Saint Anastasia.

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

English: Saint Anastasia Cathedral, Verona, Italy.

Français: Cathédrale Saint Anastase, Vérone, Italie.

Date: 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: © 2004 David Monniaux.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Anastasia is a Christian Saint and Martyr, who died at Sirmium in the Roman Province of Pannonia Secunda (modern-day Serbia). In The Orthodox Church, she is Venerated as Saint Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, i.e. "Deliverer from Potions" (Ἁγία Ἀναστασία ἡ Φαρμακολύτρια).

Concerning Anastasia, little is reliably known, save that she died in The Persecutions of Diocletian. Most stories about her date from several Centuries after her death and make her, variously, a Roman, or Sirmian, native, and a Roman citizen of Patrician rank. One legend makes her the daughter of a certain Praetextus and the pupil of Saint Chrysogonus. Catholic Tradition states that her mother was Saint Fausta of Sirmium.

Anastasia has long been Venerated as a healer and exorcist. Her Relics lie in the Cathedral of Saint Anastasia, in Zadar,Croatia.

She is one of seven women, who, along with The Blessed Virgin Mary, are Commemorated by name in The Canon of the Mass.

English: Modern Orthodox Christian icon of Saint Anastasia the Great-Martyr.

Русский: Святая Анастасия (Анастасия Узорешительница, Анастасия Младшая) —

Святая, христианская великомученица IV века (икона).

Source: http://www.svetigora.com/node/892

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Martyr enjoys the distinction, unique in The Roman Liturgy, of having a special Commemoration in The Second Mass on Christmas Day. The Day's Mass was originally Celebrated, not in honour of The Birth of Christ, but, rather, in Commemoration of this Martyr, and, towards the end of the 5th-Century A.D., her name was also inserted in The Roman Canon.

Nevertheless, she is not a Roman Saint, for she suffered Martyrdom at Sirmium, and was not Venerated at Rome until almost the end of the 5th-Century A.D. It is true that a later legend, not earlier than the 6th-Century A.D., makes Anastasia a Roman, though, even in this legend, she did not suffer Martyrdom at Rome. The same legend connects her name with that of Saint Chrysogonus, likewise not a Roman Martyr, but put to death in Aquileia, though the San Crisogono Church in Rome is Dedicated to him.

English: The Anastasia Chapel of Benediktbeuern Abbey in Bavaria, Germany.

The Anastasia Chapel is a Baroque Chapel of Benediktbeuern Abbey.

It was built between 1751 and 1753 in honour of the Martyr, Anastasia the Patrician.

Deutsch: Die Anastasiakapelle des Klosters Benediktbeuern in Bayern, Deutschland.

Die Anastasiakapelle ist eine Barockkapelle des Klosters Benediktbeuern in Benediktbeuern,

die von 1751 bis 1753 zu Ehren der heiligen Märtyrerin Anastasia errichtet wurde, um deren Reliquien einen angemessen Ort zu schaffen.

Photo: 6 March 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Schlaier.

(Wikimedia Commons)

According to this "Passio", Anastasia was the daughter of Praetextatus, a Roman vir illustris, and had Chrysogonus for a teacher. Early in The Persecution of Diocletian, the Emperor summoned Chrysogonus to Aquileia, where he suffered Martyrdom. Anastasia, having gone from Aquileia to Sirmium to visit The Faithful of that place, was beheaded on the Island of Palmaria, 25 December, and her body interred in the house of Apollonia, which had been converted into a Basilica. The whole account is purely legendary, and rests on no historical foundations. All that is certain is that a Martyr, named Anastasia, gave her life for The Faith in Sirmium, and that her Memory was kept Sacred in that Church.

Great Martyr Anastasia,

The Deliverer from Potions

(Byzantine icon,

State Hermitage Museum,

Saint Petersburg, Russia).

English: Anastasia of Sirmium (icon)

Русский: Икона «Св. мц. Анастасия». Конец XIII века — первая половина XV века.

Дерево, темпера. Размер - 99 х 65,5 см. Иконография: «Св. мц. Анастасия»

Происхождение: Приобретена на территории Турецкой империи между 1898-1914 гг.

Руссским Археологическим институтом в Константинополе. С 1931 г. в Эрмитаже.

Местонахождение: Государственный ЭрмитажБиблиография: Византия, Балканы, Русь. Иконы конца XIII века - первой половины XV века: Каталог выставки к XVIII Международному конгрессу византинистов. Август-сентябрь 1991/ Государственная Третьяковская Галерея. М., 1991. Каталог № 94. С. 254.

Date: 15th-Century.

Source: http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Images/ii2384&104.htm

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The so-called Martyrologium Hieronymianum records her name on 25 December, not for Sirmium, alone, but also for Constantinople, a circumstance based on a separate story. According to Theodorus Lector, during the Patriarchate of Gennadius (458 A.D. - 471 A.D.), the body of the Martyr was transferred to Constantinople and interred in a Church which had hitherto been known as "Anastasis" (Greek: Anastasis, Resurrection); thenceforth, the Church took the name of Anastasia.

Similarly, the cultus of Saint Anastasia was introduced into Rome, from Sirmium, by means of an already existing Church. As this Church was already quite famous, it brought The Feast Day of the Saint into especial prominence. There existed in Rome from the 4th-Century A.D., at the Foot of The Palatine Hill and above The Circus Maximus, a Church which had been adorned by Pope Damasus (366 A.D. - 384 A.D.) with a large mosaic. It was known as "Titulus Anastasiae", and is mentioned as such in The Acts of The Roman Council of 499 A.D.

English: The Basilica of Saint Anastasia, The Palatine, Rome, Italy

(Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy).

Čeština: Bazilika sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj.

(Wikimedia Commons)

There is some uncertainty as to the origin of this name; either the Church owes its Foundation to, and was named after, a Roman matron, Anastasia, as in the case of several other Titular Churches of Rome (Duchesne), or it was originally an "Anastasis" Church (Dedicated to The Resurrection of Christ), such as existed already at Ravenna and Constantinople; from the word "Anastasis" came, eventually, the name "Titulus Anastasiae" (Grisar). Whatever way this happened, the Church was an especially prominent one from the 4th- to the 6th-Century, being the only Titular Church in the Centre of ancient Rome, and surrounded by the monuments of the City's pagan past.

English: Saint Gregory and Saint Ambrose (top) and Saint Anastasia and Saint Lucy (bottom).

South Door, The Jerónimos Monastery (or Hieronymites Monastery),

(Mosteiro dos Jerónimos), Lisbon, Portugal.

Português: Santos Gregório e Ambrósio (acima) e Santas Anastácia e Luzia (abaixo).

Photo: 22 January 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: José Luiz.

Attribution: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Interior of The Basilica of Saint Anastasia, The Palatine, Rome, Italy.

(Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy).

Čeština: Interiér Baziliky sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Within its jurisdiction was The Palatine, where The Imperial Court was located. Since the Veneration of the Sirmium Martyr, Anastasia, received a new impetus in Constantinople during the second half of the 5th-Century A.D., we may easily infer that the intimate contemporary relations between Old and New Rome brought about an increase in Devotion to Saint Anastasia at the Foot of The Palatine.

In all events, the insertion of her name into The Roman Canon of The Mass towards the end of the 5th-Century, shows that she then occupied a unique position among The Saints publicly venerated at Rome. Thenceforth, the Church on The Palatine is known as "Titulus Sanctae Anastasiae", and the Martyr of Sirmium became The Titular Saint of the old 4th-Century Basilica.

Evidently, because of its position as Titular Church of the District including the Imperial Dwellings on The Palatine, this Church long maintained an eminent rank among the Churches of Rome; only two Churches preceded it in honour: Saint John Lateran, the Mother-Church of Rome; and Santa Maria Maggiore.

English: Saint Anastasia of Sirmium.

Русский: Святая Анастасия (Анастасия Узорешительница,

Анастасия Младшая) — Святая, христианская великомученица IV века.

Date: Liège, Belgium; Circa 1250-1300.

Source: http://saints.bestlatin.net/gallery/anastasia_dutchms.htm

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

This ancient Sanctuary stands today quite isolated amid the ruins of Rome. The Commemoration of Saint Anastasia, in The Second Mass on Christmas Day, is the last remnant of the former prominence enjoyed by this Saint and her Church in the life of Christian Rome.

According to Tradition, Saint Donatus of Zadar brought Anastasia's Relics to Zadar from Constantinople, when he was there with the Venetian Duke Beato. They had been ordered by Charlemagne to negotiate the border between The Byzantine Empire and The Croatian territories that were under the dominion of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire.

Deutsch: Erzbischof Michael von Faulhaber als Bayerischer Feldpropst.

English: His Eminence Michael von Faulhaber (1869-1952).

Cardinal Archbishop of Munich and Freising

and Cardinal-Priest of the Basilica of Saint Anastasia, Rome, Italy.

Previously Bishop of Speyer (1911–1917).

Date: 1917.

Source: Frontbesuch in Rumänien.

Author: M. Buchberger.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Michael von Faulhaber (5 March 1869 – 12 June 1952) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal who was Archbishop of Munich for 35 years, from 1917 to his death in 1952. Faulhaber was a political opponent of the Nazi government and considered Nazi ideology incompatible with Christianity; but he also rejected The Weimar Republic as rooted in treason and opposed democratic government in general, favouring a Catholic Monarchy.

Faulhaber spoke out against some Nazi policies, but publicly recognised the Nazi government as legitimate, required Catholic Clergy to remain loyal to the Nazi government, and maintained bridges between Fascism and The Church.

He Ordained Joseph Ratzinger (future Pope Benedict XVI) as a Priest in 1951, and, at his death, he was the last Cardinal appointed by Pope Benedict XV.

The Orthodox Church Venerates Saint Anastasia as a Great Martyr, usually referring to her as "Anastasia the Roman". She is often given the epithets, "Deliverer from Bonds" and "Deliverer from Potions", because her Intercessions are credited with the protection of The Faithful from poison and other harmful substances. Her Feast Day is celebrated on 22 December in The Eastern Orthodox Church Calendar. According to the Synaxarion, she was the daughter of Praepextatus (a pagan) and Fausta (a Christian).

In the 5th-Century, the Relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a Church was built and Dedicated to her. Later, the head, and a hand, of the Great Martyr were transferred to the Monastery of Saint Anastasia, Deliverer from Potions, near Mount Athos.

The Monastery of Jerónimos, Lisbon, Portugal

(see photo of statuary depicting Saint Anastasia, above).

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Alvesgaspar.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Anastasia.
Martyr.
Feast Day 25 December.

Second Mass at Dawn,
Christmas Day.

Station at Saint Anastasia's.

Indulgence 15 years and 15 Quarantines.

The Mass at Dawn was celebrated at Rome in the very old Church of Saint Anastasia, this Parish being the only one situated in the Centre of Rome in the Patrician Quarter. Its position at the Foot of The Palatine, where the Caesars resided, made Saint Anastasia's the Church of the great Court functionaries. For this reason, it was chosen as The Station for The Second Mass on Christmas Day.

Saint Anastasia was burnt alive at Sirmium (Mitrowitz, Yugoslavia), on 25 December, during The Diocletian Persecution at the beginning of the 4th-Century A.D. This Saint's name occurs in The Canon of The Mass (Second List).

The Cistercians. Part Three.

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

The Royal Alcobaça Monastery,

Founded in Portugal in 1153.

Created by: Portuguese_eyes.

Upload by: User:Rei-artur.

Foto: Flickr

This File: 25 February 2008.

User: Waugsberg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In Yorkshire, Rievaulx Abbey was Founded from Clairvaux in 1131, on a small property "in a place of horror and dreary solitude". This land was donated by Walter Espec, with the support of Thurstan, Archbishop of York. By 1143, three hundred Monks had entered Rievaulx, including the famous Saint Ælred, who became known as the "Saint Bernard of England". From Rievaulx was Founded Melrose Abbey, the earliest Cistercian Monastery in Scotland. Located in Roxburghshire, it was built in 1136 by King David I of Scotland, and completed in less than ten years. Another important offshoot of Rievaulx was Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire.

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 by Benedictine Monks from Saint Mary's Abbey, York, who desired a return to the austere Rule of Saint Benedict. After many struggles and great hardships, Saint Bernard agreed to send a Monk from Clairvaux to instruct them, and, in the end, they prospered exceedingly. Before 1152, Fountains had many offshoots, of which Newminster Abbey (1137) and Meaux Abbey (1151) are the most famous.

English: Rein Abbey, Austria.

The oldest surviving Cistercian Community in the World.

Great West Door of the Abbey Church.

Deutsch: Die Außenfassade der Stiftskirche von Rein.

Photo: 7 September 2012.

Source: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/korom/8097230781.

Author: Janos Korom Dr.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the Spring of 1140, Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, visited Clairvaux, becoming a personal friend of Saint Bernard and an admirer of The Cistercian Rule. He left four of his companions to be trained as Cistercians, and returned to Ireland to introduce Cistercianism there. Saint Bernard viewed the Irish at this time as being in the "depth of barbarism":

. . . never had he found men so shameful in their morals, so wild in their rites, so impious in their Faith, so barbarous in their laws, so stubborn in discipline, so unclean in their life. They were Christians in name, in fact they were pagans.

Mellifont Abbey was founded in County Louth in 1142. Thence were founded the affiliated Monasteries of Bective Abbey in County Meath (1147), Inislounaght Abbey in County Tipperary (1147–1148), Baltinglass in County Wicklow (1148), Monasteranenagh in County Limerick (1148), Kilbeggan in County Westmeath(1150) and Boyle Abbey in County Roscommon (1161). Saint Malachy's intensive pastoral activity was highly successful:

Barbarous laws disappeared, Roman laws were introduced: Everywhere Ecclesiastical customs were received and the contrary rejected . . . In short, all things were so changed that The Word of The Lord may be applied to this people: Which, before, was not My people, now is My people.

As in Wales, there was no significant Tradition of Benedictine Monasticism in Ireland on which to draw; although, in the Irish case, this represented an insecure foundation for Cistercian expansion. Irish Cistercianism would eventually become isolated from the disciplinary structures of The Order, leading to decline in the 13th-Century.

English: The "pure", unadorned style of Cistercian architecture at the 12th-Century

Royal Monastery of Santa María de Veruela, Spain.

Español: Veruela - Iglesia abacial de Santa María de Veruela - Vista desde el pie.

Photo: 6 October 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: ecelan.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Meanwhile, the Cistercian influence in The Church more than kept pace with this material expansion. Saint Bernard had established the unique position as mentor of Popes and Kings, and, in 1145, King Louis VII's brother, Henry of France, entered Clairvaux. That same year, Saint Bernard saw one of his Monks ascend The Papal Chair as Pope Eugene III. Eugene was an Italian of humble background, who had first been drawn to Monasticism at Clairvaux by the magnetism of Bernard. At the time of his Election, he was Abbot of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio, outside Rome. When news of the Fall of Edessa reached him in Viterbo, he addressed The Papal Bull Quantum praedecessores to King Louis VII, with the result that a European Monarch took up a Crusade for the first time.

A great reinforcement to The Order was the merger of The Savigniac Houses with The Cistercians, at the insistence of Pope Eugene III. Thirteen English Abbeys, of which the most famous were Furness Abbey and Jervaulx Abbey, thus adopted The Cistercian Rule. In Dublin, the two Savigniac Houses of Erenagh and Saint Mary's became Cistercian. It was in the latter case that Mediaeval Dublin acquired a Cistercian Monastery in the very unusual suburban location of Oxmantown, with its own private harbour, called The Pill.

By 1152, there were fifty-four Cistercian Monasteries in England, some few of which had been Founded directly from The Continent. Overall, there were 333 Cistercian Abbeys in Europe – so many that a halt was put to this expansion. Nearly half of these Houses had been Founded, directly or indirectly, from Clairvaux, so great was Saint Bernard's influence and prestige. He has come almost to be regarded as the Founder of The Cistercians, who have often been called Bernardines. Saint Bernard died in 1153, one month after his pupil Pope Eugene III.

English: Cistercian architecture was applied, 

based on rational principles.

Deutsch: Aufriss des Langhauses der Zirsterzienser-Klosterkirche von Kloster Arnsburg.

Date: 1888.

Source: Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, aus: Dehio/v.Bezold: Die kirchliche

Baukunst des Abendlandes, Stuttgart, Atlas II, 1888, Tafel 199,4

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

From its solid base, The Cistercian Order spread all over Western Europe: Into Germany, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Croatia, Italy, Sicily, Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Portugal. One of the most important Libraries of The Cistercians was in Salem, Germany.

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

The Sign Of The Fish.

The Fish, or "Ichthys", in Greek, is one of the earliest Christian symbols.

It was first used secretly during a time of persecution.

Ichthys is an acrostic for Jesus.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour,

in Greek, is

Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter

and the first letter of each word spells

Ichthys, or Fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ).

It is said that the symbol was scratched onto walls to point the way to meetings.

If one person drew a simple curved line in the sand, a second could draw another arc

to complete the fish and confirm that they were followers of Jesus.

Early Christian inscription with the Greek letters "ΙΧΘΥΣ" carved into marble

in the ruins of the ancient Greek City of Ephesus, Turkey.

This was an early circular Ichthys symbol, created by combining the Greek letters.

Date: 27 September 2007.

Source: Rotated and cropped from Commons image Image:Ephesus Ichthys.jpg

Author: User:Mufunyo.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Illustration: FACEBOOK: ADOREMUS IN AETERNUM.

For the Month of June, please say the following Prayer once each day in honour of Our Lord's Sacred Heart:

O dearest Jesus, Whose Most Amiable Heart excludes not even the greatest sinners if they turn to Thee, grant, we beseech Thee, to me and all penitent sinners, a heart like unto Thine;

That is, a humble heart that even in the midst of temporal honours, loves a hidden life, a life little esteemed by men;

A meek heart that bears with all and seeks to be revenged on no one;

A patient heart that is resigned in adversity and happy even in the midst of most trying circumstances;

A peaceful heart that is ever at peace with others and with itself;

A disinterested heart that is always content with what it has;

A heart that loves Prayer and Prays often and cheerfully;

A heart that only desires that God be known, honoured and loved by all His creatures;

That grieves for nothing except when God is offended;

Despises nothing but sin;

Wishes for nothing but the Glory of God and its neighbour's salvation;

A pure heart that in all things seeks God alone and desires to please Him;

A grateful heart that does not forget, but duly values, the benefits of God;

A strong heart that is daunted by no evil, but bears all adversity for the love of God;

A heart liberal to the poor and compassionate to the suffering Souls in Purgatory;

A well-ordered heart, whose joys and sorrows, desires and aversions,
Nay, whose every motion is regulated according to The Will of God.

~Prayer of Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, C.S.S.R.

The Cistercians. Part Two.

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

The early French Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny.

Photo: 24 August 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: Welleschik.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Cistercians initially regarded themselves as Regular Benedictines, albeit the "perfect", "Reformed" ones, but they soon came to distinguish themselves from the Monks of "Unreformed" Benedictine Communities" by wearing White Tunics, instead of Black. The White Tunic had been previously reserved for Hermits, who followed the "Angelic" life. Cistercian Abbeys also refused to admit children, allowing adults to choose their Religious Vocation for themselves – a practice later emulated by many of the older Benedictine Houses.

Stephen Harding also acquired farms for the Abbey, to ensure its survival and ethic, the first of which was Clos Vougeot. In terms of receiving grants of land, the Order would accept only undeveloped land (or, in some cases, they accepted developed land and relocated the Serfs elsewhere). They developed this land by their own labour, or by that of illiterate peasant Lay Brothers, known as conversi.

Stephen Harding handed over the West Wing of Cîteaux to a large group of Lay Brethren to cultivate the farms. These Lay Brothers were bound by Vows of Chastity and Obedience to their Abbot, but were otherwise permitted to follow a less demanding form of Cistercian life. Their incorporation into The Order represents a compassionate outreach to the illiterate peasantry, as well as a source of labour on "un-manorialised" Cistercian lands.

The ruins of Melrose Abbey,

Mother House of The Cistercians in Scotland.

Photo: 9 June 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:JeremyA.

© Jeremy Atherton, 2004.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The outlines of The Cistercian Reform were adumbrated by Alberic, but it received its final form in the Carta caritatis, which was the defining guide on how The Reform was to be lived. This document arranged the relations between the various Houses of The Cistercian Order, and exercised a great influence also upon the future course of Western Monasticism. From one point of view, it may be regarded as a compromise between the primitive Benedictine system, in which each Abbey was autonomous and isolated, and the complete centralisation of Cluny, where the Abbot of Cluny was the only true Superior in the entire Congregation.

On the one hand, Citeaux maintained the independent organic life of the Houses; each Abbey had its own Abbot elected by its own Monks, its own Community belonging to itself and not to The Order in general, and its own property and finances administered without interference from outside.

On the other hand, all the Abbeys were subjected to The General Chapter, the Constitutional body which exercised vigilance over The Order. The Abbots met annually at The General Chapter in mid-September at Cîteaux. The Cistercian Constitutions attached particular importance to attendance at this meeting, which was compulsory, and absence without leave was severely punished. The Abbot of Cîteaux was the President of The Chapter. He had a predominant influence and the power of enforcing everywhere exact conformity to Cîteaux in all details of the exterior life observance, Chant, and customs. The principle was that Cîteaux should always be the model to which all the other Houses had to conform. In case of any divergence of view at The Chapter, the side taken by the Abbot of Cîteaux was always to prevail.

Cistercian Abbey,

Bélapátfalva, Hungary.

Date: 8 June 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Horvabe.

(Wikimedia Commons)

By 1111, the ranks had grown sufficiently at Cîteaux, and Stephen Harding sent a group of twelve Monks to start a "Daughter House", a new Community dedicated to the same ideals of The Strict Observance of Saint Benedict. It was built in Chalon-sur-Saône, La Ferté, France, on 13 May 1113.

That same year, a charismatic young Burgundian nobleman, named Bernard, arrived at Cîteaux with thirty-five of his relatives and friends to join the Monastery. A supremely eloquent, strong-willed mystic, Bernard was to become the most admired Churchman of his age. In 1115, Count Hugh of Champagne gave a tract of wild, afforested land, known as a refuge for robbers, forty miles East of Troyes, France, to The Order. Bernard led twelve other Monks to Found the Abbey of Clairvaux, and began clearing the ground and building a Church and dwelling. The Abbey soon attracted a strong flow of zealous young men. At this point, Cîteaux had four Daughter Houses (Pontigny, Morimond, La Ferté and Clairvaux). Other French Daughter Houses of Cîteaux would include Preuilly, La Cour-Dieu, Bouras, Cadouin and Fontenay.

With Saint Bernard's membership, The Cistercian Order began a notable epoch of international expansion; and, as his fame grew, The Cistercian Movement grew with it. In November 1128, with the aid of William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester, Waverley Abbey was founded in Surrey, England. Five Houses were Founded from Waverley Abbey before 1152, and some of these had themselves produced offshoots.

The now-ruined Mellifont Abbey,

the centre of Mediaeval Irish Cistercianism

and the "Mellifont Rebellion".

Photo: 3 May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Brholden.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1129, Margrave Leopold the Strong of Styria called upon The Cistercians to develop his recently-acquired March, which bordered Austria on the South. He called upon the Monks from Ebrach Abbey, Bavaria, land just North of what is today the Provincial Capital of Graz. Here they Founded Rein Abbey. At the time, it was the thirty-eighth Cistercian Monastery Founded, but, due to the Dissolution of the previous thirty-seven Abbeys throughout the Centuries, today it is the oldest surviving Cistercian Community in the World.

The Norman Invasion of Wales opened The Church in Wales to fresh, invigorating streams of Continental Reform, as well as the new Monastic Orders. The Benedictine Houses were established in the Norman fringes and in the shadow of Norman Castles, and, because they were seen as instruments of conquest, they failed to make any real impression on the local Welsh population.

The Cistercians, in contrast, sought out solitude in the mountains and moorlands, and were highly successful. Thirteen Cistercian Monasteries, all in remote sites, were founded in Wales between 1131 and 1226. The first of these was Tintern Abbey, which was sited in a remote river valley, and depended largely on its agricultural and pastoral activities for survival. Other Abbeys, such as at Neath,Strata Florida, Conwy, and Valle Crucis, became among the most hallowed names in the history of Religion in Mediaeval Wales. Their austere discipline seemed to echo the ideals of the Celtic Saints, and the emphasis on pastoral farming fitted well with the Welsh stock-rearing economy.

PART THREE FOLLOWS.

Athanasian Creed.

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

The Shield of The Trinity.

A visual representation of The Doctrine of The Trinity, derived from The Athanasian Creed.

The Latin reads: "The Father is God, The Son is God, The Holy Spirit is God. God is The Father, God is The Son, God is The Holy Ghost; The Father is not The Son, The Son is not The Father, The Father is not The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not The Father, The Son is not The Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not The Son."

English: Compact version of a basic minimal (equilateral triangular) version of

The Shield of The Trinity, or "Scutum Fidei", diagram of Traditional

Christian symbolism, with original Latin captions.

Français: Le « bouclier » ou l' « écusson » de la Trinité, un

symbole traditionnel dans le christianisme occidental.

Source: Own work.

Author: AnonMoos.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Athanasian Creed, or Quicunque Vult (also Quicumque Vult), is a Christian Statement of Belief focused on Trinitarian Doctrine and Christology. The Latin name of The Athanasian Creed, Quicunque vult, is taken from the opening words "Whosoever wishes". The Athanasian Creed has been used by Christian Churches since the 6th-Century. It is the first Creed in which The Equality of The Three Persons of The Trinity is explicitly stated. It differs from The Nicene-Constantinopolitan and Apostles' Creeds in the inclusion of anathemas, or condemnations, of those who disagree with The Creed (like the original Nicene Creed).

Widely accepted among Western Christians, including The Roman Catholic Church and some Anglican Churches, Lutheran Churches (it is considered part of The Lutheran Confessions in The Book of Concord), and ancient, Liturgical Churches, generally, The Athanasian Creed has been used in public worship less and less frequently, but part of it can be found as an "Authorised Affirmation of Faith" in the recent (Year 2000) Common Worship Liturgy of The Church of England [Main Volume, Page 145].

The Athanasian Creed has never gained much acceptance in Liturgy among Eastern Christians. It was designed to distinguish Nicene Christianity from the Heresy of Arianism. Liturgically, this Creed was recited at The Sunday Office of Prime in The Western Church, It is not in common use in The Eastern Church. Today, The Athanasian Creed is rarely used, even in The Western Church. When used, one common practice is to use it once a year on Trinity Sunday.

English: Title Page of Book of Concord 1580.

Dansk: Titelbladet til Konkordiebogen 1580.

Deutsch: Titelseite des Konkordienbuchs 1580.

Date: 5 September 2007 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from da.wikipedia;

Transferred to Commons by User:Broadbeer using CommonsHelper.

Author: Original uploader was Finn B. Andersen at da.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Athanasian Creed.

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold The Catholic Faith.

Which Faith, except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And The Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding The Persons, nor dividing The Essence.

For there is One Person of The Father.

Another of The Son.

And another of The Holy Ghost.

But The Godhead of The Father, of The Son, and of The Holy Ghost, is all one.

The Glory equal, The Majesty co-eternal. Such as The Father is. Such is The Son. And such is The Holy Ghost.

The Father uncreated. The Son uncreated. And The Holy Ghost uncreated.

The Father unlimited. The Son unlimited. And The Holy Ghost unlimited.

The Father eternal. The Son eternal. And The Holy Ghost eternal.

And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated, and one infinite.

So, likewise,The Father is Almighty. The Son is Almighty. And The Holy Ghost is Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

So, The Father is God. The Son is God. And The Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

So, likewise, The Father is Lord. The Son is Lord. And The Holy Ghost is Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled, by the Christian verity, to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord. So are we forbidden by The Catholic Religion to say there are three Gods, or three Lords.

The Father is made of none. Neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of The Father alone. Not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of The Father and of The Son. Neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So, there is one Father, not three Fathers. One Son, not three Sons. One Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

And, in this Trinity, none is before, or after, another. None is greater, or less, than another.

But the whole Three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal. So that, in all things, as aforesaid, The Unity in Trinity, and The Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of The Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to Everlasting Salvation that he also believe faithfully The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the right Faith is that we believe and confess that Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of God, is God and Man. God of the Essence of The Father. Begotten before the World. And Man, of the Essence of His Mother, born in the World. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a Reasonable Soul and Human Flesh Subsisting. Equal to The Father, as touching His Godhead, and inferior to The Father, as touching His Manhood. Who, although He is God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion of The Godhead into Flesh, but by assumption of The Manhood by God. One altogether, not by confusion of Essence, but by Unity of Person.

For, as the Reasonable Soul and Flesh is One Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our Salvation, descended into Hell, Rose Again The Third Day from The Dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on The Right Hand of God The Father Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

At Whose coming all men will Rise Again with their bodies. And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into Life Everlasting. And they that have done evil, into Everlasting Fire. This is The Catholic Faith, which, except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be Saved.

Quicumque vult salvus esse, ante omnia opus est, ut teneat catholicam fidem: Quam nisi quisque integram inviolatamque servaverit, absque dubio in aeternum peribit. Fides autem catholica haec est: ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in unitate veneremur. Neque confundentes personas, neque substantiam separantes. Alia est enim persona Patris alia Filii, alia Spiritus Sancti: Sed Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti una est divinitas, aequalis gloria, coeterna maiestas. Qualis Pater, talis Filius, talis [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Increatus Pater, increatus Filius, increatus [et] Spiritus Sanctus.

Immensus Pater, immensus Filius, immensus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Aeternus Pater, aeternus Filius, aeternus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres aeterni, sed unus aeternus. Sicut non tres increati, nec tres immensi, sed unus increatus, et unus immensus. Similiter omnipotens Pater, omnipotens Filius, omnipotens [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres omnipotentes, sed unus omnipotens. Ita Deus Pater, Deus Filius, Deus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres dii, sed unus est Deus. Ita Dominus Pater, Dominus Filius, Dominus [et] Spiritus Sanctus. Et tamen non tres Domini, sed unus [est] Dominus. Quia, sicut singillatim unamquamque personam Deum ac Dominum confiteri christiana veritate compellimur: Ita tres Deos aut [tres] Dominos dicere catholica religione prohibemur. 

Pater a nullo est factus: nec creatus, nec genitus. Filius a Patre solo est: non factus, nec creatus, sed genitus. Spiritus Sanctus a Patre et Filio: non factus, nec creatus, nec genitus, sed procedens. Unus ergo Pater, non tres Patres: unus Filius, non tres Filii: unus Spiritus Sanctus, non tres Spiritus Sancti. Et in hac Trinitate nihil prius aut posterius, nihil maius aut minus: Sed totae tres personae coaeternae sibi sunt et coaequales. Ita, ut per omnia, sicut iam supra dictum est, et unitas in Trinitate, et Trinitas in unitate veneranda sit. Qui vult ergo salvus esse, ita de Trinitate sentiat.

Sed necessarium est ad aeternam salutem, ut incarnationem quoque Domini nostri Iesu Christi fideliter credat. Est ergo fides recta ut credamus et confiteamur, quia Dominus noster Iesus Christus, Dei Filius, Deus [pariter] et homo est. Deus [est] ex substantia Patris ante saecula genitus: et homo est ex substantia matris in saeculo natus. Perfectus Deus, perfectus homo: ex anima rationali et humana carne subsistens. Aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem: minor Patre secundum humanitatem. Qui licet Deus sit et homo, non duo tamen, sed unus est Christus.

Unus autem non conversione divinitatis in carnem, sed assumptione humanitatis in Deum. Unus omnino, non confusione substantiae, sed unitate personae. Nam sicut anima rationalis et caro unus est homo: ita Deus et homo unus est Christus. Qui passus est pro salute nostra: descendit ad inferos: tertia die resurrexit a mortuis. Ascendit ad [in] caelos, sedet ad dexteram [Dei] Patris [omnipotentis]. Inde venturus [est] judicare vivos et mortuos. Ad cujus adventum omnes homines resurgere habent cum corporibus suis; Et reddituri sunt de factis propriis rationem. Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in vitam aeternam: qui vero mala, in ignem aeternum. Haec est fides catholica, quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit, salvus esse non poterit.

Trinity Sunday.

Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Trinity Sunday.

Double of The First-Class.

White Vestments.

The Most Holy Trinity supported by the Thrones.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

In the second part of the year, the six months from Trinity to Advent, The Holy Ghost, whose Reign begins at Pentecost, comes to repeat to us what Our Lord, Himself, has taught us in the first part, the six months from Advent to Trinity Sunday.

The fundamental Truth, on which everything in The Christian Religion rests, is the Dogma of The Holy Trinity, from Whom all comes (Epistle), and to Whom all Baptised in His name must return (Gospel). In the course of the Cycle, having called to our minds in order, God The Father, Author of Creation, God The Son, Author of Redemption, and God The Holy Ghost, Author of our Sanctification, The Church, today, before all else, recapitulates the great Mystery by which we acknowledge and adore The Unity of Nature and Trinity of Persons in Almighty God (Collect).

"As soon as we have celebrated the coming of The Holy Ghost," says Abbot Rupert, in the 12th-Century, "we hail in song The Feast of The Holy Trinity, the following Sunday, a place in the Calendar well chosen, for immediately after the Descent of The Holy Ghost, Preaching and Conversion began  and Faith through Baptism and Confession in the Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Ghost."

The Dogma of The Holy Trinity is affirmed, in the Liturgy, on every hand. It is in the Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Ghost that we begin and end The Mass and The Divine Office, and that we confer The Sacraments. All the Psalms end with the Gloria, the Hymns with the Doxology, and the Prayers by a Conclusion in honour of the Three Divine Persons. Twice during The Mass, we are reminded that it is to The Holy Trinity that The Mass is being offered.

The Dogma of The Trinity is expressed in the very fabric of our Churches. Our fathers delighted to find a symbol of it in the admirably proportioned height, breadth, and length of these buildings, in their primary and secondary divisions; the Sanctuary, the Choir and Nave; the Ground-Floor, the Triforium and the Clerestory; the three Entrances, three Doors, three Bays, three Gables, and often three Towers.

On every hand, even to the smallest detail of decoration, the number three, repeated frequently, denotes a well-conceived plan and a profound Faith in The Blessed Trinity.

The same thought is expressed in Christian iconography, in various ways. Up to the 12th-Century, God The Father is represented by a hand, emerging from the clouds in Blessing and often surrounded by a Nimbus [Editor: Halo] containing a Cross. By this hand is symbolised Divine Omnipotence. In 13th- and 14th-Century work, one sees the face and then the figure of The Father. From the 15th-Century, The Father is represented as an old man in the garb of a Pontiff.

Up to the 12th-Century, God The Son was at first represented by a Cross, by a Lamb, or, again, by a gracious youth, in the same way that Apollo was represented in the pagan world. From the 11th- to the 16th-Century, Christ appears bearded and in the prime of life. From the 13th-Century, He is seen carrying The Cross and often He is depicted as The Lamb.

The Holy Ghost was, at first, represented under the form of a dove, whose outspread wings often touched the mouths of both Father and Son to show that He proceeds from both. For the same reason, from the 11th-Century He is depicted as a little child. In the 13th-Century, He is a youth, in the 15th- He is a man of ripe age, like The Father and The Son, but with a dove above His head or in His hand to distinguish Him from the other Two Persons.

Since the 16th-Century, the dove and the fiery tongues are the only representations of The Holy Ghost. Quite recently, it was expressly forbidden to represent Him under a human form. Since 1628 was also forbidden the monstrous picture of three faces on one body.

As a symbol of The Trinity, the triangle has been borrowed from geometry, depicting by its form The Divine Unity in which are inscribed three angles, expressing The Three Persons in God. Trefoil plants, as Shamrock and Clover, serve to represent this Great Mystery, as also do three circles interwoven, with the word "Unity" inscribed in the central space belonging to all three.

A Miniature of the 16th-Century represents The Father and Son as like each other, with the same Nimbus, the same Triple Crown, the hair worn in the same way and a single cloak drawing them close together. Further, they are united by the same Book of Divine Wisdom as well as by The Holy Ghost, who joins one to the other by the ends of His wings. But The Father is older than The Son, and the beard of the one is pointed, while that of the other is round.

The Father wears a Robe, without a Girdle, and carries the globe of the Earth in His hand, while The Son, as a Priest, wears an Alb, with Cincture and Stole.

The Feast of The Holy Trinity owes its origin to the fact that the Ordinations of the Ember Saturday, which took place in the evening, were prolonged to the next day, which was Sunday and which had no Proper Liturgy.

As this day is Consecrated throughout the year to The Most Holy Trinity, The Votive Mass, composed in the 7th-Century to celebrate this Mystery, was said on the First Sunday after Pentecost; and, since it occupied a fixed place in The Liturgical Calendar, this Mass was considered as establishing this Sunday as a special Feast of The Blessed Trinity.

Stephen, Bishop of Liége, who was born about 850 A.D., composed, in the 10th-Century, its Office, which was revised later on by The Franciscans.

The Feast was, in 1334, extended to The Universal Church by Pope John XXII and made a Double of The First-Class by Pope Saint Pius X.

That we may ever be armed against  all adversity, let us, today, with The Liturgy, make our Solemn Profession of Faith in The Holy and Eternal Trinity and His indivisible Unity.

Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

The Cistercians. Part One.

Text is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Cistercian Coat-of-Arms.

Français: De France ancien, à un écu en abîme, bandé d'or et d'azur de six pièces,

à la bordure de gueules, qui est Bourgogne ancien.

Date: 24 October 2010.

Source: This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from: Ordre cistercien.svg; France Ancient.svg; Coat of arms of Cardinal Baselios Cleemis.svg; External Ornaments of a Bishop (Church of England).svg. + work by Heralder and Katepanomegas.

Author: Lemmens, Tom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

A Cistercian is a Member of The Cistercian Order, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist (Latin: (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis), a Catholic, and also Anglican, Religious Order of Monks and Nuns. They are variously called The Bernardines, after the highly-influential Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (though the term is also used of The Franciscan Order in Poland and Lithuania), or The White Monks, in reference to the colour of the "Cuccula" or White Choir Robe worn by The Cistercians over their Habits, as opposed to the Black Cucculas worn by The Benedictine Monks.

The original emphasis of Cistercian life was on manual labour and self-sufficiency, and many Abbeys have traditionally supported themselves through activities such as agriculture and brewing ales. Over the Centuries, however, education and academic pursuits came to dominate the life of their Monasteries. A Reform Movement, seeking a simpler lifestyle, started in 17th-Century France at La Trappe Abbey, which led to development of The Order of Cistercians of The Strict Observance (OCSO), commonly called The Trappists. After that, the followers of the older pattern of life became known as The Cistercians of The Original Observance.

The term "Cistercian" (French: Cistercien), derives from Cistercium, the Latin name for the village of Cîteaux, near Dijon in Eastern France. It was in this village that a group of Benedictine Monks, from the Monastery of Molesme, Founded Cîteaux Abbey in 1098, with the goal of following more closely The Rule of Saint Benedict. The best known of them were Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Cîteaux, and the English Monk Stephen Harding, who were the first three Abbots. Bernard of Clairvaux entered the Monastery circa 1110, with thirty companions, and helped the rapid proliferation of The Order. By the end of the 12th-Century, the Order had spread throughout France and into England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Eastern Europe.

The Ruins of Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Photo: Taken by en:User:MartinBiely 5 August 2004.

Date: 29 November 2004 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.

Author: MartinBiely at English Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Tintern Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Tyndyrn) was Founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow,
on 9 May 1131. It is situated in the village of Tintern, in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which forms the border between Monmouthshire, in Wales, and Gloucestershire, in England.

It was only the second Cistercian Foundation in Britain, and the first in Wales. Its ruins inspired William Wordsworth's poem "Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey", and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Tears, Idle Tears", and Allen Ginsberg's "Wales Visitation", and more than one painting by J. M. W. Turner. 

The keynote of Cistercian life was a return to literal observance of The Rule of Saint Benedict. Rejecting the developments that The Benedictines had undergone, the Monks tried to replicate Monastic life exactly as it had been in Saint Benedict's time; indeed, in various points, they went beyond it in austerity. The most striking feature in the reform was the return to manual labour, especially field-work, a special characteristic of Cistercian life.

Cistercian architecture is considered one of the most beautiful styles of Mediaeval Architecture. Additionally, in relation to disciplines such as agriculture, hydraulic engineering and metallurgy, The Cistercians became the main force of technological diffusion in Mediaeval Europe. The Cistercians were adversely affected in England by The Protestant Reformation, The Dissolution of The Monasteries under King Henry VIII, The French Revolution in Continental Europe, and the revolutions of the 18th-Century, but some survived and the Order recovered in the 19th-Century. In 1891, certain Abbeys formed a new Order, called Trappists (Ordo Cisterciensium Strictioris Observantiae – OCSO), which today exists as an Order distinct from The Common Observance.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux,

one of the most influential early Cistercians.

The Initial B is from a 13th-Century illuminated Manuscript.

This File: 4 July 2005.

User: GDK.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1098, a Benedictine Abbot, Robert of Molesme, left his Monastery in Burgundy, France, with around twenty supporters, who felt that The Cluniac Communities had abandoned the rigours and simplicity of The Rule of Saint Benedict. The Monastery Church of Cluny Abbey, France, the largest in Europe, had become wealthy from rents, tithes, feudal rights and Pilgrims, who passed through Cluniac Houses on the Way of Saint James. The massive endowments, powers and responsibilities of the Cluniac Abbots had drawn them into the affairs of the Secular world, and their Monks had abandoned manual labour to Serfs, to serve as Scholars and, exclusively, "Choir Monks". On 21 March 1098, Robert of Molesme's small group acquired a plot of marshland, just South of Dijon, France, called Cîteaux (Latin: Cistercium. Cisteaux means reeds in Old French), given to them expressly for the purpose of Founding their Novum Monasterium.

Robert's followers included Alberic, a former Hermit from the nearby forest of Colan, and Stephen Harding, a member of an Anglo-Saxon noble family which had been ruined as a result of the Norman conquest of England. During the first year, the Monks set about constructing lodging areas and farming the lands of Cîteaux, making use of a nearby Chapel for Mass. In Robert's absence from Molesme Abbey, however, the Abbey had gone into decline, and Pope Urban II, a former Cluniac Monk, ordered him to return.

The remaining Monks of Cîteaux elected Alberic as their Abbot, under whose leadership the Abbey would find its grounding. Robert had been the idealist of The Order, and Alberic was their builder. Upon assuming the role of Abbot, Alberic moved the site of the fledgling Community near a brook, a short distance away from the original site. Alberic discontinued the use of Benedictine Black Garments in the Abbey and clothed the Monks in White Habits of non-dyed wool.

English: An illumination of Stephen Harding (right) presenting a model of his Church to The Blessed Virgin Mary (Municipal Library, Dijon). Cîteaux, circa 1125. At this period Cistercian illumination was the most advanced in France, but within 25 years it was abandoned altogether under the influence of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

Español: La Vierge, l'abbé de Saint-Vaast et Etienne Harding, prophétie de Jérémie, vers 1125.

Deutsch: Buchmalerei: Stephen Harding (rechts) und der Abt von St-Vaast in Arras (links)

zeigen Maria Modelle ihrer Kirchen, unten deutet der Schreiber Osbert

auf ein Manuskript. Bibliotheque Municipale in Dijon.

Polski: Św. Stefan Harding (z prawej) i opat ze St-Vaast w Arras (po lewej) pokazuje modele swoich kościołów NMP; poniżej przedstawiono pisarza Osberta (Municipale Bibliotheque w Dijon).

Source: Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon.

(Wikimedia Commons)

He returned the Community to the original Benedictine ideal of manual work and Prayer, dedicated to the ideal of Charity and self sustenance. Alberic also forged an alliance with The Dukes of Burgundy, working out a deal with Duke Odo of Burgundy concerning the donation of a vineyard (Meursault) as well as stone, with which they built their Church. The Church was Consecrated and Dedicated to The Virgin Mary, on 16 November 1106, by the Bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône.

On 26 January 1108, Alberic died and was soon succeeded by Stephen Harding, the man responsible for carrying The Order into its crucial phase.

The Order was fortunate that Stephen Harding was an Abbot of extraordinary gifts, and he framed the original version of The Cistercian "Constitution" or Regulations: The Carta caritatis (Charter of Charity). Although this was revised on several occasions to meet contemporary needs, from the outset it emphasised a simple life of work, love, Prayer and self-denial.

PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Must Try Harder.

Children can be soooooo hard work !!!