October is the Month of Our Lady of the Rosary & Respect for Life

We honor Our Lady of the Holy Rosary this month, whose feast we celebrate on the 7th.  The Church also reminds us to remember the unborn and all those lives in danger from anti-life agendas.  It is good to re-evaluate how we are fighting this fight within our own states of life.  Everyone can do something, even if it is “only” to pray.  The babies must never be forgotten.  October also concludes the “Marian Triad of the Months,” a Nomen Christi Apostolate initiative, when we contemplate 3 aspects of Our Lady, her Immaculate Heart, her sorrows and her title of Our Lady of the Rosary.  How do these 3 attributes inter-relate?  One can easily use this as a Rosary meditation with the Mysteries. 

From the beautiful words of the Tridentine Mass for Our Lady of the Rosary (the Collect will be familiar to you)… 

Let us all rejoice in the Lord,

celebrating a feast in honor of the

Blessed Virgin Mary: on whose

solemnity the angels rejoice and join

in praising the Son of God. 

God, Whose only-begotten Son, by

His life, death, and resurrection hath

purchased for us the rewards of

eternal life: grant, we beseech Thee,

that, meditating on the mysteries of

the most holy Rosary of the Blessed

Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they

contain and obtain what they promise.

Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy

Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth

with Thee in the unity of the Holy

Spirit, God, forever and ever. 

The Lord possessed me in the

beginning of His ways, before He

made anything, from the beginning. I

was set up from eternity, and of old,

before the earth was made. 

The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived.  

Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine

ear, for the King hath desired thy beauty.

Alleluia, alleluia!

The solemnity of the glorious Virgin Mary,

of the seed of Abraham, sprung from

the tribe of Juda, of the noble line of David.

Alleluia! 

In me is all grace of the way and of the

truth, in me is all hope of life and of

virtue. Like a rose planted on the

rivers I have borne fruit. 

This month, we also have the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 11th, which refers to Mary as the Mother of God. 

We celebrate Saint Therese of Lisieux on the 1st & 3rd and Saint Teresa of Avila on the 15th.  Both with a name that refers to “harvest.”  And 2 of the 4 women Doctors of the Church. 

On the 2nd, we honor all of our Guardian Angels and on the 24th, Saint Raphael the Archangel. 

The feast of Saint Francis of Assisi is abrogated due to its falling on Respect Life Sunday, the 4th, though still appropriate to honor him with prayer.  Also great visionaries, Saint Faustina on the 5th and Saint Margaret Mary on the 16th & 17th.  The Divine Mercy cannot be separated from the Sacred Heart.  How indebted we are to both of these saints!  Like Faustina, another 20th Century saint, Pope John Paul II, is honored on the 22nd. 

The 18th is the feast of Saint Luke and the 28th honors both Apostles Simon and Jude. 

The USA has much to be proud of in our saints, such as Saint Isaac Jogues and Companions, martyred in what is now the State of New York, who we celebrate on the 19th.  The location is Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine.  In 1656, shortly after this martyrdom, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was born there.  How God graced this blood-stained land with the Lily of the Mohawks!   

The 25th, in the trad calendar, is the feast of Christ the King, on a Sunday.  From the Holy Mass… 

The Lamb that was slain is worthy to

receive power and divinity and wisdom

and strength and honor: to Him be

glory and empire for ever and ever! 

Finally, All Hallows Eve on the 31st, begins the joyful Triduum of Death, when we remember all the saints who have received their glorious reward and bring the Holy souls in Purgatory closer, or even into Heaven, with the Holy Mass and our prayers throughout the Universal Church.  And don’t forget the Plenary Indulgence privilege from November 1st to 8th.  It is important to prepare for this, which cemeteries you will visit and which souls you will obtain the Plenary for. 

****** Prepper Challenge for October ****** 

Investigate Alternative Media 

This is Point #12 on our 15 Points Preparedness Worksheet…

Do I question the status quo? How can I access information with an alternative point of view? How can I exercise good judgement in evaluating these sources?  Where can I get the truth of what is going on in the world?  Hint:  Pray to the Holy Ghost.

This coming month, I will be providing recommended resources on the blog, in a more concise way.  Please stay tuned! 

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

Note:  We do not necessarily agree with all content on sites that we link to.

Saint Joseph the Workman!

Today is the feast of Saint Joseph the Workman. It is also the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary! So today, let us honor both of them, spouses and parents of Our Blessed Lord.

From the Tridentine Mass…

Wisdom rendered to the just the
wages of their labors, and conducted
them in a wonderful way: and she was
to them for a covert by day, and for the
light of stars by night.

O God, Creator of all things, Who dost
impose on man the law of work; grant
in Thy goodness that, by the example
and patronage of blessed Joseph, we
may both accomplish the work Thou
dost command and attain the reward
Thou hast promised.

Alleluia, alleluia.

In whatever
tribulation they shall cry to me, I will
hear them and be their protector
always.

Make us, Joseph, to
lead an innocent life: and may it ever
be preserved by thy patronage.

May the works of our hands, that we
offer Thee in sacrifice, O Lord,
become for us, by the intercession of
blessed Joseph, a pledge of unity and
peace.

It is truly meet and just, right and for
our salvation, that we should at all
times and in all places give thanks to
Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty,
eternal God: and that we should with
due praise magnify, bless, and
proclaim Thee on the Feast of blessed
Joseph; who being a just man, was
given by Thee as Spouse to the Virgin
Mother of God, and, as a faithful and
prudent servant, was set over Thy
Family, that with fatherly care he might
guard Thine only-begotten Son,
conceived by the overshadowing
of the Holy Spirit, even Jesus Christ
our Lord. Through Whom the Angels
praise Thy majesty, the Dominations
adore, the Powers tremble: the
heavens and the hosts of heaven, and
the blessed Seraphim, together
celebrate in exultation. With whom,
we pray Thee, command that our
voices of supplication also be admitted
in confessing Thee, saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis! 🕇 Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis!

O Sanctus Ioseph, pro nobis hac hora oro!

The Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Month of January and the Feast

[Edited since posting.]

In case you haven’t noticed, this ministry is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, “Nomen Christi” in Latin. So we always encourage honor and devotion to His Name. January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The month begins with the feast of the Circumcision in the trad, which commemorates the moment Our Lord received His Holy Name and it was also the first shedding of His Blood. On the 3rd, we celebrate the feast of this Name in the post-con calendar and in the trad it is Sunday, the 4th. Let us find devotions this month which honor and glorify His Name and always defend it from profanation!

Here are some excerpts from the feast of the Holy Name Tridentine Mass:

“In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”

“O Lord our Lord: how admirable is Thy Name in the whole earth!”

“O God, Who didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of mankind, and didst bid Him to be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate His holy Name on earth, may fully enjoy also the vision of Him in heaven.”

“For there is no other Name under heaven given to man, whereby we must be saved.”

“Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations: that we may give thanks to Thy holy Name, and may glory in Thy praise.”

“Thou, O Lord, our Father and our Redeemer: from everlasting is Thy Name.”

“Alleluia, alleluia. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy Name. Alleluia.”

“I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy Name for ever: for Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Thee, alleluia.”

“May Thy blessing, O most merciful God, by which every creature lives, sanctify, we beseech Thee, this our Sacrifice, which we offer unto Thee to the glory of the Name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that it may be well-pleasing to Thy Majesty for Thy praise, and profit us unto salvation.”

“All the nations Thou hast made shall come and adore before Thee, O Lord, and they shall glorify Thy Name: for Thou art great; and dost wonderful things: Thou art God alone. Alleluia.”

“O almighty and everlasting God, who didst create and redeem us, look graciously upon our prayer, and with a favorable and benign countenance deign to accept the Sacrifice of the saving Victim, which we have offered to Thy Majesty in honor of the Name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ:

that through the infusion of Thy grace we may rejoice that our names are written in heaven, under the glorious Name of Jesus, the pledge of eternal predestination.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Ora Pro Nobis!

Today’s trad Gradual:

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun? As the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of spring.

Alleluia, alleluia!

The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come.

Alleluia!

(from Cant and Ecclus)

Mid-July Check-In

Just checkin in with my peeps! As always, I have several things on the burners and unfinished projects from years ago. Old work from my youth that really should be published. Work on old blogs that should be re-published. I once had a YouTube channel but we don’t need to talk about that. Don’t look for it, it’s been deleted, by myself, a long time ago. There is only so much time and as Chris Martenson keeps saying, we have already entered “The Quickening.” Who knows how much longer we will even have the internet as accessible as it is, or in the same form?

Let us pray for the Texas flood victims and for peace in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Peace in the womb. Peace in the Church. For His Holiness Pope Leo XIV!

This past week we celebrated the feast of Saint Kateri on the 14th, who is invoked for the environment and ecology, issues which most concern us in the Catholic preparedness community. Yesterday we honored Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who instituted the habit of the Brown Scapular through Saint Simon Stock. We had a special investiture and high solemn traditional Mass on Long Island last night. Afterwards, the church had a light reception. So, my dinner was mystery hors d'oeuvres, fruit and cake that looked like Boston Cream cake, but with no Boston Cream:( (I do hope the church cooks are not reading this.) I was still hungry and got a Wendy’s large fries on the way home. Lo and behold, my stomach started hurting in the middle of the night and I went rummaging for expired Pepto Bismol tablets. Guess I need more Pepto.

Anyway, it was all more than worth it for a wonderful evening with friends and of course, a beautiful Mass. We have something very special and amazing that has recently been emerging in the traditional Catholic community on Long Island. Various special feast TLM’s are being celebrated at different churches by different priests, often with several priests. We are a nomadic bunch, as we have always been since the 80’s. We are used to it and we have learned adaptability. The group travels around to all these Masses and it is truly joyful! Let me tell you, the turnouts are incredible, with a high percentage of Latinos. I suspect the persecution of the trads in the last several years has only served to pique people’s interest (there’s no such thing as bad publicity, our enemies forgot that). I feel very blessed to be experiencing this time and place in Church history. I know it is special and rare and will not continue forever. Things will change once again, for sure. But this is where we are now, and it is wonderful.

Again, it is the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus. Let us pour ourselves out to Him, Who pours Himself out for us!

A Little Note to Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, On Pentecost! (with Mass PDF)

You wanna get rid of the Saint Michael prayer? Unsmart man. You’re messing with the wrong dude!

+ + +

On this Pentecost Sunday, let us pray for the Diocese of Charlotte and for Bishop Martin in this hour of great need. Let us pray for our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV and for peace to reign in Holy Church once more.

Come Holy Ghost! Enlighten the minds of our Church hierarchy to navigate this time of the clashing of light and dark.

Saint Michael, defend the holy and innocent!

From the Tridentine Mass of today…(read the beautiful words below and know this is what is being persecuted, this is what the forces of evil wish to destroy)…

The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world, alleluia; and that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.

O God, Who on this day didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit: grant unto us, by the same Spirit, to be wise in what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation.

Alleluia, alleluia. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.

Veni, sancte Spíritus, reple tuórum corda fidélium: et tui amóris in eis ignem accénde!

+++ SEQUENCE FOR PENTECOST +++

Come Thou Holy Spirit, come, And from Thy celestial home, Shed a ray of light divine.

Come, Thou Father of the poor, Come, Thou source of all our store, Come, within our bosoms shine, Thou of comforters the best, Thou the soul's delightful guest, Sweet refreshment here below.

In our labor rest most sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat, Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of Thine, And our inmost being fill.

Where Thou art not, man hath nought, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew, On our dryness pour Thy dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.

Bend the stubborn heart and will, Melt the frozen, warm the chill, Guide the steps that go astray.

On Thy faithful who adore, And confess Thee evermore, In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.

Give them virtue's sure reward, Give them Thy salvation, Lord, Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia.

Confirm, O God, what Thou hast wrought in us; from Thy temple, which is in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to Thee, alleluia.

Sanctify, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the gifts offered up to Thee and cleanse our hearts by the light of the Holy Spirit.

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. Who, ascending above all the heavens and sitting at Thy right hand, poured out on Pentecost the promised Holy Spirit upon the children of adoption. Wherefore the whole world doth rejoice with overflowing joy and the heavenly Hosts also and the angelic Powers sing together the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis! Benedíctus qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis!

Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming where they were sitting, alleluia: and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking the wonderful works of God, alleluia, alleluia.

May the infusion of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, cleanse our hearts, and render them fruitful by the inward sprinkling of His dew.

PRINT THIS! PDF PENTECOST TRIDENTINE MASS EXCERPTS

Trad Youth in Rebellion?

“The Tridentine Mass will return because youth is always in rebellion.”

Laurence Lesser

No, Mr. Lesser was not famous. He was a family friend of my parents, who we always called Uncle Larry. I became close to him later in his life and would visit him in a nursing home upstate, NY. We would correspond, and in one of his letters (early 90’s, only several years after Pope John Paul II liberalized the old Mass and I started attending it), he wrote the above quote, which I have never forgotten. I found him a rare encouragement in the Faith and particularly in my interest in the Tridentine Mass. The very last time I visited him, he said he had lost his Rosary beads in the nursing home. I had a pair of white plastic ones in my car and ran out to get them. It was a very short visit, as we were pressed for time. I remember placing them in his hand and then saying “Goodbye.” What a beautiful memory and I feel so blessed to have been able to do that for him in his final days.

As we see young people flocking to the “Mass of the Ages,” looking for something with true meaning, it would seem Uncle Larry was a prophet. They are indeed rebelling against a culture of narcissism and nihilism. They want happy, faithful marriages. They want children. Quite frankly, they want a normal life. I personally know many of these young people. I’ve seen them grow and blossom as they practice a truly devout Catholic life. I’ve seen them lovingly holding their children in their arms. I am always captivated by the babies at Mass, knowing it is to them, that I have a responsibility-that is why I do this work. I have only to look at these holy innocents and it is enough of a motivation.

As modernists see their “utopic” vision vanishing before their very eyes, they are unleashing their final attack. They can’t quite handle the cognitive dissonance that the great “Age of Aquarius” they were mind-controlled into slavishly working toward…is dead and dying. They just can’t face up to the fact that their whole lives were a mistake…and that they fell for a lie. Modernism bore no fruit-it had no roots. The plant itself is withering. Who knew that those who despised tradition would one day cling with draconian rigidity to their own traditions? The future belongs to those of the counter-rebellion.

“Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”

Matthew 7:20

That doesn’t mean we are in for a cakewalk. But it does mean there is hope and certainty, in fact…that what was purchased with the Blood of Christ will prevail, because it must.

Please keep dear Larry and his family in prayer-much thanks. Please know we do take prayer requests and will post them if you like.

Another Take on Trad Persecution (you've probably never heard)

When considering negative occurrences in the Church, and there have been many, needless to say…we must ask ourselves, “Why is God allowing this? He said the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. He said He would not leave us orphans.” So we must believe Him. He must have a plan. We may never know the plan, but it can’t hurt to ask for understanding. And we know Satan always defeats himself in the end. His “greatest” moment, the Crucifixion of Our Lord, was also his greatest undoing.

Could it be that the persecution of the Tridentine Mass will actually become a protection? We might envision a world in which the Church is attacked by the state. Churches locked down (sound familiar?), property confiscated, maybe worse…as Don McLean prophesied, “The church bells all were broken.” If the traditionalists are already sent away and quarantined in our own little ghettos (as Taylor Marshall likes to say), this may serve as a protection. The government won’t be looking for the crappy once-Protestant chapel, in the middle of nowhere. They will go after what is most visible. They will attack our most prominent symbols of power and influence. They will wrench the Holy Eucharist from the hands of the unworthy (this is not to say all who attend the Novus Ordo are unworthy, many are very holy and I attend it myself at times, but it ought to be common knowledge that there is a great crisis of faith and knowledge among many Catholics, who receive Our Lord less than properly disposed). The wheat and grape crops will probably die from famine or direct intervention in this world of chastisement. The state doesn’t always know the true purpose of what it’s doing, but the Devil does. He never forgets his true enemy.

Those self-sufficient rural Catholic communities may wind up being preserved and untouched. God needs His Church to continue…a smaller, but holier Church. Would He do any less than protect His own most faithful?

So yes, let’s fight for what is right and just. But if it doesn’t go our way, we must trust in God, His Providence, Omniscience and Omnipotence. Trust and humbly accept our sufferings, if we must, until that day of triumph!

“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Our Lady of Fatima

Easter Triduum Thoughts from FSSP

“Memento is a publication of the North American Province of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).  It is published 10 times a year for the benefit of the supporters of the FSSP.”

If you support the traditional order of the Priestly Fraternity, you will receive the short newsletter mentioned above, at no additional cost.  It is very readable and very worth reading.  Here is a taste of what you will get, from their “Easter” April-May 2025 issue.  Here are a few quotes from 2 articles…

From the Provincial of the North American Province, Fr. William Lawrence:

“Without Our Divine Savior’s passion, death, and resurrection, death would have the ultimate victory over the human race, both physical and spiritual.”

“In the single most important aspect of our existence, our eternal salvation, we are unable to save ourselves, but are completely dependent upon the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

“The ultimate goal of creation and each part of it, can only be the glory of God.”

“Only God can bring a greater good out of evil.  The greater the evil, the more opposed it is to good and thus the greater the glory of God in overcoming it and bringing forth the good.”

From Dr. David Arias, Professor of Philosophy at the Fraternity’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in Denton, Nebraska…he speaks of 2 mysteries related to the Resurrection, our bodily resurrection at the end of time and also the resurrection of the soul:

“According to the Angelic Doctor [Saint Thomas Aquinas], every time a sinner is justified by God’s grace, either in Baptism or by the forgiveness of mortal sin in Confession, his soul is quite literally raised from the dead.”

“St. Thomas and St. Augustine both maintain that when God raises souls from the dead, this divine work is greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth…

…every time God raises a soul from the dead through sanctifying grace, His act terminates at an imperishable supernatural good, namely, a created participation in the divine nature itself.”

Let us pray for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to flourish, receive many new vocations and continue to save souls throughout the world!  Please consider supporting them…and there may be a Fraternity parish near you, see above link.  My family has been very blessed by attending one of their parishes in New Jersey, Our Lady of Fatima, when we used to spend much time there.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day / Thoughts for the Day

SAINT PATRICK, PRAY FOR US!

From today’s trad Mass:

O God, Who didst deign to send blessed Patrick, Thy confessor and bishop, to preach Thy glory to the nations, grant, through his merits and intercession, that those commands which Thou dost set before us we may by Thy mercy be able to fulfill.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that, giving thanks for the favors we have received, we may, by the intercession of blessed Patrick, Thy confessor and bishop, obtain blessings still greater. Amen.

~ ~ ~

I belong here because I am here.

~ ~ ~

When you look beyond the horizon, the obstructions collapse.

~ ~ ~

Envy is the inability to receive another person’s gifts, which were meant for you.

~ ~ ~

The mystic surrenders his life to the Mystery.

The thoughts shared here which are not in quotes, are recent meditations of mine which I have crystallized into simple ideas. All writing on this site is by CF Mathews, unless otherwise noted.