100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Ivanhoe**

I have two very conflicting thoughts toward this book. Number 1: IT IS FANTASTIC!!!!! Number 2: It's kind of anti-Catholic, I hate it.

So let's begin with number 1. There are a multitude of good points about this book. For starters, Sir Walter Scott is a FANTASTIC writer! The description in this book is fabulous! I could really envision the characters as though they were standing right in front of me. But, Scott doesn't stop at giving the reader a peerless description of the characters' outward appearance, rather, he goes on to develop their personalities to perfection! Each character is so fully himself. I have never read a book with better description (and I've read a lot of books).

I can definitely understand why this book is on a list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read. The two women are by far the best characters in the book (though Wamba is quite epic as well). Each has her own personality, most noticable in Rowena's demure nature versus Rebecca's forthrightness, but they are equally strong women.

Finally, this book is HILARIOUS!!!! Wamba, the jester, absolutely makes the book!

Now for the bad news. The book started out slow but picked up speed and got me hooked. I was absolutely loving it! But then I began to encounter ignorant statements about the Catholic faith. I at first attributed them merely to, as I said, ignorance. But by the end of the book they were becoming blatantly purposeful misstatements. Particularly egregious was the brazen mischaracterization of the sacrament of confession. In addition, not a single clergyman or religious was portrayed as being faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Jewish Rebecca was oftentimes a better Catholic than the Catholics in the book.

The author of Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott, was a member of the Episcopal Church of Scotland and lived during a time when anti-Catholicism was expected and applauded. He, himself, had been raised in a very religious Episcopalian household which he grew to resent. However, Roman Christendom has an interesting take on the author's attitude toward Catholicism.

Ultimately, I feel that I cannot recommend this book because the subtle mischaracterizations of the Church and Church teachings are so rampant that they could easily lead a person to misunderstandings of essential Church doctrine. In the words of the great Bishop Fulton J. Sheen "There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church." I can't encourage you to read something that perpetuates lies about the Catholic Church.

The good quotes from the book are listed below:

• "The knights are dust, And their swords are rust, Their souls are with the saints we trust"


• "My strength thou mayest indeed overpower, for God made women weak, and trusted their defence to man's generosity."


• "'What if the youth perish! - if he die in our custody, shall we not be held guilty of his blood, and be torn to pieces by the multitude?' 'He will not die, my father,' said Rebecca, gently extricating herself from the grasp of Isaac - 'he will not die, unless we abandon him, and if so, we are indeed answerable for his blood to God and to man.'"


• "But thy conduct was wrong, as he that would stop a runaway steed, and seizing by the stirrup instead of the bridle, receiveth injury himself, instead of accomplishing his purpose."


• "I am a maiden unskilled to dispute for my religion, but I can die for it, if it be God's will."


• "no one will risk to break a lance for the innocent"


• "I were undeserving his grace did I not peril it for his good."


• "and they loved each other the more, from the recollection of the obstacles which had impeded their union"

Saint of the Day - St. Lawrence of Brindisi

St. Lawrence was born in 1559 to Guglielmo de Rossi and Elisabetta Masella, who had their child baptized Julius Caesar Rossi. The boy was educated in his native Brindisi by the Friars Minor Conventuals and later studied in Venice. When Julius was twelve years old his father passed away.

Four years later, at the age of sixteen, Julius joined the Capuchin Friars and took the name of Brother Lawrence. As a young friar, Brother Lawrence continued his studies in theology along with becoming proficient in French, German, Greek, Spanish, Hebrew, and Syriac/Bohemian. After finishing his studies Brother Lawrence was ordained to the priesthood.

Now Father Lawrence travelled throughout Europe preaching the Gospel. The Capuchin was well known for being an "effective and forceful preacher." His great knowledge of languages allowed him to preach in numerous countries, taking him to such places as Vienna, Prague, and Graz where he founded convents.

In 1601, Fr. Lawrence served as chaplain of the Holy Roman Empire. Around this time the Turks mounted an invasion of Europe and Fr. Lawrence "rallied the German princes to fight." Carrying nothing but a crucifix, Fr. Lawrence led the army into battle against the superior Turkish force. The battle was won. Fr. Lawrence also served as the spiritual director of the Bavarian Army.

St. Lawrence served as master general of his order from 1602-1605 and was selected for a second term but refused.

His two great loves were the Mass and the Blessed Mother. He is known to have often "fall[en] into ecstasies when celebrating Mass," once taking sixteen hours to complete a Mass.

Fr. Lawrence was, several times, sent on peace missions, all of which were succesful. He died of natural causes while on his final peace mission to Spain. He is "buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares on Villafranca." Pope Leo XIII canonized Fr. Lawrence on December 8, 1881 and Pope John XXIII declared him a doctor of the Church, due to his extensive writings, in 1959. St. Lawrence is the patron saint of his native home of Brindisi, Italy.

Saint of the Day - St. Margaret of Antioch

Margaret was born in Pisidian, Antioch, Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) the daughter of a pagan priest. Her mother died while the girl was still an infant so Margaret was raised by her Christian nurse. As she grew older, Margaret made the decision to convert to Christianity and consecrate herself, and her virginity, to God. For these actions her father disowned her and she was officially adopted by her nurse.

While one day tending her flock of sheep, Margaret's beauty attracted the lustful eye of a Roman prefect named Olybius. He attempted, first through flattery and then by threats, to convince Margaret to be either his concubine or his wife. When she steadfastly refused, Olybrius denounced her as a Christian and had her brought to a public trial in Antioch.

Margaret was given a choice: renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods or be killed. Margaret refused to renounce her faith and so was sentenced to be burned to death. However, when her jailers attempted to execute the sentence they found that the flames would not burn her. The executioners then bound her hands and feet and threw her into a cauldron of boiling oil but, at Margaret's prayers, her bonds were broken and she arose unharmed. She was finally martyred by beheading. It is believed that the martyrdom of St. Margaret occured during the persecutions of Diocletian which occured from 303-305 A.D.

A famous legend about St. Margaret tells of the devil appearing before her in the form of a dragon. In this guise he swallowed the saint but expelled her unharmed when a cross which she carried irritated the dragon's innards.

St. Margaret is also well-known for being one of St. Joan of Arc's famous "voices."

St. Margaret is the patroness: against kidney disease; against loss of milk by nursing mothers; against sterility; of childbirth; of dying people; of escape from devils; of exiles; of expectant mothers; of falsely accused people; for safe childbirth; of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England; of martyrs; of Montefiascone, Italy; of nurses; of peasants; of people in exile; of pregnant women; of Queens College Cambridge; of Rixtel, Netherlands; of Sannat, Gozo, Malta; of women; and of women in labour.

Saint of the Day - St. Arsenius

St. Arsenius was born in 350 A.D. in Rome. His family was very wealthy being that his father was a judge.

Arsenius was brought up in the Church and was eventually ordained a deacon. Upon the death of his parents, Arsenius and his sister gave all their wealth to the poor and lived as hermits.

St. Damascus recommended Arsenius when he heard that Emperor Theodosius was looking for a tutor for his children. Arsenius got the job and moved to Constantinople in 383 A.D.

Arsenius served in the court for over ten years before feeling the call to leave Constantinople in order to join the monks of Alexandria. He lived here a life of prayer and abstinence. He learned Aramaic - the language of Christ - and imposed poverty on himself. When a wealthy relative of his passed away, leaving Arsenius his heir, the monk refused to accept it. While living in Alexandria Arsenius became a student of St. John the Short.

In his old age Arsenius retired to the rock of Troe where he passed away in 450.

Fun Fact: If the pictures are correct, he had a very impressive beard.

Saint of the Day - St. Frederick

St. Frederick, grandson of King Radbon of the Frisians, was educated by the clergy in his hometown of Utrecht in the Netherlands where he was known for his knowledge and piety. After being ordained to the priesthood Frederick was charged with the care and instruction of converts to the faith. Upon the death of Bishop Ricfried of Utrecht, Frederick was appointed to the post.

The new bishop was zealous in advancing the faith, sending missionaries, including St. Odulf, into the northern areas of his diocese where paganism still flourished. Due to his forceful attack on all forms of sin that he encountered, St. Frederick was not particularly well liked. The most troublesome of the pagan areas, the town of Walcheren, St. Frederick dealt with personally.

He also encountered an enemy in the Empress Judith. She and her husband, Emperor Louis the Debonair, were engaged in a conflict with the emperor's sons (her step-sons) who claimed that the empress was involved in many gross immoralities including adultery. St. Frederick charitably but forcefully rebuked the empress, for which action he received her lasting resentment.

On July 18, 838, while offering his thanksgiving after Mass, St. Frederick was stabbed to death by two assassins. He died moments later while reciting Psalm 144 "I will praise the Lord in the land of the living."

Some have speculated that the Empress Judith hired the assassins but it is more likely that they came from Walcheren and were angry at the saint's attack on their pagan religion.

Saint of the Day - The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne

While France reeled in the throws of the revolution a group of 16 Carmelite nuns continued their prayerful lives in the cloister.

On October 29, 1789 the sisters were directly affected for the first time by the revolution when the government decreed that the profession of vows for all religious orders was to be suspended. The prioress of the Carmelites - Mother Therese of St. Augustine - was distressed with this order because it prevented their sole novice, Sr. Constance, from making her final profession of vows. Sr. Constance was no stranger to objections to her vocation. As Mother Therese wrote "Sr. Constance remains always a novice here. Troubles have not been lacking on the side of her family: now they do not want her letters anymore or to hear her spoken of. The Lord permits this to be assured of her fidelity, and she accounts herself happy if they leave her in peace as at present. She hopes that the good God will at last touch their hearts and that they will look on her perseverance without sorrow."

The government's next attack on the Church came in the Civil Constitution on the Clergy which, among other things, ordered the suppresion of all religious orders and the "liberation" of any monks or nuns who should wish to renounce their vows. Government officials arrived at the monastery at Compiegne on August 15, 1790 to offer the sisters their "freedom." The sisters unanimously declared that they had no intention of renouncing their vows. Some of the sisters were rather more forceful. Sister of Jesus Crucified declared "For fifty-six years I have been a Carmelite. I desire to have the same number of years more to be consecrated to the Lord." Sister Euphrasie stated "I became a religious by my own will. I have made up my mind to go on wearing this habit, even if I have to purchase this joy with my own blood." Sister Saint Francis Xavier displayed her love of the Lord when she stated "A good spouse desires to remain with her husband. I do not wish to abandon my spouse." Sister Therese of the Heart of Mary finished "If I will be able to double the bonds of my attachment to God, then, with all my strength and zeal, I will do so."

The infamous guillotine was erected in Paris two weeks after Easter in 1792. At this time Mother Therese instructed her sisters to offer everything they could for an end to the massacres; in her own words "in order that the Divine peace which Christ has brought to the world may be restored to the Church and to the State."

The government continued in its persecution of the Church with a decree that all religious orders must take the Oath of Liberte-Egalite and, three days later, that all monasteries must be vacated. On September 14, 1792 the Carmelites of Compiegne took on secular clothing and divided into four groups to live inconspicuously in the town. For two years the Sisters struggled to maintain their religious life in the world outside the cloister.

In the summer of 1793 Maximilien Robespierre and his Jacobin henchmen attained power and instituted the infamous Reign of Terror which led thousands of French citizens, many of whom were clergy and religious, to the guillotine.

Sister Marie and Mother Therese were obliged to go to Paris in March 1794 for family reasons. While walking down the street the sisters were confronted with the sight of tumbrils carrying victims to the guillotine. Sister Marie attempted to avert Mother Therese' gaze but she told her sister "allow me the sad consolation of seeing how martyrs go to their death."

Upon the return of Mother Therese to Compiegne she received the report from her sisters that all four of their houses had been searched by the Committee for Revolutionary Surveillance and all their papers and food had been seized.

Shortly after the sisters were arrested. Their names were as follows: Mother Therese of St. Augustine, Prioress; Mother St. Louis, sub-prioress; Mother Henriette of Jesus, novice mistress; Sr. Charlotte of the Resurrection, the oldest of the sisters; Sr. of Jesus Crucified; Sr. Therese of the Heart of Mary; Sr. Therese of St. Ignatius; Sr. Julie-Louise of Jesus; Sr. Marie-Henriette of Providence; Sr. Euphrasie of the Immaculate Conception; Sr. Marie of the Holy Spirit, lay sister; Sr. St. Martha, lay sister; Sr. St. Francis Xavier, lay sister; and Sr. Constance, novice and youngest of the sisters. Also arrested with the sisters were two women, blood sisters, who served the community, Anne-Catherine Soiron and Therese Soiron. On the day of their arrest Anne-Catherine begged Mother Therese not to allow herself and her sister to be separated from the Carmelites.

On June 23 the sisters entered their first imprisonement in the Maison de Reclusion where they remained for three weeks with little and sickening food. The Revolutionary Committee of Compiegne arrived to transfer the Sisters to the dreaded Conciergerie in Paris while the sisters were doing their wash on July 12. Having no dry clothes but their religious habits the sisters once again donned their habits and proceeded to their trial as brides to the altar.

The sisters awaited their trial in prayer and works of charity, ministering to the other prisoners, especially the sick.

On July 17 at 9:00 a.m. the sisters were led before three judges and the infamous Antoine Fouquiere-Tinville. He read the Act of Accusation which included the accusation of "fanatical puerility." When Sr. Marie-Henriette asked Fouquier-Tinville to explain this phrase he responded "What I mean is your attachment to your childish beliefs, your stupid religious practices." She then turned to her sisters, proclaiming "My dear Mother and sisters, let us rejoice in the Lord for this. We are going to die for the cause of our holy religion, our faith, our reliance in the holy Roman Catholic Church."

Mother Therese offered to the judges that she herself was responsible for any misconduct of the sisters and that, if they desired a victim, she alone was it. The judges replied that her sisters were accomplices and sentenced all sixteen to the guillotine.

The sisters were summoned that evening while praying the Office for the Dead. Clothed in their religious habits, though their veils had been cut short so as not to interfere with the guillotine's work, the sisters boarded the tumbril carts which would take them to their deaths. While on their journey, disguised priests granted them absolution, as the sisters renewed their baptismal and religious vows and Sister Constance at last made her final profession of vows. The jeers of the crowds subsided as the sisters' chanted prayers rang out.

Mother Therese was informed that she would go last to the guillotine so that she must watch her sisters die. The nuns were called by their given names from youngest to oldest, beginning with Sister Constance.

The young sister had been in a panic moments before because she had been unable to finish the divine office. Mother Therese said to her "Be strong daughter. You will finish it in Paradise!" She now advanced with the strength of knowing that she would die as a professed Carmelite. Sister Constance knelt before Mother Therese and received her superior's blessing. Mother then offered a clay statue of the Virgin and Child for Sister Constance to kiss. The new Carmelite looked up at her mother superior and asked "Permission to die, Mother?" to which Mother Therese replied "Go, my daughter!" As she ascended the scaffold Sister Constance began to intone the psalm Laudate Dominum omnes gentes which St. Teresa of Avila had sung 190 years before "at the foundation of a new Carmel." The song was taken up by all the sisters.

Each sister knelt before Mother Therese to receive her blessing, kiss the image of Virgin and Child, and ask permission to die, while the chorus continued. Sister of Jesus Crucified informed the executioner and his assistants that "I forgive you with all my heart, as I desire forgiveness from God."

Mother Therese mounted the scaffold last, still intoning the psalm which ended abruptly at the fall of the guillotine's blade. The sisters were interred in a mass grave with other of the guillotine's victims.

These were the last executions to take place save those of Maximilien Robespierre and Antoine Fouquiere-Tinville who were guillotined ten days after the sisters, thereby ending the Reign of Terror. The sisters made every sacrifice, culminating in that of their lives, for an end to the violence of the revolution.

The decree on their martyrdom was promulgated on June 24, 1905 and they were beatified by Pope Pius X on May 17, 1906. Their canonization is still pending.

Saint of the Day - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Carmelite order has existed since before the time of Christ as a group dedicated to the virgin who would bring forth the Savior.

By 1251 the Carmelite order had reached England where St. Simon Stock lived as a Carmelite friar. The order was, at that time, suffering oppression which the friars were ardently petitioning Our Lady to relieve them from. While praying for this intention Friar Simon received a vision of Our Lady holding the child Jesus in one arm and two pieces of brown cloth connected by a string in the other.

This garment was the first scapular which Our Lady presented to St. Simon saying "Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant."

Our Lady has appeared at other times as the Lady of Carmel such as at her final apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima.

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed mother of the Son of God, immaculate virgin, assist me in my necessity. O, star of the sea, help me and show me herein, you are my mother. Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.