What Are Ember Days ? “Fasting Days And Emberings Be, Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, And Lucie”. Or, Even A Shorter Mnemonic: “Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy”.

Illustration: THE MISSIVE

This Article, dated 13 March 2019, is taken from, and can be read in full at,
THE MISSIVE

In the most recent edition of “Meménto”, we included the following Article by FSSP Quincy Pastor and former Superior General Fr. Arnaud Devillers, who explains the history of The Ember Days and their place in The Liturgical Calendar.

By Fr. Arnaud Devillers, FSSP.

What are Ember Days ? Ember Days are three days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) set apart in each of the four Seasons for Fasting, Abstinence and Prayer. Tied to the Seasonal Cycles of farming and harvesting, the purpose of Ember Days is to render thanks to God for the gifts of Creation and to ask His help in using them well. Since 1966 [Editor: Post-Vatican II, of course], the Fasting and Abstinence are no longer prescribed, but still encouraged.

What is the origin of Ember Days ? Pin-pointing the exact date may be challenging, but what is certain is that they originated in Rome within the first Centuries of The Church. Pope Saint Leo the Great (Mid-5th-Century A.D.) has left a series of beautiful Sermons for these days, and he thought they had been instituted by The Apostles, themselves. The “Liber Pontificalis” dates their institution to Pope Saint Calixtus (218 A.D. - 225 A.D.), though they were more probably instituted by Pope Siricius (384 A.D. - 399 A.D.).

Illustration: THE MISSIVE

In her early days, The Church in Rome was confronted with a number of pagan religious nature festivals. Outstanding among them was the threefold Seasonal observance of prayer and sacrifices to obtain the favour of the gods upon sowing and harvest.

The first of these Seasonal celebrations occurred at various dates between the middle of November and The Winter Solstice. It was a time of prayer for successful sowing (“Feriæ Sementivæ”: Feast of Sowing).

The second festival was held in June for the grain harvest (“Feriæ Messis”: Harvest Feast).

The third festival came before The Autumnal Equinox (September) and was motivated by the grapes harvest (“Feriæ Vindimiales”: Feast of Wine).

As The Roman Empire became officially Christian, The Church tried to Sanctify these Seasonal festivals. The first regulations mention only “Three Seasons”. Eventually, The Church added a fourth Prayer Period (in March).

This change seems to have been motivated by the fact that the year contains four natural Seasons [Editor: Spring; Summer; Autumn; Winter], and also by the mention of four Fasting Periods in The Book of Zechariah (8:19).

At about the same time, each period was extended over the three Traditional Station Days (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday). While The Station Fast, at other times was expected, but not strictly prescribed, this Seasonal observance imposed Fasting by obligation. The Eucharistic Sacrifice was Offered after having Fasted the whole of Saturday and having performed a long Vigil Service of Prayers and Readings, lasting the greater part of the night.

FSSP Ordinations on Ember Saturday of Pentecost, 26 May 2018.

Illustration: THE MISSIVE

In 494 A.D., Pope Gelasius I prescribed that The Sacrament of Holy Orders be conferred on Ember Saturdays. Thus, the Prayer and Fasting of Ember Week acquired added importance, for Apostolic Tradition demanded that Ordinations be preceded by Fast and Prayer (Acts 13:3).

Not only did the candidates, themselves, Fast and Pray, for a few days in preparation for Holy Orders, but the whole Clergy and People joined them to obtain God’s Grace and Blessing upon their Calling. Thus, Embertides became like Spiritual Exercises for all, similar in thought and purpose to our modern Retreats and Missions. Ember Days have been used at times as Special Prayers by The Faithful for Vocations to The Priesthood and for The Sanctification of Priests.

Why are they called “Ember Days” ? The words have nothing to do with embers, or, ashes. It may be from The Anglo-Saxon “Ymbren”, meaning a circle, or, revolution; or, more likely, it may be a corruption of the Latin “Quatuor Tempora” [Editor: “Four Seasons”, or, “Four Times”] through Dutch, Danish or German (“Quatember”).

What are the dates of Ember Days ? They have fluctuated throughout history. The Ember Days of Lent were not originally linked to The First Week of Lent, but to The First Week in March. Francis Mershman, in The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), affirms: “They were definitely arranged and prescribed for The Entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, after 13 December (Sancta Lucia) [Editor: Feast Day of Saint Lucy], after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday, and after 14 September (The Exaltation of The Holy Cross).” This was expressed in the old English rhyme:

“Fasting Days and Emberings be,

Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie”.

Or, even a shorter mnemonic:

“Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy”.

Since the publishing of The Catholic Encyclopedia, the dates have changed again. According to The Extraordinary Form of The Roman Missal (1962), The Advent Ember Days are The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, of The Third Week of Advent, and The September Ember Days are The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, of The Third Week of September.

Ember Days remind us of a time when society was mostly rural. In our urban society, the connection between Ember Days and The Cycle of sowing and harvest does not speak to most of us any longer. However, the association of Ember Days and Ordinations could give a new purpose to Ember Days as voluntary Days of Penance by Clergy and Faithful, together, to, not only Confess and atone for sins of the past, but, also, to Pray for more Vocations to The Priesthood and The Sanctification of The Clergy. +

“Little Reprobates !!!” “What time is Confession ?”

“Little Reprobates !!!”

“What time is Confession ?”

A Little Levity To Lighten Your Day . . .

Illustration:

TIME INC UK

“DARLING, I CAN’T FIND THE CHICKEN FOR LUNCH”.

“WHERE DID YOU PUT IT ?”

Saint Marcellinus. Saint Peter. Saint Erasmus. Bishop. Martyrs. Feast Day 2 June.

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

Saints Marcellinus, Peter, And Erasmus.
   Bishop. Martyrs.
   Feast Day 2 June.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

Statue of Saint Marcellinus.

Martyr.

Seligenstadt, Germany.

Source: Own work.

Author: Agridecumantes.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Exorcist, Peter, sent to prison, under the Emperor Diocletian, converted his gaoler and all his family, and brought them to the Priest, Marcellinus, who Baptised them. The Judge, Serenus, ordered them both to appear before him and they bore witness to Jesus Christ (Gospel). They were condemned to death and, after atrocious torments, were beheaded, towards 303 A.D.

Possessing The First Fruits of The Holy Ghost, they awaited with sighs the adoption of The Children of God, and their sufferings were in nowise compared with the Glory which now shines forth in them (Epistle). Both Saints are mentioned in The Canon of The Mass (Second List). The Station of The Saturday on The Second Week in Lent is held in the Church Dedicated to them.

Saint Erasmus, Bishop in Syria, afterwards Hermit in Lebanon, was cruelly tortured several times in Antioch and in Illyria under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. His legend tells us that his entrails were wound round a windlass; he is, therefore, Invoked for internal diseases, as one of "The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints". He died at Formiae, Campania, Italy.

Let us follow the examples of courage and fortitude of these Holy Martyrs, whose merits are our joy (Collect).

Mass: In Paschaltide: Sancti tui.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide: Clamavérunt.

As The Month Of May Is Dedicated To The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Of God, So Is The Month Of June Dedicated To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Catholic Holy Card depicting The Sacred Heart of Jesus, circa 1880.

Auguste Martin Collection, University of Dayton Libraries.

Date: 1880.

Source: Turgis.

Author: Turgis.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

The Feast of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Latin: Sollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu), is a Solemnity in The Liturgical Calendar of The Roman Catholic Church.

It falls nineteen days after Pentecost, on a Friday. The earliest possible date is 29 May, as in 1818 and 2285. The latest possible date is 2 July, as in 1943 and 2038. The Devotion to The Sacred Heart is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Roman Catholic Devotions, taking Jesus Christ's Physical Heart as the representation of His Divine Love for humanity.

Devotion To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Background.

Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus can be clearly traced back at least to the 11th-Century. It marked the spirituality of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th-Century and of Saint Bonaventure and Saint Gertrude the Great in the 13th-Century.

The beginnings of a Devotion toward The Love of God, as symbolised by The Heart of Jesus, are found even in The Fathers of The Church, including Origen, Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Hippolytus of Rome, Saint Irenæus, Saint Justin Martyr and Saint Cyprian, who used in this regard John 7:37-39 and John 19:33-37.

History.

The first Liturgical Feast of The Sacred Heart was Celebrated, with Episcopal approval, on 31 August 1670, in the Major Seminary of Rennes, France, through the efforts of Saint John Eudes. The Mass and Office composed by this Saint were adopted elsewhere also, especially in connection with the spread of Devotion to The Sacred Heart following on The Revelations to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and Blessed Mary of The Divine Heart, Droste zu Vischering.

A Mass of The Sacred Heart won Papal approval for use in Poland and Portugal in 1765, and another was approved for Venice, Italy, Austria, and Spain, in 1788. Finally, in 1856, Blessed Pope Pius IX established The Feast of The Sacred Heart as obligatory for the whole Church, to be Celebrated on The Friday after The Octave of Corpus Christi.

In June 1889, Pope Leo XIII raised The Feast to the dignity of The First Class.

In 1928, Pope Pius XI raised The Feast to the highest Rank, Double of The First Class, and added an Octave; the 1955 Reforms of The General Roman Calendar suppressed this Octave and removed most other Octaves.

The Mass Prayers and Readings approved on that occasion, in 1928, were replaced with new Texts in 1929, and The Roman Missal published in 1970 provided three sets of Prayers and Readings, one for each year of the three-year Liturgical Cycle.

Priests may use this Mass, Celebrated with White Vestments, as a Votive Mass on other days, also, especially on The First Friday of each month (unless falling on a Day of higher Rank).

Since 2002, The Solemnity of The Sacred Heart of Jesus is also a special Day of Prayer for The Sanctification of Priests.

In 2009, The Feast marked the beginning of a “Year for Priests”.

The Devotion to The Sacred Heart (also known as The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, “Sacratissimum Cor Iesu” in Latin) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic Devotions, wherein The Heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of “God's boundless and passionate love for mankind”.

This Devotion is predominantly used in The Catholic Church, followed by The High-Church Anglicans, Lutherans and Eastern Catholics. In The Catholic Church, The Liturgical Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is Celebrated on The First Friday after The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday.

Litany Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The Devotion is especially concerned with what The Church deems to be the long-suffering love and compassion of The Heart of Christ towards humanity. The popularisation of this Devotion, in its modern form, is derived from a Catholic Nun from France, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, who said she learned The Devotion from Jesus during a series of Apparitions to her between 1673 and 1675, and later, in the 19th-Century, from The Mystical Revelations of another Catholic Nun, in Portugal, Blessed Mary of The Divine Heart, Droste zu Vischering, a Religious of The Good Shepherd, who requested, in The Name of Christ, that Pope Leo XIII Consecrate the entire World to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Predecessors to the modern Devotion arose unmistakably in The Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic Mysticism, particularly with Saint Gertrude the Great.

The Sacred Heart is often depicted, in Christian Art, as a Flaming Heart, shining with Divine Light, pierced by The Lance-Wound, encircled by The Crown of Thorns, surmounted by a Cross, and Bleeding.

Sometimes, the image is shown shining within The Bosom of Christ, with His Wounded Hands pointing at The Heart. The Wounds and Crown of Thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' Death, while The Fire represents The Transformative Power of Divine Love.

History Of The Devotion.

English: Sacred Heart of Jesus.

19th-Century Portuguese Painting.

Português: Sagrado Coração de Jesus.

Escola Portuguesa do século XIX.

Source: Leiloeira São Domingos

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Historically, the Devotion to The Sacred Heart is an outgrowth of Devotion to what is believed to be Christ's Sacred Humanity. During the first ten Centuries of Christianity, there is nothing to indicate that any Worship was rendered to The Wounded Heart of Jesus. The revival of Religious Life and the zealous activity of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Saint Francis of Assisi, in the 12th-Century and the 13th-Century, together with the enthusiasm of The Crusaders returning from The Holy Land, gave a rise to Devotion to The Passion of Jesus Christ and particularly to practices in Honour of The Sacred Wounds.

Devotion to The Sacred Heart developed out of the Devotion to The Holy Wounds, in particular to The Sacred Wound in The Side of Jesus. The first indications of Devotion to The Sacred Heart are found in the 11th-Century and 12th-Century in the fervent atmosphere of The Benedictine or Cistercian Monasteries. It is impossible to say with certainty what were its first Texts or who were its first Devotees.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Rose Window,

Santa Ifigênia Church, São Paulo, Brazil.

Photo: 6 September 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wilfredor

(Wikimedia Commons)

The earliest known Hymn to The Sacred Heart,

“Summi Regis Cor Aveto”.

Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Saint Bernard (♰ 1153) said that The Piercing of Christ's Side revealed His Goodness and The Charity of His Heart for us. The earliest known Hymn to The Sacred Heart, “Summi Regis Cor Aveto”, is believed to have been written by The Norbertine, Blessed Herman Joseph (♰ 1241) of Cologne, Germany. The Hymn begins: “I Hail Thee, Kingly Heart Most High”.

From the 13th-Century to the 16th-Century, the Devotion was propagated, but it did not seem to have been embellished. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different Religious Congregations, such as The Franciscans, The Dominicans, and The Carthusians.

Among The Franciscans, the Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus has its champions in Saint Bonaventure (♰ 1274) in his “Vitis Mystica” (“Mystic Vine”), Blessed John de la Verna, and The Franciscan Tertiary, Saint Jean Eudes (1602–1680).

Saint Bonaventure wrote: “Who is there, who would not love this Wounded Heart ? Who would not love, in return, Him, Who Loves So Much ? ” It was, nevertheless, a private, individual, Devotion, of The Mystical Order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in The Devotion to The Five Holy Wounds by The Franciscans, in which The Wound in Jesus's Heart figured most prominently.

Saint Lutgarde.

According to Thomas Merton, Saint Lutgarde (♰ 1246), a Cistercian Mystic, of Aywieres, Belgium, was one of the great precursors of The Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. A contemporary of Saint Francis of Assisi, she “. . . entered upon The Mystical Life with a Vision of The Pierced Heart of The Saviour, and had concluded her Mystical espousals with The Incarnate Word by an exchange of hearts with Him.”

Sources say that Christ came in a Visitation to Saint Lutgarde, offering her whatever Gift of Grace she should desire; she asked for a better grasp of Latin, that she might better understand The Word of God and sing God’s Praise.

Christ granted her request and Saint Lutgarde’s mind was flooded with the riches of Psalms, Antiphons, Readings, and Responsories. However, a painful emptiness persisted. She returned to Christ, asking to return His Gift, and wondering if she might, just possibly, exchange it for another. “And for what would you exchange it ?”, Christ asked. “Lord”, said Saint Lutgarde, I would exchange it for Your Heart”. Christ then reached into Saint Lutgarde, and, removing her heart, replaced it with His Own, at the same time hiding her heart within His Breast.

Saint Mechtilde.

Saint Mechtilde of Helfta (♰ 1298) became an ardent Devotee and Promoter of Jesus’ Heart, after it was the subject of many of her Visions. The idea of hearing The Heartbeat of God was very important to Mediæval Saints, who nurtured Devotion to The Sacred Heart.

Saint Mechtilde reported that Jesus appeared to her in a Vision and commanded her to love Him ardently, and to honour His Sacred Heart in The Blessed Sacrament as much as possible. He gave her His Heart as a Pledge of His Love, as a Place of Refuge during her life, and as Her Consolation at The Hour of Her Death.

From this time, onwards, Saint Mechtilde had an extraordinary Devotion for The Sacred Heart, and said that, if she had to write down all the Favours and all the Blessings which she had received by means of this Devotion, a large book would not contain them.

Saint Gertrude.

Saint Gertrude the Great was an early Devotee of The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Book Two of The Herald of Divine Love vividly describes Gertrude's Visions, which show a considerable elaboration on the hitherto ill-defined Veneration of Christ's Heart.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux articulated this in his Commentary on The Song of Songs. The women of Helfta — Saint Gertrude foremost, who surely knew Saint Bernard's Commentary, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Saint Mechtilde — experienced this Devotion centrally in their Mystical Visions.

English: Ecstasy of Saint Gertrude.

Français: Extase de sainte Gertrude.

Italiano: Estasi di Santa Gertrude.

Photo: 1 June 2016.

Collection: Abbey of Santa Giustina.

Source: Own work.

Author: Didier Descouens

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 16th-Century, the Devotion passed from the domain of Mysticism into that of Christian Asceticism. It was established as a Devotion with Prayers already formulated and Special Exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (♰ 1539) of The Carthusians of Cologne, The Benedictine, Louis de Blois (♰ 1566), Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (♰ 1569), and Saint Francis de Sales (♰ 1622).

The historical record, from that time, shows an early bringing-to-light of the Devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of The Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). The image of The Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to The Franciscan Devotion to The Five Wounds, and to The Jesuits placing the image on The Title-Page of their books and on the walls of their Churches.

The first to establish the Theological basis for the Devotion was Polish Jesuit Father Kasper Drużbicki (1590–1662) in his book “Meta Cordium – Cor Jesu” (“The Goal of Hearts – Heart of Jesus”). Not much later, Saint Jean Eudes wrote an Office, and promoted a Feast for it.

Father Eudes was the apostle of The Immaculate Heart of Mary, but, in his Devotion to The Immaculate Heart, there was a share for The Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the Devotion to The Two Hearts became distinct, and, on 31 August 1670, the first Feast of The Sacred Heart was Celebrated in The Grand Seminary of Rennes, France.

Coutances, Normandy, France, followed suit on 20 October 1670, a day with which The Eudist Feast was, from then, on to be connected. The Feast soon spread to other Dioceses, and the Devotion was likewise adopted in various Religious Communities. It gradually came into contact with the Devotion begun by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, at Paray-le-Monial, France, and the two merged.

English: The Apparitions of The Sacred Heart

to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Deutsch: Jesus erscheint der hl. Margareta Maria Alacoque,

Gemälde am Seitenaltar der Spitalkirche von Eferding, Oberösterreich.

Français: Marguerite-Marie Alacoque,

peinture dans l'église Sainte-Marie d'Eferding, Autriche.

Photo: 2000.

Source: Own work.

Author: Osfs

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

The most significant source for The Devotion to The Sacred Heart, in the form it is known today, was Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), a Nun of The Order of The Visitation of Holy Mary, who claimed to have received Apparitions of Jesus Christ in the Burgundian French village of Paray-le-Monial; the first on 27 December 1673, The Feast of Saint John the Evangelist, and the final one eighteen months later, revealing the form of The Devotion; the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on The First Friday of each month, Eucharistic Adoration during a “Holy Hour” on Thursdays, and The Celebration of The Feast of The Sacred Heart.

She said that, in her Vision, she was instructed to spend an hour every Thursday night to Meditate on Jesus’ Agony in The Garden of Gethsemane.

In, probably, June or July 1674, Sister Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honoured under the figure of His Heart, also saying that, when He appeared “Radiant with Love”, He asked for: A Devotion of Expiatory Love; frequent reception of Communion, especially on The First Friday of The Month; and the observance of The Holy Hour.

During The Octave of Corpus Christi in 1675, probably on 16 June, the Vision, known as “The Great Apparition”, reportedly took place, where Jesus said: “Behold The Heart that has so loved men. Instead of gratitude, I receive from the greater part (of humankind) only ingratitude”, and asked Saint Margaret Mary for a Feast of Reparation on The Friday After The Octave Of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her Confessor, Father Claude de la Colombière, then Superior of the small Jesuit House at Paray-le-Monial, France.

Sometime around 1681, Sister Margaret Mary felt compelled to write a personal testament, passionately donating her life completely to Jesus with her own blood. With the permission of her Superior, she used a pocket knife to carve the name of Jesus into her breast, and used the blood to sign the document. The following account recalls this event.

“She wrote out the donation, and signed this humble formula: ‘Sister Peronne-Rosalie Greyfie, at present Superioress, and for whom Sister Margaret Mary daily asks conversion with The Grace of Final Penitence.’ ” This done, Sister Margaret Mary implored Mother Greyfie to allow her, in turn, to sign, but with her blood. The Mother having assented, Sister Margaret Mary went to her cell, bared her breast, and, imitating her illustrious and Saintly Foundress, cut with a knife the name of Jesus above her heart. From the blood that flowed from the wound, she signed The Act in these words: “Sister Margaret Mary, Disciple of The Divine Heart of The Adorable Jesus”.

Upset by the fact that the wounds which she had cut into her breast were beginning to fade, she attempted to reopen the original wounds on more than one occasion using a knife. But, having failed to open them to her liking, she decided to burn her chest with fire. This incident placed her in the infirmary.

“However, in the midst of the peace and joy that this great act had procured her, the generous and fervent Margaret Mary experienced one regret, namely, that the letters of The Holy Name of Jesus, which she had engraved on her heart, and which she wished to be as lasting as her love, began, after some time, to grow faint, and to disappear.

Resting on the permission that she had received, she tried once or twice to renew them by opening the lines with a knife; but not succeeding according to her liking, she determined to apply fire. This she did, but so incautiously that she soon had reason to fear having exceeded the limits of obedience. Trembling and humbled, she went to acknowledge her fault. Mother Greyfie, true to her custom, apparently paid little attention to what Margaret said, but ordered her in a few dry words to go to the infirmary and show her wound to Sister Augustine Marest, who would dress it.”

Father de la Colombière directed her to write an account of the Apparition, which he discreetly circulated in France and England. After his death on 15 February 1682, his journal of Spiritual Retreats was found to contain a copy in his handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the Devotion.

This journal, including the account – an “offering” to The Sacred Heart in which the Devotion was explained – was published at Lyon in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray-le-Monial. Margaret Mary reported feeling “dreadful confusion” over the book’s contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished Devotion.

Along with The Visitandines, Priests, Religious, and Laymen, espoused the Devotion, particularly The Capuchins. The reported Apparitions served as a catalyst for the promotion of the Devotion to The Sacred Heart. Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called “The Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus”, and Father Joseph de Gallifet, SJ, promoted the Devotion. The mission of propagating the new Devotion was especially confided to The Religious of The Visitation and to The Priests of The Society of Jesus.

Stained-Glass Window depicting The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

All Saints Catholic Church,

St Peters, Missouri, United States of America.

Photo: 8 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Nheyob

(Wikimedia Commons)

Estelle Faguette.

On the night of 14 February 1876, a domestic servant, Estelle Faguette, lay in Pellevoisin, France, dying of pulmonary tuberculosis, and reportedly saw The Virgin Mary. Four days later, during the fifth Apparition, Estelle seemed to be healed instantaneously. Altogether, she said she experienced fifteen Apparitions in the course of 1876. Estelle sought and was granted an audience with The Archbishop of Bourges, Monsignor de La Tour d'Auvergne. By 12 December 1876, she had received his permission to make and distribute copies of The Scapular of The Sacred Heart.

English: Blessed Sister Mary of The Divine Heart, Droste zu Vischering.

Mother Superior of The Convent of The Good Shepherd Sisters,

Porto, Portugal.

Date: 1896.

Português: Retrato da Bem-aventurada Irmã

Maria do Divino Coração Droste zu Vischering,

Madre Superiora do Convento do Bom Pastor do Porto (1896).

Source: Prayer Card of Blessed Mary of The Divine Heart.

Placed in the Public Domain by her Shrine in Ermesinde, Portugal.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Blessed Mary of The Divine Heart.

Another source for the Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus was Sister Mary of The Divine Heart (1863–1899), the former Countess of Droste zu Vischering, and Nun of The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of The Good Shepherd, who reported to have received several Interior Locutions and Visions of Jesus Christ.

The first Interior Locution that Maria Droste zu Vischering reported was during her youth, spent with the family in The Castle of Darfeld, Münster, Germany, and the last Vision and Private Revelation was reported during her presence as Mother Superior in The Convent of The Sisters of The Good Shepherd, Porto, Portugal.

Based on the messages she said she received in her Revelations of Christ, on 10 June 1898, her Confessor at The Good Shepherd Monastery wrote to Pope Leo XIII, stating that Sister Mary of The Divine Heart had received a message from Christ, requesting the Pope to Consecrate the entire World to The Sacred Heart.

The Pope initially attached no credence to it and took no action. However, on 6 January 1899, she sent another Letter asking that, in addition to the Consecration, The First Fridays of the Month be observed In Honour of The Sacred Heart.

Sister Mary of The Divine Heart died in her Monastery in Portugal, when the Church was singing the First Vespers of The Sacred Heart of Jesus on 8 June 1899. The following day, Pope Leo XIII Consecrated the entire World to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Papal Approval.

In 1353, Pope Innocent VI instituted a Mass honouring The Mystery of The Sacred Heart.

After the death of Margaret Mary Alacoque, on 17 October 1690, a short account of her life was published by Father Croiset in 1691 as an appendix to his book “De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur”. In 1693, The Holy See imparted Indulgences to The Confraternities of The Sacred Heart, and, in 1697, granted The Feast to The Visitandines with The Mass of The Five Wounds, but refused a Feast common to all, with special Mass and Office.

The Devotion spread, particularly in Religious Communities. The Marseille Plague in 1720 furnished perhaps the first occasion for a Solemn Consecration and Public Worship outside of Religious Communities.

Other Cities of Southern Europe followed the example of Marseille. In 1726, Rome was again asked for a Feast, with a Mass and Office of its own; this was refused in 1729, but granted in 1765. In that year, at the request of The Queen, The Feast was received quasi-officially by The Episcopate of France.

In 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French Bishops, Blessed Pope Pius IX extended The Feast to The Catholic Church under The Rite of “Double-Major”. In 1889, The Feast was raised by The Catholic Church to a “Double of The First-Class”.

After Pope Leo XIII received several Letters from Sister Mary of The Divine Heart asking him to Consecrate the entire World to The Sacred Heart of Jesus, he commissioned a group of Theologians to examine the petition on the basis of Revelation and Sacred Tradition.

The outcome of this investigation was positive, and so, in the Encyclical Letter “Annum Sacrum” (on 25 May 1899), he decreed that The Consecration of The Entire Human Race to The Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on 11 June 1899. The Encyclical Letter also encouraged the entire Catholic Episcopate to promote The First Friday Devotions, and established June as The Month of The Sacred Heart, and included the Prayer of Consecration to The Sacred Heart.

Pope Pius X decreed that The Consecration of The Human Race, performed by Pope Leo XIII, be renewed each year. [Editor: It would be most interesting to be told that this is, in fact, still renewed each year and, if not, when was the last time it was enacted. Plus, if so, why it was stopped.]

Pope Pius XI, in his Encyclical Letter “Miserentissimus Redemptor” (8 May 1928) affirmed The Church‘s position, with respect to Saint Margaret Mary’s visions of Jesus Christ, by stating that Jesus had “manifested Himself” to Saint Margaret and had “promised her that all those who rendered this honour to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of Heavenly Graces”. The Encyclical refers several times to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret Mary and reaffirmed the importance of Consecration and Reparation to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of The 100th Anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX's Institution of The Feast, instructed the entire Catholic Church, at length, on The Devotion to The Sacred Heart in his Encyclical Letter “Haurietis Aquas” (15 May 1956).

On 15 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI sent a Letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, The Superior General of The Society of Jesus, on The 50th Anniversary of the Encyclical “Haurietis Aquas”. In his Letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the Devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Litany Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus.

Versicle.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Responsary.
Christ, have mercy on us.

Versicle.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.

Responsary.
Christ, graciously hear us.

Versicle.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed in the womb of the Virgin Mother by the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united substantially to the Word of God.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise.
Heart of Jesus, King and centre of all hearts.
Heart of Jesus, in whom art all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon Thee.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness.
Heart of Jesus, expiation for our offences.
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities.
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints.

Versicle.
Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the World,

Responsary.
 Spare us, O Lord.

Versicle.
Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the world,

Responsary.
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Versicle.
Lamb of God,
Who takest away the sins of the world,

Responsary.
Have mercy on us.

Versicle.
Jesus, meek and humble of Heart,

Responsary.
Make our hearts like unto Thine.

Let us Pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, look upon The Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to those who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, World without end.

Amen.

Whit Sunday. The Day Of Pentecost.

“THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST”.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.

This Article is taken from “The Liturgical Year”

by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.

Volume 9.

Paschal Time - Book III.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus,

Reple Tuorum corda fidelium,

Et Tui amoris in eis ignem accende.

Come, O Holy Spirit,

Fill the hearts of Thy Faithful,

And enkindle within them the fire of Thy love.

The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has at last shone upon the World.

The Days of Pentecost, as Saint Luke says, are accomplished. We have had seven weeks since The Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of fifty. This day is the Sunday already made holy by The Creation of Light, and by The Resurrection of Jesus: It is about to receive its final Consecration, and bring us The Fullness of God.

In the old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the fiftieth day. Israel had passed the waters of The Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of His Paschal Lamb !

Seven weeks were spent in the desert, which was to lead to The Promised Land; and the very 'morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and His People.

The Pentecost (the fiftieth day) was honoured by the promulgation of The Ten Commandments of The Divine Law; and every following year, the Isrælites celebrated the great event by a Solemn Festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: There was to be a second Pentecost, for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole World.

The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to The Son of God, The Conqueror of Death: Pentecost belongs to The Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this World, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law.

Saint Petronilla. Virgin. Feast Day 31 May.

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

Saint Petronilla.
   Virgin.
   Feast Day 31 May.

Simple.

White Vestments.

Saint Petronilla.

Illustration: TOM MAJOR'S SAINT OF THE DAY

Aurelia Petronilla was the Spiritual daughter of The Prince of The Apostles in the 1st-Century A.D.

God delivered her, by sudden death, from the snares laid to imperil her Virginity. Her body rests in the Basilica Dedicated to Saint Peter, who had taught her The Faith.

Mass: Vultum tuum.

Saint Petronilla.

Illustration: SANTORAL

The Altar of Saint Petronilla,

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Illustration: FATHER JERABEK'S BLOG

The Altar of Saint Petronilla,

Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.

Illustration: FATHER JERABEK'S BLOG

31 May. The Feast Day Of Saint Angela De Merici And Saint Petronilla.

This Text is taken from “The Liturgical Year”, by Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated from the French by Dom. Laurent Shepherd, O.S.B.

Volume 8.
Paschal Time.
Book II.

This last day of May, which is honoured by the Virginal triumph of Saint Aurelia Petronilla, in the first age of The Church, is also fragrant with the Lilies that wreathe the brow of Saint Angela de Merici.

The Sixteenth-Century, which, a few days back, offered to Our Risen Lord the Seraphic Magdalen de Pazzi [Editor: Feast Day 29 May], now presents Him with this second fruit of heroic Sanctity.

Saint Angela de Merici.

Virgin.

Angela de Merici realised the whole meaning of her beautiful name. She possessed the purity of The Blessed Spirits in a mortal body, and she imitated their celestial energy by the vigorous practice of every virtue.

This heroine of grace trampled beneath her feet everything that could impede her Heavenly march. Gifted at an early age with the highest contemplation, she bravely travelled to Palestine, there to Venerate the footsteps of her Divine Spouse, Jesus.

After this, she visited the New Jerusalem, Rome, and offered up her fervent Prayers at The Confession of Saint Peter. She then returned to her life of seclusion and Founded a Religious Order, which is, and will be to the end of time, one of the glories and aids of Holy Church.

The thought of the great Saint Ursula and her Virginal Legion made a great impression on Angela's Soul, and she, too, would form, to Our Lord, an army of valiant women.

Saint Ursula confronted the barbarian host; Saint Angela would give battle to the World and to its seductions, which are so dangerous to young girls. God Blessed her with victory. As a trophy of her combats, she can point to the countless generations of young people whom her Order has saved during the last three Centuries, by giving them a solid Christian education. The Liturgy speaks of the virtues and actions of Saint Angela.

Saint Angela was enrolled in The List of Holy Virgins, by Pope Pius VII, in a Solemn Canonisation, Celebrated in The Vatican Basilica, 24 May 1807.

Thou didst fight the battles of Our Lord, O, Angela, and thy holy labours merited for thee a glorious rest in the mansions of Eternal Bliss. An insatiable zeal for The Honour of Jesus, Whom thou hadst chosen as thy Spouse, and an ardent Charity for the creatures redeemed by His Precious Blood were the characteristics of thy whole life.

This love of thy neighbour made thee the mother of a countless progeny; for, who can number the young children that have been educated, in sound Doctrine and Piety, by thy daughters ? Thou didst powerfully contribute to the welfare of Christian society, by thus preparing so many for the duties of domestic life; and how many other Congregations, in imitation of thy Ursulines, have taken up the same admirable work, and have brought consolation to The Church, and happiness to the World ?

The Sovereign Pontiff has ordered that thy Feast should be kept throughout the whole Church. He declared, in issuing this Decree, that he wished to put under thy maternal protection the young girls, who are, nowadays, exposed to such fearful dangers by the enemies of Christ and His Church.

They have formed the project of undermining the Faith of women, that so their good influence may be destroyed in their families. Disconcert these impious plans, O, Angela ! Protect thy sex; nourish within it the sentiment of the dignity of Christian women, and society may still be saved.

We turn to thee, O, Spouse of Christ, and ask for fervour in The Liturgical Year, wherein we are made to follow in the path that was so dear to thee. Thy Devotion in following The Divine Mysteries, which are successively brought before us, led thee to visit The Holy Land.

Thou didst long to see Nazareth and Bethlehem, to traverse Galilee and Judea, to give thanks in The Cenacle, to weep on Calvary, and to adore the glorious Sepulchre. Deign to Bless our feeble desires and efforts to tread in these same holy paths. We have still to follow thee to Mount Olivet, whence Our Redeemer ascended into Heaven; we have to return to The Cenacle, which the Holy Ghost is preparing to light up with His Divine Fire.

Obtain for us, O, Angela, that we may follow thee to these hallowed spots, which made thee quit thy Country and undertake a long and perilous pilgrimage. Oh !, prepare our hearts for the sublime Mysteries, which are to crown our Paschal Season.

The same day.

Saint Petronilla.

Virgin.

Though The Church makes but a simple Commemoration of this illustrious Virgin in The Office of this day, we will not fail to offer her the homage of our devout Veneration. On the twelfth of this month, we kept the Feast of the noble Virgin and Martyr, Flavia Domitilla; it is probable that Aurelia Petronilla was also of The Imperial Family of The Flavii.

The early Traditions of The Church speak of her as being the spiritual daughter of The Prince of The Apostles; and, though she did not, like Domitilla, lay down her life for The Faith, yet she offered to Jesus that next richest gift, her Virginity.

The same venerable authorities tell us that a Roman Patrician, by name Flaccus, having asked her in marriage, she requested three days for consideration, during which confidently besought the aid of her Divine Spouse.

Flaccus presented himself on the third day, but found the Palace in mourning, and her family busy in preparing the funeral obsequies of the young Virgin, who had taken her flight to Heaven, as a Dove that is startled by an intruder's approach.

In the 8th-Century A.D., the Holy Pope, Paul 1, had the body of Saint Petronilla taken from the Cemetery of Domitilla, on The Ardeatine Way. Her Relics were found in a Marble Sarcophagus, the lid of which was adorned, at each corner, with a Dolphin. The Pope had them enshrined in a little Church, which he built near The South Side of The Vatican Basilica. This Church was destroyed in the 16th-Century A.D., in consequence of the alterations needed for the building of the new Basilica of Saint Peter; and the Relics of Saint Petronilla were Translated to one of its Altars on The West Side.

It was but just that she should await her glorious resurrection under the shadow of The Great Apostle, who had initiated her in The Faith, and prepared her for her Eternal Nuptials with The Lamb.

Thy triumph, O, Petronilla, is one of our Easter joys. We lovingly Venerate thy Blessed Memory. Thou didst disdain the pleasures and honours of the World, and thy Virginal name is one of the first on The List of The Church of Rome, which was thy mother.

Aid her, now, by thy Prayers. Protect those who seek thine Intercession, and teach us how to Celebrate, with Holy Enthusiasm, The Solemnities that are soon to gladden us.

The Web-Site of The Ursulines, Founded by Saint Angela De Merici, can be found HERE