The body of Padre Pio will be on display for veneration at next month’s Ash Wednesday Mass in the Vatican, where a group of priests will be sent out as “Missionaries of Mercy” for the Jubilee Year.
Pope Francis “has expressed his keen desire” for the relics of the Capuchin saint to be exposed during the Feb. 10 Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
The feast dedicated to “Our Lady of the Rosary” was instituted by Pope Pius V. It was to commemorate the anniversary of the defeat of the Turkish fleet at the battle of Lepanto on the first Sunday in October 1571. This miraculous defeat broke the back of Muslim domination of the Mediterranean and was attributed to the prayers and processions of the Rosary confraternity in Rome. The Feast was later moved to the fixed date of October 7. In fact, the entire month of October is dedicated to encouraging the praying of the Rosary and reflecting on the mysteries of the Christian faith which it memorializes.
Pope John Paul II stated,
The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at the heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. . . . Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.”
Be Not Afraid. President Obama has declared war on religion by forcing religious institutions to go against their faith with the use of abortions and contraceptives.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you
President Obama spent yesterday in Colorado, being introduced by pro-abortion activist (and Planned Parenthood’s favorite person) Sandra Fluke. During his campaign stop, the President made clear (once again) that he won’t back down on the HHS mandate:
Let me tell you—there’s nothing conservative about a government that prevents a woman from making her own health decisions,” he said. Let me tell you something, Denver—I don’t think your boss should control the care you get,” Obama added, referring to the desire by religious groups to not be forced to violate their own consciences. [LifeNews]
Mitt Romney] joined the far right to support a bill that would allow an employer to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees,” Obama said. “He said he’d ‘get rid of’ Planned Parenthood.”
Sidewalks Chalk 