The Greater Litanies (25 April). The Lesser Litanies. Rogation Days. Litany Of The Saints.

Roman Text taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.
Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Station is at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Violet Vestments.

The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields, Rogation Sunday, Hever, Kent , England.

Photo: 9 February 1967.

Source: From geograph.org.uk.

Author: Ray Trevena.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church celebrated, yesterday (25 April), two Solemnities, which have nothing in common: The Greater Litanies, so called on account of their Roman origin, and the Feast of Saint Mark, which is of later date. The word "Litany" means "Supplication".

In ancient Rome, on 25 April, used to be celebrated the pagan feast of Robigalia. It consisted, principally, of a Procession, which, leaving the City by the Flaminian Gate, went to the Milvian Bridge and ended in a suburban Sanctuary situated on the Claudian Way.

There, a ewe was sacrificed in honour of a god or goddess of the name Robigo (god or goddess of frost). The Greater Litany was the substitution of a Christian, for a pagan, ceremony. Its itinerary is known to us by a convocation of Saint Gregory the Great. It is, approximately, the same as that of the pagan Procession.

All the Faithful in Rome betook themselves to the Church of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina, the nearest to the Flaminian Gate. Leaving by this Gate, the Procession made a Station at Saint Valentine's, crossed the Milvian Bridge, and branched off to the Left towards the Vatican.

After halting at a Cross, it entered the Basilica of Saint Peter for the celebration of the Holy Mysteries.

This Litany is recited throughout the Church to keep away calamities, and to draw down the Blessing of God on the harvest. "Vouchsafe to grant us to preserve the fruits of the earth, we pray Thee, hear us," is sung by the Procession through the countryside.

The whole Mass shows what assiduous Prayer may obtain, when in the midst of our adversities (Collects, Offertory) we have recourse with confidence to Our Father in Heaven (Epistle, Gospel, Communion).

If the Feast of Saint Mark is transferred, the Litanies are not transferred, unless they fall on Easter Sunday. In which case, they are transferred to the following Tuesday.

Litany of the Saints.

Available on YouTube at http://youtu.be/KiM9uJIN64g

LITANY OF THE SAINTS.

The Litany of the Saints is used in connection with:

Holy Mass on The Greater Litanies (25 April);

The Lesser Litanies (Rogation Days);

Holy Saturday;

The Vigil of Pentecost;

Masses of Ordination , before the conferring of Major Orders.

On Saint Mark's and Rogation Days, if the Procession is held, the Litany is preceded by the Antiphon, "Exurge, Domine," (Psalm xliii. 26), and all invocations are sung by the Cantors and repeated in full by the Choir [i.e., "Doubled"]. 

If the Procession cannot be held, the invocations are not repeated.

On the Vigils of Easter and Pentecost, the invocations marked with an asterisk (*) in the Missal are omitted; all the remaining invocations are repeated, either there be a Font and a Procession from the Baptistry or not.

At Masses of Ordination, only the first five invocations are repeated.

Litany of the Saints

at the Funeral of Pope John Paul II

(start at 1min 45 sec).

Available on YouTube at http://youtu.be/SZ0Cw5LmkDI?t=1m45s

Rogation Days are, in the Calendar of the Western Church, observed on 25 April (the Major Rogation) and the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday immediately preceding Ascension Thursday (the Minor Rogations).

The first Rogation, the Greater Litanies, has been compared to the ancient Roman religious festival of the Robigalia, a ritual involving prayer and sacrifice for crops held on 25 April. The first Rogation is also observed on 25 April, and a direct connection has sometimes been asserted, with the "Christian substitute" following the same processional route in Rome. If Easter falls on 24 April or on this day (the latest possible date for Easter), the Rogations are transferred to the following Tuesday.

The second set of Rogation Days, the Lesser Litanies or Rogations, introduced about 470 A.D. by Bishop Mamertus of Vienne and eventually adopted elsewhere, are the three days (Rogation Monday, Rogation Tuesday and Rogation Wednesday) immediately before Ascension Thursday in the Christian Liturgical Calendar.

The word "Rogation" comes from the Latin verb "rogare", meaning "to ask," and was applied to this time of the Liturgical Year because the Gospel reading for the previous Sunday included the passage, "Ask and ye shall receive" (Gospel of John 16:24). The Sunday itself was often called Rogation Sunday, as a result, and marked the start of a three-week period (ending on Trinity Sunday), when Roman Catholic and Anglican Clergy did not solemnise marriages (two other such periods of marital prohibition also formerly existed, one beginning on the first Sunday in Advent and continuing through the Octave of Epiphany, or 13 January, and the other running from Septuagesima until the Octave of Easter, the Sunday after Easter). In England, Rogation Sunday is called "Chestnut Sunday".

The Faithful typically observed the Rogation Days by Fasting in preparation to celebrate the Ascension, and farmers often had their crops blessed by a Priest at this time. Violet Vestments are worn at the Rogation Litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what colour was worn at the ordinary Liturgies of the day. 

A common feature of Rogation Days, in former times, was the ceremony of "Beating the Bounds", in which a Procession of Parishioners, led by the Minister, Churchwarden, and Choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their Parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. This was also known as 'Gang-Day'.

The reform of the Liturgical Calendar for Latin Roman Catholics, in 1969, delegated the establishment of Rogation Days, along with Ember Days, to the Episcopal Conferences.Their observance in the Latin Church subsequently declined, but the observance has revived somewhat, since 1988, (when Pope John Paul II issued his decree Ecclesia Dei Adflicta) and especially since 2007 (when Pope Benedict XVI issued his Motu Proprio, called "Summorum Pontificum"), when the use of older Rites was encouraged. Churches of the Anglican Communion reformed their Liturgical Calendar in 1976, but continue to recognise the three days before Ascension as an optional observance.

Chevetogne Abbey (Monastery Of The Holy Cross). Benedictine Monastery In Belgium. Dedicated To Christian Unity.

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

Français: Chevetogne (Belgique), l'abbaye bénedictine.

English: Chevetogne (Belgium), the Benedictine Abbey.

Deutsch: Chevetogne (Belgien), Benediktiner-Abtei.

Nederlands: Chevetogne (België), de benedictijner abdij.

Photo: 2012-05-28 16:54 (UTC).

Source: This file was derived from: 0_Chevetogne_-_Abbaye_(1).JPG.

Author: 0_Chevetogne_-_Abbaye_(1).JPG: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, 

derivative work: Rabanus Flavus.

This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: shifted, cropped. The original can be viewed here:0_Chevetogne_-_Abbaye_(1).JPG. Modifications made by Rabanus Flavus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Chevetogne Abbey, also known as the Monastery of the Holy Cross, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine Monastery, dedicated to Christian unity, located in the Belgian village of Chevetogne in the municipality of Ciney, Province of Namur, halfway between Brussels and Luxembourg. Currently, the Monastery has twenty-seven Monks.

In 1924, Pope Pius XI addressed the Apostolic Letter, "Equidem verba", to the Benedictine Order, encouraging them to work for the reunion of the Catholic and Eastern Churches, with particular emphasis on the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Monks of Chevetogne Abbey chant "The Beatitudes" from the Slavonic Liturgy.

Available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSmqGNl2MH4

The following year, a Community was established by Dom Lambert Beauduin (1873 – 1960) at Amay, on the river Meuse. Because of Beauduin's close friendship with Cardinal Mercier and Pope John XXIII, as well as his relations with Eastern Christians, he became a pioneer of the Catholic Ecumenical movement. His initial focus was on unity with Orthodox and Anglicans, but was eventually extended to all those who bear the name of Christ.

In 1939, the Community of Amay Priory moved to its current location at Chevetogne, occupying a former Jesuit Novitiate. Since then, an Eastern Church was built in 1957 and painted with frescoes by Rhallis Kopsidis and Georges Chochlidakis, and a Western Church was completed with a Library in its Basement. The Library has, approximately, 100,000 volumes and subscribes to about 500 specialised Journals and Periodicals. Chevetogne Priory was raised to the status of an Abbey on 11 December 1990.

The Monks of Chevetogne Abbey chant the Good Friday Liturgy.

Available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TVLyTImz5A.

The Monks of Chevetogne Abbey chant the Grand Prokeimenon.

Available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjVlWovadU0

In order to live a life of Christian unity, the Monastery has both Western (Latin Rite) and Eastern (Byzantine Rite) Churches, which hold Services every day. While the Canonical Hours of the daily Monastic Office are served separately, the Monks share their meals together and are united under one Abbot.

Along with Prayer, the Monks engage in publishing a Journal, Irénikon, since 1926, making recordings of Church Music, and producing Incense, all of which can be bought in the Monastery shop.

The official Web-Site of the Abbey is http://www.monasterechevetogne.com/, where a full introduction to the Abbey can be found and, also, CDs of the Abbey Choir can be purchased.

Interior of the Eastern Church at the Monastery of Chevetogne. 

Photo taken before Compline, 16 August, 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Daniel Galadza.

Current File: 17 April 2007.

User: Danielgaladza.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Milan Cathedral (Part Three).

Text, Illustrations and Captions taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

English: The famous "Madonnina" atop the main Spire of the Cathedral.

A Baroque Gilded-bronze Statue, it is 108 metres (340 feet) from the ground.

Italiano: La guglia principale del tiburio del Duomo di Milano (opera dell'architetto barocco Francesco Croce), sovrastata dalla celebre "Madonnina", 

statua barocca in rame dorato, modellata da Giuseppe Bini. 

Foto di Marco Bonavoglia.

Released to public domain by Eugenio45 in it.wikipedia.org (file "Madonnina.jpg").

This File: 10 December 2005.

User: Attilios.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the following years, most of the missing Arches and Spires were constructed. The Statues on the Southern Wall were also finished, while in 1829 - 1858, new Stained Glass Windows replaced the old ones, though with less aesthetically significant results. The last details of the Cathedral were finished only in the 20th-Century: The last Gate was inaugurated on 6 January, 1965.

This date is considered the very end of a process which had proceeded for generations, although, even now, some uncarved blocks remain to be completed as Statues. The Duomo's main façade went under renovation from 2003 to early 2009: As of February 2009, it has been completely uncovered, showing again the colours of the Candoglia marble.

Italiano: Interno del Duomo di Milano. 

Foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto, 28-1-2007.

English: Inside the Cathedral in Milan, Italy. 

Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, 28 January 2007.

Current File: 31 January 2007.

User: G.dallorto.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In November 2012, officials announced a campaign to raise funds for the Cathedral's preservation by asking patrons to adopt the building's Gargoyles. The effects of pollution on the 14th-Century building entail regular maintenance, and recent austerity cuts to Italy's Culture Budget has left less money for upkeep of cultural institutions, including the Cathedral. 

To help make up funds, Duomo Management launched a campaign offering its one hundred and thirty-five Gargoyles for "adoption." Donors, who contribute €100,000 (about Canadian $128,000) or more, will have their name engraved under one of the grotesque figures perched on the Cathedral's rooftop. The figures serve as drainage pipes.

Italiano: Interno del Duomo di Milano. Foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto, 13-1-2007.

English: Interior view of the Cathedral in Milan, Italy. 

Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, January 13 2007.

This File: 20 January 2007.

User: G.dallorto.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Plan of the Cathedral consists of a Nave, with four Side-Aisles, crossed by a Transept, and then followed by Choir and Apse. The height of the Nave is about 45 metres (140 feet), the highest Gothic Vaults of a complete Church (less than the 48 metres of Beauvais Cathedral, which was never completed).

The Roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows a close-up view of some spectacular Sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. The Roof of the Cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork Pinnacles and Spires, set upon delicate Flying Buttresses.

English: The Organ in Milan Cathedral.

Polski: Wnętrze Katedry Duomo (Mediolan - Włochy)

Photo: 25 August 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Spens03.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathedral's five broad Naves, divided by forty Pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the façade. Even the Transepts have Aisles. The Nave Columns are 24.5 metres (80 feet) high, and the Apsidal Windows are 20.7 x 8.5 metres (68 x 28 feet). 

The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the Cathedral Chapter. Its maintenance and repairs are very complicated.

Milan’s Cathedral has recently developed a new lighting system, based on LED lights.

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Tertullian (Part Three).

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

A woodcut illustration depicting Tertullian.

Quintus Florens Tertullian 

(Anglicised to Tertullian).

160 A.D. - 220 A.D.

Church Father and Theologian.

Source: http://www.higherpraise.com/preachers/tertullian.htm.

This File: August 2011.

User: Serge Lachinov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

God, Who made the world out of nothing through His Son, the Word, has corporeity, though He is a spirit (De praescriptione, vii.; Adv. Praxeam, vii.). However, Tertullian used 'corporeal' only in the Stoic sense, to mean something with actual existence, rather than the later idea of flesh. 

In the statement of the Trinity, Tertullian was a forerunner of the Nicene doctrine, approaching the subject from the standpoint of the Logos doctrine, though he did not state the immanent Trinity. His use of Trinitas (Latin: 'Threeness'), emphasised the manifold character of God. In his treatise against Praxeas, who taught patripassianism in Rome, he used the words, " Trinity and economy, persons and substance." The Son is distinct from the Father, and the Spirit from both the Father and the Son (Adv. Praxeam, xxv). "These three are one substance, not one person; and it is said, 'I and my Father are one' in respect not of the singularity of number but the unity of the substance." 

The very names "Father" and "Son" indicate the distinction of personality. The Father is one, the Son is one, and the Spirit is one (Adv. Praxeam, ix). As regards the question whether the Son was co-eternal with the Father, many believe that Tertullian did not teach that. The Catholic Encyclopedia comments that, for Tertullian: "There was a time when there was no Son and no sin, when God was neither Father nor Judge".

Similarly,  J.N.D. Kelly has stated: "Tertullian followed the Apologists in dating his “perfect generation” from his extrapolation for the work of creation; prior to that moment, God could not strictly be said to have had a Son, while, after it, the term, “Father”, which, for earlier theologians, generally connoted God as author of reality, began to acquire the specialised meaning of Father and Son.".

Ichthys (also Ichthus or Ikhthus /ˈɪkθəs/), from the Koine Greek word for fish: ἰχθύς, (capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥϹ) is a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, used by early Christians as a secret Christian symbol and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish."

This Fish symbol was used in the early Church, when the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. Christians then needed to be careful, when dealing with strangers, for fear of identification as a Christian and persecution. 

When you encountered someone, you would draw an arc on the ground. If the other person drew a reverse arc over yours, it would form the Fish symbol. 

Both people would then know that they could safely talk about being a Christian.

Español: Dibujada por Fibonacci, modificando un poco el 

código fuente de dominio público de Lupin.

English: Drawn by Fibonacci, modifying Lupin's PD source code a bit.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As regards the subjects of subordination of the Son to the Father, the New Catholic Encyclopedia has commented: "In not a few areas of theology, Tertullian’s views are, of course, completely unacceptable. Thus, for example, his teaching on the Trinity reveals a subordination of Son to Father that, in the later crass form of Arianism, the Church rejected as heretical."

In soteriology, Tertullian does not dogmatise; he prefers to keep silence at the mystery of the Cross (De Patientia, iii). The sufferings of Christ's life, as well as of the Crucifixion, are efficacious to redemption. In the water of Baptism, which (upon a partial quotation of John 3:5) is made necessary (De baptismo, vi.), humans are born again; the Baptised does not receive the Holy Spirit in the water, but is prepared for the Holy Spirit. Humans are little fishes — after the example of the ichthys (fish), Jesus Christ — are born in water (De baptismo, i). In discussing whether sins committed subsequent to Baptism may be forgiven, Tertullian calls Baptism and Penance "two planks" on which the sinner may be saved from shipwreck — language which he gave to the Church (De penitentia, xii).

With reference to the 'Rule of Faith', it may be said that Tertullian is constantly using this expression, and, by it, means now the authoritative tradition handed down in the Church, now the Scriptures themselves, and, perhaps, a definite doctrinal formula. While he nowhere gives a list of the books of Scripture, he divides them into two parts and calls them the instrumentum and testamentum (Adv. Marcionem, iv.1). 

He distinguishes between the four Gospels and insists upon their Apostolic origin as accrediting their authority (De praescriptione, xxxvi; Adv. Marcionem, iv.1–5); in trying to account for Marcion's treatment of the Lucan Gospel and the Pauline writings, he sarcastically queries whether the "shipmaster from Pontus" (Marcion) had ever been guilty of taking on contraband goods or tampering with them after they were aboard (Adv. Marcionem, v.1).

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

After Flying Bishops, We Now Have Sailing Nuns From The Rooster Church, Da Nang, Vietnam.

This Article can be found on NAVY.mil, the official website of the United States Navy, 

at http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=147520

The purpose of the above website is to provide information and news about the United States Navy to the general public.

130424-N-YU572-003 DA NANG, Vietnam (April 23, 2013) Cmdr. Justin Orlich, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), gives a tour of the ship to nuns from the Con Ga Church in Da Nang, Vietnam. 

Chung-Hoon is currently supporting a Naval Exchange Activity (NEA) in Da Nang. The NEA provides opportunities for U.S. and Vietnamese naval professionals to share best practices and exchange maritime skills. 

Maritime skill exchanges between the two navies are non-combatant events, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, medical training, fire-fighting and damage control, search and rescue, diving and salvage, sports and community service projects. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay C. Pugh/Released).

Da Nang Cathedral, otherwise known as the "Chicken Church" 

(or "Rooster Church") (Nhà thờ Con Gà).

[Editor: See the Rooster atop the Spire.]

Photo: 30 January 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Dragfyre.

(Wikimedia Commons)

A view outside Da Nang Cathedral, Vietnam, during a Tet service.

[Editor: This is the Con Ga Church (Rooster Church), mentioned, above. 

Isn't it good to see a Church full to overflowing, 

with the congregation having to sit outside.]

Photo: 30 January 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Dragfyre.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The front of Da Nang Cathedral, Vietnam, during a pre-Tet service.

Photo: 30 January 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Dragfyre.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text can be found on the LONELY PLANET WEBSITE.

Known to locals as Con Ga Church (Rooster Church) because of the weathercock on top of the steeple, the candy-pink Da Nang Cathedral was built for the city’s French residents in 1923. Today, it serves a Catholic community of 4000 – it’s standing room only if you arrive late.

The following Text can be found on the VISIT-MEKONG.COM website.

Mass is held from Monday to Saturday at 05:00 and at 17:30, and on Sunday at 05:00, 06:15, 07:30, 15:30 and at 17:00.

Milan Cathedral (Part Two).

Text, Illustrations and Captions taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

English: Milan Cathedral, dated 18 May 1856.

Italian: Milano, Il Duomo.

Anonymous etching, colourised. Dated 18 May 1856.

This File: 9 February 2006.

User: AndreasPraefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1500 to 1510, under Ludovico Sforza, the octagonal Cupola was completed, and decorated in the interior with four series, of fifteen statues each, portraying Saints, Prophets, Sibyls and other characters of the Bible. The exterior long remained without any decoration, except for the Guglietto dell'Amadeo ("Amadeo's Little Spire"), constructed 1507-1510. This is a Renaissance masterwork, which nevertheless harmonised well with the general Gothic appearance of the Church.

During the subsequent Spanish domination, the new Church proved usable, even though the interior remained largely unfinished, and some Bays of the Nave and the Transepts were still missing. In 1552, Giacomo Antegnati was commissioned to build a large Organ for the North side of the Choir, and Giuseppe Meda provided four of the sixteen Pales which were to decorate the Altar area (the programme was completed by Federico Borromeo). In 1562, Marco d' Agrate's Saint Bartholomew and the famous Trivulzio Candelabrum (12th-Century) were added.

After the accession of Carlo Borromeo to the Archbishop's Throne, all Lay Monuments were removed from the Duomo. These included the tombs of Giovanni, Barnabò and Filippo Maria Visconti, Francesco I and his wife, Bianca, Galeazzo Maria and Lodovico Sforza, which were taken to unknown destinations. However, Borromeo's main intervention was the appointment, in 1571, of Pellegrino Pellegrini as Chief Engineer, a contentious move, since, to appoint Pellegrino, who was not a Lay Brother of the Duomo, required a revision of the Fabbrica's statutes.

Portrait of Carlo Borromeo (Saint Charles Borromeo), Archbishop of Milan.

Artist: Giovanni Ambrogio Figino (1548–1608).

Source/Photographer: http://www.arteecarte.it/archivio/arteecarte_n.13/diocesano.php

(Uploaded by User:Lupo to en.wikipedia)

This File: 7 December 2009.

User: Thomas Gun.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Borromeo and Pellegrini strove for a new, Renaissance, appearance for the Cathedral, that would emphasise its Roman / Italian nature, and subdue the Gothic style, which was now seen as foreign. As the façade still was largely incomplete, Pellegrini designed a "Roman" style, with Columns, Obelisks and a large Tympanum. When Pellegrini's design was revealed, a competition for the design of the façade was announced, and this elicited nearly a dozen entries, including one by Antonio Barca. This design was never carried out, but the interior decoration continued. In 1575-1585, the Presbytery was rebuilt, while new Altars and the Baptistry were added. Wooden Choir Stalls were constructed by 1614, for the High Altar, by Francesco Brambilla.

In 1577, Borromeo finally consecrated the whole edifice as a new Church, distinct from the old Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla (which had been unified in 1549 after heavy disputes).

At the beginning of the 17th-Century, Federico Borromeo had the foundations of the new façade laid by Francesco Maria Richini and Fabio Mangone. Work continued until 1638 with the construction of five Portals and two Middle Windows. In 1649, however, the new Chief Architect, Carlo Buzzi, introduced a striking revolution: The façade was to revert to original Gothic style, including the already finished details within big Gothic Pilasters and two giant Belfries. Other designs were provided by, among others, Filippo Juvarra (1733) and Luigi Vanvitelli (1745), but all remained unapplied. In 1682, the façade of Santa Maria Maggiore was demolished and the Cathedral's roof covering completed.

The Emperor Napoleon in his Study at The Tuileries, Paris.

Napoleon was crowned King of Italy in Milan Cathedral.

Artist: Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825).

Date: 1812.

Current location: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 

United States of America.

Source/Photographer: Google Art Project: Home - pic.

This File: 18 October 2012.

User: DcoetzeeBot.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1762, one of the main features of the Cathedral, the Madonnina's Spire, was erected at the dizzying height of 108.5 metres. The Spire was designed by Carlo Pellicani and sports, at the top, a famous polychrome Madonnina Statue, designed by Giuseppe Perego, that befits the original stature of the Cathedral. Given Milan's notoriously damp and foggy climate, the Milanese consider it a fair-weather day when the Madonnina is visible from a distance, as it is so often covered by mist.

On May 20, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte, about to be crowned King of Italy, ordered the façade to be finished by Carlo Pellicani. In his enthusiasm, he assured that all expenses would fall to the French Treasurer, who would reimburse the Fabbrica for the real estate it had to sell. Even though this reimbursement was never paid, it still meant that, finally, within only seven years, the Cathedral had its façade completed. The new architect, Carlo Pellicani Junior, largely followed Buzzi's project, adding some Neo-Gothic details to the Upper Windows. As a form of thanksgiving, a statue of Napoleon was placed at the top of one of the Spires. Napoleon was crowned King of Italy at the Duomo.

PART THREE FOLLOWS.

Milan Cathedral (Part One).

Text, Illustrations and Captions taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

English: Milan Cathedral.

Italiano: Milano - Duomo.

Photo: February 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano; Lombard: Domm de Milan) is the Cathedral Church of Milan, Italy. Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente (Saint Mary Nascent), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola.

The Gothic Cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the fifth largest Cathedral in the world and the largest in the Italian state territory.

Milan's layout, with streets either radiating from the Duomo or circling it, reveals that the Duomo occupies what was the most central site in Roman Mediolanum, that of the public Basilica facing the Forum. Saint Ambrose's 'New Basilica' was built on this site at the beginning of the 5th-Century, with an adjoining Basilica added in 836 A.D. The old Baptistery (Battistero Paleocristiano, constructed in 335 A.D.) still can be visited under Milan Cathedral. It is one of the oldest Christian buildings in Europe. When a fire damaged the Cathedral and Basilica in 1075, they were later rebuilt as the Duomo.

English: Inside the Duomo (Cathedral) in Milan.

Italiano: Interno del Duomo di Milano.

Photo: December 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Paolo da Reggio.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo began construction of the Cathedral. Start of the construction coincided with the accession 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. Before actual 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.

Enthusiasm for the immense new building soon spread among the population, and the shrewd Gian Galeazzo, together with his cousin, the Archbishop, collected large donations for the work-in-progress. The construction programme was strictly regulated under the "Fabbrica del Duomo", which had 300 employees led by First Chief Engineer, Simone da Orsenigo. Orsenigo initially planned to build the Cathedral from brick in Lombard Gothic style.

Visconti had ambitions to follow the newest trends in European architecture. In 1389, a French Chief Engineer, Nicolas de Bonaventure, was appointed, adding to the Church its Rayonnant Gothic, a French style not typical for Italy. He decided that the brick structure should be panelled with marble. Galeazzo gave the Fabbrica del Duomo exclusive use of the marble from the Candoglia quarry and exempted it from taxes. 

English: The Duomo (Cathedral) in Milan.

Italiano: Il Duomo di Milano.

Photo: 31 December 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mikko Virtaperko.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Ten years later, another French architect, Jean Mignot, was called from Paris to judge and improve upon the work done, as the masons needed new technical aid to lift stones to an unprecedented height. Mignot declared all the work done up till then as in pericolo di ruina ("peril of ruin"), as it had been done sine scienzia ("without science"). 

In the following years, Mignot's forecasts proved untrue, but, anyway, they spurred Galeazzo's engineers to improve their instruments and techniques. Work proceeded quickly, and at the death of Gian Galeazzo in 1402, almost half the Cathedral was complete. Construction, however, stalled almost totally until 1480, for lack of money and ideas. The most notable works of this period were the tombs of Marco Carelli and Pope Martin V (1424) and the windows of the Apse (1470s), of which, those extant portray Saint John the Evangelist, by Cristoforo de' Mottis, and Saint Eligius and Saint John of Damascus, both by Niccolò da Varallo. In 1452, under Francesco Sforza, the Nave and the Aisles were completed, up to the Sixth Bay.

PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Tertullian (Part Two).

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

A woodcut illustration depicting Tertullian.

Quintus Florens Tertullian 

(Anglicised to Tertullian).

160 A.D. - 220 A.D.

Church Father and Theologian.

Source: http://www.higherpraise.com/preachers/tertullian.htm.

This File: August 2011.

User: Serge Lachinov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The chronology of Tertullian's writings is difficult to fix with certainty. It is, in part, determined by the Montanistic views that are set forth in some of them, by the author's own allusions to this writing, or that, as ante-dating others (cf. Harnack, Litteratur ii.260–262), and by definite historic data (e.g., the reference to the death of Septimius Severus, Ad Scapulam, iv). In his work against Marcion, which he calls his third composition on the Marcionite heresy, he gives its date as the fifteenth year of the reign of Severus (Adv. Marcionem, i.1, 15)—which would be approximately the year 208 A.D.

The writings may be divided with reference to the two periods of Tertullian's Christian activity, the Catholic and the Montanist (cf. Harnack, ii.262 sqq.), or according to their subject-matter. The object of the former mode of division is to show, if possible, the change of views Tertullian's mind underwent. Following the latter mode, which is of a more practical interest, the writings fall into two groups. Apologetic and polemic writings, like Apologeticus, De testimonio animae, Adv. Judaeos, Adv. Marcionem, Adv. Praxeam, Adv. Hermogenem, De praescriptione hereticorum, and Scorpiace were written to counteract Gnosticism and other religious or philosophical doctrines. The other group consists of practical and disciplinary writings, e.g., De monogamia, Ad uxorem, De virginibus velandis, De cultu feminarum, De patientia, De pudicitia, De oratione, and Ad martyras.

Among his apologetic writings, the Apologeticus, addressed to the Roman magistrates, is a most pungent defence of Christianity and the Christians against the reproaches of the pagans, and an important legacy of the ancient Church, proclaiming the principle of freedom of religion as an inalienable human right and demands a fair trial for Christians before they are condemned to death.

Tertullian was the first to break the force of such charges as that the Christians sacrificed infants at the celebration of the Lord's Supper and committed incest. He pointed to the commission of such crimes in the pagan world and then proved by the testimony of Pliny that Christians pledged themselves not to commit murder, adultery, or other crimes. He adduced also the inhumanity of pagan customs such as feeding the flesh of gladiators to beasts. He argued that the gods have no existence and thus there is no pagan religion against which Christians may offend. Christians do not engage in the foolish worship of the emperors. They do better: they pray for them. Christians can afford to be put to torture and to death, and the more they are cast down the more they grow; "the blood of the martyrs is seed" (Apologeticum, 50). In the De Praescriptione, he develops as its fundamental idea that, in a dispute between the Church and a separating party, the whole burden of proof lies with the latter, as the Church, in possession of the unbroken tradition, is, by its very existence, a guarantee of its truth.

The five books against Marcion, written 207 A.D. or 208 A.D., are the most comprehensive and elaborate of his polemical works, invaluable for gauging the early Christian view of Gnosticism. Of the moral and ascetic treatises, the De patientia and De spectaculis are among the most interesting, and the De pudicitia and De virginibus velandis among the most characteristic.

Theology

Though thoroughly conversant with the Greek theology, Tertullian was independent of its metaphysical speculation. He had learned from the Greek apologies, and forms a direct contrast to Origen of Alexandria, who drew much of his theories regarding creation from middle platonism. Tertullian, the prince of realists and practical theologian, carried his realism to the verge of materialism. This is evident from his ascription to God of corporeity and his acceptance of the traducian theory of the origin of the soul. 

He despised Greek philosophy, and, far from looking at Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek thinkers whom he quotes as forerunners of Christ and the Gospel, he pronounces them the patriarchal forefathers of the heretics (De anima, iii.). He held up to scorn their inconsistency when he referred to the fact that Socrates in dying ordered a cock to be sacrificed to Aesculapius (De anima, i). 

Tertullian always wrote under stress of a felt necessity. He was never so happy as when he had opponents like Marcion and Praxeas, and, however abstract the ideas may be which he treated, he was always moved by practical considerations to make his case clear and irresistible. It was partly this element which gave to his writings a formative influence upon the theology of the post-Nicene period in the West and has rendered them fresh reading to this day. He was a born disputant. It is true that during the 3rd-Century no mention is made of his name by other authors. Lactantius, at the opening of the 4th-Century, is the first to do this, but Augustine treats him openly with respect. Cyprian, Tertullian's North African compatriot, though he nowhere mentions his name, was well read in his writings, as Cyprian's secretary told Jerome.

Specific teachings

Tertullian's main doctrinal teachings are as follows:

The Soul was not pre-existent, as Plato affirmed, nor subject to metempsychosis or reincarnation, as the Pythagoreans held. In each individual it is a new product, proceeding equally with the body from the parents, and not created later and associated with the body (De anima, xxvii). This position is called traducianism in opposition to 'creationism', or the idea that each soul is a fresh creation of God. For Tertullian, the Soul is, however, a distinct entity and a certain corporeity and as such it may be tormented in Hell (De anima, lviii).

The Soul's sinfulness is easily explained by its traducian origin (De anima, xxxix). It is in bondage to Satan (whose works it renounces in Baptism), but has seeds of good (De anima, xli), and, when awakened, it passes to health and at once calls upon God (Apol., xvii.) and is naturally Christian. It exists in all men alike; it is a culprit and yet an unconscious witness by its impulse to worship, its fear of demons, and its musings on death to the power, benignity, and judgment of God as revealed in the Christian's Scriptures (De testimonio, v-vi).

PART THREE FOLLOWS

The Four Marian Anthems.

Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.
Illustrations and Captions are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.

English: The Virgin In Prayer.

Español: Virgen rezando.

Artist: Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato (1609–1685).

Date: 1640 - 1650.

Current location: National Gallery, London.

This File: 29 January 2013.

User: Slick-o-bot.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The four Marian Anthems, used during the Liturgical Year, are:

Alma Redemptorist Mater (sung from First Vespers in Advent until Second Vespers of 2 February, inclusive);

Ave Regina (sung from Compline on 2 February until Maundy Thursday, exclusive);

Regina Caeli (sung from Compline on Holy Saturday until Trinity Sunday, exclusive).

Salve Regina (sung from First Vespers of Trinity Sunday until Advent).

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, Reichenau Island, Lake Constance, South Germany.

Hermann Contractus was a monk in this Abbey and is accredited 

with creating the Marian Anthems of Alma Redemptoris and Ave Regina.

Photo taken by en:User:Ahoerstemeier (November 2001).

(Wikimedia Commons)

There are four main Marian Anthems (you will note that they are in alphabetical order and are used, thus, during the Liturgical Year).

Alma Redemptoris
(From First Vespers of Advent until Second Vespers of 2 February, inclusive.)
The authorship of this Anthem is attributed to Hermann Contractus, a monk of the Abbey of Reichenau (+1054);

Listen to the ALMA REDEMPTORIS, here.

and also listen to the ALMA REDEMPTORIS, here.

Ave Regina

(From Compline on 2 February until Maundy Thursday, inclusive.)

The authorship of this Anthem is attributed to Hermann Contractus, a monk of the Abbey of Reichenau (+1054).
The insertion of this Anthem in the Divine Office is attributed to Pope Clement VI (1342 - 1352);

Listen to the AVE REGINA, here

and listen, also, to the AVE REGINA, here.

Regina Caeli

(From Compline on Holy Saturday until Trinity Sunday, inclusive.)
The authorship of this Anthem is attributed to Pope Gregory V (+998 A.D.);

Listen to the REGINA CAELI, here

Salve Regina
(From First Vespers of Trinity Sunday until Advent.)
This Marian Anthem is attributed to Adhemar de Monteil, Bishop of Le Puy, France, (+1098). The three final invocations were added by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091 - 1153).

listen to the SALVE REGINA, here.

Benedictine Nuns Release New Album Honouring The Saints. Pre-Order Now.

This Article can be found on the Catholic News Agency (CNA) Blog http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/benedictine-nuns-release-second-album-honoring-saints/

Nuns from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, 

create their new album, "Angels and Saints at Ephesus".

The album, "Angels and Saints at Ephesus", will be released 7 May 2013,

but can be pre-ordered at 

benedictinesofmary.org or at 

www.demontfortmusic.com.

Photo Credit: De Montfort Music.

Denver, Colo., Apr 14, 2013 / 04:02 pm (CNA).- A group of contemplative Benedictine nuns have recorded an album in honor of the angels and saints, all of the songs of which were selected out of their daily liturgical life.

“We learned a heavenly piece entitled Duo Seraphim by Tomas Luis de Victoria in the fall for the investiture of three novices,” Mother Cecilia, prioress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, told CNA April 12.

“Since we knew and loved many other songs written in honor of the angels and saints, or written by the saints themselves, we realized we could make another album based on this theme without too much extra practicing,” she laughed.

The album, Angels and Saints at Ephesus, will be released May 7 but can be pre-ordered at benedictinesofmary.org or at www.demontfortmusic.com.

Angels and Saints at Ephesus features 17 songs, and “every selection comes out of the liturgical life here at the Priory.” The Gregorian chants on the album are sung by the sisters during the Divine Office, and the pieces containing harmony are sung during Mass at the offertory or as a recessional.

The album is being released on the De Montfort Music label, which was founded last year by Kevin and Monica Fitzgibbons. Monica told CNA that the album includes songs composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Francis Xavier. “A Rose Unpetalled” is a text by St. Therese of Lisieux for which the nuns wrote accompanying music.

Music is an integral part of the nuns' lives, being “entirely bound up with our Benedictine vocation…most especially in the chanting of the Divine Office,” said Mother Cecilia.

The community is in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, and their life is marked by obedience, stability, and “continually turning” towards God. They have Mass daily according to the extraordinary form and chant the psalms eight times a day from the 1962 Monastic Office. They also support themselves by producing made-to-order vestments.

Singing the Office “takes pride of place” in their spirituality, and they take pains “to make the liturgy as beautiful as possible for God.”

Last year the community recorded “Advent at Ephesus,” a collection of music for the liturgical season which spent six weeks at #1 Billboard's Classical Music Chart.

“This music really uplifted a lot of hearts,” Fitzgibbons said. “It brought a lot of families together, and it got people talking about Advent...I think it really elevated a lot of souls toward heaven.”

De Montfort Music was “pummeled” with requests for an album from the nuns which could be played appropriately throughout the year, and the community came up with the concept of the present album.

Christopher Alder, former executive producer of Deutsche Grammophon and a nine time Grammy-award winning producer heard the Benedictines' Advent album and expressed interest in helping them with a second album.

Alder ended up traveling from Germany to Missouri to produce “Angels and Saints at Ephesus.” He was “really moved, blown away, by their level of expertise” and their quality of singing, Fitzgibbons said.

“Through their beauty, they have turned hearts toward heaven, because when one hears it ... they do have to contemplate something much larger than this world.”

Mother Cecilia continued discussing the place of music in life of her community, explaining that the singing of the Divine Office “truly forms the life-blood of our devotion. St. Benedict calls it 'the Work of God' and says that nothing is to take precedence over it, no matter how important it may seem.”

“The loveliness of the chants are set off by the silence that we keep during the day, but the Office also feeds that silence of prayer. It is a joyful burden the Church asks of us, and we take it up with tremendous love, knowing we are the beneficiaries, along with the entire Church.”

Mother Cecilia mentioned two musical saints important to the Benedictines. One is St. Hildegard, herself a Benedictine abbess and composer of the 12th century.

The prioress called St. Hildegard “a shining example of the liturgical spirituality of Benedictines.”

Yet more important to the community at the Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus is St. Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.

“We continue to invoke her whenever we have a music practice, knowing that she can help us to sing to God from our hearts with great purity and love, so that we may deserve to sing to Him for all eternity in heaven with the great multitude of angels and saints.”

Tertullian (Part One).

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

A woodcut illustration depicting Tertullian.

Quintus Florens Tertullian 

(Anglicised to Tertullian).

160 A.D. - 220 A.D.

Church Father and Theologian.

Source: http://www.higherpraise.com/preachers/tertullian.htm.

This File: August 2011.

User: Serge Lachinov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian (circa 160 A.D. – circa 225 A.D.), was a prolific Early-Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature.

He also was a notable Early-Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy. Tertullian has been called "the Father of Latin Christianity" and "the founder of Western theology." Though conservative, he did originate and advance new theology to the early Church. He is perhaps most famous for being the oldest extant Latin writer to use the term "Trinity" (Latin, trinitas), and giving the oldest extant formal exposition of a Trinitarian theology. Other Latin formulations that first appear in his work are "three Persons, one Substance" as the Latin "tres Personae,una Substantia" (itself from the Koine Greek "treis Hypostases, Homoousios"). He wrote his Trinitarian formula after becoming a Montanist.

However, unlike many Church Fathers, he was never Canonised by the Catholic Church, as several of his later teachings directly contradicted the actions and teachings of the Apostles. His Trinity formulation was considered heresy by the Church during his lifetime, however, it was later accepted as Doctrine at the Council of Nicea.

Scant reliable evidence exists to inform us about Tertullian's life. Most history about him comes from passing references in his own writings.

Codex Balliolensis, Tertullian's "Apologetics".

Source: http://www.tertullian.org/manuscripts_apologeticum/oxon_balliol_79/ms.htm.

This File: September 2005.

User: Tomisti.

(Wikimedia Commons)

According to Church tradition, he was raised in Carthage and was thought to be the son of a Roman Centurion, a trained lawyer, and an Ordained Priest. These assertions rely on the accounts of Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, II, ii. 4, and Jerome's De viris illustribus (On famous men), Chapter 53. Jerome claimed that Tertullian's father held the position of 'centurio proconsularis' ("aide-de-camp") in the Roman Army in Africa. However, it is unclear whether any such position in the Roman military ever existed.

Further, Tertullian has been thought to be a lawyer, based on his use of legal analogies and an identification of him with the jurist, Tertullianus, who is quoted in the Pandects. Although Tertullian used a knowledge of Roman law in his writings, his legal knowledge does not demonstrably exceed that of what could be expected from a sufficient Roman education.The writings of Tertullianus, a lawyer of the same cognomen, exist only in fragments and do not denote a Christian authorship. (Tertullianus was misidentified only much later with the Christian Tertullian by Church historians.) Finally, any notion of Tertullian being a Priest is also questionable. In his extant writings, he never describes himself as Ordained in the Church and seems to place himself among the Laity.

Roman Africa was famous as the home of orators. This influence can be seen in his style with its archaisms or provincialisms, its glowing imagery and its passionate temper. He was a scholar with an excellent education. He wrote at least three books in Greek. In them, he refers to himself, but none of these are extant. His principal study was jurisprudence and his methods of reasoning reveal striking marks of his juridical training. He shone among the advocates of Rome, as Eusebius reports.

His conversion to Christianity perhaps took place about 197 A.D. – 198 A.D. (cf. Adolf Harnack, Bonwetsch, and others), but its immediate antecedents are unknown except as they are conjectured from his writings. The event must have been sudden and decisive, transforming at once his own personality. He said of himself that he could not imagine a truly Christian life without such a conscious breach, a radical act of conversion: "Christians are made, not born" (Apol, xviii).

Two books, addressed to his wife, confirm that he was married to a Christian wife.

English: Ruins of Carthage, modern-day Tunisia, where Tertullian lived.

Русский: На фото не развалины Карфагена, а Римские бани.

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia.

Author: Patrick Verdier.

Permission: This photograph comes from Free On Line Photos (source).

As such, it is "free of rights".

This File: December 2009.

User: Citypeek.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In middle life (about 207 A.D.), he was attracted to the "New Prophecy" of Montanism, and seems to have split from the mainstream Church. In the time of Augustine, a group of "Tertullianists" still had a Basilica in Carthage, which, within that same period, passed to the orthodox Church. It is unclear whether the name was merely another for the Montanists or that this means Tertullian later split with the Montanists and founded his own group.

Jerome says that Tertullian lived to a great age, but there is no reliable source attesting to his survival beyond the estimated year 225 A.D. In spite of his Schism from the Church, he continued to write against Heresy, especially Gnosticism. Thus, by the doctrinal works he published, Tertullian became the teacher of Cyprian and the predecessor of Augustine, who, in turn, became the chief founder of Latin theology.

WRITINGS

General character.

Thirty-one works are extant, together with fragments of more. Some fifteen works in Latin or Greek are lost, some as recently as the 9th-Century (De Paradiso, De superstitione saeculi, De carne et anima, were all extant in the now-damaged Codex Agobardinus in 814 A.D). Tertullian's writings cover the whole theological field of the time  —  apologetics against paganism and Judaism, polemics, polity, discipline, and morals, or the whole reorganisation of human life on a Christian basis; they gave a picture of the religious life and thought of the time, which is of the greatest interest to the Church Historian.

PART TWO FOLLOWS.