Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Saturday 31 May 2014

Imperial Abbeys. The Imperial Abbey of Zwiefalten.


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



English: The former Imperial Abbey of Zwiefalten,
Most Imperial Abbeys belonged to the Benedictine Order.
Deutsch: Zwiefalten, Ort und Kloster, 1890, Sammlung Schwäbischer Baudenkmale und Kunstarbeiten, 14, Die Klosterkirchen zu Zwiefalten und Obermarchtal, 164*222mm.
Date: 1890.
Source: eingescannt aus: Wolfgang Hesse: Ansichten aus Schwaben; Kunst, Land
und Leute in Aufnahmen der ersten Tübinger Lichtbildner und des Fotografen
Paul Sinner (1838 - 1925); Verlag Gebr. Metz, Tübingen, 1989.
Author: Paul Sinner (1838–1925).
(Wikimedia Commons)



The High Altar,
Zwiefalten Münster (Zwiefalten Abbey),
combining a Gothic statue of Mary (1430)
with Baroque additions by Joseph Christian (circa 1750).
Photo: 3 June 1990.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Imperial Abbeys (German: Reichsabteien, also Reichsklöster and Reichsstifte) were Religious Houses within the Holy Roman Empire, which had been granted the status of Imperial Immediacy (Reichsunmittelbarkeit), and therefore were answerable directly to the Emperor.

The possession of Imperial Immediacy came with a unique form of territorial authority known as Landeshoheit, which carried with it nearly all the attributes of Sovereignty. Particularly after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), all entities of the Empire, possessing Immediacy, enjoyed and exercised de facto Sovereign Power.

Any Abbot or Abbess, no matter how Lilliputian his or her domain, governed with basically the same political powers as those of any Secular Prince, such as levying taxes, rendering low- and high-justice, maintaining a Standing Army, and, if they were so inclined, despatching Embassies, declaring war, signing Treaties, etc. About forty-five Imperial Abbeys (including Priories) survived up to the mass secularisation of 1802 - 1803.



Deutsch: Zwiefalten, Germany: Abtei.
English: Zwiefalten Münster (Zwiefalten Abbey),
Photo: March 2003.
Source: Own work.
Author: Andreas Praefcke.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Head of an Imperial Abbey was generally an Imperial Abbot (Reichsabt) or Imperial Abbess (Reichsäbtissin). (The Head of a Reichspropstei — an Imperial Provostry or Priory — was generally a Reichspropst). Collectively, Imperial Abbots, Provosts and Priors were formally known as Reichsprälaten (Imperial Prelates).

A small number of the larger and most prestigious establishments had the rank of Princely Abbeys (Fürstsabtei), and were Headed by a Prince-Abbot or a Prince-Provost (Fürstabt, Fürstpropst), with status comparable to that of Prince-Bishops. Most, however, were Imperial Prelates and, as such, participated in a single collective vote in the Imperial Diet as Members of the Bench of Prelates, later (1575) divided into the Swabian College of Imperial Prelates and the Rhenish College of Imperial Prelates. Despite their difference of status within the Imperial Diet, both the Imperial Prelates and the Prince-Abbots exercised the same degree of authority over their Principality.



Deutsch: Zwiefalten: Ehemalige Benedektinerabtei, Das Innere des Münsters
Fresken von Franz Joseph Spiegler, Stuck von Johann Michael Feuchtmayer d. J.
English: Interior of Zwiefalten Abbey, Germany.
Photo: March 2003.
Source: Own work.
Author: AndreasPraefcke.
(Wikimedia Commons)


It was not uncommon for Heads of Religious Houses, other than the Imperial Abbeys, to have similar titles, even though their establishments did not have Imperial Immediacy. To take three examples: The Prince-Bishop of St. Gall retained his title until the Abbey was secularised in 1798, even though it had ceased to be an Imperial Abbey in 1648; the Abbot of Muri (which had a strong Habsburg connection) was created an Imperial Prince in 1710, although, by that time, Muri was in Switzerland; and the Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's Abbey, in Baden-Württemberg, held that title, not on account of the status of the Abbey, which was not Immediate, but because it was conferred on him by the Abbey's ownership of the County of Bonndorf.

Many of the Religious Houses, listed on Wikipedia, under Imperial Abbeys, are those named in the Matrikel, or lists of those eligible to vote in the Imperial Diet, including those whose votes were collective rather than individual. Three of these lists survive and are accessible, from 1521, 1755 (or thereabouts) and 1792.



English: The South Nave of the Monastery Church of Zwiefalten, Germany.
Deutsch: Klosterkirche Zwiefalten: Südliches Langhaus.
Photo: 23 June 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Effi Schweizer.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The list mentioned in Wikipedia (List "A") includes the Principalities, Imperial Abbeys (Reichsabteien and Reichsklöster), Imperial Colleges (Reichsstifte), Imperial Provostries or Priories (Reichspropsteien) and the single Imperial Charterhouse (Reichskartause).

The word "Stift", meaning a Collegiate Foundation or Canonry, possibly belonging to a variety of different Orders, or to none at all, and either with or without Rules and Vows, for either men ("Herrenstift") or for women ("Frauenstift"), has been left untranslated, except when it specifically refers to the Chapter of a Church.



English: North Transept of the Monastery Church of Zwiefalten, Germany.
Deutsch: Klosterkirche Zwiefalten: Nördlicher Querarm.
Photo: 23 June 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Effi Schweizer.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Some of the Imperial Abbeys were dissolved during the Reformation; others were absorbed into other territories at various times in the general course of political life. Those in Alsace and Switzerland passed out of the Empire in 1648, when Alsace was ceded to France and Switzerland became independent. The great majority of these Religious Bodies, however, were secularised during the brief period that included the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and their aftermath, especially as a result of the German Mediatisation (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss) of February 1803. Any that survived, lost their Imperial Status when the Holy Roman Empire was wound up in 1806.



Deutsch: Innenansicht des Zwiefalter Münsters.
English: Interior of Zwiefalten Münster (Zwiefalten Abbey),
Photo: 2 April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Enzyklofant.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Friday 30 May 2014

Pope Saint Felix I. Martyr. Feast Day 30 May.


Italic Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Roman Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Felix.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 30 May.

Simple.
Red Vestments.

PopeFelixI.jpg

Pope Saint Felix I.
Fresco in Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
Papacy 269 A,D, - 274 A.D.
Image: Wikipedia.


In 269 A.D., Saint Felix ascended the Throne of Peter, to whom Jesus, before His Ascension, had committed His Church.

Saint Felix commanded that Masses be celebrated over the tombs of Martyrs, and it is in remembrance of this prescription that the Relics of Martyrs are placed in a small cavity of the Altar Stone, called "Tomb".

The Altar, nowadays, has indeed often the shape of a tomb, this being a relic of the "Confession", or underground tomb, which is found under the High Altar in Roman Basilicas, and is reached by stairs.

The custom of uniting the remembrance of Martyrs to the Sacrifice of the Mass or of Calvary shows that these Martyrs, having entered into the bosom of Jesus (Gospel), have found there the strength to confess their Faith before their enemies and the Grace of being Children of the Father (Epistle).

Saint Felix bore witness to Christ in 274 A.D., under the persecution of Emperor Aurelian.

Mass: In Paschaltide, Protexisti, with Collects of Mass: Statuit.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide, Statuit.


PopeFelixI.jpg


A Roman by birth, Felix was chosen as Pope on 5 January 269 A.D., in succession to Pope Dionysius, who had died on 26 December 268 A.D.

Felix was the author of an important Dogmatic Letter on the Unity of Christ's Person. He received the Emperor Aurelian's aid in settling a theological dispute between the anti-Trinitarian, Paul of Samosata, who had been deprived of the Bishopric of Antioch, by a Council of Bishops, for heresy, and the Orthodox, Domnus, Paul's successor. Paul refused to give way, and in 272 A.D., the Emperor Aurelian was asked to decide between the rivals. He ordered the Church building to be given to the Bishop, who was "recognised by the Bishops of Italy and of the City of Rome" (Felix). See Eusebius, Hist. Ecc. vii. 30.

The Text of that Letter was later interpolated by a follower of Apollinaris in the interests of his Sect.

The notice about Felix, in the Liber Pontificalis, ascribes to him a Decree that Masses should be celebrated on the tombs of Martyrs ("Hic constituit supra memorias martyrum missas celebrare"). The author of this entry was evidently alluding to the custom of celebrating Mass privately at the Altars near, or over, the tombs of the Martyrs in the Crypts of the Catacombs (missa ad corpus), while the Solemn Celebration always took place in the Basilicas built over the Catacombs.

This practice, still in force at the end of the 4th-Century, dates apparently from the period when the great Cemeterial Basilicas were built in Rome, and owes its origin to the Solemn Commemoration Services of Martyrs, held at their tombs on the anniversary of their burial, as early as the 3rd-Century. Felix probably issued no such decree, but the compiler of the Liber Pontificalis attributed it to him, because he made no departure from the custom in force in his time.


Thursday 29 May 2014

The Feast Of The Ascension Of Our Lord.


Roman Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Illustrations and Captions taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Station at Saint Peter's.
(Plenary Stational Indulgence).

Double of the First-Class with Privileged Octave
of the Third Order.

White Vestments.


File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 225.png

English: Woodcut for "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860.
Deutsch: Holzschnitt aus "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860.
Français: Gravure en bois pour «Die Bibel in Bildern», 1860.
Date: 1851-1860.
Source: Die Bibel in Bildern.
Author: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794–1872).
(Wikimedia Commons)


It is in the Basilica of Saint Peter, dedicated to one of the chief witnesses of Our Lord's Ascension, that this Mystery, which marks the end of Our Lord's Earthly life, is "this day" (Collect) kept.

In the forty days which followed His Resurrection, Our Redeemer laid the foundations of His Church, to which He was going to send the Holy Ghost.

All the Master's teachings are summed up in the Epistle and Gospel for this Feast Day. Then, He left this Earth and the Introit, Collect, Epistle, Alleluia, Gospel, Offertory, Secret, Preface and Communion celebrate His glorious Ascension into Heaven, where the Souls He had freed from Limbo escort Him (Alleluia), and enter in His train into the heavenly kingdom, where they share more fully in His Divinity.

The Ascension sets before us the duty of raising our hearts to God. So, in the Collect, we are led to ask that we may dwell with Christ in Spirit, in the heavenly realms, where we are called one day to dwell in our risen bodies.


File:ND Rosaire mosaïque 03.jpg

English: A mosaic, showing the Ascension, in one of the Chapels 
in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France (see, below).
Français: Mosaïque d'une des chapelles 
de la Basilique Notre-Dame du Rosaire (niveau inférieur) : l'Ascension.
Photo: 10 August 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Vassil.
(Wikimedia Commons)


During the Octave of this Feast, the Credo is said: "I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God . . . Who ascended into Heaven . . . He sitteth at the right hand of the Father." The Gloria speaks in the same sense: "O Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son . . Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us."

In the Proper Preface, which is said until Pentecost, we give thanks to God because His Son, the Risen Christ, "after His Resurrection, appeared and showed Himself to all His disciples; and, while they beheld Him, was lifted up into Heaven".

In the same way, during the whole Octave, a Proper Communicantes of the Feast is said, in which the Church reminds us that she is keeping the day on which the only-begotten Son of God set at the right hand of His glory the substance of our frail human nature, to which He had united Himself in the Mystery of the Incarnation.


File:Lourdes basilique vue depuis château (1).JPG

English: The Basilicas of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France.
Français: La basilique de l'Immaculée-Conception et, au premier plan, la basilique Notre-Dame du Rosaire, Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France.
Photo: 23 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Père Igor.
(Wikimedia Commons)


We are reminded, daily, in the Liturgy, at the Offertory's Suscipe Sancta Trinitas, and in the Canon's Unde et memories, that, at Our Lord's command, the Holy Sacrifice is being offered in memory of the "Blessed Passion of the same Christ Thy Son, Our Lord," and also His Resurrection from Hell and His glorious Ascension into Heaven.

The truth is that man is saved only by the Mysteries of the Passion and the Resurrection, united with that of the Ascension. "Through Thy Death and Burial, through Thy Holy Resurrection, through Thy admirable Ascension, deliver us, O Lord" (Litany of the Saints).

Let us offer the Divine Sacrifice to God in memory of the glorious Ascension of His Son (Suscipe, Unde et memores); while we nourish within our Souls an ardent desire for Heaven, that "delivered from present dangers," we may "attain to eternal life" (Secret).

Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

NOTE:

The Novena, preparatory to Pentecost, prescribed by Pope Leo XIII, for the return of heretics and schismatics to the Roman unity, begins on the Friday after the Ascension.


Wednesday 28 May 2014

Ascension Day. Missa Cantata. 2000hrs (8p.m.). Thursday, 29 May 2014, Our Lady Of The Rosary, Blackfen, Kent.


There is a Missa Cantata (Sung Mass), in the Usus Antiquior,
at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, Kent DA15 8LW, at 2000 hrs (8 p.m.),
Thursday, 29 May 2014.






Italic Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

The observance of this Feast is of great antiquity. Although no documentary evidence of it exists prior to the beginning of the 5th-Century, Saint Augustine says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, and in the Constitution of the Apostles.

The Pilgrimage of Aetheria speaks of the Vigil of this Feast and of the Feast, itself, as they were kept in the Church built over the grotto in Bethlehem, in which Christ was born. It may be that, prior to the 5th-Century, the fact narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the Feast of Easter or Pentecost.

Some believe that the much-disputed forty-third Decree of the Synod of Elvira (circa 300 A.D.), condemning the practice of observing a Feast on the fortieth day after Easter, and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost. Representations of the Mystery are found in diptychs and frescoes dating as early as the 5th-Century.


File:0095 Petrópolis Cathedral .JPG

Português: Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara (Petrópolis, estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil):
Vitral triptico de Jesus : Natal, Ascenção, Agonia no horto das oliveiras.
English: Stained-Glass Window, depicting the Ascension, in the Cathedral of
Saint Peter of Alcantara, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photo: 21 May 2011.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Rogation Wednesday.


Roman Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg

The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields
on Rogation Sunday,
at Hever, Kent,
England.
Photo: 9 February 1967.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Ray Trevena.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE LESSER LITANIES.

In consequence of the public calamities that afflicted the Diocese of Vienne-in-Dauphiny, France, in the 5th-Century, Saint Mamertus instituted a Solemn Penitential Procession on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Ascension Day.

Under an Order of the Council of Orleans, in 511 A.D., the Devotion spread to the rest of France. In 816 A.D., Pope Leo III introduced it to Rome and it soon became a general observance throughout the Church.

The Litany of the Saints and the Psalms and Collects, sung in Procession on these days, are supplications; hence, the term "Rogations" applied to them. The object of these Devotions is to appease the anger of God and avert the scourges of His Justice and to draw down the Blessings of God on the Fruits of the Earth.



Rogation Days.
Available on YouTube at


Violet Vestments are used as a token of Penance, and the Paschal Candle is left unlighted. The Litany of the Saints, consisting of Prayer in the form of a dialogue, is an admirable manner of Prayer, which it should be our purpose to cultivate.

The Celebrant wears a Violet Stole and Cope. All in the Choir stand as they sing the Antiphon (Psalm xliii. 26) Exsurge, Domine, adjuva nos . . .

When the Antiphon is finished, all kneel, and two Cantors begin the Litany of the Saints, the Choir singing the Responses. Each Invocation must be repeated, except where it is found impossible to have the Procession. At Sancta Maria, all stand, and the Procession begins to move, preceded by the Processional Cross, and followed by the Clergy, Celebrant and Faithful.

If a Church or Chapel is visited, the Antiphon, Versicle, and Collect of the local Patron Saint may be sung, or the Stational Mass Exaudivit may be said. On leaving the Church or Chapel, the interrupted Litany is resumed.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg


MASS OF ROGATION.

Stations:
Monday:      At Saint Mary Major;
Tuesday:      At Saint John Lateran;
Wednesday: At Saint Peter's.

Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines each day.
Violet Vestments.

The Mass, throughout, points to the efficacy of the Prayer of the Just Man, when humble, sure, and persistent. Elias, by Prayer, closed and opened the heavens (Epistle), and Our Lord shows us, by two Parables, that God gives His Holy Spirit to whomsoever asks Him, because He is good (Gospel, Alleluia). In our afflictions, let us place our trust in God and He will hear our Prayers (Introit, Collect).

The Mass of Rogation is said during or after the Procession of both the Greater Litanies (25 April) and the Lesser Litanies.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Rogation Tuesday.


Roman Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg

The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields
on Rogation Sunday,
at Hever, Kent,
England.
Photo: 9 February 1967.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Ray Trevena.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE LESSER LITANIES.

In consequence of the public calamities that afflicted the Diocese of Vienne-in-Dauphiny, France, in the 5th-Century, Saint Mamertus instituted a Solemn Penitential Procession on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Ascension Day.

Under an Order of the Council of Orleans, in 511 A.D., the Devotion spread to the rest of France. In 816 A.D., Pope Leo III introduced it to Rome and it soon became a general observance throughout the Church.

The Litany of the Saints and the Psalms and Collects, sung in Procession on these days, are supplications; hence, the term "Rogations" applied to them. The object of these Devotions is to appease the anger of God and avert the scourges of His Justice and to draw down the Blessings of God on the Fruits of the Earth.



Rogation Days.
Available on YouTube at


Violet Vestments are used as a token of Penance, and the Paschal Candle is left unlighted. The Litany of the Saints, consisting of Prayer in the form of a dialogue, is an admirable manner of Prayer, which it should be our purpose to cultivate.

The Celebrant wears a Violet Stole and Cope. All in the Choir stand as they sing the Antiphon (Psalm xliii. 26) Exsurge, Domine, adjuva nos . . .

When the Antiphon is finished, all kneel, and two Cantors begin the Litany of the Saints, the Choir singing the Responses. Each Invocation must be repeated, except where it is found impossible to have the Procession. At Sancta Maria, all stand, and the Procession begins to move, preceded by the Processional Cross, and followed by the Clergy, Celebrant and Faithful.

If a Church or Chapel is visited, the Antiphon, Versicle, and Collect of the local Patron Saint may be sung, or the Stational Mass Exaudivit may be said. On leaving the Church or Chapel, the interrupted Litany is resumed.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg


MASS OF ROGATION.

Stations:
Monday:      At Saint Mary Major;
Tuesday:      At Saint John Lateran;
Wednesday: At Saint Peter's.

Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines each day.
Violet Vestments.

The Mass, throughout, points to the efficacy of the Prayer of the Just Man, when humble, sure, and persistent. Elias, by Prayer, closed and opened the heavens (Epistle), and Our Lord shows us, by two Parables, that God gives His Holy Spirit to whomsoever asks Him, because He is good (Gospel, Alleluia). In our afflictions, let us place our trust in God and He will hear our Prayers (Introit, Collect).

The Mass of Rogation is said during or after the Procession of both the Greater Litanies (25 April) and the Lesser Litanies.

Monday 26 May 2014

Rogation Days.


Roman Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg

The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields
on Rogation Sunday,
at Hever, Kent,
England.
Photo: 9 February 1967.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Ray Trevena.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE LESSER LITANIES.

In consequence of the public calamities that afflicted the Diocese of Vienne-in-Dauphiny, France, in the 5th-Century, Saint Mamertus instituted a Solemn Penitential Procession on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before Ascension Day.

Under an Order of the Council of Orleans, in 511 A.D., the Devotion spread to the rest of France. In 816 A.D., Pope Leo III introduced it to Rome and it soon became a general observance throughout the Church.

The Litany of the Saints and the Psalms and Collects, sung in Procession on these days, are supplications; hence, the term "Rogations" applied to them. The object of these Devotions is to appease the anger of God and avert the scourges of His Justice and to draw down the Blessings of God on the Fruits of the Earth.



Rogation Days.
Available on YouTube at


Violet Vestments are used as a token of Penance, and the Paschal Candle is left unlighted. The Litany of the Saints, consisting of Prayer in the form of a dialogue, is an admirable manner of Prayer, which it should be our purpose to cultivate.

The Celebrant wears a Violet Stole and Cope. All in the Choir stand as they sing the Antiphon (Psalm xliii. 26) Exsurge, Domine, adjuva nos . . .

When the Antiphon is finished, all kneel, and two Cantors begin the Litany of the Saints, the Choir singing the Responses. Each Invocation must be repeated, except where it is found impossible to have the Procession. At Sancta Maria, all stand, and the Procession begins to move, preceded by the Processional Cross, and followed by the Clergy, Celebrant and Faithful.

If a Church or Chapel is visited, the Antiphon, Versicle, and Collect of the local Patron Saint may be sung, or the Stational Mass Exaudivit may be said. On leaving the Church or Chapel, the interrupted Litany is resumed.


File:The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 556094.jpg


MASS OF ROGATION.

Stations:
Monday:      At Saint Mary Major;
Tuesday:      At Saint John Lateran;
Wednesday: At Saint Peter's.

Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines each day.
Violet Vestments.

The Mass, throughout, points to the efficacy of the Prayer of the Just Man, when humble, sure, and persistent. Elias, by Prayer, closed and opened the heavens (Epistle), and Our Lord shows us, by two Parables, that God gives His Holy Spirit to whomsoever asks Him, because He is good (Gospel, Alleluia). In our afflictions, let us place our trust in God and He will hear our Prayers (Introit, Collect).

The Mass of Rogation is said during or after the Procession of both the Greater Litanies (25 April) and the Lesser Litanies.


Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924). Requiem: 'In Paradisum'.


Text and Illustration from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Fauré-ecole-group-.jpg

Gabriel Fauré (front row, second from left) in a group of staff and students of the École Niedermeyer, 1871. Also in the group are (front) Gustave Lefèvre 3rd from left, Eugène Gigout 4th from left; and André Messager middle row 2nd from right.
Stated by the Bibliothèque nationale de France to be public domain.
Wikipedia.



Gabriel Fauré.
Requiem:
'In Paradisum'.
Available on YouTube at


Sunday 25 May 2014

O Filii Et Filiae. Gregorian Chant For Paschaltide.


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



O Filii Et Filiae.
Gregorian Chant for Paschaltide.
John Vianini Studio,
Milan, Italy.
Available on YouTube at


O Filii et Filiæ - the first line of the Catholic Hymn celebrating Easter. As commonly found in Hymnals today, it comprises twelve stanzas of the form:

O filii et filiæ
Rex cælestis, Rex gloriæ
Morte surrexit hodie.
Alleluia.


It was written by Jean Tisserand, O.F.M. († 1494), a preacher, and originally comprised nine stanzas (those commencing with "Discipulis adstantibus", "Postquam audivit Didymus", "Beati qui non viderunt" being early additions to the Hymn). "L'aleluya du jour de Pasques" is a trope on the Versicle and Response (closing Lauds and Vespers), which it prettily enshrines in the last two stanzas:

In hoc festo sanctissimo
Sit laus et jubilatio:
BENEDICAMUS DOMINO.–Alleluia.
De quibus nos humillimas
Devotas atque debitas
DEO dicamus GRATIAS.–Alleluia.




O Filii Et Filiae.
Gregorian Chant for Paschaltide.
John Vianini Studio,
Milan, Italy.
Available on YouTube at


The Hymn was very popular in France, whence it has spread to other countries. Guéranger's "Liturgical Year" (Paschal Time, Part I, tr., Dublin, 1871, pp. 190–192) entitles it "The Joyful Canticle" and gives Latin text with English prose translation, with a triple Alleluia preceding and following the Hymn.

As given in Hymnals, however, this triple Alleluia is sung also between the stanzas (see "The Roman Hymnal", New York, 1884, p. 200). In Lalanne, "Recueil d'anciens et de nouveaux cantiques notés" (Paris, 1886, p. 223), greater particularity is indicated in the distribution of the stanzas and of the Alleluias.

The triple Alleluia is sung by one voice, is repeated by the Choir, and the solo takes up the first stanza with its Alleluia. The Choir then sings the triple Alleluia, the second stanza with its Alleluia, and repeats the triple Alleluia. The alternation of solo and chorus thus continues, until the last stanza with its Alleluia, followed by the triple Alleluia, is sung by one voice.

"It is scarcely possible for any one, not acquainted with the melody, to imagine the jubilant effect of the triumphant Alleluia attached to apparently less important circumstances of the Resurrection. It seems to speak of the majesty of that event, the smallest portions of which are worthy to be so chronicled" (Neale, "Medieval Hymns and Sequences", 3rd ed., p. 163). The rhythm of the Hymn is that of number and not of accent or of classical quantity. The melody, to which it is sung, can scarcely be divorced from the lilt of triple time.



O Filii Et Filiae.
Chant joyeux du temps de Pasques (H. 339) - 
Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Available on YouTube at


As a result, there is, to English ears, a very frequent conflict between the accent of the Latin words and the real, however unintentional, stress of the melody: e.g.: Et Máriá Magdálená, Sed Jóannés Apóstolús, Ad sépulchrúm venít priús, etc. A number of Hymnals give the melody in plain-song notation, and (theoretically, at least) this would permit the accented syllables of the Latin Text to receive an appropriate stress of the voice.

Commonly, however, the Hymnals adopt the modern triple time (e.g., the "Nord-Sterns Führers zur Seeligkeit", 1671; the "Roman Hymnal", 1884; "Hymns Ancient and Modern", rev. ed.). Perhaps it was this conflict of stress and word-accent that led Neale to speak of the "rude simplicity" of the poem and to ascribe the Hymn to the 12th-Century in the Contents-Page of his volume (although the note, prefixed to his own translation, assigns the Hymn to the 13th-Century). Migne, "Dict. de Liturgie" (s. v. Pâques, 959) also declares it to be very ancient. It is only very recently that its authorship has been discovered, the "Dict. of Hymnology" (2nd ed., 1907) tracing it back only to the year 1659, although Shipley ("Annus Sanctus", London, 1884, p. xxiii) found it in a Roman Processional of the 16th-Century.



The Choir of the Cathedral of St Jean's Primatial Lyon (Les Petits Chanteurs de Lyon)
sing O Fillii and Filiae, Parisian prose, and Benedetto Marcello's chorus caelestium Gaudet.
Available on YouTube at


The Hymn was assigned in the various French Paroissiens to the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, on Easter Sunday. There are several translations into English verse by non-Catholics. The Catholic translations comprise one by an anonymous author in the "Evening Office", 1748 ("Young men and maids, rejoice and sing"), Father Caswall's "Ye sons and daughters of the Lord" and Charles Kent's "O maids and striplings, hear love's story", all three being given in Shipley, "Annus Sanctus". The Latin Texts vary both in the arrangement and the wording of the stanzas; and the Plain-Song and modernised settings also vary not a little.


Saturday 24 May 2014

Prayer To Our Lady Of Sheshan. 24 May. World Day Of Prayer For China.





This Article is taken from




Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan.
24 May.
World Day of Prayer for China.
Established by His Holiness, 
Pope Emeritus,
Benedict XVI.





Regensburg Cathedral.


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



English: Saint Peter's Cathedral,
Regensburg, Germany.
Deutsch: Dom St. Peter zu Regensburg.
Photo: 17 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Regensburg Cathedral (German: Dom St. Peter or Regensburger Dom), dedicated to Saint Peter, is the most important Church and landmark of the City of Regensburg, Germany. It is the Seat of the Catholic Diocese of Regensburg. The Church is a prime example of Gothic architecture in Bavaria.

A Bishop's Church was built around 700 A.D., at the site of the present-day Cathedral Parish Church, Niedermünster (Saint Erhard's tomb). Around 739 A.D., Saint Boniface chose the area of the Porta Praetoria (North Gate of the old Roman fort) for the Bishop's Seat, and the site of the Cathedral has remained there since. The Cathedral was rebuilt in Carolingian times and expanded in the Early-11th-Century, with an approximately fifteen-metre-wide Transept, two Towers and an Atrium.


File:Dom-zu-regensburg.jpg

English: Cathedral of Saint Peter,
Regensburg, Germany.
South facade (before the Towers were cleaned in 2005).
Deutsch: Regensburger Dom St. Peter (Südfront)
- vor der Turmsanierung.
Date: 18 February 2004 (original upload date).
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)



In 1156 - 1172, the Cathedral burnt twice, and was also rebuilt, starting from 1273, in High Gothic Style. The three Choirs of the new Cathedral were ready for use in 1320, while the old Cathedral was demolished at the same time. In 1385 - 1415, the elaborate main West Entrance was completed, with most of the new Cathedral being finished around 1520; the Cloisters were constructed between 1514 - 1538.

The Cupola, at The Transept Crossing, and other sectors, were renovated in Baroque Style in the 17th-Century. In 1828 - 1841, the Cathedral underwent a Neo-Gothic Restoration, commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The Baroque frescoes were relocated and the Cupola demolished, being replaced by a quadripartite Rib Vault. The Towers and their Spires were built in 1859 - 1869. Three years later, the Cathedral was finally finished, with the completion of The Transept Gable and the Spire (at The Crossing), after some 600 years of construction.



Deutsch: Der Altar des Regensburger Doms.
English: The Altar of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: High Contrast.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The state-run Dombauhütte (Cathedral Building Workshop) was founded in 1923, for the ongoing oversight, maintenance, and restoration of the Cathedral. In the 1980s, construction of the Crypt Mausoleum, and archeological exploration of the Central Nave (partial exposure of a former Southern Arcade entrance to the Atrium of a pre-cursor Roman structure), were carried out.

An unusual feature of Regensburg Cathedral is its separation from the structure of the older Cloister. This separation came about when the Church was rebuilt and displaced to the South-West of the earlier Romanesque Cathedral.



Deutsch: Innenraum des Doms St. Peter.
English: Interior of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 15 February 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jens Hirsch.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Deutsch: Südfassade des Regensburger Domes.
English: South Facade Chevet of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bkmd.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In testimony of that Romanesque pre-cursor, the Eselsturm Tower still stands on the North Side of the Cathedral; it was used in the past, and is still used, to transport construction materials to the upper levels. A pulley remains in the West Loft, and, with it, materials are lifted through an opening in the ceiling near the West Portal. To the East of the Cathedral, is the state-run Dombauhütte (Cathedral Building Workshop), which is responsible for the preservation of the structure. In contrast with many Cathedral Building Workshops, neither modern machines, nor exclusively old tools, are used. Rather, tools are manufactured in the Workshop.

The Erminold Maria is one element of an Annunciation Group in Regensburg Cathedral. It goes back to the, so-called, Erminoldmeister, who carved and colourfully painted the figure of Mary, and the famous laughing figure of the Angel Gabriel, about 1280. The figures are juxtaposed to one another on the two Western Pillars at The Crossing, of the Nave. Mary's right hand is slightly raised toward the Angel, in greeting. In her left hand, she holds a book, into which she is pointing with her index finger.



Deutsch: Im Inneren des Regensburger Doms.
English: Interior of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2013.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


On the Eastern Pillars, at The Crossing, are stone figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which were installed in 1320, and 1360 - 1370, respectively.

The All Saints' Chapel, in the Cathedral Cloisters, was built in 1164 as a Burial Chapel for Bishop Hartwig II, by Master Builders from Como, in Northern Italy.

Most of the valuable Stained-Glass Windows were installed between 1220 - 1230 and 1320 - 1370. The windows of the West Facade were only completed in the 19th-Century. In 1967 - 1968, came the windows of the left Chancel, from the hand of the artist, Professor Oberberger. He also produced the Pentecost Window in the West of The North Transept and the Clerestory Windows in Gothic Style.



Deutsch: Regensburger Dom.
Photo: 2 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Aconcagua.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Deutsch: Regensburger Dom, Südfassade
Русский: Свинья. Украшение водостока на южном фасаде Регенсбургского собора.
English: Gargoyles on the South Facade of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: 
(Wikimedia Commons)


The silver High Altar stems from Augsburg artists and was built in the period between 1695 and 1785. A particular feature are the five Gothic Altars of Reservation. In the South Choir, a new Altar of Celebration was built in 2004, the work of Helmut Langhammer.

Saint Peter Canisius preached from the stone Pulpit, in the Central Nave, in 1556 - 1557. Regensburg Cathedral is the Bishop's Church and the principal Church of the Regensburg Diocese. It is also the home of the Regensburger Domspatzen ("Cathedral Sparrows"), a Choir rich in tradition. The structure is considered the most significant Gothic work in Southern Germany.

The Cathedral is also the burial place of important Bishops, including: Johann Michael von Sailer (1829-1832, Memorial built by Konrad Eberhard in the South Chancel); Georg Michael Wittmann (1832-1833, Memorial, also by Konrad Eberhard, in the North Chancel); and Archbishop Michael Buchberger (1927-1961, likewise in the North Chancel). In the Western part of the Central Nave, stands a bronze Memorial for the Prince-Bishop, Cardinal Philipp Wilhelm († 1598), the brother of Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria.



DeutschRegensburger Dom.
Photo: 2 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Aconcagua.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Friday 23 May 2014

Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J.


Italic Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

Roman Text is taken from CRISIS MAGAZINE
unless stated otherwise.



Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J.
Illustration: CRISIS MAGAZINE


Father Willie Doyle, S.J., MC (3 March 1873 – 16 August 1917) (William Joseph Gabriel Doyle was his full Baptismal name) was an Irish Jesuit Priest, who was Killed-in-Action during World War I.

Doyle was a native of Dalkey, Ireland, and the youngest of seven children. He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicester. He entered the Jesuit Novitiate at the age of 18, after reading Saint Alphonsus’ book, “Instructions and Consideration on the Religious State”, and was an Ordained Jesuit Priest.

Soon after his Ordination, in 1907, his Superiors appointed him on the Mission Staff for five years. From 1908 to 1915, he gave no less than 152 Missions and Retreats. His fame, as Preacher, Confessor and Spiritual Director, spread far and wide, and he had "a special gift to hunt out the most hardened and neglected sinners, and to bring them back with him to the Church for Confession".

He served in the Army Chaplains' Department of the British Army during World War I. He was finally appointed Chaplain of the 16th Irish Division. Having fulfilled his Priestly Duties in an outstanding fashion for almost two years, he was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele, on 16 August 1917, having run “all day, hither and thither, over the battlefield like an Angel of Mercy." This Good Shepherd truly gave his life for his sheep.Fr. Doyle enlisted as a Chaplain, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, and was nominally attached to: 8th Royal Irish Fusiliers and 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers. He participated in the Battles of the Somme, Battle of Messines and Battle of Passchendaele. General Hickie, the Commander-in-Chief of the 16th (Irish) Division, described Doyle as one of the bravest men who fought or served.

He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during the assault on the village of Ginchy. He was recommended for a posthumous Victoria Cross, the day he was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele alongside the 16th Division and the 36th Ulster Division, which both suffered heavy losses. Fr Doyle's body was never recovered.
The following Article is taken from CRISIS MAGAZINE
Father Willie Doyle: Forgotten War Hero
by K. V. Turley

In an unmarked grave in those now silent fields of Flanders lies the body of an Irish priest.

Like so many caught up in the conflict that came to be known as the Great War, he was buried where he fell, without marker or tombstone; one more casualty amongst the millions. That should have been the end; it proved not to be the case, however.

If, after his death, the private papers, which he had asked to be burned, had lain undisturbed then, almost certainly, he would have been forgotten by all except those closest to him. Instead, the discovery, and subsequent publication of a biography in 1920, caused ferment.




Willie Doyle was born into a well to do Catholic family on March 3, 1873. His upbringing on the outskirts of Dublin was outwardly idyllic, but also one charged with the devout religious faith of that household. From this Christian home, four of the seven children was to enter some form of religious life. After being educated in both Ireland and England, Willie Doyle entered the Society of Jesus.

After many long years of study, he was ordained in 1907 and assigned to the Jesuit mission to parishes throughout the British Isles. From the start he excelled as preacher and confessor, and the crowds flocked to hear and be converted. Only after his death was the secret of such success revealed—penance.




Appearing at the start of the twentieth century, here was a figure like Irish monks of old. Night watches in front of the Blessed Sacrament, frequent use of the Discipline, immersion in cold lakes, nocturnal barefoot pilgrimages — all hidden from view, but, importantly, with the knowing approval of his Spiritual Director. Added to this was his less dramatic daily “war” on self. The “Butter Tragedy” — some days butter on his toast, others not, just one example of a constant spirit of mortification in everyday matters. It was to prove never-ending; and combined with countless invocations his waking hours were eventually to become a veritable litany of reparation and supplication to the Mercy of God.

The discovery of the papers, that revealed this, intrigued those who knew him, unaware until then of the intensity of the life he had led. To others, however, such practices appeared too extreme, too harsh; but this was no gloomy ascetic. Instead, a much loved, affable Priest, constantly joking — it was perceptions that were mistaken. Nevertheless, like those called to perfection — and that remains all baptised Catholics —Father Willie Doyle had understood what clay we were made from, and so was under no illusions: The Battle for Heaven was one to be fought to the death of self. He could not have foreseen that for him, at least, this combat was to reach its conclusion in a very real battle in the European conflict then threatening.




When war finally did break out, Fr. Willie Doyle volunteered immediately. Behind this lay a desire to serve. Hours spent in the Confessional, he understood his fellow man. With thousands dressed in khaki on their way to meet death, he knew that someone had to be there with them as this was to be the definitive hour for such Souls, when all would be lost or gained, and for all Eternity. And so, he made straight for the Front.

Soon after, with the Royal Irish Fusiliers, he landed in France. From then on, this new Chaplain was to march every mile alongside these soldiers — forgoing all privileges that his Officer rank afforded him. This, and later other Irish battalions, were now his “flock” and he had chosen to be their “shepherd.” In the end, however, it was not his ensuring that the Sacraments were available as Death stalked them; saying Holy Mass whenever, and wherever, he could; or his rushing through machine-gun fire to get to the dying — to Anoint and give Viaticum. Nor was it the hours spent at night ensuring that the dead had a Christian burial — often burying what was left with his bare hands; or his comforting the sick and wounded — some so badly so, they no longer had faces. Nor staying, to the bitter end, with one Recruit, prior to being executed for desertion — before later having the unenviable task of writing to the man’s family. Nor simply his good humour and ready smile, throughout. No, these battle-hardened, if still fearful, soldiers loved him for just being with them through it all — often only partially aware of the mysterious Presence mediated through this Alter Christus.




For his bravery, evident to all who served with him, as well as being mentioned in dispatches, Fr. Willie Doyle was awarded the Military Cross — it should have been the highest award for gallantry possible: The Victoria Cross. That proved impossible, however, for he had a triple disqualification, being Irish, Catholic and a Jesuit. Those in the Military knew he had fallen foul of the politics of the time — needless to say, it meant little to him: His eyes were on an altogether different prize.

As if the dangers and privations of the Front were not enough, throughout he continued with his own inner “war.” When possible, in those flooded fetid trenches, with the sounds of Hell reverberating, the Priest spent hours on his knees, with a Pyx around his neck, adoring the Prince of Peace — all the time offering up reparation, especially so for Priests.




His letters home to his father, both touching and inspiring, reveal the strain of it all — something hidden from those around him. For this was a sensitive man that felt every pain inflicted by war, both physical and mental. Nevertheless, to the last, he knew every minute counted, and that others were counting on him, engaged as he was in a very real “battle” for Souls, and on that “Front”, no quarter could be given.

On they marched through the bloodstained fields, with names now synonymous with suffering — the Somme, Passchendaele . . . Some of the experiences too hideous to imagine — the night the battalion walked over a field filled with fresh corpses. Still, their Padre was with them, a reassuring presence regardless of the “dark valleys” they passed through, and one that brought an unexpected peace to many. For, like them, he too had been shot at, shelled and gassed; narrowly missing being killed on numerous occasions; his only rest, when possible, in the same rat-infested sodden trenches as they. Despite his Brother Officer’s pleas, he held to his post; determined to be with his “flock” throughout this living hell. And yet, just like the men around him, still clinging to the hope that — somehow — he might be allowed to survive the daily carnage, if all the while living in constant readiness to offer his life as a sacrifice for the saving of just one more Soul.




And then, at last, that hour of Holocaust came.

On August 16, 1917, during the seemingly never-ending Passchendaele Offensive, Fr. Willie Doyle encountered Death in the full heat of battle.

Dodging gunfire in the dreaded No-Man’s Land, whilst desperately trying to drag a wounded comrade back to safety, the Priest was blown to pieces by a German shell. Unlike the many to whom he had given a Christian burial, his remains were hastily interred in a makeshift communal plot, whilst, all around, the battle raged on. The sound of shells exploding against the night sky, as the wounded and maimed continued to cry out for someone — anyone — to hasten to their aid, were to be his only Requiem.




Now, with the guns silenced, Fr. Willie Doyle lies waiting for a very different Reveille to sound across those now stilled battlefields. And when rising to meet the true General he served and for whom he gave his life, in the slain priest’s train shall surely follow the legions of his spiritual progeny, not least his fallen comrades, many of whom saved by that final Absolution just as the end drew near….

On the Western Front alone, some estimate that as many as 40,000 military personnel converted to the Catholic Faith, due in no small part to the Catholic Chaplains who gave exemplary service during the Great War — men such as Fr. Willie Doyle.




Today, unknown in Ireland and forgotten by the Order he served in, at that desolate Flanders field the mortal remains of this war hero await the only recognition he ever longed for, to hear those much desired and final words:

“Come . . . you did it to one of the least of these my brethren . . .”

Editor’s note: This essay is based on a short life of Father Willie Doyle, by the author, titled Father Willie Doyle & World War I: A Chaplain’s Story.


The following is from a Post on ZEPHYRINUS
dated 18 November 2013.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.




No-Man's Land
(Flowers of the Forest)
Available on YouTube
at

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.


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