Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.
Showing posts with label Today. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Today. Show all posts

Tuesday 8 November 2022

The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs. Feast Day, Today, 8 November.


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

The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs.
   Feast Day 8 November.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


English: The Four Crowned Saints. Statue commissioned
by the Arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname
(Guild of Wood and Stone Cutters),
Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy. Sculptor: Nanni di Banco.
Français: Les Quatre saints couronnés. Statue commandée par l'arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname (guilde des tailleurs de bois et de pierre). Orsanmichele, Florence.
Italiano: Tabernacolo dell'arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname, con Quattro Santi Coronati di Nanni di Banco. Orsanmichele, Firenze.
Date: 1408.
Source: it:Utente:MM, own picture (April 2005).
Author: Nanni di Banco (Italian, 1375–1421).
(Wikimedia Commons)

These Saints were four brothers, whose names remained long unknown. They were called “The Four Crowned” because they received The Palm of Martyrdom and were Crowned in Heaven, 304 A.D.

Mass: Intret.


The Basilica of The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs, Rome.
Available on YouTube at

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The designation "Four Crowned Martyrs" or "Four Holy Crowned Ones" (in Latin, Sancti Quatuor Coronati), actually refers to nine separate Martyrs, divided into two groups:

First Group: Severus (or Secundius); Severian(us); Carpophorus (Carpoforus); Victorinus (Victorius, Vittorinus).

Second Group: Claudius; Castorius; Symphorian (Simpronian); Nicostratus; and Simplicius.

According to the Golden Legend, the names of the members of the First Group were not known at the time of their death “but were learned through the Lord’s revelation after many years had passed." They were called the "Four Crowned Martyrs", because their names were unknown ("Crown" referring to The Crown of Martyrdom).


The Martyrdom of The Four Crowned Martyrs.
Painting by Mario Minniti, in San Pietro dal Carmine, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy.
Date: Circa 1620.
Author: Minitti, Mario.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Severus (or Secundius), Severian(us), Carpophorus, Victorinus were Martyred at Rome, or Castra Albana, according to Christian Tradition.

According to the Passion of Saint Sebastian, the four Saints were soldiers (specifically "Cornicularii", or Clerks, in charge of all the Regiment's records and paperwork), who refused to sacrifice to Aesculapius, and therefore were killed by order of Emperor Diocletian (284 A.D. - 305 A.D.), two years after the death of the five sculptors. The bodies of the Martyrs were buried in the Cemetery of Santi Marcellino e Pietro, on the fourth mile of via Labicana, by Pope Miltiades and Saint Sebastian (whose skull is preserved in the Church).

The Second Group, according to Christian Tradition, were sculptors from Sirmium, who were killed in Pannonia. They refused to fashion a pagan statue for the Emperor Diocletian or to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. The Emperor ordered them to be placed alive in lead coffins and thrown into the sea, about 287 A.D. Simplicius was killed with them.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the Acts of these Martyrs, written by a Revenue Officer, named “Porphyrius”, probably in the 4th-Century A.D., relates to the five sculptors that, although they raised no objections to executing such profane images as Victoria, Cupid, and the Chariot of the Sun, they refused to make a statue of Æsculapius, for a heathen temple. For this they were condemned to death as Christians. They were put into leaden caskets and drowned in The River Save. This happened towards the end of 305 A.D.”


English: Stained-Glass Window of the “Four Crowned Martyrs” in the Assumption Church of Samoëns
(Haute-Savoie, France).
Français: Vitrail (1982) dit des “Quatre Couronnés” dans l’église de l’Assomption à Samoëns (Haute-Savoie).
Les fr:Quatre Saints couronnés sont les patrons
de la confrérie des maçons de Samoëns.
Photo: 29 August 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tangopaso
(Wikimedia Commons)

When the names of the First Group were learned, it was decreed that they should be Commemorated with the Second Group. The bodies of the First Group were interred by Saint Sebastian and Pope Melchiades (Miltiades) at the third milestone on the Via Labicana, in a sandpit where rested the remains of other executed Christians. According to tradition, since the names of the Four Martyred Soldiers could not be authentically established, Pope Melchiades commanded that, since the date of their deaths (8 November) was the same as that of the Second Group, their anniversary should be celebrated on that day.

It is unclear where the names of the Second Group actually come from. The tradition states that Pope Melchiades asked that the Saints be Commemorated as Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronian, and Castorius. These same names actually are identical to names shared by converts of Polycarp the Priest, in the legend of Saint Sebastian.


Entrance of San Silvestro Chapel, at the Basilica 
dei SS. Quattro Coronati, Rome, Italy, with painting 
of The Four Crowned Martyrs.
Date: Circa 1570.
Source: www.universitadeimarmorari.it/ universita.html.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “this report has no historic foundation. It is merely a tentative explanation of the name Quatuor Coronati, a name given to a group of really authenticated Martyrs, who were buried and venerated in the Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, the real origin of which, however, is not known. They were classed with the Five Martyrs of Pannonia in a purely external relationship.”

The bodies of the Martyrs are kept in four ancient sarcophagi, in the Crypt of Santi Marcellino e Pietro. According to a lapid, dated 1123, the head of one of the four Martyrs is buried in Santa-Maria-in-Cosmedin.


Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, Rome.
Photo: 10 November 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 4th- and 5th-Centuries A.D., a Basilica (the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati) was erected and dedicated in honour of these Martyrs on the Caelian Hill, probably in the general area where Tradition located their execution. This became one of the Titular Churches of Rome and was restored several times.

The Four Crowned Martyrs were Venerated early on in England, with Saint Bede noting that there was a Church Dedicated to them in Canterbury. This Veneration can perhaps be accounted for by the fact that Augustine of Canterbury came from a Monastery near the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, in Rome, or because their Relics were sent from Rome to England in 601 A.D.

Their connection with stone-masonry, in turn, connected them to the Freemasons. One of the scholarly journals of the English Freemasons was called Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, and the Stonemasons of Germany adopted them as Patron Saints of “Operative Masonry.”

Saturday 28 October 2017

Saint Simon And Saint Jude. Apostles. Feast Day, Today, 28 October.


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

Saint Simon and Saint Jude.
   Apostles.
   Feast Day 28 October.

Double of The Second-Class.

Red Vestments.




Saint Simon and Saint Jude.
Artist: Rene de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.

Jude, or Thaddeus, had asked The Master, at The Last Supper, why He manifested Himself to The Apostles and not to the World. Jesus answered that He only manifested Himself to Souls who show Him their fidelity by observing His Commandments.

While Simon announced the Gospel to the peoples of The East, Jude wrote his catholic Epistle, which is still read in The West, and "which", declares Origen, "contains strong Doctrine in a few lines".

In the first part, he foretells the condemnation of heretics; he compares them to clouds without water, to Autumn trees without fruit, and to wandering stars, for whom profound darkness is apportioned for all Eternity. Like the rebel Angels, they shall burn for ever in avenging flames.


In the second part, he exhorts The Faithful not to be deceived by the seducers, but to remain firm in their Faith in God and Christ. [My well-beloved, rising like an edifice on the Foundation of your Holy Faith and Praying by The Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God." The Archangel Saint Michael, Saint Jude again declares, was established by The Most High as Guardian of The Tomb of Moses. Having, on this occasion, to fight with Satan, probably to hinder him taking possession of the Prophet's body, out of respect for his Angelical dignity, he left to God to condemn him Himself, saying: "May The Lord rebuke him."

The Church puts these very words on the lips of the Priests in the Prayers of Pope Leo XIII, which are said after Low Mass at the foot of the Altar. (Editor: The Leonine Prayers.)

Mass: Mihi autem.



English: Church of Saint Simon and Saint Jude (Thaddeus), 
Polski: Koścół z XIII wieku.
Date: 24 March 2006 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from pl.wikipedia to Commons.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

According to Tradition, Saint Jude suffered Martyrdom, about 65 A.D., in Beirut, in the Roman Province of Syria, together with the Apostle Simon the Zealot, with whom he is usually connected. The axe that he is often shown holding in pictures symbolizes the way in which he was killed.

Their Acts and Martyrdom were recorded in an Acts of Simon and Jude, that was among the collection of passions and legends traditionally associated with the legendary Abdias, Bishop of Babylon, and said to have been translated into Latin by his disciple, Tropaeus Africanus, according to the Golden Legend account of the Saints.

Sometime after his death, Saint Jude's body was brought from Beirut to Rome and placed in a Crypt in Saint Peter's Basilica, which was visited by many devotees. Now, his bones are in the Left Transept of Saint Peter's Basilica, under the main Altar of Saint Joseph, in one tomb with the remains of the Apostle Simon the Zealot.




Saint Thaddeus (Jude), Saint Sandukht, and other Christians in Sanatruk's prison.
This File: 14 December 2009.
User: 517design.
Source: Armenian History in Italian Art - Հայոց Պատմության Էջեր.
Author: Fusaro (19th-Century).
(Wikipedia)

Monday 7 August 2017

Saint Donatus. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 7 August.


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


Saint Donatus.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 7 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.




"The Miracle of Saint Donatus".
Artist: José de Ribera (1591–1652).
Amiens, Museum of Picardy.
Date: 17th-Century.
Author: José de Ribera (1591–1652).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Donatus, Bishop of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, was arrested under the Emperor Julian the Apostate and was beheaded in 362 A.D.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Donatus was Ordained a Deacon and Priest by Saint Satyrus of Arezzo, Bishop of that City, and continued to Preach in the City and in the surrounding region. At the death of Satyrus, Donatus was appointed a Bishop by Pope Julius I. A man named Anthimus was Donatus' Deacon.

During a Celebration of Mass, at the moment of the giving of Communion, in which a glass Chalice was being administered, some pagans entered the Church and shattered the Chalice in question. Donatus, after intense Prayer, collected all of the fragments and joined them together. There was a piece missing from the bottom of the Chalice; miraculously, however, nothing spilled from it. Astounded, seventy-nine pagans converted to Christianity.

A month after this, the Prefect of Arezzo, Quadratian, arrested Hilarian the Monk and Donatus. Hilarian was Martyred on 16 July 362 A.D., and Donatus was beheaded on 7 August 362 A.D.,  at Arezzo, Italy.




Saint Donatus Catholic Church, 
Bellevue, Iowa, 
United States of America.
Photo: 1 January 1970.
Photographer: Gary Schekel.
Illustration: GOOGLE+




Church of Santa Maria e San Donato a Murano
Venice, Italy.
Photo: 30 December 2003.
Source: Own work.
Author: Blorg.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Saint Cecilia. Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 22 November.


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

Saint Cecilia.
Virgin and Martyr.
Feast Day 22 November.

Double.

Red Vestments.


Saint Cecilia.
Church of Saint Cecilia, Trastevere, Rome, Italy.
In the sculpture, by Stefano Maderno (1576-1636), Saint Cecilia extends three fingers with her
Right Hand and one with her Left Hand, testifying to The Trinity. The sculptor attested that
this was how the Saint's body looked when her tomb was opened in 1599.
Photographed at the Church of Saint Cecilia,
Trastevere, Rome, Italy, by Richard Stracke.
Please credit the photographer and the Church.
Date: 26 September 2011 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by
(Wikimedia Commons)

Born at Rome, of the illustrious family of the Coecilli,, Cecilia, as a child, consecrated her Virginity to God. When she was forced to marry Valerian, a young pagan, she said to him on the night of the wedding: "Valerian, I am placed under the guardianship of an Angel, who protects my Virginity; therefore, do not attempt anything which may bring down on thee God's anger."

Valerian dared not approach her and declared that he would believe in Jesus Christ if he saw the Angel. Cecilia assured him that this was impossible unless he was first Baptised, and sent him to Pope Urban I, who lived hidden in The Catacombs, on account of the persecutions.

Pope Urban I Baptised him and Valerian saw, near his Virginal Spouse, an Angel, brilliant with a Divine Light. Cecilia also instructed Tiburtius, the brother of Valerian, in the Faith of Jesus Christ, and Tiburtius, having been Baptised, also saw Cecilia's Angel. A short time after, both brothers were Martyred under the Prefect Almachius.



The Church of Saint Cecilia,
Trastevere, Rome, Italy.
The body of the Saint lies beneath The High Altar.
The Station on The Wednesday in
The Second Week of Lent is held here.
Illustration: LITURGIA LATINA

Finally, the last-named arrested Cecilia and ordered her to be put to death in her house. This was about 230 A.D.

Her body was discovered in 1599 by Cardinal Sfondrati, just as it was at the moment of her death. Stefano Maderno sculptured a famous reproduction of the body, which is seen under The High Altar of her Church in Rome.


Her house was transformed into a Church, where her body lies. For many Centuries, a number of Virgins of The Order of Saint Benedict have watched over this treasure. The Church is one of the two ornaments of The Trastevere, the other being Saint Mary's. Here is held The Station on The Wednesday in The Second Week of Lent. The name of Saint Cecilia is mentioned in The Canon of The Mass (Second List).

"To the sound of musical instruments," says The First Antiphon at Vespers, "the Virgin Cecilia sang to God in her heart." On this account, she has been chosen as The Patroness of Musicians.

Mass: Loquébar de testimóniis.


THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL



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Friday 14 October 2016

Saint Callistus I. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 14 October.


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

Saint Callistus I.
Pope and Martyr.

Double.

Red Vestments.



English: Statue of Pope Saint Callistus I, Rheims Cathedral, France.
Français: Statue du pape St Calixte au trumeau du portail
central du transept Nord, Notre-Dame de Reims.
Photo: 16 April 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Vassil.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Callistus, a Roman by birth, succeeding Pope Saint Zephyrinus in The See of Saint Peter, was called to share in The Priesthood of Christ in its fullness (Epistle, Collect).

It was Pope Saint Callistus I who instituted The Ember Day Fasts. He suffered Martyrdom 223 A.D.

Mass: Sacerdotes Dei.



English: Pope Saint Callistus I instituting The Ember Day Fasts.
Français: Saint Calixte Ier (Pope Calixtus I) instituant les jeûnes (instituting the fasts).
Cote : Français 185 , Fol. 201. Vies de saints, France, Paris, XIVe siècle,
Richard de Montbaston et collaborateurs.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Pope Callixtus I (+ 223 A.D.), also called Callistus I, was the Bishop of Rome (according to Sextus Julius Africanus) from 218 A.D., to his death. He lived during the Reigns of The Roman Emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. Eusebius and The Liberian Catalogue gave him five years of Episcopate (217 A.D. - 222 A.D.). He was Martyred for his Christian Faith and is Venerated as a Saint by The Catholic Church.

Thursday 1 September 2016

The Holy Twelve Brothers. Martyrs. Feast Day, Today, 1 September.


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

The Holy Twelve Brothers.
Martyrs.
Feast Day 1 September.

Simple.

Red Vestments.



Feast of The Holy Twelve Brothers.
Kyrie eleison. Christie. Caelorum Rex.

Schola Hungarica · Janka Szendrei · László Dobszay.
Available on YouTube at




Feast of The Holy Twelve Brothers.
Offertorium: Circuierunt sancti.
Schola Hungarica · Janka Szendrei · László Dobszay.
Available on YouTube at


Africans by birth, these Saints were Martyred in various places in the 3rd-Century A.D., under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian.

Mass: Clamavérunt justi.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Beneventan Chant is a Liturgical Plainchant repertory of The Roman Catholic Church, used primarily in the orbit of the Southern Italian Ecclesiastical centres of Benevento and Monte Cassino. It is distinct from Gregorian Chant and related to Ambrosian Chant.

It was officially supplanted by the Gregorian Chant of The Roman Rite in the 11th-Century, although a few Beneventan Chants of local interest remained in use.

During the Lombard occupation of the 7th-Century A.D. and 8th-Century A.D., a distinctive Liturgical Rite and Plainchant Tradition developed in Benevento. It included Feasts of special local importance, such as The Holy Twelve Brothers of Benevento.


At the time, it was called Cantus Ambrosianus (Ambrosian Chant), although it is a separate Plainchant Tradition from The Chant of Milan, which we call Ambrosian Chant. The common use of the name Cantus Ambrosianus, the common influence of The Lombards in both Benevento and Milan, and musical similarities between the two Liturgies and Chant Traditions, suggest a Lombard influence in the origins of Beneventan Chant.

Friday 19 August 2016

Saint John Eudes. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 19 August.


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

Saint John Eudes.
Confessor.
Feast Day 19 August.

Double.

White Vestments.



English: Portrait of Saint John Eudes.
Nederlands: portret Jean Eudes ca. 1673 - publiek domein, ouderdom.
This File: 4 March 2011.
User: Mathiasrex.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Born at Rye, France, on 14 November 1601, Saint John Eudes had a special Devotion to The Blessed Virgin from his very childhood. At the age of fourteen, he Consecrated himself to her by a Vow of Perpetual Chastity.

On Christmas Day, 1625, he was Ordained Priest; in 1643, he Founded The Congregation of Jesus and Mary, usually known as "Eudists", and, in 1644, The Congregation of The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, known as The Sisters of The Good Shepherd.




English: Church of Saint John Eudes,
Caen, France.
Français: Église Saint-Jean Eudes à Caen,
construite entre 1933 et 1944.
Photo: 25 September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karldupart.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Saint John Eudes Founded several Seminaries and Preached many Missions in France, but his grandest title is that given him by Pope Saint Pius X: "Father, Doctor, and Apostle of The Liturgical Worship of The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary."

He died on 19 August 1680 at Caen, France. He was Beatified on 25 April  1909 by Pope Saint Pius X, and, on 31 May 1925 was Canonised Pope Pius XI.

Mass: Os justi.
Commemoration: The Octave of The Assumption.

Saturday 7 May 2016

Saint Stanislaus. Bishop And Martyr. Patron Saint Of Poland. Feast Day, Today, 7 May.


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

Saint Stanislaus.
Bishop and Martyr.
Feast Day 7 May.

Double.

Red Vestments.




Saint Stanislaus.
Artist: Stanisław Samostrzelnik (1485–1541).
Date: 1530-1535.
Current location: National Library of Poland.
Source/Photographer: Polona.pl
(Wikimedia Commons)



Saint Stanislaus, born in Poland, was made Bishop of Cracow in 1072. He became an object of hatred to King Boleslas II, whom he reproached for his tyranny and dissolute life. One day, while the Saint was saying Mass, the King rushed at him and slew him (Collect). This was in 1079. Saint Stanislaus is the Patron of Poland.

Mass: Protexisti.




English: Coat-of-Arms of Poland.
Polski: Godło Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.
Date: 17 December 2006 (published on Commons).
Author: Original; Polish Government.
Smoothing by Maciej Jaros (Commons: Nux, wiki-pl: Nux).
(Wikimedia Commons)





Polish National Anthem.
Available on YouTube at



The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Stanislaus of Szczepanów, or Stanisław Szczepanowski, (26 July 1030 – 11 April 1079) was a Bishop of Kraków, known chiefly for having been Martyred by the Polish King, Bolesław II the Bold. Stanislaus is Venerated in The Roman Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus the Martyr (as distinct from Stanislaus Kostka).

According to Tradition, Stanisław was born at Szczepanów, a village in Lesser Poland, the only son of the noble and pious Wielisław and Bogna. He was educated at a Cathedral School in Gniezno (then the Capital of Poland) and, later, according to different sources, in Paris or Liège. On his return to Poland, Stanisław was Ordained a Priest by Lambert II Suła, Bishop of Kraków.

After the Bishop's death (1072), Stanisław was elected his successor, but accepted the Office only at the explicit command of Pope Alexander II. Stanisław was one of the earliest native Polish Bishops. He also became a Ducal Advisor and had some influence on Polish politics.

Stanisław's major accomplishments included bringing Papal Legates to Poland, and the re-establishment of a Metropolitan See, in Gniezno. The latter was a precondition for Duke Bolesław's Coronation as King, which took place in 1076. Stanisław then encouraged King Bolesław to establish Benedictine Monasteries to aid in the Christianisation of Poland.





Forty-Five Interesting Facts About Poland.
Available on YouTube at


Saturday 26 December 2015

Saint Stephen. First Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 26 December.


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

Saint Stephen.
First Martyr.
Feast Day 26 December.

Station at Saint Stephen's-on-the-Coelian Hill.

Indulgence of 30 Years and 30 Quarantines.

Double of The Second-Class
   with Simple Octave.

Red Vestments.


The Martyrdom of Saint Stephan.
Artist: Rene de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.


The Church was still in her infancy when Stephen, renowned for his virtues, received from The Apostles the mission to organise the meals where the Poor were fed in common. He worked such "great wonders and signs among the people" (Epistle) that the Jews from five different synagogues became alarmed and summoned him before the Sanhedrin (Introit).

Jesus had upbraided the Jews "for having killed and stoned the Prophets" (Gospel); Stephen, in his turn, addressing his judges declared that in crucifying Christ they had shown themselves worthy of their fathers who put to death the messengers of God. The Holy Deacon then lifting his eyes to Heaven said that "he saw The Son of God standing on the Right-Hand of God" (Gospel). What a splendid testimony to The Divinity of this Child Whom we Venerate in The Crib.




English: Basilica of Saint Stephen-in-the-Round on The Coelian Hill.
Italiano: Basilica di Santo Stefano al Monte Celio.
Latin: Basilica S. Stephani in Caelio Monte.
Basilica of Santo Stefano Rotondo in a 19th-Century painting.
Artist: Ettore Roesler Franz (1845–1907).
Date: Circa 1880.
(Wikimedia Commons)



On hearing these words, the Jews, fulfilling once more the words of The Master (Gospel), "with one accord ran violently upon Stephen and stoned him,", who, falling on his knees, commended his Soul to Jesus (Epistle) and asked pardon for his executioners (Collect).

Stephen is the first of the witnesses of Christ, it is therefore only right that he should appear first in the glorious procession of Saints who surround The Cradle of The Saviour. It is a tendency noticeable in a Greek Martyrology of the 4th-Century A.D., to connect the greatest of The New Testament Saints with The Feast of The Nativity. His name is inscribed in The Canon of The Mass (Second List).

Following after the example of Stephen, may we "love by Charity even those who wrong us" (Collect), and be ever ready to surrender our life for Christ.

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

Mass: Sedérunt principes.

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Saint Thecla. Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 23 September.


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

Saint Thecla.
Virgin and Martyr.

Simple.

Red Vestments.




Saint Thecla.
Virgin and Martyr.



"In Lycaonia," says The Roman Martyrology," Saint Thecla, Virgin and Martyr, who, brought to The Faith by The Holy Apostle Paul, at Iconium (Asia Minor), victoriously underwent the torments of flames and wild beasts, under the Emperor Nero". Having recovered, she died in peace at Seleucia.

Mass: Loquébar.




English: Saint Thecla (Mar Takla) Monastery, Ma'loula, Syria.
Français: Vue du monastère de Sainte-Thècle (Mar Takla), Maaloula, Syrie.
Photo: 1 April 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bernard Gagnon.
(Wikimedia Commons)



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


Thecla or Tecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα, Thékla) was a Saint of The Early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.

The Acts of Paul and Thecla is a 1st- or 2nd-Century A.D. Text, which forms part of The Acts of Paul, but also circulated separately. According to the Text, Thecla was a young noble Virgin from Iconium, who listened to Paul's "discourse on Virginity", espoused the teachings and became estranged to her fiancé Thamyris and her mother. They became concerned Thecla would follow Paul's demand, "one must fear only one God and live in chastity", and turned to the authorities to punish both Paul and Thecla.

Thecla was miraculously saved from burning at the stake by the onset of a storm and travelled with Paul to Antioch of Pisidia. There, a nobleman named Alexander desired Thecla and attempted to take her by force. Thecla fought him off, assaulting him in the process, and was put on trial for assaulting a nobleman. She was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts, but was again saved by a series of Miracles when the female beasts protected her against her male aggressors. While in the arena, she Baptised herself.

She rejoined Paul in Myra, and travelled to preach The Word of God and became an icon encouraging women to also live a life of chastity and follow The Word of The Lord. She went to live in Seleucia, Cilicia. According to some versions of The Acts, she lived in a cave there for seventy-two years. Becoming a healer, the Hellenistic physicians in the City lost their livelihood and solicited young men to attack her. As they were about to take her, a new passage was opened in the cave and the stones closed behind her. She was able to go to Rome.



THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL



THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

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Monday 27 October 2014

Saint Evaristus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 26 October.


This Feast has been Translated to 27 October, due to Sunday, 26 October, being the First-Class Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King, which always falls on the last Sunday of October.

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

Saint Evaristus.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 26 October.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


Image of Pope Evaristus in the Roman Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Evaristus, a Greek by birth, was unanimously elected Pope when the Holy See became vacant at the death of Pope Anacletus I (also known as Cletus I).

It was Pope Evaristus who divided Rome into Titles, or Parishes, appointing to each a Priest. He prescribed that seven Deacons should surround the Bishop when he Preached, for the greater honour of the Word of God and of the Episcopal dignity.

Saint Evaristus was condemned to death under Emperor Trajan, 109 A.D.

Mass: Statuit, for a Martyr Bishop.





English: Pope Evaristus statue in the Sistine Chapel, Rome.
Nederlands: Paus Evaristus I.
Muurschildering uit de Sixtijnse kapel, Rome.
Date: 25 April 2004.
Source: Uploaded to Dutch Wikipedia by nl:Gebruiker:Robbot.
(Wikimedia Commons)



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Tuesday 23 September 2014

Saint Linus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 23 September.


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




English: The Cupola of the Basilica of Saint Peter, Rome.
Italiano: Città del Vaticano - Cupola della Basilica di S. Pietro.
Photo: January 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: MarkusMark.
(Wikimedia Commons)





Pope Linus (+ 79 A.D.)
Date: Copied from en: to he: by he:User:Ches.
Source: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Linus2.jpg
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Pope Linus (+ 79 A.D.) was, according to several early sources, the second Bishop of Rome and is listed by the Catholic Church as the second Pope.

His Papacy lasted from circa 67 A.D., to his death, circa 79 A.D. According to other early sources, Pope Clement I was the second Pope; per the Annuario Pontificio, Clement was the fourth Pope. Among those considered by the Catholic Church to have held the position of Pope, only Clement, Linus and Peter are specifically mentioned in the New Testament.

The earliest witness, to Linus's status as Bishop, was Irenaeus, who, about the year 180 A.D., wrote: "The Blessed Apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus, the Office of the Episcopate."

The Oxford Dictionary of Popes interprets Irenaeus as classifying Linus as the First Bishop of Rome. Linus is presented, by Saint Jerome, as "the first, after Peter, to be in charge of the Roman Church", and, by Eusebius, as "the first to receive the Episcopate of the Church at Rome, after the Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul". Saint John Chrysostom wrote: "This Linus, some say, was second Bishop of the Church of Rome, after Peter", while the Liberian Catalogue presents Peter as the first Bishop of Rome and Linus as his successor in the same Office.




The Liber Pontificalis also presents a List that makes Linus the second in the Line of Bishops of Rome, after Peter, while also stating that Peter Ordained two Bishops, Linus and Cletus, for the Priestly Service of the Community, devoting himself instead to Prayer and Preaching, and that it was to Clement that he entrusted the Church as a whole, appointing him as his successor.

Tertullian, too, wrote of Clement as the successor of Peter. Jerome classified Clement as "the fourth Bishop of Rome, after Peter" (i.e., fourth in a series that included Peter), adding that, "most of the Latins think that Clement was second after the Apostle."

The Apostolic Constitutions denote that Linus, who was Ordained by Paul, was the first Bishop of Rome and was succeeded by Clement, who was Ordained by Peter. Cletus is considered Linus's successor by Irenaeus, and the others cited above, who present Linus either as the first Bishop of Rome or, if they give Peter as the first, as the second.

The Liberian Catalogue and the Liber Pontificalis date Linus's Episcopate to 56 A.D. – 67 A.D., during the Reign of Nero, but Jerome dates it to 67 A.D. – 78 A.D., and Eusebius puts the end of his Episcopate at the second year of the Reign of Titus (80 A.D.).




Irenaeus identifies Linus with the Linus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21 as an associate of the Apostle Paul. Others, of the sources mentioned above, say the same.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Linus was an Italian, born in Volterra, in the Tuscany Region. His father's name was recorded as Herculanus. The Apostolic Constitutions name his mother as Claudia (immediately after the name "Linus", in 2 Timothy 4:21, a Claudia is mentioned, but the Apostolic Constitutions does not explicitly identify that Claudia as Linus's mother).

According to Liber Pontificalis, Linus issued a Decree that women should cover their heads in Church, created the first fifteen Bishops, and that he died a Martyr and was buried on the Vatican Hill, next to Peter. It gives the date of his death as 23 September, the date on which his Feast is still Celebrated. His name is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

With respect to Linus's supposed Decree requiring women to cover their heads, J.P. Kirsch commented in the Catholic Encyclopedia: "Without doubt, this Decree is apocryphal, and copied by the author of the Liber Pontificalis from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (11:5) and arbitrarily attributed to the first successor of the Apostle in Rome. The statement made, in the same source, that Linus suffered Martyrdom, cannot be proved and is improbable. For, between Nero and Domitian, there is no mention of any persecution of the Roman Church; and Irenaeus (1. c., III, iv, 3), from among the early Roman bishops, designates only Telesphorus as a glorious Martyr."




The Roman Martyrology does not list Linus as a Martyr. The entry about him is as follows: "At Rome, Commemoration of Saint Linus, Pope, who, according to Irenaeus, was the person to whom the Blessed Apostles entrusted the Episcopal care of the Church, Founded in the City, and whom Blessed Paul the Apostle mentions as associated with him."

A tomb, found in Saint Peter's Basilica, in 1615, by Torrigio, was inscribed with the letters LINVS and was once taken to be Linus's tomb. However, a note by Torrigio shows that these were merely the last five letters of a longer name (e.g. Aquilinus or Anullinus). A Letter on the Martyrdom of Peter and Paul was once attributed to Linus, but, in fact, dates to the 6th-Century.

The Feast Day of Pope Linus is 23 September.


[Editor: There is a famous Character, in the Strip Cartoon "Peanuts", named Linus van Pelt, who is Charlie Brown's blanket-toting best friend and Sally's love interest. Linus is the most insecure, but the smartest out of all the Characters.]





The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Linus.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 23 September.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

"At Rome," says the Roman Martyrology, "the triumph of Saint Linus, Pope and Martyr, who immediately succeeded Saint Peter in the government of the Church. He suffered Martyrdom, and was buried on the Vatican Hill, next to the Prince of the Apostles."

The name of Saint Linus is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass, after the names of the Apostles.

Mass: Státuit, and Collects of the Mass: Sacerdótes.

Commemoration of Saint Thecla.

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