Catholic Fire

Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title 'Help of Christians,' the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens. When you obediently said 'Yes' in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously co-operated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, Who died that we might live. From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in His fo...

Mary, Mother of Jesus as the Immaculate Conception. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. c. 1660-1665 Museo del Prado Let us celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary! Let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord! Glory be... You are all fair, Mary, and the stain of original sin is not in you. Your garments are white as snow, and your face is like the sun. Hail Mary... You are the Glory of Jerusalem; you are the Joy of Israel; you are the Honor of our people (Judith 15:10). You are the brightness of eternal light, the unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of His goodness (Wis 7:26). Hail Mary... More than all other women upon earth, you, Virgin Mary, have been blessed by the Lord God most high. Draw us, Immaculate Virgin; we shall come after you, breathing the sweet fragrance of your virtues (Ecclus 1:3). Hail Mary... Mary speaks: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvati...

Most holy and immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our loving Mother, being his Mother, you shared in his universal kingship. The prophets and angels proclaimed him King of peace. With loving fervor in our hearts we salute and honor you as Queen of peace. We pray that your intercession may protect us and all people from hated and discord, and direct our hearts into the ways of peace and justice which your Son taught and exemplified. We ask your maternal care for our Holy Father who works to reconcile the nations in peace. We seek your guidance for our President and other leaders as they strive for world peace. Glorious Queen of peace, grant us peace in our hearts, harmony in our families and concord throughout the world. Immaculate Mother, as patroness of our beloved country, watch over us and protect us with your motherly love. Amen. Mary, Queen of peace, pray for us! Image: Mary, Queen of Heaven

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you. While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever. Amen. V: O Mary, conceived without sin, R: Pray for us who have recourse to you.

– Corpus Christianum, an international Private Association of the Faithful, has launched WWW.CORPUSCHRISTIANUM.ORG , a website dedicated to the movement's mission of prayer for the renewal of Christendom. Founded in 2007, association members pray daily for the renewal, unity, and spread of Christendom, for the protection of Christians, for the conversion of sinners and sanctification of all people, for Holy Mother Church, and for the reinstitution of family life. "The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has on many occassions stated that the "West" suffers from a serious malaise," said Mr. Robert Overcamp, the movement's Moderator. "He offers a simple solution to this problem - countries must to return to their Christian identity. We pray for this every day through the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians." The association combines the ideals of Catholic chivalry with a prayer life centered around the rosary and daily readings of the Little Office ...

Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Queen of Angels and Saints What a glorious day! Today is the feast of Mary, the Mother of the King of the Universe -- the Mother of us all who was chosen by God to be His Mother and to be the Queen of both heaven and earth. This special Liturgical Feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954 through his Encyclical Letter " Ad Caeli Reginam." The Holy Catholic Church made this proclamation based upon the fact that whether in time of peace or in time of war, the faithful have incessantly offered prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. Following the tremendous destruction that occurred during World War II and considering the reality that the threat of a similar catastrophe filled the faithful with a great anguish, the Church turned its eyes towards Mary, the Heavenly Queen, in the hope of her protection. Mary has never failed those who have sought her intercession in prayer, placing their total ...