BELLUM CONTRA HÆRÉTICOS

Sancte Paule a Cruce, ora pro nobis!

Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia. The Lord truly has resurrected, Alleluia.

Ignited by the desire for martyrdom, he joined the army that was concentrated in Venice to fight the Turks; but knowing God's will in prayer, he soon left his weapons, to consecrate himself to form a more excellent militia, which would work with all his might to defend the Church and to procure eternal salvation for men. Returning to his homeland, he refused a most honourable wedding and the inheritance of an uncle priest offered to him, he wanted to enter the narrow path of the cross and, in 1720, be dressed in a coarse cassock by his bishop Gian Francesco Arborio of Gattinara. Then by order of this, in grace of the eminent holiness of life and knowledge of divine things, he began, although not yet a cleric, to cultivate the field of the Lord with the preaching of the divine word, with the greatest fruit of souls. Having gone to Rome and regularly educated in theological disciplines, he was raised by the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XIII for obedience to the priesthood on the 7th of June 1727. Received by the same power to gather companions, he retired to the solitude of Mount Argentario, where, already for some time he was invited by the Blessed Virgin, showing him together a black robe adorned with the insignia of the passion of her Son, where he laid the first foundations of the new Congregation named of the Cross and Passion of out Lord Jesus Christ. Of which, in short, after he had laboured very much, increased of chosen men, with the blessing of God it took a great development; confirmed several times by the Apostolic See together with the rules which he had received from God in prayer, with the addition of a fourth vow, to promote the blessed remembrance of the Lord's Passion. On the 3rd of May 1771 he also instituted consecrated nuns to meditate on the excess of love of the divine Spouse. In the midst of so many things, he never failed to preach the Gospel with a greedy zeal of souls, leading an almost innumerable number of men back to the path of salvation, even the most wicked or fallen into heresy. The power of his words was marvelous, especially in recounting the Passion of Christ, whereby he melted in tears together with those present, forcing the most hardened hearts to penance. His chest burned with such a flame of divine love that the part of the garment closest to the heart often seemed as if burned by fire, and that two ribs were raised. In offering, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass he could not contain the tears: and frequently he was seen in ecstasy, sometimes with his body miraculously lifted, and with his face irradiated by supernatural light. Sometimes, while he was preaching, a heavenly voice was heard prompting him the words, and his saying was heard many miles away. He shone with the gift of prophecy, of tongues, of the penetration of hearts, of power over demons, diseases, the elements. Although dear to the Supreme Pontiffs themselves and venerated by them, he nevertheless considered himself a useless servant, the most miserable sinner, worthy of being trampled on even by demons. Finally, he remained very faithful to his very harsh kind of life until his very old age, in the year 1775, after having given his disciples admirable advice, as if to bequeath his spirit to them, comforted by the Sacraments of the Church and by a heavenly vision, he went to heaven, in Rome, on the day he had foretold (October 18). The Supreme Pontiff Pius IX included him in the list of Blessed on the 1st of May 1853 and finally, due to new and illustrious miracles worked, he inscribed him in the list of Saints on the 29th of June 1867 during the jubilee ceremonies in honour of the Saints Peter and Paul. His relics are preserved and venerated in Rome at the basilica of the Saints John and Paul, officiated by the Passionist Fathers.

SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, CONFESSOR Paul of the Cross, at the century Paolo Francesco Danei, born in Ovada in Monferrato (province of Alessandria) the 3rd of January 1694, native of a noble family of Castellazzo near Alessandria, what would be in the future the greatness of his holiness made him know a marvelous splendour, that the night he was born filled his mother's room, and the illustrious benefit of the august Queen of Heaven, who, as a child, saved him unharmed from certain wreck from a fall in a river. From the first use of reason inflamed with love for Jesus Christ crucified, he began to abandon himself for a long time to the contemplation of Him, and to torture his most innocent flesh with vigils, disciplines, fasts, and other harsh penances, drinking on Fridays only vinegar mixed with gall.

Sancte Petre Canisie, Confessor et Ecclesiæ Doctor, ora pro nobis!

Pray and sacrifice these days as in Boston they will do public satanic rituals. Pray and fast in reparation

Ordained priest in June 1546, he immediately began to defend against the snares of the innovators the Roman Catholic Faint with legations, speeches and written books. For his clear wisdom and the experimented handling in the affairs, he was greatly searched by the Bishop of Augsburg Cardinal Otto Truchseß von Waldburg and by the papal legates, he took part many times in the Council of Trent (1545-1563); of which decrees he worked also by command of the Supreme Pontiff Pius IV that those would be duly promulgated and observed in Germany. Forced by Paul IV to go to the diet of Piotrków or Petricovia (1558-1559) and sustained under Gregory XIII other legations, with always brisky spirit and never frightened by hardships, he he dealt with very serious religious affairs and lead those to a happy outcome also among present life threats. Enflamed by the fire of heavenly charity, who once drew abundantly from the penetrals of the Heart of Jesus in the Vatican Basilica, and intent solely on the propagation of the glory of God, It is hardly possible to say what efforts he undertook for more than fourty years, what travails he endured, both to defend many cities and provinces of Germany from the infection of heresy, and to restore them to the Catholic faith, if infected with heresy. In the diet of Regensburg and of Augsburg he incited the princes of the Empire to defend the rights of the Church and to amend the costumes of the people: in the one of Worms he forced to silence masters of insolent impiety. Put as head by St. Ignatius of the province of Superior Germany (June 7, 1556) he founded in many places houses and colleges. He studied to promote and expand with any work the German College founded in Rome: he restored in the academies the studies of sacred and profane disciplines compassionately lapsed, he wrote two volumes against the Centuriators of Magdeburg (1571 and 1577); and gave to the press the Catechism of the Christian Doctrine (1554) by judgement of theologians and for the public use of three centuries, everywhere very valued, and many other writings very suitable for the education of the people. Then called the Hammer of heretics (or Lutheranism) and the Second Apostle of Germany after St. Boniface, he was deemed quite worthy to be believed elected by heaven to defend the Religion and the Church in Germany against the gates of hell. In the midst of this, with frequent prayer and assiduous meditation on heavenly things, he used to remain united with God, often bathed in tears and sometimes rapt out of the senses. Greatly honoured by princes, by very clear men in holiness and by four Supreme Pontiffs, he felt so low about himself that he said that he was the last of all. He refused the Viennese bishopric once, twice and three times. Most obsequious to his superiors, at a sign from them he was ready to leave or undertake everything, even with danger of health and life. Through voluntary self-mortification he always kept chastity. Finally he flew to God in Fribourg in Switzerland, where he had worked a great deal in the last years of his life for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, on the 21st of December 1597, at the age of 77. On the 23rd of November 1864, Pius IX raised this staunch defender of the Catholic truth to the honours of the celestial blessed; illustrious for new miracles, the Supreme Pontiff Pius XI in the year of the jubilee (21st of May 1925) included him in the register of saints declaring him together Doctor of the universal Church.

SAINT PETER CANISIUS, CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Peter Canisius was born in Nijmegen in Gelderland (Netherlands) the 8th of May 1521, in the same year when Luther was in Germany with open rebellion he separated from the Church, and Ignatius of Loyola in Spain, abandoning the earthly militia, he converted to fight the battles of the Lord; thus signifying God as adversaries he would then have before him, and as leader of the sacred militia. In Cologne, where he went for his studies, he bound forever to God with the vow of chastity, and from then, the 8th of May 1543, he entered the Society of Jesus.