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Fr. Joseph Whalen, our founder, blessed the above video asking God to give his healing blessing to all who watched it in the most Holy Name of Jesus Christ. (if you have the St. Raphael oil please put a cross shape on your forehead then watch it) This was his favorite healing prayer.

SEPTEMBER

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15. September falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during prayer of Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

The Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month of SEPTEMBER 2026

The Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month of SEPTEMBER 2026
For the care of water: Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it. (See also https://popesprayerusa.net.)

The gifts God gives us come not from ourselves, but from the Holy Spirit. We are called to receive them with humility and use them in service to the Church and to our brothers and sisters.
 
DAILY PRAYER
 

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

https://oblatesusa.org/category/prayers/

 
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.“
 
 

ORDINARY

TIME:

SEPTEMBER 26th

Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
 
Today is the Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian (d. 303). According to tradition, Saints Cosmas and Damian suffered martyrdom in Syria during the Roman persecution of Diocletian. Not much is known about them, but tradition holds they were twin brothers and medical doctors, never charging a fee for their medical services. Their names are in the Roman Canon of the Mass and they are honored in both the Eastern and Western Church and highly celebrated in Italian communities.
Sts. Cosmas and Damian
This is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, and these two martyrs have been honored in the East and West in many ways, including the building of churches in their honor in Rome and Constantinople. Along with St. Luke, they are the patron saints of doctors. Little is known of their true history, but the legend that has come down to us is of very early origin.
Sts. Cosmas and Damian were venerated in the East as the “moneyless ones” because they practiced medicine gratis. According to the legend, they were twin brothers, born in Arabia, who studied in Syria and became skilled physicians. They were supposed to have lived on the Bay of Alexandretta in Cilicia, in what is now Turkey.
Since they were prominent Christians, they were among the first arrested when the great persecution under Diocletian began. Lysias, the governor of Cilicia, ordered their arrest, and they were beheaded. Their bodies, it was said, were carried to Syria and buried at Cyrrhus.
What is certain is that they were venerated very early and became patrons of medicine, known for their miracles of healing. The Emperor Justinian was cured by their intercession and paid special honor to the city of Cyrrhus where their relics were enshrined. Their basilica in Rome, adorned with lovely mosaics, was dedicated in the year 530. They are named in the Roman Martyrology and in the Canon of the Mass, testifying to the antiquity of their feast day.
The great honor in which they are held and the antiquity of their veneration indicate some historical memory among the early Christians who came out of the great persecutions with a new cult of Christian heroes. Cosmas and Damian were not only ideal Christians by their practice of medicine without fee, they also symbolized God’s blessing upon the art of healing and that respect for every form of science, which is an important part of Christian tradition.
—Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens
Patronage: against blindness; against hernias; against kidney stones; against pestilence; apothecaries; barbers; blind people; chemical industry; chemical manufacturers; chemists; doctors; druggists; hairdressers; hernia patients; marital harmony; midwives; physicians; pharmacists; relief from pestilence; surgeons; Alberobello, Italy; Ossimo, Italy; Borgaro Torinese, Italy; Gaeta, Italy ;Tocco Caudio, Italy; Worshipful Company of Barbers
Symbols and Representation: A phial; phials and jars; vases; arrows; surgical instruments; lancet; red vestments; box of ointment; rod of Aesculapius (rod with serpent wrapped around, symbol of medicine); cylinder; stake and fagots; arrows; cross; swords; millstones
Highlights and Things to Do:
MASS READINGS
 
September 26, 2026 (Readings on USCCB website)
 
PROPERS [Show]
 
COLLECT PRAYER
 
Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time: O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Optional Memorial of Sts. Cosmas and Damian: May you be magnified, O Lord, by the revered memory of your Saints Cosmas and Damian, for with providence beyond words you have conferred on them everlasting glory, and on us, your unfailing help. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
 
Daily Meditation:
 
Luke 9:43-45
 
They were afraid to ask him. (Luke 9:45)
 
Have you ever been reluctant to ask a question? Maybe you didn’t want to look dumb or be rebuked. Or maybe you were afraid of what the answer might be. Whether you’re at school or work, with friends or online, it can take courage to admit what you don’t know.
 
In today’s Gospel, Jesus predicts his coming Passion. But the disciples don’t understand what he is talking about and are afraid to ask him about it. Luke tells us that the meaning of Jesus’ words was hidden from them “so that they should not understand it” (9:45). But these were Jesus’ closest followers! Maybe they thought they should have been able to understand. And let’s not forget the rebuke Jesus had just given them after they were unable to heal a man’s son (9:41). It probably still stung! Or maybe they were afraid to consider that Jesus, their beloved master and teacher, might really be in danger.
 
The disciples’ lack of understanding may have been part of God’s plan, but their fear was not. The same goes for us. There may be times when you don’t understand the words of Jesus in the Scriptures but feel foolish asking someone a question that you’re afraid they might think is obvious. Or you may not want to ask what God wants from you in a particular situation because you’re worried you won’t like the answer. But Jesus doesn’t want you to be afraid to come to him. Whether you go to him directly in prayer or turn to a trusted friend or advisor for help, know that the Lord will help you understand.
 
So don’t let anything hold you back! Jesus wants you to get to know him better, to understand his teaching more fully, and to embrace his loving plan. He has given you the Holy Spirit, who draws you closer to himself and gives you practical wisdom for your life. Take the time to come into his presence and ask your questions. And don’t be afraid!
 
“Jesus, help me never to be afraid to come to you with my questions.”
 
Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:8
Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17
 
 
 
26TH SEPTEMBER 2026
SATURDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME 
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8; Psalm 90:3-4,5-6,12-13,14,17; Luke 9:43-45
PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE IS SAYING  
 
“While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” Luke 9:43-45
▪After revealing His identity through suffering, the Lord calls the disciples to pay attention. Let us reflect on the importance of spiritual attentiveness. Spiritual alertness prepares us for life’s eventualities. When we are spiritually awake, life’s challenges do not take us by surprise. The Lord warned them not to be carried away by His impending suffering, so they would not be caught unprepared. 
~ The first reading calls young people to pay attention. “Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). As young people, we may have time on our side, which is why we must pay attention. Pay attention to what the Lord is addressing in our lives. 
~ Many things we call enjoyment do not qualify as such before God. We make many mistakes because we do not pay attention to what God wants from us. Sometimes we may indulge in things that go against our faith, and those choices will later become sad memories. Whatever we do now, we must be responsible and accountable for our deeds. God’s forgiveness is certain when we repent sincerely. The effects of our deeds will not go away. If someone spends time drinking something that will harm the body, God will forgive us for our weaknesses, but the effects of that drinking will still remain in the body.
~ Old age will come. For those who have built a beautiful, memorable youth, old age is a blessing, but for someone who did not spend those years well, it may be a time of pain and sorrow. Pay attention to what you are doing and how you are living now. Begin to right the wrongs and do what is necessary to be happy and enjoy life now and in the future. Remember, anything that does not bring glory to God will be regretted later.
▪Dear friend, everything we do will be accounted for in the end. Do what you can to remain in good standing with your Maker. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Listen to what is happening in your heart. Do not be carried away by the noise around you. Time is passing, and nothing remains forever. Our present moment will also pass. Be attentive to every moment of your life. 
May Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs, pray for us today.
Peace be with you! 
Fr Joseph Chukwugozie Ikegbunam 

 

 
 
 
We propagate the Tuesday devotion to Holy Raphael, please pray along with us for his intercession for all travelers, marriages, those who are sick, use the oil, our benefactors and all priests and religious on Tuesdays.
+Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention your special intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 


“May the Angel Raphael, physician of our salvation, help us from the heights of Heaven, heal all diseases and guide our faltering steps towards the true life.”

(Hymn at Lauds)

The feast day of Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on October 24. With the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, the feast was transferred to September 29 for celebration together with archangels Saints Michael and Gabriel.

St. Raphael in the traditional calendar (October 24) — which continues to be observed not only in communities which follow the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite , but also in those locales where St. Raphael is a patron.

“St. Gertrude’s Prayer,” was dictated by Our Lord to St. Gertrude the Great, a Benedictine cloistered nun and a mystic. In the twelfth century, the Lord told the Saint that this prayer (approved and recommended by M. Cardinal Pahiarca of Lisbon, Portugal on March 4, 1936) releases 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is offered.

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,  for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”
MIRACULOUS MEDAL
 

In 1830, one of the apparitions sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church occurred in the chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Rue de Bac, Paris. There were three visions given to Saint Catherine Laboure who, at the time of the first one, was a novice in the order. She was awakened at 11:30 PM on the eve of the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, by a “shining child” who led her to the chapel where she saw Our Lady, who spoke to her for two hours about the difficult task that lay ahead. Four months later, on November 27 Catherine had the second vision wherein she saw a three-dimensional scene of the Blessed Virgin standing on a white globe with dazzling rays of light streaming from her fingers and she heard a voice say:

“These are the symbols of grace I shed upon those who ask for them.”
“There now formed around the Blessed Virgin a frame rather oval in shape on which were written in letters of gold these words: ‘O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee’
Then the voice said:
‘ Have a medal struck upon this model. All those who wear it, when it is blessed, will receive great graces especially if they wear it round the neck. Those who repeat this prayer with devotion will be in a special manner under the protection of the Mother of God. Graces will be abundantly bestowed upon those who have confidence.’ “

At the same instant, the oval frame seemed to turn around. Then I saw on the back of it the letter ‘M’, surmounted by a cross, with a crossbar beneath it, and under the monogram of the name of Mary, the Holy Hearts of Jesus and of His Mother; the first surrounded by a crown of thorns and the second transpierced by a sword. I was anxious to know what words must be placed on the reverse side of the medal and after many prayers, one day in meditation I seemed to hear a voice which said to me:
‘The ‘M’ with the Cross and the two Hearts tell enough.’ ”
This sacramental from Heaven was at first called simply the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, but began to be known as the Miraculous Medal due to the unprecedented number of miracles, conversions, cures, and acts of protection attributed to Our Lady’s intercession for those who wore it.
Sister Catherine became Saint Catherine in 1947. The church instituted recognition of the apparition in which the Miraculous Medal first appeared for November 27, 1830. Millions of the Miraculous Medal have been distributed, and many graces and miracles have been received through this devotion to Our Lady.    
*Click on this link for a free Miraculous Medal


BROWN SCAPULAR OF MT. CARMEL

“Whosoever dies clothed in thisshall never suffer eternal fire.”

Virgin Mary’s promise to Saint Simon Stock

July 16, 1251″Wear it devoutly and perserveringly,” she says to each soul, “it is my garment. To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life.”

The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.

THE SABBATINE PRIVELEGE

The blessed Virgin of Mt. Carmel has promised to save those who wear the scapular fromthe fires of Hell; She will also shorten their stay in Purgatory if they should passfrom this world still owing some temporal debt of punishment.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and speaking of those who wear the Brown Scapular said: “I, the Mother of grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”

Pope Benedict XV proceeded to grant an indulgence of 500 days for each time the cloth Scapular is kissed”. On July 16th, the Scapular feast, while addressing the seminarians of Rome, Benedict XV said: “Let all of you have a common language and a common armor: the language, the sentences of the Gospel; the common armor, the Scapular of the Virgin of Carmel, which you all ought to wear and which enjoys the singular privilege of protection even after death.”

The Brown Scapular | A Sacramental

“One of the most remarkable effects of sacramentals is the virtue to drive away evil spirits whose mysterious and baleful operations affect sometimes the physical activity of man. To combat this occult power the Church has recourse to exorcism, and sacramentals” (The Catholic Encyclopedia., 1913, VXIII, p. 293).

The Brown Scapular | A True Story

You will understand why the Devil works against those who promote the brown scapular when you hear the true story of Venerable Francis Yepes. One day his Scapular fell off. As he replaced it, the Devil howled, “Take off that habit which snatches so many souls from us! All those clothed in it die piously and escape us!” Then and there Francis made the Devil admit that there are three things which the demons are most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus; theHoly Name of Mary and the Holy Scapular of Carmel.“Modern Heretics make a mockery of wearing the Scapular. They decry it as so much trifling nonsense.” – St. Alphonsus LigouriMary, Mother of God and Our Mother“When Mary became the Mother of Jesus, true God and true Man, She also became our Mother. In His great mercy, Jesus wished to call us His brothers and sisters, and by this name He constituted us adopted children of Mary.” – St. John BoscoOver the years there have also been many miracles associated with wearing the brown scapular.

*If you would like a brown scapular click here:

Free Brown Scapular | Order Page