The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints.

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

The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

Saint Christopher,

one of the Fourteen Auxiliary Saints,

carrying The Christ Child,

Illustration: SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO CATHOLIC CHURCH

The name of "Auxiliary Saints" is given to a group of fourteen Saints particularly noted for the efficacy of their intercession. They were often represented together.

Saint George
Feast Day 23 April
Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by the dragon he strikes down. He is invoked against herpetic diseases. He is, with Saint Sebastian and Saint Maurice, the Patron Saint of soldiers.

Saint Blaise
Feast Day 3 February

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his two candles, crossed. He is invoked against diseases of the throat.

Saint Erasmus
Feast Day 2 June

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by entrails wound around a windlass. He is invoked against diseases of the stomach. He is the Patron Saint of mariners and seamen.

Saint Pantaleon
Feast Day 27 July

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his nailed hands. Invoked against consumption. He is, with Saint Luke and Saints Cosmas and Damian, the Patron Saint of medical men.

Saint Giles protecting the hind (Detail).

Date: Circa 1500.

Source: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg15.htm

Original image at The National Gallery

Author: Master of Saint Giles

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Vitus (or, Guy)
Feast Day 15 June

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his Cross. Invoked against chorea (Saint Vitus's Dance), lethargy and the bite of venomous or mad beasts.

Saint Christopher
Feast Day 25 July

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by the Infant Jesus, Whom he carries. He is invoked in storms, tempests, plagues, and for the avoidance of accidents in travelling. Also, in the Blessing of motor cars.

Saint Denis
Feast Day 9 October

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his head, which he holds in his hands. Invoked for people possessed of devils.

English: Altar of The Fourteen Holy Helpers, Vierzehnheiligen Basilica, Bad Staffelstein, Germany.

Deutsch: Altar der Vierzehn Nothelfer der Basilika Vierzehnheiligen, Bad Staffelstein.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zairon.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Cyriacus
Feast Day 8 August

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his Deacon's Vestments. Invoked against diseases of the eye and diabolical possession.

Saint Acathius
Feast Day 8 May

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his Crown of Thorns. Invoked against headaches.

Saint Eustace
Feast Day 20 September

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his stag and hunting equipment. Invoked for preservation from fire (eternal or temporal).

English: Saint Barbara shrines in German mines Schacht Konrad (left) and Schacht Asse II (right).

Deutsch: Die Heilige Barbara in einem Schrein in dem Eisenerzbergwerk Schacht Konrad (links) und in dem Salzbergwerk Asse (rechts).

Date: September 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wusel007

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Giles
Feast Day 1 September

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by his Benedictine cowl and his hind. Invoked against panic, epilepsy, madness, nocturnal terrors.

Saint Margaret
Feast Day 20 July

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by the dragon she keeps in chains. Invoked against pains in the loins and by women about to become mothers.

English: A statue of Saint Giles on the Altar of The Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Basilica of The Fourteen Holy Helpers, Bad Staffelstein, near Bamberg, in Bavaria, Germany.

Deutsch: Altar of the Vierzehnheiligen. Die Basilika Vierzehnheiligen bei

Bad Staffelstein im Landkreis Lichtenfels ist eine Wallfahrtskirchen in Oberfranken, Deutschland.

Photo: 16 April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Barbara
Feast Day 4 December

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by her tower and the ciborium surmounted by a Sacred Host. Invoked against lightnings and sudden death. Patron Saint of miners and artillery soldiers.

Saint Catharine
Feast Day 25 November

Is to be recognised in statuary and pictures by her broken wheel. "The wise Counsellor" is invoked by students, Christian philosophers, orators and barristers.

English: Two of The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints, in a Stained-Glass Window in the Parish Church of Saint Pelagius, Weitnau, Bavaria, Germany. The Saints are Saint Erasmus and Saint Acathius.

Deutsch: Pfarrkirche St. Pelagius, Weitnau, Nothelferfenster, St. Erasmus und St. Achatius.

Photo: September 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andreas Praefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of Saints, Venerated together, in Roman Catholicism, because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. This group of Nothelfer ("helpers in need") originated in the 14th-Century, at first in The Rhineland, Germany, largely as a result of the epidemic (probably of bubonic plague) that became known as The Black Death.

Devotion to "The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints" began in The Rhineland, now part of Germany, in the time of The Black Death.

At the heart of The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints were three Virgin Martyrs:

Sankt Margaretha mit dem Wurm,
Sankt Barbara mit dem Turm,
Sankt Catharina mit dem Radl,
das sind die heiligen drei Madl.

Saint Margaret with the dragon
Saint Barbara with the tower
Saint Catherine with the wheel
those are the three holy maids.

English: Framed Altarpiece, Church of Saint Martin,

Alsace, France, 

depicting The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints.

Français: Alsace, Bas-Rhin, Erstein, Eglise Saint-Martin, Autel-retable

et tableau des 14 intercesseurs (Autel 1804; tableau 1878 Caroline Sorg).

Photo: 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ralph Hammann.

(Wikimedia Commons

As the other Saints began to be invoked, along with these three Virgin Martyrs, they were represented together in works of art. Popular Veneration of these Saints often began in a Monastery that held their Relics. All of the Saints, except Saint Giles, were accounted Martyrs.

Saint Christopher and Saint Giles were invoked against the plague. Saint Denis was Prayed to for relief from headache, Saint Blaise for ills of the throat, Saint Elmo, for abdominal maladies, Saint Barbara for fever, and Saint Vitus against epilepsy. Saint Pantaleon was the Patron of physicians, Saint Cyriacus invoked against temptation on the deathbed, and Saints Christopher, Barbara, and Catherine for protection against a sudden and unprovided-for death. Saint Giles was Prayed to for a good Confession, and Saint Eustace as healer of family troubles. Domestic animals were also attacked by the plague, and so Saints George, Elmo, Pantaleon, and Vitus were invoked for their protection. Saint Margaret of Antioch is the Patron of safe childbirth.

English: The High Altar, Church of Saint Blaise, Dahlenheim, France.

Saint Blaise is one of The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints.

Français: Alsace, Bas-Rhin, Dahlenheim, Église Saint-Blaise,

Chœur avec stalles et maître-autel (XVIIIe)

Photo: 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: Ralph Hammann.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As the Saints' joint Cultus spread in the 15th-Century, Pope Nicholas V attached Indulgences to Devotion of The Fourteen Holy Helpers, though these no longer apply. While each had a separate Feast Day, The Fourteen Holy Helpers were in some places celebrated as a Group on 8 August, but this Celebration never became part of The General Roman Calendar for Universal Veneration.

When that Calendar was revised, in 1969, the individual Celebrations of Saint Barbara, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Christopher, and Saint Margaret of Antioch, were dropped, but, in 2004, Pope Saint John Paul II re-instated the 25 November Optional Memorial of Catherine of Alexandria, whose voice was heard by Saint Joan of Arc. The individual Celebrations of all Fourteen Holy Helpers (or Fourteen Auxiliary Saints) are included in The General Roman Calendar as in 1954, The General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII and The General Roman Calendar of 1960.

Comparable to the cult of The Fourteen Holy Helpers was that of The Four Holy Marshals, who were also Venerated in The Rhineland as "Marshals of God." These were Quirinus of Neuss, Saint Anthony the Great, Pope Cornelius, and Saint Hubert.

Mass In The Extraordinary Form (Latin). Saint Ann's Feast Day, Thursday, 26 July 2018, The Saint Ann Choir, 2000 hrs, At Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Palo Alto, California.

Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

Saint Christopher ("Who bears Christ"). Martyr. Feast Day 25 July.

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

Saint Christopher.
   Martyr.
   Feast Day 25 July.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

Saint Christopher bearing The Christ Child.

Illustration: SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO CATHOLIC CHURCH

Saint Christoper was a native of Chanaan. His name ("Who bears Christ") expresses his love of Jesus. A generous Soul, he walked like a giant in The Way of Virtue.

The Piety of our Fathers, inspired by this grand allegory, caused them to place a colossal statue of Saint Christopher at the entrance to Cathedrals. He was Martyred towards 250 A.D.

He is one of "The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints".

Mass: In virtúte.

The following Text is from SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO CATHOLIC CHURCH

Saint Christopher.
Greek: Christos, Christ; Pherein, to bear.
Latin: Christophorus, Christbearer.

Canonised: Pre-Congregation.[Editor: A Pre-Congregation Saint is a Christian Saint whose Beatification and/or Canonisation occurred before the institution of the modern investigations performed by The Congregation For The Causes Of Saints (i.e. pre-11th-Century)].

Patron Saint of: Bookbinders; Epilepsy; Gardeners; Mariners; Pestilence; Thunderstorms; Travellers;

A Martyr, probably of the 3rd-Century A.D. Although Saint Christopher is one of the most popular Saints in The East and in The West, almost nothing certain is known about his life or death.

The legend says: A heathen King (in Canaan or Arabia), through the Prayers of his wife to The Blessed Virgin, had a son, whom he called Offerus (Offro, Adokimus, or Reprebus) and dedicated him to the gods Machmet and Apollo.

Acquiring in time extraordinary size and strength, Offerus resolved to serve only the strongest and the bravest. He bound himself successively to a mighty King and to Satan, but he found both lacking in courage; the former dreading even the name of the devil, and the latter frightened by the sight of a Cross at the roadside.

For a time, his search for a new master was in vain, but at last he found a Hermit (Babylas ?), who told him to offer his allegiance to Christ, instructed him in The Faith, and Baptised him.

Christopher, as he was now called, would not promise to do any Fasting or Praying, but willingly accepted the task of carrying people, for God's sake, across a raging stream.

One day, he was carrying a child, who continually grew heavier, so that it seemed to him as if he had the whole World on his shoulders. The child, on inquiry, made himself known as The Creator and Redeemer of the World.

To prove his statement, the child ordered Christopher to fix his staff in the ground. The next morning, it had grown into a Palm-Tree bearing fruit. The miracle converted many. This excited the rage of the King (Prefect) of that region (Dagnus of Samos in Lycia ?). Christopher was put into prison and, after many cruel torments, beheaded.

The Greek legend may belong to the 6th-Century A.D.; about the middle of the 9th-Century A.D., we find it had spread through France. Originally, Saint Christopher was only a Martyr, and, as such, is recorded in the old Martyrologies.

The simple form of the Greek and Latin passio soon gave way to more elaborate legends. We have the Latin edition in prose and verse of 983 A.D., by the Sub-Deacon, Walter of Speyer, "Thesaurus anecdotorum novissimus" (Augsburg, 1721-1723), II, 27-142, and Harster, "Walter von Speyer" (1878).

An edition of the 11th-Century is found in The Acta SS., and another in The Golden Legend of Jacob de Voragine. The idea conveyed in the name, Christopher, at first understood in the Spiritual sense of bearing Christ in the heart, was, in the 12th- or 13th-Centuries, taken in the realistic meaning and became the characteristic of the Saint.

The fact that he was frequently called a great Martyr may have given rise to the story of his enormous size. The stream and the weight of the child may have been intended to denote the trials and struggles of a Soul taking upon itself The Yoke of Christ in this World.

The existence of a Martyr, named Saint Christopher, cannot be denied, as was sufficiently shown by the Jesuit, Nicholas Serarius, in his Treatise on Litanies, "Litaneutici" (Cologne, 1609), and by Molanus. in his history of Sacred Pictures, "De picturis et imaginibus sacris" (Louvain, 1570).

In a small Church, Dedicated to the Martyr Saint Christopher, the body of Saint Remigius of Reims was buried, 532 A.D., (Acta SS., 1 Oct., 161).

Saint Gregory the Great (+ 604 A.D.) speaks of a Monastery of Saint Christopher (Epp., x., 33).

The Mozarabic Breviary and Missal, ascribed to Saint Isidore of Seville (+636 A.D.) contains a special Office in Saint Christopher's honour.

In 1386, a Brotherhood was Founded, under the Patronage of Saint Christopher, in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Austria, to guide Travellers over The Arlberg mountain range.

In 1517, a Saint Christopher Temperance Society existed in Carinthia, Styria, in Saxony, and at Munich, Germany. Great Veneration was shown to the Saint in Venice, Italy, and along the shores of The River Danube, The River Rhine, and other rivers where floods or ice-jams caused frequent damage.

The oldest picture of the Saint, in the Monastery on Mount Sinai, dates from the time of Emperor Justinian (527 A.D. - 565 A.D.). Coins with his image were cast at Würzburg, in Würtermberg, Germany, and in Bohemia. His statues were placed at the entrances of Churches and dwellings, and frequently at bridges; these statues and his pictures often bore the inscription: "Whoever shall behold the image of Saint Christopher shall not faint or fall on that day."

Painting of The Fourteen Holy Helpers (The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints).

From Left to Right:

Saint Blaise (Blase, Blasius);

Saint Denis (Dionysius);

Saint Erasmus (Elmo);

Saint Pantaleon (Panteleimon);

Saint Vitus (Guy);

Saint Cyriacus;

Saint Christopher (Christophorus);

Saint Agathius (Acacius);

Saint Eustace (Eustachius, Eustathius);

Saint Giles (Aegidius);

Saint George (Georgius);

Saint Barbara;

Saint Catherine of Alexandria;

Saint Margaret of Antioch.

Date: 1800s.

Source: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/

denkmalschutz-knatsch-in-dobl-1.2679391 (abgerufen am 7. Oktober 2015).

Author: Not stated.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Saint, who is one of The Fourteen Holy Helpers (or The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints), HERE, has been chosen as Patron by many Cities, including: Baden; Brunswick; Mecklenburg; as well as by Bookbinders, Gardeners, Mariners. He is invoked against lightning, storms, epilepsy, pestilence. His Feast Day is 25 July; and, among the Greeks, on 9 March; and his emblems are the Tree, The Christ Child, and a Staff. Saint Christopher's Island (commonly called Saint Kitts), lies West of Antigua in The Lesser Antilles.

[Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia.]

Saint Christopher carrying The Christ Child.

Artist: Hieronymus Bosch.

Date: 1480-1490.

Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

This File: 22 January 2007.

User: Alekjds.

(Wikipedia)

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

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Saint James. Apostle. Feast Day 25 July.

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

Saint James The Greater.
   Apostle.
   Feast Day 25 July.

Double of The Second-Class.

Red Vestments.

Saint James the Greater. He is depicted clothed as a Pilgrim;

note the Scallop Shell on his shoulder, and his Staff and Pilgrim's Hat, beside him.

Artist: Rembrandt (1606–1669).

Date: 1661.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint James, brother of Saint John, and son of Zebedee, was a native of Bethsaida, in Galilee. He is surnamed "the Greater", i.e., the Elder.

One day, his mother, approaching The Saviour, asked of Him "the favour for her two sons to be seated, one at His Right-Hand and the other at His Left-Hand, in His Kingdom" (Gospel). Christ then foretold their Martyrdom. Saint James "shall sit on a Throne to judge The Twelve Tribes of Israel" (Communion), but he will first have to mix his blood with that of Jesus (Gospel) and undergo, like all The Apostles, a life of suffering and persecution, such as the Epistle describes.

After the Ascension of Jesus Christ to Heaven, says The Office of today, James preached His Divinity in Judea and Samaria. He soon betook himself to Spain. When he returned to Jerusalem, Herod Agrippa, desiring to please the Jews, condemned him to death and he was beheaded towards the year 42 A.D., a short time before The Feast of Easter.

It would seem that, for fear of the Arabs, who were masters of Jerusalem, the body of The Saint was later carried to Compostella, in Spain, where he is greatly honoured. 25 July recalls the date of this Translation.

His name is inscribed in The Canon of The Mass, with that of Saint John, his brother (First List).

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

Mass: Mihi autem.
Creed: Is said.
Preface: Of The Apostles.
Commemoration in Low Masses: Saint Christopher: By The Collects of The Mass: In virtúte.

For 800 Years, Franciscan Friars Have Protected Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre.

Franciscan Friars dressed in Liturgical Vestments offered by the French King, Louis XV,

prepare to Celebrate a Mass at The Church of The Saint Saviour Convent, the Headquarters

 of The Franciscans in The Holy Land, in The Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, on 23 February 2018. (AFP PHOTO / Thomas COEX)

Illustration: THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Order has ensured a permanent Christian presence in The Holy Land,

and has taught children, and has cared for the sick, and provided for Pilgrims.

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Saint Christina. Virgin And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 24 July.

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

Saint Christina.
   Virgin and Martyr.
   Feast Day 24 July.

Red Vestments.

Saint Christina giving her father's idols of gold to The Poor

17th-Century Painting in The National Museum, Warsaw, Poland.

Artist: Anonymous. Follower of Massimo Stanzione (1586–1656).

Current location: National Museum in Warsaw, Poland.

Source/Photographer: cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Statue of Saint Christina, The Church of Saint Christina, Ravensburg, Germany.

Deutsch: Hl. Christina von Bolsena, Skulptur von Moriz Schlachter,

Pfarrkirche St. Christina, Ravensburg, Germany.

Photo: 20 January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: AndreasPraefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Christina was born in Tuscany, Italy. At the age of ten, she took away the silver idols, in her father's house, and broke them up. On this account, she was delivered up to the persecutors, tied to a post, and pierced with arrows.

She thus added, to the merit of her Virginity, that of Christian Fortitude (Collect). This was under the Persecutions of Emperor Diocletian towards 300 A.D.

Mass: Me exspectavérunt.

English: The Parish Church of Saint Christina, Ravensburg, Germany.

Deutsch: Pfarrkirche St. Christina, Ravensburg.

Photo: 20 January 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: AndreasPraefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint Christina of Bolsena, Italy, also known as Christina of Tyre, or, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, as Christina the Great Martyr, is Venerated as a Christian Martyr of the 3rd-Century. Archaeological excavations of an underground cemetery, constructed at her tomb, have shown that she was Venerated at Bolsena by the 4th-Century A.D.

The existence of Christina is relatively well attested. Although some versions of her legend place her in Tyre (Phoenicia), the most credible evidence points to Bolsena, Italy: An ancient town in central Italy, near an Etruscan site called Volsinium, with catacombs, in which archaeologists have found the remains of an Early-Christian Church and the tomb of a female Martyr.

Inscriptions, found on the site, confirm that this Martyr had a name like Christina and that the local community was Venerating her as a Saint by the end of the 4th-Century. Some corroborating evidence is provided by a 6th-Century mosaic in the Basilica of Saint Apollinare Nuovo, at Ravenna, Italy, which includes, in its Procession of Virgins, a Saint named Christina, wearing a Martyr's Crown.

The Mass at Bolsena.

Artist: Raphael (1483–1520).

Date: 1512.

This File: 30 March 2007.

User: David Sneek.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Mass at Bolsena is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist, Raphael. It was painted between 1512 and 1514 as part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Raphael Rooms, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. It is located in the Stanza di Eliodoro, which is named after The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple.

The Mass at Bolsena shows an incident that is said to have taken place in 1263. A Bohemian Priest, who doubted the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, celebrated Mass at Bolsena, Italy, where the Bread of the Eucharist began to Bleed. The following year, in 1264, Pope Urban IV instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi, to celebrate this miraculous event.

The Priest was saying Mass, and, when he doubted the Transubstantiation, Blood spouted from the Host and fell onto the Altar Cloth, in the shape of a Cross, and he was rec-converted.

Present in this painting, is a self-portrait of the artist, Raphael, as one of the Swiss Guard in the lower right of the fresco, facing out with bound-up hair. This is one of several instances in which Raphael has placed himself in his paintings. Also shown in the work is Pope Julius II (1443-1513), kneeling at the right, and his daughter, Felice della Rovere, shown on the left at the bottom of the steps, in profile, in dark clothes. The four Cardinals, to the right, have also been identified as Leonardo Grosso della Rovere, Raffaello Riario, Tommaso Riario and Agostino Spinola, relatives of Julius.

The Martyr, Christina, lived during the 3rd-Century. She was born into a rich family, and her father was Governor of Tyre. By the age of 11, the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina's father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess.

To this end, he placed her in a special dwelling, where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them. Two servants attended Christina.

According to legend, on one occasion, Christina was visited by an Angel, who instructed her in the True Faith. The Angel called her a Bride of Christ, and told her about her future suffering. Christina smashed all the idols in her room and threw them out the window.

In visiting his daughter, Christina's father, Urban, asked her where all the idols had disappeared. Christina was silent. Then, having summoned the servants, Urban learned the truth from them.

A second legend is connected to Saint Christina. The Miracle of Bolsena, often considered to be the catalyst for the Feast of Corpus Christi, recalls an event in the Umbrian region of Italy in 1263. A Priest, named Peter, from the City of Prague, nurtured doubts regarding the Transubstantiation of the Host during Mass, and, during his Pilgrimage toward Rome, Prayed to be relieved of his questions.

While saying the Words of Consecration, in the Church of Saint Christina, in Bolsena, Italy, the Host dripped Blood on his hands and on the Altar Cloth. The Miracle of Bolsena is depicted on the walls of the Vatican, in a painting by Raphael.

The Vigil Of Saint James. Apostle. 24 July.

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

The Vigil of Saint James.
   Apostle.
   24 July.

Violet Vestments.

Saint James the Greater. He is depicted clothed as a Pilgrim.

Note the Scallop Shell on his shoulder and his Staff and Pilgrim's Hat beside him.

Artist: Rembrandt (1606–1669).

Date: 1661.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like most of The Feasts of The Apostles, which were formerly of Obligation, that of Saint James is preceded by a Vigil.

This Saint was one of The College of Twelve, who, like The Twelve Sons of Jacob, received his inheritance and had to evangelise part of The Church, figured of old by The Promised Land (Epistle).

With his brother, Saint John, and with Saint Peter, he was privileged to witness The Transfiguration of Jesus and His Agony in The Garden of Olives.

He was the first among The Apostles to have the honour of bearing witness to Christ by shedding his blood in the City of Jerusalem. He thus gave, like his Master, the proof of the greatest love, which consists in sacrificing one's life for those one loves (Gospel).

Let us, with The Church, prepare ourselves in Meditation and Prayer for The Feast Day, tomorrow.

Mass: The Vigil of an Apostle: Ego autem.
Commemoration: Saint Christina. Virgin and Martyr. By The Collects of Mass: Me exspectavérunt.

Saint James the Greater.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

Saint Liborius. Bishop. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 23 July.

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

Saint Liborius.
   Bishop and Confessor.
   Feast Day 23 July.

Simple.

White Vestments.

English: Saint Liborius, a Relief in The Trinity Chapel, Paderborn Cathedral, Germany.

Deutsch: Paderborner Dom: Darstellung des heiligen Liborius in der Dreifaltigkeitskapelle.

Photo: 25 July 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: ludger1961.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Liborius was born in the 4th-Century A.D., of a Gaulish family. He left everything to Consecrate himself to The Service of The Altar.

He became Bishop of Le Mans, France, and, after a life devoted to Preaching, Prayer, and austerities, he died in 397 A.D.

Mass: Státuit.

English: Stained-Glass Window, depicting Saint Liborius,

in the Church of Saint Jodokus, Saalhausen, Germany.

Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster in der Kirche St. Jodokus in Saalhausen,

einem Ortsteil von Lennestadt in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Darstellung: hl. Liborius.

Photo: 26 October 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Reinhardhauke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Liborius of Le Mans (circa 348 A.D. – 397 A.D.) was the second Bishop of Le Mans. He is the Patron Saint of the Cathedral and Archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany.

He died in 397 A.D., in the arms of his friend, Saint Martin of Tours.

English: Interior of Paderborn Cathedral, Germany.

Saint Liborius is the Patron Saint of this Cathedral and the Archdiocese of Paderborn.

His Relics were Transferred to the Cathedral in 836 A.D.

Deutsch: Innenansicht des Doms.

Français: Intérieur de la cathédrale.

Photo: July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Benchaum.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Liborius Roman Catholic Church, Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia.

Photo: 2 August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattinbgn.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Liborius Church, 

Saint Louis, Missouri, 

United States of America.

Photo: 15 September 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: BirgitteSB.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Apollinaris. Bishop. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 23 July.

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

Saint Apollinaris.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 23 July.

Double.

Red Vestments.

English: Saint Apollinaris, first Bishop of Ravenna.

Detail from the 6th-Century A.D., Byzantine mosaic, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna.

Deutsch: Apollinaris von Ravenna, erster Bischof von Ravenna. Detail eines aus dem sechsten Jahrhundert stammenden Mosaiks in der Apsis der Basilika von Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Italiano: Sant'Apollinare, primo vescovo di Ravenna.

Mosaico bizantino nel catino absidale di Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

This File: 4 September 2005.

User: MChew.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy.

Français: La Basilique Saint-Apollinaire in Classe à Ravenne (Italie).

Italiano: Ravenna, Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Photo: 6 March 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Apollinaris is said to have come from Antioch to Rome with Saint Peter, who anointed him Bishop (Introit, Gradual, Alleluia) and sent him to Ravenna, Italy, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the Epistle chosen is that in which Saint Peter describes the duties of those who are to guide the Church, not domineering, but as models of the flock.

The Gospel also says "that the one who is greatest, shall be like the least, and the one who governs, like the one who serves".

English: 6th-Century A.D., Byzantine mosaic,

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe (Ravenna, Italy).

Italiano: Mosaico bizantino nel catino absidale di Sant'Apollinare in Classe Ravenna (secolo VI).

Photo: 6 March 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Arrested by the pagan priests, he was cruelly beaten and cast into prison, then exiled to the banks of the Danube and to Thrace. Having returned to Ravenna, he was again persecuted, and died in 79 A.D., from the effects of torture and fatigue. Thus, did he put to profit the talents entrusted to him by God (Communion).

In the midst of our trials, let us remain united to Jesus and He will prepare for us, as for this Saint, a place in His Kingdom (Gospel).

Mass: Sacerdótes Dei.
Commemoration: Saint Liborius.

English: Interior of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy.

Italiano: Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Photo: 8 January 2012.

Source: Own work.

Author: Sansa55.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe, is an important monument of Byzantine art, near Ravenna, Italy. When UNESCO inscribed eight Ravenna sites on the World Heritage List, it cited this Basilica as "an outstanding example of the Early-Christian Basilicas, in its purity and simplicity of design, and use of space and the sumptuous nature of its decoration".

The imposing brick structure was erected at the beginning of the 6th-Century A.D., by order of Bishop Ursicinus, using money from the Greek banker, Iulianus Argentarius. It was certainly located next to a Christian Cemetery, and quite possibly on top of a pre-existing pagan one, as some of the ancient tombstones were re-used in its construction.

Sant'Apollinare in Classe was consecrated on 9 May 549 A.D., by Bishop Maximian, and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, first Bishop of Ravenna and Classe. The Basilica is thus contemporary with the Basilica of San Vitale of Ravenna. In 856 A.D., the Relics of Saint Apollinaris were transferred from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe to the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna.

The Exterior has a large façade, with two simple uprights and one mullioned window with three openings. The Narthex and building, to the right of the entry, are later additions, as is the fine 9th-Century round Bell Tower, with mullioned windows.

Oh, What A Wonderful Thing The French Revolution Was. Compiègne: "To The Poorest Daughter Of Carmel, Honour Speaks Louder Than Fear."

Illustration: RORATE CAELI

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, RORATE CAELI

Saint Mary Magdalen. Penitent. Apostle To The Apostles. Magnificat Antiphon: Inclita Sancte Marie Magdalene (Sarum Plainchant). Feast Day 22 July.

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

Saint Mary Magdalen.
   Penitent.
   Feast Day 22 July.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Mary Magdalene, kneeling, distraught,

within a Stabat Mater scene, by Gabriel Wuger, 1868.

Deutsch: Entstanden 1868 in Rom für Kardinal von Mecheln, von Abt Maurus Wolter

für Beuron erworben, dort bis in die 1960er Jahre in der Klosterkirche, jetzt im Konvent.

Artist: Gabriel Wüger (1829–1892).

Date: 1868.

Source/Photographer: http://www.engen.de/toparchiv/ausstellung/beuron.htm.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Zephyrinus wishes a Happy Patronal Feast Day 

to Fr. Ray Blake and his Parishioners

at Saint Mary Magdalen, Brighton, Sussex.

Why not visit his Blog,

FR. RAY BLAKE'S BLOG,

and wish Fr. Blake and all his Parishioners

a Very Happy Patronal Feast Day ?

Saint Mary Magdalene.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

When He gave the Holy Ghost to the Apostles, Jesus had told them to remit sins, as He had done, and, today, the Liturgy recalls the ever-memorable example of the Saviour's mercy towards repentant sinners.

Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, was of Madala, in Galilee, whence her name of Madalen. She was a sinner.

Touched by Grace, she threw herself at the feet of the Saviour. Simon the Pharisee, scandalised, would have repelled her, like the haughty men mentioned by the Prophet, Isaias, who says: "Away from me, approach me not, for I am pure [Eighth Lesson at Matins]."

The Magnificat Antiphon;

"Inclita Sancte Marie Magdalene"

(Sarum Plainchant).

The Choir Of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Jesus, on the contrary, "defends her against the calumnies of the proud" (Communion). Admiring the work of Divine Grace in this Soul "henceforth attentive to His commandments, whilst sinful men would still have her fall into sin" (Introit), He mercifully "accepts the offer of her service" (Secret), and secures to her for ever a place of honour in His Royal Court (Offertory).

Repentance has transformed her love. "Because she had loved much, many sins are forgiven her" (Gospel). Indeed, it was at her Prayer that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Collect). And when, after the Crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present in greatest sorrow and weariness, she seeks, like the spouse in the Canticle (Epistle), where they have laid her Divine Lord; Christ calls her by name and commands her to announce His Resurrection to the Disciples. Wherefore, the Creed is recited on this day as in The Masses of The Apostles.

"Alma Redemptoris Mater",

from "Ave Maria: Gregorian Chant".

Sarum Plainchant.

Avialable on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Following the example of Magdalen, which, according to the Fathers, represents the service of the Church towards Jesus, let us, in a spirit of love and repentance, pour out the treasure of our praises to Jesus, present in the Holy Eucharist (Secret); let us surround Him on the Altar, in a spirit of Faith, which does not fear the Pharisaic scandal, with all the splendour which becomes the House of God.

**************

Zephyrinus warmly commends the following Article, on The Feast Day of Saint Mary Magdalen, Apostle To The Apostles, to all Readers.

It can be found at CRISIS MAGAZINE

at http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/st-mary-magdalene

"Saint Mary Magdalene" by Ben Aker.
“How beautiful […] are the feet of Him who brings The Gospel.”
Isaiah 52:7.

Saint Praxedes. Virgin. Feast Day 21 July.

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

Saint Praxedes.
   Virgin.
   Feast Day 21 July.

Simple.

White Vestments.

The Basilica of Santa Prassede (Saint Praxedes), Rome, Italy.

Photo: 18 April 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: Livioandronico2013.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Feast of Saint Pius I, on 11 July, recalled to our mind Saint Pudentiana and her sister, Saint Praxedes, who placed their house at the disposal of this Holy Pontiff. Saint Pudentiana's Feast Day appears in the Cycle on 19 May, under the Reign of The Risen Lord, and Saint Praxedes's Feast Day is today, under the Reign of The Holy Ghost.

On the Tuesday of The Third Week in Lent, The Station is held at Rome in the Titular Church of Saint Pudentiana and on the Monday in Holy Week at the Titular Church of Saint Praxedes.

Pope Paschal I depicted in a mosaic in the Basilica of Santa Prassede, Rome.

He is presenting a model of the Basilica to Christ, and wears a square Halo,

which means he was alive at the time of the mosaic.

This File: 16 August 2005.

User: Marcus Cyron.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Praxedes, a daughter of the Roman Senator, Pudens, Consecrated her Virginity to God (Epistle), and renounced her great wealth in favour of the Poor and of The Church. She thereby acquired the Treasure and precious Pearl of The Heavenly Kingdom (Gospel, Communion).

The Religious Ceremonies, which took place in her mansion, attracted the attention of the pagans. Many Christians were arrested there and led away to death.

English: The Apse, Basilica of Santa Prassede, Rome, Italy.

Deutsch: Santa Prassede, Rom; Triumphbogen und Apsis.

Photo: 13 May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Welleschik.

(Wikimedia Commons)

She died under Emperor Antonius in the 2nd-Century A.D., after having besought God to deliver her from the sight of such woeful scenes. Her body was laid by that of her father and sister in the Cemetery of her grand-mother, Priscilla.

Let us Celebrate joyfully The Feast of the blessed Virgin Praxedes, in order to obtain thereby feelings of loving devotion (Collect).

Mass: Loquébar.

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

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