Wish I could go! I ask God maybe I could bilocate there lol - things are just too expensive right now.
I read a report this morning that Simon Harris, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of Defence and Foreign Affairs is downplaying proposed increases in Irish military expenditure, as 'too ambitious'. No doubt the rest of the world is breathing a sigh of relief. Also, I saw a picture and a headline of Keir Starmer giving another £2.6 billion of UK tax-payers' money to Zelensky, but as a loan. All these little things don't seem to point to any big, prospective European army marching off to vanquish the Russians. Already, we see Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia outraged at being uninvited to the next big EU/NATO summit, knowing full well that they're about to be appointed in their absence as the next batch of cannon fodder on the EU menu.
I will reply to you here, maybe it's more appropriate than on the Trump topic. I tried to respond to you immediately and copy the link because I really thought there were translations, but then I saw that 99% of the books about him are written in Italian, where he spent the majority of his monastic life, and in Croatian, which are mostly translations of Italian authors in collaboration with our Capuchins. I even sent an email to the Church of St. Leopold in Zagreb asking them to recommend a good biography, but they haven't replied yet and then visited a Catholic bookstore in my town, and they have about 10 books on Padre Pio, at least 5 on St. Anthony of Padua, and only one on St. Leopold, "Thoughts for Every Day". And we in Croatia highly honor the saints, with several feast days being public holidays when shrines to the Virgin Mary and Churches are visited. I think the reason why so little has been heard about him, as well as some other saints, is the change in the Church's policy in the 1960s, where perhaps the expansion of science and aggressive atheism pushed such saints and miracles aside as something that belonged to the "uneducated, gullible masses" of those distant times...In any case, God always finds a way for His saints to be heard, as on this forum. Currently, I’m reading this one in Croatian by the Italian author P. Pietro da Valdiporo from 1967, which has about 100 pages. It's written very simply, and it's available online here... https://archive.org/details/sluga_bozji_otac_leopold_mandic-pietro_da_valdiporo/mode/2up From the same author, P. Pietro da Valdiporo, I found this one from 1960, which has 303 pages. I think this is the best book because the author knew him, and the one I’m reading is very good but much smaller. This book is in English, The Father Leopoldo of Castelnovo. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/fathe...iporro/1900534/#edition=7408212&idiq=18114309 The problem is the price; it’s not really cheap. I believe that the library in Ireland should have it, especially since the book is older, and since faith was quite strong in Ireland back then, it’s surely somewhere on their shelves. The book was published before he was beatified, the process only opened in 1955, just 13 years after his death, which was very quick for the time. By the way, apart from having all these gifts of knowledge, and the fact that his body is still not decayed today, it is well-known that throughout his life, he dedicated his prayers and sufferings to the reconciliation between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and to unification under one religious leader, i.e., the Pope. We Croats (Catholics) and Serbs (Orthodox) fought two bloody wars where they tried to conquer us, and he was born in a place that was 50% Orthodox at the time and knew what awaited us after his death... Not just our two nations, but the conflict of European nations with Russia and Eastern Orthodoxy as well. That's why it's perhaps more relevant today than ever. I also found content of the book here... If you manage to get it somewhere, I think you'll enjoy it. A great saint.
Thank you so much. I didn't wish you to go to so much trouble, but I will try and seek out da Valdiporo's book. Whether I'll ever read it is another thing-I have accumulated a vast library of my own, over the years, and I'm only about a tenth of the way through it! I was struck by your comment on the way the Church abandoned mysticism, miracles and saintly devotion in the face of aggressive atheism, which was a terrible failure of nerve. They should have taken the atheists on and shown that their ideas are the puff of smoke that they are. The more recent gang of aggressive modern atheists such as Dawkins and Hitchens were demolished by Christian lay apologists. The Church has, or had, more intellectual resources than anyone to repel these frauds. Yet, they seemed to be just too sophisticated or embarrassed.
Not a problem, I'm sorry I couldn’t find it. Believe me, I've gathered a lot of books myself, even these classic ones on paper I used to read as much as I could. But in the last few years, I started reading online, and probably due to lack of concentration/dopamine messing with my mind, I don't read even 20% of it before I move on to something else. My friends suggested the Kindle Paperwhite 7 e-reader. They say it’s really eye-friendly, doesn’t strain like a tablet or phone, and feels more natural. Plus, it’s pretty easy to download PDFs. Even though I’m from a younger generation, I'm still part of that group that needs to physically hold a book in my hands to get the feeling of enjoyment from reading. … Then I’ll shove another book onto your shelf Right now, I’m reading this one about Solanus Casey. This book is, I think, a continuation or supplement to the first one from 1982 by the same author, even with the same title. It’s pretty comprehensive, easy to read. It's available in full edition for free online, you just register and borrow it. https://archive.org/details/thankgodaheadoft00cros/mode/2up
Thanks again. Another temptation! Apparently, Amazon are imminently changing their conditions for Kindle usage. Up to now, if one bought a book from kindle, one could download it to a pc and preserve it on a hard drive. This will no longer be the case. Amazon have been known to censor and bowdlerise book, so one might re-download one for a re-read, only to find oneself reading a 'woke' version, with no recourse to a backed-up one.
Here's a short sampling of highlights in that book: https://www.marianland.com/romancatholicbooks/frleopoldo.html The website has many interesting Catholic books for sale, and provides interesting summaries about the books.
Wow so many signs from God. I'm in the middle of a novena to Blessed Solanus Casey & you've mentioned him. Solanus is making himself known lol.
My faves are O Crux Ave Media, Mark McLean, In His Will, Mother of Refuge of The End Times, Queen of Peace Media, Renewal Ministries, Fulton Sheen Institute & Joe McClane. It's ok if ppl don't agree with certain private revelation as we're not obliged to. We probably all have different discernment on things too. I think as Catholics we won't all agree on different private revelation & that's ok. I struggled a lot with the fighting in Catholic communities regarding this.
Meteorologist Eric Snitil March 7 2025 T-MINUS ONE WEEK: For those that don't know, the United States will be treated to a total lunar eclipse exactly one week from tonight (next Thursday night-Friday morning). Not everyone on planet Earth will get to see the show. The United States happens to be squarely within the corridor where the entirety of the eclipse will be visible. If you've never seen a lunar eclipse before, it's quite a unique treat. Earth produces two shadows, the penumbra & umbra. Think of the penumbra as the lighter outer edge & the umbra as the darker inner core. As the Moon enters the penumbra (edge), it will begin to darken. This is often difficult to notice with the human eye. Once the Moon enters the umbra (core), however, the show really begins. This deeper shadow allows the Moon to turn a blood red color. This is the most striking part of the event & give the Moon a color not otherwise normally seen. While the U.S. gets to enjoy prime viewing, this is only relevant if sky conditions cooperate. Be sure to check your local forecast next Thursday night and root for clear skies!
Nevertheless, there is an enormous difference between believing in a private revelation that is Church-approved and one that is not. Personally, I tend to only give credibility to those prophecies that are approved, but I can't deny that all prophecies begin without such approval. I think it's best left to the professionals.
I will share this here This channel is called Athonite Audio, not Catholic but is my favorite channel as of late. This book in particular, similar to the cloud of unknowing in that the author is an anonymous monk from Mt. Athos. The book was discovered in the 70's and translated into English in 2014. This is also an incredible book to listen to regarding St. Seraphim of Sarov. Many great pointers.
As far as I know, Trump has issued a provisional rejection of CBDC. We will see how long it stays that way. In the EU, there is now an official timetable for the introduction: https://x.com/goddeketal/status/1898704322889662846 The ECB’s Digital Euro is set to launch in October. Key concerns include: – Real-time transaction tracking – Potential for payment blocking – Automatic tax deductions – Restrictions on cash withdrawals – Programmable money with expiration dates They couldn’t convince us voluntarily, so now they’re using fear and most likely a new crisis to force this system upon us. This is nothing but a financial Great Reset, total control over what you buy, where you go, and even what you eat.
We will have nothing and we will be 'happy'. The mark of the beast is fast approaching. Europe is becoming a total tyranny. Ironically, the UK has left only to become a greater one.
They're going to kill cash very soon. The evil agenda is afoot.. https://www.ft.com/content/d9661d8e-0aac-47f4-b7a6-3197a0a1d596?shareType=nongift
President of the EUCommission: "We'll turn private savings into much needed investment. And we’ll work with our institutional partners to get it off the ground." https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1899066282558853213 CBDC... This woman and Lagarde have skeletons in the closet. They can be blackmailed and are evil.
I'm quoting a post of my own from some time back, but I have read something quite disturbing about Jordan Peterson from Vox Day, who seems to me a very genuine (anti-Zionist) Christian, although not a Catholic: https://voxday.net/2025/03/13/redefining-christianity/
Peterson, once a synonym for a fighter for freedom of expression and someone who helped young men, has become someone who has successfully monetized his initial courage and turned into something he always fought against. Perhaps, in fact, he was smart enough to know from the beginning how to capitalize on the madness that was slowly gaining ground in universities. What has always bothered me about him is his crying. Everyone falls, but when you're a man, you don't do it in front of a camera where you should be an inspiration. Jesus fell three times under the cross, suffered flogging in front of his mother and disciples, was falsely accused and crucified, and endured it all "stoically." Crying and shedding tears are only valuable before God and only to Him—people will use it against you and see it as a weakness. Don’t tell people to clean their room if you haven’t done it for yourself first. Do you know when I stopped following him? It was when he was giving a speech somewhere, and someone from the audience asked him about the Holodomor in Ukraine, when the Soviets starved about 10 million Ukrainians to death in the early 1930s. The Soviet leaders in Ukraine were Jews responsible, and the question was framed within that context. He paused and then said, “I can’t, I can’t,” or something like that and walked off in the other direction. EDIT: Here is the video At that moment, I saw that he was a coward. He knows, but he’s afraid. He speaks those things that are safe and won’t destroy his career, so he can maintain his status and make money. There have always been a few "Saint Johns the Baptists," those who are voices in the desert and say things others are afraid to say, even if it means going against the king, whoever he may be, even at the cost of losing their head. Good is good, and evil is evil, no matter who commits it. That’s why I deeply respect Congressman Thomas Massie and Candace Owens. They speak the truth, no matter the cost.
