Love of Solitude

Remain in solitude; love the choir and the cell, and shun the parlour as the abode of pestilence. -  Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

The chancel of Notre Dame Cathedral-Basilica, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

New Blog

I just wanted to share a link to my new blog with everyone, please do check it out if you have a spare moment: http://catholicartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/

Solitude

Virtue is easily preserved in solitude; it is easily lost by intercourse with the world, where God is but little known. - Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

(photo of Our Lady's altar, Saint Peter's Basilica, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Prayer of Saint Germanus to the Blessed Virgin Mary

O my only and sovereign Lady, who art the sole consolation that I receive from God, thou who art the only celestial dew that gives me refreshment in my pains, thou who art the light of my soul when it is surrounded with darkness, thou who art my guide in journeyings, my strength in weakness, my treasure in poverty, the balm of my wounds, my consolation in sorrow, thou who art my refuge in miseries and the hope of my salvation; listen to my prayers, have pity on me as it becomes the Mother of a God who has such love for men.  O thou who art our defence and joy, grant me all that I ask; make me worthy to enjoy with thee that great happiness which thou enjoyest in heaven.  Yes, my Lady, my refuge, my life, my help, my defence, my strength, my joy, my hope, grant that I may one day be with thee in heaven.  I know that, being the Mother of God, thou canst, if thou wilt, obtain it for me.  O Mary, thou art omnipotent to save sinners, nor needest thou any other recommendation; for thou art the Mother of true life.  Amen.

(photo of Our Lady`s altar in Saint Patrick`s Basilica, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Prayer at the Confiteor

O Blessed Trinity!  One God!  Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!  Prostrate in spirit before Thee, I here confess, in the sight of the whole court of heaven and of all Thy faithful, my innumerable treasons against Thy Divine Majesty.  I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, I have grieviously offended Thee through the whole course of my life, in thought, word and deed, and therefore I am most unworthy to lift up my eyes to heaven, or so much as to pronounce Thy sacred Name; how much more am I unworthy to appear here in Thy sanctuary - and to assist among Thy angels at these heavenly mysteries which require so much purity - because Jesus Christ Himself is here in Person, both Priest and Victim!  But, O my God, Thy mercies are above all Thy works, and Thou wilt not despise a contrite and humble heart.  Therefore, I venture to come into Thy temple, and with the poor publican (and, as I hope, the same penitential spirit) I strike my breast, and say, O God, be merciful to me a sinner.  (repeat this thrice)  And I humbly hope to find this mercy which I crave, through that Passion and Death which is here celebrated.  O Fountain of mercy, grant this mercy to me, and to all poor sinners.  Amen

(photo of the sanctuary in Saint Patrick`s Basilica, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) 

New Creature

The "new creature" : nova creatura, who is the child of adoption in Christ Jesus, reproduces in God's sight the traits of His beloved Son.  God's great desire is that we should resemble His Son Jesus as perfectly as possible.  Therefore the whole method of the spiritual art consists in keeping the eyes of the soul unceasingly fixed upon Christ our Model, this humano-divine Ideal, in order to reproduce His features in us.  It is thus that we shall rehabilitate our nature and raise it to it's first splendour; and it is thus we may be assured of the delight and liberality of the Heavenly Father, because then He will recognize in us the many brethren of the First-born: Ut sit ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus. - Dom Columba Marmion, O.S.B.

(photos: Christ the King fresco in the apse of Saint Anthony's church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

Triple Prayer

Hail Jesus, we pray Thee! O Saviour so good,
Assist us, Thy servants, redeemed by Thy Blood,
That Faith and Hope, with love all divine,
May make our hearts more truly like Thine.

O Mary, our Mother, conceived without stain,
Benign Mediatrix in sorrow and pain,
Through thy pure Heart, we offer our praise,
O lead us on in His Heart's meek ways.

Saint Joseph, our Patron, and friend of Christ's Heart,
Of Whose mystic Body, kind Guardian thou art,
May we abide, in His Heart beloved
As branch and vine, through His Precious Blood.

Amen

(from the Jesus, Mary and Joseph Novena Manual)

 

Photo Sacred Heart of Jesus near Saint Joseph's altar in Saint Patrick's church, Kinkora, Ontario, Canada.

Silentium

The Moment we allow anything outside, any external interest or object to absorb our attention and distract our attention from that to which God desires us to attend, we infringe silence.  Silence is recollection as applied to the faculty of speech.  It means the restriction of all unnecesssary converse with men in order to allow our mind to converse more uninterruptedly with God.  It makes prayer easy, and is a safeguard which preserves devotion and spiritual sweetness from being dissipated. - Listening to the Indwelling Presence

(photo side altar in the Martyr's Shrine, Midland, Ontario, Canada)

The Holy Mass and the Devil

Each Mass is the same sacrifice as that which Jesus Christ offered to His heavenly Father on Mount Calvary for the overthrow of Satan's power over mankind.  Hence, each Mass shakes the foundations of the devil's empire in this world; it causes him to tremble and take flight, giving him unspeakably great pain. - Fr. Michael Muller, C.SS.R.

(photo of Holy Mass at an outdoor altar, Martyr's Shrine, Midland, Ontario, Canada)

Faith Like a Child

The child who falls as soon as he leaves his mother, and tries to walk alone, returns to her with more love than ever to be comforted for the hurt he has inflicted upon himself.  The lesson he learns from his fall is that he must never leave his mother.  The experience of his own weakness, and the tenderness with which his mother receives him, inspire him with more affection for that loving mother.  We also, return to friendship with our good Master, and throw ourselves into that Divine Heart, which a Saint so justly called "the Hospital for all who suffer."  Our very faults bring us back to Him Who is the Only one Who can help us to perfection.  If we fall, if we encounter some new difficulty or trouble, it is only to make us stand more faithfully on our guard, and call upon our Father in Heaven to help us. - Listening to the Indwelling Presence

(photo of a confessional, Sacred Heart church, Mildmay, Ontario, Canada)

Fire of Love

"Let our thoughts often go back from the midst of our toil to the lonely Chapel where our Beloved Lord dwells, forgotten by so many who have no time for Him.  And when our day's work is done and we go to take our rest, when night and darkness shroud our dwelling, let our last thoughts go to the silent Chapel where, through the long night, our beloved waits our first wakening thoughts, where the little red lamp alone, in the darkened temple, keeps watch for us, and reminds us by its flame of the hidden Fire of Love ever burning in the Most Sacred Heart of Our Divine Master; that Love so patient, so generous, so tender, so compassionate; that love which, like it's emblem, the lamp, knows no sleeping." - Listening to the Indwelling Presence

(photo of the high altar, Saint Patrick's church, Kinkora, Ontario, Canada)

Silence

"Silence is the mother of prayer and the nurse of holy thoughts.  Silence detaches, talking entangles us; silence makes us watchful over ourselves and guards us; talking, even needful talking, exposes us.  If we keep silence perfectly for a week, how many faults disappear from our weekly Confession-faults against patience, charity, obedience, discretion etc.?  The best quality of Holy Fear is fostered by silence, and love is certainly strengthened by it." - Listening to the Indwelling Presence

(photo of the high altar, Saint Patrick's Basilica, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Sanctifying Grace

"We might here ask what is the nature of Sanctifying Grace?  It is an infused virtue forming the vital principle of the soul, and forming in it something that is Divine, because it is the essence of God" - Listening to the Indwelling Presence

(photo, stained glass depiction of baptismal font, Saint James church, Seaforth, Ontario, Canada)

"The soul beautified by Sanctifying Grace is the living Image of God" - Saint Thomas Aquinas

(photo - Sacred Heart statue, Saint James church, Seaforth, Ontario, Canada)

A Greeting

Hello, I just wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you to my new Blog, Images of Catholicism.  I hope with this Blog to be able to share some of my photos and thoughts online with those interested in Catholicism and living the Interior Life.  I live in Canada, and currently I don't travel to other countries, so most of the photos I share will be of Canadian churches and related images.

 I will start by posting a few photos from the church where I attend the Traditional Latin Mass every Sunday, Saint Patrick's church in Kinkora, Ontario, Canada.  This wonderful church was built in the 1880's the architect being Joseph Connoly from Toronto.  We are very fortunate to have the original high altar and side altars still intact in this church.  Enjoy.