The Papal Court.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIII with The Papal Court.

Illustration: FACEBOOK PAPAL LITURGY

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

The Papal Household, or Pontifical Household (Latin: Pontificalis Domus), called, until 1968, The Papal Court (Aula Pontificia),[2] consists of dignitaries who assist The Pope in carrying out particular Ceremonies of either a Religious or a Civil Character.

It is organised into two Bodies:

The Papal Chapel (Cappella Pontificia), which assists The Pope in his functions as Spiritual Head of The Church, especially in Religious Ceremonies;

The Papal Family, or, Papal Household (Familia Pontificia), which assists him as Head of a Juridical Body with Civil Functions.[3]

In The Papal States, from Mediæval times, The Papal Nobility formed a part of The Papal Court.

Reform of Paul VI.

On 28 March 1968, Pope Paul VI reorganised The Papal Court with an Apostolic Letter “Motu Proprio”, renaming it “The Papal Household” (Latin: Pontificalis Domus).

In changing the name from what it had been for some Centuries, Pope Paul VI said he was returning an “original and noble” name.[10] Moreover, many positions were consolidated into new ones or altogether abolished. According to the “Motu Proprio”: “Many of the Offices entrusted to Members of The Papal Household were deprived of their function, continuing to exist as purely Honorary Positions, without much correspondence to concrete needs of the times”.[10]

In The Papal Chapel, the following Positions were altered or destroyed:

Palatine Cardinals (Cardinali Palatini);

Prelates di fiocchetto;

Prince-Assistants to the Throne (Principi assistenti al Soglio);

Majordomo of His Holiness;

The Interior Minister;

Commander of Santo Spirito;

Roman Magistrate;

Master of The Sacred Apostolic Hospice;

Chamberlains of Honour in abito paonazzo;

Secret Chaplains and Secret Chaplains of Honour;

Secret Clerics;

Confessor of The Pontifical Family;

Candle-Carrying Acolytes (Ceroferari);

Common Papal Chaplains;

Porter-Masters of The Virga Rubea;

Guardian of The Sacred Tiara;

Mace-Bearer; and Apostolic Messenger (Cursori Apostolici).[11]

Of these Offices, the Suppressed Offices of Secret Chaplain and Secret Chaplain of Honour, Secret Cleric, Acolyte Ceroferari, Common Papal Chaplain, and Porter-Masters of The Virga Rubea were consolidated under The General Title of “Cleric of The Papal Chapel”.[12]

The Papal Family underwent even more radical changes. Abolished and considered were the following Titles:

The Palatine Prelates (i.e., Majordomo of His Holiness, Master of The Chamber [Maestro di Camera], Auditor of His Holiness);

Master of The Sacred Apostolic Hospice;

The Hereditary Quartermaster General of The Sacred Apostolic Palace (Foriere Maggiore);

Master of The Horse to His Holiness (Cavallerizzo Maggiore di Sua Santità);

General Superintendent of Posts;

The Keepers of The Golden Rose;

Secretary to Embassies;

Esente of The Noble Guard of Service;

Chamberlains of Honour in abito paonazzo;

Chamberlains of Honour extra Urbem;

Secret Chaplains and Secret Chaplains of Honour;

Secret Chaplains of Honour extra Urbem;

Secret Clerics;

Common Papal Chaplains;

Confessor of The Pontifical Family;

Secret Steward (Scalco Segreto).[13]

The Master of The Sacred Palace (The Pope's Dominican Theologian) has been re-named Theologian of The Pontifical Household.[14] Currently The Post is held by Fr. Wojciech Giertych, a Polish Dominican former Student of, and Professor of, Theology, at The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, who was appointed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2005 to replace the Swiss Cardinal, Georges Cottier, now Theologian Emeritus of The Pontifical Household.

The Titles of Secret Almoner and Sacristan of His Holiness were changed to Almoner of His Holiness, and Vicar-General of His Holiness for Vatican City, respectively, and the responsibilities of The Secretary to Embassies and Secretary of The Wardrobe were commuted into The Office of The Prelates of The Ante-Chamber.

Domestic Prelates and Secret Chamberlains supernumerary remained part of The Papal Family, but were henceforth to be called Prelates of Honour of His Holiness and Chaplains of His Holiness, respectively.

Likewise, The Secret Chamberlains of The Cape and Sword (di cappa e spada) were retained under the Title “Gentlemen of His Holiness”, and The Bussolanti took the new name of Attachés of The Ante-Chamber.[15]

The Camerieri Segreti Partecipanti were abolished, as was the Title of Sub-Auditor (Subdatarius).[16]

There was also a change in Honorific Ecclesiastical Titles, which were reduced to three Categories:

Protonotaries Apostolic (de numero and supernumerary);

Prelates of Honour of His Holiness;

Chaplains of His Holiness.

All the other Categories of Monsignori were abolished.[17]

Saint Anne. Mother Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 26 July.

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

Saint Anne.
   Mother of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 26 July.

Double of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.

Saint Anne.

Mother of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

English: Statue of Saint Anne teaching The Virgin Mary (1722).

Parish Church of Saint Ulrich, Ulrichsberg, Austria.

Deutsch: Pfarrkirche Sant Ulrich in Ulrichsberg.

Statue der Heiligen Anna, wie sie der Jungfrau Maria

das Lesen bei bringt (1722).

Photo: 20 June 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wolfgang Sauber.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Joachim and Saint Anne,

parents of The Virgin Mary.

This File: 2 October 2006.

User: Gipsy

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Joachim and the Angel.

Français: Joachim et l'Ange.

Artist: Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528).

Date: 1504.

Current location: Petit Palais, Paris, France.

Source/Photographer: Albrecht Dürer:

œuvre gravé, catalogue de l'exposition à Paris,

au Musée du Petit Palais, 4 avril-21 juillet 1996.

ISBN 9782879002705.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Anne (also known as Ann or Anna, from the Hebrew "Hannah" חַנָּה, meaning "Favour" or "Grace") of David's House and Line, was The Mother of The Virgin Mary, and Grandmother of Jesus Christ.

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, His Feast Day is 16 August.

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis Toi Marie", 1/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc. Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The Akathist Hymn (Ἀκάθιστος Ὕμνος, Unseated Hymn) is a Hymn of Eastern Orthodox Tradition Dedicated to a Saint, Holy Event, or one of The Persons of The Holy Trinity. The name derives from the fact that during the Chanting of the Hymn, or sometimes the whole Service, the Congregation is expected to remain standing in reverence, without sitting down (Ancient Greek ἀ- (a), [without, not] + κάθισις (káthisis), [sitting]), except for the aged or infirm.

Mary's mother is not named in The Canonical Gospels, nor in the Qur'an. Anne's name and that of her husband, Joachim, come only from New Testament Apocrypha, of which The Protoevangelium of James (written perhaps around 150 A.D.) seems to be the earliest that mentions them.

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis toi Marie", 2/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc. Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis toi Marie", 3/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc. Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis toi Marie", 4/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc.Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis toi Marie", 5/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc. Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The story bears a similarity to that of the birth of Samuel, whose mother Hannah had also been childless. Although Anne receives little attention in The Western Church, prior to the Late-12th-Century, dedications to Anne in The Eastern Church occur as early as the 6th-Century A.D.

In The Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, she is revered as Hanna. In the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, Hanna, is ascribed the Title "Forbear of God", and both The Birth of Mary and The Dedication of Mary to the Temple are Celebrated as two of The Twelve Great Feasts. The Dormition of Hanna is also a Minor Feast in The Eastern Church. In Protestant Tradition, it is held that Martin Luther chose to enter Religious Life, as a Roman Catholic Augustinian Monk, after crying out to Saint Anne.

Akathist Hymn to The Mother of God.

"Réjouis toi Marie", 6/6.

Opéra d'images de Jean-Michel Mahenc. Créé pour les Nocturnes de Notre-Dame de Paris - L'hymne acathiste : un magnifique poème byzantin du VIe siècle sur la Vierge Marie. Sommet de la spiritualité orthodoxe - Commande du DVD : Tel 0160664564 - magali.barbizon@me.com

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Saint Anne.

Mother of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

The Church honours, with The Angels, in Holy Joy (Introit), The Mother of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

As her name signifies, [the name "Anne" derives from Hebrew. 'Hannah' meaning 'Grace"], Grace was poured on her, and she was Blessed by God for ever (Communion). "By His Grace, He made her deserve to be The Mother of The Mother of God" (Collect).

Filled with the Virtues which The Holy Ghost grants to good women, the Spouse of Saint Joachim surpassed all women by her Privileges and Graces (Epistle). Her Holiness made her leave everything for God, and she thereby acquired this Pearl and this Treasure (Gospel).

The Devotion to Saint Anne is founded on the bond which unites her to Mary and to The Incarnate Word. Its ancient Liturgy dates from the 6th-Century A.D., for The Eastern Church, and the 8th-Century A.D., for The Western Church.

It was authorised by Pope Urban IV in 1378. In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII fixed 26 July as the date of The Feast and Pope Leo XIII, in 1879, extended it to The Whole Church.

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

Mass: Gaudeámus omnes.

Please Pray For Rev. Fr. Charles Briggs, Parish Priest Of Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Chislehurst, Kent. And For His Parishioners.

Reverend Fr. Charles Briggs.

Parish Priest, Saint Mary's,

Chislehurst, Kent.

A Message From Fr. Charles Briggs

To All His Many Friends And Parishioners.

“Your Prayers would naturally be very much appreciated. As a Priest, I am well familiar with The Truths of our Faith concerning the last things of Death, Judgement, Hell, and Heaven, but the end of life here below is a trial for which none may presume on being fully prepared to face.

“I will offer up my sufferings; for you, my dear family and friends, in reparation for my sins, and in union with our dear Saviour’s redeeming Sacrifice on The Cross.

“My apologies if I do not get to say “Goodbye” personally, but, as Saint Thomas More said: “Pray for me, as I will for thee,

that we may merrily meet in Heaven” ”.

Fr. Charles Briggs.

Dear Jesus: Pray for him.

Dear Holy Mother Mary: Pray for him.

Dear Saint Charles Borromeo: Pray for him.

Letters and Cards for Fr. Briggs can be sent to:

Saint Mary's Catholic Church,

28, Crown Lane,

Chislehurst,

Kent BR7 5PL,

England.

E-Mail: chislehurst@rcaos.org.uk

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 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

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

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.

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 the Greater.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

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 (Low Masses): Saint Christopher.
   (Collects of Mass: In virtúte).

Saint James the Greater.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

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.

Simple.

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.

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 encyclopædia.

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 re-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.