Traditional Catholic Daily Devotional

It's the Feast of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, 3rd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: "Sanctification of the Family Through Mass", today's news from the Church: "Small but Important Victory in the Euthanasia Law in France", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Sanctification of the Family Through Mass" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Small but Important Victory in the Euthanasia Law in France" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/france-small-important-victory-euthanasia-law-61080 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Euphemia is one of those early martyrs whose story didn't end with her martyrdom. More than a century after her death, her tomb became connected with one of the most important councils in Church history. Euphemia lived in Chalcedon, across the water from Constantinople, around the beginning of the fourth century. She came from a Christian family and was still a young woman when Emperor Diocletian's great persecution reached the city. According to the ancient accounts, the governor ordered everyone to participate in sacrifices to the pagan god Ares. Euphemia refused. She was arrested with other Christians and subjected to a series of tortures intended to make her abandon the faith. The traditional account describes the rack, fire, and eventually the arena, where she was exposed to wild animals. She died around the year 303. Christians buried her with honor in Chalcedon, and a great basilica eventually rose over her tomb. And that's where the story gets especially interesting. In 451, nearly 150 years after Euphemia's death, hundreds of bishops gathered in Chalcedon to settle an enormous controversy over the Person of Christ. The question was how Christians should speak correctly about Christ being both truly God and truly man. The meetings took place in the basilica dedicated to Euphemia. According to a beloved Eastern Christian tradition, the disagreement became so intense that representatives placed competing statements of faith inside Euphemia's tomb and sealed it. Then everyone prayed. When the tomb was reopened, tradition says the orthodox profession was found in Euphemia's hand, while the rejected statement lay at her feet. Whether we treat that account as miraculous history or later devotional tradition, it tells us how closely Christians associated Euphemia with the Council of Chalcedon. She became not merely a martyr of the early persecutions, but a symbol of the Church's defense of the truth about Christ. Her relics also had quite a journey. After Persian invasions threatened Chalcedon, they were eventually brought across the Bosporus to Constantinople. During the later Iconoclast persecutions, tradition says her relics were thrown into the sea, recovered, and eventually restored. They can still be venerated today in the Church of Saint George in Istanbul, the cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. That's an extraordinary journey for a young woman killed more than seventeen centuries ago. Euphemia never wrote a theological book. She never attended a council. She simply refused to deny Christ. Yet generations later, bishops debating exactly who Christ is gathered around her tomb to do it. Saint Euphemia, great martyr and witness to the true faith of Christ, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, 1st Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Attendance at Mass", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 17 "I Adhere to Eternal Rome"", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Attendance at Mass" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 17 "I Adhere to Eternal Rome"" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen & Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows asks us to look at the life of Christ from a perspective we don't always stop to consider: what was all of this like for His Mother? Catholics have meditated on Mary's suffering since the earliest centuries, especially her presence at Calvary. Simeon had foretold it when Jesus was still an infant: "Thy own soul a sword shall pierce." Medieval Christians eventually began identifying particular moments when that sword seemed especially sharp. These became the Seven Sorrows of Mary: Simeon's prophecy, the Flight into Egypt, losing the Child Jesus in Jerusalem, meeting Christ on the road to Calvary, standing beneath the Cross, receiving His dead body, and watching Him placed in the tomb. And devotion to them became enormous. By the Middle Ages, Christians were meditating on Mary's sorrows through prayers, artwork, processions, and hymns. The most famous is the Stabat Mater, traditionally attributed to the thirteenth-century Franciscan Jacopone da Todi. Its opening image is simple and devastating: Mary standing beside the Cross while her Son dies. The Servite Order made this devotion especially their own. Founded in Florence in the thirteenth century by the Seven Holy Founders, the Servites spread devotion to the Seven Sorrows throughout Europe. The familiar image of Mary's heart pierced by seven swords comes directly from this tradition. Interestingly, the Church eventually had two feasts honoring Mary's sorrows. One developed on the Friday of Passion Week, focusing particularly on Mary's compassion during the Passion. The other was celebrated by the Servites in September. In 1814, after returning to Rome following his captivity under Napoleon, Pope Pius VII extended the September feast to the universal Church in thanksgiving. Pope Pius X later fixed it on September 15, immediately after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. That placement is almost perfect. September 14: look at the Cross. September 15: look at the Mother standing beneath it. The feast also inspired some striking traditions, particularly in Mediterranean countries. In Spain, Italy, Malta, and parts of Latin America, statues of the Sorrowful Mother are carried through streets dressed in dark robes, sometimes beneath elaborate canopies. During Holy Week, confraternities still carry enormous images of the Dolorosa, surrounded by candles and flowers, while crowds watch in silence. Our Lady of Sorrows isn't really about asking which of Mary's sufferings was worst. It's about remembering that she stayed. At Bethlehem, she held Christ when almost no one knew Him. At Calvary, she remained when almost everyone had left. Our Lady of Sorrows, Mother who stood faithfully beneath the Cross, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 2nd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: "The Sanctification of Sunday", today's news from the Church: "Could the SSPX still wait for Rome?", a preview of the Sermon: "Trusting Providence", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Sanctification of Sunday" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Could the SSPX still wait for Rome?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/could-sspx-still-wait-rome-61047 "Trusting Providence" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross has one of the most interesting histories on the Catholic calendar because it celebrates not simply Christ's Crucifixion, but the strange journey of the Cross itself through history. The story begins with Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. Around the year 326, Helena traveled to Jerusalem looking for the places associated with the Passion of Christ. According to ancient tradition, excavations near Calvary uncovered three crosses. That created an obvious problem. Which one was Christ's? Tradition says the True Cross was identified through a miraculous healing when a sick woman touched it. Other versions tell of a dead man being restored to life. Whatever the precise details, devotion to the Cross in Jerusalem developed very early. Constantine soon ordered a magnificent church built over Calvary and Christ's tomb. The complex was dedicated in September of 335 and eventually became the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The following day, September 14, the relic of the True Cross was solemnly displayed, or "exalted," before the people so everyone could venerate it. That's where our feast gets its name. But the Cross wasn't finished traveling. In 614, Persian armies captured Jerusalem, destroyed churches, and carried away the relic of the True Cross as war booty. Imagine the shock. One of Christianity's holiest relics was now in the hands of an invading army. Years later, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians and recovered the Cross. In 629, he solemnly returned it to Jerusalem. Then comes one of the feast's most memorable traditions. Heraclius supposedly approached Calvary wearing his imperial robes, jeweled crown, and all the splendor of an emperor. But when he tried to carry the Cross forward, he couldn't move. The Patriarch of Jerusalem pointed out the obvious contrast. Christ had carried that Cross wearing a crown of thorns. Heraclius was carrying it dressed like a king. So the emperor removed his crown, exchanged his rich garments for simple clothing, took up the Cross again, and this time carried it forward. Whether every detail happened exactly that way or not, medieval Christians loved the story because it captures the entire meaning of the feast. The Cross was once an instrument designed to humiliate criminals. Christianity turned it into a throne. That's why Catholics place crosses above altars, wear them around their necks, and raise them over churches. We don't honor suffering for its own sake. We honor the Cross because Christ took the thing meant to destroy Him and made it the instrument of our salvation. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XVI Sun of Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Virtue of Religion", today's news from the Church: "In Salzburg, Artisans Are Building a Church "For Eternity"", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Virtue of Religion" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "In Salzburg, Artisans Are Building a Church "For Eternity"" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/austria-salzburg-artisans-are-building-church-eternity-61040 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Amatus of Remiremont is one of those early medieval saints whose story involves an unusual amount of moving farther and farther away from everyone, only to discover that people kept following him. He was born around the year 560 in the region of Grenoble in southeastern France. As a young man, Amatus entered the famous monastery of Agaunum, today's Saint-Maurice in Switzerland. It was built near the traditional site of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion and had become one of the great monastic centers of the region. Amatus liked monastic life. He just wanted even more silence. So he eventually withdrew to live as a hermit high in the mountains. Tradition places him near a rocky retreat where he spent years praying, fasting, and living largely alone. That worked for a while. Then Eustace of Luxeuil came looking for him. Eustace persuaded Amatus to leave his solitude and join the great monastery of Luxeuil, founded by the Irish missionary Saint Columbanus. Amatus became a preacher there and soon attracted the attention of a wealthy nobleman named Romaric. Romaric listened to Amatus, converted his enormous estate into a religious foundation, and eventually became a monk himself. Together, the two men established a monastery in the Vosges Mountains around the year 620. And this monastery was unusual. Rather than following the arrangement that would later become standard in Western monasteries, Remiremont developed as a double monastery, with communities of men and women living separately but sharing a common spiritual life. According to early tradition, the monks maintained something called the laus perennis, or "perpetual praise," organizing themselves so that the Psalms and prayers continued through the day and night. Imagine building an entire community around the idea that somebody should always be praying. Amatus became its first abbot, while Romaric eventually succeeded him. The monastery became so closely associated with Romaric that the surrounding settlement eventually took his name: Remiremont, essentially "Romaric's mountain." That town still exists in northeastern France. Over the centuries, the monastery changed dramatically. Its community of women eventually became an influential house of noble canonesses, and Remiremont developed into an important religious and political center of medieval Lorraine. Amatus probably would have found all that rather surprising. He had originally gone into the mountains because he wanted to be left alone with God. Instead, his life helped create a religious community, a town, and a tradition of prayer that survived for more than a thousand years. Sometimes God has a funny way of using people who want obscurity. Saint Amatus of Remiremont, hermit of the mountains and father of perpetual prayer, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of The Most Holy Name of Mary, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Resurrection of the Body", today's news from the Church: "Freemasonry in France: Thirty days of influence in the open", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Resurrection of the Body" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Freemasonry in France: Thirty days of influence in the open" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/freemasonry-france-thirty-days-influence-open-61041 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary celebrates something wonderfully simple: the name by which Christians have called upon the Mother of God for nearly two thousand years. The name Mary comes to us through the Hebrew Miriam, and scholars have proposed several meanings over the centuries. Christian writers have especially loved titles such as "Star of the Sea." Saint Bernard famously developed that image, telling Christians caught in the storms of temptation and suffering to look toward the star and call upon Mary. But the feast itself has a surprisingly dramatic history. Devotion to Mary's name existed long before there was a universal feast. By the Middle Ages, Catholics regularly invoked her name in hymns, prayers, and preaching. A formal feast developed in Spain during the sixteenth century and gradually spread elsewhere. Then came Vienna in 1683. The Ottoman Empire had advanced deep into Europe, and a massive army surrounded Vienna. If the city fell, the road into central Europe would be dangerously exposed. For weeks the defenders held out while relief forces gathered under the Polish king John III Sobieski. Before the battle, Sobieski and his soldiers attended Mass and entrusted themselves to the Blessed Virgin. On September 12, the Christian relief army attacked. Sobieski's famous Polish Winged Hussars joined what is often described as one of the largest cavalry charges in history, sweeping down upon the Ottoman positions. By evening, the siege had been broken. Sobieski reportedly adapted Julius Caesar's famous words afterward: "We came, we saw, God conquered." Pope Innocent XI attributed the deliverance of Vienna to divine assistance obtained through Our Lady's intercession. In thanksgiving, he extended the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary to the universal Church, connecting it permanently with September 12. So behind this gentle-sounding feast stands one of the most dramatic moments in European history. The devotion itself, however, is much quieter. Catholics have traditionally been encouraged simply to develop the habit of saying Mary's name with love and confidence, especially during temptation, fear, or suffering. Saints repeatedly recommended it as one of the simplest prayers a person can make. You don't always need many words. Sometimes "Mary, help me" is enough. And perhaps that's why this feast has endured. It celebrates no complicated theological idea and requires no elaborate devotion. It simply reminds us that God has given Christians a Mother, and children naturally call for their mother by name. Most Holy Name of Mary, consolation of Christians and terror of demons, be always on our lips and in our hearts. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "Christian Hope", today's news from the Church: "700 Traditional Pilgrims at the Feet of Our Lady of Częstochowa", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "What Is the Difference Between a Priest and a Bishop?", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Christian Hope" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "700 Traditional Pilgrims at the Feet of Our Lady of Częstochowa" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/poland-700-traditional-pilgrims-feet-our-lady-czestochowa-60973 The SSPX Podcast: "What Is the Difference Between a Priest and a Bishop?" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen & Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint John Gabriel Perboyre spent years dreaming about the missions in China before he ever imagined he would actually go there. He was born in 1802 in a small farming village in southern France, one of eight children. As a boy, John Gabriel wasn't originally planning to become a priest. He accompanied his younger brother to a school run by the Vincentians and intended to stay only long enough to help him settle in. Instead, John Gabriel discovered his own vocation. He entered the Congregation of the Mission, founded by Vincent de Paul, and was ordained in 1826. His great desire was to become a missionary in China, partly inspired by his younger brother Louis, who had volunteered for the Chinese missions but died during the voyage. John Gabriel asked to take his place. His superiors initially refused because his health seemed too fragile. Eventually, they changed their minds. In 1835, he sailed for China. After months at sea, John Gabriel entered the country disguised in Chinese clothing, learned the language, and began traveling between scattered Catholic communities. Missionary life meant long journeys, unfamiliar food, hiding from authorities, hearing confessions, celebrating Mass secretly, and teaching Catholics who might see a priest only occasionally. Then, in 1839, persecution intensified. John Gabriel was betrayed for money, arrested, and dragged from prison to prison. Authorities repeatedly demanded that he renounce Christianity. When he refused, he was beaten and tortured. One detail of his imprisonment is particularly striking. His captors tried to force him to trample on a crucifix. He wouldn't do it. Eventually John Gabriel was condemned to death. On September 11, 1840, he was taken to an execution ground near Wuchang and strangled on a wooden cross-like structure. The resemblance to the Passion of Christ was not lost on later Catholics. His body was eventually recovered by Christians and buried in China. Years later, his remains were returned to France and placed in the Vincentian motherhouse in Paris, where they can still be venerated today. There's also a fascinating family detail. John Gabriel wasn't the only Perboyre drawn toward religious life. Several of his siblings entered religious communities, and the brother whose death opened the way for John's mission to China had wanted exactly the same vocation. John Gabriel finally reached the country he had prayed to serve, but he spent only a few years there. It was enough. In 1996, he became the first canonized saint among the missionaries martyred in China. Saint John Gabriel Perboyre, missionary of China and courageous imitator of the Crucified Christ, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Nicholas Tolentino, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Particular Judgement", today's news from the Church: "Pilgrimage to Bourguillon Under the Theme "Francis, Repair My Church"", a preview of the Sermon: "Without Me You Can Do Nothing", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Particular Judgement" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Pilgrimage to Bourguillon Under the Theme "Francis, Repair My Church"" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/switzerland-pilgrimage-bourguillon-under-theme-francis-repair-my-church-60927 "Without Me You Can Do Nothing" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Nicholas of Tolentino became one of the most beloved Augustinian saints of the Middle Ages, and his story has a little bit of everything: miraculous bread, visions, souls in Purgatory, and a lifetime spent quietly helping ordinary people. He was born around 1245 in central Italy. His parents had struggled for years to have a child, so they made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Bari and prayed for a son. When that son finally arrived, there wasn't much debate about the name. Nicholas eventually joined the Augustinians and was ordained a priest. After several assignments, he was sent to the town of Tolentino, where he would spend roughly thirty years. And apparently, he became the priest everybody came looking for. Nicholas preached, heard confessions, visited prisoners, settled arguments, cared for the poor, and spent long hours in prayer. He was especially known for seeking out people who had drifted away from the Church rather than simply waiting for them to return. One of the most unusual traditions about Nicholas concerns blessed bread. During a serious illness, Nicholas was reportedly told in a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary to eat a small piece of bread dipped in water. He recovered, and afterward he began blessing pieces of bread and giving them to the sick. The custom never really went away. Even today, Augustinians bless what are called the Breads of Saint Nicholas, which are distributed to the faithful and used as a sacramental, especially in prayers for healing and protection. But Nicholas is probably best known for his connection with Purgatory. According to tradition, a deceased friar appeared to him and begged for Masses because he and many other souls were suffering in Purgatory. Nicholas spent the following days offering Mass and prayers for them. The friar later appeared again, this time surrounded by souls who had been released through those prayers. That story spread everywhere. Nicholas became one of the great patrons of the souls in Purgatory, and medieval paintings frequently show him celebrating Mass while souls rise from the flames toward heaven. His relics are still venerated at the Basilica of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. The basilica's extraordinary medieval frescoes make it one of the most interesting Augustinian shrines in Italy. Nicholas never founded an order or became a bishop. He simply stayed in one town for thirty years, said Mass, heard confessions, fed people, prayed for the dead, and helped whoever showed up. Sometimes that's more than enough for a lifetime. Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, friend of the poor and tireless intercessor for the souls in Purgatory, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Peter Claver, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "A Salutary Meditation", today's news from the Church: "The Hymn of the Society of Saint Pius X", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "A Salutary Meditation" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Hymn of the Society of Saint Pius X" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/hymn-society-saint-pius-x-60879 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Peter Claver spent nearly forty years meeting ships that most people in seventeenth-century Cartagena wanted nothing to do with. He was born in Spain in 1580 and entered the Jesuits as a young man. While studying on the island of Majorca, he met an elderly Jesuit brother, Saint Alphonsus Rodríguez, who became convinced that Peter's vocation was waiting for him across the Atlantic. So Peter went to Colombia. Cartagena was one of the great ports of the Spanish Empire, and tragically, one of the principal entry points for enslaved Africans brought to South America. Ships arrived carrying hundreds of people who had endured weeks below deck in horrific conditions. Many were sick. Some were dying. Few spoke Spanish. Peter decided this would be his parish. Whenever word came that a slave ship was approaching, he headed for the docks carrying whatever he could gather: water, fruit, bread, medicine, clothing, tobacco, and interpreters who spoke African languages. Then he went below deck. The conditions were awful. Heat, disease, filth, and fear filled the holds. Peter crawled into those spaces anyway, tending wounds and reassuring people who had no idea where they were or what was going to happen next. He called himself "Petrus Claver, Aethiopum servus," Peter Claver, slave of the Africans. And he meant it. Peter understood that preaching Christianity to people while ignoring their suffering would ring hollow. So he cared for bodies first. He washed wounds, fed the starving, embraced people others refused to touch, and then, with interpreters and religious pictures, taught them about Christ and prepared many for baptism. Tradition credits him with baptizing roughly 300,000 people during his ministry. But his work didn't stop at the docks. Peter visited plantations and prisons, confronted slave owners about mistreatment, and insisted that the Africans he baptized be treated as Christians with human dignity. He could not dismantle the enormous slave system surrounding him, but he refused to let that system convince him that the people trapped inside it were anything less than children of God. Near the end of his life, Peter became seriously ill and spent several years largely confined to his room. The man who had cared for thousands was himself often neglected. He died in 1654. Today his remains are venerated in the San Pedro Claver Church and Convent, only a short distance from the harbor where he spent his life meeting those terrible ships. There's something powerful about that location. Cartagena remembers the wealth of an empire. Peter Claver reminds us who paid for it. Saint Peter Claver, servant of the enslaved and defender of forgotten souls, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, 2nd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Thought of Death", today's news from the Church: "Sisters of the Society of Saint Pius X: Their Life in 100 Images", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 16", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Thought of Death" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Sisters of the Society of Saint Pius X: Their Life in 100 Images" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/sisters-society-saint-pius-x-their-life-100-images-60865 The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 16" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen & Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of only three birthdays celebrated in the Church's liturgical year: the birth of Christ, the birth of Saint John the Baptist, and the birth of Our Lady. Interestingly, the Bible never tells us when Mary was born. Even the names of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne, come from ancient Christian tradition rather than Scripture. One of the earliest sources is the second-century Protoevangelium of James, which tells the beautiful story of Joachim and Anne as an elderly, childless couple whose long prayers were finally answered with the birth of Mary. The feast itself seems to have developed first in Jerusalem, where Christians honored a church dedicated to Saint Anne near the traditional site of Mary's childhood home. By the sixth century, Mary's birth was being celebrated in the Christian East, and over the following centuries the feast spread westward to Rome. But why September 8? There's actually a wonderfully simple explanation. The Church celebrates Mary's Immaculate Conception on December 8. Count forward nine months. September 8. In fact, historically the Nativity came first. The date of the Immaculate Conception was later calculated backward nine months from Mary's traditional birthday. The feast developed some wonderfully local customs across Catholic Europe. In parts of France, it became associated with the grape harvest, and farmers brought their finest grapes to church to be blessed. In Austria and other Alpine regions, Mary's birthday became connected with thanksgiving for the summer harvest. One of the most colorful celebrations developed in Malta, where September 8 became known as the Bambina, or "Little Mary." Statues of the infant Virgin are carried through decorated streets amid processions, music, fireworks, and enormous crowds. The date gained even greater significance because several major military victories in Maltese history occurred around September 8, including the end of the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. In parts of Italy, devotion focuses on Maria Bambina, Mary as a little child. Small statues show the infant Mary wrapped in swaddling clothes, sometimes resting in an ornate cradle. One of the best-known shrines to Maria Bambina is in Milan, where devotion to the image became especially popular in the nineteenth century. There's something charming about this feast because it celebrates no miracle Mary performed and no words she spoke. She's a baby. That's the whole point. The world didn't know it yet, but the little girl born to Joachim and Anne would become the Mother of God. Salvation history was quietly moving forward in a home where, as far as the neighbors could tell, a perfectly ordinary child had just been born. Holy Mary, whose birth announced the approaching dawn of our salvation, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Sorrowing Mother", today's news from the Church: "St. Pius X Against Half-Hearted Journalism", a preview of the Sermon: "Total Confidence in God", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Sorrowing Mother" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "St. Pius X Against Half-Hearted Journalism" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/st-pius-x-against-half-hearted-journalism-60892 "Total Confidence in God" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki was only twenty-two when she was killed, but by then she had already watched nearly every spiritual guide in her life suffer for the Catholic faith. She was born around 1611 near Nagasaki, Japan, into a Christian family. This was no longer the hopeful age when Saint Francis Xavier had first brought the Gospel to Japan. Christianity was now outlawed, missionaries were hunted, and Catholic families faced imprisonment, torture, or death. Magdalene's own parents were reportedly martyred while she was still young. She remained Catholic. Later, she came under the spiritual direction of Augustinian missionaries, including Saints Francis of Jesus and Vincent of Saint Anthony. She wanted to belong more completely to God, so she became an Augustinian tertiary, living a consecrated life while helping the underground Church. Then her priests were arrested and killed. Magdalene remained Catholic. She worked with two more missionaries, Saints Martin of Saint Nicholas and Melchior of Saint Augustine. They were killed too. At some point, hiding probably began to feel like simply waiting for the authorities to find her. So Magdalene did something extraordinary. She turned herself in. According to the traditional accounts, she appeared before the authorities wearing her Augustinian habit and openly declared that she was a Christian. She hoped that by publicly defending the faith, she might strengthen Catholics who were frightened into silence. The authorities subjected her to one of the most horrifying punishments used during the Japanese persecution, the ana-tsurushi, or "pit torture." The prisoner was suspended upside down over a pit, often with the body tightly bound and the head lowered into the opening. The torture could continue for days because the authorities wanted apostasy, not simply death. Magdalene endured it for nearly two weeks. Witnesses later remembered her remarkable composure. Even during the torture, she reportedly continued praying and singing hymns. Eventually she died in 1634, probably from suffocation after heavy rain flooded the pit. The authorities burned her body and scattered the ashes into Nagasaki Bay so Christians would have no relics to venerate. That didn't erase her memory. In fact, Nagasaki became home to one of the most astonishing stories in Catholic history. For more than two centuries after the missionaries were expelled, communities of hidden Christians, the Kakure Kirishitan, secretly preserved baptism, prayers, and fragments of Catholic tradition without priests. Magdalene never lived to see that. But she belonged to the generation whose courage made that survival possible. Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki, fearless daughter of Japan's hidden Church, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XV Sun of Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Resurrection of the Widow's Son", today's news from the Church: "The Hymn of the Society of Saint Pius X", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Resurrection of the Widow's Son" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Hymn of the Society of Saint Pius X" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/hymn-society-saint-pius-x-60879 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Blessed Liberato of Loro Piceno is one of those medieval Franciscan figures where the history is a little hazy, but the tradition surrounding him gives us a beautiful glimpse into the earliest generations after Saint Francis. Liberato lived in thirteenth-century Italy and came from Loro, in the Marches, the region facing the Adriatic Sea. Some traditions identify him with a nobleman named Liberato da Loro who gave up wealth and status to enter the Franciscan life. And this was still very early Franciscanism. Saint Francis had died only a generation before. His memory was fresh. Friars were still trying to figure out exactly what it meant to live his radical ideal of poverty after the order had expanded across Europe. Liberato wanted the simplest version possible. He withdrew to a small hermitage at Soffiano, in the wooded hills near Sarnano. There he lived with other friars in prayer, fasting, manual work, and the kind of poverty that had characterized the first companions of Saint Francis. The place itself is worth imagining. No great monastery. No elaborate choir stalls. Just a few friars living in the hills, trying to pray and stay out of everyone's way. One reason Liberato became remembered is his connection with an extraordinary medieval book, the Little Flowers of Saint Francis. A friar named Liberato appears in stories surrounding the hermitage of Soffiano, along with Brothers Humble and Pacificus. These accounts describe a small community marked by contemplation and mystical prayer. One particularly beautiful tradition says that Liberato received a warning in prayer that his death was approaching. Rather than being frightened, he prepared quietly, received the sacraments, and entrusted himself to God. After his death, devotion remained local but persistent. And that's fitting, because Liberato's entire life was local. The region around Loro Piceno and Sarnano is still filled with Franciscan history. Ancient hermitages, mountain sanctuaries, and little churches dot the landscape, preserving the memory of friars who deliberately chose places where almost nobody would notice them. Liberato never became a famous preacher like Saint Anthony. He never led the Franciscan Order like Saint Bonaventure. He didn't leave behind great books. Instead, he belonged to that quieter stream of Franciscan life: men who heard Francis say that poverty, prayer, and simplicity were enough, and then spent their lives trying to prove it. There's something refreshing about a saint whose great accomplishment was essentially disappearing into the hills to pray. Blessed Liberato of Loro Piceno, hidden son of Saint Francis and lover of holy poverty, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Lawrence Justinian / First Sat, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Recourse to God", today's news from the Church: "Education: An Agreement Between Parents", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Recourse to God" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Education: An Agreement Between Parents" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/education-agreement-between-parents-60845 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Lawrence Justinian became the first Patriarch of Venice, but he spent most of his life trying to avoid exactly the kind of attention that came with that title. He was born in Venice in 1381 into the powerful Giustiniani family. Wealth, connections, and a comfortable future were all waiting for him. As a young man, however, Lawrence became convinced that God was calling him somewhere very different. So he joined a community of canons living on the little island of San Giorgio in Alga, across the lagoon from Venice. His family wasn't exactly thrilled. According to tradition, when relatives tried to persuade him toward a prestigious marriage, Lawrence chose instead a life of poverty, prayer, and penance. Once ordained, he became known for walking through Venice begging alms for his community. That could be humiliating for anyone. For a member of one of Venice's noble families, it was especially noticeable. When people insulted him or refused him, he simply moved on. When they gave generously, he sometimes deliberately returned to houses where he had been treated badly, reasoning that begging was supposed to teach humility, not make him popular. Eventually, his reputation reached Rome, and in 1433 Pope Eugene IV appointed him Bishop of Castello, the diocese that then included much of Venice. Lawrence reportedly tried very hard to get out of it. He failed. As bishop, he lived with the same simplicity he had practiced in the monastery. He reduced unnecessary expenses, improved the formation of clergy, visited parishes, and quietly redirected money toward the poor. His episcopal household looked considerably less impressive than people expected from a Venetian bishop. Then, in 1451, something historically important happened. The old Patriarchate of Grado was reorganized and united with the Venetian see. Lawrence became the first Patriarch of Venice, beginning the line of patriarchs that continues today. Centuries later, three Patriarchs of Venice would become popes: Pius X, John XXIII, and John Paul I. Lawrence was also a serious spiritual writer. His works focused especially on prayer and the interior life, and people sought his advice because he had a gift for making deep spiritual ideas practical. When he died in 1456, devotion spread quickly. His body became an object of particular veneration and was preserved for centuries in Venice. There's something wonderfully Venetian about his story. Lawrence lived amid one of Europe's wealthiest cities, surrounded by merchants, palaces, ships, and political power. Yet right in the middle of all that splendor, he chose simplicity. He became important almost despite himself. And when the Church gave him greater authority, he simply found more people to serve. Saint Lawrence Justinian, first Patriarch of Venice and humble shepherd of the poor, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria / 1st Fri, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "Trust In Providence", today's news from the Church: "What "Communion"?", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "The Incarnation and the Virgin Birth", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Trust In Providence" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "What "Communion"?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/what-communion-60832 The SSPX Podcast: "The Incarnation and the Virgin Birth" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen & Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Ultan of Ardbraccan is one of those early Irish saints whose biography comes to us in fragments, but one particular detail makes him stand out immediately. He cared for abandoned children. Ultan lived in seventh-century Ireland and became bishop and abbot at Ardbraccan, in what is now County Meath. He belonged to the remarkable age of Irish monasticism when monasteries were not simply places where monks prayed. They functioned as schools, farms, libraries, hospitals, and centers of charity for the surrounding countryside. Then Ireland was struck by a terrible epidemic. A plague sometimes called the Buidhe Chonaill, or Yellow Plague, swept through the country during the seventh century. Among its victims were enormous numbers of adults, leaving children without parents to care for them. Ultan saw what was happening and stepped in. Later Irish tradition remembers him gathering orphaned children around the monastery at Ardbraccan and personally helping care for them. One particularly memorable story says that there were so many infants needing to be fed that Ultan devised ways of supplying them with milk, including keeping cows specifically for the children. It's a wonderfully practical image of sanctity. A bishop surrounded by crying babies, trying to figure out how to feed everybody. For that reason, Ultan became especially associated with the care of children and the poor. Centuries before orphanages or organized social services existed, monasteries like his often became the only safety net available when families were destroyed by disease or famine. But Ultan wasn't only remembered for charity. Irish tradition also describes him as a scholar and a collector of writings about Saint Brigid of Kildare. One medieval source even credits him with assembling hymns and accounts concerning her life. That gives us another glimpse of what an Irish bishop actually did in this period: care for the poor, govern a monastery, teach, preserve manuscripts, and somehow keep the local Church functioning. Even the place connected with him is interesting. Ardbraccan comes from the Irish Ard Breacáin, meaning the "height of Breacán." It became an important ecclesiastical center for centuries after Ultan's time. The old Diocese of Ardbraccan was eventually absorbed into the Diocese of Meath, but the area retained its religious importance long afterward. Very little of Ultan's personal story survives. But maybe the detail that survived is exactly the one worth remembering. When plague swept through Ireland and children were left with nobody to care for them, Ultan didn't write a treatise about the problem. He picked them up. He fed them. And he gave them a home. Saint Ultan of Ardbraccan, father of orphans and protector of abandoned children, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Pius X, 1st Class (SSPX), with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Meaning of Our Trials", today's news from the Church: "Ceuta in Turmoil: Can Christian Charity Ignore the Common Good?", a preview of the Sermon: "St. Pius X and His Example for Us", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Meaning of Our Trials" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Ceuta in Turmoil: Can Christian Charity Ignore the Common Good?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/ceuta-turmoil-can-christian-charity-ignore-common-good-60746 "St. Pius X and His Example for Us" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Pius X became pope in 1903, but he never really stopped thinking like the village priest he had once been. He was born Giuseppe Sarto in 1835 in Riese, a small town in northern Italy. His family was poor. His father worked as a postal carrier, and Giuseppe sometimes walked miles to school, reportedly carrying his shoes to keep from wearing them out and putting them on when he reached town. From parish priest to bishop, cardinal, and eventually pope, he kept moving upward through the Church almost despite himself. When he was elected pope, he reportedly protested that he was unworthy and begged the cardinals to choose someone else. They didn't. Pius chose as his motto: "To restore all things in Christ." And he got to work. One of his most important reforms affected something Catholics today barely think twice about: frequent Holy Communion. In many places, even devout Catholics received Communion only occasionally. Pius strongly encouraged frequent, even daily, Communion for properly disposed Catholics. Then he turned his attention to children. At the time, First Communion was often delayed until twelve, fourteen, or even later. Pius thought that made very little sense. If a child could understand the basic difference between ordinary bread and the Eucharist, why keep him away from Our Lord? In 1910, he lowered the normal age of First Communion to around seven, the age of reason. Millions of Catholic childhoods changed because of that decision. Pius also loved sacred music and wanted Gregorian chant restored to Catholic churches. He reformed seminaries, reorganized parts of Church government, promoted better catechesis, and began the enormous project of organizing centuries of canon law into a single code. But his pontificate also involved a serious intellectual battle. Pius saw Modernism as a threat that could hollow out Catholic doctrine from within by treating dogma as something that evolved according to changing religious experience. In 1907, he condemned these errors in Pascendi Dominici Gregis and required strong measures to prevent them from spreading through seminaries and Catholic institutions. Then came 1914. Europe moved toward war. Pius watched the crisis with horror and repeatedly urged peace. According to those around him, the prospect of Catholic nations tearing one another apart weighed heavily on him. He died on August 20, only weeks after the First World War began. There's a wonderfully tangible connection to him in Rome today. His body rests beneath an altar in Saint Peter's Basilica, dressed simply in papal vestments. Pilgrims still stop there to pray before the pope who wanted ordinary Catholics, especially children, to draw much closer to the Eucharist. And perhaps that's the simplest way to remember Pius X. For all the reforms, controversies, and enormous responsibilities of his pontificate, he wanted Catholics to know Christ, receive Christ, and build their lives around Christ. Saint Pius X, pope of the Eucharist and courageous defender of the faith, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Stephen, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Tribulations of the Holy Family", today's news from the Church: "Rosa Mystica Mission in the Philippines: Testimonies from Volunteers", a preview of the Sermon: "How to Live Free", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Tribulations of the Holy Family" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Rosa Mystica Mission in the Philippines: Testimonies from Volunteers" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/rosa-mystica-mission-philippines-testimonies-volunteers-60733 "How to Live Free" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Blessed Brocard of Mount Carmel takes us back to a version of the Carmelite Order that looked very different from the Carmelites we know today. No Saint Teresa of Ávila yet. No Saint John of the Cross. Not even the familiar Carmelite monasteries of Europe. Instead, picture a handful of Western hermits living in small cells scattered across the slopes of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Brocard lived around the beginning of the thirteenth century, during the Crusader period. Very little is known about his early life, and even some details of his later story come from Carmelite tradition rather than contemporary records. But he is remembered as one of the earliest leaders of the hermits on Mount Carmel, succeeding Saint Berthold. These men had gathered near a spring traditionally associated with the prophet Elijah. They lived separately in little cells, coming together for Mass and community prayer. And they had a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their small chapel was dedicated to her. Eventually, they needed something more organized. The hermits asked Albert of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to give them a formal rule of life. Around the beginning of the thirteenth century, Albert wrote what became the Rule of Saint Albert, traditionally addressed to Brocard and his companions. It's surprisingly short. Rather than creating an elaborate system, the Rule tells the hermits to remain in their cells meditating on the law of the Lord, pray the Psalms, celebrate Mass together, work, fast, keep silence, and obey their prior. That little document became the foundation of Carmelite spirituality. And here's the fascinating part. The order that would eventually produce Teresa of Ávila, Thérèse of Lisieux, John of the Cross, Elizabeth of the Trinity, and generations of contemplatives began with these mostly anonymous hermits trying to pray quietly on a mountain. Brocard's own life remained largely hidden. Later Carmelite tradition remembers him as a holy superior who guided the community through its fragile early years. Some accounts connect him with miracles and with dealings involving the rulers of the Holy Land, but the historical evidence is thin, so it's better not to make those the center of his story. The more interesting legacy is the place itself. Mount Carmel rises above the Mediterranean near modern Haifa, and Carmelites still live there. The Stella Maris Monastery preserves the order's connection with the mountain from which it takes its name. Brocard didn't leave us famous books or sermons. He helped preserve something quieter: a way of life. Eight hundred years later, Carmelites around the world are still living from it. Blessed Brocard of Mount Carmel, guardian of Carmel's first contemplative spirit, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >> - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Thoughts of the Heart of Jesus", today's news from the Church: "Defending the Liturgical Reform Despite a Crisis", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Audioboook Ch. 15 - Charter of Resistance", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Thoughts of the Heart of Jesus" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Defending the Liturgical Reform Despite a Crisis" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/defending-liturgical-reform-despite-crisis-stemming-novus-ordo-60728 The SSPX Podcast: "Audioboook Ch. 15 - Charter of Resistance" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Anna the Prophetess appears in only a few verses of Saint Luke's Gospel, but those few verses describe a woman who had spent almost her entire adult life waiting for one particular moment. She lived in Jerusalem and belonged to the tribe of Asher, one of the ancient tribes of Israel. Luke even preserves the name of her father, Phanuel, which is remarkable considering how little Scripture tells us about her. Anna had been married as a young woman, but her husband died after only seven years. And then she did something unusual. Rather than remarry, Anna devoted the rest of her life to God. By the time we meet her in the Gospel, she is an elderly widow, traditionally understood to be eighty-four years old. Saint Luke tells us that she "departed not from the temple," serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. Think about how many ordinary days that represents. She watched generations of families enter the Temple. She saw priests come and go. She watched children grow into adults and bring children of their own. And she kept praying. Then one day, an ordinary-looking young couple walked in carrying a baby. Mary and Joseph had come to present Jesus according to the Law of Moses. There was no royal procession. No crowd waiting for the Messiah. Just two parents carrying a child and making the offering of a poor family. But Anna knew. The elderly Simeon had already taken Jesus into his arms and proclaimed Him the salvation God had promised. Then Anna approached. Scripture doesn't tell us exactly what she said, which almost makes the scene more intriguing. We are simply told that she began giving thanks to God and speaking about the Child "to all that looked for the redemption of Israel." In other words, Anna became one of the very first evangelists. Before the Apostles. Before John the Baptist began preaching. Before Jesus had spoken a single public sermon. An elderly widow was already telling people that the Redeemer had arrived. There's another beautiful detail hidden in her name. Anna, or Hannah, means "grace" or "favor." Her father Phanuel's name recalls Peniel, "the face of God." Ancient Christian writers naturally saw something fitting there: Anna, after decades of prayer, was finally given the grace of looking upon the face of God in the Christ Child. And then she almost completely disappears from history. We don't know how long she lived afterward or what became of her. Perhaps that's appropriate. Anna's whole life wasn't about becoming known. It was about being ready. She reminds us that years spent quietly praying are never wasted. Sometimes God is preparing us for a moment we cannot yet see. Holy Anna the Prophetess, patient watcher of Israel and joyful herald of the Christ Child, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. <a href="https://sspx.org/en"...

It's the Feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Ritual Of the Miracle", today's news from the Church: ""I am the one you seek!"", a preview of the Sermon: "The Virtue of Obedience", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Ritual Of the Miracle" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption ""I am the one you seek!"" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/i-am-one-you-seek-60727 "The Virtue of Obedience" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne helped bring Christianity to northern England, and one of the best things about his story is that he got the job because somebody else was apparently terrible at it. In the seventh century, King Oswald of Northumbria wanted his newly recovered kingdom evangelized. He asked the monks of Iona in Scotland to send a missionary. Their first choice returned frustrated, complaining that the Northumbrians were stubborn and practically impossible to teach. Aidan listened and suggested that perhaps the missionary had simply expected too much too quickly. Maybe, he said, the people needed the "milk of simpler teaching" before they were ready for stronger things. The monks apparently looked around the room and thought: Fine. You go. So Aidan went. And he was exactly the right man. King Oswald gave him the island of Lindisfarne, just off the Northumbrian coast. There Aidan founded a monastery in 635 that became one of the great centers of Christianity in medieval Britain. At first, there was a language problem. Aidan spoke Irish. The Northumbrians spoke Old English. So Oswald, who had learned Irish during his years of exile, sometimes sat beside Aidan and translated his preaching for the people. It's a wonderful image: the king acting as interpreter for the missionary bishop. Aidan's own missionary method was remarkably personal. He preferred walking rather than riding horseback because it allowed him to stop and talk with ordinary people along the road. If they were Christians, he encouraged them. If they weren't, he gently introduced them to the faith. Someone eventually gave him a fine horse so he could travel more efficiently. Aidan gave it away to a poor man. When the donor complained, Aidan reportedly asked why the son of a mare should be valued more highly than a son of God. That pretty much ended the discussion. Aidan also used gifts from wealthy people to ransom slaves, and some of those freed men later became his students and eventually priests. His monastery at Lindisfarne became known as Holy Island, and its influence continued long after Aidan's death. Missionaries trained there traveled throughout England establishing churches and monasteries. Later, Lindisfarne would produce the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the treasures of medieval Christian art. Visitors can still reach Holy Island today by a tidal causeway. Twice each day, the sea covers the road completely, temporarily cutting the island off from the mainland. Pilgrims have to check the tide tables before crossing, which somehow feels appropriate for a place where monks once built their lives around rhythms of prayer and nature. Aidan died in 651, leaning against the outside wall of a church near Bamburgh. He had arrived among people another missionary considered hopeless. He simply approached them differently. Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, gentle Apostle of Northumbria and friend of the poor, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XIV Sun of Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Healing of the Deaf-Mute", today's news from the Church: "Leo XIV Consolidated Women's Access to Church Government", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Healing of the Deaf-Mute" — From the Assumption to Adventhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Leo XIV Consolidated Women's Access to Church Government" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/leo-xiv-consolidated-womens-access-church-government-60725 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Rose of Lima was the first canonized saint born in the Americas, but during her lifetime she was mostly known as a young woman who took prayer and penance much more seriously than anyone around her expected. She was born Isabel Flores de Oliva in Lima, Peru, in 1586. According to tradition, a servant once saw the infant's face mysteriously transform into the appearance of a rose, and the nickname stuck. Rose herself later took the name formally at Confirmation. She was famous for her beauty, which actually became something of a problem. Her family expected her to marry. Rose had absolutely no intention of doing that. When admirers praised her appearance, she deliberately tried to avoid encouraging the attention. Eventually she consecrated herself to God and became a Dominican tertiary, taking Catherine of Siena as one of her great models. But Rose didn't enter a convent. Instead, she built herself a tiny hermitage in her family's garden. There she spent long hours in prayer while still helping support the household by sewing, embroidering, and growing flowers to sell. She also turned part of the family home into a place where she cared for sick and poor people who had nowhere else to go. Her penances could be extremely severe, even by the standards of her time, and they're probably not the part of her life most people should try to imitate. What mattered underneath them was something simpler: Rose had an intense desire to belong completely to Christ. And she lived in an extraordinary Catholic city. Seventeenth-century Lima produced an almost unbelievable cluster of saints. Rose knew Martin de Porres, and she was confirmed by Turibius of Mogrovejo. Imagine having three canonized saints crossing paths in the same city within a single generation. Rose died in 1617 at only thirty-one. Her funeral became an enormous public event. Crowds filled the streets, and important officials reportedly helped carry her coffin because so many people already considered her a saint. Her canonization in 1671 was historic. She became the first saint canonized from the New World and soon became a patroness not only of Peru, but of the Americas and the Philippines. Today, visitors to Lima can still see the house where she lived and the garden connected with her little hermitage. One particularly beloved tradition involves a well there. Pilgrims write letters containing their prayers and intentions and drop them into the well, continuing a devotion that draws thousands of visitors each year. Rose spent much of her life trying to disappear into a garden and pray. Instead, she became one of the most beloved saints of an entire hemisphere. Saint Rose of Lima, first flower of sanctity in the Americas, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Beheading of St. John the Baptist, 3rd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: "Prayer", today's news from the Church: "Bishops Consecrated Clandestinely to Ensure "The Survival of the Church"", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Prayer" — From the Assumption to Advent https://angeluspress.org/products/assumption-to-advent "Bishops Consecrated Clandestinely to Ensure "The Survival of the Church"" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/china-bishops-consecrated-clandestinely-ensure-survival-church-60711 The Spiritual Life— Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Sabina is one of those early Roman saints whose biography is difficult to separate from ancient tradition, but whose name has been preserved in a very tangible way. You can still walk into her church in Rome. According to tradition, Sabina was a wealthy Roman widow who lived sometime around the end of the first or beginning of the second century. She belonged to the upper levels of Roman society and lived on the Aventine Hill, one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods. Her path to Christianity began through someone Roman society probably considered far less important: an enslaved woman named Serapia. Serapia was a Christian. Through her influence, Sabina became interested in the faith and eventually converted. It's a fascinating little reversal of the social world of ancient Rome. The wealthy mistress possessed money, property, and status, but the enslaved woman possessed the one treasure Sabina didn't have. She introduced her to Christ. Eventually Serapia was arrested for being a Christian and put to death. Sabina recovered her body and gave her an honorable burial. That was dangerous. In the Roman world, publicly caring for the body of an executed Christian could advertise your own allegiance. According to tradition, Sabina was soon denounced, arrested, and ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. She refused. Sabina was beheaded, probably sometime in the early second century, and Christians preserved her memory alongside that of Serapia. But here's where the story becomes especially tangible. About three hundred years later, a magnificent basilica was built on the Aventine Hill, traditionally over or near Sabina's home. The Basilica of Santa Sabina still stands today, and it is one of the best-preserved early Christian basilicas anywhere in Rome. Even its wooden doors are extraordinary. They date from the fifth century and contain some of the oldest surviving carved Christian scenes in the world, including what may be the earliest surviving public depiction of Christ's Crucifixion. Centuries later, Santa Sabina became closely connected with the Dominican Order. Dominic lived there, and the basilica eventually became the headquarters of the Dominicans. Saint Thomas Aquinas also taught there. So the memory of an obscure Roman widow ended up attached to a church that has witnessed nearly sixteen centuries of Catholic history. And perhaps the most interesting part of Sabina's story is still where it began: with Serapia. A woman with almost no social power helped convert a woman with enormous social privilege. Together, they became saints. Saint Sabina and Saint Serapia, courageous daughters of the early Roman Church, pray for us. • • • • • Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Augustine, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Means of Acquiring Humility", today's news from the Church: "Does the SSPX practice a "Free Examination" of Tradition?", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism: What Catholics Mean By Christ", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Means of Acquiring Humility" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Does the SSPX practice a "Free Examination" of Tradition?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/does-sspx-practice-free-examination-tradition-60713 The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism: What Catholics Mean By Christ" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Augustine may be one of the easiest saints to relate to because he spent a surprising amount of his early life knowing exactly what he should do and finding reasons not to do it yet. He was born in 354 in North Africa. His mother was Monica, whose years of prayer for her son we've already talked about. Augustine was brilliant, ambitious, and restless. He studied rhetoric, built a successful teaching career, and searched everywhere for answers, including philosophies and religions far outside Christianity. The problem wasn't that Augustine never thought about God. He thought about God constantly. He just wasn't ready for God to interfere with his lifestyle. In his Confessions, Augustine famously remembers praying, essentially, "Lord, give me chastity and continence... but not yet." That's Augustine in one sentence. Eventually he moved to Milan, where he began listening to Ambrose of Milan. Augustine initially went because Ambrose was famous as a speaker. Then, inconveniently, he started realizing that what Ambrose was saying actually made sense. His conversion finally came in a garden. Tormented by indecision, Augustine heard what sounded like a child's voice repeating, "Take and read." He opened the letters of Saint Paul and read a passage calling him to abandon his old life. That was it. The years of arguing stopped. Augustine was baptized by Ambrose in 387, with Monica finally seeing the answer to the prayers she had offered for decades. He eventually returned to North Africa, hoping for a quiet life of prayer and study. That plan lasted about as well as most plans to become a quiet saint. While visiting Hippo, Augustine attended Mass, and the local bishop mentioned that the Church needed another priest. The congregation apparently decided Augustine was the obvious candidate. They surrounded him and essentially pushed him toward ordination. He later became Bishop of Hippo and spent more than thirty years preaching, writing, debating heresies, caring for his people, and producing some of the most influential works in Christian history. His Confessions still feels surprisingly modern. Augustine writes openly about ambition, lust, friendship, grief, memory, temptation, and the strange ways we hide from ourselves. His famous line captures the whole journey: "Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee." Augustine died in 430 while Vandals were literally besieging Hippo outside the city walls. As his world collapsed around him, the former restless young man spent his final days praying the penitential psalms. He had spent decades searching everywhere for happiness. In the end, he found exactly where his mother had always told him it would be. Saint Augustine of Hippo, restless seeker who became a great Doctor of grace, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Joseph Calasanctius, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Priest in the Confessional", today's news from the Church: "In Cusco, Pachamama Precedes Leo XIV", a preview of the Sermon: "Lessons from the Good Samaritan", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Priest in the Confessional" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "In Cusco, Pachamama Precedes Leo XIV" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/peru-cusco-pachamama-precedes-leo-xiv-60650 "Lessons from the Good Samaritan" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Joseph Calasanctius discovered his life's work almost by accident. He was born in 1557 in Aragon, Spain, into a respected family. Intelligent and well educated, Joseph studied philosophy, theology, and law before becoming a priest. His abilities seemed to point toward a comfortable Church career, and eventually he traveled to Rome hoping to advance his position. Then he started walking through the poorer neighborhoods. What he saw changed everything. Rome was filled with children whose families simply couldn't afford an education. Many spent their days working, begging, or roaming the streets. Education was largely a privilege of families who could pay for it. Joseph began teaching some of them. Then more showed up. And more. Before long, what had started as a small act of charity became something much bigger. In 1597, Joseph opened a free school for poor children in the parish of Santa Dorotea in Trastevere. It is often described as the first free public school in Europe. His idea sounds completely normal today. At the time, it was radical. Joseph believed poor children deserved serious education, not simply enough instruction to keep them out of trouble. They learned reading, writing, arithmetic, religion, and practical subjects that could actually help them build a future. Eventually he founded the Piarists, formally the Clerks Regular of the Poor Schools of the Mother of God, a religious order dedicated specifically to educating children. And then everything nearly collapsed. Joseph was a gifted educator, but administration brought enormous problems. Internal disputes, financial troubles, and serious misconduct by some members of the order eventually reached Rome. Joseph, already an old man, was removed from leadership. The Piarists were stripped of their status as a religious order, and the work he had spent decades building seemed finished. Imagine being in your eighties and watching your life's work dismantled around you. Joseph didn't leave. He didn't become bitter. He simply continued serving the children and trusted that the work belonged to God. He died in 1648 at ninety years old without seeing the Piarists fully restored. Eight years later, the congregation was revived. Today, Piarist schools continue educating young people around the world. There's something wonderfully appropriate about Joseph's story. He spent his life teaching children that failure wasn't the end of their future, and then had to live that lesson himself. His rooms and the school connected with his work can still be visited at San Pantaleo in Rome, where his relics are venerated. Saint Joseph Calasanctius, patient teacher and father of the poor, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "Confession: Source of Light", today's news from the Church: "The Archbishop of Bourges on the Consecrations of July 1st (Part 2)", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Confession: Source of Light" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Archbishop of Bourges on the Consecrations of July 1st (Part 2)" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/archbishop-bourges-consecrations-july-1st-part-2-60595 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars found her vocation by noticing a group of people that almost everyone else had forgotten. The elderly poor. She was born in 1843 in a small village in Catalonia, Spain, into a large Catholic farming family. Teresa was intelligent, practical, and deeply religious, but figuring out what God wanted from her took time. She trained as a teacher and worked in education. She considered religious life and even spent time with the Poor Clares, but poor health forced her to leave. For a while, nothing seemed to fit. Then she met a priest named Saturnino López Novoa. He had become deeply concerned about elderly men and women who had reached the end of their lives with no family, no money, and nowhere to go. In nineteenth-century Spain, there was very little public assistance for someone in that situation. If your family couldn't care for you, old age could become frighteningly lonely. Teresa immediately understood the need. In 1873, she and a small group of women opened a home in Valencia and founded the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly. The name tells you almost everything about their mission. Teresa wanted the sisters to create something more than institutions where elderly people could simply be housed and fed. She wanted them to have homes. The residents were to be treated with affection, dignity, patience, and the kind of attention someone would give an aging parent. And apparently Spain desperately needed exactly that. The congregation grew at an astonishing pace. Teresa traveled constantly, opening new houses, training sisters, finding resources, and somehow keeping the original family spirit alive as the work expanded. Within only a few decades, houses had opened throughout Spain and beyond. Teresa herself wasn't physically strong. Her health had already interrupted one religious vocation, and the constant travel and responsibility took a toll. But she had an extraordinary ability to keep moving without becoming harsh or impatient. One of her favorite ideas was beautifully simple: "Let us care for the bodies in order to save the souls." She understood that feeding someone, changing a bed, sitting beside a lonely person, or listening to the same story for the tenth time could become genuine works of holiness. Teresa died in 1897 at only fifty-four years old. The congregation she founded didn't disappear with her. Today, the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly continue caring for older people in countries around the world. There's something especially timely about her story. A society can reveal a great deal about itself by how it treats people who can no longer produce, earn, or contribute in obvious ways. Teresa saw something different. She saw someone's mother. Someone's father. And above all, she saw Christ. Saint Teresa Jornet Ibars, loving mother of the abandoned elderly, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Louis IX, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Confession: Remedy for Sin", today's news from the Church: "Papal Infallibility: What Are the Limits?", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Abp. Lefebvre Audiobook Chapter 14: Superior General", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Confession: Remedy for Sin" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Papal Infallibility: What Are the Limits?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/papal-infallibility-what-are-limits-60640 The SSPX Podcast: "Abp. Lefebvre Audiobook Chapter 14: Superior General" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Louis IX of France is one of those saints whose life raises an interesting question: what does holiness look like when you are one of the most powerful people in Europe? Louis became king of France at only twelve years old in 1226. His mother, Blanche of Castile, governed while he was young and gave him an intensely Catholic upbringing. One line traditionally attributed to her captures that formation: she would rather see her son dead than know he had committed a mortal sin. Louis apparently took that seriously. As an adult, he built his day around Mass, the Divine Office, government business, and care for the poor. He regularly invited poor people to his table and personally served them. He founded hospitals and charitable institutions and was known for hearing the complaints of ordinary people who otherwise had little access to a king. There's a wonderful image associated with Louis as judge. Rather than always sitting in some intimidating royal courtroom, he sometimes heard cases beneath an oak tree at Vincennes. People could approach the king directly, explain their dispute, and ask for justice. Whether every detail of the famous image is literal or idealized, it reflects how medieval Christians remembered him: a ruler who believed kingship meant responsibility before God. Louis also left behind one of the most spectacular buildings in Paris. After acquiring what was believed to be Christ's Crown of Thorns and other Passion relics, he built the Sainte-Chapelle to house them. Walk inside today and the walls almost disappear behind enormous panels of medieval stained glass. It feels less like entering a stone building and more like stepping inside a jewel box. Louis himself often carried the Crown of Thorns barefoot during solemn processions. His reign also included two Crusades, and this part of his story was much less successful. During the Seventh Crusade in Egypt, Louis was captured along with much of his army and had to be ransomed. Years later, despite poor health, he attempted another expedition to North Africa. It ended disastrously. Disease swept through the camp outside Tunis, and Louis became seriously ill. He died there in 1270, reportedly lying on a bed of ashes and speaking of Jerusalem. One particularly beautiful piece of his legacy is the advice he wrote for his son. Louis told the future king to love God, avoid mortal sin, care for the poor, administer justice fairly, and accept suffering patiently. It reads less like political strategy and more like a father trying to teach his child how to get to heaven. That's really the key to understanding Saint Louis. He wanted to be a good king. But even more than that, he wanted to be a saint. Saint Louis IX, Christian king, defender of justice, and servant of the poor, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Bartholomew, 2nd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: "The Leprosy Of Sin", today's news from the Church: "Bishop de Castro-Mayer's Response to the Holy See's Secret Inquiry Into the Mass", a preview of the Sermon: "The Truth About Our Dark Side", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Leprosy Of Sin" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Bishop de Castro-Mayer's Response to the Holy See's Secret Inquiry Into the Mass" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/bishop-castro-mayers-response-holy-sees-secret-inquiry-mass-60625 "The Truth About Our Dark Side" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Émilie de Vialar was the kind of woman who saw suffering and had a hard time simply walking past it. She was born in 1797 in Gaillac, in southern France, into a wealthy family. Her mother died when Émilie was young, and as she grew older, her relationship with her father became difficult. He expected a fairly conventional future for his daughter. Émilie had other plans. She began quietly helping poor families, teaching children, visiting the sick, and using whatever money she could spare for people who needed it. Then, in her thirties, she inherited a substantial fortune from her grandfather. Most people would call that financial security. Émilie treated it like startup money. In 1832, she bought a house and gathered several women around her. Together they founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition, named for the Gospel scene in which the angel appears to Saint Joseph and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. The congregation took off remarkably quickly. Within a few years, Émilie was asked to send sisters to Algeria. She went herself. The sisters opened schools, cared for the sick, and worked among people of different languages, cultures, and religions. Soon new requests began arriving from other places. And Émilie kept saying yes. Her sisters eventually established communities throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, including Tunisia, Malta, Cyprus, Lebanon, Palestine, and Greece. Remember, this was the 1800s. Every new foundation meant ships, long journeys, unfamiliar languages, disease, unreliable communication, and political instability. There was no easy way home if something went wrong. And plenty went wrong. Émilie faced financial problems, opposition from government officials, disputes with Church authorities, and painful conflicts surrounding some of the communities she had founded. At one point, she even lost control of houses established through her own money and work. She kept going. That's probably the most impressive thing about her story. Émilie wasn't successful because everything worked out smoothly. She was successful because setbacks never convinced her that God had stopped asking her to serve. By the time she died in Marseille in 1856, she had helped establish dozens of houses in only twenty-four years. The congregation she began in one French home had already become international. And there's something fitting about Saint Joseph being at the center of it all. Joseph's own life repeatedly involved God interrupting his plans and telling him to go somewhere unexpected. Émilie understood that kind of vocation very well. Today, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition continue the work she began in schools, hospitals, and missions around the world. Saint Émilie de Vialar, courageous missionary and friend of the poor, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XIII Sun after Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "Our Native Misery", today's news from the Church: "Archbishop Lefebvre's Apostolic Journey - Part 4", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Our Native Misery" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Archbishop Lefebvre's Apostolic Journey - Part 4" (FSSPX.news) https://sspx.org/en/news/archbishop-lefebvres-apostolic-journey-part-4-60606 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Eugene of Ardstraw is one of those early Irish saints whose biography has almost disappeared, but whose name somehow survived for fifteen centuries. His original Irish name was Eoghan, which eventually gave us forms like Owen and Eugene. He lived sometime around the sixth century, during that remarkable period when Ireland was becoming filled with monasteries, schools, and missionary communities. According to tradition, Eugene's childhood took a dramatic turn when he was captured by raiders and carried across the Irish Sea to Britain. Eventually, he escaped. But something important had happened during those years away. Eugene had encountered monastic Christianity and received an education among religious communities. So when he returned to Ireland, he came back prepared to take part in the enormous missionary movement then transforming the island. Later traditions connect him with several famous centers of early Christianity, including the community associated with Saint Ninian in Britain and, back in Ireland, with Kevin of Glendalough. With saints from this period, it's difficult to separate every historical detail from stories added centuries later. But Eugene clearly belonged to the network of monks who moved between Ireland and Britain carrying books, learning, and the faith with them. Eventually he settled at Ardstraw, in what is now County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The name itself is interesting. Ardstraw comes from the Irish Ard Sratha, meaning roughly "height of the river valley" or "height of the strath." Eugene established a monastery there and became remembered as its first bishop. And the place lasted. Ardstraw developed into an important center of the Irish Church, eventually giving its name to an entire medieval diocese. Centuries later, that diocese was united with Derry, where Eugene also became honored as one of the local patrons. That's one of the fascinating things about these early Irish saints. They often didn't leave us books. They left us maps. Across Ireland, their names remain attached to villages, holy wells, ruined churches, islands, valleys, and entire dioceses. Sometimes that's the only biography we have left. Ardstraw itself still exists beside the River Derg. The monastery Eugene knew is long gone, but the place continues to carry the memory of the man who helped establish Christianity there nearly fifteen hundred years ago. For someone whose personal story is mostly lost, that's an impressive legacy. Eugene reminds us that we don't always know how far the work we begin will travel. Sometimes our job is simply to plant something worth preserving and let the generations after us carry it forward. Saint Eugene of Ardstraw, ancient shepherd of Tyrone and builder of the Irish Church, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin, 2nd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "On the Road to Heaven", today's news from the Church: "Archbishop Lefebvre's Apostolic Journey - Part 3", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "On the Road to Heaven" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Archbishop Lefebvre's Apostolic Journey - Part 3" (FSSPX.news) https://sspx.org/en/news/archbishop-lefebvres-apostolic-journey-part-3-60605 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrates something Scripture mentions almost in passing, but the Church has spent centuries thinking about. Twice in Saint Luke's Gospel, we're told that Mary kept the events surrounding Christ and "pondered them in her heart." And when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon told her that a sword would pierce her soul. Mary's heart, then, became a way of speaking about her entire interior life: her love for God, her purity, her sorrow, and especially her complete union with her Son. The devotion grew slowly. By the Middle Ages, Catholics were already meditating on Mary's joys and sorrows, but one of the great figures who gave the devotion a clearer shape was John Eudes. In fact, we met him just a few days ago. In 1648, he composed a Mass and Office honoring the Holy Heart of Mary and began celebrating a feast with his communities. That was more than two centuries before Fatima. Then came 1917. At Fatima, Our Lady told the three shepherd children that God wished to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart in the world. The children described seeing her heart surrounded by thorns, a striking image of Mary's sorrow over sin and her maternal concern for souls. The devotion suddenly took on a much greater urgency. In 1942, with the Second World War raging, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Two years later, he extended the feast to the universal Church, assigning it to August 22, the octave day of the Assumption. That placement was beautiful. August 15 celebrated Mary being taken body and soul into heaven. Eight days later, the Church honored the heart that had loved Christ so perfectly throughout her earthly life. In the traditional calendar, that remains the date of the feast. After the calendar reforms following the Second Vatican Council, the celebration was moved to the Saturday following the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That new placement emphasizes another important part of the devotion: the union between the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The imagery surrounding the Immaculate Heart is especially rich. Mary's heart is usually shown surrounded by roses, representing purity and love, but pierced by a sword, recalling Simeon's prophecy. At Fatima, the thorns surrounding her heart added another layer, representing the sins by which mankind wounds the heart of its Mother. So this devotion isn't simply about honoring Mary's emotions. It's about learning to love Christ the way she did. To keep His words. To ponder them. To remain near Him at the Cross. And to allow our own hearts to become more like hers. Immaculate Heart of Mary, burning with love for Jesus and compassion for sinners, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Spirit of Sacrifice", today's news from the Church: "The Archbishop of Bourges on the July 1st Consecrations (Part 1)", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Sacred Restorations: New Novitiate for the Consoling Sisters in Denver, CO", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Spirit of Sacrifice" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Archbishop of Bourges on the July 1st Consecrations (Part 1)" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/archbishop-bourges-july-1st-consecrations-part-1-60573 The SSPX Podcast: "Sacred Restorations: New Novitiate for the Consoling Sisters in Denver, CO" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Jane Frances de Chantal lived several lives in one lifetime. She was a wife, mother, widow, religious foundress, and spiritual friend of one of the Church's great saints. And much of her holiness grew out of a tragedy she never expected. She was born Jane Frances Frémyot in Dijon, France, in 1572. At twenty, she married Baron Christophe de Rabutin-Chantal. By all accounts, they genuinely loved each other. Jane managed the family estate, cared for the poor living nearby, and raised their children while her husband was frequently away. Then, after only nine years of marriage, everything changed. Christophe went hunting with a friend. During the hunt, the friend accidentally fired his gun, striking Christophe in the leg. He died several days later. Jane was devastated. She also struggled intensely to forgive the man who had killed her husband. This wasn't an abstract spiritual exercise. She knew him. She saw him. And for years, the pain remained. Eventually, Jane did something remarkable. She not only forgave him, but became godmother to one of his children. A few years later, another relationship changed her life. While attending a Lenten sermon in Dijon, Jane heard Francis de Sales preach. She immediately recognized him as the spiritual guide she had been praying to find. Francis, remarkably, believed he had already seen Jane in a vision. The two developed one of the great spiritual friendships in Catholic history. Under Francis's direction, Jane gradually discovered that holiness didn't require dramatic penances. He encouraged her toward patience, gentleness, and doing God's will in ordinary circumstances. Together they founded the Order of the Visitation in 1610. Their original idea was unusual. They wanted a community open even to women who were older, widowed, or physically unable to endure the severe austerities required by many religious orders. The sisters would combine prayer with works of charity. Jane understood those women because she had already lived through marriage, motherhood, grief, and middle age herself. By the time she died, she had helped establish dozens of Visitation monasteries across Europe. There's also a beautiful connection that Jane never lived to see. Fifty years after the order's founding, a young Visitation nun named Margaret Mary Alacoque would receive the famous revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The community Jane and Francis created became the home from which that devotion spread throughout the Catholic world. Jane died in 1641 after nearly seventy years filled with joy, loss, responsibility, friendship, and service. Her story is a reminder that God doesn't waste the different chapters of our lives. Marriage prepared Jane for motherhood. Grief taught her forgiveness. Widowhood opened the way to religious life. And all of it became part of her path to heaven. Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, courageous widow and gentle mother of the Visitation, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Bernard, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Renouncing Our Own Interests", today's news from the Church: "Unjustly Condemned: Respond With Charity", a preview of the Sermon: "The Letter Kills, The Spirit Gives Life", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Renouncing Our Own Interests" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Unjustly Condemned: Respond With Charity" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/unjustly-condemned-respond-charity-60596 "The Letter Kills, The Spirit Gives Life" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a monk who wanted a quiet life of prayer and somehow ended up advising popes, preaching crusades, settling Church disputes, and becoming one of the most influential men in Europe. He was born in Burgundy, France, in 1090 into a noble family. After the death of his mother, Bernard began seriously considering religious life and eventually decided to enter the new Cistercian monastery at Cîteaux. He didn't go alone. Bernard was apparently so persuasive that when he announced his decision, about thirty relatives and friends went with him. Brothers, cousins, and companions all followed. Family gatherings must have gotten noticeably smaller. The monastery suddenly had the opposite problem most monasteries have: too many vocations at once. A few years later, Bernard was sent out to establish a new monastery in a remote valley. The place became known as Clairvaux, the "Valley of Light," and Bernard would spend the rest of his life associated with it. He loved the simplicity of monastic life, but Europe refused to leave him alone. Kings asked his advice. Bishops sought his help. Popes called upon him to settle disputes. When rival claimants threatened to divide the Church, Bernard traveled throughout Europe persuading rulers and bishops to support the legitimate pope. One of his own former monks eventually became Pope Eugene III, which created the unusual situation of a pope receiving spiritual advice from his former abbot. Bernard could be forceful and controversial, particularly in his preaching of the Second Crusade. When that expedition ended disastrously, he carried much of the public disappointment himself. But the Bernard who appears in his spiritual writings feels surprisingly different. He wrote with extraordinary tenderness about Christ and especially about the Blessed Virgin Mary. Medieval devotion to Our Lady owes a great deal to him. The famous prayer Memorare has long been associated with Bernard, although historians do not believe he actually composed the familiar text. He did, however, preach beautiful sermons about Mary as the "Star of the Sea," urging Christians caught in temptation or sorrow to look toward her as sailors look toward a guiding star. There's another charming tradition about him. While praying before a statue of Our Lady, Bernard is said to have greeted her with the words, "Hail, Mary." The statue responded, "Hail, Bernard." True or legendary, it captures the affection medieval Catholics associated with his Marian devotion. Bernard died in 1153. The abbey he built at Clairvaux was later largely destroyed and, remarkably, part of the site became a prison after the French Revolution. Yet Bernard's words survived everything. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, preaching Doctor and devoted son of Our Lady, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. John Eudes, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Charity: A Virtue That Acts", today's news from the Church: "Bishop Schneider: The SSPX Provides the Church a Historic Service", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Charity: A Virtue That Acts" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Bishop Schneider: The SSPX Provides the Church a Historic Service" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/bishop-schneider-sspx-provides-church-historic-service-60603 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint John Eudes was one of the great missionary priests of seventeenth-century France, but his most lasting contribution came from something Catholics today take almost for granted: devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was born in Normandy in 1601 and entered the priesthood during a difficult period for the Church in France. Many Catholics received very little religious instruction, and the formation of priests could be uneven at best. John decided to go where the people were. For decades, he traveled through towns and villages preaching parish missions. These weren't quick Sunday sermons. A mission might last several weeks, with preaching, catechism, confessions, and instruction filling the day. Thousands sometimes attended, and John could spend hours in the confessional afterward. Then the plague arrived. When an epidemic struck Normandy, John volunteered to care for the sick. He knew that returning each evening to his religious community might expose the other priests, so according to tradition, he lived for a time in a large barrel or cask in a field outside town. It's an odd image. One of France's great future saints finishing a day of ministry to plague victims and going home to sleep in a barrel. But it tells you something about him. John also became convinced that reforming Catholic life required better priests. Complaining about bad clergy wasn't going to fix anything. So he founded seminaries to give young priests serious spiritual and theological formation. Eventually he established the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, known today as the Eudists, to continue that work. But his deepest legacy came from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Long before devotion to the Sacred Heart became widespread through Margaret Mary Alacoque, John Eudes was preaching about the Heart of Christ as the burning center of His love for mankind. He also taught that the Heart of Mary was perfectly united to the Heart of her Son. And he didn't stop at preaching about it. In 1648, John composed and celebrated a liturgical feast in honor of the Holy Heart of Mary. Later, in 1672, he established a feast honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus within his communities. He wrote the Mass texts and Divine Office himself. That makes him one of the great pioneers of two devotions that would eventually spread throughout the entire Catholic world. John died in 1680, but the prayers and liturgical texts he composed continued long after him. Today, the Church remembers him not simply as someone devoted to the Sacred Heart, but as one of the men who helped give that devotion its liturgical voice. Saint John Eudes, apostle of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Extent of Charity", today's news from the Church: "Read About God's Love for Us", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 13: Herald of Christ the King", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Extent of Charity" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Read About God's Love for Us" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/read-about-gods-love-us-60522 The SSPX Podcast: "Audiobook Chapter 13: Herald of Christ the King" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Macarius of Pelekete lived during one of those periods of Church history when possessing a religious image could actually get you arrested. He was born in the eighth century in the Byzantine Empire and was originally named Christopher. As a young man, he entered monastic life, received the name Macarius, and eventually became abbot of the monastery of Pelekete, near the Sea of Marmara in what is now Turkey. This was the age of Iconoclasm. Several Byzantine emperors had decided that sacred images of Christ, Our Lady, and the saints encouraged idolatry. Icons were removed from churches, destroyed, or burned. Monks were particularly troublesome to the government because many of them refused to cooperate. Macarius was one of them. To understand why he cared so much, it's important to remember that Christians weren't worshipping pieces of wood and paint. The controversy touched something much deeper. If Christ truly became man, then He really possessed a human face. Christians believed that depicting that face was a way of defending the reality of the Incarnation. So Macarius refused to surrender the icons. And it cost him. Under Emperor Leo V, the persecution became especially severe. Macarius was arrested and pressured to accept the emperor's religious policy. When he refused, he was imprisoned and tortured. Then something unusual happened. The emperor died. For a moment, it looked as though Macarius might finally be free. The new emperor, Michael II, released a number of imprisoned monks and churchmen. Macarius was brought before him and again encouraged to compromise. He still wouldn't do it. This time he was exiled to the island of Aphousia in the Sea of Marmara. After years of imprisonment, beatings, and hardship, Macarius died there around the year 830. His monastery has an interesting archaeological story of its own. Pelekete was one of several important monastic communities clustered along the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, a region filled with Byzantine monasteries before many disappeared through war, earthquakes, and centuries of political change. Ruins traditionally associated with the monastery survive near modern Tirilye in Turkey, giving us a tangible connection to the world Macarius knew. What makes Macarius especially interesting is that he died before the controversy was finally settled. He never lived to see the great restoration of sacred images in 843, when icons were solemnly returned to the churches of Constantinople. He fought for something he would never personally see restored. And yet, every time we enter a Catholic church and see a crucifix, statue, painting, or stained-glass image of a saint, we're enjoying a Christian inheritance that men like Macarius suffered to preserve. Saint Macarius of Pelekete, courageous defender of sacred images and steadfast monk of Christ, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Hyacinth, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Good Samaritan", today's news from the Church: "Bishop Strickland: "We must find the courage to speak of modernism as a living danger."", a preview of the Sermon: "The Greatest Privilege in Life", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Good Samaritan" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Bishop Strickland: "We must find the courage to speak of modernism as a living danger."" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/heaven-gift-never-right-60519 "The Greatest Privilege in Life" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Hyacinth is sometimes called the "Apostle of Poland," but that title almost undersells him. He was one of the great traveling missionaries of the thirteenth century, helping carry the newly founded Dominican Order across Poland, Prussia, Lithuania, and into the lands of Kievan Rus'. He was born around 1185 into a noble Polish family and received an excellent education. His life changed during a trip to Rome, where he encountered Dominic and saw the new Order of Preachers firsthand. Hyacinth joined almost immediately. Dominic personally gave him the Dominican habit and then sent him back north. That was quite an assignment. The Dominicans barely existed yet, and Hyacinth was essentially being asked to build the order as he traveled. He preached, established priories, trained friars, and kept moving. Tradition places his missionary journeys across an enormous portion of Eastern Europe. But the story everyone remembers about Hyacinth involves a burning monastery and a statue of Our Lady. According to tradition, Hyacinth was celebrating Mass in Kiev when invading forces entered the city. He grabbed the ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament and began fleeing the church. Then he heard a voice. "Hyacinth, are you going to leave me behind?" The voice seemed to come from a heavy stone statue of the Blessed Virgin. Hyacinth reportedly answered that the statue was far too heavy for him to carry. Our Lady told him to pick it up anyway. So Hyacinth took the ciborium in one hand, lifted the statue with the other, and carried both to safety. In some versions of the story, he and his companions then crossed the Dnieper River miraculously, walking across the water or using his cloak as a raft. That's why religious art often makes Hyacinth very easy to identify. If you see a Dominican holding a monstrance or ciborium in one hand and a statue of Mary in the other, you've probably found Saint Hyacinth. There's another unusual legacy attached to him. In parts of Poland, Hyacinth became associated with pierogi. A traditional Polish invocation, "Saint Hyacinth with pierogi!" recalls stories that he fed people during famine or after crops were destroyed by storms. Whether Hyacinth actually served medieval pierogi is impossible to establish, but it's hard not to love a saint who became associated with both Eucharistic devotion and dumplings. Hyacinth died in Kraków in 1257. His tomb remains in the Dominican church there, where pilgrims have honored him for centuries. His life left an enormous footprint. He entered an order that was barely beginning and helped plant it across a huge section of Europe. Saint Hyacinth, Apostle of Poland, protector of the Eucharist, and devoted son of Our Lady, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XII Sun of Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "From Jerusalem to Jericho", today's news from the Church: "Heaven Is a Gift, Never a Right", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "From Jerusalem to Jericho" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Heaven Is a Gift, Never a Right" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/heaven-gift-never-right-60519 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandfather of Our Lord, occupies a quiet but important place in the history of salvation. Much of the tradition surrounding him comes from early Christian writings, which describe Joachim as a devout and generous man who gave abundantly to God and to the poor. After years of childlessness, he and Saint Anne prayed and fasted for a child. Their prayers were answered with the birth of Mary, whom they later presented to God for service in the Temple. The Church’s liturgy has honored Saint Joachim for centuries, although his feast has appeared on several different dates. In the traditional Roman calendar, it is celebrated on August 16, immediately following the Assumption. That placement is significant. Throughout much of the Church’s liturgical tradition, Joachim’s feast has been deliberately placed near a feast of his daughter, emphasizing that his greatness as a saint is intimately connected with his fatherhood. The traditional Mass for Saint Joachim develops this theme beautifully. He is praised as the blessed man who fears the Lord, gives generously to the poor, and whose descendants will be blessed. The Gospel recounts the genealogy of Christ, reminding us that Joachim’s ordinary, natural fatherhood became part of God’s extraordinary plan for the Redemption. Perhaps the most beautiful image comes in the Communion antiphon, where Joachim is presented as the “faithful and wise steward” placed over his master’s household. He fulfilled that stewardship above all by preparing his daughter for God. Together with Saint Anne, he offered Mary to the Lord, helping prepare the woman who would become the Mother of God. Saint Joachim therefore offers a particularly powerful example for fathers. Fatherhood is a stewardship. A father receives his children from God, forms them, protects them, and ultimately prepares them not merely for success in this world, but for their vocation and eternity. And Saint Joachim’s fatherhood did not end with his earthly life. The Church asks for his paternal protection and intercession, confident that the father of Our Lady continues to care for the spiritual children of his daughter and grandson. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, 1st Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Listening to God", today's news from the Church: "Bishop de Sivry Visits a Camp of the Eucharistic Crusade", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Listening to God" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Bishop de Sivry Visits a Camp of the Eucharistic Crusade" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/bishop-sivry-visits-camp-eucharistic-crusade-60496 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The History of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary The Feast of the Assumption may feel like one of those celebrations that has simply always been on the Catholic calendar. And in a sense, it almost has. Christians were celebrating the end of Our Lady's earthly life many centuries before the Church formally defined the Assumption as a dogma. The earliest celebrations developed in the Christian East. By the fifth and sixth centuries, August 15 was associated with a feast commemorating Mary's death, or "Dormition," meaning her falling asleep. The emperor Maurice helped establish August 15 throughout the Byzantine Empire, and the feast gradually became one of the great celebrations of Eastern Christianity. But here's where the history gets interesting. Christians possessed tombs and relics associated with countless Apostles and martyrs. Yet there was no universally accepted shrine claiming to possess the body of the Blessed Virgin. Ancient traditions instead spoke of Mary's tomb being found empty after her death, because God had taken her body into heaven. Those traditions spread westward. By the seventh century, the feast was being celebrated in Rome. Pope Sergius I included it among the great Marian feasts marked by a solemn procession through the city. Over time, Western Christians increasingly called it the Assumption, emphasizing that Mary had been taken body and soul into heavenly glory. Medieval Europe absolutely embraced the feast. August 15 became one of the great holidays of the Christian year. Churches were dedicated to the Assumption, towns held processions, and artists filled churches with images of Mary being carried heavenward by angels. In many agricultural regions, the feast became connected with the blessing of herbs, flowers, and the first fruits of the harvest. The custom survives especially in parts of Germany, Austria, Poland, and central Europe, where elaborate bundles of herbs are still brought to church for blessing. France developed an especially interesting connection. In 1638, King Louis XIII solemnly consecrated France to the Blessed Virgin and ordered special observances of the Assumption each August 15. For generations afterward, great Marian processions on that day became part of French Catholic life. Then, in 1950, something happened that was actually quite unusual. Pope Pius XII formally defined the Assumption as a dogma of the Catholic faith in Munificentissimus Deus, declaring that Mary, "having completed the course of her earthly life," was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. The definition was new. The belief wasn't. By that point, Christians had already been celebrating Mary's Assumption for well over a thousand years. And that may be the most fascinating part of the feast. August 15 shows us how Catholic tradition often works. The Church prayed, celebrated, preached, painted, processed, and believed this mystery for century after century before finally defining formally what generations of Christians had already professed. Our Lady assumed into Heaven, Queen of angels and saints, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Vigil of the Assumption, 3rd Class, with the color of Violet. In this episode: the meditation: "The Mortification of the Tongue", today's news from the Church: "What Is the Doctrinal Credibility and Moral Authority of Cardinal Fernández?", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism #4: Why We Call God Father", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Mortification of the Tongue" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "What Is the Doctrinal Credibility and Moral Authority of Cardinal Fernández?" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/what-doctrinal-credibility-and-moral-authority-cardinal-fernandez-60492 The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism #4: Why We Call God Father" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Athanasia of Aegina lived in ninth-century Greece, and her story begins with something she didn't particularly want: marriage. Athanasia had hoped from a young age to dedicate her life completely to God. But her parents had other plans, and while still a teenager she was married to a young military officer. The marriage lasted only sixteen days. Her husband was killed during an Arab raid on the island of Aegina, leaving Athanasia a widow almost immediately. She still hoped for religious life, but circumstances intervened again. According to her ancient biography, an imperial decree encouraged unmarried and widowed women to marry soldiers, and Athanasia entered a second marriage. This time, however, something remarkable happened. Her husband began sharing her desire for a more serious spiritual life. Together they gave generously to the poor and opened their home to people in need. Eventually, with Athanasia's encouragement, her husband entered a monastery. Athanasia was finally free to pursue the religious life she had wanted for years. She gathered several other women around her and formed a small community. Athanasia became their abbess, but apparently she wasn't very interested in being treated like one. She insisted on taking her turn with the ordinary work. She cooked. She cleaned. She served the other sisters. And when someone tried giving her special treatment because she was abbess, she resisted it. Eventually the community moved to a more secluded location near an ancient church dedicated to Saint Stephen. Athanasia became known throughout the area for her prayer, charity, and spiritual counsel. People traveled to see her, which was probably frustrating for someone who had spent much of her life trying to get away from attention. One unusual tradition associated with Athanasia concerns her death. According to her early life, she had predicted the day she would die. She passed away around the year 860, but forty days later the sisters reportedly experienced a vision of Athanasia surrounded by heavenly glory. Later traditions also spoke of miracles and healings associated with her relics. Her island of Aegina has an extraordinary Christian history. Centuries after Athanasia, it would become home to another beloved Greek saint, Nectarios of Aegina. Even today, monasteries and small Byzantine churches dot the island, reminders of its long tradition of prayer. Athanasia's life took almost none of the turns she originally planned. Marriage, widowhood, another marriage, religious life, and leadership all arrived unexpectedly. Yet she found a way to serve God in every one of them. Saint Athanasia of Aegina, humble abbess and patient follower of God's providence, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Sin of the Ears", today's news from the Church: "Belgium: A Bishop in Favor of Married Priests", a preview of the Sermon: "Why Was Mary Assumed Into Heaven", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Sin of the Ears" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Belgium: A Bishop in Favor of Married Priests" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/belgium-bishop-favor-married-priests-60453 "Why Was Mary Assumed Into Heaven" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint John Berchmans is a refreshing kind of saint because, honestly, almost nothing dramatic happened to him. He didn't found a religious order. He wasn't martyred. He didn't travel to distant countries as a missionary. He never even became a priest. John simply became extraordinarily good at doing ordinary things well. He was born in 1599 in the Belgian town of Diest, the son of a shoemaker. His family wasn't wealthy, and as a teenager John sometimes had to work simply to continue his education. Eventually he encountered the newly founded Society of Jesus and became fascinated by the Jesuit way of life. His father wasn't thrilled. The family needed him, and joining a religious order meant giving up whatever career might have helped support them. John entered anyway, convinced that God was calling him. What happened next is almost wonderfully uneventful. John studied. He prayed. He served Mass. He helped around the house. He followed the community schedule. And he tried to do every one of those things as well as he possibly could. That became his spirituality. John believed you didn't need to go searching for enormous sacrifices if God had already placed a hundred small opportunities for holiness in front of you every day. He became known for saying, in essence, that his greatest penance was simply ordinary community life faithfully observed. Eventually his superiors sent him to Rome to study philosophy at the Roman College. John was an excellent student, but people remembered him even more for his cheerfulness. He wasn't gloomy or overly serious. He loved jokes, enjoyed friendships, and somehow managed to combine intense devotion with being genuinely pleasant to live with. Then his life ended almost without warning. After participating brilliantly in a public academic debate, John became sick with what was probably dysentery. Within days, it became clear that he was dying. He was only twenty-two. As death approached, John reportedly held three things close to him: his crucifix, his rosary, and the book of Jesuit rules he had tried so faithfully to live. That little detail really sums him up. There was no dramatic final sermon. No great unfinished mission. Just a young man who had tried to love God in whatever happened to be in front of him. His tomb can still be visited in Rome at the Church of Saint Ignatius, while his heart was returned to his native Belgium and is preserved in Leuven. For students especially, John Berchmans became a wonderfully approachable patron. His life suggests that sanctity doesn't always require doing something extraordinary. Sometimes it means doing your homework, showing up on time, being cheerful, saying your prayers, and doing today's duty well. Saint John Berchmans, joyful patron of students and saint of ordinary things, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is...

It's the Feast of St Clare of Assisi, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Detraction", today's news from the Church: "Faith in God Does Not Stop at His Unity", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Detraction" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Faith in God Does Not Stop at His Unity" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/faith-god-does-not-stop-his-unity-60477 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook: Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Lelia of Killeely is one of those early Irish saints who almost disappears into the mist of history. We don't have a detailed biography, famous sermons, or dramatic stories about her life. But we do have something very Irish: a holy woman, an ancient church site, a local tradition, and a name that has survived for well over a thousand years. Lelia, sometimes called Liadhain, probably lived sometime around the sixth century, during the great flowering of Irish monasticism. Tradition places her in County Limerick, where she is associated especially with Killeely. Even that place name tells part of the story. Irish place names beginning with Kil or Cill usually point back to a church or monastic cell. Killeely is traditionally understood as the "church of Lelia." So even though the details of her life have largely vanished, her name became attached to the landscape itself. That's quite a way to be remembered. Tradition describes Lelia as a consecrated virgin or abbess who gathered other women around her in a small religious community. These early Irish foundations were usually nothing like the enormous stone monasteries we picture from later centuries. Think instead of a small church, simple dwellings, gardens, animals, prayer, work, and a handful of women trying to build their lives entirely around God. One tradition also connects Lelia with Saint Patrick, although the chronology is uncertain and the details come from later accounts. That's fairly common with these early Irish saints. Their stories were passed down locally for generations before anyone thought to write them down. What is more tangible is the devotion that remained after her death. For centuries, people in the Limerick area remembered Lelia as their local saint. A holy well associated with her became a place where people came to pray, particularly for healing. Ireland is filled with these ancient wells, some of them preserving the memory of saints whose biographies have otherwise almost completely disappeared. And that's what makes Lelia interesting. We usually think someone has to leave behind books, miracles, or great institutions to be remembered. Lelia did none of those things, at least none that history preserved. Instead, she left behind a Christian community strong enough that people simply kept saying her name. A church carried it. A village carried it. Families carried it. More than a thousand years later, the name Lelia is still found in Ireland, particularly around the region connected with her devotion. Sometimes that's how the earliest saints survive. Not through history books, but through the landscape and the memory of the people who lived there. Saint Lelia of Killeely, hidden daughter of the ancient Irish Church, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "Liturgical Rituals", today's news from the Church: "John Senior: What the American Professor Thought About the Crisis in the Church (3)", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Episode 9, Chapter 12: In the Turmoil of the Council", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Liturgical Rituals" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "John Senior: What the American Professor Thought About the Crisis in the Church (3)" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/john-senior-what-american-professor-thought-about-crisis-church-3-59742 The SSPX Podcast: "Episode 9, Chapter 12: In the Turmoil of the Council" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2o\Donate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Clare of Assisi is often introduced simply as the female counterpart to Saint Francis. But Clare was no supporting character in someone else's story. She was strong-willed, remarkably determined, and spent much of her life fighting to protect one very simple idea: she wanted absolutely nothing except Christ. Clare was born in 1194 into one of Assisi's wealthy noble families. Her future was basically planned for her. She would marry well, raise a family, and remain part of the comfortable world of medieval Italian nobility. Then she heard Francis preach. Something clicked. At eighteen, Clare secretly left her family home on Palm Sunday night and met Francis and his friars at the little Portiuncula chapel. There, she exchanged her expensive clothing for a rough habit and had her hair cut short as a sign that she belonged entirely to God. Her family was furious. Relatives actually came to drag her home. Clare reportedly clung to the altar and revealed her shorn head, making it perfectly clear that she wasn't changing her mind. Before long, other women joined her, including her sister Agnes and eventually even her mother. Their community settled at San Damiano, the little church Francis himself had once repaired. Clare's version of Franciscan poverty was radical. She didn't simply want individual sisters to own nothing. She wanted the entire convent to own nothing. Church officials repeatedly worried that this was impractical and tried to persuade her to accept property that would guarantee the sisters a reliable income. Clare politely refused. For decades. She even obtained from the pope what became known as the "Privilege of Poverty," official permission for her community to possess no property and depend entirely upon God's providence. One of the most famous stories about Clare came when soldiers threatened the convent. Too sick to walk, Clare had herself carried to the doorway with the Blessed Sacrament. According to tradition, she prayed before the Eucharist, and the attacking soldiers suddenly withdrew. This is why artists often depict her holding a monstrance or ciborium. There's also a surprisingly modern connection to Clare. Near the end of her life, when illness prevented her from attending Mass, tradition says she miraculously saw and heard the Christmas liturgy projected onto the wall of her room. Because of that story, she was later named patron saint of television. Clare died in 1253 after more than forty years at San Damiano. Just two days before her death, Pope Innocent IV finally approved the rule she had fought so long to preserve. Visitors to Assisi today can pray before her incorrupt remains in the Basilica of Saint Clare and see the original San Damiano Cross that played such an important role in the Franciscan story. Saint Clare of Assisi, fearless daughter of poverty and lover of the Holy Eucharist, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Lawrence, 2nd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: "The Ritual of the Miracle", today's news from the Church: "The Deposit of Faith Does Not Change", a preview of the Sermon: "The Greatest Temptation for Good Souls", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Ritual of the Miracle" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Deposit of Faith Does Not Change" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/cardinal-fernandez-holding-pen-popes-francis-and-leo-xiv-60424 "The Greatest Temptation for Good Souls" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Hugh of Montaigu is one of those medieval bishops whose story begins with a family connection that could easily have defined his entire career. He was born around 1065 in Burgundy, France, into a noble family, and his uncle was none other than Saint Hugh of Cluny, one of the most influential abbots in medieval Europe. That's quite a shadow to grow up under. But the younger Hugh developed a reputation of his own. He entered the clergy, became deeply involved in the reforming life of the Church, and in 1115 was chosen as Bishop of Auxerre in Burgundy. The diocese he inherited needed work. Church discipline had grown uneven, monasteries needed reform, and some clergy had become far too comfortable. Hugh wasn't interested in simply occupying an impressive bishop's residence and enjoying the privileges that came with the office. He traveled throughout his diocese, corrected abuses, restored churches, and worked to bring monasteries and clergy back to a more serious spiritual life. And he wasn't afraid to get personally involved. One of Hugh's greatest interests was the rebuilding of the Cathedral of Saint Stephen at Auxerre. The earlier cathedral had suffered badly from fire, and Hugh helped begin the great reconstruction that would eventually produce one of Burgundy's most impressive churches. Parts of the medieval complex associated with his era can still be seen today. But Hugh's world was much bigger than Auxerre. He lived during the age of the Crusades, when pilgrims, monks, soldiers, and bishops moved constantly between France and the Holy Land. Hugh himself traveled to Jerusalem, something that required months of dangerous travel by road and sea. Medieval pilgrimage wasn't tourism. A bishop leaving France for Jerusalem had no guarantee that he would ever make it home. Hugh did return, and he brought that pilgrim spirit back into his work as bishop. He was also closely connected with the extraordinary monastic revival happening throughout Burgundy. Cluny was at its height, the new Cistercian movement was beginning to spread, and nearby monasteries were producing figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux. Hugh lived right in the middle of one of the richest periods of monastic history. He governed Auxerre for more than twenty years before his death in 1136. There aren't many spectacular miracle stories attached to Hugh. What remains instead is something more tangible: a diocese strengthened, monasteries reformed, and a cathedral rising stone by stone. That's not a bad legacy. Saint Hugh of Montaigu reminds us that sometimes rebuilding the Church looks exactly like rebuilding anything else: patiently repairing what has been neglected and leaving something stronger for the people who come after us. Saint Hugh of Montaigu, pilgrim bishop and patient builder of the Church, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of XI Sun after Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Healing of the Deaf-Mute", today's news from the Church: "The Apostolate in Africa – SOS Africa No. 23", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Healing of the Deaf-Mute" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Apostolate in Africa – SOS Africa No. 23" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/apostolate-africa-sos-africa-no-23-60421 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Nathy of Achonry is one of those early Irish saints whose life is partly hidden behind fifteen centuries of history. We don't have a long biography or a collection of his writings. What we do have is something interesting: the memory of a teacher whose influence lasted far longer than anyone could have expected. Nathy lived in Ireland during the sixth century, the remarkable age when monasteries were appearing across the island and Ireland was becoming one of the great centers of Christian learning in Europe. He became closely associated with Saint Finian of Clonard, one of the great teachers of early Irish monasticism. Finian's school attracted an extraordinary group of students, including several men who would later become famous saints themselves. Nathy belonged to that world of monks who treated learning, prayer, and missionary work as parts of the same vocation. Eventually, he established himself in western Ireland at a place called Achonry in County Sligo. And here's an interesting detail. The Irish name for Achonry is Achadh Conaire, usually understood as "the field of Conaire." What began as a small monastic settlement eventually became important enough that an entire Catholic diocese grew around it. The Diocese of Achonry still exists today, more than fourteen hundred years after Nathy's community first took root there. That gives us some sense of what these early Irish monasteries actually accomplished. They weren't simply quiet places where a handful of monks disappeared from the world. They became schools, churches, workshops, farms, libraries, and missionary centers. People settled around them. Children were educated there. Priests were formed there. Eventually towns and dioceses grew from them. Nathy became known as both abbot and bishop, serving as the spiritual father of the community. Later tradition also connects him with Fechin of Fore, another important figure in early Irish monasticism. There aren't dramatic stories of Nathy fighting kings or performing spectacular miracles. And that's actually what makes him interesting. His legacy is a place. You can still travel to Achonry today and find the ruins of the old medieval cathedral associated with the community that grew from his foundation. Nearby churches preserve his name, and the diocese continues under the patronage of the saint whose monastery helped begin it all. For a man whose personal story has almost disappeared from history, that's quite a legacy. Saint Nathy reminds us that sometimes the most important work we do isn't something people will remember our name for. It's simply building something good enough that others can keep carrying it forward. Saint Nathy of Achonry, teacher of monks and father of an enduring Irish Church, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. John Marie Vianney, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Prayer", today's news from the Church: "John Senior: What the American Professor Thought About the Crisis in the Church (2)", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Prayer" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "John Senior: What the American Professor Thought About the Crisis in the Church (2)" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/john-senior-what-american-professor-thought-about-crisis-church-2-59718 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint John Marie Vianney is remembered as the Curé of Ars, the little French village where he spent more than forty years as parish priest. But when he first arrived, almost nobody would have predicted that thousands of people would eventually travel across Europe just to stand in line outside his confessional. He was born in 1786, just before the French Revolution. As a child, John grew up in a world where Catholic priests were being hunted and Mass was sometimes celebrated secretly in barns or private homes. His family sheltered priests, and young John occasionally attended these hidden Masses. That experience stayed with him. He had seen what Catholics were willing to risk simply to receive the sacraments. John desperately wanted to become a priest. There was one problem. He was a terrible student. Latin was especially difficult for him, and at one point he was dismissed from the seminary because he simply couldn't keep up academically. A patient priest continued tutoring him, and eventually John was ordained. His superiors apparently weren't convinced they had ordained the next great theologian, so they sent him to Ars, a tiny village of only a few hundred people. John decided that if he couldn't impress people with scholarship, he could pray for them. He fasted, visited families, taught catechism, preached simply, and spent hours in the confessional. Slowly, the parish changed. Then word began spreading. People discovered that this obscure country priest had an extraordinary ability to understand souls. By the later years of his life, tens of thousands of pilgrims were coming to Ars annually. Special railway tickets were even sold for travelers going there. John sometimes spent sixteen hours a day hearing confessions. He also had a surprisingly intense spiritual life. For decades, Vianney reported being tormented at night by demonic disturbances, which he jokingly called the work of the "grappin," or grappling hook. Instead of frightening him, the disturbances eventually became almost useful. He noticed that particularly violent nights were often followed by the arrival of a great sinner seeking confession. His response was essentially: the devil is making noise because somebody is about to come home. John repeatedly tried to leave Ars for a monastery, convinced he wasn't worthy of his reputation. His parishioners repeatedly brought him back. Today, the little village he once considered insignificant remains a major pilgrimage destination. His incorrupt body rests in the Basilica of Ars, where pilgrims still kneel near the confessional in which he spent so much of his life. Saint John Vianney never became a great academic. He became something else entirely: a priest who made people want to go to confession. Saint John Marie Vianney, holy Curé of Ars and tireless physician of souls, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Caietanus, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Means of Acquiring Humility", today's news from the Church: "Cardinal Fernández Is Holding the Pen for Popes Francis and Leo XIV", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "The Roman Catechism—Episode 3: What Catholics Mean by Faith", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Means of Acquiring Humility" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Cardinal Fernández Is Holding the Pen for Popes Francis and Leo XIV" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/cardinal-fernandez-holding-pen-popes-francis-and-leo-xiv-60424 The SSPX Podcast: "The Roman Catechism—Episode 3: What Catholics Mean by Faith" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Albert of Trapani was one of the earliest great saints of the Carmelite Order, and for centuries he was actually one of its most famous. Today, most Catholics probably know Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, or Saint John of the Cross much better. But in medieval Europe, Albert was one of the names most closely associated with Carmel. He was born in Sicily during the thirteenth century, probably in the city of Trapani. According to tradition, his parents had struggled for years to have children and promised the Blessed Virgin that if God gave them a son, they would dedicate him to her service. Albert became that child. When he was still young, he entered the Carmelite Order. This was an interesting moment in Carmelite history. The order had begun among hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, but political instability had forced many of them westward into Europe. Albert belonged to one of those early generations that helped transform Carmel from a small group of hermits into an international religious order. He became especially famous as a preacher. Albert traveled throughout Sicily, preaching in towns and villages and developing a reputation for holiness that followed him almost everywhere. People came not only to hear him preach, but to ask for his prayers, particularly during illness. One of the best-known stories about Albert takes place in the Sicilian city of Messina. The city was under siege, and food supplies had become desperately low. People were beginning to starve. Albert celebrated Mass and prayed for the city. According to tradition, shortly afterward several ships loaded with grain somehow made it through the blockade and entered the harbor. For the people of Messina, there wasn't much question about whom they wanted to thank. Devotion to Albert spread rapidly. He became so closely associated with miraculous healings that a tradition developed around "Saint Albert's Water." Water blessed with prayers invoking his intercession was given to the sick, and the custom remained popular in Carmelite communities for centuries. There's another interesting piece of Carmelite history here. Albert was the first Carmelite formally honored as a saint by the order, so early Carmelite churches frequently placed his image alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary. Long before the later Carmelite saints became household names, Albert was one of the order's great heavenly patrons. His relics remain in Trapani, where devotion to him has continued for more than seven hundred years. Each August, his silver reliquary is traditionally carried through the streets, connecting modern Sicily with a devotion that reaches deep into the Middle Ages. Saint Albert's story gives us a glimpse of Carmel before Teresa, Thérèse, and John of the Cross, when the order was still finding its place in Europe. Saint Albert of Trapani, preacher of Carmel and friend of the sick, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 2nd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Fruits of Humility", today's news from the Church: "Numerous Conversions to the Catholic Church in Ukraine", a preview of the Sermon: "Avoiding the Sin of the Pharisee", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Fruits of Humility" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Numerous Conversions to the Catholic Church in Ukraine" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/ukraine-numerous-conversions-catholic-church-60425 "Avoiding the Sin of the Pharisee" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord celebrates one of the most breathtaking moments in the Gospel. For just a few moments on a mountaintop, the veil was pulled back, and three of the Apostles were allowed to glimpse the glory that had always belonged to Christ. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, traditionally identified as Mount Tabor. There, while they prayed, His appearance was suddenly transformed. His face shone like the sun, His garments became dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appeared beside Him, speaking with Him about the Passion that was soon to take place in Jerusalem. Imagine being Peter. One moment you're climbing a dusty hillside with your teacher. The next, you're standing in the presence of the glory of heaven. Peter was so overwhelmed that he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "Lord, it is good for us to be here." Then he suggested building three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The Gospel almost lets us smile at Peter's reaction. He didn't fully understand what he was seeing. He just knew he never wanted the moment to end. Then came the cloud. Throughout the Old Testament, the cloud was the visible sign of God's presence, leading Israel through the desert and filling the Temple. Now it overshadowed the mountain, and from it came the voice of the Father: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." The Transfiguration was more than a miracle. It was preparation. Only a short time later, these same Apostles would watch Jesus arrested, beaten, and crucified. Before they saw His suffering, Christ allowed them to see His glory. The Church has always understood the Transfiguration as a reminder that the Cross is never the end of the story. The feast itself has an interesting history. Christians in the East had celebrated the Transfiguration for centuries before it became a universal feast in the West. Then, in 1456, news reached Rome that Christian forces had won the decisive Siege of Belgrade against the advancing Ottoman Empire. The victory arrived on August 6, and in thanksgiving, Pope Callixtus III extended the Feast of the Transfiguration to the entire Latin Church. It's a fascinating connection: the Church chose to celebrate Christ's glory on the very day Christians believed He had dramatically intervened to preserve Europe. Today, pilgrims still climb both Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon, each traditionally associated with the Transfiguration. At the summit of Mount Tabor stands the beautiful Basilica of the Transfiguration, where Christians from around the world gather to remember the moment heaven briefly broke through into ordinary time. The Transfiguration reminds us that God sometimes gives us glimpses of His glory, not so we can stay on the mountaintop forever, but so we'll have the strength to keep following Him when the road leads back down into the valley. Lord Jesus Christ, transfigured in glory before Your Apostles, transform our hearts and lead us to the light of Your eternal kingdom. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of Dedication of Our Lady of the Snows, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Humility and Magnanimity", today's news from the Church: "The Entire Catholic Faith: Nothing Less", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Humility and Magnanimity" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Entire Catholic Faith: Nothing Less" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/entire-catholic-faith-nothing-less-60413 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Oswald of Northumbria was a king who carried a sword in one hand and a cross in the other. He lived during the seventh century, when Christianity was slowly taking root in England, and his greatest victories were not the ones he won on the battlefield, but the ones that helped bring the faith to his people. Oswald was born into the royal family of Northumbria, but his childhood was anything but peaceful. After his father was killed in battle, the young prince was forced into exile. He found refuge on the Scottish island of Iona, where the famous monastery founded by Columba became his home. That exile changed his life. Instead of growing up in a royal court, Oswald was formed by monks. There he learned the Catholic faith, was baptized, and developed the habits of prayer that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Years later, Oswald returned to reclaim his kingdom. Before one decisive battle, tradition says he raised a large wooden cross and helped his soldiers hold it upright while it was planted into the ground. Then he knelt before it and prayed, asking God not simply for victory, but for justice. His army won the battle, and Oswald became king of Northumbria. What he did next is what makes him a saint. Rather than using his new authority simply to strengthen his kingdom, he set about strengthening the Church. Wanting his people to know Christ as he had come to know Him at Iona, Oswald invited missionaries to Northumbria. The first struggled, but a monk named Aidan of Lindisfarne accepted the challenge. There's a wonderful detail that tells you everything about Oswald's character. Aidan spoke little English when he first arrived. So who translated his sermons? The king himself. Imagine that. After winning battles and ruling a kingdom, Oswald spent his time standing beside a missionary, translating the Gospel for his own people. It's hard to think of many kings who would have considered that one of their royal duties. Oswald was also known for his generosity. One Easter, while dining with Saint Aidan, he learned that a crowd of poor people had gathered outside the palace. He immediately ordered the meal prepared for the royal table to be given away and even had the silver serving dishes broken into pieces so they could be distributed among the poor. Oswald's reign lasted only eight years. In 642, he was killed in battle while defending his kingdom. Almost immediately, stories of miracles began to spread, and his reputation for holiness reached far beyond England. His relics were honored in several great churches, and for centuries he was one of the most beloved royal saints in Europe. Saint Oswald reminds us that leadership is measured not by power, but by service. The greatest king is the one who leads his people closer to Christ. Saint Oswald of Northumbria, holy king and servant of the Gospel, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Dominic, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Nature of Humility", today's news from the Church: "To Each Their Own Backpack", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography—Chapters 10 &amp; 11", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Humility of the Publican" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Slipyj case and episcopal consecrations without apostolic mandate" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/ "How to Profit from Everything" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Dominic is often remembered as the founder of the Dominican Order, but if you had asked him to describe himself, he probably would have answered much more simply. He was a preacher. Born in 1170 in Caleruega, Spain, Dominic grew up in a deeply Catholic family. As a young man, he studied theology and became a canon of the cathedral at Osma. He loved learning, but he never viewed study as an end in itself. For Dominic, the purpose of knowing the truth was to share it with others. One story from his youth says a great deal about the man he would become. During a severe famine, books were among his most valuable possessions. In the Middle Ages, a library represented years of work and enormous expense. Yet Dominic sold his books to feed the hungry, reportedly saying, "I could not bear to prize dead skins while living souls were starving." That balance never left him. He loved books. He loved study. But he loved people even more. Everything changed during a journey through southern France. There, Dominic encountered the Albigensian heresy, which had drawn many people away from the Catholic faith. He noticed something important. Many Catholic preachers traveled with large entourages and impressive displays of wealth, while the heretical teachers lived simply among the people. Dominic realized that if the Church hoped to win hearts, it needed preachers whose lives matched their message. So he began walking from town to town on foot. He preached in marketplaces, in homes, and wherever people would listen. He debated patiently, answered questions, and spent long hours speaking with those who had left the Church. His goal was never to win an argument. It was to win a soul. Out of that mission grew the Order of Preachers, known today as the Dominicans. Dominic wanted his friars to be men of prayer, study, and preaching, believing that good preaching begins on one's knees and is strengthened in the library before it is proclaimed from the pulpit. One of the oldest traditions connected with Saint Dominic is his deep love for the Rosary. Although historians continue to discuss exactly how the devotion developed, for centuries Catholics have associated Dominic with spreading the Rosary as a powerful way of meditating on the life of Christ through the eyes of His Blessed Mother. Whether preaching in a village square or praying quietly in a chapel, Dominic understood that truth and prayer always belonged together. Today, pilgrims can visit the Basilica of Saint Dominic, where his tomb has drawn visitors for more than eight hundred years. Many of the Church's greatest theologians, including Saint Thomas Aquinas, walked in Dominic's footsteps, carrying forward the mission he began. Saint Dominic reminds us that the truth is never something to keep to ourselves. It is a gift meant to be shared with charity, humility, and joy. Saint Dominic, preacher of the Gospel and father of the Order of Preachers, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Humility of the Publican", today's news from the Church: "The Slipyj case and episcopal consecrations without apostolic mandate", a preview of the Sermon: "How to Profit from Everything", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Humility of the Publican" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "The Slipyj case and episcopal consecrations without apostolic mandate" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/ "How to Profit from Everything" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Nicodemus is one of the most intriguing figures in the Gospel because we watch his faith grow slowly. He doesn't appear as a bold disciple from the very beginning. Instead, we see a man searching, questioning, and gradually finding the courage to follow Christ. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council in Jerusalem. He was also one of the most respected teachers in Israel. Humanly speaking, he had everything to lose by associating himself with Jesus. That's probably why his first visit happened at night. The Gospel of Saint John tells us that Nicodemus came quietly to speak with Jesus, asking questions that had likely been stirring in his heart for some time. It was during that unforgettable conversation that Christ spoke the words every Christian has heard: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." For years I imagined Nicodemus walking away that night completely confused. Maybe he was. But he also kept thinking about what he had heard. The next time Nicodemus appears in Scripture, the religious leaders are attacking Jesus and looking for ways to arrest Him. Nicodemus doesn't suddenly become fearless, but he does something important. He speaks up. Quietly, cautiously, he reminds the council that Jewish law requires a man to be heard before being condemned. It's a small step. But sometimes that's how faith grows. Then comes the moment that reveals just how far Nicodemus has come. After the Crucifixion, when nearly everyone else has disappeared, Nicodemus walks openly to Calvary with Joseph of Arimathea. Together they ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Nicodemus brings an astonishing amount of myrrh and aloes, nearly one hundred Roman pounds, enough to prepare the burial of a king. The man who first came to Jesus under cover of darkness is now publicly honoring Him in broad daylight. Ancient Christian tradition says that Nicodemus was eventually baptized by the Apostles and suffered greatly for his faith. Some accounts say he was driven from Jerusalem and lost his position because of his conversion. Whether every detail can be historically confirmed or not, Christians have long remembered him as a disciple whose quiet search for truth eventually became courageous faith. Visitors to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre can still stand near the Stone of Anointing, where tradition remembers Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea preparing the body of Christ for burial. It's a moving reminder that one of the final acts of love shown to Our Lord came from the man who had once been too cautious to visit Him except at night. Saint Nicodemus, seeker of truth and faithful disciple of Christ, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the X Sunday after Pentecost, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Pride of the Pharisee", today's news from the Church: "We need cement… and a lot of generosity!", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Pride of the Pharisee" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "We need cement… and a lot of generosity!" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/ The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula celebrates one of the smallest churches in the world, a tiny chapel that became the heart of the Franciscan movement and one of the most beloved shrines in Christian history. The Portiuncula, whose name simply means "the little portion," stood just outside the walls of Assisi. By the time Francis of Assisi first discovered it around the year 1205, the little chapel had fallen into disrepair. Its roof leaked, its walls were crumbling, and it had been largely forgotten. Francis loved it immediately. At first, he simply repaired the building with his own hands, believing that was what God had asked him to do. Only later did he realize that God was calling him to rebuild something much greater: the Church herself through a life of poverty, joy, and fidelity to the Gospel. The tiny chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels became the birthplace of the Franciscan Order. It was there that Francis welcomed his first companions. It was there that Saint Clare received her religious habit, beginning the Poor Clares. It was there that Francis gathered his friars for their annual meetings, sometimes with thousands of brothers camping in the surrounding fields because the little chapel was far too small to hold them all. In many ways, the Portiuncula became Francis' earthly home. It was also there that one of the Church's best-loved indulgences began. According to Franciscan tradition, while praying in the little chapel, Saint Francis received a vision of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by angels. He asked not for wealth, influence, or privileges for himself, but for a complete remission of temporal punishment for those who would visit the chapel with sincere repentance and confession. Pope Honorius III granted the request, establishing what became known as the Portiuncula Indulgence. Today, Catholics throughout the world can receive that same indulgence on August 2 by visiting a parish church under the usual conditions, a beautiful reminder that God's mercy is never confined to one place. Perhaps the most touching detail is how Francis wanted his own life to end. In 1226, as death approached, he asked to be carried back to the Portiuncula. There, lying on the bare ground of the little chapel he loved so dearly, he quietly returned his soul to God. Today, pilgrims visiting Assisi experience something remarkable. Instead of finding the tiny chapel standing alone, they discover that centuries later an enormous basilica was built around it. The little church still stands exactly where Francis knew it, protected inside the vast Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, reminding visitors that sometimes the greatest movements in history begin in the smallest places. Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula, Mother of the Franciscan family, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of BVM On Saturdays, 4th Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Deep Contrition", today's news from the Church: "Ecône 2026: The Story of a Polish Pilgrim", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Deep Contrition" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Ecône 2026: The Story of a Polish Pilgrim" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/econe-2026-story-polish-pilgrim-60348 The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook The Holy Maccabees are unique among the saints honored by the Church because they lived before the birth of Christ. They were faithful Jews of the Old Covenant, yet the Church has venerated them from the earliest centuries as martyrs whose courage pointed forward to the coming of the Savior. Their story takes place about 170 years before Christ, when the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to erase the Jewish faith. He outlawed the worship of the true God, desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, and ordered the Jewish people to abandon the Law of Moses. It was one of the darkest moments in Israel's history. Among those brought before the king was an elderly man named Eleazar, whose story is remembered just before that of the Maccabees. Rather than pretend to obey the king in order to save his life, Eleazar refused, saying he would not leave a bad example for the young. Then came the family the Church remembers today. A mother and her seven sons were arrested and ordered to violate God's law by eating meat that had been sacrificed contrary to the Law of Moses. One after another, each son refused. One after another, each was tortured and killed before the eyes of his mother. It's difficult even to imagine. The king hoped that watching her children die would finally break the mother's resolve. Instead, she encouraged them. The Book of Second Maccabees records some of the most moving words in all of the Old Testament. She reminded her sons that God had given them life and that He was able to restore it again. Long before Christ's Resurrection, this remarkable woman expressed a profound hope in the resurrection of the dead, trusting that fidelity to God was worth more than earthly life itself. Finally, she too accepted death rather than betray the Lord. The Church has always seen the Holy Maccabees as foreshadowing the Christian martyrs who would later die for Christ. They did not know the name of Jesus, yet they gave everything for the God who would one day send His Son into the world. Their witness became so respected that churches were dedicated to them in the early centuries of Christianity, including shrines in Antioch, Constantinople, and Rome. Their story also reminds us that the belief in the resurrection did not suddenly appear in the New Testament. It was already burning brightly in the hearts of faithful Jews who trusted that God would not abandon those who remained loyal to Him. More than two thousand years later, the courage of the Holy Maccabees still speaks to every generation. They remind us that faith is most convincing when it costs us something. Holy Maccabees, steadfast witnesses to the living God, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "The Grace of Remorse", today's news from the Church: "Eucharistic Crusade Camps 2026", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism Series Episode 2 - How Not to Use the Catechism", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "The Grace of Remorse" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Eucharistic Crusade Camps 2026" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/eucharistic-crusade-camps-2026-60328 The SSPX Podcast: "Catechism Series Episode 2 - How Not to Use the Catechism" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Ignatius of Loyola probably never imagined that a cannonball would become the turning point of his life. He was born in 1491 into a noble Basque family in northern Spain and grew up dreaming of adventure. As a young man, Ignatius loved the ideals of knighthood. He enjoyed military life, courtly manners, and the pursuit of honor. If you had asked him what he wanted from life, he likely would have spoken about glory, reputation, and serving his king. Then, in 1521, everything changed. While defending the fortress of Pamplona against a French army, a cannonball shattered one of his legs and badly injured the other. His military career was over. During the long and painful months of recovery, Ignatius asked for books about knights and heroic adventures. None could be found. Instead, he was given a Life of Christ and a collection of stories about the saints. At first, he read them simply to pass the time. But something unexpected happened. He noticed that when he imagined returning to his old life, the excitement quickly faded. When he imagined living like the saints, the joy lingered. That simple observation became the beginning of one of the most influential spiritual insights in Christian history: learning to recognize the movements of the soul and the ways God gently draws us toward Himself. After recovering, Ignatius laid his sword before an image of the Blessed Virgin at the monastery of Montserrat and exchanged his noble clothing for the simple garments of a pilgrim. He spent nearly a year in the nearby town of Manresa, where long hours of prayer, penance, and reflection became the foundation of what would later become his famous Spiritual Exercises. More than four hundred years later, those retreats are still helping Catholics hear God's voice and discern His will. Ignatius eventually gathered a small group of companions, including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber. Together they founded the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. Their mission was simple but ambitious: go wherever the Church needed them most. Within a generation, Jesuit missionaries were preaching in India, Japan, Brazil, Africa, and throughout Europe, founding schools, advising rulers, and carrying the Gospel farther than Ignatius could ever have imagined. Visitors to Rome can still pray in the Church of the Gesù, where the body of Saint Ignatius rests beneath an ornate altar. Nearby is the small room where he lived and governed the rapidly growing Jesuit order. It's a surprisingly modest place for a man whose spiritual vision changed the course of Catholic history. Ignatius often prayed, "Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will." It was a fitting prayer for a man who discovered that the greatest victories are won not on the battlefield, but in surrendering completely to God. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, master of discernment and soldier of Christ, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's a Feria, 4th Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: "A False Peace of the Devil", today's news from the Church: "A Priest at the Scene of a Fatal Road Accident", a preview of the Sermon: "Meekness, Tolerance, and Christian Charity—Part 2", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "A False Peace of the Devil" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "A Priest at the Scene of a Fatal Road Accident" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/rome-condemns-yet-stays-silent-60314 "Meekness, Tolerance, and Christian Charity—Part 2" (SSPX Sermons) SSPX YouTube: Sermons PlaylistListen &amp; Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saints Abdon and Sennen are among the most mysterious saints in the Church's calendar. We know very little about the details of their lives, yet Christians have honored them for well over sixteen hundred years. Sometimes that surprises people. But it also reminds us that the Church doesn't canonize biographies. She honors holiness. Ancient tradition tells us that Abdon and Sennen were noblemen from Persia, far to the east of the Roman Empire. During one of Rome's wars against the Persians, they were taken captive and eventually brought to Rome as prisoners. Most prisoners would have been thinking about survival. Abdon and Sennen were thinking about the Christians. Tradition says they quietly devoted themselves to burying fellow believers who had been martyred, giving dignity to those whose bodies had been discarded after execution. In the early Church, this was considered one of the great corporal works of mercy, but it was also dangerous. Associating yourself with condemned Christians could easily place your own life at risk. Eventually it did. When the two men refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods, they were publicly condemned. Ancient accounts describe them first being forced into the arena before wild animals. According to the tradition, the animals would not attack them. They were then executed by the sword, receiving the martyr's crown during the reign of Emperor Decius around the middle of the third century. Their story might have disappeared into history were it not for what happened afterward. Christians recovered their bodies and buried them in the Catacombs of Pontian on the Via Portuensis outside Rome. Centuries later, when archaeologists explored those catacombs, they discovered frescoes depicting the two saints, confirming that devotion to Abdon and Sennen reached back to the earliest generations of Christians. Their names eventually spread far beyond Rome. During the Middle Ages, churches dedicated to them appeared throughout France, Germany, Spain, and England. Farmers in particular developed a strong devotion to the two martyrs, asking their intercession during harvest season. In some parts of Europe, July 30 became affectionately known as the feast of the "Corn Saints," reflecting the time of year when grain was being gathered from the fields. It's fascinating that two men who arrived in Rome as forgotten prisoners became remembered across Europe for more than a millennium. Their lives remind us that earthly fame fades quickly, but even the smallest acts of charity offered for Christ are never forgotten by God. Saints Abdon and Sennen, noble martyrs and faithful friends of the forgotten, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org

It's the Feast of St Martha, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: "Blindness: A Divine Punishment", today's news from the Church: "Rome Condemns Yet Stays Silent", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Sacred Restorations: Episode 5—Assumption Academy", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [email protected] Sources Used Today: "Blindness: A Divine Punishment" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumptionhttps://angeluspress.org/products/from-trinity-sunday-to-the-assumption "Rome Condemns Yet Stays Silent" (FSSPX.news) https://fsspx.news/en/news/rome-condemns-yet-stays-silent-60314 The SSPX Podcast: "Sacred Restorations: Episode 5—Assumption Academy" (SSPX Podcast) View on YouTubeListen &amp; Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press) https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook! Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Wp4MQdK2oDonate:https://sspx.gifts/audiobook Saint Martha may be the most misunderstood woman in the Gospel. Most people know her from a single scene. Jesus is visiting her home. Martha is busy preparing the meal, cleaning the house, making sure everyone is cared for, while her sister Mary simply sits at the Lord's feet listening to Him. Finally, Martha reaches her breaking point. "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?" If we're honest... Most of us sympathize with Martha. After all, somebody had to make dinner. Somebody had to welcome the guests. Somebody had to make sure the household kept running. Jesus' answer can almost seem unfair. "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the better part." Was Jesus criticizing hard work? Not at all. In fact, Martha appears several times in the Gospel, and every time we meet her, she's serving others. That wasn't her problem. The problem wasn't that she was working. It was that her work had begun stealing her peace. She was so occupied with serving Christ that, for a moment, she stopped simply being with Him. That's a lesson many of us still need. The home at Bethany seems to have been one of Jesus' favorite places to visit. Whenever He traveled near Jerusalem, He often stayed with Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Imagine that. The Son of God had a place where He felt at home, where He could enjoy a meal, conversation, and the friendship of people who loved Him. The Gospels give us a glimpse of that friendship after Lazarus dies. When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Martha doesn't hesitate to meet Him. She doesn't begin with small talk. She tells Him exactly what she's feeling: "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died." It's one of the most honest conversations in Scripture. And notice something remarkable. It is Martha, not Mary, who makes one of the clearest professions of faith in the entire Gospel. Before Lazarus is raised from the dead, she tells Jesus: "I have believed that Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." That confession stands alongside Peter's great profession of faith. Ancient tradition holds that after the Resurrection, persecution forced Martha, Mary, and Lazarus to leave the Holy Land. According to the long-held tradition of southern France, they landed in Provence, where Martha eventually settled in the town now called Tarascon. There another beloved legend grew up around her. The people were being terrorized by a fierce creature known as the Tarasque. Rather than fighting it with weapons, Martha is said to have calmed it with prayer and the sign of the Cross, leading it peacefully back to the town. Whether history or legend, the story beautifully reflects the woman we meet in the Gospel: someone whose strength came not from force, but from faith. Perhaps that's why Martha continues to speak to so many people today. She reminds us that serving Christ is a beautiful thing, but we can never become so busy working for Him that we forget to spend time with Him. Saint Martha, faithful friend of Christ and joyful hostess of Bethany, pray for us. Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation &gt;&gt; - - - - - - Explore more: Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodesSubscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and SermonsFSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.newsVisit the US District website:https://sspx.org/ What is the SSPX Podcast? The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition. &nbsp; What is the SSPX? The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls. Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it. https://sspx.org