“Méditation”.
From the Opera “Thaïs”, by Jules Massenet.
Soloist: Anna Tifu.
Orchestra: Del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.
Director: Massimiliano Carraro.
Available on YouTube
15 May, 2026
“Ladies In Lavender”. Joshua Bell.
“Ladies In Lavender”.
Joshua Bell.
Available On YouTube
“Ladies in Lavender” is a 2004 British drama film,
written and directed by Charles Dance, who based his screenplay on a short story by William J. Locke.
Set in picturesque coastal Cornwall, in a tight-knit fishing village in 1936, “Ladies in Lavender” stars Judi Dench and Maggie Smith playing the leading roles of sisters Ursula (Dench) and Janet Widdington (Smith).
Joshua Bell played the Original Sound Track for the movie.
Joshua Bell, born in 1967 in Bloomington, Indiana,
made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985 with the
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
He has since performed with almost all
of the World’s major orchestras and conductors.
Renaud Capuçon Records The Main Theme, “Gabriel’s Oboe”, From “The Mission”. (Ennio Morricone).
Renaud Capuçon Records The Main Theme,
“Gabriel’s Oboe”, From “The Mission”.
(Ennio Morricone).
Available on YouTube
Gustav Mahler. Symphony No.5. Adagietto. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Leonard Bernstein. 1973.
Gustav Mahler - Adagietto. Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor. Wiener Philharmoniker, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, 1973.
Available on YouTube
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Symphony No.5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the Summer months at Mahler’s holiday cottage at Maiernigg.
Symphony No.5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the Summer months at Mahler’s holiday cottage at Maiernigg.
Among its most distinctive features are the trumpet solo that opens the work with a rhythmic motif similar to the opening of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the horn solos in the third movement and the frequently performed Adagietto.
On The Office Of Vespers For Sundays And Feasts During The Time After Pentecost.
English: Vespers for Sunday.
Deutsch: Vesper vom Sonntag -
Liber usualis (1954) S. 250f.
Photo: 16 September 2016.
Source: Own work.
Author: Der wahre Jakob
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Second Vespers of The Fourth Sunday After Easter.
From the Church of Saint-Eugène - Sainte-Cécile, Paris.
Français: Secondes vêpres du IVème dimanche après Pâques.
Available on YouTube
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Vespers is a Service of Evening Prayer, one of The Canonical Hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican Liturgies.
The word for this Fixed Prayer Time comes from the Latin “Vesper”, meaning “Evening”.[1]
Vespers typically follows a set order that focuses on the performance of Psalms and other biblical Canticles.
Eastern Orthodox Services advertised as “Vespers” often conclude with Compline, especially the All-Night Vigil.[2]
Performing these Services together without break was also a common practice in Mediæval Europe, especially Secular Churches and Cathedrals.[3]
Old English Speakers translated the Latin word “Vesperas” as “æfensang”, which became Evensong in Modern English.
The term is now usually applied to the Anglican variant of the Service that combines Vespers with Compline, following the conception of Early-16th-Century worshippers that conceived these as a single unit.
The term can also apply to the Pre-Reformation form of Vespers or forms of Evening Prayer from other denominations.[4]
Vespers is usually Prayed around Sunset. In Oriental Orthodox Christianity and Oriental Protestant Christianity, the Office is known as “Ramsho” in the Indian and Syriac Traditions; it is Prayed facing The East by all members in these denominations, both Clergy and Laity, being one of the Seven Fixed Prayer Times.[5][6]
The following Text is from “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 10.
Time After Pentecost.
Book I.
The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. For certain Feasts, some of these Psalms are changed for others, which are more appropriate for these Feasts.
After The Pater and The Ave have been said in secret, The Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication:
Versicle: Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
Response: Domine, ad adjuvandum festina.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
Sicut erat in principio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculorum.
Amen.
Alleluia.
Antiphon: Dixit Dominus.
The first Psalm (Psalm 109) is a Prophecy of the future glories of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the Right-Hand of the Heavenly Father. He is King; He is Priest; He is the Son of Man, and the Son of God.
His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled, but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the Highest Glory.
Psalm 109.
Sede a dextris meis.
Donec ponam inimicos tuos:
Scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion:
Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion:
Dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ ub splendoribus sanctorum:
Ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum:
Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
After the five Psalms (above), a short Lesson from The Holy Scriptures is read. It is called Capitulum, or, Little Chapter, because it is always very short. Those Capitulums for the several Festivals are given in The Propers of each.
After this, The Church sings the Canticle of Mary, The Magnificat, in which are Celebrated The Divine Maternity and all its consequent Blessings. This exquisitely sweet Canticle is an essential part of The Office of Vespers. It is the Evening Incense, just as the Canticle Benedictus, at Lauds, is that of the Morning.
Dominus a dextris tuis;
Confregit in die iræ suæ reges.
Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas:
conquassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet:
propterea exaltabit caput.
Antiphon: Dixit Dominus Domino meo,
Sede a dextris meis.
Antiphon: Magna opera Domini.
The following Psalm (Psalm 110) commemorates The Mercies of God to His people, The Promised Covenant, The Redemption, His Fidelity to His Word.
But it also tells us that The Name of The Lord is terrible, because it is Holy; and concludes by admonishing us, that The Fear of The Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.
Psalm 110 is then sung.
The next Psalm (Psalm 111) sings the happiness of the Just Man, and his hopes on the day of his Lord's coming. It tells us, likewise, of the confusion of the sinner who shall have despised the Mysteries of God's love towards mankind.
Psalm 111 is then sung.
The next Psalm (Psalm 112), Laudate Pueri, is a Canticle of Praise to The Lord, Who, from His High Heaven, hath taken pity on the human race, and has vouchsafed to honour it by The Incarnation of His Own Son.
Psalm 112 is then sung.
The fifth Psalm (Psalm 113), In Exitu, recounts the prodigies witnessed under the ancient Covenant: They were figures, whose realities were to be accomplished in the mission of The Son of God, Who came to deliver Israel from Egypt, emancipate The Gentiles from their idolatry, and pour out a Blessing on every man who would consent to fear and love The Lord.
Psalm 113 is then sung.
The Capitulum is then read.
Then follows the Hymn. We here give the one for Sundays (Lucis Creator). It was composed by Saint Gregory the Great. It sings of Creation, and celebrates the praises of that portion of it which was called forth on this first day, viz, The Light.
The Hymn is then sung.
The Versicle, which follows the Hymn, and which we give here, is that of the Sunday; those for the Feasts are given in their Propers.
Versicle: Dirigatur, Domine, oratio mea.
Response: Sicut incensum in conspectu tuo.
Then is said the Magnificat Antiphon, which is to be found in the Propers.
The Magnificat Antiphon is then repeated.
The Prayer, or, Collect, is then said. It is given in The Proper of each Feast and Sunday.
Versicle: Benedicamus Domino.
Response: Deo Gratias.
Versicle: Fidelium animæ per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace.
Response: Amen.
Thus ends Vespers.
Patron Saints Of The Latin Mass Society.
Saint Margaret Clitherow
“The Pearl of York”.
Artist: Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs,
whose Web-Site can be found HERE
Illustration: LATIN MASS SOCIETY
The “Pearl of York” married a York butcher, John Clitherow, in 1571 and converted to Catholicism in 1574.
Following the practice of some other families with Catholic sympathies, her husband continued to attend Anglican Services, but paid the fines for Margaret’s Recusancy (refusal to attend Anglican Services), and allowed her to maintain a secret Chapel and to harbour Priests.
Her house was, in time, raided; evidence of Catholic Worship was discovered and Margaret was arrested. At her trial, she refused to plead; the most likely explanation is that she did not want her children to be forced to testify against her.
The penalty for refusing to plead was death, with a special method of execution. She was accordingly taken to Ouse Bridge, in York, laid on the ground with a sharp stone under her back, and a door placed upon her. This was loaded with heavy weights until she died.
This took place on the Feast of the Annunciation, Lady Day,
25 March 1586, which that year fell on Good Friday.
She was Beatified in 1929 and Canonised in 1970.
An Annual Pilgrimage is held in her honour by the York Oratory; her Shrine is in the York Shambles, the old butchers’ quarter, and a plaque commemorates her Martyrdom on Ouse Bridge. Her hand is preserved in the Bar Convent in York.
The image (above) was commissioned by The Latin Mass Society from the artist Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs in 2024.
The Prayer shown is the Collect of a Martyr not a Virgin from the 1962 Missal, used at Masses in her honour.
The Church emphasises, in honouring female Martyrs, that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness’”(“virtus in infirmitate perficitur”: 2 Corinthians 12:9).
DEUS, qui inter cétera poténtiæ tuæ mirácula étiam in sexu frágili victóriam martýrii contulísti: concéde propítius; ut, qui beátæ Margarétæ Mártyris tuæ natalítia cólimus, per eius ad te exémpla gradiámur, per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Amen.
O GOD, Who, amongst other marvels of Thy power, hast bestowed also to the weaker sex victory in Martyrdoms, graciously grant that we, who cherish the Heavenly birthday of Blessed Margaret Thy Martyr, may advance towards Thee through her example, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Saint John Baptist De La Salle. Confessor. The Founder Of The Brothers Of The Christian Schools. Feast Day 15 May. White Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint John Baptist de la Salle.
Confessor.
Founder: The Brothers of The Christian Schools.
Feast Day 15 May.
Double.
White Vestments.
The official portrait of Saint John Baptist de La Salle,
Founder of The Brothers of The Christian Schools.
It is by Pierre Leger and is designated as
the official portrait of him for The Congregation.
Date: Unknown.
Source: The portrait is in the public domain and featured on the website of The Congregation, plus other locations, both in Print and on the Internet
Author: Pierre Leger.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Born at Reims, France, on 30 April 1651, of an illustrious family, Saint John Baptist de la Salle made himself, from childhood, dear to all by the virtues of his Soul, the gentleness of his nature and the keenness of his mind. He went to Paris to study Theology at The Sorbonne. At seventeen, he was a Canon of the Cathedral.
When he reached the Priesthood, he offered The Holy Sacrifice with fervent Faith and intense love; these never left him when he was at the Altar. God had raised him "to give a Christian education to The Poor and to confirm youths in The Way of Truth" (Collect). With this object in view, he Founded a new Religious Congregation, which he called "Brothers of The Christian Schools" and which soon spread throughout the World.
Out of humility and out of love for poverty, he gave up his Canonry and gave all he had to The Poor (Epistle). "Inflamed with zeal for the salvation of Souls, he spent himself during his whole life," says The Breviary, "for their greatest good." Assiduously treating himself with rigour, in Fastings, flagellations and other austerities, he passed the night in Prayer (Introit).
Such was his manner of life, until, remarkable for every virtue, especially for his obedience, his zeal for the accomplishment of The Divine Will, his love and devotion towards The Apostolic See, and loaded with merits, he fell asleep in The Lord, at Rouen, France, on Good Friday, 7 April 1719, at the age of sixty-eight."
After striving to pass his life in the most humble duties, by serving Jesus in little children (Gospel), he was called to Heaven by The Divine Redeemer Whose Glory he shares, and Who still Blesses his work throughout the World.
“Let us burn with zeal like this Saint to procure The Glory of God by saving Souls, so that we may share his reward in Heaven” (Collect).
Another Proper Mass is said in the Houses of The Brothers of Christian Schools.
Mass: Os justi.
Exeter Cathedral (Cathedral Church Of Saint Peter). The Longest Uninterrupted Mediæval Vaulted Ceiling In The World. (Part Four).
The Great West Window of Exeter Cathedral.
Early-20th Century. Figures Left to Right:
King Athelstan with, below, Coat-of-Arms of Frederick Temple, Bishop of Exeter (1869-1885), Bishop of London (1885-1896) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896-1902);
Leofric, Bishop of Exeter;
Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter 1308–1326, with, above, Coat-of-Arms of See of Exeter, impaling Stapledon;
King Edward the Confessor, with his attributed Coat-of-Arms, above, and The Royal Arms of Queen Victoria, below;
Saint Peter, Patron Saint of Exeter Cathedral, with, above, Coat-of-Arms of See of Exeter; below, Coat-of-Arms of
See of Canterbury and See of York;
Queen Edyth, with attributed Coat-of-Arms
of Kingdom of Kent, above;
John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter 1327-1369, with, above, Coat-of-Arms of See of Exeter impaling Grandison and, below, Coat-of-Arms of See of Exeter, impaling Temple;
Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter (1551–1553), with, below, Coat-of-Arms of See of London, impaling Temple;
Frederick Temple, Bishop of Exeter (1869-1885), Bishop of London (1885-1896), and Archbishop of Canterbury
(1896-1902), with, above, Coat-of-Arms of See of Canterbury, impaling Temple.
Photo: 10 January 2017.
Source: Own work.
Author: DeFacto
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
From 1377 to 1414, the East, South, and West Cloister walks, were finished by Master Robert Lesyngham, who probably also designed The Great East Window (1390–1392).
The architecture of Exeter Cathedral at first appears remarkably harmonious with the continuous run of Tierceron Vaults extending from West to East.[8] Although the Bays are irregular in size, the Plan is throughout based on a division into ninths.
There is also a wonderful array of tracery designs in the Clerestory Windows.[9] More detailed analysis nevertheless reveals a number of changes, including the decision to adopt a three-storey facade with a Triforium, more typical of Cathedrals than the previous two-storey design. 3-D scanning of the Vaults has also revealed numerous changes to the curvatures of the Ribs.[8]
The Minstrels’ Gallery of Exeter Cathedral.
Decorated with fourteen carved Angels
(twelve showing in the image), twelve of which
are playing Mediæval musical instruments.
Photo: 10 January 2017.
Source: Own work.
Author: DeFacto
(Wikimedia Commons)
Notable features of the interior include the Misericords, the Minstrels’ Gallery, the Astronomical Clock and the Organ. Notable architectural features of the interior include the Multi-Ribbed Ceiling and the Compound Piers in the Nave arcade.[10]
The eighteen-metre-high (59 ft) Bishop’s Throne in the Choir was made from Devon Oak between 1312 and 1316; the nearby Choir Stalls were made by George Gilbert Scott in the 1870s.
The Great East Window contains 14th-Century Glass, and there are over 400 Ceiling Bosses, one of which depicts the murder of Thomas Becket. The Bosses can be seen at the peak of the Vaulted Ceiling, joining the Ribs together.[11]
17th-Century Organ Case (enlarged in 1891).[33]
Photo: May 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karl Gruber
(Wikimedia Commons)
Because there is no Central Tower, Exeter Cathedral has the longest uninterrupted Mediæval Vaulted Ceiling in the World, at ninety-six metres (315 ft).[5]
The fifty Misericords are the earliest complete set in the United Kingdom.[12] They date from two periods: 1220 – 1230 and 1250 – 1260. Amongst other things, they depict the earliest-known wooden representation of an elephant in the U.K.
The Minstrels’ Gallery in the Nave dates to around 1360 and is unique in English Cathedrals. Its front is decorated with twelve carved and painted Angels playing Mediæval musical instruments, including the cittern, bagpipe, hautboy, crwth, harp, trumpet, organ, guitar, tambourine and cymbals, with two others which are uncertain.[13]
PART FIVE FOLLOWS.
14 May, 2026
“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow ?”
All Illustrations, unless otherwise stated: Zephyrinus.
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary”.
Illustration:
Published circa 1745.
(Wikipedia)
“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” is an English Nursery Rhyme. The Rhyme has been seen as having Religious and Historical significance, but its origins and meaning are disputed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19626.
The most common modern version is:
“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow ?
With Silver Bells, and Cockle Shells,
And Pretty Maids all in a row.”[1]
The oldest known version was first published
in Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book (1745).
Saint Boniface Of Tarsus. Martyr. And One Of “The Ice Saints”. Feast Day 14 May. Red Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Boniface.
Martyr.
Feast Day 14 May.
[Not to be confused with Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr. Feast Day 5 June.]
Simple.
Red Vestments.
English: Icon of Saint Boniface of Tarsus.
Deutsch: Ikone heilige Bonifatius aus Tarsus.
Russian: икона святого мученика
Вонифатия Римского (Тарского).
Date: Unknown.
Source: http://days.pravoslavie.ru/
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Arrested at Tarsus, Boniface "bore himself with much fortitude in presence of his torturers" (Epistle). They tore his body with iron hooks, they thrust pointed reeds under his nails, and poured molten lead into his mouth.
He was beheaded at Tarsus on 14 May, towards 275 A.D., under the Emperor Galerius. His remains were brought to Rome and deposited on Mount Aventine, in the Church which took first his name and, later on, that of Saint Alexius.
[Editor: This Saint is not to be confused with Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr. Feast Day 5 June.]
Mass: Protexisti.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
In the 12th-Century, the name of Boniface was included on
14 May in the General Roman Calendar, with the lowest Rank of Feast (“Simple”).
In 1955, Pope Pius XII reduced the Celebration to a Commemoration within the Ferial Mass (see General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII).
Because of the date of his Feast, Boniface of Tarsus was one of three Saints, who, because a cold spell was believed to be common on 12 May – 14 May, were called the Ice Saints, in Poland, Bohemia and Eastern Germany.
The Ice Saints.
“The Ice Saints” is a name given to Saint Mamertus (or, in some countries, Saint Boniface of Tarsus), Saint Pancras, and Saint Servatius, in Austrian, Belgian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, North-Italian, Polish, Slovene and Swiss, folklore.
They are so named because their Feast Days fall on 11 May,
Because of the date of his Feast, Boniface of Tarsus was one of three Saints, who, because a cold spell was believed to be common on 12 May – 14 May, were called the Ice Saints, in Poland, Bohemia and Eastern Germany.
The Ice Saints.
“The Ice Saints” is a name given to Saint Mamertus (or, in some countries, Saint Boniface of Tarsus), Saint Pancras, and Saint Servatius, in Austrian, Belgian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, North-Italian, Polish, Slovene and Swiss, folklore.
They are so named because their Feast Days fall on 11 May,
12 May, and 13 May, days which are known as “The Black-Thorn Winter”.
The period from 12 May to 15 May was noted to bring a brief spell of colder weather in many years, including the last night frosts of the Spring, in the Northern Hemisphere, under the Julian Calendar.
The introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582 involved skipping ten days in the Calendar, so that the equivalent days from the climatic point of view became 22 May – 25 May.
The period from 12 May to 15 May was noted to bring a brief spell of colder weather in many years, including the last night frosts of the Spring, in the Northern Hemisphere, under the Julian Calendar.
The introduction of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582 involved skipping ten days in the Calendar, so that the equivalent days from the climatic point of view became 22 May – 25 May.
Saint Boniface. Martyr.
Text from “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 8.
Paschal Time.
Book II.
The Apostle of The Gentiles, explaining the Mystery of The Pasch, tells us that Baptism is the Sepulchre of our sins, and that we rise from it together with Our Redeemer, having our Souls radiant with The Life of Grace.
Our Holy Faith teaches us that he who gives his life, for Christ or His Church, washes away in his own blood every stain from his Soul, and rises to Life Everlasting: It is as though he received a second Baptism, which reproduces all the effects belonging to the great Sacrament of Regeneration.
We have, today, a sinner, who, being purified by Martyrdom and re-Baptised in his own blood, is numbered among the privileged ones who share in the glory of Our Risen Jesus.
Volume 8.
Paschal Time.
Book II.
The Apostle of The Gentiles, explaining the Mystery of The Pasch, tells us that Baptism is the Sepulchre of our sins, and that we rise from it together with Our Redeemer, having our Souls radiant with The Life of Grace.
Our Holy Faith teaches us that he who gives his life, for Christ or His Church, washes away in his own blood every stain from his Soul, and rises to Life Everlasting: It is as though he received a second Baptism, which reproduces all the effects belonging to the great Sacrament of Regeneration.
We have, today, a sinner, who, being purified by Martyrdom and re-Baptised in his own blood, is numbered among the privileged ones who share in the glory of Our Risen Jesus.
Boniface, by his immoralities, had scandalised the City where he lived; but his repentance was most complete. He longed to suffer the most cruel tortures for the love of the God that he had offended, and, thus, make atonement for the sinful pleasures in which he had indulged.
His wish was granted; suffering transformed him into the Saint whose Feast is kept on this day, and whose virtues are a homage to The Divine Conqueror of sin and death.
His wish was granted; suffering transformed him into the Saint whose Feast is kept on this day, and whose virtues are a homage to The Divine Conqueror of sin and death.
Holy Church thus commemorates in her Office, the bravery of this generous-hearted Martyr: Boniface was a citizen of Rome, and had held criminal intercourse with a rich lady, by name Aglaë. He was filled with such shame on account of this immoral conduct, that, by way of Penance, he devoted himself to searching out and burying the bodies of Martyrs.
In one of his travels, he left his companions; and finding, on arriving at Tarsus, that many were being put to divers tortures for the Christian Faith, he approached them, kissed their chains, and did all in his power to urge them to bear patiently the short labour of sufferings which were to be followed by Eternal Rest.
For this, he was seized, and his flesh was torn by iron hooks. Sharp reeds were also thrust up his finger-nails, and melted lead was poured into his mouth. His only exclamation, in the midst of these tortures, was: “I give Thee thanks, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God !”
He was then put, head foremost, into a cauldron of boiling pitch; and when he was taken out, and found to be unhurt, the judge, in a fit of anger, ordered him to be beheaded. During his execution, a great earthquake was felt; whereupon, many of the pagans were converted to the Faith of Christ Our Lord.
On the day following, his companions, who were in search of him, were told that he had suffered Martyrdom. They bought his body for five hundred pieces of silver; and, having embalmed and shrouded it, they had it taken to Rome.
All this was made known by an Angel to Aglaë, who had also devoted herself to Penance and good works. She, therefore, went to meet the Martyr’s Relics. She built a Church, which was named after the Saint, and in which he was buried on the Nones of June (5 June).
The Martyr’s Soul passed into Heaven on the day before the Ides of May (14 May) at Tarsus, a City of Cilicia, under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian.
On the day following, his companions, who were in search of him, were told that he had suffered Martyrdom. They bought his body for five hundred pieces of silver; and, having embalmed and shrouded it, they had it taken to Rome.
All this was made known by an Angel to Aglaë, who had also devoted herself to Penance and good works. She, therefore, went to meet the Martyr’s Relics. She built a Church, which was named after the Saint, and in which he was buried on the Nones of June (5 June).
The Martyr’s Soul passed into Heaven on the day before the Ides of May (14 May) at Tarsus, a City of Cilicia, under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian.
The Angels rejoiced more at thy conversion, O Boniface, than at the fidelity of the ninety-nine just; but their joy was redoubled when they found that Heaven gained in thee, not only a Penitent, but a Martyr, too.
Receive, also, the congratulations of Holy Church, which Celebrates the memory of thy victory. Rome is still in possession of thy Holy Relics, which repose in the Church on Mount Aventine, where once stood the house of her that imitated thy repentance.
In both her and thee, we have a proof of the infinite Mercy of Our Risen Jesus, Who called the two sinners from spiritual death to the Life of Grace. Have compassion, O Holy Martyr, on those poor sinners whom this Easter has not yet brought back to their Redeemer.
Receive, also, the congratulations of Holy Church, which Celebrates the memory of thy victory. Rome is still in possession of thy Holy Relics, which repose in the Church on Mount Aventine, where once stood the house of her that imitated thy repentance.
In both her and thee, we have a proof of the infinite Mercy of Our Risen Jesus, Who called the two sinners from spiritual death to the Life of Grace. Have compassion, O Holy Martyr, on those poor sinners whom this Easter has not yet brought back to their Redeemer.
The Alleluia has resounded through the whole Universe, and, yet, it has failed to rouse them from their sleep of sin. Pray for their resurrection. Their days are numbered; and, perhaps, they are not to see another Easter. Yet, do we hope in the Divine Mercy, which has shown us its power by making thee and Aglaë to be vessels of election.
We, therefore, unite our Prayers with thine, O Boniface, that Our Lord may grant a resurrection to our brethren. Hope is our armour in this peaceful contest with Divine Justice, which delights in being vanquished by Prayer. Present our Prayer before the Throne of God; and many of those that are now spiritually dead will rise again, and their conversion will cause joy to the Angels, as thine did.
We, therefore, unite our Prayers with thine, O Boniface, that Our Lord may grant a resurrection to our brethren. Hope is our armour in this peaceful contest with Divine Justice, which delights in being vanquished by Prayer. Present our Prayer before the Throne of God; and many of those that are now spiritually dead will rise again, and their conversion will cause joy to the Angels, as thine did.
“The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger.
Available from
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