June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"It is in the adorable Heart of Jesus that we shall find every help for our necessities, every remedy for the cure of our ills, the most powerful assistance against the assaults of our enemies, the sweetest consolation to soothe our sufferings, the purest delight to fill our souls with joy.

Are you in sorrow? Do your enemies persecute you? Does the recollection of your past sins disturb you? Is your heart troubled or full of fear? Throw yourself…in the wounds of Jesus Christ, even into His Sacred Heart, it is a sanctuary, it is the retreat for holy souls, and a place of refuge wherein your soul is safe.

It is to Him and through Him that we should ask for all we require, it is through Him and in Him that we should offer to the Eternal Father all we do, because this Sacred Heart is the treasury of every supernatural gift, the source of every grace. It is the channel through which we unite ourselves more intimately to God, and through which God communicates Himself more freely. It is…to this Sacred Heart we should continually strive to unite ours, no longer wishing to have other desires or sentiments than those of Jesus, and then we may be sure that His will and His Sacred Heart may…merge into our heart, and that the two will be as one.

Draw waters at leisure out of the Savior's fountains, you will never exhaust them."

Cardinal St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church, c. 1007-c. 1072

“If all shall follow [this Consecration to the Sacred Heart] out with hearty good will, we not unreasonably expect extraordinary and lasting benefits for Christendom in the first place and also for the whole human race…And since there is in the Sacred Heart a symbol and a sensible image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love one another, therefore is it fit and proper that we should consecrate ourselves to His most Sacred Heart, an act which is nothing else than an offering and a binding of oneself to Jesus Christ, seeing that whatever honor, veneration and love is given to this divine Heart is really and truly given to Christ Himself.

…the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a cross rising from it and shining forth with dazzling splendor amidst flames of love. In that Sacred Heart all our hopes should be placed, and from it the salvation of men is to be confidently besought.”

Pope Leo XIII

Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV has said he chose “Leo” because of the inspiration of Pope Leo XIII, who was devoted to the Sacred Heart, particularly after being healed of an illness.  Leo XIII pronounced an encyclical, Annum Sacrum (Sacred Year): “On Consecration To The Sacred Heart,” May 25th, 1899.  This consecration of the whole world to the Sacred Heart, he considered to be his greatest contribution, an excerpt of which is above.  It is beautifully written and well worth reading, rife with deep Christology, mentioning both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas.  Leo XIII also discusses some of his social teaching (regarding Church and state), which everyone is talking about now, since this is what Leo XIV has pointed us towards.  Part of this consecration was the Litany of the Sacred Heart (PDF).  This effort was a completion of the investigation into the Sacred Heart devotion, under Pius IX.  Of course, Saint Margaret Mary of the 17th century, brought forth the Sacred Heart in a profound way, but it was not a new idea.  It is traced back to the Gospel account of the piercing of Our Lord’s Heart, and you can see Saint Peter Damian’s writings above, well before Margaret Mary.  Leo XIII’s encyclical brought this wonderful gift to a great fulfillment for our modern era. 

Pope Pius XII renewed the Vatican’s uplifting of the Sacred Heart with his encyclical, Haurietis Aquas (You Shall Drink the Waters): “On Devotion to the Sacred Heart,” May 15th, 1956.  It is likely he had read Peter Damian’s words above, “Draw waters at leisure out of the Savior's fountains,” and used this as inspiration for the title.  This encyclical is an exhaustive work, having 127 points, as opposed to Leo’s 15 points.  Again, well worth reading, I’m sure (I was able to read Leo’s but this one will be a project for the coming month). 

The theme of the Sacred Heart of Jesus pops up right away this month, on the First Friday, the 6th.  What a fabulous time to begin the “9 First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart!”  This was given to Saint Margaret Mary directly by Our Lord and comes with 12 great promises.  It is longer than the Marian “5 First Saturdays” devotion, but simpler. The 27th is the feast of the Sacred Heart and the 28th is the Immaculate Heart.  It is no accident that the Church placed these feasts together, as Our Lord and His Mother are inseparable.  See these words from Haurietis Aquas…

"In order that favors in greater abundance may flow on all Christians, nay, on the whole human race, from the devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, let the faithful see to it that to this devotion the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God is closely joined.

For, by God's Will, in carrying out the work of human Redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was inseparably linked with Christ in such a manner that our salvation sprang from the love and the sufferings of Jesus Christ to which the love and sorrows of His Mother were intimately united.

It is, then, entirely fitting that the Christian people, who received the divine life from Christ through Mary, after they have paid their debt of honor to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, should also offer to the most loving Heart of their heavenly Mother, the corresponding acts of piety, affection, gratitude and expiation. Entirely in keeping with this most sweet and wise disposition of divine Providence is the memorable act of consecration by which we ourselves solemnly dedicated Holy Church and the whole world to the spotless Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Pope Pius XII

Theologically related to Jesus’ Heart, is the feast of Corpus Christi on the 19th, as this honors His Body and Blood.  On Sunday the 22nd, we celebrate Corpus Christi once again, so important is this feast (this is a simplified explanation of the 2 feasts).

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June begins with the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord in the post-conciliar calendar, which is effective in most provinces of the US.  (See blog post below for a meditation and litany you can print.)  Pentecost Sunday is the 8th.  The Novena to the Holy Ghost is prayed for 9 days prior (the original “Novena” of the 9 days between the Ascension and the Gift of the Paraclete), but don’t worry if you’re a bit late (see blog post below).  Pentecost has a vigil and an octave in the trad calendar, a week of joy.  Within this octave, we have the Ember Days of Summer on the 11th, 13th and 14th, which temper this octave with prayer and penance for the season.  One week after Pentecost, we have Trinity Sunday, which marks the beginning of “Time After Pentecost” in the trad calendar, extending till Advent.

His Holiness Leo XIV’s pontificate began in the month of Our Lady, who he has shown deep devotion to, and proceeds to the Month of the Sacred Heart, so loved by his patron predecessor.  Let us rejoice in this new day for Holy Mother Church and her children!

Here are some additional feasts, in the trad and post-con calendars:

9th-BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

13th-Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church

24th-Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (with vigil)

29th-Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles (with vigil)

30th-Commemoration of Saint Paul / First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

Homeschool Activities for June

1)       Draw of picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus & the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

2)      What are the Ember Days?  Write a short explanation.

3)      Make a craft for the Ember Days, celebrating the season of Summer in a spiritual light.

+++ Cordis Sanctae Iesu, Miserere Nobis! +++

May is the Month of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary

May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but begins with a feast of her earthly spouse, Saint Joseph the Worker.  This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 and remains the same in the post-Conciliar calendar.  Here is some of the original text:

“Wisdom rendered to the just the wages of their labours 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; alleluia, alleluia.  Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”

“O God, Creator of all things, who didst lay on the human race the law of labour:  graciously grant; that by following the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage, we may carry out the work Thou dost command, and obtain the reward Thou dost promise.”

“Obtain for us, Joseph, grace to lead an innocent life; and may it ever be shielded by thy patronage.”

“From the work of our hands we offer sacrifice to Thee, O Lord; through the mediation of Saint Joseph may it be a pledge for us of union and peace.”

“Grant, O Lord, that what we have received may, by the intercession of blessed Joseph, crown our work and confirm our reward.”

The 11th is World Day of Prayer for Vocations, much needed.  The 15th is Saint Isidore the Farmer, invoked by gardeners and homesteaders…a great one for the topics we concern ourselves with here.  He is not to be confused with Saint Isidore, Archbishop of Seville and Doctor of the Church.  However, Isidore the Farmer was named after him, also being from Spain. 

The ASCENSION OF OUR LORD, on Thursday the 29th, is a Holyday of Obligation in the following provinces:  Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia.  All other US provinces transfer the feast to Sunday, June 1st.  Ascension Thursday also possesses a vigil.

Remember the Major Rogation Day last month?  This month, the 26th, 27th and 28th are the Minor or Lesser Rogation Days.  They are traditional celebrations, similar to the Ember Days, in performing prayer and penance related to the season and the harvest.  I found a fabulous article at Catholic Culture connecting Saint Isidore the Farmer to the Rogation Days.  Here you will find references to the life of Saint Isidore and his wife Saint Maria de la Cabeza, the sanctity of the agrarian life, the liturgy of Saint Isidore, the Catholic Rural Life ministry, liturgical aspects of the Rogation Days and a number of links to prayers, more info on Rogation Days and Catholicism/Agrarianism…highly recommended reading…

SAINT ISIDORE THE FARMER & ROGATION DAYS

And now for OUR LADY…We have 3 Marian feasts:  Fatima on the 13th  (which celebrates the first of the 6 visions), and the Visitation & the Queenship of Our Lady on the 31st.  The 3rd is the First Saturday of the Immaculate Heart.  The First 5 Saturdays Communion of Reparation is one of Mary’s Fatima requests.  So in this month of Our Lady and the Fatima feast, isn’t it a great time to begin this devotion?  Check if your local parish performs this-if not, maybe you could start it!  See “Fatima Family Holy Hour” topic to the right>>> for a Fatima program we posted several years ago…to be done on the 13th of each month from May to October, including PDF’s.

Other notable feasts of May, in the trad and “new” calendars:

3rd-Saints Philip & James, Apostles

11th-Saints Philip & James, Apostles (trad)

14th-Saint Matthias, Apostle who replaced Judas

HOMESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR MAY

1)       Draw a picture of Our Lord’s Ascension.

2)      What were Our Lady of Fatima’s 4 main requests?

3)      Write an essay on the story of the 6 Fatima apparitions.  Follow this composition format:  Intro paragraph, 1 paragraph per apparition, concluding paragraph.

April is the Month of the Most Holy Eucharist

[Please note corrections relating to April 25th and notes on the Octave of Easter. And we somehow forgot the 7 Sorrows feast.]

In the traditional Liturgical Year, we begin April in Lent, move through Passiontide and the Easter Triduum, and end in Paschal Time (also known as Eastertide).  This is all a snippet of the “Cycle of Easter:  The Mystery of the Redemption,” which extends until Advent.  We will see our collective meditation upon the Redemption pass from penance and Our Lord’s Passion, to the glory of the Resurrection, foretelling our own Resurrection of soul and body after death.  After the sorrowful Holy Week, we enter into what the New Marian Missal calls “a time of uninterrupted joy and feasts.”  Eastertide includes the Octave of Easter (originally consecrated to the newly baptized), the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost.  The Paschal Candle, lit on the evening of Holy Saturday, shines until Ascension Thursday, representing the Resurrected Lord upon earth.

Take note of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady on the 11th. There are a number of devotions for this feast.

The 25th is the feast of Saint Mark [correction: not celebrated this year because this is Easter Friday, which takes precedence] and also what we traditionally call the Major Rogation Day [this still applies].  Rogation Days are very similar to the seasonal Ember Days, but of different origin.  It is, it seems, inappropriate to have a day of penance during the Octave of Easter, so keeping the Rogation Day in a spirit of joy would be advisable (pray the Litany of the Saints, see below).  To tie it in with April’s Eucharistic devotion, we might attend Mass or read Saint Mark’s account of the Last Supper, Mark 14:12-26 [Saint Mark would probably appreciate a nod to him].  Here is the definition of “Rogation Days” from Father John Hardon’s book, Modern Catholic Dictionary:

“Prescribed days of prayer and penance in spring. Two sets of rogation days were kept since early Christian times: the Major Rogation on April 25, the Feast of St. Mark; and the Minor Rogations on the last three days before Ascension Thursday. They were instituted to appease divine justice, ask for protection, and invoke God's blessing on the harvest. The Litany of the Saints was [prayed] in procession and the Rogation Mass followed. The feast of St. Mark, as the more ancient, was also called the Greater Litanies; it Christianized a pagan spring festival in honor of the god Robigus. The three other rogation days were adapted in Rome under Pope Leo III (reigned 795-816). (Etym. Latin rogatio, inquiry, request.)”

Divine Mercy Sunday is always one week after Easter and Our Lord Himself asked Saint Faustina to institute a novena, beginning on Good Friday.  You can find the Chaplet and Novena prayers on our Home page or you can print this PDF which includes the lesser-known Litany to the Divine Mercy.  Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, devoted herself profoundly to the Holy Eucharist and her Chaplet features these words:

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

During this Information Age, it is ironic that so few know and believe the teachings of Holy Church on the Body of Christ.  Holiness starts at home, so instructing those who need help with this is our primary responsibility.  Making reparation for the outrages against the Eucharist is also a wonderful thing.  There are various litanies and prayers-here is one: 

Litany of Reparation to the Blessed Sacrament

Some places have special Eucharistic devotions during Lent.  For instance, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, is honoring the 40 days of Lent with Adoration at 40 different parishes.  The USCCB’s 3-year National Eucharistic Revival continues until June 22nd.  There may be other activities associated with the Jubilee Year of 2025 (more on this holy year in the coming month on the blog).

Wishing you and your families many blessings as we celebrate Easter, the “Solemnity of Solemnities,” and honor the Most Holy Eucharist, that body both broken and resurrected.

Notable feasts of April:

5th-First Saturday

6th to 19th-Passion Sunday and Passiontide (trad)

11th-SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

13th-Palm Sunday

17th-Holy/Maundy Thursday

18th to 20th-EASTER TRIDUUM (traditionally, no meat is eaten on Holy Saturday)

20th to 27th-Octave of Easter, Privileged Octave of the First Order (Easter is of such great importance, that it is given an entire 8 days of celebration)

25th-Greater or Major Rogation Day

27th-Divine Mercy Sunday/Low Sunday (trad)

28th-Saint Louis de Montfort

29th-Saint Catherine of Siena

30th-Saint Catherine of Siena (trad)

HOMESCHOOLING ACTIVITIES FOR APRIL

1)       Create artwork or make a craft celebrating the joy of Easter.

2)      Write a short essay on the Paschal Candle, explaining its symbols and symbolism.

3)      Compose your own prayer to thank Jesus for the gift of Holy Communion. 

March is the Month of Saint Joseph, Part 2

A new feature we recently started is monthly homeschool activities (see topic to the right>>>).  In Part 1, our reader Jenna gave some ideas on how to observe the monthly devotions, so we will use some of those…

Homeschool Activities for March

1. Can you find a 9-day novena to Saint Joseph?  Do you think you can pray it this month or sometime during Lent?  Try to get all 9 days in a row!  (Mothers, you might want to abbreviate the prayers for young children.)

2. Write a short prayer to Saint Joseph and memorize it.

3. Which feast in honor of Mary do we celebrate this month?  Where is this account found in Holy Scripture?

For more information on traditional monthly dedications, see the link below from Catholic Online.  History and indulgences are discussed.  Below is an excerpt of the month of March…

Special Devotions for Months

“St. Joseph (feast, 19 March); indulgences, three hundred days daily for those who privately or publicly perform some pious practice in honour of St. Joseph, during the month, a plenary indulgence on any day of the month under the usual conditions ( Pius IX, "Rescript Congr. Indulg.", 27 April, 1865). This month of devotions may commence in February and be concluded 19 March ( Pius IX, 18 July, 1877). March can be replaced by another month in case of legitimate impediment (Raccolta, 404). The practice of a triduum [A time frequently chosen for prayer or for other devout practices, whether by individuals in private, or in public by congregations or special organizations in parishes, in religious communities, seminaries, or schools. The form of prayer or devotion depends upon the occasion or purpose of the triduum. The three days usually precede some feast, and the feast then determines the choice of the pious exercises.] before the feast of St. Joseph has been recommended by Leo XIII (Encycl. "Quamquam pluries", 15 August, 1889).”

And here is a post from June, 2016…we now have a full 10 years of posts here…

A New Prayer to Saint Joseph!

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

Concluding prayers from the 3 litanies of Our Lady of Sorrows:

We beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, let Thy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at the hour of Thy Passion, implore Thy mercy for us, both now and at the hour of our death, Who livest and reignest, world without end.

Imprint, O Lady, thy wounds upon my heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love, sorrow to endure every sorrow for thee, love to despise every love for thee.

O Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man, grant, we beseech Thee, that Thy dear Mother Mary, whose soul the sword pierced in the hour of Thy Passion, may intercede for us, now, and in the hour of our death, through Thine own merits, O Saviour of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, God, world without end.

Amen.

This is the second month of Nomen Christi Apostolate’s “Marian Triad of the Months,” when we are contemplating the Mariology of her Immaculate Heart, her 7 Sorrows and the Holy Rosary.  How can we honor her sorrows this month?  We can pray the litanies mentioned above, the 7 Sorrows Chaplet and also celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on the 15th.  This feast is in both the trad and new calendars.  In terms of meditation, we may ask ourselves the following questions:  “How do our Heavenly Mother’s sorrows relate to our own times?”  “How can we appeal to her during these times?”  “Why did God allow her to suffer?”  “How can we derive consolation from her own Passion, inextricably linked to Our Lord’s?” 

We also honor the Mother of God’s nativity on the 8th, her holy name on the 12th  and Our Lady of Ransom the 24th.  The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on the 14th.  The Ember Days of Autumn always proceed the following week on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (Wed and Sat meat at one meal and of course, the usual Friday penance).  See “Ember Days” topic to the right>>>  Other notable feasts this month:

Saint Gregory the Great/Saint Pius X-3rd

Saint Teresa of Calcutta-5th

Saint Matthew, Apostle-21st

Saint Pio-23rd

Saint Vincent de Paul-27th

The Three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel & Raphael-29th

Our Lady of Sorrows Prayers from the Tridentine Mass with PDF

April is the Month of the Holy Eucharist

April comes in with a bang this year with Holy Week. Let us observe the best Holy Week we can, so as to obtain mercy, not wrath for the world. Let us not forget the precious unborn, as they go to their own crosses, on Good Friday. And let us make ourselves deserving of the Solemnity of Solemnities, Easter Sunday. We then have the wonderful Octave of Easter, traditionally a time of great joy and feasting…for we have seen the suffering, the self-denial and the Holy Cross, leading ultimately to the ineffable Resurrection!

This month, we also celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy (Quasimodo Sunday in the trad), the Major Rogation Day and Good Shepherd Sunday in the new.

As for the month of the Holy Eucharist, what can we do to honor this greatest of heavenly gifts? We must begin to see everything through the lens of the Signs of the Times. One thing one might consider is this: Do I know anyone among friends or family who is receiving Holy Communion unworthily? If so, what can I do to defend our Blessed Lord and help this person to a greater life of holiness? Perhaps some instruction on Easter Duty, proper reception of Communion and examination of conscience, would be a good place to start. Obviously, we always proceed with prayer and discernment. We may do well to consider these words of genius…

“Let us not shun and suppress the earnest words of the calling voices, or those who are our executioners today may be our accusers once again tomorrow, because we silenced the truth.”

Father Alfred Delp, German Martyr under Hitler

Does it hurt us more to be vocal or to be silent?

Please see our LENT button to the right, which includes full meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries, with a concluding thesis. Great wishes for a most blessed Holy Week and Easter Sunday!

Your friendly trad calendar: Month of April

March is the Month of Saint Joseph

The icon above is so sweet, how it portrays the Child Jesus’ love and affection for His Foster-Father, whose feast we celebrate this month on the 19th. May we further our own love for Saint Joseph during his month of March, as we also embark on the Season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday is the 2nd of the month-we begin Lent by contemplating our mortality and performing penance. There has never been a time in our lives when the world has needed more prayer and penance, so let us observe this Lent as well as we can, without stressing ourselves too much. When we stress ourselves, it has an immediate affect on those around us. As Saint Paul reminded us in the Quinquagesima Epistle:

“If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing…And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.”

1 Corinthians 13:1

Adding to the penitential spirit of Lent, we have the Ember Days on the 9th, 11th and 12th. This is a time to pray and offer for blessings and mercy upon the coming season of Spring.

We remember the great event of The Annunciation of the Lord on the 25th. Some other notable saints which March celebrates are: 20th-century Saint, Katherine Drexel…martyrs invoked in the Canon, Felicity & Perpetua…Doctors of the Church Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint John Damascene…our beloved Saint Patrick and Saint Gabriel the Archangel, just prior to The Annunciation. Let us give special mention to Saint Isidore the Farmer, who we particularly like here at Nomen Christi Apostolate!

What may we do this month to honor our dear Saint Joseph? Of course, last year was the Year of Saint Joseph. Maybe we could gain some inspiration from those former indulgences.

Finally, let us pray for peace, especially in the Ukraine. But remember, we live in an illusory world, where nothing is what it seems and the truth is often not what we are told. There is always more to the story. There is always information we are not privy to. But let us not forget the World Wars already waging…the war upon the unborn and the vulnerable…and the war upon freedom combined with the Covid bioweapon and the “Mystery Injection” being touted as a vaccine. Of course we never despair-we trust in the Most Holy Trinity, because we are God’s children and we know He loves us!

Here is your traditional Month of March calendar. Lenten blessings to all…

Saint Joseph icon at etsy.com.