BIG C CATHOLICS

The Rosary is a necessary prayer for all Christians. It helps us to grow in holiness and in our prayer life. Moreover, it is necessary to love our Lady; that is, to be Marian. According to Pope Paul VI, "If we want to be Christians we must be Marian." Being a Christian means imitating Christ in all things. Our Lord loved his mother and honored her. We also must love and esteem our Blessed Mother. The Marian prayer par excellence is the Holy Rosary because it is a compendium of the Gospel and the mysteries of our salvation. If you have the Rosary in your hand it is like holding our Lady by the hand. The month of October is dedicated to the Rosary of the Virgin Mary. These statements by men and women of faith testify to the Rosary's power, and why it should be prayed frequently, even daily. Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been so favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary. — Pope Pius IX Say the Rosary every day to

October 22, 2016 Most holy St. Jude – apostle, martyr and friend of Jesus, today I ask that you pray for me and my intentions! (State your intentions here) You are the patron of the impossible. Pray for me and my intentions! O St. Jude, pray that God’s grace and mercy will cover my intentions. Pray for the impossible if it is God’s will. Pray that I may have the grace to accept God’s holy will even if it is painful and difficult for me. St. Jude, pray that I may have your zeal to preach the Gospel. O St. Jude, pray for me that I may grow in faith, hope and love and in the grace of Jesus Christ. Pray for these intentions, but most of all pray that I may join you in heaven with God for all eternity. Amen.

Before Jesus was taken up to heaven, he gathered his disciples around him, and he explained to them once more the meaning of his mission of salvation: "Тhus it is written", he said, "that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. In his name, penance for the remission of sins is to be preached to all nations" (Lk 24 :46-47). At the moment that he took leave of his Apostles he commanded them, and through them the whole Church, each one of us: to go out and bring the message of redemption to all nations. Saint Paul expresses this forcefully in his second letter to the Corinthians: "He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us. This makes us ambassadors of Christ, God as it were appealing through us" (2 Cor 5: 19-20).  — Homily of St. John Paul II at Grant Park, Chicago, October 5, 1979, on his first Apostolic Journey to the United States.

October 22, is the optional memorial of Saint John Paul II. He was elected Pope on 16 October 1978. On 22 October, he began his ministry as universal Pastor of the Church. His papacy was a consequential one, earning him the designation St. John Paul the Great. Here is a retrospective on his life and his deep love for God. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born 96 on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children, to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Wojtyla, (née Kaczorowska). The future pope's father was a non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Royal Army and a Polish Army captain. His mother had a premonition about her youngest child saying, "Karol is destined to be a great man."  Young Wojtyla, c. 1929 Date of birth: May 18, 1920 Date of death: April 2, 2005 Birth place: Wadowice, Poland Education: Doctorate in Philosophy, Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Jagiellonian University Feast Day: October 22 (date of papal inauguration) Apostolic Mott

October 21, 2016 Most holy St. Jude – apostle, martyr and friend of Jesus, today I ask that you pray for me and my intentions! (State your intentions here) You are the patron of the impossible. Pray for me and my intentions! O St. Jude, pray that God’s grace and mercy will cover my intentions. Pray for the impossible if it is God’s will. Pray that I may have the grace to accept God’s holy will even if it is painful and difficult for me. St. Jude, pray that I may have your zeal to preach the Gospel. O St. Jude, pray for me that I may grow in faith, hope and love and in the grace of Jesus Christ. Pray for these intentions, but most of all pray that I may join you in heaven with God for all eternity. Amen.

Christ never said that the Church would be operated in a sinless or intelligent way, but that it would not teach error. This does not mean that...every priest won’t teach error, but that the whole Church speaking through the Pope will not teach error in matters of faith.  —  Flannery O'Connor in response to criticism of the Church's shortcomings . Articles on our APOLOGETICS PAGE  explain the beliefs, practices and history of the Catholic Church. As the above quotation notes, it is important to remember that the Church is a human institution with a divine mission. We hope that this information will lead you to a deeper love and greater appreciation for Christ and His pilgrim Church. Answers to questions about the Faith are a click away .

Saint Paul of the Cross' life was marked by hardships. It is not surprising that he developed such a great love for the Passion of Jesus Christ. His namesake, Saint Paul of Tarsus' letter to the Romans, Chapter 5, states "... let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding that hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops character." Likewise, St. Paul of the Cross in the following 10 quotations expresses the immense value and divine blessing that attends our suffering. The soul is a seed which God sows in the field of the Church; to produce fruits, it must die under the strokes of pains, sorrows, contradictions, and persecutions. *** Let us fear more to be deprived of sufferings than a miser fears to lose his treasures. *** Suffering is brief; joy will be eternal. *** Do you know why God subjects you to so many miseries? That He may bestow on you the riches of heaven. *** In your trials, have recourse to Mary, and She will reme