Test Blog – Legio Sanctae Familiae

23 Jan 2023

The Common Good

by Fr Ambrose Astor | posted in: Catholic Church, Moral Theology, Resistance movement |

In his third article on “Charity and Vaccines,” Father Ambrose debunked the claim that getting vaccinated was “the loving thing to do”. In this fourth instalment he shows how the concept of the Common Good, which is part of Catholic social doctrine, has been unduly exploited to justify mass vaccination and other extreme measures taken during the so-called pandemic.1 You can download a pdf of this article HERE These Articles are also available in German HERE The last three years … Read More

24 Dec 2022

Lacken Family Christmas Tradition

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW Processing the Baby Jesus to the crib on Christmas Morning – Our family Christmas procession, 16 years apart. The Reason for the SeasonJust over a year ago, I was browsing through some old family videos from when our children were small. I remember writing about one in particular. You see, back in 2005, when our youngest child was just three years old, we decided to give Santa Clause the boot from our house. Over the years, … Read More

24 Dec 2022

First Christmas Mass at Midnight

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) It is now time to offer the Great Sacrifice, and to call down our Emmanuel from heaven: he alone can fully pay the debt of gratitude which mankind owes to the Eternal Father. He will intercede for us on the Altar, as he did in his Crib. We will approach him with love, and he will give himself to us. But such is the greatness of today’s Mystery, that the Church … Read More

23 Dec 2022

Holy Mass of Christmas Eve

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) ‘At length,’ says St. Peter Damian, in his sermon for this holy eve, ‘at length we have come from the stormy sea into the tranquil port; hitherto it was the promise, now it is the prize; hitherto labour, now rest; hitherto despair, now hope; hitherto the way, now our home. The heralds of the divine promise came to us; but they gave us nothing but rich promises. Hence our psalmist himself … Read More

22 Dec 2022

Friday – Fourth Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaiah – Chapter 66 Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word. Your brethren that hate you, and cast you out for my name’s sake, have said: Let the Lord be glorified, and we shall see in your joy: but they shall be confounded. A voice of the people from the city, a voice from … Read More

21 Dec 2022

Thursday – Fourth Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaiah – Chapter 64 Oh that thou would rend the heavens, and would come down; the mountains would melt away at thy presence; they would melt as at the burning of fire; the waters would burn with fire; that thy name might be made known to thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at thy presence. When thou shall … Read More

20 Dec 2022

Wednesday – Fourth Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh: come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaiah Chapter 51 Give ear to me, you that follow that which is just, and you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you are dug out. Look unto Abraham your father and to Sara that bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed … Read More

19 Dec 2022

Tuesday – Fourth Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us Adore. From the Prophet Isaias. Chapter 42 Behold my servant, I will uphold him; my elect, my soul delights in him; I have given me spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor have respect to person, neither shall his voice be heard abroad. The bruised reed he shall not break, and the smoking flax … Read More

18 Dec 2022

Monday – Fourth Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh: come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaiah. – Chapter 42 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend; in whom I have taken thee from the ends of the earth, and from the remote parts thereof have called thee, and said to thee: Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and have not east thee … Read More

17 Dec 2022

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) We have now entered into the week which immediately precedes the birth of the Messiah. That long desired coming might be tomorrow; and at furthest, that is, when Advent is as long as it can be, the beautiful feast is only seven days from us. So that the Church now counts the hours; she watches day and night, and since December 17th her Offices have assumed an unusual solemnity. At Lauds, … Read More

16 Dec 2022

Ember Saturday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh: come, let us adore. The lessons from the prophet Isaiah are interrupted today also; and a homily on the Gospel of the Mass is read in their place. As this Gospel is repeated tomorrow, in the Mass of the fourth Sunday of Advent, we will, for the present, omit it, and be satisfied with mentioning the reason of the same Gospel being assigned to the two … Read More

15 Dec 2022

Ember Friday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; let us adore. The Church does not read anything from the prophet Isaiah today; she merely gives, in the Office of Matins, a sentence of that chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel, which relates the mystery of our Lady’s Visitation: and to this she subjoins a fragment of Saint Ambrose’s homily upon that passage. The considerations and affections with which this important event of our Lady’s life … Read More

14 Dec 2022

Thursday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 33 Oh Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for thee: be thou our arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble. At the voice of the angel the people fled, and at the lifting up thyself the nations are scattered. And your spoils shall be gathered together as the … Read More

13 Dec 2022

Ember Wednesday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; . come, let us adore. To-day the Church begins the fast of ‘Quatuor Tempora’, or, as we call it, of Ember days: it includes also the Friday and Saturday of this same week. This observance is not peculiar to the Advent liturgy; it is one which has been fixed for each of the four seasons of the ecclesiastical year. We may consider it as one of … Read More

12 Dec 2022

Tuesday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaias.. Chapter 30 The Lord waits that he may have mercy on you, and therefore shall he be exalted sparing you: because the Lord is the God of judgement, blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people of Sion shall dwell in Jerusalem: weeping thou shall not weep: he will surely have pity on thee: at … Read More

11 Dec 2022

Monday – Third Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 28Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will lay a stone in foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner-stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believes, let him not hasten. And I will set judgement in weight, and justice in measure; and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood, and waters shall … Read More

10 Dec 2022

The Third Sunday of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Today, again, the Church is full of joy, and the joy is greater than it was. It is true that her Lord has not come; but she feels that He is nearer than before, and therefore she thinks it just to lessen somewhat the austerity of this penitential season by the innocent cheerfulness of her sacred rites. And first, this Sunday has had the name of ‘Gaudete’ given to it, from … Read More

9 Dec 2022

Saturday – Second Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the. Prophet Isaias – Chapter 25Oh Lord, Thou art my God. I will exalt Thee, and give glory to Thy name: for Thou has done wonderful things, Thy designs of old faithful. Amen. For Thou has reduced the city to a heap, the strong city to ruin, the house of strangers to be no city, and to be … Read More

8 Dec 2022

Friday – Second Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 24 Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it: and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest; and as with the servant, so with his master; as with the handmaid, so with her … Read More

7 Dec 2022

The Immaculate Conception – Thursday – Second Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy, Our Lady |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) At length, on the distant horizon, rises, with a soft and radiant light, the aurora of the Sun which has been so long desired. The happy Mother of the Messiah was to be born before the Messiah Himself; and this is the day of the Conception of Mary. The earth already possesses a first pledge of the divine mercy; the Son of Man is near at hand. Two true Israelites, Joachim … Read More

6 Dec 2022

Wednesday – Second Week Of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King, our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 16 Send forth, Oh Lord, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from Petra of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion. And it shall come to pass, that as a bird fleeing away, and as young ones flying out of the nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be … Read More

5 Dec 2022

Tuesday – Second Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias. Chapter 14 Her time is near at hand, and her days shall not be prolonged. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose out of Israel, and will make them rest upon their own ground: and the stranger shall be joined with them, and shall adhere to the house of Jacob. … Read More

5 Dec 2022

Monday – Second Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias Chapter 13 The burden of Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw. Upon the dark mountain lift ye up a banner, exalt the voice, lift up the hand and let the rulers go into the gates. I have commanded my sanctified ones, and have called my strong ones in my wrath, them that rejoice … Read More

3 Dec 2022

The Second Sunday of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The Office of this Sunday is filled, from beginning to end, with the sentiments of hope and joy, with which the soul should be animated at the glad tidings of the speedy coming of Him who is her Saviour and Spouse. The interior coming, that which is effected in the soul, is the almost exclusive object of the Church’s prayers for this day: let us therefore open our hearts, let us … Read More

3 Dec 2022

Saturday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 7 And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell or unto the height above. And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And he said: Hear ye, therefore, Oh house of David: … Read More

2 Dec 2022

Morning & Night Prayers During Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Prayer |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) During Advent, the Christian, on awaking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who, in her Office of Matins, says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious, men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night: Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come! He will profoundly adore this great King, whose coming is so near … Read More

2 Dec 2022

Friday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come let us adore the King our Lord who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 6 In the year that king Ozias died. I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple. Upon it stood the Seraphim: the one had six wings and the other had six wings: with two they covered his face and with two they covered his … Read More

2 Dec 2022

Thursday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias. Chapter 5 I will sing to my beloved the canticle of my cousin concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a hill, in a fruitful place. And he fenced it in, and picked the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vines, and built a tower in the midst thereof, … Read More

2 Dec 2022

Wednesday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King, our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias Chapter 3 For behold the sovereign the Lord of hosts shall take away from Jerusalem and from Juda the valiant and the strong, the whole strength of bread, and the whole strength of water: the strong man, and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the cunning man, and the ancient, the … Read More

1 Dec 2022

Website Updated – Thank you for your patience.

by John Lacken | posted in: Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

There were a few speed issues with the website of late and so the website has been updated to a new WordPress hosting package which should make it more responsive and a little faster. I will now continue to upload Dom Prosper Gueranger’s commentaries and prayers for the season of Advent. Thank you for your patience. May God bless you. John Lacken

29 Nov 2022

Tuesday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias Chapter 2 The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall … Read More

28 Nov 2022

Monday – First Week of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. From the Prophet Isaias – Chapter 1 Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes: cease to do perversely, learn to do well; seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse me, says the Lord. If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be … Read More

27 Nov 2022

The First Sunday of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) (Dom Prosper Gueranger is commenting on the Holy Mass as it was said back in the late 1800s. This was the Latin Mass and the readings then are still used in the Latin Mass today. These will enhance our preparation for Advent.) This Sunday, the first of the ecclesiastical year, is called, in the chronicles and charts of the middle ages, Ad te levavi Sunday, from the first words of the … Read More

26 Nov 2022

Our Practice During Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) If our holy mother the Church spends the time of Advent in this solemn preparation for the threefold coming of Jesus Christ; if, after the example of the prudent virgins, she keeps her lamp lit ready for the coming of the Bridegroom; we, being her members and her children, ought to enter into her spirit, and apply to ourselves this warning of our Saviour: ‘Let your loins be girt, and lamps … Read More

26 Nov 2022

The Mystery Of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) If, now that we have described the characteristic features of Advent which distinguish it from the rest of the year, we would penetrate into the profound mystery which occupies the mind of the Church during this season, we find that this mystery of the coming, or Advent, of Jesus is at once simple and threefold. It is simple, for it is the one same Son of God that is coming; it … Read More

24 Nov 2022

The History of Advent

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy, Prayer |

(You can download this article as a pdf HERE) The name Advent is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honour of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance; and, in fact, it is impossible to state, with … Read More

24 Nov 2022

The Liturgical Year – General Preface

by Dom Prosper Gueranger | posted in: Catholic Church, Liturgy, Prayer |

Dom Prosper Gueranger (1805 – 1875) (You can download this article as a pdf HERE) Prayer is man’s richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light, nourishment, and life. But of ourselves we know not what we should pray for as we ought; we must needs, therefore, address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and say to Him as the apostles did: ‘Lord, teach us how to … Read More

23 Nov 2022

The Sweetest Prayer

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Prayer, Resistance movement |

In St Lukes Gospel, the Apostles ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. “And it came to pass, that as he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said to them: When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we … Read More

15 Jan 2022

Charity and Vaccines

by Fr Ambrose Astor | posted in: Catholic Church, Moral Theology, Resistance movement |

Having established that both conscience and prudence forbid the reception of COVID-19 vaccines, Father Ambrose now explains, especially for priests, why getting vaccinated is not the “loving thing to do”. You can download a pdf of this article HERE These Articles are also available in German HERE If there is one adjective that common sentiment identifies with a good Christian, it is no doubt “loving”. A good Christian, in imitation of Christ, seeks to love all, especially those in need. This … Read More

26 Nov 2021

Prudence and Vaccines

by Fr Ambrose Astor | posted in: Catholic Church, Moral Theology, Resistance movement |

Prudence is the mother of all the other virtues. We all need it, but none more than priests, doctors and politicians, especially when it comes to moral questions linked to the COVID-19 ‘vaccines’. Father Ambrose explains. You can download a pdf of this article HERE These Articles are also available in German HERE All important decisions in life should be guided by prudence. With it we resolve on a course of action in accordance with our rational nature. Without it we … Read More

12 Nov 2021

Conscience & Vaccines

by Fr Ambrose Astor | posted in: Catholic Church, Moral Theology, Resistance movement |

Ethical considerations surrounding vaccines have been debated for some time. It is a hot subject today, as many of the COVID-19 vaccines use stem cells from aborted babies. – Father Ambrose answers essential questions on this important topic. This document can be downloaded as a pdf HERE These Articles are also available in German HERE Q. Is it true that COVID-19 vaccines are created using organs of aborted infants?A. When we first heard about the experimentation on human embryos and foetuses many … Read More

18 Sep 2018

Article 110 – Evangelise the Culture

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family |

We Are Losing The Culture War!“And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men: Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” … Read More

11 Sep 2018

Article 109 – Marriage is from God

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae |

No Confusion in the Catholic ChurchAs I begin this article I have just come from Northern Ireland where I hosted two talks. One in Omagh and the other in Derry. The talks were well attended, and we had a particularly lively question and answer session in Omagh. As I am fond of repeating, there is no confusion in the Catholic Church because her teachings are crystal clear, but there are many confused Catholics on account of the false prophets and … Read More

11 May 2018

Article 108 – Marriage Casti Connubii

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals |

Understanding Casti ConnubiiOne cannot understand the encyclical ‘Casti Connubii’, which reaffirms the Catholic Church’s constant teaching against contraception, unless one first understands why ‘Casti Connubii’ was written. In order to understand this, we must look to the years 1920 and 1930 and we must look to the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican church in those years. The Lambeth conference is an international gathering of protestant Anglican bishops and usually meets about every ten years to discuss matters pertaining to that … Read More

7 May 2018

Article 107 – Marriage v Situation Ethics

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Resistance movement |

Irish Bishops are Harming MarriageThe Irish Bishops are doing serious harm to Catholic marriage and family life with their ‘Amoris’ programme which is being promoted to every parish in Ireland. The key to understanding why this is, comes at the beginning of the programme where it states. “The programme takes, as its starting point, people’s experience of love and their hopes and fears with regard to marriage and family” Situational EthicsThis is the basis for what is called ‘situation’ or … Read More

3 Apr 2018

Article 106 – Putting God First

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Resistance movement |

The Greatest Commandment“And one of them, a doctor of the law, asking him, tempting him: Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and … Read More

27 Mar 2018

Article 105 – I Am The Lord Your God

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Resistance movement |

A Dark and Evil DayAlthough most people are blissfully unaware of it, the week of Friday 19th January 2018, was one of the darkest and most evil weeks in the history of the Irish nation. Grown men and women, many of them parents of children, all of them elected representatives, stood up in the Irish parliament chamber one after the other, to outline the conditions under which they believed that certain human beings, members of our nation, should be allowed … Read More

5 Mar 2018

Article 104 – Man as god

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Resistance movement, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Majesty of God“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5) The opening sentences of St John’s Gospel, beautifully and simply … Read More

28 Feb 2018

Article 103 – To The Battlefield

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Resistance movement, The Legion of the Holy Family |

This Bishop is in DenialThis week, I would like to thank those of you who have written to Bishop Raymond Browne, the Bishop of Kerry, regarding the promotion of the LGBT agenda to the youth of his diocese. I would also like to encourage more of you to get in contact with him. Bishop Browne has responded by saying; “Be assured that the diocese and I uphold fully the Church’s teaching on sexuality. We seek as best we can to … Read More

21 Feb 2018

Article 102 – Rise Up Maccabees

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Those Who Promote Marriage will be AttackedI am conscious that I have been repeating Sr Lucia’s words to Cardinal Caffara regularly in my talks and in my articles. She said that “anyone who works for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be fought and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.” I have begun lately to notice that we are indeed under attack. The attacks take on various forms. Some are personal in the … Read More

30 Jan 2018

Article 101 – Catholic Family Conference

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Resistance movement, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Great ConferenceIt was great to meet up with so many Catholic Voice readers at last Saturday’s conference in Limerick. For those who were unable to attend, I would like to give an extract from my talk in which we made a very important announcement for next year. Today, those who are leading the main attack on Catholic teaching on marriage and family life come from within the ranks of the Catholic church herself, with many senior prelates contradicting the constant … Read More

4 Jan 2018

Article 100 – The Centenary

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

My 100th Article for Catholic VoiceToday marks another milestone in my journey with the Catholic Voice newspaper. This is my one hundredth article in Catholic Voice. A centenary of articles during the centenary of Fatima! What began as a simple question to Anthony Murphy, “would you be interested in some articles on marriage and family?”, with the reply, “send me in something and we’ll see”, has turned into a journey of faith exploration. In these turbulent times for the Catholic … Read More

3 Jan 2018

Article 99 – Fathers, We Are At War

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Address to Fathers of FamiliesAt last year’s Catholic Voice conference in Limerick, I made the following address to fathers of families. I am not ignoring mothers, but fathers need to be given a wake-up call because the father is the spiritual and physical head of his family. Make Sure You Know What the Catholic Church Teaches“Fathers, make sure that you are fully conversant with what the Church teaches you about your role as Man, Husband and Father. Make sure that … Read More

29 Dec 2017

Article 98 – The Truth is not Relative

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Light of FaithIf you pass by a house during the daytime, and a light happens to be left on in the front room, you will not notice it. Pass by the same house at night, and the same light will be noticeable from far away. The light has not gotten any brighter, but it shines even more clearly because of the surrounding darkness. I think the same is true of our Catholic faith, as the darkness of apostasy grows, … Read More

29 Dec 2017

Article 97 – The Truth will set you Free

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Our Lady, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Filial CorrectionI begin writing this article having just read the “Filial Correction of Pope Francis For the Propagation of Heresies” which has been signed by 62 Catholic academics and pastors from 20 countries. The document begins “With profound grief, but moved by fidelity to our Lord Jesus Christ, by love for the Church…” These words “with profound grief” caused me to reflect on something I noticed some time ago. I have developed a custom whereby after attending Holy Mass in … Read More

24 Dec 2017

Article 96 – Marriage and Annulment

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Lack of Catechesis I have had some very interesting phone calls recently concerning marriage. One person asked me to write about annulment as there is a perception in some quarters that it is just a form of Catholic divorce. Another person has asked me to write about consent, or rather the lack of it, and the important need for priests to make sure that the proper consent is there, before a marriage takes place. Many years ago, this second person … Read More

20 Dec 2017

Article 95 – Confession

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church |

Matthew Chapter 24 – PropheticIn recent times I have been struck, time and again by chapter 24 of St Matthew’s Gospel, where Our Lord warns His disciples to be aware of being seduced by false prophets saying, “For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ: and they will seduce many.” (Matthew 24-5). I have often thought about what methods the devil will use to seduce those who seek to live up to the demands of the Catholic … Read More

24 Oct 2017

Article 94 – Confusion Continues

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Cardinal Schonborn’s ErrorsIn my last article, I spoke about a senior cardinal who recently visited Ireland and who erroneously, and contrary to Catholic Church teaching said, that it is possible to answer ‘Yes’ to the first of the five dubia that were submitted to Pope Francis by four other cardinals, one of whom, Cardinal Raymond Burke, is well known to Catholic Voice readers. Normally I do not name the personages concerned in these cases because I want to focus on … Read More

7 Oct 2017

Article 93 – Confusion Abounds

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Confused & Confusing Cardinal A recent headline in an Irish weekly newspaper stated “Children must be priority when marriages fail – top cardinal”. The article then went on to state “One of the Pope’s closest advisers on the family has insisted that when dealing with marital breakdown, the Church must put the needs of children ahead of a simplistic application of rules.” I have to say that I find this problematic, but first I also want to look at … Read More

16 Aug 2017

Article 92 – You Are Not Alone

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Many Faithful Catholics feel Isolated and Alone I attended a Mass recently which was celebrated by Fr Shenan Boquet, the president of Human Life International. During the course of his sermon, Fr Boquet told us that we are not alone in this battle. He mentioned how he travels around the world spreading the Gospel of Life and that in each country he visits, there is a group of people who are fighting the battle for life. They may be just … Read More

1 Aug 2017

Article 91 – The Resistance Movement

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Resistance movement, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Thank You for Your Support As I begin writing this article we are just one week into our fund raising campaign for ‘The Lumen Fidei Institute’. In just one week we have managed to raise almost one third of our initial target of €25,000. To those of you who have responded so promptly to this call, a big thank you. Your support and encouragement means so much, not just to me, but to my wife and family as well. I … Read More

2 Jul 2017

Article 89 – Normalising Homosexual Acts

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Morning Meditation on the Gospel Just over a year ago, as part of my effort to keep up the practice of a daily morning meditation, I decided to take the time to read through St Matthew’s Gospel taking it one chapter at a time. I highly recommend this practice of getting to know the Gospels, with the Catholic caveat, that we are not free to interpret the Gospel’s meaning according to what we think it means, but must always bow … Read More

22 Jun 2017

Article 88 – Reflections on Recent Events

by John Lacken | posted in: Family, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Manchester Bombing On Monday 22nd May 2017 at approximately 10.30 in the evening, just after a concert in the Manchester Arena by the American singer Ariana Grande, a suicide bomber detonated a home made explosive device killing himself and twenty two other people and injuring over one hundred others. The ISIS organisation claimed responsibility for the attack. I ask your prayers for all involved in this horrible tragedy. It is somewhat easy to be dispassionate about this event because … Read More

Picture of two sheep unable to answer questions

21 Jun 2017

Article 87 – Lack of Catechesis = Confusion

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Lack of Ability to Think Rationally In this article I want to cover a couple of different strands of thought which have come up on account of some recent events in my life and which I want to relate to my most recent articles covering lack of catechesis, the failure of the Irish ‘catholic’ education system to pass on the faith to the children that are taught in those schools, and the surrendering of what I called ‘catholic territory’ to … Read More

Surrender - Picture of Soldier Laying down arms

19 Jun 2017

Article 86 – Signs of the Times

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, General, Holy Spirit, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

No Mass in the Diocese As I write this article, we are just leaving a week whereby two of our national newspapers reported that an Irish diocese would not be celebrating Holy Mass on Tuesday 25th April 2017 because the bishop was holding a meeting with the priests of his diocese and because he also wanted to prepare the laity for a future wherein Holy Mass may not be available every day by holding lay led liturgies. The lay led … Read More

15 Jun 2017

Article 85 – Symbols & Gestures

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Choosing a Topic I find that having to write a fortnightly article for the Catholic Voice is a great discipline. Often times, if I am not writing on a particular theme, I do not know exactly what I will write about from one fortnight to another. But, because I know that I have an article to write, I will be mulling things over in my head wondering if this topic or that subject matter would be suitable for an article. … Read More

14 Jun 2017

Article 84 – Marriage – The Final Battle

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Cardinal Caffare & Sister Lucia of Fatima Recently, I mentioned that Cardinal Carlo Caffara received a letter from Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the seers of Fatima, stating that, “the final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family.” I think that the significance of this simple statement is lost on many people given that sacramental marriage is no longer held in the high esteem in which it should be held. … Read More

7 Jun 2017

Article 83 – Marriage! Lack of Catechesis

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Lack of Catechesis is Destroying the Faith I have begun looking at the problem of the terrible lack of catechesis in the western world and of the effects that this is having on the Catholic faithful. That this problem is not just confined to the laity was recently highlighted to me, once again, by our own parish bulletin from last week. In it we find the following. “The 12 noon Mass on St Patrick’s Day will be a special celebration … Read More

1 Jun 2017

Article 82 – Marriage. Modern Difficulties

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family Difficulties. I want to begin taking a look at some of the problems that we face as families, as Catholics, and as a nation, in our current times. I also want to look at these problems particularly from the perspective of family life. What is ‘family’? Where does ‘family’ come from? What is the role of ‘family’ in the world? What role do parents have, as parents, and as husband and wife? One of the reasons for this focus … Read More

31 May 2017

Article 81 – Modesty. The Church Speaks

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Voices of the Church on Modesty I am very much aware that many find the subject of modesty to be particularly sensitive and difficult to deal with. It can be embarrassing for those who choose to speak out, and for those who receive the correction. People get angry, they feel humiliated, or sometimes they just don’t seem to care. One lady wrote to me recently me and told me that she found one of the articles on modesty “challenging, but … Read More

6 Mar 2017

Article 80 – The Virtue of Modesty

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Our Lady, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage! The Virtue of Modesty Few Catholics understand ModestyI find that when dealing with the subject of modesty, particularly in regard to how one dresses, very few Catholics seem to understand either the true nature of modesty or the importance of this virtue. It is a very sensitive subject particularly for women, because it is always personal, dealing as it does with how we dress, how we choose to present ourselves and with how we would like others to see … Read More

3 Mar 2017

Article 79 – Marriage! – The Virtue of Hope

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Pray for VocationsThe brother of the young eighteen year old American lady, whom I wrote about recently, arrived for a visit with our family on New Year’s day to join his sister. His name is Joe and he is in his early twenties. Joe feels a certain call to serve God as a priest but he not certain about this just yet. Please pray to help him to discern if indeed he is called to serve God as a priest. … Read More

1 Mar 2017

Article 78 – The Dignity of Woman

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage! The Beauty of Womanly Dignity Back to ModestyAs we begin the New Year I am back to one of the recurrent themes of these articles, the need for modest dress. Just before Christmas, I went shopping for women’s clothes. In our modern era of ‘transgender this’ and ‘transgender that’, this might not seem so strange. Some might think that I have finally discovered my true gender. But Catholics know that God only created Male and Female humans. There are … Read More

28 Feb 2017

Article 77 – Marriage – The Absent Father

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family BreakdownI have been doing a little research of late into the problem of absent fathers and the damaging effects the absent father has on his children, particularly on his daughters. Christmas is a sad time for many people on account of things such as bereavement, unhappy family memories, particularly those from an unhappy childhood, family breakdown and other family issues. It is a time when we must turn to the Holy Family in praise and joy but also to … Read More

27 Feb 2017

Article 76 – Advent – Modesty – Preparation

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Season of AdventAs we enter the season of Advent, where we look forward not only to the coming of Christ’s birthday, but also to His second coming, we are reminded that this is a time of preparation. Primarily, preparation of our souls so that we are ready to meet Christ if he should choose to come at this time and so that we are in a state of perpetual readiness for our own death. I tell my children that … Read More

25 Feb 2017

Article 75 – The Irish Minister for Health should Resign

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Killing of Terminally ill ChildrenIn my last article, I mentioned the importance of precision in the use of language, so as to avoid confusion. Today I want to take a quick break from Pope Pius XII’s allocution to midwives in order to emphasise the same point about language with regard to something more current in Irish society. There are some in Ireland today who favour putting terminally sick children to death if they are not yet born, and if … Read More

24 Feb 2017

Article 74 – Pope Pius XII on Family 2

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage! Family Matters …cont’d God is OrderGod is a God of order. Simply put, this tells us that God does everything for a particular purpose. He creates things for a purpose and we have ‘right order’ when that purpose is being followed. The maxim ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ captures the essential essence of right order. Conversely, disorder, is when persons or things are used contrary to the purpose for which God created them. The Importance … Read More

21 Feb 2017

Article 73 – Pope Pius XII on Family

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Pope Pius XII – Allocution to MidwivesIn the coming weeks I would like to take a look at Pope Pius XII’s allocution to Italian midwives from October of 1951. This allocution is very important for those who wish to have a proper understanding of marriage particularly when, as we have seen, a former President of Ireland has joined with a group of dissenting Catholics in calling for the over turning of Blessed Pope Paul VI’s encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’, falsely stating … Read More

21 Feb 2017

Hibernation

by John Lacken | posted in: Family, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

I realise that things have been very quiet on this site of late and that I haven’t posted anything since November 13th last year. It has been a busy time with two conferences, one in Kerry in December and one in Cork at the beginning of this month. I hope to upload that particular talk in the near future. This talk seems to some to be a little controversial because I am asking questions, and hoping that all those involved … Read More

13 Nov 2016

Calling Catholic Fathers

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

On November 5th I gave a talk at the annual Catholic Voice conference in Limerick. You can listen to the talk HERE You can download a transcript of the talk HERE This talk points out that the Catholic Church is being undermined from within by those Catholics who promote false and misleading teaching all the while claiming that it is what the Church teaches. It uses a simple mathematical formula to help Catholics to understand the second Vatican council. Stress … Read More

18 Oct 2016

Article 72 – You Shall be Like God

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage! Men & Women reluctant to Marry Young The Traditional Catholic FamilyReaders of the Catholic Voice may be interested to know that I now present a half hour programme on Radio Maria Ireland at 4pm on Friday afternoons called ‘The Traditional Catholic Family’. Radio Maria Ireland do not have a standard broadcast licence at present in Ireland, so the show is only available either online or in Dublin and Cork with a DAB (digital audio broadcasting) Radio. You can also … Read More

14 Oct 2016

Ireland & Contraception

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

A Brief History of Contraception in Ireland and the Church response to it You can listen to this talk by clicking on this link The Story of Contraception in Ireland I was invited by Patrick McCrystal to give a talk at the Human Life International Conference ‘By Way of the Family’ which was held in the Clayton Hotel in Leopardstown on September 24th 2016. Patrick asked me to speak about the history of contraception in Ireland with a particular look … Read More

11 Oct 2016

Article 71 – Marriage, Bishops Fail to Speak Out

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2016 By Way of the Family I gave a talk at the Human Life International, ‘By Way of the Family’ conference, on Saturday 24th September. My talk was on the history of contraception in Ireland and the response of the Church in Ireland to it. Whenever someone of faith looks at this history, they will be filled with a deep sadness at the way that the flock of Christ were neglected. The … Read More

29 Sep 2016

The President & the Popes

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

This show was broadcast on Radio Maria ireland on Friday 23rd September 2016 You can listen to the show HERE You can read a transcript HERE The show shares some very brief thoughts about technology. I also look at a former Irish President’s remarks about getting rid of ‘Humanae Vitae’. The former president will have to clear a lot of others out of the Church too if her erroneous views on contraception are to stand. Even Martin Luther himself was … Read More

28 Sep 2016

Beware of False Prophets on Marriage!

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

This show was broadcast on Radio Maria ireland on Friday 9th September 2016 You can listen to the show HERE You can read a transcript HERE This show continues looking at the fact that our young people no longer value marriage and therefore put off getting married generally until they are in their thirties. It also looks at Pope Pius XII’s allocution to midwives from November 1951 and it looks at how Catholic teaching on marriage is being contradicted even … Read More

28 Sep 2016

Article 70 – Marriage – Take Heed that No One Leads You Astray

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2016 Christ’s Warnings! “And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:4-5) “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate … Read More

27 Sep 2016

Change of Venue for Saturday 1st October 2016

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, General, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

The mini conference on Saturday 1st October featuring Olivia Connolly, Anthony Murphy and myself had to be moved from the Leopardstown Venue due to unforseen circumstances. The talk will now be held in the St John Vianney Church Hall, Ardlea Road, Dublin 5 Beginning at 2.00pm with the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary. Followed by Olivia Connolly speaking about the new age Earth Movement which is infiltrating parishes and schools. Anthony Murphy will speak about building a Catholic resistance … Read More

26 Sep 2016

Save the Catholic Family, Save Society

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, General, Holy Spirit, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Our Lady, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

This talk was broadcast on Radio Maria Ireland on Friday 2nd September 2016 It continues to look at the fact that Irish people no longer desire to marry young. it looks at the address of Pope Pius XII in 1947 to Women titled “Papal Directives for the Woman of Today:” You can get a transcript HERE You can listen to the show HERE This talk stresses the importance of the Traditional Catholic Family. It calls into question the tactics of … Read More

22 Sep 2016

Online Shop Closes

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

Unfortunately I have had to close both my shop in Knock and my online shop due to a lack of business and also because I want to concentrate on promoting the Traditional Catholic Family through Legio Sanctae Familiae – The Legion of the Holy Family If you would like to make a donation to this work please contact me using the ‘get in touch’ link and I will send on the necessary details. Many thanks to everyone who purchased some … Read More

14 Sep 2016

Article 69 Marriage – Parents Awake

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2016 False Vatican ‘Sex-Education’ Programme. In my last article I issued a warning to parents concerning a new ‘sex-education’ programme that was released by the Pontifical Council for the Family in July. I find it difficult to write about this topic because it makes me angry. The reason I get angry is because as a Catholic parent, my right and my duty to educate my children in the Catholic Faith, has … Read More

2 Sep 2016

Article 68 – Marriage! The Lessons from Genesis

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, August 2016 Warning to Parents! – Vatican Launches Faulty ‘Sex-Ed’ Programme In this article I want to look at the lessons that we should learn from our recent journey back through the first four chapters of the Book of Genesis. Before I delve into those lessons however, I want to issue a warning to parents of school age children, about a new danger that is to be presented to their children. In … Read More

31 Aug 2016

Upcoming Talks in Ireland

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Our series of family related talks will continue in September and October. You Can download Posters to print and share here Waterford Leopardstown I will be joined by Olivia Connolly and Anthony Murphy for a mini conference in Treacy’s Hotel, Waterford on Saturday 10th September, 2016. The conference begins with the Holy Rosary at 2.00pm Olivia Connolly will speak about the dangers of the New Age ‘Earth movement’ which is infiltrating parishes and schools throughout the country. Anthony Murphy, editor … Read More

29 Aug 2016

The Role of Women in Politics and Society

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

This show was broadcast on Radio Maria Ireland on Friday 26th August 2016 In probing the fact that people no longer marry young, it looks at the address of Pope Pius XII in 1945 to Women titled “Women’s Duties in Social and Political Life:” to see if this can shed any light on the late marriage phenomenon. You can get a transcript HERE You can listen to the show HERE Pope Pius XII is clear with regard to what he … Read More

26 Aug 2016

Article 67 – Marriage – Genesis summary of Life

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, August 2016 Divorce Issue Still being used as a Trap Today, we go back to the book of Genesis, to the beginning. When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on the question of marriage and divorce, he pointed them back to the beginning. It is interesting to note that this very same question, nowadays framed in the benign, and seemingly caring terms of re-admitting the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion, is … Read More

13 Aug 2016

More about Young People and Marriage

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

This show was broadcast on Radio Maria Ireland on Friday 12th August 2016 You can get a transcript HERE You can listen to the show HERE This show looks at some of Pope Pius XII’s writings shortly after the Second World War. Many millions of men were killed in battle during the war which left many widows and a shortage of men in European societies. The Pope is looking at the role of women. What he says, may make some … Read More

8 Aug 2016

Why are our young people delaying marriage?

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Traditional Catholic Family, broadcast on Radio Maria Ireland on Friday 5th August is now available to listen to online. Go In By The Narrow Gate! You can listen to the show HERE You can read a transcript HERE This show continues to examine why it is that in Ireland our young people are no longer getting married. According to the latest statistics from 2014, the average age for women getting married in Ireland is 33 and for men it … Read More

8 Aug 2016

Immodesty – the doorway to contraception?

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

I attended the first Holy Communion recently of a daughter of one of our fellow homeschooling families here in Ireland in a neighbouring parish. Catholic homeschooling families are quite rare in Ireland. The priest who celebrated Mass was one of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross and afterwards we got to talking about marriage and family. The subject of contraception came up, as it usually does, and the priest wondered if immodesty was the main issue that led to … Read More

29 Jul 2016

Pontifical Council promotes false ‘sex-education’ programme

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Pontifical Council for the Family has launched a new initiative called ‘The Meeting Place’. This is an online ‘sex-education’ programme which unfortunately does not comply with Church teaching in this matter. You can listen to my broadcast from Radio Maria Ireland on this topic here Radio Maria ‘sex-ed’ Talk You can read a transcript of the talk HERE In 1995, the Pontifical Council for the Family, under Cardinal Lopez Trujillo, issued a guide for parents called ‘The Truth and … Read More

27 Jul 2016

Article 66 – Modesty: Formation of New Families

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2016 The Happy Themes Of The Spring Of Life We have been looking at Pope Pius XII’s address to the Latin Union of High Fashion. This pope, contrary to what the world would have us believe, is no prude. He says, “This penchant for the adornment of one’s own person clearly derives from nature, and is therefore legitimate.” There is nothing wrong with dressing stylishly and well, and the pope continues, … Read More

16 Jul 2016

Article 65 – Marriage and Fashion

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2016 Latin Union of High Fashion I want to finish off this look at modesty by returning to Pope Pius XII’s address to the Latin Union of High Fashion of November 1957. That the Pope agreed to address this group shows us that modesty and fashion are not mutually exclusive ideas in Catholic thought. The portrayal of modesty as frumpy and old maidish is another lie of the devil which is used … Read More

5 Jul 2016

Article 64 – Marriage! Modesty, Essential to Chastity

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, June 2016 Modesty Guards Purity and Chastity In my last article I returned once again to the subject of modesty. Perhaps there are some readers who wonder why I am spending so much time on this particular matter. The reason is simple. Modesty is the guardian of the gateway to chastity and purity. Without modesty; purity and chastity will be virtually impossible. Without purity and chastity, marriages will be defiled. Jesus the King … Read More

2 Jul 2016

Article 63 – Marriage! Need for Vigilance

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, June 2016 All Ireland Roadshow Last week, myself and Anthony Murphy began our ‘roadshow’ around Ireland with talks in Derry and in Belfast. Just before the talks began, on Friday morning, I found out that my wife Naomi, who had been in hospital for several days, was scheduled for abdominal surgery on the morning of Saturday 28th May. This left me with a little dilemma. Should I cancel the talks? I had also … Read More

24 Jun 2016

Article 62 – Marriage! Respect for Women Declines

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2016 Rome Life Forum Since I wrote my last article I have been over to Rome for the third annual ‘Rome Life Forum’ and I walked on the ‘March for Life’ in Rome. It was a very interesting and informative weekend and some of the talks have been reported in this paper. I recommend people to check out ‘The Voice of the Family’ website on www.voiceofthefamily.com for more of the talks. On … Read More

20 Jun 2016

Article 61 – The Importance of Modesty

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2016 The Popes on Modesty In order to see how important the virtue of modesty is, and to see just how deplorable the sin of immodesty is, let us look to what some of the Popes have said on this subject. On January 6th 1921, Pope Benedict XV, issued an encyclical letter called ‘Sacra Propediem’ on the Third Order of St Francis. In it he identifies two dangerous passions that affect people … Read More

14 Jun 2016

Article 60 – Marriage! Purity requires Modesty

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2016 The Church Speaks on Modesty So, what does the Church say to women regarding modesty? Are there any official guidelines concerning dress and what can and cannot be worn? Has She anything to say about fashion? The Church, being a good mother, has of course dealt with the question of modesty. Let us look first to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism deals with the subject of modesty, in … Read More

8 Jun 2016

Article 59 – Marriage! Modesty and Vocations

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2016 I do not belong to the Fashion Police or the Modesty Squad I have had some interesting responses to my last article whereby I indicated that I intended to take the risk of escalating the war between the sexes by dealing with the issue of modesty in the context of Catholic church teaching. In all of these responses, the people who responded mentioned how they themselves dress. And so I need … Read More

1 Jun 2016

Article 58 – Marriage! The Virtue of Modesty

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2016 God Made Clothes for Them After God passes the sentence on satan, on Adam, and on Eve, He then banishes Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. In a previous article I mentioned the incredible statement at the end of the second chapter of the book of Genesis whereby we are told that Adam and Eve were naked. We now have another remarkable statement in contrast to that first statement. … Read More

31 May 2016

Article 57 – Marriage! The Garden of Eden

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2016 Tempted by the Father of Lies We have seen how the serpent tempted Eve with a lie. We have seen that Eve fell for this temptation, doubted God, and then disobeyed His command. We have seen how Eve passed on the temptation to Adam, because Adam failed to protect her from the lies of the serpent, and we have seen how Adam also fell and disobeyed God. In the last … Read More

25 May 2016

Article 56 – Marriage! Eve V Our Lady

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Our Lady, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2016 Dom Prosper Gueranger Today I would like to present a beautiful mediation from Dom Prosper Gueranger contrasting Eve with Our Lady. It comes from ‘The Liturgical Year’ for the feast of the Annunciation. The Angel of Darkness “In the garden of delights there is a virgin and an angel; and a conversation takes place between them. At Nazareth a virgin is also addressed by an angel, and she answers him; but … Read More

23 May 2016

Article 55 – Marriage! The Mercy of God

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, February 2016 Adam & Eve are punished “But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The … Read More

18 May 2016

Article 54 – Marriage and the Arch Enemy of Man

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, February 2016 The serpent enters the Garden of Eden “Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit … Read More

16 May 2016

Article 53 – Marriage! The Virtue of Purity

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, January 2016 Extraordinary Statement The second chapter of the Book of Genesis ends with an extraordinary statement. It is extraordinary for several reasons. On account of its simplicity, on account of its subject matter, on account of its profundity and, on account of the fact that in today’s world it is easily overlooked and misunderstood. Here is that statement. “And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not … Read More

14 May 2016

Article 52 – Marriage! Instituted by God

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, December 2015 Male and Female He Created Them We have seen that, in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, God created man in His own likeness and image, with only two genders, male and female, and instituted marriage for the purpose of begetting sons and daughters to become heirs to the Kingdom of God. The Purpose of Sacred Scripture The second chapter of the book of Genesis gives us another account … Read More

11 May 2016

Article 51 – Marriage! In the Beginning

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, December 2015 Modern Ireland’s Pharisaism Modern Ireland, has lost sight of God’s primary purpose for marriage and has become Pharisaical in putting God to the test with legalised divorce, legalised contraception, legalised ‘same-sex’ relationships which are falsely called marriages, legalised adoption of children into ‘same-sex households contrary to the best interests of those children and contrary to all the ‘fluff and burble’ of our politicians about cherishing and protecting all children, legalised murder … Read More

5 May 2016

Rome Life Forum

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, General, The Legion of the Holy Family |

I am leaving today for the Rome Life Forum conference, organised by Voice of the Family The programme is as follows FRIDAY 6th MAY 8.00 Holy Mass (St Peter’s Basilica, altar of St Pius X) 8.45 Registration and coffee at Hotel Columbus 9.30 Introduction 9.45 Prof. Roberto de Mattei (Lepanto Foundation) – The Current Crisis in the Context of Church History 10.45 Matthew McCusker (Voice of the Family) – Aftermath of the Synod on the Family: The Apostolic Exhortation 11.40 … Read More

4 May 2016

Article 50 – Marriage! Legio Sanctae Familiae

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, November 2015 The Launch of Legio Sanctae Familiae As I write this article, I have just come from the Catholic Voice / Institute of Christ the King Conference on the Family and Marriage in Limerick, where I gave a talk in the morning. One of the purposes of my talk was to launch a new organisation for families called ‘Legio Sanctae Familiae’ or ‘The Legion of the Holy Family’. The purpose of this … Read More

3 May 2016

Article 49 – Marriage! Our Lady of Sorrows 2

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, November 2015 The Seven Founders My last article mentioned the powerful devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and I mentioned a little booklet that I have designed. In this article, I would like to give a brief history of how I came to produce this booklet before giving the meditations on the last three sorrows of Our Lady. The response to the last article has been very encouraging and so I would like … Read More

2 May 2016

Article 48 – Marriage! Our Lady of Sorrows

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, Our Lady, The Legion of the Holy Family, True Devotions |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, October 2015 A Powerful Devotion Today I would like to take a break from ‘Synod watch’ and look to Our Lady. I have recently produced a booklet on the simple form of the devotion to Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows, which consists in saying seven Hail Marys a day whilst meditating on each of the sorrows. The cover of the booklet features a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Sorrows from … Read More

29 Apr 2016

The Traditional Catholic Family – On Radio Maria Ireland

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

I have recently been offered a half hour programme on Radio Maria Ireland. it goes out on Friday afternoons from about 4.00pm to 4.30pm. The programme is called ‘The Traditional Catholic Family’ and I am presenting a Catechesis on Marriage and Family as traditionally understood by the Church. You can access these talks through the Legio Sanctae Familiae link, there are three of them uploaded as of today. May God bless you John

29 Apr 2016

Article 47 – Marriage! Defending the Truth

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, October 2015 Marriage! Defending the Truth Another Humanae Vitae Moment! We have entered another ‘Humanae Vitae’ moment in the Catholic Church which does not augur well for those of us who are trying to live out, and to promote the Catholic faith. What do I mean by this? In a previous article, I outlined some of the history surrounding the release of ‘Humanae Vitae’. I explained about the commission that was set up … Read More

28 Apr 2016

Article 46 – Marriage! The Homosexual Attack

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2015 The Catholic Church, Marriage and Homosexual Inclination This week I want to recommend a book to everyone who wants to have a clear understanding of what is going on, not just in the world, but in the Church as well. This book is not a pleasant read. In fact many chapters contain very unpleasant and sometimes disgusting information. It is not a book that I would let children near. It is … Read More

26 Apr 2016

Article 45 – Marriage! The Way of Society

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2015 Holy Catholic Marriages necessary for Society In a previous article I mentioned that the solution to the western world’s current problems, is for Catholics to become Holy. This is highlighted by the story, which is often told, that G K Chesterton was once sent the question “What’s wrong with the world today?” by a certain newspaper, and allegedly he sent back the reply “I am”. It is also my contention that … Read More

25 Apr 2016

Article 44 – Marriage! Damaged by Dissent

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, September 2015 Men cannot Marry Men, Women cannot Marry Women! One of the saddest developments within the Catholic Church in Ireland since the publishing of ‘Humane Vitae’ by Pope Paul VI in July of 1968 has been the growth and tolerance of dissent within Catholic circles. One of the results of this dissension from ‘Humanae Vitae’ has been the separation of sexuality and procreation and it this separation that has directly led to … Read More

22 Apr 2016

Article 43 – Marriage! The Whole Truth

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, August 2015 The Propaganda War I want to look at what I consider to be one of the saddest aspects of the ‘Catholic’ campaign for a ‘NO’ vote in the recent referendum in Ireland which claims to allow men to marry men and women to marry women. In previous articles I have shown how prominent Catholics spoke out publicly against same-sex marriage but contradicted Church teaching in doing so. One may ask why … Read More

21 Apr 2016

Article 42 – Marriage! Errant Catholics don’t Help

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, August 2015 Public Statements of Catholics that promote erroneous thinking Before looking at the statements from the previous article on the marriage referendum, I want to look at a more recent public statement, this time issued on an Irish diocesan Facebook page. Once again the diocese and the bishop are unimportant as I want to deal with the subject matter. The bishop in question was speaking about political parties collecting funds after Mass … Read More

20 Apr 2016

Article 41 – Marriage! Become a Saint

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2015 Holiness is the Solution to all of Our Problems There is one, and only one, simple solution to the problems that beset our nation today and that is for each and every one who reads these articles to become saints. I once read a definition of intelligence, I cannot remember where, which defined it as the ability to separate out into categories. At first I did not understand what it meant … Read More

19 Apr 2016

Article 40 – Marriage! Church v State

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, July 2015 Two Claimants to Jurisdiction over Marriage In looking at authority, we have seen that in any given situation, or place, or time, there can be only one ultimate authority. We have also seen that a clash inevitably arises where more than one person or group claim to be that ultimate authority. We also know that in Ireland, there have been two claimants to jurisdiction concerning marriage for quite some time now, … Read More

18 Apr 2016

Article 39 – Marriage! And The Ultimate Authority

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, June 2015 There is only ever one Ultimate Authority I want to dwell a little longer on the subject of authority and to reflect briefly on the implications for the exercise of authority in Ireland that may come about as a result of the ‘Yes’ vote in the recent marriage referendum. I am speaking of authority in the sense of the power to determine, to have jurisdiction, and the right to control and … Read More

16 Apr 2016

Article 38 – Marriage! Another Prophetic Voice

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, June 2015 The Wisdom of the Foreigner As I begin this article I have before me a magazine, produced in Ireland, by an American couple who came to live here in 1979 to promote Natural Family Planning. As is sometimes the case, the eyes of the foreigner can see more clearly the blighted landscape that is no longer noticed by the native, because it has become all too familiar to him. This American … Read More

15 Apr 2016

Article 37 – Marriage! Couples Betrayed

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2015 Priests who fail to uphold Church teaching on contraception, damage Marriage Our third child was born by caesarian section in December 1992. The following year we moved from County Tipperary to a parish in Co Sligo. We got to know the parish priest quite well and on one occasion when my wife was speaking with him on the subject of marriage and children he told her that perhaps it was time … Read More

14 Apr 2016

Article 36 – A Faithful Irish Bishop Speaks

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2015 The Last Episcopal Voice in Ireland to speak out against Heretical professors In a previous article I mentioned that one of Ireland’s Archbishops, in 1970, issued a letter that was to be read out at every Mass in his diocese on account of the heretical statements made by one of the professors at Maynooth to the Irish Medical Union. This professor’s statements, contradicted Church teaching on contraception. The archbishop, who was … Read More

13 Apr 2016

Article 35 – Marriage! The Prophet Continues

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, May 2015 The Bishops did not express disapproval of Contraception Legislation We are looking at the year 1978 when the Irish Bishops issued a total of three statements, none of which expressed disapproval of proposed legislation which would make the sale and importation of contraceptives legal in Ireland for the first time. We are also looking at the comments of one prophetic professor of moral theology and canon law in regard to those … Read More

12 Apr 2016

Article 34 – Marriage! The Prophetic Voices

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2015 The Prophet is Derided in his own Country Whilst these articles deal in the main with the Catholic understanding of marriage and what has gone wrong with marriage in this country, it is impossible to deal with this subject without every so often, taking a look around at the prevailing climate of the times. In my last article I mentioned that God always sends prophetic voices amongst His people. However, more … Read More

11 Apr 2016

Article 33 – Marriage! Ireland, Stronghold of Faith?

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, April 2015 Ireland, a Jewel in the Catholic Crown? The Ireland of 1968 was a very different place from the Ireland of today in certain respects. Ireland was regarded as a stronghold of the faith, a jewel in the crown of the Church with a proud history of missionary work and evangelisation throughout Europe and beyond. This faith was reflected in our laws. Divorce was illegal, the sale and importation of contraceptives were … Read More

9 Apr 2016

Article 32 – Marriage! Humanae Vitae rejected

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2015 The Story of Humanae Vitae In returning to the Ireland of 1968 and the encyclical of Pope Paul VI, ‘Humanae Vitae’, we need to once again consider some of the history surrounding this encyclical. In 1963, Pope John XXIII, set up a commission to study the issues of birth control and population. The ‘pill’ had been approved for contraceptive use in America in 1960 and was gaining in popularity and so … Read More

8 Apr 2016

Article 31 – Marriage! The Uninterrupted Teaching

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, March 2015 Casti Connubi confirms and reaffirms the uninterrupted tradition We have seen that Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical Casti Connubi, both confirms and reaffirms the uninterrupted Christian tradition of opposition to contraception and to any use of matrimony which deliberately frustrates the natural procreative power of the marital act. That this teaching is infallible is clear from the fact that the whole of Christendom was united on this point up until … Read More

7 Apr 2016

Article 30 – Marriage! A Great Sacrament

by John Lacken | posted in: Casti Connubi, Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Encyclicals, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, February 2015 Pope Pius XI – Casti Connubi In responding not just to the Lambeth conference but to the world at large, Pope Pius XI opens the encyclical letter Casti Connubi by recalling to our minds the greatness of the sacrament of matrimony. “How great is the dignity of chaste wedlock, Venerable Brethren, may be judged best from this that Christ Our Lord, Son of the Eternal Father, having assumed the nature of … Read More

6 Apr 2016

Article 29 – Marriage! The Church Militant

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Holy Spirit, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, February 2015 Marriage – The Church Militant We are at War! We faithful living on earth are not called the ‘Church Militant’ for nothing. We are at war, and the war is for our souls and for the souls of our neighbours. We face a very powerful enemy who is of an order of creatures far superior to ourselves, gifted with incredible intelligence and cunning, who has been permitted by God to wage … Read More

5 Apr 2016

Article 28 – Marriage! Humanae Vitae

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Humanae Vitae, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland, January 2015 Marriage – Humanae Vitae Humanae Vitae did not teach anything new As stated in my last article I am now going to delve into what has become one of the most controversial topics in recent Church history, that is, the encyclical ‘Humanae Vitae’ and the after effects of its release to the world in July 1968. At the outset it is very interesting to note that ‘Humanae Vitae’ did not teach … Read More

4 Apr 2016

Article 27 Marriage – Desolation & Consolation

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae |

First Published in The Catholic Voice – December 2014 The Season of Advent As I write this article Christmas is just around the corner. During the season of advent we are encouraged to prepare for the coming of the Christ child as if He were coming for the first time. It is a time of great joy and a time particularly for thanksgiving. It is a very special time for families. It is a time for reflection on the year … Read More

1 Apr 2016

Article 26 – Marriage! The Magisterium is Infallible

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

First Published in The Catholic Voice – December 2014 Confusion about what the Church Teaches I like to talk to people about these articles and to discuss what is contained within them as it gives me greater insight into the state of both the world and the Church and it also gives me fuel for future articles. Recently I met with a young woman who had just returned from Rome where she is studying about marriage and family. I put … Read More

1 Feb 2016

Article 25 – Catholic Marriage! Why write about it?

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Wedding Anniversary in France. I have recently returned from a very enjoyable trip to France where I went for a week with my wife Naomi and our three youngest children to celebrate the twenty sixth anniversary of our marriage which was on November 12th. The day of the anniversary found us in Paray-le-Monial at the visitation chapel, where St Margaret Mary Alacoque was asked to spread devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, giving thanks to God for our … Read More

1 Feb 2016

Article 24 – Marriage & Virginity Council of Trent

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Jovinian, Doctors, Council of Trent In our last article we met up with Jovinian, the heretic from the late fourth century, who dared to equate marriage and holy virginity. We saw how three of the doctors of the Church who were alive at that time came to the defence of holy virginity and we saw how the pope of the time St Siricius excommunicated Jovinian. Another doctor of the Church St Jerome, who came after Jovinian had died, further clarified … Read More

29 Jan 2016

Article 23 – Marriage! Virginity a higher calling

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

God provides the Grace. The 2014 Synod on the Family was a very exciting event which has an important bearing on marriage as seen through the eyes of the Church’s magisterium. Several people whom I was in contact with during the synod were very worried about the possible outcomes of the synod, given that, certain seemingly heretical positions were in the ascendency and seemed to have the backing of a large number of bishops and even cardinals. My general response … Read More

28 Jan 2016

Be not troubled. Be firm in your faith.

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Saints |

In these troubled times for the Catholic Church, when many are confused and there is contradiction amongst cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laity, we do well to listen to those great Doctors of the Church who have gone before us. I have mentioned my practice of following the liturgical cycle with Dom Propser Gueranger’s ‘The Liturgical Year’. Yesterday was the feast of St John Chrysostom and Dom Gueranger gives the address that St John Chrusostom gave to the faithful under … Read More

25 Jan 2016

Article 22 – Marriage! Nothing new under the Sun

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

There is nothing new under the Sun. “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there … Read More

25 Jan 2016

Article 21 – Marriage! The Discarding of Beauty

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Beauty Discarded. Imagine, if you will, that you are walking by your nearest town hall. You notice a skip outside the town hall and a wooden frame protruding from the skip. On closer inspection, you find that a masterpiece painted by the artist Rembrandt, which used to hang in the main reception area of the town hall, has been thrown out. In disbelief you enter the town hall to find that the masterpiece has been replaced by a modern art … Read More

22 Jan 2016

Article 20 – Marriage and Holiness

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

True Devotions. This series of articles began with a look at the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and its basis in Sacred Scripture. For the past month or so, in conjunction with a new Apostolate called ‘True Devotions’, we have been looking at the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and also at the life of St Thérèse and of her family. I would like to talk a little more about family life and prayer before returning to Catholic … Read More

22 Jan 2016

Article 19 – Marriage! The Martin Family

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Martin Family. In the last article I introduced my newly found devotion to St Thérèse of Lisieux, and one comment I received was that whilst it was a good article, it did not say much about family life and prayer. I responded that, patience is a virtue, and that the article was going to be written in two parts the second of which would look at the family life of the Martins. Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin had nine … Read More

21 Jan 2016

Article – 18 Marriage! – St Thérèse

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Falling in Love with St Thérèse. Today I have a confession to make. In July I made my annual five day silent Ignatian retreat with the monks of St Joseph’s Abbey from Flavigny in France. The retreat was held in the Ards Friary retreat centre in north Donegal and, as I told my wife on my return, I met a beautiful woman there and I fell in love with her. No it wasn’t Our Lady! It was St Thérèse of … Read More

21 Jan 2016

Come away and rest awhile!

by John Lacken | posted in: Family, General |

Last week, I had the great grace of making a private retreat in St Joseph de Claival Abbey in France where my spiritual director, a benedictine monk, resides. I had the good fortune to attend Latin Mass every day and to sit in the choir loft for many of the daily Divine offices of the Community which are sung in Latin in the Traditional Gregorian chant. I arrived home to a family ravaged by a severe bout of winter flu … Read More

8 Jan 2016

Article 17 – Sacred Heart Promises cont’d

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Eight Promise – “Fervent Souls shall speedily rise to great perfection” In St Matthew we are told “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) We know that of ourselves we can do nothing, let alone become perfect, and yet Christ desires this perfection of us so that we can enter into Heaven where nothing imperfect may enter. Christ saves sinners first by bringing them to repentance … Read More

8 Jan 2016

Article 16 – Sacred Heart Promises cont’d..

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Peace for Families In the previous article we covered the first two of the twelve promises normally associated with the Sacred Heart Devotion as given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque. I also recommended this devotion to families, particularly on account of the second promise which promises peace to the families of those who practice this devotion. In our own family we have found that the practice of a particular devotion provides a … Read More

22 Dec 2015

Article 15 – Sacred Heart Promises

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart Ancient Devotion Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is best known to us today as it was revealed to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in the Convent of the Visitation Sisters at Paray-le-Monial in France, from 1671 until her death in 1690. As we have seen in previous articles, this was not a new devotion as it had been practised by St Gertrude and St Mechtilde in the late thirteenth century. I … Read More

22 Dec 2015

Article 14 – Marriage! The Sacred Heart

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Family Prayer and Devotion – The Sacred Heart. It’s not easy to be Catholic. It has never been easy to live life as a Catholic and this is still true today, especially in Ireland, where hostility to the Catholic Faith seems to have reached an all time high amongst the Irish and the faith is regularly derided by those who do not believe and is often poorly presented or distorted by those who do believe in order not to cause … Read More

21 Dec 2015

Article 13 – Marriage! Sacred Heart

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage a gift from God – Family Prayer and Devotion. The Essential Nature of Marriage. Through Sacred Scripture we discovered the essential nature of marriage. Children are the primary end of marriage therefore; marriage must always remain open to life; marriage can only be between one man and one woman; marriage is for life; marriage is indissoluble; those who wish to marry must be free to marry and the consent given to marry must be given freely. We discovered Christ’s … Read More

21 Dec 2015

Article 12 – Marriage! St Paul again

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Husbands, Love your Wives. We now return to St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he addresses husbands and wives. This time we will look first to what St Paul says to the husbands. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot … Read More

18 Dec 2015

Article 11 – Marriage! A Clarification and some musings

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae |

A Clarification regarding Separation. Before continuing with St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians I would like to make a little clarification based on some recent feedback I received on one of these articles. Indeed I welcome any and all feedback that readers may have and I have included an e-mail address (john@truedevotions.ie) where I may be contacted, or if you you would prefer to send a letter to me my address is, 21 Glenbrook, Knock Claremorris, Co Mayo F12 NW20. … Read More

17 Dec 2015

Article 10 – Marriage! According to St Paul

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae |

St Paul on Marriage St Paul has a lot to say to husbands and wives throughout his writings. Much of what St Paul says in this regard is seen as being contentious in our day. St Paul speaks plainly and very bluntly. He doesn’t beat around the bush but is very direct is what he has to say. St Paul is often accused of being misogynistic on account of what he says concerning women. “Let women keep silence in the … Read More

16 Dec 2015

Updating Blog, Shop and Site

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, General, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Here in Ireland, I write a column on marriage for a Catholic fortnightly paper called ‘The Catholic Voice’. I am hoping to make all of these articles available on the website and I managed to post another three today. You can download those posted so far in .pdf format from the ‘marriage articles’ link at the top of the page. I have also managed to put a few more sacred art pictures up for sale. These are available as photographic … Read More

16 Dec 2015

Article 9 – Marriage! The Salvation of Souls

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

The Call to be Faithful The two previous articles in this series explored two extraordinary wives, Blessed Elisabeth Canori Mora and the Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur, who loved their husbands despite all the odds, and who, through their heroic sacrifices, obtained the conversion of these men both of whom ended their lives as priests of the Holy Catholic Church. Just imagine for a moment how the lives of these four spouses would have turned out if these two wives … Read More

16 Dec 2015

Article 8 – Another Difficult Marriage

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Elisabeth Leseur Another more recent example of a wife obtaining the great fruits promised by St Peter is the story of the servant of God, Elisabeth Leseur, who was born into a well to do family in Paris in 1866. She was fervent in the practice of her faith as a child and was very well educated. She married Felix Leseur on July 31st 1889. Felix was brought up a good Catholic and qualified in medicine in Paris. However his … Read More

16 Dec 2015

Article 7 – The Difficult Marriage

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage, Family, The Legion of the Holy Family |

Marriage a gift from God The Difficult Marriage – following St Peter’s advice: “In like manner also let wives be subject to their husbands: that if any believe not the word, they may be won without the word, by the conversation of the wives”. (1 Peter 3:1) Blessed Elisabeth Canori Mora was beatified alongside Saint Gianna Molla and Blessed Isidore Bakanja by Pope John Paul II on 24th April 1994. At her beatification Pope John Paul II said; “For her … Read More

9 Dec 2015

Shop going on-line Thursday 10th December 2015

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

I haven’t been updating the blog in recent months as I have been working away in the background to get the shop up and running. My computer skills are good, but I have never put a shop online before and so I have had to learn the basics. I had to close the retail shop in Knock due to the seasonal nature of the pilgrimage season but I will be offering a small but growing range of Catholic Art prints … Read More

26 Nov 2015

Legio Sanctae Familiae

by John Lacken | posted in: Family, Legio Sanctae Familiae, The Legion of the Holy Family |

On Saturday 21st November 2015, I delivered a talk at a Catholic family conference in Limerick, Ireland hosted by ‘The Catholic Voice’ and ‘The Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. The talk was titled ‘ Catholic Families will save the world and I used this talk to formally launch ‘Legio Sanctae Familiae’ – ‘The Legion of the Holy Family’. The idea of this Legion is to form an army of Catholic Families who, under the headship of husbands and … Read More

31 May 2015

Trinity Sunday – The Athanasian Symbol

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit |

Today is Trinity Sunday. As a Benedictine Oblate I recite the office of Lauds first thing in the morning. Today in the Benedictine Office the ‘Athanasian Symbol’ or ‘Athanasian Creed’ is recited. Whilst scholars do not now believe that this creed was written by St Athanasius it is nonetheless an approved creed of the Catholic Church. No harm to recite it today in Ireland given the recent apostate result of our referendum on same sex relationships. Whoever desires to … Read More

30 May 2015

Article 6 – Marriage and St Peter

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage |

Marriage a gift from God – The Church’s Understanding through Scripture This article was first published in The Catholic Voice in March 2014 St Peter on Marriage We have seen that Dei Verbum says “the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words.”. With this in mind let us have a … Read More

23 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 9

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Ninth Day: Transfiguration and Ascension of Our Lord, and the Manifestations of the Holy Ghost. Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – continence and chastity … Read More

22 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 8

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Eight Day: Descent of the Holy Ghost upon Jesus at the Jordan Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – continence and chastity Our Father… Hail … Read More

21 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 7

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Seventh Day: Descent of the Holy Ghost upon Mary at the Annunciation Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – continence and chastity Our Father… Hail … Read More

20 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 6

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Sixth Day: Fruits of Continence and Chastity Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – continence and chastity Our Father… Hail Mary… Most holy, most divine … Read More

19 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 5

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Fifth Day: Fruits of Faith and Modesty Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – faith and modesty. Our Father… Hail Mary… O eternal Father, how … Read More

18 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 4

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Fourth Day: Fruits of Benignity and Goodness Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – peace and patience. Our Father… Hail Mary… Most holy prince of … Read More

17 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 3

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

Third Day: Fruits of Long-Suffering and Mildness – Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – peace and patience. Our Father… Hail Mary… O blessed and … Read More

16 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 2

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

Second Day: Fruits of Peace and Patience. – Hymn: – Veni Creator – Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – peace and patience. Our Father… Hail Mary… O sweetest and … Read More

15 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost – Day 1

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

First Day: Fruits of Charity and Joy. – Hymn: Veni, Creator Spiritus Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity, and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the Holy Ghost – charity and joy. Our Father… Hail Mary… O most holy … Read More

15 May 2015

Novena to the Holy Ghost

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Novena |

On the 9th of May 1897, Pope Leo XIII wrote the encyclical ‘Divinum Illud Mundum’ on the Holy Spirit. In it he decreed the following “Wherefore, We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church,this year and in every subsequent year, a Novena shall take place before Whit-Sunday, in all parish churches, and also, if the local Ordinaries think fit, in other churches and oratories.” With this in mind I am going to put a Novena to the Holy … Read More

8 May 2015

Marriage Article 5

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

This article was first published in February 2014. It looks at Dei Verbum in the light of St Paul’s sometimes difficult teachings on Marriage. It is available to download as a pdf from the Marriage Articles page. Marriage a gift from God – The Church’s Understanding through Scripture Marriage in Scripture Christ, in the Gospels, laid down the essential foundations for marriage without which marriages cannot validly take place. Marriage must be between one man and one woman, they must … Read More

27 Apr 2015

Marriage Article 4

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

This article was first published in January 2014 and continues to look at the Catholic understanding of Marriage through Sacred Scripture. This article can be downloaded from the Marriage Articles Section Marriage a gift from God – The Church’s Understanding through Scripture We have seen how Christ dispensed with the concession permitting divorce which was given by Moses. We also know that Moses gave this concession on account of the hardness of men’s hearts. Does this mean that with … Read More

27 Apr 2015

The Shop in Knock – The Blessing

by John Lacken | posted in: General, Shop, True Devotions |

Finally I have a little time to update the blog. I have been operating a little shop near the Catholic Shrine in Knock since last August. Initially I was located in a temporary premises a little bit away from the actual shrine and it was clear to me that not many people passed this way. Fortunately, since November last year, I have relocated to another premises which is across the road from the original parish church of St John the … Read More

10 Apr 2015

Marriage Article 3

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

This article was first published in January 2014 and it looks at what is essential for a valid marriage through the eyes of Scripture. Marriage a gift from God – The Church’s Understanding through Scripture Christ nullified the concession of Moses So far, we have seen that a false notion of marriage has become prevalent throughout western society even amongst Catholics. We have seen in the Gospels how Jesus, in both Matthew 5:31-32 and in Luke 16:18, nullified the concession, … Read More

3 Apr 2015

Marriage – Article 2

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Catholic Marriage |

This article was first published in ‘The Catholic Voice’, Ireland in December 2013 It is available for download through the Marriage Article link at the top of the page Marriage, a gift from God – the Church’s Understanding through Scripture Notion of Marriage Undermined In the first article I noted that western civilisation has collapsed due in no small part to the ongoing collapse of marriage. The traditional understanding of marriage has been seriously undermined in our society to such … Read More

27 Mar 2015

St John Damascene

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

Today is the Feast of St John Damascene who lived in the seventh century. I was interested to find out that St John was a great defender of the use of religious icons and images against the iconoclasts. Given that I reproduce Sacred Art I might consider adopting him as one of my patrons.

27 Mar 2015

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Church, Our Lady |

Two of my sons were confirmed in Gricigliano in Florence, Italy, at the seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign priest in March of 2012. There were eight of us there, my wife and I and six of our eight children. One day, in order to give my wife a break, I went out for a drive with the six children in the countryside around Florence. We came across what looked like a little forest park trail and … Read More

25 Mar 2015

Marriage – Article 1

by John Lacken | posted in: Catholic Marriage |

Marriage – A Gift from God Marriage is one of the greatest gifts that God has given to mankind. It is a sublime vocation ordered to love and crowned with the beauty and glory of children. It is the foundation stone, designated by God, on which society must be built. Yet today, in the western world in particular, marriage is in grave difficulty. The number of couples divorcing or separating is on the increase. The number of young people who … Read More

24 Mar 2015

The beginning

by John Lacken | posted in: General |

Greetings from the Shrine of Our Lady in Knock, Co Mayo, Ireland I began this first attempt at a blog and website on March 19th the Feast of St Joseph and today I am publishing my first blog post. True Devotions is a Catholic Apostolate which aims to promote the traditional Catholic devotions beginning with the Sacred Heart, Our Lady Help of Christians and St Thérèse of Lisieux. I hope to develop a page which will concentrate on particular devotions … Read More

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