December 21, 2024

CatholicSeers

Faith Beyond Facts: 5 Catholic Miracles That Science Can’t Explain

Mother & Refuge02 mins

1. The Miracle of the Sun at FatimaIn 1917, over 100,000 people witnessed the sun dancing in the sky of Fatima, Portugal. “The sun started spinning like a pinwheel, casting multi-colored lights all over the place.” Skeptics and faithful were left stunned, says Scheel. It is one of the most documented and extraordinary miracles in Church history. 2. Our Lady of LourdesLourdes, France, has been a site of healing since St. Bernadette’s vision of Our Lady in 1858. Scheel says “there’s been over 7,000 scientifically attested miraculous recoveries from her intercession.” These cures are each scrutinized and confirmed by the Lourdes Medical Bureau. 3. The Miracle of LancianoIn the 8th century, a doubting priest witnessed the Eucharist turn into actual flesh and blood. Scheel explains scientific investigation of “the flesh was found to be a human striated muscular tissue of the myocardium, the heart wall.” Even though it’s 1250 years old, this relic shows no signs of decay today! 4. The Blood of St. JanuariusA vial of St. Januarius’ dried blood in Naples, Italy, liquefies every year on his feast days. “This happens on TV, like you can see it,” says Scheel. This public miracle has been observed and recorded for centuries without any explanation. 5. The Universal Blood Type of Eucharistic MiraclesScheel explains that “all major blood miracles or Eucharistic miracles of our Lord have the same blood type, AB.” This incredibly rare type, the universal recipient, is a remarkable consistency with profound symbolism of Christ’s blood being able to save all.

Read More

Angel of the Apocalypse | St. Vincent Ferrer Prophecies of EndTimes

Mother & Refuge013 mins

When the Pope used the term ‘Angel of the Apocalypse’ in the Middle Ages, people knew he was talking about St. Vincent Ferrer St. Vincent Ferrer earned the title preaching the Gospel powerfully and persuasively, often on the Final Judgment and the coming of the Antichrist. Even Pius II’s Bull of Canonization called St. Vincent Ferrer “the Angel of the Apocalypse, flying through the heavens to announce the day of the Last Judgment, to evangelize the inhabitants of the earth.” This year marks the 600th anniversary of St. Vincent Ferrer’s death on April 5, 1419, yet his words remain as powerful and necessary as ever. Before looking at his preaching on the Last Judgment, the Antichrist and the End of the World, let’s understand how powerful a preacher he was all over Europe, beginning in his native Spain, by looking at a mere speck of who he reached and the miracles he performed. As a Dominican priest, Vincent Ferrer preached in his own native language or Latin, yet wherever he went, everyone miraculously understood his every word as if he were preaching in their language. Sinners by the thousands, even the most hardened, repented. When the curious Moorish king sent for him, after Vincent Ferrer gave just three sermons, 8,000 Moors converted and wanted to be baptized. Modest estimates put his conversion of Jews in city after city in Spain at 25,000. At one major church conference, Vincent’s preaching saw 14 of 16 rabbis converted on the spot. In Toledo as Jews became Christians they turned their synagogue into a church under the Blessed Mother. Like Jesus raising the widow of Naim’s son, thorough the power of Christ St. Vincent stopped a funeral procession and commanded the corpse to rise, restoring the dead man to life. In all, he restored 28 dead people back to life. Even after he died, two dead people placed on his tomb came back to life. He cured countless physical infirmities, working wonders through the name of Jesus and the Sign of the Cross. In one, he restored the use of the limbs of an incurably crippled boy who eventually became the Bishop of Barcelona. In confession, he could read souls. He shared heavenly previews of future events, such as telling a mother her little son would become pope and canonize him — which happened as the boy became Callixtus III. (At the canonization Vincent Ferrer’s body was found incorrupt.) Earlier, during a Barcelona famine, he announced two ships were coming loaded with corn. Nobody believed. That same day, as predicted, the ships arrived. Highly devoted to the Blessed Mother, he preached and demonstrated the power of the Rosary through immediate conversion obtained through praying it. Preaching the Last Judgement Jesus will come not like his first coming in humility and poverty, but “in such majesty and power that the whole world will tremble,” began Angel of the Apocalypse in a sermon. When he powerfully detailed the glory and the horror of separating the sheep and goats described in Matthew 25, record has it sinners were frightened and cried. He wanted them to do so because he himself was fearful of that day and fearful for all those he preached to. Vincent told the throngs:  People will say ‘to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him who sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’ (Revelation 6:16). Yet Jesus said, ‘But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads,’ ‘because your redemption is at hand’ (Luke 21:28).The Blessed Mother shall sit with him. Jesus will separate the peoples of the nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. St. Vincent cautioned, “On that day it will be better to be a sheep of Jesus Christ that to have been a pope, or king, or emperor.” Vincent powerfully detailed five virtues revealed in Scripture that distinguishes the sheep: “simple innocence, ample mercy, steadfast patience, true obedience, and worthy penance.” First, simple innocence is when a person “lives simply, nor hurts anyone in his heart, by hating, nor by defaming in speech, nor striking with hands, nor by stealing. Such a life “is called simple innocence, which makes a man a sheep of Christ.” In each case, St. Vincent next colorfully details reasons why. A sheep doesn’t attack with horns like a bull…  …nor bite with its teeth like a wolf, nor strike with hooves like a horse… if you wish to be a sheep of Christ, you should strike no one with horns of knowledge or of power, for lawyers strike by the horns of knowledge, jurists, advocates, or men who have great knowledge. Merchants by deceiving others. Lords and bullies strike with the horns of power, plundering or injuring, and extorting, using calumnies and threats, and the like. Listen to what the Lord says by the mouth of David: ‘And I will break all the horns of sinners: but the horns of the just shall be exalted’ (Psalm 74:11). “Biting” is to defame your neighbor’s reputation, and devour by saying “nothing good praising someone, but only the bad,” so “defamers are not the sheep of Christ, but wolves of hell.” Kicking like horses means to despise. Therefore, he warns, “children, do not hate your parents; nor parents, children; nor young people, old folks; nor the healthy, the sick; nor rich, the poor; nor masters, their servants; nor prelates, their clergy; and vice versa. It is clear what is simple innocence.” Second, ample mercy means distributing your God-given temporal and spiritual gifts to the needy. “Because,” Vincent illustrates, “among all the animals a sheep is the most beneficial of animals.  For the sheep by growing wool, shows us mercy and benefits of mercy, because how many poor people does a sheep clothe?” Sheep give milk and food to eat to. We imitate and give love this way: our wool is “external and temporal goods, bread and wine, money and clothes…

Read More

Miraculous Infant of Prague Prayer

Mother & Refuge01 mins

Jesus unto Thee I flee,Through Thy Mother praying Thee,In my need to succor me.Truly, I believe of TheeGod Thou art with strength to shield me;Full of trust, I hope of TheeThou Thy grace wilt give to me.All my heart I give to Thee,Therefore, do my sins repent me;From them breaking, I beseech Thee,Jesus, from their bonds to free me.Firm my purpose is to mend me;Never more will I offend Thee.Wholly unto Thee I give me,Patiently to suffer for Thee,Thee to serve eternally.And my neighbor like to meI will love for love of Thee.Little Jesus, I beseech Thee,In my need to succor me,That with Joseph and with MaryAnd the angels, I may TheeOnce enjoy eternally. Amen

Read More

The Georgia church where Flannery O’Connor heard God

Mother & Refuge011 mins

Sacred Heart in Milledgeville owes its existence to author’s forebears and will continue because of her. Sixty years after the death of Flannery O’Connor (August 3, 1964), the small Georgia church where she was a daily Communicant continues to focus on that which was perhaps most important to her: the Eucharist.   Sacred Heart Church in Milledgeville, about a 10-minute drive from Andalusia, where O’Connor wrote most of her novels and short stories, is the spiritual home for some 340 Catholic families today. In some ways, the parish still faces the kind of challenge it did in O’Connor’s day: to strengthen the faith of its members in the face of a predominantly “Bible Belt” culture. Faithful Catholics are not wholeheartedly embraced in many Evangelical, Protestant, and fundamentalist circles, and those who are not well-formed in their faith are seen as easy prey. But even before the Ethan Hawke film Wildcat brought renewed attention to Flannery O’Connor – without downplaying her strong Catholic faith – and before “The Chosen” star Jonathan Roumie appeared on stage at the National Eucharistic Congress sporting a t-shirt with a famous Eucharistic quote from “F. O’Connor,” Sacred Heart was intent on strengthening its parishioners’ relationship with the Source and Summit of Christian Life. “For Flannery O’Connor, the Eucharist was the center of her life,” said Fr. Bryan Kuhr, Sacred Heart’s 43-year-old pastor. “She was a daily Mass-goer, and that source of grace helped her carry that cross” of living with the disease that ultimately killed her at 39 – lupus.  Adoration in a culture that doesn’t recognize Eucharist Fr. Kuhr encourages parishioners to spend more time in Eucharistic adoration. When he was appointed to Sacred Heart in 2023, he expanded adoration to all day on Fridays and restored the practice of a Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession in town. “People, when they’re not devoted [to the Eucharist], don’t realize the gift that we’ve been given,” he told Aleteia on a recent visit to the church. “I think there’s a lot of pressure, especially in a small town like this, to come to the Baptist church or the feel-good megachurch. And we have a lot of fallen-away Catholics.” Victoria Basilio, who wrote a history of the parish for its 150th anniversary this year, said plainly,   “We have to fight for our children to remain Catholic. It is a constant battle because they usually find themselves the only Catholic in their grade. There’s very strong peer pressure on them to not be Catholic.”   Basilio and her husband, Deacon Cesar Basilio, were youth ministers at Sacred Heart for many years. “The way we countered [the lure of non-Catholic congregations in town] was we built a youth group that was not only strong in the faith but welcoming of their friends who were not Catholic, so that their friends came here rather than them going to their friends’ [churches]. And it worked. We kept our children Catholic.” As someone who has researched Sacred Heart’s history, Basilio knows that the struggle is nothing new. She has found that “there were priests who were always exhorting the parishioners to remember that they are Catholic.” Flannery’s pew By all accounts, that was never a danger for Flannery O’Connor.    “She was a daily parishioner, and she was known to sit with her mother [Regina Cline O’Connor] in the front pew,” Victoria Basilio told Aleteia. “It was part of her daily routine. Every morning, she would come, start her day that way, and then after that return to Andalusia, where she would write. I understand that she was a very disciplined writer; she always made sure she would spend an hour or two writing something every day.” The pew where Flannery and Regina sat and the Communion rail where they knelt are still in place in the smallish brick church. So is Flannery O’Connor Hall, next door. It was built in the mid-1950s, when the parish ended up in the territory of the new Diocese of Atlanta, which was carved out of the Diocese of Savannah; the social hall was renamed for the author in 1985. In some respects, the entire parish could be named for O’Connor and her family, as so much of its history depended on them. “For us at Sacred Heart, I guess her most felt influence is the fact that we have a church,” Basilio said. “It was through the generosity of her family that we have a church.” Deep Georgia roots The family tree goes back to the time of the first Catholic settlement in Georgia, in a small town called Locust Grove, about an hour to the northeast of Milledgeville. Georgia was the first state to enact religious freedom, so Catholics flocked to the area.  “Some of her ancestors were part of that community,” Fr. Kuhr said. “As the capital was being moved West, Catholics also started to move out.” Milledgeville was Georgia’s capital from 1807 to 1868. The first Catholic resident of Milledgeville was Hugh Donnelly Treanor, Flannery O’Connor’s great-grandfather. It was in his room in the Newell Hotel that the first Catholic Mass on record was celebrated in April 1845. When the state legislature voted to move the capital to Atlanta in 1868, local businesses in Milledgeville suffered. A March 25, 1871, editorial in a local newspaper, The Union Recorder, encouraged the building of a Catholic church to encourage “desirable immigrants” to settle here. “Many of the best mechanics and most useful citizens from abroad are Catholic,” the newspaper said. Coincidentally, the date of the editorial, the feast of the Annunciation, would turn out to be the birthday – in 1925 – of Flannery O’Connor. On March 30, 1873, a meeting of Milledgeville Catholics and other interested citizens was called with Flannery’s grandfather, Peter James Cline, presiding. The construction of a church was discussed and approved. The following month, according to The Union Recorder, advertisements for bids were issued, and a firm from Augusta was awarded the contract. Flannery’s great-grandmother, Mrs. Hugh Donnelly Treanor, paid for the land.  On February 8, 1875, the first…

Read More

Letter of Bishop Regarding Seer Pedro Regis (English Translation)

Mother & Refuge817 mins

Download as PDF below Powered By EmbedPress Archdiocese of Feira de Santana Pastoral Letter to the Catholic faithful about the presumed apparitions of Our Lady in Anhanguera Bahia/BR. Ladies and Gentlemen, Grace and peace in Christ Our Risen Lord!“Devotion to the Virgin Mary originates, reflects and finds complete expression in the cult of Christ and, through him, in the Holy Spirit, leads to the Father, thus becoming a qualifying element of the genuine piety of the Church” (Marialis Cultus, Introduction). Dear believers, faced with the phenomena of Marian apparitions, we must take a stance that overcomes the extremism of an exaggerated appreciation of the messages of the “seers” as if it were the best and the only way to update divine Revelation, losing focus on the centrality of Christ and, on the one hand, to avoid another extreme, which is tounderstand these phenomena only from the perspective of human sciences.“Visions” or “appearances” are considered by the Catholic Church to be “private revelations” or “particulars” that are subordinate to the biblical Revelation of God, in Jesus Christ. Revelation also known as Christian, historical and public, and which reached its fullness in the person of the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ, which is condensed in theSacred Scriptures and the Sacred Apostolic Tradition. This public Revelation has already ended with the death of the last apostle of Christ, Saint John the Evangelist. But, from the point of view of interpretation and its transmission, the understanding of the historical Revelation of God to Humanity, which was fully given by Jesus Christ, is progressingTherefore, it is the Holy Spirit who leads us to the full truth until the end of time. After a long process of discernment, the Church can recognize and approve the content of the messages, the result of the phenomenon of visions/appearances, according to the mystical experience of some visionaries. And, in this sense, what does this recognition and approval consist of? It consists of: a) not stating that Mary of Nazareth,the mother of Jesus, appeared in a specific place, nor forcing the faithful to follow the messages of the “seers”, as this is a “private revelation”; b) proclaim that the phenomenon is “worthy of human faith”; c) the Blessed Virgin Mary can be venerated with a certain title. For example: Queen of Peace; d) authorize the construction of a sanctuary in honor of Our Ladyon the site) allow this devotion to spread throughout the world. (CF. Doctrinal Subsidies, n.01, Apparitions and Private Revelations of the CNBB). In recent years, the number of people in different parts of the world has increased, claiming to be “seers” of Our Lady, as well as other Saints of the Catholic tradition. As a result, the phenomenon of “apparitions” and “private revelations”, mainly related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, have multiplied significantly in Brazil and elsewhere. In this way, manypeople in a sincere search for God have followed these “seers” as if they were the only reference of Catholic faith and, even, the only authorities, with regard to Catholic doctrine and as if they were a qualified witness of the Church’s own faith tradition. In this sense, many people follow them without the necessary discernment, such as theological-doctrinaltraining, accurate catechesis, critical sense and prudent ecclesiastical attention. It is also, in this context, that the phenomenon of the well-known “appearances” of Our Lady, in the Municipality of Anguera, in the Archdiocese of Feira de Santana/BA, is growing. The archdiocese has cautiously monitored the phenomenon of “apparitions” in Anguera and, above all, through a theological-pastoral Commission constituted by the Metropolitan Archbishop, with the purpose of observing and discerning about this phenomenon, from an theological-doctrinal point of view, ecclesiological-pastoral andpsychic-spiritual. That is, analyzing it in the light of the entire Tradition of the Church, in its biblical, patristic, liturgical and theological expression. Tradition that is transmitted, taught and updated, uninterruptedly, by its living Magisterium.The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on the norms for proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions and revelations of 1978, number 3, indicates criteria for discernment on the phenomena of particular apparitions and revelations, which are under the competent ecclesiastical authority of the local Bishop . Dear Catholic faithful, for these reasons, we address you with the desire to guide you, so that you are not, as Paul teaches, Apostle of Christ, “dragged by any wind of doctrine, deceived by these presumed seers and by them, with cunning, led into error. You are no longer children, allowing yourselves to be carried from here to there like toys, left to the wind and the waves (cf. Eph 4:14). It is with this pastoral sensitivity and ecclesialresponsibility that we would like to offer you elements and criteria for discernment for such phenomena.According to the discernment of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, regarding these phenomena, an essential element, for their possible acceptance, in view of the spiritual pastoral good of the people of God, is that they are in communion with the entire Tradition of the Catholic faith (cf. Rules for proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions and revelations – Criteria for judging, at least with a certain probability, thecharacter of presumed appearances or revelations, Part I). How to welcome and understand these messages? The most important thing is to follow Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Savior, listen to his calls, discern his will through faith, hope, charity and solidarity. God speaks to us in many ways: He speaks to us in the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture, in biblical circles, in the appeal of a social orecological reality, in spiritual retreats, in personal prayer, in liturgical celebrations, in ecclesiastical meetings, in the practice of charity , human solidarity and, also, through extraordinary manifestations, such as visions, apparitions, interior and exterior locutions, intuitions and dreams.From a spiritual point of view, they all have value, as they are in tune with the divine Project for us and the world. All must be discerned and monitored by the Church; They are opportunities…

Read More

A prayer to keep from feeling that you suffer alone

Mother & Refuge03 mins

Give everything to God, your Heavenly Father. He is with you.We should never suffer alone because we can place all our pains and sorrows into the loving hands of God, our Heavenly Father! He has the power to comfort us in our time of need and bring spiritual consolation, even when the rest of our body aches. Below is a prayer from the book, Short Meditations and Prayers for the sick and afflicted, that can be used to place our sickness in the hands of God, asking him to help us endure our trials. Lord, I accept this sickness from your hands, and entirely resign myself to your blessed will, whether it be for life or death. Not my will, but yours be done; your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Lord, I submit to all the pains and uneasiness of this my illness. I desire to join my heart and voice with the whole Church of heaven and earth, in blessing you forever. I give you thanks from the bottom of my heart, for all your mercies and blessings bestowed upon me and your whole Church. O sweet Jesus, receive me into your arms in this day of my distress; hide me in your Wounds, bathe my soul in your precious Blood.   I love you, O my God, with my whole heart and soul, above all things: at least I desire so to love you. O come now and take full possession of my soul, and teach me to love you forever.

Read More

God’s Presence in Loneliness: 10 Powerful Bible Quotes

Mother & Refuge03 mins

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:5-6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’” 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Read More

She Prayed the Rosary; the Wound Healed! Read the Story Here..

Mother & Refuge04 mins

Marian Helper Angela Wagner, a parishioner at St. Adalbert’s Parish in Maspeth, New York, wrote to share her testimony to the power of the Rosary to bring healing to the sick. Mary is my “go-to person” whenever I need an intercessor with God, especially where my children are concerned. I was blessed with a mother who said several Rosaries a day, and I have been praying the Rosary for many years. Several years ago, my daughter Regina Maria underwent back surgery for a disc problem. It was supposed to be routine; she would be out of the hospital in three days. Three days became one month in the hospital because the incision would not heal. It constantly filled up, and she needed two more surgeries to clean out the incision. After each surgery, Regina would become weaker and run high fevers. Then, we were told she would need a third surgery. We went to the hospital on Friday night, and she was to have surgery early Saturday morning. When we left, the infectious disease doctor told the hospital staff to leave the infected area undressed and open. That night I was so frightened for my daughter, feeling that she might not survive another surgery. I was on my knees most of the night, praying the Rosary, beseeching Mary for her help, reminding her that Regina Maria was named after her and that she could not turn her back on her. We arrived at the hospital early the next morning. Just as they were ready to wheel Regina into the operating room, I remembered my prayers! I asked the intern to please ask the surgeon to come to Regina Maria’s room. When the doctor came in, I asked him to please check her back. He smiled and placated me. When he checked, the wound was completely closed and healed! There was no sign of infection, and the sheets were clean and dry. The doctor just looked at me in disbelief. Through my tears, I told him how I had prayed through the night, and I believed this was a miracle. He said, “I do believe in God.” I replied, “Yes, and you are His instrument!” Then he said, “I guess I will go back home and attend my son’s ballgame. There is nothing for me to do here.” My family and I will forever be grateful to Mary for Regina’s healing and for all her motherly love.Read more…

Read More

Satan And His Attributes – Know Your Enemy

Mother & Refuge05 mins

Satan And His Attributes By Bella Francis The Bible teaches that Satan is a fallen angel tempted by pride. He is said to be a seducer originally created as good and whose rebellion against the divine will is reflected in the temptation that he offered to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.The scene is the garden of Eden. The characters are God, the serpent, Adam, and Eve. The devil has just deceived Eve, and through her, Adam. With demonic pride in destruction, he has successfully marred God’s handiwork of creation, and dragged human beings—for whom God has a special love—into death and misery. God starts by addressing Satan, telling him he is going to eat dirt for the rest of his days. Then he reveals something that makes Satan cringe in horror—his ultimate defeat will come at the hands of a woman. God said ” I will establish a feud between thee and the woman, between thy offspring and hers; she is to crush thy head, while thou dost lie in ambush at her heels” Satan is a master theologian. He’s talked to God, interacted with God, believes in God’s existence, and knows more about God’s attributes and abilities than most…and yet Satan doesn’t love God.  Very few people believe in the devil these days,” stated Fulton Sheen in 1958, “which suits the devil very well. Do not be deceived. Satan is real and we must resist him, strong in our faith. However, do not be so terrified that you forget that God, His angels, and the grace He bestows on us are more powerful and that God limits what demons can do. Trust God; call to Him; frequently recite the 91st Psalm. Be sober and watchful and stay distant from the once-glorious fallen angels we rightly call demons. Let us ask St. Michael, the Archangel for protection St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.Amen. More on Mother of Refuge of the End Times Warning in May 2024? Luz de Maria Novena to Holy Spirit🕊️DAY 02-Pray With Us! Pentecost Novena begins today🕊️DAY 01-Pray With Us! Load More Go to Mother and Refuge Homepage Pieta of the Apocalypse: Essential End Time Prayers and Promises BUY NOW! Happiness and the Path of Spiritual Abundance (A Living Spring Book) BUY NOW! Live Prayers with Mother and Refuge:    Join us on Youtube and Telegram.

Read More