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.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René 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).

Mass: Dispersit.

Epistle: Beátus vir.

Gospel: Liber generationis.

Creed.

Preface: Of The Blessed Virgin Mary: Et te in Assumptione.

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.

Current location: Institution:Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy.

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 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 Art, Tokyo, Japan.

Source: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

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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Saint Eusebius. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 14 August.

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

Saint Eusebius.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 14 August.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: The Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Français: Eglise de Sant'Eusebio all'Esquillino sur la via Napoleone III à Rome.

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Attribution: LPLT / Wikimedia Commons.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Eusebius, a Roman Priest, opposed The Arians under the reign of Emperor Constantius. Imprisoned in his room by order of the Emperor, he persevered seven months in Prayer, and fell asleep in The Lord about the middle of the 4th-Century A.D.

He was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus. He has always been very much honoured in Rome. The Station is held in an ancient Church bearing his name on The Friday in The Fourth Week in Lent.

Mass: Justus ut palma.

"The Glory of Saint Eusebius".

Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs.

Date: 1757.

Current location: Sant'Eusebio, Rome.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art:

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Eusebius of Rome (+ 357 A.D.), the Founder of the Church on The Esquiline Hill, in Rome, that bears his name, is listed in The Roman Martyrology as one of the Saints Venerated on 14 August.

The Martyrology of Usuard styles him Confessor at Rome under the Arian Emperor Constantius II and adds that he was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus. Some later Martyrologies call him a Martyr. He is said to have been a Roman patrician and Priest, and is mentioned with distinction in Latin Martyrologies.

The "Acta Eusebii", discovered in 1479 by Mombritius and reproduced by Baluze in his "Miscellanea" (1678–1715), tell the following story: When Pope Liberius was permitted by Constantius II to return to Rome, supposedly at the price of his orthodoxy, by subscribing to the Arian formula of Sirmium, Eusebius, a Priest, an ardent defender of The Nicene Creed, publicly preached against both Pope and Emperor, branding them as heretics.

When the orthodox party, who supported the Anti-Pope Felix, were excluded from all the Churches, Eusebius continued to say Mass in his own house. He was arrested and brought before Pope Liberius and Constantius, and boldly reproved Liberius for deserting The Catholic Faith. In consequence, he was placed in a dungeon four feet wide (or was imprisoned in his own house), where he spent his time in Prayer and died after seven months.

His body was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus with the simple inscription: "Eusebio homini Dei". This act of kindness was performed by two Priests, Gregory and Orosius, friends of Eusebius. Gregory was put into the same prison and also died there. He was buried by Orosius, who professes to be the writer of The Acts ["Acta Eusebii"].

It is generally admitted that these "Acts" were a forgery, either entirely or at least in part, and written in the same spirit, if not by the same hand, as the notice on Liberius in The "Liber Pontificalis". The Bollandists and Tillemont point out some historical difficulties in the narrative, especially the fact that Liberius, Constantius, and Eusebius were never in Rome at the same time.

Constantius visited Rome but once, and remained there for about a month, and Liberius was then still in exile. Some, taking for granted the alleged fall of Liberius, would overcome this difficulty by stating that, at the request of Liberius, who resented the zeal of the Priest, the secular power interfered and imprisoned Eusebius. It is not at all certain whether Eusebius died after the return of Liberius, during his exile, or even much before that period.

Sant'Eusebio, the Basilica-style Church on The Esquiline in Rome Dedicated to him, is said to have been built on the site of his house. It is mentioned in The Acts of a Council held in Rome under Pope Symmachus in 498 A.D., and was rebuilt by Pope Zacharias. It is a Titular Church of the Cardinal-Priest and The Station Church for The Friday after The Fourth Sunday in Lent. It once belonged to The Celestines (an Order now extinct); Pope Leo XII gave it to The Jesuits.

The Tridentine Calendar had a Commemoration of Eusebius, after that of the Commemoration of The Vigil of The Feast of The Assumption of Mary on 14 August, on which day the main Liturgy was that of The Feast of Lawrence of Rome, within whose Octave it fell.

The 1920 Typical Edition of The Roman Missal omitted the Celebration on that date of the day within The Octave of Saint Lawrence. The Vigil of The Assumption became the principal Liturgy, with a Commemoration of Eusebius, alone. The 1969 Revision of The Calendar removed the Commemoration of Eusebius, while sanctioning the Celebration of his Feast in the Roman Basilica that bears his name.

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

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.

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.

Current location: Institution: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy.

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

DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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.

"To You". "From Me". "Back A Bit". "To Me". "Forward A Bit". "Down A Bit". "Up A Bit". "Noooooooooo ! ! !"

The construction of Tower Bridge, London, in 1894.

Illustration: PINTEREST

Saint Hippolytus And Saint Cassian. Martyrs. Feast Day 13 August.

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

Saint Hippolytus And Saint Cassian.
   Martyrs.
   Feast Day 13 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

vi

English: Stained-Glass Window depicting Saint Hippolytus, Lassay-les-Chateaux, France.

Français: Vitrail de l'église Saint-Hippolyte de Niort-la-Fontaine,

commune de Lassay-les-Châteaux, France.

Photo: 9 July 2015.

Source: Own work.

Author: GO69

(Wikimedia Commons)

The legend in The Breviary tells us that Hippolytus, who was to guard Saint Laurence in his prison, was converted by the Saint.

He was Martyred in the 3rd-Century A.D. and was buried not far from the tomb of Saint Laurence, where a Church was built in his honour.

On the same day in 363 A.D., Cassian of Imola, a School-Master, was delivered, with his hands tied behind his back, to his young pagan pupils, who pierced him to death with their stilettos.

Mass: Salus autem.

Church of Saint Hippolytus, Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset, England.

Photo: 18 April 2007.

Source: From geograph.org.uk

Attribution: Mike Searle / Church of St Hippolyte Ryme Intrinseca / CC BY-SA 2.0

Author: Mike Searle

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Hippolytus of Rome (170 A.D. - 235 A.D.) was one of the most important 3rd-Century A.D. Theologians in The Church in Rome, where he was probably born. Photios I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (Cod. 121) as a Disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a Disciple of Polycarp, and, from the context of this passage, it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus so styled himself. However, this assertion is doubtful.

He came into conflict with The Popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival to The Bishop of Rome. He opposed The Roman Bishops who softened the Penitential System to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was very probably reconciled to The Church when he died as a Martyr.

Starting in the 4th-Century A.D., various legends arose about him, identifying him as a Priest of the Novatianist schism or as a Soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. He has also been confused with another Martyr of the same name.

Pope Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus", who was Martyred in the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus, through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of Saint Lawrence, in Rome, and kept at the Vatican, as photographed and published in Brunsen.

"Cassianus (Cassian) of Imola killed by his students."

From The Martyrs Mirror, this is an etching by Jan Luyken (1649-1712).

Date: 17th-Century.

Source: http://raven.bethelks.edu/services/mla/images/martyrsmirror/mm%20bk1%20p125.jpg

Author: Jan Luyken.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Cassian, or Saint Cassian of Imola, or Cassius, was a Christian Saint of the 4th-Century A.D. He was The Bishop of Brescia.

His Traditional date of Martyrdom is 13 August 363 A.D., hence 13 August is his Feast Day on The Roman Calendar. Cassian is the Patron Saint of Mexico City, Imola, Italy, and of Parish Clerks. Comacchio Cathedral, Italy, is Dedicated to him. He is also the Patron Saint of the localities of San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Italy, and Las Galletas, Tenerife, Spain.

Little is known about his life, although the Traditional accounts converge on some of the details of his Martyrdom. He was a Schoolmaster at Imola, but rather than sacrifice to the Roman gods, as so ordered by the, then, current Emperor, Julian the Apostate, he was condemned to death and turned over to his own students (some authorities write that this event took place during the reign of Emperor Diocletian).

Since they were eager for revenge for the many punishments he had inflicted on them, they bound him to a stake and tortured him to death by stabbing him with their pointed iron styli, the devices then used to mark wooden or wax writing tablets.

Saint Clare. Virgin. Feast Day 12 August.

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

Saint Clare. 
   Virgin. 
   Feast Day 12 August.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Saint Clare and Sisters of her Order, San Damiano, Assisi, Italy.

Dansk: Den hellige Clara med ordenssøstre, San Damiano, Assisi, Italy.

Photo: June 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Gunnar Bach Pedersen

(Wikimedia Commons)

As God had raised at the side of Saint Benedict his sister, Saint Scholastica, so He placed by Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare, whom he made Superioress of The Second Order Founded by him. 

[Saint Francis Founded three Orders:

The Franciscans, or First Order; 

The Poor Clares, or Second Order; 

and, lastly, for The Laity, his Third Order.

The Second Order numbered, in 1935, 13,600 Members.

It gave to The Church five Saints and seventeen Beatified.]

Saint Clare of Assist.

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Saint Clare was born at Assisi, at the end of the 12th-Century. On a visit to The Patriarch Saint Francis, she expressed to him her desire of becoming The Spouse of Christ (Epistle). As he had not yet instituted Nuns of his Order, he sent the young Virgin to The Benedictine Nuns of Saint Paul, and, later on, to The Benedictine Monastery of Saint Angelo de Panso, in the neighbourhood of Assisi.

Her sister, Agnes, having joined her, Saint Francis placed them in a small house adjacent to the Church of Saint Damian. Very soon, their mother and many other persons joined them. Their Rule entailed austerities unknown until then in Monasteries for women.

They walked bare-footed, slept on the ground, observed perpetual abstinence, and made poverty the basis of their lives, so that, by detachment, they might give themselves more to God.

The extraordinary devotion of Saint Clare to The Blessed Sacrament, was rewarded by a Miracle. On the day when the Saracens, who were besieging Assist, tried to enter the Convent of Saint Damian, she held up The Ciborium and put them to flight.

On 11 August 1253, she was visited by a Choir of Virgins, in White Robes, among whom was one who surpassed in beauty all the others (Offertory), and she went to meet her Spouse (Communion). 

Two years later, she was Canonised by Pope Alexander IV.

Mass: Dilexisti.

Saint Tiburtius And Saint Susanna. Martyrs. Feast Day 11 August.

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

Saint Tiburtius And Saint Susanna. 
   Martyrs. 
   Feast Day 11 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

English: The Martyrdom of Saint Tiburtius.

Altarpiece in the Church of Saint Veit, Straubing, Bavaria, Germany.

Deutsch: Cosmas Damian Asam: Das Martyrium von Tiburtius,

Altarbild in der Kirche St.Veit in Straubing, 1703.

Polski: Męczeństwo św. Tyburcjusza z Rzymu.

Date: 1703.

Source: Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon (Gemeinfreiheit - public domain)

Author: Cosmas Damian Asam (1686-1739).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like Saint Laurence, Saint Tiburtius, son of The Prefect of Rome, was thrown into the flames. Armed with the sign of The Cross, the Martyr walked full of confidence on the burning coal. He was then led out of the City and beheaded on The Lavicanian Way in 286 A.D.

On the same day, Saint Susanna, a maiden of high birth, who, on account of her vow of Virginity, had refused to marry Galerius Maximus, son of The Emperor Diocletian, was beheaded in her house about 295 A.D.

Her body is preserved with that of her father, Saint Gabinus, and that of Saint Felicitas, mother of The Seven Martyrs, honoured on 10 July, in the Church of Saint Susanna, where The Station is held on The Saturday of The Third Way in Lent.

Mass: Salus autem.

Saint Laurence. Martyr. Feast Day 10 August.

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

Saint Laurence.
   Martyr.
   Feast Day 10 August.

Double of The Second-Class
   with a Simple Octave.

Red Vestments.

[Editor: Please note: There are two accepted spellings
of the Saint's name: Lawrence and Laurence.]

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)

The Basilica of Saint Laurence-without-the-Walls, Rome, where the remains of the glorious Deacon are preserved, is the fifth Patriarchal Church in Rome. With Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter's, Saint Mary Major, and Saint Paul-without-the-Walls, it is one of the five Major Basilicas where the Pope, alone, says Mass at The High Altar in order to show that his jurisdiction extends over all the Churches in the World which are under the Patriarchates of Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, and Constantinople.

[Editor: The following Italic Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia: The four Major Basilicas, and The Minor Basilica of Saint Laurence-outside-the-Walls, all of which are in Rome, were formerly known as "Patriarchal Basilicas", along with a few other Churches outside of Rome. Upon relinquishing the Title of "Patriarch of The West", in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI officially renamed the "Patriarchal Basilicas" as "Papal Basilicas". The five, formerly styled "Patriarchal Basilicas", of Rome, were previously assigned to, and associated with, the five ancient Patriarchates of The Latin Church, or The Pentarchy:

Saint John Lateran was associated with Rome (Patriarch of the West),
Saint Peter's with Constantinople (Latin Patriarch of Constantinople),
Saint Paul's with Alexandria (Latin Patriarch of Alexandria),
Saint Mary Major with Antioch (Latin Patriarch of Antioch), and
Saint Laurence with Jerusalem (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem).]

Saint Laurence.

Illustration: MARIA ANGELA GROW

Here is held The Station on Septuagesima Sunday, on The Third Sunday in Lent, on The Wednesday after Easter, and on The Thursday after Pentecost [Rome possesses seven other Churches Dedicated to Saint Laurence: Among which Saint Laurence-in-Paneperna, where the Saint was Martyred and where they hold The Station on The Thursday of The First Week in Lent; Saint Laurence-in-Lucina, where part of his grid-iron is kept, and where is held The Station on The Friday of The Third Week in Lent; and Saint Laurence-in-Damaso, where is held The Station on The Tuesday of The Fourth Week in Lent].

The Church invites us, today, to Celebrate in this Sanctuary, The Praises of God (Introit, Offertory) to Whom this Saint bore glorious witness by his Martyrdom.

Saint Laurence was the first of The Seven Deacons attached to the Service of The Roman Church. His duty was to assist the Roman Pontiff when Celebrating The Holy Mysteries, to distribute The Eucharist to The Faithful and to administer the revenues of The Church, which he distributed among The Poor (Introit, Gradual).

Arrested by The Prefect of Rome, in 258 A.D., and called upon to deliver his riches to him, he showed him a crowd of poor people, saying: "These are the real treasures of The Church, by the inestimable gift of their Faith, and because they convert our alms into imperishable treasures for us."

He was laid on a grid-iron, under which were placed half-lighted coals, so as to prolong his tortures and make his death more painful.

"Flames were not able to conquer The Charity of Christ: And the fire, that burned without, was weaker than that which, within, kindled in the heart of the Martyr."[Saint Leo. Sixth Lesson at Matins on 10 August].

Indeed, he said to his tormentors: "You may now turn my body over; it is roasted enough on that side." And, later on: "My flesh is now roasted, you can eat of it." [Antiphon of The Magnificat of Second Vespers].

He died in 258 A.D. His name is mentioned in The Canon of The Mass, among The Roman Martyrs (First List).

Let us always recite, as a Thanksgiving, The Collect of this day, placed by The Church after The Canticle of The Three Youths in The Furnace. She makes us beseech God to extinguish in us the ardour of our passions, as He granted to Saint Laurence, who was tested by fire and found pure (Gradual), to triumph over the flames of his cruel Martyrdom (Collect).

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

Mass: Conféssio et pulchritúdo.

Saint Laurence.

Martyr.

Available on YouTube at

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Saint Romanus. Martyr. Feast Day 9 August.

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

Saint Romanus.
   Martyr.
   Feast Day 9 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

Saint Romanus.

Died circa 258 A.D.

Sculptor - Lazzaro Morelli.

This statue is part of a group of twenty-four statues that were placed on The Colonnade,

above Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, between September 1662 and March 1667.

In total, there are now 140 statues on The Colonnade.

This Holy Soldier is represented in an attitude identical to that of Saint Dionysus,

another statue on The Colonnade, although in reverse. His Left Hand is

raised toward Saint Stephen, his Right-Hand holds The Palm of Martyrdom.

The Roman Martyrology 2004 states: " A Martyr in The Catacomb of Saint Laurence

on The Via Tiburtina, circa 258 A.D." So it is thought that he was Martyred in the same Persecution as Saint Laurence. He has been referred to as "Romanus Ostiarius".

Caption Text and Illustrations: ST. PETER'S BASILICA.INFO

Saint Romanus, a Soldier, begged Saint Laurence to Baptise him. This he obtained, and was, in turn, cruelly beaten and, at last, beheaded (Roman Martyrology).

Mass: Lætábitur.

Saint John Mary Vianney. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 9 August.

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

Saint John Mary Vianney.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 9 August.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: Stained-Glass Window of Saint John Mary Vianney.

The Parish Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Jouarre, France.

Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster in der katholischen Pfarrkirche

Saint-Pierre-et-Saint Paul, 

Jouarre, Frankreich. Darstellung: hl. Jean-Marie Vianney.

Photo: 30 May 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Reinhardhauke

(Wikimedia Commons)

John Baptist Mary Vianney was born at Dardilly, near Lyons, France, on 8 May 1786. After many difficulties, he received Holy Priesthood in August 1815. He was Parish Priest of Ars, France, for nearly forty-two years.

He became a model for all his Brethren, in The Sacerdotal Ministry, by his pastoral zeal, and by the unflagging ardour of his Prayer and Penance.

Sitting for up to sixteen hours a day in The Confessional, he healed Souls and sometimes bodies, as well. His simple Catechism Preaching touched the hearts of adults, as well as those of children. Meanwhile, he chastised his body as an Act of Reparation and Impetration for sinners.

He died on 4 August 1859. He was Beatified in 1905 by Pope Saint Pius X, who had been a Parish Priest, and Canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1925.

Mass: Os justi.
Commemoration: Of The Vigil of Saint Laurence and of Saint Romanus.

English: Stained-Glass Window of Saint John Mary Vianney.

The Church of Saint Germain, Saint-Germain-les-Belles, France.

Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster in der Kirche Saint-Germain in Saint-Germain-les-Belles

im Département Haute-Vienne in der Region Centre (Frankreich):

Darstellung: hl. Jean-Marie Vianney.

Photo: 28 June 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Reinhardhauke

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint John Vianney.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

[Editor. Note that Saint John Vianney, Patron Saint of all Parish Priests, had a deep Devotion to Saint Philomena.]

Saints Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus. Martyrs. Feast Day 8 August.

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

Saints Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus.
   Martyrs.
   Feast Day 8 August.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

English: Stained-Glass Window, depicting Saint Cyriacus (Right)

and Saint Pantaleon (Left), 

in the Parish Church of Saint Pelagius, Weitnau, Bavaria, Germany.

Deutsch: Pfarrkirche St. Pelagius, Weitnau, Nothelferfenster, St. Pantaleon und St. Cyriacus.

Photo: September 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: AndreasPraefcke.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Cyriacus, a Deacon of The Roman Church under Popes Marcellinus and Marcellus, was put to death in 303 A.D., during the Persecution of Diocletian.

He had twenty-two Christian companions, who were killed with him, among whom were Largus and Smaragdus.

Saint Cyriacus is one of "The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints".

English: Stained-Glass Window depicting Saint Cyriacus.

The Church of Saint Cyriacus, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Deutsch: Katholische Pfarrkirche, ehemalige Stiftskirche St. Cyriakus in Geseke

im Kreis Soest (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Bleiglasfenster von 1909 von der Glasmalerei

Carl Hertel in Düsseldorf, Darstellung: Hl. Cyriakus,

Signatur: Carl Hertel Hofglasmaler Düsseldorf 1909

Photo: 26 October 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: GFreihalter

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Church of Saint Cyriacus, Duderstadt, North Saxony, Germany.

Deutsch: St.-Cyriakus-Kirche in Duderstadt, Niedersachsen, Deutschland.

Blick auf den Flügelaltar im Hochchor.

Photo: 28 December 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andreas Hentrich.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint Cyriacus, together with Saints Largus and Smaragdus and others (of whom Crescentianus, Memmia and Juliana are mentioned in The Roman Martyrology), is Venerated on 8 August. All that is known with certainty, apart from their names and the fact of their Martyrdom, is that they were buried at The Seventh Milestone of The Via Ostiensis on that date.

Saint Cyriacus is one of "The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints".

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

Saint Donatus. Bishop And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 7 August.

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

Saint Donatus.
   Bishop and Martyr.
   Feast Day 7 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

"The Miracle of Saint Donatus".

Artist: José de Ribera (1591–1652).

Amiens, Museum of Picardy.

Date: 17th-Century.

Source: http://santiebeati.it/immagini/?mode=view&album=33900&pic=

33900B.JPG&dispsize=Original&start=0

Author: José de Ribera (1591–1652).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Donatus, Bishop of Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, was arrested under the Emperor Julian the Apostate and was beheaded in 362 A.D.

Mass: Sacerdotes Dei.

Church of Santa Maria e San Donato a Murano, Venice, Italy.

Photo: 30 December 2003.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:Blorg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Donatus was Ordained a Deacon and Priest by Saint Satyrus of Arezzo, Bishop of that City, and continued to Preach in the City and in the surrounding region. At the death of Satyrus, Donatus was appointed a Bishop by Pope Julius I. A man named Anthimus was Donatus' Deacon.

During a Celebration of Mass, at the moment of the giving of Communion, in which a glass Chalice was being administered, some pagans entered the Church and shattered the Chalice in question. Donatus, after intense Prayer, collected all of the fragments and joined them together. There was a piece missing from the bottom of the Chalice; miraculously, however, nothing spilled from it. Astounded, seventy-nine pagans converted to Christianity.

A month after this, the Prefect of Arezzo, Quadratian, arrested Hilarian the Monk and Donatus. Hilarian was Martyred on 16 July 362 A.D., and Donatus was beheaded on 7 August 362 A.D., at Arezzo, Italy.

Saint Donatus Catholic Church, Bellevue, Iowa, United States of America.

Photo: 1 January 1970.

Photographer: Gary Schekel.

Illustration: GOOGLE+