BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Roger J. Landry One of my favorite stories from the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima a century ago this year is how Our Lady was compelled gently to correct the three shepherd children for “cheating” on how they were praying the Rosary. The eldest, at the time ten-year-old Lucy, described in her eventual Memoires what they were doing and why. “We had been told [by our parents] to say the Rosary after lunch, but as the whole day seemed too short for playing, we worked out a great way to get through it quickly. We simply passed the beads through our fingers, saying nothing but ‘Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary….’ At the end of each mystery, we paused a second, then simply said, ‘Our Father,’ and so, in the twinkling of an eye, as they say, we had our Rosary finished! … So great was our eagerness to get to play! Our prayer finished, we started to play ‘pebbles’”! When our Lady appeared, she taught them how to slow down and to pray the whole Our Father, the whole Hail Mary

May 6, 2017 In 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. They were Lucia Santos, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Blessed Francisco Marto . She then instructed the children to pray the Rosary daily to end the war and bring peace to the world. She also asked that the following prayer be recited at the end of each decade of the Rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.” Our Lady entrusted the children with three secrets. The first was a vision of Hell . The second was a prophecy about the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, and the need for Russia to convert to Christianity. The third secret concerned the Holy Father suffering greatly and the persecution of the Church. On her seventh and final appearance, Our Lady's promised miracle occurred. The sun appeared to dance in the sky; an event witnessed by thousands of people. Th

**Nominations are now closed. Congratulations to the winners ** We invite you to nominate your favorite Catholic websites for consideration in the 3rd annual New Evangelization Award for Excellence in Catholic Blogging (see below). The Catholic blogosphere hosts thousands of sites. In choosing blogs of distinction, we will recognize three Catholic websites that uniquely contribute to evangelizing and engaging our society which is increasingly hostile toward Judeo-Christian ideals and the "culture of life." Winners will be announced on May 26th. In order to qualify, a blog must: 1.) Have been in existence for at least 3 years 2.) Publish original content that is faithful to the Magisterium of the Church 3.) Evangelize and inform Catholics, and all who seek the fullness of truth To Nominate a Blog or Website: You may nominate a Catholic blog or website through our Contact Page or in the comments below. Winners are based on reader input. Last year's recipi

The story of Saint Peregrine Laziosi is actually one of two healings—the first occurring when he was a young man, and the second when he was in his mid-60s. Had the first healing not taken place, the second might not have, either. St. Peregrine was born around the year 1260 in Forli, Italy, the only son of an affluent and politically active family. Forli was part of the Papal States at the time, and was the center of a medieval partisan conflict over who should rule in Italy. The Ghibelline faction, of which the Laziosi family was a part, supported the the Holy Roman Emperor, while the Guelphs supported the popes. Because of its stand, Forli was under interdict and Peregrine himself was strongly anti-Catholic. In an attempt to reconcile their differences, Pope Martin V sent St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite Order, to Forli to act as a mediator between that city and the pontiff. Peregrine was 18 and inclined to hotheadedness when St. Philip arrived, to the point where he

May 5, 2017 In 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. They were Lucia Santos, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Blessed Francisco Marto . She then instructed the children to pray the Rosary daily to end the war and bring peace to the world. She also asked that the following prayer be recited at the end of each decade of the Rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.” Our Lady entrusted the children with three secrets. The first was a vision of Hell . The second was a prophecy about the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, and the need for Russia to convert to Christianity. The third secret concerned the Holy Father suffering greatly and the persecution of the Church. On her seventh and final appearance, Our Lady's promised miracle occurred. The sun appeared to dance in the sky; an event witnessed by thousands of people. Th

On May 4, 2017, it was announced that His Holiness Pope Francis had approved the beatification of Venerable Father Solanus Casey (1870 – 1957), a priest and professed member of the Capuchin Franciscan Order of St. Joseph, who served in Detroit, Michigan. A miracle attributed to Casey’s intercession paved the way for his beatification. Detroit's Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, reflected on the decree : The beatification of Father Solanus Casey is an incomparable grace for the Church in the Archdiocese of Detroit and for the whole community of Southeast Michigan. He is an inspiration to all us Catholics – and to all – of the power of grace to transform one’s life. Venerable Solanus Casey was born, Bernie Francis Casey, in 1870, in Oak Grove Wisconsin. As a Franciscan Capuchin priest, he was known for his great faith, humility and role as spiritual counselor and intercessor. After holding numerous jobs, (the last of which he witnessed a woman’s brutal murder) he answered a call t

EWTN has a site, accessible through its faith listings, which examines everything one could want to know about Our Lady's miraculous appearance to three young children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. 100 Years of Fatima , presents the events surrounding the apparitions, the seers, Mary's urgent message to the world and developments since showing how the apparitions changed both the course of the children's lives and the history of the 20th century. A selection from the site : In the year 1917, in a mountainous region at the center of Portugal, the Mother of God appeared six times to three young children. Elsewhere on the continent the “Great War” raged, that would cost Europe an entire generation, over 37 million lives. Besides sending her own sons to die (in France and North Africa) Portugal was in political chaos at home. There was a dizzy succession of governments following a revolution in 1910. The monarchy had been replaced by a republic, with a new liberal constitut