St. Augustine versus Pelagius

 

A re-enactment.

Feast of St. Innocent I, July 28

St. Innocent I became pope in 401, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I. It was during the rise of Pelagianism, which caused the bishops of Africa to send him a decree condemning this heresy. Innocent affirmed the decrees, prompting St. Augustine to say,

"Roma locuta, causa finitus".

Rome has spoken, the matter is ended.

Pelagianists believed that mortal sin didn't exist and that man could achieve moral perfection without the aid of divine grace.

Feast of St. Liborius, July 23

 

Bishop of LeMans, France and the patron saint of Paderborn, Germany.

The church is St. Liborius, located in either Steger or St. Libory, Il.(depending on what part of the internets you are in). They have a very nice website here, which says the church is called "The Cathedral of the Prairie".

It's also the home parish of our very own Jeanne Brazinski Wacker (I'm pretty sure)!

If only I was in Paderborn..."The city celebrates his feast on July 23 followed by a week of “Liborifest” with procession through the city, Masses and other festivities."

Feast of St. Theophilus, July 22

 

An admiral in the Byzantine fleet in the late 6th century, he was captured by Muslims and spent a year in jail before he was executed for not converting to Islam.


Before he became an admiral, Theophilus was a successful thistle sifter, but while sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistle thrust three thousand thistle through the thick of his thumb.

His advice? "See that thou, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles,
thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.

Success to the successful thistle sifter!"

Feast of St. Zoticus, July 21

 

Italian bishop, he was martyred during the reign of Septimius Severus (183-211 A.D.) for resisting the heretical movement of the Montanists.Who were the montanists? I don't know - I tried to read about them here but gave up trying to understand it.

Zoticus was called "Zots" by his friends.

What Would Jesus Carry?

Not a gun apparently...

Feast Day of the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne, July 17

Bastille Day was Tuesday, the day when the French celebrate the start of the French Revolution. The fate of the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne shows why it's a stupid idea.

The nuns were discalced Carmelites living in a convent in Compiegne. The Revolutionary government shut the convent down, so the sisters moved to another convent and continued to practice their beliefs. Arrested and brought to Paris, they were sent to the guillotine (16 of them in total) - where they sang "Salve Regina" until the end.

The French writer Denis Diderot wrote, "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." Although the quote predates the French Revolution, it sums up what the revolution hoped to achieve.

Discalced - without shoes.

The video is from an opera called "Les Dialogues des Carmelites by Francis Pulenc.

Feast of Blessed Kateri Takakwitha, July 14

 

Blessed Kateri Takakwitha was born in 1656 to a Catholic Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father in New York. Her mother died when Kateri was 4 years old, and the smallpox that killed her mother ravaged Kateri's face. After she was baptized at the age of 20 she would rise every day and wait for the chapel to open at 4AM and would stay in the chapel until the last Mass was said.

Kateri died at the age of 24.

The portrait was painted by Father Chaucetiere sometime between 1682 and 1693.

She is called "The Lily of the Mohawks", even though I would think that "Lily of the ALgonquin" would probably be more accurate.

HEY! THIS IS MY 600TH POST! My fir st post was November 10, 2006. If my math is right, that means I've averaged about 18 posts per month.

Feast of St. Dogfan, July 12, 2009

Although they are both Welsh, St. Dogfan is not related to St. Bodfan (June 2).

Beware Presidents Bearing Gifts

 

The President of the United States of America came bearing gifts to Pope Benedict. Some press reports say it's a stole worn by St. John Neumann - but that's not accurate. When the shrine where St. Neumann is entombed was renovated in the 1980's, they dressed his remains in polyester Gothic-style garments. Last year, Bishop Rigali instructed the clothes be switched to Roman-style vestments (the kind St. Neumann actually wore). The stole was the polyester one.

So the stole is a third-class relic. A first class relic is usually the physical remains of a saint. A second class relic is something that the saint wore or used (say, a crucifix). A third rate relic is something that has touched a first or second class relic.


It's the thought that counts!

The Obamas Meet the Pope

 

Look, I don't know much about fashion... but what is that the First Lady is wearing? Is that a belt? Did someone die? Did she think she was meeting an Imam?

It's a mystery.

Suffer the Little Children, And Forbid Them Not to Come Unto Me

Matthew 19:14

A Sing-along!

The Saint Song! 100 of them!

FIREWORKS!

Happy Independence Day!

Nice video.

Although I have a quibble with "God Bless The U.S.A.". The singer says he's "proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free". Then he says that it's our brave men and women who fought and died for our country that gave us that right.

No. As Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "We are endowed by OUR CREATOR with certain inalienable rights."

Feast of St. Byblig, July 3

A Welsh holy man, he was also known as Biblig, Pebliq, and Pibliq.

Patron Saint of bad Scrabble hands.

Feast of St. Otto of Bamburg, July 2

 

St. Otto was a chancellor under King Henry IV, who then appointed him as bishop to Bamburg. Otto refused consecration until given the thumbs up by Pope Paschal II. King Boleslav III asked him to become a missionary to Pomerania which he did, converting many of the locals.

St. Otto is the patron saint of those bitten by yappy little dog-like creatures.

Feast of Blessed Junipero Serra, July 1

 

Blessed Serra founded missionaries named San Diego, San Luis Abispo, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara, and San Francisco. Sound familiar? They should.

He was a Spaniard, but came to Mexico City as a teacher. He eventually became a missionary who converted the native Indians. He convinced the converts of his holiness by pounding his chest with a stone during sermons, whipping himself until he bled, putting lit torches on his chest, and wearing heavy shirts lined with sharp wire.

There's gotta be an easier way.

IPhone

I don't have one. But I may GET one!

FIVE New American Archbishops!

 

From left to right: Archbishops Timothy Dolan of New York, Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, RObert Carlson of St. Louis, George Lucas of Omaha, and Allen Vigneron of Detroit.

All within a year. Good, Catholic men all. Way to go, Pope Benedict!