The Journal

Notes on the liturgy, tradition and the life of prayer — in the light of the sources from before the rupture.

Novenas

Novena to Our Lady Of Fatima

The full nine-day novena to Our Lady of Fatima — the daily Rosary prayer, the Angel of Peace's prayers of adoration and reparation, and a meditation for each day, prayed for the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and your own intention before the feast on 13 May.

Iter Fidei July 9, 2026

Novenas

Novena to Our Lady Of La Leche

The full novena to Our Lady of La Leche — the complete 'Lovely Lady of La Leche' prayer and the whole devotion, prayed for conception, a safe pregnancy, a happy delivery, and nursing mothers, before her feast on 11 October.

Iter Fidei July 9, 2026

Novenas

Novena to St Teresa Of Calcutta

The full nine-day novena to St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) with the daily prayer and nine intentions, plus her famous emergency 'flying' novena of ten Memorares — for any pressing need.

Iter Fidei July 9, 2026

Prayer

A Prayer for a Happy Death

What a happy death is in the Catholic tradition, and the prayers that prepare for it: St Joseph patron of the dying, the Hail Mary for the hour of death, and the prayers for our last end, in English and Latin.

Iter Fidei July 9, 2026

Prayer

The Memorare

The Memorare — the great prayer of confidence to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in English and Latin, with its meaning and its origin in St Bernard.

Iter Fidei July 9, 2026

Devotions

The Chaplet of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The traditional Chaplet of the Sacred Heart — its thirty-three beads, the prayers said upon them, and how to pray it in honour of the Heart of Jesus, the furnace of charity.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Prayer

The Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows

The traditional litany honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary in her Seven Sorrows — the Mother of Sorrows whom the Servite Order has venerated for centuries. What it is, the seven sorrows, and how it is prayed.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Novenas

Novena to Our Lady Of Peace

The complete nine-day novena to Our Lady of Peace — the indulgenced 'Hail, most august Queen of Peace' prayer, the Prayer for Peace, and the nine days' intentions, with the story of the Queen of Peace and the Good Voyage variant.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Novenas

Novena to St Francis Of Assisi

The full nine-day novena to St Francis of Assisi, day by day, with the Peace Prayer — prayed from 25 September to the feast on 4 October, for any need, and for sick or beloved pets and animals.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Novenas

Novena to St Thomas More

The full novena to St Thomas More — the nine days' prayers to the martyred Lord Chancellor of England, patron of statesmen, lawyers, judges and politicians, said for justice, for good government, and for an election that would defend life.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Prayer

The Regina Caeli: The Easter Antiphon to Our Lady

The Regina Caeli — the joyful Marian antiphon of Eastertide that replaces the Angelus from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. The full Regina Caeli prayer in English and Latin, with the versicle, response, and collect, and how and when it is prayed.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

Prayer

The Angelus

The Angelus — the Marian devotion to the Incarnation prayed three times a day at the bell. The full prayer in English and Latin, how and when to say it, and the Regina Caeli of Eastertide.

Iter Fidei July 8, 2026

The Last Things

What Is Purgatory? The Catholic Doctrine

Purgatory is the state of purification for souls who die in God's grace but still owe a temporal debt for sin. The Council of Trent defined it; we can help the holy souls by prayer, Mass, and indulgences.

Iter Fidei July 2, 2026

The Saints

St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower

Who St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, is, what she is patron of, a traditional St Therese prayer, and her feast day, from pre-1958 Catholic sources.

Iter Fidei July 1, 2026

The Saints

St Raphael the Archangel

St Raphael the Archangel is the healer of God and patron of travellers and happy meetings; here is his life from the Book of Tobias, his patronage, and a traditional St Raphael prayer.

Iter Fidei June 29, 2026

The Liturgical Year

Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord

Christmas is the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the 25th of December — the Word made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Its meaning, the three Masses of Christmas, the crib, the date and the Sun of Justice, in the traditional Roman calendar.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Devotions

A Novena for the Dead (the Holy Souls in Purgatory)

A nine-day novena for the dead and for the holy souls in purgatory — the De profundis, the Eternal Rest, and the Masses and indulgences offered to bring a departed soul to eternal rest.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Devotions

Novena to St Michael the Archangel

The traditional novena to St Michael the Archangel — nine days of prayer to the prince of the heavenly host, defender against the devil and protector of the Church — with the daily prayer, the Scripture that names him, and how to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Devotions

The Pentecost Novena to the Holy Ghost

The Pentecost novena is the first and original novena — the nine days Our Lady and the Apostles prayed in the Upper Room between the Ascension and Pentecost, awaiting the Holy Ghost. How to pray it, with the Veni Creator and the Seven Gifts.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Prayer

Prayer to St Anthony, Finder of Lost Things

The traditional prayer to St Anthony for lost things, the formal Responsory Si quaeris miracula, why he is patron of what is lost, and how the prayer is rightly used.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Prayer

Prayer to St Jude, Patron of Hopeless Causes

The traditional prayer to St Jude, the Apostle invoked as patron of hopeless causes — the well-known 'Most holy Apostle, St Jude' prayer, the novena, why he is invoked for the impossible, and how to pray rightly.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

The Saints

St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

Who St Joseph is, what he is the patron saint of, a traditional St Joseph prayer, and his feast day in the pre-1958 calendar.

Iter Fidei June 26, 2026

Devotions

Catholic Devotions: The Traditional Practices of Piety

What Catholic devotions are: the Church's approved practices of piety beyond the liturgy — the Sacred Heart and First Fridays, the Rosary and the Scapular, the Stations, the sacramentals, and the daily and monthly devotions.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

The Novena to St Joseph That Never Fails

The traditional novena to St Joseph — the famous prayer 'Ever-blessed and glorious Joseph' and the thirty-day devotion — prayed for a happy death, for work and provision, for the Church, and for causes the world calls impossible.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

Novena to St Raphael the Archangel

How to pray the traditional novena to St Raphael the Archangel — the nine-day prayer to the angel of healing, of safe travel, and of holy meetings and a worthy spouse, with the intentions brought to him from the Book of Tobias.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A nine-day novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners, joined to the First Saturdays asked at Fatima — with the prayers to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

The Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The efficacious novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a nine-day prayer of confident petition, each day ending 'Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee' — here is its full text, structure, and the spirit of trust in which it is prayed.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Our Lady

Our Lady of Fatima

The story of the Our Lady of Fatima apparition of 1917: the three shepherd children, the call to the Rosary and penance, the miracle of the sun, and the three secrets.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Prayer

The Prayer to St Michael the Archangel

The traditional Prayer to St Michael the Archangel, composed by Pope Leo XIII — the words in English and Latin, its origin, how and when to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

What Is a Chaplet? The Traditional Chaplets of the Church

What a chaplet is — a counted set of prayers told on beads, distinct from the full Rosary — its place in Catholic tradition, and the principal traditional chaplets: St Michael, the Seven Sorrows, the Holy Face, the Five Wounds, the Sacred Heart.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Devotions

What Is a Novena? Nine Days of Prayer in the Catholic Tradition

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer for a particular grace — a form rooted in the nine days Our Lady and the Apostles prayed in the Upper Room before Pentecost. The novena meaning, the kinds, how to pray one, and the great traditional novenas.

Iter Fidei June 25, 2026

Prayer

The Chaplet of St Michael the Archangel

The Chaplet of St Michael — the nine salutations to the nine choirs of angels — its full text, how to pray it step by step, its promises, and its origin in the revelation to Antonia d'Astonac.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

Devotions

The Nine First Fridays Devotion

The Nine First Fridays devotion is the practice of receiving Holy Communion on the first Friday of nine consecutive months, in honour of the Sacred Heart and in reparation for sin — tied to the Great Promise made to St Margaret Mary touching final perseverance.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

The Faith

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost (and the Fruits)

The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost — wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord — given in their fullness at Confirmation, with the twelve fruits that follow.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

Our Lady

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Immaculate Heart of Mary — what the devotion means, why the Church honours Our Lady's heart, and how consecration to the Immaculate Heart is made.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

Prayer

The Litany of the Holy Ghost

The Litany of the Holy Ghost, a traditional litany to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity - its full text, and how to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

The Last Things

What Happens After Death? The Catholic Answer

What happens after death according to the Catholic Church and the Bible: the soul leaves the body, faces the Particular Judgment, and goes to Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell.

Iter Fidei June 24, 2026

Prayer

The Litany of St Joseph

The full Litany of St Joseph in English and Latin — the 1909 form approved by Pope St Pius X — with its titles, its origin, and how, when, and why to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 23, 2026

Prayer

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loreto)

The Litany of Loreto — the Marian litany par excellence, approved by Sixtus V in 1587 — its full text in English, its invocations, and how to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 23, 2026

Prayer

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Litany of the Sacred Heart — approved for the whole Church by Leo XIII in 1899 — its origin, the titles under which it honours the Heart of Christ, and how to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 23, 2026

Prayer

The Guardian Angel Prayer (Angel of God)

The guardian angel prayer, Angel of God, is the short prayer by which a Catholic asks his own guardian angel to light, guard, rule, and guide him. Here is the traditional text in English and the Latin Angele Dei, with what it means and when to pray it.

Iter Fidei June 22, 2026

Prayer

Catholic Prayers: The Essential Traditional Prayers

The essential Catholic prayers every Catholic should know — the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, the Creed, and an Act of Contrition — with daily, morning, night, healing, and prayers for the dead, each linked in full.

Iter Fidei June 21, 2026

The Liturgical Year

Pentecost: The Coming of the Holy Ghost

What is Pentecost? Fifty days after Easter, the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles and Our Lady, and the Church was born — grounded in Trent and Dom Guéranger.

Iter Fidei June 21, 2026

Catholic Litanies: What They Are and the Traditional Litanies — ancient Catholic altarpiece

Prayer

Catholic Litanies: What They Are and the List of Traditional Litanies

What a litany is, how it is prayed, and the full list of the great traditional Catholic litanies — of Our Lady, the Sacred Heart, St Joseph, the Holy Name, and the Saints — with texts in English and Latin.

Iter Fidei June 20, 2026

Prayer

The Veni Creator Spiritus

The Veni Creator Spiritus — 'Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest' — is the Church's great hymn to the Holy Ghost, sung at Pentecost, confirmations, and ordinations. Full text in English and Latin, with its meaning.

Iter Fidei June 20, 2026