A Message from The Catholic Crusade
April is typically the busiest month of the Church year for Catholics, and this year is no exception. Our Lenten journey continues into Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday (April 10th), and concludes with the celebration of our Lord's Last Supper on Holy Thursday (April 14). We solemnly remember and honor our Lord's brutal suffering and death on Good Friday (April 15) with a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Some devoutly extend their fast into Holy Saturday (April 16) in honor of the body of Jesus laying in the tomb. Our sorrow is transformed into joy on Easter Sunday (April 17) when we celebrate our Lord's Resurrection and victory over death. We venerate our Lord's Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday (April 24th), with many of us participating in the Divine Mercy Novena in preparation of this feast day (April 15-23).
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Prayers & Devotions Recommended
for Good Friday
Meditate on the fourteen significant events of the Lord's Passion by praying the Stations of the Cross. We have this devotion available in both text and video forms.
The Seven Last Words of Christ is a reflection on the seven significant statements spoken by Jesus from the Cross, teaching us forgiveness, suffering, honor, and more.
Prayers of reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus, including the Litany to the Holy Face, the Golden Arrow Prayer, and a prayer to the Father.
St. Bridget prayed for a long time to know how many blows the Lord Jesus received during his Sacred Passion. Jesus appeared to her and told her that he received 5,480 blows to His Body. He also gave her 15 prayers to be said every day for one year to honor each of his wounds received. While this is intended to be a one-year devotion, the prayers are most appropriate for Good Friday.
How shredded and agonizing the shoulder of the Lord must have been on that day from bearing the weight of the heavy cross to Calvary. This is a prayer honoring the shoulder wound of Jesus.
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Fasting and abstinence are also practiced (and required) during Lent. The following rules are posted on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' website:
- * Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
- * For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
- * Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church.
- * If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.
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Are you prepared for Divine Mercy Sunday? You are most likely familiar with (or at least have heard about) the Divine Mercy Chaplet. But how much do you know about its origins and the Lord Jesus's purpose for giving it to the world? Grab a cup of coffee and a snack and check out this 20-minute YouTube video entitled "The Divine Mercy Devotion" to learn all about this amazing (and, at times, frightening) story behind this popular devotion. Share it with someone that you feel the Holy Spirit is calling you to share it with. The Divine Mercy, literally, can be that person's final opportunity to prepare for their judgement day.
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The Divine Mercy Novena is quickly approaching. The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday (April 15) and concludes on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday (April 23). We have all of the daily meditations, prayers, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet available in text and video forms here. In addition, we will post these prayers and meditations daily throughout the novena on our website and social media accounts for your convenience.
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April 1st is First Friday. For anyone interested in participating in the First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we have recommended prayers here, along with additional information regarding this devotion.
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† APRIL FEAST DATES - MARK YOUR CALENDAR †
April 02 - St. Francis of Paola
April 04 - St. Isidore
April 05 - St. Vincent Ferrer
April 07 - St. John Baptista de la Salle
April 10 - Palm Sunday
April 11 - St. Stanislaus
April 13 - St. Martin I
April 14 - Holy Thursday
April 15 - Good Friday | Divine Mercy Novena begins
April 16 - Holy Saturday
April 17 - Easter
April 21 - St. Anselm of Canterbury
April 23 - St. George | St. Adalbert
April 24 - Divine Mercy Sunday (Learn about Divine Mercy)
April 25 - St. Mark the Evangelist
April 26 - Our Lady of Good Counsel
April 27 - St. Turibius of Mogrovejo
April 28 - St. Louis de Montfort | St. Peter Chanel
April 29 - St. Catherine of Siena
April 30 - Our Lady of the Valley | St. Pius V | St. Marie of the Incarnation
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The Catholic Crusade is on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram! Be sure to subscribe, like, and follow us to keep up with the latest from the Crusade. Also, be sure to visit our website to find all of our prayers and more!
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SCAM ALERT: Sadly, we have been dealing with scammers creating YouTube channels using our "The Catholic Crusade" name and logo... pretending to be us... asking our viewers to send donations to an orphanage in Africa via a phone app. THIS IS A SCAM. Please be careful with whom you send money to on the Internet. Verify all information before sending money to anyone who claims to be from a charitable organization.
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Special Thanks For Your Support
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Support of Our Mission
Supporting our mission is as simple as sharing our videos with your family & friends. Find out other ways that you can assist us in continuing our mission's growth. Support of Our Mission
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Recent Prayers & Devotions
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A Prayer for Ukraine is a prayer for peace and protection to come to the people of Ukraine and all of the countries of the world. It was composed by The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) - https://cafod.org.uk
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The Novena for Impossible Requests is a powerful novena that honors the nine months in which the Virgin Mary carried Jesus in her womb. Three petitions are generally offered to Mary for her intercession.
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The Jesus, Help Me Prayer is a prayer to Jesus for His help in times of trouble, difficulties, temptations, and struggles. In this prayer, we place our trust in Jesus and take shelter in His protection and care.
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Upcoming Novena - April 2022
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Divine Mercy Novena - (April 15-23, 2022)
SITE | VIDEO
The Divine Mercy Novena is a novena of prayers with specific intentions given to Saint Faustina by Jesus. The Novena begins on Good Friday and concludes on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter).
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Have you consecrated yourself yet to Jesus through Mary?
This 33-day preparation, involving a daily series of readings and prayers prior to making your consecration, is a spiritually nourishing experience necessary to prepare you for consecration to Jesus through Mary.
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Thank you for all of your prayers & support of our mission!
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