Saint Henry. "Romanorum Imperator". Emperor And Confessor. Feast Day 15 July.

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

Saint Henry.
   Emperor and Confessor.
   Feast Day 15 July.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.

Coat-of-Arms of The Holy Roman Emperor.

English: Coat-of-Arms of Leopold II and Francis II, Holy Roman Emperors - "Or Shield" variant.

Deutsch: Wappen des Kaisers Leopold II. und Franz II. (HRR), Gold Schild.

Date: 8 January 2014.

Source: 

[With supporters] Otto Posse.

Die Siegel der deutschen Kaiser und Könige v. 4. Image with supporters.

Inescutcheon: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank.

Author: Tom Lemmens (in collaboration with Heralder).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Henry II, surnamed "The Pious", was King of Bavaria in 972 A.D., King of Germany in 1002, and Head of The Holy Roman Empire from 1014 to 1024. He promised on oath to Pope Benedict VIII, who had Crowned him, to be faithful in all things to him and his successors".

He did his best to spread Religion, restoring destroyed Churches, and Founding Monasteries which he liberally endowed (Epistle). Detained at Monte Cassino by severe illness, he was miraculously cured through the intercession of Saint Benedict.

In order to be ready for the coming of The Divine Master (Gospel, Communion), he returned from Italy, through France, was admitted as a Secular Oblate at Cluny and asked to be received into the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Vanne at Verdun, France. The Abbot welcomed him, but immediately commanded him, in the name of Religious Obedience, to re-ascend The Imperial Throne.

He so loved The Law of God (Introit), that he preserved absolute Virginity in marriage (Introit). Indeed, by agreement with his holy spouse, Cunegund, he determined to make Jesus Christ their heir, and, with this view, he Founded The Bishopric of Bamberg, to which he left all his possessions.

He was buried in Bamberg Cathedral in 1024.

Mass: Os justi.

English: Emperor Henry II and Empress Cunigunde's tomb,

by Tilman Riemenschneider, in Bamberg Cathedral, Germany.

Deutsch: Bamberger Dom - Grab Heinrich und Kunigunde.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Reinhard Kirchner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Henry II (German: Heinrich II; Italian: Enrico II) (6 May 973 A.D. – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014 until his death in 1024 and the last member of The Ottonian Dynasty of Emperors, as he had no children.

The Duke of Bavaria from 995 A.D., Henry became King of Germany ("Rex Romanorum") following the sudden death of his second cousin, Emperor Otto III, in 1002, was Crowned King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") in 1004, and was crowned by the Pope as Holy Roman Emperor in 1014.

The son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria and his wife Gisela of Burgundy, Emperor Henry II was a great-grandson of German King Henry I and a member of the Bavarian Branch of The Ottonian Dynasty. Since his father had rebelled against two previous Emperors, the younger Henry was often in exile. This led him to turn to The Church at an early age, first finding refuge with The Bishop of Freising and, later, being educated at The Cathedral School of Hildesheim. 

He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria in 995 A.D., as "Henry IV". As Duke, he attempted to join his second-cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, in suppressing a revolt against Imperial Rule in Italy in 1002. Before Henry II could arrive, however, Otto III died of fever, leaving no heir. After defeating several other claimants to the Throne, Henry II was Crowned as King of Germany ("Rex Romanorum") on 9 July 1002 and as King of Italy ("Rex Italiae") on 15 May 1004. Henry II, in 1004, aided Jaromír, Duke of Bohemia, against the Poles, definitively incorporating The Duchy of Bohemia into The Holy Roman Empire.

English: Sacramentary of king Henry II [1002-14].

München BSB Clm 4456 Seite 33c: King Henry II.

Polski: Sakramentariusz króla Henryka II [1002-14]: Henryk II Święty.

Chrystus nakłada koronę. Po prawej stronie Emmeram z Ratyzbony i

cesarski miecz, a po lewej i Ulryk z Augsburga i włócznia Świętego Maurycego

Deutsch: Krönung Heinrich II., Christus setzt ihm selbst die Krone auf. Als Zeichen

seiner Macht werden ihm von w:de:Emmeram (rechts) das w:de:Reichsschwert

und Ulrich I. von Augsburg (links) die w:de:Heilige Lanze überreicht

Español: oronación de Enrique II, «Sacramentario de Enrique II»,

1002-1014. Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.

Date: Circa 1002-1014.

Current location: Bavarian State Library.

Source/Photographer: digitale-sammlungen.de

(Wikimedia Commons)

Unlike his predecessor, who had focused upon Imperial attention in Italy, Henry spent most of his reign concerned with Imperial territory North of The Alps. His main focus was on a series of wars against the Polish Duke Bolesław I, who had already conquered a number of Countries surrounding him. Henry did, however, lead three expeditions into Italy to ensure Imperial dominion over the Peninsula; twice to suppress secessionist revolts and once to challenge The Byzantine Empire for dominance over Southern Italy. On 14 February 1014, Pope Benedict VIII Crowned Henry as Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") in Rome.

The Rule of Henry II is seen as a period of centralised authority throughout The Empire. He consolidated his power by cultivating personal and political ties with The Catholic Church. He greatly expanded The Ottonian Dynasty's custom of employing Clergy as counter-weights against Secular Nobles.

Through donations to The Church and the establishment of new Dioceses, Henry strengthened Imperial Rule across The Empire and increased control over Ecclesiastical affairs. He stressed Service to The Church and promoted Monastic reform. For his personal holiness and efforts to support The Church, Blessed Pope Eugene III Canonised him in 1146, making Henry II the only German Monarch to be a Saint.

Henry II crowned as Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.

Date: 1400-1410.

Source: Vincent of Beauvais, Le Miroir Historial (Vol. IV).

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Henry II married Cunigunde of Luxembourg, who later became his Queen and Empress. As the union produced no children, after Henry's death the German Nobles elected Conrad II, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Otto I, to succeed him. Conrad was the first of The Salian Dynasty of Emperors.

Saint Henry II was Canonised in July 1147 by Blessed Pope Eugenius III; his spouse, Cunigunde, was Canonised on 29 March 1200 by Pope Innocent III. His Relics were carried on campaigns against Heretics in the 1160s. He is The Patron Saint of the City of Basle, Switzerland, and of Saint Henry's Marist Brothers' College, in Durban, South Africa.

Saint Henry's name, which does not appear in The Tridentine Calendar, was inserted in 1631 in The Roman Calendar as a Commemoration within the Celebration of Saint Anacletus on 13 July, the day of his death and the Traditional Day for his Celebration on a local level.

Gospel Book of Henry II.

Artist: Unknown Miniaturist, German (active around 1020).

Current location: Vatican Library.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1668, it was moved to 15 July for Celebration as a Semi-Double. This Rank was changed by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to that of Simple, and by Pope Saint John XXIII in 1960 to that of Third-Class Feast. In 1969, it was returned to its original date of 13 July as an Optional Memorial.

During his lifetime, Henry II became an Oblate of The Benedictine Order, and today is Venerated within The Order as The Patron Saint of all Oblates, along with Saint Frances of Rome.

Henry II was a Member of The Ottonian Dynasty of Kings and Emperors, who Ruled The Holy Roman Empire (previously Germany) from 919 A.D., to 1024. In relation to the other Members of his Dynasty, Henry II was the great-grandson of Henry I, great-nephew of Otto I, first-cousin once removed of Otto II, and a second-cousin to Otto III.

Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274). Bishop And Confessor And Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day, Today, 14 July.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

Saint Bonaventure.
   Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of The Church.
   Feast Day 14 July.

Double

White Vestments.

English: Saint Bonaventure.

Deutsch: Hl. Bonaventura,

Magyar: Szent Bonaventura angyallal,

Artist: Zurbarán, Francisco de (1598-1664)

Date: Circa 1640-1650.

Current location: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.

DVD-ROM, 2002. 

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Bonaventure was born in Tuscany, Italy, in 1221. He entered The Franciscan Order, in consequence of a miraculous cure due to the Intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi.

His Master was Alexander of Hales who used to say of his Virginal Disciple that one would have thought him preserved from Original Sin.

He was a Doctor of The Church at thirty years of age (Collect) and taught at The University of Paris at the same time as Saint Thomas Aquinas, to whom he was closely united. He was awarded the Title of Seraphic Doctor.

Appointed General of his Order, and, later, a Cardinal of The Church (Communion, Alleluia), he died in 1274 during The General Council of Lyons, where Greeks and Latins vied in admiring his zeal and clear-mindedness, which made him The Light of Faith.

Mass: In médio.

Saint Bonaventure.

Date: Circa 1650-1660.

Source: NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA

Author: François, Claude (dit Frère Luc).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M. (Italian: San Bonaventura; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Mediaeval Scholastic Theologian and Philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was Canonised on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the Church in the year 1588 by Pope Sixtus V. He is known as the "Seraphic Doctor" (Latin: Doctor Seraphicus). Many writings, believed in the Middle Ages to be his, are now collected under the name Pseudo-Bonaventura.

He was born at Bagnoregio in Latium, Italy, not far from Viterbo, then part of the Papal States. Almost nothing is known of his childhood, other than the names of his parents, Giovanni di Fidanza and Maria Ritella.

He entered the Franciscan Order in 1243 and studied at the University of Paris, possibly under Alexander of Hales, and certainly under Alexander's successor, John of Rochelle. In 1253, he held the Franciscan Chair, at Paris. Unfortunately, for Bonaventure, a dispute between Seculars and Mendicants delayed his reception as Master until 1257, where his Degree was taken in company with Thomas Aquinas. Three years earlier his fame had earned him the position of Lecturer on the The Four Books of Sentences — a Book of Theology written by Peter Lombard in the 12th-Century — and in 1255 he received the Degree of Master, the Mediaeval equivalent of Doctor.

After having successfully defended his Order against the reproaches of the Anti-Mendicant Party, he was elected Minister General of the Franciscan Order. On 24 November 1265, he was selected for the Post of Archbishop of York; however, he was never Consecrated and resigned the Appointment in October 1266.

English: Church of San Bonaventura, Venice, Italy.

Français: Église San Bonaventura Venise, façade.

Italiano: Chiesa di San Bonaventura Venezia, facciata.

Photo: 15 May 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Didier Descouens.

(Wikimedia Commons)

During his tenure, the General Chapter of Narbonne, held in 1260, promulgated a Decree prohibiting the publication of any work, out of the Order, without permission from the higher Superiors. This prohibition has induced modern writers to pass severe judgment upon Roger Bacon's Superiors being envious of Bacon's abilities. However, the prohibition, enjoined on Bacon, was a general one, which extended to the whole Order.

Its promulgation was not directed against him, but rather against Gerard of Borgo San Donnino. Gerard had published, in 1254, without permission, a Heretical work, Introductorius in Evangelium æternum. Thereupon, the General Chapter of Narbonne promulgated the above-mentioned Decree, identical with the "constitutio gravis in contrarium" that Bacon speaks of. The above-mentioned prohibition was rescinded in Roger's favour, unexpectedly, in 1266.

Bonaventure was instrumental in procuring the Election of Pope Gregory X, who rewarded him with the Title of Cardinal Bishop of Albano, and insisted on his presence at the great Second Council of Lyon in 1274. There, after his significant contributions led to a union of the Greek and Latin Churches, Bonaventure died suddenly and in suspicious circumstances. The Catholic Encyclopedia has citations which suggest he was poisoned. The only extant Relic of the Saint is the arm and hand with which he wrote his Commentary on the Sentences, which is now conserved at Bagnoregio, Italy, in the Parish Church of Saint Nicholas.

He steered the Franciscans on a moderate and intellectual course, that made them the most prominent Order in the Catholic Church until the coming of the Jesuits. His Theology was marked by an attempt completely to integrate Faith and Reason. He thought of Christ as the “One True Master”, who offers humans knowledge that begins in Faith, is developed through rational understanding, and is perfected by mystical union with God.

English: Statue of Saint Bonaventure, Woerden, Netherlands.

Nederlands: Beeld Bonaventura, Bonaventurakerk, Woerden, Netherlands.

Source: Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.

Author: Original uploader was P.H. Louw at nl.wikipedia

Permission: CC-BY-2.5-NL.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Bonaventure's Feast Day was included in the General Roman Calendar, immediately upon his Canonisation in 1482. It was at first celebrated on the second Sunday in July, but was moved, in 1568, to 14 July, since 15 July, the Anniversary of his death, was at that time taken up with the Feast of Saint Henry.

Bonaventure was formally Canonised, in 1484, by the Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV, and ranked along with Thomas Aquinas as the greatest of the Doctors of the Church by another Franciscan, Pope Sixtus V, in 1587. Bonaventure was regarded as one of the greatest Philosophers of the Middle Ages.

His works, as arranged in the most recent Critical Edition by the Quaracchi Fathers (Collegio S. Bonaventura), consist of a "Commentary on the Sentences of Lombard", in four volumes, and eight other volumes, among which are a "Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke" and a number of smaller works; the most famous of which are Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, Breviloquium, De Reductione Artium ad Theologiam, Soliloquium, and De septem itineribus aeternitatis, in which most of what is individual in his teaching is contained.

For Saint Isabelle of France, the sister of King Saint Louis IX of France, and her Monastery of Poor Clares, at Longchamps, France, Saint Bonaventure wrote the Treatise "Concerning the Perfection of Life".

English: The Stained-Glass Windows of the Cathedral Santa Ana, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. From left to right: Saint Martial of Limoges; Saint Peter of Verona, also known as Saint Peter Martyr; Mary with Jesus; Saint Anna and Mary; Saint Bonaventure.

Deutsch: Die figürlichen Fenster der Kathedrale Santa Ana, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Kanarische Inseln. Von links nach rechts: Heiliger Martial von Limoges; Heiliger

Petrus

von Verona, auch genannt Petrus Martyr; Maria mit Jesus; Heilige Anna und Maria;

Heiliger Bonaventura.

Français: Vitraux de la cathédrale de Santa Ana, à Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, dans

les Canaries.

De gauche à droite : Saint Martial de Limoges, Saint Pierre de Vérone

(ou Saint Pierre le Martyr), Marie et Jésus, Marie et Saint Anne, Saint Bonaventure.

Photo: 5 October 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: H. Zell.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The "Commentary on the Sentences" remains, without doubt, Bonaventure's greatest work; all his other writings are in some way subservient to it. It was written superiorum praecepto (at the command of his Superiors) when he was only twenty-seven and is a Theological achievement of the First Rank.

Bonaventure wrote on almost every subject treated by the Schoolmen, and his writings are very numerous. The greater number of them deal with Philosophy and Theology. No work of Bonaventure's is exclusively Philosophical and bears striking witness to the mutual interpenetration of Philosophy and Theology, which is a distinguishing mark of the Scholastic period.

Much of Saint Bonaventure’s Philosophical thought shows a considerable influence by Saint Augustine. So much so, that De Wulf considers him the best representative of Augustinianism. Saint Bonaventure adds Aristotelian principles to the Augustinian Doctrine, especially in connection with the illumination of the intellect, according to Gilson. Saint Augustine, who had imported into the West many of the Doctrines that would define scholastic Philosophy, was an incredibly important source of Bonaventure's Platonism. The Mystic, Dionysius the Areopagite, was another notable influence.

In Philosophy, Bonaventure presents a marked contrast to his contemporaries, Roger Bacon and Thomas Aquinas. While these may be taken as representing, respectively, physical science yet in its infancy, and Aristotelian scholasticism in its most perfect form, he presents the mystical and Platonising mode of speculation, which had already, to some extent, found expression in Hugo and Richard of Saint Victor, and in Bernard of Clairvaux. To him, the purely intellectual element, though never absent, is of inferior interest, when compared with the living power of the affections or the heart.

Stained-Glass Windows, depicting Saint Bonaventure (Left) and Saint Thomas Aquinas (Right),

in the Apse of Saint Bonaventure Church, Raeville, Nebraska, United States of America.

Photo: 31 October 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ammodramus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like Thomas Aquinas, with whom he shared numerous profound agreements in Matters Theological and Philosophical, he combated the Aristotelian notion of the eternity of the world, vigorously. Bonaventure accepts the Platonic Doctrine that ideas do not exist "in rerum natura", but as ideals exemplified by the Divine Being, according to which actual things were formed; and this conception has no slight influence upon his Philosophy.

Due to this Philosophy, Physicist and Philosopher Max Bernhard Weinstein contended that Bonaventure showed strong pandeistic inclinations. Like all the great scholastic Doctors, Bonaventura starts with the discussion of the relations between Reason and Faith. All the sciences are but the handmaids of Theology; Reason can discover some of the moral truths which form the groundwork of the Christian system, but others it can only receive and apprehend through Divine illumination.

To obtain this illumination, the Soul must employ the proper means, which are Prayer, the exercise of the Virtues, whereby it is rendered fit to accept the Divine Light, and Meditation, which may rise even to ecstatic union with God. The supreme end of life is such union, union in contemplation or intellect and in intense absorbing Love; but it cannot be entirely reached in this life, and remains as a Hope for the future.

A master of the memorable phrase, Bonaventure held that Philosophy opens the mind to at least three different routes that humans can take on their journey to God:

English: Saint Bonaventure receives the Envoys of

The Byzantine Emperor at The Second Council of Lyon.

Deutsch: Der Hl. Bonaventura empfängt die Gesandten des Kaisers.

Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).

Date: Circa 1640-1650.

Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.

DVD-ROM, 2002.

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1]

(Wikimedia Commons)

Non-intellectual material creatures he conceived as shadows and vestiges (literally, footprints) of God, understood as the ultimate cause of a world that Philosophical Reason can prove was created at a first moment in time;

Intellectual creatures he conceived of as images and likenesses of God, the workings of the human mind and Will, leading us to God understood as Illuminator of Knowledge and Donor of Grace and Virtue;

The final route to God is the route of being, in which Bonaventure brought Saint Anselm's argument, together with Aristotelian and Neoplatonic metaphysics, to view God as the Absolutely Perfect Being, whose essence entails its existence, an Absolutely Simple Being that causes all other, composite beings to exist.

Bonaventure, however, is not merely a meditative thinker, whose works may form good manuals of devotion; he is a Dogmatic Theologian of High Rank, and, on all the disputed questions of scholastic thought, such as universals, matter, the principle of individualism, or the intellectus agens, he gives weighty and well-reasoned decisions.

English: The Church of Saint Bonaventure, Munich, Germany.

Deutsch: Starnberg, OT Percha, Harkirchener Straße 7. Altenheim St. Josef mit

der integrierten Kirche St. Bonaventura. Eine Münchnerin überlies 1895

als 

Dank für die

Pflege eines Angehörigen ihre beiden Landhäuser in Percha den Ursberger Pflegeanstalten.

Photo: 3 November 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: I. Berger.

(Wikimedia Commons)

He agrees with Saint Albert the Great in regarding Theology as a practical science; its truths, according to his view, are peculiarly adapted to influence the affections. He discusses very carefully the nature and meaning of the Divine Attributes; considers universals to be the ideal forms pre-existing in the Divine Mind, according to which things were shaped; holds matter to be pure potentiality, which receives individual being and determinateness from the formative Power of God, acting according to the ideas; and, finally, maintains that the intellectus agens has no separate existence. On these, and on many other points of scholastic Philosophy, the "Seraphic Doctor" exhibits a combination of subtlety and moderation, which makes his works particularly valuable.

In form and intent, the work of Saint Bonaventure is always the work of a Theologian; he writes as one for whom the only angle of vision and the proximate criterion of Truth is the Christian Faith. This fact influences his importance for the history of Philosophy; when coupled with his style, it makes Bonaventure perhaps the least accessible of the major figures of the 13th-Century. This is true, not because he is a Theologian, but because Philosophy interests him largely as a praeparatio evangelica, as something to be interpreted as a foreshadow of, or deviation from, what God has revealed.

In a way that is not true of Aquinas or Albert or Scotus, Bonaventure does not survive well the transition from his time to ours. It is difficult to imagine a contemporary Philosopher, Christian or not, citing a passage from Bonaventure to make a specifically Philosophical point. One must know Philosophers to read Bonaventure, but the study of Bonaventure is seldom helpful for understanding Philosophers and their characteristic problems. Bonaventure, as a Theologian, is something else again, of course, as is Bonaventure the edifying author. It is in those areas, rather than in Philosophy proper, that his continuing importance must be sought.

Saint Anacletus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 13 July.

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

Saint Anacletus.
   Pope And Martyr.
   Feast Day 13 July.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

English: Portrait of Pope Saint Cletus in the Basilica of Saint Paul-Outside-the-Walls, Rome.

Italiano: Ritratto di Papa San Cleto nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori la Mura, Roma.

Date: Circa 1850.

Source: Unknown.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"At Rome," says The Roman Martyrology, "The Feast of Saint Anacletus, Pope and Martyr, who governed The Church of God and honoured it by his illustrious Martyrdom."

Participating in the fullness of The Priesthood of Christ (Introit, Alleluia), Offertory), this Holy Pontiff also shared in His sufferings (Epistle). Head of The Church, he trembled not before the prince of this World, and became one of the Foundation Stones of The Church in the 1st-Century A.D. (Gospel).

He decreed that all Bishops should be Consecrated by three Bishops, at least; that Clerics should be publicly Ordained by their own Bishop, and, at their Mass of Ordination, they should all receive Holy Communion.

He received The Crown of Martyrdom (Communion), after having occupied The Holy See for about ten years, and was buried on The Vatican Hill in 112 A.D.

Mass: Sacerdótes.

Tulip Staircase.

Illustration: CAROLINE'S MISCELLANY

Saint John Gualbert. Abbot. Feast Day 12 July.

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

Saint John Gualbert.
   Abbot.
   Feast Day 12 July.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Saint John Gualbert and Saints. Church of Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy.

Italiano: Santa Trinita. San Giovanni Gualberto and Saints. Florence, Italy.

Photo: 4 July 2006.

Source: Unknown.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Basilica di Santa Trinita (Holy Trinity), Piazza Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy.

Photo: 30 October 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: LivornoDP.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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 Merciful Knight."

Birmingham Museum Art Gallery, 

Birmingham, England.

Date: 1863.

Source: http://www.nationalmuseum.se/sv/Om-Nationalmuseum/

For-press-och-media1/Pressbilder1/Prerafaeliterna/Edward-Burne-Jones-

iDen-barmhartige-riddaren--The-Merciful-Knight-i/

Author: Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898)

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

Photo: 25 April 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Etienne (Li)

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

He was Canonised in 1193 by Pope Celestine III.

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,

He is the Patron Saint of Foresters, Park Rangers, and Parks.

The Seven Martyred Brothers. And Saint Rufina And Saint Secunda, Virgins And Martyrs. Feast Day 10 July.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

The Seven Martyred Brothers,
   And Saint Rufina And Saint Secunda,
   Virgins And Martyrs.
   Feast Day 10 July.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

The Seven Brothers (Seven Sons of Saint Felicitas of Rome).

Date: 14th-Century.

Source: http://saints.bestlatin.net/gallery/7brothers_bnfms.htm

Author: Richard de Montbaston et collaborateurs.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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 Christian widow, 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.

Prepare To Be Swept Away By This Most Profound, Haunting, And Beautiful, Polyphony.

"Missa Papae Marcelli".

Composed by: Palestrina.

Sung by: The Tallis Scholars.

Director: Peter Phillips.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.

Source/Photographer: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/senesino/Dei/Palestrina.jpg

This File: 8 February 2009.

User: Sémhur

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Paragraph is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (circa 1525 – 2 February 1594) was an Italian Renaissance composer of Sacred Music and the best-known 16th-Century representative of The Roman School of Musical Composition. He had a lasting influence on the development of Church Music, and his work has often been seen as the culmination of Renaissance Polyphony.

English: Main façade of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome, by Alessandro Galilei, 1735. Palestrina was Musical Director at this Basilica.

Italiano: Facciata principale della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),

progettata da Alessandro Galilei (1735).

Français: Façade principale de la basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran (Rome)

par Alessandro Galilei, 1735.

Photo: 7 September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jastrow.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Elizabeth. Queen Of Portugal. Widow. (1271 - 1336). Feast Day 8 July.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Saint Elizabeth.

   Queen of Portugal.

   Widow.

   Feast Day 8 July.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal 

(Santa Isabel de Portugal),

Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán,

Date: Circa 1635.

Current location: Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

Source: http://www.museodelprado.es/uploads/tx_gbobras/P01239.jpg

Author: Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Flag of Portugal, created by Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1857-1929),

officially adopted by Portuguese government in June 30th 1911 (in use since about November 1910).

Deutsch: Flagge Portugals, entworfen von Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1857-1929),

offiziell von der portugiesischen Regierung am 30. Juni 1911 als Staatsflagge

angenommen (in Verwendung bereits seit ungefähr November 1910).

Hrvatski: Zastava Portugala

Date: 1901.

Source: http://jorgesampaio.arquivo.presidencia.pt/pt/republica/simbolos/bandeiras/index.html#imgs

Author: Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1910; generic design); Vítor Luís Rodrigues;

António Martins-Tuválkin (2004; this specific vector set: see sources).

Permission: The original of this vector set was contracted by the Portuguese Presidential Office

in June 2004 to Vítor Luís Rodrigues and António Martins-Tuválkin expressly

to be released in public domain.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

Mass: Cognóvi.

Stained-Glass Window depicting 

Saint Maria Cervelló,

Saint Eulália and Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, 

the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.

Photo: 10 February 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jbribeiro1.

Attribution: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC-BY-SA-3.0.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Elizabeth of Aragon, more commonly known as Elizabeth of Portugal, (Third Order of Saint Francis, T.O.S.F.) (1271 – 1336); "Elisabet" in Catalan, "Isabel" in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish), was Queen Consort of Portugal, a Tertiary of The Franciscan Order and is Venerated as a Saint of The Roman Catholic Church.

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.

Saint Cyril And Saint Methodius. Bishops And Confessors. Feast Day 7 July.

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

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius.
   Bishops and Confessors.
   Feast Day 7 July.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: "Saints Cyril and Methodius holding The Cyrillic Alphabet,",

a mural by Bulgarian iconographer Z. Zograf, 1848, Troyan Monastery, Bulgaria.

Deutsch: Die beiden Hl. Kyrill und Method.

Artist: Zahari Zograf (1810–1853)

Date: 1848.

Current location: Troyan Monastery, Bulgaria.

Source/Photographer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File: Cyril-methodius-small.jpg

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

Mass: Sacerdótes tui.

English: The Basilica of The Assumption of Mary, and Saint Cyrillus

and Saint Methodius, 

Velehrad, Czech Republic.

Čeština: Bazilika Nanebevzetí Panny Marie a svatého Cyrila a Metoděje na Velehradě.

Date: 20 December 2005.

Source: Originally from cs.wikipedia; description page is/was here.

Author: Original uploader was Cibtom at cs.wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Octave-Day Of Saints Peter And Paul. Apostles. 6 July.

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

The Octave-Day Of Saints Peter And Paul.
   Apostles.
   6 July.

Greater-Double.

Red Vestments.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Illustration: CATHOLICTRADITION.ORG

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,

Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Cologne.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

English: Cologne Cathedral (Cathedral of Saint Peter).

Latin: Ecclesia Cathedralis Sanctorum Petri.

Deutsch: Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus. (Kölner Dom).

Photo: 6 September 2004.

Source: From de.wp

Author: Thomas Robbin.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Cologne Cathedral at night.

Photo: 6 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Martin Falbisoner

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Architectural detail on The Great West Front, Cologne Cathedral, Germany.

Português: Detalhe de catedral em Colônia.

Photo: 7 May 2016.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/4DA9rSWkI5k/

Author: Eduard Militaru.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 5 July.

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.

Photo: August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: MarkusMark.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

Within The Octave Of The Holy Apostles Saint Peter And Saint Paul.

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

Within The Octave Of The Holy Apostles Peter And Paul.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Illustration: CATHOLICTRADITION.ORG

"The Veneration of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is rooted in the very foundation of Catholicism; it can not become weakened, either in the people or in Souls, without great harm to Catholicism, itself." [The Liturgical Year. By Dom Guéranger: The Fifth Day in The Octave of The Holy Apostles.]

Let us honour Saint Peter and Pray for The Holy Father, his successor. Let us obey the Pope, seeing in him the necessary intermediary between our Souls and God.

Mass: Mihi autem.

Creed: The Creed is said.

Preface: Of The Apostles.

If You're Fed Up With The Current Heat-Wave, This Should Cool You Down. John Atkinson Grimshaw's "November". Dated 1879.

"November".

Artist: John Atkinson Grimshaw (1836–1893).

Date: 1879.

This File: 19 September 2013.

User: Austriacus.

(Wikimedia Commons)