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John Fisher was born in England in 1469. After he was ordained a priest, the royal family appointed him tutor for Prince Henry, who became King Henry VIII. All this changed when Henry’s request for a divorce was refused by the pope, and Bishop Fisher supported the decision. Six months later, Henry had parliament write another document, the Oath of Supremacy, claiming that Henry was supreme head of the Catholic Church in England. Again Bishop Fisher refused to sign. The bish...op was sentenced to prison in 1534 on the charge of high treason. The pope declared the jailed bishop a cardinal. In June, 1535, he was condemned to death by beheading. Thomas More was born in 1477, the son of a lawyer in London. He planned to become a priest but then entered law school. His three daughters, son, and friends helped make his home a happy place. Besides being a shrewd lawyer, Thomas was a charming, witty man, who won the friendship of the king. Henry VIII began his rule of England as a devout king. Later, King Henry asked Thomas to approve of the divorce he wanted. Thomas refused. Of course, the king became angry. By this time, Thomas had become chancellor of England. Henry wanted Thomas on his side. Then when every bishop except John Fisher signed the Oath of Supremacy, Thomas refused to sign. He resigned as chancellor and retired to his country home, hoping for a quiet life with his family. Thomas, however, was sent to prison. He was kept for more than a year in the Tower of London. The king tried hard to make him change his mind, but Thomas stood firm. He knew this stand would mean certain death for him and disgrace for his family, but he followed his conscience. Finally, after suffering hunger, cold, and loneliness, Thomas was led out to be beheaded on July 6. Seeing that the masked swordsman was quite nervous, Thomas said, Be not afraid, for you send me to God. Then he said to the crowd, I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! The Friday that follows the Second Sunday in Time After Pentecost is the Feast of the Sacred Heart which brings to mind all the attributes of His Divine Heart mentioned above. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart itself, we can gain a plenary indulgence by making an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart. This general devotion arose when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a Visitation nun, had a personal revelation inv...olving a series of visions of Christ as she prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote, "He disclosed to me the marvels of his Love and the inexplicable secrets of his Sacred Heart." Christ emphasized to her His love -- and His woundedness caused by Man's indifference to this love. Jesus promised that, in response to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart, that: -He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life. -He will establish peace in their homes. -He will comfort them in all their afflictions. -He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death. -He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings. -Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy. -Lukewarm souls shall become fervent. -Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection. -He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored. -He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts. -Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart. -In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

Today the church remembers St. Gregory Barbarigo! St Gregory was born on 16 September 1625 in Venice as the eldest of four children to the nobles Giovanni Francesco Barbarigo (a senator) and Lucrezia Leoni. His father instructed him in philosophical studies and in mathematics while tutors taught him Latin and Greek; he also received the rudiments of music. He obtained doctorates in both canon law and civil law, as well as theology, on 25 September 1655 and received his ord...ination to the priesthood on 21 December 1655. On 9 July 1657 the pope appointed him as the newest Bishop of Bergamo (* see note below) and he received his episcopal consecration as such on 29 July 1657. When he arrived in Bergamo, he proceeded to visit each of the 390 parishes of the diocese. He was a successful bishop and his fame spread through the ranks so much to the point that his old friend Alexander VII elevated him into the cardinalate on 5 April 1660. In 1664 he was made the newest Bishop of Padua and upon entrance into his new diocese he strove to model himself upon the example of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584). He was a strong supporter of the work of the Council of Trent. He made the seminaries of Padua and of Bergamo larger and added an archive and printing press in Padua. He celebrated a diocesan synod from 13 September 1683 and wrote the Regulae Studiorum in 1690 for ecclesial studies . He also visited all 320 parishes in his diocese. Cardinal Barbarigo fostered catechetical instruction and he travelled across to each village in his diocese in order to teach and to preach to the people. His compassion to the poor was well known for he gave his household goods and his clothes to the poor. He even sold his bed to help them. Barbarigo died after a brief illness on 18 June 1697 in Padua where he was interred in the diocesan cathedral. His remains were exhumed on 25 May 1725 and found to be incorrupt.

Today the Church honors St. Margaret of Scotland, Queen. St. Margaret was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her, that meant complete freedom to love God and serve others. Her family fled from William the Conqueror and was shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm befriended them and was captivated by the beautiful, gracious Margaret. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070.... Malcolm was good-hearted, but rough and uncultured, as was his country. Because of Malcolm’s love for Margaret, she was able to soften his temper, polish his manners, and help him become a virtuous king. He left all domestic affairs to her, and often consulted her in state matters. Margaret was not only a queen, but a mother. She and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. Margaret personally supervised their religious instruction and other studies. Although she was very much caught up in the affairs of the household and country, she remained detached from the world. Her private life was austere. She had certain times for prayer and reading Scripture. She ate sparingly and slept little in order to have time for devotions. She and Malcolm kept two Lents, one before Easter and one before Christmas. During these times she always rose at midnight for Mass. On the way home she would wash the feet of six poor persons and give them alms. She was always surrounded by beggars in public and never refused them. It is recorded that she never sat down to eat without first feeding nine orphans and 24 adults. In 1093, King William Rufus made a surprise attack on Alnwick castle. King Malcolm and his oldest son, Edward, were killed. Margaret, already on her deathbed, died four days after her husband. http://ow.ly/Dfe450F4L3g

Today the Church pays tribute to one of the great doctors of the Church, St. Basil the Great! Basil was on his way to becoming a famous teacher when he decided to begin a religious life of gospel poverty. After studying various modes of religious life, he founded what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. He is to monks of the East what Saint Benedict is to the West, and Basil’s principles influence Eastern monasticism today. He was ordained a priest, assisted the a...rchbishop of Caesareanow southeastern Turkeyand ultimately became archbishop himself, in spite of opposition from some of the bishops under him, probably because they foresaw coming reforms. Arianism, one of the most damaging heresies in the history of the Church which denied the divinity of Christ, was at its height. Emperor Valens persecuted orthodox believers, and put great pressure on Basil to remain silent and admit the heretics to communion. Basil remained firm, and Valens backed down. But trouble remained. When the great Saint Athanasius died, the mantle of defender of the faith against Arianism fell upon Basil. He strove mightily to unite and rally his fellow Catholics who were crushed by tyranny and torn by internal dissension. He was misunderstood, misrepresented, accused of heresy and ambition. Even appeals to the pope brought no response. For my sins I seem to be unsuccessful in everything. Basil was tireless in pastoral care. He preached twice a day to huge crowds, built a hospital that was called a wonder of the worldas a youth he had organized famine relief and worked in a soup kitchen himselfand fought the prostitution business. Basil was best known as an orator. Though not recognized greatly in his lifetime, his writings rightly place him among the great teachers of the Church. Seventy-two years after his death, the Council of Chalcedon described him as the great Basil, minister of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole earth.

Today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! In the midst of the second world war Pope Pius XII put the whole world under the special protection of our Savior's Mother by consecrating it to her Immaculate Heart, and in 1944 he decreed that in the future the whole Church should celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is not a new devotion. In the seventeenth century, St. John Eudes preached it together with that of the Sacred Heart; in the nineteent...h century, Pius VII and Pius IX allowed several churches to celebrate a feast of the Pure Heart of Mary. Pius XII instituted today's feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the whole Church, so as to obtain by her intercession "peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue" (Decree of May 4, 1944). See more

The St. Edith Stein Honor Society was created by RCA to promote excellent scholarship, to encourage service in both the corporal and #spiritual works of mercy, and to honor virtue in the high school students of Regina Caeli. Several centers have established chapters. Shown here are members of the Society participating in the Box of Joy project with Cross Catholic Outreach #stedithstein #rcahybrid #Catholic #Corporalworks #Catholicstudents #Catholickids

Classes resume at RCA today. We can't wait to see your smiling face! rcahybrid.org #rcahybrid #catholicstudents #homeschoolers #homeschool #catholichomeschool #catholichomeschooling #welcomeback

John saw Jesus approaching him, and said: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29 rcahybrid.org #Catholic #AgnusDei #Baptism #JesusChrist #catholichomeschool

SAVE the DATE! May 1st. https://catholicfamilyconference.com/

Join Us in Celebrating the Gift of 2021! Many families at Regina Caeli have been impacted by Covid 19 and need your help. Prayerfully consider partnering with RCA and giving the #Giftof2021 to a student. Whether is $21 or $21,000, every bit counts. http://ow.ly/x5v150CHbMq