St. Ignatius of Loyola..........July 31

Patron of Retreats
Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Prayer of St. Ignatius

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

Hummel, Angel..........July 30

"When tempted, invoke your angel.

He is more eager to help you

than you are to be helped!

Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him:

He trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel."

St. John Bosco

Three Persons-One God..........July 29

"Holy, holy holy!
Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning
Our song shall rise to Thee:
Holy, holy, holy!
Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons,
Blessed Trinity!

Reginald Heber

Working With Mary..........July 28

Virgin Mother of God and mine,
Let me be completely thine,
Thine in joy, thine in grief,
Thine for time and eternity!

(words taken from another holy card)

Breaking Bread..........July 27

"He was the Word that spoke it,

He took the bread and broke it,

And what the Word did make it,

I do believe and take it."

John Donne - "On the Sacrament"

Holy Family..........July 26

"Father, help us to live

as the Holy Family,

united in respect and love.

Bring us to the joy and peace

of Your eternal home."

Rev. Walter Van de Putte, C.S.SP

Walk With God..........July 25

I'll walk with God from this day on.

His helping hand I'll lean upon.

This is my prayer, my humble plea,

May the Lord be ever with me.

There is no death, tho' eyes grow dim.

There is no fear when I'm near to Him.

I'll lean on Him forever

And He'll forsake me never.

He will not fail me

As long as my faith is strong,

Whatever road I may walk along.

Words by Paul Francis Webster

Shipreck of Sin..........July 24

"Noah's ark was a type of Mary. As, by its means, human beings were preserved from the Flood, so are we all saved by Mary from the shipwreck of sin. There is this difference, however. In the ark few were saved, but through Mary the whole human race was rescued from death.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

All for Mary, through Jesus, for world peace, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Translation of the French words on the card:

At the top:"The Fruits of Devotion to Mary"

At the bottom:"Escape from the world. We will rest in solitude ... and I will cause you to enjoy a presently unknown peace."

Hearts of Jesus and Mary..........July 23

"By blood I am Albanian.

My citizenship is Indian.

I am a Catholic nun.

As to my calling,

I belong to the world.

As to my heart,

I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus."

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

French translationn:

"Persecutions fortify our souls and merit us Heaven"

Thanks S.B.

Offer Yourself to God..........July 22

Cast me not off in my old age; as my strength fails, forsake me not.

Psalm 71-9

"Do not wait for old age to offer yourself to God.

Offer Him the flower of your youth,

which will be pleasing to Him

and which He will accept with the greatest of love."

St. Catherine of Siena

Ask for Graces..........July 21

"Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

has His hands full of graces,

and He is ready to

bestow them on anyone

who ask for them."

St. Peter of Alcantara

Hands and Heart..........July 20

"Show me your hands.

Do they have scars from giving?

Show me your feet.

Are they wounded in service?

Show me your heart.

Have you left a place for divine love?"

Fulton J. Sheen

Our Example..........July 19

"Words call us but examples draw us."

Author Unknown

What an example we have in Jesus!

In Latin, at the top:"In the Cross, salvation"

In German, at the bottom:"My pain is ever before my face."

Madlener (artist) He Is..........July 18

He is Light,

Longevity,

and Lord.

He is Goodness,

Kindness,

Gentleness,

and God.

His is Holy,

Righteous,

Mighty,

Powerful,

and Pure.

Author Unknown

Our Lady of Treille, France..........July 17

Our Lady of Treille, France

Patron of Lille, France

"Hold Him fast,

O sweet Lady::

hold Him Whom thou lovest,

............"

St. Aefred of Rievaulx

Let us always look for Jesus...

He will be in Mary's arms.

"Lille had been known for the miraculous statue of the Virgin protected by an iron trellis (hence the name 'Notre-Dame de la Treille' – Our Lady of the Trellis) since the Middle Ages."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel..........July 16

O God,

the order of Carmel was singularly honored

when the title of the most blessed ever-virgin Mary, your mother, was given to it.

Grant that we who commemorate this solemn feast today may be shielded by her protection

and attain everlasting happiness; who lives and rules with God the Father.

To read more about Our Lady of Mount Carmel
click here.

Translation:
The Latin words on the card mean (literally),
"Queen, Ornament of Carmel."

Prayer..........July 15

"When we pray,

the voice of the heart must be heard

more than the proceedings from the mouth."

St. Bonaventure

Translation:

"Jesus, Jesus, come to me. Oh, how I myself long for Thee!"

Feast of Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha..........July 14

From the Litany of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri, lily of purity, pray for us.

Kateri, bright light for all Indians, pray for us.

Kateri, lover of the cross of Jesus, pray for us.

Kateri, leader of many Indians to the true faith through your love for Mary, pray for us.

Kateri, who loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.

Kateri, who traveled many miles to learn the faith, pray for us.

Kateri, who loved to pray the rosary for all people, pray for us.

Kateri, humble servant to the sick, pray for us.

Kateri, whose scarred face in life became beautiful after death, pray for us.

Heart of a Mother..........July 13

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you always find forgiveness."

Honore De Balzac

Looking Down to Heaven..........July 12

"Every mother, when she picks up the young life

that has been born to her, looks up to the heavens

to thank GOD for the gift which made the world young again.
But here was a Mother,

a Madonna,

who did not look up.

She looked down to Heaven

for this was Heaven in her arms.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Disease..........July 11

"The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis,
but rather the feeling of being
unwanted, uncared for and deserted
by everybody."

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Painting by Edward Ostendorf

Borrowed Time..........July 10

"When God gave you to me

He never said that you were mine,

that I could keep you always--only borrowed for a time. Now, He's called you home,

I'm sad and I shed tears.

Yet, I'm glad He loaned you to me and we had

these many years."

(words on the back of a memorial death card)

Hands of a Priest..........July 9

Meditation of St. Francis of Assisi

Let everyone be struck with fear,

the whole world tremble,

and the heavens exult

when Christ, the Son of the living God,

is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!

O wonderful loftiness

and stupendous dignity!

O sublime humility

The Way To Go..........July 8

"If then,

you are looking for the way

by which you should go,

take Christ,

because He Himself

is the way."

St.Thomas Aquinas

Earthly Possessions..........July 7

"Live in the world as if only God and your soul were in it; then your heart will never be made captive by any earthly thing."

Saint John of the Cross

Translation:
At the top: "Dreams of Youth" In the beam of light:"

And then afterwards ..."At the bottom:

"O God, divert my heart from vanity!

... Show me your truth, that sun shining past everything which slips away."

Feast of St. Maria Goretti..........July 6

St. Maria Goretti

Patroness of Youth

"...raised to sainthood by Pope Pius XII, with her mother, brothers, and sisters present, a unique event in the history of the Church. By that time her prayers for her murderer had long since been heard and answered. After eight years of unrepentant imprisonment, Alexander had a complete change of heart; released for good behavior after twenty-seven years, he hastened to beg forgiveness of the Saint's mother and then became a Capuchin laybrother, who gave evidence at the canonical inquiry about Blessed Maria and lived to see her canonized."

"Lives of the Saints for every day of the year"

Angel..........July 5

"Make yourself familiar with the angels,

and behold them frequently in spirit,

for without being seen, they are present with you."

St. Francis De Sales

God Bless America.........July 4

"If My people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land."

II CHRONICLES 7:14

Feast of St. Thomas Apostle..........July 3

Unfortunately always thought of as "Doubting Thomas."

Yet because of that doubt he proclaimed words that

we use today to give our utmost praise to God.

"My Lord and My God"

Thank you St. Thomas for those words of love and praise.

Prayer..........July 2

"Do not turn to prayer hoping to enjoy spiritual delights;

rather come to prayer totally content to receive nothing

or to receive great blessings from God's hand,

whichever should be your heavenly Father's will

for you at that time."

Madame Jeanne Guyon

The German words at the bottom of the card are from

verse 10 of Psalm 143 (numbered 142 in older Catholic bibles).

They mean:"Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God."

Jesus Fishing..........July 1, 2008

Fisher of Men

"...............the call which Peter and his brother Andrew heard from Jesus continues to resound in the world: 'Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.' And after the miracle of a huge catch of fish, the Lord revealed to Peter that he would become 'a fisher of men'

(Lk 5:4 and 10)."--- .....From "Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization" -- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- December 3, 2007

Translation of
Latin at bottom of card
With a lifegiving sweetness,
You draw in those who are saved,
the innocent fish from the hostile waves of a wicked sea

Beuron Sacred Heart..........June 30

"Our Beloved does not need our brilliant deeds

nor our beautiful thoughts.

If He wanted sublime concepts,

has He not the angels,

who surpass in knowledge the greatest geniuses

of the world?"

St. Therese of Lisieux

Feast of St. Peter and Paul..........June 29th

O God,

this day is sacred because of the martyrdom

of your apostles Peter and Paul.

May your Church follow the

teachings of these two saints

in every respect, for from them she received

the faith in the beginning.

Through our Lord.

Latin words mean, "But we preach Christ crucified."

Will of the Soul..........June 28

One ship drives east, and another west

With the self-same winds that blow:

'Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales,

Which decides the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the ways

of fate:

As the voyage along through life;

'Tis the will of the soul

That decides the goal,

And not the calm or the strife.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The ship's banner says, "Foreign Missions."

At the bottom: "Star of the Sea, pray for us and for sailing missionaries."

Our Lady of Japan..........June 27

O Mary, you are forever connected with Jesus

as His Mother and as His closest disciple.

Let me never hesitate to honor you

for in doing so

I am honoring your Divine Son.

Birds Sing..........June 26

"The other day--the little birds were singing in the woods. I began to weep. Poor little creatures, I thought within myself, the good God has made you to sing, and you sing. Yet man, who was created that he might love God, loves Him not!

St. John Vianney

God's Company..........June 25

"Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. If a man wants to be always in God's company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us."

St. Isidore of Seville

The Latin words on the card mean,
"Go, teach all nations"

Nativity of John the Baptist..........June 24

Jesus said "Among those born of women there had not risen a greater than John the Baptist."

The Baptist practiced virtues of purity, penance, and incessant prayer and selfless humility.

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

Can we "bear witness" to our friends and neighbors?

Be Watchful..........June 23

Card dated 1858

(guess they liked to paint Jesus

with long hair)

"Be watchful and vigilant. It is by design that Jesus concealed the last day from us.

He wants us to be on the lookout for Him every day of our lives.

St. Augustine

Rays of Sun..........June 22

The sun's rays light up the world
without separating themselves from the sun.

In like manner,

the Son of God comes down to earth to enlighten us without separating himself from the Father with Whom He is entirely one.

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Aloysius Gonzaga..........June 21

To read about St. Aloysius click here

He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake."

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

He is Waiting for You....June 20

"Nowhere on earth are you more welcomed,
no where on earth are you more loved,
than by Jesus,
living and truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament... He is really there in person waiting just for you."

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

[At the top:] The pause on the journey -- or the daily visit.
[At the bottom:] It is only there that my heart is at rest. Everything is taken away from my sight before that tabernacle. If someone were to ask me, "Where is your happiness?" -- I would answer, "Look! Jesus, through a miracle, has placed His home in the midst of my exile."

Adore Jesus June 19

"Adore Jesus through Jesus Himself;
that is the most perfect adoration.
He is both
God and Man,
your Savior and Brother."

St. Peter Julian Eymard

Mother of Mercy..........June 18

"Have recourse to that dear Mary who is the Mother of Mercy.

She will take you into her Son's presence and use her Motherly intercession with Him on your behalf, so that He will be merciful toward you."

St. Catherine of Siena

Tabernacle..........June 17

Jesus are you there?

"What is faith save to believe

what you do not see?"

St. Augustive of Hippo

"Oh, a splendor very surely, dear Lord!"

Hummel Guardian Angel..........June 16

"Happy the soul who after obeying

the counsels of her Guardian Angel,

shall be led by him to heaven."

St. Louis of Gonzague

Father's Day..........June 15

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL FATHERS

A model for fathers, Saint Joseph is invoked as a protector of the family.

Almighty God, You entrusted you Son, Jesus, and His blessed mother, Mary, to the faithful care of Joseph.

We ask that St. Joseph also protects and guides all the earthly "fathers" we remember today.

Mary and Jesus..........June 14

"Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ,

Come with thy Babe to me;

Though the world be cold, my heart shall hold

A shelter for Him and for thee."

(A Notre Dame Hymn)

Feast of St. Anthony of Padua..........June 13

"Happy the man whose words come from the Holy Spirit and not from himself."

Saint Anthony of Padua



Go here

to read more about St. Anthony

The German words mean this:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."