Catholic Cook Islands Community NSW

01/06/2026

MARIAN PRAYER
OF SAINT AMBROSE

May the life of Blessed Mary be ever present to our awareness.

In her, as in a mirror,
the form of virtue and beauty of chastity shrine forth.
She was virgin,
not only in body,
but in mind and spirit.
She never sullied the pure affection
of her heart by unworthy feelings.
She was humble of heart.
She was serious in her conversations.
She was prudent in her counsels.
She was preferred to pray rather than to speak.
She united in her heart the prayers of the poor
And avoided the uncertainty of worldly riches.
She was ever faithful to her daily duties,
Reserved in her conversations,
and always accustomed to recognize God
as the Witness of her thoughts.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Amen.

01/06/2026

THE POPES WHO USED LEO AS PAPAL NAME

POPE LEO I

ST. LEO THE GREAT
(29.IX.440 – 10.XI.461)

- Helped with the Definition of Christ’s Human and Divine Nature
- Persuaded Attila the Hun not to invade Rome
- Defended the Primacy of the Apostolic See
- 450th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO II

ST. LEO II
(17.VII.682 – 3.VII.683)

- Known as an eloquent and virtuous Pope
- Supported Against the heresy of Monothelitism
- 800th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO III

ST. LEO III
(26.XII.795 – 12.VIII.816)

- Protected Charlemagne from enemies; Crowned him Emperor
- Restored the Lateran Palace
- Spent 16 Years in Prison After Over 20 Years of Papacy
- 852nd Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO IV

ST. LEO IV
(11.VIII.847 – 17.VII.855)

- Unanimously Chosen as Pope in the Basilica of St. Peter
- Repaired St. Peter, Basilica and St. Paul Outside the Walls
- Fortified the City of Rome
- 935th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO V

(VII.903 – IX.903)

- Was an Ardent and Devout Monk
- Appointed Pope at a Very Old Age
- Reigned for only 2 Months
- Deposed and Imprisoned by Christopher who usurped the Pope
- 1180th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO VI

(VIII.928 – XII.928)

- Exercised his Papacy in the Prime of his Youth
- Reigned only for 7 Months
- Born of Noble Family at Rome; Named Parish Priest of San Sisto before being made Pope
- 1236th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO VII

(I.936 – 13.VII.939)

- Benedictine Monk
- Reigned for 3 Years
- But was Poor Measured in everything
- Accepting
- 1238th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO VIII

(4.XI.963 – III.965)

- Pope from 963 to 964 and then again in 965
- During his First Term: He was forced to Flee Rome
- During his Second Term: He Excommunicated the Antipope
- 1315th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO IX

(2.II.1049 – 19.IV.1054)

- Reportedly had the Stigmata
- Played a Role in the Great East-West Schism
- Advocated for Celibate Priesthood
- Sent Legates to Constantinople
- 152nd Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO X

(11.IV.1513 – 1.XII.1521)

- He was the first non-Cardinal to be elected pope at the age 37
- Led the War of Urbino that Cost the Papal States 800,000 Ducats
- Excommunicated Martin Luther; He is famously remembered for allegedly saying: "Since God has given us the Papacy, let us enjoy it"
- 217th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO XI

(1.IV.1605 – 27.IV.1605)

- Suffered a Fever and Died
- Reigned for only 27 Days
- Born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici; He became Pope to Become Pope
- 232nd Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO XII

(28.VIII.1823 – 10.IX.1829)

- In his youth, he Served as Papal Nuncio to Switzerland
- Very Conservative Pope
- Tried to Forbid Jews from living in Rome
- Imposed High Taxes in Papal States
- 252nd Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO XIII

(20.II.1878 – 20.VII.1903)

- Served as Papal Nuncio to Belgium before becoming Pope
- Wrote the Encyclical Rerum Novarum which discussed Capital and Labor
- Strongly Promoted the Rosary and Scapular
- Composed the Saint Michael Prayer
- Served the Longest Papacy Ever: 25th Pope of the Catholic Church

POPE LEO XIV

(8.V.2025 – incumbent)

- First Pope Born in the United States of America
- Before becoming Pope, he was Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of USA
- Former Superior General of the Society of Jesus
- First Pope born after World War II
- Second pope from the Jesuit Order and the first to be born during or after the Cold War
- 267th Pope of the Catholic Church

Note for example the Papacy of St. Leo the Great (29.IX.440 – 10.XI.461) 29 and 10 are the Date, 440 and 461 are Year of the beginning and the end of the Papacy

01/06/2026

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL
FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION

Saint Michael, the Archangel!
Glorious Prince,
chief and champion of the heavenly hosts;
guardian of the souls of men;
conqueror of the rebel angels!
How beautiful art thou,
in thy heaven-made armor.
We love thee,
dear Prince of Heaven!

We, thy happy clients,
yearn to enjoy thy special protection.
Obtain for us from God
a share of thy sturdy courage;
pray that we may have a strong and tender love
for our Redeemer and,
in every danger or temptation,
be invincible against the enemy of our souls.
O standard-bearer of our salvation!
Be with us in our last moments
and when our souls quit this earthly exile,
carry them safely to the judgement seat of Christ,
and may Our Lord and Master
bid thee bear us speedily
to the kingdom of eternal bliss.
Teach us ever to repeat the sublime cry:
"Who is like unto God?"

Amen.

01/06/2026

Support our Sacred Heart Parish Matavera

01/06/2026

Sacred relics of St Anthony of Padua
Please join us for Mass and Veneration, Friday, June 5th, 2026 when Franciscan friar Fr Bortolino Maistrello, from the Pontifical Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, Italy, brings two first-class relics from the saint’s basilica. One relic contains fragments of St Anthony’s skin.

09/05/2026

In the secular world, today is Mothers’ Day, on which we recognise the sacrifices our own mothers have made that we might live and live well.

But highest among the mothers to whom the Church owes gratitude is surely Mary.

The reward for her particular version of the maternal 24-hour-a-day-job-for-no-pay was to be crowned by the Resurrected Lord.

So we owe her our devotion as her children, our imitation as her fellow disciples, and our obedience as her subjects, even as she points us to “doing whatever her son tells us”. Mother of the Church and Help of Christians, pray for us! Happy Mother's Day!

03/05/2026