A Treasure To Be Shared

Many are likely familiar with the martyrs Saint Thomas More and Saint Edmund Campion. Here is a brief account of one of the lesser known faithful Catholics who chose martyrdom over surrendering to the reign of terror of the Tudor state. Saint Polydore Plasden, S.J. (1563–1591) was born in London. He trained for the priesthood at Rheims and Rome. Ordained in 1586, he returned to England shortly afterward. The situation for Catholics in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I was grim. Catholicism was heavily suppressed. Catholic priests were prohibited by law from performing their ministry. Despite the dangers, Polydore remained committed to upholding the Catholic faith and providing spiritual guidance to those in need. He often celebrated Mass in secret and worked tirelessly to support the faithful during these challenging times. On November 2, 1591, Polydore was captured by the notorious priest hunter Richard Topcliffe, infamous for his ruthless methods of extracting confessions...

Cecil B. Hartley is the male alter ego of Florence Hartley, author of The Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness and The Ladies' Hand Book of Fancy and Ornamental Work. Hints For Gentlemanly Deportment from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness (G.G. Evans, Publisher, Philadelphia: 1874); being a complete guide for a gentleman's conduct in all his relations toward society. Containing rules for the etiquette to be observed in the street, at table, in the ball-room, evening party, and morning call; with full directions for polite correspondence, dress, conversation, manly exercises and accomplishments. From the best French, English and American authorities. By Cecil B. Hartley https://archive.org/details/gentlemenquotsb00Hart/page/n3/mode/2up Excerpt from Chapter XI: p.198.  One hundred hints for gentlemanly deportment 22. Perhaps the true definition of a gentleman is this: "Whoever is open, loyal, and true; whoever is of humane and ...

Drawing inspiration from other Catholic rites and liturgies can enhance reverence and beauty in the common diocesan Ordinary Form Mass. It has been said here and many other places that meaningful and lasting changes could include attention to authentic liturgical practices, music education to develop the ability to present sacred music as desired by the Church, and greater focus on the aesthetics of the liturgical environment, all of which serve to provide occasions whereby the worshipper better disposes himself to God Who draws the worshipper into a more fervent communion. Exempla sequenda Our Eastern Catholic brethren remind us that the Sacred Liturgy opens into the contemplation of the Divine. The Eastern Churches excel in preserving continuity with the Church Fathers and upholding orthodox doctrine for genuine spiritual formation. As Pope Leo XIV has said (OSV News): (T)he Eastern Churches are to be “cherished and esteemed for the unique spiritual and sapiential traditions that the...

Almighty and everliving God, Whom we strive to worship in spirit and in truth, guide, we beseech Thee, our preparations and commitment to Thy truth, goodness and beauty, whereby Thou dost beckon us into Thy saving Presence. Help us to adore Thee according to Thy designs, with sincerity of heart, that we may enter into the glory of Thy Kingdom. May our earthly labours be graced by Thee to enable us to reverently worship Thee in the beauty of holiness for the salvation of souls; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

At the COAT Facebook page (Catholic Ordinariates of Anglican Tradition), a post highlights the recent reaction from GAFCON (Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans), predominantly made up of African Anglicans, in the wake of the elevation of Sarah Mullally to the Anglican See of Canterbury. The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman, Gafcon Primates’ Council, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, wrote a response published on Thursday 16th October, 2025. 8 Theses nailed to the internet door of Canterbury. https://gafcon.org/communique-updates/the-future-has-arrived/ Edited for length. [...] Comments are italicized between parentheses. The first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) gathered in 2008 in Jerusalem to prayerfully respond to the abandonment of the Scriptures by some of the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, and to seek their repentance. In the absence of such repentance, we have been prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful An...

It's not just that truth is objective and that meaning is objective, it is that this Truth and Meaning knows me and loves me and calls me unto Himself. | Dr. Jennifer Martin citing Joseph Ratzinger and St John Henry Newman.  Ignatius Press Podcast  8SEP2025. What does a relationship with God mean to you? What does having a prayer life mean to you? How does a relationship with God impact your life? What is your part in that relationship? What is prayer? Do you habitually reduce God to a mere granter of wishes? How we pray says a lot about our understanding and image of God. Do you pray to a comfortable god, a 'safe' god, an angry god? Considerable the following. 1 John 4:7-12 | Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is lo...

“Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. Originally titled "'Hope' is the thing with feathers - (314)" Copyright Credit: Emily Dickinson, "'Hope' is the Thing with Feathers" from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson, ed., Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University press, Copyright © 1951, 1955, 1979, 1983 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. - - - Carrion Comfort by Gerard Manley Hopkins Not, I'll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee; Not untwist — slack they may be — these last strands of man In me ...

Guardian Angel Accompanying A Soul To Heaven | AW Almighty and eternal God, it is fitting to render unto Thee thanks for my guardian angel. At the end of my earthly sojourn, grant, I humbly beseech Thee, that my guardian may accompany me into Thy glorious Presence, there to rejoice with the entire company of heaven, and to offer praise unto Thee for all eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Guilds — from an article at   New Advent Guilds were voluntary associations for religious, social, and commercial purposes. These associations, which attained their highest development among the Teutonic nations, especially the English, during the Middle Ages, were of four kinds: religious guilds; frith guilds ; merchant guilds; and craft guilds. The word itself, less commonly, but more correctly, written  gild , was derived from the Anglo-Saxon  gildan  meaning "to pay", whence came the noun  gegilda , "the subscribing member of a guild". In its origin the word guild is found in the sense of "idol" and also of "sacrifice", which has led some writers to connect the origin of the guilds with the sacrificial assemblies and banquets of the heathen Germanic tribes. Brentano, the first to investigate the question thoroughly, associating these facts with the importance of family relationship among Teutonic nations, considers that the guild in its earli...

Heavenly Father, gracious and compassionate Lord, we humbly implore Thee to bestow upon those distraught the grace to endure, the strength to face each day with renewed awareness of Thy boundless love and the support of friends, the courage to overcome trials, and hearts filled with forgiveness. Grant serenity to those who feel abandoned, that they may be united with Thee in prayer and find the freedom of Thy abiding Presence to sustain them in hope and in Thy peace; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, Who knowest the hearts of all, I render unto Thee my heartfelt thanks for these present trials. Praised be Thy holy Name for granting me the privilege to share in the sufferings of Thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, for the salvation of souls. I pray not for respite from pains great and small, but rather to know Thee even as Thou desirest to be known, to love Thee even as Thou desirest to be loved, for I am Thy child and disciple, desiring to be known as Thy friend amidst the company of the angels and saints, willing to remain steadfast and forgetful of the cost of love, to serve Thee in this life in the fervent hope of residing in Thy Presence for all eternity; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reignest with Thee, Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. For reflection: Colossians 1:24

Revelation 4:11 |  Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created. Why do we worship God? In a day and age when people seem perfectly content, even rabidly so, to worship themselves (and things less themselves) in an attempt to maximize control over their own lives and those of others, the question hardly seems relevant when people are so fixated on fleeting matters. Let's look at a couple of authors who dig into the issue of worship to enrich our understanding so as to be proactive in our daily journey, so that we might be better prepared to meet the temptations that may distract us from the One Who rescues us from darkness and Who offers us His very life. Excerpt from  The Theo-Centric Character of Catholic Liturgy by Raymond Leo Card. Burke. The Thomistic Institute, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Dominican House of Studies, Thomistic Circle: “St....