In danger, anguish, or doubt, think of Mary and call upon her! Following her, you will never lose your way. Praying to her, you will never sink into despair. Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153AD

Human beings will never comprehend sufficiently the anguish and immensity of Mary's sorrows. Very few Christians partake of those sufferings and even fewer offer any consolation to her.
St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373AD)

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Sunday after the Ascension 1 June 2014

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friend,

It is just as necessary that we feed our souls with the Word of God, as we do with the Body of Christ. The Holy Ghost has been given to our pastors so that they may feed our souls with the Word of God. They have been given the admonition to preach in season and out of season. They will be judged for their diligence or lack thereof in leading our souls to the pastures of God's grace to feed our souls.

St. Caesarius of Arles, tells us that our priests are like cows that feed upon the lush grass of the Sacred Scriptures, and having eaten, they now produce milk to feed our souls. Cows eagerly seek out their calves so that they may nourish them, and see them grow big and strong. In this vein, St. Paul speaks of having given us milk, because this is what we need, rather than meat, The calves, also, must be eager for the milk of the cows. We often see calves that are so eager that they often almost lift the cow off of the ground to obtain the nourishing milk that she produces. 

Our priests are, therefore, under obligation to feed themselves upon the Word of God, and to take this and, in a manner, convert It to milk so that we may easily digest it. They are to be burning with desire to give us this milk so that we may grow strong in the faith. In a similar manner, we must be eager for this spiritual milk. We must come with such eagerness that we seem to knock the priest over. We must be ever eager to be further nourished by this heavenly food. 

Sadly, we find that there are few priests eager, (perhaps they are no longer even able) to bring the Word of God to us in the pleasant and tasteful manner of milk. Just as shocking, is the fact that there are few if any who are eager to nourish their souls with this milk. If the people would demand it like a hungry calf demands milk from its mother, then the priest would soon begin to produce it; and the more it is demanded the more he would produce. Of course, the priests do not produce this of themselves, but it is the Holy Ghost that produces it through them. 

All too often, people come to hear the priest just as they come to listen to a radio program, or a concert. They want to be entertained. As soon as the Word of God is read, or is preached to them, they sit back and relax, awaiting some amusement. With this attitude, it is no wonder that they find It boring, and have little or no interest. Consequently they find no spiritual nourishment in the Word of God.

These poor souls suffer from a disease of the soul, similar to a disease of the body that destroys a person's appetite. They refuse to take nourishment and gradually wither up and die. We might have to be forced for a time to take nourishment, but once we have tasted how good and sweet It is, we soon will seek it out more and more. 

As little children, let us remind ourselves of how we are to receive this Food for our souls. When we hear the Gospels read to us, the proper bodily position is to be standing — ready to hear and to put into action. Those who are truly unable to stand, may sit, but must be eager to attune their ears so that they may not miss anything. All too often, when the young and healthy see the exceptions made for others, they begin to think that the exception is for all. They begin to assume a less than perfect bodily posture, and soon their ears are no longer attentive either; and their minds are off in another direction. They leave not only, unnourished, but even develop distaste for this most necessary food for their souls. Faith gradually dies out, and charity grows cold, and they spiritually die from malnutrition. 

We must likewise remember that it is not the priest that is speaking to us, but rather God Himself. He speaks to us through the priest. The priest may be the worst of speakers, but if we are eager to hear and feed upon the spiritual food for our souls, the Holy Ghost will put the words we need to hear in his mouth. If we are truly desirous for this most necessary Food, God will give it to us. It may come to us in the humblest and perhaps the most unworthy of instruments, but it is nonetheless the same nourishing Heavenly food for our souls. Rather, than blame the priest, let us look to ourselves; God gives us the guides and rulers that we deserve. If our priests are not what they should be, perhaps it is because we are not worthy enough to have better priests. If we accept with grateful hearts the little we are given and are ever eager for more, God will give us that which we desire. 

Let us pray for our priests, that they may be made perfect instruments of God's grace so that we may obtain the nourishment we need for our souls. Perhaps, even more importantly, we must pray and act in a manner that we may receive and benefit from the nourishment that God has given us; and that He may continue to feed us and help us grow stronger in Faith and Charity from day to day.

June 1 – Kidnapped for Christ

Bl. John Story

(Or Storey.)

Pembroke College, Oxford

Martyr; born 1504; died at Tyburn, 1 June, 1571. He was educated at Oxford, and was president of Broadgates Hall, now Pembroke College, from 1537 to 1539. He entered Parliament as member for Hindon, Wilts, in 1547, and was imprisoned for opposing the Bill of Uniformity, 24 Jan.-2 March, 1548-9. On his release he retired with his family to Louvain, but after the accession of Queen Mary he returned to England (Aug., 1553), and became chancellor to Bishop Bonner.

From 1553 to 1560 he sat for one or other parliamentary division of Wiltshire, and in the latter year he incurred the displeasure of Elizabeth for his outspoken opposition to the Bill of Supremacy. He was committed to the Fleet, 20 May, 1560, but escaped, was re-arrested and imprisoned in the Marshalsea (1563). He once more made good his escape to Antwerp, where he renounced his English allegiance and became a Spanish subject. Under the Duke of Alba he held a position in the customs of Flanders until August, 1570, when he was kidnapped at Bergen-op-Zoon by Cecil’s agents. He was brought to London and imprisoned in the Tower, where he was frequently racked, and on 26 May, 1571, he was indicted in Westminster Hall for having conspired against the queen’s life and for having while at Antwerp assisted the Northern rebels. The saintly martyr bore his tortures with fortitude, asserted over and over his innocence of the charges, but refused to make any further plea, on the ground that he was a Spanish subject, and that consequently his judges had no jurisdiction. The spectacle of this trial moved Edmund Campion, who was present in the Hall, to reconsider his own position and opened his eyes to his duty as a Catholic. Blessed John Story was condemned 27 May, and spent his last night in the Tower, preparing for a death which his persecutors made as barbarously cruel as it was possible.
Camm, Lives of the English Martyrs, II (London, 1904-5), 14; Pollard in Dict. Nat. Biog., s. v.
JOHN B. WAINESWRIGHT (Catholic Encyclopedia)

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Dedication of the Patriarchal Basilica of Assisi 25 May 2014

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friend,

When St. Francis died, his body was solemnly taken to Assisi, and placed in the church of St. George. Before he left this world, he requested that his body be buried on the "Hill of Hell" a place where criminals were executed. Gregory IX had a magnificent church built on the "Hill of Hell" which he called the "Hill of Paradise." The construction was completed after two years and with a great concourse of pilgrims, the body was transferred with great pomp to the new church on May 25, 1230. On May 25, 1253, Innocent IV solemnly consecrated the building. Benedict XIV raised it to the rank of a Patriarchal Basilica. 

The house of God is the most awesome place for men here on earth. Our Holy Mother Church has gone to great lengths to adorn and embellish her churches so that we might be impressed by the majesty of being in such intimate proximity to God. The house of God brings us into the true presence of God; because Jesus Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist. As true God and true man He is hidden under the appearances of simple bread and wine. 

The design, embellishments, and decorations of the church are deliberately made so that our hearts and minds will be lifted up to God. The rising columns, the vaulted ceilings, the paintings, statues, all colors and textures; are the best of man's ability to give honor and glory to God. The best artisans and builders are obtained and inspired to give their all to the project. Cost often was no object, as Catholics are always eager to make sacrifices for the glory of God. The church is truly Heaven on earth. In the church, we kneel, in the presence of the magnificent and all powerful God. It is our portal into eternal glory. In the church we obtain a taste of what heaven must be like. 

Many would imagine that St. Francis would be at odds with all this material wealth and beauty. It is true that St. Francis loved poverty and simplicity, but it is also true that he would exhaust himself as well as all his resources for the House of God. He would often sweep and clean out the churches as well as repair them with his own hands. 

The Modernists, who have taken over the churches, have removed the divine presence from the buildings. They have removed the tabernacles, they have invalidated the Eucharist, and they preach the Rights of Man as opposed to the Rights of God. Often, the physical buildings maintain some of their material beauty, and they are awesome testimonies of the ingenuity and brilliance of man's abilities. However, without the true presence of the Holy Eucharist, they are nothing more than museums or monuments to men. Even the religious themes of the artwork lose their meaning when they are separated from their intended proximity to the Real Presence. What Jesus had condemned in the Temple has now taken place in the churches. "My house is a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves." Many continue to attend the buildings even after God was driven out. This was a deliberate design. The people mistook the buildings for the Church and the true Faith, and now the churches are churches of men rather than houses of God. 

The true temple, however is not made by the hands of men. God's desire was not to be hidden away in a building no matter how beautiful it may be. The desire of God is to live in our hearts and souls. Our bodies are the temples that God wishes to live in. When Jesus said that men would destroy the Temple and He would rebuild it in three days, He was speaking of His body not of a temple built by the hands of men. Likewise, we must realize that our bodies are temples more beautiful and precious than the greatest of cathedrals. 

The committing of sin and driving God and grace out of our bodies and souls is a much greater sacrilege than the desecration and driving Him out of material buildings. The best adornments for the Temples of our bodies are the virtues especially treasured by St. Francis: humility, modesty, poverty, chastity, obedience, faith, hope, and most of all charity. We often consider the modern churches and observe that they are empty and naked, but sadly this is what is happening to so many people's bodies. They are empty of any virtue, and often lacking in sufficient or decent clothing. The numerous piercings and tattoos make one think of graffiti desecrating the walls of our once sacred churches. In fact, because our bodies are more sacred than material buildings, the desecration is all the more evil. Our bodies are often not only desecrated themselves but they are used to tempt and destroy the life of grace in the bodies and souls of those around us. 

We may not be able to do anything about the takeover of our churches by the Modernists, but we still have control over the more sacred temples of our bodies. Let us strive to make them beautiful and worthy places for God to dwell, until we are eternally united with Him in Heaven.

Blessed John Forest

Born in 1471, presumably at Oxford, where his surname was then not unknown; suffered 22 May, 1538. At the age of twenty he received the habit of St. Francis at Greenwich, in the church of the Friars Minor of the Regular Observance, called for brevity’s sake “Observants”. Nine years later we find him at Oxford, studying theology. He is commonly styled “Doctor” though, beyond the steps which he took to qualify as bachelor of divinity, no positive proof of his further progress has been found. Afterwards he became one of Queen Catherine’s chaplains, and was appointed her confessor.

In 1525 he appears to have been provincial, which seems certain from the fact that he threatened with excommunication the brethren who opposed Cardinal Wolsey’s legatine powers. Already in 1531 the Observants had incurred the king’s displeasure by their determined opposition to the divorce; and no wonder that Father Forest was soon singled out as an object of wrath. In November, 1532, we find the holy man discoursing at Paul’s Cross on the decay of the realm and the pulling down of churches. At the beginning of February, 1533 an attempt at reconciliation was made between him and Henry: but a couple of months later he left the neighborhood of London, where he was no longer safe. He was probably already in Newgate prison 1534, when Father Peto delivered his famous sermon before the king at Greenwich. In his confinement Father Forest corresponded with the queen and Blessed Thomas Abel and wrote a book or treatise against Henry, which began with the text: “Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God as Aaron was.”

Newgate Prison door, London

On 8 April, 1538, the holy friar was taken to Lambeth, where, before Cranmer, he was required to make an act of abjuration. This, however, he firmly refused to do; and it was then decided that the sentence of death should be carried out. On 22 May following he was taken to Smithfield to be burned. The statue of “Darvell Gatheren” which had been brought from the church of Llanderfel in Wales, was thrown on the pile of firewood; and thus, according to popular belief, was fulfilled an old prophecy, that this holy image would set a forest on fire. The holy man’s martyrdom lasted two hours, at the end of which the executioners threw him, together with the gibbet on which he hung, into the fire.

Bl John Forest

Father Forest, together with fifty-three other English martyrs, was declared Blessed by Pope Leo XIII, on 9 December, 1886, and his feast is kept by the Friars Minor on 22 May. Some years ago rumor was current that the relics of the martyr had been taken to Spain, and were preserved at a residence of the Friars Minor somewhere in the north of that country. In 1904 the writer of this article made inquiries, to which the Provincial of Cantabria replied that the fathers there were not aware of the existence of the holy relics in any part of Spain, and that they thought the rumour was unfounded. It seems therefore most probable that the mortal remains of Father Forest still lie hidden at Smithfield, near the corner of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, opposite the gate of the ancient priory.

(Catholic Encylopedia)

May 13 – “Can anyone receive Jesus into his heart and not die?”

Blessed Imelda Lambertini (1322 – May 13, 1333) is the patroness of First Holy Communicants.

Imelda was born in 1322 in Bologna, the only child of Count Egano Lambertini and Castora Galuzzi. Her parents were devout Catholics and were known for their charity and generosity to the underprivileged of Bologna. As a very young girl, Imelda had a burning desire to receive Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. On her fifth birthday, she requested this privilege.

However, Church custom at the time was that a person did not receive his or her First Holy Communion until age 12. Imelda was sorely disappointed but knew the time would come soon enough. She would sometimes exclaim: “Tell me, can anyone receive Jesus into his heart and not die?”

As time went by, her desire for the Blessed Sacrament grew, and she loved Christ more than ever. To show this love, she joined a cloistered Dominican community at age nine in Valdipietra, near Bologna . (It was unusual at the time for a girl her age to enter the convent). There it would be easier to wait for her First Communion, in deep prayer and conversation with God.

The Incorrupt body of Bl. Imelda in the Church of San Sigismondo in Bologna, Italy.

On May 13, the day of the vigil of the Ascension, in 1333, she finally got her wish. As she knelt in prayer the “Light of the Host” was witnessed above her head by the Sacristan, who then fetched the Priest so he could see. After seeing this miracle, the Priest felt he had to give Blessed Imelda her Holy Communion. Immediately after receiving the Holy Eucharist, Imelda fell to the floor and died in complete ecstasy. Her remains are in Bologna, Italy, at the Church of San Sigismondo, beneath the wax effigy of her likeness. There still remains some controversy as to whether Blessed Imelda can be classified as incorrupt. Many argue that contrary to popular belief, she is not truly incorrupt. Many other sources, including the Church of San Sigismondo, steadfastly claim that she is incorrupt.
She was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1826.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Feast of Sts Philip and James, Apostles 11 May 2014

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friend,

Today, we find the Mass for the third Sunday after Easter has been set aside in favor of the Mass for the feast of Saints Philip and James. This simple fact should remind us of how important our Holy Mother the Church considers today's feast. There are occasions when one feast will outrank another and the outranked feast will be commemorated (like today) and there are other occasions, when the outranked feast is completely suppressed or transferred to another date. The Catholic calendar is not a haphazard collection of anniversaries of people and events; it is a serious and deliberate work for our instruction, growth, and sanctification. We would do well to consult the calendar every day. In this manner we can unite (at least in spirit) with the sentiments and celebrations of the Church. We can fast and do penance with the Church, and we can rejoice and celebrate with Her as well — each in its own proper season and place. Today we celebrate the solemn translation of the bodies of these saints to their current resting place in the church of these Apostles in Rome. 

St. Philip came from Bethsaida in Galilee. It was to St. Philip that Jesus addressed Himself before He multiplied bread and fish for the multitude. In today's gospel (John 14, 1-13) we see that Saint Philip enjoyed a certain familiarity with Jesus as he asked: "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." He frequently acted as an intermediary for the Gentiles who wished to speak to Jesus. According to ancient traditions, after Pentecost he preached in Phrygia and died on a cross a Hierapolis. 

St. James is surnamed the Less to distinguish him from James the brother of John. He was a native of Cana in Galilee and was a cousin of Jesus. He became the first bishop of Jerusalem. The High Priest called on him to deny Jesus; on his refusal, he was thrown down from the terrace of the Temple, and his head broken with a club. The names of Saints Philip and James are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. 

"In My Father's house there are many mansions." Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. The desire of God from all of eternity is to have heaven filled with the sons of men. He has called each and every one of us. It is His will that we all join Him in Heaven. But, He will not force us into Heaven nor will He force us to love Him. We are told that there is a place in Heaven for us. It is ours, if only we enter in there. Before Jesus came and sacrificed Himself Heaven was closed to us. Now since Jesus' death on the Cross and His daily unbloody sacrifice of the Mass Heaven is open to us. The only thing that prevents us from entering in there is sin or our own perverted wills. 

We all cannot be virgins like so many of the saints on our calendars; nor can we all be martyrs; apostles; doctors; or confessors. We all can, however, be penitents. We are all sinners and in need of penance. However, no matter what we are here and now, there is a place for us in Heaven. We are all called upon to be saints. There each of us will be rewarded according to the degree of our charity. Those with the greater love of God will obviously be nearer to Him than the others. 

Sadly, there are also many levels in Hell. The devils have imitated (mocked) God by preparing a place for us there too. In this place of eternal suffering, there are degrees also relating to the distance one has placed between himself and God. 

There is, therefore, a war going on for our souls. God wants us and seeks to draw us near Him with love; the devils want us and seek to draw us near to them with hatred of God. The choice is our own. No doubt that God has done and will continue to do all He can to help us to choose Him and love rightly and thus end well; but the demons are likewise doing all that they can to undermine the grace of God in us so that we will turn away further and further from God. 

Seeing this, like St. Philip did, we are inclined to say to Jesus also, "Show us the Father." We want to see, and touch and thus know — rather than believe. This however, is not really for our benefit. Jesus tells us that we see the Father in Him, and Him in the Father. We see the Divinity hidden in the humanity of Jesus. We see God hidden in the Sacred Species of the Altar. With the eyes of faith we can see God; and so it is with the eyes of faith that we advance in the degrees of charity. When the faith is turned away from or denied, then we see less and less clearly the Divinity; and charity grows colder and colder in us until we are so far removed from true faith and charity that we give up all hope and cast ourselves into Hell with the devils that have gone before us.

If we cooperate with the grace of God, we will gradually see more and more clearly the Father in the Son. We will see the Divinity in humanity. We will see God in the Holy Eucharist. The understanding of these things began with Faith, and will increase with Faith. This Faith will give us Hope and Charity. Of course, it is Charity that instills in us the first desire to see the Father. These three virtues work continually; each increasing in us the others. The beginning comes from God, and it is God who works in us the accomplishment of these virtues; but it is our cooperation that allows Divine Providence to move forward with the salvation of our souls. 

Let us listen to the words of Our Lord as He speaks to us with the same words He spoke to Saint Philip. "He that seeth Me seeth the Father." When we adore the Holy Eucharist we adore Jesus; we adore God! Unless, through Faith, Hope, and, Charity, we recognize this, we will never enter the place in Heaven God has prepared for us.

May 8 – When St. Michael Appeared

The Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano, sometimes called simply Monte Gargano.

Well known is the apparition of St. Michael the Archangel (a. 494 or 530-40), as related in the Roman Breviary, 8 May, at his renowned sanctuary on Monte Gargano, where his original glory as patron in war was restored to him.
To his intercession the Lombards of Sipontum (Manfredonia) attributed their victory over the Greek Neapolitans, 8 May, 663.

Statue of St. Michael overlooking the main entrance at the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, Monte Sant’Angelo, Apulia, Italy.

In commemoration of this victory the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast in honor of the Archangel, on 8 May, which has spread over the entire Latin Church and is now called (since the time of Pius V) “Apparitio S. Michaelis”, although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory.
(cfr. Catholic Encyclopedia)

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Second Sunday after Easter 4 May 2014

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friend,

Jesus Christ is the true Shepherd. He is also the Door. All those who enter by any other way than the door are wolves or thieves. The bishops and priests often are one or the other. They are true shepherds when they care for the people as Christ did and are ever vigilant for their spiritual welfare. They are wolves or thieves when they use their position only to receive for themselves worldly advantages.

There is another position that Our Lord speaks of. That is the hireling. Perhaps the majority of the bishops and priest have fallen into this category. The saints inform us that the hirelings do well as long as they are not under attack. The scriptures even admonish us to heed their advice, but be careful not to imitate their actions. They speak truths but their actions are false. "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves on the chair of Moses; whatsoever they say, do ye; but according to their works, do ye not." (Mt. xxvii, 51; II Cor. Iii 16, 15; Mt xxiii 2, 3) When the hireling sees the flock under attack he flees from his post. He is unconcerned about the welfare of the flock; his only concern is his comfort and to save his own mortal flesh. He cares little for his own soul and even less for the souls of the people.

In considering the world wide apostasy, we keep wondering: how could this have happened? Today's gospel offers us an insight into what may have happened.

First, the wolves and the thieves found their way in; not through the door, but some other way. The Satanists and their lackeys, the Freemasons, entered into the Church. Their entrance was not a natural one and was therefore illegal and not valid. Having professed allegiance to the devils and to the destruction of the Church and all that is of God, they could not have the necessary intention of doing what they Church does. No doubt they feigned having the true faith in order to gain entrance into the highest positions. These elements of a fifth column began the systematic dismantling of the Church from within. What they could not accomplish from centuries of external attacks, became relatively easy once they were within. In a short time, the doctrines were watered down and eliminated. The Mass was attacked so that it would be acceptable to the Protestants (and therefore no longer a true Mass at all). Under the guise of holding a "pastoral council" (Vatican II), the doctrines were undermined with all the traditions of the Church.

Secondly, it appears that the majority of the other bishops were nothing more than hirelings. Some perhaps, knew so little of the faith that they never suspected anything. The majority, it seems, saw very clearly what was happening, and remained silent or went along with it, because they were hirelings and did not want to lose their position or their income. Many priests were heard to say that they were just keeping their mouths shut, because they did not want to lose their retirement benefits.

So, the wolves and thieves came in. They, devoured, destroyed, and devastated the faith of the people. The hirelings sat back and said nothing or even went along with it, because the usurpers and intruders held the promise of their hire over their heads.

The true shepherds were ignored and pushed aside. Their cries of foul fell upon mostly deaf ears as everyone seemed to be intoxicated with the new spirit that had entered the Church. The worldly celebration was intoxicating and drew the majority with it. The ignorant never realized that the new spirit of the Church, was not the Holy Ghost. The devils had usurped that position, and their wolves and thieves (who entered not by the Door) were greatly singing up the praises of this demonic spirit. It was in this way that the false church of "Vatican II" usurped and took over all the material property of the true Church. Now they present themselves as the successors of the Apostles, and have the acceptance and approval of the world.

The true shepherds not only cried foul and tried to point out to the world what had taken place, but set out to preserve the Church, by consecrating true bishops. They stated simply and clearly that these men who were Freemasons and Satanists, were not true Catholic priests, bishops, or popes. The Apostolic See of St. Peter was vacated when these men entered in. Likewise, the "bishops" who were Freemasons and Satanists had rendered their once Catholic sees vacant. The "bishops" who were hirelings and sold out to the wolves and thieves, were now no longer working for God or the Church but were hired out to the devils; hence, their sees were likewise vacated. Unity in any form with this new church is not possible. There is no unity of the Holy Ghost with the demonic spirits. There is no unity with truth and falsehood. Evil often puts on the appearance of Good, but this by no means renders it true or good, nor does it oblige us to accept it as having authority.

Bishop Ngo, courageously stood up, and declared that the See of Peter was vacant. Those in union with the false pope had likewise vacated their sees. Bishop Ngo, as a true shepherd, consecrated true successors to the apostles so that the Church would continue. Today, we have only a few legitimate successors to this faithful guardian of the flock of Christ. Let us thank God for the continuation of His Church in these men: Bishop Giles OFM, Bishop Bonaventure OFM, and Bishop Madrigal. Pray that they may ever remain good shepherds, to teach, guide, and rule us so that we may not be led away by the many and various Judas goats.

May 3 – Finding of the Holy Cross

The Vision of Saint Helena by Paolo Veronese

In the year 326 the mother of Constantine, Helena, then about 80 years old, having journeyed to Jerusalem, undertook to rid the Holy Sepulchre of the mound of earth heaped upon and around it, and to destroy the pagan buildings that profaned its site. Some revelations which she had received gave her confidence that she would discover the Saviour’s Tomb and His Cross. The work was carried on diligently, with the co-operation of St. Macarius, bishop of the city. The Jews had hidden the Cross in a ditch or well, and covered it over with stones, so that the faithful might not come and venerate it. Only a chosen few among the Jews knew the exact spot where it had been hidden, and one of them, named Judas, touched by Divine inspiration, pointed it out to the excavators, for which act he was highly praised by St. Helena. Judas afterwards became a Christian saint, and is honoured under the name of Cyriacus.

Finding the True Cross Painted by Agnolo Gaddi

During the excavation three crosses were found, but because the titulus was detached from the Cross of Christ, there was no means of identifying it. Following an inspiration from on high, Macarius caused the three crosses to be carried, one after the other, to the bedside of a worthy woman who was at the point of death. The touch of the other two was of no avail; but on touching that upon which Christ had died the woman got suddenly well again. From a letter of St. Paulinus to Severus inserted in the Breviary of Paris it would appear that St. Helena. herself had sought by means of a miracle to discover which was the True Cross and that she caused a man already dead and buried to be carried to the spot, whereupon, by contact with the third cross, he came to life. From yet another tradition, related by St.Ambrose, it would seem that the titulus, or inscription, had remained fastened to the Cross.

After the happy discovery, St. Helena and Constantine erected a magnificent basilica over the Holy Sepulchre, and that is the reason why the church bore the name of St. Constantinus. The precise spot of the finding was covered by the atrium of the basilica, and there the Cross was set up in an oratory, as appears in the restoration executed by de Vogüé. When this noble basilica had been destroyed by the infidels, Arculfus, in the seventh century, enumerated four buildings upon the Holy Places around Golgotha, and one of them was the “Church of the Invention” or “of the Finding”. This church was attributed by him and by topographers of later times to Constantine. The Frankish monks of Mount Olivet, writing to Leo III, style it St. Constantinus. Perhaps the oratory built by Constantine suffered less at the hands of the Persians than the other buildings, and so could still retain the name and style of Martyrium Constantinianum. (See De Rossi, Bull. d’ arch. crist., 1865, 88.)

(cfr. Catholic Encyclopedia: Cross and Crucifix)