The Reign of Mary, Issue No. 195, Winter 2025

 
Letter from the Editor
by Rev. Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI

The Founders of Maryknoll
by Rev. Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
Throughout the 19th century the United States benefited from the services of numerous priests and religious from Europe who came to work in the vineyard of souls in the vast new country. As the dawn of the new century approached, however, there were some who ventured the opinion that, now that the Church in the United States was well established, it was time for Catholics in this country to help spread the Faith in other lands. Among these were two priests who decided to do something about it. Together, they founded the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America in 1911, commonly called Maryknoll...

Some Reflections on the Current State of the Church
by Sam Thomsen
The most divisive question today among Traditional Catholics is the question of the hierarchy of the Church. What happened to it? Where is it now? What is to be done to restore it? It is only natural that in our confusion we should turn, child-like, to our Mother. It was promised in the Apocalypse that, chased by the dragon, she would shield her child in her arms, and on the wings of an eagle, bear him to safety... Totalism seems to be gaining ground among sedevacantists,5 but it is not universally held, not even among bishops. What is to be done? I offer this essay as a step in the direction of convincing, with the help of Our Lady, the Partialists of their errors. I also hope to encourage a heightened spirit of prayer, repentance, and sacrifice during this deserved chastisement from God, and a more fiery determination to do everything in their power to overcome all obstacles to unity...
 

Excommunicated! The Life and Thoughts of Rev. Fr. Joaquin Sáenz
Part IX: The New Mass
by Antonio Rius Facius, Translated by Rev. Fr. Ephrem Cordova, CMRI
During the following months, the strained relationship between the Archbishop, his Secretary Chancellor and Fr. Sáenz seemed to soften. On July 7, the Mother Superior of the Congregation of Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament petitioned the Bishop for authorization for Fr. Joaquín Sáenz Arriaga to continue, for the third time, the following triennium as ordinary confessor of the community, a request that was granted on August 10th. In those days his book Cuernavaca and Religious Progressivism in Mexico appeared. The publication of this new work by Fr. Sáenz opened the doors to amazement. What was happening in that suffragan diocese of Mexico was very serious and symptomatic of a problem with implications for the moment indecipherable. The lucidity and knowledge of the priest discovered the problem and anticipated its origin, its results and future consequences, as is easy to see in the simple statement of the book’s chapters...

The Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
by Dom Michael Barrett, Our Lady in the Liturgy, 1912
In the far-off days when Heli the priest judged Israel, a young Hebrew mother climbed the ascent to Shiloh, where the Tabernacle of the Lord then stood. In her arms she bore her little son; and in that holy spot, the appointed place of sacrifice, with prayers and oblations she dedicated “all the days of his life” to the Lord, presenting him to the priest to “abide always there” (1 Kings, 1-2). That mother was Anna; the child was Samuel, who was destined to become a mighty prophet, the deliverer of God’s people, their teacher and judge, and the founder of their kingdom. How generous that mother’s sacrifice! Only a few years before, she had prayed in that same spot, with fervent desire and the outpouring of many tears, that God would grant her a son. Her prayer had been heard and answered; and now she returned to God, as she had vowed to do, the treasure He had bestowed...

Conquering Our Predominant Sin
by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI
St. Ignatius said the whole spiritual combat can be reduced to two points: reflection and self-conquest. If we want to be cured of sin and selfishness, we must go to the source of the problem which is our predominant sin. We must relentlessly strive to overcome it as it is the greatest danger to our salvation. It is called predominant because it often rules our mind and heart...

“Blessed is the Man That Endureth Temptation...”
by Rev. Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
My dearly beloved in Christ, it seems to me that the season of Lent always seems to come around when we need it the most, when we need a boost in our spiritual life. Let us remember that during Lent many graces are available to us, more so than at other times of the year. And why is that? Not only because it is a time of penance, but because we are performing penance universally, as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. True Catholics, wherever they are throughout the world, are giving things up, are denying themselves, are meditating on the Passion and performing extra spiritual works during this season of penance. It is the whole Mystical Body, united, in crying out to God for His mercy, His forgiveness, offering atonement for our sins...

On Devotion to St. Joseph
From the Writings of St. Teresa of Avila
I took for my patron and lord the glorious St. Joseph, and recommended myself earnestly to him. I saw clearly that both out of this my present trouble, and out of others of greater importance, relating to my honor and the loss of my soul, this my father and lord delivered me, and rendered me greater services than I knew how to ask for...

World Watch:
Montana Bill Would Jail Priests for Not Violating the Seal
Italian Nun to Head Vatican Governorate
Hypocrisy on Display
City of Toledo Attempts to Prevent Diocese from Demolishing Church
Statue of Our Lady Miraculously Preserved
Javier Milei Fights Woke Agenda in Argentina
Rare Catholic Artifacts Discovered
Teacher Suspended for Not Removing Crucifix
Who Came Up With “Subsists In”?