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There are 67 million Roman Catholics in our nation alone, with the vast majority of them believing their salvation is secure because they have aligned themselves with the teaching of “the one true church,” which teaches them that salvation comes through “the church,” through good works, and through saving graces that have been endowed to Mary. We believe God has given us a two-fold call in the arena of working towards the harvest of Roman Catholicism. First, He instructed us to map over 600 sites across the nation, all of which fall into one of the five categories below. At the same time He gave us a mandate to take a prayer team to every one of these sites. By the end of January 2006 we will have prayed at all sites in 40 states, as well as partial work in one other state. Secondly, the Father told us to educate the body of Christ as to how the Spirit of Religion operates in Roman Catholicism, exposing the doctrines of this religious structure where they are contrary to the Word of God. Not only have we dedicated a portion of our website toward this endeavor, we are regularly sending email briefings to all who believe they have a call from the Lord to better understand this false structure and have a call to pray for a harvest. These briefings both expose various false doctrines of this religious structure, as well as keep us updated on current religious and political views of Catholicism. If you desire to receive these briefings simply send an email to diane@battleaxe.org giving your name, what state you live in, and your email address. On-site Prayer Location Categories Cathedral- A cathedral is the central church of the diocese and the bishop’s official home church. We derive our word cathedral from the Greek and Latin cathedra, meaning “throne/chair.” At the cathedral the bishop is consecrated and enthroned upon his cathedra, an ancient symbol of a man’s teaching authority. The cathedra is usually very elaborately designed, larger and more impressive than any other chair on the altar platform, and displays the bishop’s personal crest. In Roman Catholic government territories are referred to as diocese, with a bishop being the highest authority in any given diocese. The bishop has authority over all local parishes, its priests, deacons, nuns and laity. A parish is a smaller territorial area in any given city. A diocese might consist of anywhere from 10 to 250 parishes. Technically, according to Canon Law, all bishops are infallible in the matters of morals and faith in their diocese. The Pope himself is universal bishop and therefore it is believed and practiced that his infallibility in matters of faith, doctrines and morals covers the entire Roman Catholic world. We have shared the above information to emphasize that a cathedral is a major seat of authority in the Roman Catholic structure. Basilica- The word basilica means “kingdom.” The Pope alone can designate a church as a basilica, and in the U.S. there are 54 basilicas, known as minor basilicas. Being a basilica doesn’t designate greater authority, but designates greater honor. A church is designated as a basilica based on two assertions: (1) Its extreme spiritual contribution to a community; (2) Its extraordinarily beautiful architectural design. A cathedral or a shrine might also hold the title of basilica. Amongst some of the honor given to a basilica is that they may display a Papal Umbrella, Papal Bell, and Pontifical Seal. The Papal umbrella is always a red and yellow silk umbrella that is used to shield the Pope from weather factors. The Papal bell is rung when the Pope makes an appearance. The Pontifical Seal is the seal of the Papacy, with the dominant feature of the crossed keys, which symbolize the keys to the kingdom which are held by the Supreme Pontiff, the successor to St. Peter. Shrine- A shrine is a place designated to bring honor and veneration to a certain person, or a certain aspect of the sacred. For instance, there would be a Shrine of the True Cross, or there might be a Shrine to St. Theresa. Shrines are not necessarily churches, although they may be under the auspices of a specific parish, while others simply have their own religious facilitators and are under the generalized auspices of the diocese. Shrines will always have a consecrated altar, where a mass may be offered by a priest. Usually one of the strict designations for a shrine is that they host a relic of the person or whatever they are representing as sacred. In Roman Catholicism people who, after their death, have been acknowledged and honored for extraordinary deeds, a lifestyle of devotion, or miracles, become canonized, becoming the official “saints” of the Roman Catholic Church. After their canonization, their body is exhumed and small parts of their body are removed, such as hair snips, bones chips, nail clippings, etc., and are set apart to be venerated as the relic of that person. The fuller part of the body is usually entombed visibly in a glass casket as the foundation of the altar slab or buried out of view under the main altar’s foundation. Shrines are places where the faithful come to set their petitions and their requests, believing these saints to be intercessors for them before Jesus. At these shrines thanksgiving is offered to saints for answered prayers, as well as veneration and special devotion given to that saint. The faithful are known to travel far distances, or make pilgrimage, to these shrines. Across our nation there are literally hundreds of Roman Catholic shrines where the faithful visit by the multitudes, to give honor and veneration to what that shrine honors, and their devotion is intense. Some of these shrines are simple in their size and décor, while others can be multimillion dollar buildings and grounds. There are three categories of sacred relics: (1) A first class relic is a small part of that saint’s body; (2) A second class relic is a piece of a saint’s personal belonging, such as a page out of their favorite book, personal clothing, their shoes; (3) A third class relic is something that has sacred value in one’s own personal life that is touched to the first class relic. For example, a rosary or a medal of that saint rubbed upon the first class relic becomes a third class relic. Relics are never for sale. However, in your devotion and out of your gratitude your financial offering will always be welcomed. There are some saints who become recognized as patron saints, meaning they become known as a benefactor or protector for the church. For example, St. Jude is the patron saint of the impossible. As a note of interest, the Patroness of the United States of America is the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was determined by the Council of Bishops in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1846. Under the title of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, she is venerated in Washington D.C. at the National Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Grotto- A grotto, in the natural, is a small cave. Grottos have become noteworthy places of devotion and pilgrimage because of the supposed visitation of the Virgin Mary to a young girl named Bernadette in the village of Lourdes, France. In a grotto along the Gave de Pau River, the Virgin Mary declared in 1858, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Across our nation there are multitudes of man-made grottos designated as places of veneration and pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary. In our nation apparitions, particularly of the Virgin Mary, are on the increase. Some do have visitations or appearances of Jesus or an angel. With few exceptions they bring a message. The dictionary defines apparition as: to appear, in the sense of attendance, service, to attend; the act of appearing or becoming apparent, particularly suddenly or unexpectantly (Webster’s 20th Century Dictionary). The messages that the apparitions bring are oftentimes that of a “private revelation” as opposed to a “public revelation.” Roman Catholic doctrine documents the Archangel Gabrielle’s visit to Mary as an apparition. Some of the noteworthy Marian apparitions from around the world would be the Virgin appearing in Fatima, Portugal, Lourdes, France, and in more recent times, Our Lady of Medjugorje, in Bosnia. Once again these apparitions draw multitudes and usually become locations of great devotion and pilgrimage. Although yet no U.S. apparition has been sanctioned by the Papacy, they have gained great attention and affection by multitudes of the faithful. The church government does not usually move swiftly in sanctioning an apparition, but when it does, it gives great weightiness to whatever message was delivered there. It is important to understand that the Roman Catholic Church built its entire dogma of Mary being immaculately conceived upon a supposed apparition, as opposed to the Holy Bible. For more information regarding some of the apparition messages that are being promoted, see our website, under Roman Catholicism in the section entitled “Mary.” (www.battleaxe.org) Lying wonders, as with apparitions, are on the increase across our nation, with many giving credence to such signs and wonders, like stigmatas and icons or statues that bleed or release oily tears. The word stigmata comes from the Greek, meaning “mark.” Stigmatas are believed to be the marks of Christ, where blood flows from the palms of hands, from feet, or from the forehead. The Roman Catholic Church sanctions this, applying the scripture where Paul said, “…for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). Probably the most widely known stigmatist is St. Francis of Assisi. Other stigmatics in modern times include St. Theresa and the Italian priest, commonly known as Padre Pio. Other lying wonders are rosaries that change from one color to another and solar phenomenon.
Our
nation hosts significant Roman Catholic universities, colleges and
seminaries such as the Pontifical College Josephium, the only land
owned by the Vatican outside of Rome, and the International Marian
Research Institute, the largest pro-Mary study area in the world,
both located in Ohio. The Jesuit University of Seton Hall in
New Jersey is unique in that its school of diplomacy trains all
the United Nations diplomats. Other significant sites
include University of Notre Dame and Loyola College, both in
Maryland; Georgetown University and Catholic University of
America, in Washington D.C.; St. Louis University in
Missouri. Many of these institutes have trained our
senators, congressmen and leaders of major industries across our
nation. E. Opus Dei The name Opus Dei is Latin for “work of God.” As a personal Prelature, Opus Dei is a jurisdictional entity within the church’s hierarchical structure. The leadership of Opus Dei do not answer to local bishops or priests, but only to the Pope and the Sacred Congregation of Bishops in Rome. There are 60 Opus Dei centers across the United States.
Opus
Dei’s central theme is that people can be holy in everyday life
through prayer, discipline and generosity towards others. The
group is unique in the church in that most of its members are lay
persons, making commitments of life-long chastity. What earmarks
Opus Dei to be what we consider a dangerous organization is their
recruiting methods of children as young as 12 through college age,
and their teaching and requirement for members for corporal
mortification. Corporal mortification includes flagellating
(whipping) themselves on their back and buttocks, using an
apparatus called a cilicio, which is a combination of raw wool and
chains, which they strap tightly around their upper leg, and sleep
on boards—all to gain greater piety and share in the sufferings of
Christ. As members they are told what literature they are
allowed to read, have their mail read by superiors, and sign over
their salaries. It’s an organization of great secrecy and
possesses phenomenal wealth. If a member considers leaving
the organization they are told that they are turning their backs
on God and they could be damned if they leave the organization.
(www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week444/cover.html)
(Our Sunday Visitor, Vol. 93, #9, June 27, 2004,
www.osv.com) (www.americanmagazine.org/martin-opusdei.cfm)
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