Catholic Fire

Today, September 24, in many parts of the world, the Catholic Church commemorates the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, also known as Our Lady of Mercy or Nuestra Señora de la Merced. The Blessed Virgin appeared in 1218 in three separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymund of Penafort, and King James I of Aragon, asking them to found a religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens or Moors, who at that time held a great part of Spain. On August 10, 1218, King James established the royal, military and religious Order of our Lady of Ransom (first known as the Order of St. Eulalia, now known as the Mercedarian Order ), with the members granted the privilege of wearing his own arms on their breast. Most of the members were knights, and while the clerics recited the divine office in the commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ranso...

Our Lady of Fatima is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima. The three children were Lucia Santos, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Blessed Francisco Marto. Our Lady asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia  This Marian Apparition was approved by the Holy See in 1930. Today, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal is a popular Marian Pilgrimage site. Around 4 million pilgrims visit the Basilica every year. The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13th. Here is a novena to Our Lady of Fatima in preparation for her feast. Let us pray to Our Lady for the conversion of sinners and for all our special intentions. Novena Prayer Most Holy Virgin, who deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the recitatio...

September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. This feast is dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, and her union with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redemptrix, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through tradition. The Seven Sorrows are: The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)  Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30) The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47) The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily ...

The month of September is traditionally dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary with the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows being commemorated on September 15. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through tradition. The Seven Sorrows are: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Holy Child at Jerusalem for three days, meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, Jesus being taken down from the Cross, and the burial of Christ. Devotion to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the twelfth century, when it was first established in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard. The Cistercians and then the Servites started to spread it. It was widely embraced during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, especially in the Rhineland and Flanders, where Confraternities of the Sorrowful Mother spra...

"The sign of the Scapular points to an effective synthesis of Marian spirituality, which nourishes the devotion of believers and makes them sensitive to the Virgin Mother's loving presence in their lives. The Scapular is essentially a "habit". Those who receive it are associated more or less closely with the Order of Carmel and dedicate themselves to the service of Our Lady for the good of the whole Church Those who wear the Scapular are thus brought into the land of Carmel, so that they may "eat its fruits and its good things" (cf. Jer 2: 7), and experience the loving and motherly presence of Mary in their daily commitment to be clothed in Jesus Christ and to manifest him in their life for the good of the Church and the whole of humanity." "Therefore two truths are evoked by the sign of the Scapular:  on the one hand, the constant protection of the Blessed Virgin, not only on life's journey, but also at the moment of passing into the fu...

May 30, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Friday, May 31st, at 8pm, Rome time, Pope Francis will pray the Rosary in St. Peter's Square, along with thousands of pilgrims. He will then give a reflection on why the Virgin Mary is important not only to the Church, but to him.   It's no secret that the Pope feels a strong devotion towards Our Lady. The day after he was elected, he went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before an image of the Virgin Mary. Then most recently, when he met with Catholic lay movements, he explained exactly why he likes to pray the rosary on a daily basis. POPE FRANCIS “The Virgin Mary is our mother. She knows everything. So, it's important for us to pray to Our Lady, so that she, as a mother, can give us strength. It has to do with our weakness, at least in my experience. One thing that gives me strength, is praying the Rosary to the Virgin Mary every day.  I feel it. I pray to her and I feel strong.” Precisely during the Rosary prayer on ...

May is Mary’s month. But, why May? Perhaps the answer is that, in many places, May is the month for Spring’s return of flowers. As the flowers return we honor Mary Whom we call the "Mystical Rose." And of course, the name "May" is a form of Mary and is sometimes used as a "nickname" for women named Mary and then it's spelled Mae. May devotions began during the beginning of the 1700’s in Italy. It seems the first book of May devotions was published by an Italian Jesuit, Father Anniblae Dionisis, about 1726. In it he explains: "When we make an offering we ought to give of our best, so that among all the months of the year we choose the most beautiful, May, the season of flowers, which invites us to crown Mary with the blossoms of good deeds." May devotions were first introduced into England about 1840 by Father Aloysius Gentili of the Institute of Charity. To this day they involve May altars, May Crowning ceremonies and May processions...