Our Lady of Sorrows Novena (Sept 6-14) and the Promises for those devoted to the Sorrowful Mother

Posted on September 5, 2026 by Paul

Just a friendly reminder that the annual Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows begins on September 6th,so as to end on September 14th, on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. That date of the 14th is also important as it is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (also known as the Triumph of the Cross.)

It is quite appropriate to beigin the novena so that it ends on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Sorrowful Mother stood at the Foot of the Cross as Jesus was dying, your novena meditations can take you along with our sweet and sorrowful mama as she suffers with Jesus. To end the novena of the feastday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena is very symbolic of the connection of the Cross to Our Lady’s Sorrows, and that sorrow can be turned into joy (or that sorrow can help us appreciate joy.)

Our Lady of Sorrows 1.

Here are Jesus’ four promises to those who devote themselves to Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows:
1. “That those who invoke the divine Mother by her sorrows, before death, will merit to obtain true repentance of all their sins.”
2. “That He will protect such in their tribulations, especially at the hour of death.”
3. “That He will impress upon them the memory of His passion, and that they shall have their reward for it in heaven.”
4. “That He will commit such devout servants to the hands of Mary, that she may dispose of them according to her pleasure, and obtain for them all the graces she desires.”

Our Lady’s Seven Promises to those who meditate daily on her Seven Sorrows:
1. “I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”
4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of My divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”
5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death — they will see the face of their Mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from My Divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to My tears and sorrows will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and My Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”

Source: The Promises of those who meditate upon Our Lady of Sorrows every day

The Seven Sorrows Rosary, or the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, dates back to the Middle Ages. However, Our Lady of Kibeho reintroduced this devotion to visionary Marie-Claire Mukangango in Kibeho, Rwanda, in the 1980s.

Our Lady’s messages to Marie-Claire focused on an “urgent call to repentance”:

“Repent, repent, repent! Convert while there is still time.”

Many graces result from praying this devotion; however, it should not replace the traditional rosary. Our Lady requests the faithful to pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Below are Our Lady of Sorrows’ promises to those who pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary, according to Marie Claire’s visions:

1) With the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, the hardest hearts shall change, if you pray it for yourself or for others.
2) By the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, you shall be freed from obsessions and addiction.
3) This rosary, when said from the heart, it will win us true repentance of our sins and free our souls from guilt and remorse.
4) Those who say it often, especially as recommended by Our Lady to Marie Claire, on Tuesdays and Fridays, shall obtain a clear understanding of their weaknesses and flaws causing them to sin, and those things we don’t like about ourselves and thought were a part of our character, shall change.
5) You shall obtain whatever you ask for through this rosary, praying this rosary from the heart.

Source: The Promises of Mary to those who pray the Seven Sorroews Chaplet

ALSO: Seven Sorrows Rosary Prayer

Daily meditations on the Seven Sorrows could be done by reciting the Seven Sorrows Chaplet every day, or by using books. The two best available (among others) are “The Glories of Mary” by St. Alphonsus Liguori and “Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother” by The Benedictine Convent of Clyde. Both of these are available thru Tan Books:

Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother
The Glories of Mary

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My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Do not conform yourselves to this age…

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Paul

The Second Reading for the Mass for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Courtesy of USCCB):

Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture, and it is the first one I deliberately memorized because it is, to me, the core of the Sober Catholic Way to recovery.

It is especially pertinent today, given the pressures of the political climate and the growing insanity on the political Right and Left, and the rampant decline in social cohesion, morals, and public ethics.

It is all the more important now to resist conformity to this age and to renew your mind so that you may better follow God’s will; the only sure path to stay sane in the insanity.

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Literal Rock

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Paul

From the Gospel for the Mass of Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Courtesy: USCCB):

And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter’s original name was Simon. Jesus changed it to Peter, derived from the word for rock.

Protestants who dispute the Catholic Church’s claim the Peter was the first Pope, or that Peter, himself, was the authority on which Jesus builtthe Church, often claim that it was Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus built the Church, not Peter, himself.

This completely ignores that fact the Jesus literally renamed Simon: “Peter,” his new identity is that of “the Rock,” followed by the literal declaration that it is upon this rock I will build my church. Not, the “Rock’s faith,” but, literally, “the Rock,” itself, Peter.

And we know that Leo XIV, the current person taking the role of Peter’s authority, is, in fact, Peter’s successor. Now? Recall in the Acts of the Apostles Peter gathered them all togethe to decide who will take the place of Judas. It seemed that the authority and position that Judas had, needed to be transferred onto someone else, because Judas was dead. His body was no more, and his soul had likely gone to Hell. (Strongly implied, although no explicit declaration has been made.) So, if the Traitor Judas needed to be succeeded by the Apostles electing Matthias, then most certainly did Peter.

If authority rested on mere conviction or declarations of faith, then anyone can assume the authority; which we see is presumed upon in non-Catholic Christianity; heretics are claiming aithority they don’t have and establish new denominations all the time. They don’t have anyone exerting any means to stop them.

But if authority rests in a person, it’s a whole other matter. It’s one thing to say that authority rests on some immaterial conviction which anyone can claim; but in a person, it’s different. If it rests in a person, then someone has to bestow or confer the authority on him. Where does the authority come from? The answer tell you. An immaterial conviction of faith can lead to “I can establish a Church based on my interpretation of Scripture.” But if the authory to lead a Church rests not in such a thing, but in the physical person (combined with their faith) then the authority has to be conferred. Authority of this kind is not naturally a part of the human nature, or else everyone can be Pope. (Authority of any kind is not naturally a part of the human nature, but some can be assumed by the person, others have to be conferred.)

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Our Lady of All Help

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Paul

Imagine being deaf all of your life and the first sound you hear is the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That is what happened to Jeanne Courtel, a 12 year old sheperdess who had been deaf and unable to speak her entire life until August 15, 1652, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in Querrien, Brittany, France.

Mary appeared to Jeanne , who was tending to her familiy’s flock of sheep. Mary appeared to her in a manner strikingly similar to how she would appear two centuries later to St. Bernadette Soubirou, in Lourdes, France. Jeeanne reported feeling the wind, and then seeing a beautiful young lady of about 12-15 years of age dressed in white. The first thing that happened was that Jeanne was cured of her deafness and inability to speak; for she heard the Lady speak:

“I choose this place to be honored. Build for me a chapel in the middle of this village and many people will come.”

The Lady continued, “Charming shepherdess, give me one of your lambs.”

Jeanne replied, “These are not my sheep. They are my father’s. If he wants to give one to you, I am happy to agree.”

The Lady pressed on: “Return to your parents and tell them that I require a lamb.”

Jeanne asked Our Lady, “But who will keep my herd?”

Mary replied, “Myself. I will keep your sheep!”

Jeanne returned to her parents who were astonished when the little girl told them, “A Lady came to see me, and she asked me for one of your lambs.”

The father, overjoyed at his daughter’s miraculous recovery, replied, “Ah, my daughter. Because this Lady has made you speak, we will give her all the flock.”

Her father asked Jeanne if the Lady told her who she was.

“She said that she was the Virgin Mary, and we need to build a chapel in the village so many pilgrims will go there to honor her.”

The father agreeably replied, “If this is true, we will ask the bishop to allow us to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary.”

The next day, Jeanne sees the Virgin again, who tells her: “I am the Virgin Mary. I chose this place to be honored. I want you to be built a chapel in this village. I want you to see the rector and ask him to work towards building a sanctuary for me here in Querrien.”

Mary also said, “To prove that the message that comes from heaven’s command, I tell you that you will discover a few steps from the fountain of Saint-Gal an image that was honored in ancient times.”

In the year 610 A.D., St. Gall had visited the region to erect a hermitage. He had personally sculpted a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, which was eventually lost when the chapel was destroyed. However, on August 20, 1652, it was found to be exactly where Our Lady said it would be: buried beneath a pond and in a miraculously preserved in excellent condition.

On September 11, 1652, Msgr. Denis de La Barde, the bishop of Saint-Brieuc, visited the area and was told all about the events. After investigating the happenings, he formally recognized the validity of the apparition on September 20th. He also blessed the first stone to be used in constructing the chapel. Construction soon began and it was completed in 1656. It was enlarged in 1759 to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims visiting the chapel.

Jeanne Courtel was entombed within the shrine after she died in 1703 at the age of 63. All in all, Mary appeared to her 15 times during the period of August-September 1652.

The title of Mary in this apparition in French is “Notre-Dame de Toute-Aide,” which in English is “Our Lady of All Help” or “Our Lady Who Helps in All Things.” It is also often known as “Our Lady of Eternal Aid,” which is nice, but inaccurate, as it gives theologians who prize accuracy and precision in such matters the heebie-jeebies.

Mary was known by this title from the Querriens apparition because it denotes her motherly care for people. Consider: Mary cured a young girl of her deafness and speech defect, without having been asked. Only a loving, tender Mother who loves her children so much would do this. That a statue was found, still in excellent condition despite being buried for nearly a millennia, also harkens to her ability to care for ‘all things.’

Sources: Divine Mysteries: Our Lady of Eternal Aid, Querrien, France, 1652

Miracle Hunter: Querrien, Bretania, France (1652)

Sensus Fidelium YouTube Channel: The Forgotten Marian Apparition That Foretold Mary’s Triumph: Our Lady of Eternal Aid

Sanctuary Our Lady Of All Help (In French, but translatable in many browsers.)

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Paul

For today, I am sharing with you the “The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood.” This version of the prayer is one of supplication for ourselves and numoerous other classes of people.

“The Prayer of the Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood”

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy Beloved Son and my Divine Redeemer, for the propagation and exaltation of my dear Mother the Holy Church, for the safety and prosperity of her visible Head, the Holy Roman Pontiff, for the cardinals, bishops, and pastors of souls, and for all the ministers of the sanctuary.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

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