Libera Me. Responsorium: Missa Pro Defunctis. Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650).

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Image: Google Images.

Líbera Me ("Deliver me") is a Roman Catholic Responsory that is sung in the Office of the Dead and at the Absolution of the Dead, a Service of Prayers for the Dead that is said beside the coffin, immediately after the Requiem Mass and before the Burial. 

The text of Libera Me asks God to have mercy upon the deceased person at the Last Judgement. In addition to the Gregorian Chant in the Roman Gradual, many composers have written Settings for the text, including Tomás Luis de Victoria, Anton Bruckner, Giuseppe Verdi, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, Krzysztof Penderecki and David Maslanka.

Líbera me, Dómine, de morte ætérna, in die illa treménda:
Quando cœli movéndi sunt et terra.
Dum véneris iudicáre sǽculum per ignem.
Tremens factus sum ego, et tímeo, dum discússio vénerit, atque ventúra ira.
Quando cœli movendi sunt et terra.
Dies illa, dies iræ, calamitátis et misériæ, dies magna et amára valde.
Dum véneris iudicáre sǽculum per ignem.
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis.

Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal on that fearful day,
When the Heavens and the Earth shall be moved,
When Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
I am made to tremble, and I fear, till the judgement be upon us, and the coming wrath,
When the Heavens and the Earth shall be moved.
That day, day of wrath, calamity, and misery, day of great and exceeding bitterness,
When Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: and let light perpetual shine upon them.

Libera Me is begun by a Cantor, who sings the Versicles, alone, and the Responses are sung by the Choir. The text is written in the first person singular, "Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that fearful day," a dramatic substitution, in which the Choir speaks for the dead person.

In the Traditional Office, Libera Me is also said on All Souls' Day (2 November) and whenever all three Nocturns, of Matins of the Dead, are recited. 

On other occasions, the Ninth Responsory, of Matins for the Dead, begins with "Libera Me", but continues with a different text (Domine, de viis inferni, etc.).

"Libera Me" a 4.

Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650).

Responsorium after Missa Pro Defunctis a 6.

The Tallis Scholars

Director: Peter Phillips.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/bJ3x_GtXvjA.

Manuel Cardoso (baptised 11 December 1566 – 24 November 1650) was a Portuguese composer and organist. With Duarte Lobo and John IV of Portugal, he represented the "golden age" of Portuguese polyphony.

Cardoso is not known to be related to an older contemporary composer of the same name; the precentor, Manuel Cardoso, who published a book of Latin passions "in Leiria", in 1575.

Cardoso was born in Fronteira, near Portalegre, most likely in 1566. He attended the Colégio dos Moços do Coro, a Choir School associated with the Évora Cathedral, studying with Manuel Mendes and Cosme Delgado. 

In 1588, he joined the Carmelite Order, taking his Vows in 1589. In the early 1620s, he was Resident at the Ducal Household of Vila Viçosa, where he was befriended by the Duke of Barcelos — later to become King John IV. For most of his career, he was the Resident Composer and Organist at the Carmelite Convento do Carmo in Lisbon.

Cardoso's works are models of Palestrinian polyphony, and are written in a refined, precise style, which completely ignores the development of the Baroque idiom elsewhere in Europe. His style has much in common with Tomás Luis de Victoria, in its careful treatment of dissonance, occasional polychoral writing, and frequent cross-relations, which were curiously common among both Iberian and English composers of the time. 

Three books of Masses survive; many of the works are based on Motets, written by King John IV, himself, and others are based on Motets by Palestrina. Cardoso was widely published, often with the help of King John IV, to defray costs. Many of his works — especially the elaborate polychoral compositions, which probably were the most progressive — were destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake and fire of 1755.

Chartres Cathedral (Part Two).

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

Français: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, 

Eure-et-Loir, Centre, France. La façade nord.

English: Chartres Cathedral, Eure-et-Loir, 

Centre, France. The North Façade.

Photo: 27 September 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174.

(Wikimedia Commons)

There have been at least five Cathedrals on this site, each replacing an earlier building damaged by war or fire. Nothing survives of the earliest Church, which was destroyed during an attack on the City by the Danes in 858 A.D. Of the Carolingian Church that replaced it, all that remains is a semi-circular Chamber located directly below the centre of the present Apse. This Chamber, known as the Lubinus Crypt (named after the Mid-6th-Century Bishop of Chartres), is lower than the rest of the Crypt and may have been the Shrine of a local Saint, prior to the Church's re-dedication to The Virgin.

Another fire, in 962 A.D., is mentioned in the annals, though nothing is known about the subsequent rebuilding. A more serious conflagration occurred in 1020, after which Bishop Fulbert (Bishop from 1006 to 1028) began the construction of an entirely new building. Most of the present Crypt, which is the largest in France, dates from that period.

The rebuilding proceeded in phases over the next hundred years or so, culminating in 1145 in a display of public enthusiasm dubbed the "Cult of the Carts" – one of several such incidents recorded during the period. It was claimed that, during this religious outburst, a crowd of more than a thousand penitents dragged carts, filled with building supplies and provisions, including stones, wood, grain, etc, to the site.

English: Central tympanum of the Royal portal of Chartres Cathedral.

Français: Tympan central du portail royal de la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.

Photo: 7 February 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: This photo was taken by Eusebius (Guillaume Piolle).

Feel free to reuse it, but always credit me as the Author, as specified below.

Attribution: © Guillaume Piolle / CC-BY-3.0.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1134, another fire damaged the Town, and perhaps part of the Cathedral. The North Tower was started immediately afterwards – the South Tower some time later. From the beginning, it was intended that these Towers flank a Central Porch of some sort and a Narthex.

When the North Tower rose to the level of the second storey, the South Tower was begun – the evidence lies in the profiles and in the Masons' marks on the two levels of the two Towers. Between them, on the first level, a Chapel was constructed to Saint Michael. Traces of the Vaults and the Shafts, which supported them, are still visible in the Western two Bays. This Chapel was probably Vaulted, and those Vaults saved the Western Glass. The Stained Glass, in the three Lancets over the Portals, date from sometime between 1145 and 1155, while the South Spire, some 103 metres high, was also completed by 1155.

Work was begun on the Royal Portal, with the South Lintel around 1136 and with all its sculpture installed up to 1141. Opinions are uncertain, as the sizes and styles of the Figures vary and some elements, such as the Lintel over the Right-Hand Portal, have clearly been cut down to fit the available spaces. 

The sculpture was originally designed for these Portals, but the layouts were changed by successive Masters (see careful lithic analysis by John James). Either way, most of the carving follows the exceptionally high standard typical of this period and exercised a strong influence on the subsequent development of Gothic Portal design.

Some of the Masters have been identified by John James, and drafts of these studies have been published on the web-site of the International Centre of Mediaeval Art, New York.

Chartres Cathedral.

Sacred Geometry.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/sQB_P6ECvE8.

On 10 June 1194, another fire caused extensive damage to Fulbert's Cathedral. The true extent of the damage is unknown, though the fact that the Lead Cames, holding the West Windows together, survived the conflagration intact, suggests contemporary accounts of the terrible devastation may have been exaggerated. Either way, the opportunity was taken to begin a complete rebuilding of the Choir and Nave in the latest style. The undamaged Western Towers and Façade were incorporated into the new works, as was the earlier Crypt, effectively limiting the designers of the new building to the same General Plan as its predecessor. In fact, the present building is only marginally longer than Fulbert's Cathedral.

One of the unusual features of Chartres Cathedral is the speed with which it was built – a factor which helped contribute to the consistency of its design. Even though there were innumerable changes to the details, the Plan remains remarkably consistent. The major change occurred six years after work began, when the seven deep Chapels, around the Choir opening off a Single Ambulatory, were turned into shallow recesses opening off a Double-Aisled Ambulatory.

Chartres Cathedral.
Sacred Geometry.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/puFsJQnPTyo.

Australian architectural historian, John James, who made a detailed study of the Cathedral, has estimated that there were about 300 men working on the site at any one time, although it has to be acknowledged that current knowledge of working practices at this time is somewhat limited. Normally, Mediaeval Churches were built from East to West, so that the Choir could be completed first and put into use (with a temporary wall sealing off the West End), while The Crossing and Nave were completed.

Canon Delaporte argued that building work started at The Crossing and proceeded outwards from there, but the evidence, in the stonework itself, is unequivocal, especially within the level of the Triforium. The Nave was at all times more advanced than the Ambulatory Bays of the Choir, and this has been confirmed by dendrochronology.

The history of the Cathedral has been plagued by more theories than any other, a singular problem for those attempting to discover the truth. For example, Louis Grodecki argued that the lateral doors of the Transept Portals were cut through the walls at a later date, and van der Meulen that they had wanted to rebuild the Western Portals (then only 50 years old).

None of these theories refer back to the actual stonework, and it is only when one has done so, as John James did exhaustively in 1969, that one realises that the construction process was in fact simple and logical.

PART THREE FOLLOWS.

Chartres Cathedral (Part One).

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

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres from the South. 

A masterpiece of Gothic Architecture.

Photo: 25 August 2005.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Chartres_cathedral.jpg.

Auhor: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Honge.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Mediaeval Roman Rite Catholic Cathedral located in Chartres, France, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) South-West of Paris. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic Architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The current Cathedral, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1250, is the last of at least five Cathedrals, which have occupied the site since the town became a Bishopric in the 4th-Century.

The Cathedral is in an exceptional state of preservation. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th-Century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy Flying Buttresses, which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the West End is dominated by two contrasting Spires – a 105-metre (349 ft) plain pyramid, completed around 1160, and a 113-metre (377 ft) Early-16th-Century Flamboyant Spire on top of an older Tower. Equally notable, are the three great Façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.

Chartres Cathedral: Sacred Geometry.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/NeGdvTgROfw.

Since at least the 12th-Century, the Cathedral has been an important destination for travellers - and remains so to this day, attracting large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous Relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists, who come to admire the Cathedral's architecture and historical merit.

Chartres Cathedral. 

Clerestory and Flying Buttresses.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Strebewerk.jpg.

Author: BjörnT, BT from German Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As with any Mediaeval Bishopric, Chartres Cathedral was the most important building in the town – the centre of its economy, its most famous landmark and the focal point of many activities that, in modern towns, are provided for by specialised civic buildings.

In the Middle Ages, the Cathedral functioned as a kind of marketplace, with different commercial activities centred around the different Portals, particularly during the regular Fairs. Textiles were sold around the North Transept, while meat, vegetable and fuel sellers congregated around the South Porch. Money-changers (an essential service at a time when each town or region had its own currency) had their benches, or banques, near the West Portals and also in the Nave, itself. Wine sellers plied their trade in the Nave, although occasional 13th-Century ordinances survive which record them being temporarily banished to the Crypt, to minimise disturbances. Workers of various professions gathered in particular locations around the Cathedral, awaiting offers of work.

Although the town of Chartres was under the judicial and tax authority of the Counts of Blois, the area immediately surrounding the Cathedral, known as the cloître, was, in effect, a free-trade zone governed by the Church authorities, who were entitled to the taxes from all commercial activity taking place there.

As well as greatly increasing the Cathedral's income, throughout the 12th- and 13th-Centuries, this led to regular disputes, often violent, between the Bishops, the Chapter and the Civic Authorities – particularly when serfs, belonging to the Counts, transferred their trade (and taxes) to the Cathedral. In 1258, after a series of bloody riots instigated by the Count's officials, the Chapter finally gained permission from the King to seal off the area of the cloître and lock the gates each night.

Deutsch: Wandfläche mit Triforium.

English: Three tiers of wall structure of Chartres Cathedral: 

Arcade; Triforium; Clerestory (with 2 windows united by a small round Rosette window).

Photo: August 2006.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Triforium_Chartres.jpg.

Author: BjörnT, BT from German Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Even before the Gothic Cathedral was built, Chartres was a place of pilgrimage, albeit on a much smaller scale. During the Merovingian and Early-Carolingian eras, the main focus of devotion for pilgrims was a well (now located in the North side of Fulbert's Crypt), known as the Puits des Saints-Forts, or the 'Well of the Strong Saints', into which, it was believed, the bodies of various local Early-Christian Martyrs (including Saints Piat, Cheron, Modesta and Potentianus) had been tossed. The widespread belief that the Cathedral was also the site of a Pre-Christian Druidical sect, who worshipped a 'Virgin who will give birth', is purely a Late-Mediaeval invention.

In circa 876 A.D., the Cathedral acquired the Sancta Camisa, believed to be the tunic worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary at the time of Christ's birth. According to legend, the Relic was given to the Cathedral by Charlemagne, who received it as a gift from Emperor Constantine VI during a Crusade to Jerusalem. However, this legend was pure fiction (Charlemagne never went to the Holy Land) – probably invented in the 11th-Century to authenticate some Relics at the Abbey of St Denis. In fact, the Relic was a gift to the Cathedral from Charles the Bald and there is no evidence for its being an important object of pilgrimage prior to the 12th-Century.

Chartres Cathedral.

The West Front.

Photo: 26 August 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Atlant.

(Wikimedia Commons)

By the end of the 12th-Century, however, the Church had become one of the most important popular pilgrimage destinations in Europe. There were four great Fairs, which coincided with the main Feast Days of the Virgin: The Presentation; the Annunciation; the Assumption; and the Nativity. The Fairs were held in the area administered by the Cathedral and were attended by many of the pilgrims, in Town to see the Cloak of the Virgin.

Specific pilgrimages were also held in response to outbreaks of disease. When ergotism (more popularly known in the Middle Ages as "Saint Anthony's Fire") afflicted many victims, the Crypt of the original Church became a hospital to care for the sick.

Today, Chartres continues to attract large numbers of pilgrims, many of whom come to walk slowly around the Labyrinth, their heads bowed in Prayer – an entirely modern devotional practice, but one which the Cathedral authorities accommodate by removing the chairs from the Nave once a month.

PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go. And Where Thou Lodgest, I Will Lodge. Thy People Shall Be My People. And Thy God, My God.

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

Illustration from the Blog, CHRIST MY COVENANT, at

http://christmycovenant.com/?p=8049.

Ruth (/ruːθ/; Hebrew: רוּת, Modern Rut Tiberian Rūθ), is the main character in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible.

Ruth was a Moabitess, who married into the Hebrew family of Elimelech and Naomi, whom she met when they left Bethlehem and relocated to Moab, due to a famine. Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law as widows. 

When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth decided to go with her, despite the fact that Orpah, Naomi's other daughter-in-law, went back home. 

Ruth famously vowed to follow Naomi in the following passage:

"  Entreat me not to leave thee,
   or to return from following after thee:
   for whither thou goest, I will go;
   and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
   thy people shall be my people,
   and thy God my God:
   Where thou diest, will I die,
   and there will I be buried:
   the LORD do so to me, and more also,
   if ought but death part thee and me. "

   (Ruth 1:16-17, King James Version)

"Ruth in the Fields"

by Merle Hugues, 1876.

From the Blog, BIBLE PEOPLE - RUTH AND NAOMI, at

http://www.bible-people.info/Ruth.htm.

Ruth went to glean in the fields, where she met Boaz. At the instigation of Naomi, she forced Boaz to declare his intentions regarding Ruth by slipping into the threshing floor at night, uncovering his feet, and lying at his feet (Ruth 3:8), in the Mosaic tradition of having the nearest relative be the kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25:25-55). 

Boaz indicated his desire to marry her, and called Ruth a "woman of noble character". After overcoming the obstacle of having a relative with a stronger claim (per the Mosaic requirements in Deuteronomy 25:7-9), Boaz married Ruth, and they had a son, named Obed. 

The genealogy, in the final Chapter of the Book, explains how Ruth became the great-grandmother of David: Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David (Ruth 4:17). She is also, thus, the ancestor of Joseph (husband of Mary and would-be-father of Jesus), and is one of the five women mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew (along with Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary).

If Ye Love Me. Spem In Alium. Both Composed By Thomas Tallis (1505 - 1585).

Text and Illustration from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Thomas Tallis.

English composer 1505 - 1585.

Engraving by Niccolò Haym, after a portrait by Gerard van der Gucht.

Source: English Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Thomas_Tallis.jpg.

This File: 23 March 2005.

User: Aurevilly.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Thomas Tallis (circa 1505 – 3 December 1585, by the Gregorian Calendar, and 23 November 1585, by the Julian Calendar,) was an English composer who occupies a primary place in anthologies of English Church Music, and is considered one of England's greatest composers.

He is honoured for his original voice in English musicianship. No contemporary portrait of Tallis survives: The earliest, painted by Gerard van der Gucht, dates from 150 years after Tallis died, and there is no certainty that it is a likeness. In a rare copy of his signature that exists [in block letters], the composer spelled his last name "Tallys."

If Ye Love Me.

Thomas Tallis.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/FeAMHRiQBfo.

Spem in Alium

(40-Part Motet).

Thomas Tallis.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UtJvtk6EHZE.

Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Of The Blessed Sacrament. (Part Six).

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

Deutsch: Papst Pius X. (eigentlich Giuseppe Sarto,

* 2. Juni 1835 in Riese (Provinz Treviso);

† 20. August 1914 in Rom) war als Nachfolger Leo XIII.

Papst von 1903 bis 1914.

English: Pope Saint Pius X, born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto,

(2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914)

was Pope from 1903 to 1914, succeeding Pope Leo XIII.

Français: Pape Pie X, né Giuseppe Sarto à Riese (Italie)

le 2 juin 1835 - mort à Rome, au Vatican le 20 août 1914),

succéda le 4 août 1903 à Léon XIII, et fut suivi par le Pape Benoît XV.

Italiano: Papa Pio X, al secolo Giuseppe Sarto

(Riese, 2 giugno 1835 - Roma, Vaticano, 20 agosto 1914),

succedette il 4 agosto 1903 a Leone XIII.

Português do Brasil: Papa São Pio X.

Photo: 22 October 2011.

Source: Vaticano.

Author: Não sei.

This image (or other media file)

is in the public domain

because its Copyright has expired.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In addition to the political defense of the Church, Liturgical changes, anti-Modernism, and the beginning of the codification of Canon Law, the Papacy of Pope Pius X saw the reorganisation of the Roman Curia. He also sought to update the education of Priests, Seminaries and their curricula were reformed.

In 1904, Pope Pius X granted permission for Diocesan Seminarians to attend the College of Saint Thomas. He raised the College to the status of Pontificium on 2 May, 1906, thus making its Degrees equivalent to those of the world's other Pontifical Universities.

By Apostolic Letter of 8 November, 1908, signed by the Supreme Pontiff on 17 November, the College was transformed into the Collegium Pontificium Internationale Angelicum. It would become the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas,Angelicum in 1963.

Pope Pius X Beatified ten individuals and Canonised four. Those Beatified during his Pontificate were: Marie Genevieve Meunier (1906); Rose Chretien (1906); Valentin Faustino Berri Ochoa (1906); Saint Clarus (1907); Zdislava Berka (1907); John Bosco (1907); John of Ruysbroeck (1908); Andrew Nam Thung (1909); Agatha Lin (1909); Agnes De (1909); Joan of Arc (1909); and John Eudes (1909). Those Canonised by him were: Alexander Sauli (1904); Gerard Majella (1904); Clement Mary Hofbauer (1909); Joseph Oriol (1909).

The Choir Stalls of Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England. 

Pope Pius X issued a Papal Directive, on 

23 November 1903, banning women from singing 

in Church Choirs (i.e., the architectural Church Choirs)

Photo: 2 April 2005.

Source: Taken by Adrian Pingstone, Arpingstone.

Author: Taken by Adrian Pingstone, Arpingstone..

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Pius X published sixteen Encyclicals; among them was Vehementer nos on 11 February 1906, which condemned the 1905 French law on the separation of the State and the Church. Pius X also confirmed, though not infallibly, the existence of Limbo, in Roman Catholic Theology, in his 1905 Catechism, saying that the unbaptised "do not have the joy of God, but neither do they suffer . . . they do not deserve Paradise, but neither do they deserve Hell or Purgatory." On 23 November 1903, Pius X issued a Papal Directive, a motu proprio, that banned women from singing in Church Choirs (i.e. the architectural Choir).

In the Prophecy of Saint Malachy, the collection of 112 Prophecies about the Popes, Pope Pius X appears as Ignis Ardens or "Burning Fire."

In 1913, Pius X suffered a heart attack, and subsequently lived in the shadow of poor health. In 1914, the Pope fell ill on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (15 August), an illness from which he would not recover. His condition was worsened by the events leading to the outbreak of World War I (1914–18), which reportedly sent the 79-year-old Pope into a state of melancholy. He died on 20 August 1914 of a heart attack, only a few hours after the death of Jesuit leader, Franz Xavier Wernz, and on the very day when German forces marched into Brussels.

Following his death, Pius X was buried in a simple and unadorned tomb in the Crypt below Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome. Papal physicians had been in the habit of removing organs to aid the embalming process. Pius X expressly prohibited this in his burial and successive Popes have continued this tradition.

Photo of Pope Pius X on his death-bed, 20 August, 1914.

Source: Vat Photo. Transferred from en.wikipedia; 

transferred to Commons by User:Sevela.p using CommonsHelper.

Author: Felici. Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Although Pius X's Canonisation took place in 1954, the events leading up to it began immediately with his death. A letter of 24 September 1916 by Monsignor Leo, Bishop of Nicotera and Tropea, referred to Pope Pius X as "a great Saint and a great Pope." To accommodate the large number of pilgrims seeking access to his tomb, more than what the Crypt would hold, "a small metal Cross was set into the floor of the Basilica," which read Pius Papa X, "so that the Faithful might kneel down directly above the tomb". Masses were held near his tomb until 1930.

Devotion to Pius X between the two World Wars remained high. On 14 February 1923, in honour of the 20th anniversary of his accession to the Papacy, the first moves toward his Canonisation began with the formal appointment of those who would carry out his Cause. The event was marked by the erecting of a Monument in his memory in Saint Peter's Basilica. On 19 August 1939, Pope Pius XII (1939–58) delivered a tribute to Pope Pius X at Castel Gandolfo. On 12 February 1943, a further development of Pius X's Cause was achieved, when he was declared to have displayed Heroic Virtues, gaining therefore the Title "Venerable".

On 19 May 1944, Pius X's coffin was exhumed and was taken to the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix in Saint Peter's Basilica for the Canonical examination. Upon opening the coffin, the examiners found the body of Pius X remarkably well preserved, despite the fact that he had died 30 years before and had made wishes not to be embalmed. According to Jerome Dai-Gal, "all of the body" of Pius X "was in an excellent state of conservation".

After the examination and the end of the Apostolic Process towards Pius X's Cause, Pope Pius XII bestowed the Title of Venerable Servant of God upon Pius X. His body was exposed for 45 days (Rome was liberated by the Allies during this time), before being placed back in his tomb.

Copyright-expired-photo of Pope Pius X (standing on the left) 

on 18 December, 1907, consecrating Giacomo della Chiesa 

(sitting in front of the Altar with Mitre and Crosier; 

later Pope Benedict XV) in the Vatican.

Source: Vat Photo.

Author: "G. Felici, fotografo papale"; 

Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Following this, the process towards Beatification began, and thus Investigations by the Sacred Congregation of Rites (S.C.R.), into Miracles performed by intercessory work of Pius X, subsequently took place. The S.C.R. would eventually recognise two Miracles. 

The first Miracle involved Sister Marie-Françoise Deperras, a Nun, who had bone cancer, and was cured on 7 December, 1928, during a Novena, in which a Relic of Pius X was placed on her chest. The second Miracle involved Sister Benedetta De Maria, who had cancer, and in a Novena, started in 1938, she eventually touched a Relic statue of Pius X and was cured.

Giuseppe Sarti (later Pope Pius X), as a Bishop.

Photo: Between 1884, when Sarto became a Bishop,

and 1893, when he was elevated to Cardinal.

Source: http://www.museosanpiox.it/.

Author: Out of Copyright, due to age (19th-Century).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Pius XII officially approved the two Miracles, on 11 February, 1951, and on 4 March, 1951, Pius XII, in his De Tuto, declared that the Church could continue in the Beatification of the Venerable Pope Pius X. His Beatification took place on 3 June, 1951, at Saint Peter's Basilica, before twenty-three Cardinals, hundreds of Bishops and Archbishops, and a crowd of 100,000 Faithful. During his Beatification Decree, Pope Pius XII referred to Pope Pius X as "Pope of the Eucharist", in honour of Pope Pius X's expansion of the Rite to children.

Following his Beatification, on 17 February, 1952, Pius X's body was transferred from its tomb to the Vatican Basilica and placed under the Altar of the Chapel of the Presentation. The Pontiff's body lies within a glass and bronze-work sarcophagus for the Faithful to see.

A short Video of the 

Canonisation of Pope Saint Pius X 

is available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/yFq-Lj8SDLE.

On 29 May, 1954, less than three years after his Beatification, Pius X was canonised, following the S.C.R.'s recognition of two more Miracles. The first Miracle involved Francesco Belsami, an attorney from Naples, who had a fatal pulmonary abscess, who was cured upon placing a picture of Pope Pius X upon his chest. The second Miracle involved Sister Maria Ludovica Scorcia, a Nun, who was afflicted with a serious neurotropic virus, and who, upon several Novenas, was entirely cured.

The Canonisation Mass was presided over by Pope Pius XII at Saint Peter's Basilica before a crowd of about 800,000 of the Faithful and Church officials at Saint Peter's Basilica. Pope Pius X became the first Pope to be canonised since Pope Pius V was canonised in 1712.

His Canonisation Ceremony was taped and recorded by early television news broadcasters, including NBC.

Prayer Cards often depict the Sanctified Pontiff with instruments of Holy Communion. In addition to being celebrated as the "Pope of the Blessed Sacrament," Pope Saint Pius X is also the Patron Saint of emigrants from Treviso. He is honoured in numerous Parishes in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the United States.

Another Video of the 

Canonisation Mass 

for Pope Saint Pius X 

is available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/6liF7ovruNQ.

The number of Parishes, Schools, Seminaries and Retreat Houses named after him in Western countries is very large, partly because he was very-well-known, and his Beatification and Canonisation in the early-1950s was during a period following World War II, when there was a great deal of new construction in cities and population growth in the era of the baby boom, thus leading to Catholic institutional expansion that correlated with the growing society.

Pope Saint Pius X's Feast Day was assigned in 1955 to 3 September, to be celebrated as a Double Rite. It remained thus for fifteen years. In the 1960 Calendar (incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII, whose continued use as an Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is authorised under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum) the Rank was changed to Third-Class Feast. The Rank in the General Roman Calendar, since 1969, is that of Memorial and the Feast Day is obligatorily celebrated on 21 August, closer to the day of his death (20 August, impeded by the Feast Day of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux).

A Video showing Pope Saint Pius X 

and  Papal Liturgy 

is available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/U8RjZg7w5SE.

The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was a big supporter of his Canonisation, partly because he had ordained the need for its existence in every Diocese and because it had received a great deal of Episcopal criticism, and it was thought that by Canonising the Pope, who gave them their mandate, this would help inculcate against this criticism. They initiated a Prayer Crusade for his Canonisation that achieved the participation of over two million names.

After the Pope's Canonisation, another Miracle is said to have taken place when a Christian family activist, named Clem Lane, suffered a major heart attack and was placed in an oxygen tent, where he was given the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (Last Rites). A Relic of the Pope was placed over his oxygen tent, and he recovered, to the great surprise of his doctors. A Sister of Loretto, at Webster College, in St Louis, Missouri, claimed that her Priest brother had been cured through the Pope's intercession, as well.

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON POPE SAINT PIUS X.

Virgen Del Carmen Bella.

Our Lady of Ushaw,

Durham, England.

Photo: April 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zephyrinus.

Ave Maria.

Devoción y Oración a Nuestra Señora del Carmen. 

Interpretación (fondo musical) de la Mezzo Soprano 

Italiana, Cecilia Bartoli.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/H8h1foLdtCI.

Bishop Davies, The Bishop Of Shrewsbury, Issues A Pastoral Letter, Stating: "We Must Bear True And Faithful Witness To Marriage" In The Face Of The Homosexual Agenda.

The following is taken from the Blog, JOHN SMEATON, SPUC DIRECTOR, at

http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/

Bishop Davies says: 

"We must bear true and faithful witness to marriage" 

in the face of the homosexual agenda.

Mark Davies,

Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury.

Photo Credit: http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/

Mark Davies, the Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury, has issued a Pastoral Letter, this weekend, in which he says that:

"We must bear true and faithful witness to marriage" and that:

"The redefinition of marriage by the Government’s recent legislation does not, and cannot, change Christian teaching on marriage, the family, or sexual morality". 

Bishop Davies also says that, because marriage is:

"Ordained by God for the creation of the family and future generations", . . . "[i]t would be hard to over-estimate in these respects the importance of marriage for human well-being and our ultimate good."

John Smeaton, Society For The Protection Of Unborn Children (SPUC), says:

"On behalf of SPUC, I wish to express my gratitude to Bishop Davies for his strong leadership and clear vision for a Pro-Life and Pro-Family future".

Press Release from the Diocese of Shrewsbury

26 July 2013

For immediate release:

‘We must bear true and faithful witness to marriage’.

The redefinition of marriage by the Government’s recent legislation does not, and cannot, change Christian teaching on marriage, the family, or sexual morality, the Bishop of Shrewsbury will say in a Pastoral Letter, this weekend.

Interpreting the passage of the Marriage (Same-Sex) Couples Act on July 17 as a “seismic shift” away from Britain’s Christian foundations, the Rt Rev. Mark Davies will declare that the teaching of the Church is not a “human construct” but is a gift from God.

Bishop Davies will urge the faithful to be courageous in bearing “true and faithful witness” to marriage in the hope and expectation that eventually “the Christian foundations increasingly discarded by the leaders of our society will be discovered anew” by future generations.

In his Letter, which will be read out in all Parishes across the weekend of July 28, the Bishop will remind the Catholics of the Diocese of Shrewsbury of the “urgency” of engagement in a “new evangelisation”, in union with Pope Francis.

He will also quote widely from Through the Narrow Gate, a Reflection by the Archbishop of Westminster, a document on marriage published this week by the Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and the President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

The document, expresses the view that the Act represents a move towards the deconstruction of marriage and it offers a Catholic response to the problems presented by the new law, primarily by encouraging Catholics to “live faithfully by the teaching we have received” from the Church.

Bishop Davies will say: “The Government’s legislation does not, and cannot, change our understanding of marriage.

“As Archbishop Nichols reminds us, In contrast to the new law, Christian teaching holds that marriage is a life-long faithful union of a man and a woman, ordained by God for the creation of the family and future generations. Marriage is the place where sexual relations find their proper place and God-given purpose. It would be hard to over-estimate in these respects the importance of marriage for human well-being and our ultimate good.”

He will say: “It is surely when foundations are shaken, the ground taken from beneath our feet that we give renewed attention to the basis on which our future must be built … Blessed John Paul II often reminded us that our witness to the truth of the Gospel has a value, not only for the present time, but for all generations to come … We look forward to the day when our society re-discovers its Christian roots and the authentic value of marriage as the foundation of the family … I have no doubt that through such witness … the Christian foundations increasingly discarded by the leaders of our society, will be discovered anew.”

The full text of the homily of Bishop Davies follows.

For further information:

Please contact Simon Caldwell, diocesan communications officer, on 07730 526847 or by email at simon.caldwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.

Website: www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org

Follow us on Twitter: @ShrewsRCnews

Pictures of Bishop Mark Davies are available upon request.

Text of Bishop Davies’s homily in full:

A Pastoral Letter to be read in all churches and chapels of the Diocese of Shrewsbury on the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, 28th July 2013

My dear brothers and sisters,

Since the first missionaries sent by Pope Gregory arrived on the coast of England in the year 597 AD we could say that Christianity has formed the foundation of our common life and laws.

This bedrock of Christian values has remained our nation’s mainstay, despite all the upheavals of the past millennium. However, in our life-times we have witnessed a seismic shift from these Christian foundations. 

Parliament’s decision to change the legal definition of marriage is the latest sign of this shift.

We are facing together a completely new situation which invites us – with growing urgency - to engage in a “new evangelisation” and a courageous “lay apostolate,” always in the closest union with the Successor of the Apostle Peter, Francis our Pope, called to be “the rock” on which the Church is built. 

These have been the themes of my Letters to you over this past year. It is surely when foundations are shaken, the ground taken from beneath our feet, that we need to give renewed attention to the sure basis on which our future can be built. 

As we prayed in the Mass today: Without you, O God, “nothing has firm foundation” (Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time).

I am conscious that I write to you when Pope Francis has travelled to Brazil to join millions of young pilgrims for World Youth Day. 

In recent debates we heard politicians express their hope that new generations might be so secularised in outlook that they will ask: Why was anyone concerned about this question?

Blessed John Paul II often reminded us that our witness to the truth of the Gospel has a value not only for the present time, but for all generations to come.

In his meeting with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Francis spoke of the necessity of this Christian witness, “in a world which seems at times to call into question some of the foundations of society” the Holy Father said, “such as respect for the sacredness of human life or the importance of the institution of the family built on marriage” (14th June 2013).

Today I also wish to echo some important words of the Archbishop of Westminster in a message circulated to Catholics across the country. Archbishop Nichols declares that by this deconstruction of marriage, “our society has taken a significant step away from its Judeo-Christian foundations” (The Narrow Gate, A Reflection by the Archbishop of Westminster).

The Government’s legislation does not, and cannot, change our understanding of marriage. In contrast to the new law, Archbishop Nichols reminds us, Christian teaching holds that marriage is a life-long faithful union of a man and a woman, ordained by God for the creation of the family and future generations.

Marriage is the place where sexual relations find their proper place and God-given purpose. It would be hard to over-estimate in these respects the importance of marriage for human well-being and our ultimate good.

It might be easy to be carried along by the confusion in our country. “But this is not” the Archbishop of Westminster insists “the way of the Catholic as a follower of Christ.” We may be accused of an outmoded understanding of human relationships, or even of bigotry, when trying to live and present Catholic teaching as it has been given by God.

Archbishop Nichols reflects that being out of step with society for the sake of the Gospel should be no cause for discouragement. “This is our calling,” he writes, and we are called to “live faithfully by the teaching we have received and to present it robustly and intelligently”- for “this teaching is no human construct but God’s gift for our happiness.”

The re-definition of civil marriage certainly adds to a sense that people of faith are becoming, in Archbishop Nichols’s words, “strangers in their own land.” Nevertheless we must be ready, with genuine respect for every person, to give our witness as “energetic citizens and contributors to the common good of all.”

We look forward to the day when our society re-discovers its Christian roots and the authentic value of marriage as the foundation of the family.

The Youth Catechism notes that nothing in the early Church fascinated people more about the “New Way” of the Christians than their homes and families. “In an unbelieving world, islands of living faith were formed,” the Catechism explains, and the great cities of antiquity which certainly did not share the Christian vision of morality “were soon permeated with domestic churches” – the Church in miniature, within the home and family.

The Youth Catechism reflects that these “were like points of light. Even today families in which Christ is at home are the leaven that renews our society” (YouCat 271).

I have no doubt that it is through such witness - your own witness - that the Christian foundations increasingly discarded by the leaders of our society, will be discovered anew.

United with you in prayer today together with the nine hundred pilgrims from the Diocese in Lourdes may we give this true and faithful witness for all generations to come.

+ Mark 

Bishop of Shrewsbury

Notes to editors:

The Diocese of Shrewsbury covers the parts of Merseyside South of the River Mersey, the 

Southern parts of Greater Manchester, parts of Derbyshire, almost all of the County of 

Cheshire and all of Shropshire.

Ends

Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae. Hail Holy Queen, Mother Of Mercy.

The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Salve Regina.

Chant Of The Templars.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/uZT5Hy-i7C8.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae:
      Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Hevae.
      Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
      Eia ergo, Advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
      ad nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
      nobis, post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens: O pia: O dulcis
      Virgo Maria.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
      Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,
      to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
      Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
      and after this our exile show unto us the
blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus;
      O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

The following three paragraphs are from http://www.chantcd.com

This Marian Hymn (Salve Regina) is sung after Compline for most of the Liturgical Year. When it is not sung, another Marian Hymn, more in tune with the Liturgical Season, is sung, instead. The Church prizes devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary so highly, and deems it so necessary, that she requires it of all her Priests and Religious.

This Hymn is actually a very common Prayer: The Hail Holy Queen, recited at the end of the Holy Rosary. This is in the top five Catholic Prayers, as far as general familiarity and frequency of use are concerned.

There are two Chant versions of this Prayer: The Solemn Version, sung on Sundays and Feast Days, and the Simple Version. The Solemn Version is longer, but they are both beautiful.

March Of The Templars.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/b11-37Me_a4.

The following Paragraph is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), commonly known as The Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers) or simply as Templars, were among the most wealthy and powerful of the Western Christian Military Orders and were among the most relevant actors of the Christian finance. The organisation existed for nearly two Centuries during the Middle Ages.

Salve Regina.

Chanted by the Choir of the Abbey of Notre-Dame, Fontgombault. 

It is a beautiful version of this Anthem to our Blessed Mother. 

Ave Maria!

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/OLMeHBkLQJo.

Salve Regina.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/TIoc7DMUSmQ.

Zdravo, Kraljice, majko milosrđa,
živote, slasti i ufanje naše zdravo.
K tebi vapijemo prognani sinovi Evini.
K tebi uzdišemo tugujući i plačući u ovoj suznoj dolini.
Svrni, dakle, odvjetnice naša,
one svoje milostive oči na nas
te nam poslije ovoga progona pokaži Isusa,
blagoslovljeni plod utrobe svoje.
O blaga, o mila, o slatka Djevice Marijo.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae:
      Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Hevae.
      Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
      Eia ergo, Advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
      ad nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
      nobis, post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens: O pia: O dulcis
      Virgo Maria.