Blog Posts

PENTECOST NOVENA

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“The Pentecost Novena is the first of all novenas, nine days of prayer. After Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, He commanded His disciples to come together in the upper room to devote themselves to constant prayer (Acts 1:14). They prayed for nine days before receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.”

On May 9, 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed: “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 (Pentecost), in all parish churches.” (Encyclical Pope Leo XIII On the Holy Spirit, DIVINUM ILLUD MUNUS )

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR

DAY FIVE

DAY SIX

DAY SEVEN

DAY EIGHT

DAY NINE

 

A BROTHERHOOD BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER

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8th Anniversary of Croatian Men’s Breakfast

How great and good is our God! Who would have thought or believed that from mere humble beginnings such an abundance of good fruit would come from our monthly Croatian Men’s Group? What an honour it has been to watch this unfold, to meet amazing people, to see the hand of God working in people’s lives and to help others along the way.

It all began in early 2015 when the Knights decided to host monthly men’s breakfast’s aimed at bringing like-minded men together to develop friendships, grow in their Catholic faith and in turn create a positive impact in our families and society. This idea came to fruition in April of that same year, with the first meeting held in Zoki’s home. Subsequent meetings centred on a particular theme would then be held every last Sunday of each month. Starting off with breakfast together (the chef was really good back then) and prayer, we listened to inspirational talks and then held a group discussion. We had a collection every month where proceeds went to apostolic works and were distributed to those in dire need. After the meeting concluded with prayer, we would then leave to go to Sunday Holy Mass with our families in our own parishes.

1st Men’s Breakfast Flyer April 2015

The topic of that very first meeting was ‘Integrity’. At our second meeting, we raised $1,200 which went towards buying a cow for a very poor family in Croatia. This was one of the more memorable families that we have helped along the way. The theme of virtues then continued for almost another 3 years, well into 2018. We were averaging about 15 men per breakfast for those first fledgling years.

The year 2016 saw technology make its way into the group with the establishment of the first Whatsapp group to share information, prayers, good articles and inspirational stories. With a steady number of attendees, the time was ripe for making a change that would usher in the next step of growth for the group . After much prayer and discernment, it was decided to move the breakfast from “Zoki’s place” and bring it to the Croatian Church at Blacktown – “Fra Josip’s place”. The first meeting at the church was in Sept 2017. The number of attendees grew gradually over the next couple of years.

 

First Men’s Breakfast at Croatian Church Hall Blacktown – Sept 2017
Men’s Breakfast April 2018
Men’s Breakfast Aug 2018 – World Cup
Men’s Breakfast Christmas 2018

In the latter part of 2018, the Knights conceived another plan and brought their idea to the men attending the breakfast. The notion was put forward to the men that we hold a Croatian Men’s Conference, the first of its kind. The consensus was unanimous and the planning began for the first conference which was held in April 2019. This conference was clearly blessed by the Lord and each subsequent conference continues to be a source of much grace – we recently attended the fifth such conference – MC2023 “All in for Jesus”.

5th National Croatian Men’s Conference – Closing Mass

Since the advent of Croatian Men’s Conference, the number of people attending the breakfast has doubled. Men of all ages have been set on fire for the Lord and there was a lot of buzz going around about the gatherings. How great it was to have Our Lord in the centre of all our actions! The breakfast meeting room was getting too small so the group moved to the larger hall. Later that year we hosted special guests, notably General Glasnovic in October and some Vukovarski branitelji in November.

When the lock-downs hit, we did not allow them to stop us. We had to move three of our meetings to Zoom, which was somewhat unfortunate, but that quickly ended and we continued having our meetings in person. Before you knew it, it was 2020 and another great year was to be had. We launched the first Croatian Men’s EXODUS 90 initiative from 15 May 2020 – 13 Aug 2020, another blessing which has continued as a Lenten program each year since.

As a group, we consecrated ourselves to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in August 2020. We also launched the ‘Soldier of Christ Award’ and called for nominations for men who were living in Christ’s likeness. Svetko was our first recipient in 2020 for his gentleness and the inspirational manner in which he carries himself, followed in 2021 by father and son duo, Josip & Marko Furjanic, for their service to our Croatian Catholic Centre, and finally to Eddie Borovnjak in 2022, for always putting others first, especially in the final moments of his life on earth before he made his way towards Heaven. May he rest in eternal peace.

Into the Breach Program Jan 2021 – Jan 2022

In January 2021 we launched the ‘Into the Breach – Knights of Colombus’ program which concluded in January 2022. In the September meeting, a picture was shown of men in Poland praying the rosary on their knees in public. Many posed the question – why don’t we do something similar?

The picture of Polish Men praying Rosary in Public on their knees that inspired us.

The planning began and on Saturday 18th December 2021 the first Men’s Rosary Crusade was held outside of St Mary’s Cathedral. This prayer campaign has now continued to be held on the first Saturday of every month and the attendance numbers have been rising dramatically, with the largest one seeing approximately 400 men praying in formation on their knees. We had the joy of our Lord showering his blessings upon us with such great force that there was a torrential downpour that lasted the whole hour. The rain was so heavy at times that you could not hear the man next to you praying. The video of that day went viral around the world and inspired many more men to join us since.

2022 was a year of growth and further formation. The Rosary Crusade continued to flourish and the Men’s Breakfasts were seeing new members coming in, old and young alike. We had a memorable start with Charbel Raish as a guest speaker in Jan 2023 , and in Feb 2023 Father Damonn Sypher spoke on the theme ‘Carrying our Cross with Christ’. The funds raised from that day were to help a needy family in Croatia, Obitelj Krznarevic, and we managed to raise $2,105 at the breakfast. In addition, further donations were received after the breakfast, with the total raised AUD $4,025. This was sent directly to assist the family. At the time of writing this article, we humbly announce that we just received an anonymous donation in the amount of $10,000 which will also be sent to Obitelj Krznarevic and will assist them more than we could ever imagine.

This is the true meaning of what it means to be growing closer to Christ. It means nourishing ourselves with the Word of God, growing in our faith, being leaders in our communities, sharing with others what it means to be a man of God, and living this example in our daily lives. Helping others in whatever way we can, giving to the needy and poor, and providing spiritual guidance to all are also important elements of our witness as Catholic men. We do this not of ourselves, or for our own glory, but with the humility and docility that allow the Holy Spirit to work within us, for the love of God and the intention of both the material and spiritual good of our neighbour. Our Lord taught us that “where two or three are gathered together for my sake, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt 18: 20) – as a group with Christ at our centre, anything is possible and indeed, hope lives and miracles do happen. We just need to be open, trusting and willing. All we need is to say ‘yes’ when God calls us.

All praise and glory to God for our Men’s groups – see you at the next one!

Check out our Events Calendar to see details of the upcoming Men’s Events.

Bog i Hrvati

CROATIAN MEN’S CONFERENCE – ‘ALL IN FOR JESUS’

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Mieles Christi 2023

Like many men, I was reluctant to attend my first annual Croatian Men’s Conference. I’m a busy husband and father, with many conflicting priorities to juggle each weekend. Attending a 2.5 day weekend retreat with a group of Catholic men was very low on my list of priorities in life. After a lot of mental debate and discussion with my wife about managing the kids activities, I decided to make it work and attend. It was clearly the correct decision and 2023 marks my 4th annual attendance.

The Benedict XVI Retreat Centre is an awesome place to experience the tranquility of nature and a contrast to what our lives generally contain. Despite an extensive conference program on offer, spending time away from the pressures of our daily lives in a place where mobile reception is limited provides for a priceless recharge from the usual weekend.

This year’s theme was ‘All in for Jesus’. This sounds quite intimidating and is a statement that many of us struggle to get our heads around, with initial thoughts being ‘Isn’t that what the life of a priest is?’ Through the many different talks we had the privilege of listening to, it became apparent that being ‘All in for Jesus’ is something that all men are called to do. Being a men’s conference we learned that being “All in for Jesus” is a way of life that men cannot strive to achieve on their own – we need our fellow brothers to support us on our journey toward this end goal.

Check-in commenced at 17:00, and gave us an opportunity to catch up with old friends from previous conferences as well as to meet some new faces from outside our local parishes and groups. This year we were blessed with a group from Victoria, a man from Adelaide, as well as 5 men from outside the Croatian community.

Rob Zrilic again did a great job of MC’ing, and got the conference off to a fun start with an interesting ice breaker. Our first speaker for the conference was Dr Andrew Wood, who I think is the most intelligent man I’ve ever come across. He spoke to us on the topic ‘What a man is called to’, and went into depth about ‘what is God’s plan for me’. Dr Wood explained to us that we were made for eternal life, and provided us with a number of tools to include in our daily lives to help us achieve God’s plan for us. Dr Wood has a special way of articulating the Catholic faith, and one line in his presentation that had a deep impact on me and many other men was “life is a waste of time if we don’t get to heaven”. For me, this set the theme for the rest of the weekend, as I wanted to know more about ensuring my life is not a waste of time.

Day 2 started with a group rosary, prayer and Mass. This was followed by a great breakfast, which filled us all up for the big program ahead. If anyone is unsure about attending the conference due to not being fed physically you have nothing to be concerned about. We had an awesome menu across the weekend, and our stomachs were adequately filled to ensure we had energy for the days ahead.

Jakov Perisa presented the topic “You were made to hear his voice”. I always enjoy listening to Jakov who poses challenging questions to us men about how we live our lives. Jakov talked about how to hear God’s voice in our lives, and discerning between the different voices we hear in our heads. Jakov also gave us some important “governing principals” for living our lives as men of God.

The next speaker for the day was Marinko Crnjac, who gave a powerful testimony on the story of his life and his conversion to the faith. I won’t say much about his story, but it had a deep impact on many of the men in attendance. I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with Marinko at the end of the conference and it was a conversation I will never forget. The testimonies delivered at the conference each year are an important part of the program and show the importance of opening up and sharing our stories with one another as we strive together to build our fraternity of men in our community.

Next up was Mijo Ticinovic. Mijo has a unique style of presenting and his talks go straight to the heart. Like Jakov, Mijo poses many powerful questions to get us men to think about where we are at in our various relationships – with God, our families and our jobs. This year Mijo focused on distractions in our relationships, in particular our relationship with God. Mijo talked about how distractions are like idols, and that as men we fill our lives with these and we don’t know how to rest. Mijo also gave us a great acronym for BUSY – Be Under Satan’s Yoke, which is quite accurate when you break down what we busy ourselves with.

Saturday afternoon saw us have a couple of hours of free time, in which men could look to Fr Davor for some spiritual guidance or further build the fraternity among the men through socialising. It’s a great opportunity to get to know the men we meet across the weekend. Being the Feast of the Annunciation, it gave the Exodus90 men an opportunity to break from their fasting and enjoy a small treat to celebrate the feast day.

In between the presentations we broke out into small groups to give the men an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings on the topics that were presented. It’s an important part of the weekend, as different men form a different understanding of the talks and working through some of their challenges with other like-minded men in small groups is an important part of their spiritual growth and development. For me, it’s a highlight of the weekend, and these small groups can form strong bonds that are taken away from the weekend and can turn into lasting friendships.

Our late afternoon presentation was from Jakov again on the topic of ‘Are you in or out or sitting on the bench’. It was a fascinating talk about being an authentic Catholic man in the world. Jakov used many football analogies which made it easy for Croatian men to understand. My summary of the talk was that we cannot be lukewarm with our faith, and Jakov posed 7 challenges for us men as take-aways from the conference. These included ‘must carry his cross and face persecution’, ‘must make Jesus known to others’, ‘must spend time with Jesus’ and ‘must strive to live an authentic Catholic life’. It posed some good questions to me that I am working on implementing in my life.

Our next speaker was Fr Greg Morgan, who talked about what it means to be all in for Jesus as a man living today. Like the other speakers, Fr Greg posed some challenging points to us men in how we live our faith in the world – “let God’s work continue to be done through you – live your vocation” and “we fail in our vocation when we put other things in front of our vocation”. As a husband and father, I have seen how I struggle with this vocation when I put other things in front of what I am called to put first. Fr Greg has an amazing way of getting us to think about how we live our lives and how to live them better to fulfil our vocation. With the many distractions and mental storms in our lives, Fr Greg said that what God calls you to be will give you peace. Fr Greg finished with a fantastic Q and A, and there were many challenging questions posed during Q and A. A great session.

Saturday night is always a beautiful night where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and reconciliation is offered (and the take up on this opportunity is very big). It is the pinnacle and summit of the weekend. It is a night where men, some for the first time in years, have allowed themselves to hear the Lord speak to them and they are moved to a thorough reconciliation or a deep conversation with the Lord in adoration. I have heard many moving experiences over the years and it brings great joy to the whole group to see the change in some of the men from this experience.

The evening is also a great time for getting to know our brothers even better, and some great conversations were had and friendships formed. Even with the curfew we had a wonderful night of discussion and laughter.

Sunday morning is where the conference organisers wrap up what we have been through and give us some useful information to help us continue on our spiritual journey. Ivica Kovac gave us an overview of the wonderful work he is undertaking in the Men’s Ministry within the Archdiocese of Sydney and how we can “tap in” to the numerous resources available to continue on from what we have learned at the conference.

The penultimate highlight for weekend was the concluding Mass celebrated by Fr Davor. We started with a procession into the Church with incense, candles, the Croatian Men’s Cross, Banner of Christ the King and many other banners. Fr Davor gave us another great homily to wrap up the weekend, and the men’s Masses are always made special through the sound of a church full of men praying and singing together – something truly amazing.

Overall, the weekend was outstanding! I highly recommend this conference to any man who wants to grow in his faith and discern what God’s plan is for him. If you have concerns about anything I’m sure the event organisers or your mates can put them at ease. There are a large supply of ear plugs available (to block out the snorers), plenty of food, coffee and water throughout the weekend to keep you fed, hydrated and awake. Single rooms are also available if you don’t wish to share with anyone.

Bog i Hrvati
Steve F

Some Feedback from Men that Attended

Really enjoyed my first conference. The pace was outlined really well. The sessions were valuable and provided insight to areas that helped close out open end questions and have key take away’s from the event.

 

Helpful & beneficial, I firmly believe that all Croatian men, young and old should attend. My experience while I know people I was somewhat shy. Yet my group helped me open up and I loved it, great people & I’ve benefited. God Bless.

 

Thanks for a great weekend mate. I really enjoyed it. A great bunch of blokes all fighting their own battles in life but with the same eye on the one prize. God bless

 

Praise God for the beautiful weekend, all the talks were amazing. Father Greg’s talk is what hit home with me. I had a thought and it was to have all the talks recorded so we can have the opportunity to listen to again with our family/ wife’s at home. 

 

God bless you and the work you do. Thanks be to God for people like you in this world. I have enjoyed this weekend.

 

Keep it up. Speakers are awesome. Confession is awesome.

CONSECRATION to JESUS through MARY

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The Knights of the Precious Blood are inviting you to join us in making the Consecration to Jesus through Mary according to St. Louis de Montfort. This has been an annual tradition for us since our first Croatian Men’s conference back in 2019 where a good number of the men who participated, consecrated themselves at our first Men’s Mass “Feast of Our Lady of Fatima” on the 13th of May, 2019.

Total Consecration Group – First Men’s Mass May 2019

Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary has been recommended by saints to all the recent Popes. From his earliest years, our late, great Holy Father – Saint John Paul II – had consecrated himself to the Blessed Virgin Mary (thus his motto, “Totus Tuus”). This consecration is extremely powerful.

You are invited in these difficult times for our families, our country, and our world to heed the requests of Our Lady at Fatima, the Saints and recent Popes, and to join the Blessed Virgin Mary’s army to help crush the head of the serpent. You are asked to make the very powerful act of Total Consecration, and to live it out in your daily life. Consecration is simply making a gift of yourself entirely to God (to Jesus through Mary) in which you surrender to Them so that They can work in and through you. They will guide you in your daily life and give you the graces to carry out what They plan for you. Those of us already living the consecration can give witness to Their wonderful Hand in our daily affairs and it is wonderful to renew your commitment to Jesus through Our Lady every year.

The St. Louis de Montfort’s form of preparation for consecration is a beautiful way to do this seriously. The preparation is a simple series of spiritual exercises that goes for 33 consecutive days, each day representing one year in the life of Jesus. For us it will commence on the 10th of April ending on the 12th of May. Our next Men’s Mass will also be on Friday 12th of May which is also the feast of a great Croatian Saint – Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic and just before the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday 13th May.

To access the daily readings and prayers for this powerful consecration in online digital format please use link below.

Daily readings and prayers

To download in PDF format see below.

Total Consecration

 

Bog i Hrvati

To Jesus through Mary

CROATIAN PILGRIMAGE CRUISE 2023

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A few months ago, the Knights of the Precious Blood gathered a few men in our catholic church along with our parish Priest, an idea was born to unite our community in a different way, to bring men and their families closer to Christ, closer to our church. And it did not take long for the idea to manifest into what was soon to become a huge success, an annual event that will continue to grow. 

Photo: Pilgrimage Cruise committee led by Parish priest Fra Davor from Croatian Catholic Centre at Summer Hill

The first annual Croatian Catholic Pilgrimage Cruise was held on Saturday 11th February 2023. In total over 120 cars and motorbikes were registered, with over 270 pilgrims in attendance. All funds raised on the day are going to a Catholic charity in Croatia ‘Kap Dobrote’ (Drop of Goodness) to assist in helping the most needy people in one of our homelands, Croatia. Whilst majority of the cars were exotic in nature, ‘muscle cars’ and Harley Davidsons, there were also people with the everyday family cars too. All age groups, some travelling on their own and others with their whole family, the youngest being 5 months old in a baby seat inside his parent’s muscle car.

Photo: One of many muscle cars that lined the streets (proudly owned by Tony & Ruza)

The cruise commenced at the Croatian Catholic Centre at Blacktown where the pilgrims were given a wonderful Blessing by two of our priests, Fra Davor and Fra Ivica. There was merchandise available to purchase and a coffee cart to satisfy the morning urge. A quick briefing followed and then we were off. A parade of cars and bikes rolled down the highway towards the first stop, the town of Wilton. We were welcomed by the locals and we had the opportunity to meet them, get a taste of their coffee and sandwiches and catch up with others in good conversation. It was also the meeting point for the pilgrims coming from Canberra who joined us from this point on wards.

Photo: A large display of cars and motorbikes awaiting the blessing from the Priests

After a good hour and half coffee rest break, we commenced the final leg to the Croatian Catholic Church at Figtree. The locals at this parish welcomed us with open arms. Mass was held in full attendance, filling the church to the brim. But what followed Mass was something extremely beautiful, never seen before, in my time anyway. In the hot sun, about 32 degrees at that point, a large procession began from within the church to the carpark outside where all the cars and bikes were parked. Every pilgrim stood next to their car/bike as the priest walked around blessing every single vehicle and person whilst the pilgrims prayed. It was an unbelievable experience, a true sight to behold. Some of these men have not been to Mass for a very long time and now felt a sense of belonging. As quoted by one of the men “I have met up with people I haven’t seen for over 30 years. I grew up with them and I really don’t know how it came, but I left the church. I have missed out on so much”. Others were quoted to have said ‘’The is the first time we have had our car blessed’’.

Photo: Procession from the church to the carpark to Bless all the people with the cars/motorbikes
Photo: Blessing led by Fra Davor and Fra Ivo from the Croatian Catholic communities of Sydney and Wollongong

In usual Croatian style, a feast was put on in the community hall which gave everyone an opportunity to refuel their bodies – the cars already used quite a bit of fuel along the way, and a good time to catch up with more people, meet some new folks and share our faith with each other. The Holy Spirit was truly there, and it could be seen on the faces of every pilgrim that attended. The feedback was phenomenal and the questions were soon flying in – when is the next one going to be held? God willing, this will now be held annually on the 2nd Saturday of February and we will envisage spreading the word around to other parishes. It will take us where the Holy Spirit desires to take us and to where God wills us.

Photo: Generous banquet lunch hosted by the Croatian Catholic Centre in Figtree

 

 

KNIGHTS OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD – SOLDIER OF CHRIST AWARD – 2022

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One of our annual Knights traditions is to present one of our members with our Soldier of Christ award at the end of the year. On Sunday 4th Dec 2022, at our last Men’s Breakfast for the year, Eddy Borovnjak was posthumously nominated as our Soldier of Christ for 2022.

Eddy was an exemplary witness of the Gospel, living every moment as a true Soldier of Christ. He really did suit himself up in the armour of God – speaking truth readily, maintaining the spirit of peace, and using the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (cp. Ephesians 6:10-18) to dispel the darkness in this world. He took a firm stand against the devil’s schemes by taking every effort to pray for souls, to seek those who were in danger, trying to lead them back to Christ by way of handing out miraculous medals and rosaries, and by evangelising in his own joyful, genuine manner. He welcomed everybody without judgement, recognising that our enemy is not each other but the spirit of evil that seeks to enslave us all, that makes men fall in their weakness. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. He used his words to uplift, to encourage, to evangelise.

More so than his words, the way Eddy lived his life spoke volumes about the love and abundant mercy of God, and this was never more evident than during the most difficult times in his sickness. Eddy lived a joyful life, even in adversity. He would never complain about anyone or anything and never displayed any anger or hatred. His face belied his discomfort or pain because he always smiled and sought to comfort and uplift those around him instead of focusing on himself. He was always in good spirits, positive and joyful. One always left his presence feeling humbled by the blessings of peace and joy he brought.
Eddy made every person he met feel ‘seen’ and valued. He listened with compassion to the pain others bore and did his best both materially and spiritually to help alleviate others’ burdens. He would give away his own blankets and would collect food and clothing to distribute to the poor in his area, who he would visit often with his mother or with the Legion of Mary chapter that he had joined, providing them with their physical needs but also with the love and company that many were starved of. He offered numerous Masses and prayers for a wide variety of souls he came across, many having no idea he had taken them under his wing spiritually.

Eddy’s trust in the Lord was inspiring and he was totally accepting of God’s will. We recall him saying that regardless if God wanted to heal him or to call him home, he was at peace with whatever the Lord decided. And the truth of his statement was confirmed by his demeanor and his voice – he truly was totally at peace in accepting God’s will, even if this meant being separated from the family he loved so dearly here on earth, particularly his three boys who really were the apples of his eye. He relished his times fishing with them, or spending times enjoying the outdoors with them and the joy they brought him was clear to all who knew him. In turn, it was clear the boys loved and respected their father and enjoyed their precious time together. Their relationship with one another was a vignette of unconditional love.

As with any good soldier, nothing stopped Eddy from continuing in his prayer and faith life. Eddy would come to the Men’s Rosary Crusades even whilst undergoing his cancer treatment. Not only would he participate, but he would take videos and compile some amazing promo videos for the Men’s Rosary Crusade. One of his other goals was to complete writing his book, only if God willed it of course. He was tireless in his efforts to complete this task, even in the hardest times. He credits this to a great devotion to Our Lady and to the Rosary.

The Soldier of Christ award was presented to Eddy’s mother on the feast day of the Holy Innocents on Wednesday 28th Dec 2022, at the shrine of the Holy Innocents Kellyville. The day and place of the presentation was providential as Eddy was a very active pro-life champion, and loved the Shrine of the Holy Innocents. He had a great compassion for the unborn and selflessly gave up one of his favourite things for many years (actually right up until his death) in reparation for the sins of abortion and for the ending of abortion. Eddy’s good friend, Brother Dominic Levak, was also present, having had the award blessed by a priest before it was presented to Eddy’s mother, Jelica, an amazing woman of faith in her own right.

Eddy’s mother was pleasantly surprised and deeply moved to receive this award in her son’s name – an award recognising that her son had not looked back, but had pressed on, keeping his eyes on the prize, Christ himself, and finished the only race that matters in this world (cp. Philippians 3:13-14).

Rest in peace, dear brother.

Bog i Hrvati.

Knights Fundraiser 2022 – Kap Dobrote

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On the 26th November, the annual Knight’s fundraiser was held to generate much needed funds for the Croatian Catholic organisation “Kap Dobrote”. This was the 9th annual fundraiser and by far exceeded all expectations set by previous years.

How to express it in just a few words? Absolutely priceless. Did we raise much needed funds? Yes. Did we all have a great time? Yes. So, what makes it different to every other fundraising initiative? Simple – it is a conglomerate of Croatian Catholic families and individuals, with God as the central focus of their lives, teaming up together to help the most vulnerable and needy in our homeland. It’s that simple, with God in the centre of our lives, all that we do will be Blessed and will please God. That, is what makes it a success. Yes, raising a lot of money is a way to measure success, however doing God’s work above all is more rewarding than we could ever imagine.

So, the night began as usual with mass held by Fra Ivica at the Croatian Catholic Centre in Blacktown. As guests started to gather outside the venue after mass, they were met with ‘domaća rakija’ and a selection of tasty bites whilst enjoying the wonderful sounds of Australia’s youngest Croatian upcoming band – ‘Sydney Svirači’. The atmosphere was building into what turned out to be one of the best fundraisers ever held.

The event was hosted by our very own emcee’s, Katarina Nazor and Adriana Bann, who invited Fra Ivica to do the opening Blessing and prayers. Sumptuous meza platters were on offer as the band, Mirko and Kemo welcomed all with some light background music. Greetings from around the world were played on the big screen, consisting of Croatian Bishops, charity group leaders and some Branitelji. A warm welcome to commence the festivities.

 

As is expected in any Croatian setting, a feast was put on for dinner catering for both young and old. During dinner, videos were played from the organisation Kap Dobrote, the works there are currently doing and what is needed for the vulnerable in Croatia to survive this winter. Hearts were touched and filled with empathy, and this was shown in the efforts of everybody throughout the night.

The ‘kolo’ came on and the dance floor was quickly filled, and even some of the men from the Knights group made an effort – albeit that one of our regular Italian guests, Sammy Gallačić, stepped on everyone’s toes trying to learn the kolo. The raffle was bigger than ever as we sold out of tickets and had to create our own to ensure everyone had an opportunity to win a prize or two. The auction once again did not disappoint with items that included a signed Luka Modrić Real Madrid jersey, signed Werner Illić jersey and several one-off artworks by the nuns overseas.

For me, the best part of the night, is watching everyone get together, have loads of conversations, some just catch ups, for others chats they haven’t had for years. Seeing people volunteer – some for hours leading up to the event, some on the night itself, and some even just offering their assistance even when there was enough support. We as Croatians always get together and unite as one. We as Croatian Catholics do more than just that – we offer hope and love beyond all worldly things, and with God we make the impossible possible.

On the night itself much needed funds were raised and donations continued to roll in for weeks after. In total the sum of $40,873 was raised and transferred to Kap Dobrote. A fantastic effort that will go a long way this winter for many that are suffering. But it does not end there. Every day God gives us opportunities to carry out his works. Let’s not rest all year and wait for the annual fundraiser to do good. Use every day to its fullest, visit someone who is lonely, call someone that needs help, pray for others. As Croatians, we are strong people. As Croatian Catholics, we are God’s warriors, Soldiers for Christ.

Thank you to all who volunteered and made this event such a memorable occasion. To those that helped set up and clean up the hall, to the home chefs that put on the feast and the kitchen helpers, to the emcees and band for entertaining us, to those that donated cakes and items for the raffle and auction, to the food servers, coffee makers and barmen, to the Knights who organised the whole event – and most importantly to all of you who attended and supported this initiative, a big massive THANK YOU – God bless you all!!!

Bog i Hrvati

For Kap Dobrote official thank you letter see here – zahvalnica za donaciju-Knights od Precious Blood

The Greatest Battle of all Time – Global Rosary Crusade

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“The problem with the world today, there are not enough rosaries being said.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Dear Brothers in Christ,

We are born into a spiritual battle, and whether we are aware of it or not, whether we fight or allow ourselves to be over-run, this battle will continue as long as we are alive. Pope Leo XIII reaffirmed the importance of not cowering away from battle, nor remaining silent:

“To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamours are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind. This kind of conduct is profitable only to the enemies of the faith, for nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good……….and very frequently by such display of courage (from Christians) our enemies lose heart and their designs are thwarted. Christians are, moreover, born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God aiding, the triumph: “Have confidence; I have overcome the world.” Pope Leo XIII (encyclical Sapientiae Christianae)

Society is in steep decay with its adoption of the culture of death and destruction. Immorality is being normalised and the acceptance of, and demand for, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia gain traction worldwide. Our children are being indoctrinated against God, church and natural moral law by schools and universities rife with evil ideologies. The decline in Church attendance, the denial of the existence of God, and Catholics disbelief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are some of the signs of the times. Christian persecution is public, vicious, and intentional. Cancel culture is rampant, even within the church. Satan and the enemies of God work ceaselessly to destroy everything holy and sacred, blaspheming God, Jesus, the Catholic Church and Our Most Holy Mother, Mary.

To combat these evils, it is necessary that the faithful return to God and to prayer. Sadly, the majority of Catholics have remained silent in the face of evil. When these evil teachings, opinions, and attacks on Church dogmas are left undefended by the Catholic faithful, evil gains traction and the spreading of errors makes inroads in the great apostasy we are witnessing today.

Recently, an article in ‘The Atlantic‘, written by Daniel Panneton blasphemed the rosary and those who pray the rosary, labelling them as extremists and Christian nationalists, and likening the rosary (‘battle-beads’) as a weapon akin to an AR-15 style rifle. The author, who evidently displays a Marxist bias, demonised the rosary as a physical weapon through the cunning use of words with negative connotations. He attempted to demoralise those who pray or display the rosary so that they would neglect their resolve or hide their rosaries. To those who may be inclined to begin taking up the rosary, Panneton offered strong discouragement from even entertaining the idea by employing the threat of being labelled an extremist.

Despite this evil play, Panneton does state a misrepresented truth – the rosary is indeed a weapon, albeit a spiritual one rather than a physical one. Unbeknownst to him, the first person to actually refer to the rosary as a weapon is Our Lady herself when she gave it to St Dominic. In fact, she also referred to it as a “battering ram”. Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne asserts that “the Rosary is a machine gun of theology. It is where you pepper Hell with the name of God.” So much so is the rosary like a “machine gun” rather than a mere AR-15 rifle in the battle against evil, that the devil has been forced to admit on many occasions the pain he suffers due to its power, as evidenced by the former Vatican exorcist, now deceased, Father Gabrielle Amorth:

“During an exorcism, Satan said to me through the possessed person: “Each Ave Maria of the rosary is a blow to my face. If Christians knew the power of the rosary, it would be the end of me”.

Men, we are in a battle. And in battle, we need to have weapons. St Paul tells us clearly that “we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our battle is spiritual.

In the first spiritual battle in Scripture, that between Adam and Eve and the serpent (devil), God responds by proclaiming that He will “put enmity between you [the devil] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). The battle lines have been drawn by God, and either we are the seed of the woman (the New Eve – Mary) or we are the seed of the serpent (devil). We are either sons of light or sons or darkness (1 Thess 5:5). The battle started in the garden of Eden and it continues to this day.

‘The Atlantic’ article is a direct insult and persecution against Catholics who are the seed of the woman, who are sons of Our Lady. Scripture tells us that “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child” (Revelation 12:13). We should not be surprised that Our Lady is being persecuted, nor that those who follow her in doing the will of God will be persecuted with her. The book of Revelation goes on to reveal that the serpent continues to wage war against the woman’s children (Rev 12:17). Christ Himself has said that we will be persecuted for following Him (John 15:20). It is evident that Our Lady and those who pray the rosary are a threat to Satan’s plans. The devil knows the power of the Virgin and her Rosary against his wiles and it is no wonder he is utilising every possible means to stop men praying the rosary. As we see this battle intensifying, we recall the urgency with which Our Lady, during her many apparitions, like that at Fatima, calls repeatedly for the rosary to be recited daily. Her role in this battle is crucial.

In his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II made a prophetic statement that the Church’s future victories would come through Mary:

“‘Be not afraid!’ Christ said to the apostles (cf.Lk 24;36) and to the women (cf. Mt 28:10) after the Resurrection. According to the Gospels, these words were not addressed to Mary. Strong in her faith, she had no fear. Mary’s participation in the victory of Christ became clear to me above all from the experience of my people. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me that his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond, had spoken these prophetic words as he was dying: ‘The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary.’ During my pastoral ministry in Poland, I saw for myself how those words were coming true.
After my election as Pope, as I became more involved in the problems of the universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction: On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church’s victories now and in the future to be linked to her.” (pp. 220-221)

In past centuries, many a victorious battle has been won with Our Lady’s intercession, and the recitation of her rosary. In particular, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 saw all of Europe praying the Rosary for the Holy League’s victory against the Ottomans with the Title of Our Lady of Victories given to Our Lady in remembrance of the battle by St Pope Pius V. Again, Pope Leo XIII reminds us how the rosary thwarted off heresies in the time of St Dominic. Speaking on the Albigensian heresy, Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical Octobri Mense recalled that;

“there seemed to be no human hope of opposing this fanatical and most pernicious sect when timely succour came from on high through the instrument of Mary’s Rosary. Thus, under the favour of the powerful Virgin, the glorious vanquisher of all heresies, the forces of the wicked were destroyed and dispersed, and faith issued forth unharmed and more shining than before.”

Like the battle of Lepanto that saved Western Civilisation, we find ourselves today continuing the same long, hard battle that will once again, through the intercession of Our Lady, save civilisation; a battle that will end in her Immaculate Heart’s triumph as she leads men back to her Son’s Sacred Heart. For this to happen, however, she needs our co-operation. She needs men to fight with her heavenly weapon, the rosary, and adhere to her call at Fatima to make reparation and atonement against the many offenses committed against her Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Maximilian Kolbe prophesied that Mary would play a crucial role in combating the forces of evil that have risen up against the Church. He said:

“Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into heaven, the Mother of God now requires our co-operation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”

The CALL
On Saturday October 8th 2022, one day after the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), all men of good will are called to take up their rosaries and to march under the banner of Our Lady of Victory to their local Cathedral or town square, and in unison with their brothers world-wide, pray the rosary to fulfill the requests of Our Lady at Fatima. The call for the World-wide Rosary Crusade is to make reparation and atonement, and to pray for repentance and conversion of sinners; to pray for peace in the world and in families; to pray for the reign of the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart in the hearts of men, in families and in society.
For the sake of this noble cause, we are happy to be extremists. With an extreme love of Jesus and His Mother, we will take up our rosaries and pepper heaven with our petitions, praying peacefully for ourselves and others. Holding our “battle-beads” firmly, let us join together in prayer and project the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary into the cosmos to fight the demons who have taken hold of our fallen brothers and sisters, and with the Intercession of Our Lady, obtain victory for Christ and her. We have been assured of victory in Christ, but we ourselves must wage this battle and live out this victory continuously in each generation until the end of time. It is precisely in this battle against Satan and his followers that the Virgin Mary comes to our aid today. Men, are you ready for Our Lady’s call to battle?

Victorious in Jesus through Mary

For further information on the World-wide Rosary Crusade or to enquire on how to start a Men’s Rosary Group for the First Saturday’s devotion, contact us on info@kofpb.org

“The rosary is sort of a machine gun and atomic bomb, namely a weapon that is far superior to all the weapons of modern warfare in overcoming the enemy of God”. Servant of God, Fr Joseph Ketenich

 

Men’s Rosary Crusade

Published on: by KOFPB

When God’s warriors go down on their knees, the battle is not over, it has just begun.

Our first men’s Rosary Crusade was held on Saturday 18th Dec 2021, a spontaneous lay initiative inspired by the Holy Spirit through our Polish and Irish Brothers overseas who started off men’s public rosary’s crusades. This first crusade witnessed about 30 men from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, young and old, kneeling in battle formation, with their prayer bead weapons in hand, devoutly reciting the rosary.

In the peak heat of the day with the sun shining upon the men, all kneeling and offered their prayers and sacrifice in reparation for our sins and for the sins of our country, leaders and our church leadership. People passing by witnessing these men where deeply moved. So much so, that one man kneeled and joined the crusade. It Started at 2pm, men praying on their knees on the forecourt of St Mary’s Cathedral, recited two mysteries of the Holy Rosary and finished off with the Divine Mercy chaplet at 3pm. The last decade of the chaplet was sung which was spiritually uplifting and moved the men and those who witnessed it.

At the end there was true joy in the air among the men, with uplifted souls, they had been part of something special. The Rosary crusaders were truly filled with the Holy Spirit, and gave glory to God and showed their devotion to our Queen and Mother. All the men agreed to continue this on a monthly basis and agreed on the 1st Saturday of each month. The first one for 2022 would be the 1st Saturday in February, 5th Feb 2022.

The Men’s Rosary Crusade in Sydney is open to all Catholic men young or old, all are welcome. The public rosary at St. Mary Cathedral, will commence at 1pm sharp in the forecourt. Please share this message far and wide and call all the men you know to battle. Remember, you may have been born a man, but you become a Knight. Join the Rosary Crusade. Make reparation for the sins committed against our God and show public witness to your fidelity and faith in God.

NOTE: Those men that would like to take the opportunity and take up the practice of the Five first Saturday devotion (as requested by Our Lady of Fatima) are encouraged to do so, confession is available at the Cathedral from 11.30am, with Holy Mass at 12pm.

Below are some comment’s from men that were present on the day.

“It was a great profession of faith for us men to be praying the rosary together and occupying public space. I pray it was the start of something big!” — Steve”

 

Being part of a public rosary in front of St Mary’s cathedral was a huge witness in my spiritual life. I had an image of the pain Jesus felt, this made me persevere through mine! As I knelt on the hot blazing court yard tile, I felt so inspired and blessed by the Holy Spirit. Truly an amazing act to be part of!” — Stjepan

 

“The saints have said many things about the power of the Rosary, but seeing a large group of men praying the Rosary on their knees outside St. Mary’s Cathedral was very inspiring. The Rosary is such an incredibly powerful weapon against the Devil and I can highly recommend for all men to attend this monthly event”. — Eddy

 

 

For more articles on the Holy Rosary see links below.

HISTORY of the HOLY ROSARY

Rosary Revival

Two Battles that saved Western Civilisation

Our Lady’s Call to Battle

What is a man without the rosary?

Cro Combat Rosary

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica (Croatian Covenant Rosary)

Hrvatska Zavjetna Krunica

You are born a MAN. You become a KNIGHT

Published on: by KOFPB

Dear Brothers in Christ
Our world needs saints right now – more than ever! We are losing the battle for souls because of our indifference and lukewarmness. Evil people are being aggressively evil, while far too many are not “aggressively saintly.” This is especially evident with men. Men who are weak and effeminate and who choose luxury over discomfort and vice over virtue. Men who choose fear over faith and relinquish true freedom. As a result, evil is allowed to flourish and run rampant without any resistance. In all of human history we have never witnessed evil promoted so effectively on a global scale, while virtue, character, and morals are bluntly mocked, rejected and cancelled. Objectively it is obvious that those who identify themselves as Christians, have never been so unprepared for and unengaged in the challenging mission of spiritual warfare and the mandate of evangelisation. In contrast, it is obvious that Satan’s forces are well-trained, well-organized and highly motivated, while the souls on earth and those who call themselves Catholic, clearly are not. We, the Church Militant, have abandoned, if not surrendered vital territory to evil and by our indifference and lukewarmness, have ushered the greatest apostasy history may ever witness. The time has come for men, real and courageous men, to enter the spiritual battle once more and engage the enemy as our forefathers have before us.

“To refrain from doing battle for Jesus Christ amounts to fighting against Him; He Himself assures us ‘He will deny before His Father in heaven those who shall have refused to confess Him on earth’ (Luke 9:26).” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Sapientiae christianae, 43).

It is on the shoulders of these virtuous and saintly men that we need to stand on, to imitate their courage and fortitude as we recall their battles in fighting the enemy and reclaiming lost territory.

DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT!

Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095 with the primary goal of the Christian re-conquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. So great was the Pope’s speech in Clermont, France, on that day that the crowd was inspired to cry out: “Deus Vult! Deus Vult!” (“It is the will of God! It is the will of God!”). This became the battle cry of brave and noble knights who sought to recover that holy ground. The Crusades saw brave and noble knights, men of God, stand up against the enemy and form a brotherhood in the fight against evil.

THE ROSARY & BATTLE OF LEPANTO – OUR LADY’S VICTORY

This brotherhood was again seen when Pope St Pius V, sent out the call and formed the original Holy League of Nations in response to the dire situation in which Christian Europe found itself in 1571. Bands of Catholic men and armies from various nations came together under the spiritual leadership of the saintly pontiff and the military leadership of Don Juan of Austria. With the command from the Pontiff to pray the Rosary for victory during the Battle of Lepanto, the greatly outnumbered Holy League was victorious against the Ottoman invasion of Europe. That victory led Pope St Pius V to establish October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victory, later renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary!

ANTEMURALE CHRISTIANITATIS

This call to brotherhood in the fight against evil and the defence of the Church has been witnessed throughout history. For Croatian men, it was evident when our forefathers defended Christendom during the hundred years war against the Ottoman Turks. Countless other battles were also fought, including the Battle that saved Western Civilisation – the Battle for Siget. So courageous were these men, Croatia was named Antemurale Christianitatis by Pope Leo X in 1519. These men were the defenders of Christendom, the Bulwark of Christianity.

A CALL TO SPIRITUAL BATTLE
While it was nearly a millennium ago that Pope Urban II challenged would-be warriors to “reclaim the sacred,” in our times, this clarion call to “reclaim the sacred” has never been more needed. Scripture says, If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? (1 Cor. 14:8). Nobody is calling for WWIII. We pray we can avoid physical warfare. What we are referring to, here, is full-on “Spiritual Warfare!” The battle lines are not political; not right vs. Left – this is Christ vs. Antichrist. This is the call to battle and the lines have been drawn.

Pope John Paul II (whilst still a Cardinal) in 1976 during a visit to America stated the following;

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realise this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the Gospel and the anti-Gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously.”

The time is now for men to wake up and become the soldiers of Christ they were created to be, who are ready to reclaim the surrendered ground of the sacred. To be once again the Antemurale Christianitatis. To form a new Holy League of Men, men who with their spiritual sword in hand, will use the weapon of the Rosary to drive back the demonic. In today’s secularized modern world that embodies the culture of death, the need has never been greater to reclaim the surrendered ground of the Sacred, the teachings of the Bible and of the Church, and supernatural life in the Holy Spirit. To once again take up the prayer weapon of the Rosary in hand and enter into spiritual combat with the enemy.

Brazilian layman, Plinio Correia de Oliveira of the 20th Century, gives an excellent quote to summarize this call for men. He says:

“Every man is born a soldier, although not every soldier will use his arms. Yes, all men are born soldiers because, as the Scripture states, Militia est vita hominis super terram [The life of man upon earth is a warfare] (Job 7:1). Our life is a fight, and this is how we must consider it first and foremost. A man is born a soldier at the first moment he sees the natural light. Then when he is baptized, he receives the light of grace and is born a second time, now to the supernatural life, becoming a soldier in its defense. Further, the Church has a special Sacrament that confirms a man as a soldier in the full sense of the word. It is the sacrament of Confirmation. Not every soldier uses his weapons on the battlefield, but whoever does so is privileged. Since the duty of the soldier is to fight, when he takes up arms to enter battle he becomes privileged. Imagine a painter who does not paint, a musician who cannot make music, a singer who cannot sing, a professor who is unable to give classes, a diplomat prevented from engaging in politics. Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Catholic Church, comes asking us to join His Holy War inside the Church against progressiveness, and inside the State, against communism. And He appeals to us to fight and not be soft or indifferent to this struggle, but to wage battle with all our soul.”

The devil has strategically succeeded in promoting the error’s and heresy of modernism removing every sense of the sacred from our churches, our homes, and our hearts. In dropping our sacramental life and our weapon of prayer ie. the rosary, Satan has had little resistance in drawing us into temptation and sin. Fear, the greatest weapon of Satan has taken grip of society. Governments around the world are using mandates and communist tactics to instill fear in society and bear no Christian principles in their governance, promoting the evils of abortion, euthanasia, destruction of family and gender fluidity ideology which are all foreign to Christian beliefs. Indoctrinating our children in schools and universities and utilising mass media, they have managed to reduce the Church and Christian ideals to have little or no relevance to society. They are pushing worldly passports but the passport and way to heaven is ignored. They are trying to once again silence and crucify Jesus Christ by killing the body of Christ and the teachings of the Church.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA’S WARNING

Our Lady appeared in Fatima in 1917 with an urgent call to repentance, reparation, sacrifice and daily rosary. She warned us that if her requests were not adhered to, that the error of communism would spread. Sadly, her plea was not taken seriously by all and the seeds of communism are sprouting everywhere.

In his monumental 2017 homily entitled, “Fatima: A Call to Spiritual Arms for the Salvation and Peace of the World,” Archbishop Cordileone gives us the battle plan to “reverse the curse” of a nation under the spell of the satanic. The Archbishop said:

“For 100 years we ignored the message of Fatima; or, perhaps, it is not so much the message we ignored, for we are well aware of the warnings and the history that resulted. Rather, it is the requests we ignored. But we cannot afford to do so any longer. We have to pay attention. We have to do what she told the waiters at Cana: do whatever he tells you And what does Christ tell us to do?

The Archbishop continues:

“Far from being something we check off on a to-do list, what we are about today is nothing less than a call to arms: to spiritual arms. We are living in a time and place of intense spiritual battle, and only in taking up spiritual arms will we alleviate the spiritual disease that is at the root of so much of the physical and mental suffering in the world today.
Again, this is not a political battle … This. Is. Spiritual. Warfare!”

Likewise, in a monumental and powerfully worded apostolic exhortation, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, put a call out to all men to “not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you.” Bishop Olmsted continues:

“Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes.

Venerable Fulton Sheen who prophesied that communist ideals would take over America and the world also wrote:

“The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.”

THE TIME IS NOW FOR MEN TO RISE UP!! We must become strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! (Eph 6:10).

Msgr. Charles Pope writes in an article which appeared in the National Catholic Register:

“We live in historic times. If we don’t rise up in courage, strength, and true compassion then Christianity will continue on the road to irrelevance. We have a fundamental choice: do we stand with the brave or do we fade into darkness? We are told repeatedly to not be afraid. Our silence is complicity. Our breeding division is demonic. The devil delights in little more than a co-opted Christian…more so a co-opted cleric. Remember, Christ prayed that we would be one, not a collection of warring tribes at each other’s throats. Our enemy is united and broken through our ranks. We must be united and strengthen what is harmed. Now is no time to abandon the battlefield.”

THE CALL FOR A HOLY LEAGUE

A Holy Rosary Crusade and a call for a Holy League of Men is needed to form a spiritual army. I call upon you my Christian brothers – all who call themselves Catholic Australians and living in Australia, to come and fight this spiritual battle with Rosary in hand. We have to take the lead and follow what our Polish and Irish brothers are doing in Europe and kneel in the public square and pray the Rosary as a public witness. It is up to us to become the Antemurale Christianitatis and drive back the enemy.

We call upon all men, religious and lay men, to engage the enemy, to recapture lost territory and make advancements on the battle field for souls. We have not listened to the call of Our Lady of Fatima nor heeded her plea to offer sacrifices in reparation against offenses committed against the Sacred Heart and her Immaculate Heart. We have laid down the heavenly weapon of the Rosary which she has asked us to pray daily. The time has come, for men to once again pick up the weapon of the Rosary and enter into battle! In confidence, we call upon our Heavenly Mother in this battle and call upon her intercession as we engage the enemy knowing her Immaculate Heart will triumph. Bishop Athanasius Schneider reminds us:

“The most powerful help in our personal life as soldiers of Christ and in the life of the entire militant Church is the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God, and She is the winner in all the battles of the Lord”

With this confidence we fight under her banner.

I would like to leave you with this quote from Venerable Fulton Sheen who gives us a fair warning:

“Those who have the faith had better keep in the state of grace and those who have neither had better find out what they mean, for in the coming age there will be only one way to stop your trembling knees, and that will be to get down on them and pray.”

Our Lady of the Rosary – pray for us.
St Joseph, Terror of demons – pray for us.

Yours in Christ Jesus through Mary

Knights of the Precious Blood

Bog i Hrvati