This Article is taken from
Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan.
24 May.
World Day of Prayer for China.
Established by His Holiness,
Pope Emeritus,
Benedict XVI.
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Saturday 24 May 2014
Regensburg Cathedral.
Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.
English: Saint Peter's Cathedral,
Regensburg, Germany.
Deutsch: Dom St. Peter zu Regensburg.
Photo: 17 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: User:Omnidoom 999.
(Wikimedia Commons)
A Bishop's Church was built around 700 A.D., at the site of the present-day Cathedral Parish Church, Niedermünster (Saint Erhard's tomb). Around 739 A.D., Saint Boniface chose the area of the Porta Praetoria (North Gate of the old Roman fort) for the Bishop's Seat, and the site of the Cathedral has remained there since. The Cathedral was rebuilt in Carolingian times and expanded in the Early-11th-Century, with an approximately fifteen-metre-wide Transept, two Towers and an Atrium.
English: Cathedral of Saint Peter,
Regensburg, Germany.
South facade (before the Towers were cleaned in 2005).
Deutsch: Regensburger Dom St. Peter (Südfront)
- vor der Turmsanierung.
Date: 18 February 2004 (original upload date).
Source: Own work.
Author: Michael.chlistalla.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Cupola, at The Transept Crossing, and other sectors, were renovated in Baroque Style in the 17th-Century. In 1828 - 1841, the Cathedral underwent a Neo-Gothic Restoration, commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The Baroque frescoes were relocated and the Cupola demolished, being replaced by a quadripartite Rib Vault. The Towers and their Spires were built in 1859 - 1869. Three years later, the Cathedral was finally finished, with the completion of The Transept Gable and the Spire (at The Crossing), after some 600 years of construction.
Deutsch: Der Altar des Regensburger Doms.
English: The Altar of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: High Contrast.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Deutsch: Innenraum des Doms St. Peter.
English: Interior of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 15 February 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jens Hirsch.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Deutsch: Südfassade des Regensburger Domes.
English: South Facade Chevet of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bkmd.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In testimony of that Romanesque pre-cursor, the Eselsturm Tower still stands on the North Side of the Cathedral; it was used in the past, and is still used, to transport construction materials to the upper levels. A pulley remains in the West Loft, and, with it, materials are lifted through an opening in the ceiling near the West Portal. To the East of the Cathedral, is the state-run Dombauhütte (Cathedral Building Workshop), which is responsible for the preservation of the structure. In contrast with many Cathedral Building Workshops, neither modern machines, nor exclusively old tools, are used. Rather, tools are manufactured in the Workshop.
The Erminold Maria is one element of an Annunciation Group in Regensburg Cathedral. It goes back to the, so-called, Erminoldmeister, who carved and colourfully painted the figure of Mary, and the famous laughing figure of the Angel Gabriel, about 1280. The figures are juxtaposed to one another on the two Western Pillars at The Crossing, of the Nave. Mary's right hand is slightly raised toward the Angel, in greeting. In her left hand, she holds a book, into which she is pointing with her index finger.
Deutsch: Im Inneren des Regensburger Doms.
English: Interior of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: User:High Contrast.
(Wikimedia Commons)
On the Eastern Pillars, at The Crossing, are stone figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which were installed in 1320, and 1360 - 1370, respectively.
The All Saints' Chapel, in the Cathedral Cloisters, was built in 1164 as a Burial Chapel for Bishop Hartwig II, by Master Builders from Como, in Northern Italy.
Most of the valuable Stained-Glass Windows were installed between 1220 - 1230 and 1320 - 1370. The windows of the West Facade were only completed in the 19th-Century. In 1967 - 1968, came the windows of the left Chancel, from the hand of the artist, Professor Oberberger. He also produced the Pentecost Window in the West of The North Transept and the Clerestory Windows in Gothic Style.
Deutsch: Regensburger Dom.
English: Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Aconcagua.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Deutsch: Regensburger Dom, Südfassade
Русский: Свинья. Украшение водостока на южном фасаде Регенсбургского собора.
English: Gargoyles on the South Facade of Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author:
Bkmd.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Peter Canisius preached from the stone Pulpit, in the Central Nave, in 1556 - 1557. Regensburg Cathedral is the Bishop's Church and the principal Church of the Regensburg Diocese. It is also the home of the Regensburger Domspatzen ("Cathedral Sparrows"), a Choir rich in tradition. The structure is considered the most significant Gothic work in Southern Germany.
The Cathedral is also the burial place of important Bishops, including: Johann Michael von Sailer (1829-1832, Memorial built by Konrad Eberhard in the South Chancel); Georg Michael Wittmann (1832-1833, Memorial, also by Konrad Eberhard, in the North Chancel); and Archbishop Michael Buchberger (1927-1961, likewise in the North Chancel). In the Western part of the Central Nave, stands a bronze Memorial for the Prince-Bishop, Cardinal Philipp Wilhelm († 1598), the brother of Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria.
Deutsch: Regensburger Dom.
English: Regensburg Cathedral.
Photo: 2 June 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Aconcagua.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Friday 23 May 2014
Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J.
Italic Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.
unless stated otherwise.
Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J.
Illustration: CRISIS MAGAZINE
Father Willie Doyle, S.J., MC (3 March 1873 – 16 August 1917) (William Joseph Gabriel Doyle was his full Baptismal name) was an Irish Jesuit Priest, who was Killed-in-Action during World War I.
Doyle was a native of Dalkey, Ireland, and the youngest of seven children. He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicester. He entered the Jesuit Novitiate at the age of 18, after reading Saint Alphonsus’ book, “Instructions and Consideration on the Religious State”, and was an Ordained Jesuit Priest.
Doyle was a native of Dalkey, Ireland, and the youngest of seven children. He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicester. He entered the Jesuit Novitiate at the age of 18, after reading Saint Alphonsus’ book, “Instructions and Consideration on the Religious State”, and was an Ordained Jesuit Priest.
Soon after his Ordination, in 1907, his Superiors appointed him on the Mission Staff for five years. From 1908 to 1915, he gave no less than 152 Missions and Retreats. His fame, as Preacher, Confessor and Spiritual Director, spread far and wide, and he had "a special gift to hunt out the most hardened and neglected sinners, and to bring them back with him to the Church for Confession".
He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during the assault on the village of Ginchy. He was recommended for a posthumous Victoria Cross, the day he was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele alongside the 16th Division and the 36th Ulster Division, which both suffered heavy losses. Fr Doyle's body was never recovered.
The following Article is taken from CRISIS MAGAZINE
Father Willie Doyle: Forgotten War Hero
by K. V. Turley
In an unmarked grave in those now silent fields of Flanders lies the body of an Irish priest.
Like so many caught up in the conflict that came to be known as the Great War, he was buried where he fell, without marker or tombstone; one more casualty amongst the millions. That should have been the end; it proved not to be the case, however.
by K. V. Turley
In an unmarked grave in those now silent fields of Flanders lies the body of an Irish priest.
Like so many caught up in the conflict that came to be known as the Great War, he was buried where he fell, without marker or tombstone; one more casualty amongst the millions. That should have been the end; it proved not to be the case, however.
If, after his death, the private papers, which he had asked to be burned, had lain undisturbed then, almost certainly, he would have been forgotten by all except those closest to him. Instead, the discovery, and subsequent publication of a biography in 1920, caused ferment.
Willie Doyle was born into a well to do Catholic family on March 3, 1873. His upbringing on the outskirts of Dublin was outwardly idyllic, but also one charged with the devout religious faith of that household. From this Christian home, four of the seven children was to enter some form of religious life. After being educated in both Ireland and England, Willie Doyle entered the Society of Jesus.
After many long years of study, he was ordained in 1907 and assigned to the Jesuit mission to parishes throughout the British Isles. From the start he excelled as preacher and confessor, and the crowds flocked to hear and be converted. Only after his death was the secret of such success revealed—penance.
Appearing at the start of the twentieth century, here was a figure like Irish monks of old. Night watches in front of the Blessed Sacrament, frequent use of the Discipline, immersion in cold lakes, nocturnal barefoot pilgrimages — all hidden from view, but, importantly, with the knowing approval of his Spiritual Director. Added to this was his less dramatic daily “war” on self. The “Butter Tragedy” — some days butter on his toast, others not, just one example of a constant spirit of mortification in everyday matters. It was to prove never-ending; and combined with countless invocations his waking hours were eventually to become a veritable litany of reparation and supplication to the Mercy of God.
The discovery of the papers, that revealed this, intrigued those who knew him, unaware until then of the intensity of the life he had led. To others, however, such practices appeared too extreme, too harsh; but this was no gloomy ascetic. Instead, a much loved, affable Priest, constantly joking — it was perceptions that were mistaken. Nevertheless, like those called to perfection — and that remains all baptised Catholics —Father Willie Doyle had understood what clay we were made from, and so was under no illusions: The Battle for Heaven was one to be fought to the death of self. He could not have foreseen that for him, at least, this combat was to reach its conclusion in a very real battle in the European conflict then threatening.
When war finally did break out, Fr. Willie Doyle volunteered immediately. Behind this lay a desire to serve. Hours spent in the Confessional, he understood his fellow man. With thousands dressed in khaki on their way to meet death, he knew that someone had to be there with them as this was to be the definitive hour for such Souls, when all would be lost or gained, and for all Eternity. And so, he made straight for the Front.
Soon after, with the Royal Irish Fusiliers, he landed in France. From then on, this new Chaplain was to march every mile alongside these soldiers — forgoing all privileges that his Officer rank afforded him. This, and later other Irish battalions, were now his “flock” and he had chosen to be their “shepherd.” In the end, however, it was not his ensuring that the Sacraments were available as Death stalked them; saying Holy Mass whenever, and wherever, he could; or his rushing through machine-gun fire to get to the dying — to Anoint and give Viaticum. Nor was it the hours spent at night ensuring that the dead had a Christian burial — often burying what was left with his bare hands; or his comforting the sick and wounded — some so badly so, they no longer had faces. Nor staying, to the bitter end, with one Recruit, prior to being executed for desertion — before later having the unenviable task of writing to the man’s family. Nor simply his good humour and ready smile, throughout. No, these battle-hardened, if still fearful, soldiers loved him for just being with them through it all — often only partially aware of the mysterious Presence mediated through this Alter Christus.
For his bravery, evident to all who served with him, as well as being mentioned in dispatches, Fr. Willie Doyle was awarded the Military Cross — it should have been the highest award for gallantry possible: The Victoria Cross. That proved impossible, however, for he had a triple disqualification, being Irish, Catholic and a Jesuit. Those in the Military knew he had fallen foul of the politics of the time — needless to say, it meant little to him: His eyes were on an altogether different prize.
As if the dangers and privations of the Front were not enough, throughout he continued with his own inner “war.” When possible, in those flooded fetid trenches, with the sounds of Hell reverberating, the Priest spent hours on his knees, with a Pyx around his neck, adoring the Prince of Peace — all the time offering up reparation, especially so for Priests.
His letters home to his father, both touching and inspiring, reveal the strain of it all — something hidden from those around him. For this was a sensitive man that felt every pain inflicted by war, both physical and mental. Nevertheless, to the last, he knew every minute counted, and that others were counting on him, engaged as he was in a very real “battle” for Souls, and on that “Front”, no quarter could be given.
On they marched through the bloodstained fields, with names now synonymous with suffering — the Somme, Passchendaele . . . Some of the experiences too hideous to imagine — the night the battalion walked over a field filled with fresh corpses. Still, their Padre was with them, a reassuring presence regardless of the “dark valleys” they passed through, and one that brought an unexpected peace to many. For, like them, he too had been shot at, shelled and gassed; narrowly missing being killed on numerous occasions; his only rest, when possible, in the same rat-infested sodden trenches as they. Despite his Brother Officer’s pleas, he held to his post; determined to be with his “flock” throughout this living hell. And yet, just like the men around him, still clinging to the hope that — somehow — he might be allowed to survive the daily carnage, if all the while living in constant readiness to offer his life as a sacrifice for the saving of just one more Soul.
And then, at last, that hour of Holocaust came.
On August 16, 1917, during the seemingly never-ending Passchendaele Offensive, Fr. Willie Doyle encountered Death in the full heat of battle.
Dodging gunfire in the dreaded No-Man’s Land, whilst desperately trying to drag a wounded comrade back to safety, the Priest was blown to pieces by a German shell. Unlike the many to whom he had given a Christian burial, his remains were hastily interred in a makeshift communal plot, whilst, all around, the battle raged on. The sound of shells exploding against the night sky, as the wounded and maimed continued to cry out for someone — anyone — to hasten to their aid, were to be his only Requiem.
Now, with the guns silenced, Fr. Willie Doyle lies waiting for a very different Reveille to sound across those now stilled battlefields. And when rising to meet the true General he served and for whom he gave his life, in the slain priest’s train shall surely follow the legions of his spiritual progeny, not least his fallen comrades, many of whom saved by that final Absolution just as the end drew near….
On the Western Front alone, some estimate that as many as 40,000 military personnel converted to the Catholic Faith, due in no small part to the Catholic Chaplains who gave exemplary service during the Great War — men such as Fr. Willie Doyle.
Today, unknown in Ireland and forgotten by the Order he served in, at that desolate Flanders field the mortal remains of this war hero await the only recognition he ever longed for, to hear those much desired and final words:
“Come . . . you did it to one of the least of these my brethren . . .”
Editor’s note: This essay is based on a short life of Father Willie Doyle, by the author, titled Father Willie Doyle & World War I: A Chaplain’s Story.
The following is from a Post on ZEPHYRINUS
dated 18 November 2013.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
No-Man's Land
(Flowers of the Forest)
Available on YouTube
at
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Et Factum Est, Est Ductus Captivitatem . . . Cristóbal de Morales (1500 - 1553).
Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.
Cristóbal de Morales by Angelo Rossi (dates unknown).
The original print is from Andrea Adami's Osservazioni
per ben regolare il coro dei cantori della
Cappella pontificia. Catalogo de' nomi, cognomi,
e patria de i cantori pontifici (Rome, 1711).
Date: 18th-Century.
Source: Dějiny hudby II. Renesance, p. 231.
Author: Angelo Rossi.
(Wikimedia Commons)
There is some evidence that he was a difficult character, aware of his exceptional talent, but incapable of getting along with those of lesser musical abilities. He made severe demands on the singers in his employ, alienated employers, and likely came across as arrogant. In spite of this, he was regarded as one of the finest composers in Europe around the middle of the 16th-Century.
Et Factum Est,
Est Ductus Captivitatem . . .
Cristóbal de Morales
(1500 - 1553).
Available on YouTube at
Thursday 22 May 2014
Month's Mind.
Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.
Bearbeitung: Aus dem Original herausgeschnitten und mit schwarzem Hintergrund versehen.
Edit: Cut out and cropped.
Date: 6 March 2008.
Source: Image:Michelangelo's Pieta 5450.jpg.
Author: Stanislav Traykov, Niabot (cut out).
(Wikimedia Commons)
In Mediaeval, and later, England, it was a Service and Feast held one month after the death of anyone, in his or her memory. Bede speaks of the day as commemorationis dies. These "Minding Days" were of great antiquity, and were survivals of the Norse minne, or ceremonial drinking to the dead.
"Minnying Days," says Blount, "from the Saxon "Lemynde Days" which our ancestors called their "Monthes Mind, their Year's Mind, and the like, being the days whereon their Souls (after their deaths) were had in special remembrance, and some Office or obsequies said for them, as Obits, Diriges." The phrase is still used in Lancashire.
It is still an almost universal practice in Ireland (for Roman Catholics) for the family of the deceased, and close friends, to attend Mass and take a meal together on the occasion of the Month's Mind.
Elaborate instructions for the conduct of the Commemorative Service were often left in Wills. Thus, one Thomas Windsor (who died in 1479) orders that "on my Moneth's Minde, there be a hundred children, within the age of sixteen years, to say for my Soul," and candles were to be burned before the Rood (Cross) in the Parish Church and twenty Priests were to be paid by his Executors to sing Placebo, Dirige, and other Hymns.
In the correspondence of Thomas, Lord Cromwell, one in 1536 is mentioned at which a hundred Priests took part in the Requiem Mass. Commemorative Sermons were usually preached, the earliest printed example being one delivered by Saint John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, on Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby, in 1509.
Adore Te Devote. Benediction Hymn. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274).
unless otherwise stated.
Monstrance.
Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).
Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Adore Te Devote.
Another great Hymn from Saint Thomas Aquinas.
The Illustrations are: "The temptation of Saint Thomas Aquinas" by Diego Velazquez;
"Triumph of Saint Thomas Aquinas over the heretics" by Filippino Lippi;
"The Apotheosis of Thomas Aquinas" by Francisco de Zurbaran.
Available on YouTube at
Adoro te devote,
latens Deitas,
Quæ sub his figuris
vere latitas;
Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit,
Quia te contemplans totum deficit.
Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur,
Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.
Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius;
Nil hoc verbo veritátis verius.
In cruce latebat sola Deitas,
At hic latet simul et Humanitas,
Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,
Peto quod petivit latro pœnitens.
Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor:
Deum tamen meum te confiteor.
Fac me tibi semper magis credere,
In te spem habere, te diligere.
O memoriale mortis Domini !
Panis vivus, vitam præstans homini !
Præsta meæ menti de te vívere,
Et te illi semper dulce sapere.
Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine:
Cujus una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.
Jesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio,
Oro, fiat illud quod tam sitio:
Ut te revelata cernens facie,
Visu sim beátus tuæ gloriæ.
Amen.
I devoutly adore you, O hidden Deity,
Truly hidden beneath these appearances.
My whole heart submits to you,
And in contemplating you,
It surrenders itself completely.
Sight, touch, taste are all deceived
In their judgment of you,
But hearing suffices firmly to believe.
I believe all that the Son of God has spoken;
There is nothing truer than this word of truth.
On the cross only the divinity was hidden,
But here the humanity is also hidden.
I believe and confess both,
And ask for what the repentant thief asked.
I do not see the wounds as Thomas did,
But I confess that you are my God.
Make me believe more and more in you,
Hope in you, and love you.
O memorial of our Lord's death !
Living bread that gives life to man,
Grant my soul to live on you,
And always to savor your sweetness.
Lord Jesus, Good Pelican,
wash me clean with your blood,
One drop of which can free
the entire world of all its sins.
Jesus, whom now I see hidden,
I ask you to fulfill what I so desire:
That the sight of your face being unveiled
I may have the happiness of seeing your glory.
Amen.
Wednesday 21 May 2014
Ave Verum Corpus. Benediction Hymn. William Byrd (1543 - 1623).
Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.
Monstrance.
Photo: 2004-10-18 (original upload date).
Source: Own work (zelf gemaakt).
Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Original uploader was Broederhugo at nl.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Ave Verum Corpus.
William Byrd.
Available on YouTube at
Ave Verum Corpus is a short Eucharistic Hymn that has been set to music by various composers. It dates from the 14th-Century and has been attributed to Pope Innocent VI.
During the Middle Ages, it was sung at the elevation of the Host during the Consecration. It was also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Hymn's title means "Hail, True Body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-Century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Catholic belief in Jesus's Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
During the Middle Ages, it was sung at the elevation of the Host during the Consecration. It was also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Hymn's title means "Hail, True Body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-Century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Catholic belief in Jesus's Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
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