Watch the video: https://youtu.be/YQFPLSM_vdQ

Don Bosco often had apparitions of the afterlife. One of his pupils Joseph Perazzo, said:
My father's death saddened me very much, and I kept wishing to know of his state in the other world. Once, after confession, I asked Don Bosco to pray for my father. "I have seen him," Don Bosco replied. He then proceeded to describe him so minutely and accurately that I exclaimed, "Yes, that's my father; that's the way he used to dress."
"Well," Don Bosco went on, "he’s still in purgatory. Pray for him, and soon he'll be in heaven." The amazing thing is that Don Bosco had never seen or known the boy's father in this life.
But a far more frightening specter appeared to one of Don Bosco's parishioners around All Souls Day in 1865. It's lesson is timeless and he gave a chilling account of the event to his Oratory boys, resulting in one of the most remarkable Good Night Talks in the school's history.

Here are some very easy ways to gain a plenary indulgence:

-Vocal Recitation of at least 5 decades of the Rosary in a church, or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. And in all other circumstances, a partial indulgence is granted.

-Remaining in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour.

-Reading sacred Scripture with the devotion due to God’s word for half an hour.

-Making the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross at legitimately erected stations.

-On each Friday of Lent a plenary indulgence is granted to those who piously recite the prayer “Look down Upon Me, Good and Gentle Jesus” after Holy Communion, before an image of Christ crucified.

"Indulgence" as defined by the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471):

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints".
To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.  [For instance, one must be a Catholic, not excommunicated or in schism.]

A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:
have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
have sacramentally confessed their sins;
receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required); pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" are suggested. One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father's intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.

Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

The Theban legion numbered more than six thousand men. They were encamped near the Lake of Geneva in the southwestern part of Switzerland, under the Emperor Maximian, when they got orders to turn their swords against the Christian population, and refused to obey. In his fury Emperor Maximian ordered them to be decimated. The order was executed, but they endured this without a murmur or an effort to defend themselves. St. Maurice, the chief captain in this legion of martyrs, encouraged the rest to persevere and follow their comrades to heaven. "Know, O Emperor," he said, "that we are your soldiers, but we are servants also of the true God. In all things lawful we will most readily obey, but we cannot stain our hands in this innocent blood. We have seen our comrades slain, and we rejoice at their honor. We have arms, but we resist not, for we would rather die without shame than live by sin." As the massacre began, these generous soldiers flung down their arms, offered their necks to the sword, and suffered themselves to be butchered in silence.
The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed where two of them were martyred to Saint John Bosco. He was an Italian priest who ran an Oratory school for boys in the 1800's and received over 170 mystical dreams or visions which often foretold future events with perfect accuracy. This particular vision, recounted in volume two of his biographical memoirs, took place in 1845, when Don Bosco had already started his apostolate with young men, but couldn't find a suitable home for all of them. He had gone to bed in desolation, not even suspecting that he would receive a great consolation from Our Lady in the form of a mystical dream. It was a promise of a future home for the boys - a massive Oratory School.
00:00 Intro
00:26 Theban Legion Martyrs
01:36 Story #1 - Don Bosco's Vision
05:26 Prophetic Accuracy of Don Bosco
06:54 Story #2 - The Roman Ghosts


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“I beg of you to beware of thinking of the Rosary as something of little importance – as do ignorant people and even several great but proud scholars. Far from being insignificant, the Rosary is a priceless treasure which is inspired by God.”

-The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort.


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watch the lego timelapse: https://youtube.com/shorts/Uz3ti-DNqeE?feature=share

Griffin the dog clearly knows the Hail Mary clip: https://youtube.com/shorts/MW-0pxNBLNU?feature=share

No matter how much importance you give to the idea of a space race, you have to admit that exploration has always been a very Catholic thing. Whether it be Columbus’ voyage blessed by many miracles from God or St. Brendan setting forth in a leather boat to find the Isle of Saints.

In the 1960s, America's Cold War with Russia and its communist satellites was afoot. We had been threatened with destruction during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Nuclear War was looming on the horizon and the Soviet Union had already launched a man into space successfully. It seemed that the Soviets would dominate the sky - a frightening thought for an American populace already troubled by nuclear annihilation. We needed to step up our game.

All that being considered, space missions from that era had an undeniable anti-communist spark to them. Obviously there can be obsessions with outer space and being first at everything, but when Nuclear War is at hand, I wholeheartedly believe that victory in the space race was very important for the safety of free countries everywhere. Which leads me to the incredible story of Apollo 13, but the space race isn’t actually why I'm interested in this story. I'm interested, because it shows how real men handle problems. What brought it to mind was that one of my subscribers sent me this Lego spaceship and asked me to talk about the three men who escaped death through a series of spine chilling decisions on Apollo 13 — a mission that never reached the Moon… but showed the world what real problem solving looks like. It's a testament to cool thinking, ingenuity and even trust in God and I think it says something about America's calling as a nation, which is important to discern, because patriotism is a virtue.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watvh the performance: https://youtu.be/JKwdgecfeUM

Special thanks to my talented cast of actors who performed this show live for an audience. 
Led by Don Juan of Austria, with the blessing of Pope Pius V and the prayers of all Christendom, the Holy League sailed into history. Outnumbered and outgunned, their greatest weapon was not their cannons or swords, but the Rosary. As the Pope called all Catholics to prayer, men and women across Europe took up their beads, and the heavens answered. The winds shifted, the battle turned, and Our Lady granted victory to her faithful sons.

If you’ve ever wondered why October 7th is the Feast of the Holy Rosary, or how the faith of ordinary men and women turned the tide of war, this is the story you’ve been waiting for.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Wath the video: https://youtu.be/W45LoVjhz6I

The Red Room by H.G. Wells, written in 1896.

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If you would like to listen to "The Catholic Insomniac", please click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1a68IKIffqZNI0RjOSSnCd4pxRiNgYvy

Sleep with the angels and rise with the saints!


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Helping you find good works of literature for the Catholic gentleman... before they get banned.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/s_dT4xMJ-R0


This is the true story of a Marine wounded in Korea in 1950. Writing to his mother, he told her of a fascinating encounter he experienced with Saint Michael the Archangel in the war.

Father Walter Muldy, a U.S. Navy chaplain who spoke to the young Marine and his mother as well as to the outfit commander, always affirmed the veracity of this narrative. 


Attributions for Material used:

1. Ghost Processional by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) 
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... 
Artist: http://incompetech.com/ 

2. Faceoff by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) 
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... 
Artist: http://incompetech.com/


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

1st Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 13. Sorry, I'm a little sick with the flu for this one.

Made a little short about it too: https://youtube.com/shorts/e3zrGDZaZ34?feature=share

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/OSAhlkNmwXk

"How many hours have passed? One? Five? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Then, you know he’s there. You don’t know how, but you’re heart-slamming sure. There has been no sound, no scent, no hint of movement. But he’s there. Close. It’s the same feeling you get when someone stares at the back of your head, the same sixth sense that makes your hackles rise to protect your jugular..."

This story is taken from "Death in a Lonely Land: More Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting on Five Continents" by Peter Hathaway Capstick.


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

See the beautiful visuals for this live stream: https://youtube.com/live/y6_Cu2LB8gQ?feature=share


This is a special live stream segment called: Catholic Insomniac – Tales to Fall Asleep.

Tonight I will be reading two stories:
00:00 Intro

02:04 "A Brave Dog" by Sir Samuel W. Baker

15:54 "Uncle Dick's Rolf" by Georgiana M. Craik

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KG1HDsgxTU8


Rosary Rally Central: https://americaneedsfatima.org...

If you would like to have a Fatima visit in your own home, please call 888-460-7371.

Link up with our University Apostolate:
TFP Student Action
https://tfpstudentaction.org/

It was juridically proven in the process of canonization of St. Francis Jerome [1642-1716] and under oath attested to by a large number of eye-witnesses: In the year 1707, St. Francis Jerome was preaching, as was his wont, in the neighborhood of the city of Naples. He was speaking of Hell and the awful chastisements that await obstinate sinners. A brazen courtesan [prostitute] who lived there, troubled by a discourse which aroused her remorse, sought to hinder it by jests and shouts, accompanied by noisy instruments. As she was standing close to the window, the Saint cried out: "Beware, my daughter, of resisting grace; before eight days God will punish you." The unhappy creature grew only more boisterous. Eight days elapsed, and the holy preacher happened to be again before the same house. This time she was silent; the windows were shut. The hearers, with dismay on their faces, told the Saint that Catherine (that was the name of the bad woman) had a few hours before died suddenly. "Died!" he repeated. "Well, let her tell us now what she has gained by laughing at Hell. Let us ask her." He utterred these words in an inspired tone, and everyone expected a miracle. Followed by an immense crowd, he went up to the death chamber, and there, after having prayed for an instant, he uncovered the face of the corpse, and said in a loud voice, "Catherine, tell us where art thou now." At this summons, the dead woman lifted her head, while opening her wild eyes; her face borrowed color, her features assumed an expression of horrible despair, and in a mournful voice, she pronounced these words: "In Hell; I am in Hell." And immediately, she fell back again into the condition of a corpse.
      "I was present at that event," says one of the witnesses who deposed before the Apostolic tribunal, "but I never could convey the impression it produced on me and the bystanders, nor that which I still feel every time I pass that house and look at that window. At the sight of that ill-fated abode, I still hear the pitiful cry resounding: "In Hell; I am in Hell." (Father Bach, Life of St. Francis Jerome.).

F.X. Schouppe, S.J. Hell: The Dogma of Hell, Illustrated by Facts Taken from Profane and Sacred History (Rockford, Ill.: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1989), 5-6.

In a 1963 lecture, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira delivered an incredible meditation on St. Joachim and St. Anne: their confidence in God was unshakable.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/lwnrPa6DqCE

"We sometimes pray, but God appears not to heed us. Let us, on such occasions never abandon prayer, but let us rather redouble our confidence, saying with holy Job, 'Although He should kill me I will trust in Him.' (Job 13:15.) O my God, though you should turn your face from me I will not cease to pray, and to hope in your mercy. Let us act in this manner, and we shall obtain from God whatsoever we desire." - St. Alphonsus Liguori

Source: Prayer - The Great Means of Salvation... https://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-107.shtml

This is an incredible book. Here's another quote from it - "Saint Chrysostom says, that God's wrath is provoked against us, only when we neglect to ask His gifts. He is not angry except when we do not ask."

My first listener-submitted series of episodes.

Watch the livestream: https://youtube.com/live/qnJ40L_-Sy8

Please submit your stories here in the comment section below: https://www.reddit.com/r/catholicinsomniac/

Source for the story on the apparition of Our Lady to St. Gregory the Wonder-worker is from https://www.lectio-divina.org/ The exact link to the pdf is here: https://www.lectio-divina.org/images/nyssa/Gregory%20the%20Wonderworker.pdf

Source for the miracle story of Jack Traynor: http://www.faithandfamily.org.uk/publications/jack_traynor.htm

00:00 Intro
00:44 St. Gregory the Wonder-worker
09:01 Miracle in St. Louis, MO
12:31 Lourdes Miracle - Jack Traynor

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/xsRGWtuxUyg

Saint John Bosco wrote an incredible book on Saint Vincent de Paul and I would like to read a few quotes from it that challenge the worldly concept of success and failure. Never have so few pages taught me more about life and helped me understand some of the most confusing trials I've ever been through. Hopefully it will do the same for you and clarify my point on the Catholic notion of success. This chapter was a huge source of consolation from Divine Providence for me.

The book is called: "Virtue and Christian Refinement, According to the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul."

See the stunning visuals on the livestream: https://youtube.com/live/AdCGP2uh7Hw

Please consider thanking my VFX artist friend in the comment section for his mesmerizing illustrations.


In “The Phantom Island,” Washington Irving tells the legend of Don Fernando de Ulmo, a young Portuguese nobleman who is consumed by the mythical Island of the Seven Cities—a legendary land founded by Christian bishops fleeing the Muslim conquest of Spain.

This is the story of a fanatical rebellion in China and how a group of faithful Catholics defended a Cathedral in Peking during a two month siege. It is the historical account of how a heavenly army defended Beitang cathedral in 1900 and is one of the few documented apparitions of Our Lady in China.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/giuMpSKPtic

Bibliography:
1. Favier, Alphonse, Edited by Joseph Freri. The Heart of Pekin: Bishop A. Favier‘s Diary of the Siege, May-August 1900. Boston: Marlier, 1901. Page 9 & 10.
2. Mazeau, Henry The Heroine Of Pe-Tang; Helen De Jaurias, Sister Of Charity 1824-1900. Sr. Helen de Jaurias died on August 20, 1900.
Note from the book: “In China the power of the devil is manifested visibly by the number of persons who are possessed of evil spirits. We often hear Satan speaking by the mouths of possessed people. A holy Missionary, who has been here for 22 years, told me that he heard him declaring through a woman who was possessed that China was his chosen Empire, and that there was not a single spot of this country where he was not worshiped!” They were told (also by the devil) not to build any buildings higher than 99 feet high.
3. http://www.jesuit.org/wp-content/uploads/Studies_Autumn_09.pdf
4. J-M Planchet C. M., Documents sur les martyrs de Pekin pendant la persecution des Boxeurs, Peking, Imprimerie des Lazaristes, 1920, p. 101.

Watch the live stream: https://youtube.com/live/gJziFfNAD1o

In this LIVE episode of the Catholic Men's Podcast we'll go over the Ten Commandments of Chivalry and how it applies to the chilling tale of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" which is told in the Arthurian Legends. I think the tale upholds a beautiful standard of conduct which values honor over life and is a fitting read for any Catholic gentleman who wants to learn how to be a true knight of Christ in these modern times.

Here's a playlist about real medieval warriors of the Crusades: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1a68IKIffqamCCC1AWajGqnHipE0zjP7