Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Thursday 17 August 2017

The Octave Day Of Saint Laurence. 17 August.


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

The Octave Day Of Saint Laurence.
   Martyr. 
   17 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


Saint Laurence before Emperor Valerianus.
Artist: Fra Angelico.
Date: Circa 1447.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Mass: Probásti.
Creed.

Saint Hyacinth. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 17 August.


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

Saint Hyacinth. 
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 17 August.

Double.

White Vestments.


English: The Virgin and Child appear to Saint Hyacinth.
Français: La Vierge et l'Enfant apparaissant à saint Hyacinthe.
Artist: Ludovico Carracci (1555–1619).
Date: 1594.
Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Source/Photographer: www.heiligenlexikon.de
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Hyacinth, called "The Apostle of The North", was born in 1185 at the Castle of Kamin, near Breslau, (now Wroclaw, Poland).

Having gone to Rome, he was received there into The Order of Friar Preachers, by its Founder, Saint Dominic, in the Church of Saint Sabina. At the age of thirty-three, he was made Superior of The Mission which this Saint sent to Poland.

Saint Hyacinth then went over to Austria, Poland, Denmark, Scotland, and Livonia, everywhere Preaching The Word of God, which his numerous Miracles confirmed.

He died on The Feast of The Assumption (15 August) in 1257.

Mass: Os justi.
Commemoration: Of The Octave of The Assumption and of The Octave of Saint Laurence by The Collects of The Mass Probásti.
Creed.
Preface: Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

"Sub Tuum Praesidium". A Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary After Confession.



"The Virgin At Prayer".
(1609–1685).
Current location: National Gallery, London.
Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.
(Wikimedia Commons)

When going to Confession, The Sub Tuum Praesidium is a Prayer to The Blessed Virgin Mary which one can worthily say, and one is encouraged to say, after having made your Confession.


"Sub Tuum Praesidium".
Available on YouTube at

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus,
sancta Dei Genitrix:
nostras deprecationes ne despicias
in necessitatibus (nostris);
sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.

We have recourse to thy protection,
Holy Mother of God:
reject not the Prayers
we send up to thee in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.

The following Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Beneath Thy Protection (Greek: Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν; Latin: Sub Tuum Praesidium) is the oldest preserved extant Hymn to The Blessed Virgin Mary (Theotokos God-Bearer).

This Marian Hymn is known by heart in many Catholic Countries and is often used along with The Salve Regina.

The earliest Text that is known of this Hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas Liturgy of the 3rd-Century A.D. It is written in Greek and dates to approximately 250 A.D. It is used in The Coptic Liturgy to this day, as well as in The ByzantineAmbrosian, and Roman Liturgies. It was part of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this Prayer.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Saint Joachim. Father Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 16 August.


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

Saint Joachim.
   Father of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Confessor.

Double of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.



Saint Joachim. Father of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Artist: Rene de Cramer.
"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".
Used with Permission.




English: Saint Joachim, Saint Anne (with Mary and Jesus, as children), Saint Joseph,
statues on Aachen Cathedral, Germany.
Français: Saint Joachim, Sainte Anne (avec l'enfant Jésus et Marie), Saint Joseph,
statues au dessus d'un porche de la cathédrale, Aix-la-Chapelle, Allemagne.
Photo: 21 December 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jebulon.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following paragraph is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Joachim ("he whom YHWH has set up", Hebrew: יְהוֹיָקִים Yəhôyāqîm, Greek Ἰωακείμ Iōākeím) was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, The Mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the apocryphal Gospel of James. Joachim and Anne are not mentioned in the Bible.



Saint Joachim, Our Lady and Saint Anne.
Church of Saint Anne,
Butajnove, Slovenia.
Artist: Josip Egartner (1809–1849).
Date: 1846.
Source: www.restavratorstvo-sentjost.si
(Wikimedia Commons)

Desiring to associate the name of Joachim with the triumph of his Blessed Daughter, The Church has Transferred his Feast Day from 20 March to the day following The Assumption.

Pope Leo XIII, whose Baptismal name was Joachim, in 1879 raised Saint Joachim's Feast, and that of Saint Anne, to the Rank of Double of The Second-Class.

"Joachim and Anne," says Saint Epiphanes, "earned Divine Favour by an irreproachable life and merited that their union should bear for its beautiful fruit, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Temple and Mother of God. Joachim, Anne, and Mary, offered manifestly together a sacrifice of praise to The Holy Trinity. The name of Joachim signifies "Preparation of The Lord". Is it not he, in fact, who prepares The Temple of The Lord, The Blessed Virgin ? " [Fourth Lesson at Matins.]

Wherefore, the Introit and Gradual enhance the Virtues of this great Confessor and recall the frequent Almsgiving of the Saint, for, according to Tradition, he divided what he had into three parts, of which the first was given to the Temple and its Ministers, the second to The Poor, and the third was all he kept for himself.


Church of Saint Anne,
Butajnova, Slovenia
(see painting, above)
Photo: 2 July 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Doremo.
(Wikimedia Commons)

"Most Blessed Couple," says, in his turn, Saint John of Damascus, "the whole Creation is in your debt. For it is through you that it has been enabled to offer The Creator a present above all presents, the chaste Mother, who alone was worthy of The Creator. Rejoice, Joachim, for unto us a Son is born of thy daughter." [Fifth and Sixth Lessons at Matins.]

And the Gospel selected shows us the Royal Lineage of this Son, for, by his marriage with Mary, daughter of Joachim (or Heliachim), Joseph, son of Jacob, made Jesus the legal heir of David.

As Grace perfects nature without destroying it, it may be affirmed that Joachim, united like Saint Joseph and Saint Anne by a very intimate tie to The Mother of God and her Son, is called to exercise his perpetual patronage (Collect) with regard to The Church, The Body of Christ, or with regard to our Souls, of which Mary is Mother.

Let us, on this day, offer to God The Holy Sacrifice in honour of The Holy Patriarch, Joachim, father of The Virgin Mary, in order that his Prayer, added to that of his spouse and of their Blessed Child, may obtain the full remission of our sins and Eternal Glory (Secret).


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Tuesday 15 August 2017

The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 15 August.



English: The Assumption of The Virgin Mary.
Deutsch: Maria Himmelfahrt, Hochaltar für St. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venedig.
Français: L'Assomption de la Vierge.
Artist: Titian (1490–1576).
Date: 1516-1518.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)


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

The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 15 August.

Double of The First-Class
   with a Common Octave.

White Vestments.


On this Feast, the most ancient (6th-Century A.D.) and Solemn of The Cycle of Mary, The Church invites all her children in The Catholic World to unite their joy (Introit) and their gratitude (Preface) with those of The Angels, who praise The Son of God because of that day His Mother, Bodily and Spiritually, entered Heaven (Alleluia).

Admitted to the enjoyment of the delights of Eternal Contemplation, She chose at The Feet of The Master the better part, which shall not be taken away from Her (Gospel, Communion).

The Gospel of The Vigil was, indeed, formerly read after today's Gospel, in order to show that The Mother of Christ is happy among all others, because, better than all others: "She listened to The Word of God". This Word, The Word, The Divine Wisdom, which, under The Old Law, dwelt among the people of Israel (Epistle), dwelt in Mary, under The New Law.


"Mater Dolorosa"
(Mother of Sorrows).
Artist: Carlo Dolci (1616–1686).
Date: Circa 1650.
Current location: National Museum of Western ArtTokyo, Japan.
Source: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Artist: Rene de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.

The Word became Incarnate in the womb of The Virgin, and now, amid the splendour of the Heavenly Sion, He fills Her with the delights of The Beatific Vision.

The Church on Earth, like Martha, has to care for the necessities of this present life, but she also, like her, invokes the help of Mary (Collect, Secret, Postcommunion).

A Procession has always been a part of The Feast of The Assumption. At Jerusalem, it was formed by the numerous Pilgrims who came to Pray at the tomb of The Blessed Virgin and who, thus, contributed to the Institution of this Solemnity.


The Clergy of Constantinople also held a Procession on The Feast of The Rest, or Assumption, of Mary. At Rome, from the 7th-Century A.D., to the 16th-Century, the Papal Cortege, in which the representatives of The Senate and people took part, went on this day from The Church of Saint John Lateran to that of Saint Mary Major. This Ceremony was called The Litany.

[On this occasion, they used to recite over the people, assembled for the Procession, the Collect for Assumption Day, which is first in The Sacramentary and mentions this Mystery, whilst our Collect of The Mass on 15 August was only The Second Collect and has no direct relation to The Feast.

This is The First Collect: "It is our duty to honour The Solemnity of this day, O Lord; The Holy Mother of God did, indeed, suffer temporal death, although the bonds of this death could not hold back Her, whose flesh formed The Body of Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth . . ."]



It is in The Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome, that The Station is held at Christmas to Solemnise The Mystery, from which flowed all The Glories of The Virgin, and it is also there that was Solemnised The Assumption, in which they culminate. Mary received Jesus, when He came into this World, and it is Jesus Who receives Mary into Heaven.

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

The Introit for The Feast of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Gaudeámus omnes in Dómino . . . (Let us all rejoice in The Lord, . . .) is that of The Feast of Saint Agatha (5 February).

From the 11th-Century, this Introit was also used in seven other Masses which are in The Missal, among which are 15 August (today's Feast) and 1 November (Feast of All Saints).

Mass: Gaudeámus omnes.
Creed.
Preface: Of Our Blessed Lady. Et te in Assumptióne.



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Pontifical High Mass. Cardinal Burke. Immaculate Heart Of Mary, Balornock, Scotland. Saturday, 2 September 2017. Noon.



Illustration: LMS CHAIRMAN

Monday 14 August 2017

Missa Cantata. 1930 hrs. Tuesday, 15 August. The Feast Of The Assumption. Saint Austin And Saint Gregory, Margate, Kent.

The Vigil Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. 14 August.




English: The Assumption of The Virgin Mary.
Deutsch: Maria Himmelfahrt, Hochaltar für 
St. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venedig.
Français: L'Assomption de la Vierge.
Artist: Titian (1490–1576).
Date: 1516-1518.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

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

The Vigil of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   14 August.


Simple.

Violet Vestments.



The Epistle, for The Vigil Of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, is "Ego quasi vitis",
(taken from The Book of Wisdom) from The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July).

As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odour,

And my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

I am the mother of fair love,
And of fear,

And of knowledge,
And of Holy hope.

In me, is all Grace of The Way and of The Truth,
In me, is all hope of life and virtue.

Come over to me,
All ye that desire me,

And be filled with my fruits;
For my spirit is sweet above honey,

And my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.
My memory is unto everlasting generations.

They that eat me, shall yet hunger;
And they that drink me, shall yet thirst.

He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded,
And they that work by me shall not sin.

They that explain me shall have life everlasting.



Christ, after having lain for only three days in the tomb, rose again and ascended into Heaven.

Likewise, the death of The Virgin resembled, rather, a short sleep. Hence, it was called "Dormitio" (Dormition), and before corruption could defile her body.

God restored her to life and Glorified her in Heaven.

These three privileges are celebrated by The Feast of The Assumption, which follows logically from the privilege of The Immaculate Conception and the privilege of The Mystery of The Incarnation.

For sin never having defiled the Soul of Mary, it was right that her body, in which The Word had become Incarnate, should not be tainted by the corruption of the tomb.

Mass: Vultum tuum.
The Gloria is not said.
Preface: Common Preface.

Traditional Latin Mass. For The Feast Of The Assumption. Tuesday, 15 August 2017. Noon. Church Of Saint Thomas Of Canterbury, Headcorn, Kent.



Madonna and Child.
Illustration:
FLICKR



    




CHURCH OF SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.
HEADCORN, KENT.


Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,
Becket Court, 15, Station Road, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SB,
(near to Headcorn Railway Station).
Photo © Copyright David Anstiss
and licensed for reuse

Traditional Latin Mass.
On The Feast Of The Assumption.
1200 hrs. Tuesday, 15 August 2017,
Headcorn, Kent.

Traditional Latin Masses are also Celebrated
at the
Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,
Becket Court, 15, Station Road, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SB,
(near to Headcorn Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FOURTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

Saturday 12 August 2017

Pluto. " No, No, No. That's The Wrong One !!! "



" No, No, No. That's The Wrong One !!! "
Image of the character known as Pluto.
Portion Used: Entire character.
Low Resolution ? Yes.
(Wikipedia)


The Dwarf Planet Pluto.
A colour image of "Sputnik Planum", the region known as Pluto's "heart,"
which is rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices.
Photo Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute.
Text and Illustration: THE NEW YORK TIMES

In the year since NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto, the dwarf planet has maintained its icy heart.

But closer analysis of the trove of data collected by the space probe reveals intriguing clues to other possible features – including whether Pluto has a sloshing underground ocean of liquid water. And the data has confirmed some ideas like how Pluto and its moons formed.

Scientists have been sifting through the information that has been sent back intermittently since the flyby on 14 July 2015.

“It almost simultaneously seems like forever, and it seems like no time at all,” said S. Alan Stern, the mission’s principal investigator, of the months that have elapsed since the flyby. “We’ve been super busy the whole time.”

Within days of the flyby, data from New Horizons unveiled Pluto’s diverse terrain and surroundings. It was not a bland snowball, but a world covered with strikingly complex icescapes, from plains to soaring mountains. The scientists described signs of active tectonics, a thin but hazy atmosphere, and other perplexing features.


An artist’s rendering of one possible version of The Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69,
the next flyby target for NASA’s New Horizons mission.
Photo Credit: Alex Parker, via NASA,
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute.
Illustration: THE NEW YORK TIMES

“It’s much more complex than people, ourselves as experts included, expected,” Dr. Stern said. “It rivals Mars.”

For the most part, the first impressions have have held up. Dr. Stern cited 40 scientific papers, hundreds of hours of teleconferences among the scientists, and 200 scientific talks. “We’ve added a lot of detail,” he said.

The story of Pluto is still largely a story of ice.


A rendering of another possible version of the object.
Photo Credit: Alex Parker, via NASA,
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Southwest Research Institute.
Illustration: THE NEW YORK TIMES

On Earth, the only ice is frozen water. On Pluto, nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide also freeze solid.

The most striking feature that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft saw when it flew past Pluto last July was a heart-shaped region now named Tombaugh Regio after Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto.

The left half is covered by mostly nitrogen snow; the right side is more methane ice.

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Friday 11 August 2017

Saint Philomena. Virgin. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 11 August.


Text and illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia,
unless otherwise stated.


English: Statue of Saint Philomena, Molve, Croatia.
Hrvatski: Kip sv. Filomene u Molvama, 
neočekivano pronađen 2007.
Author: Fraxinus
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Philomena is, as believed by her Devotees within The Catholic Church, a young Virgin and Martyr whose remains were discovered in 1802 in The Catacombs of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore an inscription that was taken to indicate that her name was (in the Latin of the inscription) Filumena, the English form of which is Philomena.

The remains were removed to Mugnano del Cardinale, in Campania, Italy, in 1805 and became the focus of widespread Devotion, with several Miracles credited to The Saint's Intercession, including the healing of Venerable Pauline Jaricot in 1835, which received wide publicity. Saint John Vianney attributed to her Intercession the extraordinary cures that others attributed to himself.

In 1833, a Neapolitan Nun reported that, in a vision, Saint Philomena had revealed that she was a Greek Princess, Martyred at thirteen years of age by Diocletian, who was the Roman Emperor from 284 A.D. to 305 A.D.

From 1837 to 1961, Celebration of her Liturgical Feast was approved for some places, but was never included in The General Roman Calendar for Universal Use. The 1920 Typical Edition of The Roman Missal included a mention of her, under 11 August, in the Section headed "Missae pro aliquibus locis" (Masses For Some Places), with an indication that The Mass to be used in those places was one from The Common of a Virgin Martyr, without any Collect, Proper to The Saint.


Saint Philomena, 
with attributes: Palm, Whip, Anchor, and Arrows.
Plaster Cast, by Johann Dominik Mahlknecht, 
in The Museum Gherdëina in Urtijëi, Italy.
This File: 7 February 2009.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Shrine of her Relics, in Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy, continues to be visited by Pilgrims from many Countries. An Arch-Confraternity in her honour exists, as does popular Devotion in various places around the World.

On 24 May 1802, in The Catacombs of Priscilla, on The Via Salaria Nova, an inscribed Loculus (space hollowed out of the rock) was found, and, on the following day, it was carefully examined and opened. The Loculus was closed, with three Terra Cotta tiles, on which was the following inscription: "Lumena paxte cumfi".

It was, and is, generally accepted that the tiles were in the wrong order and that the inscription originally read, with the Left-most tile placed on the Right: "Pax tecum Filumena" ("Peace with you, Philomena").

Within the Loculus, was found the skeleton of a female between thirteen and fifteen years old. Embedded in the cement was a small glass phial with vestiges of what was taken to be blood. In accordance with the assumptions of the time, the Remains were taken to be those of a Virgin Martyr named Philomena.


Saint Philomena.
Cathedral of Notre Dame, Bayeux, France.
Date: 1839.
By Théodelinde Dubouché.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1805, Canon Francesco De Lucia requested Relics for a new Altar, and, on 8 June 1805, obtained the Remains, discovered in May 1802 (reduced to dust and fragments), for his Church in Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy, where they arrived on 11 August 1805, after being taken from Rome to Naples on 1 July 1805.

In 1827, Pope Leo XII gave to the Church, in Mugnano del Cardinale, the three inscribed Terra Cotta tiles that had been taken from the tomb.

In his "Relazione istorica della traslazione del sagro corpo di s. Filomena da Roma a Mugnano del Cardinale", written in 1833, Canon De Lucia recounted that wonders accompanied the arrival of the Relics in his Church, among them a statue that sweated some liquid continuously for three days.

The spread of Devotion to Saint Philomena, in France, as well as in Italy, was helped when Saint John Vianney built a Shrine in her honour and referred to her often, attributing to her the Miracles that others attributed to himself. Another help was the cure of the near-dying Venerable Pauline Jaricot, the founder of The Society for The Propagation of The Faith, at Philomena's Shrine on
10 August 1835.


English: Saint Philomena. 
Bamberg, Germany,
Deutsch: Obere Pfarrkirche Unsere Liebe Frau (Obere Pfarre)
Date: September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: AndreasPraefcke.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Another Miracle, accepted as Proved in the same year, was the multiplication of the bone dust of the Saint, which provided for hundreds of reliquaries without the original amount experiencing any decrease in quantity.

Devotion includes the wearing of the "Cord of Philomena", a Red-and-White Cord, which had a number of Indulgences attached to it, including a Plenary Indulgence on the day on which The Cord was worn for the first time,

There was, or is, also, The Chaplet of Saint Philomena, with Three White Beads in honour of The Blessed Trinity and Thirteen Red Beads in honour of the thirteen years of the Saint's life.

The Prayer suggestion for each is: “ Hail, O Holy Saint Philomena, whom I acknowledge, after Mary, as my Advocate within The Divine Spouse, intercede for me now and at the hour of my death. ”

Devotionals are often given to young girls receiving their First Holy Communion or, on the thirteenth birthday, used primarily as a stepping-stone to practicing Devotionals such as The Holy Rosary.


English: Saint Philomena, 
by Amaury-Duval (1808-1885).
Français: Sainte Philomène, 
par Amaury-Duval (1808-1885).
Date: Circa 1844.
Source: Own work.
Author: Marc Baronnet.
Wikimedia Commons

On 21 December 1833, The Holy Office declared that there was nothing contrary to The Catholic Faith in the revelations that Sister Maria Luisa di Gesù (1799–1875), a Dominican Tertiary, from Naples, claimed to have received from the Saint.

According to Sister Maria Luisa di Gesù, Saint Philomena told her she was the daughter of a King in Greece who, with his wife, had converted to Christianity. At the age of about thirteen, she took a Vow of Consecrated Virginity. When The Emperor Diocletian threatened to make War on her father, her father went with his family to Rome to ask for Peace.

The Emperor fell in love with the young Philomena and, when she refused to be his wife, subjected her to a series of torments; scourging, from whose effects two Angels cured her; drowning, with an anchor attached to her (two Angels cut the rope and raised her to the River Bank); being shot with arrows, (on the first occasion her wounds were healed; on the second, the arrows turned aside; and on the third, they returned and killed six of the archers, after which, several of the others became Christians).

Finally, The Emperor had her decapitated. The story goes that the decapitation occurred on a Friday, at three in the afternoon, as with The Death of Jesus. The two anchors, three arrows, the palm and the ivy leaf on the tiles found in the tomb were interpreted as symbols of her Martyrdom.

In these Visions, Saint Philomena also revealed that her birthday was 10 January, that her Martyrdom occurred on 10 August (the date also of the arrival of her Relics in Mugnano del Cardinale), and that her name "Filumena" meant "Daughter of Light". (It is usually taken to be derived from a Greek word meaning "Beloved".)


English: Magazine Cover commemorating the Centenary of Saint Philomena Parish.
Español: Portada de la revista conmemorativa del centenario de la Parroquia Santa Filomena.
Date: 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ceat 700.
(Wikimedia Commons)

On 13 January 1837, in the aftermath of the cure of Venerable Pauline Jaricot, Pope Gregory XVI authorised Liturgical Celebration of Saint Philomena on 11 August or, according to another source, originally on 9 September, first in the Diocese of Nola (to which Mugnano del Cardinale belongs), and soon in several other Dioceses in Italy.

On 31 January 1855, Blessed Pope Pius IX approved a Proper Mass and Office, Dedicated to Saint Philomena, with confirmation of The Decree "Etsi Decimo" (Rescript of The Sacred Congregation of Rites, Papal Confirmation of Promoter of The Faith Brief "Etsi Decimo", as submitted by Rev. Andrea Fratini, 31 January 1855).

On 6 October 1876, Father Louis Petit Founded The Confraternity of Saint Philomena, in Paris, France. In August 1876, the first issue of "Messenger of Saint Philomena" was published there. In November 1886, the Confraternity was raised to the Rank of Arch-Confraternity by Pope Leo XIII. On 21 May 1912, Pope Saint Pius X raised it to the Rank of Universal Arch-Confraternity with The Apostolic Brief "Pias Fidelium Societates".

The name of Philomena was not included in The Roman Martyrology, The Official List of Saints recognised by The Catholic Church and in which The Saints are included, immediately upon Canonisation.

In The 1920 Typical Edition of The Roman Missal, Philomena is mentioned, under 11 August (with an indication that The Mass for her Feast Day was to be taken entirely from The Common, so that there was no part, not even The Collect, that was Proper to her) in the Section headed "Masses For Some Places", i.e. only those Places for which it had been specially authorised.


Statue of Saint Philomena.
Danmarks kyrka (The Danish Church),
Diocese of Uppsala, Sweden.
Date: August 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Håkan Svensson (Xauxa).
Wikimedia Commons.


English: Saint Philomena statue, Saint Sulpitius Church, Heudicourt, Eure, France.
Français: Sainte Philomène, dans l'église saint Sulpice d'Heudicourt. Pierre, XIXe siècle, auteur,
Date: 19th-Century.
Unknown sculptor.
Photo: June 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Theoliane.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Rector of the Shrine in Mugnano del Cardinale disputes these findings. After reporting the decision of The Sacred Congregation of Rites in 1961, as resulting from the studies of scholars, the Italian-language Enciclopedia dei Santi says that there still remain the Miracles that occurred and the official recognition that The Church gave in the 19th-Century, the personal Devotion to Saint Philomena of Popes and people who were later Canonised, and the widespread general Devotion that still persists, particularly at Mugnano del Cardinale in the Diocese of Nola, where Pilgrims from all over the World arrive, continually, giving a display of intense popular Devotion.

The Web-Site of "The National Shrine of Saint Philomena, Miami, Florida" sees "the action taken in 1960 as the work of the devil in order to deprive The People of God of a most powerful Intercessor, particularly in the areas of Purity and Faith, at a time when these virtues were so much being challenged as they continue to be up until now ! "


Saint Philomena's Church, 
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America.
Because of the Church's location near the riverfront,
Saint Philomena's Steeple was a well-known landmark on the Cincinnati skyline.
On 7 July 1915, a Tornado damaged the Steeple. 
The Parish was closed in 1954.
(Wikipedia)

In his book, "It Is Time to Meet Saint Philomena", Mark Miravalle says that Pope Gregory XVI "Liturgically Canonised Philomena, in an act of the ordinary Papal Magisterium". This contrasts with the usual view that Canonisation is an exercise of infallible Magisterium, declaring a Truth that must be "definitively held".

Of course, lack of Canonisation does not mean lack of Sainthood. Canonisation was introduced only after many Centuries of The Church's existence, and, for that reason, none of The Saints mentioned in The Roman Rite Canon of The Mass was ever Canonised.


The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Supplement for The Dioceses of The United States of America.

Saint Philomena.
   Virgin. Martyr.
   Feast Day 11 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


FEAST DAY IN THE DIOCESE OF HELENA, MONTANA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The Sacred body of Saint Philomena, a Virgin-Martyr of The First Ages of Christianity, was, early in the 19th-Century, discovered in The Roman Catacomb, known as The Cemetery of Priscilla.

An Inscription and Phial of Blood bore witness to the genuineness of the Relics. The many Miracles since wrought by Almighty God, in favour of those who have Invoked Saint Philomena, have caused her Cultus to become widespread in The Church.

The Liturgical Celebration of her Feast was Authorised by Pope Gregory XVI.

Mass: Loquébar.
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