Brother Richard

† St. Padre Pio says: "Love our Lady and make her loved. Always pray the Rosary and pray it as often as possible.”

"The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes." - St. Teresa of Avila

♰🇪🇸 Towering Virgin of the Forsaken Dressed in Flowers 🇪🇸♰ 🎥 Ofrenda de Flores a la Mare de Déu (Offering of Flowers to the Mother of God) Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸 During March 17-18, 2026 more than 100,000 falleros and falleras paraded from their neighborhoods to the Virgin Square, dressed in traditional costumes, carrying bouquets of carnations that formed an impressive floral mantle over the image of the Virgin of the Forsaken. The Virgin is 15 meters tall (49 feet) and covered with 50 thousand bouquets. The Floral mantle was designed by Xenia Magraner and stood out for a symbolic message of peace with a dove. Massive presence: More than 95,000 bouquets, and more than 75,000 people attended on the first day alone, with a large influx of children, families and visitors.  The event culminated with the Cremà and fireworks on March 18, officially closing the Fallas 2026.

“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” -Léon Bloy

#BookologyThursday “No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith. And that, I fear, for any reasoning, conscious being, would be the cruelest trick of all” -  R.A. Salvatore, Streams of Silver

Blessed feast of St. Joseph, Guardian and Protector of The Holy Family 🕊️

BREAKING Cardinal Pizzaballa says Abuse and Manipulation of God's Name to Justify War is the "Gravest Sin" - Palestinians Including Christians Suffer Daily Attacks catholicnewsworld.com/2026/03/cardin…

Israel has closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre indefinitely for the first time in the history of Christianity. Holy Week and Easter services will be prohibited. Sunday masses and liturgies cancelled. A church that should be packed with hundreds of thousands these coming weeks is being forcibly shut and silenced. Israel cites it is for ‘security concerns’ while Jewish Israelis are allowed to celebrate in mass gatherings. Alongside the forced closure of Al-Aqsa mosque, reports cite priests aggressively being turned away to perform daily services. Throughout history, wars, tensions, or even the pandemic limited access to the sanctuary, but they had never prevented liturgical celebrations in this central place of Christian faith indefinitely. Christians must not remain silent.

For St. Patrick's Day, here is Tolkien's long Irish poem, "Imram" (Irish for sailing or voyaging), originally published on December 3, 1955, in Time and Tide Magazine. It's an adventure through the waters of Faërie and back. 1/x

In the dramatic circumstances of war, information must guard against the risk of turning into propaganda. It is every journalist's duty to verify the news, so as not to become a megaphone for power. They must show the suffering that war always brings to populations, which entails showing the face of war and recounting it through the eyes of victims.

There can be no excess of hope with regard to God, Whose goodness is infinite.

"If human being knew what it is to live in Grace, no suffering would frighten them." --𝑺𝒕. 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒊𝒎𝒂

St. Longinus was the centurion who pierced the side of Jesus at the Crucifixion. He was losing his eyesight at the time & when Christ’s blood fell into his eyes his sight was restored.  bit.ly/3KMFq4r

"If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving Joseph as an example and model of love." Pope Benedict XVI

“I see Mary everywhere, I see difficulties nowhere" St. Maximilian Kolbe

Saint Pio, pray for us

Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us

Pope Leo XIV: “On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East, and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire!” Full text of the Pope’s appeal for an immediate ceasefire of hostilities in the Israeli-US Iranian war: “For two weeks now, the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering the horrific violence of war. Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and countless others have been forced to flee their homes. I renew my prayerful closeness to all who have lost loved ones in the attacks, which have struck schools, hospitals and residential areas. The situation in Lebanon is a cause for great concern. I hope that avenues for dialogue will emerge to support the country’s Authorities in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis currently unfolding, for the common good of all the Lebanese people. On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East, and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire! May paths of dialogue be reopened! Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace for which the peoples are waiting.”

When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke the silence, let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron: Cold comforts set between us, things to share Gleaming in a bucket of clean water... Seamus Heaney. #MothersDay

Virgin Most Sorrowful, Pray for us 🕊️