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Can a prayer be inspired by a battle? Pope Leo XIII wrote the Saint Michael prayer in 1884, after seeing a frightening vision: evil spirits, trying to fulfill Satan’s boast to destroy our Lord’s Church within a century, were engaging in fierce attacks against it. Although the Pontiff also saw St. Michael casting Satan and his demons back into Hell in his vision, he was so horrified by what he had seen he felt compelled to help defend our faith in this struggle. In the Saint Michael pray …

Origin of the Medal of Saint Benedict / From the HouseTops feature story of the Life of Saint Benedict For the early Christians, the cross was a favorite symbol and badge of their faith in Christ. From the writings of St. Gregory the Great (540-604), we know that St. Benedict had a deep faith in the Cross and worked miracles with the sign of the cross. This faith in, and special devotion to, the Cross was passed on to succeeding generations of Benedictines. Devotion to the Cross of Chris …

The name Saint Anthony is familiar to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. This familiarity, for many of his patrons, seems only to go as far as the “patron saint of lost articles.” Here, however, we wish to share the story of his power over Satan through a custom that began two hundred years after the saint’s death.A certain woman who lived in a small village in Portugal was guilty of many sins of immorality and was tempted to commit suicide. She also suffered from terrible convulsions which …

“From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.” When we read this quote from Saint Teresa of Avila, we should be reminded of the importance of holy water. We Catholics dip our fingers in holy water and make the Sign of the Cro …

The faithful renew their Baptismal Vows every year during the Easter Vigil Mass. It is a powerful experience and an important one. Many of us were baptized as infants with sponsors who answered for us. Thanks to the grace of that baptism, we were blessed to (hopefully) grow in our knowledge and love of our Faith. However, it is important that we personally recite the Vows of Baptism at least once a year. This is part of the Easter Vigil liturgy, but can also be done privately or as a family. …