Our Lady Of The Rosary Saves Lepanto

The feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary became official by Pope Pius V in remembrance of the battle of Lepanto. It is here where a vicious battle was fought and won by the Christians against the invading forces of the Islamic empire!

During the sixteenth centuries the Turks had made great inroads into European territory when they won battle after battle almost to the door of Rome itself! But under the guidance of Pope Pius V their victory would now be short-lived. This particular Pope was of the Dominican Order so he had gained a great love for the Rosary and it is the Rosary that this devout Pope turned to in order to turn back the Muslim invaders!

Pope Pius V was also able to join forces with the Spanish, Venetian and Genoese fleet under the leadership of Don John of Austria to overcome the Turks who also had amassed a huge fleet in which they hoped to gain control of the whole of 'Christiandom'.

The battle took place in the year 1571, and it was the Muslims who seemed to have the greater ability when in times of war and also a superior fleet. But things did not turn out well for the Muslim marauders, as the battle commenced and the Muslims lost 15 ships while 177 taken by the victorious Armada and hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers lay dying or wounded. Even though the Christian fleet lost more ships the victory of the Christians over the Muslim invaders has been attributed to the intervention of our Lady of the Rosary. It was as the battle raged that Pope Pius V and several other devout souls prayed the Rosary for the embattled soldiers to win the victory for all of Europe. And it was upon praying the Rosary that this devout Pope looked up and exclaimed to the Cardinals present, "Our great task at present is to thank God for the victory which He has just given the Catholic army." This was said before anyone knew of the victorious battle and many were stunned to learn later that the battle was won at that precise moment.

Through the intervention of our Lady of the Rosary victory won the day at the battle of Lepanto! This would be one of many defeats suffered by the Muslim invaders before they finally were driven back to their own lands.

How very powerful is Our Lady of the Rosary.

Peace of Christ to you ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Roman Catholic

Our Lady of Pompei

The origins of Our Lady of Pompeii begin at the sight of the great destruction of that area by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD.

Approximately around the fourth century people once again began to inhabit the area including Christians, some centuries later a Church would be built to Worship our Lord, in which the Benedictine Order took charge. Eventually this Church too would be destroyed and after many trials and tribulations the people themselves took control of trying to restore the Church to its previous condition. But once again this endeavour nearly failed when thieves intruded to steal what they could, until a man and his wife took charge of the project. It is surprising in that the man who alongside his wife would restore the Church and also promulgate a devotion and veneration of Our Lady and the Holy Rosary, had once been involved in a 'satanic sect' and had even become a 'priest' for Satan!

But God can touch even the most hardest of hearts and he did so with Bartolo Longo when he met a very holy and devout Priest, Father Alberto Radente, who explained the Faith to Bartolo so gently that Bartolo could no longer live to hate but longed to live for love sake! He, through the example of this holy Priest embraced the Catholic Faith, and left the evil sect forever for Bartolo's heart now belonged to God and God alone!

Upon becoming Baptized Bartolo chose Maria as his 'baptismal name' for just as he had sinned against God grievously, he ran to Mary his forgiving Holy Mother and sought her protection as the 'refuge of sinners'. So began Bartolo's devotion and love for Our Lady as he worked to restore the former Church back to its former glory. Bartolo also published a small pamphlet entitled, "The Rosary of New Pompeii" as his love for our Lady grew stronger in his heart everyday, for he had attributed his conversion solely to our Blessed Mother and would forever love her dearly.

But Bartolo was still wracked with guilt over his former life and when he began to question his worthiness he had a miraculous sign as a voice said to him, "If you seek salvation, promulgate the Rosary. This is Mary's own promise." These words illumined my soul. I went on my knees: "If it is true .... I will not leave this valley until I have propagated your Rosary." Satan was not too willing to let go of Bartolo but through his conversion and our Lady's involvement Bartolo's faith was strengthened as he promised to spread this devotion to Our Lady of Pompeii.

At first it was very hard going as Bartolo began his work and even went from door to door within the village without much success, still he persevered. After many years of what seemed fruitlessness Bartolo finally succeeded and invited the Redemptorist Fathers to hold a mission festival at the Church he had restored. Upon gaining the blessing of the Bishop, who said that he could see that this would day become a place of pilgrimage.

This heartened Bartolo as he went searching for a large picture of Our Lady of the Rosary, he would be disappointed when the only one he could find was dilapidated and moth eaten. Still he bought it and tried to restore it back to its original condition. On one side of the picture was St. Dominic and on the other was St. Catherine of Sienna who were both kneeling before our Lady who held the child Jesus. Upon doing his best Bartolo then set out to take it to the Vatican for a blessing from the Pope!

This image was then placed in the restored Church but 300 people of the area pledged some money towards building a more respectable Church in honour of Our Lady. Upon laying the cornerstone miraculous miracles started to occur, four people were healed of their illnesses at the beginning, and still later there would be hundreds who claimed the image of our Lady had healed them of their various diseases and disabilities.

So it was that in 1894 both Bartolo and his wife, Marianna donated the shrine and the Church into the safe hands of the Vatican. Many cures since have been recorded after the faithful had prayed before this image of Our Lady.

But it was in 1965 that the image would be thoroughly restored by the Vatican and Pope Paul VI went on to say, "Just as the image of the Virgin has been repaired and decorated ..., so may the image of Mary that all Christians must have within themselves be restored, renovated, and enriched."

What a miracle that a man who had embraced the evil way of Satan had been restored by the love of our Blessed Mother to embrace God in his heart and live as a faithful son of the Church. Both Bartolo and his wife did corporal works of mercy including establishing orphanages for girls and boys, hospitals and visiting the imprisoned.

Let us also venerate this image which Bartolo and his wife established, Our Lady of Pompeii.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Roman Catholic

Our Lady of the Rosary

Even before his birth Dominic de Guzman was blessed, in that his mother experienced a 'dream' in which she saw the form of a dog with a burning torch in its mouth which signified the fire of God's Truth, this 'dog' then came from her womb. Later Joan conceived a son and named him Dominic upon his birth his devout mother noticed a sign of the moon or a star on his little forehead.

Dominic was blessed to have been born into a holy and devout family who lived to serve God and live their daily lives based on fulfilling God's Will. The family were blessed to have Priests, Religious and very holy familial connections to their beloved Church, many of whom would become Saints!

Dominic upon receiving good and solid catholic instructions then answered the call to become a Priest in 1195. And as Father Dominic attended to his flock he also spent many hours in prayer and practiced penances on behalf of sinners.

But it was a cold night in July 1206 in the town of Prouille that Dominic would be the recipient of a vision that would inspire the world and bring many Graces from God. It was here that Dominic saw what seemed to be a globe of light which came from the sky above, this happened for the next two consecutive nights. Dominic was amazed and awestruck at such a sight and also humbled when he recognised our Lady who upon hearing his prayer came to help him, for Dominic was in dismay at the heresies he had heard preached. But our Lady soothed Dominic with these words, 'Wonder not that you have obtained so little fruit by your labors, you have spent them on barren soil, not yet watered with the dew of Divine grace. When God willed to renew the face of the earth, He began by sending down on it the fertilizing rain of the Angelic Salutation. Therefore preach my Psalter composed of 150 Angelic Salutations and 15 Our Fathers, and you will obtain an abundant harvest.' Our Lady then gave to Dominic the Holy Rosary to be prayed for the salvation of sinners and the edification of the faithful as she told him, "One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world".

Dominic stared at our Lady in wonderment of her beauty and the peace which enveloped her and suffused within him a spirit of tranquility. The words of our Lady strengthened Dominic's resolve and he returned to confront the pervading heresies, which were running rampant at that time. Dominic preached about the Mysteries of God including the Incarnation, Redemption and Eternal life, Dominic spoke with such holy conviction that many listened to him as he taught a new way to pray. For Dominic had been instructed by our Lady to make clear to the faithful what is pleasing to God, and what brings the sinner closer to God is only achieved through prayer. Dominic continued instructing the people by dividing the mysteries into different formats and included praying ten Hail Mary's after each Mystery. This different way of prayer would become known as praying the Holy Rosary, this form of prayer was to bring all peoples back to God as the heresies were thrown away and burnt when people began embracing and praying the Rosary.

Upon the people accepting this new form of prayer, Dominic went on to found a new Order 'The Confraternity of the Rosary' which began approximately around the year 1216 or 1218. For Dominic remembered our Lady's words, "I have obtained from my Son that all the members of the Confraternity have in life and in death all the Blessed as their associates."

But Dominic was to be the recipient of other Divine visions when seeing Saint Peter and Saint Paul who upon giving him a Staff and a book said to him, "Go and preach, because you have been chosen by God for this work".

Dominic through his great love of the Church and of his obvious piety and holiness proved worthy of these visions as the Rosary is still prayed with great Reverence to this very day.

But let us be mindful of our Lady's words when praying the Rosary, that we also do not waste our time on barren soil but to pray the Rosary with our hearts and not merely 'say it'.

I would encourage all to read more on the Holy Rosary.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Our Lady of La Salette

Visionaries Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud

In the years 1845 to 1850 were troubling times for Europe of epic proportions as we will discover. This was a time when many in Europe were still feeling the effects of the the French Revolution, which devastated France and sent tremors into neighbouring countries.

But it is the year 1846 that we will focus on, for this was the year when Our Lady appeared to two illiterate youths, namely Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud.

These were two simple children, who's main job was to protect the cattle on the pasture above La Salette, for their employers. These two children had received very little in the way of education and came from very poor families.

But it was on Saturday, 12th September, 1846 that would irrevocably change the lives of these two youths forever. For it was on this day that the two children would see a beautiful Lady of indescribable beauty.

This beautiful Lady appeared to them as if on a circle of light, and when the light opened it revealed this most beautiful Lady sitting on a rock with her head in her hands as she wept inconsolably. She seemed to be wearing a long, white dress with pearls studded on it and also a white shawl, hanging from her neck was a crucifix and upon her head a Crown.

The two children were very upset to see one so beautiful, weeping so bitterly and both were also a little afraid, when confronted with this most wondrous Lady, they did not know what to do nor how to console her.

Our Lady looked at both children and still weeping she told them to warn the people that unless they changed their way, great tribulations would strike the population, for she could no longer hold back the Hand of her Son.

The children were horrified at what Our Lady was to reveal to them, and also overwhelmed. She warned of a coming famine that would corrupt crops and bring untold misery and tragedy to many families. Our Lady told the children the reason why such punishment would come, as nearly all people had lost sight of God and were dismissive of Him, even unto blaspheming His Holy Name!

Our Lady told the children these words, "If my people do not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my Son's arm. It is so heavy I can no longer restrain it. How long have I suffered for you! If my son is not to abandon you, I am obliged to entreat Him without ceasing. But you take no heed of that. No matter how well you pray in the future, no matter how well you act, you will never be able to make up to me what I have endured on your behalf. I have given you six days to work. The seventh I have reserved for myself, yet no one will give it to me. This is what causes the weight of my Son's arm to be so crushing. The cart drivers cannot swear without bringing in my Son's name. These are the two things which make my son's arm so heavy."

Our Lady then went on to ask the children, "Do you say your prayers well, my children?" Both Melanie and Maximin told the truth and declared they did not pray much at all, Our Lady beseeched them to practice and keep a good prayer life, she also said that so few practiced prayer nor attended any type of Worship, except for a very few elderly people in the villages.

She once again warned both children of the coming Chastisements if people did not ammend their ways or repent of their sins. Our Lady also imparted secrets to each child and recommended that both children share with the world her message of grief and to warn people to once again embrace God, or they would face a great Tribulation!

When the children told the local community and the Presiding Bishop they both faced much opposition and at times open ridicule leading to persecution, not too many people wanted to hear of coming chastisements. But even though Melanie nor Maximin had great education, they both remained steadfast and resolute in warning the world of what Our Lady had commissioned them to do!

Unfortunately what Our Lady predicted came to pass in the Great Potato Famine which spread from Europe to Ireland with untold and unparalelled tragedy. During the years 1845 to 1850, more than a million Irish people starved to death, and millions more left the shores of Ireland never to return to their homeland again.

The children eventually confided the secrets given to each of them privately to the Reigning Pontiff Pope Pius1X, at his request. The Pope was later heard to exclaim, " These are the secrets of La Salette: Unless the world repent, it shall perish!"

Later Mgr de Bruillard as Bishop of Grenoble released this statement:"We declare that the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two shepherds, on September 19, 1846, on a mountain in the Alps in the parish of La Salette, bears in itself all the marks of truth and that the faithful are justified in believing without question in its truth. And so, to mark our lively gratitude to God and the glorious Virgin Mary, we authorise the cult of Our Lady of La Salette."

As for both Melanie and Maximin they were to lead complicated lives, both tried to enter religious communities which they failed at. Maximin after trying to gain employment, eventually started his own religious shop selling devout items, due to many unsrupulous people, there were questions raised about his level of business acumen. Maximin died a holy death at only 38 years old.

Melanie herself also tried different religious Orders none of which worked out. Being of an outspoken nature, Melanie did not attract large groups of friends, Melanie possessed a deep honesty but little personal 'charm'. She eventually died alone in Italy at the age of 73.

The message of La Salette still holds true for today, and I would encourage all to read of this momentous Vision, our Lady of La Salette.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Vision received by St. Juan Diego

The Aztec culture practiced for many years human sacrifices to appease their 'god' Huitzilpochtli (the Hummingbird Wizard). The estimate of their total human sacrifices was approx 20,000 people a year, the Aztec culture also practiced cannibalism.

But it was in the year 1531 that a beautiful lady appeared to a simple peasant, who was very devout, his name was Juan Diego, he was amazed at the beauty of this lady who then identified herself as the 'Mother of the one True God'.

This beautiful lady brought a message of love and compassion for that region and country and instructed Juan to tell his Bishop of her appearance, Juan as you can imagine was overcome by this august mission, for he was a very simplistic soul. Juan himself was born in 1474 but it was in the year 1524 and 1525 he was converted and baptized, as well as his wife, receiving the Christian name of Juan Diego and his wife the name of Maria Lucia.

Being of a devout nature Juan each day would walk miles to attend Mass, in very rough terrain often taking up to 3 hours to arrive, but it was on one of these journeys that Juan’s life took an unexpected turn, when the lovely lady appeared before him with these words, “Juanito, Juan Dieguito “, “the most humble of my sons”, “my son the least”, “my little dear”.

After revealing who she was to Juan our Lady gave these messages to Juan to deliver to the local Bishop, “Know and understand well, you the most humble of my son, that I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth...I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings."

Juan took this message to the Bishop, who obviously was sceptical of what Juan was relating to him and the Bishop then asked for proof, that this was indeed Our Lady. After several Visitations from Our Lady she instructed Juan to pick some flowers and place it in his 'tilma', Juan did as he was instructed. When he returned to the Bishop he emptied his 'tilma' and there to the astonishment of the Bishop was the miraculous image of Mary Most Holy. Eventually a Church was built where Our Lady had instructed and thousands converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas.

Juan Diego died on May 30, 1548, at the age of 74.

In April of 1990 Juan Diego was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. The following month, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, during his second visit to the shrine, John Paul II performed the beatification ceremony.On July 2002 he was canonized by the Church, during a ceremony celebrated by John Paul II, again in the Basilica of Guadalupe.

Since then there has been scientific research which purportedly shows the reflection of Juan Diego in the Image of Our Lady on his tilma. I would encourage all to read this most miraculous of Apparitions, Our Lady of Guadalupe.