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Our Lady and 'The Apple o...
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| Non-Compromise Always Has One End |
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Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 12:09 PM - Forum: Resources Online
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Non-Compromise Always Has One End
![[Image: twoheads-e1741751922479.jpg]](https://www.padreperegrino.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/twoheads-e1741751922479.jpg)
Padre Pegrino [sedevacantist references removed - slightly adapted] | April 1, 2025
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.—2 Tim 3:12-13.
The word for “all” above in Greek is πάντες or pantes in the Latin alphabet. Just like the English above, all obviously means everyone. That is, every single person who desires to live a pious life in Christ will be persecuted, even if they are not looking for it. When seen from the point of view of heaven, this is more of a promise than a threat! [...]
Look at St. John the Baptist. The great forerunner fearlessly defended marriage between one-man-and-woman against the corrupt hierarchy of his day and the pagan invaders. Eventually, the two groups saw to his execution. The Baptist lost his head over marriage and this fulfilled his role of preparing Israel for hundreds of thousands of converts to Catholicism. Now compare this to the heresy of Amoris Laetitia (demanding the sacrilege of two sacraments—marriage and the Eucharist) as well as the heresies of Fiducia Supplicans (yes, the word “couple” is in there in reference to blessing gays nine times.) [...]
But now consider St. Thomas More. He did everything he could to avoid martyrdom from a corrupt king and corrupt hierarchy. Yet the similarities between him and the Baptist are astonishing: Both of them defended marriage as being between one-man-and-woman to a corrupt hierarchy of their day (pertaining to the one true world religion of the time—even though both groups would quickly lose it—one by becoming “the Jews” and the other by becoming “the Anglicans.”) Yet the similarities go on. The quiet but witty British lawyer and the ascetic-man of the desert both had the exact same execution of being beheaded in store for them. Why? It came for defending the sacredness of marriage.
Non-compromise always has one goal: Union with God. In putting God ahead of man, some saints will live their non-compromise on their sleeves (like St. John the Baptist) and attain a speedy martyrdom. But other saints will live non-compromise quietly, like St. Thomas More. Perhaps we could even say St. Thomas More lived in a manner that could be deemed “conflict-averse.” Yet he still put God ahead of human respect and attained the glorious crown of martyrdom. Again, the two saints defended marriage and both died by beheading, even though their personalities (and sense of non-compromise) looked very different.
But we know that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”—2 Tim 3:12. This is true, regardless of having a personality like St. John the Baptist or one like St. Thomas More. The good news is you can be a firebrand or peacemaker, and yet still find martyrdom. The bad news is that if you get along with everyone without any persecution, you’re not living your Catholic faith. (Re-read the line from St. Paul if you think that’s an exaggeration.)
Non-compromise always has one end: White martyrdom or or red martyrdom. Some spiritual writers have said you need to either be a white martyr or a red martyr to enter heaven. In fact, the Word of God says just as much. Also, notice another aspect of complimentary theology in St. John and St. Thomas: One was a celibate and the other was a married man. Though only one was a virgin, both had the love of God to attain to the crown of martyrdom [...].
It’s not about being obnoxious. According to the approved apparition from the 16th century of Our Lady of Good Success, the Four Virtues required for Christians following the fallout of 20th century were made very clear by the Mother of God herself: “The freemen from the slavery of these heresies, those who the merciful love of my most Holy Son will destine for the restoration will have a great strength of will, constancy, bravery and much confidence in God. To test this faith and the confidence of the just, there will be times when it will seem all is lost and paralyzed. This then, will be the beginning of the complete restoration.”
Notice again the virtues you really need to make it to heaven right now to be a red or white martyr are: 1) a great strength of will 2) constancy 3) bravery and 4) much confidence in God.
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| Our Lady and 'The Apple of Her Eye' |
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Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 12:02 PM - Forum: Our Lady
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The Apple of Her Eye
![[Image: 15aad6da-7bf8-40c4-b42b-07f304503410_1032x1340.png]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8zKKjGnBMEwUa4dEUvMR73e7eIqczOpRVa7Pui5YqqpZ4EKF4K1KaexhpoVQIqs5mDyiVmStG8LVaeK8hU3DpPV2DOgVAxlBAZRj3O0UEPjvLP4FBR7ebN-M5mdpSYlsLcwpSpd9w24Dfjk1-Y4dfy_eLQOKIh4ciRTjO-TetV3BD_LF5_sH6A/w307-h400-rw/15aad6da-7bf8-40c4-b42b-07f304503410_1032x1340.png)
NLM | Tuesday, April 01, 2025
“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. From the soil, the Lord God caused to grow every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2, 8-9)
This 17th century painting by an anonymous follower of the Flemish artist Ambrosius Benson (1490-1550) portrays the Madonna and Child with the soft gaze of loving maternal devotion. Mary’s facial features are idealised in the manner of ancient Greek sculptures of goddesses such as Venus, by the convention of artists in the Renaissance period to draw inspiration from classical forms. The idealisation of Mary was not done to present her as a goddess, but rather to emphasize that she is a person of great beauty and holiness who is worthy of our veneration.
The white swaddling clothes that envelop Christ remind us of his future burial shroud, linking his infancy to his ultimate sacrifice through his passion and death before the Resurrection. As is common in oil paintings of this period, the sharp contrast between the luminous figures and the dark background emphasises that Christ is the Light that overcomes the darkness (cf. John 1, 5).
The painting shows two fruits: Mary holds a pear, while Christ has an apple. The juxtaposition of the pear and apple suggests that the fruits’ symbolism relates to the different trees of Eden described in the book of Genesis, and referred to in the quoted passage above.
First, the apple alludes to the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is the fruit that Adam and Eve ate, although God had forbidden them to do so. Scripture does not name the fruit as an apple, but the connection arose because the Latin word malum means both “apple” and “evil”; it therefore became a symbol of the fruit of this tree, and hence of the Fall. The Church Fathers suggest that this malum - bad fruit - was presented by God as a test of obedience for Adam and Eve, which, of course, they failed spectacularly. Their disobedience in eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil brought about the Fall, subjecting mankind to the effects of sin and evil thereafter.
When the apple is in the hand of Christ, the New Adam, it is transformed into the fruit of salvation. This additional interpretation is based on a passage from the Canticle of Canticles 2, 3:
“As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my love among young men. In his delightful shade, I sit, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.”
In Christian tradition, the pear as a sweet fruit symbolizes divine love. In this context, in juxtaposition with the apple, it might also be considered the sweet fruit of the Tree of Life. Mary holds the pear in her left hand and supports Jesus, connecting the two in our minds. As members of the Church, we eat the fruit of the Tree of Life, which is Jesus, present in the Eucharist, and are, as a result, promised eternal life.
Church Fathers such as Ephraim the Syrian speculated that Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden to prevent them from eating the fruit of eternal life, which, after the Fall, would have condemned man to eternal misery:
“For if he [Adam] had the audacity to eat of the Tree of which he was commanded not to eat, how much then more would he make a dash for the Tree concerning which he had received no command? Lest therefore he eat of it after having transgressed and live forever bearing the shame of the transgression, God expelled him from Paradise.”— (Commentary on Genesis, Section II, 31).
Through his Church, God now invites all people to enter the life initially intended for Adam and Eve, but from which they were initially barred. Thus, humanity has gained more than Original Paradise. God offers us the path to eternal life in heaven, representing not just the redemption of man but also the elevation of human nature to something higher. The naturally sweet pear and the redeemed or, one might say, supernaturally ripened apple can be allusions to the Eucharist, perhaps indicating that through the Church, we are offered both what would have been without the Fall and what came from the Fall through Christ’s intervention.
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| Archbishop Viganò: Freemasonry seeks to ‘destroy everything’ through permanent revolution |
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Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 11:59 AM - Forum: Archbishop Viganò
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Archbishop Viganò: Freemasonry seeks to ‘destroy everything’ through permanent revolution
The psychopandemic farce, the climate fraud, the Ukrainian crisis, and the threat of nuclear conflict are all part and parcel of the 'destroy everything' plan
that the globalist elite sets out to do in order to force society to accept its technocratic tyranny.
Mar 31, 2025
The following was written and published by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò on X on March 28, 2025.
(LifeSiteNews) — For more than three centuries, Freemasonry has been waging an all-out war against the Catholic Church and Christian society. It has as its aim the subversion of the social and religious order – the divine κόσμος (order) – by means of Revolution, which is the principle of the infernal χάος (chaos).
This Revolution must be permanent, just like the crises and emergencies by which it pretentiously justifies its own destructive action are also never-ending. “Solve et coagula (dissolve and coagulate).”
No wonder [French President Emmanuel] Macron, World Economic Forum emissary, recently said: “It is more difficult to reinvent everything when not everything has been destroyed.”
The psychopandemic farce, the climate fraud, the Ukrainian crisis, and the threat of nuclear conflict are all part and parcel of the “destroy everything” plan that the globalist elite sets out to do in order to force society to accept its technocratic tyranny.
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| California bishop informs Traditional Latin Mass order it’s no longer needed in diocese |
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Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 11:55 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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California bishop informs Traditional Latin Mass order it’s no longer needed in diocese
Oakland Bishop Michael Barber said in a statement that the diocese has 'enough properly trained clergy to provide the Traditional Latin Mass to the faithful.'
![[Image: ICKSP-Oakland.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ICKSP-Oakland.jpg)
St. Margaret Mary Church in Oakland, California
YouTube/Screenshot
Mar 31, 2025
OAKLAND, California (LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted, not all hyperlinks included from original]) — A California bishop asked that the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP) leave his diocese.
Bishop Michael Barber, S.J., announced that, effective April 20, the ICKSP, which has been in the Diocese of Oakland for 20 years, will need to leave, stressing that there are enough priests in the diocese who can celebrate the TLM. Since the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, the Institute has faced persecution in some dioceses.
“Since the Oakland diocese has enough properly trained clergy to provide the Traditional Latin Mass to the faithful, Bishop Barber has requested the Institute of Christ the King-Sovereign Priest leave St. Margaret Mary to find a more suitable setting for their apostolate,” the statement read.
The ICKSP currently has an apostolate at St. Margaret Mary Church, which it shares with diocesan clergy who also offer the Ordinary form of the Mass.
“I am grateful to the Institute of Christ the King-Sovereign Priest for serving the needs of the Traditional Latin Mass Community in the Diocese of Oakland since 2005,” Bishop Barber said in the statement. “We now have more than enough diocesan priests able to fulfill this very worthy spiritual need.”
“We pray for God’s blessings on the Institute in their pursuit of this new chapter in their ministry,” he added.
LifeSiteNews reached out to the ICKSP’s Oakland apostolate for a response to the bishop’s decision but did not immediately receive a response. LifeSite also reached out to the Diocese of Oakland asking why the Institute should be removed after two decades in the diocese but had not received a reply before publication time.
It’s worth noting that Barber has a history of affirming Church teaching. He supported San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in 2022 after he barred then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from receiving the Holy Eucharist due to her pro-abortion stance. In 2023, Barber and Cordileone issued a pastoral letter condemning gender ideology.
Pope Francis promulgated the controversial motu proprio Traditionis Custodes in July 2021. The document abrogated the universal permission for the celebration of the TLM granted by Pope Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum and gave the bishops the power to restrict its celebration within their dioceses.
Since the initial promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, the Vatican has implemented further restrictive measures on the ancient liturgy. In December 2021, the Vatican issued a responsa stating that diocesan clergy are barred from celebrating Old Rite sacraments and must be willing to concelebrate the Novus Ordo. In February 2023, Francis issued a rescript restricting bishops’ ability to dispense priests from the restrictions of Traditionis Custodes.
Since the motu proprio was enacted, the Institute has faced persecution in multiple dioceses. Most notably in 2022, when notorious heterodox Cardinal Blase Cupich demanded ICKSP in Chicago sign a document stating that the Novus Ordo Mass is the only true expression of the Roman rite, thereby rejecting the traditional Roman rite, among other demands.
After refusing to sign this document, which goes against the order’s charism of celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively, Cupich subsequently barred the Institute from celebrating Mass or hearing confessions.
Last year, in an audience with ICKSP leaders, Pope Francis insisted the order continue to serve the Church according to its own proper charism.
RELATED
Cdl. Cupich bans Institute of Christ the King from saying public Masses, confessions in Chicago
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| The Catholic Trumpet: You Are the Vendée |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-30-2025, 08:13 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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You Are the Vendée
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_1984.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
The Catholic Trumpet [Emphasis mine] | March 29, 2025
When the Faith is betrayed, Catholics must do what they have always done: remain faithful, suffer in silence, fight for the truth, and wait for God’s hour.
In 1793, the Vendée refused the civil oath.
Today, Catholics must refuse the errors of Vatican II, the poisoned New Mass, and the silence of those who know better—but protect error with their silence.
This short video is for the forgotten.
For those without the Mass.
For families who pray in living rooms and sanctify Sunday with a Rosary and tears.
Better no Mass than a Mass of betrayal.
Better exile than compromise.
Better martyrdom than submission to error.
They had the civil oath. We have Vatican II and silence.
They had bayonets. We have betrayal.
But the Cross remains—and it is enough.
We kneel before Our Lord Jesus Christ, reigning from the Cross.
We read the Mass of the day.
We pray the Rosary.
We make a Spiritual Communion.
We make acts of perfect contrition.
We consecrate ourselves daily to the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Heart.
We offer reparation.
We do not judge souls.
But we will not follow the Indult.
We will not follow the Neo-SSPX.
We will not follow the false Resistance—until they condemn error, break with compromise, and confess the Faith whole and entire.
We refuse to betray Our Lord.
We resist in silence, in prayer, and in union with the Cross.
This is not nostalgia. It is the Catholic Faith.
You are the Vendée.
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| The Catholic Trumpet: Seven Verbatim Errors from Bishop Williamson’s Mahopac Conference |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-30-2025, 07:37 AM - Forum: The Catholic Trumpet
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7 Verbatim Errors from Bishop Williamson’s Mahopac Conference
![[Image: rs=w:1280]](https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df55e1a9-c854-4d0b-a2a9-94177954436c/IMG_1700.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1280)
The Catholic Trumpet [slightly reformatted, emphasis mine] | March 27, 2025
“It must be understood immediately that we do not hold to the absurd idea that if the New Mass is valid, we are free to assist at it. The Church has always forbidden the faithful to assist at the Masses of heretics and schismatics even when they are valid. It is clear that no one can assist at sacrilegious Masses or at Masses which endanger our faith.…All these innovations are authorized. One can fairly say without exaggeration that most of these [new] Masses are sacrilegious acts which pervert the Faith by diminishing it. The de-sacralization is such that these Masses risk the loss of their supernatural character, their mysterium fidei; they would then be no more than acts of natural religion. These New Masses are not only incapable of fulfilling our Sunday obligation, but are such that we must apply to them the canonical rules which the Church customarily applies to communicatio in sacris with Orthodox Churches and Protestant sects.” (The New Mass and the Pope, November, 8, 1979)
Bishop Richard Williamson once stood courageously alongside +Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in the battle for Catholic Tradition. He helped expose the crisis in the Church and resisted the destruction of the Faith following the Second Vatican Council.
Many of our new listeners may be unaware that Bishop Williamson’s later teachings departed publicly and materially from the path of +Archbishop Lefebvre. This video is necessary precisely because confusion still remains—and some continue to deny what is now a matter of public record. Ironically, it was Bishop Williamson himself who gave permission to expose such errors when he said:
“I’m going to stick my neck out… and if anybody wants to chop it off, they’re welcome.”
This short video presents seven verbatim quotes—unaltered and unedited—from his 2015 Mahopac Conference. Each one stands as a clear departure from sound Catholic doctrine and Thomistic clarity. These are not private slips. They are public errors. They demand a public reckoning.
We release this video out of fidelity to the truth, out of love for souls, and for the honor of the Church. We pray for the repose of Bishop Williamson’s soul.
“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”
—2 Maccabees 12:46
7 Verbatim Quotes from the Mahopac Conference
“The golden rule is this, the absolute rule of rules seems to be with this: Do whatever you need to nourish your faith.” (~00:06)
“If you need to attend a society Mass, a decent society Mass—just like she's spoken of a decent Novus Ordo Mass… go to the society Mass.” (~00:24)
“There have been Eucharistic miracles with the Novus Ordo Mass.” (~00:47)
“While the new religion is false, it’s dangerous, and it strangles grace… at the same time, there are still cases where it can be used—and is used still—to build the faith.” (~00:53)
“I would like to say it's all black or it's all white, but if I look at the way it is, it's something of both.” (~01:14)
→ Ambiguity
“Therefore, there are cases when even the Novus Ordo Mass can be attended with an effect of building one’s faith instead of losing it. That’s almost heresy within tradition, but that’s what I think.” (~01:23)
“Therefore, I would not say every single person must stay away from every single Novus Ordo Mass… if they can trust their own judgment.” (~01:58)
Final Note
These statements were never retracted.
And his bishops remained publicly silent: +Faure. +Zendejas. +Ballini. +Tomas Aquinas. +Morgan. +Stobnicki.
This silence is not neutral. It is a grave failure of duty.
“To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamors are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe...such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God.”
—Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae, §14
The time has come to speak.
Will you?
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| New York Greenlights Quarantine Camps [March 2025] |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-29-2025, 08:08 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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New York Greenlights Quarantine Camps
By Bobbie Anne Flower Cox, American Thinker | March 29, 2025
Though somewhat hard to imagine in 2025 with COVID-mania in our rearview mirrors, the truth of the matter is that the highest court in New York, the Court of Appeals, has unbelievably opened the door for quarantine camps to become a reality. I have fought the governor in court for the past three years to prevent quarantine camps from taking hold, and I was successful to some extent (the Department of Health cannot currently throw you into a quarantine facility), but ultimately the State has been given the green light by our courts. A unimaginable travesty of justice!
When COVID-19 hit back in March of 2020, the NYS Legislature (illegally, I might add) gave then-governor Andrew Cuomo the power to make “directives” (read “laws”). Continuing with the illegal trend, Cuomo then passed that power on to the Department of Health (DoH). The DoH then created the “Isolation and Quarantine Procedures” regulation, which the public rightly dubbed the “Quarantine Camp” reg. The regulation was not a law, as it did not come from the NYS Legislature. Instead, it was a reg written by unelected bureaucrats who answer to nobody but the bureaucrat or politician who hired them. The reg actually conflicted with our long-standing (full-of-due-process-protections) quarantine law that was passed by the Legislature in 1953. Regs cannot conflict with laws! That is a violent breach of Separation of Powers, which is the cornerstone of our free society.
Details on the atrocities of this reg can be found in a previous article. But in sum, the Quarantine Camp regulation gave the unelecteds in the DoH the power to pick and choose which New Yorkers they could lock up or lock down, indefinitely, and at any location of their choosing -- you had no say. They could have locked you down in your home, or they could have removed you from your home, with the force of police, and stuck you in a quarantine facility for days, weeks, months, etc. No notice was required, so they could have knocked on your door during family dinner and removed you from your home without any warning whatsoever. You did not have the right to an attorney until after you were locked up or locked down. There was no age restriction, so they could have done this to you, or your child, or grandchild, or elderly parent… And the most shocking part of this reg was that they did not even have to prove you were sick! Guilty until proven innocent -- the very antithesis of the principle upon which our nation’s judicial system is based.
So, when I became aware of this dystopian nightmare of a reg a few years ago, after realizing that none of the so-called traditional “civil rights” organizations would touch it, I sued Governor Kathy Hochul and her DoH on behalf of a group of NYS Legislators and a citizens’ group, Uniting NYS.
After months of battling it out in the trial court, on July 8, 2022, the court ruled that the “Isolation and Quarantine Procedures” regulation was unconstitutional and “violative of New York State law as promulgated and enacted, and therefore null, void and unenforceable as a matter of law.” The judge also made note that, “involuntary detention is a severe deprivation of individual liberty, far more egregious than other health safety measures, such as requiring mask wearing at certain venues. Involuntary quarantine may have far-reaching consequences such as loss of income (or employment) and isolation from family.”
Stunningly, Governor Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James appealed the decision. Yes, that’s right… the governor and AG, both unabashedly support insanely unconstitutional quarantine camps!
On September 13, 2023, over 400 showed up at the appellate courthouse to witness the battle first hand. It was indeed historic -- never do people take a day off of work, flock by the hundreds, and cram into a courthouse to hear a couple of lawyers go at it in a courtroom devoid of witnesses, TV cameras, and all of the other pomp and circumstance that, for example, a high-profile criminal trial might have. It was a true testament to freedom-loving citizens of a state that is wrought with corruption and greedy politicians on both sides of the aisle.
![[Image: wlisbysp5xmsypumz7l1_640.jpg]](https://images.americanthinker.com/wl/wlisbysp5xmsypumz7l1_640.jpg)
Photo by Emanphoto.com
In November 2023, the panel of five appointed judges disgracefully reversed my trial court victory, and then dismissed the case! They dismissed, not because we were wrong in our arguments… No, instead the court copped out and used an age-old dodge, ruling that my plaintiffs lack standing! With the majority of my plaintiffs being NYS legislators, it was absurd for the court to claim these lawmakers had no standing to fight against a regulation that usurped their lawmaking power.
![[Image: k1vkfmjk5fbbuxy6dpeh_640.jpg]](https://images.americanthinker.com/k1/k1vkfmjk5fbbuxy6dpeh_640.jpg)
Photo by Emanphoto.com
The decision not only lacked logic, it lacked integrity, and it flew in the face of longstanding, binding case law from our highest court.
Not wanting to back down, in January 2024, I filed my appeal with the Court of Appeals which is our highest State court. In May, that Court denied my appeal, saying there was no automatic right to be heard because the case, get this, had no constitutional issues. Unbelievable! A lawsuit about a regulation that breaches Separation of Powers and violates our Constitution doesn’t have a constitutional issue in question? Another terrible decision.
My last hope was to file another motion with the Court, this time asking them to hear the case on their own volition, you know, because it’s good for humanity and the integrity of this Court not to allow an agency to override our laws and throw people into camps without due process, etc. Sounds rather noble, doesn’t it? Well, not to an unnoble court, for a few weeks ago they issued their decision… The Court refused to hear the appeal. Period. Case closed.
Unreal.
And so, my three-year-long battle against the elitist Governor of New York (whose approval rating now hovers around 30%) and her lawless Department of Health, is over. The silver lining is that my victory of eliminating their heinous “Isolation and Quarantine Procedures” reg back in 2022 still stands today, despite the appellate court’s ruling. Here’s why: The reg was an “emergency” reg that the DoH was working to make permanent. Since I successfully got it struck down before they could make it a permanent reg, the regulation does not exist today. Amen.
However, thanks to the Court of Appeals allowing the appellate court’s decision to stand, the DoH is now free to reissue their dystopian reg. “Fire at will,” is what these courts have metaphorically told the Administrative State. There is nothing stopping the tyranny of the Executive Branch and its unconstitutional DoH now.
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| Benedict XIV: Etsi Minime - On the Instruction of the Faithful |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-29-2025, 06:07 AM - Forum: Encyclicals
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Etsi Minime
On the Instruction of the Faithful
To the Venerable Brothers, Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops.
Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Blessing.
Although we hold no doubt that all those entrusted with the care of souls, and you above all, Venerable Brothers, raised to the office of the Apostolate and constituted by God in the dignity of the prelature, direct your foremost concern to ensure that the Christian people, nourished in a salutary way with the rudiments of the Faith and the pasture of heavenly doctrine, are happily guided along the path of the Lord's precepts under your luminous example, We cannot refrain from encouraging you, with the exhortations of Our authority and paternal love, to promote with greater solicitude the sacrosanct and salutary work of Christian Doctrine, eliminating the harmful obstacles that hinder the salvation of souls.
1. Since We address persons well-versed in the law and exhort prudent Bishops of the Churches, who lack neither piety nor the resources of Sacred Scriptures, We deem it superfluous to repeat with extensive arguments that it is insufficient, for attaining heavenly happiness, to believe vaguely and indistinctly the Mysteries revealed by God and taught by the Catholic Church. This heavenly doctrine, transmitted by God and received through hearing, must be received from the voice of a legitimate and faithful teacher, in such a way that its fundamental truths are individually explained and proposed to the faithful as truths to believe, some out of necessity of means, others out of necessity for precept. Even though We affirm that justification is obtained through Faith, as it is the principle and foundation of salvation, leading ultimately to the desired lasting city, it is equally clear that Faith alone is not sufficient. One must know the path and constantly remain on it, that is, the precepts of God and the Church, the virtues to be cultivated and the vices to be carefully avoided.
2. All of this is encompassed in the rudiments of the Catholic Faith or, as it is commonly called, in Christian Doctrine. In particular, it is the responsibility of Bishops to ensure that this is taught methodically and clearly throughout all Dioceses and places, and they cannot neglect it without tacitly condemning themselves in conscience. Rather, they must devote all their care and diligence to this supremely necessary work. We do not assert that this duty is so exclusively assigned to the Bishop as to require his constant presence in teaching Christian Doctrine, personally interrogating children and explaining the Mysteries of the Faith we profess. We know very well the heavy burdens imposed by the apostolic ministry upon pastoral care. Our own experience in governing, first the Church of Ancona, and later that of Bologna taught Us how a Prelate who strives to fulfil his duties entirely is beset by endless and diverse concerns like the waves of the sea. A Bishop will fulfil this responsibility if, at times other than during the Pastoral Visit, he occasionally attends where sound doctrine is imparted to Christians, questions boys and girls about what they have learned, and explains with his own words the Mysteries of our Religion. Such pastoral involvement will be greatly beneficial to the flock entrusted to him, and his example will encourage others to labour zealously in the vineyard of the Lord of hosts.
3. This manner of caring for the Church was established almost as a law ,not only by ancient but also by more recent Prelates included in the roll of the Blessed, such as Charles Borromeo, Francis de Sales, Turibius, and Alexander Sauli. Some of them, as their writings attest, when hindered by greater tasks, assigned this grave duty to a Vicar chosen from among the Canons or Priests, who would take on this pastoral ministry to educate the young in the fundamental truths of the Faith and the duties of Religion.
4. Therefore, the Bishop’s example, as mentioned above, will be of immense importance and great utility for the spiritual growth of souls if he carries out this duty in all parishes, at all times, and especially during his visits throughout the Diocese. However, as anyone can imagine, his strength alone will not suffice. To achieve the desired goal, it is necessary that he diligently ensures those he selects as Vicars in this praiseworthy and meritorious labour are imbued with zeal and diligence.
5. First of all, there are two imposed by the Council of Trent on those who have the care of souls. The first is to deliver sermons on divine matters on feast days. The second is to teach the rudiments of the Faith to children and anyone ignorant of the Divine Law. If parish priests, on the appointed days, deliver the required homily—one that does not burden the ears with persuasive words of human wisdom but instils the Spirit in the hearts of listeners through words suited to their understanding; if they proclaim a Mystery, particularly during the season when the Church commemorates it, sowing what incites virtue and rejects vices, especially the gravest ones that most shamefully plague the people; if on these same days, they nurture children, as if newborns, with the milk of Doctrine, questioning them individually, resolving doubts, and clarifying uncertainties; if finally, as the Apostle directs, they devote themselves to reading, exhortation, and teaching so that the believer may become perfect and prepared for every good work—then it is permissible to hope that the results will meet expectations and that a people pleasing to God and zealous for good works will easily emerge.
6. Experience has shown that the labour of the parish priest alone is insufficient since one cannot teach everyone when the number of the faithful surpasses the capacity of the teacher. Yet the Bishop who devotes his heart and zeal to the welfare of the Church entrusted to him will never be without adequate remedies. He will be able to appeal to those who are approaching the Tonsure, to those who are approaching the dignity of the Priesthood by climbing the steps of the Minor and Major Orders, and to those who, finally, are working to find a way to secure ecclesiastical benefits. The Bishop will remind them, with authoritative and harsh words (and let deeds correspond to words), that he will never consent to the Tonsure, once the proper age has been reached, or to the conferral of Minor Orders, but especially of Major Orders, of those who have neglected to assure the parish priests of their availability to teach Christian Doctrine. The Bishop should assign these clerics to individual parishes in his City and Diocese, designating some to specific Churches. Moreover, he should make it known, with assurances, that diligence and zeal in this work will weigh significantly in the granting of parishes and other benefices by the law. This will ensure it is evident that the task of teaching is not the exclusive responsibility of the Diocesan head but that many must collaborate to accomplish his mandate.
7. To all this, it must be added that, with the Sacred Apostolic Constitutions, and particularly with the seventh of Leo X, our predecessor of happy memory, appropriate provisions have been established to ensure that schoolmasters, in teaching their pupils, and pious women, in instructing young girls (under the earnest exhortation of the Bishop), nourish and strengthen them with sound and pure doctrine, as though it were vital nourishment. It is also well established that the Bishop himself can and must firmly encourage sacred preachers to instill in the ears and minds of parents, during sermons, the importance of instructing their children in the truths of our Religion. Should the parents be unable to fulfil this duty, it will be necessary to bring the children to church, where the Precepts of the Divine Law are explained. In many places (and where it does not yet exist, it should be introduced), the pious and praiseworthy custom has also taken root of laypersons—both men and women—offering assistance to the parish priest in fulfilling this task. These lay helpers dedicate themselves to Christian instruction by listening to children and young girls recite from memory the Our Father, the Angelic Salutation, the Apostles’ Creed, and all other prayers. In other locations, congregations have been established for the purpose of teaching Christian Doctrine, an institution rightfully praised by Pius V of holy memory in his Constitution beginning with Ex debito. He urged that these congregations be promoted with all diligence in every Diocese. If all these measures, directed toward the same purpose, are carefully cultivated, they will provide everyone with the assured certainty that, although the labourers are few where the harvest is abundant, there will be no lack of those who will break the bread for the children who implore it.
8. It is also well known that not only children and those of more mature years lie in ignorance of divine matters, but also men and even the elderly are often found to be quite unaware of the saving doctrine, either because they never learned it or because, having once acquired it long ago, forgetfulness has gradually erased it. This ailment, too, can be remedied by the provident diligence of Bishops if their collaborators take care to employ the remedies provided with proper attention.
9. Turning our attention to those in early childhood, many seek admission to the Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. Indeed, few fail to show a strong will for this, as though driven by an irresistible desire. Therefore, the Bishop should admonish parish priests and firmly command them not to admit to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, nor to issue the so-called Confirmation Card, to anyone who does not know the fundamentals of the Faith and Doctrine, as well as the value and efficacy of the Sacrament. In this way, the needs of early childhood may be well addressed.
10. As for adolescents, since each one receives their own gift from God, experience clearly shows that some pursue the path of ecclesiastical life, while others follow that of secular life. Concerning the former, we have already addressed them when speaking of those who desire to be admitted to Holy Orders. It seems only one additional point may be made: it would be fitting and highly beneficial for the Prelate, when examining candidates, to first inquire into the core substance of Christian knowledge. For experience, the teacher of truth has clearly shown that some candidates, though adorned with elegant and refined Latin eloquence, well-versed in a multitude of sciences, and possessing a thorough knowledge of all matters pertaining to the Orders, have responded unsatisfactorily and irrelevantly when questioned on Christian Doctrine.
11. If we turn our attention to those who spend their lives in the world, it becomes evident that the majority of them are inclined towards marriage. Indeed, they cannot be joined in matrimony if the parish priest, as is his duty, discovers through precise questioning that the man and the woman are ignorant of what is necessary for salvation. The Bishop can scarcely permit such grave and ruinous ignorance to persist; he should remind the pastors of souls of their duty and, should they fail to fulfil it, address their negligence with appropriate disciplinary measures.
12. All people, regardless of age or social condition, are accustomed to cleansing the stains of the soul through the Sacrament of Penance. Therefore, the Bishop must ensure that the Priest who hears Confessions holds as certain and immutable that sacramental absolution is invalid if imparted to someone who does not know what is necessary as a means of salvation. Moreover, men cannot be reconciled with God through this Sacrament unless they are first brought, by dispelling the darkness of ignorance, to a knowledge of the Faith. The Confessor must also know that absolution must be deferred in the case of one who, through their own fault, does not know what is necessary by precept. However, in such a case, the penitent may be absolved if they acknowledge their culpable but not insurmountable ignorance, ask God for forgiveness, and sincerely promise the Confessor to strive, with God’s help, to learn what is necessary by precept.
13. If, then, the Pastors adopt this method of forming the Christian people, and direct their counsel, efforts, and intentions towards the proposed approach, it is permissible to hope that the flock, through faith and good works, may advance over time to the point of being transformed into a dwelling of God in the Holy Spirit. However, since this matter is of the utmost importance and no other institution has been established more conducive to the glory of God and the salvation of souls, no one should be surprised if countless obstacles are continually encountered.
14. Sometimes, small and humble churches are located in the countryside, some near, others far from the parish church, where, on feast days, fathers of families with their children go to listen to the Priest as he celebrates the Holy Mysteries. This results in their being rarely present in their parish and unable to hear any words concerning the Mysteries of the Faith, the Precepts, or the Sacraments. The Bishop must address this problem with the full weight of his authority. First, regarding the small churches near the parish, he must enact a precise law to prevent Mass from being celebrated there before the Parish Priest has himself celebrated, delivered the sermon, and fulfilled the remaining duties of his office. In this way, the parish church will be frequented by a multitude of faithful who will gather there. As for the small churches located far from the parish church, it is very difficult due to the distance for parishioners to avoid the nearest church and undertake a long and arduous journey, especially in winter when rivers overflow, to reach the parish and attend the Divine Offices, the Bishop should decree, with the imposition of severe penalties, that the Priests assigned to those churches instruct the people in the essential points of Christian Doctrine and explain the Divine Law. However, the Parish Priest must be admonished not to place too much trust in the work of others, but to personally ensure the situation when it is required that the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confirmation be administered to children, and when others request the Sacrament of Marriage.
15. Cities also present specific inconveniences. It often happens that in certain churches, especially those of Religious Orders, feasts are celebrated with solemn rites and large crowds. For this reason, if catechism is held in the parish church early in the morning or immediately after lunch, few or none will attend and will excuse themselves by citing the set time. If more convenient hours are not chosen for the people, experience confirms that the faithful will flock to the church where the feast day is solemnized, and, drawn by the liturgical display, will neglect Christian Doctrine, to the grave detriment of their souls. Since it is not possible to establish a certain and general rule in this regard, we wish to leave this task to the diligent Pastor of the Church, who, taking into account the nature of the place, the circumstances, and the people, and weighing the overall significance of the situation, will find a way to harmonize the celebration of the feast day with Christian Doctrine, so that one does not hinder the other. If the Religious Orders and exempted Orders oppose this and, despite being admonished by the Bishops, feel authorized to compromise the execution of Christian Doctrine, we offer to the local Ordinaries our authority over the Exempt Orders, and the Apostolic diligence will not lack other means to ensure that parish churches are not deprived of their due consideration.
16. It could prove highly beneficial for the education of the Christian people to appoint visitors, some of whom would travel around the city and others around the Diocese, to conduct thorough investigations into all matters, allowing the Bishop, once informed of the merits of each Pastor, to decree rewards or punishments.
17. Following in the footsteps of Pope Clement VIII and our other predecessors, we exhort in the Lord and strongly recommend that, in teaching Christian Doctrine, the booklet written by Cardinal Bellarmine at the request of Pope Clement be used. Carefully examined by the appropriate Congregation appointed for this purpose and approved, Pope Clement himself ordered that it be published, with the most valid intention that everyone thereafter adhere to the same and only method of teaching and learning Christian Doctrine. Nothing is more desirable than this uniformity, nothing more fitting and useful to prevent errors from stealthily creeping in amidst the diverse range of catechisms. If, in any place, it becomes necessary, due to specific local needs, to use another booklet, great care must be taken to ensure that it contains nothing contrary to Catholic Truth. Attention must also be given to ensure that the dogmas of the Faith are explained in a simple and clear manner, with the addition of any necessary parts that may have been omitted, and the removal of the superfluous. A concise and unified method of teaching is usually of great help for a simpler examination when assessing the progress of children.
18. This booklet must also contain the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, certainly composed in a correct and competent manner. If this is not the case, once perfected, they should be printed in the proper form. These Acts are better conveyed with concise rather than abundant words, provided that through them the full strength and nature of the virtue are revealed. Since it is vitally necessary for those professing the Christian Religion to have the habit and practice of frequently reciting these Acts, so that their use is not confined to narrow limits or restricted by anyone to a modest number each year, the Bishop, concerned with both his own and others' salvation, should issue appropriate provisions so that in the parishes of the city and diocese, pastors, immediately after the celebration of the feast day Mass, kneeling before the altar, clearly and intelligibly recite the aforementioned Acts of the virtues, attempting to lead the people who must repeat the words they have spoken. In this way, the faithful, almost without realizing it, will learn them by heart and take up the habit of attending to this pious practice not only on feast days but also on the remaining days.
19. These salutary instructions for teaching the flock, which we have wished to make known to you, Venerable Brothers, through this Apostolic Letter, can be recognised by each of you as in line with our pastoral admonitions, already published when, with fatherly love, we surrounded the Church of Bologna, our bride, with care. These instructions are moreover derived from the Pontifical Constitutions, recognised as valid by the testimony and example of renowned Bishops. Since we know from experience that they will bring immense benefit, we exhort and encourage you with all possible fervour, and beseech you, by the Bowels of the mercy of Our God, to attend with steadfast and resolute hearts, in the strength of the task entrusted to your pastoral Ministry, to the implementation of what has been proposed, carefully considering that all the labour, effort, and attention put forth for this purpose will be rewarded by God, the giver of all good.
We impart to you our Apostolic Blessing from the heart.
Given in Rome, at Santa Maria Maggiore, on 7th February 1742, in the second year of our Pontificate.
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| Watch: Pittsburgh pro-lifers sing ‘Salve Regina’ outside of Planned Parenthood |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-29-2025, 05:59 AM - Forum: Abortion
- No Replies
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Watch: Pittsburgh pro-lifers sing ‘Salve Regina’ outside of Planned Parenthood
Pro-lifers sang the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ in Latin as part of ‘spiritual warfare’ against the abortion industry in Pittsburgh. 40 Days for Life has 660 campaigns going this spring to combat Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities.
![[Image: p.png]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/p.png)
X
Fri Mar 28, 2025
(LifeSiteNews) — 40 Days for Life members kicked off their spring campaign by singing the “Salve Regina” (Hail Holy Queen) and kneeling in front of the Blessed Sacrament while outside of the Pittsburgh Planned Parenthood, as seen in a powerful video posted to X.
Fr. Joe Freedy, senior parochial vicar at Divine Grace Parish, led the procession, which ended with singing.
“This is the front line of #ProLife in the steel city,” the group wrote on X. “It’s spiritual warfare where we need it most — where devils sacrifice unborn children.”
The group posted the video this week, but it is from the kickoff event on Tuesday, March 4.
The group further reiterated the power of prayer in combating abortion and evil.
“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who prayed for the sanctity of life at the opening Mass & Eucharistic procession for our spring vigil campaign,” the group wrote on X. “Kneeling in front of Planned Parenthood, we prayed the Rosary and lifted our voices to Heaven.”
The group received support not just from local pro-life activists but also students from nearby Franciscan University of Steubenville, according to video posted on X.
The spring 2025 campaign is ongoing in 660 cities, according to the national 40 Days for Life – though two might end early, according to the group, because abortion facilities closed.
40 Days for Life announced:
Quote:Pro-lifers in 660 cities worldwide hit the streets this morning to begin peacefully praying for an end to abortion as part of the largest Lenten 40 Days for Life campaign ever.
It looks like at least a few of those cities won’t finish the vigil…for the best possible reason.
The Planned Parenthood abortion facilities in Bloomington and Decatur, Illinois, are scheduled to close FOREVER!
There are still several weeks left to get involved. Interested readers can find a location near them at this link.
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