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| Prayers in Honor of St. Philomena |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-11-2026, 07:14 AM - Forum: Prayers and Devotionals
- No Replies
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Taken from here: https://philomenafamily.com/st-philomena/prayers/
Prayers to St. Philomena
Novena in honour of Saint Philomena V.M.
by Don Francis De Lucia, First Rector of the Sanctuary of St. Philomena, Italy
(translated from antique Italian and taken from his book)
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginal...7d49a876d8]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F2e%2Fe6%2Fa0%2F2ee6a08b8bda1f7c5acefab6a05972ab.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=7d84e242be9d6389da5c161ce29b16e1854d79cf5cbf0b5c0374b87d49a876d8)
This should be devoutly recited to prepare for her Feast and to obtain the desired graces.
I.
Supplication
Purest Young Virgin, most faithful disciple of the Gospel and very powerful Martyr of Jesus Christ, You, who were full of grace and purity, enriched with faith and power in a faithless and corrupted world, and especially in Rome, where the throne of idolatry, tyranny, and every infernal superstition, and the cradle of all the most deforming vices could be found, this idolatrous city was nothing else but a horrible Babylon of prostitution; and you in the center of the capital of the pagan and corrupted world, managed to keep yourself strong in the faith, and pure for your heavenly Spouse until the last breath of your life was sacrificed for the many atrocious martyrdoms; we pray to you for all of your highest merits to implore for us from the throne of the merciful heavenly Father the gift of perseverance of faith, and purity of mind and body, and to let us die with the grace of Jesus Christ. So be it.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Creed.
II.
Supplication
Very powerful Martyr, and most faithful Virgin of Jesus Christ, in order to preserve intact and immaculate the treasure of purity and faith for our God, accepted to be drowned in deep waters with anchor tied around your neck till suffocated, you were freed by heavenly Spouse: we humbly ask your intercession, so that in times of deep suffering, sorrow, and anxiety that continuously surround us, we be strong, and freed from the guilt of our faults, freed from the death of our souls, and avoid being drowned in the waters of temptations. So be it.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Creed.
III.
Supplication
Beloved Bride, and resolute Martyr of Jesus Christ, You that in order to remain permanently virgin and strong in the faith, accepted to be exposed to the eyes of many filthy and wicked pagans in the idolatrous Rome, and in order to defend the virginity and doctrine of the Gospel renounced the delights of the flesh, the pleasures and the pomp of the world, the life of your own perfectly pure body, and exposed yourself to the flogging of leather and metal rings, and so under deluge of cruel lashings you were covered in sores and blood, and became very similar to your divine Loved one; implore for us miserable sinners, the necessary strength to live far from the stain of sins, and to die constant in the faith of the Roman Church, like You, no matter the pain, dishonour and even death itself. So be it.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Creed.
IV.
Supplication
Zealous warrior for virginity and faith of Jesus Christ, for the unconquerable and cheerful firmness that you showed by exposing your virginal body three times in Rome to hold fast to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and true to your purity, you accepted to be pierced by sharp and cruel arrows. In this way you gained many palms and decorations, as many as the mortal wounds that you bore for your Heavenly Spouse: grant us fragile observers of the divine law the strength necessary for our eternal wellbeing, so that with holy patience we tolerate all the suffering and grief of this life, and all the infernal arrows and darts fired against our souls by the temptations of the devil. Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and Creed.
Final Prayer
Illustrious and Glorious Martyr and Bride of Christ your Heavenly Beloved was not satisfied with the atrocious martyrization that you had to endure so he did not allow death to extinguish your precious life in order that you could continue your sufferings and bitter fight amidst wounds, blood and pain and so by keeping you alive you were ready for fierce attacks and terrifying provocations to grant you more immortal victories, palms, triumphs and wreaths. In this way He made you a more admirable bride before the angels in the Kingdom of his Glory and more distinguished among crowned and triumphant martyrs. For this Heavenly Council you were put in chain and were dragged in front of the tyrants of Rome to be tempted yet again against purity and faith; your inhuman enemies in desperation to bring your pure and faithful heart under submission, condemned you to be beheaded and so, covered in garlands and graces you were taken glorious and triumphant into the reign of your Spouse.
In this Holy Novena we implore you to gaze on us from the greatness of your heart, console us with a sign that you have accepted our humble homage which we have offered you, and grant us the graces for which we ask, only if they will help us in our eternal life, and any other graces which from Heaven you think we may need to free our souls from eternal death, even though we deserve it for all our grave sins. We hope to be consoled by your celestial charity. We bless with profound devotion the holy trinity who on this earth preceded you with blessings of purity, faith, perseverance and of many others that made your life so holy on earth and glorious in heaven where you were taken victorious and triumphant against atrocious enemies and amongst many trials, helping you with His gifts we thank the Immaculate Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ, Queen and Comfort of Martyrs who with her maternal and powerful assistance allowed you to overcome all your mortal torments. This we hope with the veneration of your merits and the joyful remembrance of your triumphs. Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Creed.
Novena Prayer To Saint Philomena
O faithful virgin and glorious martyr, St Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowful, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope. I entreat thy charity oh great Saint. Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favourable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before you (here specify your petition). I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the sufferings and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in His saints. Amen
Oh Philomena!
By Ven. Pauline Marie Jaricot
Favourite daughter of the Queen of the heavens,
Your mother delights
In your beauty.
she glories in your graceful virtue
and she rejoices for the flowers and offerings
made to you by all nations.
Oh Philomena!
The nations applaud you
for the continuous benefits received,
and your name has rekindled
in many souls the sweetest hope.
Amiable Saint,
manifest your power
and come to our aid.
Help us oh generous Virgin and fearless Martyr
to meditate the mysteries of the Faith
And to remain like you, faithful to Jesus Christ until death. Amen.
Novena in Honor of Saint Philomena Virgin and Martyr
composed by Saint John Maria Vianney Curé of Ars
PRAYER (to be recited every day of the novena)
Glorious Virgin and Martyr greatly loved by God, Saint Philomena, I rejoice with you for the power that God has given you for the glory of His name, for the building of His church and to honour the merits of your life and your death. I delight in seeing you so pure, so generous, so faithful to Jesus Christ and to his Gospel, so magnificently rewarded in heaven and on earth, drawn by your example to practice virtue, full of hope because of all the rewards conceded to your merits I propose to imitate you by avoiding sin and obeying God completely. Help me oh Great Saint by your powerful intercession. Grant me above all an inviolable purity for ever, an indomitable spirit against all evil, the generosity to deny nothing to deny no sacrifice to God and a love as strong as death for the faith of Jesus Christ for the holy Roman Catholic Church and for the Pope, the Father of all the faithful, Shepherd of shepherds and of sheep, vicar of Jesus Christ throughout the world, to these graces that I now ask for with all the ardour of my soul oh Saint Philomena, I add even more graces, which I am confident that through your powerful intersession will be granted me.
(State with simplicity, trust and humility the graces that you desire from the Saint)
Know, the good God for whom you shed your blood and gave your life, the good God who is so lavish with you, and through you of his gifts and favours the good God who loved me so much as to die for me, and who gives himself to me through the Eucharist, no, he will not say no to your prayers to my wishes, he surely feels the need to help us. I fervently hope so; I put all my trust in him and in you. Amen.
FIRST DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena was a virgin. A virgin in this world… a virgin despite persecution… a virgin until death. What an example! What is the reason of my confusion? What is the remedy?
2. Humiliate yourself often for what has caused you shame, pondering on her virginal purity.
3. Assist at Holy Mass in her honour.
SECOND DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena was and remained a virgin… because she repressed the corrupt desires of the flesh…, she retained the modesty of Jesus Christ, she avoided the deceiving world and dangerous occasions. Do you imitate here in all these ways? What are the causes of your temptations…of your weaknesses… of your unease…of your downfall? Try to eliminate them.
2. Shun what has harmed you; practice what you have neglected to do in regard to chastity.
THIRD DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena maintained and increased her love for virginity with prayer, a great source of spiritual life; with the sacraments; the soul is washed with the blood of Christ, and is nourished with his sacred body, divine origin of Christian virginity considering that her members were the members of Jesus Christ and her body was the temple of the holy spirit. Have you not all these means also? What use do you make of them?
2. Double the fervour of your prayers, every now and then repeat to yourself: my members are those of Jesus Christ the temple of the Holy Spirit
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
FOURTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena was a martyr… that she suffered… she suffered a lot… suffered until death, and she showed in these moments of torment and invincible patience…are suffering and patience inseparably connected in you? Do you rarely suffer…suffer very little…never enough to die because of it…where does this weariness come from? Would you not like to make some changes? … in which way would you obtain this?
2. Accept with patience the few discomforts, obstacles and difficulties that it pleases the lord to send you today.
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
FIFTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena was a martyr for Jesus Christ …they wanted for take her faith away…they wanted her to transgress her Baptismal vows…induce her to follow the examples of the idolaters and apostate. What does the devil, the world, the flesh and your heart want from you if not the same unfaithfulness? They are offensive to God… is it not vain fear that makes you betray your faith, stops you from fulfilling your duties? My God what disgraceful laxity! Find the necessary courage…
2. Gain the respect of a fellow human being, say to yourself occasionally it is better to be pleasing to God rather than to a Man.
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
SIXTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena when she died for Jesus Christ followed this rule made by our Savior: “if you do not love me more that your father and your mother, even more than you love yourself then you cannot be my disciple.” She did not hesitate… she sacrificed everything, even though blood and nature made themselves heard. In less difficult situations are we worthy of Jesus Christ? If at times when we have to choose between God and Man, Between Grace and Nature, who do we choose? Oh! Let us in the future respect our dignity as children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ.
2. Let us try today to please only God or other beings, always and solely for God. Keep far from confused affections.
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
SEVENTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena when she died for Jesus Christ had to tolerate the mockery, the abuse of her persecutors, of her executioners and most of the spectators of her torture. She was very generous very constant, very cheerful when publicly declaring her faith… if the world offered you a similar chalice to drink would you have enough courage to devour the jesting’s the scorn the most unjust persecutions,.. can he who is honoured by God be dishonoured? Have no fear…follow your path…it will end with the gaining of eternal glory.
2. Do not allow anger into your heart, if something is said abruptly, coarsely, sharply, insultingly etc…
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
EIGHTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena by dying for love of Jesus Christ entered eternal life full of joy “yes I am certain” she would say form the bottom of her heart ” that the supreme Judge will give me in exchange for the worldly good that I have sacrificed to his love, the Crown of justice that he had promised me.” She dies…and here she is in the tabernacle of God with the Saints to follow the Lamb… are these the thoughts that I try to have when I have to make a sacrifice? What impression do they make on my soul? To which side do the scales tilt? Ah! The Saints to obtain all would say: let us leave all what will I say?
2. Let us decide on a voluntary sacrifice for today…Let us with pleasure fulfil all our duties etc…
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
NINTH DAY
1. Consider that Saint Philomena in this unworthy world sacrificed all for Jesus Christ, receiving in return in this world directly from him a hundred fold of what she had renounced to. What power! What Glory! How much grandeur humiliated at her feet, how many pilgrims at all her sanctuaries. How many festivities in her honour. What tributes of veneration are offered to her, what agitated zeal to collect her relics. In this way God fulfilled his promises. Eh! If only we kept our promises to him with such faithfulness! But by taking away his Glory do we not deprive ourselves of many favours and merits in this world and in the next? So courage … be loyal … so that God will be loyal with you.
2. Today perform and act of mercy in honour of the Saint. Prepare yourself with a good confession to receive Our Lord Jesus Christ worthily.
3. Holy Mass etc. as first day
PRAYER
Oh God among the miracles of your power you also donated to the weaker sex the victory of martyrdom help us who celebrate the birth of the blessed Philomena your virgin and martyr with her examples to you we come. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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| Leo XIV-Appointed Bishop Ends Diocese’s Only Latin Mass After 20 Years |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-09-2026, 06:42 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
- No Replies
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Leo XIV-Appointed Bishop Ends Diocese’s Only Latin Mass After 20 Years
gloria.tv | August 9, 2026
Bishop Mark A. Eckman, 67, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will bring an end to the traditional Latin Mass at St. Titus Church in Aliquippa after nearly 20-years.
Bishop Eckman was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh in 2021. In June 2025, Leo XIV promoted him to Bishop of Pittsburgh.
In a letter dated 7 August (see below), Monsignor Eckman announced that the final Mass to be held at St. Titus using the 1962 Missal is scheduled for 4 September.
The remaining two traditional Latin Masses in Pittsburgh are offered by the Institute Christ the King in Brighton Heights and by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X in the West End.
Bishop Eckman said his predecessor, Bishop David A. Zubik, received Vatican permission in 2022 to continue the Mass at St. Titus. The initial two-year authorization was extended in September 2024 for another two years.
The Bishop didn't seek another extension, “The permission to celebrate according to the older ritual in a parish church was only ever meant to be temporary,” he wrote.
He added that the Vatican expected Catholics to be brought toward the Novus Ordo.
![[Image: xpnjeu210nm8vbenb22d4iwmm3jjx1z1qxuu0ao?...1786439723]](https://seedus2043.gloriatv.net/storage1/xpnjeu210nm8vbenb22d4iwmm3jjx1z1qxuu0ao?secure=hXEIiFN8uSi_Ku-9DRSKNA&expires=1786439723)
![[Image: kapyo6d3xzw9f7piub4b13on0nfusk83oufm1o8?...1786364447]](https://seedus0275.gloriatv.net/storage1/kapyo6d3xzw9f7piub4b13on0nfusk83oufm1o8?secure=GjpkLdMrg38BHgGCvoi2EA&expires=1786364447) |
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| Holy Mass in Pennsylvania [Philadelphia area] - August 16, 2026 |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-09-2026, 06:26 AM - Forum: August 2026
- No Replies
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Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Feast of St. Joachim
w/Commemoration of the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ffdrsada0k7d...7bb5577de3]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ffdrsada0k7d51.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3988f4c2343eaecfd7546c619602e281b8a6e8ef46d8b63fc9bd537bb5577de3)
Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026
Time: Confessions - 9:00 AM
Holy Mass - 10:00 AM
Location: Clarion Hotel
76 Industrial Highway
Essington, PA 19029
Contact: rosamystica3329@gmail.com
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| Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new viruses |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-07-2026, 07:12 AM - Forum: Health
- No Replies
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Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new viruses
![[Image: 7656d9b0-9223-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp]](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5119/live/7656d9b0-9223-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp)
Assistant professor Brian Hie, pictured on the left with a colleague, said of the work "this was new territory for us"
BBC | August 6, 2026
Artificial Intelligence has been used to design brand new viruses that are fully functional and can replicate in the laboratory, say US researchers.
It is the first time whole genomes have been successfully designed by AI.
The resulting 16 novel viruses were created to infect bacteria and pose no threat to people.
The breakthrough has been labelled a "very significant turning point" in science that could unlock a new era for treating disease. But experts have also warned AI-designed viruses raise "urgent" safety and security concerns.
AI tools are rapidly advancing and have already been used to design new antibiotics.
But that is relatively simple compared with designing a new viable virus from scratch.
"This is a next step in the complexity that's designable by generative AI, this is the first time generative AI has been used to design a complete genome, it's something that can replicate and have other functions inside cells… this was new territory for us," Brian Hie, assistant professor at Stanford University, told the BBC.
The technology works similarly to large language models, like ChatGPT, which predict sequences of text.
In this instance the AI models, known as Evo1 and Evo2, predict the language of life rather than words.
The AI models were trained on genetic codes from viruses, bacteria, plants and people.
They were then refined to produce a type of virus, known as a bacteriophage, which infect only specific species of bacteria.
The AI models were trained on genetic codes from viruses, bacteria, plants and people
The Stanford researchers picked the most promising 302 AI designs and synthesised them in the lab. Of these, 16 proved effective at killing E. coli bacteria.
Samuel King, a PhD student in the lab, said they realised the phage were working in the early hours of the morning.
The phage were placed on petri dishes growing a layer of bacteria on them and the scientists waited for signs their new viruses were enjoying the feast.
"We were starting to see these clear spots and it was just extremely exciting," says King. When the results were shared with the wider team "the room spontaneously burst into applause", Hie recalls.
Developing new phage could lead to new ways of treating infections that have become resistant to antibiotics.
Phage therapy is seen as a potential solution to the rising tide of bacterial infections that cannot be treated with antibiotics
But the breakthrough also points to the ability of AI to design new biology that goes beyond the natural world – what is known as synthetic biology.
Hie argues this has the potential to "massively improve human health" by developing new drugs and therapies.
But concerns have already been raised that the same technology could be used maliciously to create new diseases.
In a commentary accompanying the publication in the journal Science, Dr Thomas Inglesby and Dr Moritz Hanke from the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University wrote that the findings raise "urgent biosafety and biosecurity questions".
They said it was no longer a question of "whether generative viral genome design will exist" but whether it can be used without "enabling serious harm".
For example, they said new viruses with the potential to cause disease "should not be pursued".
The researchers themselves took steps to maximise safety. They excluded viruses that could infect complex organisms from the training database, performed the research on phage rather than viruses that infect people and it all took place in a secure laboratory.
Hie argues even existing safeguards go a long way towards "ensuring that the technology is used for good".
From computers bits to atoms
Viruses are not alive and it would take another significant leap for AI to generate living organisms.
The genetic code of the phage is around 5,400 base pairs (letters) long. The smallest genome of a living cell is around 500,000 base pairs. The human genome is three billion base pairs.
Hie says "it would probably be a lot of work, but not impossible" to attempt some simple organisms and they were "definitely interested in working towards" that.
Prof Marc Güell, from the synthetic biology lab at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, said the study was a "very significant turning point" because for the "first time in history, we are beginning to design biology on a computer".
He said it "allows us to dream of exciting possibilities for tackling humanity's greatest challenges" such as developing phages to tackle disease, enzymes to treat genetic disorders and antibodies that could be used in immunotherapy.
Prof Patrick Cai, chair of synthetic genomics at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, said the study was an "important milestone".
"The significance extends far beyond phages – it suggests that genome language models are beginning to learn the design principles encoded by evolution, opening the door to AI-assisted genome writing."
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| St. Catherine of Genoa: Treatise on Purgatory |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-06-2026, 06:36 AM - Forum: Resources Online
- Replies (18)
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Treatise on Purgatory
by St. Catherine of Genoa
Translated from the original Italian
With a Preface by His Eminence Cardinal Manning
"In iis quæ de Purgatorio determinata non sunt ab Ecclesia standum est iis quae sunt magis conformia dictis et revelationibus Sanctorum." — St. Thomas, in 4 sent. dist. 21, quæst. 1, a. 1; quoted by Bellarmine, lib. ii., c. vii., de Purg.
Fourth Edition
London: Burns & Oates, Ltd.
New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Bros.
Preface to the First Edition
The Treatise of St. Catherine of Genoa on Purgatory has never, it seems, been as yet rendered into English. The present translation, therefore, which is both faithful and excellent in language, will be most acceptable to those to whom this wonderful book has hitherto been closed.
Although Our Lord, by His Apostle, has forbidden to women the public ministry of teaching in His Church, He has nevertheless reserved for them a great and resplendent office in the edification of His mystical Body. The lights and inspirations bestowed upon them, according to the words of the prophet Joel — "In the last days, saith the Lord, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; . . . and upon My servants and upon My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit" — are among the prerogatives bestowed upon the Church by the day of Pentecost; and their dignity is among the glories of the Mother of God, whose daughters and handmaids they are.
Two of the great festivals of the Catholic Church had their origin in the illumination of humble and unlearned women. The Feast of Corpus Christi was the offspring of the devotion of the Blessed Juliana of Retinne; the Feast of the Sacred Heart of that of the Blessed Margaret Mary; to St. Catherine of Sienna Our Lord vouchsafed the honour of calling back again the Sovereign Pontiff from the splendid banishment of Avignon to the throne of the Apostolic See; to St. Teresa the special gift of illumination, to teach the ways of union with Himself in prayer; to Blessed Angela of Foligno the eighteen degrees of compunction, and His own five poverties; and to St. Catherine of Genoa an insight and perception of the state of purgatory, which seem like the utterances of one immersed in its expiation of love.
Benedict XIV tells us, in his work on the Beatification and Canonisation of Saints, that the works of St. Catherine of Genoa were examined and approved by the theologians of Paris: intending, no doubt, the examination by the Sorbonne in 1666, by direction of the Archbishop of Paris; and again by the Sacred Congregation in the cause of her canonisation.[^1] The source from which she drew the sweet and consoling illumination set forth in the following pages, on the mysterious sufferings and bliss of purgatory, was a life of continued pain and of ardent consuming love; of perpetual expiation, and of absolute conformity to the will of God. And of this she says:
Quote:"This way of purgation which I see in the souls in purgatory, I feel in my own mind, chiefly in the last two years; day by day I feel and see it more clearly. I see my soul to be standing in the body as in a purgatory conformed and like to the true purgatory. . . . All the things I have hitherto said I see and touch; but I can find no fit words to express as fully as I desire to say it; and what I have said I feel to be working spiritually within me, and therefore I have said it."[^2]
The Saint was born in Genoa, in 1447, of the family of Fieschi. Her parents married her to Giuliano Adorno, of a noble Genoese house. After his death she served the sick in the Great Hospital, where her body, still perfect and visible, is venerated over the high altar in the choir of the religious which is attached to the wards, and looks down upon the external Church; and her memory is blessed among the Saints as the Seraph of Genoa.
H. E. Manning
All Souls Day, 1858
[^1]: Ben. XIV. *de Beat, et Can. Sanct.* lib. ii. c. xxvi. 2
[^2]: *Trattato del Purgatorio*, c. xvii.
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| Our Lady statue destroyed in latest attack on New York Catholic church |
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Posted by: Stone - 08-06-2026, 06:27 AM - Forum: Anti-Catholic Violence
- No Replies
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Our Lady statue destroyed in latest attack on New York Catholic church
Police are investigating the latest attack on St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Queens, where a man reportedly used a hammer to destroy a statue of the Blessed Mother.
![[Image: StRitaVandalism2-e1785953411240.jpeg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/StRitaVandalism2-e1785953411240.jpeg)
Vandalized statue of Our Lady, St. Rita Roman Catholic Church, Dutch Kills section of Queens, New York.
St. Rita's Church/Diocese of Brooklyn
Aug 5, 2026
NEW YORK (LifeSiteNews) — A man smashed a statue of the Virgin Mary at a parish church in Queens that has suffered multiple acts of vandalism in the past two years.
In the early morning of August 1, an unidentified man was seen on video surveillance footage jumping over the fence into a courtyard belonging to St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in the Dutch Kills section of Queens in New York.
According to QNS, the man used a hammer to smash a statue of the Blessed Mother, decapitating it and causing it to fall off its pedestal. The Diocese of Brooklyn said it was the fourth act of vandalism at St. Rita’s Church since 2024.
Previous attacks on the parish church included the smashing of a stained-glass window, vandalism of a statue of St. Jude inside the church, and the defacing of a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in April when a man spray-painted the word “PAGAN” on the sidewalk in front of the statue.
The New York City Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force has opened an investigation into the case. The suspect has been described as having a light skin complexion and dark hair.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). Citizens may also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (@NYPDTips). All calls and messages are strictly confidential.
A similar attack happened at another Catholic Church on Long Island in May. As LifeSiteNews reported at the time, parishioners at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in East Islip, New York, were shocked to discover the violent desecration of a Sacred Heart statue. The head of Jesus Christ had been severed from the statue body and later discovered in nearby bushes.
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