Catholic Church: Sell Everything and Give to the Poor?

With Fr Casey Cole, OFM, MDiv (Warning! He's a Modernist.)

The Holy Rosary

Monday, the Joyful Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

The Life of Prince Kiril of Bulgaria (1895–1945)

From The Romanian Monarchist

Prince Kiril of Bulgaria, Prince of Preslav (Bulgarian: Кирил, принц Преславски, German: Kyrill Heinrich Franz Ludwig Anton Karl Philipp Prinz von Bulgarien; 17 November 1895 – 1 February 1945) was the second son of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria and his first wife, Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma. He was the younger brother of Boris III of Bulgaria and the Prince Regent of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1944. He was sentenced to death by the People's Court and executed on the night of 1 February 1945.

Catholic Social Ethics: 1. Introduction

With J. Brian Benested, STL, PhD, Professor of Theology, Scranton University.

Who Decides How Patron Saints Get "Assigned?"

St Frances of Rome, whose Feast is today, is Patroness of automobile drivers. Mr Kosloski explains why a 15th-century Saint was made patron of a 19th-century invention here.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

Why is St Anthony the patron saint of lost objects, or St Barbara the patron saint of firefighters? Popular tradition or Church decree? Find out.

"St Anthony, help me find my keys!" One of the best parts about being Catholic is having the saints to come to our rescue? Many Christians invoke the intercession of the saints when faced with trials and tribulations.

"When God eludes us and we don't feel worthy of his attention, we look for intermediaries, who pass on our intentions and who, in return, pass on God's grace to us,” says Fr. Maximilien de la Martinière, a priest of the Diocese of Versailles and expert on popular piety. He goes on to list other possible forms of mediation, such as angels or objects like statues and medals, or places such as shrines.

On the subject of patron saints, he explains, "We say to ourselves that the closer this saint is to God, the more of a chance we have that he or she will bring our prayers to him. And at the same time, we have a particular affection for those who are close to us in what we ourselves experience on earth." This includes regional or local saints linked to a place and its history, saints who practiced a particular profession we share, or saints who faced situations similar to ours.

Saints who "speak to us”

"What sets devotion in motion is friendship with saints: they ‘speak to us…’ But it’s also based on experiences we’ve had (“Saint so-and-so granted my prayer”) or tradition (“My grandmother prayed a lot to this saint…”).” Over time, we become “familiar” with saints.

Patron saints have been invoked by people — believers and non-believers alike — since the Middle Ages. In those days, guilds gathered by trade to obtain the protection of a saint, such as St. Honoratus for bakers. Another popular patron saint is St. Barbara, who was born in the 3rd century and was tortured by her father for choosing to give herself to Christ. Her father was struck by lightning just after beheading her. This link to lightning made her the patron saint of gunsmiths, artillerymen, and firemen.

Indirect connections

Sometimes, the reason for a certain patronage is an anecdote attributed to a very ancient saint. Such stories, added to a truly edifying life, have led popular tradition to assign saints the patronage of specific causes. St. Anthony of Padua, as we all know, is venerated by people who lose things. Why? Because this disciple of St. Francis is said to have miraculously recovered his precious annotated psalter, which had been stolen from him. 

Until the 16th century, popular piety designated numerous saints to invoke protection against a particular plague or disease, sometimes based on legend and blurring the line between faith and superstition. For example, St. Wilgeforte, who is said to have lived in Portugal in the 4th century, was prayed to by unhappy wives.

Saints and their patronages proliferated so much under these circumstances that in 1630 Pope Urban VIII decided to regulate the naming of patron saints. "At the end of the 16th century, the Pontifical Congregation for the Sacraments was given the task of listing the saints, and authorizing (or not) their veneration. These duties would later be entrusted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which is still in charge and ratifies patronages," reads an April 20, 2018, article on the La Croix website.

Church and popular piety: A double movement

The Church thus invites us to draw inspiration from the exemplary lives of saints who, like us, have lived in the midst of the world. In fact, "when it comes to devotion to the saints, the Church institution and popular piety feed off each other," Fr. Maximilien sums up.

"The Church may propose a saint that the faithful will make their own, such as St. Luke, patron saint of doctors. Or, more often than not, it's the people who recognize someone's sanctity through miracles, through oral tradition... Which leads the Church to study their canonization," he concludes.

So don't hesitate to ask for the intercession of these great figures of the faith!

The Vatican Is Coming After Podcasters

Pope Leo Appoints a Fringe Activist As Papal Nuncio To The United States

At what point can we accuse Leo of having Trump Derangement Synodrome?

This Medieval Spice Was Worth More Than Gold And Big Pharma Hopes You Never Rediscover It

From Medieval Way

It is the year 1284. A merchant in Venice is settling a debt. He doesn't reach for coins. He doesn't hand over silver. He opens a small wooden box and counts out dried flower threads — each one thinner than a human hair and deep crimson red. Forty-five of those threads weigh one gram. And at that moment in history, that single gram is worth more than the same weight in gold. The spice is saffron. And for over three thousand years, every civilisation that got its hands on this flower used it for the same thing: medicine.

Sources: NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials The efficacy of Crocus sativus (Saffron) versus placebo and Fluoxetine in treating depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a... https://link.springer.com/article/10.... Mechanistic insights into the anti-ageing effects of Crocus sativus in a D-Gal-induced in vitro neural senescence model https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... Treatment and chemoprevention of NSAID-associated gastrointestinal complications Study Shows Long-term Use Of NSAIDs Causes Severe Intestinal Damage ACCF/ACG/AHA 2008 Expert Consensus Document on Reducing the Gastrointestinal Risks of Antiplatelet Therapy and NSAID Use | Circulation Mechanisms of Damage to the Gastrointestinal Tract From Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | March

Traditional Catholic morning prayers to help start your day in a godly way! The month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph. We've also included a powerful Lenten prayer -- the Prayer Before a Crucifix. This video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

This Priest Was Excommunicated—but His Miracles Still Worked

From Totus Catholica

You've probably heard the scandal stories: a priest falls into grave sin, another is suspended or excommunicated—and suddenly people ask, "Did my confession count? Was the Eucharist still valid?" . Some point to history and say, "Look, there were priests condemned by the church who still worked miracles. Doesn't that prove holiness doesn't matter—or that the church contradicts itself?" . This video answers honestly: your faith does not depend on the moral perfection of clergy, and that truth is actually mercy . 📌 The Church teaches that sacraments work ex opere operato ("by the work performed")—their efficacy comes from Christ's promise, not the minister's righteousness. When a priest baptises, Christ baptises; when a priest absolves, Christ absolves. St. Augustine settled this in the 4th century against the Donatists, who claimed sacraments from sinful priests were invalid. Scripture itself warns that miracles are not endorsements: Jesus says many will prophesy and cast out demons in his name, yet he "never knew them". God permits miracles through unworthy ministers for the sake of the faithful, not to approve the minister. Your salvation does not rest on another sinner's moral résumé. ✨ What You'll Discover – Why emotional fear ("Was my sacrament real?") has driven people from the Church—and how the Church answered this in the 4th century – St. Paul: Ministers are "stewards," not sources of grace – Jesus on the Pharisees (Matthew): Their authority remains real even when their lives contradict it – The Donatist crisis: St. Augustine's devastating clarity on why sacraments can't depend on the priest's soul – Scripture's warning (Matthew 7): Miracles ≠ divine approval of the person – CCC: Charisms are given for building up the Church, not as proof of personal holiness – Why holiness still matters: A holy priest doesn't make the sacrament more powerful, but makes the path to Christ less obstructed ⏳ Chapters 0:00 – The Question That Destroys Trust: "Was My Sacrament Valid?" 1:03 – The Mistake: Tying Sacramental Validity to the Minister's Virtue 2:30 – Scripture & the Early Church: Sacraments Belong to Christ 3:28 – The Donatist Crisis & St. Augustine's Answer 4:10 – Miracles Are Not Endorsements (Matthew 7) 5:18 – Pastoral Application: Your Salvation Doesn't Rest on Another Sinner 6:42 – Objection: "Does This Make Holiness Irrelevant?" 7:40 – Conclusion: Christ Guarantees the Sacraments; Priests Are Still Accountable 🌐 Stay Connected 📿 Daily Holy Hour – https://totuscatholica.org/rosary 🌍 Website – https://totuscatholica.org/ ✉️ Contact me – https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 Examination of Conscience – https://catholicexaminationofconscien... 📖 Key Teaching & References – James 3:1 – Teachers judged more strictly – 1 Corinthians 4:1 – Ministers are servants and stewards, not sources of grace – Matthew 23:2,3 – The Pharisees' authority remains real even when their lives contradict it – Matthew 7:21–23 – "Many will say 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy...'" but Christ says "I never knew you" – CCC on ex opere operato – Sacraments act by the work performed; Christ is at work in them, not because of the minister's righteousness – St. Augustine vs. the Donatists – "When a priest baptises, Christ baptises; when a priest absolves, Christ absolves" – CCC on charisms – Gifts given for building up the Church, not as proof of personal holiness – 1 Corinthians 13 – "Gifts differ, but love is greater than all" 💬 Reflection Question If you discovered years later that a priest who administered a sacrament to you was later excommunicated or living in grave sin, how does this teaching give you peace—and what does it tell you about where your faith truly rests?