Monday thru Friday on the CATHOLIC-INTERNET NETWORK at http://www.catholic-internet.org See why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!" e-mail: DailyCatholic@catholic-internet.org

"Many who have not believed, shall believe."

      The Blessed Mother Mary emphasizes that all she has conveyed to her visionaries through the approval of her Divine Son Jesus and all that has been foretold through Divine Revelation shall soon come to pass as she points out in the three messages we bring you this weekend which were imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart, and which we continue to bring you on a daily basis in order to include all 632 messages conveyed between September 1990 and the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1995. Our Lady urges all to take refuge in her Immaculate Heart and Divine Son's Sacred Heart for that is our only true refuge and she is the beacon to guiding us safely to the Harbor of the Two Hearts. Click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages Two Hundred Twenty-Five, Two Hundred Twenty-Six and Two Hundred Twenty-Seven

      Later that same day, while praying the rosary at the beautiful old Immaculata Church overlooking the river and the city, I heard Our Blessed Mother.

      Beloved Hidden Flower, behold, I, the Mother of God, have come to this area for the sufferings and sacrifices, the labors of the holy souls who bore good fruit in their earthly journey here have made a pathway of love to reach to Heaven. I come upon this pathway. I come by God's Authority to renew that which has grown muddied by sin. Here in this place where once great honor was given to my Divine Son, I now find that He is mocked, scoffed at. His very presence is denied. Thus, I come and there will be the fire of God within many hearts. A new and bright light is coming. A beacon, a torch by which I will find my lost children. I will establish here a pure refuge of heavenly light that all might once again believe and return to the embrace of God. Here in this place will come many miracles, many shall manifest the power and mercy of God. Here I ask all of my little ones by means of their faith, their trust and their love to renew the pathway of light which has grown dark. Behold, I am here, the Mother of God. Behold, I prepare the way for my Son!

      Beloved Hidden Flower I am here. Can you not feel my maternal embrace. This is the love of my Immaculate Heart which I desire to share with all of my children.

      Come into the Sacred Heart of my Son and be at peace, for you have found favor with God. Do not look for the favor of any man, for in this search lies the lower human ego.

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I am with you. Do not despair, but persevere for in these days all of my children shall be severely tested.

      I desire all of my children to know that the sorrowful time has already begun. Mankind does not believe, nor do my children see the signs I have foretold for they have turned away from God, making gods of themselves.

      Now in these times satan's attacks, nearing their completion, shall be unprecedented. Each of my little ones will have much to suffer, for you will be witnesses for my Divine Son in the face of the evil-one's wrath.

      Cling fast to my Divine Son. Do not desert Him Who is Life. I, the Mother of God, Queen of Peace, come among you to tell you of the end times, to prepare you for my Son's return.

      Therefore, I solemnly tell you that in these end times you shall witness every degree of evil. Your world is sunken, depraved and the Justice of God shall purify it.

      Cling to my Divine Son through my Immaculate Heart. I will be with my children to see that the way of Truth, my Son, is lighted by faith, hope and love.

      Great are the events which are unfolding. Many who have not believed, shall believe. I am asking for all my children to come back to God. I invite, I beseech you to pray from the heart, to be reconciled one with another., Go to Mass. Receive the Sacraments. Read Sacred Scripture and be humble and obedient children. In this way you shall be enlightened, having everything from your Heavenly Father that you might persevere.

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

     The weekend for this weekend is basically for Ordinary Time except for the feasts of Saint Denis and companion martyrs, and Saint John Leonardi, priest and religious founder. On Saturday we observe the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday and Sunday is the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. For the liturgies, readings, meditations and vignettes on the above feasts for this weekend, click on LITURGY

Friday October 9:
Twenty-seventh Friday in Ordinary Time
Feast of Saint Denis, Bishop and Martyr and Companions
Feast of Saint John Leonardi, Priest and Religious Founder

Green or Red or White vestments

First Reading: Galatians 3: 7-14
Psalms: Psalm 111: 1-6
Gospel Reading: Luke 11: 15-26

Feast of Saint Denis, Bishop and Martyr and his Companions

      Considered the Patron Saint of France, Saint Denis or Saint Dionysius was the first Bishop of Paris who was slaughtered by the Romans in Gaul around 258. Though historians differ on whether this St. Denis was the one converted by Saint Paul as referred to in Acts 17: 34 because he was called Dionysius, it is commonly thought this St. Denis was born in Italy and, with six other bishops, sent to Gaul as missionaries about the year 250. So on fire with conversions was Denis that he became a threat under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Decius. Thus, in early October 258, the Romans captured Denis along with a fellow priest Saint Rusticus and a deacon Saint Eleutherius. After a short time of incarceration they were all beheaded on October 9 on the boundaries of Paris as a show of force against Christianity by the Roman pagans in Gaul. Their decapitated bodies were tossed into the River Seine and that night fished out by faithful followers who gave them a proper burial on the side of the river. Later a chapel was built over their tombs which subsequently became the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Denis. His feast was introduced into the Roman Calendar in 1568 by Pope Saint Pius V, though it had been celebrated since 800.

Feast of Saint John Leonardi, Priest and Religious Founder

      Born in Lucca, Italy in the year 1541, Saint John Leonardi sought the career of a pharmacist but at 25 was swayed by Heavenly inspiration to enter the seminary where at the age of 20 John became a priest. His vocation was to dedicate all he did to teaching the catechism to youth - childrens and teens. It was St. John Leonardi who founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in 1571, known the world over today as CCD and three years later he founded the Congregation of Clerks of the Mother of God to help preach the catechism and live all the Church taught. The Congregation was approved in 1595 by Pope Clement VIII St. John was persecuted greatly by those who doubted his sincerity and thought he had a personal agenda in his efforts to form the Congregation. Thus, unable to execute his duties without slander in his own town, John went to Rome where he met St. John Calasanz and his spiritual director and confessor, the great St. Philip Neri. There, under his influence, St. John Leonardi sent many members of his Congregation to foreign missions and, with the help of Spanish prelate Bishop G.B. Vives, founded the seminary City College for the Propagation of the Faith (Collegium Urbanum de Propaganda Fide) for the specific purpose of forming priests to send to the missions. All his life St. John Leonardi lived the Gospel, dedicating his life to evangelizing as Jesus asked in Mark 16: 15 to "Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature." In 1607 Pope Paul V merged the Clerks Regular of the Pious Schools with the Congregation St. John founded to make it stronger and encouraged by this event and the universal evangelization efforts of his Order, their founder died in Rome on October 9, 1609.

Saturday October 10:
Twenty-Seventh Saturday in Ordinary Time and
Observance of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

Green or White vestments

First Reading: Galatians 3: 22-29
Psalms: Psalm 105: 2-8
Gospel Reading: Luke 11: 27-28

      Honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary is a custom first promoted by the Benedictine Monk Saint Alcuin back in the days of Charlemagne (see archives December 23, no. 25 issue). He composed different formulas for Votive Masses for each day of the week, with two set aside to honor Our Lady on Saturday. This practice caught on with great enthusiasm and eventually the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday became the Common of the Blessed Virgin. This Mass was a favorite with retired priests and those whose sight was failing for most had memorized this Mass and were able to say it by heart without having to read the Lectionary or Sacramentary. One reason Saturday was dedicated to Mary was that Saturday held a special meaning in Mariology. First of all, as Genesis accounts for, God rested on the seventh day. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was Saturday. Jesus, Son of God rested in the womb and then, when He became incarnate, in the loving arms of Mary from birth until she held His lifeless body at the foot of the Cross. Thus the God-head rested in Mary. It was also on Saturday after Good Friday that Jesus gave His Mother a special gift and reward for keeping her faith in His Divinity intact by making an exceptional appearance to her. Thus, because of these reasons, the devotion spread by St. Alcuin and other liturgies that evolved within the Church, Saturday took on a special Marian significance. Saturday took on even more significance in honoring Mary when Our Lady imparted to visionary Lucia in her third apparition at Fatima on July 13, 1917, "Our Lord wishes that devotion to my Immaculate Heart be established in the world. If what I tell you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace; the war will end...I ask the consecration of the world to my Immaculate Heart and Communion of reparation on the First Saturday of each month...If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace...In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph, and an era of peace will be conceded to humanity." As we draw nearer to that wonderful event, it is more important than ever to honor Mary's request on the First Saturday as well as each Saturday that her feast is commemorated in the Church calendar, not to mention responding to her call daily with the Rosary and attending Daily Mass, nourished by her Divine Son present body and blood, soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. It is in the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary where she remains in the background in the liturgy of the Word so that her Divine Son's words and His Presence take the spotlight as He should while Mary remains the chief intercessor before the Holy Trinity as she should and serves as the ideal for all Catholics to strive for, as we should. The Dictionary of Mary states quite succinctly, "Through these liturgical acts, (honoring Mary on Saturday) Christians exalt the person of Mary in the action that renews the sacrifice of Christ and in the action that prolongs His prayer."

SUNDAY October 11:
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
VOCATION AWARENESS SUNDAY and LAITY SUNDAY

Green vestments

First Reading: 2 Kings 5: 14-17
Psalms: Psalm 98: 1-4
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2: 8-13
Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 11-19

Monday October 12:
Twenty-eighth Monday in Ordinary Time
Columbus Day

Green vestments

First Reading: Galatians 4: 22-24, 26-27, 31; 5: 1
Psalms: Psalm 113: 1-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 11: 29-32

     In honor of the canonization of Blessed Edith Stein we share with you the Carmelite Morning Offering:

O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee the precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, word and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate, that she may best apply them in the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

Events throughout the week in Church History

     It is no coincidence that the Holy Father will canonize another martyr of the holocaust this weekend for it marks the anniversaries of the death of Pope Pius XII and the canonization of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, both intricately linked with suffering during World War II. Sunday is also the 36th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. For time capsule events that happened in Church history on October 9th through October 11th, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for October 9:

258 A.D.


Death of Saint Denis or Dionysius, Bishop and his companions Saint Rusticus and Saint Eleutherius, all by beheading near Paris during the percution of Christians by the Roman emperor Decius. For more on this, see THIS WEEKEND'S LITURGY.

1045 A.D.


Death of Blessed Gunther, hermit and cousin of emperor Heinrich II. He died at the age of 50 in Bohemia in his hermitage.

1047 A.D.


Death of Pope Clement II, 149th successor of Peter, who was elected on Christmas day 1046. This Saxony-born pontiff ruled for less than a year. His great preoccupation was with the arrogance of the Count-Bishops, the cause of much bitter fighting among their vassals during this time known as the "Dark Ages." He succeeded in overcoming the resistance of Bishop Aribert of Milan as not was all harmony within the Holy See during this time.

1192 A.D.


Richard the Lionhearted escapes Jerusalem under disguise after the Saladin had issued a ransom for his capture.

1609 A.D.


Death of Saint John Leonardi, priest and religious founder. For more on this saint, see THIS WEEKEND'S LITURGY.

1958 A.D.


Death of Pope Pius XII, 260th successor of Peter. Born Eugenio Pacelli in Rome, he was elected on his birthday on March 2, 1939 just as World War II was about to break out. He strongly opposed Marxist persecutions. It was Pius who discovered the tomb of Saint Peter druing the excavations under the great Basilica. He celebrated the 24th Jubilee in 1950 and proclaimed the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. His pontificate lasted nineteen and a half years.

Historical Events in Church Annals for October 10:

1572 A.D.


Death of Saint Francis Borgia, Duke of Gandia in Spain and Captain-General of Catalonia who became a Jesuit priest after the death of his wife. He was elected the Third General of the Society of Jesus and accompanied the great Saint Pius V on a crusade to recruit troops to fight the Turkish menace. A year after the great victory at Lepanto he died in Rome physically spent from his travels.

1982 A.D.


Pope John Paul II canonizes fellow Pole Father Maximilian Mary Kolbe who was born in 1894 and died at Auschwitz on August 14, 1941 after volunteering himself in place of a young Jewish father with a wife and children. This Conventual Franciscan founded the Militias of the Immaculate Mary, a monthly newsletter that spread rapidly as well as founding the cities of the Immaculate Conception twenty-five miles out of Warsaw in Poland.

1993 A.D.


Pope John Paul II beatifies Maria Francesca Rubatto and Maria Crucified Satellico.

Historical Events in Church Annals for October 11:

304 A.D.


Death of Saint Andronius, Saint Probus and Saint Tarachus, martyrs of Cilici who were put to death in the amphitheatre and fed to the animals but the beasts would not touch them. Hence, the Romans had these men put to death by the sword and the animals still refused to lick the blood.

599 A.D.


Death of Saint Kenneth of Kilkenny, Irish-born monk who was a close friend of Saint Columba. Legend has it the Holy Spirit would warn him of dangers from afar so that he could pray in intercession for others. One such account was of the time Kenneth was sitting down to a meal in the monastery refectory at Kilkenny when suddenly he bolted for the chapel, knowing Columba was in a serious storm at sea on his way to Scotland. After intense prayer by Kenneth, Columba's ship made it safely to port thanks to the former's devout prayers.

1303 A.D.


Death of Pope Boniface VIII, 193rd successor of Peter. For more on this lawyer/pope, see this past Tuesday's feature in THE HISTORY OF THE MASS AND HOLY MOTHER CHURCH.

1521 A.D.


Pope Leo X infers the title "Defender of the Faith" on King Henry VIII. A few years later that would change when the English monarch would rebel vehemently against Rome and Pope Clement VII.

1954 A.D.


Pope Pius XII releases his 30th encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam which proclaims the Queenship of Mary.

1962 A.D.


The Second Vatican Council begins on this day in Rome as Pope John XXIII convenes the cardinals and bishops and other leaders for what would result in the winds of change within the Church.

1969 A.D.


Pope Paul VI calls together the 2nd Bishops Synod of Rome which would last until October 28, 1969.

Click here to go to SECTION THREE or SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

October 9-11, 1998 volume 9, no. 198   DAILY CATHOLIC