Catholic Voice 23rd April 2021 Issue 315

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Issue 315

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2 SAINT PATRICK’S DAY

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

From The Non Organisers Of The St Patricks Day Parade An About Face For The Gardai Those who were able to avoid the checkpoints into Dublin, were faced with more Gardaí – Irish police - at the Garden of Remembrance, who threatened to arrest participants for either breaking their 5km limit or for participating in an event made illegal by draconian Covid-19 regulations. One couple driving into Dublin was fined €300 each for going beyond their 5km limit.

Anthony Murphy We received the following ‘Press Release’ from one of those who attended the Saint Patrick’s Day Rosary procession in Dublin. The photographs are from others who also attended. It is very encouraging to see Catholics bearing simple witness to their faith despite the Irish government’s attempts to suppress the practice of the Catholic Faith in Ireland. Irish bishops — please take note.

Press Release From St Patrick’s Faithful On March 17th, a procession in honour of St. Patrick took place in Dublin, Ireland. Starting from the Garden of Remembrance, the procession wound its way to eventually end at St. Stephan’s Green where it was then peacefully concluded with religious hymns.

Due to Covid-19 regulations which penalises the organisers of events, it is not possible to say who or what organisations were behind the St. Patrick’s procession. Suffice to say that many organisations and individuals helped to make this procession possible.

CatholicVoice

Editor: Anthony Murphy editor@catholicvoice.ie Telephone: 059 8627268 ROI 00353 59 8627268 Outside ROI Keep up to date with news and articles via The Lumen Fidei website www.lumenfidei.ie

The Gardai were in the process of taking peoples’ names and addresses when the statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived on the scene. Not only did the Gardai backoff but, in an incredible about-face, escorted the procession to our destination!

The abrupt change of the Gardai was nothing short of miraculous for those who witnessed it.

As the procession made its way to St. Stephan’s Green, the participants prayed three Rosaries with an occasional hymn to Our Lady between each decade. The procession ended peacefully with the Litany of Loreto and more hymns to Our Lady and St. Patrick.

The organisers had three intentions for the procession.

First – To Honour St. Patrick and Reclaim His Feast Day. St. Patrick’s Day has for a long time been used to promote a secular Ireland. But because the official St. Patrick’s day parade was cancelled, faithful Catholics had a chance to reclaim St. Patrick’s day for St. Patrick and everything he stood for.

Secularists may think that shutting down the economy and restricting peoples’ movements will slow the spread of disease. However, as Catholics we are called to follow the examples of the men and women the Church has canonised as saints.

The saints are our “experts”.

Among the most important today to take inspiration from are St. Charles Borromeo, the CardinalArchbishop of Milan in the 1570’s, who responded to a deadly plague with public processions and Pope St. Gregory the Great, who also responded to a plague in Rome with public processions.

Second – To Have Churches Reopened.

Catholic

The organisers also wanted to show Catholics that it is important to push back against government attempts to restrict public worship.

Openly professing our Faith in public is an essential part of our faith. The government can never suspend our God-given rights which includes the right to practice our Faith especially in public where we can do the most good to souls.

The Irish government is not simply suspending constitutional rights; they are trying to destroy our Godgiven rights and that is why it is so important to maintain some public presence.

Third - Making Reparation for the Sins of Ireland, Lastly, the procession was done to make public reparation for the sins of Ireland – the legalisation of abortion, same-sex “marriage”, divorce, and corruption of our children in schools through perverted sex-ed programmes.

The Future The organisers hope that this St. Patrick’s procession will be the first of many, regardless of whether the official St. Patrick’s Parade is held next year or not. Faithful Catholics must not allow the secular, atheistic world to corrupt our Catholic festivals. One of the best ways to counter these attacks is to revive the original purpose of the Catholic festivals whether it be St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas or Easter.

St. Patrick, Pray for us!

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23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice

Gardaí Following The Way, The Truth & The Life Saint Patrick’s Day - Dublin 2021

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4 THE ROYAL ADORERS

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Good News For Irish Catholics

The Former Mercy Convent in Ardee, Co Louth - New Home for The Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Photo: Savills Property Agents

Ardee Mercy Sisters Convent first members will soon begin their purchased by young Catholic community life in the footsteps community: The Institute of Christ of the Sisters of Mercy with daily the King Sovereign Priest adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the singing of the Divine Patrick Hayes Office in Gregorian chant. These young sisters will also prepare the In these challenging times for Ireland, convent so that the Institute African there is reason for celebration and missionaries can find in Ardee a great joy in Ardee, Co. Louth! place where they can rest, pray and recover from their apostolic work The former Convent of Mercy, in a much cooler climate. vacated last year has new owners. A young Roman Catholic community, The Institute was first invited to The Institute of Christ the King serve in Ireland, in the Diocese Sovereign Priest, purchased the of Limerick, and established its iconic building which comes with an headquarters there in 2006. The attached chapel and gate lodge set in members of this Institute are also 10 acres of land. resident in the Diocese of Down and Connor (where in 2019 they The Institute of Christ the King reopened a former Presbyterian Sovereign Priest intends to use the church in Belfast) and in Galway. former Mercy Convent as a convent for the female branch of their order. Canon Lebocq, Pro-Provincial The Sisters Adorers of the Royal of the Institute in Ireland, offered Heart are semi-cloistered nuns. The €925,000 to save this property,

thanks in part to local donations, but especially with an excess of €600,000 loan. He said: “Our community is now on its knees, not only in prayer in the chapel, but also financially with over €230,000 to reimburse by 15th August this year. Prayers and donations are welcome!”

Built in the mid-1850s, the convent was designed by John Neville, then County Surveyor for Louth. The three-storey block built of coursed rubble features cut limestone for quoins and window surrounds as well as for the three-bay, singlestorey porch in Perpendicular style.

Founded in 1990, the Institute is a Roman-Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right in canonical form. The 125 priests of the Institute work all over the world to promote the spiritual Kingship of Christ. A special

THE ROYAL ADORERS 5

23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice emphasis is laid on the harmony between faith and culture, and thus the young community has acquired a reputation for promoting the arts, especially sacred music and architecture.

The Institute of Christ the King celebrates the classical Roman Liturgy, the Latin Mass, in its Extraordinary Form according to the liturgical books promulgated

by Saint Pope John XXIII in 1962.

This liturgy, promoted by Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in various documents, attracts today an increasing number of people, especially young adults, students and families.

The motherhouse and international seminary of the Institute of Christ the King is based in Florence, Italy. 105 seminarians are currently being trained for the priesthood. It also has over 60 religious sisters, especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who live a semicloistered life, and 19 oblates (lay brothers). Among these are nine Irish vocations.

The average age of this community’s members is 24 for seminarians, 28 for sisters, 41 for oblates and 39 for priests. The community has missions in Gabon (Africa) and important apostolates in the United States, England, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Sweden and Rome, where their founder, Monsignor Gilles Wach, was ordained to the priesthood by Saint Pope John Paul II. The Vicar General of this community is at present Monsignor Michael Schmitz, who was ordained a priest by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger.

The Institute of Christ the King follows the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, which is expressed in the motto of the Institute: “Live the truth in charity,” and could be summarised in the famous quote of the Doctor of Charity:”Cook the truth in charity until it tastes sweet.”

No date has been set for any public opening and welcome to the Sister Adorers and those who would like to know more about this important news for the Church in Ireland can find further information on their website (www.institute-christ-king.ie).

The Sisters Visit Their New Home With Canon Lebocq

The

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6 SATAN’S HENCHMEN

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Satan’s Five Generals Anne Keeling

Fr Chad Ripperger, American exorcist, shares valuable information on the YouTube channel Sensus Fidelium.

As an exorcist he gets first hand information about demons and how they operate. During exorcisms the demons speak through the person with whom the priest is working and Father can compel them to speak truthfully.

2.

So he has learned of what demons refer to as the “Council”, or “Table”, of five “generals” used by satan to help him execute his plans.

3.

1. Baal – the demon of impurity. He is immediately under satan. Fr Ripperger says, “his job is to corrupt the morals in a society by pushing impurity.

The first thing you’ll see in many countries that begins the process of the moral decay is a collapse in the morals in relationship to the sixth and ninth Commandments.”

Sexual intercourse outside marriage – fornication - used to be illegal in the United States but not anymore as states have mostly struck down those laws. In the Swinging Sixties the free love movement ushered in a totally different culture. Fr Ripperger – “Once Baal gets 4.

5.

in and he’s driving the stuff there we actually know that the collapse is coming if we don’t get a handle on this.”

Asmodeus – the demon of homosexuality in men.

When a culture first gives in to impurity (and accepts contraception) there is “a proportionate rise in homosexuality”. The conjugal act has been divorced from its natural end of having children within marriage and so “anything goes.”

Leviathan – the demon of homosexuality in women – is the next demon after him. This is the demon of homosexuality of the masculine sort, associated with “butchy haircuts”, and so on. It is “the demon that drives people to seek empowerment”. Father refers to one movement that is coming to prominence in the community and which was actually started by three lesbian women, “one of whom was actually involved in the occult overtly”, which is Black Lives Matter. Fr Ripperger says “exorcists are noticing a connection between those who are deeply entrenched in the homosexual culture and the occult and those two coupled with the adoption of Marxist communist principles, because they both tend towards chaos.”

Lilith – demon of homosexuality in women of the feminine kind. Father says “we are seeing a rise of this in connection with bisexuality” and that “it is becoming a big thing, starting to occur more frequently.” When same sex marriage was established in the United States that nation was “delivered into the hands of Asmodeus, Leviathan and Lilith.”

Baphomet – the demon of child sacrifice – is the fifth general. Father says that “there are statues of him going up all around the country.” Worldwide over one billion people have been wiped out by abortion in the last thirty years. According to Fr Ripperger, and it is not surprising, “satanists are going into the medical profession to become abortionists because then they can be killing children”. He says there are signs that abortion is diabolically driven, such as its “entrenched” nature in a society and the “visceral reaction” that is provoked by opposition to it. As he notes “it is so hard to root it out”.

So by striking down fornication laws and legalising abortion and same-sex marriage, the court system of the US gave control of the country to the five generals who carry out satan’s plans.

Though Fr Ripperger did not become an exorcist until roughly fifteen years ago he has heard something very interesting and worrying from others, namely that in the year 1963 a big change came about:

23rd April 2021

SATAN’S HENCHMEN 7

Catholic Voice

“Before 1963 most exorcists (report) that the average time to liberate someone from possession was one to two days, on the outside maybe seven days. Overnight, in 1963, they said it was like a switch that happened, the time it took to liberate people, from one to two days, went to ten months to two years. Overnight. Across the board. It didn’t matter what the case of possession was, it didn’t matter what the circumstances was.”

Now, he says, it has gotten worse and often the time it takes to liberate a person can be “almost indefinite”.

This reflects the weakened condition of the Catholic Church. Father explains that exorcisms that are done “work ex operere operantis ecclesiae which basically means the efficacy of them is based on the state of the Church.”

While satan’s influence grows worldwide, along with his many followers, the Church’s “generals in this battle are nowhere to be found,” Fr Ripperger says, and “the mystical Body of Christ is not in a good way.”

To conclude with Father’s words: “The Church Militant is nowhere near where it needs to be to fight the spiritual battle, let alone in place to undergo persecution. We’re in trouble. The state of the Church is beyond human correction in my estimation.

If there is persecution it will reduce the numbers of Catholics to very few.”

St Michael by Raphael (1483 -1520)

“St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”

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8 ENFORCING CANON 915

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Statement On The Reception Of Holy Communion

By Those Who Persist In Public Grave Sin Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

Many Catholics and also nonCatholics who, while they do not embrace the Catholic faith, respect the Catholic Church for her teaching regarding faith and morals, have asked me how it is possible for Catholics to receive Holy Communion, while at the same time they publicly and obstinately promote programs, policies and legislation in direct violation of the moral law. In particular, they ask how Catholic politicians and civil officials who publicly and obstinately defend and promote the practice of abortion on demand can approach to receive Holy Communion. Their question clearly applies as well to those Catholics who publicly promote policies and laws in violation of the dignity of human life of those burdened by serious illness, special needs or advanced years, and in violation of the integrity of human sexuality, marriage and the family, and in violation of the free practice of religion.

The question merits a response, especially as it touches on the very foundations of the Church’s teaching regarding faith and morals.

Most of all, it touches upon the Holy Eucharist, “[t]he sacrament of

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charity, … the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman…. Jesus continues, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, to love us ‘to the end,’ even to offering us his body and blood.”

It is my hope that the following points of the Church’s teaching will be helpful to those who are rightly confused and indeed frequently scandalised by the all too common public betrayal of the Church’s teaching on faith and morals by those who profess to be Catholic. I will address myself to the question of procured abortion, but the same points apply to other violations of the moral law.

1. Regarding the Holy Eucharist, the Church has always believed and taught that the Sacred Host is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, God-theSon Incarnate. The faith of the Church is thus expressed by the Council of Trent: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that

it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread [cf. Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:19f; 1 Cor 11:24-26], it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy council now again declares, that, by the consecration of the bread and wine, there takes place a change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his blood” (Session 13, Chapter 4).

Therefore, as Saint Paul teaches clearly in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11, 27).

2. The reception of Holy Communion by those who publicly and obstinately violate the moral law in its most fundamental precepts is a

ENFORCING CANON 915 9

23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice particularly grave form of sacrilege. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Sacrilege is a grave sin especially when committed against the Eucharist, for in this sacrament the true Body of Christ is made substantially present for us” (no. 2120). It not only merits eternal punishment for the one who receives unworthily but constitutes a most serious scandal for others, that is, it leads them into the false belief that one can publicly and obstinately violate the moral law in a grave matter and still receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. A thoughtful person, before such a situation, must conclude that either the Sacred Host is not the Body of Christ or that the promotion of procured abortion, for instance, is not a grave sin.

3. Can. 915 of the Code of Canon Law, which repeats the perennial and unchanging teaching of the Church, provides: “Those who

have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.” The denial of Holy Communion is not an ecclesiastical penalty but the recognition of the objectively unworthy state of a person to approach to receive Holy Communion. The discipline contained in can. 915 safeguards the sanctity of the most sacred reality in the Church, the Holy Eucharist, keeps the person who obstinately perseveres in grave sin from committing the additional most grievous sin of sacrilege by profaning the Body of Christ, and prevents the inevitable scandal which results from the unworthy reception of Holy Communion.

4. It is the duty of priests and Bishops to instruct and admonish the faithful who are in the condition described by can. 915, lest they approach

to receive Holy Communion and thus commit a most grave sacrilege, redounding to their own eternal harm and, likewise, leading others into error and even sin in such a serious matter. If a person has been admonished and still perseveres in grave public sin, he or she may not be admitted to receive Holy Communion.

5. Clearly, no priest or Bishop can grant permission to a person who is in public and obstinate grave sin to receive Holy Communion. Neither is it a question of a discussion between the priest or Bishop and the one who is committing the sin, but a matter of admonition regarding truths of faith and morals, on the part of the priest or Bishop, and a matter of reform of an erroneous conscious, on the part of the sinner.

6. Pope Saint John Paul II presented the Church’s constant teaching regarding procured

Catholic Voice Update Dear Readers, During these unprecedented times we are determined to continue publishing Catholic Voice. Like so many of you we are also facing ongoing challenges during this time. Kim has been back in hospital after a set back in her progress and we ask for your continued prayer and financial support which is vital to ensure continued publication as we run a not for profit organization. With sincere gratitude, HOW TO DONATE: 1. Online - Visit www. catholicvoice.ie and click Donate.

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10 ENFORCING CANON 915

Catholic Voice

abortion in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae.

Referring to the consultation of the Bishops of the universal Church in the matter by his letter of Pentecost of 1991, he declared: “Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops – who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine – I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.”

He made clear that his teaching “is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church’s Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.”

7. It is sometimes argued that a Catholic politician can personally believe in the immorality of abortion, while favouring a public policy which provides for so-called “legalized” abortion. Such was the case, for instance, in the United States of America at the summit of certain Catholic moral theologians who espoused the erroneous moral theory of proportionalism or consequentialism, and Catholic politicians, held at the compound of the Kennedy Family in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1964. Pope Saint John Paul II responds clearly to such erroneous moral thinking in Evangelium Vitae: “No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.” In his Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor, Pope Saint John Paul II corrects the fundamental error of proportionalism and consequentialism.

8. It is sometimes said that the denial of Holy Communion to politicians who obstinately persevere in grave sin is the use of Holy Communion by the Church for political purposes. On the contrary, it is the Church’s solemn responsibility to safeguard the holiness of the Holy Eucharist, to prevent the faithful from committing sacrilege, and to prevent scandal among the faithful and other persons of good will.

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9. It is rather the Catholic politician, who publicly and obstinately promotes what is contrary to the moral law and yet dares to receive sacrilegiously Holy Communion, who uses the Holy Eucharist for political purposes. In other words, the politician presents himself or herself as a devout Catholic, while the truth is completely otherwise.

10. Apart from the denial of Holy Communion to persons who publicly and obstinately violate the moral law, there is also the question of the imposition or declaration of a just ecclesiastical penalty for the sake of calling the person to conversion and of repairing the scandal which his or her actions cause.

11. Those who publicly and obstinately violate the moral law are, at least, in a state of apostasy, that is, they have effectively abandoned the faith by the obstinate refusal, in practice, to live in accord with fundamental truths of faith and morals (cf. can. 751). An apostate from the faith incurs automatically the penalty of excommunication (cf. can. 1364). The Bishop of such a person must verify the conditions for the declaration of the penalty of excommunication, which has been automatically incurred.

12. They may also be in heresy, if they obstinately deny or doubt the truth about the intrinsic evil of abortion as it “is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith” (can. 751). Heresy, like apostasy, incurs automatically the penalty of excommunication (cf. can. 1364). Also, in the case of heresy, the Bishop must verify the conditions for the declaration of the penalty of excommunication, which has been automatically incurred.

In conclusion, Church discipline, beginning with the Apostle Paul, has consistently taught the necessary disposition of conscience for the reception of Holy Communion. The failure to follow the discipline results in the desecration of the most sacred reality in the Church – the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ – , constitutes the most grave sin of sacrilege, and causes most serious scandal by the failure to witness to the truth of Holy Communion and the moral truth, for example, the inviolable dignity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the family, and the freedom to worship God “in spirit and truth.”

The answer to the question so frequently posed to me is clear: a Catholic who publicly and obstinately opposes the truth regarding faith and morals may not present himself or herself to receive Holy Communion and neither may the minister of Holy Communion give him or her the Sacrament.

LETTERS 11

23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice

Letters Courage Courage Courage Dear Editor, Last Sunday we travelled about 90 minutes to a small country Catholic church for Mass.

The congregation stood outside the church door, social distancing and masked, listening to the courageous celebrant saying Mass and giving a good sermon over a loudspeaker.

Then, immediately after Mass, they all trooped in, in single file, quietly into the church for Holy Communion.

Is this not an obvious solution to an obvious problem? Surely, Mass could be celebrated outside the door of a church, or in a town’s square, or off the back of a lorry or juggernaut, or on a floating boat or platform on a river or in a harbour - like between the bridges in Ballina, Co.Mayo?

Why are our bishops so cowed? Shepherds should tend to their sheep - not be sheep!

Send your letters to: Letters Page, Catholic Voice, St Michael’s House, Castlemitchell South, Athy, Co Kildare or email to letters@catholicvoice.ie The sexton was a wise old man with a twinkle in his eye, He looked at me and scratched his head And this was his reply Son, what I’m gonna say to you, might strike you kind of odd But since no one’s here to help, put your question up to God So I asked Him all those things last night when I bent my knee in prayer Oh Lord, I cried, please tell me Who’s running things down here?

The Lord sent down an angel, twas enough to make me sob When the angel said, ‘the devil’ and he’s doing a damn good job

Name and Address with Editor

Who’s Running Things Down Here A reader from Cavan sent us in a copy of a poem which was often quoted by Archbishop Fulton Sheen I went to Church the other day to free my soul from sin I was looking for the preacher but the preacher wasn’t in The sexton then assured me there’d be no use in waiting The preacher’s gone away, he said, to do some demonstrating I asked for the assistant — the next in line would do.

“Sorry,” said the sexton, “he’s demonstrating, too.”

But what I’d like to know I said And I’ll make myself quite clear While they’re off demonstrating, Who’s running things round here?

Who’s taking care of sinners, who’s leading us in prayer, Who’s feeding all the lost sheep That wander by right here Who’s baptising babies And another thing I said Who’s looking after sick folk And blessing all the dead

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12 SIGNS OF DARKNESS

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Battle Fatigue - Signs of Darkness - Signs of Hope John Lacken

As I begin this article I have to admit that I recently suffered from what I will call battle fatigue. We had a lovely Easter weekend with family joining us from various parts of the country, even though this is now illegal in Ireland. The weather here in the West was particularly good, and we had a young French visitor who prepared some gorgeous food for us. The family members returned to their homes on Easter Monday afternoon and on Monday evening, I realised that the nightmare that is the Irish Government’s Covid-19 policy had not gone away. I felt weary, dissipated, and sad.

I was telling a friend about this and he said to me, ‘John, this reminds me of something you said to me a few weeks ago’.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” he replied.

That is actually the only solution to our problems but at times it is hard to keep our spirits up and it can be hard to keep the focus on Jesus Christ when there is so much controlled chaos all around us. I also came across some very disturbing information prior to the Easter weekend and so this article is going to contain some more signs of the darkness that threatens to envelop us but I will end with some great signs of hope too. ***PARENTAL ADVISORY*** Some of the content of this article is not suitable for children.

The disturbing information reminded me of the great need that there is to pray for our bishops and so, let us pause to say an Ave for them

especially as regards our returning to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the reform of our Catholic Schools, and the proper distribution of Holy Communion according to the norm of the Catholic Church which is on the tongue whilst kneeling.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

I had occasion to visit Castlebar before Easter and on one occasion, whilst I was leaving the Church of the Holy Rosary, a publicity banner caught my eye across the road. The banner was outside of The Family Centre in Castlebar.

The Family Centre website tells us that the building was erected in 1878 as a National School for boys run by the De La Salle Brothers until the late 1950’s. As far as I am aware, it is now owned by the Archdiocese of Tuam. Another online article states that ‘The

Family Centre’ was established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam in 1994 to provide Family Life Services to people living in the Archdiocese.

On taking a closer look at the banner I noticed that it mentioned ‘Allied Services’ and included an organisation called ‘Sexual Health West’. This name triggered alarm bells in my head but I could not remember where I had heard of this organisation before. I left it go that day but a few days later, I was once again in Castlebar and this time I decided that I would look up the organisation. That’s when it clicked with me where I had heard of this organisation before.

‘Sexual Health West’ used to be known as ‘Aids West’ and I had covered this organisation in a presentation I had been doing about the dangers of RSE. One of the employees of Sexual Health West is a lady called Kate Dawson who promotes something she calls ‘porn literacy’. The abstract to a paper produced by Kate Dawson and two

23rd April 2021

SIGNS OF DARKNESS 13

Catholic Voice

of her colleagues in the National University of Ireland, Galway which is titled, “Toward a Model of Porn Literacy: Core Concepts, Rationales, and Approaches”, states in part.

“Findings suggest that the proposed learning outcomes should focus on reducing shame regarding pornography engagement” In an Irish Independent article from February 2019, Kate Dawson, referring to her study where she interviewed college students is quoted as saying: “Participants acknowledged that pornography is here to stay and, rather than trying to fight against it, youth should have the opportunity to discuss its content and acquire tools to navigate their sexuality,” I found out that a representative of Sexual Health West attends the Family Centre in Castlebar on the first Tuesday of every month.

On their website, Sexual Health West inform us that, “Sexual Health West distributes free condoms and lubricant from our office in Augustine St. During our office closure, due to government restrictions, we also offer a free condom and lubricant mail service.

Please fill out our registration form and we will send condoms and/or lubricant directly to your door.”

At then end of this online page is where I found the most disturbing information about this organisation.

They have a Condom Policy which states the following.

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I beg pardon of Thee for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen.

Angel to the Children of Fatima 1916

“We recognise that the public (including young people) can buy condoms at pharmacies and other outlets. Equally Sexual Health West is aware that the law in relation to the provision of condoms to young people below the age of 16 or 17 is particularly unclear. Accordingly, in the absence of Irish legal guidance and in line with common practice in Irish healthcare, staff of Sexual Health West will consider the best interests of the young person and will be guided by the Fraser Guidelines which advises that condoms and contraceptives can be supplied to young people provided that:

persuade the young person to inform their parents, or persuade the young person to allow the staff member to inform their parents that they are seeking contraceptive advice.

• The young person is very likely to begin or continue having sexual intercourse with or without contraceptive support and would be at risk of pregnancy or sexual infections.”

• The young person is deemed Gillick competent, that is they understand the advice and have sufficient maturity to understand its moral, social and emotional implications.

• The person providing the advice and /or condoms should not

Sexual Health West also contradicts the immoral Fraser guidelines which recommended that health care professionals “should, of course, always seek to persuade her to tell her parents that she is seeking contraceptive advice, and the nature of the advice that she receives. At

Sexual Health West is clearly stating that, in certain circumstances, they will give condoms to children under the age of 16. It is my view that this is a form of child abuse.

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14 SIGNS OF HOPE least he should seek to persuade her to agree to the doctor’s informing the parents.”

The Fraser Judgement arose from Victoria Gillick’s case of 1983 against the West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority.

Sexual Health West, like many other organisations which promote abortion and other immorality, use the tactic of breaking or ignoring laws in order to bring about a change in the law which is favourable to their immoral cause.

That such an organisation is allowed to operate from a Family Centre with strong connections to a Catholic Archdiocese is utterly appalling and there is a duty on Archbishop Michael Neary to publicly denounce this practice and to ensure that Sexual Health West are not given any access to children in the Family Centre in Castlebar.

It is all the more incumbent on Archbishop Neary to do this as two priests of his Archdiocese serve on the board of the Family Centre.

One can ask the question ‘how is it that once Catholic organisations become involved in promoting immoral activities’. I think one of the answers to this question is provided by Our Lord Himself when he says in Chapter six of St Matthew’s Gospel, “No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) I believe that The Family Centre in Castlebar, like the Kerry Diocesan

Catholic Voice Youth Services and the Ferns Diocesan Youth Services, were initially set up at a diocesan level in order to provide services with a Catholic ethos.

However, the need for ongoing funding leads to an exploration to see if government funds might be available. The initial organisation is then set up as a limited company.

The Memorandum of Association for Cúram Clainne Ltd, which is the Company that was formed in 2003 to manage the affairs of the Family Centre in Castlebar contains no reference to a Catholic ethos.

The financial report on the charities website for 31 December 2019 tells us that The Family Centre in Castlebar had an income of €476,722 of which €242,143 came from central government or local authorities. Thus the centre has become dependent on finance from a corrupt, abortion promoting government, which is involved in the murder of innocent children.

It is therefore no surprise to find out that immoral organisations, which condone immoral sexual activity amongst young people, can gain access to Catholic Children through centres that were initially set up with the approval of the diocesan bishop.

I encourage readers of Catholic Voice, especially parents of young children, to contact Archbishop Michael Neary, especially by registered letter, to complain about this scandalous situation.

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23rd April 2021 Archbishop Michael Neary can be contacted at the following address.

Archbishop Michael Neary Archbishop’s House Tuam Co Galway I cannot overemphasise the point that Catholic parents need to be aware that there are evil forces at work which seek to destroy the innocence and purity of your children, and these forces have gained very strong footholds within our once Catholic education system and they have also infiltrated many other once Catholic organisations like the Family Centre in Castlebar.

Another example is the Kerry Diocesan Youth Services which seeks to corrupt children as young as thirteen by telling them that they should attend gay pride parades.

We have entered one of the darkest epochs of human history and I firmly believe that the attack on the Catholic family, mentioned by Sister Lucia of Fatima in her letter to the late Cardinal Cafarra, is in full swing. Catholic parents need to take heed of Psalm 126:1 “Unless the Lord build the house, They labour in vain that build it.

Unless the Lord keep the city, He watcheth in vain that keepeth it.”

Our family life must be grounded in a strong Catholic Faith and Catholic parents have a duty to see to it that their children are properly educated in the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church. Most likely your children will not learn these teachings in our Catholic schools, so you must take whatever steps are necessary to protect your children from those with smiling faces and sweet words who seek to corrupt them.

I said that I would finish with signs of Hope and I understand that it can

23rd April 2021

SIGNS OF HOPE 15

Catholic Voice

be difficult to maintain Hope amidst the darkness. The words of Psalm 22 come to mind.

“For though I should walk In the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, For thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy staff, They have comforted me.”

Recently I was invited to give a talk to a group of people. It was the first time I had given a talk in almost a year. This group meets once per week and most of them were in their twenties. They come together to pray and they also have some priests who offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for them on a regular basis.

I know of several other priests who are celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in private houses. I am aware of another group which recently had an outdoor Mass celebrated for them.

I have heard other reports of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered with people present in many parts of the country.

These reports of ordinary Catholics working to make the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass available give me great hope for the future.

We have entered a new penal era and we must prepare ourselves to do what our ancestors did when they were legally prevented from attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They organised secret locations where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass could be celebrated and they set up discreet local communications networks which allowed faithful Catholics to know where and when the Holy Sacrifice would be celebrated.

I have been asked to try to set up a national organisation to help in this fight but I have stressed to those who have asked me, that this must

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be done on a local basis and by word of mouth. It is imperative that we avoid social media networks for this work. Take a look around you and try to think of where there is a safe place for celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The more locations you can arrange the better and it is also good to vary the times when the Holy Sacrifice is offered.

Try not to gather too many cars in any one area. Be aware that there will be Judases, that your location may be discovered, that there may be fines issued and time to serve in jail. Many of our ancestors risked their lives to make sure that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was available to the people of the previous penal era.

Many Catholic priests were martyred in this country for offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We cannot shirk our duties and we need to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with our families, so let us get to work in the Lord’s vineyard whilst we still have some light left to us.

There’s A Place For Us There’s a Place for Us Homosexuality in the Divine Plan of Redemption Jesus said to those who would stone her: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Jesus said to the woman: “Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?

Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee.”

“Go, And Now Sin No More.”

By John Cassidy

There’s A Place For Us: This testimony does not shirk away from difficult Catholic teachings but shows with piercing clarity why the Church teaches as she does in the area of human sexuality. In our lives we are called to a lot more than sexual satisfaction. Rather, we are granted the privilege of living life on the highest possible plane in responding to the call of greatness of being the Sons and Daughters of God.

John Cassidy - Bio Ex-homosexual and New Man John Cassidy has been serving the Catholic Church as a full-time Lay-Man since his conversion in 2014. John has founded the Association of Believing Catholics which is a lay initiative to promote and defend the fullness of Catholic truth.

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16 CATHOLIC COUNSELLING

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Counselling From A Catholic Perspective Richard Greene

Many people in Ireland today seek counselling for a whole range of problems which in the recent past they would have dealt with through their faith, through prayer, confession, or advice from a sympathetic priest. In all societies down through the ages there were always wise men to whom people went with their problems, or when they were in crisis, to seek their counsel and advice. This is a very human and natural thing to do. This very natural response of needing to talk to another human being about our problems was used by Freud and his followers in the development of psychoanalysis or ‘the talking cure’.

Many people today do not realise the vast psychological and counselling gifts in the Catholic Church. They are available absolutely free and, more importantly, they work. This should not be surprising since the Church was founded by God Himself. Modern secular psychology and the counselling innovations of Carl Rogers have been deeply infected by the ideas of two agnostic Jews, Freud and Marx. Pope Saint John Paul II, with his typical insight and wisdom, called the Jews ‘Our elder brothers in the faith’. The pivotal idea in Catholicism of ‘God the father’, and the important role of the father of a family in Jewish culture, is deeply embedded in our faith. St. Joseph is the ideal father figure in Catholic social teaching on the family, and he is the universal protector of the Church. Both Freud and Marx had difficult relationships with their respective fathers and both virulently rejected orthodox Judaism.

This should give us an insight as to why Marxism as a political ideology and modern psychology, and a vast number of counselling therapies influenced by them, have done untold damage to the traditional concept of family life based on the complementary roles of father and mother.

Thus Carl Rogers’s counselling techniques allegedly owe their inspiration to the brainwashing techniques used by the Koreans trained by the Chinese on American prisoners of war whom Rogers, whilst working for the American Navy, interviewed and debriefed. Rogers later imposed his counselling techniques influenced by this work, in many Catholic convents and institutes, and managed to empty

most of them with his client-centred and non-directive counselling techniques.

Marxism influenced the feminist agenda, and its fruits we know too well - the promotion of contraception and abortion, Lesbianism and so called ‘same sex-marriage’ and now the transgender ideology and much more.

Many Catholic-sponsored agencies providing counselling for women with unwanted pregnancies or providing a service for those whose marriages are in difficulty have been infected by these anti-Christian and anti-Catholic counselling techniques and therapies.

Sadly also, many people - due to ignorance - by their financial support assist agencies whose agenda is totally anti-Catholic, believing them to be doing good work. Because our faith is based on the revealed word of God, Catholic psychologists or counsellors have to be at times directive if they wish to remain faithful to the truths of their faith.

All orthodox Catholic doctors, nurses, psychologists, and counsellors know that Christ is the supreme healer and that many (not all, N.B.) ills of the mind and body have a spiritual cause. Christ Himself made this clear when He healed the man who was a cripple from birth by announcing to those present and to all generations since then His power to forgive sins.

Only God can forgive sins and work miracles. This power to forgive sins Christ gave to His priests who exercise this power in confession, and regular confession opens up the untold riches of the Mass, the Eucharist, and fosters a more profound prayer life.

Many people worn down by the pressures of life in our decadent, secular, materialistic, consumer society pay a fortune to stress counsellors and New Age chancers such as psychic healers, tarot card readers, Yoga and T.M. gurus. All of what these have to offer is available in the Catholic Church for free, as Christ promised: ‘Come to me all of you that labour and I will give you rest’, and ‘ask and you will receive’. More people need to discover the power of Eucharistic Adoration. People pay a fortune to receive a mantra from the Maharishi organisation, and what is this mantra but usually the name of a Hindu god or goddess. The Rosary first given by our Lady to the Dominican Order is

a Christian mantra and much more.

These people fail to realise that the Church has over 2000 years’ experience of mystical prayer, and the Rosary is one of the most powerful of meditative prayers. Leaving religious and theological reasons aside, its healing power is awesome.

For those who wish to tap into this rich prayer tradition Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel’s (C.F.R.) book, Praying To Our Lord Jesus Christ, is an excellent introduction. Psychologists from Coleraine university in the SixCounties published research that proved that people who pray tend to be healthier, and have longer and happier lives than those who do not pray. Christ said He came so that people would have life and have it to the full, so it is sad to see in these times so many people wasting their time and money on so many useless therapies and New Age nonsense, and putting their trust in doctrinaire followers of Sigmund Freud’s ‘Talking Cure’ and Carl Roger’s counselling techniques. There are, of course, times when people need and must see a psychiatrist, psychologist or a counsellor, but Catholics must choose such people wisely.

Richard Greene was a Guidance Counsellor and a Chartered member of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and Psychologist with many years of experience in counselling, mostly with young people.

23rd April 2021

BOOKS 17

Catholic Voice

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THE CHURCH IN OUR TIMES

This book contains three essays, one in question & answer format, from a time when pastors were more direct and ‘plain speaking’ in presenting the Truth of Catholic doctrine to their flocks.

They were primarily concerned with the salvation of the souls entrusted to their care rather than being overly concerned about whether or not their flocks would find these Truths offensive or difficult.

They sought the Praise and Glory of God, and not the praise of men.

is a series of reflections on topical issues concerning the Catholic Church and the practice of the faith ranging from ‘Faith and Culture’, to ‘GLBT – New thinking’, to ‘Purgatory and Remembrance’. Fr Hahesy’s style is conversational and he weaves through the various topics all the while pointing to the soul’s need for God. “The daily prayers at the end of this book, will ensure the salvation of our soul and a happier life here. Please believe me. It does not seem much to ask for such a great reward. To know and love God is the ultimate good whether people know this or not, accept it or not.”

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“May the present book of Rev. Fr. de Malleray FSSP, a beautiful and impressive “paper shrine to the Most Holy Eucharist”, have a wide diffusion and be a practical spiritual aid in order to renew the Catholic Faith, the Catholic Love and the Catholic Worship of the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist.” + Athanasius Schneider.

“This highly readable, informative, and edifying treatise on the Holy Eucharist will enrich the understanding and devotion of Catholics regardless of their prior knowledge of the subject: I recommend it wholeheartedly.” Dr Joseph Shaw PhD,

SCIENCE SAYS NO

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SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

This really is a fantastic book which presents Catholic teaching on sin in a simple, clear and precise way. You will learn about the nature of sin, about the different kinds of sin, mortal and venial, formal and material sins.

Reflections on the Abortion Issue in Ireland.

Oxf, Chairman of The Latin Mass Society.

The book also teaches us about sins of omission. After discussing sin, the book then speaks of the great graces offered to us in the sacrament of confession, it teaches us about temptations, about Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, and then it finishes with a very hope filled chapter on the joys of the resurrection.

Many countries, including Ireland, have removed the right to life from the Constitution and given the legislature the power to legalise abortion, which by definition is the intentional killing of the unborn child.

The assumption is that unborn babies have no human rights. The essays in this monograph expose the fallacy that unborn babies do not have the right to life and may be ‘terminated’ if that is the ‘choice’ of the mother. In the New Ireland, human killing is now legal. It is estimated that 800 – 900 unwanted unborn babies are ‘terminated’ every month. Abortion has become the murder machine of our time.”

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18 CHURCHES CAN OPEN

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Hip, Hip, Hooray For The Court Of Session Christopher Monckton of Brenchley

By the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707, Scotland retained its own legal jurisdiction. By more recent and less well-thought-through legislation, Scotland now has what it likes to call its own “Government” and what its citizens call the “daft wee parliament” at Holyrood in Edinburgh.

The daft wee parliament – also known as the Numptorium – is dominated by Communists masquerading as Scottish nationalists. The Communists, of course, want to leave the UK and rejoin the European Soviet, to which Ireland bizarrely ceded her hard-won independence after only half a century of self-government.

Just as well for the Scottish population that the Communists have not yet succeeded in separating Scotland from England.

For the Kommissars of the EU, having been both late and grossly incompetent in their negotiation of vaccine contracts, have succeeded in jabbing only a quarter as many of their population as Britain has.

In Ireland, which has had only a third as many deaths per head of population as the UK, the churches remain firmly shut, and, as discussed here a couple of weeks back, the Cardinal seems disinclined to bestir himself to do something about it.

In England, restrictions on going to church were relaxed some time ago. But in Scotland, as in Ireland, you couldn’t go to church.

Period. In Scotland, as in Ireland, the Catholic bishops failed to do anything significant about getting the churches open again.

But the Protestants are made of sterner stuff. Some two dozen Protestant clerics of various denominations got together and went to Edinburgh to seek judicial review of the Scottish soi-disant “Government’s” decision to keep the churches closed.

And the Court of Session, bless its little black silk stockings, has ruled that the ban on public worship during the pandemic, inflicted by the Numptorium, was an unlawful breach of the petitioners’ human right to freedom of religion under Article 9 of the European Human Rights Convention.

Lord Braid ruled that the regulations “constitute a disproportionate interference” in freedom of religion, that had gone “further than they were lawfully able to do”.

His Lordship dismissed attempts by the Scottish “Government” to weasel out by pretending that places of worship had not really been closed because they were being used for food banks and various other purposes that had nothing to do with worship.

Churches, said His Lordship, were prevented from opening for their primary purpose of worship. It was “simplistic” or “misleading” to suggest otherwise. “It is no more correct to state that churches remain open because certain activities may be carried out there than it would be to state that cinemas remain open because they are used as jury centres.”

He also agreed that the regulations effectively criminalised worship, for anyone who opened a church or gathered with others to worship “would be committing a criminal offence”.

The pretend “Government” had also argued that people were not prevented from practising their religion because many churches have been able to conduct services online. Yeah, right.

Lord Braid disagreed: online services “are best viewed as an alternative to worship, rather than worship itself”, and participating in some aspects of church activities from one’s home “does not amount to collective worship … however many broadcasts or internet platforms may exist”, the closure of church buildings for public worship means Christians “are effectively prevented from practising or manifesting their religion”.

He said: “It is impossible to measure the effect of those restrictions on those who hold religious beliefs.

It goes beyond mere loss of companionship and an inability to attend a lunch club.”

When the Scottish Catholic Bishops scandalously sat on their trembling

23rd April 2021

CHURCHES CAN OPEN 19

Catholic Voice

hands and did nothing, Canon Thomas White joined the court proceedings on his own initiative.

The judge said of him: “There is an additional party, Canon Thomas White, a Roman Catholic priest.

I allowed him to participate in the process, as a person directly affected by the issues raised in the petition. … The additional party supports the petitioners and the orders they seek. He provides an additional perspective in relation to Roman Catholicism, both on the constitutional issue and on the European human-rights issue.”

Therefore, it has overturned the disproportionate, unnecessary and now deemed illegal blanket ban on public worship”.

Only when Canon White had acted on his own initiative did one Catholic Archbishop and two Bishops submit affidavits in support of the petitioners.

In Ireland, however, even though there have been only one-third as many deaths per head of population as in Great Britain, the churches will remain firmly shut until 29 June, more than two months after Scotland’s churches reopened.

Lord Braid had some fun at the expense of the Numptorium’s regulations, by citing their full title in all its inglory: “The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Amendment (No 11) Regulations 2021 (SSI 2021/3).

“For simplicity”, he said, “I will simply refer to them as ‘the Regulations’.”

I have read many such examples of secondary legislation. Never before have I seen a chain of as many six pairs of parentheses.

How the Communists love their bureaucracy!

The petitioners orders:

sought

Churches in Scotland are now open again. Thanks to Canon White and the 26 Scottish Protestant pastors, worship resumed on 26 March.

What is more, the judge told the Scottish Government that even if there are future lockdowns the churches must remain open for worship, and no nonsense. That was the reason why the petitioners asked for the two declarators.

Here is what you can do to make your Bishops realise they are not creatures of the Irish State and that they could and should have acted, and acted no less decisively than the Canon and the pastors in Scotland, to get the churches open at once.

Just email them this article, with a short covering note in your own words, politely but firmly inviting them to be more active in protecting the right to worship in future.

As Lord Braid said: “The essence of the petitioners’ case is that an integral part of Christianity is the physical gathering together of Christians for prayer, proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of Communion and the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism. The essential physical element of these aspects of their faith is absent from virtual, internet events.”

Bottom line: “Since the regulations do interfere with the constitutional right of the petitioners to worship, notwithstanding that they have as their primary purpose the protection of health and preservation of life, they will be beyond the constitutional competence of the respondents if that interference is not proportionate.”

Hurrah for the Court of Session!

three

1.

A declaration, known in Scots law as a declarator, that the Regulations are unlawful insofar as they purport to require the closure of churches in Scotland and to criminalize public worship; 2.

An order quashing (in Scots law, “reducing”) those parts of the Regulations that had removed exemptions that had formerly permitted worship; 3. Declarator that everyone may leave his place of residence to go to church.

After the judge decided to grant permission for the petitioners to seek judicial review, the Scottish Government caved in.

Canon White said: “I am overjoyed at the result. The court has understood the essential need to protect not only the physical and material health of our society but also its spiritual needs.

“Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended; and of supplication for the conversion of sinners. Thus invoke peace upon your country. I am her Guardian Angel; the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.”

(The Angel of Portugal to Fatima children 1915)

20 THE LANGUAGE OF SAINTS

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

May God Be Between Us And All Harm Mary Kearns

“Oh the word of my Lord, deep within my being...” is a familiar hymn based on the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah could say this because when he tried to evade the mission the Lord put before him, he was told not to be afraid.

“I then said, ‘Ah, Lord Yahweh; you see, I do not know how to speak: I am only a child!’

But Yahweh replied, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child,” for you must go to all to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of confronting them, for I am with you to rescue you, Yahweh declares.’

Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me: ‘There! I have put my words into your mouth. Look, today I have set you over the nations and kingdoms, to uproot and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’”

Jeremiah Laments the destruction of Jerusalem - Rembrandt (1606 - 1669)

“I have put my words into your mouth.” This was the occasion of an interesting insight given in the homily of Fr. Johnnie Cusack.

of words and talent for poetry and song combined with the deep-seated links to Christianity, brought about a unique tome of Irish blessings and invocations. We hear them and see them written for wedding ceremonies, funerals and other special occasions. In fact so many of these words have come down to us over the centuries that we can be sure there is an Irish blessing for almost every life event.

Just as God had put his words into the mouth of the prophet, so also did he put his words into the Irish language. As Fr. Cusack developed this thought, he claimed that the Irish language is so rich in blessings and pious invocations that it is hard not to see that the consciousness of the people was alive to the presence of God in every aspect of their lives.

The poet and patriot Patrick Pearse declared that the identity of a nation is tied into its consciousness of language “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.” (A country without a language is a country without a soul.) If language then is part of the identity of a people, was anything lost when traditional blessings were translated into English?

For hundreds of years, Irish people had a love for the spoken and written word. Many of the world’s most acclaimed writers were Irish, some even winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize for literature. This love

As time went on, blessings began to lose their God-centredness. In fact many translations have only an approximate meaning. Take for example “May his soul rest at the right side of God” (Ar dheis Dé go

raibh a anam). This is the traditional Irish blessing for the dead which is usually translated as simply “May he rest in peace.” To translate it as simply “May he rest in peace” is not the same thing. The latter is just a platitude to which no-one, even an atheist, could object. The original is a sincere prayer that the deceased person will find eternity at God’s right side. To be on God’s left side would mean something not to be desired. This is just one instance of how an entire meaning can be changed due to approximate translation.

What a beautiful prayer it was to say “Go mbeadh Dia eadrainn agus gach dochar!” (May God be between us and all harm!) when news of the unexpected reached us, especially when there was cause for concern. How rare it would be to hear those words today! Yet in our own country they were seldom more needed than now.

Irish Gaelic blessings are a massive art of the Irish language and culture

23rd April 2021

Catholic Voice

THE LANGUAGE OF SAINTS 21

which traditionally respected the accumulated wisdom of the elders and passed on their knowledge to the generations.

“The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.”

we use other kinds of greetings and farewells except now we say “Good luck” or “Take care” and more recently, “Stay safe.”

Some blessings are too ancient to trace but there are many older Irish men and women still familiar with using the names of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary in everyday language. It has also largely been forgotten that in Irish, even the days of the week have religious significance.

Like the chosen people of the Old Testament, who clamoured for their own king to make them like other nations, when their own King was God himself, we Irish failed to realise that we had no need to emulate others. As one commentator claimed, we traded our gold for plastic and now have to live with the consequence.

Since we no longer include God’s name automatically in everyday speech, perhaps we can look on this as another challenge to our Faith. Although many Catholics, especially older ones, will say “God bless” or “God willing,” it is becoming more and more rare and almost unknown in the speech of young people.

Language can be understood as what is planted in us, giving expression to how we live our lives.

This is what Fr. Cusack meant by claiming that God put his words into our language. The words spoken to the Israelites might also apply to the Irish.

Apart from the spoken word, it should not be difficult to end a text message or an email with a few words that we hope will enable the receiver to think of our Creator and Lord even briefly. Before we get entirely caught up in saying the platitudes that have become so familiar, let us make a conscious effort to do this, if God spares us.

Dé Domnaigh (Sunday) means “God’s day” and refers to the Resurrection. In Irish, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mean first fast, the day between the fasts and fast. Indeed, it is hard to get away from the original Irish greeting of “Dia Dhuit” (God be with you) to which the traditional response is “Dia is Mhuire Dhuit” (God and Mary be with you.)

The Irish have a unique word for Mary (Muire) which is distinct from the Irish Christian name of many women (Máire) Our Blessed Lady is given the title Muire na nGael (Mary of the Irish) which indicates the honour afforded her as “Mary of the Irish.” A person with any kind of disability is lovingly described as Duine le Dhia (God’s person) What has happened to Irish people who are reluctant to remember the richness of the language God placed in us? While other countries extol their contrasting cultures we seem to be ashamed of our differences.

Although historically many times invaded, Irish people nevertheless retained a character that was distinct, sometimes giving rise to humorous quotations: “In England the situation is serious but never hopeless, in Ireland it is hopeless but never serious.” In writing about our lost nobility, G.K. Chesterton declared

“I will plant my law within them and I will write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they will be my people. (Jer 3 I :31-34) Fr. Cusack also made the point that

For catechesis and liturgical formation: marykeenankearns@gmail.com

22 WHERE ARE THE MEN?

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Catholic Men, Rise Up and Fight Leila Lawler & Leila Miller We’ve been writing for years about the crisis of manhood, and that crisis has come to a head within the past year, particularly in the Catholic Church.

Now we write to call our men to be what God created them to be.

The faithful have been abused through a year of cancelled Masses, locked churches, and denial of sacraments.

We have been harassed by ushers, segregated by diktat, unable to bury loved ones, and/or kicked out of Mass (sometimes with police escort) for not wearing a mask; we are encouraged to see each other as walking contagions, not as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Those not succumbing to this new normal are shamed as selfish and uncharitable for daring to question the unprecedented suspension of worship and freedom, which in many cases went, and still goes, far beyond what the state requires, even were we to grant that the state has authority in the matter.

Children have been spiritually abandoned. Unreasonably robbed of sacraments, holy water, hymns, Christmas carols, celebrations, mourning the departed, seeing their neighbours’ faces, and religious education, it’s hard to imagine how their experience of the Faith is forming them, or what their future will be.

The faithful who want to worship as God commands are weary. We thought the bishops’ complicity in sex abuse, finally exposed in the Summer of Shame of 2018, was the watershed moment.

We were wrong. The situation is not better today. It is worse. And as before, the bishops are to blame, this time by inappropriately imposing obedience (often through their subordinates, not directly) on purely prudential matters.

A soft dictatorship based on medical status is upon us, and our bishops are enthusiastically welcoming it.

We have had it.

To date, the bishops have gone largely unchallenged by those same isolated, abused, and neglected faithful. Sure, regular folks in the pews vent their anger and frustrations on social media, and a handful of bloggers, podcasters, and pundits are consistently calling out the bishops’ neglect and malfeasance.

However, they are dismissed as traditionalists with an agenda or as simply lacking compassion.

As far as direct confrontation goes, many Catholic women (who tend

to talk more — and write more) have made their concerns known to the bishops through emails and letters, but they are usually unable to penetrate the protective guard at the chancery. The self-righteous and condescending formletter responses they receive in return are more of the same clericalism we were told was a thing of the past.

Some might object that our situation is still one on which we may compromise, on which there is room for overlooking what they say are small concessions. As we recall in the Old Testament Books of the Maccabees, many questioned the prudence of the Jewish men who refused to eat pork forced on them by the Gentiles. Compromising such a minor point of religion was a small Our Church is fast becoming an price to pay for life, many thought, institution devoid of men; a patriarchy especially considering that one could devoid of patriarchs —true fathers. easily pretend to eat pork and thereby escape condemnation.

So, what can be done?

Eleazar, aged and of noble presence, Men, it’s your turn to step up. This is “welcoming death with honour rather your moment to take your rightful place than life with pollution, went up to the as warriors in the battle. Women, we rack of his own accord, spitting out the must let them fight this fight. flesh, as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not Men, repent of the softness that enabled right to taste, even for the natural love women to dominate in the Church. of life” (2 Maccabees 6:19-20).

Then, gather your Catholic brothers, speak amongst yourselves, and decide Women, we must repent of abandoning what you must do. Your families are at our true femininity for a spurious place risk. Speak to each other about the need in the so-called halls of power. Let us for the bishop to hear from you that he urge men in a spirited yet womanly must never again close our parishes or way to take the lead as their God-given deny sacraments to the people. Talk to masculine nature demands. Let us each other about what must be done acknowledge that it’s time for us to step to overcome fear so that the works of aside as our men take the helm. religion can thrive. Decide together how to protect worshipers from being seen We call on Catholic women to imitate as lepers by requiring and enforcing the Mother of the Maccabees, who was masking, isolation and separation, and “filled with a noble spirit that stirred her vaccinations. womanly reason with manly emotion” and eloquently urged her sons to resist Follow the example of men in at least the power of idolaters, knowing their one diocese who went to the bishop’s terrible fate, but taking hope in the truth office and met with him, presenting their “that these punishments were designed written demands in person, speaking not to destroy but to discipline our with him, as men to a man. people” (2 Maccabees 6:12).

23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice Let us be like that mother, who witnessed her first six sons grievously tortured and killed, then was tempted by the pagan king to persuade her youngest son to eat pork and live. She said to that son: [H]ave pity on me. I carried you nine months in my womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought you up to this point in your life, and have taken care of you.

I beseech you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and recognise that God did not make them out of things that existed. Thus also mankind comes into being. Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in God’s mercy I may get you back again with your brothers. (2 Maccabees 7:27-29) Unlike the Maccabees, none of us faces certain, immediate death from COVID-19 by worshiping, any more than we do by going to the grocery store or eating at a restaurant. Of course, we all face death at any moment and must face that fact with fortitude.

A priest recently said of the U.S. bishops, that, with very few exceptions, we could not find a more effeminate group of men if we tried. What is effeminacy? Fr. James Mason calls it “The Forgotten Vice.” He explains, “St.

Thomas includes effeminacy under the vices opposed to perseverance. It is from the Latin mollities, which literally means ‘softness.’ Mollities is the verb used in 1 Corinthians 6:9 which deals with the sexual sin of sodomy.

It involves being inordinately passive or receptive. What St. Thomas means by persevering is when ‘a man does not forsake a good on account of long endurance or difficulties and toils.’”

Our bishops, as men, for the good of their own souls as well as the souls of their flocks, must be confronted and exhorted by real men, strong men, men not afraid to claim their masculinity.

This process is going to be uncomfortable for women; softness is part of our nature as a perfection, not as a vice. But it has to be kept in its proper place. In a time of just conflict, women must allow men to handle problems in their own manly way, and even encourage them if we see them slipping into cowardice.

God gave men their masculine nature for a reason, to protect and provide, even to the point of being willing to fight. We women and society have bred it out of them (perhaps with their acquiescence), but it’s time to repent and bring it back.

WHERE ARE THE MEN? 23

24 DO NOT TOUCH ME!

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

Noli Me Tangere - Do Not Touch Me Mons. Charles Pope

What Does Jesus Mean When He Tells Mary Magdalene Not to Cling to Him Because He Has Not Yet Ascended?

As the Easter Octave unfolds, we have in the Gospel this enigmatic statement of Our Lord Jesus to Mary Magdalene: Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God” (John 20:17).

There is much to ponder and distinguish here.

First, we should set aside certain previous translations that rendered “Do not cling to me” as “Do not touch me.”

The latter sounds almost rude. The Greek expression Μή μου ἅπτου (Me mou haptou) is best rendered, “Do not go on clinging to me” because haptou is a verb in the middle voice.

The middle voice is one that English lacks. It is midway between the active and passive voices and indicates that the subject of the verb (in this case, Mary) both acts and is acted upon. Mary lays hold of the Lord but needs to do so because something is different. Something deeper is being shown to her and she is missing that. Mary actively sees Jesus but passively needs to receive something new about Him. This is the middle voice, containing elements of both the active and the passive.

Further, as Strong’s Greek dictionary sets forth, ἅπτω (haptou) means “to fasten to,” “to adhere to,” or “to cling to.” What the Lord asks of Mary is that she not merely cling to what is familiar but step back and see what is new. Jesus is no longer a mere rabbi or teacher. He is not merely the Jesus she knew; He is Lord and He is risen.

Second, we must ponder what Jesus means when He says that He is ascending.

St. Thomas Aquinas summarizes St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom on the meaning of the Lord’s ascending: [Augustine says] “… Jesus would have us to believe in Him, i.e., to touch Him spiritually, as being Himself one with the Father. For to that man’s innermost perceptions He is, in some sort, ascended unto the Father, who has become so far proficient in Him, as to recognize in Him the equal with the Father … whereas she as yet believed in Him but carnally, since she wept for Him as for a man.” Or as Chrysostom says (Hom. lxxxvi in Joan.): “This woman wanted to converse with Christ just as before the Passion,

and out of joy was thinking of nothing great, although Christ’s flesh had become much nobler by rising again.” And therefore He said: “I have not yet ascended to My Father”; as if to say: “Do not suppose I am leading an earthly life; for if you see Me upon earth, it is because I have not yet ascended to My Father, but I am going to ascend shortly.” Hence He goes on to say: “I ascend to My Father, and to your Father” (Summa Theologiae III, Q. 55, Art. 6, Reply to Obj. 3).

In other words, Jesus’ ascent must take place in Mary (and in every other follower). He is far more than a man resuming mortal nature. He is more; He is Lord. We must come to see Him as Lord and God. He must ascend in our sight. We must see Him at a higher level and in a higher way. He is no mere sage or rabbi; He is Lord and God! He must ascend in this way, in our understanding.

In Jesus’ public ministry, Mary had rightly reverenced Jesus as teacher and rabbi, but Jesus the Lord is doing more now than merely leading an earthly life and fitting into earthly categories.

In effect, Jesus is saying to Mary, “Don’t go on clinging to what in Me is familiar to you. Step back, take a good look, and then go tell my brothers what you see.”

When Mary Magdalene has done this, she runs to the apostles and says, “I have seen the LORD” (Jn 20:18). I show the word “LORD” in uppercase in this quote because up until this point, Mary used the word “Lord” as a title of human respect.

She said, “They have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have put Him.” Of course, one doesn’t

23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice take Him and put Him anywhere!

He is LORD, and He does as He pleases. No longer clinging to Him in merely a familiar way, Mary now says, “I have seen the LORD,” meaning it in a plenary and divine sense.

For Mary, the Lord is ascending.

She is seeing Him in a higher way.

The Lord has ascended for Mary Magdalene. Has He ascended for you?

Finally, what of the Lord’s expression that He is ascending to “My Father and your Father, to My God and your God”?

DO NOT TOUCH ME! 25

as members of the body. Both are rightly called sacrifices, but they are so in different ways.

and Christ’s Father, He is Christ’s Father in a far richer and more profound way.

Thus, when Jesus says that He is ascending to “My Father and your Father,” He does not use the “and of equivalence” but the “and of comparison.” As a man, Jesus can speak of God as His Father, but His human nature is hypostatically united to His divine nature as God, the Second Person of the Trinity.

So, although God is our Father

Jesus says, “My God and your God” not by way of equivalence, but by way of comparison.

In all these ways, the Lord Jesus must ascend in our understanding.

He will do that provided we do not go on clinging to Him in a merely human and familiar way.

Let the Lord ascend in your life.

In English, we can use the word “and” in either an equivalent or a comparative sense. I could say to someone, “You are my brother and my friend.” This uses the “and of equivalence” because it indicates that you are both a brother and a friend to me in the same or in an equivalent way.

Other uses of the word “and” indicate a more comparative sense.

When we say that Jesus is Son of God and Son of Mary, we mean that He is the Son of His Father in a different way than He is Son of Mary. He is the Son of both but in very different ways. In the liturgy, when the priest says, “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father,” he indicates that while his sacrifice and the sacrifice of the people are both sacrifices, they are sacrifices in different ways.

The priest acts in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ the head), while the faithful act

Noli Me Tangere - Fra Bartolomeo (1472 - 1517)

“To forestall this [the second world war], I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.

“If they heed My requests, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church; the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated; in the end, My Immaculate Heart shall triumph.

(Our Lady - Fatima July 13th 1917)

26 BE NOT AFRAID

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

BE NOT AFRAID: 5 WAYS TO HAVE HOPE IN DARK TIMES Sam Guzman

Among Catholics who love our Lord Jesus, there is a great deal of interior suffering and perplexity of late. The reason is no mystery.

The forces of evil have been unleashed on the world, and the spirit of wickedness, the spirit of anti-Christ, grows ever stronger, like the thick, black clouds of a threatening storm devouring the horizon.

Worse still, from this storm there seems to be no safe haven. For even our beloved Church has been infected by the spirit of the age. Confusion and dissension reign within her once sheltering walls. Catholics viciously attack one another with acid rhetoric.

Shepherds who should guide and protest us abandon their flock in favour of political platitudes and corrupt cronyism. Priests who should be ministers of grace are mired in moral debauchery, luxury, or at the very least, lukewarm tepidity. Even good men who do care lose their courage and refuse to speak on behalf of truth.

contrary, will be rewarded with a crown of martyrdom. For we must be martyrs, for martyr means witness. When all that felt certain is crumbling around us, we must bear witness to the faith we hold.

Here are five simple ways to keep the faith in difficult times.

1. Nourish Your Interior Life The men who will survive this current crisis will not necessarily be those with encyclopaedic knowledge of theological minutiae.

They will rather be those with a deep soul life. Those who know Jesus Christ at an intimate level and who love him with every beat of their heart.

Nurture, then, your interior life.

Pray (especially the rosary).

Meditate. Cultivate interior silence.

Constantly pray the psalms, those great and mighty testaments to grace in times of darkness as well as times of victory. Repeat acts of faith, hope, and love. Immerse yourself in spiritual reading. Spend time in Eucharistic adoration.

Faced with such looming darkness, the greatest temptation of all is despair and faithlessness. The devil whispers in our ear that it doesn’t matter, the the Church has failed, that it is all a lie. The easiest thing in the world would be to believe it—to surrender to doubt and lapse into impotent anger and unbelief.

Seek to really know our Lord in a more than intellectual way. Open your heart to him and ask for interior knowledge of his care and presence. He will not leave such a prayer unanswered. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened. Seek, and you will find.

And yet we must resist this temptation with all our might. We must not be like St. Peter, who out of fear, confusion, and uncertainty denied our Lord three times.

2. Stay close to the Immaculate Virgin The Virgin Mary is the greatest of all saints—even the greatest and most marvellous of all creatures.

She is the Mother of God and the mediatrix of all graces. To her, God has given the promise of crushing the serpent’s head. She is a real and living being who loves you, and who is powerful beyond imaging.

The greater the time of trial, the greater the grace poured out. I am firmly convinced that in these times, the merest stammering of the creed, the weakest but most heartfelt act of faith, despite all feelings to the O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [that I do this]. Amen.

Our Lady of Fatima - June 13th, 1917.

Stay close to her, then. Hide yourself under mantle. She will feed you with the milk of grace. She will defend you from all evil. She will lead you to the burning heart of her Son. No one who turns to her will be unaided.

In the words of the great St. Bernard: “In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call

upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps.

With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favour, you shall reach the goal.”

3. Live Sacramentally In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam plunge into the darkness and evil of Mordor. The horror of this place is almost enough to overwhelm them completely. They are often weak and desperately thirsty. Yet, they are sustained daily, almost miraculously, by the Elven lembas bread they were given in Rivendell. While it is tasteless, it gives them a strength well beyond that of ordinary food.

There is no question that Tolkien was giving us an image of the sustaining power of the Eucharist.

Indeed, Tolkien deeply loved the Eucharist and recommended it be received daily. Here is what he wrote in a letter: Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . .

There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth…

The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion. Though always itself, perfect and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith it must be continuous and grow by exercise.

Frequency is of the highest effect.

Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals.”

To survive this storm in the Church and in the world, we must, like Tolkien recommends, find strength in the sacraments. Especially, we should receive frequently the Eucharist and go to confession.

23rd April 2021

BE NOT AFRAID 27

Catholic Voice

But if you are married, you should realise that this, too, is a powerful sacrament. Cardinal Raymond Burke went so far as to say, “There is no greater force against evil in the world than the love of a man and woman in marriage. After the Holy Eucharist, it has a power beyond anything that we can imagine.”

Let us draw strength from these powerful means of grace we have been given.

4. Practice Obedience to the Truth There is much confusion in the world right now. Many voices clamour for our attention, and many false teachers spread subtle lies that seem truthful, but really hide a secret poison.

But really, for those who want to know the truth, it is not that difficult to discover. The teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church that he founded have been made abundantly clear by saints, holy men, martyrs, bishops, priests, and popes for twenty centuries. And, in an unprecedented way, we have access to these teachings through an abundance of easily accessible books, internet archives, and audio teaching. Yes, untruths are spread

throughout the world, but likewise the truth is more easily discovered than ever.

The way to sanctity is not complex, but it does require effort and commitment—a firm decision to follow Christ no matter the cost. In confusing times, let’s pledge ourselves to follow the truth in obedience—to be martyrs (witnesses) to the truth in word and in deed, in a time when many question, like Pilate before Christ, if truth even exists. For sanctity is nothing less than perfect obedience to the will of God, who is truth itself. And the truth will make us free.

5. Feed yourself with Goodness “And now, brethren,” says St. Paul, “all that rings true, all that commands reverence, and all that makes for right; all that is pure, all that is lovely, all that is gracious in the telling; virtue and merit, wherever virtue and merit are found—let this be the argument of your thoughts” (Phil. 4:8).

You cannot maintain your peace if you are constantly filling your mind with things that produce anxiety,

LIBERALISM IS A SIN Don Félix Sardà y Salvany: – was

anger, and restless agitation. Shut off the nightly news, close the Catholic websites if they are not helping you grow in love of God and in his peace. If it is not helping you grow, it is harming you.

That does not mean we should be ignorant of the evil in the world.

But we should not let it disturb us, for this is a victory for the enemy of our souls. The saints tell us constantly that peace of heart should be guarded at all times, even in the most terrible storms and trials. “Strive to live in and holy and immutable peace,” said Padre Pio, “We should not allow the enemy to creep into our hearts and rob us of this peace.”

Our Lord said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” To cultivate this peace, practice silence, feed yourself with beauty and goodness, and immerse yourself in the splendour of truth.

Only then will you find the peace of God that passes all understanding.

CATECHISM

born on May 21, 1844 in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain. He was a Catholic priest and writer who wrote against Liberalism which he considered a grave sin. He was the editor of the weekly Spanish Catholic magazine ‘La Revista Popular’ for over forty

Holiness Pope Pius X, issued the Encyclical ‘Pascendi Dominici Gregis’ which translates as “Feeding the Lord’s Flock”. Pope Pius X was aware that the Catholic Church had been infiltrated by modernists who were seeking to undermine her doctrines from within.

Father J. B. Lemius, produced this ‘Catechism on Modernism’ in the familiar the age of 71. This book, Liberalism question and answer format is a Sin, is particularly relevant to of the time, in order to make the teachings of the the times we live in today where Liberalism permeates every Encyclical more accessible to ordinary Catholics and aspect of our society and has deeply infiltrated the thinking of by way of explaining in a clear and concise manner the many of the Catholic hierarchy. reasons why the Encyclical was published. years. He died on January 2, 1916 at

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28 SAINT GEORGE

Catholic Voice

23rd April 2021

The Martyrdom of St George Simeon Metaphrastes

Saint George, addressing himself to Diocletian and to the Senate, spoke as follows: “How long, most noble Emperor, and you, Conscript Fathers, will you continue to increase your tyrannies against Christians How long will you persevere in enacting cruel and unjust laws against them, endeavouring to compel those who are properly instructed in the true faith to follow a religion the truth of which you yourselves are doubtful” “Your idols are not gods; I repeat it, they are not! Be no longer deceived by your errors. Our Christ alone is God. He alone is Lord, in the glory of the Father. Either acknowledge that religion which is true, or, at least, disturb not by your furious folly those who would willingly embrace it.”

Overcome with amazement at the Saint’s manly and outspoken courage, the senators remained silent. After some moments the Emperor called on Magnentius, the Consul, a favourite of his, who was present, to make a suitable answer.

Magnentius commanded George to stand before him, and then inquired: “What made you so bold and so uncontrolled in your speech ?”

George answered at once, “The truth.” “What is the truth?” was the next question. The reply promptly came: “Christ Jesus, Whose servant I am. Confiding in my Master, I have ventured, in testimony of His Gospel, to come into this assembly.”

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The Emperor, who was unwilling to lose a man of such sterling worth as George, now interposed with a promise of not only pardon, but promotion, if the Saint would only renounce Christianity, and, at the same time, threatening torments and death if St. George obstinately adhered to his profession of the Christian faith.

But George, inspired by God to show the Emperor the folly of worshipping idols, said to Diocletian: “Let us go into the temple, to see the gods whom you worship.” Thinking that the Saint had been influenced by his words, and was now ready to abandon the faith he had, a moment before, so nobly professed, Diocletian accompanied the destined martyr to the temple. On arriving there, George, arming himself with the sign of the cross, walked straight up to the statue of Apollo, and said: “Shall I sacrifice to you as to God?” The idol answered, “No.” St. George. then commanded the evil spirit to quit the statue, and forthwith the image fell to pieces.

This proof of the supreme power of the true God, whom the Christians worshipped, instead of convincing the Emperor of the folly of idolatry, served only to exasperate him the more. He ordered that George, manacled and laden with chains, should be imprisoned for that night with a heavy weight on his chest.

Questioned by Diocletian, on the following day, as to whether he still persisted in believing in Christ, St. George resolutely answered: “You will sooner grow tired of tormenting me, than I of enduring your tortures.” Despairing now of shaking his con­stancy either by promises or threats, they put him on a wheel, barbed with sharp knives; but though his body was covered with wounds, he endured his torments with Christian fortitude. Many, who were present at the time, declared afterwards that they saw a man, clad in white, comforting ‘ the martyr during his agony.· He was next placed, for three con­tinuous days, close to the burning heat in a lime kiln, after which they forced him to wear a pair of iron shoes heated, and with the nails turned inwards. They next scourged and buffeted him before leading him back to his prison cell.

On the following day, after being sentenced to death, he was permitted to see his trusted servant, Pascicrates, who afterwards left a manuscript in Greek, recording the sufferings of his master, a copy of which is preserved in the University of Oxford. St. George earnestly besought Pascicrates to procure that, after the execution, his remains should be interred in Lydda in Palestine, where he had for­ merly dwelt with his mother.

The martyr was beheaded in the Imperial city of Nicomedia, on Good Friday, 23rd April, in the year 290 when he had reached the twenty-first year of his age. Pascicrates faithfully carried out martyr’s wishes and reverently buried his remains at Lydda, where the feast of his Martyrdom was afterwards celebrated.

23rd April 2021

THE VIRTUES 29

Catholic Voice

The Virtues Fr. Joseph Gill One time I was teaching a group of students about sin. One boy raised his hand and said, “I really don’t want to sin. Would it be all right if I locked myself in my room forever with the Bible and my parents would just slip pizzas under the door? That way I wouldn’t be tempted to sin.” I laughed and responded, “Although it is important to avoid sin, the goal of the moral life is about much more than just avoiding sin – it’s about growing in virtue!”

Virtue, as Aristotle said, is “excellence in being human.” What an awesome thought – I want to be an excellent human being – thus I must become virtuous! Aquinas defined virtue as “a morally good habit”. It is a positive character trait that becomes such a deep part of us that it makes good actions easy and habitual. When we have the virtue of kindness, we easily and automatically do kind deeds and say kind words. When we have the virtue of courage, we do not need to struggle to do courageous actions – they become second-nature to us.

How do we acquire virtues?

Two ways. Prayer, and practice. We can pray for the virtues, but God will not simply give them to us – rather, He will provide opportunities for us to practice them. When I pray for patience, I get a traffic jam – so that I can practice patience! If I pray for humility, I usually find myself in an embarrassing situation later on – so that I can grow in humility! Just as someone who is playing a sport needs to practice kicking a soccer ball or swinging a baseball bat, so

that the action becomes so deeply ingrained in their muscles that they can do it without thinking about it, so someone who wants to develop a virtue needs to practice it over and over again until it becomes so ingrained within the soul that it becomes a part of who we are.

There are four virtues that stand above the rest – they are known as the Cardinal Virtues. Every other virtue stems from these four. They are Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude.

Fortitude is the courage to do what is right despite difficulty. Fortitude helps us develop all the virtues, because it gives us the strength not to get discouraged when we fail and to persevere in virtue when we are weary. Fortitude allows us to proudly proclaim our faith in Christ, and to live it out boldly.

Every obstacle such as worrying about human respect, physical or mental weakness, opposition from family or friends, or any other struggle can be overcome with this virtue of Fortitude.

Justice deals with giving everyone what we owe them. We owe God our love, worship, and adoration. We owe our neighbour kindness, respect, and help. We owe our families our faithfulness, dedication, and material support; we owe ourselves to take care of our physical and spiritual health.

This virtue of Justice helps us to know what we owe to others, and to be generous and prompt in giving others what we owe them.

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Temperance is using God’s gifts rightly. Food, sleep, recreation, sex, work, alcohol – all of these are gifts from God which, if used properly, can lead us to Him. Temperance helps us to know when to enjoy them and when to abstain from them; how much to use them and when we should forego them.

If we abuse God’s gifts we sin and become miserable (gluttony, drunkenness, lust, laziness) while if we use His gifts rightly, we find delight and joy in this life and in the life to come.

Prudence is often called the “charioteer” of the virtues – it tells us what virtue to use, and when to use it. For example, if an army is on a battlefield and is completely outnumbered, it wouldn’t be courageous to blindly rush into battle – rather, it would be foolish. Likewise it wouldn’t be cowardice to retreat – it would be a wise decision. Prudence tells us when we should use courage. Or, if someone had a deep desire to fast and abstain from sweets, but it is Easter Sunday, Prudence would tell this person that while the desire to fast is good, Easter should be a day of feasting. So Prudence directs our good intentions and tells us when and where we should exercise each virtue.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be an “excellent” human being – which means that I need to work on developing virtues. A virtuous man or woman is truly free, truly excellent, truly alive!

Fatima Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He Himself is offended, and through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg of thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.

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23rd April 2021

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REGULAR TRADITIONAL LATIN MASSES IN IRELAND (LISTED BY DIOCESE)

DAILY & WEEKLY Armagh: New Mellifont Abbey, Collon, Co. Louth; Every Sunday 3pm.

Cork & Ross: Ss Peter’s & Paul’s, Cork: Sundays 12.00 noon Mon -Sat 10.00am.

Dromore: St.Mary’s, Newry: Sundays and Holydays 09.00.

Dublin: St. Kevin’s, Harrington Street: Sundays & non working Holy Days: 10.30; Mon - Fri 08.00; Sat 09.00.

Working Holidays & First Fridays; 08.00 and 19.00.

Dublin: St. Joseph’s, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow; Sat 11.00 Limerick: Sacred Heart, The Crescent (ICKSP); Sun10.30; Mon-Thurs 08.00 and 19.00; Friday 19.00; Saturday 08.00 & 12.00 noon.

Meath: Silverstream Priory (Benedictine monks) Stamullen: Sunday 10.00 preceded by Terce, other days 11.00.

Meath: Johnstown, Navan: Sundays 13.00; Holydays as announced.

Ossory: St. Patrick’s, College Rd, Kilkenny; Sundays 17.00.

Raphoe: St. Patrick’s, Drumkeen, Co. Donegal Sundays 11.00am.

Down & Connor: St. Therese of Lisieux, Somerton Rd, Belfast :Sundays at 4pm TWICE MONTHLY Ferns: St. Alphonsus, Barntown, Co Wexford: Second Sunday 17.00 and occasional Third Sundays Derry: St. Columba’s , Longtower: First and Third Sunday 14.00.

Waterford: St. John’s Church, Parnell Street, Waterford City - 1pm on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the Month.

MONTHLY Armagh: St. Patrick’s, Dungannon, Co Tyrone: First Saturday 14.00.

Cork & Ross: St. Francis , Liberty St. Cork : First Saturday 13.00.

Derry: St. Marys, Aughabrack, Co Tyrone: Fourth Sunday 12.45 Elphin: St. John’s, carraoe, Co Sligo ; Last Sunday 15.00.

Killaloe: St. Joseph’s, Ennis, Co Clare: First Sunday 17.30.

Tuam: St. John the Baptist, (Old Parish Church), Knock, Co Mayo; Second Sunday 17.30.

Every effort has been made to ensure this list is up to date. Please contact the Latin Mass Society of Ireland of any changes or errors. email president@latinmassireland.com

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23rd April 2021 Catholic Voice

ADVERT 31

The Book of Revelation - Chapter 3 And to the angel of the church of Sardis, write: These things saith he, that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast the name of being alive: and thou art dead.

Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, which are ready to die. For I find not thy works full before my God. Have in mind therefore in what manner thou hast received and heard: and observe, and do penance. If then thou shalt not watch, I will come to thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know at what hour I will come to thee.

But thou hast a few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments: and they shall walk with me in white, because they are worthy.

He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia, write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David; he that openeth, and no man shutteth; shutteth, and no man openeth: I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Behold, I will bring of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and adore before thy feet. And they shall know that I have loved thee.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of the temptation, which shall come upon the whole world to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall go out no more; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

And to the angel of the church of Laodicea, write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot.

But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.

Because thou sayest: I am rich, and made wealthy, and have need of nothing: and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried, that thou mayest be made rich; and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therefore, and do penance.

Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne: as I also have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. (Revelation 3:1-22)

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23rd April 2021

‘OUR LADY OF KNOCK, QUEEN OF IRELAND, YOU GAVE HOPE TO YOUR PEOPLE IN A TIME OF DISTRESS AND COMFORTED THEM IN SORROW’

Unique Eucharistic Marian Shrine, Knock, Co Mayo, Ireland And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am?

Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

From that time Jesus began to shew to his disciples, that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the ancients and scribes and chief priests, and be put to death, and the third day rise again.

And Peter taking him, began to rebuke him, saying: Lord, be it far from thee, this shall not be unto thee.

Who turning, said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me: because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.

For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and then will he render to every man according to his works.

Amen I say to you, there are some of them that stand here, that shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:13-28) Published by: Catholic Voice Newspapers, St Michael’s House, Castlemitchell South, Athy, County Kildare. Tel 059-8627268 ROI / 00353 - 59 8627268 Publisher: Anthony Murphy.

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