“Be Thou My Vision”.
By: Catholic Music Initiative:
Dave Moore, Lauren Moore.
Available on YouTube
11 February, 2026
“The Way It Is”. Bruce Hornsby And The Range.
“The Way It Is”.
Bruce Hornsby and The Range.
Available on YouTube
10 February, 2026
Wells Cathedral (Part Ten).
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.
The Early-English Great West Front was commenced around 1230 by Thomas Norreys, with building and sculpture continuing for thirty years.[33]
Its South-West Tower was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the North-West Tower between 1425 and 1435,[90] both in the Perpendicular Gothic Style to the design of William Wynford,[33] who also filled many of the Cathedral’s Early-English Lancet Windows with delicate Tracery.[42]
The Undercroft and Chapter House were built by unknown architects between 1275 and 1310, the Undercroft in the Early-English Style and the Chapter House in the Geometric Style of Decorated Gothic architecture.
In about 1310, work commenced on The Lady Chapel, to the design of Thomas Witney, who also built the Central Tower from 1315 to 1322 in the Decorated Gothic Style.[33]
Wells Cathedral has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury Cathedrals, it has the distinctly English arrangement of two Transepts, with the body of the Church divided into distinct parts: Nave; Choir; and Retro-choir, beyond which extends The Lady Chapel.[91]
The façade is wide, with its Towers extending beyond the Transepts on either side.[5] There is a large projecting Porch on the North side of the Nave forming an entry into the Cathedral.[92]
Its South-West Tower was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the North-West Tower between 1425 and 1435,[90] both in the Perpendicular Gothic Style to the design of William Wynford,[33] who also filled many of the Cathedral’s Early-English Lancet Windows with delicate Tracery.[42]
The Undercroft and Chapter House were built by unknown architects between 1275 and 1310, the Undercroft in the Early-English Style and the Chapter House in the Geometric Style of Decorated Gothic architecture.
In about 1310, work commenced on The Lady Chapel, to the design of Thomas Witney, who also built the Central Tower from 1315 to 1322 in the Decorated Gothic Style.[33]
The unique Vault in the Choir of Wells Cathedral.
Photo: 9 October 2021.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bellminsterboy
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Tower was later braced internally with Arches by William Joy.[33] Concurrent with this work, in 1329 – 1345, Joy made alterations and extensions to the Choir, joining it to The Lady Chapel with the Retrochoir, the latter in the Flowing Decorated Style.[33]
Wells Cathedral has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury Cathedrals, it has the distinctly English arrangement of two Transepts, with the body of the Church divided into distinct parts: Nave; Choir; and Retro-choir, beyond which extends The Lady Chapel.[91]
The façade is wide, with its Towers extending beyond the Transepts on either side.[5] There is a large projecting Porch on the North side of the Nave forming an entry into the Cathedral.[92]
The Central Tower, Nave, and South Transept of Wells Cathedral seen from the Cloister Garth. The Nave rises above the Pitched Roof of the Aisle. The Buttresses are of low profile.
Photo: 9 October 2021.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jack Pease Photography
(Wikimedia Commons)
PART ELEVEN FOLLOWS.
Basilica Of Saint Clotilde, Paris.
Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris.
Photo: 30 December 2014.
Source: Own work.
Attribution:
Photo by DAVID ILIFF.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Author: Diliff
(Wikimedia Commons)
Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris.
Available on YouTube
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
The Basilica of Saint Clotilde (Basilique Ste-Clotilde)
It was constructed between 1846 and 1856, and is the first example of a Church in Paris in the Neo-Gothic Style.[1]
The Church takes its name from Saint Clotilde, the wife of
The Church takes its name from Saint Clotilde, the wife of
King Clovis I, the first King of the Franks. She is said to have persuaded him to convert to Christianity as a condition of their marriage in 496 A.D.[2]
The Composer, César Franck, was Organist of this Church for thirty years.
The Church was constructed between 1846 and 1856 on the site of an earlier Carmelite Monastery. The original design was by Architect Franz Christian Gau, a German-born French Architect and archeologist, who made his career in France.
It was the first example of a Church in the Neo-Gothic Style in Paris.[3]
Work began in 1846, but Gau died in 1853; the work was continued by Théodore Ballu, who completed the Church in 1857.
Ballu extended the front of the Church by several metres to give it greater depth, and built the two Towers, to give it the majesty of a small Cathedral.
It was opened on 30 November 1857 by Cardinal Morlot.
In 1860, Ballu was named Architect of Religious Buildings for the City of Paris, and completed a series of other Churches in the Neo-Gothic Style.[4]
In 1896, the Church was declared a Minor Basilica by Pope Leo XIII, to commemorate the anniversary of the conversion of Clovis in 496 A.D.[5]
The design of the Basilica was copied by the Architect Léon Vautrin for the construction of the facade of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Guangzhou, China, between 1863 and 1888.
In 1896, the Church was declared a Minor Basilica by Pope Leo XIII, to commemorate the anniversary of the conversion of Clovis in 496 A.D.[5]
The design of the Basilica was copied by the Architect Léon Vautrin for the construction of the facade of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Guangzhou, China, between 1863 and 1888.
The Great West Front of the Church is in the Flamboyant Gothic Style; the Spires of the two Towers reach a height of seventy metres (230 feet).
The facade has three Portals in Bays with high Pointed Arches, and sculpturally-decorated Statues on Thrones on the Great West Front depict Saint Clotilde and Saint Valere, the Bishop of Treves in the 3rd-Century A.D., who each played an important part in the Early-French Christian Church.[6]
The semi-circular Chevet of the Church, at the opposite end from the facade, is ringed by Buttresses and Pinnacles supporting the Walls, modelled after those of a Gothic Cathedral.
The semi-circular Chevet of the Church, at the opposite end from the facade, is ringed by Buttresses and Pinnacles supporting the Walls, modelled after those of a Gothic Cathedral.
Altar Frontals. Antependia.
Altar Frontal (Antependium)
designed by Charles Eamer Kempe.
Illustration: MEDIEVAL CHURCH ART
Text is taken from “Altar Frontals”, by Joan M. Petersen
M.A., F.L.A., former Librarian to The Council for the Care of Churches, and is dated 1962.
Published by: Church Information Office, Church House, Westminster, London S.W.1.
M.A., F.L.A., former Librarian to The Council for the Care of Churches, and is dated 1962.
Published by: Church Information Office, Church House, Westminster, London S.W.1.
Altar Frontal (Antependium)
designed by Charles Eamer Kempe.
Illustration: MEDIEVAL CHURCH ART
Both in this Country and on the Continent, there is now a tendency towards greater austerity and simplicity in Church Architecture and Furnishing [Editor: The Reader must realise that this Text is dated 1962].
As a result of this tendency, a bare, unvested Altar, either in Stone or Wood, has become a feature of many Churches. The advocates of this treatment sometimes affirm that it represents a return to the simple and primitive Sanctity of The Early Church.
Whether or not this is the case, the unvested Altar marks both a change from what is certainly a very ancient custom of the Church, and also a deviation from the legal requirements of The Church of England.
Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT
It therefore seems useful to assemble and consider the available evidence about the methods and purpose of the Traditional treatment of the Altar.
The Altar in the primitive Church.
We have little or no knowledge as to the treatment of the Altar in the first four Centuries A.D., but, from the 5th-Century A.D, onwards, we have definite evidence, both literary and archæological, for the use of Altar Frontals.
Palladius [Editor: Wikipedia states that Palladius (408 A.D. – 457 A.D.) was the first Bishop of the Christians of Ireland, preceding Saint Patrick], tells us that Roman ladies gave their silk dresses to form coverings for the Altar.
To the following Century, may be assigned the famous mosaics in the Churches of Sant’Apollinare in Classe and San Vitale in Ravenna, both in Italy, which show an Altar veiled with what appears to be a Frontal, and then almost covered with an ample linen cloth.
The Altar Frontal in The Middle Ages.
The use of the Altar Frontal continued to be general in Western Christendom, as numerous Miniatures in Manuscripts testify. One of the earliest examples is in the Register of Hyde Abbey, Winchester (BM Stowe MS 960), which was drawn circa 1020, and which shows King Canute placing upon The High Altar at Winchester the Great Golden Cross, or Reliquary, which he had given to the Monastery.
Examples of textile Altar Frontals can be cited for every Century up to The Reformation. Some of the loveliest embroidery in Europe, known as “Opus Anglicanum [Editor: “English Work”], was to be found on Altar Frontals.
The Altar in Saint Mary’s Anglican Church, Redcliffe,
Bristol. It is decorated with an elaborate Altar Frontal
in Green, a colour typically associated with the
Photo: 2 April 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Arpingstone
(Wikimedia Commons)
One of the most notable examples of this was on the Great Frontal given to Westminster Abbey by King Henry III, which appears to have been made under the direction of The King’s Goldsmith, and was described by the Late W. R. Lethaby as having been “a flexible piece of Goldsmith’s Work”. It consisted of magnificent Gold embroidery (which occupied three women workers nearly four years), studded with Pearls, Garnets, and Enamels.
There was an equally famous Altar Frontal at Canterbury, known as “The Glory”, which King Henry VIII seized and had melted down for its Gold.
Indeed, in the greater and richer Churches, the Altar Frontal was not necessarily made of a textile material. In Italy and Denmark, a number of Frontals in precious metals survive to this day. The most famous of these are the Frontals in the Treasury of Saint Mark’s, Venice, one of which is made of Silver, with statues of Saints in niches, and which dates from the 14th-Century.
There are others at Sant’Ambrogio, Milan, and Monza Cathedral, and Santissima Annunziata, Florence, and at Pisa, Pistoia. All of which are real Frontals, quite detachable, and movable.
Danish Romanesque gold Altar Frontal (Antependium),
once set with Precious Gems, circa 1200 – 1225. From
Ølst Church, near Randers, Denmark. Displayed at the National Museum in Copenhagen , Denmark.
Photo: 14 May 2011.
Source: Own work.
Attribution:
Nationalmuseet - commons.
wikimedia.org - CC-BY-SA-3.
Author: Knud Winckelmann
(Wikimedia Commons)
At the Church of Santo Spirito, Florence, painted Frontals of canvas or thin wood are to be found. Elsewhere, both in England and abroad, leather Altar Frontals were sometimes provided, some of which survive, e.g., at Saint Michael Spurriergate, York.
Whatever the material, the underlying idea was, and still should be, that of paying homage to God through the provision of a veil for his Altar of the finest manufacture that could be afforded.
The provision of a decent Altar Frontal is but a manifestation of a sound instinct of reverence, which runs right through the Bible and the history of the Church.
The veiled faces of the Cherubim, which Isaiah was privileged to behold, have their Earthly counterpart. In the old Israel, this was the Tabernacle concealing the Ark of the Covenant. In the new Israel, if is the veiling of the Altar.
Altar Frontal in tempera paint on wood panel
Christ in Majesty and Saint Martin.
Date: 1250.
Collection: Walters Art Museum
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1915.
This File: 21 March 2012.
User: Kaldari
Source: Walters Art Museum:
Author: Anonymous (Spain).
(Wikimedia Commons)
The idea that Altar Frontals exist to teach the Seasons of The Church is something quite Modern and trivial compared with this. It was long felt that the Altar was so Sacred that the only time when it should cease to be veiled was at the close of Holy Week, when its stripping and bareness should symbolise the stripping and scourging of Our Lord.
If the Altar is kept bare all the year round, this valuable visual lesson is lost [Editor: Modernists take note, please].
The Parish Church of Our Lady Saint Mary, at South Creake, Norfolk, is close to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The Church is mostly 14th- and 15th-Century. Its High Altar is shown with a Lenten Altar Frontal made (probably in the 1920s or 1930s) by The Warham Guild, the business that
Percy Dearmer established to make this sort of thing.
The Frontal is unbleached linen with a fringe of Black
and Red and the motifs on it are stencilled. The stencilling
is a striking design - a Black lattice is formed from thorn,
in allusion to The Lord’s Crown of Thorns; this lattice encloses a series of motifs. Shields charged with Instruments of The Passion in a band with, above and below, alternating stencils of triple nails and triple drops of blood. The Church has a full set of Lent Array and, in the Sarum Use from the beginning of Lent, each Altar and all the images are covered in veils and hangings of stout linen. In the Roman Rite, this happens
from Passion Sunday, onwards.
Illustration: MEDIEVAL CHURCH ART
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 v The Barbarians.
Available on YouTube
Sixteen Nuns Who Sang On The Way To The Guillotine. The Martyrs Of Compiègne Were Sixteen Carmelite Nuns Of Compiègne, France.
Sixteen Nuns Who Sang On The Way To The Guillotine.
The Martyrs Of Compiègne Were Sixteen
Carmelite Nuns Of Compiègne, France.
Available on YouTube
Saint Scholastica. Virgin. Sister Of Saint Benedict. Feast Day, Today, 10 February. White Vestments.
unless stated otherwise.
Saint Scholastica.
Virgin.
Feast Day 10 February.
Double.
White Vestments.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
Artist: René de Cramer.
"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".
Used with Permission.
Saint Scholastica, the twin sister of Saint Benedict, was born at Nursia, Italy, in 480 A.D. It was a unique event in the annals of The Church, that brother and sister should have Founded the two Branches of an Order still full of vitality after an existence of fourteen Centuries.
A scholar, as her name implies, of The Patriarch of The Monks of The West, from her earliest childhood, she attended the School of his virtues, for she saw in him Christ, whose Spouse she was (Epistle). [" The Abbot occupies the place of Christ, Whose name he bears: "Abbot, Father" ".]
A scholar, as her name implies, of The Patriarch of The Monks of The West, from her earliest childhood, she attended the School of his virtues, for she saw in him Christ, whose Spouse she was (Epistle). [" The Abbot occupies the place of Christ, Whose name he bears: "Abbot, Father" ".]
Following the teaching of The Master ["Hear, O son, the precepts of The Master" (Rule of Saint Benedict: Prologue).] a repetition of that of Jesus in His Public Life, all her life is summed up in two sayings: "Love what is good, hate iniquity" (Introit).
The Divine Spouse, Who was about to call her unto Him (Gospel), miraculously granted the Prayer of His well-beloved. Benedict, a faithful observer of Monastic discipline, had refused to continue the Spiritual conversation which each year he granted his sister in a dependency of the Abbey.
Scholastica, leaning with her elbows on the table, and holding her forehead in her hands, began to shed tears. Immediately, a violent storm burst forth and rain fell in torrents. Benedict understood that God sanctioned the brotherly love which had united them all their lives, and passed the whole night conversing with his sister about the joys of Heaven.
Three days later (543 A.D.), while at Prayer, before The Night Office, he saw the innocent Soul of Saint Scholastica ascend to Heaven in the shape of a Dove (Collect). Her body was placed at Monte-Cassino in the tomb her brother had prepared for himself, in which he was also placed a few weeks later.
"Thus, it happened", writes Saint Gregory, "that one tomb united the bodies of those whose Souls had always been intimately united in God."
Let us ask “God, Who received into Heaven the Soul of the Blessed Virgin Scholastica in the shape of a Dove, to show us the way of innocence, to grant us by her merits and Prayers to live so innocently that we may deserve to attain Eternal Joys” (Collect).
Mass: Dilexisti.
In Lent: Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Feria.
Three days later (543 A.D.), while at Prayer, before The Night Office, he saw the innocent Soul of Saint Scholastica ascend to Heaven in the shape of a Dove (Collect). Her body was placed at Monte-Cassino in the tomb her brother had prepared for himself, in which he was also placed a few weeks later.
"Thus, it happened", writes Saint Gregory, "that one tomb united the bodies of those whose Souls had always been intimately united in God."
Let us ask “God, Who received into Heaven the Soul of the Blessed Virgin Scholastica in the shape of a Dove, to show us the way of innocence, to grant us by her merits and Prayers to live so innocently that we may deserve to attain Eternal Joys” (Collect).
Mass: Dilexisti.
In Lent: Commemoration and Last Gospel of the Feria.
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”. By: Catholic Music Initiative: Dave Moore, Lauren Moore.
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”.
By: Catholic Music Initiative:
Dave Moore, Lauren Moore.
Available on YouTube
“Anima Christi”. By: Marco Frisini. Preparation For: Septuagesima; Sexagesmia; Quinquagesmia; Quadragesima; Lent.
“Anima Christi”.
By: Marco Frisini.
Available on YouTube
Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Passio Christi, conforta me.
O bone Iesu, exaudi me.
Intra tua vulnera absconde me.
Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Ne permittas me separari a te.
Ab hoste maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca me.
Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Et iube me venire ad te,
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te
in saecula saeculorum.
Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Amen.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Separated from Thee let me never be.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
At the hour of death, call me.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
To come to Thee, bid me,
That I may praise Thee in the company
Of Thy Saints, for all eternity.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Amen.
Lyrics:
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
“Anima Christi” (Latin for “Soul of Christ”) is a Catholic Prayer to Jesus of Mediæval origin.
For many years, the Prayer was popularly believed to have been composed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, as he puts it at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises and often refers to it.
However, the Prayer actually dates to the Early-14th-Century and was possibly written by Pope John XXII, but its authorship remains uncertain.
For many years, the Prayer was popularly believed to have been composed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, as he puts it at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises and often refers to it.
However, the Prayer actually dates to the Early-14th-Century and was possibly written by Pope John XXII, but its authorship remains uncertain.
It has been found in a number of Prayer Books printed during the youth of Ignatius and is in manuscripts which were written 100 years before his birth.
The English hymnologist James Mearns found it in a manuscript of the British Museum which dates back to about 1370. In the library of Avignon, there is preserved a Prayer Book of Cardinal Pierre de Luxembourg (☩ 1387), which contains the Prayer in practically the same form as that in which it appears today.
It has also been found inscribed on one of the gates of the Alcázar of Seville, which dates back to the time of Pedro the Cruel (1350 – 1369).[1]
The invocations in the Prayer have rich associations with Catholic concepts that relate to the Eucharist (Body and Blood of Christ), Baptism (Water) and the Passion of Jesus (Holy Wounds).
The English hymnologist James Mearns found it in a manuscript of the British Museum which dates back to about 1370. In the library of Avignon, there is preserved a Prayer Book of Cardinal Pierre de Luxembourg (☩ 1387), which contains the Prayer in practically the same form as that in which it appears today.
It has also been found inscribed on one of the gates of the Alcázar of Seville, which dates back to the time of Pedro the Cruel (1350 – 1369).[1]
The invocations in the Prayer have rich associations with Catholic concepts that relate to the Eucharist (Body and Blood of Christ), Baptism (Water) and the Passion of Jesus (Holy Wounds).
“That’s The Way It Is”. Sung By: Céline Dion.
“That’s The Way It Is”.
Sung by: Céline Dion.
Available on YouTube
Céline Dion,
by Linda Bisset.
Photo: 1998.
Source: Céline Dion
Author: Linda Bisset
(Wikimedia Commons)
09 February, 2026
Forty Hours Devotion.
Forty Hours Devotion.
Available on YouTube
First published in 2021.
Archbishop Cushley is to relaunch the beautiful and simple practice of Forty Hours Devotion this Advent. Each parish in the Archdiocese will be allocated a date and time for exposition of The Blessed Sacrament, so that people can spend time in silent Prayer with The Lord.
The Twenty-Six Mediæval Cathedrals Of England (Part Fifteen).
Decorated Gothic Vaulted Ceiling,
with Central Bosses, in Exeter Cathedral.
Photo: 3 August 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Wanner-Laufer
(Wikimedia Commons)
unless stated otherwise.
Further development included the repetition of Curvilinear, or Flame-Like Forms, that occur in a great number of Windows around 1320, notably in the Retro-Choir at Wells Cathedral and the Nave of Exeter Cathedral.
This type of Tracery is often seen in combination with Vaulting Ribs of extreme projection and very rich moulding, as is seen in the Chapter House at Wells, and the Vault at Exeter, which stretches, uninterrupted by a Central Tower, for ninety-one metres (300 ft) and is the longest Mediæval Vault in the World.[4]
The last stage of Curvilinear or Flowing Decorated Gothic, is expressed in Tracery of very varied and highly complex forms. Many of the largest and most famous Windows of England date from 1320 to 1330 and are in this style.
The Lierne Vault of the Crossing at Bristol Cathedral.
Photo: 5 August 2019.
Source: Own work.
Author: Kognos
(Wikimedia Commons)
They include the South Transept Rose Window, known as the “Bishop’s Eye” at Lincoln, the “Heart of Yorkshire” Window in the West End of York, and the famous Nine-Light East Window of Carlisle.[2][4]
There are many smaller architectural works within Cathedrals which have the Curvilinear Tracery. These include the Arcading in The Lady Chapel at Ely, which also has the widest Vault in England, the Pulpitum Screen at Lincoln, and richly-decorated doorways at Ely and Rochester.
The “Bishop’s Eye” Rose Window, Lincoln Cathedral.
Photo: 9 June 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jonathan Cardy
(Wikimedia Commons)
In the 1330s, when the architects of Europe were embracing the Flamboyant style, English architecture moved away from the Flowing Decorated style in an entirely different, and much more sober, direction, with the reconstruction, in highly modular form, of the Choir of the Norman Abbey, now Cathedral, at Gloucester.
The Perpendicular style, which relies on a network of intersecting Mullions and Transoms, rather than on a diversity of richly carved forms for effect, gives an overall impression of great unity, in which the structure of the vast Windows of both Clerestory and East End are integrated with the Arcades, below, and the Vault, above.
The style proved very adaptable and continued with variations in the Naves of Canterbury and Winchester, and in the Choir of York.
PART SIXTEEN FOLLOWS.
Lent Is On Its Way. Let Us Make It A Meaningful Time This Year. Pray And Go To Confession. Pray And Go To . . .
Illustration and Text: RORATE CAELI
Lent starts pretty soon. We're running out of time to prepare.
In the past, you could find a Traditional Lenten Mission at many Parishes. Now, unless you are near a Traditional Parish, they are nearly extinct -- or worthless.
Fortunately, we are not meant to live in the past, we are meant to live in the now. And, now, we have the Internet. And there is an abundance of good on the Internet, along with the bad.
As we do every year, we bring to your attention this wonderful, Traditional, Lenten awareness.
As the Season nears, you would do well to give it some thought.
Pray and to use the time to prepare for a fruitful Lent -- and be ready for it to change you for the better.
Saint Apollonia. Virgin. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 9 February. Red Vestments.
unless stated otherwise.
Saint Apollonia.
Virgin and Martyr.
Feast Day 9 February.
Simple.
Red Vestments.
English: Saint Apollonia.
Deutsch: Hl. Appolonia.
Magyar: Szent Apollónia.
Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664).
Date: 1636.
Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)
There, while her frail body was consumed on Earth, her very pure Soul was borne into Glory in Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Loquébar. The First Mass of a Virgin Martyr.
Saint Apollonia.
Virgin and Martyr.
Available on YouTube
The following Text is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
Saint Apollonia (Coptic: Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲟⲛⲓⲁ) was one of a group of Virgin Martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians, prior to The Persecution of Decius. According to Church Tradition, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered.
For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the Patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems.
French Court Painter Jehan Fouquet painted the scene of Saint Apollonia's torture in “The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia”.
Saint Cyril Of Alexandria. Bishop. Confessor. Doctor Of The Church. Feast Day 9 February. White Vestments.
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
Bishop.
Confessor.
Doctor of The Church.
Feast Day 9 February.
Double.
White Vestments.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
The Pillar of Faith.
Bishop, Confessor. Doctor of The Church
(376 A.D. - 444 A.D.)
Source: Own work.
Author: User:Erud
(Wikimedia Commons)
Jesus must be a man to atone for man's sin, and a God to make reparation for the offence against God. The Cycle Celebrates on this day the Feast of the Doctor who raised his voice in The Church (Introit) to condemn, in the name of Pope Celestine, at The Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), the heresy of Nestorius.
Crushing under foot, the salt which has lost its savour (Gospel), Saint Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, attacks the heresiarch, who, instead "of The True Doctrine, only teaches fables" (Epistle). He affirms that, in Jesus, there is only one Divine Person and that, consequently, The Saviour is at the same time God and Man and that His Mother is The Mother of God (Collect).
He died in 444 A.D.
Mass: In médio.
Commemoration: Of the Feria in Lent.
Commemoration: Of Saint Apollonia from the Mass: Loquébar.
Creed: Is said.
Last Gospel: Of the Feria, in Lent.
A Tribute To Fr. Yves Normandin (R.I.P.) (1925 – 2020). Hero Of The Traditional Mass In Canada: “We Ought To Obey God, Rather Than Men.”
A Tribute to Father Normandin (R.I.P.)
(1925 – 2020).
By Jean-Claude Dupuis, PhD.
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[This is a translation of a tribute by M. Jean-Claude Dupuis, originally written in French and posted to the Web-Site of Pro-Life Group “Campagne Québec-Vie” on January 6, 2021.]
Father Yves Normandin died on December 30, 2020. He left his mark on the history of The Church in Quebec. In 1975, the humble Parish Priest of Sainte-Yvette, Montreal, Canada, became famous for continuing to Celebrate The Traditional Mass in Latin.
Archbishop Paul Grégoire relieved him of his duties for “disobedience.” Fr. Normandin and his Traditionalist supporters occupied the Church of Sainte-Yvette illegally for six months. In the aftermath of The Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965), Fr. Normandin Celebrated The Mass of Paul VI like every other Priest.
DOES THIS TREATMENT OF THIS WONDERFUL PRIEST (HARASSMENT, BULLYING, REMOVAL FROM A PLACE TO LIVE, ETC) RING ANY BELLS WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION WITH OTHER PRIESTS ELSEWHERE ?
FUNNY THAT, ISN'T IT !!!
But he began to question it [Editor: “The New Modernist Mass”] when he learned that Protestant Pastors had participated in the planning of The Liturgical Reform. He was shaken by such Texts as the Encyclical “Pascendi”, Pope Saint Pius X’s Letter on “The Sillon”, Louis Salleron’s study “La nouvelle messe” [The New Mass], the Works of Léon de Poncins and Pierre Virion on Freemasonry, and all the writings of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. His conversations with Fathers Noël Barbara and Réal Bleau convinced him.
In 1973, he travelled to the Traditional Seminary in Écône, Switzerland. He was impressed by the piety of the young Seminarians. He went on to Lourdes, Rome, and Jerusalem, in search of the Spiritual strength to fight the battle of a lifetime.
In June 1975, he made his definitive return to The Mass of Pope Saint Pius V. Fr. Normandin agreed with Cardinal Ottaviani’s conclusion in his Short Critical Study of The Novus Ordo Missæ (1969): “The Novus Ordo represents, both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from The Catholic Theology of The Mass as it was formulated in Session XXII of The Council of Trent.” The “Conciliar Spirit” was producing disastrous results. Priests sought defrocking, the Faithful were losing interest, Catholic Institutions were disappearing. It was necessary to reverse course.
The Archbishop of Montreal, Paul Grégoire, did not enter into discussion with Fr. Normandin. He simply repeated the argument from authority: “The pope changed The Mass; you must obey.” Archbishop Grégoire remained polite, but intransigent. Fr. Normandin argued that Bishops could not forbid The Tridentine Rite.
The Archbishop of Montreal, Paul Grégoire, did not enter into discussion with Fr. Normandin. He simply repeated the argument from authority: “The pope changed The Mass; you must obey.” Archbishop Grégoire remained polite, but intransigent. Fr. Normandin argued that Bishops could not forbid The Tridentine Rite.
The Bull “Quo Primum” (1570) had instituted this Rite “in perpetuity.” Article 30 of The Code of Canon Law stipulated that “immemorial custom” cannot be abrogated without being expressly revoked. But, while Pope Paul VI’s Liturgical Decree (1969) allowed Celebration of “The New Mass”, it did not forbid The Traditional Mass. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would recognise the truth of this argument in the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” (2007).
Fr. Normandin refused to leave his Parish. The Media said he occupied Sainte-Yvette’s Church and Rectory “illegally.” That was incorrect. He had appealed Archbishop Grégoire’s decision to Rome. He had the right to keep his Appointment until The Apostolic Signatura settled the dispute.
In November 1975, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre came to support Fr. Normandin. His visit added an international dimension to the Sainte-Yvette affair. Archbishop Lefebvre was considered the leader of Traditional Catholics. The “Osservatore Romano” covered the Sainte-Yvette affair. But the Quebec Press did not mention Archbishop Lefebvre’s presence in Montreal. Radio host Yvon Dupuis, nonetheless, broke the Media silence by inviting Archbishop Lefebvre onto his phone-in broadcast.
Archbishop Grégoire did not dare to ask Police to expel the Traditionalists of Sainte-Yvette, who Prayed, day and night, before The Blessed Sacrament exposed on the Altar, thus benefitting from the Article of The Criminal Code that forbids Police to interrupt a Religious Ceremony.
The Archdiocesan lawyers resorted to guile. They summoned Fr. Normandin to Court as a witness. He was obliged to go. The Faithful thought he had given up the fight. Archdiocesan employees entered the Rectory in his absence and changed the locks. The new Parish Priest of Sainte-Yvette removed the Monstrance, to put an end to the Adoration of The Blessed Sacrament. In the end, the Faithful left the Church.
When Yves Normandin returned, he was a “Pastor out in the cold,” with neither home nor income. But the Traditionalists would support him financially for years. Fr. Normandin Celebrated Sunday Mass in a Bavarian Brasserie in Montreal called The Beer Garden (which Traditionalists discreetly spoke of as “The German House”), and then at the more suitable location of Lucien-Pagé School. During the week, he travelled across the entire Country of Canada to say Mass for little groups of Traditionalists who asked for his Services.
When Yves Normandin returned, he was a “Pastor out in the cold,” with neither home nor income. But the Traditionalists would support him financially for years. Fr. Normandin Celebrated Sunday Mass in a Bavarian Brasserie in Montreal called The Beer Garden (which Traditionalists discreetly spoke of as “The German House”), and then at the more suitable location of Lucien-Pagé School. During the week, he travelled across the entire Country of Canada to say Mass for little groups of Traditionalists who asked for his Services.
Fr. Normandin spent eight years of his life on planes, in trains, and on buses (1976 – 1984). In his youth, he had dreamed of becoming a Missionary to Africa. He was a Missionary, indeed, but in his Native Land. Fr. Normandin’s Apostolate established the Foundation for the future establishments of The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in Canada. This Religious Congregation was Founded in 1969 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre to defend The Catholic Faith and The Latin Mass. Some of Fr. Normandin’s little Altar Boys would later become Priests of The SSPX.
In 1984, Fr. Normandin distanced himself from the SSPX to re-join the Archdiocese of Montreal. A Non-Territorial Parish of Tridentine Rite was granted him, The Latin Community of Saint Paul, which had its home at the Church of Sainte-Cunégonde (1984 – 2000), then in Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde (2000 – 2007), and, since 2007, Saint-Irénée, which, in 2016, was given into the care of The Fraternity of Saint Peter.
But Fr. Normandin had to make a concession. He stated in writing that The Second Vatican Council and The Mass of Paul VI contained no heresy. Some Traditionalists reproached him for this “weakness.” He himself was somewhat uncomfortable with this episode in his life. But it must be recalled that, in 1984, many Catholics, including Archbishop Lefebvre, thought that Pope Saint John Paul II would bring The Church back to Tradition. They were disillusioned when the inter-religious Day of Prayer in Assisi took place in 1986.
On the practical level, the existence of a Traditional Mass authorised by the Diocese made it possible to draw Catholics to Tradition who hesitated to join The SSPX because of its Canonical irregularity. Around 1990, I was one of those Catholics. I owe a great deal to the Latin Parish of Sainte-Cunégonde.
At the end of his life, Fr. Normandin returned to The SSPX: “This is my real family.” He lived, and said Mass, at The Precious Blood Residence in Lévis [Quebec]. His failing health unfortunately put him in a long-term Care Centre, where he endured the fallout of Covid-19. The Priests from Holy Family School could no longer bring him Communion. A generous family offered to take him in.
Fr. Normandin spent the last months of his life surrounded by children. The young Priests of The SSPX could once again visit him and soak up his example. He refused morphine, offering his sufferings for his Faithful.
Fr. Normandin’s funeral took place on January 4, 2021, at The SSPX Priory in Saint-Césaire, Quebec. He was buried in the Cemetery of Cowansville, the Town of his birth. The spirit of Fr. Normandin can be summarised in one sentence. It is the famous response of Saint Peter to The Sanhedrin: “We ought to obey God, rather than men.”
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