Sacrality or Vulgarity at the Table
Authentic Ecumenism
On June 18, 1871, responding to a deputation of French Catholics, Pius IX stated:
“Atheism in legislation, indifference in matters of religion, and the pernicious maxims which go under the name of Liberal Catholicism are the true causes of the destruction of states; they have been the ruin of France. Believe me, the evil I denounce is more terrible than the Revolution, more terrible even than The Commune. I have always condemned Liberal Catholicism, and I will condemn it again forty times over if it be necessary.” ***
In a brief, on March 6, 1873, addressed to the Circle of Saint Ambrose of Milan, the Sovereign Pontiff thus expressed himself:
“People are not wanting who pretend to form an alliance between light and darkness and to associate justice with iniquity in favor of those doctrines called Liberal Catholicism, which, based on the most pernicious principles, show themselves favorable to the intrusion of secular power upon the domain of spirituals; they lead their partisans to esteem, or at least to tolerate, iniquitous laws, as if it were not writ-
Much more than just a camp, these first-rate programs invite boys ages thirteen to eighteen to follow in the footsteps of crusader saints, and discover the treasures of Christian civilization. Activities include informative talks, rosary processions, challenging games, adventurous hikes, treasure hunts, skits and medieval banquets.
To learn more about these unique formation opportunities, just write to Domenick Galatolo (dgalatolo16@gmail.com).
ten that no one can serve two masters. Those who thus conduct themselves are more dangerous and more baneful than declared enemies, not only because, without being warned of it, perhaps even without being conscious of it, they second the projects of wicked men, but also because, keeping within certain limits, they show themselves with some appearance of probity and sound doctrine. They thus deceive the indiscreet friends of conciliation and seduce honest people, who would otherwise have strenuously combated a declared error.” n
The Coat of Arms of Pope Pius IX which can be seen on the ceiling of the church Santo Spirito Dei Napoletani, in Rome, Italy.
Crusade Magazine is a publication of The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). Direct all requests and inquiries to: Crusade Magazine, P.O. Box 341, Hanover, PA 17331 or email to: crusade@ TFP.org. Web: www.TFP.org, Tel.: (888) 317-5571. © 2025 by The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc. This publication may include images from iStockphoto™ and Dreamstime™ which are protected by copyright laws of the U.S. and elsewhere. ISSN 1096-3782 LCCN 98-641433 M-194 (HF2503)
Crusade
Editor: Michael Gorre
Associate Editor: C. Michael Drake
Contributing Editors: James Bascom, Ben Broussard, Vincent Gorre, Stacie Hiserman, John Horvat II, Tonia Long, Robert Nunez, Gustavo Solimeo, Luiz Solimeo, Rex Teodosio, Renato Vasconcelos
The American TFP
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) is an organization of lay Catholic Americans concerned about the moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christian civilization. Its earliest origins date back to January 1971, when the first TFP members started to group around the publication Crusade for a Christian Civilization. It is a civic, cultural and nonpartisan organization which, inspired by the traditional teachings of the Supreme Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, works in a legal and peaceful manner in the realm of ideas to defend and promote the principles of private ownership, family and perennial Christian values with their twofold function: individual and social. The TFP’s words and efforts have always been faithfully at the service of Christian civilization. The first TFP was founded in Brazil by the famous intellectual and Catholic leader Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in 1960. His work inspired the formation of other autonomous TFP sister organizations across the globe, thus constituting the world’s largest anticommunist and antisocialist network of Catholic inspiration.
Saint Gabriel: the Archangel of
Fatima devotees across America gather to honor their beloved Mother
Rasko
© Christian Jakob Dreamstime.com
Americans’ Generosity Helped Rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral
The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, has once again revealed a profound generosity among Americans. Friends of Notre Dame de Paris, headed by Michel Picaud, raised $62 million in U.S. donations, making Americans the largest contributors to the cathedral’s reconstruction effort outside France. On the morning of the fire on April 15, 2019, Mr. Picaud raised $2 million from 700 American donors. In the week after, he was getting “400 donations an hour” from people in the United States. “Twothirds of all international contributions came from the U.S.” Of the 45,000 Americans who’ve reached for their wallets, Mr. Picaud estimates that 40% are Catholic. The rest are, he says with a smile, “the rest.”
World’s Largest Religious Event Attracts Twelve Million Pilgrims
An estimated 12 million pilgrims visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City from December 8–12, 2024, with total attendance surpassing 18 million for the month. December 12 commemorated the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego in 1531, culminating in the miraculous image of the Virgin on his tilma, which remains preserved at the basilica. Authorities announced extensive safety and support measures, including over 11,000 officials, free meals for impoverished pilgrims and on-site medical staff.
Conversions to Christianity Spark Iranian “Jesus Revolution”
A remarkable spiritual movement is underway in Iran, where an estimated one million Muslims have converted to Christianity. According to The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Iranians are increasingly seeking alternatives, with many embracing Jesus Christ. This shift has led to the closure of 50,000 out of
75,000 mosques in Iran, a trend unsettling to the regime. Authorities have responded with crackdowns on house churches and Bible study groups, detaining leaders and attempting to suppress dissent. The phenomenon is not isolated to Iran. Across the Islamic world, reports indicate dreams and visions are leading Muslims to Christianity, with noticeable growth in Yemen and a subtle softening of attitudes toward Christians in Saudi Arabia. In Afghanistan, secret Christian communities persist despite severe threats under Taliban rule.
Nativity Scene Displayed at U.S. Capitol
For the first time in U.S. history, a nativity scene was displayed on the southeastern steps of the U.S. Capitol on December 10, 2024, marking a significant moment for public expressions of the Catholic Faith. The event featured Christmas carols and focused on spreading the hopeful message of Christ’s birth, emphasizing peace and goodwill. In contrast, The New York Times questioned the virginity of Our Lady on Christmas Eve, disparaging the holiday’s meaning and relevance.
Americans Oppose Transgender Procedures for Minors
A recent survey by The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll highlights widespread opposition to gender-related medical procedures for minors across nearly all demographics in the United States. Among 2,560 registered voters polled, nearly 60% support banning puberty blockers and gender-related surgeries for individuals under eighteen, with only 25% opposing such measures. Majorities of Republicans (82%), parents (61%), urban residents (58%), college-educated voters (55%) and young adults (53%) favor such bans.
Catholic Population Growth Outpaces Global Rate over Twenty-Five Years
The Catholic population has grown faster than the global population over the past twenty-five years, according to Vatican statistics released by Agenzia Fides ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year. By 2022, Catholics numbered 1.39 billion,
a 36.47% increase from 1.02 billion in 1998, surpassing the global population’s 33.87% growth during the same period. Africa and the Americas led Catholic growth in 2022, while Europe recorded declines in both the Catholic population and clergy. The ratio of Catholics to priests has also increased, with one priest now serving an average of 3,408 Catholics. Catholic institutions continue to serve millions worldwide, with over 100,000 healthcare and charitable facilities, 200,000 educational institutions and millions of students enrolled in Catholic schools and universities.
Anti-abortion Advocates Shift Focus on Stopping Access to Abortion Pills
Anti-abortion advocates are shifting their focus to restricting access to abortion pills, now the most common method of ending pregnancies in the United States. Pills accounted for nearly two-thirds of abortions by 2024, many prescribed via telehealth and mailed to patients. Texas recently sued a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a patient in the state, challenging New York’s law protecting providers who serve out-of-state patients. Meanwhile, states like Louisiana have enacted stricter regulations on these medications, and Tennessee is proposing steep civil penalties for those aiding in their distribution.
Florida Bans Social Media for Children Under Fourteen
A new Florida law prohibiting children under fourteen from using social media went into effect on January 1, aiming to safeguard minors from potential harms like addiction, exploitation and psychological issues. Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in March, House Bill 3 also mandates parental consent for fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds to access platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The law requires age verification for accessing sites with content deemed harmful to minors, such as pornography, enforcing an eighteen or over age limit. Besides the grave spiritual dangers, studies underline the perils of social media, including links to depression, sleep disorders and exposure to predators. n
In Brief
Return to Order
Notre Dame: Where All Unite Around Our Lady
Therestoration of Notre Dame Cathedral enthralled the world. Global leaders flocked to Paris to represent their nations. The media broadcast the opening ceremonies that celebrated this grand achievement, noble quest and supreme act of love.
Such gatherings are rare, considering the state of the world. In these times of extreme polarization, few issues arise where people might find common ground. In these times of decadence, nothing appears spotless and undefiled. Grand events no longer attract most people as they are absorbed in the petty interests of their lives.
Suddenly, on the horizon appears a resplendent palace, an almighty fortress and a dazzling sanctuary. Its splendor gladdens the hearts of all who view its marvels. Its strength buttresses the weak and faltering. It awakens sentiments of great hope and admiration in countless souls.
Everyone watched in awe as this august monument emerged radiant from the catastrophic 2019 fire and decades of neglect. People rejoiced, seeing that the impossible became possible.
The beauty of Notre Dame’s restoration is that it invites people to think of higher and greater things to which they might give themselves with
April 15,
joy. Its message appeals to innocent Christians everywhere, asking them to believe that restoration— even their own— is possible. From the darkest tragedy of world events, a bright light shone forth.
This scene of extreme beauty awakened in hardened hearts the cry of Saint Augustine, who exclaimed: “Too late have I loved thee, O beauty so ancient and so new. Too late have I loved thee!”
Of course, the world was not only celebrating the physical reconstruction of a fire-ravaged building or marveling at the technical methods employed. The attempt to turn this religious event into a secular cultural one is deplorable.
Notre Dame speaks to souls about the inspirer of the building. This marvelous medieval relic leads to Our Lady, the Mother of God, who is venerated inside its walls, portrayed in its stained glass and found in its symbolism. The building invites all to enter and pray.
Notre Dame recalls the litany of titles that Catholics use to honor her. Our Lady is addressed as the mirror of justice, vessel of honor, tower of David, tower of ivory, house of gold, Ark of the Covenant and gate of Heaven. For this reason, she is the “cause of our joy.”
This grand return to Notre Dame’s splendor contains a message to all of Our Lady’s devotees and admirers. Our Lady, represented by Notre Dame, does not return as she was. Only an immensely greater beauty can move the hardened hearts of this world immersed in chaos and decay.
To attract humanity, she returns with unimaginable grandeur to an undeserving world. As a mother, she shows tenderness to those who long for a return to order.
To those who will hear her message, she presents a promise of hope to a forlorn world. She will unite everyone in goodwill under her maternal mantle. n
on December 8, 2024, just five years and some months after
Through graces from Our Lady and the diligence and generosity of artisans, Notre Dame was reopened for the world to view in all her splendor
the terrible fire.
On
2019, the world watched in horror as Notre Dame in Paris was consumed in flames.
Understanding Saint Gabriel by His High Mission
Martyrology
says that God sent Saint Gabriel the Archangel to announce the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word.
We can have some notion of who Saint Gabriel is, precisely by the nature of his mission. Since the angels have a much more elevated nature than ours, their individual tasks are related to their nature, and one cannot distribute tasks among them as arbitrarily as among men.
By nature, some angels do some things while others do something else. On the other hand, we cannot say that a man is a typist by nature or an ambassador by nature. At a time of difficulty, an ambassador is also a typist,
and in a pinch, a typist with great personal talents winds up becoming a good ambassador.
So this, which is not as clear-cut among us, is more precise in the angelic nature. We are not dealing here with tasks exactly like the Annunciation. They are tasks of another kind, of the angels’ position and function in Heaven before God.
However, there is a more important reason why the mission given to this Archangel of the Annunciation corresponds to his nature. And so, by the mission given to him, we can deduce something about the glory, virtues and splendor of this heavenly prince.
By the Grandeur of Saint Gabriel, We Can Deduce His High-ranking Nature What can we say about this mission? First, it is the highest, key mission in the whole history of mankind, as this angel was put in charge of announcing to Our Lady that the fullness of time had come, the reign of the devil was coming to an end, the kingdom of evil would be trampled underfoot, humanity would be redeemed and the gates of Heaven would open for mankind. He was the angel in charge of asking Our Lady’s consent for this proposal, and announcing to Our Lady the mystery of virginal maternity. Saint Gabriel carried the most important message ever to have existed in the history of humanity. This is something of enormous importance.
Imagine the following. You know that, according to Saint Thomas Aqui-
nas, the stars are moved by the angels for the glory of God. Let us imagine the grandeur of an angel who keeps moving, for example, the whole Milky Way. What importance, what a function such an angel must have!
Saint Gabriel carried the most important message ever to have existed in the history of humanity.
Now then, what is it to move a speck of stardust such as the Milky Way, in comparison with moving the soul of Our Lady, acting upon the soul of Our Lady, being the carrier of that message and obtaining her agreement?
You understand it has no comparison with anything. Hence, you understand the excellence of this angel’s mission.
On the other hand, a messenger’s importance is gauged not only by the nature of the message but by the importance of the one who sent it and that of its recipient. A king, having a very important message to send, does it through a nobleman of his court. A message of little importance to a common person is sent by an employee or housemaid with return receipt signature requested. Now then, Our Lady was the Queen of Heaven and Earth, the masterpiece of God, destined to be His Mother.
You understand how only a most high angel would be chosen for that mission, and this reveals his grandeur.
B y P linio C orrêa de o liveira
This Byzantine icon, The Annunciation, offers a vibrant depiction of the moment that would forever change mankind.
Plinio
Corrêa de Oliveira
[Saint Gabriel] went to take a message which, from a certain standpoint, placed the angelic kingdom below the human kingdom and that elevated above him, something that was below him, and he took the message filled with veneration and love.
Two Pillars of the Counter-Revolution in Saint Gabriel’s Psychology: an Elevated Sense of Hierarchy and Chastity
We could deduce something about this angel’s psychology from two important notes in Fra Angelico’s paintings of the Annunciation: first, a very curious sense of hierarchy.
When the angel spoke to Our Lady, she was still not the Mother of God. She became so from the moment she accepted the communication and the Holy Ghost acted in her. And the angel, who was superior to her by nature, was
addressing a person inferior to him and inviting her to become his Queen.
On the other hand, the message he was taking showed such a predilection of God for Our Lady, that it was not at all proportional to him.
So then, Fra Angelico paints the angel showing such respect and veneration for Our Lady, as if taking the superiority of his own nature and lowering it before the grandeur of Our Lady’s mission. And—something extraordinary—Our
Lady also speaks to the angel with her head inclined and with all respect because she is receiving a message from God and because, as a person, she is inferior to the angel. Note the mutual superiorities in which Our Lady’s end up being much greater than the angel’s.
But this scene shows a world of mutual respect between Our Lady and the angel, which indicates quite well the sense of hierarchy shown on the occasion—a sense of hierarchy that is the opposite of Satan’s non serviam.
Many say that the devil refused to serve because he did not want to recognize the Incarnate Word as the object of his adoration or to recognize a mere human creature as his Queen. This appears to have been a point that polarized his whole rebellion against God, motivated by pride.
Saint Gabriel did the opposite. He went to take a message which, from a certain standpoint, placed the angelic kingdom below the human kingdom and that elevated above him, something that was below him, and he took the message filled with veneration and love. Placed before his new Queen, so inferior to him by nature, he bowed to her as the most respectful and venerating subject. You perceive the high sense of discipline, the high sense of hierarchy that the painting shows—a very marked sense of counter-revolution.
You can add yet another aspect. He who is about to address the Virgin of Virgins to tell her that she will be mother and continue to be a virgin makes such a glorification of virginity that it is a kind of masterpiece of purity to show that Our Lord, facing this immense fact of the Incarnation, decided to violate all the rules of nature to save Our Lady’s perfect virginity and give mankind a new glory by making her the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, so her Son
would be Son of no man.
This message is one of the greatest glorifications of chastity, and you understand that an angel like this has a special link with purity.
Now, humility and love of purity are the two pillars of the Counter-Revolution.
On the contrary, pride and love of sensuality are the pillars of the Revolution. You understand how the old, proud and sensual serpent was trampled on that act and how Saint Gabriel thus appears trampling the devil underfoot no less than Saint Michael when he expelled him from Heaven. A painter who at that instant was to paint Saint Gabriel kneeling before Our Lady and stepping on the devil’s head would paint something profoundly real.
We Should Ask Saint Gabriel Especially for the Love of Hierarchy and Chastity
And so you understand how many reasons we have to ask Saint Gabriel to give us these two graces: the grace of the sense of hierarchy, of love of superiority, of liking the fact that others are more than we are, even if the one who is “more than we are” is inferior from several standpoints. And to have an unstained taste for purity, purity as a principle, as a moral value, and not only as a physical thing; a spotless taste for purity that necessarily has some traits of this archangel’s specific sanctity.
The saints and angels are called to give mankind the things whereby they glorify God the most. Saint Francis gives us the spirit of poverty; Saint Ignatius gives us that sovereign, inflexible and incomparable logic of the Spiritual Exercises; Saint Benedict gives us a genuine taste for liturgy and true contemplation. That which they have the most, they give the most.
Saint Gabriel reflects these virtues to such a high degree that he is made to obtain these virtues for us. Let us, therefore, ask him for them. n
The preceding article is taken from an informal lecture Professor
and adapted for publication without his revision. — Ed.
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on March 24, 1965. It has been translated
The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico, denotes well the respect the archangel held for Our Lady and her humility before the angelic messenger. © Wikimedia Commons
Time for a Reality Check in the Pro-life Cause
Thisyear, the pro-life movement is forced to confront new realities in light of the results of the November elections. The battlefield has changed, and it is time to reflect on the opportunities and dangers we now face.
For this reason, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) invites all those opposing procured abortion to consider new perspectives that will help secure the victory we so urgently need.
Pro-life Americans have much to celebrate.
Pro-lifers gave a sigh of relief and prayed in thanksgiving for the defeat of the Harris ticket. We recall with dread the Biden/ Harris record of being the most pro-abortion administration in our history. There was no limit to its zeal for the pro-abortion cause. Every possible avenue was opened to facilitate the massive slaughter of innocents. The Harris defeat prevented further catastrophe on a massive scale.
Many other down-ballot pro-abortion candidates lost as well. We must celebrate this promising development.
We must also consider the impact of the Harris election loss worldwide. It devastated leftists and pro-abortion forces everywhere. The U.S. left had hoped to use the abortion issue as a rallying point to push its revolution forward. Globally, pro-abortionist and leftist forces entered 2025 demoralized and divided.
Not all election news was good. Pro-abortion amendments passed in
seven states. That should move us to prayerful reflection. It signals that the fight for the unborn is far from over. Much work remains to be done before we see the dawn of victory.
Thus, the election changed perspectives in both positive and negative ways. It is time to do a reality check to see where we stand, what has changed and what we must do in the days ahead.
This reassessment should help us eliminate old myths that delay our victory. We must change our perception of the pro-abortionists who revealed their entire face during the election. Some conservatives have also changed. We need to keep our focus and resist the immense pressure to change our message and follow their bad example. We must never betray the cause of the unborn.
Thus, we present four reality checks to help guide our future.
reality check #1: There Are No Moderates in the Pro-abortion Movement
The defeat of Roe has thrown the abortion side into a frenzy, and its activists are revealing their true colors.
The pro-abortionists who proposed that abortions should be safe, legal and rare as a “reasonable” means for justifying procured abortion are gone.
With the Roe reversal, we have awakened to the reality that there are no moderates left in the abortion movement. Today’s pro-abortionists have thrown
caution to the wind and demand that North Korean-style abortion rules from conception to birth be enshrined into law and state constitutions.
Their radical cries call for no compromise. They target us with their hatred. Some even vandalize our pregnancy centers.
The fight has changed. We face a radical adversary that no longer hides its final and hideous goal. The sides are better defined.
This new situation opens up opportunities, as many will be alarmed by the increasing abortionist radicalism that manifests itself with so much vitriol. However, it will also present dangers since we can expect the battle to intensify and become more brutal.
reality check #2: The Pro-abortion Position Is Not Invincible
The 2024 general election destroyed the myth that the abortion issue always wins at the polls.
After Roe, pro-abortionists adopted the strategy of holding referenda, introducing pro-abortion amendments to state constitutions. Heavily outspending the anti-abortion opposition, pro-abortionists managed to pass a string of these initiatives. The more they passed, the more convinced they became that pro-abortion ballot initiatives were invincible.
That false myth was crushed in November. Pro-life candidates won elections in droves, and three pro-abortion amendments were defeated. Election results proved that pro-abortion initiatives can be defeated even when the pro-life side is massively outspent.
In addition, the left had hoped that the issue would galvanize an extraordinary
number of women to vote and, therefore, help pro-abortionist candidates win.
This massive wave of enthusiasm for “reproductive rights” never showed up. Seemingly, over 7 million Democrat Party voters stayed home. The spectacular voter absenteeism was the defeat of Harris/Walz.
Abortion is still an important issue on both sides. However, it is not the rallying point the left imagined.
reality check #3: The Dynamics of the Pro-life Battle Have Changed
The pro-life side has long counted upon the unconditional support of the conservative movement over the decades. On its part, we have supplied the means and votes to get candidates elected on all levels of government.
This mutual aid provided the needed energy and persistence to overturn Roe v. Wade. The pro-life cause became a rallying point for all things conservative.
The sad new reality is that this unconditional support is no more. Many in the conservative movement now call for abandoning the fight against abortion. Some do this because they think the overturning of Roe was a sufficient solution to the problem. Others feel that economic issues should be the sole priority. Others claim that supporting life issues courts defeat at the ballot box.
Thus, we must face the reality of these misguided views among conservatives. This is not the first time we have faced spineless politicians who change with the wind. We must insist upon the preeminent importance of the abortion issue. Morals are non-negotiable. We must stay the course as we have done over the years. We will not weary in this regard. We will only be satisfied with complete victory.
reality check #4: We Cannot Avoid the Need to Change the Culture
The pro-life movement won the intellectual debate by its perseverant insistence that abortion was not a woman’s right but a moral evil. Procured abortion is always murder since it stops the beating heart of an innocent unborn baby.
The new reality is that the movement must take the fight one step fur-
ther, centering it on defeating the sexual revolution. We must address the problem at its source. Indeed, abortion facilitated the destruction of Christian morals by allowing men and women to be sexually active without the consequence of pregnancy.
The facts show the need to make the sexual revolution the target of our unflagging efforts. The vast majority of abortions (87%) are the result of non-marital sexual relations. The best defense of the unborn is the tra ditional family, a father and a mother united in marriage—one man and one woman united for life to the exclusion of all others. As long as the culture ex tols complete sexual freedom, abor tion will always be seen as emergency contraception.
Thus, the pro-life movement must not only have the courage to save the lives of babies (vital as this is), but it must attack the sexual revolution in all its manifestations. We must seek to save marriage, promote modesty and to uphold and praise chastity. We must decry promiscuity, license and impurity. We must dedicate to this moral war all the ingenuity, resolve and sacrifice used to close 4,333 (and counting) abortion clinics nationwide.
This effort would consist of showing abortion’s devastating negative impact on individuals and communities. It would also call for presenting a positive vision of men and women inside a pro-marriage and pro-family framework. Above all, we should be good examples of virtuous living to draw people to our cause.
This task is made easier because the dominant liberal model of society is crumbling, and so few alternatives are presented. ***
Timid souls might object that such a social transformation is impossible. However, they said the same about overturning Roe v. Wade, and Dobbs proved them wrong.
Society can change for the good. In our reality check, we must have recourse to a higher One—a supernatural power for Whom all things are possible.
Only through the help of an Almighty God and His Blessed Mother can we accept this challenge to change the culture and cut the root cause of abortion. Today, when political help waffles and wanes, we must confide that Divine assistance will be all the more certain. We must believe with the unshakable confidence that moves mountains to obtain the necessary victory.
Let us go forth, therefore, and bravely face the new realities that challenge us. With our prayer and action, we will improvise and dare as we march on to our blessed goal: A moral and abortion-free America under God. Let us not tire or rest until procured abortion becomes unthinkable and God and His Blessed Mother are glorified throughout this land. n
The 2025 March for Life prove that the pro-life movement continues to be vibrant, youthful and pro-family with strong religious roots.
Sacrality or Vulgarity at the Table
WhenBrazilian Catholic thinker
Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira reflected on events in São Paulo during his childhood at the beginning of the last century, the social habits of that time particularly attracted our attention. He spoke of the joy of family life, and his lively narrations transported our imaginations to those bygone days that had not yet been taken over by the adoration of novelties in later years, such as speed and industry or people’s extravagant behavior in the twentieth century’s last decades. Americans, alongside Brazilians, are not unfamiliar with this unsavory cultural shift throughout the decades.
Among the images set forth by Professor Corrêa de Oliveira, politeness at the table according to tradition was particularly striking because of the logic and composure of the proceedings and arrangements. Stories were helpful, as they discreetly taught proper manners. It was not a question of refraining from fashionable but vulgar spontaneity conveyed by invasive modernity. Table etiquette rules were important. However, Professor Corrêa de Oliveira sought to point out the Catholic substratum then underlying people’s mentalities. The evangelical counsel hung over the guests: “For where there are two or three gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). The Gospel’s philosophy so permeated minds that even those who claimed to be non-practicing Catholics or atheists naturally followed its dictates. In those days, children had to attend catechism, and the evangelical advice supported maternal recommendations: “Don’t lean your elbows on the table, don’t stuff your mouth too full, be careful when sneezing, etc.”
The Vigor of Flavors Generates a Vigor of Conversation
The Church gave the table a sacral meaning; beyond conviviality, a religious presence permeated flavors and
B y n elson r . F ragelli
Cover Stor y
conversations. This conviviality had a secret known to all but never mentioned—the tacit but striking interaction between the topics discussed and the preparation of the dishes. On the table, candlelight flickered, and the room was decorated. Another flame ignited souls, non-incandescent and invisible to the eye. Lit in the kitchen in the oven and stove, it clarified the conversation’s dynamic principle because the flavors came from there. Accurately prepared flavors favored dealing with various topics, stirred people’s vigor, inspired new subjects, lent enthusiasm to people’s observations and elevated their comments to higher considerations.
Flavors have a language of their own, capable of moving spirits. The vigor of flavors generates that of conversations. This was the arcane principle, undeclared but known to everyone, commented only through glances, phlegmatic monosyllabic expressions and exhalations of humor. Salons* had a rule made to be broken: dishes should not be commented on. Once that rule was broken, the conversation livened up. Certain dishes everyone deemed tasty beyond perfection required that the chef come into the dining room at
the end of the meal. When all was said and done, the flames of the candelabra were extinguished while glowing flavors still lingered in the guests’ memories. In more modest social circles, the nature of the meals was the same, but they were held according to each family environment. Young Plinio often visited the homes of gardeners, drivers or immigrants who served his family or relatives. Remembering his house, he rejoiced when he noticed order, cleanliness and simple good taste according to the general standard. He began to distinguish families according to their taste in decoration and even the smell inside each home.
Flavors have a language of their own, capable of moving spirits.
Decoration and aroma were demarcating signs of his judgment in differentiating between these friendly families’ ways of being. Since life was much less hectic than today, television was non-existent and cell phones were still seventy years away, São Paulo’s then-calm environment helped preserve the seriousness of the meals. “Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen,” he would hear as he left, near the front garden’s gate, after visiting a family linked to his own because of his interest in their world. It was the same prayer his father said at the beginning of lunch. He felt that supplication rose to the throne of Divine Majesty even as the stew’s aroma at the table stirred up his appetite.
A Christian way of life forged over many centuries in an atmosphere of Catholic teaching gave rise to a philosophy which Professor Corrêa de Oliveira tells us, was the social expression of the theological principles of Scholasticism. These principles shaped social norms, etiquette and people’s tastes.
A Way of Being Leading to the Highest and Most Attractive
The purpose of flavors in Christian civilization is to make a tasty dish arouse a pleasant feeling of admiration or inspira-
tion in one’s mind. One judges a beautiful painting by its topic displayed on the canvas, the appropriateness of its colors or the painter’s talent. We appreciate a good dish with a similar procedure. The art of cooking consists of knowing how to treat an edible element according to certain ingredients to obtain a pleasant taste. This treatment requires intelligence and elevation of spirit.
Christian peoples achieved culinary excellence. No civilization attained the degree of cultural development that Christian civilization did. Since the Old Testament, the forerunner of the Holy Catholic Church, the importance given to food led to developing tastes according to the right philosophy. There are many signs of this importance: Our Lord Jesus Christ’s first miracle of turning water into wine; He called the Apostles the salt of the earth; He multiplied loaves of bread for the multitudes; He left His Real Presence in the Church in the form of bread and wine, which evoking one’s palate, the Church declares that it contains “all delights.”
Thus, the Savior followed the example of His Father, who meticulously determined the composition of solemn or penitential meals for the Hebrews and fed them with the Manna containing all gustatory delights. Nothing becomes so intimate to a person as the food integrating into his body.
Cooking has an immense influence on psychology and human habits, given the daily frequency of meals. Each flavor
*Salons, which originated in early modern France, were social and intellectual gatherings of notable people held at the homes of prominent persons.
Families praying together over homecooked meals are becoming rarer in our disconnected, post-Christian lifestyle.
The elevated ambience of this restaurant in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, France, invites its patrons to linger, rather than rush off.
Our Lord’s miracles often involved food, showing the profound symbolism and influence it has on our souls. The Wedding at Cana, by Denys Calvaert (circa 1540–1619)
No civilization attained the degree of cultural development that Christian civilization did. Since the Old Testament, the forerunner of the Holy Catholic Church, the importance given to food led to developing tastes according to the right philosophy.
awakens an appetite in the soul for virtue or vice. The taste of good wine, says Professor Corrêa de Oliveira, awakens one’s sense of honor, while the taste of bread revives one’s sense of honesty. The Creator wanted each food to influence the mind and incline it to receive moral instruction. Hence, the sacredness of meals so conscientiously taught by the Church.
The Table, Confession and Culinary Heresy
The elaboration of culinary styles, varying from person to person, portrays a social ideal in line with those tastes. There is talk of a “philosophy of taste,” rightly so. Part of this elaboration is a non-explicit way of being, which underlies each nation’s mentality and directs its elaboration of dishes. The table reflected a people’s moral rise, and they created recipes that make the history of good taste. In times of moral ruin, the
table also expresses their state of mind. The table displays many signs of our society’s current moral decline. Such signs are seen most clearly at French tables because they raised the quality of menu preparation to its apex, something the whole world recognizes. A notable example of how people’s state of mind affects the taste of what
they eat can be seen in French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of a Passion, a book by Jean-Robert Pitte, a French Academy of Letters member, on his country’s gastronomy. Pitte wonders why the flavors created by Catholic countries’ gastronomy are superior to Protestant countries’ cuisine.
As for such countries, we can mention France and Italy, whose dishes, bread, cheeses and wines are considered top-notch. On the other hand, you have England and the Scandinavian countries. Pitte’s scientific and accurate research concludes that the superiority of Catholic gastronomy comes from the sacrament of confession. Confession soothes a sinner’s conscience, and the confessor’s penance imposed gives him the confidence of having settled a debt with the Redeemer. Conversely, denying the sacrament of confession leaves a Protestant uncertain whether he has been forgiven and settled his debt with the Redeemer. The day’s three meals soon present him with an opportunity for penance. He then hastily suppresses the legitimate pleasure of a good table, considers the quality of what he eats sinful, and makes food less appetizing so as not to give in to its legitimate pleasure. That is his culinary heresy.
Why is the current decline noticeable, especially in France, the “casserole” of great flavors? It’s only natural that the high French standard denotes the decline in culinary quality, as the nature of perfection demands integrity. So, however small, mutations harmful to the integrity of perfection are immediately noticeable. On the other hand, imperfection has deformities so that new and harmful changes don’t immediately jump out at you, and alterations become acceptable.
The Egalitarian and Vulgar Mentality Causes Decay
The table allowed painters to depict scenes, setting down images of an era,
customs, dress and courtesy on their canvases. For example, pictorial representations from the nineteenth to the twentieth century show the pompous solemnity of Vienna’s banquets at the imperial court, the coziness of bourgeois meals, the honorable candor of peasant repast and even an informal picnic on the grass or in shady woods.
In his book Daily Life in the Vienna of Mozart and Schubert, Marcel Brion describes wedding banquets of wellknown beggars in the center of the Austrian capital. Beggars also had their time’s way of life, amalgamating faith with social customs. They, too, had a simple pomp, of which good food was an indispensable ingredient. One wonders where real cultural beggars are: among Vienna’s poor, who festively celebrated their wedding to the sound of Mozart’s minuets, or among fast food customers eating to a rock and roll beat?
Prof. Plinio’s beloved philosophy of life went up in smoke like candles going out on the candelabra of his family tables. Egalitarianism mocks the beautiful ceremonies that graced the social rites of those days. Fast food joints are no longer aware of them. Egalitarianism and vulgarity have crossed the thresholds of every gathering place.
Marxist Ecology’s Dictatorial Imposition
The French, who see their cuisine as
Scientific and accurate research confirms that the superiority of Catholic cuisine comes from the sacrament of confession.
Mass-produced food served in disposable containers has become the “fare of the common man.”
© Photowitch
Dreamstime.com
a reflection of their civilizing action, were astonished by a piece of news in their leading newspaper, Le Monde, of May 16, 2024. France is now importing cricket flour from Vietnam to make up its cuisine. France was once able to evangelize that far-eastern country.
Saints and martyrs lived there. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus wanted to go there to pray and suffer for the people almost a century before they fell under communism.
The French passion for evangelizing these peoples gave Vietnam the Faith and shining traces of culture. Today, the ruling communist regime, faithful to its principles of demolishing Christianity, is spreading anti-culture. Producers of dried crickets see a promising market in France because sixty percent of this flour is injected into human food in addition to animal food—to the joy of Marxist ecology gurus who see crickets as a regenerating force.
Thailand and Cambodia began using this flour, but only to feed animals. The United Nations (UN) has jumped on the cricket bandwagon, predicting insects will eventually replace beef, pork and chicken. Once again, they allege economic considerations: crickets are much cheaper to raise than cattle or chicken, do not pollute the atmosphere and enjoy ecological sympathy. One hundred and fifty tons of crickets produce thirty tons of flour. It’s all in the amount of nutrients contained in the crickets. Crickets from China, without any quality control, are only used for animal feed. Introducing
“The table doesn’t just mean feasting to satisfy hunger. It means establishing a link with something deeper and invisible.”
AI (artificial intelligence) will improve production, say those “wise men.”
The United Nations’ leap could not leave behind the European Union (EU)—its zealous competitor in the drive to dismantle the old continent’s Christian characteristics. In 2018, the EU leadership included insects among “novel foods” edible by humans. The decision caused joy in Vietnam, now rushing to process crickets that can be sold “frozen, freeze-dried or powdered.” An advantage for people on a slimming diet is that slightly non-fat cricket flour will be on the market. To their surprise, the yellow meal worm, the buffalo beetle and the migrating cricket were already approved for human consumption at the time of registration. The French industry “Ynsect” already leads the market in edible beetles. According to the social research institute Mordor Intelligence, the total trade volume in edible insects is expected to reach 9.04 billion dollars by 2029. Vietnamese producers are receiving increasing orders for flour, according to the French newspaper.
Stealth Flour
Some countries still culturally oppose attempts to introduce food products from insects. However, such is the propaganda about them that this aversion is diminishing. In Spain, insect flour is hidden in pasta production, in Germany in hamburgers and in the United States, cricket biscuits are already circulating. Crickets have aggressive advertising agents who promise protein and dollars. Their flour is profitable because it includes wings, guts, legs, antennae, stingers, eggs, etc. The beetle is particularly profitable because of its horns. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN agency specializing in food security, cricket breeding is easier than cattle.
Decimating the Foundations of Civilization
These species are appreciated above all by exotic collectors who don’t love the splendid colors and shapes God has placed in nature. They can also be found in natural history museums, where people can satisfy their botanical curiosity by looking at the history of the fight against insects’ destruction of foods proper to man. These museums also cover efforts to combat diseases such as typhus, cholera and bubonic plague, which claimed millions of victims.
God created them small and barely perceptible to the eye in His mercy. However, enlarged images of their forms show how hideous they are. They would terrify everyone if they were the size of a cat or dog. Depictions of Hell paint demons in the shape of insects. Pagan cults used them as images of their gods. God wanted the shapes of beings in the animal world to express their beneficial or harmful use. The lion, eagle or horse carry within them the meaning of their usefulness. For example, the snake, crocodile and rat show their harmfulness in their shape.
According to the FAO, insects are mainly consumed in Asia, where certain animals essential for healthy eating are considered sacred by paganism and are untouched.
The UN’s desire—and this is what it was created for—is to bring all nations together by orienting their national institutions according to an atheistic
Beware: “Cricket flour” may soon be making its way onto your grocers’ shelves due to its high protein content and low carbon footprint.
What should be abhorrent to a civilized person is being touted as the “ecological,” and therefore socially responsible, way to eat.
© Stockphototrends Dreamstime.com
© Oksana Ermak Dreamstime.com
and egalitarian philosophy that opposes Christian civilization.
Anti-cultural Innovations
In the same vein of deforming the Christian West, culinary innovations appear in some countries that have never been denoted by common sense.
The city of Lyon, located in the Auvergne region (south-central France), is rightly considered the capital of French cuisine. Great chefs have served their creations there and become famous. On May 25, 2024, another article in the same Parisian newspaper spoke of a new movement among Lyon chefs. This protesting current claims to be adventurous and eager to “enter modernity” by bucking culinary traditions and heading into the unknown. Tastes in working-class neighborhoods inspire their changes; they scrutinize immigrants’ menus and make so-called audacious mixtures.
Their course is the opposite of the one that sought and obtained culinary quintessence. The immigrants’ nonFrench taste will no longer reflect the Christian soul of this great people. “Audacious mixtures” mean chaotic tastes.
When customers enter one of these innovative restaurants, they look at the menu and don’t understand what’s happening. They read and re-read and ask: What are these dishes? What are
these ingredients? The innovative chefs, calling into question the splendor of French cuisine, have to explain to their customers what they will eat. These dishes are based on a new and decadent philosophy — this century’s philosophy.
The love of nature or ecological deference to old paganism could not be missing in forming the new flavors. These are choreographed meals in fusion with nature. They say ‘choreographic’ to not say ‘ecological,’ because ecology, in sharp decline in European public opinion, needs all kinds of support. A choreographed meal presentation includes, for example, six small plates full of wild herbs with a detestable taste. Some unsuspecting customers, eager to keep up with modernity, eat them by mistake; in reality, they are there to disguise mini-speakers broadcasting bird songs. They claim that this brings the presence of “mother nature” to the table. Yes, when not songbirds, it is Zen music that invades people’s senses. The melodious birds are innocent, but Zen is not Christian.
In France, the ‘Childhood Flavors’ Innovation Fails
A talented thirty-six-year-old, Clément Higgins, opened a patisserie in Marseille. On the wind of current fashions, he also took the uncertain path of wild inventions like the ‘croissant popsicle.’ Early customers bought his products, became suspicious and never returned. The business did not prosper. To put his
skills to good use, Clément returned to traditional recipes and found them very popular. He began to wonder: why do traditional flavors appeal? Traditional flavors subconsciously offer stability and certainty in a fast-paced and uncertain world.
People rejoice when they come across expressions of the culture in which they were raised, as it brings back childhood memories. They rejoice in expressions from when social logic and its virtues reigned. The new creations, intended to surprise and attract with noisy enthusiasm, remain unsold. “Simple flavors require a lot of work,” says Clément, who now has four patisseries in Marseille and a branch in Aubagne.
Consolation Kitchen
This is the title of a book Stéphanie Schwartzbrod has recently released as per Le Monde, June 3, 2024, in an article by Léo Bourdin. Perhaps Schwartzbrod doesn’t know Clément Higgins, but her thinking has the same foundation: “The table doesn’t just mean feasting to satisfy hunger. It means establishing a link with something deeper and invisible.” They both uphold the Catholic philosophy that gave splendor to the table and take up Prof. Corrêa de Oliveira’s idea presented at the beginning of this article. That philosophy reflects the guiding thought of French cuisine throughout its history, which is threatened today by the acceptance of insects or by the counterculture’s crazy desire for innovation.
The young Clément established the symbolic link between flavors and childhood. Stéphanie establishes it with nostalgia for those who have already been called to God. The table’s symbolism is a powerful element of spiritual comfort when the memory of those who have left us overwhelms us. Even the most straightforward dish appreciated by a relative who left us is like a bandage for the person left behind. The table is also a way of feeling the presence of those we can no longer see. It portrays the solemnity generated by the Catholic spirit: ad caenam vitae eternae perducat nos Rex aeternæ gloriae—may the King of eternal glory bring us to the supper of eternal life. Amen! n
A traditional Parisian bakery in the Marais district has lost none of its allure in keeping with the style of centuries past.
America Needs Fatima ®
March/April 2025 PROGRESS REPORT
From the Desk of Robert Ritchie
Dear Soldier of Our Lady, Jesus Christ tells us, “But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). Protecting and preserving the innocence and purity of our children is of prime importance to God and Our Lady. And it should be of prime importance to us, too.
So many people with evil agendas attack our children by exposing them to vile and immoral pornographic and LGBTQ-themed books right in our schools and public libraries. Plus, bills are being signed into law — including one in California — that encourage schools and teachers to help students with sex changes and prohibit the teachers by law from telling parents about what is going on with their own children.
Children are being exposed to harmful content disguised as educational material. Their religious and moral safety is at risk. Young students are finding sinful books with immoral subjects and images that promote homosexual and transgender ideologies right in their libraries. And these new laws essentially say it’s OK for schools to withhold information from parents about their children.
Our Lady calls us to oppose — to fight back against evil through the power of public, peaceful prayer. We can make a difference in this battle for innocence by raising awareness and praying for our children’s protection. Each one of us has the ability to be a beacon of hope. We need only to join our voices in prayer and protest!
Our faithful prayer warriors have led successful protests outside schools and school board meetings in opposition to Drag Queen Story Hour, immoral books in school libraries and graphic sexual education classes. I hope you will join me in prayer against schools that promote transgender ideologies and laws that threaten the rights of parents.
I know God and Our Lady will bless you for praying to protect our children.
Sincerely, In Jesus and Mary,
Robert E. Ritchie Executive Director
One Nation Under God — Report from Concord, N.H. and St. Paul, Minn. Satanists are hiding behind their supposed “expression of religious freedom and free speech” in an attempt to gain equal rights for the vile and blasphemous things they do.
That was the excuse The Satanic Temple used when they unveiled a statue of the goat-headed figure, Baphomet, outside the New Hampshire State House in Concord. Although those opposed to this mockery of God destroyed the statue, the Satanists restored it.
That’s why Kenneth, a rally captain, and other TFP-ANF friends and supporters came together for a rally of reparation for this offense against God. Kenneth said the rally had many positive repercussions, including meeting some new TFP supporters.
“In total, twenty-one people joined the rosary rally, including three who didn’t know about the rally but were going to pray a rosary of reparation themselves,” he said. “One of the participants, a young man, wants to be a full-time volunteer member of the TFP.”
From Minnesota, Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap report that they and three family members traveled five hours to St. Paul to protest the satanic display at the Minnesota Capitol Building. They were joined by nearly thirty enthusiastic and peaceful friends carrying banners while they prayed the rosary in reparation against this blasphemous display.
“It is the least a Catholic can do. The Child God has been avenged,” says Mr. Dunlap.
Answering Our Lady’s Call to Pray the Rosary
It is heartwarming to see how the power of public prayer continues to impact towns across our country. Our dedicated rally captains courageously answer Our Lady’s call to pray the rosary — publicly!
We love sharing their stories because they show how easy it is to host a peaceful, legal rosary rally of reparation right in your town.
A rally captain, Ignacia, recently wrote to us to share pictures of the rallies she has been hosting in California since
See Something? Say Something!
If you see something in your local community that is an attack on our Catholic Faith, please call America Needs Fatima at (844) 830-3570. We can help organize a peaceful and prayerful act of reparation to Jesus and Mary. Thank you!
2018. Although it rained for her very first rally, almost forty people participated. Despite the inclement weather, but encouraged by the incredible number of prayer warriors, Ignacia felt she was called to a special mission and has held one every Saturday since. Ignacia said she and her husband felt very blessed to be able to host rallies and thankful that people are asked to help with this cause.
“God bless you always, and may Our Holy Mother always protect you from all attacks of the evil one,” she said.
Rally Captains Determined to Keep Christ in Christmas
Our dedicated TFP-ANF supporters across the country were determined to hold rosary rallies of reparation, praying to Keep Christ in Christmas and protest mockeries of this sacred season, such as satanic “Christmas” displays and Drag Queen “Christmas” shows. Here are two wonderful rally reports of defending the Infant Jesus:
TFP bagpiper William traveled to Houston, Tex., to attend a rally organized by Cesar, a rally captain, protesting a Drag Queen “Christmas” show at Bayou Music Center. He said he was grateful for the support of America Needs Fatima and those who signed a petition against the event.
“We held the prayer rally yesterday, and everything went extremely well. I wanted to thank you for your support along the way. I know it was a last-minute effort, but we were still able to collect thousands of signatures on our petition
drive,” he said. “And most importantly, we received prayers from thousands of the faithful all over America. Without your support, no one would have shown up in defense of the Christ Child.”
In Miami, Fla., Hugo, Sergio and Deborah, all rally captains, organized a rally against a Drag Queen “Christmas” show there. Sergio said, “It was a very rewarding reparation. Over a dozen Catholic warriors gathered and prayed four rosaries and sang Christmas songs.”
Saying NO to Satanism in Schools
As long as schools across our nation continue to try to take prayer out and invite Satan in, our brave and dedicated supporters will keep showing up to host peaceful and legal rosary rallies of reparation to stop the spread of Satanism.
Recently, The Satanic Temple organized an After School Satan Club under the pretense of “religious diversity” in Indiana. Ellen, a rally captain, and her group gathered to protest outside of the Michigan city school board meeting to speak out against the After School Satan Club and pray for God’s mercy. She said the group felt confident in coming together to pray and oppose this vile club.
“We prayed the rosary with all our hearts and sang as well. The camaraderie we experienced was providential for all of us. Joy pervaded the entire event — thank God! Please keep doing exactly what you are doing.” n
YOU CAN HELP
Please consider helping TFP-America Needs Fatima by joining a protest rosary rally close to your home. Call Jose Ferraz toll-free at (844) 830-3570 Email Protest@TFP.org Text PROTEST to 87837
Our Readers and Viewers Write
FroM our readers:
The Blessed Mother and Her Rosary “I thank you so much for all you do to make sure the Blessed Mother is always taken care of. May she always show you what to do for her, through her Son Jesus Christ! By the way, I am a faithful Catholic who cares about spreading the rosary and Fatima message (our country sure needs it) and who thinks America needs more groups like ANF, but I want you to know that until I met ANF I always went to Jesus, but never to Mary His Mother. I do now! So thank you. She is truly great, but also down-to-earth, approachable; so much so that she could even be your mother.”
J.H., Chicago Ridge, Ill.
Saint Michael Apostolate
“The rosary IS so important; thank you for preaching that! Every night I pray my rosary and bless all four sides of my bedroom with holy water making the sign of the cross!”
Sister M.P.M., Tiffin, Ohio
“Appreciate the beautiful rosaries, calendars, etc. from you. They keep me on track!”
M.H., Scranton, Pa.
“I always prayed the rosary every day with my wife, and before she passed away she told me not to forget to pray the rosary daily even though she could no longer join me this side of Heaven. Thank you for this Guadalupe rosary; I’m using it for my rosaries now.”
H.R., Vancouver, Wash.
“The family that prays together stays together! Thank you for this golden rosary! When I was a child, my mom and dad prayed the rosary with my sister and I. I have never stopped praying it since then. I am eighty-one years old now and pray it every day!” M.P., Jessup, Pa.
“In cleaning out my deceased husband’s file cabinet drawer this week, I found the story about the marine and Saint Michael in the morning. I must have made copies of it and passed them out at the time. I will do that again now, especially at churches. We need Saint Michael now more than ever! Thank you for the prayer that accompanied the Saint Michael story. My husband has passed away, as I mentioned earlier, and it happened peacefully in his sleep, but I wanted you to know that he was a devoted follower of the Blessed Mother.”
I.J., Odensburg, N.Y.
“I’ve asked the blessing of God and Saint Michael on this candle that it contribute to the awakening of those lost in forgetfulness of His presence within. May the Light shine so the darkness has no room, and may the Blessed Mother manifest her spiritual potency that she might transform a hundred thousand hearts of darkness aglow with the light and joy of her Son.”
C.M., Oriental, N.C.
“Even though I cannot add another monthly donation membership on at this time (being a faithful Child of Mary member already), I have the Saint Michael
chaplet, thanks to you, and I want you to know that I pray it daily and will continue to do so!”
M.G., Tucson, Ariz.
FroM our Viewers:
“Great video! I was the one in the interview at the beginning with the football shirt! Thanks for coming to F&M it was a pleasure watching you all protest and have dialogue with us students! God bless brothers in Christ. 100% !” @danielollom
“Pray your rosary for the unborn and these young men they put THEIR LIFE ON LINE AND fight against EVILNESS. God bless them.” @manuelmoncada6061
“God bless. I know the exact street corners you were on. Thank you for doing God’s work in my hometown.” @quinndengenhard9799
“Hey, I was hoping at some point you guys come to my college campus, it would be great to have you guys.” @stryder6253
“70 million per year, worldwide. Half the population of Russia. The entire population of the United Kingdom. 140 million births worldwide per year. Therefore, a 33% chance they will never see the light of day in what should be the safest place on earth for a baby.” @pietro4772
Touching Souls
One of America Need Fatima’s longtime supporters, Michael Jordon, shares the following story:
“The other evening, I talked with a woman who had a very remarkable story. When I first introduced myself and mentioned that I was from America Need Fatima, she became very enthusiastic and immediately began talking about Our Lady. She told me that three years ago, she had a brain bleed and almost died. She believed Our Lady had interceded for her; she said she loved Our Lady very much.
“She told me she was a convert. In 2016 or 2017, she received a call from one of Mr. Francis’s volunteers in Kansas inviting her to become a rosary rally captain. She said she didn’t know why, but she told the person she would hold a Public Square Rosary Rally. After she finished the call, her husband asked her, ‘Who was that on the phone, and what did they want?’ She told him, and his comment was, ‘You aren’t Catholic, and you don’t know anything about praying a rosary!’ Her reply was, ‘You are right, I don’t, but tomorrow I am going to the Catholic church in town to ask the priest if he would teach me.’
“So, the very next morning, she went to the church. She said she had never been in a Catholic church before: ‘I didn’t even know where the front door was.’ She found the priest and explained to him her problem. He gave her a rosary and a booklet on how to pray the rosary. She went home and studied it until she could pray all three sets of mysteries. Then she put an ad in the local paper announcing the time and place where her rosary rally would be held. In the meantime, she received a package in the mail. To her surprise, it was, as she put it, ‘a beautiful banner!’ With a bit of help, she attached it to two pieces of PVC pipe. She bought several rosaries and made forty-five copies of ‘How to Pray the Rosary’ for anyone who might come to the rally that either didn’t have a rosary or didn’t know how to pray it. She was all ready for the day. She had even rented a place in a park for the event.
“On the day of the rally, she went early to the park to set up the banner and waited for people to show up. To her surprise, only two ladies came, but she was not discouraged because those two la dies would become her very good friends, and they would help her learn her catechism. A short time later, she was baptized. She told me she was so happy she became a Catholic and knows America Needs Fatima.”
America
Needs Fatima’s Customer Service office receives an average of over 40,000 calls annually. On January 12, 2025, Mr. J.H., from Olympia, Wash., called ANF customer service to share his story:
About seven weeks ago, he returned to the Church and now receives the sacraments. A year prior, he received our book The Virgin Mary by Father Raymond Thomas de Saint-Laurent and fell in love with it. He started reading it every single day. He purchased extra copies to give away as gifts. Several months later, he came across one of our rosaries attached to a piece of cardboard showing a graph of the growth of the Public Square Rosary Rallies since 2007. He started praying with the rosary. “All of a sudden, I returned to the Church and shocked everyone. I am ninety-seven years old and have been away from the Church for about forty years.” He continues reading and rereading from The Virgin Mary book, making it part of his daily reading. Now, he is on fire for Our Lady’s rosary and wants to spread it. He has five children. Since none are practicing Catholics, he asks for prayers for their conversion. n
Has Our Lady touched you with special graces? Share your story with our friendly donor services staff by calling (888) 317-5571.
TFP in Action
Fighting the good fight for moral values
Young Catholics Embrace a Deus Vult Attitude for 2025
There is no doubt: the Christian West is under siege. Culture wars are raging across the nation, abortion rates rise despite the downfall of Roe v. Wade and blasphemies against Our Lord and His Blessed Mother are flaunted on the world stage, as seen at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Bedrock values such as marriage, family and tradition are contested by politicians, leftist media and woke academia. In the face of this, the 2025 New Year’s TFP Student Action Conference, held in Spring Grove, Pa., inspired young Catholic men to boldly proclaim their fidelity to God and His law.
For more than fifty years, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) has been analyzing and fighting America’s moral crisis. This experience and expertise drew college students from across the country—from California to New York—who left the conference ready to denounce the lies of liberalism and make a difference on their campuses.
The West Under Siege
The three-day program had an overarch-
ing theme: “The West Under Siege: The Counter-Revolution’s Fight for the Church and Christian Civilization is More Urgent than Ever.” The intellectual foundation of the lectures and presentations was built upon the principles outlined in Revolution and Counter-Revolution by Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
ideology of the Revolution and gave students the tools they need to fight back.
How can a college student stop an immoral drag show on campus? What is the difference between true leaders and false elites? How can one develop a spiritual life amid the turmoil of campus life? The TFP Student Action Conference gave students substantial answers to these and many other vital questions.
We Want God
John Horvat II, vice-president of the American TFP and author of Return to Order, called the participants to action in his talk “We Want God! How a Godless Crusade of the Right Will Not Work.” He explained how, too often, the good fight on a field set by the enemy, using terms and rules of engagement that cripple the voice of truth.
Hard-hitting talks unmasked the
Along with a series of talks, students put the principles they learned into action. What better way to bring in the New Year than with a massive sixty-two-man campaign in the public square, proclaiming the right to life and the sanctity of marriage?
With TFP standards unfurled, the spiritual army of young Catholics prayed the rosary and later took turns proclaiming slogans such as, “If you love America, defend innocent life!” This sense of unity and purpose was palpable.
Starting the New Year as Faithful Catholics
The New Year was ushered in with the solemn chanting of the Creed and the Confiteor, placing the Catholic Faith at the center of life.
One could sum up the conference in three words: We want God.
We want a country built on holy traditions, strong families and moral values—a nation that thrives under the blessings of the Creator, mindful that life is a valley of tears that requires His grace to persevere.
The culture war is a noble fight worth waging. Students who attended the 2025 TFP Student Action Conference returned home better prepared to stand up for the truth and fight the good fight.
May we all follow Prince Bertrand’s call to despise cowardice and embrace heroism. n
B y J ose P h d unla P
Catholic leaders of tomorrow gathered in a sacral ambience to share food and Catholic teaching.
Conference attendees held a rosary rally for the unborn in the streets of Hanover, Pa.
A Prince Speaks
Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza*, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil, delivered these remarks at the closing dinner of TFP Student Action’s New Year conference in Spring Grove, Pa., on January 1, 2025.
My dear brothers in arms, we are united here. Some of you have been in this fight for ten years and others for twenty. I have been engaged in this battle since the fifties.
It is undoubtedly the most glorious battle in the history of the Church. Never has the Church been so threatened. Never has Christendom been so threatened, not only by an external threat but even worse by an internal threat.
The Downfall of Christendom
In his signal work Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira shows us how a revolutionary process began at the end of the Middle Ages when there was a God-centered civilization, which was medieval Christendom. It was certainly the apex of Christianity.
However, because of the sins of men, there was an internal revolution that started even before the Protestant Revolution: humanism. Man at this time ceased to have God as a point of reference and forgot that we were made to know, love and serve God and thus save our souls. Instead, man placed himself at the center of everything.
At the end of the Middle Ages, we see a processive decadence that began with humanism and continued with the Protestant Revolution, the French Revolution, the Communist Revolution and the Fourth Revolution [that exploded in the sixties].
We Are All Affected
This revolutionary process affects us all and leads to the complete destruction of good customs, reaching the most terrible stage of barbarism.
We see in the United States, in Brazil, in Russia, in China and in every country this satanic revolution that introduces the worship of Satan. This is where the world finds itself today.
Unfortunately, even within the Catholic Church, we see that after the Second Vatican Council, everything is permitted except traditional Catholic customs.
A Call to Combat
Now the most Holy Virgin calls us to an unbloody combat in the realm of ideas; to serve her and to battle for the restoration of Christendom so that there will be a new Middle Ages in which Our Lord Jesus Christ will be in truth glorified and the Blessed Virgin Mary will be our true Queen.
We should participate in this ideological combat with more effort and enthusiasm than if you had heard that the Chinese communists were invading the United States. You understand that you would have the obligation to take up arms to defend territorial integrity.
Heroes or Cowards?
This battle demands of us a choice: We can either be heroes or cowards. We can either participate in this battle to defend Christendom, or we can have a comfortable but shameful life, ignoring all the insults and attacks that are hurled against Our Lord and Our Lady and indifferent to everything that is being done to destroy the Holy Catholic Church.
The Battle of Covadonga
I remember a beautiful historical fact about a place where some of you have been recently: Covadonga, Spain. Spain was in decadence and had been invaded by the Moors.
The King of Asturias, Don Pelayo, with a few faithful men, was cornered in the mountains by the invaders. The odds were ten to one. The king went to pray to the Blessed Virgin in the depths of a cave. Our Lady appeared to him, assuring him of victory. And the battle began. That was the first victory of the Reconquista.
Here we are in a new Covadonga. Members of the TFP are here united from all over the world, certain that Our Lord wishes to use us to restore Christendom.
“Go to Combat!”
When the infernal Lucifer launched his cry, “Non serviam,” Saint Michael responded, “Quis ut Deus!” That was the first battle of creation.
Now, we are in a similar battle.
Let us all go to combat! n
*Prince Bertrand is a descendant of King Saint Louis IX—twenty-two generations in the direct paternal line—and head of the Brazilian Imperial family. In 1888, his great-grandmother, Princess Isabel, then Regent, signed Brazil’s Golden Law, freeing the country’s slaves. He is an outspoken writer, speaker, defender of the Catholic Faith and a distinguished member of the Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, where he resides.
Fatima and the War in Ukraine
Crusade Magazine interviews Bishop Stepan Sus, Curial Bishop of Kyiv-Halyč, Ukraine, Titular Bishop of Zygris
Crusade: Thank you for coming to visit us. What scenario do you foresee for the Catholic Church in Ukraine if Russia takes over?
Bishop Sus: First of all, we understand that Russia will not respect our Church. We see that from reality, which is on the occupied territories. The Ukrainian Catholic Church was expelled from the territories. The priests were persecuted or imprisoned, so it means that for Russia, respect for other churches, respect for human dignity and life in a democracy do not exist. We don’t relate to Russian points of view, and so we hope that Ukraine will stay, and we will defend ourselves as much as we can. For the last few years, Russian forces moved very slowly in the Donbas area, and we lost approximately 15% of our territory. But we hope that that will be the end of this war.
Crusade: How has prayer, especially the Holy Rosary, helped Catholics in Ukraine cope with the tragedy of war?
Bishop Sus: Ukrainians are praying every day for peace. That’s our main intention because we understand that prayer is the weapon of Christians. We need to defend ourselves, our families and our homes, but at the same time, the most successful weapon of the faithful is prayer. Every evening at 8:00, we have a national rosary prayer on our Ukrainian Catholic television. It’s live with approximately 550,000 people gathering to pray. Everyone understands that it’s necessary to pray and ask God for peace and pray for our soldiers, wounded soldiers and civilian
people, and also pray for our migrants, people who had to leave their homes.
Crusade: Our Lady of Fatima warned the world of the errors of Russia. In light of the Fatima message, what are the errors of Russia?
point of view, like the Russian world, which is dangerous because everybody knows how it was.
Crusade: How is the morale of the Ukrainian troops compared to the Russian forces? Is there a noticeable difference in morale?
Bishop Sus: For us, this message of the Virgin Mary of Fatima is, of course, some sign to understand the conditions of this war. If the Virgin Mary talked about the conversion of somebody or nations, it means that this group of people can bring something dangerous, something not acceptable for us, and could be a source of evil. Our soldiers who were captured experienced torture and different terrible things. One soldier mentioned that he saw the real face of evil. I understand that today, evil has a human mask, so we can have different imaginations of evil, and sometimes the source of evil can be human beings. So that might be what the Virgin Mary foresaw with this war, which is caused by Russia. Russians say that they want to reestablish the Soviet Union, but from a new
Bishop Sus: You have to imagine that the Russian soldier will kill everybody whom they capture. They don’t respect human beings. They don’t respect international law. We can see in several videos on the internet where they are killing people. In the last video, they asked a Ukrainian soldier to say his last words before he was killed, and this soldier started to pray the Our Father, and the Russian soldiers killed him. Those Russian soldiers are Orthodox Christians, but they didn’t respect the prayer of this soldier. I asked one officer if he prays on the front line. He said yes. I asked him what he was asking Jesus in his prayer, and he answered: “First of all, I ask Jesus to help me to make the right decision. And second to keep my human mask, my human face.”
Crusade: Since the Russian invasion, has there been more or less interest in the Catholic Church in Ukraine?
Bishop Sus: Of course, when there are conditions of war with big challenges, dramatic trauma, injured hearts, severely wounded people, destroyed villages, churches and cities, people are asking where God is when we suffer today. Thanks be to God, they are searching for the right answers in the Church. The Catholic Church in
Aftermath of a Russian guided bomb on the Avtorska Shkola Boyko school in Kharkiv.
© Jose Hernandez Dreamstime.com
Ukraine is also a place for non-believers for shelter and humanitarian help. The Church established resilient points where people can come to rest or to get their necessary needs and things. So, people started to see another face of the Church, even by many who were atheists and who never went to church before.
Crusade: Have you heard of any miracles? Or divine interventions on the battlefield? And if so, do you have any short stories that you could share with our readers?
Bishop Sus: Yes, I remember the soldiers told me about the rosaries we distributed. Some of them had never prayed the rosary before. They just kept them, or just wore them around their necks. When they were being shelled, they started to pray by themselves. Using the rosary, they were saved. And we can find a lot of stories of how the icons or prayer books, which soldiers kept in their pockets that saved them from the bullets.
Crusade: Some people claim that Russia has converted and that after the fall of the Iron Curtain, communism is finally dead. Do you share that opinion?
Bishop Sus: I think that we didn’t condemn the communist regime. We condemned fascism, but we never condemned the communist regime. We never spoke about all the crimes that were committed by Lenin, Stalin and other communist rulers. When we look back in history, they persecuted the Church. They pushed God out of the institutions and from the lives of people. They replaced all Christian values with communist values. They sent a lot of people to Siberian camps or killed those people who had their own thoughts and opinions about the regime. I think that today, when we speak about the war, we can see that many times, the Russian authorities told us that we have to propagate Lenin and Stalin. Russia is using communist ideology covered by their quasi-democracy politics. Russian authorities say that this war is against
those who do not respect the Christian faith and values. It is dangerous when the communist regime changes itself by taking some democratic points of view and trying to use Christian values to justify its own crimes. We have to condemn the communist regime as we condemned the fascist regime. The crimes that were committed by both are awful. Lots of people died, churches were closed, God was expelled from public life.
Crusade: What would be your message to America at this point, especially after the election?
Bishop Sus: First of all, I would like to ask all Americans to not forget the Ukrainian people. Because we are suffering a lot. For us, it’s important that we know that Americans are with us; that you understand our reality. In this third year of the war, Ukrainians are so tired, but we have to be strong. We try to pray; to do our best to save our country, and I would like to express my gratitude to many Americans who came to visit Ukraine in this time of war. To the volunteers, to the many people who try to do humanitarian aid for Ukrainian women, children and orphans in need. When we have friends in such difficult conditions, it gives us hope and stability. I kindly ask all Americans to be our advocates. To be next to all Ukrainians, this long-suffering nation and to help us.
Crusade: Yes, please be assured that we are with you. Thank you very much.
Bishop Sus: Yes, thank you. n
(Continued
Orlando is the fourth-largest city in Florida, and its public library is the biggest one in the state. One would think that its architect would have pity on the passers-by and create something pleasing to the eye.
This structure, however, is both an assault on the senses and an assault on the intellect. While it may be useful to keep visitors dry and cool during hot Florida summers, it does nothing to feed patrons’ souls. While it may be useful, the complete lack of beauty implicitly denies man’s soul and his innate need for spiritual nourishment.
We can only truly appreciate how bad this Orlando oddity is when we contrast it with a building found in the sleepy town of Howie in the Hills, Florida, which has a population of 1,700. While it may be hard to believe, this is its post office.
The architectural style is something one would expect to find in Florida, which the Spanish originally colonized. The designer had the good sense to provide customers with both historical context and Old World charm that are attractive to the soul.
A trip to this post office brings a smile to one’s face and transforms a trivial activity into an uplifting and restful experience.
By contrast, a visit to the library shown above—which should be inspiring—is crushing and oppressive. Such modern structures pollute cities throughout the world and implicitly deny man’s spiritual side. What the world needs are city designers capable of understanding what was obvious to Pugin or even the designer of this small-town Florida post office.
These two buildings illustrate very well two opposing philosophies of life. One implicitly professes that matter is the only thing that really matters. Sadly, this materialistic perspective dominates our world and is possibly a factor in the widespread depression that plagues society. Thankfully, the opposing mentality exists and produces what comes naturally to man. There are still things of beauty like the Howie post office. n
Communism and fascism expel God from public life, leading to wars and persecutions of the Church.
© Gints Ivuskans Dreamstime.com
The Soul Crushing and Oppressive Effect of Modern Architecture
The celebrated nineteenth century English architect C. Welby Pugin is known for designing over 100 stunningly beautiful Gothic churches across the British Isles. His success and the popularity he garnered was due to a simple philosophy. Pugin was a devout Catholic and understood that man is a composite being of both body and soul. Buildings, therefore, should not only satisfy man’s material but also his spiritual side. In other words, they should be useful and beautiful. This concept could aptly be defined by the word “beautility.”
This concept is sorely lacking in modern architectural
designs like the one shown here. This crude concrete box defies description. What is it? If not for the title stenciled into the unfinished concrete, we might mistake it for the county jail rather than Orlando, Florida’s public library.
It will come as no surprise to the reader that John M. Johansen, the person responsible for this architectural absurdity, comes from the Brutalist school of architecture. This minimalist style focused exclusively on the functional aspect of architecture. It commonly features exposed or unpainted concrete or brick like that seen here.
© Junko Barker Dreamstime.com