In This Issue
From the Founders
About Catholic Owned
Seven Sorrows of Mary
Living in Imitation of Christ:
Scriptural Rosary Excerpt
This Week
15 Promises of the Holy Rosary
Sapientia de Sanctis
Ultima Verba
GLORIA DEO REGINA CAELI
SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Monsignor Oscar F Castaneda
OUR SPONSORS
OUR READERS
CONTRIBUTORS
Christine Haapala
Grace Williams
Slaves of Jesus and Mary
Matteo Onori & Brooke Joiner
From the Founders
Dear Catholic Owned Readers,
Welcome to the thirty-ninth issue of Catholic Owned Magazine!
This week, we reflect on the Seven Sorrows of Mary, plus feature a special contribution from author Christine Haapala. She offers us a sneak peak at her scriptural rosary book, Living in Imitation of Christ: A Scriptural Rosary About Men for Men. It’s a pocket-sized book that makes a great gift!. This contribution is the second in a series of 20. You can shop for these books here.
Plus, we have the last in our series on the 15 Promises of the Holy Rosary, Sapientia de Sanctis, and the Ultima Verba
Be sure to check the Catholic Owned App often for businesses of all kinds. We feature 160+ businesses & counting, and have several very exciting App Updates coming very soon.
We hope you’re inspired by this Issue! Please pray for us and be assured of our prayers for you!
MATTEO ONORI & BROOKE JOINER Co-Founders, Catholic Owned with fraternal affection,
About Catholic Owned
Catholic Owned exists to propagate Knowledge of, Devotion to, and Love & Admiration for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in reparation for the many sins & blasphemies against her.
In practical terms, we are Building the New Catholic Economy.
Over time, our community members can make fewer compromises and be more free to pursue ever greater devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary- what is known to be the sweetest path to sainthood.
Seven Sorrows of Mary
September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, and September 15 is her feast day. Our Blessed Mother suffered greatly because of her unblemished ability to love completely. Because she was without sin from her very conception, she loves Our Lord Jesus Christ with a truly pure heart. Such a love is accompanied by immeasurable suffering when one’s beloved suffers. Our Lady is also the ideal mother, truly perfect and without the stain of sin. A mother’s love is unique and profound, so we know that Our Blessed Mother’s love for her Son is a love that we can only fathom
Throughout her life as the Mother of Our Lord, she was met with moments of difficulty Seven of these moments are honored through the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and through praying the Seven Sorrows Rosary
Some of the these moments occurred when Our Lord was just a baby and child, when He was not really suffering yet Himself (as far as we are aware.) The other four are during the Passion of Our Lord,
during which, Our Lady as the perfect mother capable of the most profound love, suffered and shared in the suffering of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary are:
The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2:34, 35) 1.
The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13, 14) 2.
The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45) 3.
The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross. 4.
The Crucifixion. 5.
The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross 6
The burial of Jesus 7
If you’d like to take some time to pray the special Rosary of the Seven Sorrows today, check out this great page that features a short version and a full version, and includes some handy graphics: 7 Sorrows Rosary on Hallow, or this video by the CFR’s: Seven Sorrows Rosary by the CFRs. Our Lady of Sorrows is immensely helpful in assisting souls to uncover their sins and fighting spiritual battles.
About Our Business Partners
The businesses in our directory are vetted, recommended members of our community. They have all committed to the
Founding Pillars of Catholic Owned
2 Faithful to the Magisterium
1 Regularly practicing, sincere Catholic in good standing
3 Prays the Rosary or practices other sincere devotion(s)
4 Operates business in accordance with the principles of the Catholic faith
Second in a Series of 20 Scriptural Decades from
Living in Imitation of Christ
A Scriptural Rosary about Men for Men
Christine Haapala’s 13th Scriptural Prayer book views the mysteries through the lives of some of the men who were part of salvation history and Jesus’ world.
Does a scriptural rosary about men for men necessarily mean that a Marian prayer will become less Marian? On the contrary, Mary always points to Jesus. Mary, infused with
extraordinary humility, will be guiding us to the foot of the Cross and through the gates of Heaven
Illustrations for each rosary mystery feature Servants of God, Venerables, Beati, and Saints These men answered the call to holiness and lived in imitation of Christ
“A prayer so easy and yet so rich deserves to be rediscovered Rediscover the Rosary in the light of Scripture, in harmony with the Liturgy, and in the context of your daily lives ” Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 43, St Pope John Paul II, Oct 16, 2002
To purchase the complete, pocket-sized version:
SHOP NOW
SERVANT OF GOD NICHOLAS BLACK ELK
Joseph taught Jesus to be a carpenter. Zechariah taught John the Baptist to be a priest and prophet. Black Elk’s family taught him to be a medicine man. However, when the Jesuits intervened, he was converted, became a catechist, evangelized the Lakota nation, and was responsible for 400 converts. He taught this new faith, including the praying of the Rosary, to his extended family. While Jesus and John the Baptist were named from the womb, Black Elk took the name Nicholas representing his new life received at Baptism on December 6th.
THE SECOND JOYFUL MYSTERY
THE VISITATION
“When he established the heavens I was there, / when he marked out the vault … / When he made firm the skies … / When he set for the sea its limit, / … Then was I beside him.” … In his hand is the soul of every living thing, / and the life breath of all mankind. Prv 8:27-30, Job 12:10
Our Father…
All things came to be through him, / and without him nothing came to be / What came to be through him was life Jn 1:3
Hail Mary...
You have granted him his heart’s desire; / you did not refuse the prayer of his lips He asked life of you; / You gave it to him “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. Ps 21:3,5, Lk 1:13
Hail Mary...
The LORD called me from birth, / from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. / … [T]he LORD has spoken / who formed me as his servant from the womb. … On you I depend since birth; / from my mother’s womb you are my strength. Is 49:1,5, Ps 71:6
Hail Mary...
Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “ … blessed is the fruit of your womb.” … Mary said: / “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” … Children too are a gift from the LORD, / the fruit of the womb, a reward. Lk 1:41-42,46, Ps 127:3
Hail Mary...
He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. … [B]less the God of all, / who has done wondrous things on earth; / Who fosters men’s growth from their mother’s womb, / and fashions them according to his will! Lk 1:15, Sir 50:22
Hail Mary
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, / before
you were born I dedicated you, / a prophet to the nations I appointed you Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: / “And you child, will be called prophet of the Most High, / for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways ” Jer 1:5, Lk 1:67,76
Hail Mary...
Zechariah … prophesied, saying: / … “[F]or you will go before the Lord / … to give his people knowledge of salvation.” … Before all ages, in the beginning, he created me, / and through all ages I shall not cease to be. Lk 1:67,76-77, Sir 24:9
Hail Mary...
Zechariah … prophesied, saying: / … “[F]or you will go before the Lord / … to shine on those who sit in darkness.” … [T]he light shines in the darkness, / and the darkness has not overcome it. Lk 1:67,76,79, Jn 1:5
Hail Mary
Zechariah … prophesied, saying: /… “[F]or you will go before the Lord / … to guide our feet into the path of peace.” … I will listen for the word of God; / surely the LORD will proclaim peace. Lk 1:67,76,79, Ps 85:9
Hail Mary...
The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, / which is formed with the faithful in the womb. … John answered, … “So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” … “I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.” Sir 1:12, Jn 3:27,29-30, Acts 13:25
Hail Mary Glory Be O My Jesus
This Week’s Feasts
The Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary Thur., Sept. 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary Sat., Sept. 14: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sun., Sept. 15: Seventeenth Sunday after the Pentecost, Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mon., Sept. 16: Ss. Cornelius, Pope and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs Weds., Sept. 18: Ember Wednesday in September Thurs., Sept. 19: St. Januarius, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs Fri., Sept. 20: Ember Friday in September
Sat., Sept. 21: St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, Ember Saturday in September Sun., Sept. 22: Eighteenth Sunday after the Pentecost Mon., Sept. 23: St. Linus Pope and Martyr Tues., Sept. 24: Our Lady of Ransom
15 Promises of the Holy Rosary
This week we discuss the last two Promises of the Holy Rosary as we finish this special series We pray the exploration of the 15 Promises has inspired you to take up the habit of a daily Rosary, either for the first time or once again! Today we will examine these promises:
14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Reflecting for a moment on the nature and structure of a royal family, the fourteenth promise begins to come into focus.
The siblings of the King usually hold the title of Prince or Princess. The sons and daughters of the Queen retain similar titles, and they are for life, even for those who are not in line for the crown. These roles enjoy certain rights and responsibilities, and special places in ceremonial events especially Their relationship to the King and/or Queen impacts every aspect of their lives
Let’s remember that the Heavenly Court has a King and a Queen Mother, and a fraternal or filial relationship with the King or the Queen would confer similar privileges, and with them, certain responsibilities To be considered the child of the Queen and sibling of the King is an honor none of us could earn on our own, and it should impact every aspect of our lives, too. It’s awfully generous of Our Lady to offer this to us for such a simple devotion. Most of us would never even desire such a status, and yet our Generous Mother is offering it to us for our feeble offering of 15-20 minutes per day.
Promise number fifteen refers to a great sign of predestination. What exactly are we to make of this?
The term predestination comes from the ecclesiastical Latin praedestinatio, conjugated from praedestinare, which means ‘make firm beforehand.’ (Not to be confused with the Calvinist understanding of the English term )
In the context of this promise, it seems Our Lady is letting us know that in the very practice of the devotion itself, a sign is being given to us that with her Son, she has made our destiny firm beforehand The predestination is the cause for us taking up the devotion, not the other way around Interestingly, many saints referred to what are
called signs of predestination. These are not simply “symptoms of our being at present in a state of grace and on the way of holiness. It means that {the signs of predestination} are to a certain extent prophecies of the future, not infallibly true but supernaturally hopeful. It means that they are the sort of things to be expected in the elect, and not to be expected in others; things essential to the elect, and which through all the centuries of the Church have distinguished the elect -from Growth in Holiness by F W Faber
Being honest, this is a little tough to wrap one’s mind around It means that God, outside of space and time but also at a previous time, made firm the plans of one’s life Because of that, the person goes on to do certain things that others simply don’t- things that are “to be expected from the elect.” We could say the elect would be the sons of the Queen and brothers of the King. And in the doing of those expected things, one learns that doing those things is in and of itself a sign of just what the Eternal plan of the Creator plan is.
This section of the 15 Promises shows how generously Our Lady pours out graces to those who love her. We truly could never merit the grace and mercy that we have received. The first 13 promises were overwhelmingly generous, and these last two leave the soul breathless in their abundance. The promise of a fraternal and filial relationship with the King of the Universe plus a sign of one’s predestination are two incredible Promises that we can be grateful for this season In case you haven’t yet, remember to pray the Rosary, today and everyday
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Alma Mater, pray for us
Sapientia de Sanctis
~St Athanatius the Great (296-373)
“Devils take great delight in fullness, and drunkenness and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels.”
~St Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)
“Oh my God, forgive what I have been, correct what I am, and direct what I will be.”
Ultima Verba
You may have noticed the Ember Days on the calendar in the coming week. They fall on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is on September 14.
The purpose of Ember Days is to reflect on and be grateful for the fruitfulness of the prior season, and to ask for continued blessings in the season to come.
Taking place during the four changing seasons of the year, Ember Days are penitent in nature and have some rules around fasting and abstinence that make for a nice Ember Days.
The Wednesday and Saturday of Ember Days are for fasting and partial abstinence This means that a person may eat one full meal and two small meals, which together do not equal the full meal Partial abstinence indicates that meat may be eaten at the main meal
Ember Friday observes the usual Friday fast and abstinence rules today most often practiced during Lent, which means no meat at all
We are not required to do this, but there is value in this
tradition. It’s a beautiful way to observe the changing of the seasons, to shift gears for the festivities to come, and to reset ourselves on the work God has laid before us.
At Catholic Owned, the Ember Days remind us of the seeds we’ve planted, the crops we earnestly tend to, the fruit we have harvested, and the immense harvest ahead-- if only we will remain faithful. They also help us track seasons, as living in Florida can feel like an eternal summer otherwise.
The liturgical year is full of beautiful traditions like this that enrich our lives. Simple steps like observing optional feasts and customs can bring our faith to life in even more tactile and practical ways, which engages ourselves and our children with the practice of our faith
Most importantly, it draws us nearer to Our Lord, the Word Who became Flesh, reminding us of our true purpose here on earth-- which is to know God, to love God and to serve God, so that we may be happy with Him in Heaven
May God bless you.
Thank you for reading! Our next publication date is September 26. Download Our App Today!
Deo Gratias