This painting by Robert William Buss, an enthusiastic admirer of Charles Dickens’s writings, was painted five years after the author’s death in 1870.
The posthumous painting of Dickens celebrates his vivid imagination and illustrates characters from all his books, spanning 'Pickwick Papers' to 'Edwin Drood', surrounding Dickens in his Library at Gad’s Hill, Rochester, Kent, England.
The setting was modelled on Luke Filde's engraving, 'The Empty Chair', and the figure of Dickens was copied from a well-known photograph by John Watkins (from 1863).
Zephyrinus has visited Dickens's home, Gad's Hill, Rochester, Kent, and has stood in Dickens's Library (see picture, above). He can vouch that the picture exactly captures how the Library was, in Dickens's time, and how it is, today.
Listen to one of Charles Dickens's greatest stories, “Oliver Twist”, HERE
The Charles Dickens Museum Web-Site can be found HERE
After the Testimony to Our Lord’s Resurrection given by the Angels (Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday), and by the Prince of the Apostles (Easter Monday), today’s Liturgy brings before us that of the Apostle of the Gentiles.
So it is in the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul, on the Via Ostia, that The Church used to gather her new-born children around the tomb of this same Apostle (Collect), there to teach them, out of his mouth, the Words of Divine Wisdom ((Introit).
The Epistle consists of a portion of the address in which Saint Paul announced to the Jews of the Synagogue of Antioch, in Pisidia, the Resurrection of Christ, foretold by the Prophets and witnessed by the Apostles.
The Gospel gives us a new proof of Our Lord’s Resurrection, telling us of an appearance of Jesus in the Cenacle on the very day that He rose from the Dead.
Jesus makes his Disciples touch Him. He eats in their presence and demonstrates from the Scriptures that it was necessary that Christ should die to save the World.
The Neophytes, “redeemed out of the hand of the enemy and united to God’s own people” (Gradual), and all Christians with them, must, continues Saint Paul, henceforth live, like the Risen Christ, none but a Heavenly Life (Communion), and by their manner of living proclaim their Faith in Christ (Collect).
Let us renew our Faith in the Risen Christ and show it by living, like Jesus, an entirely New Life.
Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.
Mass: Aqua sapiéntiæ. Sequence: Victimæ pascháli laudes. Creed: Is said. Preface: For Easter. Communicantes: For Easter. Hanc igitur: For Easter.
English: Basilica of Saint Paul-Without-The-Walls.
With a length of 432 feet, this Basilica is eleventh
among the largest Churches in the World.
Français: Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs.
Avec sa longueur de 131,66 mètres, cette Basilique se
classe au 11è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
Faux-Bourdon, or, Fauxbourdon (also Fauxbordon, and also commonly two words: Faux Bourdon, or, Faulx Bourdon, and, in Italian, Falso Bordone) – French for False Drone – is a technique of musical harmonisation used in the Late-Middle Ages and Early-Renaissance, particularly by composers of the Burgundian School.
To prevent monotony, or create a cadence, the lowest voice sometimes jumps down to the octave, and any of the accompanying voices may have minor embellishments. Usually just a small part of a composition employs the Faux-Bourdon technique.
in a setting by Guillaume Dufay, transcribed into modern notation. The top and bottom lines are freely composed; the middle line, designated "fauxbourdon" in the original, follows the contours of the top line while always remaining exactly a perfect fourth below. The bottom line is often, but not always, a sixth below the top line; it is embellished, and reaches cadences on the octave.
In a Hymn, the term is sometimes used when the Congregation sings in parallel octaves, with some singers singing a descant over the melody, but the term was historically used to indicate an arrangement of the tune in four parts with the melody in the tenor voice, such as those composed by 16th-Century and 17th-Century English composers, including John Dowland, Giles Farnaby, and Thomas Ravenscroft.
The earliest explicit example of Faux-Bourdon may be in the manuscript I-BC Q15 (Bologna, Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica, MS Q15), compiled around 1435, which contains several examples, including one by Dufay dating probably to around 1430.
Since many Early-15th-Century compositions are anonymous, and dating is often problematic, exact determination of the authorship of the earliest Faux-Bourdon is difficult.
Dufay’s contribution to this collection contains the first actual use of the term, in the closing part of his Missa Sancti Jacobi. It is possible that his use of the word “Bourdon” was intended as a pun on Saint James’ “Staff” (which Dufay, or the copyist, drew in miniature above the music).
Cividale, Museo Civico MS 101 has a work “O Salutaris Hostia” (f. 82v) which seems to be a work of Faux-Bourdon, but not labelled as such.[1][2]
The earliest definitely datable example of Faux-Bourdon is in a motet by Dufay, “Supremum Est Mortalibus”, which was written for the Treaty reconciling the differences between Pope Eugene IV and Sigismund, after which Sigismund was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor, which happened on 31 May 1433.
In this motet, which is for four voices, when the tenor—the lowest voice—drops out, the upper three voices proceed in Faux-Bourdon.
Even though its first use appears to have been in Italy, Faux-Bourdon was to become a defining characteristic of the Burgundian Style which flourished in the Low Countries through the middle of the 15th-Century.
A related, but separate, development took place in England in the 15th-Century, called “Faburden”. While superficially similar, especially in that it involved chains of 6–3 chords with octave-fifth consonances at the ends of phrases, Faburden was a schematic method of harmonisation of an existing Chant; in the case of Faburden, the Chant was in the middle voice.
The magnificent Choir of the Church of Saint Eugène. Paris, often include examples of Faux-Bourdon in their outstanding regular Choral arrangements for The Divine Mass and The Divine Office.
Their Web-Site, LITURGIA, gives a splendid indication of the quality of their Mass Settings and Office renditions.
Marco Frisina (born 16 December 1954, Rome) is an Italian Roman Catholic Priest and Composer. He is Director of the Pastoral Worship Centre at the Vatican.[1][2][3]
In 1984, he Founded the Choir of the Diocese of Rome that he directed continuously for over four decades.
Formed of 250 elements,[6] the Choir was involved in various international events and Holy Masses Celebrated by the Pope.
Since 1985, he has been the Director of the Lateran Pontifical Pious Chapel[7] in the Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran, a Choir which is composed of thirty-two Singers and two Organists.[8]
In 1991, Fr. Frisina started a collaboration with a TV series entitled “Le storie della Bibbia”, produced by Lux Vide, in the post of Biblical consultant and musical composer.[9]
Regarding the musical activity, he included the Italian composer Ennio Morricone.[10]
In 1993, he was appointed as Personal Chaplain of the Pope.
In 2007, he composed the La Divina Commedia Opera Musical (second title L’uomo che cerca l’Amore), the first musical transposition of the work of Dante Alighieri.
In 2011, he composed the official Hymn for the Beatification of Pope Saint John Paul II and was the Liturgical focal point for the related celebrations.[13][14]
In September 2014, he organised, in Rome, the first National Congress of Italian Religious Choirs,[15] which, in October 2016, was followed by the Jubilee of Choirs.[16][17]
Since 2015, he has been Artistic Director of the “Concert With The Poor And For The Poor”, held in the Paul VI Hall.
He was in charge of Music of “Dante in Musica”, directed by Andrea Ortis, winner in 2020 of the Persephone Award as best Italian Musical of the year.
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless stated otherwise.
Votive Masses, which may be said on certain Feast Days of Semi-Double or Simple Rite, and on certain Ferias, have been instituted to meet the wishes of The Faithful and satisfy Private Devotion.
The ordinary Votive Masses, as also the ordinary Masses for The Dead, may not be said on Greater Ferias, except on those of Advent.
Examples of Votive Masses, which can be requested
of the Parish Priest, or Pastor, by The Faithful, include:
Votive Mass of Jesus Christ The High Priest;
Votive Mass of The Holy Trinity;
Votive Mass of The Holy Angels;
Votive Mass of Saint Joseph;
Votive Mass of Saints Peter and Paul;
Votive Mass of all The Holy Apostles;
Votive Mass of The Holy Ghost;
Votive Mass to obtain The Grace of The Holy Ghost;
Votive Mass of The Blessed Sacrament;
Votive Mass of The Holy Cross;
Votive Mass of The Passion;
Votive Mass of The Blessed Virgin Mary;
Votive Mass for Papal Election;
Votive Mass on the Anniversary of a Pope;
Votive Mass for the Consecration of a Bishop;
Votive Mass on the Anniversary of a Bishop;
Votive Mass of Ordination;
Votive Mass for The Sick;
Votive Mass for a dying Person;
Votive Mass for the Propagation of The Faith;
Votive Mass against The Heathen;
Votive Mass for the Removal of Schism;
Votive Mass in Time of War;
Votive Mass for Peace;
Votive Mass in Time of Pestilence;
Votive Mass of Thanksgiving;
Votive Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins;
Votive Mass for Pilgrims and Travellers;
Votive Mass for Any Necessity;
Votive Mass for a Happy Death;
Votive Mass of The Sacred Heart;
Votive Mass of The Holy Name;
Votive Mass of The Precious Blood;
Votive Mass of Christ The King;
Votive Mass of The Holy Family;
Votive Mass of The Immaculate Conception;
Votive Mass of The Seven Sorrows;
Votive Mass of All Saints;
Votive Mass of Any Canonised Saint
(even if not mentioned in The Universal Calendar).
The Octave of Easter, during which, formerly, no servile work was done, was one continual Feast. Each day, the Neophytes attended Mass at a Station, at which they received Holy Communion. In the evening, they went to Saint John Lateran for The Office of Vespers.
On the first day of the week, The Station was at Saint Peter's, which contains the tomb of The Temporal Head of The Church. We hear his voice in the Epistle. He proclaims to the World The Resurrection of Christ, of which he was a witness.
Likewise, the Gospel, after describing the appearance of The Risen Christ to The Disciples at Emmaus, mentions His apparition to Peter on the very day of His Resurrection.
Receiving, as we do during these Easter Festivities, one and the same Sacrament, the milk of our Souls, which were born to The Life of God and brought into the promised land by Baptism (Introit), let us all be one in heart and Soul (Postcommunion) in proclaiming together our Faith in The Risen Christ.
Every Parish Priest Celebrates Mass for the people of his Parish.
Mass: Introdúxit. Sequence: Victimæ pascháli laudes. Creed: Is said. Preface: For Easter. Communicantes: For Easter. Hanc igitur: For Easter.
O, Adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in Whose name I was Baptised, may thanks be rendered unto Thee for this ineffable gift that Thou hast, in Thy great mercy, bestowed on me rather than on so many others.
In sin did my mother conceive me, and I was born a child of wrath, but, by water and The Holy Ghost, hast Thou made me to be born anew, O, my God, and, in that same second, did I become Thy child, brother of Jesus, Thy Son, Co-Heir with Him in Thy Glory.
But, alas, I have not lived in accordance with the exalted precepts laid upon me. O, my Father, if I may still call Thee by this name after having offended Thee so gravely, forget the ignorance of my youth, forget the sins of my life.
I sincerely desire to serve Thee, all the rest of my days, in the way that Thou art worthy of my service.
This firm resolution do I take, today, in renewing before Thee the promises made for me at Baptism.
With all my heart, O, God, do I renounce Satan and all his deceits, the World with all its vanities, sin, and all desires of the flesh; I renounce myself and all the corruption of my heart, that I may adore Thee, love Thee, serve Thee, and fulfil all Thy Commandments; this is the promise I make at Thy feet, before Heaven and Earth.
O, Eternal Father, revive in me The Grace of Divine Adoption, which marked the early moments of my life, that I live no longer but for Thee. O, Jesus, my Saviour, by The Blood in Which I was purified, renew in me The Image of Thee, Which I have disfigured so frequently by sin.
Holy Ghost, Principle of All Good, be Thou also The Principle of all my thoughts, all my desires, all my actions, that, henceforth, there may be found nothing in me unworthy of a Child of God, a Member of Jesus Christ, and a Temple Consecrated by Thee.
Queen of Heaven, Blessed Spirits encompassing The Throne of The Almighty, Guardian Angel, under whose care I have been placed, Holy Saints, whose names I bear, and ye pre-destined Souls of all ages who compose the Celestial Court, bear witness of the promise I have made.
Assist me with your Prayers, that I may obtain, from God, the Grace of being Faithful to it, even unto death.
Thousands of worshippers flocked to Saint Peter’s Square
on Easter Sunday to hear Pope Leo XIV deliver his first
Easter Mass address as Pontiff.
Framed by White Roses on the central balcony of the
Vatican’s Basilica, the Pope called on “those who have the power to unleash Wars” to choose Peace.
“On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant His Peace to a World ravaged by Wars,” the Pope said.
The first US-born Pope has become a vocal critic of the
Saint Vincent Ferrer, born in Spain in 1350, entered, at the age of eighteen, in The Order of Preachers and gave lustre to The Church by his virtues and his Preaching (Collect).
He was called “The Angel of The Judgement” and he went over the whole of Europe, warning sinners “to be ready for The Son of Man, Who will come at an unexpected hour” (Gospel).
The words of the Prophet: “Arise, ye dead, and come to Judgement,”, which he constantly repeated, caused the many miraculous conversions of which his life is full (Epistle). He put forth the proposal to end The Western Schism by deposing The Three Popes, who all claimed The Papal Tiara, and declared himself in favour of Martin V.
He died at Vannes, Brittany, France, in 1419.
Let us deserve by Penance to escape being condemned by The God Who is to judge us.
Sermon of The Right Reverend Dom Jean Pateau, Father Abbot, Our Lady of Fontgombault Abbey, France.
“Salve . . . Dies Prima”.
“Hail . . . O First Day”.
(Sequence; Adam of Saint Victor).
“Dear Brothers and Sisters, My dearly beloved Sons,
“Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity […] What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun,” wails Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes 1:2-9).
“André Chouraqui translates it in a vivid way: “Smoke, says Qoheleth, smoke of smokes, and all is smoke.”
“Mankind’s history would thus be nothing but void, nothingness, an endless maze ineluctably going back to square one. From our first parents Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and the murder of Abel, to the last victim of the fratricidal conflicts that ceaselessly bloody the Earth, all seems to be nothingness. All seems to be hatred.
“Three days ago, this heavy pall had also descended upon the Lord’s disciples. Today, the day after the Sabbath, the sun has just risen, a sun just like every other day’s sun.
“On the way leading them towards the tomb where the Lord’s body has been put, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, are carrying their spices, and their only worry is, “Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre ?” (Mk 16:3).
“This stone separating them from the Lord is indeed heavy, heavy with all the evil of human history, especially heavy with this last crime, the death of the Innocent One, the death of Him who had proclaimed Himself Son of God, Bread of Life, and Fount of Salvation. Could a man roll back this stone ?
Choir of the Monks of Our Lady of Fontgombault Abbey.
Choeur des moines de l’abbaye Notre Dame de Fontgombault.
“Yet, behold, the stone has been rolled back. Instead of a corpse, they find a young man clothed in White: “Be not affrighted. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified ? He is risen: He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.” (v. 6)
“A few humble words, and yet, fraught with a great mystery: What man could not do, God has done. The hour of reconciliation between God and man has struck. These few words are going to echo from mouth to mouth on the whole Earth, today: “He is risen.”
“The Prophet Isaiah had announced: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth Peace: of Him that sheweth forth Good, that preacheth Salvation, that saith to Sion: “Thy God shall reign !” (Is 52:7). The prophecy has been fulfilled. Women are its ambassadors.
“After appearing to Mary Magdalene and calling her by her name, to the disciples of Emmaus, to Peter, Jesus appears last to the disciples: “Peace be to you !” (Jn 20:19).
“Smoke of smokes, would all be smoke ? No, this day is unlike the other days. This is the day which the Lord has made, the day on which Divine Peace is poured out on Earth, a unique day, an endless day, the day Qoheleth had hoped for without being able to imagine it. We have just sung, speaking to Christ:
“The gloomy bonds of Hell have been broken; chaos shakes with fear, crushed by Thy luminous face. (Hymn: Salve Festa Dies, st. 7).
“Let us live in the light of this day without end. Yet, we have to acknowledge that for many men and women, this day will be like yesterday and tomorrow.
“Such was the case for the contemporaries of the Apostles on this Easter Morning. Such is also the case for us when we lack Faith.
“If we consider the situation of the World, the Church, sometimes our families and communities, we may be greatly tempted to chorus with Ecclesiastes; “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.” (Ecc. 1:2).
“Don’t let us tread this way. Don’t let us allow the little music of murmurings, of desperation, to play its baleful harmonies in our hearts.
“On this Easter morning, the Lord offers us His Peace, a Peace that had been announced by the Angels during Christmas night: “On Earth, Peace to men of good will.” (Lk 2:14)
“Proof has been given of this boundless love. He has given His life for us.
“This Peace is the Peace the Lord had promised to His disciples, announced by the Angels during Christmas night: “Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give unto you; not as the World giveth, do I give unto you.” (Jn 14:27)
“No, this Peace isn’t a fleeting Peace, a compromise Peace. This fecund Peace unfolds with the gift of a new life: We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, so that, as Christ was Raised from the Dead by the Glory of The Father, we, too, might walk in newness of life (Rm 6:4).
“It is our duty to share this Peace.
“Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.” (Mt 5:9).
“We are therefore going to implore it, in an especially ornate general intercession, for the Holy Catholic Church, for the Holy Father and those that help him in his task of government and teaching, for the Bishops, Priests, and all the Ministers, for the conversion of Peoples and their quietness, lastly, for our own City, our Country and its inhabitants.
“On this Easter Morning, the Lord invites us to the gift of Peace.
“Which is the member of my family, of my community, which one among my friends, my colleagues, who is most in need of the gift of Peace ?
“Our mission is to belie Qoheleth. No ! All is not in vain. All doesn’t lead to despair.
“After the darkness of Good Friday, follows the Blazing Light of the Glorious Christ, Victor of the Tomb. And this Light wants to shine on my life, too, provided I accept it.
“For whom does the Lord call me to become an ambassador of His Peace ? Nothing new under the Sun ? No, it shall not be so for him who walks in the Light of the Risen Christ.
“Not so either for The Blessed Virgin Mary. The Evangelists remain discreet on what her presence, her place, was during these hours.
“It is a Traditional belief that the Lord reserved for His Mother His first visit.
“To her who had not lost Peace, the Risen Christ comes and offers an increase in Peace.
“Therefore, Mary deserves the title of Regina Pacis, Queen of Peace. She has constituted herself the messenger of this Peace, as for instance in l’Île-Bouchard, on 11 December 1947: “I shall give happiness in families.”
“May we receive this happiness coming from Heaven, and proclaim it unto the ends of the Earth. Then, it will be truly Easter for us, for the World, a Passover from death to life, from darkness to Everlasting Light.
