I would like to introduce both myself and my apostolate. My name is Barbara Swan. I am a parishioner at Mater Ecclesiae Mission in New Jersey. I am also Sister Barbara Mectilde of the Blessed Sacrament, OSB Oblate, and as such, I am an “external monastic.”And my apostolate is prayer. Prayer especially for the many…
A century ago, on February 6, 1922, the Pope of the Kingship of Christ was elevated to the Chair of Peter: Pius XI, whose original name was Achille Ratti. He was born in Desio, a small town, north of Milan, on May 31, 1857. A model student, he was educated in Seveso, Monza, Milan and…
Read the last chapter before this one Start reading from chapter 1 *** Malthus my boy, I must say, I am pleased with your last report. It seems as if you have not only engendered severe opposition to the beliefs of the young man by his peers, but you have also fomented a campaign of…
On Friday, January 21st, it was the day of the March for Life, in Washington DC. We heard Mass in the morning at the beautiful Holy Rosary Church, built by our forefathers from Italy. The parish bulletin still had Italian on it. The interior had been saved from wreckovation and retained the grandeur that the…
A century ago, on January 22, 1922, the Pope of Peace died at the age of 67: Benedict XV, whose original name was Giacomo Della Chiesa. Born in Genoa, northwestern Italy, to a noble family on November 21, 1854, at the age of 20 he graduated in law, at 24 he was a priest, at…
Author’s Preface: The following article pertains to the ongoing campaign against traditional contemplative life unleashed by Pope Francis. I had drafted my article in full prior to the fortuitous appearance of two other articles on Madre Maravillas, namely, Mary Cuff’s “The Beauty of Austerity” (Crisis Magazine, January 8, 2022) and Sr. Gabriela Hick’s “St. Maravillas:…
I never did get my father to see his two grandsons serve the old Mass – I’d harbored a vague notion that seeing them up there amidst the “smells and bells” might help bring him back into the fold. When they assisted at his requiem this past October, it was the first time they were…
Mary Against the Marxists, part IV Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. Read part II: Poland Against All Odds. Read part III: The Miracle on the Vistula After the victory, Piłsudski became a national legend and received glory for his work. The state began honoring soldiers in the battle with medals. Piłsudski himself twice…
I popped into my parish church today. I haven’t been there in quite some time; nearly a decade in fact. The church has a specific meaning to me; it’s where my family are buried, it’s where I was baptized and received the sacraments. Above the door stands a stone commemorating my great, great, great grandfather…
Mary Against the Marxists, part III Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. Read part II: Poland Against All Odds. The First Divine Intervention Saturday, August 14th, 1920: At 3:30am the Bolsheviks initiated a violent attack at the army of students who quickly retreated backwards to the village of Ossów to use the homes as cover.…
Mary against the Marxists, part II. Read part I: The Communist Bayonet. The Plan of Piłsudski On the night of the 5th of August, 1920, Piłsudski (pictured above) analyzed the Russian formations and realized that their intent was to repeat the strategy of taking Warsaw as they did in the November Uprising of 1831. This…
