The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. The feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord was instituted in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.
"The Precious Blood which we worship is the Blood which the Savior shed for us on Calvary and reassumed at His glorious Resurrection; it is the Blood which courses through the veins of His risen, glorified, living body at the right hand of God the Father in heaven; it is the Blood made present on our altars by the words of Consecration; it is the Blood which merited sanctifying grace for us and through it washes and beautifies our soul and inaugurates the beginning of eternal life in it."
Catholic Culture - July
Calendar Overview - July
Eucharistic Miracles
Almighty, and everlasting God, who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son to be the Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be reconciled unto us by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price of our salvation, that the power thereof may here on earth keep us from all things hurtful, and the fruit of the same may gladden us for ever hereafter in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person and is the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.
On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.
Catholic Culture - August
Calendar Overview - August
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially ...(special intention). We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever. Amen.
The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15. Devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary dates from the twelfth century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard.
Catholic Culture - September
Calendar Overview - September
Lady, who by thy sweetness dost ravish the hearts of men, hast thou not ravished mine? O ravisher of hearts, when wilt thou restore me mine? Rule and govern it like thine own; preserve it in the Blood of the Lamb, and place it in thy Son's side. Then shall I obtain what I desire, and possess what I hope for; for thou art our hope. Amen.
No form of extra-liturgical devotion to Mary is more widely practiced among the faithful or found by them to be more satisfyingly complete than the Rosary, which has come to be regarded as the very badge of Catholic piety. No form of extra-liturgical devotion to Mary has been recommended more warmly or frequently by the Popes. With perhaps two exceptions, all the Sovereign Pontiffs from Sixtus IV in 1478 down to John XXIII, especially Leo XIII (in 23 documents, ten of them encyclicals entirely on the Rosary) and his successors, have extolled this form of prayer, which has been the favorite, moreover, of such saints as Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Louis de Montfort, Alphonsus Liguori, Don Bosco, Bernadette, and many more.
Catholic Culture - October
Calendar Overview - October
What is the Rosary?
O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father. Amen.
November is the month dedicated to those souls who are currently suffering in Purgatory. There are so many things we can do to help them. They need our help since they cannot help themselves. Not only is it a great act of charity but the souls you help will be powerful intercessors on your behalf when they enter Heaven. "Ingratitude is unknown in Heaven!"
Throughout the month of November, the Church remembers all her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, "even as others who have no hope ... For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven ... and the dead who are in Christ shall rise.
Catholic Culture - November
Calendar Overview - November
Often overshadowed by Halloween (October 31) and All Saints Day (November 1), All Souls Day is a solemn feast in the Roman Catholic Church commemorating all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and atoning before entering fully into Heaven. The importance of the feast was made clear by Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), when he granted all priests the privilege of celebrating three Masses on All Souls Day: one, for the faithful departed, one for the priest's intentions, and one for the intentions of the Holy Father. Only on a handful of other very important feast days are priests allowed to celebrate more than two Masses. While All Souls Day is now paired with All Saints Day, which celebrates all of the faithful who are in Heaven, it originally was celebrated in the Easter Season around Pentecost Sunday (and still is in the Eastern Catholic Churches). By the tenth century, the celebration had been moved to October, and sometime between 998 and 1030 A.D. , St. Odilo of Cluny decreed that it should be celebrated on November 2 in all of the monasteries of his Benedictine congregation. Over the next two centuries, other Benedictines and the Carthusians began to celebrate it in their monasteries as well, and soon it spread to the entire Church.
On All Souls Day, we not only remember the dead, but we apply our efforts, through prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass, to their release from Purgatory. There are two indulgences attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery. While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory. Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church's teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. The Church devotes the month of November to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and participation in the Mass of All Souls Day is a good way to begin the month.
Church Teaching about Purgatory
All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.
The existence of Purgatory or a 'purifying process' after death is a Catholic Dogma of the Faith which means every Catholic must believe in order to remain a Catholic. The Church does not insist that it is a place, but may be a process only. It is not a destination, but a sort of passage through which all who must experience it will eventually be purified enough to see God face to face.
It's understood that the souls undergoing this purification may benefit from the prayers of the living, but that the opportunity of grace to pray for their own relief has passed. Just as a prisoner who awaits his trial may be released from jail by a friend who pays the cost of his bail, so we may help to gain the release of a holy soul from the prison of his suffering. It's considered a great act of spiritual mercy by the Church to pray for the dead. The idea of a Purgatory is not exclusive to the Catholic Church. The concept of purgatory or a place for the dead (other than heaven or hell) has long been a part of ancient Jewish beliefs, long before Christianity made it's appearance. It is mentioned by various names such as 'The Nether World", "Limbo", 'Paradise' or in Greek 'Hades', or in Hebrew 'Sheol' (found in both the Old and the New Testaments), which all translate to 'the abode of the dead.' But there is a definite distinction made between purgatory and hell. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence (1439) and Trent (1563). The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire.
It's such a shame we don't hear much about Purgatory (except in traditional circles). Some Catholics have been led to believe that it doesn't even exist anymore! Belief in Purgatory is now and has always been an article of faith which every Catholic must believe to remain Catholic.
Indulgences for the Souls in Purgatory
From November 1st through November 8th, we can gain a plenary (that is, full remission) indulgence each day (applicable only to the Holy Souls) if we visit a cemetery and pray for the souls. We can also gain one November 2nd by visiting a church.
There are many, many ways we can gain indulgences for those in the Church Suffering, and it really isn't all that difficult. By praying the Rosary in public (this would include the Family Rosary), one can gain a plenary indulgence (partial in other circumstances) that is applicable to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Making the Stations of the Cross will gain a plenary indulgence, as will 30 minutes of Eucharistic Adoration or 30 minutes of pious reading of Holy Scriptures.
Even gaining partial indulgences helps the souls in Purgatory more than we realize. But of course the most efficacious means is having Mass offered for them, or at least taking part in a Mass offered for them.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.
Our Lord dictated this prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.
The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on December 8. "From all eternity God chose with infinite wisdom the woman who would be the Mother of His divine Son. To prepare for the Word Incarnate a spotless and holy tabernacle, God created Mary in grace and endowed her from the moment of her conception with all the perfections suited to her exalted dignity. " — Liturgical Meditations, The Sisters of St. Dominic
Catholic Culture - December
Calendar Overview - December
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst make ready a fitting habitation for Thy Son, we beseech Thee that Thou who didst keep her clean from all stain by the precious death of the same Son, foreseen by Thee, may grant unto us in like manner to be made clean through her intercession and so attain unto Thee.Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.