BIG C CATHOLICS

(9/9/2015: This list includes the non-apostle Evangelists & Paul of Tarsus. See also " How the Apostles Where Martyred " ) Matthew Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia - Killed by a sword wound Mark Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead Luke Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost. John Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death.   John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos .   He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey.   He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. Peter He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt u

True Magnificence from Our Lady of Good Counsel on Vimeo .

Father Michael J. Woolley Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, my reward with me. Jesus, who this past Thursday Ascended into Heaven, is coming soon back to us. On Pentecost Sunday He will come into the hearts of the disciples in the Upper Room, bringing them “His reward”, the Holy Spirit, with Him. (St. Paul, incidentally, calls the Holy Spirit the “down payment” of that reward given to all who follow Jesus in this life. On judgment day, Jesus will “pay in full” each person according to his or her deeds.) This time between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday is kind of a mini-Advent for the Church, it is a time of waiting for God to come to us in a more powerful way. On Ascension Thursday Jesus told the disciples Go and make disciples of all nations . . . .but first, wait. Wait in the Upper Room and pray for the coming of my Holy Spirit. And this “mini-Advent” period of waiting for the coming of God the Holy Spirit into the world was much shor

In early non-Christian cultures goddesses of fertility were honoured in May, the first month of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. As part of its evangelising practice the new religion of Christianity substituted Christian feasts for pagan ones e.g. St Brigid for the first day of Spring. Later, a connection developed between the blossoms of May and the custom of offering flowers to Mary. By the Middle Ages, particularly in Spain, Mary was honoured on individual days in May, but it is due to the Italians that the whole month of Mary was given over to Marian devotion from the 18th Century onwards The Ascension is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. According to the account in the Acts of the Apostles (1: 6-14), Mary did not witness the Ascension of Jesus. She was present in Jerusalem with the other women when the Apostles returned, and surely drank in every word they said. The following Sunday is Pentecost Sunday We commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the tradition

Why children of rape victims should not be killed by abortion as they have done nothing to deserve the death penalty.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday April 15, 2012 You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You! Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. For information about the image of Christ shown above click here . To learn about Saint Faustina, the Divine Mercy Chaplet or Divine Mercy Sunday see Who is Saint Faustina? and The Sunday After Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday .

The Sunday After Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday How should we prepare for this great Feast of Mercy? Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when “all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.” (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday through- out the Catholic Church. Jesus promised that “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Commun- ion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary 699) He went on to say “ I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.” (Diary 1109) We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy “Divine Mercy Sunday”. We wan

From the Enchiridion of Indulgences: On Good Friday, a plenary indulgence is available to those who assist devoutly at the adoration of the Cross during the solemn liturgical celebration of the Passion of the Lord. At the Easter Vigil or on the baptismal anniversary, a plenary indulgence is available to those who renew their baptismal vows through a legitimately approved formula. HT: Fr Pio Maria, CFR