Novena for the Election of the New Grand Master of the SMOM

For those interested in a novena to pray for the election of a new Grand Master here is one to St George that I suggest. Although he is not a patron of the Order of Malta specifically he is still a patron of chivalry, knights and is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is also the patron of the Constantinian Order of St George of whom many knights are also Knights of Malta.

Pray the following prayers for nine consecutive day's with the suggested intention, 

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will truly be present at the deliberations and voting of the SMOM membership and leadership concerned -- and that all will obey and cooperate with the Spirit so that the Grand Master elected will TRULY be God's choice for SMOM and the Universal Church.

May whoever is elected be an indefatigable defender and promoter of the Deposit of the Faith and the Magisterium of the Church, ridding SMOM of all Freemasons and others who live or encourage any way of life contrary to Gospel mores.

PREPARATORY PRAYER

Almighty and eternal God!
With lively faith
and reverently worshipping
Thy divine Majesty,
I prostrate myself before Thee
and invoke with filial trust
Thy supreme bounty and mercy.
Illumine the darkness of my intellect
with a ray of Thy heavenly light
and inflame my heart
with the fire of Thy Divine love,
that I may contemplate
the great virtues and merits
of the Saint in whose honour
I make this novena,
and following his example imitate,
like him,
the life of Thy Divine Son. 

Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously,
through the merits and intercession
of this powerful Helper,
the petition which through him
I humbly place before Thee,
devoutly saving,
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Vouchsafe graciously to hear it,
if it redounds to Thy greater glory
and to the salvation of my soul.

Amen.

PRAYER IN HONOR OF SAINT GEORGE

O GOD, who didst grant to Saint George
strength and constancy in the various torments
which he sustained for our holy faith;
we beseech Thee to preserve,
through his intercession,
our faith from wavering and doubt,
so that we may serve Thee
with a sincere heart faithfully unto death.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

INVOCATION OF SAINT GEORGE

Faithful servant of God
and invincible martyr, Saint George;
favoured by God with the gift of faith,
and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ,
thou didst fight valiantly
against the dragon of pride,
falsehood, and deceit.
Neither pain nor torture,
sword nor death could part thee
from the love of Christ.
I fervently implore thee
for the sake of this love
to help me by thy intercession
to overcome the temptations that surround me,
and to bear bravely
the trials that oppress me,
so that I may patiently carry the cross
which is placed upon me;
and let neither distress nor difficulties
separate me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Valiant champion of the Faith,
assist me in the combat against evil,
that I may win the crown promised to them
that persevere unto the end. 

PRAYER

My Lord and my God!
I offer up to Thee
my petition in union
with the bitter passion
and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
together with the merits
of His immaculate and blessed Mother,
Mary ever virgin,
and of all the saints,
particularly with those of the holy Helper
in whose honour I make this novena. 

Look down upon me,
merciful Lord!
Grant me Thy grace and Thy love,
and graciously hear my prayer.

Amen.

Philip Lawler Commentary on This Disasterous Papacy

Philip Lawler has written another excellent article for Catholic Culture on what we can and should do  when the non-fallible speech of the Pope threatens to undermine perennial doctrine. Some would prefer to minimize or downplay this to "focus on the good" or not talk about it in public so we don't cause scandal. As though silence in the face of evil isn't itself scandalous.

In a large family, how should a son behave when he realizes that his father’s pathological behavior threatens the welfare of the whole household? He should certainly continue to show respect for his father, but he cannot indefinitely deny the danger. Eventually, a dysfunctional family needs an intervention.
In the worldwide family that is the Catholic Church, the best means of intervention is always prayer. Intense prayer for the Holy Father would be a particularly apt project for the season of Lent. But intervention also requires honesty: a candid recognition that we have a serious problem.

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?ID=1207

Solemn Vows of Frà Bertrand de Villermont

Frà Bertrand de Villermont made his solemn vows as a professed knight of the Order of Malta in February at the conventual church of the Order in France, St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Paris.

For more photos visit the webpage below.

http://www.sainteelisabethdehongrie.com/photos2017.html

Modernist Jesuit Superior Says Word of God is Relative

It's no wonder these people have such admiration for Martin Luther, they are protestants just like he is. In effect they are saying saying "I interpret the Bible in my own context, as it speaks to me." Whether by sin or other reason the light of Faith has gone out from these people. How supposedly intelligent people can spout such nonsense is shocking and the fact they actually believe what they are saying is even more stunning.

Q: Cardinal Gerhard L. Műller, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, has said with regard to marriage that the words of Jesus are very clear and "no power in heaven and on earth, neither an angel nor the pope, neither a council nor a law of the bishops has the faculty to modify them."
A: So then, there would have to be a lot of reflection on what Jesus really said. At that time, no one had a recorder to take down his words. What is known is that the words of Jesus must be contextualized, they are expressed in a language, in a specific setting, they are addressed to someone in particular. 

Q: But if all the worlds of Jesus must be examined and brought back to their historical context, they do not have an absolute value.
A: Over the last century in the Church there has been a great blossoming of studies that seek to understand exactly what Jesus meant to say… That is not relativism, but attests that the word is relative, the Gospel is written by human beings, it is accepted by the Church which is made up of human persons… So it is true that no one can change the word of Jesus, but one must know what it was!

For more of the interview, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/02/22/marriage-and-divorce-the-general-of-the-jesuits-jesus-too-must-be-reinterpreted/

Cardinal Burke Visit to Kansas City

Some pictures of Cardinal Burke during his visit to the Kansas City area last week.

Defense of the Faith Lecture with Cardinal Burke in Kansas City

This Friday, February 10th, Cardinal Burke will be giving a lecture entitled, "The Challenges to the Defense of the Faith in Our Times." If you are in the Kansas City area this weekend you won't want to miss it. 

Dec. 20, 1522- The Day the Knights Surrendered Rhodes

Today is the date in 1522 when the Knights accepted defeat and surrendered the island of Rhodes  http://gloriaromanorum.blogspot.com/2016/12/december-20-ad-1522-knights-of-saint.html?m=1

Pray Rosary with the Incarcerated

If you have found yourself wanting to get involved with Prison Ministry but don't have an opportunity to actually visit a prison this might by for you.

From a Knight of the Order in Florida. 

"I would like to announce a Malta Prison Ministry initiative beginning January 2017, it's the "Prisoner Evening Rosary of Common Petition". As a Marian Order, we would like to encourage a more frequent use of the rosary. For our incarcerated brothers and sisters, it is a perfect time to teach them to pray the rosary, and offer their petitions to Our Lord, through Mary. It is a perfect opportunity to encourage the daily use of the rosary, and build habits that will last throughout their lifetime. The term "Common Petition" refers to the seven common petitions that prisoners will say each of the seven nights of the week at precisely 8:00 PM, EST. Everyone participating will be praying for the same specific petition, at the same exact time. Attached to this note are the petitions for each night.

Over time, this nightly event will unify all prisoners across the country, in one common prayer for the intention of the day. Over time, we hope to have thousands of rosaries being prayed at the same time, for the same intention, each evening at the same 8;00 PM hour, not adjusting for time zones. Naturally, prisoners are free to add intentions as they wish, but there will be one common intention for the whole country. Hopefully prisoners will invite additional prisoners to their common prayer circle and the spiritual voices will grow, all the while petitioning through Mary, and hopefully developing the habit of the daily rosary.

PRISONER EVENING ROSARY OF COMMON PETITION

Mondays:
All the prisoners in Florida pray for the families of all the incarcerated; that the Blessed Mother will watch over these families and keep them from want, and that their children will be properly cared for.

Tuesdays:
All prisoners will ask Blessed Mother to intercede on behalf of all those who have been falsely accused. That the justice system will bring to light all the facts surrounding their arrest, and they may be treated with the justice they deserve.

Wednesdays:
All the prisoners will pray to the Blessed Mother to intercede for the poor of the world. That those who have, will enthusiastically share with those who have not. That God, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, will shower the poorest of the poor with His grace and relieve their suffering.

Thursdays:
All prisoners will pray for each other. That their case will receive the fair evaluation that is necessary to render fair judgment. For those that receive sentences, that God will inspire mercy from the judge.

Fridays:
Prisoners will pray to Our Lord in thanksgiving for His suffering and death on the cross. On this day Christ died for our sins, and that they ask the Lord for the strength not to sin against Him further. Prisoners will petition God for the forgiveness of everyone’s sins, and each prisoner personally resolve to renew his/her commitment to a better life.

Saturdays:
Prisoners pray to the Blessed Mother for her help and protection against the evils and injustices of the world. That Blessed Mother will intercede with Our Lord on behalf of all nations to govern its people with justice and with true compassion for the least among their citizens.

Sundays:
Prisoners will celebrate the resurrection of Christ. That as difficult as the world might seem, Our Lord and Savior has risen and has promised to deliver all who seek Him out, as well as all those who are faithful to His commandments. Prisoners will pray that the evils of the world will not sway them from following the teachings of Christ, because they love God more than they love themselves.

St. John the Baptist Church, Little Maplestead, England

St John the Baptist Church, Little Maplestead, England. The present church was built in the 14th century, renovated in the 1850's and is one of only four round churches still in use in England. It was built on a site originally given to the Order of of St John in 1185 and is still associated with the English, Venerable Order of St. John today. Every year members of the Venerable Order of St. John process to the Church on the first Sunday of June.

MedSeas Tour of Rhodes and Crete

A fellow knight of the Order of Malta has put together a wonderful tour of the former sites of the Knights of St. John on Rhodes. He is a professional tour operator, MedSeas Catholic Journeys, who has taken groups to Malta, the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, and a Saints, Knights and Wine tour in Italy. This promises to be a spectacular trip and I hope you will consider joining us next September, 2017. Visit the MedSeas website for more information and a detailed itinerary.

Rhodes – The Island of Sun: Discover Rhodes, surrounded by clear blue waters, it’s a land of ancient temples, castles and fortresses, all part of the rich history dating back to the Neolithic era. We will experience its ravishing coastlines, dramatic mountain scapes, classic small villages and historic monuments especially sites linked to the Knights of St. John.