10 Easy Steps for a Successful Rosary Rally

(1.) Find the right spot; a public place where people can see you on October 10.
For example: a town square, a busy intersection, an entrance to a mall, etc.

(2.) Prepare an invitation (a sample invitation will be provided).

(3.) Call the police advising of the rally, and if a permit is necessary,
ask what steps need to be taken to obtain one.

(4.) Print copies of the invitation and distribute them to friends and
family, at school, church and other venues.

(5.) Call your friends and tell them about the rally. Make sure your rally
contact information is posted on our website so others can see it and join you.

(6.) Load rally supplies in your car on the morning of Saturday, October 10.
Print supply list.

(7.) Go to rally site at least 30 minutes early.

(8.) Start rally punctually at 12:00 noon.

(9.) Take pictures during your rally.

(10.) Send pictures and reports to ANF via e-mail to ANF@ANF.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• Sign up to become a Rosary Rally Captain today!
  
• Read what bishops and Rally captains had to say about last year's Rosary Rallies.

Fatima and the Necessity of Suffering

Written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

Francisco

Two of the three Fatima seers, Jacinta and Francisco, died young because of the need for victim souls to give necessary fecundity to Our Lady’s plan. Their lives were proof that nothing great is done without suffering.

Indeed, suffering helps those souls who are absorbed with themselves and unwilling to open up. We should see suffering as normal for man and we should practice it with courage and daring. The acceptance of sacrifice is necessary to combat the Hollywood myth of the “happy end.”

Jacinta and Francisco died as children by Our Lady’s design as she had foretold. The third seer, Lucia, lived for many more years. What was the reason why Jacinta and Francisco died so early? This was obvious for they spoke openly about it.

Jacinta

The reason was that Fatima asked people to offer up their sufferings. It called for victim souls to associate themselves with the entire mystery of Fatima, and through their sufferings and pains help bring about all the supernatural fecundity Our Lady wanted to give to the events at Fatima. . This is exactly what happened to both children who died in extraordinarily difficult and arduous circumstances that caused them much suffering.

Such sufferings are needed because when it comes to the salvation of souls, all great works of God are done with the participation of men. In general, this is only accomplished with people willing to fight, suffer and pray for God’s work to be brought to its fruition.

In other words, sacrifice is necessary. Otherwise, nothing great is done.

The importance of this principle stood out especially at Fatima. Our Lady directly intervened there by performing stupendous miracles especially the “miracle of the sun.” She did this to underscore the fact that Fatima is one of the most important if not the most important message she has ever given in history.

On that occasion and in those circumstances, Our Lady wanted the sacrifice of two souls who would offer themselves up for the fulfillment of the plan of Divine Providence. This clearly shows how the apostolate of suffering is truly irreplaceable and how it opens up the way for the Church to act upon souls.

A German painter once painted Our Lord as the Good Shepherd knocking on the door of a simple house. Afterwards someone told him: “You made a mistake, for the door has no outside knob to get in.” He answered: “That’s true, but it is not a mistake. This door symbolizes the human heart. Our Lord knocks on it, but there is no knob outside, only inside. There are certain souls that open up only to themselves and to no one else, and in that case no one can intervene, they are really closed.”

Prayer and sacrifice are precisely the way to influence this type of person. They open up to the grace and find life when they suffer and carry the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ lovingly. They come to understand how normal it is to suffer. A person acquires greatness to the degree that he suffers. The great men in history are those who bear great sufferings for the love of God.

Clearly, this includes not only passive suffering like, for example, allowing another to strike us. It also means active suffering that is, taking the initiative in find suffering. This can be done by confronting bad public opinion or overcoming human respect. In short, it means accepting suffering entirely, embracing it fearlessly and daringly, and taking the initiative to look for ways to sacrifice for an ideal. This is what it means to suffer par excellence and we should seek to do this.

The Hollywood myth of the “happy end” is a great obstacle to accepting suffering and sacrifice. Not all things turn out well in the end as in the movies.

Not everything is joy and success. Thus, we should not look at suffering as a kind of seven-headed monster that invades people’s lives uninvited. To the contrary, we should realize that everyone suffers and a life without crosses is worthless. Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort goes so far as to say that when a person does not suffer, he should ask for crosses. For a person to whom God gives no sufferings should be wary of his eternal salvation.

All this comes across very clearly in the sacrifice made by Jacinta and Francisco.

In this sense, we should frequently pray to them to ask Our Lady of Fatima to obtain for us this true sense of suffering that is indispensable for all those faithful who want to become generous and dedicated Catholics.

Vote Right Away! Should "In God We Trust" Stay on our Currency?

Here's your chance to let the media know where you stand on our faith in God in our nation. NBC is presently taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency. Please send this to everyone you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off their web page. Poll is still open so you can vote. Use the link below: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

The Little-Known St. Thérèse

Written by Luis C. Azevedo

On October 1, 2009, the liturgy of the Church celebrates the memory of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, “the greatest saint of modern times,” in the words of Pope Saint Pius X. The charm of her “Little Way,” with all its sweetness and mercy, admirably harmonizes with the traits of a genuine warrior, “I would die in a battlefield, arms in hand,” she once stated.¹

Her soul had infinite aspirations: she wanted to be a warrior, priest, apostle, doctor of the Church and martyr; she felt the courage of a crusader, of a Papal Zouave; she wanted to die in the battlefield defending the Church; she wanted to preach the Gospel to the four continents and to the remotest islands. “‘Jesus, Jesus’—she would say—‘if I were to write all my desires, I would have to borrow Thy book of life; I wanted to have achieved all these deeds for Thee . . . .’”²

“A French soldier, defender of the Church and admirer of Joan of Arc.”

An Admirer of Saint Joan of Arc
This warrior aspect of Saint Thérèse’s soul is dominant in her moral profile. Yet, even those who love her most, tend to forget this trait.

“In my childhood, I dreamed of combating in the battlefield. When I began to learn the history of France, I was enchanted with the deeds of Joan of Arc; I felt in my heart a desire and courage to imitate them.”³

Saint Thérèse gradually became increasingly aware of the profound similarities between her life and that of the Virgin of Donrémy. Thus, on January 21, 1894, the 101st anniversary of the martyrdom of the unfortunate King Louis XVI, she wrote a theater play titled, The Mission of Joan of Arc. The following year, as Pope Leo XIII declared her “Venerable,” and France celebrated it’s holy martyr and warrior, Saint Thérèse wrote the play, Joan of Arc Fulfills Her Mission, which the whole religious community staged. Saint Thérèse played the role of Joan of Arc.

The play featured the conquest of Orleans, the coronation of King Charles VII, but above all Saint Joan of Arc’s burning at the stake, which to Saint Thérèse meant the apex of the achievement of the heroine’s mission.

Saint Thérèse signed her Canticle to obtain the canonization of Saint Joan of Arc as “A French soldier, defender of the Church and admirer of Joan of Arc.”

Saint Joan, the Virgin of Orleans, and Saint Thérèse, the Virgin of Lisieux, are two models of militant Catholic combatants against the enemies of the Church and of Christian Civilization. Two great saints, though leading such different lives—one a strictly military life and the other a contemplative one—nonetheless have profound affinities with each other.

Saint Thérèse did not live to see Saint Joan’s canonization, and she was far from imagining that, on May 18, 1925, Pope Pius XI would present her, Saint Thérèse, to the Catholic world as “a new Joan of Arc”; and that during the Second World War, Pope Pius XII would declare her, like the Virgin of Orleans, “secondary patron of all France!”

A Crusader Soul; Apparitions; the Combatant
The idea of fight constantly fed the strong soul of the saint of the “Shower of Roses.”

“I went to sleep for a few moments during prayer,” she would tell Mother Agnes. “I dreamt there were not enough soldiers for a war against the Prussians. You said: We need to send Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus. I answered that I agreed, but that I would prefer to fight at a holy war. But finally I went all the same.

“Oh no, I would not fear going to war. With what joy, for example, at the time of the Crusades, I would have gone to combat heretics. Yes! I would not have been afraid to be shot; I would not have feared the fire!⁴

“When I think I’m dying in bed! I would want to die in an arena!”⁵

The same combative spirit animated her in the struggles of the spiritual life: “Sanctity! We need to conquer it at the tip of the sword . . . we need to fight!”⁶

Such is the mettle of this extremely active and energetic warrior soul, according to the testimonies of those who knew her: “Under a suave and gracious aspect [she] revealed at every instant, in her actions, a strong character and a manly soul; she would not be discouraged in her dedication to the interests of the Church.”⁷

“This is a manly soul, a great man,” Pope Pius XI later said. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus thus followed the advice of the great Saint Thérèse of Avila to her daughters: “I want you not to be women in anything, but equal to strong men in everything!”⁸

Thus wrote Cardinal Vico about the Virgin of Lisieux, “Thérèse’s virtue imposes itself with incredible majesty: the child becomes a hero; a virgin with her hands full of flowers causes astonishment with her manly courage.”⁹

A handwriting analysis of Saint Thérèse’s Act of Profession gives this admirable testimony: “An iron-clad resolution, a great will to fight, an indomitable energy are expressed here. These traits show at the same time the fright of a child and the decisiveness of a warrior.”¹⁰

In 1914, when the First World War breaks out, Saint Thérèse appears some forty times in various battlefields, at times holding a cross in her hand, at times a saber! The soldiers see her; she speaks to them matter-of-factly, resolves their doubts, overcomes their temptations and calms their fears. She protects, consoles and converts them.

French soldiers would invoke her as “my little sister of the trenches,” “my war patroness,” “the shield of soldiers,” “the angel of battles” and “my dear little Captain.” A soldier wrote, “In fact, that gentle Saint will be the great heroine of this war.” Another commented, “I think of her when the cannon thunders with great roar.”

Countless were the artillery pieces and planes named after Sister Thérèse; whole regiments were consecrated to her. Countless relics of the saint that miraculously stopped rifle bullets like real shields, saving the lives of the soldiers who carried them, are in her convent of Lisieux, a testimony to the great prodigies of the one who, in fact, “died with arms in her hand.”¹¹

____________________
Notes:
1. Poésies de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, “Mes armes,” March 25, 1897, Office Central de Lisieux, 1951.
2. Manuscrits Autobiographiques, dedicated to Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart, Office Central de Lisieux, 1956, folio 4 t’.
3. Lettres de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, Letter to Father Belliere, Office Central de Lisieux, 1948.
4. Carnet Jaune, 4.8.6 in Demiers entretiens, Éditions du Centenaire, Desclée de Brouwer ­Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 1971.
5. Summarium of the Process of Beatification and Canonization 1, testimony of Celine, 2753.
6. Correspondance Générale, Éditions du Cerf-Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1972, t. I (1877–1890), Letter (no. 89) Celine, April 26, 1889; Letter to Leonie, May 20, 1894.
7. Summarium of the Process of Beatification and Canonization 1, testimony of Mother Agnes, 706, and of Mother Therese of Saint Augustine, 1072.
8. Lettres de Sainte Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus, as quoted by Saint Therese of Avila in a letter to Father Rouland, November 10, 1896, Office Central de Lisieux, 1948.
9. L’Esprit de Ia Bienheureuse Thérese de l’Enfant-Jésus d’après ses écrits et des témoins occulaires de sa vie. Office Central de Lisieux, 1924, Preface, at VIII.
10. Father François de Sainte-Marie, OCDP, Manuscrits Autobiographiques, Office Central de Lisieux, 1956, vol. II, 53.
11. Cf. Interventions de Sr. Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus pendant la guerre, Pluie de Roses, Lisieux, 1920; and Ch. Gabriel Sarraute, Un soldat français: sainte Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus, Imprimerie Morière, 1970.

Everything Normal on Mappatella Beach

Written by Luis Solimeo

A series of pictures in Milan's Corriere della Sera of July 31 shows a typical scene on a modern beach on a calm and pleasant day. Leaving aside the aspects of immorality and prosaism, everything seems normal on Mappatella Beach in the outskirts of Naples. Some beachgoers are sunbathing on the warm sand, others chat peaceably; a lady applies sun block lotion on another; a girl warms herself languidly in the sun. A little farther away, some people swim. All is normal.

Or, rather, all appears to be normal.

In fact, these photos illustrate a chronicle by Paolo Di Stefano in the Milan daily titled: Under the sunshade, next to a corpse, the indifference of beachgoers: some apply sun block, others swim... ¹

Di Stefano recounts how some bathers on the beach had seen a corpse floating strangely on the water, carried by the waves.

Was the person drowning? Or was he already dead? Who cares? The day was so beautiful, the sun so pleasant, the water so inviting.

At one point, one of the bathers called the lifeguards on his cell phone. That done, he went back to enjoy the delights of the beach. "It is not my job"

Since time went by and no help was forthcoming, another bather took the initiative to pull the corpse out of the water and lay him on the sand. Others threw bathing towels on top of him and opened a sunshade, partially hiding him. With that done, there was no longer the unpleasant view of a human corpse floating on the waves... and all went back to normal on Mappatella Beach.

This is how Antonio Sommaripa, 73 - a beachgoer like all others - died without any help right in the middle of the others, who continued to enjoy the pleasant Neapolitan beach.

Practical Atheism
This episode, however, is tragic. It is tragic and shocking: a human being drowns in plain view of all those who, like him, were on the beach. No one moved to help him; no one was interested in finding out whether he was still alive or if anything could be done to save him. There was absolute indifference toward the tragic end of a fellow human being.

The poor victim had probably been baptized; and this being Italy, he was perhaps a Catholic. The indifferent bathers were also probably baptized and perhaps considered themselves Catholics.

However, their attitude was one of complete atheism: if a dolphin or a seagull washed onto the beach maybe their interest, or at least their curiosity, could have been awakened. However, how to explain such an indifference toward a rational creature, endowed with an immortal soul, made in the image and likeness of God (and whose eternal destiny was being decided that instant), except as indifference in relation to the Creator Himself?

Such indifference can be qualified as a form of atheism. It is certainly not a conscious and militant atheism that arrogantly proclaims that "God does not exist." It is a more subtle, almost intangible form of what could be called practical atheism: one simply lives as if God does not exist.

As a famous maxim attributed to Dostoyevsky has it, "If God doesn't exist, everything is allowed." Likewise, it could be said that if God does not exist, nothing makes any sense. Hence you have a state of apathy or indifference for everything and everyone, including the Creator of all things.

Egoistic, Anti-Christian and Dehumanizing Indifference
Such absence of the most elementary feeling of compassion is telltale of the advance state of de-Christianization and re-paganization of the modern world, or, even beyond, the state of de-humanization into which humanity is plunging.

This is the inevitable consequence of a society that deifies pleasure and despises morals. The end result is the most complete selfishness in which the person lives as if the only thing that matters is pleasure and self-interest, and if, at least in practice, he considers that there is no objective morals that imposes limits on one's desires and defines one's obligations toward one's neighbor. Each person closes up in himself and his neighbor is important only to the degree that he helps him satisfy his pleasures or caters to his interests.

Such a selfish indifference is not just anti-Christian but also dehumanizing. Even some pagans understood the reciprocal bond that unites all men because of their common nature: "I am a man and nothing human is alien to me," Terence wrote in the second century before Christ.

Conversely, when man becomes estranged to things human, he himself loses his sense of humanity. Once the moral sense that binds individuals with their fellow creatures has disappeared, all that remains is a vague sentiment that will also disappear very soon.

The End of Sentiment and Rationality
Indeed, man is so much a social being that he needs other human beings to make his feelings manifest. When someone is dominated by selfishness, his feelings become numb: its object is the individual himself and there is no complementariness from his fellow human being. This leads to complete indifference toward one's fellow creatures, which, in turn, leads to the death of one's own sentiments inasmuch as they are human.

And with the end of sentiment, rationality itself succumbs.

This is logical: sentiment is only a sensible manifestation of man's rational concern toward his fellow humans. This is what distinguishes him from animals, from the standpoint of sensibility. Animals, being irrational, do not have true sentiment but only blind instincts that guide them in their invariable behavior. Thus, the solicitude of a mother animal with her cubs while they cannot fend for themselves cannot be compared to human sentiment (except as a remote analogy). Animal behavior is merely instinctive and does not create any truly affectionate relationship or bond between parents and offspring. This is so true that all relationships cease when the cubs become adult: they mutually become strangers.

Only man, whose sensibility is guided by reason, can establish lasting relationships of affection and responsibility. It is his rationality that tells him that the bonds that link him to his fellow creatures derive from nature itself. It is because he shares the same nature of a rational and free being that he feels solidary with his fellow human beings.

Normally, this solidarity is manifested above all in moments of difficulty and tribulation, and especially at the hour of death.

The Solemnity of Death
Modern culture tries hard to hide or banalize the reality of death. However, it is the fate common to all.

Death is the natural end of every man. For this reason, it is the most tragic and decisive reality for every human being. Every living being has a revulsion toward its own end. In an animal, this revulsion is purely instinctive. In man, it is rational. He is the only being who is conscious that with death, his earthly journey is over. This awareness and the uncertainty of what comes next put him in a state of complete contingency. This is why he needs more than ever, the sympathy and support of his fellow men.

A unique and inevitable development of this fact is that the moment of death takes on a special solemnity. It is the moment when a person is torn apart by the separation between soul and body.

This moment, terrible in itself, acquires supernatural grandeur when one bears in mind that once separated from the body, the soul appears before God, Who will decide on its eternal destiny.

The pagans of Antiquity and even savages shared the notion of the grandeur and seriousness of death. The Church and Christian civilization put together a whole ceremonial vested with the grandeur of the sacraments at the hour of death and gave funeral pomp a serious and sacral splendor.

A Lesson to be Drawn
None of the above considerations appears to have dawned on the bathers of Mappatella Beach.

But pay attention! Do not think that this callousness and insensitivity before the death of a human being is something circumscribed to a group of anonymous bathers in a faraway Neapolitan beach!

Do we not see here, and all around the world, that same cruel impassibility before the extermination of millions of innocent lives through abortion? And is this not the same mentality that is paving the way for euthanasia, eugenic sterilization and other brutal aberrations?

And what to say of the silence and omission of so many others? It this not a form of complicity?

May these reflections be useful to all those who agree that not everything was normal on Mappatella Beach.

Footnotes

1. http://www.corriere.it/cronache/09_luglio_31/di_stefano_sotto_l_ombrellone_accanto_a_un_morto_aacd1e56-7d92-11de-9f17-00144f02aabc.shtml [back]

The True Role of Guardian Angels

Written by Plinio Correa de Oliveira

While the role of Guardian Angels is to guard men, institutions, cities and nations, we often have a distorted image of the functions of these angels. Many see them as beings that are good just to obtain advantages for us. However, this is not their only role. They exist above all to help us in spiritual difficulties. God accompanies us through the action of the angels and they participate in our struggles to help us fulfill our vocation.

Indeed, Guardian Angels run contrary to the Hollywood vision of life. According to that mentality, there is a great propensity to think there are no struggles, difficulties or dangers and everything will have a happy ending. The Church teaches us the contrary. Life is full of struggles and dangers, both material and spiritual. Because of this, Divine Providence has placed an angel to watch over each and every one of us.

God has done this with such magnificence, that in addition to one angel for every person, there is also an angel for every city and every nation. There is an angel to watch over the Holy Catholic Church: St. Michael the Archangel. There are angels to watch over groups, families of souls, societies and other institutions, so that everything that exists is guarded by angels. This, incidentally, is part of the role of the angels, for they maintain the whole material universe executing all of the decrees of God.

Therefore, since life is an intense struggle with dangers and difficulties, each of us has an angel to guide him because we would otherwise not be able to make it on our own. The first lesson to draw from the fact we have Guardian Angels is one must have a supernatural spirit or outlook. The Cistercian abbot Dom Chautard condemned the erroneous attitude of one who thinks: I am very capable, very intelligent, resourceful, and, above all, very proud. I can fend for myself with my great qualities, as long as God keeps away from me those very large obstacles. I do not need God’s help in my spiritual or material life. I can take care of myself and accomplish what I need to do by myself.

There is something fundamentally wrong in this attitude. God Himself delegated an angel to accompany and protect each of us precisely because we are not capable of taking care of ourselves. The fact that we are given an angel is a proof that we need God’s help at every moment, in everything, even those small things, that we do.

On the other hand, the Guardian Angel is usually presented as the protector of little children. Sentimentality has distorted all devotions, holy cards and pictures showing the angel watching over a small child. What is implicitly conveyed is that, first, only toddlers need angels; and second, only little children believe in angels.

Those with a more developed, freethinking or liberated mindset neither need nor believe in angels.Such characterizations of the holy angels convey another message. These sentimental holy cards often show a very beautiful little brook with a fat, rosy-cheeked little toddler walking over a bridge. The child is crossing the bridge with a broken board, and about to step in the hole with his little foot. We see the Guardian Angel is watching over him.

One has the impression that this is a child’s imaginary world, and with this mentality, the little child crosses the bridge. At best, we could imagine that the Guardian Angel does the same with adults. Thus, comes the idea that we need to pray to our Guardian Angels to avoid car crashes, illnesses, and small accidents since they specialize in preventing us from such sufferings.

No doubt, Guardian Angels do help us with such material needs, but that is not their only task. No one speaks of Guardian Angels helping with spiritual needs.

This attitude is consistent with a certain festive piety that many people exhibit when going on pilgrimage to special sanctuaries. What do they ask for? The healing of a sore throat or some wound. The testimonials and petitions compiled in these places of pilgrimage show requests for help for all kinds of strange symptoms, wounds and material requests. Naturally, the pilgrims also ask for money, reconciliation in families, avoiding bad luck and many other things of the same nature yet with little to no reference to spiritual needs.

It’s evident that many have little notion that Guardian Angels are given to us to help with the most important matters: the needs of our soul. The greatest function of our Guardian Angel is to watch over our soul and to obtain graces for us so we can overcome our spiritual difficulties.

What a great a comfort we would have in the hours of tribulation and temptation, those times when we feel all alone weighed down with the problems of our spiritual life, if we would have the certainty that our Guardian Angel is right next to us. Though we cannot see or hear him, he does not leave us even for a second. He is waiting for our prayers to go into action for us. He often acts without our asking, but will act much more if we ask. He is well within our reach.

What a joy it would be to have this in mind when we are involved in the apostolate with others.

When we suffer with spiritual problems, annoyances, struggles, abandonment, and difficulties of all kinds, we would know that this solitude is an illusion. Our Guardian Angel is right beside us. Even if we have the impression that the distance between our Guardian Angels and us is greater than between Heaven and Earth, the truth is that they are extremely close to us. As we pray to them and ask for their help, they will watch over and protect us.

Having this present in our thoughts at every moment should encourage us in our spiritual life. We should feel a great satisfaction and sense God’s hand accompanying us at each step in our spiritual and material life. This illustrates the affirmation of Our Lord in the Gospel that not a hair falls from our head, not a bird dies, or a leaf falls without God willing it.

Such a perspective about the angels corresponds to Church teaching on Divine Providence. Because our Guardian Angel is providing and asking for everything we need, we can practice better the virtue of confidence.

The assistance the angel provides for us in the hours of danger and trial is not the only assistance he renders. He also prays for us. There is, for example, the famous vision of Daniel in which he sees angels from the ancient empires as if fighting for their respective people before God’s throne.

Our angel is our intercessor, advocate and our mediator. He is continuously praying for us. Therefore, the most appropriate thing for us to do is to ask continuously that our Guardian Angel fulfill this function of intercessor to obtain graces for us and drive away temptations and chastisements. This is something we should be doing constantly.

Thus, we have made some considerations that should help us to increase our love for our Guardian Angels, and thus invoke their patronage with greater devotion.

The above text has been adapted from a meeting given on October 2, 1964

Last Updated on Thursday, August 13, 2009

Public Square Rosary Rally - October 10, 2009

An Ardent Appeal Asking God: "Through the Holy Rosary, Save America"

Have you been following the news lately? Have you read the stories and seen the news clips on the 'Town Hall Meetings' taking place throughout the country? Do they make you feel helpless? Do you wonder what happened in this world to true hope? Does the state of the world today make you feel like you are all alone?

Or, perhaps you've been following the TFP Caravan in its defense of traditional marriage and have felt yourself encouraged by seeing young Catholics unafraid to publicly defend the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Perhaps their example has inspired you to make a public witness for the Faith?

No matter what we are feeling, wherever we look we appear to be on the verge of being devoured by the violent emptiness of a God-less culture, and never in our lifetime have so many agreed that 'something's got to happen' to make things better. The world, our country, and our city are in need of that 'something' right now. A something that no one on earth can provide, yet mysteriously it is only through our prayers that, that 'something' be granted.

As Catholics we are being called to fight, and through His Mercy, Our Lord has given us the most powerful weapon on earth, the Rosary of Our Lady. Please don't neglect to organize or participate in a Rally on October 10 near your home or parish. Our Lady is waiting to hear from her children, won't you join with us and make an ardent appeal to save America?

"We must fight, so that God will grant us victory." Saint Joan of Arc

Click below to find a Rosary Rally near you.

http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/Rosary-Rally-Central/rosary-rally-central.html

Let us know if we can help you organize or find a Rosary Rally in your area.

Caravans Confirm Most Americans Are Pro-Traditional Marriage

By James Bascom

From July 16 to August 1, volunteers for the American TFP traveled across New York, Maine, and Rhode Island to defend traditional marriage.

From July 15 to August 2, 2009, three teams of TFP volunteers launched a traditional marriage crusade in Maine, New York and Rhode Island. Called “Saint Joseph Caravans,” these volunteers distributed fliers that offered “10 Reasons Why Homosexual ‘Marriage’ Is Harmful and Must Be Opposed,” held signs asking cars to “Honk for Traditional Marriage” and rallied public opinion against state-imposed homosexual “marriage.”

The caravans are the latest phase of the American TFP’s effort to defend marriage across America, having toured Maine and New Hampshire in April 2009, and Arizona, California and Florida in September and October 2008. Thirty states have constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage and 41 states have laws banning homosexual “marriage.”

“Pro-homosexual groups are hard at work undermining traditional marriage here in New York,” said Mr. John Ritchie, leader of the Caravan that toured New York City. “But the people here are solidly against it. The honks of support and thumbs-up have been overwhelming.”

“Like counterfeit currency, homosexual ‘marriage’ is not true marriage. It is morally wrong, sinful, offensive to God and a violation of natural law,” continued Mr. Ritchie. “A vocal and organized minority is trying to impose counterfeit marriage on society. If enough good people do nothing, this minority will certainly get their way.”

Some of the best reactions occurred in seemingly hostile places.

In Brooklyn, New York City, one such reaction came from a black man in a pin-striped business suit. “The world is crazy. Not only is homosexual ‘marriage’ going to destroy the family, it’s going to destroy our country.” Looking around, he continued, “I’ve noticed how young boys are less manly these days. Who will fight for our country if boys are acting more like girls?” He shook the TFP volunteer’s hand with a firm grip and said, “Keep it up and God bless you!”

In White Plains, New York, three teenagers approached the campaign table and were curious to know more about it. After a TFP volunteer explained why traditional marriage is so important for society and how homosexual “marriage” is the antithesis of true marriage, one teenager added, “Yes, and besides, the homosexual lifestyle is bad for your health, like AIDS and other things.”

The three teenagers left with fliers in hand, paused at the intersection, and were delighted at all the honking for traditional marriage. They smiled broadly and gave us repeated thumbs-up.
The reaction of pro-homosexual passers-by, however, was far from civil. Pepper spray, bottles, eggs and soft drinks were thrown at TFP volunteers, and foul language and verbal abuse was an everyday occurrence. In Syracuse, New York, a young man and girl approached Mr. John Miller who was holding the TFP standard. Their body piercings and foul language were an indication of what was to come. After a heated debate, the man spat on Mr. Miller and ran away.

While the media promotes the idea that most people are in favor of or are indifferent to homosexual “marriage,” the traditional marriage caravans have proven the opposite. “Wherever people were given a choice, homosexual ‘marriages’ has always failed,” affirmed Mr. Ritchie. “Americans don’t want to see their children grow up in a world that affirms sin and denies natural law.”

Can you believe it?

Polish church rebuffs call for protest mass against Madonna

Written by Jonathan Luxmoore

Monday, 20 July 2009 21:14

(ENI) — Poland's civil rights ombudsman Janusz Kochanowski has condemned plans for a massive Warsaw concert by the U.S. pop star, Madonna, on the Roman Catholic Church's traditional Assumption Day festival.

The church has, however, said it will not back plans to hold a mass to protest against the forthcoming show.

"Many people from the world of politics and culture have expressed indignation, as have circles of religious believers and numerous private individuals, who disapprove of such arrogance and provocation, which is not necessarily accidental," said Kochanowski. "There is no justification for citing constitutional freedom of expression in this case, nor liberty for artistic activity."

Kochanowski made his comments as a Catholic protest committee prepared a "public prayer crusade" against the scheduled August 15 open-air performance at the Polish capital's Bemowo airport.

In a letter to the mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walz, published on July 16 by the Polish Press Agency, Kochanowski said plans for the Assumption Day concert had caused "serious opposition and distaste," and risked violating the constitutional principle that "the rights of others should be respected, including their religious feelings".

Still, a senior Catholic official said that the Warsaw archdiocese had decided not to give consent for an open-air Mass and rosary service by protesters outside the city's government offices.

"Every valid cause will undoubtedly be supported by prayer as much by the clergy as by the faithful," said Henryk Malecki, one of the archdiocese's moderators. "But the laity's mission in the church is to defend and present proper causes in a worthy way, and the Holy Mass cannot be treated as a form of protest."

Madonna, who Guinness World Records rates the most successful female recording artist ever, with 200 million albums sold worldwide, has attracted controversy previously for using religious images during her shows.

In 2006, the Vatican protested when Madonna appeared crucified on a giant cross at Rome's Olympic Centre, less than 1.5 kilometers (one mile) from St Peter's Square.

Interviewed on July 15 by Poland's Radio Zet, the former president of the country, Lech Walesa, said he was "disgusted" by the concert, which will form part of Madonna's current 15-country "Sticky and Sweet Tour". Wales said he expected the singer to "make a joke" of the Catholic faith.

The protest committee organizer, Marian Brudzinski, said he had petitioned government officials and commercial sponsors to withdraw support for the Madonna concert, and he hoped local Catholic clergy would join the prayer crusade from July 31. Brudzinski said he had also asked Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw to suspend mayor Gronkiewicz-Walz, a Catholic, from church sacraments unless she called off the event.

The archdiocese spokesperson, Rafal Markowski, told Poland's Catholic information agency KAI on July 16 that masses could not be "used as a form of protest against someone," although he added that Madonna was "known for her anti-religious excesses."

The LiveNation consortium staging the show said the 20 000 tickets sold out months ago. Organizers have said this makes its postponement or cancellation "impossible."

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You can still protest!

Send your instant e-protest to keep Madonna’s blasphemy from showing in Catholic Poland on the day of Our Lady’s Assumption by clicking here!

Only One Queen in Poland: Protest Madonna

When it was announced that American pop-singer Madonna would be performing in Warsaw’s Bemowo Airport on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the American TFP joined the firestorm of protest sweeping Poland.

Madonna "Sticky & Sweet" tour is causing a stir because August 15 is not just any Catholic feast day or Polish national holiday. It is the day when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arrive at the foot of Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine at Jasna Gora after many of them spend weeks of pilgrimages on foot from all around the country.

Many see the choice of this special day as a provocation. It only adds to the controversy surrounding the 50-year-old singer who has long mixed blasphemy with sexual themes. Even if the event were to be on another day, Madonna’s message is clearly offensive to Poles. In 2006, she offended Poles by having her face appear on the cover of the Polish magazine, "Machina," parodying Our Lady of Czestochowa. Promotion material for the present tour claims: “There is no room for two queens in Poland.”

The American TFP is joining with other organizations in Poland in protesting the event. It is sponsoring an email protest campaign to Poland’s Minister of the Interior asking him to prevent the concert that is scheduled to be held at the publicly-owned Benowo Airport. The email notes that the event does not promote the common good and that since its promoters have shown that they intend to offend the religious sentiment of Polish Catholics, it is a violation of Article 196 of the Polish Criminal Code.

Numerous Catholic groups are getting involved in the protest. The American TFP hopes that Catholics all over the world will join in. One does not have to be Polish to defend the Blessed Mother. If enough Catholics from all over the world lodge their protest, the promoters of this show will find out that there is indeed no room for two queens in Poland. This is only one queen in Poland and her name is Mary, the Mother of God.

Send your instant e-protest to keep Madonna’s blasphemy from showing in Catholic Poland on the day of Our Lady’s Assumption by clicking here!

Support for God's Marriage Strong, TFP Finds After Three State Tour

HANOVER, Penn., Aug. 3 -- The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) has concluded a successful 16-day tour for traditional marriage in New York, Maine and Rhode Island.

TFP volunteers distributed pro-marriage leaflets, talked with people on the street, and carried out high profile campaigns at busy intersections and in front of malls.

The public's support was clear as expressed by the waves of people who honked their horns when driving by the group's roadside demonstrations after reading the huge "HONK for traditional marriage" signs. In some places, so many people honked that the intersection literally turned into a "honk orchestra."

People would say: "God bless you! Thank you for this. You made my day," said Norman Fulkerson, leader of the Catholic group's New York contingent. "But sometimes people were moved and said things like: 'God will give you a big reward for this,' or 'it takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing' or even 'the government is taking away our rights. Thank you for what you are doing; we are all in this together.'"

"We found strong support for traditional marriage. There were a few outbursts from angry pro-homosexual individuals. But most people cheered us on."

The group's findings from direct contact with the public in the streets fits with data from CBS/New York Times, USAToday/Gallup and the Pew Foundation polls that say support for same-sex "marriage" is sliding nationwide.

For videos, pictures and reports of the crusade for traditional marriage go to: www.tfp.org/traditional-marriage-crusade.html