FATIMA CELL PROGRAM FOR NOVEMBER
The Poor Souls:
Holy Mother Church has consecrated the month of November in a special way to the
remembrance of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, that place of expiation where the souls of the
just, stained with the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin (and/or unforgiven venial
sin), are purified for Heaven. Unable to help themselves and in dire need of our charity,
these members of the "Church Suffering" must surely be among those for whom Our
Lady gave us the prayer between the decades of the Rosary, in which we say: "...lead
all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy." In such
great need of reparation for our own sins and those of all mankind, we have another
singular and charitable motive for prayer and penance – the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Let us join with fervor in the daily prayers of Holy Mother the Church for the Souls of
the Faithful Departed, from the liturgy of All Souls Day (Nov. 3rd) throughout the entire
Month of the Poor Souls. Let us pray for the relief of their sufferings and for their
triumphant entrance into Heaven, especially since they are so much neglected by Modernist
disbelief in this place of painful expiation for sin, required by the infinite
justice of God.
"Here
You See Hell": The terrible vision of Hell shown to the three children
of Fatima reminded them, as it ought to remind us, of the ultimate consequence of failing
to respond to Our Lady's plea for Amendment of Life. This is the greatest
chastisement of all, the loss of an immortal soul redeemed by the Most Precious Blood of
Jesus on the Cross. It was the fact that most of those who die in wars go to Hell, that
caused little Jacinta to say that this was the real chastisement of war
– not their physical death, but their
eternal spiritual death – the
ultimate chastisement of an irrevocable separation from God. Without this horrible vision
of the demons and damned souls "floating about like sparks in the midst of a fiery
furnace...with terrible shrieks of rage, pain, and the most dreadful despair" (a
vision we must not allow ourselves to forget), we will never truly
understand the Message of Our Lady of Fatima, because we will not understand what is at
stake – what it means to lose our
immortal soul, forever. The reality of Hell is denied by Modernist "theologians"
of our day, but this vision tells us the truth; a truth which can profoundly
change our way of living, as it did for the children of Fatima.
The Five First Saturdays: Our Lady
appeared with the Child Jesus in 1925 to Lucia, to fulfill her earlier promise of
manifesting this special devotion, which provides a particular means of grace aimed at
effecting a true amendment of life. This grace is given to those who endeavor, for
this period of five months, to persevere in living a life of grace and, on the First
Saturday of each month, to go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, for the specific
purpose of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Discuss the other requisite
conditions for obtaining the promises that Our Lady has made to those who make the First
Saturdays, and endeavor to fulfill them as a means of true amendment of life.
| OPENING PRAYERS: | * Come Holy Ghost * The Rosary with meditation on each mystery * Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel * Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary * Hymn to Our Lady * Prayer to Our Lady of Heede, Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory |
| MEDITATION: | * from the "Imitation of Christ" |
| STUDY & DISCUSS: | * Officer's reports; Cell Memos; reading of the Salve Maria Regina (a portion should be read at each meeting if appropriate). |
| 1. | COURT
OF THE QUEEN: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
ALL SAINTS DAY – Discuss this important Feast and its significance for us, especially in light of the command of Christ to strive for holiness and perfection, and that no one is saved without becoming a saint. |
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Reference: Sermons: "All Saints Day – Striving for Holiness", & "Narrow is the Gate" by Bishop Francis Konrad Maria. (The Cell member giving this report should listen to both tapes and take reference notes as material for their report.) |
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2. |
THE CHURCH
SUFFERING: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Review the doctrine of Purgatory and the terrible expiatory pains endured by the Poor Souls; discuss our obligation and the means we have to aid them in their sufferings, particularly through the intercession of the Queen of the Poor Souls; discuss the Modernist denial of Purgatory. |
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Reference: Review the apparitions of Our Lady of Heede in Germany, Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory; Sermons: "Narrow is the Gate" & "The Apparitions of Our Lady of Heede"; "Purgatory" by F.X. Shouppe; "November Prayers for the Faithful Departed". |
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| 3. | DOCTRINE
& DEVOTION: (10 min. report and |
Feast of the Holy Relics (Nov. 5); discuss the veneration that Holy Mother Church has shown to relics of Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Saints throughout the centuries. Review the reasons that commend this pious devotion. |
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| Reference: Article, "Holy Relics"; pilgrimage videotapes featuring shrines and reliquaries such as those of the Precious Blood, the Crown of Thorns, etc. | ||||
Second Meeting
| 1. | THE POPE SPEAKS: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Pope St. Pius X’s Encyclical E Supremi, calling for a "Catholic Restoration of all things in Christ". Read and discuss parts 13-14, reminding us of the necessity of sound religious instruction and of the meaning of true charity. Review and discuss previous parts of the Encyclical as needed. |
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Reference: Pope St. Pius X’s Encyclical E Supremi, calling for a "Catholic Restoration of all things in Christ"; parts 13-14; review previous parts, as needed. |
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| 2. | THE
FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
REPARATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY: Discuss the importance of observing First Saturdays in a spirit of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Where Mass & Communion are not available, discuss ways of observing First Saturday in the home; offer spiritual Communions of Reparation; pray 15 decades of the Rosary, 15 min. meditation on the mysteries, offer acts of penance & mortification in reparation, etc. |
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| Reference: "The Five First Saturdays" (leaflet). | |||
| 3. | COURT
OF THE QUEEN: (Choose two or three of the Saints listed for a 10-15 min. report & reflection; discuss briefly the lessons learned and virtues taught by their lives, and how to practically apply these virtues in our own daily lives.) |
We cannot hope to dwell one day in the Heavenly Court of Our Immaculate Queen unless we strive diligently in the pursuit of holiness. The blessed who already dwell in Her Heavenly Court are inspirations for us in this pursuit of that life of holiness to which Jesus calls us. Among them: St. Gertrude the Great; St. Mechtilde; St. Albert the Great (who designed the beautiful Cologne Cathedral under Our Lady's direction); St. Elizabeth of Thuringia. |
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| Reference: Martyrology; articles on St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde in past issues of Salve Maria Regina; booklet on St. Gertrude; book "Love, Peace, and Joy" on the spirituality of St. Gertrude by Fr. Privot. | |||
Third Meeting
| 1. | THE POPE
SPEAKS: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
Continuation of the Encyclical E Supremi of Pope St. Pius X. Read and discuss parts 15-17, reminding us that all Catholics, including the laity, have an obligation to be zealous for the salvation of souls. Discuss the need for the guidance and Apostolic authority of a true Bishop in the Church. How do the words of the Holy Father refute the error of those who say this authority is not necessary? Discuss the ways and means listed by St. Pius X in order to bring about the "restoration of all things in Christ". What did the Holy Father prescribe in regard to the Holy Rosary, and why? |
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Reference: Pope St. Pius X’s Encyclical E Supremi, calling for a "Catholic Restoration of all things in Christ"; parts 15-17; review previous parts, as needed. |
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2. |
MARY
IN DOCTRINE & DEVOTION: (10 min. report; |
Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Nov. 21). Discuss the significance of this Feast for consecrated De Montfort slaves of Mary. Discuss the ways we can imitate the virtues practiced by the Child Mary during her service in the Temple. |
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Reference: Article on The Life of the Child Mary in the Temple (current issue of Salve Maria Regina); article on the Presentation of Our Lady (Salve Maria Regina No. 128). |
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| 3. | PRAYER,
THE CHIEF DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN: (15 min. report and discussion) |
The Necessity of Prayer – Prayer is a Necessary Means of Salvation. Discuss the reasons given by St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori proving the necessity of prayer. Why is it a heresy to deny that prayer is necessary for salvation in adults? What grace will God give us only if we pray for it? Since God knows our necessities, why is it necessary to pray for them? |
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Reference: Article on The Necessity of Prayer – Prayer is a Necessary Means of Salvation. |
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Fourth Meeting
| 1. | TRAIL OF THE
SERPENT: (10 min. report; 10 min. discussion) |
While Our Lady of Fatima warned specifically that Russia would spread her errors, she also warned of persecutions against the Church in general. Today we see fundamentalist Islam joinng Atheistic Communism as the chief threats to the Church and world peace. Discuss the current article "Facing the New World Peril". |
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Reference: Article – "Facing the New World Peril". |
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2. |
MARY
IN DOCTRINE & DEVOTION: (10 min. report; |
Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Nov. 27, the apparition of Our Lady to St. Catherine Labouré). Discuss the importance of the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, especially in light of her words at Fatima: "More souls go to Hell for sins of the flesh...certain fashions will be introduced which gravely offend my Divine Son." |
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Reference: Article on Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. |
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| 3. | COURT
OF THE QUEEN: (Choose two or three of the Saints listed for a 10-15 min. report & reflection; discuss briefly the lessons learned and virtues taught by their lives, and how to practically apply these virtues in our own daily lives.) |
We cannot hope to dwell one day in the Heavenly Court of Our Immaculate Queen unless we strive diligently in the pursuit of holiness. The blessed who already dwell in Her Heavenly Court are inspirations for us in this pursuit of that life of holiness to which Jesus calls us. Among them: St. John of the Cross; St. Cecilia; St. Catherine of Alexandria, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; St. Catherine Labouré. |
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Reference: Martyrology; "The Fourteen Holy Helpers" by Fr. Bonaventure; article on Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. |
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| CLOSING PRAYERS: | * Prayers for the Poor Souls in Purgatory * Hymn: Mother Dear, O Pray for Me or Macula Non Est In Te * Fatima Prayers |
| LEAFLET OF THE MONTH: | * "Here You See Hell" (.20; 30 for 5.00) * The Five First Saturdays (.25; 25 for 5.25) |
Cell Plan of Apostolic Action for November
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To promote the Message of Fatima * Sanctification of self, family, neighbor* Conversion of sinners, salvation of souls * Adoration, reparation, total consecration