Lenten Station at Saint Prisca's

Non-Italic Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal
for Tuesday in Holy Week
Pictures and Italic text taken from Wikipedia (the free encyclopaedia) (unless otherwise accredited)
Station at Saint Prisca's
Indulgence of 10 years and 10 Quarantines
Privileged Feria
Violet Vestments

Basilica of Santa Prisca

The Station is at the Church of Saint Prisca, of whom Saint Paul speaks: “Salute Prisca and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, and the Church which is in their house”. This was one of the twenty-five Parishes of Rome in the 5th-Century.

The Epistle, Gradual, Offertory and Communion are a perfect adaptation of the passages in the Old Testament to Christ persecuted. He is “the meek lamb that is carried to be a victim”, and which God, by a striking revenge on them (Epistle), “delivers from the hand of the sinner” (Offertory). The Gospel of Saint Mark describes the death of Christ. The Introit and the Collects show that the Church, which continues the saving work of Christ, revives the mysteries of His Passion (Collect) and “glories in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection” (Introit).

Like the Catechumens, who formerly were baptised, and public penitents, who were reconciled at Easter, the faithful are about to participate, by their Easter Confession and Holy Communion, “in the mysteries of Our Lord’s Passion in such a manner as to deserve to obtain pardon” (Collect).

Pope John XXIII (1958 - 1963)

In 1953, he was appointed Patriarch of Venice and, accordingly, raised to the rank of Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca by Pope Pius XII. As a sign of his esteem, the President of France, Vincent Auriol, claimed the ancient privilege possessed by French monarchs and bestowed the Red Hat on Roncalli at a ceremony in the Elysee Palace. 

“May our healing Fasts, in union with the sacrifices of Christ” (Secret) “purify us from all remains of our old nature, and enable us to be formed anew unto holiness” (Prayer Over The People).

Santa Prisca is a Basilica Church in Rome, devoted to Saint Prisca, a 1st-Century martyr, on the Aventine Hill. It was built in the 4th- or 5th-Century over a temple of Mithras, and is recorded as the Titulus Priscae in the Acts of the 499 A.D. Synod.

Damaged in the Norman Sack of Rome, the Church was restored several times. The current aspect is due to the 1660 Restoration, which included a new facade by Carlo Lombardi.

His Eminence, Justin Francis Rigali,
Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia,
currently, Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Priscae

In the interior, the columns are the only visible remains of the ancient Church. Also, a baptismal font, allegedly used by Saint Peter, is conserved. The altar in the crypt contains the relics of Saint Prisca; the frescoes in the crypt are by Antonio Tempesta. Anastasio Fontebuoni frescoed the walls of the nave with Saints and Angels with the instruments of passion. In the sacristy, is a painting of the Immaculate Conception with Angels by Giovanni Odazzi, and, on the main altar, a Baptism of Santa Prisca by Domenico Passignano.

The Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Priscae is Justin Francis Rigali, Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia (US). Previous Cardinal-Priests include: Angelo Roncalli (1953), later Pope John XXIII.

Pope John XXIII was the last Pope to use full Papal Ceremony, some of which was abolished after Vatican II, while the rest fell into disuse. His Papal Coronation ran for the traditional five hours (Pope Paul VI, by contrast, opted for a shorter ceremony, while later Popes declined to be crowned). However, as with his predecessor, Pope Pius XII, he chose to have the coronation itself take place on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica, in view of the crowds assembled in Saint Peter's Square below.

Arms of Pope John XXIII

(From Wikimedia Commons. Author User:mAgul, August 2007)

Upon his election, Roncalli chose John as his regnal name. This was the first time in over 500 years that this name had been chosen; previous Popes had avoided its use since the time of the Antipope John XXIII during the Western Schism.

On the choice of his name Pope John said that "I choose John ... a name sweet to us because it is the name of our father, dear to me because it is the name of the humble parish Church where I was baptized, the solemn name of numberless cathedrals scattered throughout the world, including our own Basilica [Saint John Lateran]. Twenty-two Johns of indisputable legitimacy have [been Pope], and almost all had a brief pontificate. We have preferred to hide the smallness of our name behind this magnificent succession of Roman Popes."

Upon his choosing the name, there was some confusion as to whether he would be known as John XXIII or John XXIV; in response, John declared that he was John XXIII, thus affirming the antipapal status of antipope John XXIII.

Before this antipope, the most recent Popes called John were John XXII (1316–1334) and John XXI (1276–1277). However, there was no Pope John XX, owing to confusion caused by mediaeval historians misreading the Liber Pontificalis to refer to another Pope John between John XIV and John XV.