I shall be spending this evening in various supermarkets looking for the most sumptuous sardines that I can find. For, as you will undoubtedly know, tomorrow is Sardine Day.
This is not because tomorrow is The Feast Day of The Holy Prophets Joel and Esdras. Though I am sure that Joel’s vision of The End Day would have included the most wonderfully succulent sardines imaginable. Nor because it is that Saint Turian, a man of humility and simplicity, would have enjoyed an occasional sardine on his Feast Day.
No, tomorrow is The Feast of The Sardines, or Fête des Sardines, in The Vendée region of France. You can see a history of The Wars of The Vendée HERE, it really is worth a read. The Vendée was totally destroyed by The French Revolution and persecuted ever since.
So, do you think that the good people of The Vendée want to celebrate 14 July ? Which is Bastille day ? No they do not.
So, instead, they celebrate the humble sardine (for no reason that I have been able to find). They eat them on 13 July, and they feast, and drink, and drink. And, on the next morning (14 July), they are so hung over, that they do not bother getting out of bed !!!
So for them, the celebration is not the slaughter, rape and pillage of their beloved Country, it is the day before – a humble sardine.
Say a Prayer for Vietnamese Catholic Blogger, Mary Magdalene Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (37), aka "Mother Mushroom", who was sentenced to ten years in prison on 29 June 2017.
Among other causes, Mother Mushroom has campaigned against: The killing of civilians by police; a Taiwan-owned steel plant, Formosa Ha Tinh, which has killed thousands of fish in Vietnam by releasing toxic wastewater; government land confiscations related to a Chinese-backed bauxite mine; the suffering of Poor People waiting at hospital, because they were unable to bribe Officials.
John Gualbert was born at Florence, Italy, towards 999 A.D. One Good Friday, escorted by his armed attendants, he met the murderer of his brother. who was alone and unattended.. He was about to pierce him with his lance, when the murderer threw himself at his feet and craved pardon for the sake of Jesus Christ Crucified. John remembered the loving words of the Gospel and embraced him as a brother.
Still more touched by Grace, he became a Monk, and soon a Law-Giver, like Moses (Epistle). He Founded at Vallombrosa, in Tuscany, Italy, a new Order [Editor: The Vallumbrosan Order] to which he gave The Rule of Saint Benedict (Communion) and which is still flourishing after more than eight Centuries of existence.
Simony reigned everywhere in Italy. His firmness and eloquence banished this disorder from Tuscany and brought back his Country to integrity of Faith and Manners. So, when he died in 1073, they inscribed on his tomb: "To John Gualbert. citizen of Florence, liberator of Italy".
Mass:Os justi. Commemoration: Of Saints Nabor and Felix.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.
John Gualbert (985 A.D. – 12 July 1073), also known as Giovanni Gualberto or John Gualberto, is an Italian Roman Catholic Saint, the Founder of The Vallumbrosan Order.
A member of the Visdomini Family of Florentine nobility, one Good Friday he was entering Florence, accompanied by armed followers, when in a narrow lane he came upon a man who had killed his brother. He was about to kill the man in revenge, when the other fell upon his knees with arms outstretched in the form of a Cross and begged for mercy in the name of Christ, who had been Crucified on that day.
John forgave him. He entered The Benedictine Church at San Miniato to Pray, and the figure on The Crucifix bowed its head to him in recognition of his generosity. This story forms the subject of Burne-Jones's picture "The Merciful Knight", and has been adapted by Shorthouse in "John Inglesant".
John Gualbert became a Benedictine Monk at San Miniato, Italy. He fought actively against Simony, of which both his Abbot, Oberto, and the Bishop of Florence, Pietro Mezzabarba, were guilty.
English: Church of Saint John Gualbert, Livorno, Italy.
Italiano: Livorno, Valle Benedetta: chiesa di S. Giovanni Gualberto.
Unwilling to compromise with them, he left the Monastery to lead a more perfect life. His attraction was for the cenobitic, and not eremitic life, so, after staying for some time with the Monks at Camaldoli, he settled at Vallombrosa, where he Founded his Monastery.
The area surrounding his Monastery was wild and deserted when he first arrived. John thought that it would be more conducive to contemplation and discipline if the grounds were better kept. But, instead of a Traditional garden, he opted to have his Monks plant trees (firs and pines, mostly), creating a Park and Nature Reserve to enhance the Prayerful environment. Mabillon estimates its Foundation before 1038.
Saint John Gualbert's Feast Day was not included in The Tridentine Calendar, but was added to The General Roman Calendar in 1595. Owing to its limited Worldwide importance, his Feast Day was removed from that Calendar in 1969. But, 12 July continues to be his Feast Day, as indicated in The Roman Martyrology, and, according to the new rules given in The Roman Missal of the same year, he may now be Celebrated everywhere with his own Mass on that day,
The Church, celebrating today the triumph of The Seven Sons of Saint Felicitas (Feast Day 23 November), who were Martyred under their mother's eyes, praises this courageous woman (Epistle), who, by exhorting them to die, "was herself victorious in all of them" [Sixth Lesson at Matins: Sermon of Saint Augustine].
She extended her maternity to the Souls of her children by making them accomplish The Will of God (Gospel, Communion). They died in 150 A.D., under the Emperor Antoninus.
A Century later, Rufina and Secunda, sisters by birth, became doubly so by mixing their blood at the same execution, rather than lose the Virginity they had Consecrated to Jesus, their Spouse. They were Martyred at Rome, under the Emperors Valerian and Gallienus, in 257 A.D.
Mass:Laudate, pueri.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.
Saint Felicitas (also known as Felicity) is said to have been a rich and pious Christianwidow, who had seven sons. She devoted herself to charitable work and converted many to The Christian Faith by her example.
This aroused the wrath of pagan priests, who lodged a complaint against her with Emperor Marcus Aurelius. These priests asserted the fire of the gods and demanded sacrifice from Felicitas and her children. The Emperor acquiesced to their demand and Felicitas was brought before Publius, the Prefect of Rome. Taking Felicitas aside, he used various pleas and threats in an unsuccessful attempt to get her to worship the pagan gods. He was equally unsuccessful with her seven sons, who followed their mother's example.
Before the Prefect, Publius, they adhered firmly to their religion, and were delivered over to four judges, who condemned them to various modes of death. The division of the Martyrs among four judges corresponds to the four places of their burial. She implored God only that she be not killed before her sons, so that she might be able to encourage them during their torture and death, in order that they would not deny Christ.
According to God's Providence, it so happened. With joy, this wonderful mother accompanied her sons, one by one, until she had witnessed the death of all seven sons. We are not entirely sure as to how each of them died, but it is said that Januarius, the eldest, was scourged to death; Felix and Philip were beaten with clubs until they expired; Silvanus was thrown headlong down a precipice; and the three youngest, Alexander, Vitalis and Martialis were beheaded.
After each execution, she was given the chance to denounce her Faith. She refused to act against her conscience and so she, too, suffered Martyrdom. Certain communities around the United States still celebrate San Marziale (Saint Martialis/Saint Marshall) with a San Marziale Festival, typically held on 10 July or near that date. Celebrations have been held in Philadelphia and Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
She was buried in the Catacomb of Maximus, on the Via Salaria, beside Saint Silvanus. It is said that she died eight times. Once with each of her sons, and finally her own death.
Often made of hard-wearing fabrics, such as herringbones or tweeds, it was not a formal coat at the time, though in the 21st-Century a Cape would be seen as such. After The Edwardian period, it lost its Cape, and continued to be used as a heavy-duty overcoat, often in a double-breasted style.
A lightweight version of this coat is called an Ulsterette.
Overcoat, Topcoat, Greatcoat, Body Coat, Tailcoat, Morning Coat:
The Church exhorts us, today, to praise God for The Holy Works of Blessed Elizabeth [Invitatory of Matins]. A daughter of Peter II, King of Aragon, she inherited the name and virtues of her Great-Aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Her father, seeing her Holiness, used to say that she would surpass all other women of Royal Race (Epistle, Communion). She married Denis I, King of Portugal.
She had received the prerogative of re-establishing Peace, where there had been divisions, and of mitigating the fury of War (Collect). When she became a widow, she took The Habit of The Third Order of Saint Francis, distributed her riches and acquired, at this price, The Precious Pearl and The Hidden Treasure of Life Everlasting (Gospel).
She died at Estremos, Portugal, in 1336, and her body has remained incorrupt.
Elizabeth showed an early enthusiasm for her Faith. She said the full Divine Office, daily, Fasted, and did other Penance, as well as attended twice-daily Choral Masses. Religious fervour was common in her family, as she could count several members of her family who were already Venerated as Saints. The most notable example is her Great-Aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, (Third Order of Saint Francis, T.O.S.F.), after whom she was named.
Admont Abbey (German: Stift Admont) is a Benedictine Monastery, located on The Enns River, in the Town of Admont, Austria. The oldest remaining Monastery in Styria, Austria, Admont Abbey contains the largest Monastic Library in the World, as well as a long-established Scientific Collection. It is known for its Baroque Architecture, Art, and Manuscripts.
The Abbey's location, on the borders of the mountainous Gesäuse National Park (the name Admont derives from the Latin expression "ad montes," "at the mountains") is of unusual scenic beauty.
Dedicated to Saint Blaise, Admont Abbey was founded in 1074 by Archbishop Gebhard, of Salzburg, with the legacy of the Late-Saint, Hemma of Gurk, and settled by Monks from Saint Peter's Abbey, in Salzburg, Austria, under Abbot Isingrin. The second Abbot, Giselbert, is said to have introduced The Cluniac Reforms. Another of the early Abbots, Wolfhold, established a Convent for the education of girls of noble family, and the educational Tradition has remained strong ever since. The Monastery prospered during The Middle Ages and possessed a productive Scriptorium. Abbot Engelbert, of Admont, (1297–1327) was a famous scholar and author of many works.
English: Admont Abbey, Ausstria.
Deutsch: Südostflügel des Stiftes Admont in der Steiermark. Zu sehen sind auch
die beiden Kirchturmspitzen und der angebaute gläserne Aufgang an der Ostseite
sowie der Löschwasserteich im Vordergrund. Fotografiert am 7. Juni 2005
von Dominik Stadler, Bild freigegeben im Sinne der CC-BY-SA-2.0 and GFDL.
The Wars against the Turks, and The Reformation (Abbot Valentine was obliged to resign because of his Reformed views), caused a lengthy decline, but, with The Counter-Reformation, the Abbey flourished once again. In addition to the Secondary School, which later moved to Judenburg, there were faculties of Theology and Philosophy. Abbot Albert von Muchar was well known as an historian and taught at the University of Graz.
In the 17th- and 18th-Centuries, the Abbey reached a high point of artistic productivity, with the works of the world-famous Ecclesiastical Embroiderer, Brother Benno Haan (1631–1720), and the sculptor Joseph Stammel (1695–1765).
On 27 April 1865, a disastrous fire destroyed almost the entire Monastery. While the Monastic archives burned, the Library could be salvaged. Reconstruction began the following year, but was still not complete by 1890.
The economic crises of the 1930s forced the Abbey to sell off many of its art treasures, and, during the period of The National Socialist government, the Monastery was Dissolved and the Monks evicted. They were able to return in 1946 and the Abbey, today, is again a thriving Benedictine Community.
The present Church was designed by the architect Wilhelm Bücher, to replace the former Church after the fire of 1865. It is inspired by Regensburg Cathedral and was the first Sacred Building in Austria in the Neo-Gothic Style. It incorporates 12th-Century Romanesque Side Doors. The two West Towers are sixty-seven metres tall, and the facade contains figures of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica. The figure of the Church's Patron, Saint Blaise, tops the Pinnacle of The Great West Door.
English: The Nave of Admont Abbey Church, Admont, Styria, Austria.
Deutsch: Langhaus der Stiftskirche Admont, Admont, Steiermark.
The Interior consists of a Central Aisle and two Side Aisles, off each of which are five Side Chapels and six Altars. The picture on the Altar of Mary, Maria Immaculata, by Martino Altomonte (1657–1745), is surrounded by fifteen carved Medallions of The Secrets of The Rosary, by Joseph Stammel. Both works of art were created in 1726 and survived the fire of 1856.
In a Side Chapel, is located the famous Crib of Admont, also by Stammel. It is open to public view from 25 December to 2 February. The Gothic Crucifix, under The Triumphal Arch, dated 1518, is ascribed to Andreas Lackner.
The Community at Admont consists of over twenty-seven Monks, under Abbot Bruno Hubl. The Abbey is responsible for: Twenty-seven Parishes; runs a Secondary School with about 600 pupils; and an Old People's Home in Frauenberg, Austria. Its various businesses and enterprises employ about 500 people, and it also has the management of the Museums and Collections, detailed below.
The Library Hall, built in 1776 to designs by the architect Joseph Hueber, is seventy metres long, fourteen metres wide and thirteen metres high, and is the largest Monastery Library in the World. It contains circa 70,000 volumes of the Monastery's entire holdings of circa 200,000 volumes. The Ceiling consists of seven Cupolas, decorated with frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte showing the stages of human knowledge up to the high point of Divine Revelation. Light is provided by forty-eight windows and is reflected by the original colour scheme of Gold and White. The architecture and design express the ideals of The Enlightenment, against which the sculptures by Joseph Stammel of "The Four Last Things" make a striking contrast.
The Abbey possesses over 1,400 Manuscripts, the oldest of which, from Saint Peter's Abbey, in Salzburg, Austria, were the gift of the Founder, Archbishop Gebhard, and accompanied the first Monks to settle here, as well as over 900 Incunabulae.
English: The Nave of Admont Abbey Church, Admont, Styria, Austria.
Deutsch: Langhaus der Stiftskirche Admont, Admont, Steiermark.
Since the Baroque period, the Abbots had accumulated a collection of "curiosities" and scientific specimens of various sorts, which were entirely destroyed in the fire of 1865. As part of the reconstruction, Father Gabriel Strobl determined to replace the lost collections, and so formed the nucleus of the modern Museums. Father Strobl was a botanist, but also worked on building up the insect collection, so much so that he became one of the great Entomologists of his day. The Natural History Museum now contains over 250,000 insect specimens, including one of the three largest collections of flies, or Diptera, in Europe. Other collections of, for example, minerals and rock, and exotic species, have also been formed.
The Abbey also houses two major Art Collections of Historical and Modern Art. The Historical Art Collection was begun in 1959 by Father Adalbert Krause, and has been significantly augmented since 1980. The present Museum was opened in 2003. The Collection particularly features Ecclesiastical Art, and contains, for example, many works of Ecclesiastical Embroidery by the famous Craftsman, Benno Haan, and of the Abbey Sculptor, Joseph Stammel.
Since 1997, the Abbey has also been building up a Collection of Contemporary Art, largely produced by young Austrian artists and often specially designed for the Abbey premises.
English: Admont Abbey Church, Austria.
Deutsch: Ansicht der Stiftskirche Admont vom Park, Steiermark.
On the 10th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum: We thank in particular . . .
IN PRIMIS . . . Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Bishop Castro Mayer: Long may their memories live !
The beautiful words of that great French hero of The Traditional Mass, Jean Madiran (1920-2013: Rest in Peace !), who lived to see the Miracle, remembering the names of some who died in the battlefield:
"For thirty seven years, a whole generation of militant Catholics, Religious or Lay Members of The Militant Church (a generation reaching from seven to ninety-seven years of age) suffered, without giving in, openly defying the arbitrary interdict on The Traditional Mass.
We think of our dead: Cardinal Ottaviani, Father Calmel, Father Raymond Dulac, Monsignor Renato Pozzi, Monsignor Lefebvre, Father Guérard. And, among the Laymen: Cristina Campo, Luce Quenette, Louis Salleron, Eric de Saventhem.
The Pontifical goodwill is for them as a light breeze, which sweetly brings Peace to their tombs. Wherever they are now, they do not need it anymore. But it is their memory amongst us which is appeased and elevated."
And, also: Father Gamber, Michael Davies, Tito Casini, and so many, many others (Priests, Laymen and Laywomen - God knows their names !), each of whom placed his own brick, large or small, in the great dam built for decades against the tumultuous tides of The Late-20th-Century.
Thank you, thank you, thank you dearly ! The heat of the battle has caused so much personal attrition, exaggerations, and misunderstandings... Yet, justice cannot be denied: gratitude is owed to those who did not live to see, on this Earth, the glorious date of 7 July 2007.
Still filled with a Holy Love for her Apostles, whose Octave she has concluded, The Church celebrates today The Feast of Saint Cyril and of Saint Methodius, "who both promised, under oath, to persevere in The Faith of Blessed Peter and of The Roman Pontiffs," [Fifth Lesson at Matins] and brought innumerable recruits, to Peter, from among the Bulgarians, Moravians and Bohemians [Hymn at First Vespers].
Brothers by blood,, they were born in the 9th-Century A.D., at Salonica, Greece, and distinguished themselves by their progress in The Sciences at Constantinople.
Anointed Bishops, by Pope Adrian II (Introit, Epistle, Alleluia), they converted The Slavonic Nations (Collect). To them is attributed The Slav Alphabet; into which tongue they translated The Scriptures and celebrated The Sacred Rites.
Saint Cyril died in 869 A.D., and was buried at Rome, near the Relics of Saint Clement, which he had brought from Chersonesus, Crimea. Saint Methodius died in 885 A.D.
Today concludes, by a special Mass, the concert of praise offered during eight days by The Church to The Apostles Peter and Paul, whose names are eternal (Introit, Epistle).
Mass:Sapiéntiam. Preface: Of The Apostles.
Pontifical High Mass (Novus Ordo) on The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul,
29 June 2016, from the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Cologne, Germany.
Celebrant: Bishop Manfred Melzer, Titular Bishop of Carinola,
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless stated otherwise.
Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria. Confessor. Feast Day 5 July.
Double.
White Vestments.
English: Portrait of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria.
Español: Pintura de San Antonio Maria Zaccaria.
Date: Unknown.
Source: Archivo personal.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Anthony Mary was born, in 1502, of a noble family at Cremona, Italy. Penetrating of mind, added to integrity of life, raised him above his school fellows. Having won his Degree, of Doctor of Medicine, at Padua, he understood, by a warning from God, that he was called to heal Spiritual, rather than bodily, diseases.
Like the young man in the Gospel, he had from childhood observed The Commandments; he left everything to follow Jesus (Gospel). He Founded The Order of Clerks Regular, whose Members are called Barnabites [Editor: So named after the companion of Saint Paul.] Saint Anthony Mary gave them Saint Paul as model and protector. He was, like the great Apostle, filled with super-eminent knowledge of Christ (Collect). Wherefore, the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, and Communion, apply to him the very words of the Apostle, and the Epistle is that in which The Doctor of the Gentiles gives to his Disciple, Timothy, the counsels that guided him in his teaching.
Consoled by a Heavenly vision of The Apostles, he died a Holy Death, at the age of thirty-six, in 1539.
Mass:Sermo meus. Commemoration: Of The Octave of The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Preface: Of The Apostles.
English: The Church of Saint Barnabas and Saint Paul,
Milan, Italy.
Italiano: Milano - Chiesa dei Ss. Barnaba e Paolo.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.
While in Milan, he laid the foundations of three Religious Orders: one for men (The Clerics Regular of Saint Paul, commonly known as The Barnabites); a female branch of un-cloistered Nuns, The Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul; and a Lay Congregation for married people, The Laity of Saint Paul, originally called The Married of Saint Paul, and sometimes referred to in North America as The Oblates of Saint Paul.
"The Congregation of The Regular Clerks of Saint Paul" was Canonically sanctioned by Pope Clement VII in 1533. The Barnabites' main devotions were the teachings of Saint Paul and emphasis on love for The Eucharist and Christ Crucified.
The Order was named after the companion of Saint Paul. Since The Order criticised what they saw as abuses in The Roman Catholic Church, Zaccaria soon gained a number of enemies, and, as The Order's Founder, he was twice investigated for Heresy, in 1534 and 1537. He was acquitted both times. In 1536, he stepped down as General of The Order and went to Vicenza, Italy, where he reformed two Convents and Founded The Order's second House.
On 15 January 1535, Pope Paul III approved The Angelic Sisters with the Bull, "Debitum pastoralis officii".
After his death, a number of cures were attributed to the intercession of Anthony Mary Zaccaria. Twenty-seven years after his death, his body was found to be incorrupt. His mortal remains are now enshrined at the Church of Saint Barnabas, Milan, Italy. He was Canonised by Pope Leo XIII on 27 May 1897. His Feast Day is Celebrated on 5 July. He is a Patron Saint of physicians.
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