Our Lady of Deliverance, Empress of China

Chinese Block Access to Shrine of Our Lady 2

In 1900, the Catholic Church was healthy and growing in China. There were forty bishops, about 800 European missionaries, 600 native Chinese priests, and the number of native Catholics throughout the whole of China proper was estimated at 700,000. It was during this time that the Boxer Uprising (1898-1900) started which ushered … Read more

A Brief History of the Image of Czestochowa

A Brief History of the Image of Czestochowa 1

Tradition tells us that Saint Luke, an able painter, responding to the requests of many Christians, who wanted to preserve a remembrance of the Blessed Virgin Mary after her elevation into Heaven, painted her sacred face on an oak table, near which Our Lady used to sew and pray. Some time later, … Read more

The Great Siege: Malta 1565

The Great Siege: Malta 1565 3

The year is 1565. Soleyman the Great, the Ottoman Turk’s greatest leader orders an advance on Malta in an attempt to finish once and for all with the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers), his greatest enemy. Encouraged by his victory over them at Rhodes 42 years earlier, he is certain … Read more