[Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori – XVII – XVIII Century AD: Marianella, Kingdom of Naples/Pagani, Kingdom of Naples; (aged 90); spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosopher, and theologian, Founder, Bishop, Doctor of the Church] “IV. The Crucifixion It was revealed to St. Bridget that when the Savior saw himself laid upon the cross, he stretched out his right hand to the place where it was to be nailed. They then immediately nailed the other hand, and then his sacred feet; and Jesus Christ was left to die upon this bed of anguish. St. Augustine says that the punishment of the cross was a most bitter torment, because, upon [264] the cross, death itself was prolonged, lest the pain should be speedily ended. O God! what horror must then have struck heaven, at the sight of the Son of the Eternal Father crucified between two thieves! Such, in truth, was the prophecy of Isaiah: He was reputed with the wicked. Therefore St. John Chrysostom, contemplating …More
"And now behold this Lord, who was fairest among men, appears on Calvary with his form so disfigured by torments, that it struck horror into all who saw it. Yet this deformity makes him seem more beautiful in the eyes [266] of souls that love him, because these wounds, these marks of the scourging, this lacerated flesh, are all tokens and proofs of the love he bears them; upon which the poet Petrucci beautifully sings, "O Lord, if You suffer scourgings for us, to the souls that are bound to You, the more deformed You are, the more fair do You appear."
O Antiphons - 17 December:O Sapientia(OWisdom) O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Die sieben O-Antiphonen O Sapientia (Weisheit) - 17. Dezember O Weisheit, hervorgegangen aus dem Munde des Höchsten – die Welt umspannst du von einem Ende zum andern, in Kraft und Milde ordnest du alles: o komm und offenbare uns den Weg der Weisheit und Einsicht First O antiphon: “O Sapientia”
I can't find one link from the SSPX showing the SSPX Chapels in Russia. Something is not right. I love the SSPX but they are not being honest when it comes to Russia. Not only that, but trying to search for a Chapel in Russia is impossible. They don't list even one, when I know there is at least two of them. Why don't they mention even one Chapel in Russia? Josef Schuztman has mentioned the one he attends and I believe another one in Russia. This is from a Russian site where they mention where the SSPX Chapels are. They list at least 3 in different cities. But not how many there are. The largest number of Brotherhood followers are concentrated in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Superior General of the Brotherhood is the Italian priest Davide Pagliarani, who succeeded Bishop Bernard Fellay. The Brotherhood's chapels of St. Pius X are also located in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Minsk. Священническое братство святого Пия X — Википедия
“They are an extraordinary family,” McGurn said in the interview. Lai’s wife, Teresa Lai, “is a rock. If Jimmy didn’t have Teresa to lean on, he knows it, he wouldn’t be strong. I mean, he has his faith, but she strengthens it. That’s what they have in common,” McGurn said.
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 16, 2025 / 07:00 am Catholic human rights and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was found guilty following his lengthy national security trial. Lai, 78, will be sentenced at a later date but faces up to life in prison. The Dec. 15 verdict “is important, and it’s not important,” Bill McGurn, Wall Street Journal columnist and godfather of Lai, told “EWTN News Nightly.” “It’s important because it’s part of the Hong Kong process, and everyone knew he would always be convicted. So it’s important because we have to get it out of the way,” McGurn said. “Jimmy cannot be released until he was convicted, and that’s why we had to wait all these years for the trial and then his conviction.” “On the other hand, it was always this charade … the world sees it for what it is. And so in Jimmy Lai’s world, it’s not really a big milestone because it’s phony. Everything about it is phony,” McGurn said. ‘The real work begins now’ While the verdict was guilty, it is …
Masterclass in Mariology No. 57: Mariologists Critique Vatican Document on Mary Mariologists of the International Marian Association offer the following synthesis of critique of the new Vatican note on Mary, as the note not only discourages the use of titles but, more importantly, undermines these traditional and papal Marian doctrines. View this video and see why the Marian debate is only increasing in light of the Vatican's Mater Populi Fidelis.
[Saint Elisabeth of the Trinity/Elizabeth Catez – XIX-XX Century; Avord, France/Dijon, France; (aged 26); Mystic; Spiritual Writer; Gifted Pianist] “Fourth Day First Prayer 13. “Deus ignus consumens.” (Heb 12:29) Our God, wrote St. Paul, is a consuming Fire, that is “a fire of love” which destroys, which “transforms into itself everything that it touches.” (Saint John of the Cross) “The delights of the divine enkindling are renewed in our depths by an unremitting activity: the enkindling of love in a mutual and eternal satisfaction. It is a renewal that takes place at every moment in the bond of love.” (Ruysbroeck) Certain souls “have chosen this refuge to rest there eternally, and this is the silence in which, somehow, they have lost themselves.” “Freed from their prison, they sail on the Ocean of Divinity without any creature being an obstacle or hindrance to them.” (Ruysbroeck) 14. For these souls, the mystical death of which St. Paul spoke yesterday becomes so simple and sweet …More
"15. “I have come to cast fire upon the earth and how I long to see it burn.” (Lk 12:49) It is the Master Himself who expresses His desire to see the fire of love enkindled. In fact, “all our works and all our labors are nothing in His sight. We can neither give Him anything nor satisfy His only desire, which is to exalt the dignity of our soul.” Nothing pleases Him so much as to see it “grow.” “Now nothing can exalt it so much as to become in some way the equal of God; that is why He demands from the soul the tribute of its love, as the property of love is to make the lover equal to the beloved as much as possible."
Firing Tucho is a benchmark for Leo XIV: New York canon lawyer and priest Gerald Murray is urging Pope Leo XIV to remove Cardinal Víctor “Tucho” Fernández as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Speaking with journalist Raymond Arroyo, Rev Murray called Fernández’s recently resurfaced pornographic writings “a total disgrace” and “a horrendous production done by a priest”. Tucho is “completely unsuited to be a pastor of souls”. Rev Murray recalled that Pope Francis justified Tucho’s earlier books as writings of a younger priest. However, the newly revealed books were written until 2009, when Tucho was aged 46: “If we were doing a profile, a criminal profile, about a sex abuser, and I’m not saying he is a sex abuser, but if you saw this literature coming out and you would say to yourself, ‘Well, it’s quite clear that the sex abuser got started a long time ago.’” The conclusion: “He should be fired.” And: “This is going to be a benchmark for Pope Leo XIV. This …More
Witness account from Bondi Beach tonight: He reports that at least four police officers did not return fire for over 20 minutes yesterday. The police station is only a few hundred metres away. Any comment from Cardinal Parolin?
Also these are crimes of murder for which laws exist to investigate and prosecute. Jail and even enforce capital punishment. Not excuses for international wars.
The conviction of Hong Kong Catholic publisher Jimmy Lai has once again exposed the cost of the China–Vatican agreement. While governments and human rights organisations have denounced the trial as political and unjust, all Vatican media and the Holy See have remained completely silent. Riccardo Cascioli comments: "This is yet another perverse consequence of the secret China-Vatican agreement: in the name of political expediency, Catholics are being left at the mercy of their persecutors."
The latest appointment of a Chinese bishop, made public on December 5, represents a big affront to Pope Leo XIV. This episode originated during the interregnum between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo. During that period, Chinese authorities orchestrated assemblies to “elect” two bishops for important positions. According to the agreement, the approval or rejection of these appointments belonged to the new pope. On October 15, the Holy See announced that Pope Leo had accepted the first of the two appointments. The appointment concerned an auxiliary bishop of Shanghai in a diocese that already had two auxiliaries disfavored by the regime. One of those bishops was forced into retirement, while the other has been under uninterrupted arrest for thirteen years. Silence surrounding the second appointment was broken on December 5. The Vatican clarified that Pope Leo had approved the second appointment on August 11. The official Chinese Church agency issued its own statement …More
St. John's University Opens 'Vincent's Table' On-Campus Food Pantry for Students in Need St. John's University has a new on-campus food pantry for students in need. Vincent's Table gives those facing hunger a dignified way to get fresh groceries, no questions asked. With 41% of college students nationwide experiencing food insecurity, St. John's partnered with St. John's Bread & Life to create the campus lifeline. currentsnews
Valerie Anne Smith @ValerieAnne1970 "The 'vaccines' were owned & made by NIH & the military...Pfizer & Moderna were paid for their approval to make it appear they came from the pharmaceutical industry." -RFK Jr
VACCINE INC. by every standard have been exposed through multitudes of evidence to be of the most egregious and reprehensible deceptions which ensnare the multitudes of populations world-wide thoroughly seducing people by means of psychological mind manipulations which are dangerous because vaccines harm and hurt the health of so many people and are known to cause deaths even though the evidence is denied by VACCINE INC. . . The truth about the VACCINE Industry amounts to what should be assessed as VACCCINE crimes against humanity.
Vatican Nativity Unveiled in St. Peter’s Square: Today, the Vatican inaugurated the nativity scene and lit up the Christmas tree in St Peter’s Square. This year's nativity scene was created by the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore–Sarno, which has close links to St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. His relics are venerated in Pagani, within the diocese. The nativity includes a figure of the saint, who founded the Redemptorists and wrote the Christmas hymn “Tu scendi dalle stelle”.
Il bellissimo Presepio Vaticano di quest’anno, con figure in legno intagliate a mano realizzate nella diocesi italiana di Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, è stato inaugurato questa sera. Comincia davvero a sembrare Natale!
What Are the O Antiphons?| Ancient Advent Prayers Preparing for Christmas As Advent reaches its most sacred days, the Church begins praying the ancient O Antiphons. From December 17 to December 23, these powerful prayers are sung or recited each evening with the Magnificat in the Liturgy of the Hours. Rooted deeply in the prophecies of Isaiah, the O Antiphons reveal the many titles of the long-awaited Messiah and express Israel’s longing for salvation. Each antiphon begins with “O” — a cry of hope — and calls upon Christ by a different name: • O Sapientia (O Wisdom) • O Adonai (O Lord) • O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) • O Clavis David (O Key of David) • O Oriens (O Rising Sun) • O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) • O Emmanuel (God With Us) These short prayers invite us to slow down, ponder, and pray more deeply as Christmas draws near. They are not meant to be rushed, but savoured — allowing each title of Christ to shape our hearts and renew our longing for His …More
Each text, in the original Latin, begins with the vocativeparticle "O". Each antiphon is a title of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are: 17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom) 18 December: O Adonai 19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) 20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David) 21 December: O Oriens (O Dawn of the East) 22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations) 23 December: O Emmanuel In the Roman rite, the O Antiphons are sung or recited for the Magnificat at Vespers from 17 December to 23 December. O Antiphons - Wikipedia