St John Lateran’s Basilica in Rome is the “Mater et Caput”, ‘Mother and head’, of all churches in Rome and the world. This fact is solemnised by the relief that adorns the entrance to the Basilica. The name “Lateran” is derived from the fact that this Basilica was constructed on the territory that belonged to […]
Pope Innocent XI instituted the feast of the Holy Name of Mary on the 12th September to thank Our Lady for the victory of the famous battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire on the 11th September 1683. On this day, Europe found itself on the brink of distruction. The Ottoman forces had invaded Vienna […]
The Rosary is the favourite prayer of Popes and saints alike. It is therefore not surprising that we find a very powerful image that symbolises the power of the Rosary in Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, which is the Main Chapel of the Popes. Looking closely at the detail we can see two […]
The truth that Our Lady was assumed into heaven was always believed and celebrated by the Church although it was not considered a dogma of the Faith until the 1st November 1950. From very ancient times, the Church in the east and west solemnly celebrated a liturgical feast in memorial of the “Dormition of Mary” […]
In France, during the second half of the 16th century, the doctrine of Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638), otherwise known as Jansenism, was greatly defused. Jansen’s theology taught that the Lord is a God who gives His grace only to the elect, abandoning the rest for ever because human nature was completely corrupted by original sin. To […]
We recall the words of the Virgin of Revelation who, with her maternal goodness, came to recall a lost son, and therefore all of us, to conduct ourselves in a way that does not deviate towards “strange doctrines” (Heb 13:9) but is conduct that is worthy of a Christian. On the 12th April 1947, the […]
“Today, we do not have one more year but one year less before Our Lord’s coming!” St Teresa of Avila These are the days in which we exchange best wishes for “A Happy New Year 2017” hoping for our deepest heart’s desire: serenity and happiness. However, it is already evident that, along with the fulfilment […]
The extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy ends on the 20th November 2016 which also coincides with the solemnity of Christ the King. At the end of the Liturgical Year the Church contemplates the final coming of the Lord and so the Last Judgment by Michelangelo, from the Sistine Chapel, is a fitting masterpiece with which to […]
Dear Friends, October is a month especially dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and so we are pleased to invite you to participate in a Rosary Crusade of peace inspired by the Virgin of Revelation who said, “Never stop saying the Holy Rosary”! What better spiritual preparation could there be for the celebration […]
Before the departure of the Christian fleet for Lepanto, Pope Pius V blessed and consigned the Christian standard to the commander of the Christian Holy League, Don John of Austria. The standard was decorated with a crucifix placed between St Peter and St Paul on a red background with the Constantinian motto “In hoc signo […]