Pope Offers Beach Ball to Our Lady at Santa Maria Maggiore Before WYD

From the Eponymous Flower:



Here's the Report from News.va:

After his arrival at Ciampino airport, the Holy Father chose to stop at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to offer a brief prayer to the Blessed Virgin for World Youth Day. 

Seeing the Pope as he entered the Basilica, a group of young people approached him and offered him a T-shirt and a ball. Pope Francis later offered the gifts to the Madonna.

This is one of the great churches of Christendom, and recalls a time when it snowed in the summer as a sign of Our Lady's favor.  It was commemorated by the command of St. Pius V in connection with Trent... (continued)

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• Pope Offers Beach Ball to Our Lady at Santa Maria Maggiore Before WYD 

SSPX Unification Postponed?

At The Eponymous Flower, a report from Kreuz.net:

(kreuz.net) Pope Benedict XVI. will only  take care of the dossier "Society of St. Pius" in summer vacation -- therefore after the High Feast of St. Peter and Paul.

This is what Europe's largest Catholic internet site 'kreuz.net' has learned from Vatican circles.

Because of the current difficult inner-Church situation that is involved with the reconciliation with the SSPX must be immediately managed before there can be a unification. 

Till now observers originally thought that the Vatican would have made known the reconciliation between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X on Pentecost.

Links:

• SSPX Unification Postponed
• Piusbruderschaft - Einigung aufgeschoben

Healing From God's Herb Garden: Nuns Work With Pharmaceutical Experts

From FrankfurterRundschau via the Eponymous Flower:

 For many centuries Monastic medicine was the only hope for the sick -- today modern researchers are tapping the old knowledge.

Plants from the herb book of Leonhart Fuchs from the year 1545. The representation is of high quality botanically speaking.

The powerful towers of the Church of St. Michael reach into the sky. They overlook the cloister garden of the Oberzeller Franciscans. Sister Leandra Ulsamer grows lavender, sage and hyssop. The herbs grow faster in the hot summer weeks than at other times so that the Franciscans have all their hands full to bring in the rich harvest.

"Primroses and lemon balm are ripe in the early part of the year for our herb trees", reported Sister Leandra. "We have harvested enormous quantities of St. John's Wort, mullen, peppermint and sage."

The Sisters started this garden 21 years ago with a small corner. They the sisters will plant the herbs for their evening tea. Today their herb garden in Oberzell by Wurzburg with around 100 different types of herb is one of the largest in Germany. "And every year we add four, five plants onto it," said Sister Leandra. Right now she has introduced the new fine leafed olive herb that helps with indigestion...

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