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The Liturgy of Christmas: Excerpt From a 1994 Pastoral Letter by Bishop Pivarunas

The Liturgy of Christmas: Excerpt From a 1994 Pastoral Letter by Bishop Pivarunas

December 24, 2024

by Bishop Mark Pivarunas, CMRI Dearly Beloved in Christ, During this holy season of Christmas, our Holy Mother the Catholic Church celebrates in a singular and wonderful manner the joyous feast of the Nativity of her Divine Savior Jesus Christ. This can be readily seen in particular by the unique permission which is granted to priests to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass three times on the Birthday of Christ, and by the continuation of the celebration of His Birth by an extension of eight days – the Octave of Christmas. As we follow the Church’s liturgy during this Octave and throughout the entire Christmas season, we shall find tremendous significance in all that the Catholic Church does in her official, public worship of God. This is the reason that Pope St. Pius X and Pope Pius XII encouraged the faithful to follow the Holy Mass and the other

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The Scarcely-Known Practice of Spiritual Communion Abounds With Richer Graces Than We Realize

December 19, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fr. Bernard Uttley, O.S.B., on November 4, 2012 What is Spiritual Communion and Why is It Beneficial to Souls? The holy doctrine and practice of Spiri­tual Communion is often forgotten, underestimated, or misunderstood. Being so little known, it is practiced even less. This is very unfortunate, for it is a wonderful practice, greatly esteemed by the saints, and extolled and recommended by Holy Mother Church, as an incomparable source of grace and holiness. The Catechism of the Council of Trent says: “The shep­herds of souls should teach their flock that there is not one, but rather two, manners of receiv­ing the admirable fruits of the Sacra­ment of the Eucharist; namely: Sacramental Communion and Spiritual Communion.” But what exactly is Spiritual Communion? The great St. Thomas gives us a brief, but perfect, answer: “Spiritual Communion consists in an ardent desire of receiving Jesus Christ in the

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From Dark Aztec History, Juan Diego Emerges to Fulfill Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Request (Part II)

From Dark Aztec History, Juan Diego Emerges to Fulfill Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Request (Part II)

December 12, 2024

Lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe from the 2008 Fatima Conference by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI (Winter, 2015) The beautiful words Our Lady spoke to Juan Diego were not meant for him alone; they constitute the special gift, the signal grace of the Guadalupan apparitions. Here on Tepeyac Hill, to all her bewildered and troubled children, to all her children who are trying so hard to do what is right and yet meet with nothing but opposition, failure and cross upon cross, Our Lady does not open up the ground and display the horrors of hell. She does not predict famine, war or the annihilation of nations. She isn’t going to warn Juan Diego of what will happen to him unless he amends his life. We have heard all these things at Fatima, Lourdes and La Salette. But here at Guadalupe, our Blessed Mother tells us what we need

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From Dark Aztec History, Juan Diego Emerges to Fulfill Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Request

From Dark Aztec History, Juan Diego Emerges to Fulfill Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Request

December 6, 2024

Lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe from the 2008 Fatima Conference by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI In the very heart of Mexico, in the center of the two great American continents, there is enshrined one of the most beloved, most treasured, most venerated objects in all of Christendom: a small cloak made of cactus fabric so thin one can see through it. For over 450 years, this little cloak, or tilma as it is properly called, has attracted the attention of millions of pilgrims from all over the world, many of them walking the last mile on their knees, singing and praying aloud for the privilege of kneeling before it. Replicas of this tilma and the Image upon it adorn our churches; it brightens the homes of the humble poor, and sobers the mansions of the very rich. If you live in southern California, as I do, you cannot

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The Parallel Between Our Blessed Mother’s Messages as “Our Lady of Good Success” and “Our Lady of Fatima,” With Their Importance for Our Own Times

November 25, 2024

By Sr. Mary Agatha, CMRI Are the Warnings Given by Our Lady at Fatima the Same as Those She Delivered in Quito? Three hundred years before the Mother of God appeared at Fatima, her revelations as Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador, foretold the widespread immorality and loss of faith that would sweep over the world in the 20th century. The message of Our Lady of Good Success parallels that of Fatima perfectly in its pleas for reparation and amendment of life. There can be no doubt that Traditional Catholics have found, and continue to find, immeasurable strength, hope, and consolation in the apparitions of the Queen of Heaven over the past two centuries. In her messages at Fatima, Lourdes, Rue du Bac, and especially La Salette, we find loving and urgent pleas with strong, even apocalyptical, overtones. Many, however, may be surprised to learn that Our Lady’s

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In These Confusing Times, Faithfully Saying Our Rosary and Wearing Our Scapular Enables Us to Stay Close to Mary and Obtains the Salvation of Souls

November 8, 2024

A Sermon Preached by Bishop Mark A. Pivarunas, CMRI (Fall, 2016) In What Do the Prayers of the Rosary Consist and Where Do They Come From? The Rosary, also known as “Our Lady’s Psalter,” consists of a combination of three prayers; namely, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. Since we offer it daily to our Blessed Mother, it is something we all know by heart. The Our Father comes right from the Gospel of St. Luke, where we read how the Apostles said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” And Jesus said, “When you pray, pray thus: Our Father, Who art in Heaven….” (Luke 11: 1-4). The Hail Mary also comes from the Gospel of St. Luke; we read therein that the Angel announced to Mary that she was to be the Mother of God when he said, “Hail, full of grace; the Lord

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