Seminarian Dies During The Hour Of Mercy

Alan Brown, 49, a Jefferson City seminarian, tragically died of a heart attack.

Alan woke up and was praying the Liturgy of the Hours with his fellow seminarians, when the heart attack occurred. He was rushed to a St. Joseph, MO hospital.

He died at 3:45 PM, the hour of Mercy, having his soul full of grace.

A frequent adorer of the Blessed Sacrament, Fr. William Korte said "He knew the gift of God. He knew the source of His wealth."



In a Catholic Missourian article Mr. Brown writes:

"I would like to encourage every Catholic to spend time often with our Eucharistic Lord in adoration of Him. It's all about what Jesus wants to do for you, not about what you can do for Him. As Christians, we know that it is in dying we are born to eternal life."

Mr. Brown was going to graduate in May and was scheduled to enter theological studies at Sacred Heart School of theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

Let us pray,
Eternal rest grant unto him O' Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.


Mr. Alan Brown (October 19, 1959 - January 22, 2009)

Alan Brown, please pray for holy vocations to the priesthood. Amen

Islam, The Truth Exposed!

Can a Muslim Be Your Friend?

Read below. The truth could shock you. HT Marie

The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion in Australia.

Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs.

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Imam gave a gret presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with video.

After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.

When it was my turn, I directed my questions to the Imam and asked: "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad(Holy War)against the infidel(which is a command to all Muslims)they are assured of a place in Heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?'

There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitaton, he replied, 'Non-believers!'

I responded, 'So, let us make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?'

The expresssion on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of 'a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.'

He sheepishly replied, 'yes.'

I then stated, 'Well sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope Benedict XVI commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or the Archbishop of Canterbury ordering all Anglicans to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!'

The Imam was speechless!

I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your 'friend' when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?'

You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'diversification' training seminar were not happy with this way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about Muslim beliefs.

In twenty years time there will be enough Muslim voters in Australia(and many other countries) to elect a government of their choice, complete with Sharia Law.

These are facts which the liberal media will not tell you so I just did.

Written by Anon.

Be warned! We must convert Islam or they will persecute us.

St. Bellarmine: The Cross Of Christ

Here is St. Robert Bellarmine's Sermon on the actual cross that Jesus
was crucified on.






But before I begin to write on the words which our Lord spoke from the Cross, it seems proper that I should say something of the Cross itself, which was the pulpit of the Preacher, the altar of the Sacrificing Priest, the arena of the Combatant, the workshop of the Wonder-worker. The ancients commonly agree in saying that the Cross was made of three pieces of wood; one upright, along which the body of the crucified person was stretched; another transverse, to which the hands were fastened; and the third was attached to the lower part of the cross, on which the feet of the condemned rested, but fastened by nails to prevent their moving about. The ancient Fathers of the Church agree in this opinion, as St. Justin[8] and St. Irenaeus. These authors, moreover, clearly indicate that each foot rested on the foot-board, and that one foot was not placed over the other.

Four Nails?

Hence, it follows that Christ was nailed to the Cross with four nails, and not
with three, as many imagine, who in pictures represent Christ, our Lord, as
nailed to the Cross with one foot over the other. Gregory of Tours,
distinctly says the contrary, and confirms his view by an appeal to ancient
pictures. I, for my part, have seen in the Royal Library at Paris, some
very ancient manuscripts of the Gospels, which contained many pictures of
Christ crucified, and these all had the four nails.

St. Augustine, and St. Gregory of Nyssa, say that the upright piece of
the Cross projected a little from the transverse piece. It would seem that
the Apostle also insinuates the same, for in his Epistle to the Ephesians
St. Paul writes: "That you may be able to comprehend with all the saints,
what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth." This is clearly
a description of the figure of the Cross, which has four extremes; breadth
in the transverse piece; length in the upright piece; height in that part
of the Cross which stood out and projected from the transverse part; and
depth in the part which was buried in the earth.

Our Lord did not endure the torments of the Cross by chance, or unwillingly, since
He had chosen this kind of death from all eternity, as St. Augustine teaches from the
testimony of the Apostle: "Jesus of Nazareth being delivered up, by the
determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked
men have crucified and slain." And so Christ, at the beginning of His
preaching, said to Nicodemus: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in
Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting." He often spoke to His
Apostles about His Cross, and encouraged them to imitate Him by the words:
"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross and follow Me."

Our Lord alone knows the reason that induced Him to choose this manner of
death. The holy Fathers, however, have thought of some mystical reasons,
and have left them to us in their writings. St. Irenaeus, in the work of
his to which we have referred, says that the words, "JESUS OF NAZARETH,
KING OF THE JEWS," were written over that part of the Cross where the two
arms meet, to give us to understand, that the two nations, of Jew and
Gentile, which had up to that time been estranged from each other, were
henceforth to be united into one body under the one Head, Christ.

The Cross is the Key To Heaven

St. Gregory of Nyssa, in his sermon on the Resurrection, says that the part of
the Cross which looked towards heaven, shows that heaven is to be opened by
the Cross as by a key; that the part which was buried in the earth shows
that hell was despoiled by Christ when He descended thither; and that the
two arms of the Cross, which stretched towards the cast and west, show the
regeneration of the whole world by the Blood of Christ.

St. Jerome, on the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Augustine, in his Epistle to
Honoratus, St. Bernard, in the fifth book of his work on "Consideration,"
teach that the principal mystery of the Cross was briefly touched upon by
the Apostle in the words: "What is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth." The primary signification of these words points to the attributes of
God; the height signifies His power; the depth, His wisdom; the breadth, His
goodness; the length, His eternity. They have reference also to the virtues
of Christ in His Passion; the breadth, His charity; the length, His
patience; the height, His obedience; the depth, His humility. They signify,
moreover, the virtues which are necessary for those who are saved through
Christ. The depth of the Cross means faith; the height, hope; the breadth,
charity; the length, perseverance. From this we gather that only charity,
the queen of virtues, finds a place everywhere, in God, in Christ, and in
ourselves. Of the other virtues, some are proper to God, others to Christ,
and others to us. Consequently it is not wonderful that in His last words
from the Cross, which we are now going to explain, Christ should give the
first place to words of charity.

St. Robert Bellarmine Sermon

You're Responsible For Sharing The Truth

My Dear People,

The World Is Statrving To Hear The Gospel Message

We are in the year of St. Paul the Apostle. This whole year is a great remembrance of all that Paul accomplished in bringing the Good News to the Gentile nations. All of us are responsible for sharing the truth of Jesus Christ with one another. We live in a very depraved and darkened society; lost in the lusts of the world. What better witness can we give, but to share the Light of Christ with everyone. Pope John Paul ll said that we are entering the age of the New Evangelization.

The world is starving to hear the message of the Gospel. To evangelized is to live the truth of Jesus Christ each and everyday. Today's Gospel from St. Mark tells us that the KINGDOM is at hand. All of creation yearns for the completion of the Kingdom in our midst. The Holy Apostles left everything to follow the Lord; homes, jobs, family and friends. In return they shared in the Ministry of Our Lord. What a great grace we have in the Apostles. They guide us still from the Throne of the Heavenly Courts. Ask the Apostles to give you a missionary heart. In doing so, you too will share in the great mission of our Roman Catholic Church.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

Burke & Hermann Guns Are Blazing!

Brave Bishops Speak Out For Life!

Archbishop Burke calls out the bishops while his tag team partner, Bishop Hermann, points to the pews. In an unprecedented display of courage, these two Bishops go public with the official Church teachings on life issues where most Bishops and Catholics cowardly go silent.

Bishop Hermann gets the nod for the best one-two punch. Read further, lets just say he didn't hold back.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura,

"named an election document produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that he said “led to confusion” among the faithful and led ultimately to massive support among Catholics for Barack Obama."

But most damaging, he said, was the document “Faithful Citizenship” that “led to confusion” among the voting Catholic population.

“While it stated that the issue of life was the first and most important issue, it went on in some specific areas to say ‘but there are other issues’ that are of comparable importance without making necessary distinctions.”

Archbishop Burke, citing an article by a priest and ethics expert of St. Louis archdiocese, Msgr. Kevin McMahon, who analysed how the bishops’ document actually contributed to the election of Obama, called its proposal “a kind of false thinking, that says, ‘there’s the evil of taking an innocent and defenceless human life but there are other evils and they’re worthy of equal consideration.’

“But they’re not. The economic situation, or opposition to the war in Iraq, or whatever it may be, those things don’t rise to the same level as something that is always and everywhere evil, namely the killing of innocent and defenceless human life.”

Archbishop Burke also cited the work of the official news service of the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference, that many pro-life observers complained soft-pedalled the newly elected president’s opposition to traditional morality.

“The bishops need to look also at our Catholic News Service, CNS, they need to review their coverage of the whole thing and give some new direction, in my judgement,” he said.

Bishop Hermann of St. Louis – Strongest Ever Pro-Life Column

In our Supreme Court and in our Congress, we have a plethora of so-called Catholics who are failing to live their Catholic identity. Over 50 percent of our electorate voted for a president who is one of the most pro-culture-of-death candidates from a major party to run for the highest office of the land.

Yes, we can thank one-half of our Catholics for bailing out on their faith!

After almost 50 years of having 50 percent of Catholics abandoning their Catholic identity, we cannot expect to turn this culture around by short-term political efforts.

This means that all of us, as Catholics, have to undergo a profound transformation.

It means that we have to take a good look at every facet of our Catholic life, including the serious study of life issues, the regular and devout use of our Sacramental system, especially the devout and weekly attendance at Mass, the regular reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the devout praying of the daily Rosary, and then the faithful, loving and firm witness to lax Catholics about our Catholic beliefs and practices.

We have to live our lives in such a way that we will be unafraid to witness to what we believe and live.

In order to bring about a transformation from a culture of death to a culture of life, we have to restore our Catholic identity.

What a glorious opportunity we all have to make a difference in the pro-life cause. Until we are willing to be politically incorrect in order to be biblically correct, we will never convince anyone that our religion is worth living.

HT: LifeSite - Hermann & Burke

What do think? I love it!

Family Pics

How thankful I am for all of the blessings I have been given. God is good.

This Election Reaped A Bad Fruit

My Dear People,

We Will All Come To Know The JUSTICE Of The Lord.

Throughout the Sacred Scriptures, Our Lord tells us that we are accountable for our individual acts, and our communal acts. This past election reaped the bad fruit of many, many years of choosing death over life. Pope John Paul ll warned the United States, that it was becoming a culture of death. God calls us to be a culture of LIFE. Even Mother Teresa of Calcutta stated many times that America had lost its way and because of rampant abortions, and would suffer future consequences for her immoral choices.

Now we are at that crossroads. As a nation, we have chosen to give our politicians "carta blanche" when it comes to the "ultimate child abuse" ABORTION and CLONING. God never withdraws His Mercy. We preclude it. WE have done so. We are now suffering the consequences of our immoral actions. Pray for the strength to withstand the judgments that is at our doorstep. Even though you may have remained faithful to Our Lord in the voting booth, we will all come to know the JUSTICE of the Lord.

Please pray for a change of heart in our present administration.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

The Three Fold Fruits of Jesus' Baptism

My Dear People,

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

We draw to a close the Christmas season with the Baptism of Our Lord? Did Jesus need to be baptized? The answer would be NO. Jesus chose to be baptized by His cousin John, in obedience to His Father's Divine Will. John the Baptist states, "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am unworthy to untie His sandal straps." The shortest Gospel, Mark, tells us afterward a voice was heard from the Heavens saying, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him." The Father's intense love for the Son is found here. This same filial love is expressed by Jesus hanging upon the Holy Cross. What great love Jesus models for us by pouring our His Blood for us. And Jesus begins His Mission after coming out of the Jordan River.

What Our Lord teaches us here is threefold. First and foremost, we must always seek the Father's Will for us. Second, we must always know how intensely the Father loves each of us. Lastly, we must express the Father's Love for us in love of our neighbor. This fraternal love is the litmus test for our true devotion to Our Lord. And it all begins for us at the Baptismal Font. Called by name, Jesus gives us all of the tools we need to consummate the Divine Task of our life. Pray to invest and use your Baptismal gifts wisely.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

With Perseverance Comes Hope!

Finish the Race Strong

Here is an inspirational story of one man overcoming severe obstacle to give us a witness of hope in times of difficulty. It will be four minutes well spent.

Click, enjoy and share with others.



Heb 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

Jesus Treasures Us

My Dear People,

Are You Using His Gifts?

"We three Kings of orient are...bearing gifts we traverse afar." This is the prayer of the Church as we approach the manger with the three men of royalty. Although not Jewish by birth, these Gentile Kings represent us. Like them, we have no access to salvation except through the King of All Nations, Jesus Christ. Laying ourselves before the crib, we honor and adore Our Lord with them. Even though we have not gifts of gold, frankincence, and myrrh; we do have the gifts of the Holy Spirit given at our Baptism and Confirmation.

Jesus treasures us, and gives us His gifts through the Holy Spirit. Our Lord desires for us to put these gifts at the service of our families and of our Church. Are you using these gifts? Have you placed them at the foot of the manger? Take some time this Sunday to adore the Infant Jesus. Ask Him how to best use your gifts and talents for His Glory. Use wisely the treasures He has bestowed upon us.

Like the Three Kings, may we treasure the Holy Infant in our hearts as we too, adore Him in the Manger.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

A New Catholic Carnival

A Catholic Carnival features Catholic bloggers at their best. For some good reading you can go here:


50 Days After: A New Year and a New Catholic Carnival

Which Pope Is More Popular?

Pope John Paul II or Pope Benedict XVI

It's been nearly four years since our beloved Pope John Paul II completed his earthly mission, so that raises the question. Does he have staying power? Is he more beloved than the blessing God granted us with the election of Cardinal Ratzinger to the Chair of Peter?

According to Google's number of keyword searches for terms like John Paul, Ratzinger or Pope Benedict there is a clear winner. And it is . . .

Pope John Paul II

For obvious keyword searches Pope John Paul II has 793,000 monthly searches, as compared to Pope Benedict's 268,000 searches. Did you notice that number? That's over a million monthly searches combined!

But Not So Fast . . .

I must confess. Pope Benedict could be the winner. There are two terms that are too generic to give credit to either of these great Popes. The term "pope" gets 1.5 million searches and "benedict" gets 550,000 searches. Of course most of the searches for Benedict would be for our current Pope, but you could be looking for St. Benedict, Benedict College, Benedictine, Benedict Arnold etc, which makes the correct percentage clearly foggy and would be a uneducated guess at best. The term Pope is just too generic of a search term.

There it is.

The most obvious conclusion is that people love their Papa's, whether it is John Paul or Benedict. With over 2.5 million monthly searches, the Holy Father has a strong influence even in today's secular world.

Please comment and tell us, who is your favorite Pope and why. The world would love to know.

Here are highly recommended books by and about Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict.

John Quinn