Have you ever wanted to witness a living miracle? The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in Mexico City and is one of the most-visited holy sites in the world. This is an opportunity to visit with others from the Diocese of Austin and led by clergy that knows the story and culture… [Read More]
Pilgrimage to Shrines of Mexico Fall 2021
JOIN US FOR A 9-DAY PILGRIMAGE (SEPT. 12-20,2021) TO THE SHRINES OF MEXICO! The pilgrimage will be led by Fr Juan Carlos López and Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez Lady of Guadalupe also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a venerated image enshrined within the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City…. [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXVIII: St. Michael the Archangel, Conductor of Souls!
Excerpts on St. Michael the Archangel, Conductor of Souls were taken from the messages from a Soul in Purgatory [Sister M.G.] to Sister M. de L. C. who was under the care of a spiritual director (priest) when receiving the messages. The messages were published in a book called: AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON PURGATORY The… [Read More]
CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH VI: ST. JOSEPH MOST FAITHFUL, PRAY FOR US!
One of my favorite sections in the book “CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH, THE WONDERS OF OUR SPIRITUAL FATHER” by Fr. Donald Calloway is Day 21 – St. Joseph Most Faithful, Pray for Us. This section and meditation show St. Joseph’s faithfulness in rescuing Jesus and Mary in different life and death circumstances (Mat. 2:13 &… [Read More]
Consecration to St. Joseph V: St. Joseph, Hope of the Sick, Pray for Us!
One of my favorite parts in the book Consecration to St. Joseph, The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr. Donald Calloway is Day 29 – St. Joseph, Hope of the Sick, Pray for Us. This is and was a powerful part of the book during the consecration because it covers the miraculous physical healings… [Read More]
Consecration to St. Joseph IV: St. Joseph, Terror of Demons!
One of my favorite parts in the book Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway is the “Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” section number 10 on St. Joseph, Terror of Demons. This is and was a powerful part of the book while doing the Consecration to St. Joseph, twice this year. Here is one… [Read More]
Consecration to St. Joseph III: St. Joseph’s Staff!
As thousands prepare to consecrate themselves on March 19th (Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary) and others prepare for the second consecration beginning March 30th and ending May 1st (Feast of St. Joseph the Worker) let us contemplate the power of our spiritual father St. Joseph and his mighty “Staff” which is a prefiguration… [Read More]
Consecration to St. Joseph II: The Medal of St. Joseph
As February 16, 2020 nears for the start of the Consecration to St. Joseph let us begin to prepare our hearts to encounter the man who most influenced Our Lord Jesus Christ, St. Teresa of Avila, St. André Bessette, and many others. Let us prepare for 33 days to enter St. Joseph’s workshop every day… [Read More]
Consecration to St. Joseph
For me, consecration to St. Joseph began many, many years ago, as far back as March 4, 2004, when I believe, St. Joseph interceded to save my life. (read story) I have done so many Consecrations to St. Joseph over the years that I honestly don’t remember which one I was using when St. Joseph… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXVII: St. Michael the Archangel in Thassos
At the end of the 11th century a monk named Luke lived for fourteen years on a Greek island called Thassos. The place he lived was later called Louka in his honor, but not before he constructed a church in honor of the beloved apostle St. John the Evangelist. Later, seeking a more contemplative life,… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXVI: The St. Michael Relic Stone Miracles
For centuries, St. Michael the Archangel has used relic stones from his cave in Gargano, Italy, to perform miracles. (See: St. Michael Relic Stone article September 2, 2017.) On September 25, 1656, St Michael said: “I am the Archangel St. Michael. Anyone who uses the stones of this grotto will be liberated…” At the St…. [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXV: St. Michael the Archangel in Colossae
St. Michael the Archangel was present in the life of the apostles and the early church from the very beginning. St. John the Evangelist wrote about St. Michael in the Book of Revelation, and others witnessed his prophecy at Colossae about the coming of St. Michael. When St. John the Evangelist went to preach the… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXIV: The Scapular of Saint Michael the Archangel
The Scapular of Saint Michael the Archangel is a sacramental of the Catholic Church. It was blessed by Pope Pius IX in 1878 and formally approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1880. The official blessing and investiture prayer found in the Roman Ritual for the Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel has seven important statements… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXIII: St. Michael the Archangel in America
In Tarpon Springs, Florida, USA, there is a shrine to St. Michael the Archangel with an ancient icon of St. Michael known for decades for miraculously curing many sick in America. The icon is approximately 400 years old, and it comes from Symi, an island in a chain known as Greece’s Dodecanese. The story began… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXII: St. Michael the Archangel in Mexico
On April 25, 1631, St. Michael the Archangel appeared in Tlaxcala, Mexico to a 17-year-old named Diego Lázaro de San Francisco who was married to Francisca Castillian Xuchitl. The apparition occurred as everyone was processing in celebration of a previous apparition of St. Michael to St. Gregory the Great (April 25, 590 A.D) during a… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XXI: St. Michael the Archangel in Spain
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony (Rev. 22:16).” On June 18, 1961, St. Michael the Archangel appeared to four girls, Conchita Gonzalez (12), Mari Cruz Gonzalez (11), Jacinta Gonzalez (12), and Mari Loli Mazon (12), at Garabandal which is a small village in Spain consisting of 300 habitants. As in… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XX: “War in Heaven” (Rev. 12:7)
The Book of Revelation describes the “War in Heaven” (Rev. 12:7) between St. Michael and his angels against the Red Dragon and his angels, when a vision of a woman about to give birth is shown to them. What was the first battle like? Why did it happen? What was the trial of the angels? … [Read More]
The Crowning of St. Joseph!
“Thus should he be honored whom the King desires to honor!” The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. This year is also the 61st anniversary of the church approved apparitions of St. Joseph in America in which Sr. Mary Ephrem (1916-2000) saw him being crowned… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIX: The Angel of Peace in America
In the fall of 1954, the Angel of Peace came to prepare Sr. Mary Ephrem (1916-2000) of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Jesus for the coming of Our Lady of America. In 1960 and 1972 these apparitions received official imprimatur approval from Archbishop Paul F. Leibold (1914-1972) and in 2007 the president of… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVIII: St. Michael the Angel of Peace!
For centuries St. Michael the Archangel has been known as the Angel of Peace! In the pre-Vatican Roman Breviary (Liturgy of the Hours) published in 1482 and in use until Vatican II, it clearly states, “St. Michael is the Angel of Peace because he was the leader of the heavenly hosts that fought the rebel… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVII: The Power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
January is the Month of the Most Holy Name of JESUS, and the name of JESUS is the most powerful weapon against “the dragon and his angels (Rev.12:7).” This special feast is celebrated on January 3, and it is associated with the Circumcision of JESUS (Lk. 2:21) when Joseph officially gives Him, “the name of… [Read More]
Mary, Mother of God!
From the early centuries of the Church, Mary is called Mother of God “Theotokos”, or “God-Bearer.” Mary, “Mother of God,” is the first official title given to her by the Catholic Church and maybe her most essential and most powerful title, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “From the most ancient times… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVI: St. Michael & All Souls
What happens when we die? And what does the Archangel Michael have to do with our life after death? The Catholic Church teaches through the mass prayers, Her prayers for the dying, and through the lives of the saints that St. Michael has been given a very important role both during and after our death…. [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XV: The St. Michael Statue
In 490 A.D. St. Michael the Archangel appeared to Bishop Lawrence Maiorano (the second apparition) at Gargano, Italy, giving him instructions on how to defend the area against a vast army of pagan invaders. During the battle a sand storm overwhelmed the attackers, blinding them and pelting them with giant size hail-stones, making them flee… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIV: Mont Saint Michel
Saint Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches in France, founded Mont Saint Michel in 708 after St. Michael the Archangel appeared to him in his dreams three times. Saint Aubert ignored the Archangel in the first two dreams, but in the third dream St. Michael drove his finger into Aubert’s skull and commanded him to build… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIII: The Glorious Michaelmas!
The Michaelmas is the centuries-old Latin Mass celebrated in honor of the Archangel Michael on September 29th. Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel existed in the Old Testament (Daniel 10:13, 10:21, & 12:1), and it continued in the New Testament (Jude 1:9 and Revelations chapter 12.) The Apostle John prophesied a healing spring which was… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XII: St. Michael’s Flaming Sword!
St. Padre Pio did spiritual battle with demons to free souls, and at his shrine, there is a mosaic of the Archangel Michael handing Padre Pio a sword. In the book “Deliverance Prayers For Use by the Laity,” exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger uses the sword of St Michael, together with the sword of Our Lady… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XI: “Michael the Archangel will Arise.” (Dn.12:1)
Throughout history St. Michael the Archangel has arisen to protect God’s Church and heal God’s people. St. Michael will arise now during these most turbulent times, but we must invoke his protection with prayer, consecrations, penances, novenas, and processions as in the ages past. In the year 590 Pope Pelagius and many souls died of… [Read More]
Blessed Isidore Bakanja – Martyr of the Brown Scapular
Blessed Isidore Bakanja is the first martyr of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel whose feast we celebrate on Monday, July 16th. Isidore Bakanja was a young black teenage martyr from the Boangi tribe in Zaire, Africa with plenty of zeal, valor, and faith for the gospel and Our Lady. Receiving the… [Read More]
The Corpus Christi Procession and Divine Mercy
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (the feast of Corpus Christi) is the celebration of Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. As Our Lord is carried through the streets of cities and villages around the world, the faithful give public witness to their faith and devotion to the Holy… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons X: St. Faustina’s Battles
For 40 days we have watched Jesus prepare for His final battle on Calvary. All His life He has trained for this day. He was born for this! And so are we. The life of a Christian is a constant battle. Against ourselves, the world, and the powers of darkness. As Gaudium et Spes states,… [Read More]
The Betrothal and Love of Joseph and Mary
As the Solemnity of Saint Joseph approaches let us contemplate the betrothal and love of Joseph and Mary and how it can help couples today. It is mentioned very little in scripture. Yet it was the foundation for the family into which Jesus Christ was born. Blessed Pope John Paul II says in the church… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons IX: 40 Days to Slay Your Dragon!
“Rise up; this matter is in your hands (Ezra 10:4)!” Your time has come Dragon Slayer! On your feet! You can no longer be “the brother of dragons,” (Job 30:29) for “Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare!” (Pope Benedict XIV) How will you spend your 40 Days of Lent, in what may… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons VIII: St. Gemma Galgani Relic
A fierce female dragon slayer! St. Gemma Galgani died at the young age of 25 on April 11, 1903 (Feast Day), but she lived an extraordinary life. She wanted to be a Passionist religious nun but was not accepted due to her health so she joined the lay Passionist association and took private vows as… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons VII: Transferences
In the heat of the spiritual battle there is a lot clashing of swords, shields, spears, and other armor in the fight between St. Michael and his angels defending us against the dragon and his angels. (Rev. 12:7) Sometimes the good guys get wounded in the tussle and scuffle. Concerning deliverance prayers, the good news… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons VI: “Set the Oppressed Free!” (Luke 4:18)
This article is about setting the demonically oppressed free and “ proclaiming liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18) using deliverance prayers. It is not about the demonically ‘possessed’ but about the everyday spiritual battle which Christians face against “the dragon and his angels” (Rev. 12:7) in these ominous times! Immediately after my diaconal ordination, 11 years ago,… [Read More]
The Most Important Prayer in a Cataclysmic Event (Part II)
While the Act of Contrition prayer is the most important prayer for someone facing imminent death in a cataclysmic event, it is also the most important prayer for a survivor. During cataclysmic events like the current California fires, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and the 7.1 earthquakes in Mexico, victims gather in huge numbers… [Read More]
Thanksgiving All Year Long! Part II
This “Thanksgiving Day” begin with mass, thanking God for His daily blessings and favors. The Catholic Catechism explains: “Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is….The thanksgiving of the members of the Body participating in that of their Head.” (2637) Yes, let this… [Read More]
Thanksgiving All Year Long
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest national holidays that our country celebrates. Everything comes to a standstill while families gather together around a meal to thank God for all the many blessings they have received throughout the year. Thanksgiving does not need to be a one-time, once a year event but it can also be… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons V: Minor Exorcisms
With today’s increase in pagan practices such as astrology, mediums, psychic readings, cleansings, New Age religion, Reiki, magic, angel touch, witchcraft, tarot cards, séances, Ouija boards, ghost hunters, Satanic music or worship, etc., people who have participated in any of these occult practices, including Christians, may feel demonically oppressed. When combating evil spirits there are… [Read More]