ZEPHYRINUS.

15 August, 2026

The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Feast Day, Today, 15 August. White Vestments.

English: The Assumption of The Virgin Mary.
Deutsch: Maria Himmelfahrt, Hochaltar
für St. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venedig.
Français: L'Assomption de la Vierge.
Artist: Titian (1490–1576).
Date: 1516-1518.
Current location:
Institution:Santa Maria Gloriosa
dei Frari, Venice, Italy.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

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

The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Feast Day 15 August.

Double of The First-Class
with a Common Octave.

White Vestments.

On this Feast, the most ancient (6th-Century A.D.) and Solemn of The Cycle of Mary, The Church invites all her children in The Catholic World to unite their joy (Introit) and their gratitude (Preface) with those of The Angels, who praise The Son of God because of that day His Mother, Bodily and Spiritually, entered Heaven (Alleluia).

Admitted to the enjoyment of the delights of Eternal Contemplation, She chose at The Feet of The Master the better part, which shall not be taken away from Her (Gospel, Communion).

The Gospel of The Vigil was, indeed, formerly read after today's Gospel, in order to show that The Mother of Christ is happy among all others, because, better than all others: "She listened to The Word of God". This Word, The Word, The Divine Wisdom, which, under The Old Law, dwelt among the people of Israel (Epistle), dwelt in Mary, under The New Law.

“Mater Dolorosa”
(Mother of Sorrows).
Artist: Carlo Dolci (1616–1686).
Date: Circa 1650.
Current location:
National Museum of Western Art,
Tokyo, Japan.
Source: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.
Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

The Word became Incarnate in the womb of The Virgin, and now, amid the splendour of the Heavenly Sion, He fills Her with the delights of The Beatific Vision.

The Church on Earth, like Martha, has to care for the necessities of this present life, but she also, like her, invokes the help of Mary (Collect, Secret, Postcommunion).

A Procession has always been a part of The Feast of The Assumption. At Jerusalem, it was formed by the numerous Pilgrims who came to Pray at the tomb of The Blessed Virgin and who, thus, contributed to the Institution of this Solemnity.

The Clergy of Constantinople also held a Procession on The Feast of The Rest, or Assumption, of Mary. At Rome, from the 7th-Century A.D., to the 16th-Century, the Papal Cortege, in which the representatives of The Senate and people took part, went on this day from The Church of Saint John Lateran to that of Saint Mary Major. This Ceremony was called The Litany.

[On this occasion, they used to recite over the people, assembled for the Procession, the Collect for Assumption Day, which is first in The Sacramentary and mentions this Mystery, whilst our Collect of The Mass on 15 August was only The Second Collect and has no direct relation to The Feast.

This is The First Collect: "It is our duty to honour The Solemnity of this day, O Lord; The Holy Mother of God did, indeed, suffer temporal death, although the bonds of this death could not hold back Her, whose flesh formed The Body of Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth . . ."]

It is in The Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome, that The Station is held at Christmas to Solemnise The Mystery, from which flowed all The Glories of The Virgin, and it is also there that was Solemnised The Assumption, in which they culminate. Mary received Jesus, when He came into this World, and it is Jesus Who receives Mary into Heaven.

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

The Introit for The Feast of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Gaudeámus omnes in Dómino . . . (Let us all rejoice in The Lord, . . .) is that of The Feast of Saint Agatha (5 February).

From the 11th-Century, this Introit was also used in seven other Masses which are in The Missal, among which are

15 August (today's Feast) and 1 November (Feast of All Saints).

Mass: Gaudeámus omnes.

Creed.

Preface: Of Our Blessed Lady. “Et te in Assumptióne”.

14 August, 2026

The Vigil Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Mother Of God. Co-Redemptrix. Mediatrix Of All Graces. 14 August. Violet Vestments.

English: The Assumption of The Virgin Mary.
Deutsch: Maria Himmelfahrt.
Hochaltar für St. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venedig.
Français: L'Assomption de la Vierge.
Artist: Titian (1490–1576).
Date: 1516-1518.
Current location:
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Text: “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 13.
Time After Pentecost.
Book IV.

What is this Dawn before which the brightest constellations pale ?

O fountain of the gardens hiding thyself so calm
and pure in Sion, the silence which keeps thee from the knowledge of the profane hides from their sullied eyes the source of thy wavelets which carry salvation to the furthest limits of the Gentile World.

To thee, as to the Wisdom sprung from thee, is applied the prophetic word: “I have poured out rivers”. Thou givest to drink to the new-born Church thirsting for the Word.

Thou art, as the Holy Spirit said of Esther, thy type: “The little fountain which grew into a river, and was turned into a light, and into the Sun, and abounded into many waters”.

The Apostles, inundated with Divine Science, recognised
in thee the richest source, which having once given to
the World the Lord God, continued to be the channel
of His Grace and Truth to them.

The Greek Orthodox Liturgical Year Commences On 1 September.

English: Marvellous mosaic of Christ Pantocrator
(“Ruler Over All”) from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul,
Turkey. It is the central figure of the so-called “Deësis” mosaic
(Δέησις, “Entreaty”) which probably dates from a relatively-late 1261. It is considered by many to be the finest mosaic
in Hagia Sophia.
Español: Maravilloso mosaico de Cristo de la iglesia de Santa Sofía en Estambul. Es la figura central del llamado Deisis mosaico (Δέησις, “Súplica”), que data probablemente de un relativamente reciente 1261. Es considerado por muchos como el más fino mosaico en Hagia Sophia.
Photo: 31 May 2014.
Source: Own work.
Collection: Hagia Sophia.
Author: Dianelos Georgoudis.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Question: When does the Greek Liturgical New Year commence?

Copilot stated:

The Greek Orthodox Liturgical Year begins on 1 September.

Why 1 September ?

The Eastern Orthodox Churches, including the Church of Greece, follow the Byzantine Liturgical Calendar, whose year Traditionally starts on 1 September.

This reflects the ancient Roman/Byzantine civil practice in which September marked the beginning of the Indiction, a fifteen‑year Tax Cycle used for dating documents.

The Church preserved this as the start of its Liturgical Cycle.

What happens on 1 September ?

It is the Feast of the Indiction, the “Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year”.

Special prayers ask God to Bless the coming year, the Harvest, and the natural World.

In recent decades, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has also emphasised Prayers for Creation and the Environment on this day.

How the year then unfolds.

September – November: Ordinary Sundays after Pentecost, plus Feasts such as the Nativity of The Theotokos (Mother of God) (8 September) and the Exaltation of The Cross (14 September).

December: Advent Fast (the Nativity Fast) begins 15 November, leading to Christmas.

January: The Great Feasts of Saint Basil (1 January) and Epiphany (6 January).

Movable Cycle: Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, and Pentecost, all follow the Paschalion (the system by which the date of Easter is calculated in the Eastern Orthodox Church), which is calculated separately each year.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church,[10][11][12] also known as the Greek Orthodox Church[13] is the second-largest Christian body in the World after The Roman Catholic Church,[14][15][9] and one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity.[10]

The Eastern Orthodox Church operates as a communion of autocephalous Churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods.[16]

The Church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the Pope of The Roman Catholic Church.

Nevertheless, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised by them as primus inter pares (“first among equals”),[17][18][19][20] a Title held by the Patriarch of Rome prior to the East – West Schism.

As one of the oldest surviving Religious institutions in the World, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played an especially prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.[21]

Since 2018, there has been an ongoing Schism between Constantinople and Moscow, with the two not in full communion with each other.

Eastern Orthodox Theology is based on the Scriptures and Holy Tradition, which incorporates the dogmatic decrees of the seven Ecumenical Councils, and the teaching of the Church Fathers.

The Church teaches that it is the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission,[22] and that its Bishops are the successors of Christ’s Apostles.[23]

It maintains that it practises the original Christian Faith, as passed down by Holy Tradition.

Its Patriarchates, descending from the Pentarchy, and other autocephalous and autonomous Churches, reflect a variety of hierarchical organisation.

It recognises seven major Sacraments (which are called Holy Mysteries), of which the Eucharist is the principal one, Celebrated Liturgically in synaxis.

The Church teaches that through Consecration invoked by a Priest, the Sacrificial Bread and Wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Virgin Mary is Venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Theotokos, which means “God-bearer”, and she is Honoured in Devotions.

The Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch — except for some breaks of Communion such as the Photian Schism or the Acacian Schism — shared Communion with The Church of Rome until the East – West Schism in 1054.

Orthodox Arts Journal can be accessed
HERE

Light from the East:
Masterpieces from the Ikonen-Museum Recklinghausen.

By Elliot Mackin, PhD
Categories: Iconography, News

Icon Museum and Study Center, Clinton, Massachusetts,
16 October 2026 - 21 March 2027.

Opening to the public, 16 October 2026, the Icon Museum and Study Center in Clinton, Massachusetts, presents rare icons from Novgorod, Moscow, Crete, and Constantinople.

For the first time in the United States, highlights from one of Western Europe’s largest museum collections of Orthodox icons will be on view in the exhibition Light from the East: Masterpieces from the Ikonen-Museum Recklinghausen.

Orthodox Arts Journal Web-Site can be accessed
HERE

Time After Pentecost (Part Two). Historical Note.

Altar Frontal (Antependium)
designed by Charles Eamer Kempe.
Illustration: MEDIEVAL CHURCH ART

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

Illustrations: Zephyrinus,
unless stated otherwise.

Being sent by Our Lord to teach all nations and to Baptise them in The Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Ghost [Editor: Gospel for Trinity Sunday], the Apostles dispersed throughout the World.

Saint James the Great (Feast 25 July), Saint John’s brother, was the first to give a Martyr’s testimony to Christ by shedding his blood at Jerusalem, under Herod Agrippa I, about 42 A.D.

Shortly after Saint Peter [Editor: The Epistles for the The Second Sunday and The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost are from Saint Peter] was miraculously delivered by an Angel (Feast Day 1 August) and took refuge in the house of Saint Mark (Feast 25 April) the author of the second Gospel.

Altar Frontal (Antependium)

designed by Charles Eamer Kempe.

Illustration: MEDIEVAL CHURCH ART

Saint Peter’s Pontificate in Rome, from his first visit in

42 A.D. until his death in 67 A.D., lasted twenty-five years (Feast 18 January), during which he stayed for some time, about 51 A.D. to 52 A.D., at Antioch (Feast 22 February).

Saint Paul of Tarsus, who was a Convert, probably in 37 A.D. (Feast of The Conversion of Saint Paul 25 January), went to see Saint Peter at Jerusalem and began his missionary journeys in 44 A.D. Having been Consecrated Bishop of Antioch, with Saint Barnabas (Feast 11 June) in the first missionary journey they visited together Cyprus, of which later on Saint Barnabas became Bishop, and Pamphylia, and Pisidia, and Lycaonia.

Returning to Antioch, Paul attended the Council of Jerusalem, over which Peter presided, about 51 A.D. While The Prince of The Apostles was residing at Antioch, Paul began his second voyage, about 52 A.D., goint to Syria and Lycaonia, and, after having been joined by Timothy, traversed Phrygia and Galatia.

It was about this time that The Church at Colosse was Founded. Paul sailed from Troas with Saint Luke (Feast

18 October), the author of The Acts of The Apostles, visiting Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth. Thence, he returned through Ephesus and Cæsarea to Jerusalem, in time for Easter in 54 A.D.

Saint Paul’s third journey led him across Phrygia and Galatia to Ephesus, where he wrote his Epistle to the Galatians and his first Epistle to the Corinthians. He then revisited Macedonia, where he wrote his second Epistle to the Corinthians and, afterwards, Greece.

After following the Adriatic coast as far as Illyria, he again stayed for a time at Corinth. It was there that the Epistle to the Romans was written. Subsequently, Saint Paul returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost in 58 A.D.

Having been arrested in the Temple, he was taken to Cæsarea, and, after two years in captivity, having appealed to Cæsar, was sent by ship to Rome, where he arrived about 61 A.D. There he found a Church, perfectly organised by Saint Peter, who had been the first to Preach the Gospel in Rome.

Saint Paul’s trial lasted two years more, during which he wrote his Epistles to the Philippians, the Ephesians, and the Colossians. Having been set free, and intending to go to Jerusalem, he sent in advance, as he had done for the Romans, a Letter known to us as the Epistle to the Hebrews.

“Cantate Domino Canticum Novum”.

Composed by: Claudio Monteverdi.

Available on YouTube

HERE

It was after the first imprisonment of Saint Paul at Rome that the first Epistle of Saint Peter appears to have been written to the provinces evangelised by The Apostle of the Gentiles and where Saint Peter, himself, probably had preached the Faith.

Saint Paul then visited Ephesus, Macedonia, and Crete, where he left Saint Titus (Feast 6 February) as Bishop, to whom he wrote two Epistles. At Corinth, he met Saint Peter and returned with him to Rome.

There, Saint Peter Baptised Saint Nereus and Saint Achilleus (Feast 12 May), who were beheaded. He was then arrested with Saint Paul and confined with him in the Mamertine Prison on Mount Tarpeia, where they converted their gaolers Saint Processus and Saint Martinian (Feast 2 July), who died as Martyrs.

The two Apostles underwent Martyrdom about 67 A.D. The following year, Jerusalem was besieged and, in 70 A.D., it was taken by Titus and the Temple burnt to the ground.

[Editor: The Epistles referred to in this Article are the Epistles read on Sundays After Pentecost.]

PART THREE FOLLOWS.

The Vigil Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, 14 August. Violet Vestments.

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

The Vigil of The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
14 August.

Violet Vestments.

The Epistle, for The Vigil Of The Assumption of

The Blessed Virgin Mary, is “Ego quasi vitis”, (taken from

The Book of Wisdom) from The Feast of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July).

As the vine, I have brought forth a pleasant odour,

And my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches.

I am the mother of fair love,

And of fear,

And of knowledge,

And of Holy Hope.

In me, is all Grace of The Way and of The Truth,

In me, is all Hope of Life and Virtue.

Come over to me,

All ye that desire me,

And be filled with my fruits;

For my spirit is sweet above honey,

And my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.

My memory is unto everlasting generations.

They that eat me, shall yet hunger;

And they that drink me, shall yet thirst.

He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded,

And they that work by me shall not sin.

They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

Christ, after having lain for only three days in the tomb, rose again and ascended into Heaven.

Likewise, the death of The Virgin resembled, rather, a short sleep. Hence, it was called “Dormitio” (Dormition), and before corruption could defile her body, God restored her to life and Glorified her in Heaven.

These three privileges are celebrated by The Feast of The Assumption, which follows logically from the privilege of The Immaculate Conception and the privilege of The Mystery of The Incarnation.

For sin never having defiled the Soul of Mary, it was right that her body, in which The Word had become Incarnate, should not be tainted by the corruption of the tomb.

Mass: Vultum tuum.
Commemoration: Saint Eusebius.
The Gloria is not said.
Preface: Common Preface.

Saint Eusebius. Confessor. Feast Day 14 August. White Vestments.

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

Saint Eusebius.
Confessor.
Feast Day 14 August.

Double.

White Vestments.

English: The Basilica of Saint Eusebius, Rome.

Français: Eglise de Sant’Eusebio all’Esquillino

sur la via Napoleone III à Rome

Photo: April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Attribution: LPLT/Wikimedia Commons.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Eusebius, a Roman Priest, opposed The Arians under the reign of Emperor Constantius. Imprisoned in his room by order of the Emperor, he persevered seven months in Prayer, and fell asleep in The Lord about the middle of the 4th-Century A.D.

He was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus. He has always been very much honoured in Rome. The Station is held in an ancient Church bearing his name on The Friday in The Fourth Week in Lent.

Mass: Justus ut palma.

"The Glory of Saint Eusebius".
Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs
Date: 1757.
Current location: Sant'Eusebio, Rome.
Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Eusebius of Rome (☩ 357 A.D.), the Founder of the Church on The Esquiline Hill, in Rome, that bears his name, is listed in The Roman Martyrology as one of the Saints Venerated on

14 August.

The Martyrology of Usuard styles him Confessor at Rome under the Arian Emperor Constantius II and adds that he was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus. Some later Martyrologies call him a Martyr. He is said to have been a Roman patrician and Priest, and is mentioned with distinction in Latin Martyrologies.

The "Acta Eusebii", discovered in 1479 by Mombritius and reproduced by Baluze in his "Miscellanea" (1678–1715), tell the following story: When Pope Liberius was permitted by Constantius II to return to Rome, supposedly at the price of his orthodoxy, by subscribing to the Arian formula of Sirmium, Eusebius, a Priest, an ardent defender of The Nicene Creed, publicly Preached against both Pope and Emperor, branding them as heretics.

When the orthodox party, who supported the Anti-Pope, Felix, were excluded from all the Churches, Eusebius continued to say Mass in his own house. He was arrested and brought before Pope Liberius and Constantius, and boldly reproved Liberius for deserting The Catholic Faith. In consequence, he was placed in a dungeon four feet wide (or was imprisoned in his own house), where he spent his time in Prayer and died after seven months.

His body was buried in the Cemetery of Callistus with the simple inscription: "Eusebio homini Dei". This act of kindness was performed by two Priests, Gregory and Orosius, friends of Eusebius. Gregory was put into the same prison and also died there. He was buried by Orosius, who professes to be the writer of The Acts ["Acta Eusebii"].

It is generally admitted that these "Acts" were a forgery, either entirely or at least in part, and written in the same spirit, if not by the same hand, as the notice on Liberius in The "Liber Pontificalis".

The Bollandists and Tillemont point out some historical difficulties in the narrative, especially the fact that Liberius, Constantius, and Eusebius were never in Rome at the same time.

Constantius visited Rome but once, and remained there for about a month, and Liberius was then still in exile. Some, taking for granted the alleged fall of Liberius, would overcome this difficulty by stating that, at the request of Liberius, who resented the zeal of the Priest, the secular power interfered and imprisoned Eusebius. It is not at all certain whether Eusebius died after the return of Liberius, during his exile, or even much before that period.

Sant'Eusebio, the Basilica-style Church on The Esquiline in Rome, Dedicated to him, is said to have been built on the site of his house. It is mentioned in The Acts of a Council held in Rome under Pope Symmachus in 498 A.D., and was rebuilt by Pope Zacharias.

It is a Titular Church of the Cardinal-Priest and The Station Church for The Friday after The Fourth Sunday in Lent. It once belonged to The Celestines (an Order now extinct); Pope Leo XII gave it to The Jesuits.

The Tridentine Calendar had a Commemoration of Eusebius, after that of the Commemoration of The Vigil of The Feast of The Assumption of Mary on 14 August, on which day the main Liturgy was that of The Feast of Lawrence of Rome, within whose Octave it fell.

The 1920 Typical Edition of the Roman Missal omitted the Celebration on that date of the day within the Octave of Saint Lawrence. The Vigil of the Assumption became the principal Liturgy, with a Commemoration of Eusebius, alone. The 1969 Revision of The Calendar removed the Commemoration of Eusebius, while sanctioning the Celebration of his Feast in the Roman Basilica that bears his name.

The Vigil Of The Assumption. 14 August. Violet Vestments.

Text: “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 13.
Time After Pentecost.
Book IV.

What is this Dawn before which the brightest constellations pale ?

Laurence, who has been shining in the August Heavens as an incomparable star, is well nigh eclipsed, and becomes but the humble satellite of the Queen of Saints, whose triumph is preparing beyond the clouds.

Mary stayed on Earth after her Son’s Ascension in order to give birth to His Church; but she could not remain for ever in exile. Yet, she was not to take her flight to Heaven until this new fruit of her maternity had acquired the growth and strength which it belongs to a mother to give.

How sweet to The Church was this dependence !!! A privilege given to her members by Our Lord in imitation of Himself.

As we saw, at Christmas-time, the God-Man carried first in the arms of His Mother, gathering His strength and nourishing His life at her Virginal breast; so the mystical body of the Man-God, the Holy Church, received, in its first years, the same care from Mary as the Divine Child our Emmanuel.

As Joseph heretofore at Nazareth, Peter was now ruling the House of God; but Our Lady was none the less to the assembly of the Faithful the source of life in the spiritual order, as she had been to Jesus in His Humanity.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost and every one of His gifts rested first upon her in all fullness; every Grace bestowed on the privileged dwellers in the Cenacle was given more eminently and more abundantly to her.

“The sacred stream of the river maketh the City of God joyful”, because first of all “the Most High has sanctified His own tabernacle”, made her the “well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus”.

Eternal Wisdom herself is compared in the Scripture to overflowing waters; to this day, the voice of her messengers traverses the World, magnificent, as the voice of the Lord over the great waters, as the thunder which reveals His power and majesty: Like a new deluge overturning the ramparts of false science, levelling every height raised against God, and fertilising the desert.

O fountain of the gardens hiding thyself so calm and pure in Sion, the silence which keeps thee from the knowledge of the profane hides from their sullied eyes the source of thy wavelets which carry salvation to the furthest limits of the Gentile World.

To thee, as to the Wisdom sprung from thee, is applied the prophetic word: “I have poured out rivers”. Thou givest to drink to the new-born Church thirsting for the Word.

Thou art, as the Holy Spirit said of Esther, thy type: “The little fountain which grew into a river, and was turned into a light, and into the Sun, and abounded into many waters”.

The Apostles, inundated with Divine Science, recognised in thee the richest source, which having once given to the World the Lord God, continued to be the channel of His Grace and Truth to them.