of the children of men”. During four thousand years the patriarchs and prophets had desired to see it; they earnestly entreated for it as the salvation promised to the world.

“Lord,” they unceasingly exclaimed, “Show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved.” Behold it here! It shows itself at last! See how ravishing and amiable it is; how it already hastens to give you all the most precious things that it possesses.

I. It gives you its first prayer: for already in its cradle, it turns towards Heaven; towards the sovereign Father of angels and of men; the author of all things. It adores him in your name, it prays for you. “Behold me,” it says, “Oh my Father, I come to fulfill Thy will.” Now, this will is to deliver you from eternal death and to accomplish your salvation. When allowing itself to be seen for the first time, the face of Jesus is humble and suppliant; associate yourself with his prayer; determine to labor efficaciously for the great affair of your salvation which is the object of his coming.

II. It gives you its first tears. Behold the innocent and delicate cheeks of the newborn infant benumbed with cold, bathed with the tears which are caused less by the sufferings of the body, than by the grief excited in his soul by the sight of the world. The sweet Face of the little child Jesus is already the victim of reparation, of justice, and of expiation; it suffers, it weeps, it satisfies for your sins. Gather up with reverence these holy tears, one alone of which possesses infinite value; offer them to the Eternal Father for the payment of your debts towards him.

III. It gives you also one of its first smiles. It has already smiled on Mary, it has smiled on Joseph; now from out of the midst of its swaddling clothes, from out of its tears, it turns towards you, it becomes sweetly radiant whilst looking at you, it gives you its infantine smile; a smile of peace and love, a smile of heaven, which invites you, which calls you, which seems to say to you: “The face which smiles on you is that of a friend, of a brother, of a Saviour. Draw near, have confidence, I love you.”
Act of love - If the child Jesus loves you, if his Holy Face gives you the proof of it, what is it that holds you back? Render to him love for love.

Virtue to be practiced - Detach yourself, at least in heart, from all earthly things; let Jesus be your treasure!
Spiritual bouquet - Dry that first tear; carry away with you that first kind smile of the Holy Face, lay it in the deepest part of your soul, as a ray of hope, as a spark of love, and say with the prophet: “The light of Thy Face has been shed upon us, Oh Lord; Thou hast given joy to our heart.” I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

SECOND DAY
The Holy Face in the midst of the people of Judea

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

Follow our Lord during his public life, traversing the towns and villages of Judea, announcing the good tidings of the Gospel, curing sicknesses and infirmities, everywhere as he passed doing good. Observe what part the Holy Face took in this mission of teaching and of charity. As the Son of God had really united the whole of our nature to himself, he showed himself to men, with a human face, having its own individual features, and a physiognomy which caused him, at all times and everywhere to be known by the aspect of his countenance; for “Man,” says the prophet, “is known by the aspect of his face.” The people strove with all their might to see the Face of Jesus. Admire the three wonders of grace, which the sight of the adorable Face produced upon all those who drew nigh to it.

I. It ravished the multitude - When Jesus appeared in public, the people surrounded him, eager to see and hear him; suspended on his divine lips, they said: “Never man spoke like this man!” And they were plunged into ecstasy and astonishment. The reason is that very different from Moses, the Man-God did not cover his Face with a veil; he revealed himself to every eye; he conversed with all indiscriminately, tempering, through the sweetness and charm of his humanity, the too dazzling rays of the divinity which dwelt corporeally in him. His Face was really the mirror of his soul, the outward expression of his heart, the visible manifestation of his internal feelings. Is it surprising that his aspect ravished all beholders? - Come you also near, contemplate with avidity His Face at once human and divine, listen with reverence to the words of his mouth; delight to listen to it, to question it, to converse with it.

II. It attracts the apostles. - On a certain day, the Saviour passed near to a publican seated at his desk: “Follow me,” he said, and the man immediately arose and followed him; he became one of his apostles and his first evangelist. “It was,” says St. Jerome, “because at the same time that Mathew heard the voice of Jesus, he saw on his Face a ray of divine Majesty which enlightened him and stirred the very depths of his soul.” On another occasion, Andrew brought him his brother. Jesus, casting a penetrating glance upon him, said: “Thou shalt be called Peter.” He transformed him and made of him the chief of his apostles, the cornerstone of his Church. Walking beside the Lake, he perceives two fishermen, two brothers, who were mending their nets; he stops, looks at them: “Follow me,” He says. On hearing the imperative command and on beholding the splendor which illuminated the Eyes and the Face of Him who called to them, they abandon their nets, their bark, their father, and immediately follow Him. Are there not moments in which the Holy Face enlightens you, urges you, and touches you? Do not make any resistance or delay when you are thus attracted by it; let it work in you the change which it desires to do.

III. It is compassionate and merciful towards all. - Little children are the object of its embraces and its caresses. It gives to the prodigal son the kiss of peace and reconciliation. Inclined towards the ground in presence of the repentant sinner, it is raised again in order to look at her and to say: “Go in peace, and sin no more.” Attentive to the needs of the multitude in the desert, it raises its eyes towards heaven and calls down the blessing which multiplies the bread necessary for the subsistence of the hungry people. It sheds tears over the tomb of Lazarus and communicates to the four days corpse a miraculous resurrection, an image of the possible conversion of the most hardened sinner. Light, grace, pardon, life, flow like rays from the adorable Face; gather them up with avidity according to the needs and the different states of your soul.

Act of confidence - Everywhere that it showed itself upon earth, the Holy Face blessed, pardoned, cured, did good. I will call upon it; wherefore should I not be heard?

Virtue to be practiced - Be docile to the impressions of grace; a grace is a glance of the Face of Jesus which solicits and urges you. Give yourself up to its heavenly influence.

Spiritual Bouquet - My beloved, show me Thy Face; make Thy voice resound in my ears; Thy voice is as sweet as Thy Face is lovely; I desire at the same time to see and to hear Thee.

I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

THIRD DAY
The Holy Face on Tabor

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

Ascend with our Lord on Tabor. He climbed the mountain with three privileged disciples, Peter, James, and John, and he began to pray. Whilst he prayed, his Face was transfigured before them; his Holy Face became resplendent like the sun; his vestments were white as snow. Jesus willed to give in this manner a free outlet to the rays of the divinity which was hidden in him; for the first time he caused to appear before mortal eyes his adorable Face with the splendor of the glory and the beauty which belong to it. You will find in this mystery three subjects worthy of your attention:

I. A spectacle to contemplate - That of the Face of our Lord beaming with splendor and grace. The light which flows from his divine Face communicates to the raiment of the Saviour and to the whole of his person a virginal whiteness, incomparable in its purity. It is a light which casts its beams into the air, envelopes the whole mountain, and ravishes the three disciples who are present, with admiration. They experience an ecstasy of happiness, a foretaste of the happiness of heaven, and Saint Peter exclaims: “It is good for us to be here, let us make three tabernacles!” And yet it was only a passing ray of the eternal splendor, a drop of that ocean of felicity, of that plenitude of life of which the Face of the Lord is the source. What will it be when you drink it in copious drafts and when you will have full possession and assured enjoyment of the very source itself?

II. A conversation which to listen - Listen to the conversation which Moses and Elias have with Jesus in presence of the Holy Face thus transfigured. The subject which occupies them is the work of the Redemption of the human race, which the Son of Man has come to accomplish; they speak of his “Going out of the world,” that is to say, of his Passion and death. The Face of the Redeemer, at that moment so radiant and so beautiful, will soon be wounded, bleeding, spit upon, outraged in a thousand ways. Lifted up upon an infamous gibbet, it will utter in the face of heaven a cry of pardon when expiring, and it will be the consummation of our salvation, the conquering signal of peace, the warrant of an entire reconciliation between God and man. In this mysterious conversation, the Face of Jesus offers itself to us under two very different aspects; it is at once the glorious and the sorrowful Face. Tabor and Calvary approach each other and are united together; it was meet that it should be so; it is on Calvary, upon the Cross, by the sufferings and ignominy of the Passion concentrated in the Face of our Lord, that Redemption will be accomplished and that we shall merit together with the beatific vision, the delights of Paradise. Do not separate the idea of the sacrifice from that of the recompense; if the joys of Tabor are sometimes granted you, remember that it is to give you strength the better to follow Jesus to Calvary, and to bear the Cross with him.

III. An order to receive - This order emanates from the Eternal Father, who, from the summit of the mountain, as from an awe-inspiring tribune, desires to render, in the face of heaven and earth, a solemn homage to the Face of his Son. It is in fact the splendor of his glory, the figure of his substance, the most pure splendor of his eternal light, the spotless mirror of his justice and of his infinite perfections. He there enhances its glory, by surrounding it as in a splendid frame, with a luminous cloud, which comes down from heaven, as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, from out of the bosom of which issues a voice full of power and majesty: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” Such is the command which God gives to every creature. He glorifies the Face of his Word, he makes a solemn exposition of it on the highest mountain of the Holy Land, in order to show in it, to all people and to all centuries, the sign of salvation and the organ of truth. Look at it then, “and act according to the model which is presented to you on the mountain.”

Act of hope - Yes, I know it; my Redeemer is living: I shall see him one day with my eyes, in his glory, myself and not another; this is the hope which is laid up in my bosom.

Virtue to be practiced - Fidelity in obeying the divine commandments. “Speak, Lord, Thy servant harkens.”

Spiritual bouquet - “It is good for us to be here.” Say these words in presence of the Tabernacle, at the foot of the altar; there is your Tabor, for the immortal and glorious Face of Jesus is through the Eucharist, present to the eyes of your faith; make it the object of your delights and of your joys. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

FOURTH DAY
The Holy Face in the Garden of Olives

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

Follow Jesus going after the last supper to the mount of Olives, in order to prepare himself for his Passion. He kneels down apart in a solitary grotto; he prays for a long lime, even during three hours. His soul is a prey to sorrow, to fear, to the anguish of death. From time to time he interrupts his prayer in order to go to his disciples and to seek from them a little support and consolation, and he meets with neither. “I have sought,” he says, “someone who would console me, and I have found none.” You may here observe three things:

I. The sorrowful state of the Holy Face. It reflects all the impressions of his soul; it is sorrowful, desolate, quivering; it sheds tears; sorrowful sighs escape from its lips. See also, how, after having prayed on his knees, the Saviour, in order to give his petitions more intensity and fervor, prostrates himself with his Face to the ground. Contemplate his Divine Face abased to the dust, cleaving to the earth which, cursed through the sin of Adam and condemned to produce nothing but thorns, was purified by the kiss of peace, by the tears of the Holy Face. Our earth will henceforth behold its inhabitants, produce a rich harvest of flowers and fruits of virtue; but Jesus takes the thorns for himself and with them crowns his brow.

II. The apparition of the angel - At that moment, the anguish of the Man-God is redoubled; he experiences mortal anguish; a mysterious sweat, a sweat of blood bathes his Face, runs down from his brow and falls, drop after drop, upon the ground where he is prostrated. An angel appears in order to strengthen him; reanimated by the heavenly aid, Jesus rises, accepts the chalice offered to him by his Father and lovingly drinks it down to the very dregs. Angel of consolation, you give me an example; I envy you your destiny; I desire to put myself in your place; let it be my portion to raise that suffering and languishing Face, to compensate it by the tenderness of my love, and the generosity of my sacrifices; since it is for me that it suffers and that it is humiliated; it is for me that it resigns itself to drink the chalice presented to it by its Father.

III. What you have to do - It is to offer yourself to it and to imitate it. Adorable Face, Thou didst not refuse the succor offered by another and the consolation of an angel. Permit me, in spite of my unworthiness, to draw nigh to Thee, and to render Thee the like service. Permit me to compassionate Thy sorrow, to raise Thee from the ground and to hold Thee reverently in my arms. It is for me to prostrate myself to the ground, to annihilate myself in a spirit of reparation; I associate myself with Thy humiliations and Thy sufferings; like Thee, I accept the chalice of suffering, and I give myself up to the divine will, saying: “Behold me, Lord, I come to do Thy will. Thy law shall be engraved forever in my heart. Thy will and not my own be done; not what I will, oh Lord, but what Thou willest!”

Act of abandonment - Offer yourself wholly to God in order never to do aught save his adorable will; make the offering in union with Jesus praying in the garden.

Virtue to be practiced - Do penance; excite yourself to contrition for your own sins and for those of others; accept, in a spirit of expiation the trials of life and the bitter sorrows it may please God to send you.

Spiritual bouquet - My food, that is to say, my joy and my delight, are to do the will of my Father who is in heaven.
I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

FIFTH DAY
The Holy Face in the House of Caiphas

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

It is the night of the Passion. Jesus, after a decisive judgment, has been disdainfully sent, with his hands tied, to the house of Caiphas.

I. Outrages - He is at the mercy of a band of servants and of soldiers, who make it a cruel sport to load him with outrages and insults of every kind. His Holy Face is their target. The whole night it has to suffer the most humiliating insults which can be invented by the malice of men and the rage of devils. They outrage him by blows, they wound him and cover him with blood by giving him cuffs with their hands, they soil him with spits, a kind of insult particularly felt by the Saviour. He complains of it by the mouth of the prophet: “They were not afraid to spit in my Face,” and when predicting to his apostles the Passion which he was about to undergo at Jerusalem, he specified the spits which would be given him: “The Son of Man shall be spit upon.”

II. Conversion of Saint Peter - In the midst of this ignominious treatment, what patience on the part of the Saviour! what serenity! what sweetness! He does not complain, he does not murmur; he prays, he loves, he expiates and repairs the outrages which our sins have inflicted and still inflict on the majesty of his heavenly Father. At the very culmination of his ignominies, his sorrowful Face finds means to perform an act of mercy and of ineffable charity; it casts its eyes on the prince of the apostles and raises him up after his fall. Peter was there, at some distance from him, an unfaithful disciple, mingling in the crowd of the enemies of his master. He had shamefully denied him, no less than three times. All at once, he encounters the divine eyes fixing upon him a look of gentle reproach, of compassion, and of love. It is enough. The sight of that sorrowful Face, of that ray of light which issues from those sad eyes, pierces the heart of the apostle; penetrated with shame and repentance, he turns aside and weeps bitterly.

III. Application to yourself - Oh divine Face who raisest up and transformest wandering souls, cast Thine eyes upon me. Have pity on me. I have not, after having offended God, responded to the attractions of Thy grace. Or, if I have shed a few tears, they have only been the result of a passing feeling of humility, of a sadness in which self-love had a larger part than true repentance. Since Thou art, oh adorable Face, a sun of justice, able to soften our souls and to purify our consciences, burn and consume in me all that is contrary to the purity of Thy love; may Thy heavenly rays inflame me, and make me weep secretly over my past offenses; I also, am an unfaithful disciple, or rather, I have been, but will no longer be one! Thou hast been so merciful as to forgive me my revolts and to turn away Thine eyes from my sins. No, my Jesus, whatever may happen, and whatever it may cost me, I will not renounce Thee anymore; I will, on the contrary, glorify Thee by my penitence and my good works.

Act of contrition - Lord, turn away Thy Face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. I detest them and desire to make reparation for them.

Virtue lo be practiced - Have the courage of your faith. Do not fear the eyes and the words of men when there is a question of a duty to be fulfilled or of a fault to be avoided.

Spiritual bouquet - Jesus looked at Peter, and Peter wept bitterly. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

SIXTH DAY
The Holy Face at the Praetorium of Pilate

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

I. The sufferings of the Holy Face - The lashes which the executioners inflicted on Jesus did not spare his sweet and amiable Face. It is furrowed in every direction, wounded, bleeding, lacerated by scourges. Then, seeing that Jesus was condemned to death because he had called himself “King,” the soldiers turn this title into a subject of bitter derision and of sacrilegious mockeries. They cast upon his shoulders a purple robe; instead of a scepter, they place a reed in his hand, and by an incredible refinement of malice they fashion a crown for him out of thorns which they interlace together, and which they fasten on his brow with great blows. The long, hard, sharp thorns entering deeply into the head of the Saviour caused him dreadful suffering and inundated his Holy Face with streams of blood.

II. Humiliations of the Holy Face - It was in this pitiable state Pilate presented Jesus to the people, hoping thereby to excite their compassion and to deliver him. “Behold the man!” he said. The sight only inflamed their fury. “Crucify him, crucify him, they exclaimed. - Shall I crucify your king? - We have no other king than Cesar, we will not have this man to reign over us.” The enemies of the Saviour triumphed. Amongst the crowd there were many whom he had overwhelmed with blessings, who perhaps, in secret, called themselves his disciples and friends; yet not one amongst them raised his voice in order to declare himself in his favor, and to defend him. Not one of them dared to recognize him for his king and his God. This miserable, cowardly abandonment, joined to the other outrages inflicted on the Holy Face, was a sorrowful martyrdom for Jesus. “My people, what have I done to you? Why do you outrage the Face of your Saviour? Why have you surrounded it with a diadem of thorns?”

III. Honor due to the Holy Face - There is a profound mystery contained in the crowning of the divine Face; it was destined to reign. The soldiers, though unconscious of it, attest the royalty of Jesus Christ, as well as Pilate; without being aware of it, they enter into the designs of God, who wills that his Son should be recognized as King and under that title, should receive the homage of all creatures. Yes, Oh Jesus, by the diadem which crowns Thy Face, Thou hast acquired the right of reigning over my heart; Thy diadem of ignominy and of suffering is a crown of expiation and of love. Many times I have cast dishonor upon Thy royalty by despising Thy holy law and Thy divine teachings; many times I have caused the blood to flow down Thy august Face through my reiterated sins, which have driven ever deeper into Thy flesh the thorns which transpierce Thy brow; I have run after the joys of this world, and I have crowned myself with roses; I have longed after the luxurious delights of an easy and pleasant life, not remembering that I am the subject of a king crowned with thorns. No, adorable Face, I will not allow Thee any more to suffer the thorns of my iniquities. I desire that Thou shouldst rejoice in my homage; that thou shouldst be crowned with the flowers of my virtues, and that Thou shouldst triumph in me by a generous love worthy of Thee.

Act of offering - Oh Jesus, my king, and my God, behold my mind with its thoughts, my heart with its affections, my will with its tendencies, behold my soul and my body; I put them wholly and entirely under the empire of Thy Holy Face, reign over me forevermore.

Virtue to be practiced - Make all the desires and ill-regulated movements of your heart and mind which may offend the Holy Face and renew its sufferings, to die in you by means of mortification.

Spiritual bouquet - Can a member be fastidious and sensual under a Head that is crowned with thorns? I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

SEVENTH DAY
The Holy Face on the path to Calvary

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

Behold Jesus ascending the mount of his sacrifice, laden with the weight of his Cross. After the painful and humiliating fall which he has had, his adorable Face is soiled with dust, with sweat and with blood. The spectacle excites the contempt of the crowd and the mockeries of the executioners.

I. Reparation offered to the Holy Face - In this state of abandonment and of opprobrium, the Saviour, all at once, receives a mark of devotion and of tenderness which compensates and consoles him. A courageous woman, Veronica, has been touched with compassion. Listening only to her faith and her love, she makes her way through the crowd, puts aside the executioners, and, filled with reverence and emotion, draws near to Jesus. Then she takes the soft white veil of fine Egyptian linen which covers her head; she spreads it over and gently applies it to the bleeding and wounded Face of the Man-God! she wipes it and raises it; it is a real service which she renders to him, and which for a moment relieves his sufferings and reanimates him. As a recompense, Jesus immediately leaves the impression of his Holy Face upon the linen of which she had made use for the performance of this heroic act.

II. Veronica our pattern - Congratulate Veronica; look upon her as an admirable model, learn from that generous woman to make reparation to the suffering Face of your God. Impiety renews, in these our days, the outrages he endured on Calvary. His Holy Face is especially insulted and spit upon by all the horrible blasphemies which hell vomits forth against his divinity. The Saviour complains; he seems to say to those who know him and who love him: “I have sought around me for consolers, and I have found none.” Let your heart answer: “Behold me, Lord; I am Thine, ready to do Thy good pleasure. Must I oppose my faith, my adoration, my example to hatred and contemptuous impiety? I am ready.”

III. A good inspiration to follow - Divine Master, Thou hast said in Thy Gospel: “Whoever shall glorify me before man, I will glorify him in my turn before my Father who is in heaven.” At the present day, perverse and sacrilegious deeds outrage Thy adorable Face; I desire to glorify it by my expiations, by my praises, by all the fervor of my love. Animate me with the spirit with which Veronica was inspired upon the ascent to Calvary. What signifies to me the raillery of the world, and the rage of hell? I will listen to the voice of the Church, I will follow the inspirations of my heart, I will go to Thee, oh sweet Peace of my Saviour; I will wipe away the tears with which it is inundated; I will soothe the wounds which make it suffer, I will efface the ignominious blemishes with which wicked men have attempted to soil it. In Thy turn, inspire me with the rays of Thy grace, and engrave in my heart the celestial impress of Thy virtues.

Act of charity - Love the Holy Face and have compassion on the outrages it was made to suffer; love your wandering brethren, and pray to God to spare and convert them.

Virtue to be practiced - Let zeal for reparation inflame you; exercise it by communions, by your prayers, by your words, by your example, by all the means with which the sight of evil committed ought to inspire you.

Spiritual bouquet - “I want Veronicas,” said our Lord to Marie de Saint Pierre. “My daughter, take my Face as a precious coin wherewith to pay to my Father the debts of His justice.” I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

EIGHTH DAY
The Holy Face on the Cross

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

Upon the Cross, where it is placed as upon an altar of propitiation between heaven and earth, the Holy Face acts as our intercessor and our mediator.

I. The pardon of the Holy Face - Raising its eyes bathed in tears towards the heavenly Father, it entreats our pardon: Paler, dimitte illis. Oh Father, remit the debt of these sinners; give back to them Thy friendship. Then turning towards us, it inclines itself lovingly, as though to offer us the kiss of peace and of reconciliation. Oh! how touching, at that moment, is the aspect of the sorrowful Face of the Redeemer; what sufferings upon that bed of anguish! what a prolonged agony! and what patience also! what gentleness, what an ineffable serenity in its movements and its words! As often as seven times the divine Face, giving a truce to its sufferings opens its blessed lips; each one of its words is a lesson, a grace, and as it were, a reiterated and supreme adieu which it addresses to the world. It does not murmur; it is not irritated; it prays, it pardons, it blesses; at last it utters a loud cry and expires.

II. The appeal made to divine mercy - Oh God, our Creator, and our Father, we dare not raise our eyes towards Thee; for we have sinned; we have abused Thy innumerable blessings; we are guilty in the highest degree, we deserve the blows of Thy divine justice. But, Lord, behold Thy Christ on the Cross, look at his merciful and compassionate Face which implores Thee. Listen to the voice of its prayer. Behold its tears, the thorns of its crown, the blood with which it is inundated. Behold it mute, inanimate, growing cold in the death agony. It is given up to death for us, oh Father; it has taken our place before Thee, it has deserved to disarm Thy anger. Look, look at the Face of Thy well-beloved Christ, in the state to which it has been reduced. Pardon us, oh most merciful Father, and save us.

III. Christian pardon - Most Holy Face of Jesus on the cross, what a lesson Thou givest to me! Thy charity has reached even to the extent of pardoning Thy executioners and praying for them. It is, above all, for those who struck Thee, wounded Thee, dealt Thee blows, covered Thee with spittle, that Thou saidst: “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.” When they struck Thee, Thou didst endure them, gently and in silence. Now, Thou raisest Thy voice to excuse and defend them, to obtain pardon for them; in offering for them Thy blood, Thou givest them the greatest proof of Thy love. Teach me this Thy endurance of our neighbor and this Thy generosity in pardoning even our most cruel enemies. Yes, I forgive, for love of Thee, all who have offended me. With you, I pray for the sinners who outrage Thee, for the wretched men who blaspheme Thee; I beg of Thee their conversion and their salvation. Let them but turn to Thee, oh most Holy Face, let them invoke Thee; it is enough! Whoever looks on Thee, oh blessed Face, with faith and repentance, will escape the sting of the serpent and will find life.

Act of generous love - My God, I forget the injuries which have been inflicted on me; I pardon all those who have offended me in any way whatever; I love them sincerely, I pray for them, and I entreat thee to save them.

Virtue to practice - Bear the injuries inflicted on you and the coldness shown you by your neighbor, accept all that is painful in them to your heart and mind in reparation for what the Holy Face has suffered.

Spiritual bouquet - God our protector, cast Thine eyes upon the Face of Thy Christ. I have called upon thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to Thy promises. Let the light of Thy Face shine upon me. Save me in thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - God all-powerful and merciful, grant we entreat Thee, that, venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in his Passion because of our sins, we may deserve to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of the glory of Heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ. Amen.

NINTH DAY
The Holy Face on the day of the Resurrection

(Prayers at the commencement are the same as for the first meditation above)

On the day of his resurrection, our Saviour showed himself several times to his holy mother, to the holy women, and to his Apostles. He came forth from the sepulcher, endowed with a spiritual and incorruptible life, shining with glory and immortality. In this state, that which above all attracted attention, was the beauty and triumphant splendor of his Holy Face.

I. Glory of the Holy Face after the Resurrection - Look at it yourself in spirit and with the eyes of faith. What celestial fire in its eyes! What serenity on its brow! What harmony in its features! What a smiling and majestic countenance! During his Passion we beheld the Face of Jesus bleeding and full of grief; at this moment, joy beams forth from it; it overflows with consolation in proportion to the sufferings and ignominies it has suffered. Oh, adorable Face of my Saviour, it is meet that victorious now, over death and sin, you should appear dazzling in strength and splendor. Show what Thou art; shed all-around in softened majesty, the rays of honor and glory with which Thou art crowned; advance and reign over all hearts. Prospere procede, et regna.

II. Joy which it communicates - The first time that the apostles, when they were assembled together in the cenacle, saw the risen Face of their divine Master, they were thrilled, says the Evangelist, with great joy. His smile, his sweet gaze, his kind and paternal words, the breath of his lips which he shed upon them, inundated them interiorly with a delicious peace which they had never before experienced. What will be the joy of the elect, when they shall behold, in its full splendor, without a cloud, and without a shade, the glorious Face of the Incarnate Word. The sight will enable them to penetrate as through a most pure mirror, into the secrets of the divine essence, where they will find perfect beatitude and the sovereign good. They will see it even as it is, that most Holy Face and they will become like to it; perfection of soul and of body will be theirs through the light of its glory with which they will feel themselves to be penetrated.

III. Its praises throughout eternity - Lord, permit me “To behold Thee,” permit me to see Thy Face in its pure and real glory; when Thy glory shall thus appear to me, then my heart will be satiated with joy. Being then says Saint Augustine, free and disengaged from all cares, “we shall see, we shall love, we shall praise.” We shall see the Face of the divine King so ravishing and so beautiful; we shall love the Face of the Man-God, of the Son of Mary so sweet and so amiable; we shall praise the Face of the Redeemer, so victorious and so powerful. We shall behold it forever, we shall love it without distaste; we shall praise it without weariness, with transports of ever reviving, ever renewed joy, forever and ever. Amen.

Act of desire - When shall I go and appear before the Face of my God? When shall I see him face to face?

Virtue to be practiced - Detach yourself, little by little, from the deceptive and passing joys of this world; seek the treasures of Heaven where the risen Jesus awaits you.

Spiritual bouquet - May I expire thirsting with an ardent thirst to see the desirable Face of our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Last words of Mr. Dupont) I have entreated Thy Face with my whole heart; have pity on me according to thy promise. Make the light of Thy Face to shine upon me; save me in Thy mercy; Lord, I shall not be confounded, because I have called upon Thee.

PRAYER - Almighty and merciful God, grant, we beg of Thee, that whilst venerating the Face of Thy Christ, disfigured in the Passion because of our sins, we may merit to contemplate it eternally in the splendor of its heavenly glory. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Hewko: Sexagesima Sun.“The Waters Prevailed & the Mountains Were Covered" 2/8/26

Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-08-2026, 10:28 AM - Forum: February 2026 - Replies (1)

Sexagesima Sunday

“The Waters Prevailed & the Mountains Were Covered”

February 8, 2026

Audio

Holy Mass in Pennsylvania [Tannersville area] - February 9, 2026

Posted by: Stone - 02-08-2026, 10:28 AM - Forum: February 2026 - No Replies

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsanctoral.com%2Fen%2Fsa...07f3a91771]

Date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Time: Confessions - 4:45 PM
Holy Mass - 5:30 PM

Location: 128 Gravatts Way
Tannersville, PA 18372

Contact: holyfamilymissionnj@gmail.com

Oratory Conference: St. Benedict 's Wise Advice to Fathers February 6, 2026

Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-07-2026, 09:48 PM - Forum: Conferences - No Replies

St. Benedict 's Wise Advice to Fathers

February 6, 2026 (NH)

Fr. Hewko, Apologetics: Introduction February 6, 2026

Posted by: Deus Vult - 02-07-2026, 09:42 PM - Forum: Conferences - No Replies

Apologetics Class: Introduction

February 6, 2026 (NH)

The Catholic Trumpet: This Is Coordination, Not Resistance

Posted by: Stone - 02-07-2026, 08:54 PM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet - No Replies

The following is an excerpt from an article by The Catholic Trumpet [February 5, 2026]:

This Is Coordination, Not Resistance

"It is not we who are in schism but the Conciliar Church." (+Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Sermon preached at Lille, August 29, 1976)

This press release confirms coordination, not resistance.

Meeting confirmed with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández author of the book "Heal me with your mouth, The art of Kissing."

This Communiqué Confirms Coordination, Not Resistance

The February 5, 2026 communiqué confirms one thing beyond dispute: these episcopal consecrations are being negotiated, not resisted.

The moment consecrations were announced, Rome intervened.
The Superior General immediately accepted a meeting in Rome.
The faithful were instructed to pray for a “good outcome.”

That sequence alone is decisive.

Nothing has changed since 2012.

The rest of the article here.

NB by The Catacombs: A quick reminder of the scandal-plagued Cardinal Fernandez that the SSPX will be negiotating with regarding these consecrations (a brief AI summary):

Quote:Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández is an Argentinian prelate and theologian who has served as the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith since July 1, 2023, appointed by Pope Francis. He is widely recognized as a key theological advisor to Pope Francis and is considered the principal author of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (2016), which addressed family life and pastoral care for the divorced and remarried.

Fernández has authored numerous books, many of which are short, pastoral works published by Latin American publishers. His writings often focus on spirituality, human relationships, and biblical themes. Notable titles include:

Heal Me with Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing (1995) — a controversial work that sparked significant debate due to its erotic and sensual content.

The Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality (1998) — a book that was withdrawn shortly after publication and is now considered highly problematic by critics and abuse survivors.

Aparecida: Guía para leer el documento y crónica diaria (2007), which played a key role in shaping the Aparecida Document, a foundational text for Latin American bishops.

In recent years, new revelations have emerged about additional texts with explicit sexual content published between 2002 and 2009, prompting further scrutiny. These include passages [...] linking physical experiences to spiritual states. Fernández has stated he would not write such books today, citing concerns over misinterpretation, and claimed he destroyed remaining copies.

Despite controversy, he remains a central figure in shaping the Church’s doctrinal direction under Pope Francis, with a reputation for progressive theology and a focus on integrating contemplation and action in Christian life.

Pages (410): 1 2 3 4 5 … 410 Next »

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me