The New York Central Railroad. Part Three.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

For two-thirds of the 20th-Century, The New York Central had some of the most famous Trains in The United States. Its 20th Century Limited Train, begun in 1902, ran from Grand Central Terminal, in New York, to LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, and was its most famous Train, known for its Red Carpet Treatment and First-Class Service. In the Mid-1930s, many Railroad Companies were introducing Streamliner Locomotives. Until The New York Central introduced the Commodore Vanderbilt, all were Diesel-Electric. The Vanderbilt used the more common Steam Engine. The Century, which followed the Water Level Route, could complete the 960-mile trip in sixteen hours after its 15 June 1938 Streamlining. Also famous was its Empire State Express, through Upstate New York to Buffalo and Cleveland, and Ohio State Limited, from New York to Cincinnati. NYC also provided The Rexall Train, of 1936, which toured forty-seven States to promote the Rexall chain of Drug Stores.

Excavations for New York Central Railroad Station.

Artist: Detroit Publishing Company.

Date: Circa 1908.

Current location: Library of Congress,

Washington D.C., United States of America.

Source/Photographer: This image is available from

The United States Library of Congress's

Prints and Photographs division

under the digital ID det.4a22981

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Railroad Signal".

New York Central Railroad

Educational Documentary 1948.

Ella73TV.

New York Central Railroad Educational Documentary from 1948 that gives an overview of railroad signals and related safe working infrastructure used by trains, as well as the ongoing improvements to the signalling systems due to technological advances.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/d2jbS0cpq8s

Famous New York Central Trains:

New York to Chicago

20th Century Limited: New York to Chicago (limited stops) via The Water Level Route 1902–1967.
Commodore Vanderbilt: New York–Chicago (a few more stops) via The Water Level Route.
Lake Shore Limited: New York–Chicago via Cleveland with Branch Service to Boston and St. Louis 1896–1956, 1971–Present (Reinstated and combined with New England States by Amtrak in 1971).
Chicagoan: New York–Chicago.
Pacemaker: New York–Chicago All-Coach Train via Cleveland.
Wolverine: New York-Chicago via Southern Ontario and Detroit.

St. Louis Union Station.

Missouri, United States of America.

The New York Central Railroad's Knickerbocker Train

and The Southwestern Limited Train

ran between New York and St. Louis.

Photo: 12 May 2015.

Source: IMG_0693

Author: Dustin Batt

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Mercuries. (All Mercuries ran between 1936 and 1959.)

Chicago Mercury: Chicago-Detroit.
Cincinnati Mercury: Cleveland-Cincinnati.
Cleveland Mercury: Detroit-Cleveland.
Detroit Mercury: Cleveland-Detroit.

New York to St. Louis.

Knickerbocker: New York–St. Louis.
Southwestern Limited: New York–St. Louis.

Michigan Central Station's Beaux-Arts façade.

The New York Central Railroad's Michigan Train 

ran between New York and Michigan.

Photo: August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Urbanarcheology.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Michigan Central Station (also known as Michigan Central Depot or MCS) was the main Inter-City Passenger Rail Depot for Detroit, Michigan. Built for The Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original Depot in downtown Detroit, which was shuttered after a major fire on 26 December 1913, forcing the still-unfinished Station into early Service. Formally Dedicated on 4 January 1914, the Station remained open for business until the cessation of Amtrak Service on 6 January 1988. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest Railway Station in the World.

Photo of the Streamlined New York Central Train, "The 20th Century Limited", leaving Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on a trial run 9 June 1938. The Train was put into Service on 15 June 1938. This Train was a famous New York Central Railroad Train which ran from 1902-1967.

Source: eBay

Author: Associated Press.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Other Trains

Empire State Express: New York-Buffalo and Cleveland via The Empire Corridor 1891–Present.

Ohio State Limited: New York-Cincinnati via Empire Corridor.

Xplorer: Cleveland-Cincinnati 1958–1960 (Special experimental Lightweight Train).

Cleveland Limited: New York–Cleveland.

Detroiter: New York–Detroit.

James Whitcomb Riley: Chicago-Cincinnati.

Michigan: Chicago-Detroit.

Motor City Special: Chicago-Detroit.

New England States: Boston-Chicago via The Water Level Route 1938–1971. (Retained by Penn Central and, for Amtrak, combined with re-instated Lake Shore Limited).

Twilight Limited: Chicago-Detroit.

Trains left from Grand Central Terminal in New York, Weehawken Terminal in Weehawken, New Jersey, South Station in Boston, Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Michigan Central Station in Detroit, St. Louis Union Station, Missouri, and LaSalle Street Station in Chicago, Illinois.

PART FOUR FOLLOWS

Second Sunday After Epiphany.

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

Second Sunday after Epiphany.

Semi-Double.

Green Vestments.

Jesus changes the water into wine at The Marriage Feast at Cana.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: Rene de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

Almighty God, faithful to His Promises to Abraham and his children, sent His Son to save His people; while, in His Mercy, He willed to redeem the heathen as well. Therefore, Christ is The King, Whom, as its Redeemer, the whole World must hail and Adore (Introit and Gradual). It was through His Death on The Cross that He became our King, and it is through The Eucharist, The Memorial of Calvary, that, by applying the merits of His Redemption to our Souls, He exercises His Kingship over us.

In this Miracle at Cana, a type of The Holy Eucharist, did Our Lord formally manifest His Divinity, i.e., His Character as Divine and, therefore, Royal, and "His Disciples believed in Him". The turning of water into wine is a type of Transubstantiation, called by Saint Thomas the greatest of all Miracles, by which the wine of The Eucharist becomes The Blood of The Covenant of Peace, which God has made with His Church.

Since, also, The Divine King wishes to espouse our Souls and since, as Bossuet says, it is through The Eucharist that this mystical marriage is consummated, The Marriage Feast at Cana also signifies the union of The Word with His Spouse The Church.

"Having been invited to The Wedding Feast at Cana, in Galilee," says Saint Augustine, "Our Lord attended, that, being alone the author of The Sacrament of Matrimony, He might confirm Conjugal Chastity."

He also meant to make known to us the Mystery of which these nuptials were the sign, that is, the union of Christ with His Church. For even those who, by a Vow, have bound themselves to Almighty God in the Virginal State, are not without nuptials, since, with the whole Church, they have a part in the nuptials in which Christ Himself is the Spouse, and, in this case, Our Lord is typified by the bridegroom who kept to the end the good wine, that is, the Gospel.

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

Mass: Omnis terra.

The Gloria in excelsis is said on all the Sundays before Septuagesima, even when they are Celebrated "In Anticipation" on the Saturday. It is not said on Ferial Days, when The Mass of the preceding Sunday is used.

Second Collect: Of The Blessed Virgin.

Third Collect: Against The Persecutors of The Church, or, For The Pope.

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Saint Bernard Of Corleone.

This Article was generated by interest in a Post by VICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES

English: Saint Bernard of Corleone.

Polski: Święty Bernard Corleone.

Date: Unknown.

This File: 20 October 2008.

User: Tomasz Wachowski.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"Paradise ! Paradise ! Paradise !

O, Blessed are the Disciplines,

Blissful the Night-Watches !

Blessed the Penances,

the Self-Will sacrificed !

O, the Blessing of Fasting,

and Acts of Obedience !

How great is the Blessing of Religious Life

well lived ! "

Last words of Saint Bernard of Corleone.

Iona Abbey,

Scotland.

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

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

Saint Bernard of Corleone, O.F.M. Cap., is a Catholic Saint, who was born in the Town of Corleone, in The Kingdom of Sicily, on 6 February 1605. His name was Filippo Latino, before becoming a Friar. His father was a Shoemaker, and Bernard learned this trade. After the death of his father, he became a Soldier and took up Fencing, becoming skilled in the art.

While in the Army, he displayed a fiery temper and was quick to challenge men to a duel. His only fault, in the words of two witnesses at his Beatification process, was that "he was quick to draw his Sword at the slightest provocation." His life was not noted for its moral content and he had quite a reputation.

Though not particularly Devout, he would defend old people and other helpless and defenseless persons against violence. He frequently made visits to a local Crucifix, and provided that a Lamp be kept burning before it. He was a Devotee of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Illustration: DICCON BEWES

In 1624, when Filippo was nineteen, he became involved in a duel, which cost his opponent his arm. This incident was witnessed by many, and caused an uproar, and Filippo was nicknamed "the Finest Blade in Sicily". To escape from the man's avengers, he sought refuge with The Capuchin Franciscans.

While staying with the Friars, Bernard began to reflect on his past life and to repent of his life of anger and violence. He appealed for admission to The Capuchins as a Lay Brother, and on 13 December 1632, he entered their Novitiate. His Devotion became very severe: Seven times a day he scourged himself, drawing blood; His sleep was limited to three hours a night on a narrow board, with a block of wood under his head; He Fasted for the most part on bread and water. If other food was given to him, he would place the food in his mouth, to whet his appetite, and then take it out, without consuming it.

During his entire Religious Life, he would wear the most-worn Habits available in The Friary and slept in the most uncomfortable Cell in The House. One result of this, was that he suffered from rheumatism for much of his later life. He worked long hours during the day, and had a special concern for the sick, growing into a man known for his gentleness and compassion.

Bernard had a strong Devotion to The Blessed Virgin Mary, and encouraged others in this Devotion. His biographers claim that Mary appeared to him and placed Jesus, as an Infant, in his arms. It is also claimed that She gave him knowledge of the day of his death, four months in advance. He died at Palermo, Sicily, on 12 January 1667, a few weeks short of his Sixty-Second Birthday.

His Funeral Procession was extensive, due to his fame as a Holy Man. Numerous Miracles reportedly occurring at his Grave, and recorded by historians of The Church, promoted the cause of his Beatification by Pope Clement XIII in 1767, and, later, Canonisation by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2001.

The New York Central Railroad. Part Two.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Cornelius Vanderbilt obtained control of the Hudson River Railroad in 1864, soon after he bought the parallel New York and Harlem Railroad.

Along the line of the Hudson River Railroad, The High Line was built in 1934 in New York City as an elevated by-pass to Street Running Trackage on Tenth Avenue. The elevated section has since been abandoned, and the Tunnel North of 36th Street, opened in 1937, is used only by Amtrak Trains to New York Penn Station (all other Trains use The Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad to reach The Harlem Line). A surviving section of The High Line, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, recently opened as a Linear Park.

Third Series $50 Confederate States of America Banknote. Uniface. Vignettes of Hope, Hudson River Railroad, Justice. Third series (Act of August 19, 1861 amended December 24, 1861), funded by 8% bonds, payable six months after a ratified peace treaty, total authorized circulation $150,000,000. Between 1861–1864, there were seventy-two different types issued with numerous varieties.

Date: 1862.

Source: Image by Godot13.

Author: Southern Bank Note Company, printers for

The Confederate States Department of The Treasury

National Museum of American History.

Permission: Use of this image should give credit to the

National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Central Railroad.

Historic Trains in America.

New York Central Railroad in the Early-1950s.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/D6EG3QgInc8

The generally-level topography of The NYC System had a character distinctively different than the mountainous terrain of its arch rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of its major routes, including New York to Chicago, followed rivers and had no significant grades other than West Albany Hill. This influenced a great deal about the Line, from advertising to Locomotive design, built around its flagship New York-Chicago Water Level Route.

Steam Locomotives of The NYC were optimised for speed on that flat raceway of a Main Line, rather than slow mountain lugging. Famous Locomotives of the System included the well-known 4-6-4 Hudsons, particularly the 1937–38 J-3a; 4-8-2 World War II–era L-3 and L-4 Mohawks; and the Post-War S-class Niagaras: fast 4-8-4 Locomotives often considered the epitome of their breed by Steam Locomotive aficionados.

Despite having some of the most modern Steam Locomotives anywhere, NYC's difficult financial position caused it to convert to more economical Diesel-Electric power. All Lines, East of Cleveland, Ohio, were converted to Diesel usage as of 7 August 1953. Niagara Locomotives were all retired by 1956. The last Steam Locomotives were retired in 1957. Bu, the economics of North-Eastern Railroading became so dire that not even this switch could change things for the better.

The New York Central Logo.

Date: 26 October 2003 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by SchuminWeb using CommonsHelper.

Author: The original uploader was Gerard Czadowski at English Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The restored frame of an old news-stand kiosk.

Buffalo Central Terminal.

Part of The New York Central Railroad Network.

Date: 14 October 2007.

Source: The Union News Company

Author: Jamie

from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(Wikimedia Commons)

PART THREE FOLLOWS

The Nineteenth Century.

The 19th-Century.

Our Lady of Sorrows.

Sancta Mater Dolorosa.

In 1817, Pope Pius VIII extended to the whole Church The Feast of The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady (Feast Day 15 September), which had been observed by The Servites since the 13th-Century.

English: Seven Swords piercing The Sorrowful Heart of Mary

in the Church of The Holy Cross, Salamanca, Spain.

Español: Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (Salamanca).

Photo: 18 August 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zarateman.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

In 1817, Pope Pius VII extended to The Whole Church The Feast of The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady (Feast Day 15 September), which had been observed by The Servites since the 13th-Century.

In 1849, this Pope Instituted The Feast of The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord (Feast Day 1 July) and raised The Feast of The Visitation of Our Blessed Lady (Feast Day 2 July) to that of a Double of The Second-Class, on the occasion of his return to Rome from exile.

Blessed Pope Pius IX, born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti,

who reigned from 16 June 1846 to his death in 1878.

In 1849, this Pope Instituted The Feast of The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord

(Feast Day 1 July) and raised The Feast of The Visitation of Our Blessed Lady (Feast Day 2 July)

to that of a Double of The Second-Class, on the occasion of his return to Rome from exile.

Date: Circa 1878.

Source: Originally from hu.wikipedia

description page is/was here

Author: Unknown (Original uploader was User:Czinitz at hu.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1847, Blessed Pope Pius IX extended to The Universal Church The Feast of The Solemnity of Saint Joseph (Feast Day being The Wednesday after The Second Sunday after Easter), and, in 1870, he declared this Holy Patriarch Protector of The Universal Church.

In 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed The Dogma of The Immaculate Conception of Mary, its Feast Day (8 December) having been already granted to The Whole Church by Pope Clement X in 1708. Pope Leo XIII extended The Vigil of this Feast to The World in 1879.

The 19th-Century.

The Feast of The Sacred Heart (Feast Day being The Friday after The Octave of Corpus Christi), approved by  Pope Clement XIII in 1765, was raised in 1889 to the Rank of a Double of The First-Class.

In 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX Consecrated the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, the former Church having been destroyed by fire in 1823, and fixed The Feast of The Dedication as 18 November.

Photogram of the 1896 film

"Sua Santitá papa Leone XIII",

the first time a Pope appeared on film.

Date: 1898.

This image is available from The United States Library of Congress's

Prints and Photographs Division under the digital ID cph.3a00543

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1888, Pope Leo XIII, moved by the sad trials which The Church was undergoing, composed a Mass and new Divine Office for The Feast of Our Lady of The Rosary (Feast Day 7 October). He also raised this Feast to the Rank of a Double of The Second-Class.

Similarly, in 1879, Pope Leo XIII raised to the Rank of a Double of The Second-Class The Feast of Saint Joachim, his Patron (Feast Day 16 August), and that of Saint Anne (Feast Day 26 July).

The 19th-Century.

The Saints of this Century are: Saint John Vianney, the Holy Parish Priest (†1859. Feast Day 9 August); Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Passionist (†1862. Feast Day 27 February); Saint Theresa of The Infant Jesus, a Carmelite (†1897. Feast Day 3 October); Saint Conrad of Parzham, a Capuchin Lay-Brother (†1894. Feast Day 24 April); Saint Mary-Bernard, of The Sisters of Nevers (Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes, †1879. Feast Day 18 February); Saint Joseph Cottolengo, The Vincent de Paul of Torino (†1842. Feast Day 30 April); Saint John Bosco, Founder of The Salesians (†1888. Feast Day 31 January); Saint Andrew Fournet (†1834. Feast Day 13 May) Founded a Congregation of Daughters of The Cross, and Saint Mary Michael of The Blessed Sacrament (†1865. Feast Day 25 August), another of The Adorers of The Blessed Sacrament.

The New York Central Railroad. Part One.

NYC Hudson Locomotive, built with iconic Streamlining

designed by Henry Dreyfuss, used to haul

The 20th Century Limited Train, starting in 1938.

Photo courtesy SMU.

Date: 1938.

Source: Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library: Robert Yarnall Richie Photographs. Retrieved from Flickr: Hudson Locomotive for The New York Central.

Author: Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Grand Central Station Terminal,

42nd Street, New York,

United States of America.

Français: Vue extérieure nocturne de la gare

Grand Central Terminal sur l'ile de Manhattan, à New-York (États-Unis).

Date: 1/08.

Source: Own work.

Author: Fcb981 ; Eric Baetscher (attribution required).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The New York Central Railroad (NYC), known simply as The New York Central in its publicity, was a Railroad operating in the North-Eastern United States. Headquartered in New York City, the railroad served most of the North-East, including extensive Trackage in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Massachusetts, plus additional Trackage in the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

The Railroad primarily connected Greater New York and Boston, in the East, with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid-West, along with the intermediate Cities of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit. NYC's Grand Central Terminal, in New York City, is one of its best-known extant landmarks.

In 1968, The NYC merged with its former rival, The Pennsylvania Railroad, to form Penn Central (The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad joined in 1969). That Company went bankrupt in 1970 and was taken over by The Federal Government and merged into Conrail in 1976.

"The Steam Locomotive".

New York Central Railroad 1938.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/ZBFdpBol3l4

Conrail was broken up in 1998, and portions of its system was transferred to the newly-formed New York Central Lines LLC, a subsidiary leased to, and eventually absorbed by, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Those Companies' Lines included the original New York Central Main Line, but, outside that area, it included Lines that were never part of The New York Central System. CSX was able to take one of the most important Main Lines in the Nation, which runs from New York City and Boston to Cleveland, Ohio, as part of The Water Level Route, while Norfolk Southern gained The Cleveland, Ohio, to Chicago, Illinois, portion of the Line, called The Chicago Line.

At the end of 1925, The New York Central System operated 11,584 miles (18,643 km) of Road and 26,395 miles (42,479 km) of Track; at the end of 1967, the mileages were 9,696 miles (15,604 km) and 18,454 miles (29,699 km).

The oldest part of the NYC was the first permanent Railroad in the State of New York and one of the first Railroads in The United States. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was chartered in 1826 to connect The Mohawk River at Schenectady to The Hudson River at Albany, providing a way for freight, and especially passengers, to avoid the extensive and time-consuming Locks on The Erie Canal between Schenectady and Albany. The Mohawk and Hudson opened on 24 September 1831, and changed its name to The Albany and Schenectady Railroad on 19 April 1847.

1876 map of The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, from [1]

This File: 2 July 2005.

User: SPUI~commonswiki

(Wikimedia Commons)

"Flight of the Century".

20th Century Limited Train.

1935 Steam Trains Newsreel.

A promotional film made in 1935 by The New York Central Lines.

Features a journey on The 20th Century Limited, once America's premier Train.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/CcC9laB3UFU

PART TWO FOLLOWS

No Words Necessary.

Steam Train Silhouette.

Found on something-everything-nothing.tumblr.com

Illustration: PINTEREST

Time After Epiphany. 14 January To Septuagesima Sunday.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Places mentioned in The Liturgy of this Season, where Our Lord gave proofs of His Divinity, with The Apostles who gave testimony of this Divinity, and whose Feasts occur in the same Season.

DOCTRINAL NOTE.

The Christmas Cycle is like a magnificent drama in three acts, whose purpose is to show forth, in  three distinct ways, The Incarnation of The Word and the raising of human nature into union with God.

The first act of The Cycle develops throughout the four weeks of Advent, when, in types and Prophetic sayings, is shown forth to us the great Dogma of a God made man.

In the second act, which, throughout Christmastide, includes all the Mysteries of Our Lord's Childhood, we are made to see with our eyes and handle with our hands The Word of Life, Which was with The Father, and hath appeared to us, that we may have fellowship with The Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and that our joy may be full.

The third act, which is unfolded during the time after Epiphany, is an extension of Christmastide, in which Our Lord's Divinity continues to be affirmed. No longer, however, is there question of The Angels of the Gloria in Excelsis, nor The Star, nor even the Voice of The Father and the Vision of The Holy Ghost as at Our Lord's Baptism: But now, it is Christ Himself Who acts and speaks as God. As we shall see, in the Easter Cycle, He is going to demand the submission of our hearts and minds to His Doctrine and to the rule of conduct imposed by Him. As a preliminary, therefore, to this claim, there is need that His Divine Authority shall be revealed by His Words and Actions, alike.

The Gospels for The Second, Third and Fourth Sundays after Epiphany are extracts from the series of Miracles related by Saint Matthew, and those for The Fifth and Sixth Sundays from the Parables which the same Evangelist records to prove that Jesus is The Messias. He commands sickness, the sea, the winds; He changes water into wine; He cures at a distance or by a simple gesture. Surely, then, He is God. Moreover, He speaks as only a God can speak.

This time after Epiphany, therefore, together with the whole Christmas Cycle, is the Season specially Consecrated to The Epiphanies or to The Manifestations of Our Lord's Divinity.

Christ's words are the direct and palpable expression of God's thoughts. "The things that I speak, even  as The Father said unto Me, so do I speak."

Like The Sacred Species, which, as containing The Divinity, are the object of our Adoration, so Our Lord's teaching requires from us Reverence and Faith as being a portion of Eternal Truth. "He who receives The Sacred Word negligently is no less guilty than he who lets The Body of The Son of God fall to the earth."

What Saint Paul said of The Eucharist: "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgement to himself," Our Lord said of His Holy Teaching: "He that receiveth not My Words . . . the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in The Last Day," for to reject it is to reject The Word, Who, under this form, reveals Himself to us.

In these passages, is summed up the whole of The Time After Epiphany in relation to Our Lord, and it is in the Epistles, which are extracts from those of Saint Paul to The Romans, a summary in relation to ourselves, we must seek the spirit of this same Season.

Not only does Almighty God, ever faithful to His Promises, summon the Jews to enter His Kingdom, but, in the fulness of His Mercy, He calls all the Gentiles to share in it; so that, having become, in our turn, Members of The Mystical Body of Christ, we must love one another, as brethren in Him, and submit ourselves in all humility to The Son of God, Who is our King.

Fr. Michael Hendershott's First Mass. At Saint Kevin's Catholic Church, Dublin, Ireland.

Fr. Michael Hendershott's First Mass.

Saint Kevin's Catholic Church, Dublin, Ireland.

3 January 2016.

Illustration: LATIN MASS DUBLIN

Photo: JOHN BRIODY

Octave Day Of The Epiphany. 13 January.

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

Octave Day of The Epiphany.
13 January.
      Privileged Octave Day.

Greater-Double.

White Vestments.

God manifests Himself to The Magi by a Star.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: Rene de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

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.

Matthias Church. Budapest, Hungary.

English: The Church of Our Lady of Buda.

Hungarian: Budavári Nagyboldogasszony-templom.

English: Matthias Church; Budapest, Hungary.

Hungarian: Mátyás-templom.

Matthias Church by Csilla Zelko on Fivehundredpx

Illustration: PINTEREST

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Matthias Church (Hungarian: Mátyás-templom) is a Roman Catholic Church located in Budapest, Hungary, in front of The Fisherman's Bastion, at the heart of Buda's Castle District. According to Church Tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although no archaeological remains exist.

The current building was constructed in the florid Late-Gothic Style, in the second- half of the 14th-Century, and was extensively restored in the Late-19th-Century. It was the second-largest Church of Mediaeval Buda and the seventh-largest Church of the Mediaeval Hungarian Kingdom.

And, Continuing The Nautical Theme: "The Fleet's Lit Up (Hic). Fairy Land, Etc."

After generous liquid refreshment in the Officers' Mess of HMS Nelson,

Lt.-Commander Woodrooffe attempted to describe the spectacle of

The Illuminated Fleet at The Royal Review, Spithead. The accompanying pictures

were taken at Portland, also the scene of reviews of the great inter-war Royal Navy.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/-hYIGte7fBs

You Know How Some People Like To Illuminate Their House Around Christmas . . .

Seen in Ramsgate Harbour, Kent,

over Christmas 2015.

Published with permission of The Skipper.

Feast Of The Holy Family. Sunday Within The Octave Of The Epiphany. "Jesus, Mary And Joseph Hallowed Family Life."

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

Feast of The Holy Family.
Sunday within The Octave of The Epiphany.

Greater-Double.

White Vestments.

[EDITOR: WHEN FAMILY LIFE IS UNDER ATTACK FROM ALL QUARTERS, NOWADAYS, LET US CONTINUALLY PRAY TO THE HOLY FAMILY FOR SUPPORT, GUIDANCE, AND HELP.]

The Holy Family.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: Rene de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

"Is it not fitting," says Pope Leo XIII, "to Celebrate The Royal Birth of The Son of The Supreme Father, of The House of David and the Glorious Names of that ancient Line ?" Yet, it is more consoling for us to call to memory the little house at Nazareth and the humble life lived there; thus Celebrating The Hidden Life of Our Lord.

"The Feast of The Holy Family".

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/t912ZV4mUzI

For there, The Divine Child received His training in Joseph's humble trade; there, hidden and sheltered, He grew up and showed Himself ready to share the toil of a Carpenter's life. "Let the moisture," he seemed to say, "trickle over my limbs before they are drenched with the torrent of My Blood, and the pain of this labour shall go to stone for the sins of men."

Close to The Divine Child is His Tender Mother; close to Joseph stands his devoted wife, happy to relieve their toil and suffering by her loving care. O Thou, Who wast not free from toil and care and Who hast known adversity, come to the aid of the unfortunate, crippled by poverty and struggling against the difficulties of life" (Hymn for Matins).

In this lowly dwelling at Nazareth, by practising the domestic virtues of charity, obedience, mutual help and regard, Jesus, Mary and Joseph hallowed family life (Collect, Epistle, and Gospel). There, too, they constantly found joy and peace in Recollection and Prayer in Common.

May The Great Christian Family practise here on Earth the Virtues of The Holy Family, so meriting a life in Their Blessed Company in Heaven (Collect).

Pope Benedict XV, being desirous of securing for Souls The Blessings flowing from Meditation on The Virtues of The Holy Family and from their imitation, extended this Feast to The Universal Church, fixing its observance for The Sunday in The Octave of The Epiphany.

When this Sunday happens to be The Octave Day of The Epiphany, The Feast is kept on the day before.

When The Feast is observed on a Sunday, every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: Exsúltat gáudio.

Commemoration: Of The Sunday.

Commemoration: Of The Octave of The Epiphany.

Gospel: Cum factus esset. As on The Sunday within The Octave of Epiphany.

The Creed: Is said.

Preface: Of The Epiphany.

Communicantes: Of The Epiphany.

Last Gospel: The Gospel of Saint John.

The Sunday within The Octave of The Epiphany being now occupied by The Feast of The Holy Family, The Mass of The Sunday within The Octave is Celebrated on a Week-Day.

If The Feast of The Holy Family falls on any date from 7 January to 11 January, The Mass of The Sunday is Celebrated on the following day, Monday (8 January to 17 January).

If The Feast of The Holy Family falls on 12 January, The Mass of The Sunday is not Celebrated at all, for want of a free day.

If The Epiphany (6 January) and its Octave Day (13 January) fall on a Sunday, The Mass of The Holy Family (with The Commemoration of The Sunday and The Octave) is said "in anticipation" on Saturday, 12 January,  and The Mass of The Sunday is Transferred to Saturday, 19 January, the only free day. In this case, it is said with the Gloria, but without the Credo, with the Preface but without the Communicantes of The Epiphany, and with the Gospel "Pastores" (from The Second Mass at Christmas), as Last Gospel.

We Must Do More To Save Butterflies.

Illustration: BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

It's not such a Happy New Year for butterflies as sobering new evidence reveals many species are facing devastating declines. Thanks to your support we've succeeded in reversing the struggle for some, but butterflies and moths need your help more than ever.

Why not make wildlife gardening your New Year's resolution ? Follow our Secret Gardener's tips to help butterflies and moths on your patch. Have you seen a butterfly yet ? Report your first sightings. If you buy one of our Sale T-Shirts, the profit goes to our conservation work, or you can donate directly to our latest appeal.

The Web-Site for Butterfly Conservation is BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Inside Antarctica’s Catholic Ice Chapel. The World’s Southernmost Church.

This Article can be read in full at CHURCHPOP

Inside Antarctica's Catholic Ice-Chapel.

The World's Southernmost Church.

Illustration: CHURCHPOP