The Epiphany Of Our Lord. “Gold Is A Mark Of Our Lord’s Kingship; Incense, Of His Divinity; Myrrh, Of His Humanity”.

“Virgin of the Angels”.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1881.

Collection: Forest Lawn Museum

Source/Photographer: GettyCenter

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text is from “The Liturgical Year”.
   By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
      Volume 3.
      Christmas.
      Book II.

The Feast of The Epiphany is the continuation of The Mystery of Christmas; but it appears on The Calendar of The Church with its own special character.

Its very name, which signifies “Manisfestation”, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to His creatures.

For several Centuries, The Nativity of Our Lord was kept on this day (6 January); and when, in 376 A.D., the Decree of The Holy See obliged all Churches to keep The Nativity on 25 December, as Rome did, 6 January was not robbed of all its ancient glory.

English: “Queen of the Angels”.

Latina: Regina angelorum.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1900.

Collection: Petit Palais

Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center

(Copied from English Wikipedia to Commons).

(Wikimedia Commons)

It was still to be called The Epiphany, and The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ was also Commemorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had marked as the day on which that Baptism took place.

The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable and mysterious name of “Theophania”, which is of such frequent recurrence in the early Fathers, as signifying a “Divine Apparition”.

We find this name applied to this Feast by Eusebius, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, and Saint Isidore of Pelusium. In the Liturgical Books of The Melchite Church, the Feast goes under no other name.

The Orientals also call this Solemnity “The Holy Lights”, on account of its being the day on which Baptism was administered; for, as we have just mentioned, Our Lord was Baptised on this same day. Baptism is called by the Holy Fathers “Illumination”, and they who received it “Illuminated”.

Lastly, this Feast is called, in many Countries, “King’s Feast”; It is, of course, an allusion to The Magi, whose journey to Bethlehem [Editor: “The House of Bread”] is so continually mentioned in today’s Office.

The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, the honour of being called, in The Canon of The Mass, “a Day most Holy”. It is also one of “The Cardinal Feasts”, that is, one of those on which the arrangement of The Christian Year is based; for, as we have “Sundays after Easter”, and “Sundays after Pentecost”, so, also, we count six “Sundays after “The Epiphany”.

English: “The Virgin of the Lilies”.

Français: “La Vierge au lys”.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1899.

Collection: Private collection

Source/Photographer: PaintingHere.com

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the joy caused us by The Birth of Our Jesus must be renewed on it, for, as though it were a second Christmas Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light.

It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of Bethlehem, Who hath “appeared” to us already in love; but to this it adds its own grand “manifestation” of The Divinity of Our Jesus.

At Christmas, it was a few Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and recognise THE WORD MADE FLESH; but, now, at The Epiphany, the voice of God, Himself, calls the whole World to “adore” this Jesus, and “hear Him”.

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal:

“Gold Is A Mark Of Our Lord’s Kingship; Incense, Of His Divinity; Myrrh, Of His Humanity”.

Happy Epiphany !!!

In Case You Forget . . . ALL HEROES !!!

In Case You Forget . . .

ALL HEROES !!!

Available on YouTube

HERE

The Epiphany Of Our Lord. 6 January. White Vestments.

 

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

The Epiphany of Our Lord.
   6 January.

Station at Saint Peter’s.

Indulgence of 30 Years and 30 Quarantines.

Double of the First-Class.

Privileged Octave of the Second Order.

White Vestments.

Illustration: UNA VOCE

God manifests Himself to the Magi, by a Star.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

This Feast was kept in the East from the 3rd-Century A.D., and its observance spread to the West towards the end of the 4th-Century A.D. 

The word “Epiphany” means “Manifestation”, and, just as at Christmas, it is the Mystery of God appearing in visible form; only, no longer does He show Himself to the Jews, alone, but, “on this day”, it is “to the Gentiles” that God reveals His Son (Collect).

In a magnificent vision, Isaias beheld The Church as typified by Jerusalem, whither should flock Kings and Nations, the “multitude of the sea” and the “strength of the Gentiles”, coming from afar with countless caravans, singing the Lord’s praises and bringing Him Frankincense and Gold (Epistle). “The Kings of the Earth shall Adore Him, all Nations shall Serve Him” (Offertory). In today’s Gospel, we see this Prophecy fulfilled.

While at Christmas we extolled the union of Our Lord’s Divinity with His Humanity, at the Epiphany we honour the mystic union of Souls with Christ. “This day, a Star led the Wise Men to the Manger; this day, water was turned into wine at the Marriage Feast; this day, Christ chose to be Baptised by John in the River Jordan for our Salvation, Alleluia.” [Antiphon for Second Vespers.]

So we read in today’s Liturgy, which thus connects this Feast with that of the Octave Day and of the Second Sunday after the Epiphany.

At Saint Peter’s, where are the Relics of The Church’s first visible Head, the Liturgical Celebration of the entry of the Gentiles into The Church takes place. “In the Adoring Magi,” says Saint Leo, “let us acknowledge the first-fruits of our own Calling and Faith; and let us Commemorate, with hearts full of joy, the foundations of this, our Blessed Hope. For, from this moment, we have begun to enter our Heavenly Patrimony.”

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

Mass: Ecce advénit.
Creed: Is said.
Preface: For the Epiphany. [Said throughout the Octave.]
Communicantes: For the Epiphany. [Said throughout the Octave.]

Solemnity of the Epiphany.

In Countries where the Epiphany is not a Holiday of Obligation, the Solemn Celebration may be observed (and the Indulgences gained) on the following Sunday.

One Sung Mass may be Celebrated as on the Feast, itself, the others being of the Feast of the Holy Family, with Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Sunday. The same Commemoration and Last Gospel are said in the Mass of the Solemnity, unless there be also a Sung Mass of the Holy Family.

Epiphany. Manifestation. 6 January. White Vestments.

Illustration: UNA VOCE

Institute Of The Good Shepherd.

Solemn High Mass.

Institute of The Good Shepherd.

Illustration: INSTITUT DU BON PASTEUR

The Web-Site of The Institute of The Good Shepherd is

HERE

Feast Day Mass 2023 Of Saint Geneviève. Patron Saint Of Paris. Sainte Messe De La Fête De Sainte Geneviève. Patronne De Paris. Gold Vestments.

Feast Day Mass in 2023 Of Saint Geneviève.

Patron Saint Of Paris.

Sainte Messe De La Fête De Sainte Geneviève, 

Patronne De Paris.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Follow the Mass in the Mass Booklet HERE

Information about Saint Geneviève can be read HERE

The Greatest Rugby Try Of All Time. And, Of Course, It Was Scored By A Welshman.

The Greatest Rugby Try Of All Time.

And, Of Course, It Was Scored By A Welshman.

1973.

The All Blacks versus The Barbarians.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Wells Cathedral (Part One).

The Great West Front,

Wells Cathedral.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Attribution:

Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Author: Diliff

(Wikimedia Commons)

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

Wells Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, Dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle.

It is the Seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose Cathedra it holds as Mother Church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

Built as a Roman Catholic Cathedral from around 1175 to replace an earlier Church on the site since 705 A.D., it became an Anglican Cathedral when King Henry VIII split from Rome.

It is moderately-sized for an English Cathedral. Its broad Great West Front and large Central Tower are dominant features.[5]

The Secrets Of Wells Cathedral.

The First Gothic Cathedral In England.

Available on YouTube

HERE

It has been called “unquestionably, one of the most beautiful”[6] and “most poetic” of English Cathedrals.[7]

Its Gothic architecture is mostly inspired from the Early-English Style of the Late-12th-Century to Early-13th-Century, lacking the Romanesque work that survives in many other Cathedrals.

Building began about 1175 at the East End with the Choir. The architectural historian John Harvey sees it as Europe’s first truly Gothic structure, breaking the last constraints of Romanesque.[8]

The stonework of its Pointed Arcades and Fluted Piers bears pronounced Mouldings and Carved Capitals in a Foliate, “Stiff-Leaf” Style.[9]

Wells Cathedral’s Great West Door.

Photo: 2 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lamiai

(Wikimedia Commons)

PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Saint Telesphorus. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 5 January. Red Vestments.

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

Saint Telesphorus.
   Pope And Martyr.
   Feast Day 5 January.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

English: Portrait of Pope Telesphorus

in the Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Rome.

Italiano: Retratto di it:Papa Telesforo

nella it:Basilica di San Paolo fuori la Mura, Roma.

Date: 2nd-Century A.D.

Source: Unknown.

Artist: Unknown.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Saint Telesphorus is Traditionally considered as being the eighth Roman Bishop (hence, Pope) in succession to Saint Peter. The Liber Pontificalis mentions that he had been an Anchorite (or, Hermit) Monk, prior to assuming Office.

According to the testimony of Saint Irenæus (Against Heresies III.3.3), he suffered a “glorious” Martyrdom. Although most early Popes are called Martyrs, by sources such as the Liber Pontificalis, Saint Telesphorus is the first to whom Irenaeus, writing considerably earlier, gives this title.

Eusebius (Church History iv.7; iv.14) places the beginning of his Pontificate in the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Hadrian (128 A.D. – 129 A.D.) and gives the date of his death as being in the first year of the reign of Antoninus Pius (138 A.D. – 139 A.D.).

In the Roman Martyrology, his Feast is Celebrated on 

5 January; The Greek Church Celebrates it on 22 February.

The Tradition of Christmas Midnight Masses, the Celebration of Easter on Sundays, the keeping of a seven-week Lent before Easter, and the singing of the Gloria, are usually attributed to his Pontificate, but some historians doubt that such attributions are accurate.

A fragment of a Letter from Irenæus to Pope Victor I during the Easter controversy in the Late-2nd-Century A.D., also preserved by Eusebius, testifies that Saint Telesphorus was one of the Roman Bishops who always Celebrated Easter on Sunday, rather than on other days of the week according to the calculation of the Jewish Passover. Unlike Pope Victor, however, Pope Telesphorus remained in communion with those communities that did not follow this custom.

The Carmelites Venerate Saint Telesphorus as a Patron Saint of the Order, since some sources depict him as a Hermit living on Mount Carmel.

The Town of Saint-Télesphore, in the South-West of Canada's Quebec Province, is named after him.

Mass: Sacerdotes Dei. (Second Mass of The Common of Martyrs.)

The Roman Martyrology states that Saint Telesphorus undertook numerous labours to confess The Divinity of Christ, and suffered a glorious Martyrdom at Rome in 138 A.D.

Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, Canada.

Notre-Dame Basilica,

Montreal, Canada.

Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

The breath-taking Light Show from 

Montreal’s beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Montreal’s stunning Notre-Dame Basilica.

Available on YouTube

HERE

“The Congregation For Divine Worship Is Not All-Powerful”. Statement From The Benedictines Of The Immaculate.

Illustration: CANTICUM SALOMONIS

This Article is reprinted from 2021.

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
CANTICUM SALOMONIS

Regarding the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes of

16 July 2021 and the response to the dubia by The Congregation for Divine Worship promulgated on

18 December 2021:

We, the Benedictine Monks of The Immaculate, of the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena in Taggia, Italy, Founded on 1 August 2008, by Bishop Mario Oliveri, erected as an Institute of Consecrated Life of Diocesan Right on 21 March 2017, and Transferred to the Diocese of Ventimiglia-Sanremo on 18 November 2020, by Decree of the Bishop of the Diocese, Monsignor Antonio Suetta, have promised to be Faithful to our Constitutions, which have been approved by the Holy See and under which we have taken the Sacred Vows of Religion.

In particular, as stated in the Prologue of said Constitutions, we have committed ourselves before God and The Church to always keep “as [our] Proper Rite, both outside and inside the Monastery, The Liturgy of The Mass Celebrated according to the more than one thousand year old Form of The Holy Roman Church, which was ‘never abrogated’ (motu proprio Summorum Pontificum), with its Latin Language and Gregorian Chant.”

This Solemn Commitment includes the use of the ancient Roman Ritual and Pontifical, as evidenced by the Ordination Ceremonies performed since our Foundation. We do all this out of fidelity to “the ‘Canons’ of The Rite definitively fixed at [The Council of Trent, which] provided an insurmountable barrier to any Heresy directed against the integrity of The Mystery [of The Mass].”[1]

As Archbishop Antonio Suetta publicly stated on television on 24 August 2021, we are “the guardians and witnesses of the Most Ancient Tradition of The Church.” It is thus, and not otherwise, that we will remain Faithful, whatever the cost.

Through the intercession of The Immaculate Blessed Virgin Mary, may the Supreme Pontiff be enlightened in his function as Vicar of Christ, so that The Catholic Faith in its purity and the Traditional Liturgy that guarantees it may once again shine, before the eyes of the World and for the Salvation of Souls, and that all the Assaults of Error and Corruption against The Holy Church may be defeated.

Taggia
21 December 2021
Saint Thomas the Apostle

The Prior, Father Jean de Belleville, was interviewed in Présent. 

Extract :

[…] We must not delude ourselves, both the Motu Proprio and the response to the Dubia show a desire to suppress the use of the Old Rite in the more or less near future.

The position of the Traditional Communities will not be weakened so much by Rome’s violent dispositions as by a lack of firmness in The Faith that is as expressed in The Church’s Traditional Doctrine and Worship.

This firmness may require one to reject Gravely Unjust Orders from Members of The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, because The Faith is First and Fundamental.

By your statutes, to whom do you owe obedience — within The Church Militant — in the area of The Liturgy ?

Competence belongs to the Congregation for Divine Worship, but it is not all-powerful, as Benedict XVI demonstrates in his own words: “What earlier generations held as Sacred, remains Sacred and great for us, too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”[2]

What was the reaction of the Bishop of your Diocese ?

All our friends say that our Bishop is the best of the Italian Bishops, because of his Spirit of Faith and his gentleness. After the motu proprio, he publicly recognised our right to use the Traditional Rite of The Mass.

When you say in your 21 December message that you will remain Faithful to the Traditional Liturgy “whatever it takes,” what do you envision happening ?

If, God forbid, Rome forces us to go against our Constitutions, what shall we choose ? To be obedient to Rome, and therefore become renegades, or to be Faithful to our Vows and, consequently, be condemned as “disobedient” ? The answer is clear !

About the Benedictines of The Immaculate.

Our Benedictine Community of Strict Observance, Founded by two Monks from the Abbey of Le Barroux (France), was Founded on 2 July 2008, in Villatalla, in Liguria, Italy, in the Diocese of Bishop Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia.

It later moved to the former Capuchin Convent of Taggia, 

even closer to the French border, where it was officially welcomed by Bishop Antonio Suetta, of Ventimiglia-Sanremo, on 24 August 2019.

We practice the Traditional Liturgy, both inside and outside the Monastery.

Article source: Le Salon Beige
Link to original text of the statement

[1] Letter of Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci to Paul VI (Source)

[2] Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Bishops on the occasion of the publication of the Apostolic Letter “motu proprio data” Summorum Pontificum on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970 (Source).

Vigil Of The Epiphany. Today, 5 January. White Vestments.

 

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

Vigil of The Epiphany.
   5 January.

Semi-Double.

Privileged Octave of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.

God manifests Himself to The Magi by a Star.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

For the third time, an Angel appeared to Joseph (Gospel). He told him to return to Palestine, for Herod had just died in dreadful torment, such as Heaven reserves for those who persecute. His son, Archelaus, on ascending the throne, put to death three thousand of his subjects.

[“An Angel of The Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in his sleep, saying: “Joseph, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife” (Gospel of The Vigil of Christmas).

“An Angle of The Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee.” (Gospel of The Holy Innocents.)”

“Joseph feared for Jesus”, and it was under these circumstances that he was once more told in a dream to retire to Nazareth. [“Nazareth”, in Hebrew, means “The Flower of Galilee”, owing to the beauty of the site on which the town is built].

Vespers: Commemoration of The Vigil: Puer Jesus.

Versicle: Notum fecit Dóminus, allelúia.

Responsory: Salutáre suum, allelúia.

And Commemoration of Saint Telesphorus.

Antiphon: Iste sanctus.

Versicle: Glória.

Mass: For The Sunday within The Octave of Christmas.
Gospel: Defúncto Heróde.
Commemoration: Of Saint Telesphorus.
Third Collect: Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Preface: For Christmas.

The Feast Of The Holy Name Of Jesus. White Vestments.

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

Feast of The Holy Name of Jesus.
   On a Sunday occurring between 1 January and 

   6 January, otherwise on 2 January.

Double of The Second-Class.

White Vestments.

In The Name of Jesus, let every knee bow,

of those that are in Heaven (Angels),

on Earth (men),

and under the Earth (devils).

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

The Church, having made known to us The Incarnation of The Divine Son, now unfolds to us the Glories of His Name.

Among the Jews, a child received his name at the Rite of Circumcision. For this Feast, The Church uses the same Gospel as that of The Circumcision, emphasising the latter part which records that "His Name was called Jesus" (Gospel) as God "did bid that His Name be called Jesus" (Collect). The name means "Saviour" and we read: "There is no other name under Heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved" (Epistle).

The origin of this Feast goes back to the 16th-Century, when it was already observed by The Franciscan Order. In 1721, during the Pontificate of Pope Innocent XIII, its observance was extended to the whole Church.

An Indulgence of Twenty Days may be gained by all 

who bow the head with reverence when speaking or 

hearing the names of Jesus and Mary, while Pope Saint Pius X granted 300 Days to those who piously Invoke Them with 

the lips, or at least in the heart.

If we wish to “see our names written in Heaven under The Glorious Name of Jesus” (Postcommunion), that name must be often on our lips, here below on Earth.

An Indulgence of Twenty Days may be gained by all who bow the head with reverence when speaking or hearing The Names of Jesus and Mary, while Pope Saint Pius X granted 300 Days to those who piously Invoke Them with the lips, or at least in the heart.

If The Feast occurs on a Sunday, every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.

Mass: In nómine Jesu.

Credo:
Preface: For Christmas.

The following Text is from CATHOLIC CULTURE

According to The 1962 Missal of Pope Saint John XXIII, in The Extraordinary Form of The Mass, The Feast of The Holy Name of Jesus is kept on The First Sunday in the Year; but, if this Sunday falls on 1 January, or 6 January, or 7 January, The Feast is kept on 2 January.

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Pugin’s Gem. (Part Two).

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle.

Pugin’s Gem.

(Part Two).

Available on YouTube

HERE

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Pugin’s Gem. (Part One).

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle.

Pugin’s Gem.

(Part One).

Available on YouTube

HERE

Saint Giles Catholic Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Designed By Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin.

 

Pugin’s intricate decoration on view at

Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire.

Photo: 29 April 2016.

Source: From geograph.org.uk

Author: Michael Garlick

(Wikimedia Commons)

The more public part of the Consecration took place on the following morning, Tuesday, 1 September 1846 - Saint Giles’ Day - when spectators gathered from miles around, into the Streets of Cheadle, to witness sights and sounds not experienced since The Reformation: The Procession of ten Catholic Bishops and two Archbishops in full Pontifical Robes.

The Rood-Screen,

Saint Giles Church,

Cheadle, Staffordshire,

England.

Photo: 25 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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

Saint Giles Church is a Roman Catholic Church in the town of Cheadle, Staffordshire, England. The Grade I Listed Church was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin.

The history of Saint Giles’ begins with the establishment of a Catholic Mission, in Cheadle, by Father William Wareing, a future Bishop of Northampton. He was an Assistant to Father Thomas Baddeley, at Cresswell, Staffordshire, and, in the Early-1820s, he opened a small Chapel in a private house in Charles Street, Cheadle. Among those attending Mass there was Charles, Earl of Shrewsbury, when he stayed at Alton Abbey without his Chaplain.

As Father Wareing’s efforts bore fruit, the room became inadequate for the growing numbers, and Lord Shrewsbury asked him to look for larger premises. Eventually, he obtained, on the Earls’ behalf, a building about 60 feet (18 m) in length, which had been built as an Armoury for the local Militia during the Napoleonic Wars, and the adjoining Adjutant’s House.

This was converted into the new Chapel, and the first resident Priest was Father James Jeffries, appointed in 1827. In the same year, the fifteenth Earl of Shrewsbury died and was succeeded by his nephew, John Talbot, as the sixteenth Earl. Earl John made Alton Abbey his principal Residence and renamed it “Alton Towers”.

The North-East Side-Chapel,

Saint Giles' Catholic Church,

Cheadle, Staffordshire, England.

Photo: 25 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Earl was zealous in promoting the Catholic cause, following the 1829 Emancipation Act, and it was he who first bought Pugin to North Staffordshire in the Autumn of 1837, initially as an architect and interior designer at the Towers.

Convinced that Pugin was the greatest acquisition the Church had made for some time, the Earl soon resolved that he would make financial contributions only to Churches designed by Pugin and built under his supervision.

As the Earl’s architect, Pugin paid frequent, and sometimes lengthy, visits to Alton Towers - a convenient base from which to supervise progress on his various buildings in the Midlands.

Saint Giles Church was vastly different in concept and design from the mean-looking Chapels - such as the converted Armoury in Cheadle - in which Catholics were accustomed to Worship under The Toleration Act; different, too, from the fashionable City Chapels, such as that in Warwick Street, London, where the Talbot family worshipped when in London. Both kinds were, according to Pugin, wholly unfit for their purpose.

At Saint Giles’, Pugin was able to further develop ideas from the recently-completed Saint Mary’s Church, in Uttoxeter, through the assistance of generous funding promised by Lord Shrewsbury.

The site for Saint Giles’ was marked out by Pugin in 1841, and the Church was aligned in such a way to obtain the best possible effect from the Street.

This meant modifying the Traditional East-West alignment and placing the West End close to the frontage of Bank Street, to allow the full height of the Tower and Spire to be seen from the junction of Cross Street and High Street, where the remains of the Mediæval Market Cross still stand.

The Spire,

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 25 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pugin also referred to Saint Giles’ as “my consolation in all afflictions”, and there is no doubt that the freedom from restrictions, the resources available to him at Cheadle, and the enthusiastic support of Lord Shrewsbury, compensated somewhat for the professional and personal disappointments he encountered elsewhere.

He had suffered under the constraints imposed by Church-Building Committees, the indifference of many Clergy to his dreams of a Gothic England, and the death, in 1844, of his second wife, Louisa.

That Saint Giles’ increased in size and splendour, as the work progressed, was not just the result of Pugin’s own enthusiasm for the project and his ability to prise additional sums of money from a reluctant patron. Lord Shrewsbury was himself committed to the promotion of the Revived Gothic as a means of winning Souls, and several of the alterations and additions at Cheadle were suggested by the Earl, himself.

The infinite care which Pugin took over Saint Giles’ is reflected in his wide-ranging search for what he called “authorities” (Mediæval precedents), for what he proposed.

In 1840, he made a tour of what he called “the very cream” of Norfolk Churches, in the course of preparation of his designs for Cheadle, drawing details of Mouldings, Tracery patterns and Canopy work.

His sketchbook from the tour survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum. East Anglican Porches were Pugin's source of inspiration for the Stone-Vaulted South Porch of Saint Giles’. He studied surviving Rood-Screens in Norfolk, and the one at Castle Acre appears to have been particular favoured in his preparations for the Cheadle Screen.

The South-East Side-Chapel,

Saint Giles' Catholic Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 25 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Not all of Pugin’s “authorities” were English, however. 

Gothic was an international language with local and national dialects. On a visit to Antwerp, in 1843, Pugin hoped to find “glorious details for the Cheadle Windows” and “the most beautiful authorities for Painted Details at Cheadle, above all”. In May 1844, Pugin visited the recently-restored Sainte-Chapelle, in Île de la Cité, Paris, a richly-decorated Private Chapel built for King Louis IX in the Mid-13th-Century.

Great care was taken over the selection of the building materials, which came principally from local sources. There was an abundance of Oak and Elm on Lord Shrewsbury’s Alton Estate, and local quarries produced Sandstones of various colours and textures.

A new quarry, for Red and White Sandstone was opened at Counslow Hill, between Cheadle and Alton, and from there came the Stone for both Saint Giles and for the complex of buildings which Pugin and Earl Shrewsbury were developing in Alton Village, namely Alton Castle and the Hospital of Saint John the Baptist.

It appears that Lord Shrewsbury, himself, suggested that Alabaster should be used for the Altars, at Cheadle, and Saint John’s, Alton. It carved beautifully and took fine detail, and, in Pre-Reformation times, had been used extensively for statuary and ornamental work.

There were local Alabaster mines at Fauld, near Tutbury, but, instead of being quarried in blocks, the material was simply being blasted out, before being ground up to make gypsum, the principal ingredient for Plaster-of-Paris.

The Great West Door,

Saint Giles' Catholic Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 25 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

A North Porch was added, the South Aisle was extended Eastwards to form The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, The Lady Chapel was moved over to the North Aisle, and the proposed Chapel of Saint John was scrapped altogether.

The Sacristy was extended, and the “Rector’s Door” on the South Side of the Chancel - planned originally to communicate with the Priest’s House - became superfluous when the location of the Presbytery was moved North-East into Chapel Street.

It is a commonly-held fallacy that the prime functions of the Nave and Aisles of a Church are to seat as many people as possible. That had certainly not been the case in Mediæval times, when the Nave and Aisles were regarded, not as an Auditorium filled with a static body of people in fixed seats, but as a Liturgical space in which there was movement and drama (for example, the Festal Processions on Feast Days and Holy Days, and the Penitential Processions in Lent).

Though benches were not uncommon in Mediæval times, 

fixed seating, as a generality, came about only after the Reformation, and the arrangements in Early-19th-Century Catholic Chapels were little different from those of Non-Conformist ones, with seating often running right across the width of the building, and with Galleries to provide extra accommodation. Pugin would have no such “Protestantisms” at Cheadle.

When Lord Shrewsbury proposed to fill Saint Giles with seats running the full width of the Nave, without so much as a central passage, Pugin reacted with characteristic indignation.

Encaustic Tiles in Saint Giles Church, Cheadle,

 

a 

Grade-I-Listed 

Roman Church, designed by Pugin.

It was designed in the Gothic Revival Style in 1841.

Photo: 22 November 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent.

(www.clemrutter.net).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The care which Pugin took over the design of the Rood-Screen for Cheadle was exceptional, and he was passionate over the necessity of Screens, in general.

The joiners began work in February 1842, and Pugin promised that it would be “the richest yet produced”. All went well until, in order to cut costs, Lord Shrewsbury proposed to dispense with the services of an expert wood-carver. 

The Screen could be finished, instead, by one of his own Estate joiners, Thomas Harris, who had already produced carvings at Alton Towers’ Chapel and at Saint John’s in Alton.

Pugin responded in half-joking fashion, accusing the Earl of penny-pinching, and heading his Letter with sketches of a Rood-Screen and a block of cheese marked “2d-1/2” a pound. It is not known if the joiner returned.

Pugin experienced great difficulty in finding Stained-Glass artists able to make windows to his complete satisfaction, and at the right price. The process involved the working-up of Pugin’s drawings into full-sized cartoons, and the production of accurate colours by fusing various pigments onto the glass in a kiln at controlled temperatures.

For the Cheadle Windows, he employed William Wailes, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. With the exception of the figure of Saint Giles, in the South Aisle, which he had altered at his own expense, Pugin was generally pleased with Wailes’ efforts, noting that some of his best craftsmen had gone to Normandy to make special studies of Old-Style Glass.

Pugin believed that, after Stained-Glass, Encaustic Tiles were amongst the most important forms of decorative art. By the Winter of 1843, Pugin was able to tell Lord Shrewsbury that the Tiles, for Cheadle, were proceeding well and that they would have “the finest floor in Europe”.

Richly-decorated Interior.

Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 22 November 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent.

(www.clemrutter.net).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Tiles for the Chancel, and the Chapel of The Blessed Sacrament, were both rich and expensive. Lord Shrewsbury was concerned that they would be damaged by being constantly walked upon, so he suggested putting down carpets, which, in Pugin’s view, defeated the object of Tiles at all. The Clerk of Works, John Denny, suggested a solution: The Priest and his Assistants would be required to wear special Cloth Overshoes. Lord Shrewsbury warmed to the idea and told Pugin: “You may have your Tiles and we shall want no carpet.”

The date for the Consecration of Saint Giles’ Church was fixed originally for September 1845, but, with the various alterations, this proved to be overly optimistic.

Pugin noted that the Spire was “topped out” on 27 June 1845, but the Bells did not arrive until January 1846. The Bells’ inscriptions, in Gothic Lettering, included Invocations to Our Lady, Saint Giles, Saint Chad and Saint Francis.

The Consecration of the Church was postponed for twelve Months, but, by March 1846, Pugin could not guarantee even that, unless Lord Shrewsbury would allow him to keep a full work-force, including joiners and painters.

Of particular concern were the Great Crucifix and carved figures for the Rood-Screen, which were being made by George Myers, at Lambeth, London. The loss of the sculptor Thomas Roddis, who died in October 1845, was another sad blow, for, although Roddis had completed his works at Saint Giles by this time, his contribution to the building was substantial and of superb quality.

Magnificent Pugin-designed Sedilia,

Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 22 November 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent.

(www.clemrutter.net).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text in Red, concerning the Sedilia, 

is taken from the Church Web-Site HERE

On the South side of the Chancel are the Sedilia (the seats for the Priest, Deacon and Sub-Deacon at High Mass).

Pugin reverted to the Mediæval arrangement for these seats, whereby the Priest sat nearest the Altar, with the Deacon and Sub-Deacon on his left, on descending levels.

As if to ensure that things would be properly done at Cheadle, the appropriate emblem appears on the back of each Niche - the Chalice and Host for the Priest, the Gospel Book for the Deacon, and the Wine and Water Cruets for the Sub-Deacon; and the seats are labelled accordingly in Gold Letters.

To the East of the Sedilia is the Sacrarium; a Piscina for the ablution of the Priest’s hands and the Sacred Vessels, and a Credence Shelf, above, for the Cruets of Water and Wine.

The entire composition is set under a row of Crocketed and Pinnacled Canopies, all richly Gilt and Painted.

The Consecration of Saint Giles’ Church was spread over two days: Monday 31 August and Tuesday 1 September 1846. Pugin was much involved in the ceremonial preparations and also with practical arrangements for getting guests into the Church.

Cheadle was not served directly by Rail, with the nearest Railway Station being Stafford, and then transport by horse and carriage. The Consecration on 31 August 1846 was essentially a private affair, in which the building, its furnishings and ornaments were Solemnly Blessed by

Bishop Wiseman, culminating in a High Mass.

In the evening, Lord Shrewsbury entertained a party of

fifty-four distinguished guests to a dinner at Alton Towers.

The more public part of the Consecration took place the following morning - Saint Giles' Day - when spectators gathered from miles around, into the Streets of Cheadle, to witness sights and sounds not experienced since The Reformation: The Procession of ten Catholic Bishops and

two Archbishops in full Pontifical Robes.

Pugin’s Stained-Glass Windows,

Saint Giles Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 29 April 2016.

Source: From geograph.org.uk

Author: Michael Garlick

(Wikimedia Commons)

The importance of Saint Giles' Church lies in the fact that everything about it is the product of one brilliant mind. Pugin understood all the principles of Gothic art and architecture and knew how to apply them.

His busy schedule allowed time for Daily Mass, as well as Morning and Evening Prayers at home, and he regarded himself first, and foremost, as a Servant of The Church, as “a builder-up of men’s minds and ideas, as well as material edifices”.

It is this which distinguishes Pugin as the principal architect of The Gothic Revival, and Saint Giles Church as the perfect expression of what he believed an English Church should be.

The Bells of Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle, ring weekly to Celebrate Mass, on either a Saturday Evening (16:30-17:00) or Sunday Morning (10:00-10:30). Bell-Ringing practice takes place on a Tuesday Evening.

The Web-Site of Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle, can be found HERE

Interior decoration, 

Saint Giles’ Church, Cheadle.

Photo: 22 November 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: 

Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent.

(www.clemrutter.net).

(Wikimedia Commons)