Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated. Octave Day of The Epiphany. 13 January. Greater-Double. Privileged Octave Day. White Vestments.
Of The Old Office, which Celebrated on this day The Baptism of Jesus and the Glorious Manifestation that the Heavenly Father gave of His Divinity, we have only preserved the Collects and Gospel.
The rest is taken from The Mass of Epiphany, so that we continue to keep in touch with The Infant of Bethlehem. The whole world was awaiting The Messiah, and now that "The Sovereign Lord has come, Who holds in His hand the Kingdom, and Power and Dominion" over all hearts (Introit), it is time that John appeared, "that man sent from God" (Last Gospel), "that Jesus may be made manifest in Israel" (Gospel).
The Holiness of The Forerunner is recognised by all the Jews and Gentiles, who come in crowds (Epistle) to receive his Baptism of Penance. He has all the influence over them necessary for the fulfilment of his Mission, which is to present officially the Bridegroom to the Bride, Christ to the Souls of men.
The Gospel tells us that John saw The Holy Ghost come down upon Jesus, and that he gave "testimony that He was The Son of God", "Who appeared on Earth in the substance of our flesh" (Collect).
The waters are, from henceforth, Sanctified by their contact with the Man-God. It is by Baptism, in fact, that "all Nations shall be made to serve Jesus" (Offertory).
Mass: As on The Feast of The Epiphany, except Proper Collect, Gospel, Secret, Postcommunion.
Zephyrinus is delighted to be able to strongly recommend, to all Readers, the availability, now, of the new Ordo MMXV, from THE SAINT LAWRENCE PRESS LTD ONLINE SHOP
An excellent Review of this Ordo can be read on the Blog of Fr John Hunwicke, which is available at FR HUNWICKE'S MUTUAL ENRICHMENT
Fr Hunwicke's Review includes the following Text:
"This little book will show you, day by day, a wonderland in which Festivals have:
Octaves and Vigils;
Humble Festivals have First Vespers, in accordance with a Tradition which goes back even behind the New Covenant to the Judaic system;
Commemorations enable you to remember Festivals which are partly obscured by other observances;
The Last Gospel is sometimes changed to enable a different Gospel to be read;
Newman's favourite Canticle "Quicumque vult" (the 'Athanasian Creed') is said; et cetera and kai ta loipa.
What you will get a glimpse of is The Roman Rite as it was in 1939, before the Pius XII changes got under way. Not many, of course, will feel able to observe this Calendar in their Mass and Office. But you will understand the 'reformed' rites of 1962 and 1970 so very much better by seeing what they replaced.
Rather like understanding a diverse landscape all the better, by having the geological knowledge of what's underground, so as to understand why the visible contours and strata are the way they are.
You will see, give or take some details, the skeleton and structure of The Daily Prayer of Blessed John Henry Newman, Bishop Challoner, The English Martyrs, all The Saints (and sinners and common ordinary Christians) of The Western Church in the 17th-Century, 18th-Century and 19th-Century.
You will get some surprises !
Go for it !!!"
Zephyrinus recommends this Ordo to all Readers. It contains so much information that is not mentioned, or available, to today's Catholics in their present-day "single sheet Newsletters".
One of Sir Felix Pole's last actions, as General Manager of the Great Western Railway, was to introduce the "Cheltenham Flyer" (or the "Cheltenham Spa Express" as it appeared in the official timetables), which ran between Cheltenham St. James and London Paddington at an average speed of 71.4 m.p.h., making it the world's fastest Train for several years.
On 6 June 1932, the "Cheltenham Flyer", behind No. 5006 "Tregenna Castle", achieved an average speed of 81.6 m.p.h. over the Paddington to Swindon section of the route, which was the fastest average speed ever achieved by a Train in normal passenger service.
One of the most popular Great Western Railway posters of all time,
The artist was Charles Mayo. The poster, produced in 1939, depicted The Cheltenham Flyer.
One area that the Great Western Railway's (GWR) managed to attract a lot of publicity was in the speed of their services, and one of the GWR Expresses - The Cheltenham Flyer - was groomed to become the fastest Train in the world. This amazing record was first achieved in 1929, with a booked average speed of 66.2 mph from Swindon to Paddington.
Maintaining this speed was easy on 'Brunel's Billiard Table' [Editor: The Western Railway Line running from Paddington to The West Country] especially as 'Castle'-Class Locomotives were employed for the 'Flyer'.
However, in 1931, Canadian Pacific Railways took the record for a few short months until the GWR raised the average speed to 69.2mph. As an extension of the speed theme, the artist Charles Mayo, in 1939, produced one of the most popular Great Western posters of all time (see, above), which depicts The Cheltenham Flyer.
After Henry was made Archbishop of Trier, in 956 A.D., he summoned Wolfgang, who became a teacher in the Cathedral School of Trier, and also laboured for the reform of the Archdiocese, despite the hostility with which his efforts were met.
English: Chapel of Saint Wolfgang, Glanz, Austria.
Wolfgang's residence at Trier greatly influenced his Monastic and ascetic tendencies, as here he came into contact with the great Monastery of the 10th-Century, Saint Maximin's Abbey, Trier, where he made the acquaintance of Romuald, the teacher of Saint Adalbert of Prague.
At the request of Saint Ulrich, who clearly saw the danger, and at the desire of the Emperor Otto the Great, Wolfgang, according to the Abbey annals, was "sent to the Hungarians" as the most suitable man to evangelise them.
After the death of Bishop Michael of Regensburg (23 September 972 A.D.), Bishop Piligrim obtained from the Emperor the appointment of Wolfgang as the new Bishop (Christmas, 972 A.D.). Wolfgang's services in this new position were of the highest importance, not only for the Diocese, but also for the cause of civilisation. As Bishop of Regensburg, Wolfgang became the tutor of Emperor Saint Henry II, who learned from him the principles which governed his Saintly and energetic life. Poppe, son of Margrave Luitpold, Archbishop of Trier (1018), and Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1004–1012), also had him as their teacher.
Wolfgang deserves credit for his disciplinary labours in his Diocese. His main work in this respect was connected with the ancient and celebrated Saint Emmeram's Abbey, which he reformed by granting it, once more, Abbots of its own, thus withdrawing it from the control of the Bishops of Regensburg, who for many years had been Abbots in commendam, a condition of affairs that had been far from beneficial to the Abbey and Monastic life. In the Benedictine Monk, Romuald, whom Saint Wolfgang called from Saint Maximin, at Trier, Saint Emmeram received a most capable Abbot in 975 A.D.
English: Parish Church of Saint Wolfgang, Tyrol, Austria.
Deutsch: Kath. Pfarrkirche hl. Wolfgang, Friedhof u.
The Saint also reformed the Convents of Obermünster and Niedermünster,at Regensburg, chiefly by giving them, as an example, the Convent of Saint Paul, Mittelmünster, at Regensburg, which he had founded in 983 A.D. He also co-operated in the Reform of the ancient and celebrated Benedictine Abbey of Niederaltaich, which had been Founded by the Agilolfinger Dynasty, and which, from that time, took on new life.
He showed genuine Episcopal generosity, in the liberal manner with which he met the views of the Emperor Otto II, regarding the intended reduction in size of his Diocese for the benefit of the new Diocese of Prague (975 A.D.), to which Saint Adalbert was appointed first Bishop. As Prince of the Empire, he performed his duties, towards the Emperor and the Empire, with the utmost scrupulousness and, like Saint Ulrich, was one of the mainstays of the Ottonian policies.
He took part in the various Imperial Diets, and, in the Autumn of 978 A.D., accompanied Emperor Otto II on his Campaign to Paris, and took part in the Diet of Verona, in June 983 A.D. He was succeeded by Gebhard I.
English: Interior of the Parish Church of Saint Wolfgang,
Towards the end of his life, Saint Wolfgang withdrew as a Hermit to a solitary spot, now the Wolfgangsee ("Wolfgang's Lake") in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria, apparently on account of a political dispute, but probably in the course of a journey of inspection to Mondsee Abbey, which was under the direction of the Bishops of Regensburg. He was discovered by a hunter and brought back to Regensburg.
While travelling on the Danube to Pöchlarn, in Lower Austria, he fell ill at the village of Pupping, which is between Eferding and the Market Town of Aschach, near Linz, and at his request was carried into the Chapel of Saint Othmar, at Pupping, where he died.
His body was taken up the Danube by his friends, Count Aribo of Andechs and Archbishop Hartwich of Salzburg, to Regensburg, and was Solemnly Buried in the Crypt of Saint Emmeram. Many Miracles were performed at his grave; in 1052 he was Canonised.
English: Another view of the beautiful Interior
of the Parish Church of Saint Wolfgang, Tyrol, Austria.
Soon after Wolfgang's death, many Churches chose him as their Patron Saint, and various Towns were named after him.
In Christian art, he has been especially honoured by the great Mediaeval Tyrolean painter, Michael Pacher (1430–1498), who created an imperishable Memorial to him, the High Altar of Saint Wolfgang. In the Panel pictures, which are now exhibited in the Old Pinakothek, at Munich, are depicted in an artistic manner the chief events in the Saint's life.
The oldest portrait of Saint Wolfgang is a Miniature, painted about the year 1100, in the celebrated Evangeliary of Saint Emmeram, now in the Library of the Castle Cathedral at Kraków.
A fine modern picture, by Schwind, is in the Schack Gallery, at Munich. This painting represents the Legend of Wolfgang forcing the devil to help him to build a Church.
English: The High Altar, in Saint Wolfgang Parish Church,
Salzkammergut, Austria, was created by Michael Pacher in 1481.
The Paintings, on the Side Panels, were painted by Alois Hänisch (1866-1937).
Deutsch: Blick auf den Pacheraltar in Hl. Wolfgang,
Salzkammergut, Österreich.
Date: 1910.
Source/Photographer: Dorotheum.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In other paintings, he is generally depicted in Episcopal Dress, an axe in the Right Hand and the Crozier in the Left-Hand, or as a Hermit in the wilderness, being discovered by a hunter.
The axe refers to an incident in the Life of the Saint. After having selected a solitary spot in the wilderness, he Prayed and then threw his axe into the thicket; the spot on which the axe fell he regarded as the place where God intended he should build his Cell. This axe is still shown in the little Market Town of Saint Wolfgang, which sprang up on the spot of the old Cell.
English: Saint Wolfgang High Altar, by Michael Pacher (1481), (Detail),
Salzkammergut Parish Church, Austria. The Coronation of The Virgin Mary in Heaven.
Deutsch: Pfarrkirche Sankt Wolfgang im Salzkammergut (Oberösterreich).
Hochaltar (1481) von Michael Pacher: Marienkrönung.
Photo:18 August 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Wolfgang Sauber.
(Wikimedia Commons)
At the request of the Abbey of Saint Emmeram, the Life of Saint Wolfgang was written by Otloh, a Benedictine Monk of Saint Emmeram, about 1050. This Life is especially important for the Early Mediaeval history, both of the Church and of civilisation in Bavaria and Austria, and it forms the basis of all later accounts of the Saint.
The oldest and best Manuscript, of this Life (Vita), is in the Library of Einsiedeln Abbey, in Switzerland (MS. No. 322), and has been printed, with critical notes, in Mon. Germ. His.: Script., IV, 524-542.
New Mass or Traditional Mass? A Question of Faith.
In the Early-1980's, there came to light an important document,
published by Priests of the Diocese of Campos, in Brazil.
This Booklet is a newly-translated edition of their Study, published in English, we think,
for the first time in more than thirty years.
The excellent Study, put forth by the Priests of Campos, under Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer,
has lost none of its relevance.
On the contrary, after more than thirty years, with hindsight, the "sixty reasons to return to The Traditional Mass" mercilessly question every Priest and Member of the Faithful,
Saint John's Co-Cathedral (Maltese: Kon-Katidral ta’ San Ġwann), located in Valletta, Malta, was built by The Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578, having been commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the Conventual Church of The Order of The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John, known as The Knights of Malta.
The Church was designed by the Maltese Military Architect, Glormu Cassar (Girolamo Cassar), who designed several of the more prominent buildings in Valletta. The Church is considered to be one of the finest examples of High Baroque Architecture in Europe and one of the world's great Cathedrals.
English: "Magnificent Church.
The most striking Interior I have ever seen."
(Sir Walter Scott, 1831). [Author: Note the three Clocks on the Right-Hand Tower.]
Deutsch: St. John’s Co-Kathedrale, Valletta, Malta.
The severe Exterior of the Cathedral, built immediately after the ending of the Great Siege of 1565, is reminiscent of a Military Fort.
The Interior, in sharp contrast with the facade, is extremely ornate and decorated in the Baroque Style. The Interior was largely decorated by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist and Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the Vaulted Ceiling and Side Altars with scenes from the life of Saint John.
Interestingly, the figures painted on the Ceiling, next to each Column, initially appear to the viewer as three-dimensional statues, but, on closer inspection, we see that the artist cleverly created a three-dimensional illusion by his use of shadows and placement.
1. Fiat pax in virtute tua: et abundantia in turribus tuis.
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
2. Propter fratres meos et proximos meos loquebar pacem de te:
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
3. Propter domum Domini Dei nostri quaesivi bona tibi.
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
4. Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Jerusalem: et abundantia diligentibus te.
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
5. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto,
sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
Also noteworthy is the fact that the carving was all undertaken in-place (in situ) rather than being carved independently and then attached to the walls (stucco). The Maltese Limestone, from which the Cathedral is built, lends itself particularly well to such intricate carving.
In 1666, a project for the High Altar, by Malta's greatest sculptor, Melchiorre Cafà, was approved and begun. Cafà intended a large sculpture group, in Bronze, depicting The Baptism of Christ. Following Cafà's tragic death, in 1667, in a foundry accident while working on this work in Rome, the plans were abandoned. Only in 1703, Giuseppe Mazzuoli, Cafà's only pupil, finished a Marble group of The Baptism of Christ, which might have been influenced by his Master's undocumented designs, but certainly is strongly dependent on a small Baptism group by Alessandro Algardi.
The Cathedral contains seven Chapels, each of which was Dedicated to the Patron Saint of the eight "Langues" (or "Sections") of the Knights. On the Left Side of the Church, there are the following Chapels;
The Chapel of the Anglo-Bavarian Langue was formerly known as the Chapel of the Relic, where the Knights used to keep Relics that they had acquired through the Centuries;
The Chapel of France is Dedicated to the Conversion of Saint Paul. This Chapel was modified in the 19th-Century. The Monuments found in this Chapel are those of Grand Masters Fra Adrien de Wignacourt and Fra Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc;
The Chapel of Italy, dedicated to Saint Catherine, the Patron Saint of the Italian Section;
The Chapel of Germany is dedicated to The Epiphany of Christ.
On the Right Side of the Church, there are the following Chapels;
The Chapel of The Blessed Sacrament was formerly known as The Chapel of Our Lady of Fileremos (Rhodes). The Titular Painting of this Chapel is Our Lady of Carafa, which is a Copy of Our Lady of Lanciano. Among the Knights, buried in this Chapel, there is Fra Gian Francesco Abela and Fra Flaminio Balbiano;
The Chapel of Auvergne is Dedicated to Saint Sebastian. The only Monument in this Chapel is that of Fra Annet de Clermont;
The Chapel of Aragon is dedicated to Saint George. The Titular Painting was painted by Mattia Preti and it is considered as one of his Masterpieces. In this Chapel, one can find the Monuments of the following Grand Masters: Fra Martin de Redin; Fra Raphael Cotoner; Fra Nicolas Cotoner; Fra Ramon Perellos;
The High Altar,
Saint John's Co-Cathedral,
Valletta, Malta.
[Author: Note the Liturgically-correct Lenten Purple Canopy,
hanging above the High Altar. Compare with the following photo,
which depicts the Liturgically-correct Post Pentecost Green Canopy]
The painting depicting The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608), by Caravaggio (1571–1610), is the most famous work of art in the Church. Considered one of Caravaggio's Masterpieces, and the only painting signed by the painter, the canvas is displayed in the Oratory, for which it was painted.
Restored in the Late-1990s, in Florence, this painting is one of Caravaggio's most impressive uses of the chiaroscuro style, for which he is most famous, with a circle of light illuminating the scene of Saint John's beheading at the request of Salome. The Oratory also houses Caravaggio's picture of Saint Jerome III (1607–1608).
Another impressive feature of the Church is the collection of Marble tombstones in the Nave, in which were buried important Knights. The more important Knights were placed closer to the front of the Church. These tombstones, richly decorated with Inlaid Marble and with the Coats-of-Arms of the Knight buried below, as well as images relevant to that Knight often telling a story of triumph in battle, form a rich visual display.
The Nave and High Altar,
Saint John's Co-Cathedral,
Valletta, Malta.
Photo: 14 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Szilas.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Interior of
Saint John's Co-Cathedral,
Valletta, Malta.
Photo: 25 February 2012.
Source: St John's Co-Cathedral Interior 1Uploaded by tm
Adjoining the Church is the Saint John's Co-Cathedral Museum, containing art objects. Among the contents of the Museum, there are: Tapestries of Grand Master Fra Ramon Perellos de Roccaful; paintings of the following Grand Masters: Fra Jean de la Cassiere; Fra Nicola Cottoner; and Fra Emanuel Pinto de Fonseca; painting which were formerly in the Side Chapels, such as "Saint George Killing The Dragon", by Francesco Potenzano.
Saint John's was the Conventual Church (that is to say, the Church of the Convent) of The Hospitallers (The Knights of Saint John). Over time, though, it grew to equal prominence with the Archbishop's Cathedral at Mdina.
In the 1820s, the Bishop of Malta, whose Seat was at Mdina, was allowed to use Saint John’s as an alternative See and it, thus, formally became a Co-Cathedral. The land, on which the Co-Cathedral was built, belongs to the Government of Malta, and the care of the Co-Cathedral and Museum has been entrusted to the Saint John's Co-Cathedral Foundation.
