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

08 June, 2026

“Who Is She That Cometh Forth As The Morning Rising ?” Mary Immaculate. Mother Of God And Co-Redemptrix. Mediatrix Of All Graces. Words From “The Song Of Solomon”.



“Regina Angelorum”
(Queen Of The Angels”.
Words from: “The Song Of Solomon”.
Date: 1900.
Collection: Petit Palais.
Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”. “Il Buono”. “Il Brutto”. “Il Cattivo”.




“The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”.
“Il Buono”.
“Il Brutto”.
“Il Cattivo”.
Film Poster.
This File: 8 March 2019.
User: Jasc Fox
(Wikimedia)



“The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”.
Clint Eastwood.
Enrico Morricone.
Sergio Leone.
“Main Theme”.
“The Ecstasy Of Gold”.
“The Trio”.
Available On YouTube


“The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”.
Maint Theme.
Ennio Morricone.
Available On YouTube



“Greatest Western Music of All Time”.
Ennio Morricone.
Sergio Leone.
Available On YouTube


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

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (Italian: “Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo”; “The Good, The Ugly, The Bad”) is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as “The Good”, Lee Van Cleef as “The Bad”, and Eli Wallach as “The Ugly”. 

Its screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone. 

Director of photography Tonino Delli Colli was responsible for the film’s sweeping Techniscope cinematography, and Ennio Morricone composed the film’s score.


The film is known for Leone’s distinctive visual style, characterised by the juxtaposition of expansive wide shots and extreme close-ups, as well as a highly stylised treatment of violence, tension, and gunfights. 

Although an Italian production, it was filmed primarily in Spain, particularly in the Tabernas Desert in Almería, the Arlanza River valley near Hortigüela, and at the purpose-built Sad Hill Cemetery near Santo Domingo de Silos

Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the story follows three gunslingers who form shifting alliances and betrayals in their search for a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the chaos of the conflict. 

The film marked Leone’s third collaboration with Eastwood and his second with Van Cleef.


Released in Italy on 23 December 1966, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” was subsequently distributed internationally and promoted in the United States as the third and final instalment of the “Dollars Trilogy”, following “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) and “For a Few Dollars More” (1965), although the three films are connected thematically rather than through a continuous narrative. 

Building on the growing international popularity of Leone and Eastwood, the film achieved major commercial success, grossing over $38 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $1.2 million and becoming one of the most financially successful European Westerns of its time.

Initial critical reception in some markets was mixed, reflecting the broader skepticism then directed toward the spaghetti Western genre, which was often criticised for its stylisation, violence, and moral ambiguity, in contrast to traditional Hollywood Westerns. 

Over time, however, the film underwent extensive critical re-evaluation and developed a strong cult following, aided by television screenings, home media releases, and later restoration efforts. 


It has since been widely recognised for its operatic scale, visual composition, editing, and the iconic score by Morricone. 

Frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential Western films of all time, it has had a lasting impact on filmmakers and has been referenced and parodied across popular culture, including in films, television, comic books, and video games.

Alessandro Alessandroni was an Italian musician and composer. He played multiple instruments, including the guitar, mandolin, mandolincello, sitar, accordion and piano, composed more than forty film scores and countless library music tracks, and was renowned for his whistling technique.[2]

Alessandroni collaborated with his childhood friend Ennio Morricone on a number of soundtracks for Spaghetti Westerns


Morricone's orchestration often calls for an unusual combination of instruments, voices, and whistling. 

Alessandroni's twangy guitar riff is central to the main theme for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. 

Alessandroni can be heard as the whistler on the soundtracks for Sergio Leone’s films, including the “Dollars Trilogy”, “Once Upon a Time in the West”, and “Pervirella”.[3][4]

Saint William (☩ 8 June 1154). Archbishop Of York (Twice). Confessor. Feast Day 8 June. White Vestments. A Tale Of Mayhem, Political Intrigue, Suspicion Of Murder, Plotting, Envy, Hate. Good Job We Don't Have That Now. (Part Four).




Mediæval carved plaque showing Saint William of York crossing the River Ouse. The Bridge collapses, but no-one dies.
Photo: 20 February 2010.
Source: 
Originally posted to Flickr as 
This File is licensed under the 
2.0 Generic Licence.
Author: Katy Stuart.
(Wikimedia Commons)


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

The Cistercians opposed on the grounds that the Second Lateran Council in 1139 had given the Religious Houses of a Diocese the right to participate in electing the Bishop.[16] 

Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to recognise William’s election due to allegations of Simony (acquisition of Church positions by bribery), and of interference by King Stephen.[17] 

In 1143, Pope Innocent II ruled that William could be confirmed in office if he swore under oath that the allegations were false. 

After he swore the oath, Henry of Blois, who was also Papal Legate, found William innocent, and he was Consecrated as Archbishop on 26 September 1143.[5]


As Archbishop, William undertook several ecclesiastical reforms and became popular with the people of York. 

However, he still needed a Pallium, the sign of an Archbishop’s authority from the Pope, which he had not yet received. 

The Cistercians, who were still adamantly opposed to his being Archbishop, were determined to prevent his receiving it. 

William travelled to Rome in an attempt to obtain the Pallium. The election of Pope Eugene III, a Cistercian, in 1145, was a setback for his cause.[18]


Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the famous Cistercian Abbot and Religious leader, exerted all his influence to ensure William’s suspension, sending a series of complaints to the new Pope that William had been intruded by Secular Powers into the See, that he was oppressing the Cistercian Monasteries, and that he had irregularly appointed William of Saint Barbara as Dean of York

In the Winter of 1145 — 1146, Pope Eugene III re-examined the case, declared that William had not been validly Consecrated and suspended him from office.[19] 


Photo shows the Sarcophagus of Archbishop 
Saint William Fitzherbert of York between an Altar 
and a mural of his image in the Crypt of York Minster.
Photo: 6 April 2017.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Ernst.schnell.
(Wikimedia Commons)

William was required to obtain an in-person refutation of the old charges by William of Saint Barbara, by then the Bishop of Durham.[5][15]

PART FIVE FOLLOWS.

Priests Showing Great Interest In The Vetus Ordo.



“The Mass Of The Foundation Of The Trinitarian Order”.
Artist: Juan Carreño de Miranda.
Illustration: LOUVRE


This Article is reprinted from 2020.

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY RC DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROOUGH

I was part of an On-Line Meeting of the Committee of The Society, on Saturday, 6 June 2020. One of the things that I learned was that there has been a substantial upsurge in the number of Priests ordering Copies of The Missale Romanum and Altar Cards from The LMS shop during the Lockdown due to COVID 19.

[ Editor: The Latin Mass Society Shop can be accessed at THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY SHOP ]

It remains to be seen how this works out in the long run, but it is surely good news for supporters of The Vetus Ordo.

Artwork By Alexandre Bida Of The Life Of Christ.

  


Mary’s Visit To Elizabeth.
From “Christ in Art”; 
or, “The Gospel Life of Jesus: 
With the Bida Illustrations”.
by Edward Eggleston. New York: 
Fords, Howard, & Hulbert, 1874.
Artist: Alexandre Bida.


Alexandre Bida (1813-1895).
Photo Credit:
(C) RMN-Grand Palais 
(musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski.
Date: 7 May 2013.
Author: Bingham Robert Jefferson (1800-1870).
(Wikimedia Commons)

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

Alexandre Bida was born in Toulouse, France, and specialised in Orientalism and studied under Eugène Delacroix, but with an artist’s eye for precision and perfection, he soon developed his own style.

During Bida’s youth, he travelled and worked in Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine. He became well known for his exhibition shows during the period between 1847 and 1861.

He was also an illustrator of the Holy Bible. As a Bible illustrator, Bida’s “Les Saints Evangeles” was published in 1873. In it, the four Gospels were enriched by his twenty-eight etchings.[2]

Of Bida’s work, it was said that he brought a truth and genius that made his Christ reverent, refined, dignified, and strong. He died in Buhl, Germany in 1895 at the age of eighty-two.[3]

07 June, 2026

“Our Fallen Nature’s Solitary Boast” (William Wordsworth): Mary The Mother Of God. Face To Face With Our Lady Of Guadalupe.



Painting of The Virgin Of Guadalupe.
Circa 1700.
Featuring a Crown on the Virgin’s head,
which was later removed.
Artist: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


This Article, dated 12 December 2024, is taken from, and can be read in full at, FR. Z’s BLOG

The Church, as God’s Subcreator, has given to the World two great gifts which reflect God’s love, truth and beauty: 

Art and Saints. 

In Art, truth, beauty, and love, are manifested in the arrangement of matter or physical sound waves. 

In Saints, truth, beauty, and love, are manifested in the actions of one of God’s images, a person.

Studying the lives of Saints and gazing at an image crafted by a true Master, hearing a composition of a devout Composer who intended to open us up into mystery, can, over time, produce great fruits.

For example, consider the famous 6th-Century A.D. Byzantine icon of Christ Pantocrator (see, below). 


Christ’s face is odd. 

One might be inclined to say that the artist botched it. 

On deeper inspection, we see that His face reveals two attitudes in the two halves of His face. 

On the Right side, He holds perhaps the Gospels – perhaps the Book in which all things are written – and His attitude is that of the severe Judge, Whom nothing shall escape. 

On the Left side, His hand Blesses and His face is gentle.


“Christ Pantocrator” (Christ The Almighty).


This artistic treasury yielding spiritual dividends is made by a man.

How much more might it be true of an image made by God ?

First and foremost, we contemplate Christ Himself, The Eternal Word Made Flesh. 

The Son is the perfect invisible image of the invisible Father, begotten but not made. 

In His Incarnation and Birth, the Son takes His Body, made with the Virgin Mother, and becomes the perfect visible image of the invisible Father. 


In contemplating Him we find infinite Mysteries, awesome and alluring.

Next, each one of us are images of God. 

Each person reflects Mystery, as do especially the Saints who beautifully reflect God in living flesh.

However, “Our Fallen Nature’s Solitary Boast” (William Wordsworth), Mary the Mother of God, presents Mystery to us in her own way.

Let’s see the the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose Feast it is [Editor: This Article is dated 12 December 2024].


The Tilma has revealed many Mysteries. 

As science advances, more and more fascinating – and hitherto unknown elements – are discovered in it, much as what is happening with the image of Mary’s Crucified Son, the Shroud of Turin (which I happen to accept as being authentic).

That said, there are things to be discovered not through Tech, but through Attention.

The writer, Pete Baklinski, gazed at the image of Mary in the Tilma. It eventually occurred to him that one side of her face looked happy, pleased, while the other side looked said.


The Left Side.



The Right Side.


He explored Mary’s message at Guadalupe and found themes of both joy and sadness. He suspects that her image means to reflect both.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

William Wordsworth called Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.”

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



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.


Stained-Glass Window,
Milan Cathedral.
Photo: 18 September 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Max_Ryazanov.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo began construction of the Cathedral.[7] The start of the construction coincided with the ascension to power in Milan of the Archbishop’s cousin, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and was meant as a reward to the noble and working classes, who had suffered under his tyrannical Visconti predecessor, Barnabò.

The construction of the Cathedral was also dictated by specific political choices: With the new construction site, the population of Milan intended to emphasise the centrality of Milan in the eyes of Gian Galeazzo, a prominence questioned by the choice of the new lord to reside and maintain his Court, like his father Galeazzo II, in Pavia, and not in Milan.[8]

Before work began, three main buildings were demolished: The Palace of the Archbishop; the Ordinari Palace; and the Baptistry of Saint Stephen at the Spring, while the old Church of Santa Maria Maggiore was exploited as a stone quarry.



Luigi Benedetti plays the Organ in the Duomo, Milan.
Available on YouTube

The Duomo di Milano Organ.

Built by Mascioni of Cuvio (Varese) and Tamburini of Crema in 1938, restored and relocated entirely in the Presbytery by Tamburini in 1986, the Grand Organ of the Duomo is the largest in Italy and firmly maintains its second place in Europe as regards the number of Pipes and Stops (surpassed only by the Organ of Passau Cathedral, in Germany) and is among the fifteen largest Organs in the World.

The current numbers of this giant are truly impressive:
15,800 Pipes, the highest over nine meters high, while the smallest measures just a few centimetres.
Five Organ Cases (Grand Organ North and South Side – Positive and Recitative North Side – Solo and Eco South Side – Choral at the Altar level).
Five Consoles (main Console with five manuals, Altar-side Console with three manuals, Choral Console with two manuals, two Apse Consoles with one manual).

Read about Milan Cathedral’s magnificent Organ


Design for the Crowning of Ferdinand I of Austria 
at the Duomo in 1838, by Alessandro Sanquirico.
Date: 22 September 2014.
Author: Alessandro Sanquirico, before 1833
(Wikimedia Commons)

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Saint William (☩ 8 June 1154). Archbishop Of York (Twice). Confessor. Feast Day 8 June. White Vestments. A Tale Of Mayhem, Political Intrigue, Suspicion Of Murder, Plotting, Envy, Hate. Good Job We Don't Have That Now. (Part Three).




Mediæval carved plaque showing Saint William of York crossing the River Ouse. The Bridge collapses, but no-one dies.
Photo: 20 February 2010.
Source: 
Originally posted to Flickr as 
This File is licensed under the 
2.0 Generic Licence.
Author: Katy Stuart.
(Wikimedia Commons)


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

William accompanied Thurstan into exile in Europe and on embassies to the Papal Court.[10] 

Reconciliation with Henry I allowed a return to York in 1121. 

A Papal ruling in favour of the independence of the Archbishops of York was finally delivered in 1127.[11]

Election problems.

In January 1141, William was elected Archbishop of York.[12] Originally, the Cathedral Chapter of York had elected Saint Waltheof of Melrose, Scotland, in 1140, but that election was set aside, as one of Waltheof’s supporters had made an Uncanonical gift (bribe) to secure Waltheof’s election.
 


Then, Henry of Blois tried to secure the See for Henry de Sully, another nephew of Stephen and Henry’s. 

Sully’s election was opposed by Pope Innocent II,[13] who refused to confirm him as Archbishop while he remained Abbot of Fécamp, Normandy, France.[14] 


Pedestal fragment of the principal Shrine 
of Saint William of York, in the Yorkshire Museum.
Photo: 12 August 2013.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: York Museums Trust.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Only at a third election in January 1141 was William chosen. Whether he had been a candidate in the previous two elections is unknown.[13]

The election was opposed by the Cistercian Monasteries of Yorkshire and by the Archdeacons of York.[15] 

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Saint Willibald O.S.B. (700 A.D. - 787 A.D.). Bishop Of Eichstätt, Bavaria. Feast Day 7 July. White Vestments.



Statue of Saint Willibald on the façade of the Hospital 
Church of Eichstätt, Bavaria. Made by the Baroque 
sculptor, Christian Handschuher, Late-17th-Century.
Figur des hl. Willibald an der Fassade der Spitalkirche 
von Eichstätt von dem Barock-Bildhauer Christian Handschuher, Ende 17., Anfang 18. Jahrhundert
Date: 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Rensi.
(Wikimedia Commons)


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

Willibald (Latin: Willibaldus; circa 700 A.D. – circa 787 A.D.) was an 8th-Century A.D. Bishop of Eichstätt, Bavaria.

Information about his life is largely drawn from the “Hodoeporicon of Willibald”, a Text written in the 8th-Century A.D. by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon Nun from Heidenheim-am-Hahnenkamm, who knew Willibald and his brother.[1]

The Text of the “Hodoeporicon” (“Itinerary”) was dictated to Huneberc by Willibald shortly before he died.


Willibald’s father was Richard the Pilgrim, and his mother was Wuna of Wessex. His brother was Winibald and his sister was Walburga.[2]

Willibald was well-travelled and the first-known Englishman to visit the Holy Land.[3] His Shrine is at Eichstätt Cathedral, Germany, where his body and Relics from his journeys are preserved. His Feast Day is 7 July.

Willibald was born in Wessex on 21 October around the year 700 A.D. His mother, Wuna of Wessex, was reportedly a sister of Saint Boniface. His father, Richard the Pilgrim, was a Chieftain of Wessex.

At the age of three, Willibald suffered from a violent illness. His parents Prayed to God, vowing to commit Willibald to a Monastic life, if he was to be spared.


Willibald survived and, at the age of five, entered the Benedictine Monastery at Waldheim (Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire) and was educated by Abbot Egwald.[4]

At the Monastery, he became accustomed to the Irish and Anglo-Saxon Monastic ideal of “Peregrinatio Religiosa”, or “Pious Rootlessness”.[5]


Saint Willibald.
Apostle of Bavaria and Patron of Pilgrims.
Available on YouTube

In 721 A.D., Willibald set out on a Pilgrimage to Rome with his father and brother. After departing by ship, the group arrived in Rouen, France, visiting Shrines and spending much of their time in Prayer.

Eventually, they arrived in Lucca, a City in Northern Italy. It was here that Willibald’s father became gravely ill and died.


After burying their father, Willibald and Winibald continued on their journey, travelling through Italy until they reached Rome.

Here they visited the Lateran Basilica and Saint Peter’s. They spent some time in Italy, strengthening in devotion and discipline, but soon the two brothers became ill with the Black Plague (although Mershman says it was Malaria).[4]

Hunebrec recounts the disease and miraculous recovery:

“Then, with the passing of the days and the increasing heat of Summer, which is usually a sign of future fever, they were struck down with sickness. They had caught the Black Plague.


“But God, in His never failing providence and fatherly love, deigned to listen to their Prayers and come to their aid, so that each of them rested in turn for one week whilst they attended to each other’s needs”.[6]

Willibald left Rome in 724 A.D, heading for Naples. From there, accompanied by two unnamed companions, he departed by sea, visited Sicily and Greece, and arrived in Asia Minor.


Parish Church of Saint Willibald, Weihmichl, Bavaria.
Die Pfarrkirche St. Willibald, Weihmichl, Bayern.
Photo: 21 June 2015.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
(Wikimedia Commons)

Winnebald had, after the departure of his brother for Palestine, lived in a Monastery at Rome.[4]

In Asia Minor, Willibald and his companions arrived in the City of Ephesus. Here, they visited the tomb of John the Evangelist. They then continued on to Patara, in Lycia, where they waited out the Winter, and then travelled to Mount Chelidonium, almost dying of hunger and thirst.


They departed by boat and arrived on the island of Cyprus. Following a stay in Cyprus, they reached Antadoros (now called Tartus) where they had an audience with a Greek Bishop and visited the Church of Saint John the Baptist.

Willibald’s journey then took him and a group of seven companions to Palestine (circa 723 A.D).

There he visited Nazareth. From Nazareth, he went to Bethlehem, and thence into Egypt. He returned to Nazareth, and thence travelled to Cana, Capharnaum, and Jerusalem,[7] where he arrived on 11 November 725 A.D.

After waiting for some time in Tyre, Willibald was able to sail to Constantinople. He remained in Constantinople for some two years, and was provided with a small room in an annex of the Church of the Holy Apostles.


He spent part of this time in Nicaea, visiting a Church and studying documents from the First Council of Nicaea that was arranged by Emperor Constantine.

He left Constantinople and sailed for Sicily, arriving in Naples approximately seven years after he had left Italy.


Pulpit in the Parish Church 
of Saint Willibald, Weihmichl, Bavaria.
Weihmichl, Hauptstraße 24. Pfarrkirche St. Willibald. Saalkirche mit eingezogenem Chor, Langhaus und Chor barock. Barocke Kanzel mit gewundenen Ecksäulchen. Figuren der vier Evangelisten in den Feldern. Auf dem Schalldeckel Engel mit Posaune.
Photo: 12 September 2010.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Elcom.stadler.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Willibald and his remaining companion, Tidbercht, joined the Benedictine Community at Monte Cassino. Here Willibald taught the Community about his travels.

He would spend over ten years at Monte Cassino and another local Benedictine Monastery, where he served roles as, “Sacrist, Dean, and Porter.”[8]


According to David Farmer, his new-found Monasticism was drastically shaped by his experiences in both England and Palestine, allowing him to play a major role in the reformation and future prosperity of the Monastery.[9]

It happened that, in 738 A.D., Saint Boniface, coming to Rome, asked of Pope Gregory III that Willibald might be sent to assist him in Eichstätt, Bavaria.

The Pope desired to see the Saint Willibald, and was much delighted with the history of his travels, and acquainted him of Boniface’s request.[7]

Upon arriving at Eichstätt, Willibald was Ordained a Priest by Boniface on 22 July 741 A.D., and asked to begin missionary work in the area.


A year later, Boniface summoned him to Thuringia. While travelling, Willibald encountered his brother, Winibald, whom he had not seen for over eight years.

Shortly thereafter, he returned to Eichstätt to begin his work. In 742 A.D., he and his brother, Winibald, Founded the Double Monastery at Heidenheim.

Winibald served as the first Abbot. Following his death, Willibald’s sister, Walburga, was appointed the first Abbess of the Monastery.[10]

In 746 A.D., Boniface Consecrated Willibald Bishop of Eichstätt.[7]


According to Bunson, Eichstätt was the site of Willibald’s most successful Missionary efforts, although specific details like the means of conversion and number of converts are not known.[8]

The Monastery was one of the first buildings in the region and served as an important centre, “not only for the Diocesan Apostolate, but also for the diffusion and development of Monasticism.”[11]

Willibald served as the Bishop of the region in Franconia for over four decades, living in the Monastery and entertaining visitors throughout Europe, who would come to hear of his journey and Monasticism.

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