TFP Student Action Summer Caravan, July 21

TFP Student Action Summer Caravan. How do we start a campaign?

Flags go up. Signs go up. Three Hail Mary's. And the iconic shouting of the name of the organization, Tradition, Family, Property, America, America, America.

Please pray for the young men as they spend part of their Summer defending Catholic issues instead of just lounging at home, or even worse at the beach.

The battle between the children of the virgin and the servants of the serpent

"Quis est Dominus jungatur mihi," quotes St. Louis de Montfort in his prayer requesting for apostles. It means who is of the Lord, join with me.

Faithful Catholics are heading to Belle Plaine, MN to protest the first monument dedicated to the devil to be erected publicly on public grounds. The worship to the devil should never be allowed by a God-fearing society.

The Satanists, as can be seen in their call to action communique below are gathering their troops as well.

This is a clash is those who are of the virgin and those who are of the virgin.

Please join in prayer, fasting, sacrifice and frequent invocations to the angels of Heaven. They fought this battle in Heaven and won. They can help us fight this one and win as well.

A Catholic Man's Duty to Defend the Weak

Sisters of St. Dominic, Post Falls, Idaho

Religious nuns have long been the symbol of purity, virginity, tenderness, service of others, culture, and discipline. They have also long been seen as the bride of Christ. They represent for humanity the very iamge of maidenhood. These women have given up motherhood to preserve themselves for Christ in perpetual maidenhood.

To abuse a nun, for mere "entertainment", ranks up there with inhumane actions that sins against the virtue of innocence, like kicking a puppy, throwing kittens in a raging river or abusing children.

A local Idaho news station, KREM, ran a story of how the sisters of St. Dominic in Post Falls, ID are being harassed by local teenagers.

Excerpts from http://www.krem.com/news/local/local-nuns-complain-of-ongoing-harassment/450775382

Photo from http://www.krem.com/news/local/local-nuns-complain-of-ongoing-harassment/450775382

The worse part is the profanity and vulgarity with which the nuns are being harassed. It's as if the teenagers know exactly what virtues the nuns practice and what filthy temptations to throw at them.

Excerpts from http://www.krem.com/news/local/local-nuns-complain-of-ongoing-harassment/450775382

The third commandment of Chivalry states that the knight shall respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. This includes widows, orphans, the poor and the brides of Christ.

The Ten Commandments of the Medieval Code of Chivalry:

• Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
• Thou shalt defend the Church.
• Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
• Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
• Thou shalt not recoil before the enemy.
• Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
• Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
• Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
• Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
• Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Where are the Catholic men to defend these nuns? Where are the modern day knights to ward the filth cast at these brides of Christ? Where are the gentlemen who  are willing to stand up to preserve the innocence and purity of these maidens of Christianity.

This is one of the reasons why the TFP promotes the spirit of chivalry. There used to be a time when this spirit was the point of reference for all men. If you were a men, you needed to practice the virtues associated with chivalry, be you noble or common.

When Clovis, king of Franks, converted, he heard the story of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He became furious by the injustice. He pounded his battle ax on the ground and exclaimed; "Had I and my Franks been there, it would not have happened."

It was a noble sentiment from a barbarian leader. Yet, already in his statement, one can see the spirit of chivalry. Defend those who cannot defend themselves, to lay down one's life for another, and most especially for Christ.

Such should be the sentiment of all Catholic men in face of the evils of our world. Our desire withe the TFP Call To Chivalry camps is to restore this spirit in the hearts of all men.

Is there hope for our youth?

Many times people wonder if there is hope for our future generations.

It's a valid concern seeing much of the youth mired in immorality, impurity and many times are so self focused they seem not to care for anything but themselves. The world they care for, the only one it seems, is their smart phones, their computers, their video games and their sports.

On the other hand, we frequently see liberal college activists in the news blocking traffic, disrupting pro-life rallies, or demonstrating about how some lives matter but not babies' lives.

Are there still good youths in America? Are all either liberals or apathetic?

The video above show that there is hope for future generations. There are many, which is not reported in the media or reflected in Hollywood, who are selfless, generous, God-fearing and God-loving.

The video linked above demonstrates this.

An atheist group protested that atheists students will be offended if the commencement ceremony began with a prayer. With barely a fight, the board of education agreed and canceled that part of the school's tradition. So, the students took the issue into their own hands. When the valedictorian went up to give his speech, he gestures to the graduates to stand up. Then they recited the Our Father prayer altogether, to the applause of the crowd.

Students Affirming Belief In God Publicly

If just one youth stood up in a crowd, it can make a difference... especially when God is on his "side." When a whole graduation class stands up, imagine how much of a difference that makes.

Medieval Penances for the Knight

Medieval Penances for the Knight

"Thou are dust and to dust you shall return." Nothing reminds us of human frailty more than receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday.

In the age of chivalry, receiving ashes was a reminder to Christians to increase the penances in his daily life in preparation for the commemoration of Our Lord's Passion and Death on Good Friday.

If you haven't picked a Lenten penance yet, here are a few considerations that may help you pick the right one for you.

As penances go, it is good to remember that there is a right fit for everyone. There's an old anecdote that explains this.

One time a man complained to Jesus that his cross was too heavy. Jesus appeared to him and took him to a place full of crosses, some were large, others were small, some looked heavy, others light. Jesus told him to pick the cross that he thinks fits his shoulder just right. The man went to one end of the line of crosses. The crosses in this end were enormous and he could see that his shoulders were not big enough for them. He went to the opposite end. There he saw small crosses. But, when he picked up the smallest and placed it on his should, he found he was unable to carry it. Because it was so small, it cut into his shoulder.  As he went from cross to cross, he found that one was too long, others too short, some to heavy, others were light but too awkward to carry. At length, he comes upon one cross that fit him just right. Jesus said to him; "That's the cross you already have."

Picking a penance is a similar process. It should be something that fits your shoulders perfectly.

When you are picking your Lenten penance, keep in mind that going on a crusades was a penance for the Medieval knights. It was penance for their sins. It wasn't intended to be a campaign of conquest of the Middle East. It was intended to protect the thousands of pilgrims going to the Holy Land every year who suffered abuse, torture, theft, kidnapping, ransoming and death from the Muslims.

This is a concept that liberals hate so much. The Crusades were essentially a protective army meant to defend the defenseless pilgrims who in turn were doing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a form of penance for their sins.

The Medieval people took doing penances for one's sins seriously. According to A Medieval Handbooks of Penance by John McNeil and Helena Gamer, doing penance was an integral part of medieval life. For example, according to this book, if you took God's name in vain or swore by Heaven, Hell, or any other creature, then the person must eat bread and water for 15 days. BREAD AND WATER FOR 15 DAYS!

Needless to say, it was a civilization that fostered and cultivated virtue. The medieval people took the practice of their faith seriously and the result was a civilization that loved virtue, honor and heroism. Their customs and habits were an organic expression of the spirit of the times, also expressing virtue.

By contrast, the modern world does everything to foster sin and vice, from the cradle to the grave. The world, for example, fosters vulgarity and profanity. How many times a day do people take God's name in vain? How many swear? How many times do people use vulgar and impure language? It is so prevalent today that mankind has lost the horror. As a result we no longer appreciate, and sometimes even despise, the customs of the Middle Ages.  When the modern man hears of people doing penances for infractions like using foul language, they accuse it as being backwards. Under the same breath, if someone mentions the evil of abortion, liberals in colleges will cry and wail and demand their safe space, as if a great offense had been uttered.

Pope Urban II made the crusade into a penance that would wash away the temporal punishment that sin caused. He granted plenary indulgences to anyone who would bear the cross over their chest to protect the thousands of pilgrims.  It wasn't enough to simply fast on bread and water or wear a hair shirt. It was necessary to channel all the energy the Christian warriors had into something more productive, something that served the needs of the Church.

This is the key point. A young man today, brimming with energy, needs to channel his energy to serve the needs of the Church, mainly defending the Church's teaching in public.

Here are a few simple suggestions for a Lenten sacrifice.

1) Do daily public acts of devotion to Our Lady. This can be as simple as going to the most prominent image of Our Lady at home to say your morning and evening prayers. Or, if you have a lawn statue of Our Lady, to go to the statue and make a daily act of reverence like saying the Hail Holy Queen.

2) Defending Catholic faith and morality even among your friends. Many times our friends or family members will say something that's against the teachings of the Catholic Church and we don't do anything. Peer pressure and the desire to liked by our friends is one of the most common causes why young Catholics abandon their faith.  It's a great sacrifice to stand up and defend Church teachings. This is way harder than giving up desert for Lent. 

3) Stop people from taking God's name in vain. It's common for people today to use God's name in vain. It's an offense against God. It says right so in the 10 Commandments. It takes courage to stand up to defend God's honor. We would do it if our mother's were insulted. Why not for God? Simply tell them, "Don't say that. Stop taking God's name in vain. It's offensive to God and to me."

4) Promote purity and chastity as manly and knightly virtues. Impurity is the downfall of many young people today. Take advantage of Lent to promote it among your friends and social circles. The modern world would like you to think that to be a real man you need to be as impure as a pig. It's not true. The real measure of manliness is Our Lord Jesus Christ and he practiced the purity of a virgin. Never be ashamed to be as pure as Our Lord. 

5) Spend less time playing video games, watching TV or surfing online. Spend more time reading Catholic history of saints and heroes who fought in the service of Holy Mother Church. If you need a list of books, just write to this email: 

6) Be more respectful to your parents and people of authority. Especially today when respect to our parents, elders and people of authority is rejected by the modern world. It is important to practice God's 4th Commandment to us. Make a point of  respecting our parents, honoring them and doing things that please them.

7) Offer acts of reparation for the sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Francisco Marto, one of the Fatima seers, was only 10 when he died but before then he offered as much penance and sacrifice to console Jesus and Mary. Many sins are offensive to Jesus and Mary. If we make acts of reparation, this turns us into modern day Veronica's. Veronica braved the anger of the crowed to do one act of kindness to Our Lord. He rewarded her with an imprint of his face on her cloth. If we offer acts of reparation to Jesus and Mary today, our hearts will become like unto theirs.

8) Engage in debate to defend Catholic teaching. You can pass out a TFP Student Action flyer against abortion, socialism or same-sex marriage. It's proven to convert many people. Beef up your defenses by studying Catholic arguments against the moral evils of today. You can just leave them in the library, put them up in public bulletin boards like in Panera Bread Co., or leave them in the back of the Church you attend.

9) Be active in your faith. The only necessary thing for evil to triumph is for the good not to do anything. A knight must always be doing something to promote good. Ask us for the closest TFP Student Action representative in your area and see if you can do something in your area. It's easier than you think and very spiritually rewarding.

Hell

https://americaneedsfatima.org/The-Last-Things/never-withhold-a-sin-during-confession.html

What happens when prayer warriors are confronted by radical liberals

What happens when prayer warriors are confronted by radical liberals

 (A battlefield report of the 40 Days For Life Rally and March in Washington, D.C.)

On February 11, 2017, 40 Days For Life organized a nationwide peaceful prayer rally and march. It was one of the most contested prayer rallies any of us could recall.

Members of the Institute of Sedes Sapientiae, a 3 year college level TFP study course, and students and staff from St. Louis de Montfort Academy joined 40 Days For Life in Washington, D.C. Thanks to radical liberals, it was anything but peaceful. They tried to block us at practically every intersection. They pushed and shoved us. They pursued us. They shouted and screamed at us. They had one intention, to prevent us from reaching the Planned Parenthood facility.

We started in front of the U.S. Supreme Court with a short prayer. At around 9:15 we began the 1.7 miles march to the Planned Parenthood facility on 4th and Florida St. NE.

We numbered around 80. They numbered around 80. We had a marching band. They had their slogans. We filled the air with chants of God Bless America and Hail Holy Queen. They filled the air with shouts of “Pro-life is a lie. They don’t care if women die.”

They tried to block us from marching to the facility at least nine times. The first time was soon after we started marching. They rushed ahead of us in order to block the sidewalk we intended to march on. As the two groups approached, there was a lot of uncertainty. The liberals were convinced they had us checkmated but we kept marching forward. We looked at the police. They kept telling us to march forward. The tension was so intense and the suspense so dramatic, it seemed scripted by a novelist. But this was pure unscripted fury versus conviction, morality versus fallacy. At the very moment of collision, the police intervened and let us march on the street. That was the first blockade we evaded. Eight more were yet to come.

We continued on undeterred. Our band was called Holy Choirs of Angels band. It was aptly named and fit the event well. It was truly angelic to hear the harmonies of the fifes, pipes, brass and drum corps play patriotic tunes like God Bless America and Catholic hymns like Immaculate Mary. This was in stark contrast to the cackles and screams coming from the liberal activists.

The second clash came all too soon. This time the pro-abortionists repeated the same play that has deterred so many morning commuters nationwide who found their local highways and beltways suddenly blockaded with arm-locked protesters. In the minds, the liberals may have been puzzled why we were still marching. Why didn’t the blockade tactic work? It work the first time around. After all, liberals have been using this tactic with much success since 2014 when it came to the forefront of liberal awareness perhaps made popularized by the Ferguson riots.

So, there they were, arm-locked and three deep. And, there we were, marching to the tunes played by the band. As we approached, we were uncertain of the outcome. Not only were they blocking the sidewalks, they were blocking the road! It seemed like they had done it. They stopped our advance. They have prevented the practice of our freedom. They have silenced our voices.

However, before the impending clash, the Capital police made an heroic effort to open a narrow lane for us. That was all we needed. We slipped through their barricade harrowed on all sides but barely skipping a step. This was the gesture that gave us confidence that Our Lady had sent guardian angels to protect us.

This clash was more than a clash of causes. It was a clash of convictions, methods, spirits, and faiths. It was a clash of law-abiding citizens and law-breaking brigands. One pro-abortion woman tried blocking TFP Student Action director, Mr. John Ritchie. As Mr. Ritchie marched, this woman jumped in front of him. Apparently she expected to either stop Mr. Ritchie or to provoke him to anger. He simply walked around her. She kept jumping in front of him attempting to slow him down or stop him. We quickly wisened up to her tactic and engaged her in a discussion. We asked her why she was preventing us from exercising free speech. She claimed she was doing no such thing. We pointed out that she was doing exactly that by blocking Mr. Ritchie. Her convictions were visibly shaken so we pushed the point home. She eventually walked away.

Another woman decided to walk in front of the lead banner with her pro-abortion sign. By doing so, it would seem that she and her friend were leading the march and made it look like a march of pro-abortionists. We employed the previous line of argument on her. We accused her of trying to censor our free speech by blocking us. Unwillingly, she let her boyfriend pull her away from the lead banner.

The liberals tried blocking us in the next intersection. A patrol car came to lead the march. The D.C. police hoped this would make it easier to break to blockade. No such luck. They locked arms and refused to move. Again, the police’s heroic effort made an opening for us and through the blockade we went. It became evident that the liberals were becoming more violent against us, ripping our signs and our banners. One man attacked Mr. John Ritchie and ripped part of his clothing off him. Many were in a shoving match with the police. The police had to struggle harder to make the opening for us.

The tension was very high. The chance of violence was reaching a boiling point. The band director, Mr. Gregory Escaro, shouted a prayer to saints and the band responded with spirited voices. Far from being cowered, the pro-life marchers prayed with a militant conviction. “St. Michael,” Mr. Escaro shouted. “Pray for us,” our marchers responded. “Our Lady of Victory! Pray for us.” “Advance? Always! Retreat? Never.” Our prayers filled the streets of Washington with militantly pious invocations.

Not surprisingly it woke up the neighborhood and drew them out to their front door or balcony. They watched this heated exchange between the liberals and pro-lifers stunned, perhaps not entirely sure how this is happening in their own neighborhood. Some residents heckled us but some residents cheered our merry band of pro-lifers. Some even came up to us to shake our hands.

It must be mentioned how brave the participants of the 40 Days For Life are carrying the lead banner. They were the first into the fray and the first into the breech. Of note are Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, Larry Cirigniano, Pastor Patrick Mahoney, and others.

The most intense confrontation was when they decided to sit down on the ground, arm-locked, covering from the sidewalk on the right to the sidewalk on the left and four deep. This time it seemed impenetrable. To pass through, either we would need to step over them, inviting so much trouble, or, be dragged off as one mass by the police, forcing a potential lawsuit. If they were intent to stop us at the onset, at this point they were even more committed. To blockade us sitting down arm-locked was their final weapon against us and they deployed it with the conviction of radicals. These are not your typical liberals. These are seasoned radicals employing tactics straight out of Saul Alynski’s Rules For Radicals. They had deployed one of their most powerful weapons. This weapon is used time and again by liberals to make themselves as the persecuted underdogs. It seemed like our road finally had ended, stopped only a few blocks away from the abortion facility. So far, the liberals denied us the right to have a peaceful and prayerful march. Will they deny us a peaceful and prayerful rally in front of the abortion mill?

Once again, Our Lady intervened. A few marchers went ahead and were inspired to pepper the leaders of the blockade with questions. In the meantime, Our Lady inspired the guardian angels she sent us to find the weak link in the human chain. While the liberal leaders were distracted, the police, with commendable effort, managed to open a very narrow lane for us. Once again the police broke through the blockade and once again we passed through. It would be imprecise to say we went through that unsavory crowd of liberals unmolested. The pro-abortionists struggled with the police chanting angrily; “What will we do? We fight back!” The police had to push back the angry crowd who refused to be denied a fifth time. They wanted to stop us and law-abiding or not, they intended to demonstrate the power of the liberal movement. Yet, we passed through.

We marched on. They tried to stop us a 6th, 7th, 8th or more times but at each confrontation Our Lady, through the cops, found a way to let us pass through. At each instance, the liberal’s commitment to stop us only grew, yet, we still passed through.

It was perhaps the most important lesson we learned on that day. When everything indicated that we reached the end of the road, suddenly Our Lady intervened. What seemed to have been a dead end turned out to be only a lie of the devil. Satan only pretends to be all-powerful. Sometimes we let him trick us into believing him. However, if we confide in Our Lady, she will always find a way through.

When we reached our much contested destination, the Capitol police separated the pro-abortionists from us. We held our rally in peace. We heard many testimonies. We said our prayers. About half way through, the pro-abortionists gave up and abandoned their corner. About half way through, they stopped chanting their slogans. In the end, it was just the pro-lifers singing a hymn to Our Lady, asking her to intervene to defund Planned Parenthood and to shut down the abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. and all the abortion clinics nationwide and worldwide.