Saint Mary's-Our Lady of The Isle, Nantucket

10/07/2026

Monthly Rosary this evening at 6:30! We welcome our friends from St. Paul’s. All are welcome!

10/07/2026

The Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. On this day, we celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Even though the Turkish forces were very powerful, the Christians won due to the intercession of Mary and the prayer of the Most Holy Rosary.

At the time when the Battle of Lepanto was fought, the Ottoman Empire had not lost a major battle since the previous century. Pope St. Pius V realized that the Holy League needed great spiritual assistance, so he asked the Holy League, as well as all of the faithful, to pray the Rosary, asking Our Lady’s intercession for a victory in the upcoming battle. The evening before the famous battle, the sailors prayed the Rosary on their knees.

On October 7, 1571, the Christian fleet went into battle carrying a banner blessed by the Pope. Some evidence also suggests they carried a painting sent to the King of Spain from Mexico depicting the miraculous image known as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Holy League encountered the Ottoman warships deployed in the shape of a crescent, the symbol of Islam. The Holy League’s ships took the shape of a cross. Between the two forces, there were more than 400 warships, making this one of the largest naval battles in history. After five hours of battle, the Holy League won.

Pope St. Pius V knew that Our Lady had interceded for the Holy League, ensuring their victory. In fact, on the day of the Battle of Lepanto, October 7, 1571, he saw the Blessed Mother in a vision, and she revealed the victory to him.

As an offering of thanksgiving, the Pope declared this day as the Feast day of Our Lady of Victory, later known as Our Lady of the Rosary.

More: https://ewtnmission.com/seasonsandfeastdays/ourladyoftherosary/

10/06/2026

On Oct. 6, the Catholic Church commemorates Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the Carthusian order of monks who remain notable for their strictly traditional and austere rule of contemplative life.

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints/bruno-508

10/02/2026

Instead of asking for a photo, six young men with Down syndrome asked Pope Leo XIV for a job — and brought years of parish experience to Place de la Concorde.

Read more: https://ow.ly/Kkrh50ZU0Nz

10/02/2026

09/30/2026

St. Jerome was brilliant, holy, and by most accounts, extremely difficult to be around.

He was one of the Church’s greatest Scripture scholars - the man whose translation work became foundational to the Latin Vulgate.

He was also famously combative, sarcastic, and painfully direct. His arguments with figures like Rufinus and Jovinian could become bitter and personal. Pope Benedict XVI described his “difficult, hot-tempered character,” while Pope Francis acknowledged his occasional “excess of verbal violence.”

Why a saint?

Because sainthood is not the same thing as becoming temperamentally pleasant. The Church canonized Jerome, not his temper. The same intensity that could make him difficult also drove him to learn languages, embrace an austere life, study Scripture relentlessly, and spend decades serving the Church.

That may be one of the more surprising things about the saints: grace does not turn people into different species of human beings. It works on the person already there - strengths, weaknesses, sharp edges and all.

St. Jerome’s fourth-century theological arguments make the Catholic internet look surprisingly restrained. They are also a reminder that holiness is not the absence of a difficult personality. Sometimes it is what happens when a difficult personality keeps surrendering itself to God.

So when someone asks Jerome whether “love your enemies” includes your critics, it is entirely believable that his first instinct would be to check the Greek.

Unfortunately, the Greek does not provide an escape clause.

09/30/2026

“Make knowledge of the Scripture your love…Live with them, meditate on them, make them the sole object of your knowledge and inquiries.” - St. Jerome

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09/29/2026

St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael, pray for us!

09/27/2026

CHURCH NEWS| "You Are Not a Burden": Pope Leo Challenges France's Assisted-Dying Law at Lourdes

Speaking at Lourdes, the Pope urged healthcare workers to protect life and expand palliative care while rejecting assisted dying as "false compassion".

Pope Leo XIV told sick and disabled pilgrims at Lourdes on Sunday that they are 'not a burden', less than six weeks after France's assisted-dying law came into force. He also warned that 'what is legal is not necessarily moral'.

While he did not name France's new legislation, he made the remarks in a country that has just introduced a legal framework allowing eligible adults with serious and incurable, life-threatening conditions to request assistance to die, subject to specific conditions.

Speaking to those facing serious illness, Pope Leo acknowledged that despair can set in. 'I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times, terrible pain, your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and without hope,' he said.

"But no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity," he continued. He urged his audience to 'reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion', adding that "it is impossible to regard causing death as something normal". He also said: "Our dignity cannot be measured or debated."

Turning to the patients, he said: "Dear brothers and sisters who are sick, I want to tell you that you are not a burden. You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church."

via International Business Times UK