ZEPHYRINUS.

Wednesday 17 August 2022

Company Sergeant-Major David George Parfitt (R.I.P.). 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion.

Company Sergeant-Major David George Parfitt (R.I.P.).
8th Canadian Infantry Battalion.
Killed-in-Action 26 September 1916.
Photos: Courtesy of Canadian Armed Forces.

English: Flag of Canada introduced in 1965, using Pantone colors. This design replaced the Canadian Red Ensign design.
Français : Drapeau du Canada introduit en 1965,
utilisant les couleurs Pantone. Cette conception
a remplacé la conception du Red Ensign canadien.
Date: 19 April 2014 (original upload date).
Source: This vector image is generated programmatically from geometry defined in File:Flag of Canada
(construction sheet - leaf geometry).svg.
Author: The original uploader was Illegitimate Barrister at Wikimedia Commons. The current SVG encoding
is a rewrite performed by MapGrid.
(Wikimedia Commons)

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION

The identity of a previously-unknown Canadian Soldier of The First World War in The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt, France, is now confirmed as Company Sergeant-Major David George Parfitt.

David George Parfitt was born on 4 July 1891, in London, England. He was the son of Frederick and Elizabeth Parfitt (née Woodhouse) and immigrated to Canada at the age of eighteen.

He was a mill worker in Keewatin, Ontario, before enlisting in Valcartier, Quebec. Three of his brothers also enlisted: William (Royal Canadian Navy); Arthur (Canadian Expeditionary Force); Frederick (British Army). All three survived the War.

Having been a member of the Non-Permanent Active Militia for four years, David Parfitt was promoted to the rank of Sergeant upon enlisting.

The 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion, with Sergeant Parfitt in its ranks, arrived in France in February 1915. In September 1915, he was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant-Major.

He was Killed-in-Action during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, one of the Battles of The Somme.

On 26 September 1916, one of the objectives of The 1st Canadian Division (which included The 8th Infantry Battalion, within The 2nd Infantry Brigade) was to take and occupy a series of trenches located between Thiepval and Courcelette, France.

Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt lost his life leading a Platoon from D Company, 8th Infantry Battalion, in the attack that day.

Although his body was later found and buried in Regina Trench British Military Cemetery, there was insufficient evidence of his identity for the grave to be named.

Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt was therefore Commemorated on The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, erected in memory of Canadian Soldiers killed in France during The First World War who have no known grave.

The grave was known to be that of a “Sergeant-Major of The 8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry”. who had died in the area where Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt was last seen.

Following extensive archival research by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Directorate of History and Heritage, to corroborate the findings of an independent researcher, the identification was confirmed in November 2019 by the Casualty Identification Review Board, which includes representatives from The Canadian Forces Forensic Odontology Response Team and The Canadian Museum of History.

A Headstone re-dedication Ceremony will take place at the earliest opportunity at The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Regina Trench Cemetery, in France.

The Honourable Anita Anand, Canadian Minister of National Defence, said: “We remember the courage of the Canadians who served our Nation both at home and overseas in The First World War.

“The successful identification of Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt is a reminder for all Canadians of the ultimate sacrifice made by many in Service to our Nation.

To the family of Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt, know that Canada honours him and is grateful for his service.”

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence said: “Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt was one of our own – a Canadian Soldier who fought for our Country with honour during The First World War.

“His name is engraved on the base of The Canadian National Vimy Memorial along with those of the more than 11,000 of his comrades who were posted as “missing, presumed dead” in France.

“Now that his grave has been identified, I’m pleased to know he will receive a permanent Headstone to commemorate his courage, Service, and ultimate sacrifice.”

Mel Donnelly, Head of Commemorations Casework at Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said: “It is a privilege for us to work with our partners in Canada to continue the Commission’s efforts to identify the graves of those who fell more than 100 years ago.

“We’re grateful to all those who contributed to this case and honoured to be able to erect a new Commonwealth War Graves Commission Headstone naming Company Sergeant-Major Parfitt.”

Westminster Abbey (Part Six).

English: Rose Window, Westminster Abbey.
Magyar: Westminster-apátság, az északi rózsaablak, Sir James Thornhill alkotása (az üvegmozaikokon 11 apostol figurájával) (London, Egyesült Királyság).
Photo: 8 May 2006.
Source: Transferred from hu.wikipedia to Commons.
Author: Kiss Tamás (Kit36a at Hungarian Wikipedia)
(Wikimedia Commons)

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

Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School are also in the precincts of the Abbey. The Choir School educates and trains the Choirboys, who sing for Services in the Abbey.[79]

Westminster Abbey is renowned for its Choral Tradition, and the repertoire of Anglican Church Music is heard in Daily Worship, particularly at the Service of Choral Evensong.[80][81]

The Organ was built by Harrison & Harrison in 1937, then with four Manuals and eighty-four Speaking Stops, and was used for the first time at the coronation of King George VI. Some pipework from the previous Hill organ of 1848 was revoiced and incorporated in the new scheme. The two organ cases, designed and built in the late 19th century by John Loughborough Pearson, were re-instated and coloured in 1959.[82]

Writ of King Edward the Confessor to Westminster Abbey granting land at Perton, Staffordshire, England.
Date: Circa 1062 - 1066.
Source: http://www.digipal.eu/digipal/page/320/
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1982 and 1987, Harrison & Harrison enlarged the Organ under the direction of the, then, Abbey Organist, Simon Preston, to include an additional Lower Choir Organ and a Bombarde Organ: The current instrument now has five Manuals and 109 Speaking Stops.

In 2006, the Console of the Organ was refurbished by Harrison & Harrison, and space was prepared for two additional 16ft Stops on the Lower Choir Organ and the Bombarde Organ.[82]

The current Organist and Master of the Choristers, James O’Donnell, has been in Post since 2000.[83]

The entrance to The Chapter House, Westminster Abbey.
Photo: 27 September 2006.
Source: Westminster Abbey
Author: Herry Lawford
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Bells at the Abbey were overhauled in 1971. The Ring is now made up of ten Bells, hung for Change Ringing, cast in 1971 by The Whitechapel Bell Foundry, tuned to the notes F#, E, D, C#, B, A, G, F#, E and D.

The Tenor Bell, in D (588.5 Hz), has a weight of thirty cwt,

1 qtr, 15 lb (3403 lb or 1544 kg).[84]

In addition, there are two Service Bells, cast by Robert Mot, in 1585 and 1598, respectively, a Sanctus Bell, cast in 1738 by Richard Phelps and Thomas Lester, and two unused Bells – one Bell cast about 1320, by the successor to R. de Wymbish, and a second Bell, cast in 1742, by Thomas Lester.[84]

“O, Magnum Mysterium”.
Westminster Cathedral Choir.
Available on YouTube at
YOU TUBE

The two Service Bells and the 1320 Bell, along with a fourth, small, Silver, “Dish Bell”, kept in the Refectory, have been noted as being of historical importance by The Church Buildings Council of The Church of England.[85]

The Chapter House was built concurrently with the East parts of the Abbey under King Henry III, between 1245 and 1253.[86] It was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1872. The Entrance is approached from the East Cloister Walk and includes a Double Doorway with a large Tympanum, above.[86]

Inner and Outer Vestibules lead to the Octagonal Chapter House. It is built in a Geometrical Gothic Style with an Octagonal Crypt, below. A Pier of eight Shafts carries the Vaulted Ceiling.

Coat-of-Arms, Westminster Abbey.
Blazon:
Azure, a Cross Patonce between · five Martlets Or; and on a Chief Or a Pale Quarterly of France Modern and England between two Roses Gules Barbed and Seeded Proper.
Date: 16 September 2021.
Source: Own work.
Elements from File:Royal Arms of Edward the Confessor.svg, File:Royal Arms of England (1603-1707).svg,
File:Tudor Rose.svg
Artist: Fenn-O-maniC
(Wikimedia Commons)

To the sides, are Blind Arcading, remains of 14th-Century Paintings and numerous Stone Benches, above which are innovatory large Four-Light, Quatre-Foiled, Windows.[86] These are virtually contemporary with The Sainte-Chapelle, Paris.[86]

The Chapter House has an original Mid-13th-Century tiled Pavement. A Door, made with wood from a single tree grown in Hainault Forest, within the Vestibule, dates from around 1050 and is one of the oldest in Britain.[87][88]

The Exterior includes Flying Buttresses, added in the 14th-Century, and a leaded Tent-Lantern Roof on an iron frame, designed by Scott.

The Coronation of Queen Victoria, Westminster Abbey.
Date: 1839.
Artist: John Martin (1789–1854).
Collection: Tate Britain.
Source/Photographer: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Chapter House was originally used in the 13th-Century by Benedictine Monks for daily meetings. It later became a meeting place of The King’s Great Council and The Commons, predecessors of Parliament.[89]

The Pyx Chamber formed the Undercroft of the Monks’ Dormitory. It dates to the Late-11th-Century and was used as a Monastic and Royal Treasury.

The Outer Walls and Circular Piers are of 11th-Century date, several of the Capitals were enriched in the 12th-Century, and the Stone Altar added in the 13th-Century.

The Coronation of King George IV, Westminster Abbey.
Date: 19 July 1821.
Artist: James Stephanoff (1786–1874).
Source: http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/
collection/750785/coronation-of-george-iv-
in-westminster-abbey-19-july-1821
(Wikimedia Commons)

The term “Pyx” refers to the Boxwood Chest in which coins were held and presented to a Jury during the Trial of the Pyx, in which newly-minted coins were presented to ensure they conformed to the required standards.[90]

The Chapter House and Pyx Chamber at Westminster Abbey are in the guardianship of English Heritage, but under the care and management of The Dean and Chapter of Westminster.[89]

The Westminster Abbey Museum was located in the 11th-Century Vaulted Undercroft beneath the former Monks’ Dormitory in Westminster Abbey. This was one of the oldest areas of the Abbey, dating back almost to the Foundation of the Church by Edward the Confessor in 1065.

This space had been used as a Museum since 1908[91], but was closed to the public in June 2018, when it was replaced as a Museum by The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, high up in the Abbey Triforium.[53]

The Westminster Abbey Web-Site can be accessed HERE

This concludes the Article on Westminster Abbey.

The Octave Day Of Saint Laurence. 17 August.

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

The Octave Day Of Saint Laurence.
17 August.

Double.

Red Vestments.

Mass: Probásti.
Creed. Is said.

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)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

“Octave” has two senses in Christian Liturgical usage.

In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a Feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the Feast, itself. The word is derived from Latin “octava” (eighth), with “dies” (day) understood.

In the second sense, the term is applied to the whole period of these eight days, during which certain major Feasts came to be observed.

Octaves, not being successive, are quite distinct from eight-day weeks and simply refer to the return of the same day of a seven-day week in the inclusive counting system used in Latin (just as the ninth day was a return to the same day of a nundinal cycle, the eight-day week of the pre-Christian Roman calendar).

The “eighth day”, or “Octava Dies”, was associated with the weekly Christian Celebration of The Resurrection of Christ every “eighth day”, which became a name for Sunday.

As Circumcision was performed on the "eighth day" after birth, the number eight became associated also with Baptism, and Baptismal Fonts have, from an early date, often been octagonal.

The practice of Octaves was first introduced under Emperor Constantine I, when the Dedication Festivities of the Basilicas at Jerusalem and Tyre, Lebanon, were observed for eight days. After these one-off occasions, annual Liturgical Feasts began to be dignified with an Octave.

The first such Feasts were Easter, Pentecost, and, in The East, Epiphany. This occurred in the 4th-Century A.D. and served as a period of time for the newly-Baptised to take a joyful Retreat.

The development of Octaves occurred slowly. From the 4th-Century A.D. to the 7th-Century A.D., Christians observed Octaves with a Celebration on the eighth day, with little development of the Liturgies of the intervening days.

Christmas was the next Feast to receive an Octave. By the 8th-Century A.D., Rome had developed Liturgical Octaves, not only for Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas, but also for The Epiphany and The Feast of The Dedication of a Church.

From the 7th-Century A.D., Saints’ Feasts also began to have Octaves (an eighth-day Feast, not eight days of Feasts), among the oldest being the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Lawrence and Saint Agnes.

From the 12th-Century, the custom developed of Liturgical observance of the days between the first and the eighth day, as well as the eighth day. During The Middle Ages, Octaves for various other Feasts and Saints were Celebrated depending upon the Diocese or Religious Order.

Modern History.

From Pope Saint Pius V to Pope Pius XII.

After 1568, when Pope Pius V reduced the number of Octaves, they were still numerous. Not only on the eighth day from the Feast, but on all the intervening days, The Liturgy was the same as on the Feast, itself, with exactly the same Prayers and Scripture Readings.

Octaves were classified into several types:

Easter and Pentecost had “Specially Privileged” Octaves, during which no other Feast whatsoever could be Celebrated;

Christmas, Epiphany, and Corpus Christi had “Privileged” Octaves, during which certain highly-ranked Feasts might be Celebrated. The Octaves of other Feasts allowed even more Feasts to be Celebrated.

To reduce the repetition of the same Liturgy for several days, Pope Leo XIII and Pope Saint Pius X made further distinctions, classifying Octaves into three primary types:

Privileged Octaves;

Common Octaves;

Simple Octaves.

Privileged Octaves were further arranged in a hierarchy of First, Second, and Third Orders.

For the first half of the 20th-Century, Octaves were ranked in the following manner, which affected holding other Celebrations within their time-frames:

Privileged Octaves:

Privileged Octaves of The First Order:

Octave of Easter

Octave of Pentecost

Privileged Octaves of The Second Order:

Octave of Epiphany

Octave of Corpus Christi

Privileged Octaves of The Third Order:

Octave of Christmas

Octave of The Ascension

Octave of The Sacred Heart

Common Octaves:

Octave of The Immaculate Conception BVM

Octave of The Solemnity of Saint Joseph

Octave of The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Octave of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Octave of The Assumption BVM

Octave of All Saints

Simple Octaves:

Octave of Saint Stephen

Octave of Saint John the Apostle

Octave of The Holy Innocents

Octave of Saint Laurence

Octave of The Nativity BVM

In addition to these, The Patron Saint of a particular Nation, Diocese, or Church, was Celebrated with an Octave, on each day of which The Mass and Office of The Feast was repeated, unless impeded by another Celebration.

Although The Feasts of Saint Laurence and The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary officially still had Simple Octaves, by the 20th-Century they had all but vanished as higher-ranking Feasts were added to The Calendar.

The Octave Day, alone, of Saint Laurence was still Commemorated during The Mass of Saint Hyacinth. The entire Octave of The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary was impeded, but The Most Holy Name of Mary was Celebrated during The Octave and The Seven Sorrows of The Blessed Virgin Mary was Celebrated on the former Octave Day.

Reduction by Pius XII and Paul VI.

Pope Pius XII simplified The Calendar with a Decree, dated 23 March 1955: Only The Octaves of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost were kept; these Octaves differed from the others in not repeating the same Liturgy daily. All other Octaves in The Roman Rite were suppressed, including those in Local Calendars. (See General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII#Octaves.) In 1969, The Roman Catholic Church further revised The Roman Calendar by removing The Octave of Pentecost.

The first eight days of The Easter Season make up The Octave of Easter and are Celebrated as Solemnities of The Lord, with Proper Readings and Prayers. Since 30 April 2000, The "Second Sunday of Easter", which concludes The Easter Octave, has also been called Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Christmas Octave is arranged as follows:

Sunday within The Octave: Feast of The Holy Family; Celebrated on Friday, 30 December, when Christmas is a Sunday;

26 December: Feast of Saint Stephen;

27 December: Feast of John the Apostle;

28 December: Feast of The Holy Innocents;

29 - 31 December: Days within The Octave, with assigned Readings and Prayers, on which the Celebration of Optional Memorials is permitted according to special rubrics (but, as noted above, when Christmas is a Sunday, The Feast of The Holy Family is Celebrated on 30 December);

1 January: Octave Day of The Nativity; Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Eastern Christian usage:

Afterfeast.

Among The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Churches, what in The West would be called an Octave is referred to as an Afterfeast. The Celebration of The Great Feasts of The Church Year are extended for a number days, depending upon the particular Feast. Each day of an Afterfeast will have particular Hymns assigned to it, continuing the theme of The Feast being Celebrated.

Most of these Great Feasts also have a day or more of preparation called a Forefeast (those Feasts that are on the moveable Paschal Cycle do not have Forefeasts). Forefeasts and Afterfeasts will affect the structure of the Services during The Canonical Hours.

The last day of an Afterfeast is called the Apodosis (literally "giving-back") of The Feast. On the Apodosis, most of the Hymns that were Chanted on the first day of The Feast are repeated. On the Apodosis of Feasts of The Theotokos, the Epistle and Gospel of The Feast are repeated again at The Divine Liturgy.

Non-Liturgical usage.

The term “Octave” is applied to some Church Observances that are not strictly Liturgical. For example, many Churches observe an annual “Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity”, which runs from 18 January to 25 January.

This Octave was established in 1895 by Pope Leo XIII for the period between Ascension and Pentecost. In 1909, Pope Saint Pius X approved the Transfer of this Octave to the period between the former Feast of The Chair of Saint Peter and The Feast of The Conversion of Saint Paul.

In 1968, The World Council of Churches and The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity agreed to jointly publish Prayer materials for the occasion under the title "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", but it is still often referred to as an Octave, especially within The Roman Catholic and Anglo-Catholic Traditions. The Week of Prayer is observed at various times around the World, especially in The Southern Hemisphere, where it is commonly observed from Ascension to Pentecost.

Each year, Luxembourg holds what is called The Octave Celebration from The Third Sunday after Easter to The Fifth Sunday after Easter, fifteen days, instead of eight days, in honour of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Patroness of the City.

Saint Hyacinth (1185 - 1257). “The Apostle Of The North”. Confessor. Feast Day 17 August.

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

Saint Hyacinth.
Confessor.
Feast Day 17 August.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: The Virgin and Child appear to Saint Hyacinth.
Français: La Vierge et l'Enfant
apparaissant à saint Hyacinthe.
Artist: Ludovico Carracci (1555–1619).
Date: 1594.
Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Source/Photographer: www.heiligenlexikon.de
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Hyacinth, called “The Apostle of The North”, was born in 1185 at the Castle of Kamin, near Breslau, (now Wroclaw, Poland).

Having gone to Rome, he was received there into The Order of Friar Preachers, by its Founder, Saint Dominic, in the Church of Saint Sabina. At the age of thirty-three, he was made Superior of The Mission which this Saint sent to Poland.

Saint Hyacinth then went over to Austria, Poland, Denmark, Scotland, and Livonia, everywhere Preaching The Word of God, which his numerous Miracles confirmed.

He died on The Feast of The Assumption (15 August) in 1257.

Mass: Os justi.
Commemoration: The Octave of The Assumption.
Commemoration: The Octave of Saint Laurence by The Collects of The Mass: Probásti, Domine (The Octave Day of Saint Laurence).
Creed. Is said.
Preface: Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Tuesday 16 August 2022

The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Stained-Glass Window.

The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Illustration: STAINED GLASS ZEALOT

“Jam Lucis Orto Sidere”. Ambrosian Hymn Sung At The Canonical Hour Of Prime. Translated By Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman, Who Was Canonised On 13 October 2019.

“Jam Lucis Orto Sidere”.
Available on YouTube at
YOU TUBE

Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman.

Artist: John Everett Millais (1829–1896).

Date: 1881.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery.

Source/Photographer: NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

(Wikimedia Commons)

“Jam Lucis Orto Sidere”.
Sung by: Giovanni Vianini.
Canto Ambrosiano, “Jam Lucis Orto Sidere”, Inno "Ad Primam" "Liturgia Horarum" studi vari di Giovanni Vianini, su spartito con notazione a rombo, scrittura originale del canto liturgico milanese.
Available on YouTube at
YOU TUBE

“Jam Lucis Orto Sidere”.

Ambrosian Hymn Sung At The Canonical Hour Of Prime.

Translated By Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman.

The star of morn to night succeeds;

We therefore meekly Pray,

May God, in all our words and deeds,

Keep us from harm this day.

May He in love restrain us still

From tones of strife and words of ill,

And wrap around and close our eyes

To Earth's absorbing vanities.

May wrath and thoughts that gender shame

Ne’er in our breasts abide,

And painful abstinences tame

Of wanton flesh the pride.

So when the weary day is o’er,

And night and stillness come once more,

Blameless and clean from spot of Earth

We may repeat with reverent mirth —

To God The Father Glory be,

And to His Only Son,

And to The Spirit, One and Three,

While endless ages run.

Amen.

(English lyrics from WIKISOURCE)

Jam lucis orto sidere,

Deum precémur supplices,

Ut in diurnis áctibus

Nos servet a nocéntibus.

Linguam refraénans témperet,

Ne litis horror insonet,

Visum fovéndo contegat,

Ne vanitátes háuriat.

Ut cum dies abscésserit,

Noctémque sors reduxerit,

Mundi per abstinéntiam

Ipsi canamus gloriam.

Deo Patri sit gloria,

Eiusque soli Filio,

Cum Spiritu Paraclito,

Nunc et per omne saéculum.

Amen.

(Latin lyrics from PRECES-LATINÆ)

Saint Joachim. Father Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day 16 August.

Text and Illustrations 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.

The following paragraph is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

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.

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.

"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).