Where is the Traveling Head of Saint Andrew?

One of the most controversial moments in Church History occurred in AD 1054. Cardinal Humbert previously warned the Patriarch of Constantinople "Either be in communion with Peter or become a Synagogue of Satan." The Patriarch of Constantinople chose the latter option. In that year on July 16, Cardinal Humbert delivered a papal excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. this event is usually documented as the official initiation of the schism of the Greeks. It is, of course, more complicated than that. 

November 30 is the Feast Day of Saint Andrew and Constantinople claims Saint Andrew as the "founder" of the see of Byzantium, that is Constantinople. Nevertheless, the relationship between Rome and Constantinople is often described as a sibling rivalry between two brothers - Peter and Andrew having been literal brothers, according to the Holy Gospels. 

What does this all have to do with the "traveling head" of Saint Andrew?

The skull of Saint Andrew originally was venerated in the imperial city of Constantinople. After the fall of that city to the Mohammedans in 1453, Christian relics were no longer safe in those regions.

There are historical records of the Mohammedans defecating in chalices, fornicating on altars, burning sacred relics of the saints, and pouring the blood of Christians into the baptismal fonts of captured churches. After fully desecrating the churches, they usually turned them into mosques. So as to preserve many of the relics kept in Constantinople, they were transferred to the West. Many of them made came to Rome, not surprisingly.

The holy head of Saint Andrew the Apostle came to Rome when it was given to Pope Pius II in 1461 by Thomas Paleologos (brother of the last Byzantine emperor). The revered relic was placed in the shrine depicted in the photo at the top of this post when the new Basilica of St. Peter's was constructed. It is beautiful and depicts Saint Andrew in front of a X-shaped cross. Tradition teaches that Saint Andrew was tied to an X-shaped cross by the heathens. There the holy Apostle continued to preach the Gospel until he died of thirst. 

There are four shrines surrounding the high altar in St Peter's Basilica. Under the high altar are the bones of St. Peter. The four shrines surrounding the altar house Christendom's four most coveted relics and are adorned with the statues of corresponding saints:

1. the largest portion of the true cross (St. Helena)
2. the miraculous veil of St. Veronica (St. Veronica)
3. the lance that pierced the side of Christ (St. Longinus)
4. the skull of St. Andrew (St. Andrew)

The statue of St. Andrew's shrine is depicted in the photo above. Pilgrims can still visit this shrine at the Vatican. HOWEVER, THE SHRINE IS NOW EMPTY. The head of Saint Andrew is now missing from this glorious Roman memorial.

Why?

As an ecumenical gesture of good will, His Holiness Pope Paul VI in 1964 had the skull of Saint Andrew removed from its place in St Peter's and returned to the Greek Orthodox Church in Patras where it remains to this day. Thus, one of the four column shrines surrounding the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica is without its relic. The head of Saint Andrew now belongs to the Greeks.

Few people know about this "handing over of the head". 

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Is Christ the Only-Born Son of Mary or her First-Born Son?

Is Christ the Only-Born of Mary or is He her First-Born? Our Lady herself answered this question for us. Once the Immaculate Virgin appeared to Saint Gertrude the Great and related these words:

"They ought not to call my sweetest Jesus my only Son, but rather my first-born Son. I conceived Him first in my womb, but after Him, or rather, through Him, I conceived every one of you to be His brothers and to be my children, adopting you in the womb of my maternal charity."

Biologically, Mary is the mother of Christ our Lord. However, supernaturally, she is the mother of us all. As Dom Jean-Baptist Chautard, OCSO wrote: "To isolate Mary form the apostolate would be to misconstrue one of the most vital parts of the divine plan."

Consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary regularly and commit all your cares and desires to her. Advent is an especially proper season to renew your love for her and Christ. Ave Maria!

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Constantine the Great or Not-So-Great?

Constantine the Great? We know for certain that Constantine’s mother was a Christian. The Catholic Church still invokes her as Saint Helena. While the Eastern Orthodox Church also invokes Constantine as Saint Constantine, the Roman Catholic Church has a rather less optimistic appreciation for Constantine and has never granted him the honor of sainthood. The uneasiness of the Catholic Church in this regard is due to the fact that Constantine did not formally identify himself as “Christian” until he was at least forty years of age.  Moreover, he received baptism just prior to his death. 

For better or for worse, his reluctance to embrace Christ publicly in baptism was likely based on his deference to the Roman political agenda. He was baptized only before his imminent death. However, if we judge Constantine by his deeds, he seems to have been a great advocate of Christianity. He inaugurated construction on Rome’s holy sites by building the original Old Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls, and the Basilica of Christ the Savior or Saint John Lateran. He not only exempted the Church from taxes, but even subsidized it with state funds. With the help of his mother he also commissioned the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to house the tomb of Christ. It seems that Daniel’s prophecy was becoming realized. Through the sacrifice of Christ and the suffering of the Church, the majesty of Rome had been transformed into an instrument of the Gospel. The Roman Empire became a tool in the hand of the Church.

Constantine wisely perceived that the emerging Catholic Faith would glue together his fragile Empire. However, he knew that the adhesive nature of the Faith would only hold if that faith remained one. Two heresies threatened the unity of the Church: Donatism and Arianism. Donatism was a rigorist movement that held that the sacraments administered by a lapsed cleric were invalid and that the Catholic Church in union with the Bishop of Rome was lax and corrupt. The Arian heresy taught that God the Son was not fully divine like God the Father but that the Son was merely the first and highest creature of the Father. 

Constantine did not sit back and let these heretical movements jeopardize the unity of the Church or the unity of the Empire. In 316, Constantine settled a North African dispute concerning the Donatists. He ruled in favor of the Catholics. More significantly, in 325 Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, remembered as the first Ecumenical or Universal Council of the Catholic Church. This council stood down the Arians and issued the Nicene Creed. Although modified in 381, the Nicene Creed is still recited every Sunday in every Catholic cathedral and parish in the world.

Five years later in 330, Constantine did the unthinkable. He moved the capital of the Roman Empire away from Rome to the rebuilt city of Byzantium. He renamed this city Roma Nova or “New Rome” and established it with a Senate and imperial hierarchy corresponding to the glories of Rome. It was a Christian city, and Constantine consecrated the new capital with the true cross of Christ found in Jerusalem by his mother Helena along other sacred relics. Constantine erected the extravagant Church of the Holy Apostles over the site of the temple of Venus. Statues of the Greek and Roman gods were modified to conform to angels, saints, or Christian virtues. After his death, this city of Byzantium that Constantine had renamed Nova Roma became known simply as Constantinople or “Constantine’s City”.

Only seven years after Constantine the Great had founded his Eastern capital at Byzantium he fell sick on Easter day in 337. Seeking healing, Constantine left Constantinople for the hot springs near the city of Helenopolis, a place Constantine named after his mother Helena. It was here that Constantine realized that he was dying, and so he attempted to return to Constantinople and ready himself for death. He never made it. Coming as far as Nicomedia, Constantine begged to be baptized and received the sacrament from the bishop of Nicomedia, a certain Eusebius. He had delayed baptism, claiming that he hoped to be baptized in the Jordan River like Christ. Constantine died on May 22, 337. He was sixty-five years of age. His body was transferred to Constantinople and interred in the Church of the Holy Apostles. There he was hailed as “Equal to the Apostles.”

As stated above, the Catholic Church never canonized Constantine as a saint. Even granting Constantine’s role in the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the Roman Church was not ready to canonize a man who was baptized on his deathbed. Was he truly great? It seems that his character is ambiguous. He is either a hero or a villain depending on how you read subsequent history.

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Learning to Chant the Salve Regina Before Bed

Blessed Jordan of Saxony introduced the custom of chanting the Salve Regina after Compline before bed. The Salve Regina is chanted today by monks and nuns after Compline from Trinity Sunday until Advent.

Learning to chant the Salve Regina is the easiest entry into the classic Latin hymns. The Salve Regina includes traditional chant and Latin into your devotional life. It is also a wonderful gift to your children if you chant it every night after praying family Rosary. Children pick it up quickly. Our four-year-old learned it quickly.

Listen to the video above with the words or click here.

The Salve Regina was once attributed to Saint Bernard, but is now commonly attributed to Blessed Herman the Cripple (died 1054). The Glories of Mary by St Alphonsus Liguori, a book I cannot recommend enough, is a commentary on the Salve Regina.

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Christ the King vs. Secular Nations - Pope Pius XI's Liturgical War

The beautiful and glorious Feast of Christ the King is less than 100 years old. Pope Pius XI promulgated an encyclical on Christ the King titled Quas primas December 11, 1925. The Holy Father issued it to mark the "sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea" held in AD 325. The Council of Nicea in AD 325 defended the divinity of Christ from which flows Christ's royal claims over humanity.

What is the Encyclical About?

This quote from Pius XI pretty much sums up the encyclical:

"When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony." (para. 19)

In other words, America or any other nation, will NOT experience liberty, order, peace, or harmony until she privately and publicly recognizes Christ as King. This is papal teaching.

Why "Christ the King"?

Why did Pius XI write this document and institute the feast of Christ the King? His Holiness states his purpose:

"And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations." 

The Holy Father was alarmed that nations were claiming that Jesus Christ and His law had "no place in private affairs or politics." As one reads Quas primas, it becomes clear that the Holy Father wants nations to publicly recognize Christ as their King. 

Nations and Persons Must Recognize Christ

The Holy Father notes that Christ asked for the Church to "teach and baptize all nations" and not just individuals. Hence, Catholicism looks for the conversion of both persons and nations to Christ. Jesus Christ, says Pius XI, received not just spiritual powers from the Father but judicial powers over every nation on earth. 

Quoting Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ."

The Pope's Liturgical War for Christ the King 

In paragraphs 22-29, Pope Pius XI explains that he has instituted the feast of Christ the King to be a liturgical leaven in the world:

"Moreover, the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights."

Controversy over the Date of Christ the King

Catholics today think of Christ the King as "the Sunday before Advent." This was not the original intention of Pope Pius XI who set the date as the Sunday before All Saints:

"Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority We institute the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October - the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints."

Pope Pius XI wanted to associate the reign of Christ the King with All the Saints (Nov 1). Sanctity, as all the Popes teach, is the means by which the Kingdom of Christ is established on earth. On the Sunday before All Saints, says the Pontiff, all future Popes will consecrate humanity annually to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The intent is that this annual consecration would create more saints and bring about Christ's reign "on earth as it is in Heaven."

However, Pope Paul VI later changed the date of the feast of Christ the King from the Sunday before All Saints to Sunday before Advent in his 1969 motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis. His Holiness Pope Paul VI gave the feast a new title "Our Lord Jesus Christ King of All" (Regis universorum). 

Why the date change under Pope Paul VI? The answer is that "the eschatological importance of this Sunday is made clearer" (Calendarium Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969) by moving the feast from the Sunday before All Saints to the Sunday before Advent.

Hence, the original date of Christ the King of Pius XI in 1925 expected temporal nations to declare Christ as their King here and now. The revised date of Christ the King by Paul VI in 1969 expects an eschatological (end times) fulfillment.

What the Laity Should Do on Christ the King

Pope Pius XI gave a beautiful exhortation to the faithful for celebrating Christ the King:

"If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom."

We must seek perfection through grace and we must bear the yoke of Christ with devotion to extend the reign of Christ. In short, seek Christian perfection by loving God and loving your neighbor.

Christ the King, have mercy on us.

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How Saint John the Apostle Restored a Highway Robber

One of my favorites stories is the one about Saint John the Apostle restoring a sinful young man. Saint John committed a young man to a Catholic priest for instruction and baptism. However, the youth fell away and became a highway robber. When Saint John learned of this, the elderly apostle asks for a horse and goes riding into the hills to find the lost youth. 

The youth, seeing the sorrowful Apostle, slumps and begins to weep. Saint John restores the young man to communion with the Church. A wonderful story.

It reminds us that Saint John was the Apostle of Divine Mercy because he alone rested his head on the Sacred Heart during the first Eucharist and he alone stood with Mary as the blood and water flowed from the Sacred Heard of the Son of God. The story below testifies to the Apostle's intimate knowledge of the Divine Mercy of Christ.

The tale is found at the end of Saint Clement of Alexandria's work Who is the Rich Man That Can Be Saved? (available here via NewAdvent.org)

"And that you may be still more confident, that repenting thus truly there remains for you a sure hope of salvation, listen to a tale, which is not a tale but a narrative, handed down and committed to the custody of memory, about the Apostle John. For when, on the tyrant's death, John returned to Ephesus from the isle of Patmos, he went away, being invited, to the contiguous territories of the nations, here to appoint bishops, there to set in order whole Churches, there to ordain such as were marked out by the Spirit.

"Having come to one of the cities not far off (the name of which some give ), and having put the brethren to rest in other matters, at last, looking to the bishop appointed, and seeing a youth, powerful in body, comely in appearance, and ardent, said, This (youth) I commit to you in all earnestness, in the presence of the Church, and with Christ as witness. And on his accepting and promising all, he gave the same injunction and testimony. And he set out for Ephesus. And the presbyter taking home the youth committed to him, reared, kept, cherished, and finally baptized him. After this he relaxed his stricter care and guardianship, under the idea that the seal of the Lord he had set on him was a complete protection to him. But on his obtaining premature freedom, some youths of his age, idle, dissolute, and adepts in evil courses, corrupt him. First they entice him by many costly entertainments; then afterwards by night issuing forth for highway robbery, they take him along with them. Then they dared to execute together something greater. And he by degrees got accustomed; and from greatness of nature, when he had gone aside from the right path, and like a hard-mouthed and powerful horse, had taken the bit between his teeth, rushed with all the more force down into the depths. And having entirely despaired of salvation in God, he no longer meditated what was insignificant, but having perpetrated some great exploit, now that he was once lost, he made up his mind to a like fate with the rest. Taking them and forming a band of robbers, he was the prompt captain of the bandits, the fiercest, the bloodiest, the cruelest.

"Time passed, and some necessity having emerged, they send again for John. He, when he had settled the other matters on account of which he came, said, Come now, O bishop, restore to us the deposit which I and the Saviour committed to you in the face of the Church over which you preside, as witness. The other was at first confounded, thinking that it was a false charge about money which he did not get; and he could neither believe the allegation regarding what he had not, nor disbelieve John. But when he said I demand the young man, and the soul of the brother, the old man, groaning deeply, and bursting into tears, said, He is dead. How and what kind of death? He is dead, he said, to God. For he turned wicked and abandoned, and at last a robber; and now he has taken possession of the mountain in front of the church, along with a band like him. Rending, therefore, his clothes, and striking his head with great lamentation, the apostle said, It was a fine guard of a brother's soul I left! But let a horse be brought me, and let some one be my guide on the way. He rode away, just as he was, straight from the church. On coming to the place, he is arrested by the robbers' outpost; neither fleeing nor entreating, but crying, It was for this I came. Lead me to your captain; who meanwhile was waiting, all armed as he was. But when he recognized John as he advanced, he turned, ashamed, to flight. The other followed with all his might, forgetting his age, crying, Why, my son, do you flee from me, your father, unarmed, old? Son, pity me. Fear not; you have still hope of life. I will give account to Christ for you. If need be, I will willingly endure your death, as the Lord did death for us. For you I will surrender my life. Stand, believe; Christ has sent me.

"And he, when he heard, first stood, looking down; then threw down his arms, then trembled and wept bitterly. And on the old man approaching, he embraced him, speaking for himself with lamentations as he could, and baptized a second time with tears, concealing only his right hand. The other pledging, and assuring him on oath that he would find forgiveness for himself from the Saviour, beseeching and falling on his knees, and kissing his right hand itself, as now purified by repentance, led him back to the church. 

"Then by supplicating with copious prayers, and striving along with him in continual fastings, and subduing his mind by various utterances of words, did not depart, as they say, till he restored him to the Church, presenting in him a great example of true repentance and a great token of regeneration, a trophy of the resurrection for which we hope; when at the end of the world, the angels, radiant with joy, hymning and opening the heavens, shall receive into the celestial abodes those who truly repent; and before all, the Saviour Himself goes to meet them, welcoming them; holding forth the shadowless, ceaseless light; conducting them, to the Father's bosom, to eternal life, to the kingdom of heaven.

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Huh? 2012 Lego Star Wars ADVENT Calendar?

I saw this at the store. The 2012 Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar? Seriously? What in the world? As if Christmas couldn't be any more secularized, now even Advent is being commercialized.

Nothing says Advent like Darth Maul...

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The Presentation of Mary in the Temple as Foretold in the Old Testament

Presentation of Mary at Age Three

November 21 is the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast has always been celebrated as a commemoration of Mary being presented in the Temple at the age of three years by her parents St Joachim and St Anne. Mary lived in the Temple precincts until the age of 14{*} when she was betrothed to Saint Joseph.

Modern "sophisticated scholars" cast doubt on this tradition as pious legend. However, by the 400s it was universally believed that Mary lived at the Temple from the age of 3 till 14.{**} Moreover, the Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Church confirm that the Blessed Virgin was in fact consecrated at the Temple to serve therein. Since the Temple is a symbol of the Garden of Eden, Mary's entry reveals that the New Eve has finally arrived and come into the presence of God.

This Patristic tradition reveals how the earthly Temple in Jerusalem would mystically give way to the true New Temple and Ark of the Covenant which is the body of Mary in which the Son of God would be incarnate. In ancient cultures, the age of three was a time of transferal from infancy to childhood since at this time infants were fully weened from their mother's breast and potty trained.

So at that this time, St Joachim and St Anne dedicated the Blessed Virgin at the Temple where she lived till the age of 14. At this age, girls came into their womanhood and were no longer allowed to dwell in the holy place. So Mary was then betrothed to St Joseph. Returning to Nazareth, the angel of the Lord announced unto her the glad tidings of her Messianic Son.

Is there any biblical basis for this tradition? Of course.

Traditionally the Catholic Church reads the Old Testament passage from Sirach 24:14-16 at the Holy Sacrifice for the feast of the Presentation on November 21st. This passage prophesies how the Blessed Mother would dwell in Jerusalem and within the Temple precincts:

In the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.

The fact that the Church has placed these words into the mouth of Mary in the Sacred Liturgy further reveals that the Church believed that Mary "ministered" before God "in Sion/Holy City/Jerusalem."

This is a good reminder that the liturgy is catechetical - it is fact that great catechetical instrument of Holy Mother Church.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

* The Jewish historian Josephus mentions that there were quarters for consecrated women to live in at the Temple.

** St Gregory of Nyssa, in the fourth century, also mentions this feast of the Virgin's Presentation. Saint Helen built a chapel in Jerusalem to commemorate the event.

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Squanto, the Catholic Hero of the Thanksgiving

Do you remember Squanto, the Native American who assisted the Puritan Pilgrims at the "first Thanksgiving"?

Well, Squanto, our beloved hero of Thanksgiving, was Catholic!

His true name was Tisquantum, yet he is affectionately known to us as "Squanto."

In 1614, Squanto was captured by a lieutenant of John Smith (remember? from Pocahontas). This shameful lieutenant attempted to sell Squanto and other Native Americans into slavery via Spain. However, some Franciscan friars discovered the plot and acquired the captured Native Americans, Squanto included. During this time, Squanto received instruction in the Catholic Faith and received holy baptism.

As a freeman, Squanto traveled to London where became a laborer in the shipyards. Here he became fluent in English. Eventually, Squanto was able to return to his Native Land, New England, in 1619 - five years after he had been kidnapped. He returned only to discover that his people were being decimated by the recently imported European diseases.

Since he was fluent in English, Squanto became well-known and valuable to the new English Pilgrims settled at Plymouth. As an English speaker, Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to fertilize the ground, grow corn, and the best places to catch fish.

Squanto eventually contracted one of the European diseases. Governor William Bradford described Squanto's death like this:

Squanto fell ill of Indian fever, bleeding much at the nose, which the Indians take as a symptom of death, and within a few days he died. He begged the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishman's God in heaven, and bequeathed several of his things to his English friends, as remembrances. His death was a great loss.

So remember Squanto today and perhaps share this bit of history during your Thanksgiving feast. Let us pray for Squanto, and may he pray for us.

To learn other tidbits about Catholicism and Thanksgiving, click here.

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Questions about Thomas Aquinas

I'm on Catholic Radio right now. If you have any questions, about Saint Thomas Aquinas, please leave one in the comment box below.

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The Mass and Masculinity

I recently came across these glorious photos and stories from "A Priest Life" blog. It's a Latin Mass (EF) for Veteran's day.

It is a reminder that true Catholic liturgy is ordered, disciplined, and masculine. Any liturgy that is less disciplined and ordered than the changing of the guard at the Unknown Soldier's tomb at the Arlington Cemetery is not worthy of the name "Catholic."

If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this video:

Why should a deceased American soldier receive more attention and precision than the resurrected Godman who has redeemed us from every tribe, tongue, and nation? The Holy Mass depicted in the photos above inspires men to pull out chairs for women, marry good women, have children, be heroic fathers, throw themselves on grenades, attend Mass, and/or fight for what is good.

Here are the details of this Holy Mass:

A Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite was celebrated at Saint Benedict Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, on November 12 for all of our veterans on the occasion of Veterans' Day. 

The Reverend Kevin M. Cusick, LCDR, CHC, USN (R) served as celebrant, the Reverend Neal Nichols, FSSP, as deacon and seminarian Philip Gerard Johnson, LTJG, USN (Ret.) as subdeacon. 

Uniformed military service members and families were in attendance. Cadets from Benedictine Military Preparatory Academy in Richmond provided the flag honor guard at the commencement of the Mass and a sword arch for entrance and recessional prcoessions as well as at the consecration of the Mass.

Just another reminder, men, to lead your family to Catholic churches where there are glorious Masses, traditional devotions, devotion to Mary, and strong orthodox sermons. If you want your children to lose their faith, insure that they regularly experience Masses that showcase 1970s Jesuit jingles, manucommunion (Communion in the hand), and ho-hum sermons that undermine the Catechism.

Whatever you do, please pray the Rosary daily.

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Bishops and Birth Rates - A Heroic Solution

Bishops and birth rates. In 2005, His Beatitude Ilia II, Orthodox Patriarch of All Georgia, became aware that the birth rate in his post-Soviet nation of George was in a downward spiral.

Patriarch Ilia began to preach about "large families" as one of the key elements of Christian civilization. To put it simply, the birth rate and the "faith rate" tend to mirror one another. Look at nations that have rejected the Church and you'll see that these have the lowest birth rates. Perfidy and despair go hand in hand.

In 2008, not only did he preach big families, but the Patriarch promised to personally stand as Godfather for all babies born into Georgian homes with more than two children. 

His initiative was widely successful and has since increased the birth rate by 25 percent! Meanwhile, the number of abortions in the nation of Georgia decreased by 50 percent!

The President of George commended the Patriarch saying, "We should be thankful to the Patriarch for continually remind the Georgian people that we should multiply."

My goodness, what a wonderful model for the Western bishops. Can you imagine if bishops all over Europe, America, and Latin America began to preach big families, and then personally stood as Godfathers so as to provide encouragement and hope to married couples who fear more than three children? What a difference it would make. 

Patriarch Ilia...Axios! Axios indeed.

PS: The Patriarch has over 11,000 godchildren!

HT: I found this story in the Catholic Newspaper provided by the laudable Transalpine Redemptorists (Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer). I highly recommend it. $40 for an annual subscription.

Transalpine Redemptorists

OLGS Seminary

7880 W. Denton Rd

Denton NE, 68339

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Hong Kong Receiving as Many Catholics as England

I recently read an interesting statistic. In 2012, the Catholic Church in Hong Kong received 3,500 catechumens. In England, the bishops received 3,600 souls. It's always encouraging to read about growth, but growth in the east is especially good to hear.

Light from the East.

Our Lady of China, pray for us.

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The Difference Between the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple

In the Old Testament, human worship was originally held at handmade altars. We see this pattern with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job.

At the time of Moses, God centralized worship at a divinely commanded tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant. This tent was known as the tabernacle. It could be taken down, moved to a new place in the wilderness, and pitched again.

During the time of King David, God gave the plans for a permanent stone tabernacle which is known as the temple. David's son Solomon built this temple in Jerusalem. It was a house of prayer for all nations.

There is a difference in these two places of worship. 

The tabernacle of Moses was built by Jews alone for Jews alone. King Solomon's temple was built by Jews and pagan Sidonians and Tyrenians. Moreover, King Solomon's temple was built to be a "house of prayer for all nations."

The temple reveled to the Jews that God's scope of salvation included all of mankind. When Christ came proclaiming himself as the new Temple of God, he was claiming that He would include both Jews and Gentiles in the cultic worship of God.

In The Crucified Rabbi, we examine how the Catholic Church is the Third and Final Temple because it is the Body of Christ resurrected from the dead. "Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (Jn 2:19)

The Catholic Church is the locus of true human worship. It is a building constructed of human stones consecrated by the Blood Christ in which the Holy Ghost dwells. This living temple is truly universal, or to use the Greek word, it is truly katholik.

PS: amazon.com just lowered the price of The Crucified Rabbi.

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Video: The Most Powerful Old Testament Prophecy of Mary

In this newest Canterbury Tales video, we discuss the most profound Marian prophecy in the Old Testament: Ecclesiasticus 24. 

To watch the video "Mary, the Mother of Fair Love" in a larger format, please click here. 

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Why "Pro Multis" means "For Many" and Why It Matters to Pope Benedict

In the 1960s, there was a movement to translate the Latin words "pro multis" into the vernacular not as "for many" but "for all." Pope Benedict XVI has explicitly stated that all vernacular translations should be rendered as "many" and not the universal "all." He is referring to biblical translations, but more importantly, the consecration of the chalice in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and *for many* for the forgiveness of sins. 

Prior to the current revised English Missal, you may remember that this was translated as "for you and for all."

This controversy over "many" or "all" became a rallying point of traditionalists who objected to "all" as a liturgical novelty. On the other hand, liturgical progressives celebrated the "for all" translation as being inclusive.

Regrettably, the liturgical radicals won the day back in 1970. The Novus Ordo of the 1970s and until recently, in certain vernacular translations (eg, English and German), translated the words of consecration as "poured out for you and for all." Pope Benedict, however, has put his foot down. The translation "for all" is not considered a correct translation.

Pope Benedict, in his recent letter to the German bishops (March 15, 2012), writes:

This exegetical consensus has know shattered; it no longer exists. In the German translation of Sacred Scripture the account of the Last Supper states: “This is my Blood, the Blood of the Covenant,  which is shed for many” (Mark 14:24, cf. Matt. 26:28). This indicates something very important: The rendering of “pro multis” with “for all” was not a pure translation, but an interpretation, which was and remains very reasonable, but is already more than translation and interpretation.

Pope Benedict has noted that "many" is a Hebrew expression derived from the Old Testament Scriptures. It refers to the faithful remnant of Israel. At the Last Supper, Christ our Lord was referring to Himself as the Suffering Servant that justifies "many." 

"Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities" (Isaias 53:11).

The dissenting argument that this "many" necessarily entails "all" has been, as Benedict puts it, shattered. Christ's death does not justify all human beings unconditionally. Christ's death justifies the many that receive Him by faith and preserve the bond of charity.

Dissenting theologians would like for us to believe that an abstract "Cosmic Christ" justifies all human persons and that all religions are transcendental appropriations of this "Cosmic Christ." Our Holy Father is highlighting that the true Catholic Church is in fact a remnant just as the true Israel of the Old Testament was a remnant. It is like the yeast that is spread through the lump of dough or the seeds that are buried in the earth.

Moreover, the Eucharist is offered to all, but it is not to be received unconditionally "for all." All are invited to the Sacrificial Banquet of the Lamb, but only those who are baptized, hold the entire Catholic Faith, are in a state of grace, and have kept the Eucharistic fast are allowed to partake of Christ the Lord.

Pope Benedict concludes:

We are many and we stand for all. In this way both words, “many” and “all”, belong together and relate to each other in responsibility and promise.

Here the Holy Father sums up the distinction beautifully. The faithful partakers of the Eucharistic Lord are "the many" described by Isaiah and applied to Himself by Christ. Yet, the Catholic Church "stands for all" and offers to the Gospel of Christ to all. No one is excluded from this invitation. However, each person excludes himself by lack of faith, hope, and charity. It's a careful nuance with a critical distinction.

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The Political Reasons for Traditional Education and Formation

A few days ago, I wrote a short post entitled "How We Can build a New Culture and a New Civilization." 

The post received positive feedback and I felt compelled to write a follow up to it. I hope that our non-American readers will allow me to briefly address our political situation before returning to a more universal principle - the need for formation in Higher Education.

The current political situation in America has caused alarm for many. We Americans live in a democratic republic and many of us have discovered that we are now in the political minority. The majority favors contraception, abortion, Planned Parenthood, non-traditional marriage, no-fault divorce, homosexuality, pre-marital relations, and the list goes on. We cannot change the culture through well-meaning bumper stickers and giving money to the Republican Party. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was never our golden ticket out of this mess. Now everybody realizes the futility of that approach. We must be more radical than that. This has been true all along, but now good people are realizing how our political situation has been lost for some time. God has graced us with a vision of how bad it really is.

What do we do about? I made some suggestions here. However, I'd like to offer some more ideas regarding education and share the means by which I'm prayerfully trying to rebuild a civilization from the ashes.

My current strategy for a renewal and revival is to invest my life in traditional Catholic education from the point of view of formation. This year, I've been working with the excellent team at Fisher More College in Fort Worth to recreate a traditional curriculum and campus for "the next generation." Let's face it, Notre Dame and Georgetown are lost.

Our President at Fisher More College, Michael King, has convincingly demonstrated that we cannot fix the problem by "building a better mousetrap." Mr. King has insisted that starting over with the "orthodox  version of Notre Dame" is not the way to go. We need to rethink Catholic colleges and higher education altogether. That's the new project at Fisher More College. It is an accredited four-year Catholic college with the assumption that College is primarily for human formation and not primarily for learning business skills. Although marketable skills is also something we value, it is not the greatest need for College students. Catholic education is only a part of Catholic formation. By not emphasizing formation, we believe, Catholic education has failed in America over the last 40 years.

Here's the big surprise - your liberal Private Universities and your State Universities have been operating on this formation premise for sometime now. They also believe in human formation - they just don't believe that humans should be formed to be faithful Catholics!

It's true. Secular colleges are not concerned with education as much as they are with formation. They are forming young people to believe and behave in a certain way. They are, for the most part, forming 18 to 22 year-olds to be sexually promiscuous, mildly socialistic, slightly to the left, and religiously uninterested. Since 1955 or so, this has been the climate on the American College campus.

You see, formation is precisely what 18-22 year old humans need. Colleges will provided it, whether they claim it or not. But how will they provide it?

At Fisher More College, we are taking formation seriously. The curriculum is systematic. It begins with Logic. If you cannot think rightly, how can you succeed. Every freshman must study Latin. It's the basis of our Western Civilization. If you remove Latin from the youth, you cut them off literally from the roots of our Western culture. Every Freshman studies traditional Aristotelian Rhetoric. You must think rightly with Logic, but you must be persuasive when you write and speak. That's why they study Rhetoric.

The 4 year curriculum is heavy on Philosophy and Theology, and Saint Thomas Aquinas holds the privileged place for each class. We believe that the new faithful of the next generation need to know how to pray, do penance, speak clearly, write clearly, and persuade a emerging culture of neo-paganism.

We have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day (Extraordinary Form - Latin). It's the most important "class" on campus. For Fisher More College, the Holy Mass is the true school of sanctity and virtue. Rosary daily. Latin prayers daily. Every class begins and ends with prayer in Latin.

Now we are not big. We don't have a football team. We have a very small student body. By the world's standards, we are not impressive. In fact, by the world's standards, our curriculum is backward and primitive. Please take a look at our Core Curriculum.

Yet we need to rebuild a nation and a culture. Consider this one simple fact. For the first time in over 1,000 years, it's considered normal that Logic is not included in academic formation. Think of it. Logic is not the basis of college study. What then is the basis of the new Western educational system? That's the problem, right there. 

The Western university system is no longer rooted in Faith (religion) and Truth (right thinking). Our leaders and our electorate now represent this reality. The human formation of American higher education provides the mold for our electorate. We should not be surprised with the results.

What do we do about? We focus again on formation and we become intentional about it. Formation is not simply for college kids. It's for all of us.

Catholic formation has to do with how you oversee your home, your workplace, your family, and your neighborhood. Do you watch TV? If so, what and why? Have you discussed a television, media, and movie policy with your spouse? Where do you children attend school? How is it forming them? What church do you attend? Why? Is the liturgy forming you to revere God and be grateful for his benefits? Do you allow your children to see and participate in liturgical abuse. How does it affect you and your children? How does your family pray together? What prayers do you use? Rosary? What is the art on your walls? What are the books that you read? What about music? What are your family values?

The political situation reveals that we have to be more radical. We have to go down to the roots. We need to rethink everything. We need to ask our Lord Jesus Christ, "My Lord Jesus, meek and humble of heart, how can I allow Thee to reign more freely over my heart and over my family? Show me, dear Savior."

Long live Christ the King,
Taylor Marshall

PS: If your interested in Fisher More, here's what we need:

1. More Dynamic Professors who love the Holy Mass and teach from the heart of the Catholic Church. We seek faculty who are passionate about our Mission Statement.
2. More Wholesome Students. Our students are simply lovely young people with a love for their families and for Christ. We need more young people like this. Please read: Why Study at Fisher More College. If you know of a great potential student, please encourage him to apply online now while there is still time.
3. More Magnanimous Benefactors who believe that personal sanctity is more important than football teams and national ranking. Their generosity makes this possible. Without benefactors we cannot accomplish this mission.

PPS: If you never studied Logic, read Peter Kreeft's Socratic Logic. It's fun and a perfect little crash course.

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Simon Magus vs. Simon Peter in Rome

From Taylor Marshall's New Book The Eternal City - Rome and the Origins of Catholic Christianity (due December 2012):

Catholic tradition relates that Saint Peter’s ministry in Rome was challenged by an evil antagonist named Simon Magus or Simon the Magician. 

Simon Magus was a magician of Samaria who had seduced the people of that region. According to the ninth chapter of Acts, Simon Magus proclaimed that he was someone great and the Samaritans said, “This man is the power of God, which is called great” (Acts 9:10).

Yet when Saint Philip came to the region of Samaria preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Simon Magus and all the people converted and received baptism. Simon Magus, then, became a Christian. Saint Peter and Saint John then visited the region to meet these new Christians and administer the sacrament of Confirmation to them. Simon himself received Confirmation and the Holy Spirit.

And when Simon saw that, by the imposition of the hands of the Apostles, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying: Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I shall lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 

But Peter said to him: Keep thy money to thyself, to perish with thee: because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast no part nor lot in this matter. For thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Do penance therefore for this thy wickedness: and pray to God, that perhaps this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee. For I see thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity. 

Then Simon answering, said: Pray you for me to the Lord that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:18–24).

Sacred Scripture does not record what became of Simon Magus. Simon Magus’ attempt to purchase the office of Apostle is certainly noteworthy. Clearly, Simon envied the power of the Apostles and his conversion was short lived. Catholic theology has ever since referred to the sin of Simony as the attempt to purchase ordination or church appointments with money. By extension, the buying and selling of anything holy and sacred is called Simony.

Saint Justin Martyr of the second century records the odd claims and actions of Simon Magus.  According to Saoint Justin, Simon Magus claimed to be God. Following Saint Peter, Simon Magus came to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Claudius. As Saint Peter built the Catholic Church in Rome, Simon Magus created his parallel anti-church. 

A statue of Simon Magus was eventually erected on the island in the Tiber River with the inscription, Simoni Deo Sancto meaning “to Simon the Holy God.” Some scholars debate this point, claiming that Saint Justin confused a statue dedicated to the Sabine divinity Semo Sancus with that of the historical Simon the Magician. Semo Sancus is an ancient Sabine deity for oaths, contracts, law, matrimony, and legal fidelity. In 1574, an altar dedicated to Semo Sancus was discovered on the island of the Tiber River with the following inscription Semoni Sanco Deo, which translates as “to Semon the Holy God.” This discovery led to the belief that Saint Justin had made an observational mistake concerning what he thought was the idol of “Simon the Holy God” on the Tiber River.

There is a problem with this theory in that it assumes that the deity’s name is Semo. In Latin, semo or the plural semones derives from semi-homines or semi-humans. These are the dii medioxumi who were lower-level deities. The semones are the demigods of the Roman pagan pantheon. According to Marcus Porcius Cato, a Sanco is a spirit {daimon} and not a god {theos}.  

From the point of view of Roman paganism, it does not make sense to use a generic noun of semo for a demigod and then also the noun deus for a god. It would be like saying, “to the demigod holy god.” What is far more likely is that the Simon Magus, as a magician and adapter of local paganism, co-opted the Roman tradition of a semi-human god of law and covenant and identified himself as the semi-human god. This would conform to the description of Simon Magus in Acts 8:10 as being “this man who is the power of God.” So then, it was not Justin Martyr who was confused, but rather Simon Magus who confused his identity with the semi-human god of Rome.

Saint Justin relates that Simon Magus traveled with a prostitute from Tyre named Helena. Simon claimed that she was the first thought of God whom he, as the “great power of God,” had freed from bondage. Here again we find Simon assimilating ancient myths and names into his mystical theology.

Tradition identifies Simon Magus as the first Christian heretic, the first Gnostic, and the founder of the sect of the Simonians. Simon Magus had a corpus of Scripture. Saint Hippolytus refers to a Simonian text entitled The Great Declaration and we also know treatises named The Four Quarters of the World and Sermons of the Refuter. 

Simon Magus claimed that he appeared as God the Father to the Samaritans, as God the Son to the Jews, and as God the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles. According to Simon Magus, God’s first thought was female and created the angels. That feminine thought was betrayed by the angels and imprisoned in the world. She reincarnated several times, once as Helen of Troy but finally into Simon’s girlfriend Helena of Tyre who had been a slave and prostitute. God then descended in the form of Simon Magus to rescue this feminine first thought (Helena the prostitute) and confer salvation on mankind. Simon Magus only appeared human so as to fool the evil angels that had imprisoned his girlfriend Helena. He claimed to have suffered under the Jews in Judaea, a claim that indicates his belief that he was Jesus Christ at some point. At the center of Simon’s theology is the belief that God issued forth a feminine principle of wisdom named Sophia that became trapped within creation. God then descends so as to liberate this feminine principle of wisdom. Simon Magus conveniently revealed himself and his profligate girlfriend as God and the feminine principle. When speaking to Greeks, Simon referred to himself as Zeus and Helena as Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Paul a formal debate was scheduled at which Simon Magus would debate Saints Peter and Paul before the Emperor Nero. Simon Magus tells Nero to have a lofty tower of wood erected on which Simon Magus will ascend. Then, the angels of Simon Magus will carry him throughout the air. By this miracle, says Simon Magus, he will prove that his words are true and the Gospel of Peter and Paul is false. Nero complies and the tower is built.

The next day, many gather to see this spectacle. Paul shows deference to Peter as Pope saying, “It is my part to bend the knee, and to pray to God and thine to produce the effect, if thou shouldst see him attempting anything, because thou wast first taken in hand by the Lord.” Paul then kneels in prayer. 

Simon Magus then ascended the wooden tower crowned with a laurel, stretched out his hands and began to fly to the astonishment of all. Nero immediately proclaimed to Peter, “Simon is true, but you and Paul are liars!”

Then Peter, looking steadfastly upon Paul, said:  Paul, look up and see.  And Paul, having looked up, full of tears, and seeing Simon flying, said:  Peter, why art thou idle? Finish what thou hast begun; for already our Lord Jesus Christ is calling us.  And Nero hearing them, smiled a little, and said:  These men see themselves worsted already, and are gone mad.  Peter said:  Now thou shalt know that we are not mad.  Paul said to Peter:  Do at once what thou doest.

And Peter, looking steadfastly against Simon, said:  I adjure you, ye angels of Satan, who are carrying him into the air, to deceive the hearts of the unbelievers, by the God that created all things, and by Jesus Christ, whom on the third day He raised from the dead, no longer from this hour to keep him up, but to let him go.  And immediately, being let go, he fell into a place called Sacra Via, that is, Holy Way, and was divided into four parts, having perished by an evil fate.

Nero waits three days to see of Simon Magus will return to life. The magician, of course, does not rise again from the dead. In consequence, Peter and Paul fall foul of Nero. The two Apostles then receive their glorious martyrdoms.

These apocryphal stories cannot be relied upon with historical certainty. However this document and others do depict a final standoff between Saint Peter and Simon Magus in Rome. For example, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem writing near A.D. 346 records Simon Magus pretended to fly but was really drawn about in the air by demons. According to Cyril, when Peter and Paul knelt down and prayed, their prayers brought Simon to earth as a mangled corpse.  A similar account is found in the apocryphal Acts of Peter from the second century. However Simon’s fall from the air leaves him only with a broken leg in that account. Simon, in this version, subsequently dies of surgical malpractice. 

While the historical facts of the Acts of Peter cannot be verified, the earliest sources do confirm that Saint Peter was sentenced to death by crucifixion by the Emperor Nero. In the next chapter, we will investigate the most recent archeological evidence regarding the excavation of Saint Peter’s skeleton beneath the Vatican. Sciences and Tradition converge with Scripture. Christ built His Catholic Church quite literally on Peter.

Stayed tuned for the release date of the new book: The Eternal City - Rome and the Origins of Catholic Christianity.

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How We Can Build the New Culture and the New Civilization

Last night's election revealed to us that the majority of America is not with us. The polls and the electorate will trend to the issues openly endorsed by President Obama (abortion, Planned Parenthood funding, contraception, false forms of marriage, mandates binding of conscience, etc.).

We won't win the culture for Christ through the GOP or through hooking up with a Mormon. We know that much.

What are you going to do about it?

My answer for all you young lay people: Have lots and lots of Catholic babies. Unplug the TV. Play games with them. Break out that Baltimore Catechism. Teach them. Hug them. Love them. Don't fight with your spouse in front of them. Pray the Rosary every night with them? The Rosary should be like breathing. You just do it. Even if you're exhausted. Pray the Rosary. Read the Bible with your family. Read the Douay Rheims - not some dummed-down emasculated version. Learn Latin yourself. Teach Latin to your kids. Don't attend Masses where there is liturgical abuse. Bad liturgy teaches your children that the things of God aren't important - that the things of God are merely a matter of one man's whims. Raise manly boys and feminine girls. Take your sons hunting and fishing. Let them butcher an animal. Take your daughters on dates. Show them that they are ladies. Reject the sexualized commercial media. Don't let that toxic sludge into your living room. Be vigilant. 

So here's to having lots of Catholic babies. Build the new culture. Build the new civilization. The Culture of Death will die. What will replace it? That's up to us, by God's grace.

You may also like reading this post: If America were a Fully Catholic Country, Here's What it Might Look Like.

Also see: 12 Tips for Praying the Family Rosary

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Mary's Special Role for Those in Purgatory

Since November is the month in which we pray for the poor souls in Purgatory, I'd like to offer great hope and consolation to those who are eagerly praying for their departed loved ones. No doubt, our Protestant friends will be taken back a bit since both Purgatory and Mary are controversial for them - and now we are bring them together. Tradition and Scripture state that Mary has a special dominion over the faithful departed. The reason for this is that Our Lady was not required to die since she was preserved from original and actual sin. “The wages of sin is death,” writes the Apostle, and our Lady did not have sin. 

Tradition states that Our Lady begged Christ that she might be allowed to die in order to be more perfectly conformed to Him. This prayer was granted and so Christ gave her a special dominion over the faithful departed. 

Concerning the Blessed Virgin, the Scriptures speak of her rein over the departed. The following passages speaks of the "Mother of Fair Love":

For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off. I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord. (Ecclus 24:44-45) 

Saint Peter Damian, Saint Ildefonse, and Saint Frances of Rome assure us that it is the feast of the Assumption of Mary (Aug 15) on which the most souls are released from Purgatory each year. Moreover, her role is especially confirmed by the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding the Brown Scapular give by Mary to Saint Simon Stock. Enrollment in the Brown Scapular and faithful living, Mary teaches, will lead to the delivery of a soul from Purgatory in less that a week’s time. 

Saint Bernardine of Sienna, a great preacher and reformer, taught that Mary was the “plenipotentiary” for souls in Purgatory. Saint Teresa received a vision in which the souls in Purgatory received a spray of cool water whenever the Holy Rosary is prayed for them. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, also a Doctor of the Church, confirmed that praying the Rosary is a great means to bring relief to souls in Purgatory. Saint Pio, when giving a Rosary to someone said, “Let us empty Purgatory.” 

So then, devotion to Mary and devotion to the poor souls are interlinked. Let us rely on our sweet and stainless Mother as the “plenipotentiary” for our brothers and sisters being refined for the eternal happiness of Heaven. 

Helpful and recommended links on this topic. Please visit:

What is Purgatory and is it in the Bible?

Why is Mary the Mediatrix of All Graces?

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Padre Pio's Mysterious Encounters with Souls from Purgatory

God chose Saint Pio of Pietrelcina to reveal the supernatural life to our tepid era. His supernatural interior life was made visible through his immense suffering and his well-known stigmata. As we move into November and pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, we do well to recall a few encounters of Padre Pio with the souls of Purgatory.

Padre Pio once described an encounter he had with testified the following to the Bishop of Melfi, His Excellency Alberto Costa and also the superior of the friary, Padre Lorenzo of San Marco.

Below is third person written testimony of the words of Padre Pio:

"While in the friary on a winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall, he was sitting by the fireplace one evening in the guest room, absorbed in prayer, when an old man, wearing an old-fashioned cloak still worn by southern Italian peasants at the time, sat down beside him. Concerning this man Padre Pio states: ‘I could not imagine how he could have entered the friary at this time of night since all the doors are locked. I questioned him: 'Who are you? What do you want?'

The old man told him, "Padre Pio, I am Pietro Di Mauro, son of Nicola, nicknamed Precoco." He went on to say, "I died in this friary on the 18th of September, 1908, in cell number four, when it was still a poorhouse. One night, while in bed, I fell asleep with a lighted cigar, which ignited the mattress and I died, suffocated and burned. I am still in Purgatory. I need a holy Mass in order to be freed. God permitted that I come and ask you for help." 

According to Padre Pio: "After listening to him, I replied, 'Rest assured that tomorrow I will celebrate Mass for your liberation.' I arose and accompanied him to the door of the friary, so that he could leave. I did not realize at that moment that the door was closed and locked: I opened it and bade him farewell The moon lit up the square, covered with snow. When I no longer saw him in front of me, I was taken by a sense of fear, and I closed the door, reentered the guest room, and felt faint.”

A few days later, Padre Pio also told the story to Padre Paolino, and the two decided to go to the town hall, where they looked at the vital statistics for the year I908 and found that on September 18 of that year, one Pietro Di Mauro had in fact died of burns and asphyxiation in Room Number 4 at the friary, then used as a home for the homeless. 

Around the same time, Padre Pio told Fra Alberto of another apparition of a soul from Purgatory which also occurred around the same time. He said: 

One evening, when I was absorbed in prayer in the choir of the little church I was shaken and disturbed by the sound of footsteps, and candles and flower vases being moved on the main altar. Thinking that someone must be there, I called out, "Who is it?" 

No one answered. Returning to prayer, I was again disturbed by the same noises. In fact, this time I had the impression that one of the candles, which was in front of the statue of Our Lady of Grace, had fallen. Wanting to see what was happening on the altar, I stood up, went close to the grate and saw, in the shadow of the light of the Tabernacle lamp, a young confrere doing some cleaning. I yelled out, "What are you doing in the dark?" The little friar answered, "I am cleaning." 

"You clean in the dark?" I asked. "Who are you?" 

The little friar said, ‘I am a Capuchin novice, who spends his time of Purgatory here. I am in need of prayers.’ and then he disappeared," 

Padre Pio stated that he immediately began praying for him as requested, and it is not known if he had any further dealings with this particular soul. However, in regards souls in Purgatory it is very interesting to note that later in life Padre Pio once said that ‘As many souls of the dead come up this road to the monastery as that of the souls of the living.” 

Without a doubt, many souls from Purgatory visited Padre Pio seeking his prayers, sacrifices and sufferings to obtain their release.

Pray for the Poor Souls daily.

Please watch the following video about the Stigmata of Saint Pio as compared to Saint Francis:

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