Our 94th Annual Educational Conference, “Tradition: Ever Ancient, Ever New” Sept. 4-6 in Kansas City, MO is rapidly approaching. There we will learn how to uphold the principles of the Catholic Faith in the science and practice of medicine and connect with old friends while making new ones. We start each day with Morning Prayer and Mass and have plenty of opportunities for confession and Adoration. Quite an experience to share with fellow Catholic physicians, students and healthcare providers. It is not too late to register. See you there!

Our theme this month is Being Transformed into the Image of Christ Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the Transfiguration of the Lord (Aug. 6), Jesus brought Peter, James and John up a mountain and there His appearance changed and was made glorious. Moses, representing the Law of the Old Testament and Elijah, representing the Prophets, appeared with Him. Pope Benedict XVI explained the significance here: “On the mountain the three of them see the glory of God’s Kingdom shining out of Jesus. On the mountain they are overshadowed by God’s holy cloud. On the mountain—in the conversation of the transfigured Jesus with the Law and the Prophets—they realize that the true Feast of Tabernacles has come. On the mountain they learn that Jesus himself is the living Torah, the complete Word of God. On the mountain they see the ‘power’ (dynamis) of the Kingdom that is coming in Christ”. (Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 1, p. 317).

The ZOOM Prayer Group meets Sat. Aug. 9 at 2:00 PM EDT. Come pray with us!

The founder of the Order of Preachers, St. Dominic (Aug. 8), lived from 1170 to 1221. While fighting the Albingensian heresy in 1214, Our Lady appeared to him and gave him the Marian Rosary, which dispelled the heresy. He developed the Nine Ways of Prayer.
Our Lady is honored this month with The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15), a Holy Day of Obligation, and The Queenship of Mary (Aug. 22).

Saints Monica (Aug. 27) and Augustine of Hippo (Aug. 28), depicted in the stained glass window (above) from a painting of them in the public domain, illustrate once again the importance of a mother’s prayers for her children, grandchildren and godchildren. The suffering of a mother when she sees family members leave the Church can be a white martyrdom, but God hears their prayers and sees their tears. St. Monica’s prayers and the preaching of St. Ambrose produced the dramatic conversion of St Augustine. He became one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, whose writings and sermons are widely quoted today. Here is a prayer to St. Monica for a wayward child. Lastly, The Passion of St. John the Baptist (Aug. 29), marks the end of the Old Testament Prophets as he baptized people with a baptism of repentance and prepared the way for the coming of the Word of God in Jesus Christ.

Suggested reading includes:

• Gate of Heaven: Reflections on Mary, the Mother of God, Matthew Becklo (ed.)
• St. Augustine’s Confessions and City of God, also available on audio book in the Hallow app. and formed.org
• The Restless Flame: A Novel about St. Augustine by Louis de Wohl.