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

28 June, 2026

The Great Coat-Of-Arms Of The Kingdom Of The Two Sicilies.



Great Coat-of-Arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Modern and Right Heraldic Design). Used by Prince 
Pedro, Duke of Calabria, Spanish line claim. Used in Spain 
as claim and Grand Master of the former Kingdom of the 
Two Sicilies Chivalric Orders and Prince Carlo, 
Duke of Castro, Neapolitan line claim.
Stemma del Regno delle Due SiciliePedro di Borbone-Due Sicilie. Pretendente del ramo spagnolo usato come Gran Maestro ordine equestre di collazione dalla casata dei Borbone di Due Sicilie. Carlo di Borbone-Due Sicilie, Duca di Castro, Pretendente del ramo napoletano.
Escudo Grande del Reino de las Dos Sicilias. Usado por Pedro de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duque de Calabria, Pretendiente de la rama española al Trono de las Dos Sicilias. Usado oficiosamente en España como maestre de las órdenes de caballería de este reino desaparecido. También empleado por Carlos de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duque de Castro, Pretendiente de la rama napolitana al Trono de las Dos Sicilias,



Description of the Arms appearing 
in the Great Coat-of-Arms (above).
This File: 7 October 2021.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Numeral positions for the Blazon 
of the Great Coat- of-Arms of the 
(Modern and Right Heraldic Design).
Posizioni numerali per la blasonatura 
dello Stemma del Regno delle Due Sicilie.
Numeración para descripciones de las partes Grande del Reino de las Dos Sicilias. Usado por Carlos de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Duque de Calabria, Pretendiente de la rama española al 
Trono de las Dos Sicilias. Usado en España como maestre de las órdenes de caballería de este reino desaparecido.
También empleado por Carlos de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, 
Duque de Castro, Pretendiente de la rama napolitana 
al Trono de las Dos Sicilias.
Legend:
2 y 10. Austria
15. Tirol
Date: March 2013.
Source: pag. 12
This File is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-
Share Alike 3.0 Unported,
and 1.0 Generic Licence.
Author: Heralder.
Permission: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


This Post was generated after reading an outstanding Article on the same subject on one of Zephyrinus’s favourite Blogs, entitled ONCE I WAS A CLEVER BOY, which can be read HERE

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

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Italian: Regno delle Due Sicilie)[b] was a Kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, which was a Cadet Branch of the Bourbons.[3] 

The Kingdom was the largest Sovereign State by population and land area in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and most of the area of today’s Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy) and covering all of the Italian Peninsula South of the former Papal States.


The Kingdom was formed when the Kingdom of Sicily merged with the Kingdom of Naples, which was officially also known as the Kingdom of Sicily.

Since both Kingdoms were named after Sicily, they were collectively known as the “Two Sicilies” (Utraque Sicilia, meaning “both Sicilies”), and the unified Kingdom adopted this name. 

The King of the Two Sicilies was overthrown by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860, after which the people voted in a Plebiscite to join the Kingdom of Sardinia. 


The annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies completed the first phase of Italian unification, and the new Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861 after uniting with other Italian States.

The name “Two Sicilies” originated from the partition of the Mediæval Kingdom of Sicily. 

Until 1285, the island of Sicily and the Mezzogiorno were constituent parts of the Kingdom of Sicily. 


As a result of the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302),[4] the King of Sicily lost the Island of Sicily (also called Trinacria) to the Crown of Aragon, but remained Ruler over the Peninsular part of the Realm.

Although his territory became known unofficially as the Kingdom of Naples, he and his successors never renounced the title King of Sicily and still officially referred to their Realm as the Kingdom of Sicily. 

At the same time, the Aragonese rulers of the Island of Sicily also called their realm the Kingdom of Sicily. 

Hence, the Kingdom that resulted from their re-unification was named the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.[4]

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Our Lady Speaks At Akita, Japan, To Sister Agnes Sasagawa.


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“The Smoke Of Satan Has Entered The Temple Of God”. — Pope Paul VI.


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Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary, Milan. Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana Di Santi Maria Nascente, Milano. (Part Ten).



English: Milan Cathedral.
Italiano: Milano - Duomo.
This File: 30 January 2014.
Source: Own work.
This file is licensed under the
(Wikimedia Commons)



Duomo of Milan.
The Church That Took 600 Years To Finish.
Available on YouTube

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



Milan Cathedral at night.
Photo: 1 May 2011.
Source: 
Author: 7777777kz
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral’s five broad Naves, divided by forty Pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the façade. Even the Transepts have Aisles. The Nave Columns are twenty-four metres (80 ft) high, and the Apsidal Windows are huge. 

Milan Cathedral is a brick building, faced with Marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the Cathedral Chapter.

In 2015, Milan’s Cathedral developed a new lighting system using LEDs.[18]



Milan Cathedral at night.
Photo: 10 December 2022.
Source: Own work.
Author: Al*from*Lig
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral was built over several hundred years in a number of contrasting styles. Reactions to it have ranged from admiration to disfavour. The Guida d’Italia: Milano 1998 (Touring Club Editore) points out that the early Romantics tended to praise it in “the first intense enthusiasm for Gothic”. As the Gothic Revival brought in a purer taste, condemnation was often equally intense.

John Ruskin commented acidly that the Cathedral steals “from every style in the World: And every style spoiled.

“The Cathedral is a mixture of Perpendicular Style with Flamboyant Style; the latter being peculiarly barbarous and angular, owing to its being engrafted, not on a pure, but a very early, penetrative Gothic Style.

PART ELEVEN FOLLOWS.
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John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836-1893). Victorian Artist.






"November".
Artist: John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893).
Date: 1879.
This File: 19 September 2013.
(Wikimedia Commons)

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Absurd Victorian Occupations.


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Saint Irenæus. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 28 June. Red Vestments.


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

Saint Irenæus.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 28 June.

Double.

Red Vestments.


Engraving of Saint Irenæus (circa 130 A.D. - 202 A.D.).
Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyons, France).
(Wikipedia)

Towards the end of the Second Century A.D., when Gnostic Sects endeavoured to undermine the basis of The Christian Religion, God raised up Saint Irenæus to oppose them. "He granted him the Grace to destroy the Heresies by the Truth of his doctrine" (Collect).

Succeeding Saint Pothinus in the See of Lyons, in 177 A.D., Saint Irenæus "Preached in Season and out of Season", as Saint Paul prescribes (Epistle) and constituted himself defender of Christ (Gospel) and of His Spouse.

"The Church", he declares, "disseminated throughout the World, to the extremities of the Earth, professes The Faith she has received from The Apostles, who themselves received it from The Son of God." This Church has its centre at Rome. "With her, every Church must be in agreement because of her primacy; for, through the succession of Roman Pontiffs, the Apostolic Tradition of The Church has come down to us."

An ardent apologist, Saint Irenæus was also a profound Theologian. He has been called the Father of the Catholic Theology and the golden link binding the spirit of the Gospel to the Doctrine of The Fathers. With his ears still full of the last echoes of Apostolic Teaching (Alleluia), he was the first to write a reasoned summary of our Faith. His Treatise "False Doctrine Unmasked and Refuted", also called “Against Heresies”, gave the death blow to the Gnostic Heresy.

Saint Jerome gives him the glorious title of Martyr. He died, as is believed, during The Persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus in 202 A.D. Pope Benedict XV extended his Feast to the Universal Church.

Mass: Lex veritátis.
Commemoration: Octave of Saint John the Baptist.
Commemoration: Vigil of the Apostles.
Last Gospel: Gospel of the Vigil.
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27 June, 2026

The Victoria Cross: A Grand Occasion.



The Victoria Cross.
Awarded to 
Boatswain’s Mate, Henry Curtis VC 
- Royal Navy (Naval Brigade ).
Illustration: VICTORIA CROSS



Queen Victoria Awards The Victoria Cross 
To Recipients In Hyde Park, London.
Artist: George Housman Thomas.
Date: 1857. 
Royal Collection Trust.



Queen Victoria Awards The Victoria Cross 
To Recipients In Hyde Park, London.
Artist: George Housman Thomas.
Date: 1857. 
Royal Collection Trust.


This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
London Historians' Blog
HERE


The Victoria Cross: A Grand Occasion

Today, 26 June, marks the first public presentation in 1857 of the new Victoria Cross. 

The carefully-planned and choreographed open-air event took place in Hyde Park, London, where sixty-two of the earliest recipients of the Medal assembled to receive their award. 

The Queen — who, with Prince Albert, had been closely involved in every stage of the Victoria Cross’s (VC’s) introduction — insisted on pinning the VCs, personally, on the chests of her brave Servicemen. 


Her Majesty was on horseback. Seemingly to the surprise of the organisers. 

This may explain an unfortunate mishap when it is said Her Majesty had inadvertently pierced both the tunic and living flesh of Commander Henry Raby of the Royal Navy. 

Of course, the courageous Sailor endured it manfully, no doubt through gritted teeth. 



Commander Henry RABY. 
Royal Navy.

Commander John BYTHESEA. 
Royal Navy.

Commander Hugh BURGOYNE. 
Royal Navy.

Lieutenant Charles LUCAS. 
Royal Navy.

Lieutenant William HEWETT. 
Royal Navy.

Gunner John ROBARTS. 
Royal Navy.

Boatswain Joseph KELLAWAY. 
Royal Navy.

Boatswain Henry COOPER. 
Royal Navy.

Seaman Joseph TREWAVAS. 
Royal Navy.

Seaman Thomas REEVES. 
Royal Navy.

Bosun’s Mate Henry CURTIS. 
Royal Navy.

Captain-of-the-Mast George INGOUVILLE. 
Royal Navy.

Lieutenant George DOWELL. 
Royal Marine Artillery.

Bombadier Thomas WILKINSON. 
Royal Marine Artillery.

Sergeant-Major John GRIEVE. 
2nd Dragoons.

Private Samuel PARKES. 
4th Dragoons.

Lieutenant Alexander DUNN. 
11th Hussars.

Troop-Sergeant-Major John BERRYMAN. 
17th Lancers.

Colonel Collingwood DICKSON. 
Royal Artillery.

Captain Andrew HENRY. 
Royal Artillery.

Captain Gronow DAVIS. 
Royal Artillery.

Master-Gunner Daniel CAMBRIDGE. 
Royal Artillery.

Gunner Thomas ARTHUR. 
Royal Artillery.

Lieutenant Gerald GRAHAM. 
Royal Engineers.

Corporal John ROSS. 
Royal Engineers.

Corporal William LENDRIM. 
Royal Engineers.

Sapper John PERIE. 
Royal Engineers.

Colonel Henry PERCY. 
Grenadier Guards.

Brevet-Major Charles RUSSELL. 
Grenadier Guards.

Sergeant Alfred ABLETT. 
Grenadier Guards.

Private Anthony PALMER. 
Grenadier Guards.

Brevet-Major Gerald GOODLAKE. 
Coldstream Guards.

Brevet-Major John CONOLLY. 
Coldstream Guards.

Private George STRONG. 
Coldstream Guards.

Brevet-Major Robert LINDSAY. 
Scots Fusilier Guards.

Sergeant James MCKECHNIE. 
Scots Fusilier Guards.

Private William REYNOLDS. 
Scots Fusilier Guards.

Private Thomas GRADY. 
4th Regiment (King’s Own Regiment).

Lieutenant William HOPE. 
7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Assistant Surgeon Thomas HALE. 
7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Private Matthew HUGHES. 
7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Private William NORMAN. 
7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).

Ensign Andrew MOYNIHAN. 
8th Regiment (King’s (Liverpool) Regiment).

Private Samuel EVANS. 
19th Regiment (Yorkshire Regiment).

Private John LYONS. 
19th Regiment (Yorkshire Regiment).

Lieutenant Luke O’CONNOR. 
23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers).

Corporal Robert SHIELDS. 
23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers).

Private William COFFEY. 
34th Regiment (Border Regiment).

Private John SIMS. 
34th Regiment (Border Regiment).

Sergeant William MCWHEENEY. 
44th Regiment (Essex Regiment).

Sergeant George WALTERS. 
49th Regiment (Royal Berkshire Regiment).

Corporal James OWENS. 
49th Regiment (Royal Berkshire Regiment).

Brevet-Major Charles LUMLEY. 
97th Regiment 
(Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment).

Sergeant John COLEMAN. 
97th Regiment 
(Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment).

Brevet-Major Henry CLIFFORD. 
1st Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Private Joseph BRADSHAW. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Private Francis WHEATLEY. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Captain William CUNINGHAME. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Lieutenant John KNOX. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Private Roderick MCGREGOR. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Private John HUMPSTON. 
2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.

Brevet-Major Claud BOURCHIER. 
3rd Battalion The Rifle Brigade.


NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND THE INVESTITURE 
OWING TO HAVING BEEN RECENTLY PUNISHED BY 
HIS COMMANDING OFFICER FOR THEFT.
Private William STANLAKE. 
Coldstream Guards.


All of the VCs awarded in this Ceremony were 
for Actions in the recently-concluded Crimean War. 

It was from this particular conflict that the 
grim conditions Servicemen had to endure 
in far-flung Wars came to be fully appreciated 
by all sections of society. 

This was largely thanks to the advent of the telegraph 
and, for the first time, “embedded” News Reporters, 
notably in this case William Howard Russell of The Times.

Unlike other European powers, Britain lacked 
any Military Award open to All Ranks. 

Questions were asked in Parliament, 
to which The War Office was obliged to reply. 


The Queen and her Consort, Prince Albert, 
became involved very early on. 

Prince Albert was virtually in daily 
correspondence with Ministers, leading to the swift establishment of the eponymous Bronze Medal for Valour, Officially Warranted on 29 January 1856. 

The London Jewellers, Hancocks, were commissioned 
by the Minister for War Lord Panmure to produce the VC. 
They have done so ever since.

The Queen described 26 June 1857 as being: 
“A thick, heavy, morning. The heat was very great, 
but I felt it less than I expected.”

She was accompanied by Albert, several of 
her children, Lord Panmure, other Government 
Ministers, plus sundry noteworthies. 


And, of course, the recipients themselves, 
some of whom were by now dressed in civilian clothing. 

Including the public, the entire attendance 
was estimated at around 100,000. 

The whole event was enthusiastically accompanied by Military Bands and copious cheering from the audience. 

This was an auspicious beginning for the Victoria Cross, 
which has subsequently and rightly become a powerful component in this Nation’s Military Story.



The first Victoria Cross. 
Quick-thinking Lieutenant Charles Lucas 
of the Royal Navy, who attended the Ceremony, 
throws an enemy bomb overboard. 
21 June 1854.
Illustrated London News.

The LONDON HISTORIANS' BLOG can be read
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The Vigil (Anticipated) Of The Feast Of Saint Peter And Saint Paul. Violet Vestments.

 

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

Vigil Of The Feast Of Saint Peter And Saint Paul.
   28 June.
   (In 2026, this Feast is “Anticipated” on 27 June.)

Violet Vestments.


Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Illustration: CATHOLICTRADITION.ORG

The Church Celebrates, tomorrow, The Feast of The Two Apostles who are the two foundations on which she is solidly established (Collect).

"The rigour to which a people subjects itself by certain days of preparation,", writes Dom Guéranger, "is a mark of The Faith which it has preserved, showing that it understands the greatness of the object proposed by The Holy Liturgy for its Worship." ["The Liturgical Year". By: Dom Guéranger. The Vigil of The Holy Apostles.]

Peter, raised to his Cross (Introit, Gospel), like Christ, rises above the World. He seals, in his blood, his confession of Faith (Gospel of tomorrow) and Love (Gospel) in Jesus, and, henceforth, it will be in His name (Ibid.), and as His Vicar, that he will be king of Souls.

Paul, by sharing his labours and Martyrdom, shares his kingship and his triumph.

Mass: Dicit Dóminus.
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The Vigil (Anticipated) Of The Holy Apostles, Saint Peter And Saint Paul. 27 June. Violet Vestments.



Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Illustration: CATHOLICTRADITION.ORG


Please note: In 2026, this Vigil is “Anticipated” on 27 June.

Text is from “The Liturgical Year”.
   By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
   Volume 12.
   Time After Pentecost.
   Book III.

Saint John the Baptist, placed on the confines of the two Testaments, closes The Prophetic Age, The Reign of Hope, and opens The Era of Faith., which possesses the long-expected God, though, as yet, without beholding Him in His Divinity.

Thus, even before The Octave is ended, wherein we pay our homage to the son of Zachary, The Confession of The Apostles is added to The Precursor's testimony to The Word, The Light.

Tomorrow, all Heaven will re-echo with the Solemn protestation first heard at Cæsarea Philippi: “Thou art Christ, The Son of The Living God”; and Simon Bar-Jona, because of this oracle uttered by him, will be The Chosen Rock, supporting The Divine Structure, The Church.


Tomorrow, he will die, sealing his glorious declaration with his blood; but, he will live on, in the person of each Roman Pontiff, that he may thus guard this precious testimony in all its integrity, even to the day when Faith will give place to The Eternal Vision.

Coupled with Peter in all his labours, The Doctor of The Gentiles shares his triumph this day; and Rome, more indebted to these two Princes than to all her stout warriors of old, who laid the World prostrate at her feet, beholds their double victory which fixes for ever upon her noble brow the diadem of Spiritual Royalty.

Let us, then, recollect ourselves, preparing our hearts in union with Holy Mother Church, by faithfully observing this Vigil. When the obligation of thus keeping up certain days of preparation previous to the festivals is strictly maintained by a people, it is a sign that Faith is still living amongst them; it proves that they understand the greatness of that which The Holy Liturgy proposes to their homage.


Christians in The West, we who make the glory of Saint Peter and Saint Paul our boast, let us remember the Lent in honour of The Apostles begun by Greek schismatics on the close of The Paschal Solemnities, and continued up to this day.

 The contrast between them and ourselves will be of a nature to stir up our fervour, and to control those tendencies wherein softness and ingratitude hold too large a share. If certain concessions have, for grave reasons, been reluctantly made by The Church, so that The Fast of this Vigil is no longer observed, let us see therein a double motive for holding fast to her precious Tradition.

Let us make up by fervour, thanksgiving, and love, for the severity lacking in our observance, which is yet still maintained by so many Churches notwithstanding their schismatical separation from Rome.

The recital of the following beautiful formulas will help to inspire us with the spirit of The Feast. The first is taken from The Gothic-Gallic Missal: It is The Benediction which, according to the ancient rite used in France, was given to the people before the Communion on The Feast of The Apostles. The Prayers which follow it are from The Leonine Sacramentary.


THE BENEDICTION.

Deus, qui membris Ecclesiæ, velut gemellum lumen quo caveantur tenebræ, fecisti Petri lacrymas, Pauli litteras, coruscare.

Amen.

Hanc plebem placitus inspice: Qui cœlos facis aperire Petro in clave, Paulo in dogmate.

Amen.

Ut præviantibus ducibus, illic grex possit accedere, quo pervenerunt pariter tam ille Pastor suspendio, quam iste Doctor per gladium in congresso.

Per Dominum nostrum . . .

O God, Who to keep the members of Thy Church from darkness, hast made to shine forth, like twin fountains of light, the tears of Peter and the writings of Paul.

Amen.

In Thy clemency, look upon Thy people, O Thou Who givest the Heavens to be opened, by Peter with the key, and by Paul with the sword.

Amen.

So that the leaders going first, thither may the flock at length come, whither have already arrived by one same step, both the Pastor by the gibbet, and the Teacher by the sword.

Through Our Lord . . .


PRAYERS.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui ineffabili sacramento jus apostolici principatus in Romani nominis arce posuisti, unde se evangelica veritas per tota mundi regna diffunderet: Præsta, ut quod in orbem terrarum eorum prædicatione manavit, christianæ devotionis sequatur universitas.

Præsta quæsumus Ecclesiæ tuæ, Domine, de tantis digne gaudere principibus, et illam sequi pia devotione doctrinam, qua delectos tibi greges sacris mysteriis imbuerunt.

Per Dominum . . .

O Almighty and Eternal God, Who, by an ineffable Mystery hast fixed the right of Apostolic Princedom on the proud summit of the name of Rome, whence evangelic truth may diffuse itself through all the Earth: Grant that what by their preaching hath percolated through the whole World all may follow with Christian devotedness.

Grant to Thy Church, we beseech Thee, O Lord, both worthily to rejoice at having such great Princes, and to follow with loving devotion that teaching of theirs, whereby Thy chosen flocks have been initiated into The Sacred Mysteries.

Through Our Lord . . .
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Within The Octave Of Saint John The Baptist. Today, 27 June. White Vestments.


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

Within the Octave of Saint John the Baptist.
   27 June.

White Vestments.


English: The “Voice in the Desert”.
Artist: James Tissot (1836-1902).
Date: Between 1886 and 1894.
Current location:  Brooklyn Museum ,  New York City
Credit line: Purchased by public subscription.
Source/Photographer:
(Wikimedia Commons)



Saint John the Baptist.
Illustration:  PINTEREST


The Church, honouring The Saints in proportion to the part they played in the Mystery of The Incarnation of The Word, gives to Saint John the Baptist a special place.

[Editor: The Rubrics which accompany the Papal Bull “Divino Afflatu”, of Pope Saint Pius X, establish the following order among the Feast Days: “The Feasts of The Lord; of The Blessed Virgin Mary; of the Angels; of Saint John the Baptist; of Saint Joseph; of the Holy Apostles.”]

Each day in The Mass, as well as the Confiteor, at “the Suscipe” and at “the Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus”, the name of Saint John the Baptist precedes that of the Apostles.


It is the same in the Litany of The Saints. His Feast Day immediately precedes that of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. By ending the Mission of the Prophets and commencing that of the Apostles, he is the link between The Old Testament and The New Testament.

Let us, also, give to Saint John the Baptist the place of honour which is due to him in our Veneration of the Saints. The Veneration must, indeed, be hierarchically ordered so that we may never forget that Jesus is the principal author of our Redemption, and that the Saints are, more or less, great as they are more or less united to Him as secondary instruments.

The Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist falls in the Season when The Cycle shows us that The Church, which, as this Saint foretold, was born in the Baptism of The Holy Ghost and of fire at Pentecost, and goes on continually developing herself. It is, indeed, to The Holy Precursor that she owes it to have known Jesus, The Spouse that makes her the fruitful mother of many Souls.


As with the Jews, a friend was the intermediary between the bride and the spouse and prepared the wedding-feast. Saint John the Baptist is called, in the Gospel, “the friend of The Spouse”. It is he whom God has chosen to prepare for The Lord, by his Preaching and Baptism of Penance, a perfect people.

And, after having adorned the bride, he presents The Spouse to her. “John was the man sent as a witness, so that, through him, all should believe in Jesus.”

Jesus comes to him in the waters of The River Jordan and, at this Divine Contact, the water acquired the Virtue which, in Baptism, causes our Souls to be born to supernatural life. As Saint John the Baptist Baptises Christ in The Jordan, he hears the voice of The Father proclaiming that Jesus is His well-beloved Son. He sees The Holy Ghost hovering over Him in the form of a Dove and he reveals that Jesus is “The Lamb of God”.


Let us remember that, after having Baptised The Master, the one who is called John the Baptiser has also presided over our own Christening, for all the Baptistries (particularly that of Saint John Lateran, in Rome) are dedicated to him, and his image is to be used for the adornment of Baptismal Fonts.

Having thus been brought by him to Jesus, let us also, through Saint John the Baptist, approach The Eucharist, reciting the words of the Agnus Dei, by which he indicated The Saviour.

Mass: As on the Feast Day.
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