Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Thursday 8 September 2022

The Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day, Today, 8 September.


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

The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
   Feast Day 8 September.

Double of The Second-Class
   with a Simple Octave.

White Vestments.



“Birth of The Virgin”.
Artist: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682).
Date: 1660.
Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Birth of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Available on YouTube at

This very ancient Feast was already Solemnised in the 7th-Century A.D., and Pope Innocent IV, to fulfil the Vow made by the Cardinals before the Election of his predecessor, gave it an Octave at The First Council of Lyons in 1245.

Today's date (8 September) has served to fix The Feast Day of The Immaculate Conception on 8 December.

Mary is inseparable from Jesus in The Divine Plan, wherefore The Liturgy applies to her what Holy Scripture says of The Eternal Wisdom, which is The Word "by Whom all was made".


Photo: 27 May 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Nyttend
(Wikimedia Commons)

Like Christ, The Virgin presides over the whole work of Creation, for, having been chosen of All Eternity to give us The Saviour, it is she, with her Son, whom God had chiefly in view when He created the World.

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

Mass: Salve, Sancta Parens.
Commemoration: Saint Adrian.
Creed: Is said.
Preface: Of The Blessed Virgin Mary: Et te in Nativitáte.

Wednesday 7 September 2022

The Vigil Of The Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. 7 September.

 


The Blessed Virgin Mary
is Crowned in Heaven by her Beloved Son.
Illustration: AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM






Text is taken from NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

On both The Vigil of The Nativity of The Virgin Mary, and The Feast, itself, The Ambrosian Mass reads a Lesson which very cleverly links two Biblical passages Traditionally associated with The Virgin Mary: The sixth Chapter of The Song of Songs, and the twenty-fourth Chapter of Ecclesiasticus.

“Thus sayeth Wisdom:

Song 6, 8-9.

She is the only one of her mother,
the chosen of her that bore her.

The daughters saw her, and declared her most Blessed:
The queens and concubines, and they praised her.

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the Moon, bright as the Sun, terrible as an army set in array ?


The Blessed Virgin Mary
is Crowned in Heaven by her Beloved Son.
Illustration: AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM







Sir. 24, 24-28.

I am the mother of fair love, and of fear,
and of knowledge, and of holy hope.

In me is all Grace of the way and of the truth,
in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

Come over to me, all ye that desire me,
and be filled with my fruits.

For my spirit is sweet above honey,
and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

My memory is unto everlasting generations.”


The Blessed Virgin Mary
is Crowned in Heaven by her Beloved Son.
Illustration: AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM



Catholic Churches Recognised In Thailand After Ninety-Three Year Wait.



Immaculate Conception Cathedral,
Chanthaburi, Thailand.
Picture Credit: Photo 206357218
© Apidech Ninkhlai | Dreamstime.com
Text and Illustration: FSSPX NEWS


On 23 August 2022, the Thai newspaper “Thai Post” reported that the Ministry of Culture had officially approved three Catholic Churches. No new Catholic Church had been recognised since 1929.

Itthiphol Khunpluem, Minister of Culture, stressed that the recognition of Churches was a measure to address the need for Religious harmony. “This certification of The Catholic Church is seen as a way to promote and encourage Religions in Thailand, in order to bring them into line with the current situation.”

The Minister also added that this measure aims to encourage people to have a place for their Religious activities and to “receive education and inculcate correct morals according to Religious principles.”



The Ministry of Culture has approved:
Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, Bangkok;
Saint Monica Church, Nan Province;
Saint Joseph Artisan Church, Phrae Province.

The Kingdom of Thailand had only recognised fifty-seven Catholic Churches until 1929. With these latest approvals, the number has risen to sixty.

In 2019, according to statistics, Thailand had about 388,000 Catholics, about ½ of one per cent of the sixty-nine million people of this predominantly Buddhist nation.



In 2021, the Thai Council of Ministers passed a formal Law to allow approval of places of Worship.

The decree states that a new Parish can only be established if it has a permanent resident Priest and a minimum of 200 Parishioners who can support the Parish.

In exceptional circumstances, a Diocese may request a waiver of these criteria requiring a resident Priest and a minimum number of Parishioners.



The provisions of the Law state that the list of Parishes, thus established, will be published annually by the Department of Religions and that they will have up to two years to apply for approval.

The Social Communication Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of Thailand welcomed the new decree in 2021, saying the recognition meets the need of “the current situation and provides greater security and guarantees for the future” of The Catholic Church in the Country.

Cor Jesu Sacratissimum. Sacred Heart Of Jesus.



Cor Jesu Sacratissimum.

National Sarcasm Society.



Illustration: ALLPOSTERS.CO.UK

Tuesday 6 September 2022

Monday 5 September 2022

A Liturgical Note On Advent.



In the 5th-Century A.D., the opening date of The Ecclesiastical Year was The Feast of The Annunciation which, originally, was kept in March, but was, later, transferred to December.


“Following what is the practice elsewhere,” says The Council of Toledo in 665 A.D., “The Annunciation will be kept throughout Spain on 18 December, since, at present, it often falls in Lent or at Easter”.


In the 10th-Century A.D., The Ecclesiastical Year began on The First Sunday of Advent, some weeks before Christmas.



As early as 380 A.D., a Council of Saragossa decreed an eight-days’ preparation for Christmas. At The Council of Tours in 563 A.D., Advent is referred to as a Liturgical period having its proper Rites and Forms.


In The Nestorian Liturgy (6th-Century A.D.), lasted for four Sundays, called “Sundays of The Annunciation”, and, in The Ambrosian Liturgy and The Mozarabic Liturgy, six Sundays were reckoned.


In The Roman Liturgy, we find that, at first, Advent lasted for five weeks. At present [Editor: This Article is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, dated 1945], it includes four weeks: The First Sunday of Advent is always the Sunday next to Saint Andrew’s Feast Day, which is kept on 30 November.



The joy of beholding the speedy coming of Christ is one of the dominant notes of Advent; restrained, at first, but quickly taking free course and rising to the fervour of The Christmas Spirit.


At the same time, the thought of the purification of Souls, closely connected with that of the return of Christ, occurs at this time, on every page of Breviary and Missal.


Hymns, choice of Psalms, the Preaching of the Prophets and of the forerunner of Christ, the Collects of the four Sundays, the oft-repeated Versicle: “Rectas fácite sémitas ejus”, “Make straight His paths”; all these speak of the twofold coming. “Do Penance”, says Our Lord, “for The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. [Antiphon, Benediction. Monday, The Fourth Week].



In The Middle Ages, a Fast was prescribed during Advent, known as “The Christmas Lent”, when it was even the custom to veil images, as at Passiontide. In our time, Purple Vestments are still used as in Lent and the “Benedicamus Dómino” replaces the “Ite Missa Est”.


During Advent, the Antiphon “Alma Redemptoris” is sung with its accompanying Versicle “Angelus Domini”, while The Second Collect is the Collect of the “Mass De Beata”, chosen on account of the part played by Our Lady in The Mystery of The Incarnation, with which, for the time being, The Church is concerned.


For the present, we hear no more the “Gloria In Excelsis”, for that is The Angels’ song of The Nativity, and in this new Ecclesiastical Year, just beginning, it is at Christmas that it must be heard for the first time.

Saint Laurence Justinian. Bishop. Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 5 September.


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

Saint Laurence Justinian.
   Bishop.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 5 September.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.



San Lorenzo Giustiniani adoring The Baby Jesus.
Private Neapolitan collection.
Artist: Luca Giordano (1632–1705).
Date: 17th-Century.
Author: Luca Giordano (1632–1705).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Laurence, born in Venice, Italy, in the 15th-Century, of the illustrious family of Giustiniani, preferred the severe austerities of The Cloister to a glorious alliance arranged for him by his mother.

Looking at a Crucifix, he exclaimed: "It is Thou, O Lord, Who art my hope, and in Thee is consolation and strength." He then entered among The Canons of Saint George of Alga.

All his life, he practised the greatest austerity and it was chiefly in assiduous Prayer that he was inflamed with ardent love for God and devotion to his neighbour. He was called by Pope Eugenius IV to share in the full power of Christ's Priesthood: He was made Patriarch of Grado, but, Transferring the See to Venice, in 1451, he became the first Patriarch of this City.

He died in 1455, saying: "I am going to Thee, O Good Jesus."

Mass: Státuit.


Artist: Gentile Bellini (1429–1507).
Date: 1465.
Current location: Accademia of Venice, Italy.
This File: 15 July 2007.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Lawrence Giustiniani, C.R.S.A. (1 July 1381 – 8 January 1456), is Venerated as a Saint by The Catholic Church. He was a Canon Regular, who was appointed as a Bishop and became the first Patriarch of Venice.

He was a member of the well-known Giustiniani family, which includes several Saints. The piety of his mother seems to have served as an inspiration for his own Spirituality, as he chose of a life of Prayer and Service.

In 1404, after he had been Ordained a Deacon, at the suggestion of an uncle who was a Priest, he joined a Community of Secular Canons following a Monastic form of life on the Island of San Giorgio in Alga.

He was admired by his fellows for his poverty, mortification, and fervency of Prayer. Two years after his Ordination to The Catholic Priesthood, in 1407, the Community accepted The Rule of Saint Augustine. He was chosen to be the first Prior of the Community.

Giustiniani promoted the Constitutions which he had established for the Canons of Saint George, which was embraced by other Communities of Canons in the region, and, shortly thereafter, he became the Prior General of a Congregation. He was so zealous in spreading it that he was looked upon as if he were the actual Founder of The Order.


In 1433, Pope Eugene IV, one of the Founders of the Monastery of San Giorgio, named Giustiniani as the Bishop of Castello. He found a Diocese in shambles, and his Administration was marked by considerable growth and reform. In 1451, Pope Nicholas V united the Diocese of Castello with the Patriarchate of Grado, and the Seat of the Patriarchate was moved to Venice, making Giustiniani the first Patriarch of Venice, a Post that he held for over four years.

It was during Giustiniani's rule that Constantinople fell to Muslim forces. Due to their Centuries of close trading partnerships with the Byzantine Empire, the people of Venice were in panic as to their future. He took a leading role in helping the Republic of Venice to deal with the crisis, working with the Senate to help chart its future, as well as with the Clergy and people to calm them.

He died on 8 January 8 1456, and was Canonised by Pope Alexander VIII (1689–1691). His works, consisting of Sermons, Letters and ascetic Treatises, have been frequently reprinted.

Pope Innocent XII (1691–1700) inserted his Feast Day in The General Roman Calendar for Celebration on 5 September, the Anniversary of his elevation to the Episcopate.




THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL



THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

Available (in U.S.A.) from

Available (in Ireland) from




Sunday 4 September 2022

Albi Cathedral, France (Part Four).



Detail of the South Portal, Albi Cathedral,
showing the Flamboyant Style of Architecture.
Photo: 27 May 2013.
Author: M.Strīķis
(Wikimedia Commons)


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

The addition of the multiple small Towers and Balustrade, which did not exist in Gothic times, did not please the residents of Albi.

They protested and demanded a return to the original roofline. In 1876, Daly resigned. Many new projects were proposed and rejected before a new architect, Alphonse Potdevin, was selected in 1900.

He removed the Balustrade, reduced the new small Towers to the height of the Roof, and returned the Cathedral to approximately its earlier appearance.[15] The Baldaquin at the entrance was reconstructed, and the interior, paintings and decoration underwent important conservation programmes, which continue.[15]


The Vaults in The Choir Ceiling.
Photo: 2 July 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Pom²
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Cathedral is built in The Southern French Gothic Style, also sometimes called The Toulouse Style; the Convent of The Jacobins, in Toulouse (1260–1292), follows a similar Plan.

As suitable building stone was scarce locally, it was built almost entirely of brick, which also was easier to work and gave the builders greater flexibility.[7]

It has a single Nave, without a Transept, and without lower collateral Aisles. This gives it the widest Gothic Nave in France, 18 metres (59 ft), compared with 14.65 metres (48.1 ft) at Reims Cathedral and 14 metres (46 ft) at Notre-Dame de Paris.



English: A part of the quadripartite Cross-Ribbed Vault in
The Choir, Albi Cathedral, located thirty metres above
the ground, painted between 1509 and 1512.
Deutsch: Teilansicht eines vierteiligen Kreuzrippengewölbes, 30 m über Bodenniveau, in den Jahren 1509 bis 1512 ausgemalt, Kathedrale Sainte-Cécile, Albi, Frankreich.
Français: Détail d'une voûte sur croisée d'ogives quadripartite située à 30m du sol, peintes entre 1509 et 1512
(Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile, Albi).
Photo: 2 July 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Pom²
(Wikimedia Commons)


Instead of using Flying Buttresses to support the Upper Walls, as in Northern France, the thick Walls of Toulouse are supported by semi-circular Buttresses integrated into the Walls, rising up to the Roof and coming inside to form the separations between the Chapels.

The principal entry is on the South Side, through an elaborate Porch, entered by a fortified Stairway, rather than through The Great West Door, as is traditional in French Gothic Architecture.[16]

The Bell Tower is seventy-eight metres (256 ft) tall, and is composed of two distinct sections and styles. The lower portion was built between 1355 and 1366. It is composed of stacked square sections, of which the exterior surfaces feature Rounded Arches and bands of decoration connecting Cylindrical Corners.


English: Vaulting in The Apse, Albi Cathedral.
Français: Albi Cathédrale Ste Cécile Le Choeur.
Photo: 6 August 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: H Cluzeaud
(Wikimedia Commons)


The upper level, constructed in the 15th-Century, has three octagonal sections, growing smaller as they rise in height, surrounded by Balustrades. The top section has two delicate Flying Arches on the West Side and two slender supporting Towers on the East Side.[17]

Unlike most Gothic Cathedrals, where the principal entrance is via The Great West Door, at Albi Cathedral, the main entrances are on the South and South-East sides and date later than much of the Cathedral.

The South Portal previously passed through a separate Chapel, built in 1521 next to the Cathedral, which was destroyed in the 19th-Century.


English: Gothic Rood Screen in Albi Cathedral.
Français: Jubé gothique vu depuis la nef. Abside en arrière plan (Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile, Albi).
Photo: 2 July 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Pom²
(Wikimedia Commons)


It now is preceded by a very ornate Baldaquin, whose Vault is covered with intricate Interlocking Ribs of The Flamboyant Style of Architecure. Between the Baldaquin and the Interior, is an extraordinary forest of lace-like, twisting Spires, Crochets, and other ornaments.

The pioneer architectural preservationist Prosper Mérimée described the intent of the decoration as “admirable”, but remarked that the finished Baldaquin was “entirely absurd”, since it was open to the sky, and offered no protection at all from the wind, rain, or sun.

PART FIVE FOLLOWS.

“I Keep Hitting “Escape”, But I’m Still Here” !!!


Olivia Pratt-Korbel (R.I.P.). “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum” (“Nothing But The Best Is Good Enough”).

 


Olivia, nine-years-old, died after being shot by a gunman chasing a man into her home.
Illustration: FAMILY HANDOUT



A tribute was paid to Olivia Pratt-Korbel
on the big screen at Goodison Park.
Illustration: BBC NEWS


The following Text is from BBC NEWS.

An image of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead in her Liverpool home, has been displayed on the big screen at Goodison Park at the Merseyside derby football match.

The nine-year-old was shot and her mother injured after a gunman chased a man into her home on 22 August 2022.

Neither men had links to her family.


A minute’s applause was also held nine minutes into the Everton v Liverpool game and fans sang “Merseyside” in tribute to the youngster.

An anti-knife and gun crime banner was unfurled in the Bullens Road Stand, at the Premier League game, stretching across both Everton and Liverpool supporters.

As well as displaying Olivia’s image on the big screen, it also featured an appeal by Merseyside Police for people with information on the incident to come forward, as well as two other recent fatal shootings in the City.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...