Christus Regnat

2 of 2 Novena to St. Teresa of Avila Third Day (continued) Say one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be. ℣. St. Teresa, pray for us, ℟. That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Graciously hear us, O God of our salvation! that as we rejoice in the commemoration of the blessed virgin Teresa, so we may be nourished by her heavenly doctrine, and draw from thence the fervour of a tender devotion; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen. St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us. NOVENA to ST. TERESA of AVILA October 6th - October 14th Third Day O most loving Lord Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of love which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most loving spouse, to give us the great, the crowning gift of Thy perfect love. (continued)

2 of 2 Our Lady of Fatima Novena FIFTH DAY ~ October 8th If men will give up their sins, they will give up their wars. If men will stop offending God, they will cease to give those miserable offenses that result in national incidents and the excuses for war. The Prince of Peace will lead us only when we cease to turn upon Him, only when we cease to nail Him helpless to the cross. With a great desire for peace we pray to Our Lady of Fatima: The Prayer of the Queen of the Rosary O God, whose only-begotten Son by His life, death and Resurrection hath purchased for us the reward of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that meditating on these mysteries in the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. ~ Daniel J. Lord, Our Lady of Fatima Novena (1947)

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. 1 of 2 Our Lady of Fatima Novena FIFTH DAY ~ October 8th “I am the Lady of the Rosary, and I have come to warn the faithful to amend their lives and ask pardon of their sins. They must not continue to offend Our Lord already so deeply offended.” In times of war there always seems to be a swift and pitiful turning to God. “Save us,” even the sinful cry, “from the consequences of the folly we have brought upon ourselves.” At the same time the cynical dares to ask why God permits the wars into which men rush eagerly and for which they plan craftily during the days of peace. War over, God is forgotten, and back they rush to their sins. There can be an end to civil and international war only when men give up their part in the war of evil against good, of lies against truth, of Satan against Christ. (continued)

Nine Month Novena for Impossible Requests To be prayed from March 25th to December 25th Day 198 - October 8th Pray the Hail, Holy Queen. ℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. ℟ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. Most holy Virgin of the Incarnation, a thousand times we greet thee, a thousand times we praise thee, for the joy thou hadst when God wast incarnated in thee. Because thou art so powerful a Virgin and the Mother of God, grant what we ask of thee for the love of God. Here state your first request. Repeat the prayers above, stating your second request, then repeat the prayers above, stating your third request. Continue by praying once, each: the Memorare; the Hail Mary. End by praying: Blessed and praised be the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, in Heaven, on earth and everywhere. Amen.

October 8th ~ St. Bridget, Widow St. Bridget (or Birgitta) of Sweden, on the death of Prince Ulfo, her husband, embraced a life of prayer and penance. Favored by Almighty God with wonderful visions and revelations, she founded the Religious Order of the Most Holy Savior. With her daughter St. Catherine, she made numerous pilgrimages to various sanctuaries in Italy and in Palestine. The secrets of heaven were manifested to her in many revelations which are referred to in the Collect of the Mass. She exerted her influence in the cause of the Church's reform in the courts, episcopal palaces, the abbeys and even at the Holy See. She died at Rome, July 2, 1373. Her relics were brought back to Sweden by her daughter a year later. She was canonized by Boniface IX, 1391. ~ The New Roman Missal (1937) St. Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.

2 of 2 October 8 — ST. BRIDGIT, Widow Her noble heart was inflamed with the ardent desire to make amends to our Lord by her own loving fidelity for the universal ingratitude of mankind; and having been married at the age of sixteen, and left a widow with children in the course of a few years, St. Bridgit devoted herself thenceforth unreservedly to the perfect service of God. She made devout pilgrimages to Rome and the tombs of the apostles, and even to the Holy Land, in company with her daughter, St. Catherine; and having founded and endowed various monasteries, and enjoyed many remarkable celestial revelations, St. Bridgit died in the Eternal City in 1373, being then more than threescore years and ten. —— ✿ —— I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls, Though amply blest, Can never find, although they seek, A perfect rest— Nor ever shall, until they lean On Jesus’ breast! ~ ADELAIDE A. PROCTER —— ✿ —— Favorite Practice To impress upon young hearts a lively devotion to the Passion of our Lord. ~ Short Lives of the Saints (1884) St. Bridgit, ora pro nobis.

October 8 — ST. BRIDGIT, Widow ST. BRIDGIT was a princess of the royal house of Sweden. When very young she heard a sermon upon the sacred Passion of our Redeemer. The effects of this discourse, together with a vision of Jesus Christ covered with blood and wounds, with which she was also favored, exerted a salutary influence upon her whole after-life. (continued)

2 of 2 OCTOBER 8 — ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN After some years, she and her husband separated by mutual consent. He entered the Cistercian Order, and Bridget founded the Order of St. Saviour, in the Abbey of Wastein, in Sweden. In 1344 she became a widow, and thenceforth received a series of the most sublime revelations, all of which she scrupulously submitted to the judgment of her confessor. By the command of Our Lord, Bridget went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and amidst the very scenes of the Passion was further instructed in the sacred mysteries. She died a.d. 1373. REFLECTION. — “Is confession a matter of much time or expense?" asks St. John Chrysostom. "Is it a difficult and painful remedy? Without cost or hurt, the medicine is ever ready to restore you to perfect health." ~ Pictorial Lives of the Saints (1878) St. Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.

OCTOBER 8 ~ ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN BRIDGET was born of the Swedish royal family, a.d. 1304. In obedience to her father, she was married to Prince Ulpho of Sweden, and became the mother of eight children, one of whom, Catherine, is honored as a Saint. (continued)

2 of 2 Novena to St. Teresa of Avila Second Day (continued) Say one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be. ℣. St. Teresa, pray for us, ℟. That we may become worthy of the promises of Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Graciously hear us, O God of our salvation! that as we rejoice in the commemoration of the blessed virgin Teresa, so we may be nourished by her heavenly doctrine, and draw from thence the fervour of a tender devotion; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen. St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us. NOVENA to ST. TERESA of AVILA October 6th - October 14th Second Day O most merciful Lord Jesus Christ! we thank Thee for the great gift of hope which Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa; we pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy holy spouse, to give us a great confidence in Thy goodness, by reason of Thy Precious Blood, which Thou hast shed to its last drop for our salvation. (continued)

2 of 2 Our Lady of Fatima Novena FOURTH DAY ~ October 7th As a corrective for these causes of war the Savior orders devotion to the immaculate heart of His mother. “Imitate,” He bids us, “that heart whose first and greatest love was always God. “Pattern human hearts upon that heart, which was devotedly faithful to a husband and a Child. “Follow that heart, which loved all of God’s children and prayed for them and served them in the blissful ways of peace.” We honor the immaculate heart of Mary and say: The Prayer of the Queen of the Rosary O God, whose only-begotten Son by His life, death and Resurrection hath purchased for us the reward of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that meditating on these mysteries in the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. ~ Daniel J. Lord, Our Lady of Fatima Novena (1947)

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. 1 of 2 Our Lady of Fatima Novena FOURTH DAY ~ October 7th “To save souls, the Lord desires that devotion to my immaculate heart be established in the world.” The Sacred Heart of Jesus had always in the devotion of the Catholic faithful been linked with the immaculate heart of Mary. Now in the vision of Fatima, Mary reminds her children of the importance of that close connection. Why? Mary’s was a sinless heart, the purest next to that of her Son. Sin is the simple cause of all war. Blame what economic causes we wish, underlying all those causes are greed and lust for power, cruelty and pride, long-practiced revolt against God expressing itself in swift and bitter revolt against the happiness of men. (continued)

Nine Month Novena for Impossible Requests To be prayed from March 25th to December 25th Day 197 - October 7th Pray the Hail, Holy Queen. ℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. ℟ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. Most holy Virgin of the Incarnation, a thousand times we greet thee, a thousand times we praise thee, for the joy thou hadst when God wast incarnated in thee. Because thou art so powerful a Virgin and the Mother of God, grant what we ask of thee for the love of God. Here state your first request. Repeat the prayers above, stating your second request, then repeat the prayers above, stating your third request. Continue by praying once, each: the Memorare; the Hail Mary. End by praying: Blessed and praised be the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, in Heaven, on earth and everywhere. Amen.

2 of 2 October 7th ~ The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary The devotion of the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates at least from the Twelfth Century. The glory of having spread this form of prayer with such extraordinary success is certainly due to the Dominican Order, and, owing to their zeal, the Rosary soon became the most popular devotion throughout the Christian world. The Holy Rosary as it is now recited, and enriched with great indulgences, represents, after the Divine Office, what may be described as a popular Breviary of the Gospel. By meditating on the appropriate mysteries, it may be adapted to the Liturgical Cycle, and because it unites vocal with mental prayer the Rosary is regarded as the most beautiful and approved devotion of the Latin Church. St. Mark, Pope, Confessor St. Mark, a Roman priest, was the right hand of Pope St. Sylvester, during the latter's pontificate, and finally succeeded him. St. Mark's term as Pope lasted only eight months, for he was called to his eternal reward in the year 336. Pope Damasus records of him that his life was blameless and full of love of God. He cared little for honors and despised earthly things, for his inmost heart was attached to virtue alone. He was the champion of justice and a perfect lover of Christ. Sts. Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus, and Apuleius, Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus were at one time officers in the imperial army. After many tortures they were put to death for being Christians. The date of their martyrdom, which took place in the Third Century, is uncertain. Together with them are honored two Roman martyrs, Marcellus and Apuleius, probably their contemporaries. ~ The New Roman Missal (1937) Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us St. Mark, pray for us. Sts. Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus, and Apuleius, pray for us.

1 of 2 October 7th ~ The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary October 7 is the anniversary of the glorious victory won in 1571 by the Christian forces over the Turkish fleet at Lepanto. This triumph of the Cross over the Crescent was universally attributed to the powerful intercession of the Mother of God, whom Pope Pius V fervently invoked with her Rosary in his hand, and to whom the prayers of all Christendom were addressed. Two years after this great favor had been obtained, Gregory XIII instituted an annual feast of thanksgiving to be celebrated on the First Sunday of October in all churches where an altar in honor of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary had been erected. From being a local festival this celebration gradually spread and became general, until Leo XIII raised it to the rank of a double of the second class for the whole Church. (continued)

2 of 2 October 7 — ST. MARK, Pope and Confessor To adorn the house of God and to contribute to the splendor of His worship, were prompted in St. Mark by the same intention which led St. Magdalen to pour the spikenard on the feet of our Lord. All ancient writers laud his generosity, and the solicitude he manifested to maintain fervor amongst the faithful while the Church was at peace. Having been elected to succeed Pope St. Sylvester in 336, he died in the month of October of the same year. —— ✿ —— Celestial King ! Oh, let Thy presence pass Before my spirit, and an image fair Shall meet that look of mercy from on high, As the reflected image in a glass Doth meet the look of him who seeks it there, And owes its being to the gazer’s eye. ~ From the Spanish of F. de ALDANA —— ✿ —— Favorite Practice To aid, as generously as your means will allow, in the erection of Catholic churches. ~ Short Lives of the Saints (1884) St. Mark, ora pro nobis.

October 7 — ST. MARK, Pope and Confessor ST. MARK only occupied the Chair of St. Peter for the space of eight months and twenty days, but even in that short time he zealously managed to apply large sums of money to the construction of two churches. (continued)

2 of 2 OCTOBER 7 — ST. MARK, POPE The persecution ceased in the West, in the beginning of the year 305; but was revived a short time after by Maxentius. St. Mark abated nothing of his watchfulness, but endeavored rather to redouble his zeal during the peace of the Church; knowing that if men sometimes cease openly to persecute the faithful, the devil never allows them any truce, and his snares are generally most to be feared in the time of the calm. St. Mark succeeded St. Sylvester in the apostolic chair on the 18th of January, 336. He held that dignity only eight months and twenty days, dying on the 7th of October following. He was buried in a cemetery in the Ardeatine Way, which has since borne his name. REFLECTION. — A Christian ought to be afraid of no enemy more than himself, whom he carries always about with him, and from whom he is not able to flee. He should therefore never cease to cry out to God, "Unless Thou, O Lord, art my light and support, I watch in vain." ~ Pictorial Lives of the Saints (1878) St. Mark, pray for us.