"Do not be afraid to be holy!"

~ Saint John Paul II

"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did." 

~ Saint Maximilian Kolbe

From Episode 9 of Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained, "Mary & the Saints: Our Spiritual Mother & the Communion of Saints":

What do we think of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and how does our relationship with her impact our relationship with her Son? What is the connection between our understanding of Mary and the rest of the saints? Why do we ask Mary and other "dead people" to pray for us? The answers to these questions serve to give us a framework for the Catholic Church's teachings on life after death and what we call "The Communion of the Saints."

Watch for free on Formed.org through our parish subscription. If this is your first time using Formed.org, click here to get started.

Devotion to the saints — those who have gone before us into heaven — is a worthy endeavor. We can be encouraged by their example; we can be instructed by their teachings; and we can be supported by their prayers. But there's a right and a wrong way to practice any devotion.

Today, Fr. Mark Mary discusses Catholic devotion to the saints and shows us how to remain neither discouraged nor weird.

Paradisus Dei: The Mysteries of the Rosary

Mysteries of the Rosary is a four-part film series produced by Paradisus Dei (the same organization that created That Man is You! and She Shall Be Called Woman). So far, they have produced two stunning video series on the Joyful Mysteries and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, filmed from beautiful locations in the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Paris.

Click HERE to view the Mysteries of the Rosary on FORMED.org

The appearance of Mary, honored as Our Lady of Guadalupe, to Juan Diego in the 16th century is a powerful reminder of God's love for all peoples - especially the downtrodden and oppressed. Our Lady of Guadalupe is patronness of the Americas: click HERE to learn more about how her feast is celebrated each year on December 12.

The Catholic Fundamentals newsletter will take a short break for Christmas. Our next email will be on January 8. In the meantime, please join us for one of our Christmas Masses!

Looking for more opportunities to deepen your faith here at Saint Pius X? Visit our website to learn more!

• StPius.net/Faith Homepage for seasonal adult faith formation programs (including the Parish Book Program, which begins in January!)
• StPius.net/Bible Bible studies and Bible study resources, including our Living Water Bible Study blog
• StPius.net/Groups Grow in faith with a group! Check out That Man is You! and She Shall Be Called Woman
• StPius.net/Resources Parish lending library, subscriptions to Catholic periodicals, and instructions for accessing Formed.org