The Fatima Center

In a world gone mad, the word "Catholic" begins to lose its meaning.

Wherever you go, preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words. St. Francis of Assisi (Photo courtesy of BSonne CC BY-SA 3.0)

THE STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS by St. Bonaventure Two years before the faithful servant and minister of Christ, Francis, gave up his spirit to God, he retired alone into a high place, which is called Mount Alvernia, and began a forty-days fast in honor of the Archangel St. Michael. ...Continue reading

SAINT OF THE DAY Today is the feast of the Impression of the Holy Stigmata (the five wounds of Jesus Crucified) on the body of St. Francis of Assisi. By this event -- which took place on September 14 (the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross), 1224, just two years before the Saints death -- the divine work was perfected, of creating in Francis a living manifestation to the world of Christs poor and suffering life on earth. May his prayers preserve us!

Chris Ferrara Politics, and politics alone, is behind the mask mania that has suddenly gripped the nation. The Mask is not a health measure but a political emblem assiduously displayed as a virtue signal on the faces of every one of the left-wing marchers and rioters in the cities, and now demanded of everyone else as a sign of submission to what the rioters seek.

Only Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima can deliver us from the hell-on-earth of worldwide Communist subjugation.

THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. CYPRIAN by Dom Gueranger Great in his life, Cyprian was still greater in death. Valerian, had given orders for the extermination of the principal clergy; and in Rome, Sixtus II, followed by Laurence, had led the way to martyrdom. ... Galerius Maximus, proconsul of Africa, was then holding his assizes at Utica, and commanded Cyprian to be brought before him. But the bishop would not allow the "honor of his Church to be mutilated" by dying at a distance from his Episcopal city. He therefore waited till the proconsul had returned to Carthage, and then delivered himself up by making a public entrance into the town. In the house which served for a few hours as his prison, Cyprian, calm and unmoved, gathered his friends and family for the last time round his table. The Christians hastened from all parts to spend the night with their pastor and father. Thus, while he yet lived, they kept the first vigil of his future feast. When, in the morning, he was led before the proconsul, they offered him an arm-chair draped like a bishops seat. It was indeed the beginning of an Episcopal function, the pontiffs own peculiar office being to give his life for the Church, in union with the eternal High-Priest. The interrogation was short, for there was no hope of shaking his constancy; and the judge pronounced sentence that Cyprian must die by the sword. On the way to the place of execution, the soldiers formed a guard of honor to the bishop, who advanced calmly, surrounded by his clergy as on days of solemnity. Deep emotion stirred the immense crowd of friends and enemies who had assembled to assist at the sacrifice. The hour had come. The pontiff prayed prostrate upon the ground; then rising and taking off his tunic, he handed it to the deacons. He himself tied the bandage over his eyes. A priest, assisted by a subdeacon, bound his hands, while the people spread linen cloths around him to receive his blood. Not until the bishop himself had given the word of command, did the trembling executioner lower his sword. In the evening, the faithful came with torches and with hymns to bury Cyprian. It was the 14th September, in the year 258. (Photo courtesy of Pre Igor CC BY-SA 3.0)

SAINT OF THE DAY Today is the feast of ST. CYPRIAN (258), a Father of the Church and Archbishop of Carthage, whose theological writings are among the most precious treasures of the Church. He was martyred in the persecution under the emperor Decius, having received the sentence of death pronounced against him with the words, Thanks be to God. May his prayers preserve us! (Photo courtesy of Domimi83 CC BY-SA 3.0)

Forget not the sufferings of thy Mother: Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them, and make a return to them as they have done for thee. (Ecclus. 7:29-30)

Archbp. Vigan warns Catholics that they cannot vote for the self-styled Catholic Joe Biden.

OUR LADY OF SORROWS by Fr. Francis Doyle One of the most pathetic exhortations in the Wisdom Books is that a son should never forget the travailing and the sorrows of his mother. In order, therefore, that we may bear in mind the bitter anguish which lacerated our Ladys heart, we must reflect today upon that scene of woe in which her seven-fold sorrow culminated, in which the waters rose up around her, and closed over her head in a sea of anguish, such as never before flooded...Continue reading

THE SEVEN SORROWS of the Blessed Virgin Mary A blessed feast of Our Lady of Sorrows to you! Holy Church commiserates our Blessed Mother today, our Co-redemptrix, in her seven principal occasions of suffering for our salvation:... 1. The Prophecy of Simeon 2. The Flight into Egypt 3. The Loss of the Christ-Child in the Temple 4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus in the Carrying of the Cross 5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus 6. The Deposition of Christs Crucified Body into Her Arms 7. The Burial of Christ and Closing of the Tomb During Our Lords terrible Passion, above all, beholding her Divine Son upon the Cross, with His every fiber and nerve throbbing in agony, Marys Immaculate Heart was torn with anguish, and wounded with every wound in Jesus Body. What piercing sufferings and grief did our Blessed Mother thus endure who brought forth her Divine Son without the pangs of childbirth when from the Cross her dying Son commended sinful mankind to her, that she might be our Mother as well! Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us; be our salvation!

Mark Fellows On September 14, the same day on which it was originally discovered, the relic of the True Cross that had been stolen by the Persians was returned to Jerusalem and restored to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In honor of this event, the universal Church commemorates September 14 as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

George Neumayr Most of todays bishops are a portrait of cowardice, whose faithlessness made the rise of faithless pols like Biden possible.

Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross by Fr. John Shea Constantine was still wavering between Christianity and idolatry when a luminous cross appeared to him in the heavens, bearing the inscription, In this sign thou shalt conquer. He became a Christian and triumphed over his enemies, who were at the same time the enemies of the Faith.... A few years later, his saintly mother having found the Cross on which Our Savior suffered (on September 14 of the year 326), the feast of the Exaltation was established in the Church; but it was only at a later period still, namely, after the Emperor Heraclius had achieved three great and wondrous victories over Chosroes, King of Persia, who had possessed himself of the holy and precious relic, that this festival took a more general extension, and was invested with a higher character of solemnity. The greatest power of the Catholic world was at that time centered in the Empire of the East, and was verging toward its ruin, when God put forth His hand to save it: the re-establishment of the Cross at Jerusalem was the sure pledge thereof. This great event occurred in 629. The feast of the Finding was thereupon instituted on May 3, in memory of the discovery made by St. Helena, and that of the Exaltation on September 14 was reserved to celebrate the triumphs of Heraclius.

TODAYS FEAST We celebrate today the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, commemorating the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem in AD 629. After St. Helenas discovery of the Cross in AD 326, a large portion of this precious relic was deposited in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on Mt. Calvary, but it fell into the hands of Chosroes II, King of Persia, in AD 614 when he overran Jerusalem. The Cross remained in infidel hands for fifteen years until the Byzanti...ne emperor Heraclius defeated Chosroes and carried the Holy Cross himself back to its place in the Basilica on Calvary. Glory be to Jesus Christ, through Whom all things have been reconciled to the Father, making peace through His Blood on the Cross! (Col. 1:20)

Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October I will work a miracle, so that all may believe. Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus in order to bless the world. Our Lady of Fatima, September 13, 1917

FATIMA ANNIVERSARY Our Ladys Fifth Apparition at Fatima (September 13, 1917) [Father John de Marchi recounts the dramatic events leading up to September 13th, and Our Lady of Fatimas fifth apparition.]...Continue reading

TODAYS GOSPEL with Commentary by Dom Gueranger GOSPEL (Luke 7: 11-16) At that time: Jesus went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with Him His disciples, and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, He said to her: Weep not. And He came nea...Continue reading

THE POWER OF MARYS NAME by St. Alphonsus There is not on earth a sinner, however wretched he may be, from whom the devil is not obliged immediately to fly, if he invokes the holy name of Mary with a determination to repent.... (Photo courtesy of Fernando Amorsolo CC BY-SA 3.0)

Dystopian endpoint for 2020s warp-speed cultural transformation is a godless new world order built on social regimentation, dehumanization, abuse of technology, state terror, a new class of rulers, propaganda instead of truth, inevitable totalitarianism, and the tragedy of the individual.

THE BATTLE OF VIENNA A Christian Victory Won through the Holy Name of Mary In 1683, Turkish forces under the infamous Sultan Kara Mustapha invaded Hungary and threatened to overrun Europe. Mustaphas boast was that he would annihilate the civilization of Western Europe and the Catholic religion in particular, and that he would not rest until he had stabled his horses in St. Peters Basilica....Continue reading

HAPPY FEAST DAY! A blessed Feast of the Holy Name of Mary to you! The name of Mary, exclaims St. Bonaventure, cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly; it is the key (says St. Ephrem) of the gates of Heaven in the hands of those who devoutly invoke it. And St. Bernard adds, In dangers, in perplexities, in doubtful cases, think of Mary, call on Mary; let Her name not leave thy lips or depart from thy heart!... The proof of these words is found in todays feast, which commemorates the victory won through Our Ladys protection at the Battle of Vienna under the great Catholic leader, John III Sobieski, king of Poland, who led the scant but fervent Christian forces against the Ottoman Turks. Like the Battle of Lepanto, the repulsion of the Turks at Vienna was one of the most decisive battles of European history, with all of Christian civilization hanging in the balance. May Our Lady preserve Christian society in our plight today, just as She did at the Battle of Vienna in 1683!

David Rodriguez Numerous Popes have authoritatively condemned the heresy of Indifferentism.

Catholic medical provider learns a sad and painful lesson, that the Churchs institutions have long since fallen to the enemy of our souls.

STs. PROTUS AND HYACINTH by Fr. Alban Butler The saints whose victory the Church commemorates on this day are honored among the most illustrious martyrs that ennobled Rome with their blood, when the emperors of the world attempted, with the whole weight of their power, to crush the little flock of Christ. ... Their epitaph, among the works of Pope Damasus, calls them brothers, and informs us that Hyacinthus sustained the first conflict, but that Protus obtained his crown before him. They were retainers to that virtuous lady, St. Eugenia, having been baptized along with her by their patron Bishop Helenus. Living for a period with the hermits of Egypt, these holy brothers devoted themselves to the study of the Scriptures, and later accompanied Eugenia to Rome where all three were arrested on the charge of being Christians. Protus and Hyacinth were violently urged by Nicetius, the prefect of the city, to offer sacrifice to the gods, but as they refused, and could by no means be persuaded to renounce the Christian faith, both were most severely scourged, and finally beheaded on todays date in 262. St. Eugenia, having worked many miracles and gathered to Christ troops of sacred virgins, endured a months-long combat, until likewise being put to the sword, on December 25th of the same year. What words can we find sufficiently to extol the heroic virtue and invincible fortitude of the martyrs! They stood out against the fury of those tyrants whose arms had subdued the most distant nations; to whose yoke almost the whole known world was subject, and whose power both kings and people revered. They, standing alone, without any preparation of war, appeared undaunted in the presence of those proud conquerors, who seemed to think that the very earth ought to bend under their feet. Armed with virtue and divine grace, they were an over-match for all the powers of the world and hell; they fought with wild beasts, fires, and swords; with intrepidity and wonderful cheerfulness they braved the most cruel torments, and by humility, patience, meekness, and constancy, baffled all enemies, and triumphed over men and devils. How glorious was the victory of such an invincible virtue! Having before our eyes the examples of so many holy saints, are we yet so dastardly as to shrink under temptations, or to lose patience under the most ordinary trials?

SAINTS OF THE DAY Today is the feast of STS. PROTUS AND HYACINTH (262), two brothers who were cruelly scourged and finally beheaded for their witness to the Catholic Faith in the persecution under the emperors Valerian and Gallien. May their prayers preserve us!

Matthew Plese Immediately after death, a soul is judged and sent to one of four places.

Dont miss David Rodriguez latest Catechism Series episode, found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFqn0a46wRI&t=3s

Color revolutions coming home as stage is being set for a November coup

ST. NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger St. Nicholas was born at St. Angelo in the Marche of Ancona, but he is called Nicholas of Tolentino, from having resided during the last thirty years of his life at the latter place. ...Continue reading

SAINT OF THE DAY Today is the feast of ST. NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO (1310), a famous preacher of the Order of St. Augustine renowned for his virtues and innocence. His special devotion and charity to the Poor Souls was often rewarded by a revelation after his Masses that the souls for whom he offered the Holy Sacrifice had been admitted into Heaven. May his prayers preserve us!

David Rodriguez Religious indifferentism, perhaps the most prevalent heresy of our day, holds that all religions are more or less good in themselves and sufficient for their adherents salvation.

"Whether well-intended or not, those who align with the organization Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc., align themselves with a spiritual movement that uses witchcraft to conjure demonic spirits."

ST. GORGONIUS from VICTORIES OF THE MARTYRS by St. Alphonsus Diocletian having been greatly alarmed by a fire breaking out in 303 in his palace at Nicomedia, was told by some malevolent persons that the disaster had been caused by the Christians, who, it was said, intended to burn him alive. The emperor accordingly determined to exterminate them from the empire, and forthwith sent orders to all the governors that they should put to death all the Christians of their respective...Continue reading

SAINT OF THE DAY Today is the feast of ST. GORGONIUS (302), who served as an officer in Diocletians domestic guard. Upon being discovered and condemned by the Emperor -- after having converted many servants of the imperial household to the Catholic Faith -- he endured the most atrocious tortures for the Name and glory of our Savior. May his prayers preserve us! (Photo courtesy of Pre Igor CC BY-SA 3.0)