“𝔏𝔢 𝔍𝔢𝔲 𝔇𝔢𝔰 𝔓𝔢̀𝔩𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔰 𝔇'𝔈𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔲̈𝔰”.
Mediæval Easter Liturgy.
Sung by: Ensemble Organum.
Director of Music: Marcel Pérès.
Available on YouTube
Friday 19 April 2024
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
Thursday 18 April 2024
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.
Our Lady’s Words: “I Am The Immaculate Conception”. Sermon By: Fr. Timothy Finigan.
Our Lady’s Words: “I Am The Immaculate Conception”.
Sermon by Fr. Timothy Finigan. “A Day With Mary” at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of The Rosary, Blackfen, London.
Saturday, 15 February 2014.
Available on YouTube
Wednesday 17 April 2024
The Solemnity Of Saint Joseph. Spouse Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Confessor. Patron Of The Universal Church. The Third Wednesday After Easter Sunday.
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary,
Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church.
Third Wednesday after Easter.
(Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday).
Double of The First-Class
with an Octave.
[Note: An Octave was given to this Solemnity, rather than to The Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March, because Feasts falling in Lent may not have Octaves.]
White Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary,
Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church.
Third Wednesday after Easter.
(Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday).
Double of The First-Class
with an Octave.
[Note: An Octave was given to this Solemnity, rather than to The Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March, because Feasts falling in Lent may not have Octaves.]
White Vestments.
Saint Joseph.
Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
Today's Mass might be represented by a Triptych (see, below), showing us that Saint Joseph is the protector, whom Divine Providence has chosen for His Church.
1. The Epistle speaks to us of Joseph, who, in The Old Testament, is a figure of Saint Joseph. The dying Jacob prophesies that his son, Joseph, "shall be the Pastor and Strength of Israel, and that The Almighty shall shower Blessings upon him." And Joseph was established by Pharao over the entire land of Egypt, so that the salvation of all depended upon him. [The Lessons and Responses of The First Nocturn of Matins.] The whole Church has recourse to Saint Joseph with confidence.
2. The Gospel, Collect, and Communion, explaining the connection between The Heavenly Trinity and The Holy Family, this Trinity on Earth, show forth the power of Saint Joseph. Jesus is, at the same time, Son of God and Son of man. Mary is The Spouse of The Holy Ghost, and it is the will of God The Father that Saint Joseph should be considered father of Christ and that he should exercise paternal rights over Him (Preface).
3. Lastly, the Introit, Collects, Alleluia, and Offertory, show us Saint Joseph as the guardian of the new Jerusalem, which is The Church, to watch over her in the midst of all her tribulations.
Full of confidence in the patronage of Saint Joseph, let us honour his Title of Protector on Earth, so as to deserve his help from Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Adjútor.
Creed: Is said.
Preface of Saint Joseph during The Octave.
Preface of Saint Joseph during The Octave.
“Te Joseph Celebrent”.
The Hymn (First Tone) of Second Vespers
for The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Available on YouTube at
Prayer To Saint Joseph.
Prescribed by Pope Leo XIII, for the Month of October,
after the recitation of The Rosary
and The Litany of Our Lady.
Indulgence: 300 Days.
21 September 1889.
Unto thee. O, Blessed Joseph, do we fly in our tribulation and, having implored the help of thy Holy Spouse, we now also confidently seek thy protection.
By that affection which united thee to The Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by thy fatherly love for The Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to look down with compassion on the inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased with His Blood, and in our need to help us by thy powerful intercession.
Do thou, O prudent Guardian of The Holy Family,
watch over the chosen people of Jesus Christ.
Keep us, O loving father, safe from all error
and corruption. O great protector, from thy place
in Heaven, graciously help us in our contest
against The Powers of Darkness.
And as of old thou didst rescue The Child Jesus from
the danger of death, so now defend God's Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.
Extend to each one of us thy continual protection,
that, led on by thine example, and strengthened
by thine aid, we may live and die in holiness,
and obtain everlasting happiness in Heaven.
Amen.
“Te Joseph Celebrent”. The Hymn (First Tone) For Second Vespers On The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
“Te Joseph Celebrent”.
The Hymn (First Tone) of Second Vespers
for The Solemnity of Saint Joseph.
Available on YouTube
Perkins (Chauffeur), I Suspect, Has Been At The Brandy Bottle, Again !!!
“Perkins !!!”
“I am not going to Sunday Mass in that”.
“Take it back”.
“You and I need to talk !!!”
Illustration: HEMMINGS
Saint Anicetus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 17 April.
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.
Tuesday 16 April 2024
Monday 15 April 2024
Sunday 14 April 2024
Saint Tiburtius. Saint Valerian. Saint Maximus. Martyrs. Feast Day 14 April.
Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.
Saints Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus.
Martyrs.
Feast Day 14 April.
Simple.
Red Vestments.
The Burial of Saint Valerian and Saint Tiburtius.
Artist: Amico Aspertini (1474–1552).
Date: 1504.
Current location: Oratorio di Santa Cecilia, Bologna, Italy.
Source/Photographer: Image from Web Gallery of Art
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Valerian, the husband of Saint Cecilia, Tiburtius, his brother, and Maximus, their executioner, who was converted at the sight of their courage, united in 229 A.D. their Martyrdom to that of The Crucified Christ and shared the Glory of Jesus, Risen Again.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide. Sapiéntiam.
Mass: In Paschaltide. Sancti tui.
Epistle and Gospel of The Mass: Protexisti.
Saint Justin. Martyr. Feast Day 14 April.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Justin.
Martyr.
Feast Day 14 April.
Double.
Red Vestments.
English: Saint Justin.
Martyr.
Deutsch: Justin der Märtyrer (auch: Justin der Philosoph).
Phantasieporträt aus dem 16. Jahrhundert.
Date: 16th-Century.
Source: Saint Justin dans André Thevet,
Author: André Thévet (1502–1590).
(Wikimedia Commons)
The most illustrious at that time was Saint Justin, who was born at Nablus (Samaria), about 100 A.D. As a pagan philosopher, he examined the teaching of the pagan philosophical systems and only found error and false wisdom; for human intelligence rejecting Supernatural Light soon goes astray (Epistle, Gradual).
Saint Justin then studied The Word of The Crucified God and became a Christian. Seeing in reason a precious auxiliary of Faith, he opened at Rome the first school of Christian Philosophy and there taught "the eminent science of Jesus Christ" (Collect).
He became celebrated especially by the two Apologies which he had the courage (Gospel) to address successively to the persecuting Emperors Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius (Introit).
An edict of Antoninus mitigated the persecution. Marcus Aurelius, on the contrary, caused Saint Justin to be scourged and condemned him to death. He died a Martyr on 13 April, about 162 A.D.
"Let us conform to the teaching of The Blessed Martyr, Justin" (Postcommunion) "so that we may remain firm in The Faith" (Collect).
Mass: Narravérunt.
Commemoration: Of The Feria, in Lent.
Commemoration: Of The Holy Martyrs Tilburtius and Companions.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
Justin Martyr, also known as Saint Justin (100 A.D. –
165 A.D.), was an Early-Christian Apologist, and is regarded as the foremost interpreter of the Theory of the Logos in the 2nd-Century A.D. He was Martyred, alongside some of his students, and is considered a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Most of his works are lost, but two Apologies and a Dialogue did survive. The First Apology, his most well-known Text, passionately defends the morality of the Christian Life, and provided various ethical and philosophical arguments to convince the Roman Emperor, Antoninus, to abandon the persecution of the fledgling Sect.
Further, he also indicates, as Saint Augustine did regarding the “True Religion” that pre-dated Christianity, that the “seeds of Christianity” (manifestations of the Logos acting in history) actually pre-dated Christ’s Incarnation. This notion allows him to claim many historical Greek Philosophers (including Socrates and Plato), in whose Works he was well studied, as unknowing Christians.
Most of his works are lost, but two Apologies and a Dialogue did survive. The First Apology, his most well-known Text, passionately defends the morality of the Christian Life, and provided various ethical and philosophical arguments to convince the Roman Emperor, Antoninus, to abandon the persecution of the fledgling Sect.
Further, he also indicates, as Saint Augustine did regarding the “True Religion” that pre-dated Christianity, that the “seeds of Christianity” (manifestations of the Logos acting in history) actually pre-dated Christ’s Incarnation. This notion allows him to claim many historical Greek Philosophers (including Socrates and Plato), in whose Works he was well studied, as unknowing Christians.
Saturday 13 April 2024
Zephyrinus Returns On The Great Western Railway (King George V) From The Big Apple.
Illustration: PINTEREST
Not forgetting, of course, a wonderful sailing
across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary . . .
Postcard of the Cunard White Star RMS "Queen Mary".
Date:: Circa 1936.
Source: Postcard Mid-1930s.
Author: Cunard White Star Line.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Acerbicness Rules O.K.
Winston Churchill.
Photograph by Yousuf Karsh, 1941.
Illustration: BRITANNICA.COM
“I am enclosing two tickets
to The First Night of my new Play.
Bring a friend.
If you have one”.
(George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill)
************************
“Cannot possibly attend First Night.
Will attend Second Night.
If there is one”.
(Winston Churchill to George Bernard Shaw)
Saint Hermenegild. Martyr. Feast Day 13 April.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Hermenegild.
Martyr.
Feast Day 13 April.
Semi-Double.
Red Vestments.
English: The Triumph of Saint Hermenegild
Español: Triunfo de San Hermenegildo (1654),
por Francisco de Herrera.
Latin: Triunfo de san Hermenegildo.
Ioannes de Herrera pinxit.
Polski: Triumf św. Hermenegilda (?), 1654, Prado.
Suomi: Francisco de Herreran maalaus Pyhän Hermengildin voitto vuodelta 1654. Barokin taiteessa pyrittiin luomaan voimakas koristeellinen vaikutelma.
Français: Le Triomphe d'Hermenegild, par Francisco de Herrera le Jeune (1654), Musée du Prado, Madrid. Léovigild, le roi arien des Wisigoths conquiert le royaume des Suèves, "catholiques" (christianisme nicéen), au Nord-Ouest de l'Espagne. Il écrase la révolte de son fils Herménégild,
converti par l’évêque Léandre de Séville. Herménégild, fait prisonnier à Cordoue et ayant refusé d'abjurer
le catholicisme, est exécuté et Léandre exilé.
Artist: Francisco de Herrera The Younger
Date: 1654.
Current location: Prado, Madrid.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Hermenegild, son of the King of The Visigoths, in Spain, married the daughter of the Frankish King of Austrasia, and was converted to Catholicism, his family being Arian. His father, in his anger, threw him into a dungeon and, in the night of Easter, caused an Arian Bishop to take Communion to him.
But “God did not abandon him in his prison” (Epistle). Hermenegild sacrificed to The Love of God the love of his father, and of his own life (Gospel), and indignantly repelled the heretical Bishop.
Put to death on 13 April 586 A.D., he shared the triumph of Christ, Who "in The Kingdom of God, gave him The Royal Sceptre" (Epistle). His father died recommending the Martyr's brother, Recarede, to bring back the Nation to The True Faith. Thus, Spain became Catholic.
"Following the example of Saint Hermenegild, who preferred Heavenly Royalty to Earthly Royalty, let us despise perishable possessions and only seek the Eternal ones" (Collect).
Mass: Out of Paschaltide. In virtúte.
Mass: In Paschaltide. Protexisti.
Commemoration and Last Gospel of The Feria in Lent.
Friday 12 April 2024
Paschal Time. Thursday In Easter Week.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 7.
Paschal Time.
Book 1.
“Hæc dies quam fecit Dominus:
Exsultemus et lætemur in ea”.
“This is the day which The Lord hath made:
Let us be glad and rejoice therein”.
After having glorified The Lamb of God, and The Passover, whereby Our Lord destroyed our enemies; after having celebrated our deliverance by water, and our entrance into The Promised Land; let us now fix our respectful gaze upon Him Whose triumph is pre-figured by all these prodigies.
So dazzling is the glory that now beams from this Man-God, that, like the Prophet of Patmos, we shall fall prostrate before Him. But He is so wonderful, too, in His love, that He will encourage us to enjoy the grand vision: He will say to us, as He did to his disciple: “Fear not ! I am the First, and the Last; and alive, and was dead; and behold ! I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of Hell”.
Yes, He is now Master of death, which had held Him captive; He holds in His hand the keys of Hell. These expressions of Scripture signify that He has power over death and the tomb; He has conquered them.
Now, the first use He makes of His victory is to make us partakers of it. Let us adore His infinite goodness; and, in accordance with the wish of Holy Church, let us meditate, today, upon the effects wrought in each one of ourselves by the mystery of The Pasch.
Jesus says to His beloved disciple: “I am alive, and was dead”: The day will come when we also shall triumphantly say: “We are living, and we were dead !”.
Death awaits us: It is daily advancing towards us; we cannot escape its vengeance. “The wages of sin is death”: In these few words of Scripture, we are taught how death is not only universal, but even necessary; for we have all sinned.
This, however, does not make the law less severe; nor can we help seeing a frightful disorder in the violent separation of Soul and body, which were united together by God, Himself.
If we truly understand death, we must remember that God made man immortal: This will explain the instinctive dread we have of death, a dread which one thing alone can conquer; and that is, the spirit of sacrifice.
In the death, then, of each one of us, there is the handiwork of sin, and, consequently, a victory won by Satan; Nay, there would be a humiliation for our Creator, Himself, were it not that, by sentencing us to this punishment, He satisfied His justice.
This is man’s well-merited, but terrible, condemnation. What can he hope for ? Never to die ? It would be folly: The sentence is clear, and none may escape. Can he hope that this body, which is to become first a corpse, and then be turned into a mere handful of dust, will one day return to life, and be reunited to the Soul for which it was made ?
But, who could bring about the reunion of an immortal substance with one that was formerly united with it, but has now seemingly been annihilated ? And yet, O, man ! This is to be thy lot ! Thou shalt rise again; that poor body of thine, which is to die, to be buried, forgotten, and humbled, shall be restored to life.
Yea, it even now comes forth from the tomb, in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ; our future resurrection is accomplished in His; it is, today, that we are made as sure of our resurrection as we are of our death. This, too, makes part of our glorious feast, our Pasch !
God did not, at the beginning, reveal this miracle of His power and goodness: All He said to Adam was: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return”. Not a word, not an allusion, which gives the culprit the least hope with reference to that portion of himself which is thus doomed to death and the grave.
It was fitting that the ungrateful pride, which had led man to rebel against his Maker, should be humbled. Later on, the great mystery was revealed at least partially.
Four thousand years ago, a poor sufferer, whose body was covered with ulcers, spoke these words of hope: “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise out of the earth. And I shall be clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God: This my hope is laid up in my bosom”.
Monsignor Conlon (R.I.P.). This Wonderful Priest. Please Remember Him In Your Prayers And Masses.
The following Text is from
Of your Charity, Pray for the repose of the Soul of Antony Conlon (R.I.P.), Priest, who departed this life in 2020.
I did not know him as well as others, but met him a few times,
and he struck me as a fine Priest.
Here he is Preaching at The First Mass of Canon Scott Tanner, ICRSS, at Saint Birinus, Dorchester-on-Thames,
a couple of years back.
It was a belter of a Sermon, too.
I was privileged to be The Master of Ceremonies for the Mass.
Jesu Mercy, Mary Pray.
Votive Masses. All Of Which Can Be Requested Of Your Parish Priest (Pastor). Including A Votive Mass In Time Of Pestilence (Such As Coronavirus).
Pope Saint Zephyrinus.
(Papacy 199 A.D. - 217 A.D.).
Date: 24 March 2006 (original upload date).
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia;
Original uploader was Amberrock at en.wikipedia;
transferred to Commons by
User:Sreejithk2000 using CommonsHelper.
Author: Not Known.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.
Votive Masses, which may be said on certain Feast Days of Semi-Double or Simple Rite, and on certain Ferias, have been instituted to meet the wishes of The Faithful and satisfy Private Devotion.
The ordinary Votive Masses, as also the ordinary Masses for The Dead, may not be said on Greater Ferias, except on those of Advent.
The ordinary Votive Masses, as also the ordinary Masses for The Dead, may not be said on Greater Ferias, except on those of Advent.
Examples of Votive Masses,
which can be requested of the Parish Priest, or Pastor,
by The Faithful,
include:
Votive Mass of Jesus Christ The High Priest;
Votive Mass of The Holy Trinity;
Votive Mass of The Holy Angels;
Votive Mass of Saint Joseph;
Votive Mass of Saints Peter and Paul;
Votive Mass of all The Holy Apostles;
Votive Mass of The Holy Ghost;
Votive Mass to obtain The Grace of The Holy Ghost;
Votive Mass of The Blessed Sacrament;
Votive Mass of The Holy Cross;
Votive Mass of The Passion;
Votive Mass of The Blessed Virgin Mary;
Votive Mass for Papal Election;
Votive Mass on the Anniversary of a Pope;
Votive Mass for the Consecration of a Bishop;
Votive Mass on the Anniversary of a Bishop;
Votive Mass of Ordination;
Votive Mass for The Sick;
Votive Mass for a dying Person;
Votive Mass for the Propagation of The Faith;
Votive Mass against The Heathen;
Votive Mass for the Removal of Schism;
Votive Mass in Time of War;
Votive Mass for Peace;
Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence;
Votive Mass of Thanksgiving;
Votive Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins;
Votive Mass for Pilgrims and Travellers;
Votive Mass for Any Necessity;
Votive Mass for a Happy Death;
Votive Mass of The Sacred Heart;
Votive Mass of The Holy Name;
Votive Mass of The Precious Blood;
Votive Mass of Christ The King;
Votive Mass of The Holy Family;
Votive Mass of The Immaculate Conception;
Votive Mass of The Seven Sorrows;
Votive Mass of All Saints;
Votive Mass of Any Canonised Saint
(even if not mentioned in The Universal Calendar).
Thursday 11 April 2024
Saint Leo I (Saint Leo The Great). Pope. Confessor And Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day 11 April.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Leo I.
Pope.
Confessor.
Doctor of The Church.
Feast Day 11 April.
Double.
White Vestments.
English: Saint Leo Magnus
Saint Leo the Great.
Pope Leo I.
Español: San León Magno.
Artist: Francisco de Herrera el Mozo (1622-1685).
Current location: Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
Source: www.pintura.aut.org
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Leo, surnamed “The Great”, was called to govern The Church (Communion). In him are verified the words of the Introit, taken from The Book of Wisdom: “The Lord has opened his mouth in the midst of The Church and has filled him with the Spirit of Wisdom and Intelligence”. And, also, the words of the Offertory: “I have anointed My servant with Holy Oil and I lent him the strength of My arm.”
As Doctor of The Church and defender of civilisation, he gained signal victories over heretics and barbarians.
Saint Leo the Great.
Available on YouTube at
He opposed Eutyches, who denied the two Natures of Christ, and Nestorius, who affirmed that there were two Persons in Jesus; which fatal doctrines tended towards the destruction of the great work of Redemption celebrated by the Paschal Cycle.
The Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) exclaimed: “Peter has spoken by the mouth of Leo.” Wherefore, the Gospel reminds us of the prerogatives of the Chief Pastor of The Church.
The Meeting between Pope Leo the Great
(painted as a portrait of Pope Leo X) and Attila.
Artist: Raphael (1483–1520).
Description: The fresco was completed after the death of Pope Julius II (Pontiff from 1503 to 1513), during the Pontificate of his successor, Pope Leo X (Pontiff from 1513 to 1521).
In fact, the latter appears twice in the same scene, portrayed in the guise of Pope Leo the Great and as a Cardinal. According to legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul, armed with swords, during the meeting between Pope Leo the Great and Attila (452 A.D.) caused the King of the Huns to desist from invading Italy and marching on Rome.
Date of Painting: 1514.
Location: Stanza di Eliodoro, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
Source/Photographer: Web gallery of Art:
![[2]](http://www.wga.hu/art/r/raphael/4stanze/2eliodor/4meetin.jpg){kind=link}
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Leo the Great.
Available on YouTube at
Saint Leo stopped the advance of Attila the Hun, “the scourge of God”, at the Gates of Rome (452 A.D.) and decided him to retire to Pannonia (North Balkans). Saint Leo died on 11 April 461 A.D.
Let us ask God , through Saint Leo’s intercession, to apply to us the merits of the Risen Christ, that we may be freed from our sins. (Collect).
Mass: In médio.
Commemoration: Of the Feria, in Lent.
Last Gospel: Of the Feria, in Lent.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
Pope Leo I (400 A.D. – 461 A.D.), also known as Saint Leo the Great, was Pope from 29 September 440 A.D., to his death in 461 A.D.
He was an Italian aristocrat, and was the first Pope to have been called “The Great”. He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 A.D., and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.
He is also a Doctor of The Church, most remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, a document which was foundational to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D). The Council of Chalcedon, the fourth Ecumenical Council, dealt primarily with Christology, and elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ’s Being as the Hypostatic Union of two Natures — Divine and Human — united in one person, “with neither confusion nor division”. It was followed by a major Schism, associated with Monophysitism, Miaphysitism and Dyophysitism.
English: Altar of Saint Leo The Great,
Basilica of Saint Peter’s, Vatican.
Italiano: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano.
Photo: 16 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sailko
(Wikimedia Commons)
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
He was an Italian aristocrat, and was the first Pope to have been called “The Great”. He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 A.D., and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.
He is also a Doctor of The Church, most remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, a document which was foundational to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D). The Council of Chalcedon, the fourth Ecumenical Council, dealt primarily with Christology, and elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ’s Being as the Hypostatic Union of two Natures — Divine and Human — united in one person, “with neither confusion nor division”. It was followed by a major Schism, associated with Monophysitism, Miaphysitism and Dyophysitism.
About the same time, John Cassian dedicated to him the Treatise against Nestorius, written at his request. But nothing shows more plainly the confidence felt in him than his being chosen by the Emperor to settle the dispute between Aëtius and Cæcina Decius Aginatius Albinus, the two highest officials in Gaul.
English: Emblem of the Papacy: Triple Tiara and Keys.
Deutsch: Emblem des Pontifikats.
Français: Emblème pontifical.
Italiano: Emblema del Papato.
Português: Emblema papal.
Date: 19 January 2007.
Source: various elements taken from File:Holysee-arms.svg
Author: Cronholm144 created this image using a file by
User:Hautala - File:Emblem of Vatican City State.svg, who had created his file using PD art from Open Clip Art Library and uploaded on 13 July 2006.
User talk:F l a n k e r uploaded this version
on 19 January 2007.
(Wikimedia Commons)
(11 August 440 A.D.), and Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. On 29 September 440 A.D., he entered upon a Pontificate which was to be epoch-making for the centralisation of the government of the Roman Church.
Leo’s writings (both the Sermons and the Letters) are mostly concerned with Theological questions concerning the Person of Jesus Christ (Christology) and His role as Mediator and Saviour (Soteriology). This is partially connected to the Council of Chalcedon, in which Roman Legates participated in Leo’s name.
Subsequently, through numerous Letters addressed to Bishops and members of the Imperial Family, Leo incessantly worked for the propagation and universal reception of the Faith in Christ, as defined by Chalcedon, also in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
Leo was a significant contributor to the centralisation of Spiritual authority within The Church and in reaffirming Papal authority. While the Bishop of Rome had always been viewed as the Chief Patriarch in the Western Church, much of the Pope’s authority was delegated to local Diocesan Bishops. Not without serious opposition did he succeed in reasserting his authority in Gaul. Patroclus of Arles (☩ 426 A.D.) had received from Pope Zosimus the recognition of a Subordinate-Primacy over the Gallican Church, which was strongly asserted by his successor, Hilary of Arles.
An appeal from Chelidonius of Besançon gave Leo the opportunity to reassert the Pope’s authority over Hilary, who defended himself stoutly at Rome, refusing to recognise Leo’s judicial status. Feeling that the Primatial Rights of the Bishop of Rome were threatened, Leo appealed to the Civil Power for support, and obtained from Emperor Valentinian III the famous decree of 6 June 445 A.D., which recognised the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome, based on the merits of Peter, the dignity of the City, and the legislation of the First Council of Nicaea; and provided for the forcible extradition by Provincial Governors of any Bishop who refused to answer a summons to Rome. Faced with this decree, Hilary submitted to the Pope, although under Hilary’s successor, Ravennius, Leo divided the Metropolitan Rights between Arles and Vienne (450 A.D.).
In 445 A.D., Leo disputed with Patriarch Dioscorus, Saint Cyril’s successor as Patriarch of Alexandria, insisting that the Ecclesiastical practice of his See should follow that of Rome, on the basis that Mark the Evangelist, the Disciple of Saint Peter and Founder of the Alexandrian Church, could have had no other Tradition than that of the Prince of the Apostles. This, of course, was not the position of the Copts, who saw the ancient Patriarchates as equals.
Regarding Africa, the fact that the African Province of Mauretania Caesariensis had been preserved to the Empire and, thus, to the Nicene Faith during the Vandal Invasion, and in its isolation was disposed to rest on outside support, gave Leo an opportunity to assert his authority there, which he did decisively in regard to a number of questions of discipline.
Regarding Italy, in a Letter to the Bishops of Campania, Picenum, and Tuscany (443 A.D.) he required the observance of all his precepts and those of his predecessors; and he sharply rebuked the Bishops of Sicily (447 A.D.) for their deviation from the Roman custom as to the time of Baptism, requiring them to send delegates to the Roman Synod to learn the proper practice.
Regarding Greece, because of the earlier line of division between the Western and Eastern parts of the Roman Empire, Illyria was Ecclesiastically subject to Rome. Pope Innocent I had constituted the Metropolitan of Thessalonica his Vicar, in order to oppose the growing influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the area.
In a Letter of, about, 446 A.D., to a successor Bishop of Thessalonica, Anastasius, Leo reproached him for the way he had treated one of the Metropolitan Bishops subject to him; after giving various instructions about the functions entrusted to Anastasius and stressing that certain powers were reserved to the Pope, himself, Leo wrote: “The care of the Universal Church should converge towards Peter’s one Seat, and nothing anywhere should be separated from its Head.”
A favourable occasion for extending the authority of Rome, in The East, was offered in the renewal of the Christological controversy by Eutyches, who, in the beginning of the conflict, appealed to Pope Leo and took refuge with him on his condemnation by Flavian. But, on receiving full information from Flavian, Pope Leo took his side decisively. In 451 A.D., at the Council of Chalcedon, after Leo’s Tome on the Two Natures of Christ was read out, the Bishops participating in the Council cried out: “This is the Faith of the Fathers . . . Peter has spoken thus through Pope Leo . . .”
An uncompromising foe of Heresy, Leo found that in the Diocese of Aquileia, Pelagians were received into Church communion without formal repudiation of their errors; he wrote to rebuke them, making accusations of culpable negligence, and required a solemn abjuration before a Synod.
Manichæans, fleeing before the Vandals, had come to Rome in 439 A.D., and secretly organised there; Leo learned of this around 443 A.D., and proceeded against them by holding a public debate with their representatives, burning their books, and warning the Roman Christians against them.
Nor was his attitude less decided against the Priscillianists. Bishop Turrubius of Astorga, astonished at the spread of this Sect, in Spain, had addressed the other Spanish Bishops on the subject, sending a copy of his Letter to Leo, who took the opportunity to exercise Roman policy in Spain. He wrote an extended Treatise (21 July 447 A.D.), against the Sect, examining its false teaching in detail, and calling for a Spanish General Council to investigate whether it had any adherents in the Episcopate, but this was prevented by the political circumstances of Spain.
At the Second Council of Ephesus, in 449 A.D., Leo’s Representatives delivered his famous Tome (Latin: Letter), or Statement of The Faith of The Roman Church, in the form of a Letter addressed to Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople, which repeats, in close adherence to Augustine, the formulas of Western Christology. The Council did not read the Letter, and paid no attention to the protests of Leo’s Legates, but deposed Flavian and Eusebius of Dorylaeum, who appealed to Rome. Partially due to this, the Council was never recognised as Ecumenical, and was later repudiated by the Council of Chalcedon.
It was presented again, at the subsequent Council of Chalcedon, as offering a solution to the Christological controversies still raging between East and West. This time it was read out. The Acts of the Council report: “After the reading of the foregoing Epistle, the most reverend Bishops cried out: This is the Faith of the Fathers, this is the Faith of the Apostles. So we all believe, thus the orthodox believe. Anathema to him who does not thus believe. Peter has spoken thus through Leo. So taught the Apostles. Piously and truly did Leo teach, so taught Cyril. Everlasting be the memory of Cyril. Leo and Cyril taught the same thing, anathema to him who does not so believe. This is the True Faith. Those of us who are orthodox thus believe. This is the Faith of the Fathers. Why were not these things read at Ephesus ? These are the things Dioscorus hid away.”
Leo demanded of the Emperor that an Ecumenical Council should be held in Italy, and, in the meantime, at a Roman Synod in October 449 A.D., repudiated all the decisions of the “Robber Synod” (the Second Council of Ephesus, 449 A.D.). Without going into a critical examination of its Dogmatic Decrees, in his Letters to the Emperor, and others, he demanded the deposition of Eutyches as a Manichæan and Docetic Heretic.
With the death of Theodosius II, in 450 A.D., and the sudden change in the Eastern situation, Anatolius, the new Patriarch of Constantinople, fulfilled Leo’s requirements, and his Tome was everywhere read and recognised.
Leo was now no longer desirous of having a Council, especially since it was not to be held in Italy. Instead, it was called to meet at Nicaea, then subsequently transferred to Chalcedon, where his Legates held at least an Honorary Presidency, and where the Bishops recognised him as the interpreter of the Voice of Peter and as the Head of their Body, requesting of him the confirmation of their Decrees.
He firmly declined to confirm their disciplinary arrangements, which seemed to allow Constantinople a practically equal authority with Rome and regarded the civil importance of a City as a determining factor in its Ecclesiastical position; but he strongly supported its Dogmatic Decrees, especially when, after the accession of Leo I, the Thracian (457 A.D.), there seemed to be a disposition toward compromise with the Eutychians.
He succeeded in having an Imperial Patriarch, and not the Oriental Orthodox Pope Timotheus Aelurus, chosen as Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria, on the murder of Greek Patriarch Proterius of Alexandria.
The approaching collapse of the Western Empire gave Leo a further opportunity to appear as the representative of lawful authority.
Despite his defeat at the Battle of Chalons in 451 A.D., Attila invaded Italy in 452 A.D., sacking Cities, such as Aquileia, and heading for Rome. He allegedly demanded that the sister of the reigning Emperor, Valentinian III, be sent to him with a Dowry. In response, the Emperor sent three Envoys to negotiate with Attila: Gennadius Avienus, one of the Consuls of 450 A.D., Memmius Aemilius Trygetius, the former Urban Prefect, and Leo.
Little is known of the specifics of the negotiations, as a result of which Attila withdrew. Historians debate possible reasons. The Pope may have offered Attila a large sum of gold or Attila may have had logistical and strategic concerns: An army probably laden with booty from plunder; a plague in Northern Italy; food shortages; military actions of the Eastern Emperor, Marcianus, on the Danube Frontier.
Most historians celebrated Leo’s actions, giving him all the credit for this successful Embassy. According to Prosper of Aquitaine, Attila was so impressed by Leo that he withdrew. Jordanes says that Attila was afraid of sharing the fate of the Visigoth King, Alaric, who died shortly after sacking Rome in 410 A.D. Paul the Deacon, in the Late-8th-Century A.D., relates that an enormously huge man dressed in Priestly Robes and armed with a naked sword, visible only to Attila, threatened him and his army with death during his discourse with Leo, and this prompted Attila to submit to his request.
Unfortunately, Leo’s intercession could not prevent the Sack of the City by the Vandals, in 455 A.D., but murder and arson were repressed by his influence. He died in 461 A.D.
In his “Nativitate Domini”, in the Christmas Day Sermon, “Christian, remember your dignity”, Leo appears to articulate a fundamental and inclusive human dignity and equality: The Saint, the sinner, and the unbeliever are all equal as sinners, and none is excluded in the call to “happiness”:
Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: Let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No-one is kept from sharing in this happiness.
There is for all one common measure of joy, because as Our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the Saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the Gentile take courage in that he is called to Life.
The significance of Leo’s Pontificate lies in his assertion of the Universal Jurisdiction of the Roman Bishop, as expressed in his Letters, and, still more, in his ninety-six extant Orations. This assertion is commonly referred to as the Doctrine of Petrine Supremacy.
According to Leo and several Church Fathers, as well as certain interpretations of the Scriptures, The Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16–19. Peter participates in everything which is Christ’s; what the other Apostles have in common with Him, they have through him.
What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other Bishop is charged with the care of his particular flock, The Roman Pontiff with that of the whole Church. Other Bishops are his assistants in this great task. In Leo’s eyes, the Decrees of the Council of Chalcedon acquired their validity from his confirmation.
Leo’s Letters and Sermons reflect the many aspects of his career and personality,and are invaluable historical sources. His rhythmic prose style, called “cursus leonicus”, influenced Ecclesiastical language for centuries.
The Roman Catholic Church marks 10 November as the Feast Day of Saint Leo, given in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum and the 8th-Century A.D. Calendar of Saint Willibrord as the date of his death and entry to Heaven. His Feast was once Celebrated in Rome on 28 June, the anniversary of the placing of his Relics in Saint Peter's Basilica, but, in the 12th-Century, the Gallican Rite Feast Day of 11 April was admitted to the General Roman Calendar, which maintained that date until 1969. Some Traditionalist Catholics continue to observe Pre-1970 versions of that Calendar.
The Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as the Eastern Orthodox Church, celebrate Saint Leo’s Feast Day on
Leo’s writings (both the Sermons and the Letters) are mostly concerned with Theological questions concerning the Person of Jesus Christ (Christology) and His role as Mediator and Saviour (Soteriology). This is partially connected to the Council of Chalcedon, in which Roman Legates participated in Leo’s name.
Subsequently, through numerous Letters addressed to Bishops and members of the Imperial Family, Leo incessantly worked for the propagation and universal reception of the Faith in Christ, as defined by Chalcedon, also in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
Leo defends the True Divinity and the True Humanity of the One Christ against Heretical one-sidedness. He takes up this topic also in many of his Sermons, and over the years he further develops his own original concepts.
A central idea, around which Leo deepens and explains his Theology, is Christ’s Presence in The Church, more specifically in the Teaching and Preaching of the Faith (Scripture, Tradition and their Interpretation), in the Liturgy (Sacraments and Celebrations), in the life of the individual believer and of the organised Church, especially in a Council.
Leo contributes to the development of the Doctrine on Papal Primacy, based on his personal devotion to Saint Peter and on the Veneration for the Apostle and his tomb in Rome. Besides recourse to Biblical language, Leo also describes his own special relationship with Saint Peter in terms derived from Roman law. He calls himself the (unworthy) heir and Deputy (Vicarius) of Peter, having received his Apostolic authority and being obliged to follow his example.
On the one hand, Peter stands before him with a claim on how Leo is to exercise his Office; on the other hand, Leo, as the Roman Bishop, represents the Apostle, whose authority he holds. Christ, however, always comes out as the Source of All Grace and Authority, and Leo is responsible to Him for how he fulfils his duties (cf. Sermon 1).
Peter is indeed the example for Leo’s relationship to Christ. Thus, the Office of the Roman Bishop, with its universal significance, is grounded on the special relationship between Christ and Saint Peter, a relationship that, “per se”, cannot be repeated; therefore, Leo depends on Saint Peter’s mediation, his assistance and his example, in order to be able to adequately fulfil his role and exercise his authority as the Bishop of Rome, both in the City and beyond.
A central idea, around which Leo deepens and explains his Theology, is Christ’s Presence in The Church, more specifically in the Teaching and Preaching of the Faith (Scripture, Tradition and their Interpretation), in the Liturgy (Sacraments and Celebrations), in the life of the individual believer and of the organised Church, especially in a Council.
English: Church of Saint Leo The Great,
Morbihan, France.
Français: Église de Treffléan (Morbihan).
Photo: January 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Stéphane Batigne
(Wikimedia Commons)
On the one hand, Peter stands before him with a claim on how Leo is to exercise his Office; on the other hand, Leo, as the Roman Bishop, represents the Apostle, whose authority he holds. Christ, however, always comes out as the Source of All Grace and Authority, and Leo is responsible to Him for how he fulfils his duties (cf. Sermon 1).
Peter is indeed the example for Leo’s relationship to Christ. Thus, the Office of the Roman Bishop, with its universal significance, is grounded on the special relationship between Christ and Saint Peter, a relationship that, “per se”, cannot be repeated; therefore, Leo depends on Saint Peter’s mediation, his assistance and his example, in order to be able to adequately fulfil his role and exercise his authority as the Bishop of Rome, both in the City and beyond.
An appeal from Chelidonius of Besançon gave Leo the opportunity to reassert the Pope’s authority over Hilary, who defended himself stoutly at Rome, refusing to recognise Leo’s judicial status. Feeling that the Primatial Rights of the Bishop of Rome were threatened, Leo appealed to the Civil Power for support, and obtained from Emperor Valentinian III the famous decree of 6 June 445 A.D., which recognised the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome, based on the merits of Peter, the dignity of the City, and the legislation of the First Council of Nicaea; and provided for the forcible extradition by Provincial Governors of any Bishop who refused to answer a summons to Rome. Faced with this decree, Hilary submitted to the Pope, although under Hilary’s successor, Ravennius, Leo divided the Metropolitan Rights between Arles and Vienne (450 A.D.).
English: Church of Saint Leo The Great,
Ponteginori, Tuscany, Italy.
Italiano: Ponteginori - Chiesa di San Leone Magno.
Photo: 9 October 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Daio
(Wikimedia Commons)
Regarding Africa, the fact that the African Province of Mauretania Caesariensis had been preserved to the Empire and, thus, to the Nicene Faith during the Vandal Invasion, and in its isolation was disposed to rest on outside support, gave Leo an opportunity to assert his authority there, which he did decisively in regard to a number of questions of discipline.
Regarding Greece, because of the earlier line of division between the Western and Eastern parts of the Roman Empire, Illyria was Ecclesiastically subject to Rome. Pope Innocent I had constituted the Metropolitan of Thessalonica his Vicar, in order to oppose the growing influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople in the area.
Saint Leo the Great Church,
Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Photo: 6 November 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Teda13
(Wikimedia Commons)
A favourable occasion for extending the authority of Rome, in The East, was offered in the renewal of the Christological controversy by Eutyches, who, in the beginning of the conflict, appealed to Pope Leo and took refuge with him on his condemnation by Flavian. But, on receiving full information from Flavian, Pope Leo took his side decisively. In 451 A.D., at the Council of Chalcedon, after Leo’s Tome on the Two Natures of Christ was read out, the Bishops participating in the Council cried out: “This is the Faith of the Fathers . . . Peter has spoken thus through Pope Leo . . .”
Manichæans, fleeing before the Vandals, had come to Rome in 439 A.D., and secretly organised there; Leo learned of this around 443 A.D., and proceeded against them by holding a public debate with their representatives, burning their books, and warning the Roman Christians against them.
Stained-Glass Window, depicting Doctors
of The Church, including Saint Leo the Great.
Saint Mary’s Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Kentucky, United States of America.
Photo: 13 December 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Nheyob
(Wikimedia Commons)
Nor was his attitude less decided against the Priscillianists. Bishop Turrubius of Astorga, astonished at the spread of this Sect, in Spain, had addressed the other Spanish Bishops on the subject, sending a copy of his Letter to Leo, who took the opportunity to exercise Roman policy in Spain. He wrote an extended Treatise (21 July 447 A.D.), against the Sect, examining its false teaching in detail, and calling for a Spanish General Council to investigate whether it had any adherents in the Episcopate, but this was prevented by the political circumstances of Spain.
At the Second Council of Ephesus, in 449 A.D., Leo’s Representatives delivered his famous Tome (Latin: Letter), or Statement of The Faith of The Roman Church, in the form of a Letter addressed to Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople, which repeats, in close adherence to Augustine, the formulas of Western Christology. The Council did not read the Letter, and paid no attention to the protests of Leo’s Legates, but deposed Flavian and Eusebius of Dorylaeum, who appealed to Rome. Partially due to this, the Council was never recognised as Ecumenical, and was later repudiated by the Council of Chalcedon.
Leo demanded of the Emperor that an Ecumenical Council should be held in Italy, and, in the meantime, at a Roman Synod in October 449 A.D., repudiated all the decisions of the “Robber Synod” (the Second Council of Ephesus, 449 A.D.). Without going into a critical examination of its Dogmatic Decrees, in his Letters to the Emperor, and others, he demanded the deposition of Eutyches as a Manichæan and Docetic Heretic.
English: Stained-Glass Window, depicting Saint Leo the Great. Church of Saint Vincent-de-Paul, Clichy, France.
Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster (Ausschnitt) in der katholischen Pfarrkirche Saint-Vincent-de-Paul,
in Clichy. Darstellung: Papst Leo der Große
Photo: 28 March 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: GFreihalter
(Wikimedia Commons)
Leo was now no longer desirous of having a Council, especially since it was not to be held in Italy. Instead, it was called to meet at Nicaea, then subsequently transferred to Chalcedon, where his Legates held at least an Honorary Presidency, and where the Bishops recognised him as the interpreter of the Voice of Peter and as the Head of their Body, requesting of him the confirmation of their Decrees.
He succeeded in having an Imperial Patriarch, and not the Oriental Orthodox Pope Timotheus Aelurus, chosen as Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria, on the murder of Greek Patriarch Proterius of Alexandria.
English: Mark the Evangelist between two Doctors of The Church (Augustinus and, possibly, Leo the Great). Detail from the manneristic frescos by Carlo Urbino on the Ceiling of the Altar Chapel in the Cappella di sant'Aquilino in the
Italiano: San Marco Evangelista fra due Dottori della Chiesa (Sant'Agostino e Leone Magno). Particolare dagli affreschi manieristi di Carlo Urbino sul soffitto della cappella dell'altare nella Cappella di sant'Aquilino nella
Photo: 18 May 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto
(Wikimedia Commons)
Despite his defeat at the Battle of Chalons in 451 A.D., Attila invaded Italy in 452 A.D., sacking Cities, such as Aquileia, and heading for Rome. He allegedly demanded that the sister of the reigning Emperor, Valentinian III, be sent to him with a Dowry. In response, the Emperor sent three Envoys to negotiate with Attila: Gennadius Avienus, one of the Consuls of 450 A.D., Memmius Aemilius Trygetius, the former Urban Prefect, and Leo.
Little is known of the specifics of the negotiations, as a result of which Attila withdrew. Historians debate possible reasons. The Pope may have offered Attila a large sum of gold or Attila may have had logistical and strategic concerns: An army probably laden with booty from plunder; a plague in Northern Italy; food shortages; military actions of the Eastern Emperor, Marcianus, on the Danube Frontier.
Besides, the whereabouts of Aëtius (famous Roman General) at that time are unknown, and Attila, or his warriors, may have felt endangered by their arch-enemy from the Catalaunian Plains.
John B. Bury remarked: “The fact of the Embassy cannot be doubted. The distinguished Ambassadors visited the Hun’s Camp, near the South Shore of Lake Garda. It is also certain that Attila suddenly retreated. But we are at a loss to know what considerations were offered him to induce him to depart. It is unreasonable to suppose that this heathen King would have cared for the thunders or persuasions of The Church.
The Emperor refused to surrender Honoria (his sister), and it is not recorded that money was paid.
A trustworthy chronicle hands down another account, which does not conflict with the fact that an Embassy was sent, but evidently furnishes the true reasons which moved Attila to receive it favourably. Plague broke out in the barbarian host and their food ran short, and, at the same time, troops arrived from The East, sent by Marcian (Marcianus: The Eastern Emperor) to the aid of Italy.
If his host was suffering from pestilence, and if troops arrived from The East, we can understand that Attila was forced to withdraw. But whatever terms were arranged, he did not pretend that they meant a permanent Peace. The question of Honoria was left unsettled, and he threatened that he would come again and do worse things in Italy, unless she were given up with the due portion of the Imperial Possessions.
John B. Bury remarked: “The fact of the Embassy cannot be doubted. The distinguished Ambassadors visited the Hun’s Camp, near the South Shore of Lake Garda. It is also certain that Attila suddenly retreated. But we are at a loss to know what considerations were offered him to induce him to depart. It is unreasonable to suppose that this heathen King would have cared for the thunders or persuasions of The Church.
Saint Leo, in Glory.
Source: Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Author: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770).
(Wikimedia Commons)
A trustworthy chronicle hands down another account, which does not conflict with the fact that an Embassy was sent, but evidently furnishes the true reasons which moved Attila to receive it favourably. Plague broke out in the barbarian host and their food ran short, and, at the same time, troops arrived from The East, sent by Marcian (Marcianus: The Eastern Emperor) to the aid of Italy.
If his host was suffering from pestilence, and if troops arrived from The East, we can understand that Attila was forced to withdraw. But whatever terms were arranged, he did not pretend that they meant a permanent Peace. The question of Honoria was left unsettled, and he threatened that he would come again and do worse things in Italy, unless she were given up with the due portion of the Imperial Possessions.
Unfortunately, Leo’s intercession could not prevent the Sack of the City by the Vandals, in 455 A.D., but murder and arson were repressed by his influence. He died in 461 A.D.
Church of Saint Leo the Great and Saint Boniface,
Gołdap, Poland.
Photo: 10 August 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ludwig Schneider
Ludwig Schneider / Wikimedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: Let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No-one is kept from sharing in this happiness.
There is for all one common measure of joy, because as Our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the Saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the Gentile take courage in that he is called to Life.
According to Leo and several Church Fathers, as well as certain interpretations of the Scriptures, The Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16–19. Peter participates in everything which is Christ’s; what the other Apostles have in common with Him, they have through him.
What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other Bishop is charged with the care of his particular flock, The Roman Pontiff with that of the whole Church. Other Bishops are his assistants in this great task. In Leo’s eyes, the Decrees of the Council of Chalcedon acquired their validity from his confirmation.
English: Church of Pope Saint Leo the Great,
Wejherowo, Poland.
Polski: Wejherowo, ul. Sobieskiego - kościół św. Leona Wielkiego. Ujęty z tyłu. (zabytek nr 1890 z 5.11.2012).
Photo: 12 April 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Starscream
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Roman Catholic Church marks 10 November as the Feast Day of Saint Leo, given in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum and the 8th-Century A.D. Calendar of Saint Willibrord as the date of his death and entry to Heaven. His Feast was once Celebrated in Rome on 28 June, the anniversary of the placing of his Relics in Saint Peter's Basilica, but, in the 12th-Century, the Gallican Rite Feast Day of 11 April was admitted to the General Roman Calendar, which maintained that date until 1969. Some Traditionalist Catholics continue to observe Pre-1970 versions of that Calendar.
The Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as the Eastern Orthodox Church, celebrate Saint Leo’s Feast Day on
18 February.
Leo was originally buried in his own monument. However, some years after his death, his remains were put into a tomb that contained the first four Pope Leos. In the 18th-Century, Leo the Great’s Relics were separated from those of the other Leos and he was given his own Chapel.
Hymns.
Troparion (Tone 3).
You were The Church’s instrument in strengthening the teaching of true doctrine; you shone forth from The West like a Sun dispelling the errors of the Heretics. Righteous Leo, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy.
Troparion (Tone 8).
O, Champion of Orthodoxy, and teacher of holiness. The enlightenment of the Universe and the inspired glory of true believers. O, most wise Father Leo, your teachings are as music of the Holy Spirit for us ! Pray that Christ our God may save our Souls !
Kontakion (Tone 3).
Seated upon the Throne of the Priesthood, glorious Leo, you shut the mouths of the spiritual lions. With divinely-inspired teachings of the Honoured Trinity, you shed the light of the knowledge of God upon your flock. Therefore, you are glorified as a Divine Initiate of the Grace of God.
Leo was originally buried in his own monument. However, some years after his death, his remains were put into a tomb that contained the first four Pope Leos. In the 18th-Century, Leo the Great’s Relics were separated from those of the other Leos and he was given his own Chapel.
English: Church of Saint Leo the Great,
Mauricie, Canada.
Français: L’église Saint-Léon-le-Grand, Mauricie,
Canada, est une église construite entre 1819 et 1824.
Photo: 3 September 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fralambert
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Church of Saint Leo the Great,
Mauricie, Canada.
Français: L’église Saint-Léon-le-Grand, Mauricie,
Canada, est une église construite entre 1819 et 1824.
Photo: 3 September 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fralambert
(Wikimedia Commons)
English: Church of Saint Leo the Great,
Mauricie, Canada.
Français: L’église Saint-Léon-le-Grand, Mauricie,
Canada, est une église construite entre 1819 et 1824.
Photo: 3 September 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Fralambert
(Wikimedia Commons)
Hymns.
Troparion (Tone 3).
You were The Church’s instrument in strengthening the teaching of true doctrine; you shone forth from The West like a Sun dispelling the errors of the Heretics. Righteous Leo, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy.
Troparion (Tone 8).
O, Champion of Orthodoxy, and teacher of holiness. The enlightenment of the Universe and the inspired glory of true believers. O, most wise Father Leo, your teachings are as music of the Holy Spirit for us ! Pray that Christ our God may save our Souls !
Kontakion (Tone 3).
Seated upon the Throne of the Priesthood, glorious Leo, you shut the mouths of the spiritual lions. With divinely-inspired teachings of the Honoured Trinity, you shed the light of the knowledge of God upon your flock. Therefore, you are glorified as a Divine Initiate of the Grace of God.
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