All Illustrations:
20 April, 2026
“Rocky Mountain High”. Sung By: John Denver.
“Rocky Mountain High”.
Sung By: John Denver.
Available on YouTube
19 April, 2026
Saint Elphege. Bishop. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 19 April. Red Vestments.
An 1868 statue on the Great West Front of Salisbury Cathedral, by James Redfern, showing Ælfheah
holding the stones used in his Martyrdom.
Photo: 13 June 2010.
User: Richard Avery
Source: Own work.
Author: Richard Avery
(Wikimedia Commons)
SOCIETY OF ST. BEDE — LITURGICAL RESOURCES,
unless stated otherwise. Society of St. Bede Web-Site is HERE
unless stated otherwise.
Ælfheah of Canterbury (Saint Elphege).
Ælfheah[a][b] (953 A.D. – 19 April 1012), more commonly known today as Alphege, or, Elphege, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury from 1006 to 1012.
He became an Anchorite before being elected Abbot of Bath Abbey.
His reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the Episcopate and, eventually, to his becoming Archbishop.
Ælfheah furthered the cult of Saint Dunstan and also encouraged learning. He was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during the siege of Canterbury and killed by them the following year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed.
Ælfheah was Canonised as a Saint in 1078. Thomas Becket, a later Archbishop of Canterbury, Prayed to Ælfheah just before his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
In 1011, the Danes again raided England, and, from 8 September — 29 September, they laid siege to Canterbury.
Ælfheah refused to allow a ransom to be paid for his freedom, and, as a result, was killed on 19 April 1012 at Greenwich,[24] reputedly on the site of Saint Alfege’s Church, Greenwich.[26][17]
Ælfheah was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to die a violent death.[28] A contemporary report tells that Thorkell the Tall attempted to save Ælfheah from the mob about to kill him by offering everything he owned except for his ship, in exchange for Ælfheah’s life; Thorkell’s presence is not mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, however.[29]
In the Late-Mediæval period, Ælfheah’s Feast Day was celebrated in Scandinavia, perhaps because of the Saint’s connection with Cnut.[39]
Ælfheah was born around 953 A.D.,[7] and became a Monk early in life.[8] He first entered the Monastery of Deerhurst, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, but then moved to Bath, where he became an Anchorite.[9]
He was noted for his piety and austerity and rose to become Abbot of Bath Abbey.[8]
The 12th-Century chronicler, William of Malmesbury recorded that Ælfheah was a Monk and Prior at Glastonbury Abbey,[10] but this is not accepted by all historians.[8]
Indications are that Ælfheah became Abbot at Bath by 982 A.D., possibly as early as 977 A.D. He perhaps shared authority with his predecessor, Æscwig, after 968 A.D.[10]
Probably due to the influence of Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury (959 A.D. – 988 A.D.), Ælfheah was elected Bishop of Winchester in 984 A.D.,[11][12] and was Consecrated on 19 October that year.[9]
Probably due to the influence of Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury (959 A.D. – 988 A.D.), Ælfheah was elected Bishop of Winchester in 984 A.D.,[11][12] and was Consecrated on 19 October that year.[9]
While Bishop, he was largely responsible for the construction of a large Organ in Winchester Cathedral, audible from over a mile (1600 metres) away and said to require more than twenty-four men to operate.
He also built and enlarged the City’s Churches,[13] and promoted the cult of Saint Swithun and his predecessor, Æthelwold of Winchester.[9]
One act promoting Æthelwold’s cult was the Translation
of Æthelwold’s body to a new tomb in the Cathedral at Winchester, at which Ælfheah presided over the ceremony
on 10 September 996 A.D.[14]
Following a Viking raid in 994 A.D., a Peace Treaty was agreed with one of the raiders, Olaf Tryggvason. Besides receiving Danegeld, Olaf converted to Christianity[15] and undertook never to raid or fight the English, again.[16]
Following a Viking raid in 994 A.D., a Peace Treaty was agreed with one of the raiders, Olaf Tryggvason. Besides receiving Danegeld, Olaf converted to Christianity[15] and undertook never to raid or fight the English, again.[16]
Ælfheah may have played a part in the Treaty negotiations, and it is certain that he confirmed Olaf in his new Faith.[9]
In 1006, Ælfheah succeeded Ælfric as Archbishop of Canterbury, probably Consecrated on 16 November.[17] taking Swithun’s head with him as a Relic for the new location.[9]
In 1006, Ælfheah succeeded Ælfric as Archbishop of Canterbury, probably Consecrated on 16 November.[17] taking Swithun’s head with him as a Relic for the new location.[9]
He went to Rome in 1007 to receive his Pallium — symbol of his status as an Archbishop — from Pope John XVIII, but was robbed during his journey.[18]
While at Canterbury, he promoted the cult of Saint Dunstan,[9] ordering the writing of the second “Life of Dunstan”, which Adelard of Ghent composed between 1006 and 1011.[19]
He also introduced new practices into the Liturgy, and was instrumental in the Witenagemot’s [Editor: A Meeting of the King’s Council] recognition of Wulfsige of Sherborne as a Saint in 1012.[20]
Ælfheah sent Ælfric of Eynsham to Cerne Abbey to take charge of its Monastic School.[21] He was present at the Council of May 1008 at which Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York, preached his “Sermo Lupi ad Anglos” (“Sermon of the Wolf to the English”), castigating the English for their moral failings and blaming the failings for the tribulations afflicting the Country.[22]
Ælfheah sent Ælfric of Eynsham to Cerne Abbey to take charge of its Monastic School.[21] He was present at the Council of May 1008 at which Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York, preached his “Sermo Lupi ad Anglos” (“Sermon of the Wolf to the English”), castigating the English for their moral failings and blaming the failings for the tribulations afflicting the Country.[22]
In 1011, the Danes again raided England, and, from 8 September — 29 September, they laid siege to Canterbury.
Aided by the treachery of Ælfmaer, whose life Ælfheah had once saved, the raiders succeeded in sacking the City.[23][c]
Ælfheah was taken prisoner and held captive for seven months.[24] Godwine (Bishop of Rochester), Leofrun (Abbess of St Mildrith’s), and the King’s Reeve, Ælfweard, were captured also, but the Abbot of Saint Augustine’s Abbey, Ælfmær, managed to escape.[23]
Canterbury Cathedral was plundered and burned by the Danes following Ælfheah’s capture.[25]
Ælfheah refused to allow a ransom to be paid for his freedom, and, as a result, was killed on 19 April 1012 at Greenwich,[24] reputedly on the site of Saint Alfege’s Church, Greenwich.[26][17]
The account of Ælfheah’s death appears in the
E-Version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
... the raiding-army became much stirred up against the Bishop, because he did not want to offer them any money, and forbade that anything might be granted in return for him.
Also they were very drunk, because there was wine brought from the South. Then, they seized the Bishop, led him to their “hustings”[d] on the Saturday in the Octave of Easter, and then pelted him there with bones and the heads of cattle; and one of them struck him on the head with the butt of an axe, so that, with the blow, he sank down and his holy blood fell on the earth, and sent forth his holy Soul to God’s Kingdom.[27]
Ælfheah was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to die a violent death.[28] A contemporary report tells that Thorkell the Tall attempted to save Ælfheah from the mob about to kill him by offering everything he owned except for his ship, in exchange for Ælfheah’s life; Thorkell’s presence is not mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, however.[29]
Some sources record that the final blow, with the back of an axe, was delivered as an act of kindness by a Christian convert known as “Thrum”.
Ælfheah was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral.[9] In 1023, his body was moved by King Cnut to Canterbury, with great ceremony.[30][e]
Thorkell the Tall was appalled at the brutality of his fellow raiders, and switched sides to the English King, Æthelred the Unready, following Ælfheah’s death.[32]
Lanfranc, the first Post-Conquest Archbishop of Canterbury, was dubious about some of the Saints Venerated at Canterbury.
He was persuaded of Ælfheah’s sanctity,[33] but Ælfheah and Augustine of Canterbury were the only Pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon Archbishops kept on Canterbury’s Calendar of Saints.[34]
Ælfheah’s Shrine, which had become neglected, was rebuilt and expanded in the Early-12th-Century under Anselm of Canterbury, who was instrumental in retaining Ælfheah’s name in the Church Calendar.[35][36]
After the 1174 fire in Canterbury Cathedral, Ælfheah’s remains, together with those of Dunstan, were placed around the High Altar, at which Thomas Becket is said to have commended his life into Ælfheah’s care shortly before his Martyrdom during the Becket controversy.[9]
The new Shrine was sealed in Lead,[37] and was North of the High Altar, sharing the honour with Dunstan’s Shrine, which was located South of the High Altar.[38]
A “Life of Saint Ælfheah” in prose and verse was written by a Canterbury Monk named Osbern, at Lanfranc’s request.
The prose version has survived, but the “Life” is very much a hagiography; many of the stories it contains have obvious Biblical parallels, making them suspect as a historical record.[9]
In the Late-Mediæval period, Ælfheah’s Feast Day was celebrated in Scandinavia, perhaps because of the Saint’s connection with Cnut.[39]
Few Church Dedications to him are known, with most of them occurring in Kent and one each in London and Winchester;[6] as well as Saint Alfege’s Church, in Greenwich, London, a nearby hospital (1931 – 1968) was named after him.[40]
In the Town of Solihull, West Midlands, Saint Alphege Church is Dedicated to Ælfheah, dating back to approximately 1277.[41]
In 1929, a new Roman Catholic Church in Bath, Somerset, the Church of Our Lady and Saint Alphege, was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, in homage to the ancient Roman Church of Santa Maria-in-Cosmedin, and Dedicated to Ælfheah under the name of Alphege.[42]
Artistic representations of Ælfheah often depict him holding a pile of stones in his Chasuble, a reference to his Martyrdom.[43]
Artistic representations of Ælfheah often depict him holding a pile of stones in his Chasuble, a reference to his Martyrdom.[43]
Chant In The Divine Office Of The Byzantine Rite.
Chant In The Divine Office Of The Byzantine Rite.
Плотію Почаївський напів
Available on YouTube
NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
By: Gregory Dipippo.
In the Divine Office of the Byzantine Rite, a chant called the Exapostilarion is sung at the hour of Orthros between the section known as the Canon (explained here) and the Laudate Psalms.
By: Gregory Dipippo.
In the Divine Office of the Byzantine Rite, a chant called the Exapostilarion is sung at the hour of Orthros between the section known as the Canon (explained here) and the Laudate Psalms.
As in every Liturgical tradition, some of the most beautiful texts and musical settings of them are found in Holy Week and Easter; here is an absolutely extraordinary version of the one for Easter, performed in a concert given in Rome in October of 2012 by the National “Dumka” Choir, which is very famous in Ukraine, conducted by Yevgeny Savchuk.
To all those who follow the Julian Calendar, and are now in the middle of Bright Week, a most blessed and happy Easter - Christ is risen !
Having fallen asleep in the flesh as a mortal man, O King and Lord, Thou didst rise on the third day, raising Adam from corruption, and destroying death: O Pascha of incorruption, the Salvation of the world!
Плотїю oуснув, яко мертвъ, Царю и Господи, тридневенъ воскреслъ еси, Адама воздвигъ от тли, и oупразднивъ смерть: Пасха нетлѣнїѧ, мира спасенїе.
Σαρκὶ ὑπνώσας ὡς θνητός, ὁ Βασιλεὺς καὶ Κύριος, τριήμερος ἐξανέστης, Ἀδὰμ ἐγείρας ἐκ φθορᾶς, καὶ καταργήσας θάνατον, Πάσχα τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, τοῦ κόσμου σωτήριον.
Having fallen asleep in the flesh as a mortal man, O King and Lord, Thou didst rise on the third day, raising Adam from corruption, and destroying death: O Pascha of incorruption, the Salvation of the world!
Плотїю oуснув, яко мертвъ, Царю и Господи, тридневенъ воскреслъ еси, Адама воздвигъ от тли, и oупразднивъ смерть: Пасха нетлѣнїѧ, мира спасенїе.
Σαρκὶ ὑπνώσας ὡς θνητός, ὁ Βασιλεὺς καὶ Κύριος, τριήμερος ἐξανέστης, Ἀδὰμ ἐγείρας ἐκ φθορᾶς, καὶ καταργήσας θάνατον, Πάσχα τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, τοῦ κόσμου σωτήριον.
“The Sound Of Silence”. Sung By: Voces8.
“The Sound Of Silence”.
Sung By: Voces8.
Available on YouTube
18 April, 2026
Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight, England.
Quarr Abbey.
Date: 2010.
Source:
http://www.wyrdlight.com Antony McCallum
This File is licensed under the
Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.
Attribution: WyrdLight.com
Author:
http://www.wyrdlight.com Antony McCallum
(Wikimedia Commons)
Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight, England.
Available on YouTube
Music: “Smaointe”.
Sung by: Enya.
Available on YouTube
Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Quarr Abbey (French: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Quarr)
is a Monastery between the villages of Binstead and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight in Southern England.
[Editor: Zephyrinus has personal knowledge of the wonderful Monastery at Quarr, having spent some time there on Retreat. He can heartily recommend it to all who are seeking some Peace, Quiet, and Prayerful Assurance.]
The name Quarr is pronounced as “Kwor” (rhyming with “for”). It belongs to the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict.
The Grade I-Listed Monastic buildings and Church,
completed in 1912, are considered some of the most important 20th-Century Religious structures in the United Kingdom;
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described the Abbey as: “Among the
most daring and successful Church buildings of the
Early-20th-Century in England”.[1]
The Monastery was constructed from Belgian brick in a style combining French, Byzantine, and Moorish, architectural elements. In the vicinity are a few remains of the original
12th-Century Abbey.[2]
[Editor: Parts of The Tower of London were constructed by stone which came from the quarry at Quarr, adjacent to the present Monastery. The name “Quarr” means “Quarry”.]
The Community of Monks maintains the Monastery’s regular life and the attached Farm. As of 2013, the Community provides two-month Internships for young men.[3]
The History and Ruins of Quarr Abbey.
Available on YouTube
The Psalms: Psalm 39: “Expectans Expectavi”. Christ’s Coming, And Redeeming Mankind.
The Book of Psalms.
The Psalms are called by the Hebrews “TEHILLIM”, that is, Hymns of Praise. The author of a great part of them, at least, was King David. But many are of the opinion that some of them were authored by Asaph, and others whose names
are prefixed in the titles.
“Expectans Expectavi”.
Christ’s Coming, And Redeeming Mankind.
The following Text is from DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE
Unto the end, a Psalm for David himself.
With expectation I have waited for the Lord,
and He was attentive to me.
And He heard my Prayers, and brought me
out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs.
And He set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.
And He put a new Canticle into my mouth,
a Song to our God.
Many shall see, and shall fear:
and they shall hope in the Lord.
Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord;
and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies.
Thou hast multiplied Thy wonderful works, O Lord my God: And in Thy thoughts there is no-one like to Thee. I have declared and I have spoken they are multiplied above number.
Sacrifice and oblation Thou didst not desire;
but Thou hast pierced ears for me. Burnt
offering and sin offering Thou didst not require:
Then said I, Behold I come. In the
head of the book it is written of me
That I should do Thy will: O my God, I have
desired it, and Thy law in the midst of my heart.
I have declared Thy justice in a great Church, lo,
I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, Thou knowest it.
I have not hid Thy justice within my heart: I have
declared Thy truth and Thy salvation. I have not
concealed Thy mercy and Thy truth from a great Council.
Withhold not Thou, O Lord, Thy tender mercies from me:
Thy mercy and Thy truth have always upheld me.
For evils without number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not
able to see. They are multiplied above the
hairs of my head: And my heart hath forsaken me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me,
look down, O Lord, to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that
seek after my Soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils to me.
“My iniquities”: That is, the sins of all mankind,
which I have taken upon me.
Let them immediately bear their confusion,
that say to me: Tis well, tis well.
Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: And let
such as love Thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
But I am a Beggar and Poor: The Lord is careful for me.
Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.
Kathleen Ferrier Sings Bach: “Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott” (Have Mercy, My God). Saint Matthew Passion.
Kathleen Ferrier sings Bach:
“Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott”
(Have Mercy, My God).
Saint Matthew Passion.
Available on YouTube
Kathleen Ferrier sings the aria “Erbarme dich, mein Gott” (“Have Mercy, my God”) from J.S. Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, recorded live in Vienna on 9 June 1950,
with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
17 April, 2026
Hildegard von Bingen: “O Vis Aeternitatis”.
“O Vis Aeternitatis”.
Composed By: Hildegard von Bingen.
Sung By: Sequentia.
Album: “Canticles Of Ecstasy”.
Available On YouTube
Stunning. Awesome. Magnificent. This Is Church Architecture As It Should Be.
Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, near the Pantheon, Rome.
The Contarelli Side Chapel has three Caravaggio
paintings of the life of Saint Matthew.
Illustration: FR. Z's BLOG
Hildegard von Bingen. “Caritas Abundat In Omnia”. By: Maite Itoiz And Kingdom Of Navarre.
“Caritas Abundat In Omnia”.
Composed By: Hildegard von Bingen.
Sung By: Maite Itoiz (Soprano)
and Kingdom Of Navarre.
Available On YouTube
Caritas abundat in omnia
de imis excellentissima super sidera
atque amantissima in omnia
quia summo regi osculum pacis dedit.
Soprano: Maite Itoiz.
This beautiful chant from Hildegard von Bingen is included in the album “An Ancient Story” from KINGDOM OF NAVARRE (former Elfenthal ensemble).
Gregorian Chant. Sung By: The Choir Of The Monks Of Fontgombault Abbey, France.
Gregorian Chant. Sung by: The Choir
of the Monks of Fontgombault Abbey, France.
Choeur des moines de l’abbaye
Notre Dame de Fontgombault.
Available on YouTube
Saint Anicetus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 17 April. Red Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Anicetus.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 17 April.
Simple.
Red Vestments.
The Martyrdom of Pope Anicetus.
Frescoes by Antonio Circignani, called Pomarancio.
Chapel of Sant'Aniceto e Beata Vergine della Clemenza,
Palazzo Altemps, Roma.
Date: 20 April 2001.
Source: Own work.
Author: Torvindus
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Paschal Cycle surrounds The King of Martyrs, Whose triumph it celebrates, with a bevy of Saints who "followed Him bearing their Crosses and who, having lost their lives for His sake," found the life of which Jesus, Risen Again, is the model (Gospel).
Saint Anicetus, Invested with full Sacerdotal power (Introit), succeeded Pope Saint Pius I as Pope. He governed The Church from 150 A.D. to his death in 168 A.D. and took such a part in The Sufferings of Christ (Epistle) that, although he did not shed his blood for The Faith, he was given the Title of Martyr.
He preserved his flock from the heresies of Valentinus and Marcion and "filled with The Consolations of Jesus, he was enabled, in turn, to console those who suffered" (Epistle). The great Saint Polycarp came to him at Rome to confer especially about the date of the Celebration of Easter, for, by the coincidence of this Feast with that of the Jews, it was right to claim that the Mysteries of The Death and Resurrection of Jesus had realised, and taken the place of, the immolation of the Jewish paschal lamb.
"Let us rejoice for the annual Solemnity of Blessed Anicetus" (Collect). This Feast reminds us of the date when, after having died with Christ on Earth, this Holy Martyr went to share The Glory of His Resurrection in Heaven.
Mass: In Paschaltide. Protexisti.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide. Sacerdotes Dei.
The Psalms: Psalm 2. “Quare Fremuerunt”. The Vain Efforts Of Persecutors Against Christ And His Church.
Text is from “The Psalms And New Testament”.
Douay-Rheims version.
Translated From The Latin Vulgate.
Diligently compared with The Hebrew, Greek,
and other Editions in divers languages.
The New Testament.
First published by The English College at Rheims, 1582 A.D. And The Psalms. From The Old Testament. First published by The English College, at Douay, 1609 A.D.
With annotations and references.
The whole revised and diligently compared with
The Latin Vulgate by The Servant of God,
Richard Challoner, 1749-1752 A.D.
Published by The Baronius Press, London MMVII.
The Baronius Press Web-Site and Shop can be accessed HERE
The Book of Psalms.
The Psalms are called by the Hebrews “TEHILLIM”, that is, Hymns of Praise. The author of a great part of them, at least, was King David. But many are of the opinion that some of them were authored by Asaph, and others whose names
are prefixed in the titles.
“Quare Fremuerunt”.
The Vain Efforts Of Persecutors
Against Christ And His Church.
Why have the Gentiles raged,
and the people devised vain things ?
The Kings of the Earth stood up,
and the Princes met together,
against The Lord, and against His Christ.
Let us break their bonds asunder:
And let us cast away their yoke from us.
He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh at them:
And The Lord shall deride them.
Then shall He speak to them in His anger,
and trouble them in His rage.
But I am appointed King by Him over Sion,
His holy mountain, preaching His commandment.
The Lord hath said to me:
Thou art my son,
this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of Me,
and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance,
and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron,
and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
And now, O ye Kings, understand:
Receive instruction, you that judge the Earth.
Serve ye The Lord with fear:
And rejoice unto Him with trembling.
Embrace discipline,
lest at any time The Lord be angry,
and you perish from the just way.
When His wrath shall be kindled in a short time,
Blessed are all they that trust in Him.
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