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

Saturday 30 April 2016

Saint Catherine Of Siena (1347 - 1380). Virgin. Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day 30 April.


Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Catherine of Siena.
Doctor of The Church.
Virgin.
Feast Day 30 April.

Double.

White Vestments.



Saint Catherine of Siena.
From the Church of Santa Maria del Rosario in Prati,
Rome, Italy.
Date: 19th-Century.
Source: http://www.tanogabo.it/religione/santa_caterina_siena.htm
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


"The Holy Order of Preachers", which yesterday offered a Red Rose to Jesus Risen Again
[Editor: The Feast Day of Saint Peter of Verona, Martyr], offers Him, today, a Lily of Dazzling Whiteness". [The Liturgical Year, by Dom Guéranger: The Paschal Season. Vol. II. 30 April.]

Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was the last but one of twenty-four children. In her childhood, she chose Jesus for her Spouse (Epistle). Subjecting her delicate body to frightful mortifications, her only support during her prolonged Fasts was Holy Communion (Postcommunion).

She received, from The Crucified Lord, The Stigmata and Inspired Knowledge concerning the most profound Mysteries of Religion. It was by her persuasion that Pope Gregory XI left Avignon, France, to return to Rome, Italy.

When, like Christ, she had reached her thirty-third year, she entered Heaven with her Divine Spouse to take part in The Nuptial Banquet (Gospel) in The Holy Joys of The Eternal Passover (Introit, Alleluia).

"Let us offer to God, on this day, The Sacred Host embalmed with the Virginal Perfume of Blessed Catherine" (Secret), so that He may grant us, in return, Life Eternal (Postcommunion).

Mass: Dilexisti.



The following Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint Catherine of Siena, Third Order of Saint Dominic, T.O.S.D. (25 March 1347 in Siena – 29 April 1380 in Rome), was a Tertiary of The Dominican Order and Scholastic Philosopher and Theologian. She also worked to bring the Papacy of Pope Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France (Avignon) and to establish peace among the Italian City-States.


Since 18 June 1866, she is one of the two Patron Saints of Italy, together with Saint Francis of Assisi. On 3 October 1970, she was proclaimed a Doctor of The Church, by Pope Paul VI, and, on 1 October 1999, Pope Saint John Paul II named her as one of the six Patron Saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Bridget of Sweden and Edith Stein.

Friday 29 April 2016

Saint Peter Of Verona. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 29 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Peter of Verona.
Martyr.
Feast Day 29 April.

Double.

Red Vestments.


English: Saint Peter the Martyr.
Artist: Pedro Berruguete (1450–1504).
Date: Circa 1493.
Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
Source/Photographer: Galería online
(Wikimedia Commons)


Born at Verona, Italy, towards 1205, from Manichean parents, Saint Peter, as a child, opposed the heretics. He entered The Order of Saint Dominic. He preserved such purity of body and Soul that he never committed a Mortal Sin.

We read in The Bull of his Canonisation: "A chosen cluster from the Vine of The Church has filled with its generous juice The Royal Chalice: The Branch, from which it has been cut by the sword, was of those which most strongly adhered to The Divine Stem" (Gospel).

The ardour of his Faith so enflamed him that he wished to die for it and his Prayer was heard. "As he lived piously in Christ, it was necessary that he should be persecuted" (Epistle) and an impious assassin, sent by the Manichees, murdered him on the road from Como to Milan in 1252.

Let us ask God to grant us, through the merits of Saint Peter, a Faith so strong (Collect) that it may obtain for us, after all the adversities of this life (Postcommunion), the joys of The Resurrection (Epistle, Communion).

Mass: Protexisti.



The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint Peter of Verona O.P. (1206 – 6 April 1252), also known as Saint Peter Martyr, was a 13th-Century Italian Catholic Priest. He was a Dominican Friar and a celebrated Preacher. He served as Inquisitor in Lombardy, was killed by an assassin, and was Canonised as a Catholic Saint eleven months after his death, making this the fastest Canonisation in history.


Thursday 28 April 2016

Saint Vitalis. Martyr. Feast Day 28 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Vitalis.
Martyr.
Feast Day 28 April.

Simple.

Red Vestments.



The Martyrdom of Saint Vitalis.
Artist: Federico Barocci (1535–1612).
Date: 16th-Century.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Vitalis, father of Saint Gervase and Saint Protase, was put to death at Ravenna, Italy, under Emperor Nero about 62 A.D. Having been tortured on The Rack, he was thrown into a deep hole and stoned to death. A Church was Consecrated to him in Rome: The Station is held there on the Friday in The Second Week in Lent.

Mass: Protexisti.

Saint Paul Of The Cross. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 28 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Paul of The Cross.
Confessor.
Feast Day 28 April.

Double.

White Vestments.



Portrait of Saint Paul of The Cross.
Date: May 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Plet Philippe.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Paul of The Cross was born at Ovada, in the State of Genoa, in 1694. As his name indicates, he had during all his life a burning love for Jesus Crucified. "Nailed to The Cross with Christ" (Gospel), he devoted himself to Preaching everywhere with singular Charity, The Mystery of The Cross (Collect, Epistle).

To carry out this great work in The Church (Gospel), he instituted The Passionists, who make a Vow to propagate The Blessed Memory of The Saviour's Passion.

Consumed by the love which he drew from The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass, "which is The Perpetual Memorial [Editor: It IS NOT a "Shared Meal".] of the boundless Charity of Christ" (Postcommunion), he offered himself to God with Jesus "as an oblation of agreeable odour" (Offertory) and died in 1775.

Let us, like Saint Paul of The Cross, suffer with The Crucified Saviour, so that we may rejoice with Jesus Risen Again (Alleluia, Communion).

Mass: Christo confixus.

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Saint Peter Canisius. Doctor Of The Church. Confessor. Feast Day 27 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Peter Canisius.
Doctor of The Church and Confessor.
Feast Day 27 April.

Double.

White Vestments.




Saint Peter Canisius.
Date: 1699.
Author: Anonymous.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Saint Peter Canisius was born in Nimegen, Holland, on 8 May 1521; he died at Fribourg, Switzerland, on 21 December 1597. He was Beatified by Pope Pius IX and Canonised and proclaimed Doctor of The Church by Pope Pius XI.

His Feast Day was extended to the Universal Church on 24 November 1926. It is fitting that this Dutch Saint should be called The Apostle of Germany, The Hammer of Heretics, The Jerome  and Augustine of his Century, The Defender of The Church against The Gates of Hell.

By his eloquent Preaching, controversy, and Books of Piety, by the Foundation of several Colleges, by the Missions entrusted to him by four Sovereign Pontiffs, he stopped the progress of Protestantism and caused Catholic Life to flourish.



Saint Peter Canisius.
Available on YouTube at


He assisted as a Theologian at The Council of Trent, and maintained the interests of The Church at The Diet of Augsburg and at The Conference of Worms.

Profoundly humble, he refused the Bishoprics of Vienna and Cologne. We owe to him the first Catechism of Christian Doctrine, which suffices to entitle him to the gratitude of Catholics. He ended his days at The College of Saint Michael, Fribourg, Switzerland, where Pilgrims visit his room and Pray at this tomb.

Mass: In médio (from The Common of Doctors).

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Saint Cletus And Saint Marcellinus. Popes And Martyrs. Feast Day 26 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saints Cletus and Marcellinus.
Popes and Martyrs.
Feast Day 26 April.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.



Pope Saint Cletus.

Two Popes of The Early Church sit on opposite corners of the Portico Ceiling of
Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Today, we Celebrate their Feast Day. The two men served
as Popes two 
Centuries apart. What they share is that their Pontificates occurred during

times of great torture 
and persecution for professing Christians under Roman rule. Reflecting

on the lives of Pope Saint Cletus (above) and Pope Saint Marcellinus I (below) puts

into perspective the trials that The Faithful now are facing.

Illustrations (above and below) and Captions: THE BRIGHTON ORATORY


Pope, St Marcellinus I, Martyr

Pope Saint Marcellinus I.


Saint Cletus was the third Pope. Born at Rome, he was converted by Saint Peter and succeeded Saint Linus on the Pontifical Throne. He received the Crown of Martyrdom in 91 A.D., under the Emperor Domitian and was buried near The Prince of The Apostles.

Saint Marcellinus was also a Roman. He governed The Church from 293 A.D. to 304 A.D., during the terrible persecution of Diocletian, who caused him to be beheaded. The name of Saint Cletus is in The Canon of The Mass (First List).

Their Mass is that of Martyrs in Paschaltide. It shows how Faith in the Virtue of The Resurrection of Christ sustains Souls in the midst of the sufferings they have to undergo on Earth after Christ (Epistle) before sharing in His Triumph in Heaven (Introit, Epistle, Gospel, Offertory, Communion).

Let us glorify Jesus, whose members we are, by producing many fruits of patience, as did these Holy Martyrs (Gospel).

Mass: Sancti tui.

"I Declare Before You All That My Whole Life, Whether It Be Long Or Short, Shall Be Devoted To Your Service And The Service Of Our Imperial Family To Which We All Belong."


This Article can be read in full at TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS





The Sons of The Most Holy Redeemer wish Her Majesty
a very happy ninetieth birthday,
and a happy ninety-first year !


21 April 2016 was the 90th birthday of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II. In celebration of this wonderful occasion, over 1000 Beacons were lit across The United Kingdom, starting at 7.00 p.m., with The Queen lighting the first.

Not wanting to be left out in giving honour to our earthly Sovereign, Papa Stronsay officially registered with The Pageant Master to host a Beacon. The Beacon was lighted atop one of the Papa Stronsay Pier Towers. The time assigned by The Pageant Master for the lighting of the Papa Stronsay Beacon was 8.30 p.m.



Br Peter Mary, F.SS.R. was nominated to light the Beacon,
as The Community sung the National Anthem:
God Save the Queen !



The Beacon is alight.
"A Very Happy Birthday, Your Majesty."

Sweetheart Abbey. The Cistercian Abbey of Dulce Cor. Dumfries And Galloway, Scotland.


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



Sweetheart Abbey 
(Dulce Cor).
Founded by Lady Devorgilla in 1273.
Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Illustration: PINTEREST



Looking Eastwards, the impressive Nave of Sweetheart Abbey Church,
leading (under the dramatic Bell Tower) to the Chancel,
with its richly-carved and Traceried Windows. 
Above the rows of Pillars, the Triforia can just be seen.
Date: 2 September 2006 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons
Photo taken by Ron Waller, August 2006.
(Wikimedia Commons)



"Cor Dulce Cor."
Available on YouTube at


The Abbey of Dulce Cor (Latin for "Sweet Heart"), better known as Sweetheart Abbey (Gaelic: An Abaid Ur), or New Abbey Pow, was a Cistercian Monastery, Dedicated to Saint Mary The Virgin, and was Founded in 1275 in what is now the Town of New Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, eight miles (thirteen km) South of Dumfries, near to The River Nith, in South-West Scotland. It was Suppressed in 1624. The Mother House was Dundrennan Abbey.

The Abbey, located on the banks of The River Pow, was founded by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband, Baron John de Balliol. After his death, she kept his embalmed heart, contained in a Casket of Ivory and Silver, with her for the rest of her life, and it was buried alongside her when she died. In line with this devotion to her Late-Husband, she named the Abbey "Dulce Cor" (Latin for "Sweet Heart"). Their son, also John, became King of Scotland, but his reign was tragic and short.



Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland.
Available on YouTube at


Under the first Abbot, Henry, the Abbey was built in deep-red, local sandstone in The Early-English Style. It was Founded as a Daughter House to the nearby Dundrennan Abbey; thus, this novum monasterium (new Monastery) became known as the "New Abbey Pow".

The immediate Abbey precincts extended to thirty acres (120,000 m2) and sections of the surrounding wall can still be seen. The Abbey Church, Dedicated to Saint Mary The Virgin,, measures 203 feet (sixty-two m), and the Central Tower rose to a height of ninety-two feet (twenty-eight m).



The entrance to Sweetheart Abbey,
through the much-altered Archway in the Abbey precincts, which extended to thirty acres.
Date: 5 September 2006 (original upload date). Photo taken by Ron Waller August 2006.
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Abbot of Sweetheart was a member of The First Estate and sat ex officio in The Parliament. The Cistercian Order — whose members were commonly known as The White Monks because of the White Cowl which they wore over their Religious Habit — built many great Abbeys after their establishment around 1100. Like many of their Abbeys, the New Abbey's interests lay not only in Prayer and Contemplation, but in the farming and commercial activity of the area, making it the centre of local life.

During The First War of Scottish Independence, King Edward I of England resided at the Abbey in 1300, while campaigning in Galloway. After fifty years of warfare in the region, however, the Abbey was left in a dilapidated state. The Bishop of Galloway bemoaned Sweetheart’s "outstanding and notorious poverty". Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas (1328-1400), often referred to as Archibald the Grim, became a major benefactor of the Abbey and financed wholesale repairs and the rebuilding of the Abbey complex. The depredations suffered by the Abbey in subsequent periods, however, caused the graves of the Foundress and her husband to be lost. The Abbey continued in quiet obscurity until it was eventually suppressed in The Scottish Reformation.



Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland.
Illustration: HISTORY FISH.NET


Starting in 1565, the Scottish Crown placed the Aabbey under a series of Commendatory Abbots. The last Cistercian Abbot was Gilbert Broun, S.O.Cist. (+ 1612), who continued to uphold The Catholic Faith long after The Reformation. He was charged several times with enticing to "papistrie", from 1578 to 1605, until finally he was arrested in 1605, in spite of the resistance of the whole countryside, and transported to Edinburgh, where he was tried and sentenced to exile. In 1624, the last of the Monks died and the Abbey buildings and land passed into the hands of Sir Robert Spottiswoode, son of The Archbishop of Saint Andrews, who assumed the Title of Lord of New Abbey.

When, in 1633, King Charles I established The Diocese of Edinburgh, he pleaded with Spottiswoode to relinquish the lands of New Abbey, which he wanted to grant to the new Diocese. Though Spottiswoode agreed, he was not paid for the lands, and when the Royal Grant to the Diocese was cancelled, the King restored the Estate back to Spottiswoode in 1641. He was soon forced into exile, however, so the Estate continued in possession of The Crown.



Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland.
Illustration: BRITAIN EXPRESS


The village, which stands next to the Ruins, today, is now known as New Abbey. At the other end of the Main Street is Monksmill, a Corn Mill. Although the present buildings date from the Late-18th-Century, there was an earlier Mill built by, and for, the Monks of the Abbey which serviced the surrounding farms.

The Abbey Ruins dominate the skyline, today, and one can only imagine how it, and the Monks, would have dominated Early-Mediaeval Life, as farmers, agriculturalists, horse and cattle breeders. Surrounded by rich and fertile grazing and arable land, they became increasingly expert and systematic in their farming and breeding methods. Like all Cistercian Abbeys, they made their mark, not only on the Religious Life of the district, but on the ways of local farmers, and influenced agriculture in the surrounding areas.


Sweetheart Abbey.jpg

Sweetheart Abbey (Dulce Cor Abbey),
Dumfries, Scotland.
Photo: 23 September 2004.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Paul Jenkins
(Wikimedia Commons)

Monday 25 April 2016

Neo-Natal Infanticide. The Truth Revealed At The European Parliament.


This Article can be read in full at EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE



Neo-Natal Infanticide.
Available on YouTube at

Chapters of the video:
Introductory remarks, Grégor Puppinck.
2:'41 Facts on Neo-Natal Infanticide, Claire de La Hougue.
14:02 1st Testimony of a Physician.
17:59 2nd Testimony of a Midwife
21:28 3rd Testimony of a Midwife.
23:24 4th Testimony of a Physician.
31:20 Ethics and International Law, Grégor Puppinck.

The video is in French.
English Sub-Titles are available
on the Lower Left of the Screen.

For more information:




Neonatal Infanticide: The Truth Revealed
At The European Parliament.


On Wednesday, 13 April 2016, The European Centre For Law And Justice (ECLJ) was invited by the EPP Working Group on Bioethics and Human Dignity to expose the reality of Neo-Natal Infanticide in France and in Europe.

We are proud to present you today THE VIDEO OF THIS CONFERENCE, which includes four Testimonies of Physicians and Midwives, telling their shocking stories about Infanticide.

This video may have a significant impact on people by revealing Criminal Practices all over Europe.

We encourage you to share this video as broadly as possible to your family, friends and others.

The European Centre For Law And Justice will keep fighting to bring light on this Dark Reality, and we hope to make another video soon as we investigate further.

We call again upon Medical Staff, and families who witnessed these practices, to testify by answering this E-Mail or sending an E-Mail to: c.foltzenlogel@eclj.org.

May the courage of these people, that we thank again for their precious help, arouse the courage of others, so that we may denounce and put an end to these Evil Practices.



From Left to Right:
Miroslav Mikolášik, MEP,
(Co-President of The Inter-Group on Bioethics of The European Parliament (PPE, Slovakia)),
Claire de La Hougue,
Grégor Puppinck.


The European Centre For Law And Justice is an International, Non-Governmental Organisation dedicated to The Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Europe and World-Wide. The European Centre For Law And Justice holds Special Consultative Status before The United Nations/ECOSOC, since 2007.

The European Centre For Law And Justice engages legal, legislative, and cultural issues by implementing an effective strategy of advocacy, education, and litigation. The European Centre
For Law And Justice advocates, in particular, the protection of Religious Freedoms and the dignity
of the person with The European Court of Human Rights and the other mechanisms afforded by
The United Nations, The Council of Europe, The European Parliament, The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and others.

The European Centre For Law And Justice bases its Action on “The Spiritual and Moral Values which are the common heritage of European peoples and the true source of individual freedom, Political Liberty and The Rule of Law, principles which form the basis of all genuine democracy” (Preamble of The Statute of The Council of Europe).

Copyright © 2016 European Centre For Law And Justice, All Rights Reserved.

Saint Mark The Evangelist. Feast Day 25 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Mark the Evangelist.
Feast Day 25 April.

Double of The Second-Class.

Red Vestments.



Saint Mark The Evangelist.
Artist: Rene de Cramer.
"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".
Used with Permission.



English: Saint Mark the Evangelist.
Español: San Marcos.
Artist: Jusepe Leonardo (1601–1653).
Date: Circa 1630.
Current location: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, England.
This File: 7 June 2010.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saint Mark, the Disciple of Saint Peter, is one of The Four Evangelists (Collect) who wrote, under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost, an abridgement of The Life of Jesus. His narration begins by the mission of Saint John the Baptist, whose "voice was heard in the desert"; he is represented with a Lion lying at his feet, because the Lion, one of  the four symbolical animals in the vision of Ezechiel (Epistle), makes the desert re-echo with its roaring.

He was one of the seventy-two Disciples (Gospel). He went to Egypt, where he was the first to announce Christ at Alexandria. The Preaching of the Gospel, which his Martyrdom confirmed, made him to enter into Glory (Secret), where Saint John shows him to us as one of the four symbolical animals who attend The Triumph of The Immolated Lamb.




Statue of Saint Mark the Evangelist (Copy).
Artist: Donatello.
Location: Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy.
This File: 22 August 2005.
(Wikimedia Commons)


His body was taken to Venice, whose Patron he is since the 9th-Century A.D. Rome possesses a Church Dedicated to Saint Mark, where a Station is held on the Monday of The Third Week in Lent.

Let us profit by the teaching of Saint Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Christ and Preached it, and let us have recourse to his Prayers (Collect).




English: Venetian merchants, with the help of two Greek Monks,
take Mark the Evangelist's body to Venice.
Deutsch: Bergung des Leichnams des Hl. Markus (vor der Restaurierung).
Artist: Tintoretto.
Date: 1562-1566.
Current location: Accademia of Venice, Italy.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Greater Litanies. 25 April. The Lesser Litanies. Rogation Days. Chestnut Sunday. Litany Of The Saints.


Roman Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

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

The Station is at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Violet Vestments.


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, Rogation Sunday, Hever, Kent , England.
Photo: 9 February 1967.
Source: From geograph.org.uk.
Author: Ray Trevena.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Church celebrated, yesterday (25 April), two Solemnities, which have nothing in common: The Greater Litanies, so called on account of their Roman origin, and the Feast of Saint Mark, which is of later date. The word "Litany" means "Supplication".

In ancient Rome, on 25 April, used to be celebrated the pagan feast of Robigalia. It consisted, principally, of a Procession, which, leaving the City by the Flaminian Gate, went to the Milvian Bridge and ended in a suburban Sanctuary situated on the Claudian Way.

There, a ewe was sacrificed in honour of a god or goddess of the name Robigo (god or goddess of frost). The Greater Litany was the substitution of a Christian, for a pagan, ceremony. Its itinerary is known to us by a convocation of Saint Gregory the Great. It is, approximately, the same as that of the pagan Procession.

All the Faithful in Rome betook themselves to the Church of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina, the nearest to the Flaminian Gate. Leaving by this Gate, the Procession made a Station at Saint Valentine's, crossed the Milvian Bridge, and branched off to the Left towards the Vatican.

After halting at a Cross, it entered the Basilica of Saint Peter for the celebration of the Holy Mysteries.

This Litany is recited throughout the Church to keep away calamities, and to draw down the Blessing of God on the harvest. "Vouchsafe to grant us to preserve the fruits of the earth, we pray Thee, hear us," is sung by the Procession through the countryside.

The whole Mass shows what assiduous Prayer may obtain, when in the midst of our adversities (Collects, Offertory) we have recourse with confidence to Our Father in Heaven (Epistle, Gospel, Communion).

If the Feast of Saint Mark is transferred, the Litanies are not transferred, unless they fall on Easter Sunday. In which case, they are transferred to the following Tuesday.




Litany of The Saints.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/KiM9uJIN64g


LITANY OF THE SAINTS.

The Litany of the Saints is used in connection with:

Holy Mass on The Greater Litanies (25 April);
The Lesser Litanies (Rogation Days);
Holy Saturday;
The Vigil of Pentecost;
Masses of Ordination , before the conferring of Major Orders.

On Saint Mark's and Rogation Days, if the Procession is held, the Litany is preceded by the Antiphon, "Exurge, Domine," (Psalm XLIII. 26), and all invocations are sung by the Cantors and repeated in full by the Choir [i.e., "Doubled"]. 

If the Procession cannot be held, the invocations are not repeated.

On the Vigils of Easter and Pentecost, the invocations marked with an asterisk (*) in the Missal are omitted; all the remaining invocations are repeated, either there be a Font and a Procession from the Baptistry or not.

At Masses of Ordination, only the first five invocations are repeated.




Litany of The Saints
at the Funeral of Pope Saint John Paul II
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/SZ0Cw5LmkDI?t=1m45s


Rogation Days are, in the Calendar of the Western Church, observed on 25 April (the Major Rogation) and the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday immediately preceding Ascension Thursday (the Minor Rogations).

The first Rogation, the Greater Litanies, has been compared to the ancient Roman religious festival of the Robigalia, a ritual involving prayer and sacrifice for crops held on 25 April. The first Rogation is also observed on 25 April, and a direct connection has sometimes been asserted, with the "Christian substitute" following the same processional route in Rome. If Easter falls on 24 April or on this day (the latest possible date for Easter), the Rogations are transferred to the following Tuesday.

The second set of Rogation Days, the Lesser Litanies or Rogations, introduced about 470 A.D. by Bishop Mamertus of Vienne and eventually adopted elsewhere, are the three days (Rogation Monday, Rogation Tuesday and Rogation Wednesday) immediately before Ascension Thursday in the Christian Liturgical Calendar.

The word "Rogation" comes from the Latin verb "rogare", meaning "to ask," and was applied to this time of the Liturgical Year because the Gospel reading for the previous Sunday included the passage, "Ask and ye shall receive" (Gospel of John 16:24). The Sunday itself was often called Rogation Sunday, as a result, and marked the start of a three-week period (ending on Trinity Sunday), when Roman Catholic and Anglican Clergy did not solemnise marriages (two other such periods of marital prohibition also formerly existed, one beginning on the first Sunday in Advent and continuing through the Octave of Epiphany, or 13 January, and the other running from Septuagesima until the Octave of Easter, the Sunday after Easter). In England, Rogation Sunday is called "Chestnut Sunday".


The Faithful typically observed the Rogation Days by Fasting in preparation to celebrate the Ascension, and farmers often had their crops blessed by a Priest at this time. Violet Vestments are worn at the Rogation Litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what colour was worn at the ordinary Liturgies of the day.

A common feature of Rogation Days, in former times, was the ceremony of "Beating the Bounds", in which a Procession of Parishioners, led by the Minister, Churchwarden, and Choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their Parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. This was also known as 'Gang-Day'.

The reform of the Liturgical Calendar for Latin Roman Catholics, in 1969, delegated the establishment of Rogation Days, along with Ember Days, to the Episcopal Conferences.Their observance in the Latin Church subsequently declined, but the observance has revived somewhat, since 1988, (when Pope John Paul II issued his decree Ecclesia Dei Adflicta) and especially since 2007 (when Pope Benedict XVI issued his Motu Proprio, called "Summorum Pontificum"), when the use of older Rites was encouraged. Churches of the Anglican Communion reformed their Liturgical Calendar in 1976, but continue to recognise the three days before Ascension as an optional observance.


Saturday 23 April 2016

Saint George. Martyr. Feast Day 23 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint George.
Martyr.
Feast Day 23 April.

Semi-Double.
      [Editor: In England, a Double of The First-Class with
      an Octave, being The Patron Saint of England.]

Red Vestments.



The Martyrdom of Saint George.
Artist: Paolo Veronese (1528–1588).
Date: 1564.
Current location: San Giorgio-in-Braida, Verona, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saint George, born of an illustrious family in Cappadocia [Editor: Modern-day Turkey], was promoted by Emperor Diocletian to the first rank in The Roman Army.

When the Emperor had published, at Nicomedia, his first edict against The Christians, Saint George reproached him for his cruelty. Immediately cast into prison, he was subjected to such  atrocious torments that The Eastern Church calls him The Great Martyr. He was beheaded in 303 A.D.

This Patron of armies  is Venerated by Greeks and Latins. Rome possesses a Sanctuary erected in his honour, where the Station is held on The Thursday after Ash Wednesday. England chose him for her Patron Saint in the 13th-Century. Therefore, in England, this Feast is a Double of The First-Class with an Octave.

Saint George is one of The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints, or FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS

Mass: Protexisti.

A Little Levity To Lighten Your Day.



Friday 22 April 2016

Saint Soter And Saint Caius. Popes And Martyrs. Feast Day 22 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saints Soter and Caius.
Popes and Martyrs.
Feast Day 22 April.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.

Pope Soter.jpg

Pope Soter.
This Illustration is from The Lives and Times of the Popes by Chevalier Artaud de Montor, New York: The Catholic Publication Society of America, 1911. It was originally published in 1842.
Date: 6 June 2013.
Author: Artaud de Montor (1772–1849).
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Martyrdom of Pope Caius (San Gaggio).
By Lorenzo Monaco (Lorenzo di Giovanni), circa 1394.
Originally part of the Altarpiece of the Church of San Gaggio in Florence.
Date: January 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Polylerus.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Pope Soter succeeded Pope Anicetus in 161 A.D., and was Martyred ten years later under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Pope Caiuss, whose Relics are kept in the Sanctuary of Saint Sylvester, at Rome, governed The Church a Century later and  was put to death in 296 A.D.

Like all the Sovereign Pontiffs of the first Centuries, they united their sacrifice to that of Christ and "in Him bore much fruit" (Epistle). "God then avenged the blood of His servants and invited them to The Marriage Feast of The Lamb" (Epistle), to associate them in His Triumph and Happiness (Gospel, Offertory, Communion).

Let us honour the Blessed Martyrs Soter and Caius in order that, in Heaven, their powerful intercession may obtain for us Divine Protection (Collect).

Mass: Sancti tui.

Te Deum. Music For Midnight Mass. New CD From Saint John Cantius Church, Chicago.



Illustration: BIRETTA BOOKS


Follow the complete music for Midnight Mass from Chicago's historic Saint John Cantius Church.

Available as a CD or DIGITAL DOWNLOAD


Audio Sample


"Pleni Sunt Caeli".
"Te Deum".
By Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Available on YouTube at


The Web-Site of Biretta Books is HERE

The Web-Site of Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius is HERE

Thursday 21 April 2016

A Very Happy Birthday To You, Your Majesty. Long May She Reign. God Save The Queen.



God Save The Queen.

Seraphic Vestments.





Biretta Books, which is under the direction of The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius, in Chicago, offers its own line of Sacred Vessels and Vestments, called Seraphic Vestments.

The beauty of the Sacred Vestments and Vessels of The Liturgy should lead us to contemplate The Sacred and reflect The Beauty of God in our lives.



Seraphic Vestments.
Available on YouTube at


The Sacred Vestments and Vessels of The Liturgy must possess a true sense of beauty, in light of The Divine Mystery of The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass. These Sacred Appointments must be created in the highest quality to be worthy of what they represent, because the Vessels (the Chalice, Paten, Ciborium, Pyx) hold The Body and Blood of Christ, and because the Vestments clothe the Priest, who represents Christ, The Eternal High Priest.

We, at Seraphic Vestments, believe that the Sacred Vessels and Vestments need to be the best and most worthy we can bring before God, because these communicate something of The Sacred Mysteries we are Celebrating. The resplendent beauty of these things help to create the atmosphere of Prayer and silently convey an invitation to Worship.

Seraphic Vestments are available through Biretta Books.

The Web-Site of The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius can be found HERE

The Web-Site of Biretta Books can be found HERE

Wednesday 20 April 2016

New York. New York.


New York City on a winter night in the snow overlooking the Chrysler Building and 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan.:

New York Winter.
Snow and The Chrysler Building.
Saved from 500px.com
Illustration: PINTEREST



New York, New York.
Frank Sinatra.
Available on YouTube at

Wednesday. Octave Day Of The Solemnity Of Saint Joseph.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Wednesday, Octave Day of The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary,
      Confessor and Patron of
      The Universal Church.

Greater-Double.
            [Note: An Octave was given to this Solemnity, rather than to
            The Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March, because Feasts 
            falling in Lent may not have Octaves.]

White Vestments.



Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church.
Artist: Rene de Cramer.
"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".
Used with Permission.



Today's Mass might be represented by a Triptych (see, below), showing us that Saint Joseph is the protector, which Divine Providence has chosen for His Church.

1.      The Epistle speaks to us of Joseph, who, in The Old Testament, is a figure of Saint Joseph. The dying Jacob prophesies that his son, Joseph, "shall be the Pastor and Strength of Israel, and that The Almighty shall shower Blessings upon him." And Joseph was established by Pharao over the entire land of Egypt, so that the salvation of all depended upon him. [The Lessons and Responses of The First Nocturn of Matins.] The whole Church has recourse to Saint Joseph with confidence.

2.      The Gospel, Collect, and Communion, explaining the connection between The Heavenly Trinity and The Holy Family, this Trinity on Earth, show forth the power of Saint Joseph. Jesus is, at the same time, Son of God and Son of man. Mary is The Spouse of The Holy Ghost, and it is the will of God The Father that Saint Joseph should be considered father of Christ and that he should exercise paternal rights over Him (Preface).

3.      Lastly, the Introit, Collects, Alleluia, and Offertory, show us Saint Joseph as the guardian of the new Jerusalem, which is The Church, to watch over her in the midst of all her tribulations.

Full of confidence in the patronage of Saint Joseph, let us honour his Title of Protector on Earth, so as to deserve his help from Heaven (Collect).

Mass: Adjútor.



"Te Joseph Celebrent".
The Hymn (First Tone) of Second Vespers
for The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Available on YouTube at
https://youtu.be/xu5w3dqIWgc

Monday 18 April 2016

The Pro-Life News Story, Which Went Viral, And Is Saving Babies.





Some argue that these Baby Boxes have helped Finland
achieve one of the World's lowest Infant Mortality rates -
and now the idea is spreading to the U.K.


For the past seventy-five years, Finland's expectant mothers have been given a box by the State – a Starter Kit of clothes, sheets and toys. With the mattress in the bottom, the box even becomes a Baby's first bed !

Many Children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box's four cardboard walls.

The popularity of both the Baby Boxes, and the subsequent BBC Report which went viral, shows the innate attractiveness of bringing new life into the World. This story of Light and Hope is in stark contrast to the story of darkness and despair which is Abortion.




Diligent Health Officials and clever entrepreneurs are saving Babies after birth, worldwide, at the same time that other Officials and entrepreneurs are bankrolling the deaths of millions of Babies before Birth.

"By Unceasing Enactment Of The Ascetic Efforts Set Forth In The Gospels, Saints Gradually Fill Themselves With The Holy Spirit." - Justin Popovich.


This Article is taken from ENLARGING THE HEART



Justin Popovich.
Illustration: ENLARGING THE HEART


The Holiness of The Saints — both the Holiness of their Souls and of their bodies — derives from their zealous grace-and-virtue-bestowing lives in The Body of The Church of Christ, of The God-Man.

In this sense, Holiness completely envelopes the human person — the entire Soul and body and all that enters into the mystical composition of the human body.

The Holiness of The Saints does not hold forth only in their Souls, but it necessarily extends to their bodies; so it is that both the body and the Soul of a Saint are Sanctified.

Thus we, in piously Venerating The Saints, also Venerate the entire person, in this manner not separating the Holy Soul from the Holy body.




Our pious Veneration of The Saints’ Relics is a natural part of our pious respect for, and Prayerful entreaty to, The Saints. All of this constitutes one indivisible ascetic act, just as the Soul and body constitute the single, indivisible person of The Saint.

Clearly, during his life on the Earth, The Saint, by a continuous and singular grace-and virtue-bestowing synergy of Soul and body, attains to the Sanctification of his person, filling both the Soul and body with The Grace of The Holy Ghost and so transforming them into Vessels of The Holy Mysteries and Holy Virtues.

It is completely natural, again, to show pious reverence both to the former and to the latter, both to Soul and body, both of them Holy Vessels of God’s Grace.

When the charismatic power of Christ issues forth, it makes Grace-filled all the constituent parts of the human person and the person in his entirety.




By unceasing enactment of the ascetic efforts set forth in The Gospels, Saints gradually fill themselves with The Holy Ghost, so that their Sacred bodies, according to the word of The Holy Apostle, become Temples of The Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19; 3:17), Christ dwelling by Faith in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17) and by fruitful love also fulfilling The Commandments of God The Father.

Establishing themselves in The Holy Ghost, through Grace-bestowing ascetic labours, The Saints participate in The Life of The Trinity, becoming Sons of The Holy Trinity, Temples of The Living God (2 Corinthians 6:16); their whole lives thus flow from The Father, through The Son, in The Holy Ghost.

By piously Venerating The Holy Relics of The Saints, The Church reveres them as Temples of The Holy Ghost, Temples of The Living God, in which God dwells by Grace, even after the Earthly death of The Saints.




And by His Most Wise and Good Will, God creates Miracles in and through these Relics. Moreover, the Miracles, which derive from The Holy Relics, witness also to the fact that their pious Veneration by the people is pleasing to God.

Justin Popovich (1894 - 1979): The Place of Holy Relics in The Orthodox Church @ OCIC.




The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia.

Saint Iustin Popović (Serbian Cyrillic: Jустин Поповић; 6 April 1894, Vranje - 7 April 1979, Ćelije Monastery, Lelić) was an Eastern Orthodox Theologian, Archimandrite of The Ćelije Monastery, Dostoyevsky scholar, a champion of Anti-Communism, a writer, and a critic of the pragmatic Church (Ecclesiastical) Life. On 29 April 2010, Fr. Justin was Canonised as a Saint by The Holy Synod of The Serbian Orthodox Church.

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