Weekly Traditional Latin Masses In Kent And Monthly In Essex: Maidstone; Ashford; Tenterden; Headcorn; Ramsgate; Margate; Tunbridge Wells; Chislehurst; Leigh-on-Sea.

Illustration by

Margaret Tarrant.

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Zephyrinus is delighted to publicise

the Traditional Latin Masses,

which are Celebrated in Kent

on a regular Weekly basis on Sundays.
Also, in Essex (Leigh-on-Sea) on
The First Sunday of every Month.

In addition, in Kent, Traditional Latin Masses

are Celebrated during the Week,

on Feast Days and Holy Days of Obligation.

Illustration by

Margaret Tarrant.

FLICKR

There is a vibrant and happy group

who attend these Masses

and meet, after Mass (in Kent),
for lovely Lunches in various hostelries.

Do come and join us.
You will all be most welcome.

Illustration by

Margaret Tarrant.

FLICKR

Besides Glorifying God in an Edifying, Holy,
and Traditional manner, you will see the wonderful Kent and Essex countrysides

changing throughout the Seasons,

which, in itself, Glorifies God.

              

MAIDSTONE, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT FRANCIS.

Church of Saint Francis,

Maidstone, Kent.

Photo: © Copyright Chris Whippet

and licensed for reuse under this

Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated

at the

Church of Saint Francis,

126, Week Street,

Maidstone, Kent ME14 1RH,

(next to Maidstone East Railway Station)

at 1230 hrs,

on the FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON STOCK.

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Ashford, Kent.

Photo: WIKIMAPI

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated

at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road,

Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1215 hrs,

on the SECOND SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

TENTERDEN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT ANDREW.

Photo: SAINT ANDREW'S

CATHOLIC CHURCH,

TENTERDEN

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated

at the

Church of Saint Andrew,
47, Ashford Road,
Tenterden, Kent TN30 6LL,

at 1200 hrs,

on the THIRD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

HEADCORN, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY.

Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,

Headcorn, Kent.

Photo © Copyright David Anstiss

and licensed for reuse

under this Creative Commons Licence.

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated

at the

Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury,

Becket Court, 15, Station Road,

Headcorn, Kent TN27 9SB,

(near to Headcorn Railway Station)

at 1200 hrs,

on the FOURTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

WHEN THERE IS A FIFTH SUNDAY IN THE MONTH,

THE TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS IS CELEBRATED AT

ASHFORD, KENT.

CHURCH OF SAINT SIMON STOCK.

Saint Simon Stock Church,

Ashford, Kent.

Photo: WIKIMAPIA

Traditional Latin Masses are Celebrated

at the

Church of Saint Simon Stock,

Brookfield Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU,

at 1215 hrs,

on the FIFTH SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

RAMSGATE, KENT.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH,

Zephyrinus is grateful to Tony V at PRAY TELL UNCHAINED

for providing information on Usus Antiquior Masses in Ramsgate, Kent.

The Ramsgate Web-Site is THE CATHOLIC PARISH OF RAMSGATE AND MINSTER

Traditional Latin Mass at Saint Augustine's,

Ramsgate, Kent.

Image: SAINT AUGUSTINE'S, RAMSGATE, KENT

Saint Augustine's Shrine,

Ramsgate, Kent.

Image: AUGUSTINE'S SHRINE.

Times of Latin

Usus Antiquior Masses.

RAMSGATE, KENT.

Saint Augustine’s Church,

Saint Augustine’s Road,

Ramsgate,

Kent CT11 9PA.

Telephone: 01843 592 071.

Traditional Latin Masses at

1200 hrs. Sunday.

and

0930 hrs. Friday.

RAMSGATE, KENT.

SAINT ETHELBERT AND SAINT GERTRUDE CHURCH,

Saint Ethelbert and Saint Gertrude Church,

Ramsgate, Kent.

Illustration: THE CATHOLIC PARISH OF RAMSGATE AND MINSTER

Saint Ethelbert and Saint Gertrude Church,

72, Hereson Road,

Ramsgate,

Kent CT11 7DS.

Traditional Latin Mass at

0930 hrs.

on Wednesdays.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH,

Saint Augustine's Church,

Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Illustration: THE CIVIC SOCIETY

TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT.

Saint Augustine’s Church,

Crescent Road,

Royal Tunbridge Wells,

Kent TN1 2LY.

Telephone: 01892 522525.

Traditional Latin Mass at

1900 hrs.

on Wednesdays.

Saint Mary's Church,

Chislehurst, Kent.

Illustration: ARCHDIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK

CHISLEHURST, KENT.

Saint Mary's Church

28 Crown Lane,

Chislehurst,

Kent BR7 5PL.

E-Mail: frcbriggs@stmarysrc.org

Telephone: 020 8467 3215.

Traditional Latin Mass at

1100 hrs.

Every Sunday.

and

1930 hrs.

on Fridays.

Saint Austin and Saint Gregory Church,

Margate, Kent.

Images: SAINT AUSTIN AND SAINT GREGORY WITH SAINT ANNE

MARGATE, KENT.

Saint Austin and Saint Gregory Church,

38 Charlotte Place,

Margate,

Kent CT9 1LP.

Telephone: 01843 220825.

E-Mail: info@margatecatholic.org

Web-Site: SAINT AUSTIN AND SAINT GREGORY WITH SAINT ANNE

Traditional Latin Mass at

1130 hrs.

on Sundays

and

1930 hrs.

on Mondays.

LEIGH-ON-SEA,

ESSEX.

CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES AND SAINT JOSEPH.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph Church,

Image: OUR LADY OF LOURDES

LEIGH-ON-SEA, ESSEX.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Joseph Church,

161, Leigh Road,

Leigh-on-Sea,

Essex SS9 1J.

Telephone: 01702 478078.

E-Mail: leighonsea@dioceseofbrentwood.org

Web-Site: OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Traditional Latin Mass at

1600 hrs,

on The First Sunday of every Month.

Followed by

Solemn Vespers

and

Benediction.

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Tuesday Of The First Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Anastasia.

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

Tuesday Of The First Week In Lent.
   Station at Saint Anastasia's.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy.

Česky: Bazilika sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is at the old Church, which, in the 4th-Century A.D., was the only Parish in the Centre of Rome and in its wealthy Quarter. Built at the foot of The Palatine Hill, this Church, which owes its name to The Chapel of The Resurrection (Anastasis) at Jerusalem, was also Consecrated to Saint Anastasia.

Saint Anastasia was put to death, under Emperor Diocletian, at Sirmium, in Illyria (now Mitrowitz). Tradition seems to say that this "Title", mentioned in a Synod in 499 A.D., recalls the house of this Holy Martyr in Rome (?). It is more than likely, however, that it concerns but a simple identity of name between the Roman Foundress of this Basilica and the Titular Saint.

Lent is the time when "God is near to us and eager to forgive us, if we put aside our evil thoughts and forsake the way of sin" (Epistle). To do so, we must cast sin out from our hearts, as Jesus cast out the sellers from the Temple (Gospel), and receive the teaching of Christ with the simplicity of Children of God. Then, He will be able to cure our Souls, as He healed the lame and the blind who came nigh unto Him.

Casting out the vainglorious wisdom of the World, let us profit by The Holy Season of Lent, so that, "chastening our bodies by mortification, our Souls may be filled with Holy Desires" (Collect).

Mass: Dómine, refúgium.

The Basilica of Saint Anastasia, Rome.

Photo: June 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Church of Santa Anastasia is a Minor Basilica Church in Rome.

Santa Anastasia Church was built in the Late-3rd-Century A.D. - Early-4th-Century A.D., possibly by a Roman woman named Anastasia. The Church is Listed under the Titulus "Anastasiae" in The Acts of The 499 A.D. Synod. Later, the Church was entitled to The Martyr with the same name, Anastasia of Sirmium.

The Church was restored several times: Pope Damasus I (366 A.D. - 383 A.D.); and Pope Hilarius (461 A.D. - 468 A.D.); Pope John VII (705 A.D. - 707 A.D.); Pope Leo III (795 A.D. - 816 A.D.); Pope Gregory IV (827 A.D. - 844 A.D.). The current Church dates back to the 17th-Century Restoration commissioned by Pope Urban VII.

Traditionally, the Church is connected to the cult of Saint Jerome, who possibly Celebrated Mass here. The Saint is depicted over the Altar, by Domenichino.

Ceiling of The Basilica Sant'Anastasia, Rome.

Photo: July 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: User:Mattes

(Wikimedia Commons)

The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Anastasiae is Godfried Danneels. Past holders have included John Morton, an Archbishop of Canterbury.

Art and Architecture.

The last Restoration, after the Restoration during the Papacy of Pope Sixtus IV, occurred in 1636, when the facade, with, Lower, Doric, and, Upper, Ionic, order, was reconstructed in 1636, after the cyclone of 1634. The Nave recycles antique Columns. The Ceiling is frescoed with a Martyrdom of The Saints (1722) by Michelangelo Cerruti.

English: Madonna and Child in the Basilica di Sant'Anastasia al Palatino, Rome, Italy.

Česky: Socha v Bazilice sv. Anastázie na Palatinu, Řím, Itálie.

Photo: April 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Karelj

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Chapel, to the Right, has a painting of Saint John the Baptist by Pier Francesco Mola. While the last Chapel on the Right has a fresco of Scenes of the Life of Saints Carlo Borromeo and Filippo Neri by Lazzaro Baldi. 

The Right Transept has a painting of S. Toribio (1726) by Francesco Trevisani. The High Altar has a Nativity, by Lazzaro Baldi, and, below the Altar, is a statue of Saint Anastasia, by Ercole Ferrata. It clearly shows the influence of Bernini's Beata Ludovica Albertoni. The Left Transept has a Madonna of The Rosary, by Baldi. The last Chapel, to the Left, by Domenichino, depicts Saint Jerome. The other Chapel has Ss.Giorgio e Publio, by Etienne Parrocel.

The Patrolman's Fraternity Of Saint Michael.

Solemn High Mass.

"We are an Organisation dedicated to bringing Police Officers

to understand 

the beauty and fullness of The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, Faith.

Illustration: PATROLMAN'S FRATERNITY OF SAINT MICHAEL

The following Text appeared on 4 March 2015 on the Web-Site of

THE SOCIETY OF ST. HUGH OF CLUNY

"My name is Matthew Reid and I, along with a number of other New York Police Department (NYPD) Officers, recently started a Traditional Catholic Fraternity for the many Catholic Members of our Department.

We have monthly, to bi-monthly, meetings at our home, the great Church of The Holy Innocents, Manhattan, New York City. Father Leonard Villa is working with us, for which we are most honoured and appreciative.

I would like to request that you please let the Readers of your great Site know about our Fraternity, which is named “The Patrolman’s Fraternity of St. Michael.” We are on Facebook under that name and are looking to expand our reach and ability to Evangelise our Fallen-Away Brethren by exposing them to The Majesty and Other-Worldly Awe of The Mass of The Ages.

I would like to end by asking for Prayers, as our job these days is unfortunately a Spiritual Desert, like so much of the rest of Society.

En Christi,

Matthew Reid".

Stained-Glass Window of Saint Michael,

Church of The Holy Innocents,

Manhattan, New York, United States of America.

Illustration: THE SOCIETY OF ST. HUGH OF CLUNY

Monday Of The First Week In Lent. Lenten Station At Saint Peter-Ad-Vincula (Saint Peter's Chains).

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

Monday of The First Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Peter's Chains.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Church of Saint Peter's Chains, Rome.

Italiano: San Pietro in Vincoli.

Latin: San Pietro ad Vincula.

Photo: December 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

San Pietro-in-Vincoli (Italian) (Saint Peter-in-Chains) is a Roman Catholic Titular Church and Minor Basilica in Rome. It is also known as the home of Michelangelo's Statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. Two Popes were elected in this Church: Pope John II (533 A.D.) and Pope Gregory VII (1073).

English: The Chains of Saint Peter,

in the "Basilica di San Pietro-in-Vincoli",

Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Le catene di San Pietro, conservate nella

Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli a Roma.

Photo: August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Original photo by Raja Patnaik,

post-processed and uploaded by Alessio Damato

(with permission of the author).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Station is in one of the most ancient Roman Basilicas, built by the Empress Eudocia, where The Chains worn by The Prince of The Apostles, to whom Jesus confided His Flock, are kept. In the 5th-Century A.D., it was one of the twenty-five Parishes of Rome.

English: San Pietro-in-Vincoli's Apse.

Italiano: Abside di San Pietro-in-Vincoli a Roma.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Goldmund100

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Epistle (of The Day), alluding to the Penitents about to be reconciled at Easter and to the Catechumens preparing for Baptism, says that The Lord is The Shepherd Who comes to seek His Lost Sheep. And the Gospel tells of the separation that this Shepherd will make for ever between the sheep and the goats, or between the good, who repent and give themselves up to Works of Charity, and the sinners (this Prophecy was spoken by Jesus to His Apostles on the Mount of Olives, on the evening of the Tuesday preceding His Death).

Let us ask God to prepare us by “this Lenten Fast” (Collect) “to be loosened from the bonds of our sins” (The Prayer Over The People) by virtue of The Power of Peter, who was delivered from his Chains.

Mass: Sicut óculi.

English: Basilica of Saint Peter's Chains,

Rome, Italy.

Italiano: San Pietro-in-Vincoli,

Roma, Italy.

Photo: 3 April 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: sailko.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

San Pietro-in-Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic Titular Church and Minor Basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II.

Also known as the Basilica Eudoxiana, it was first rebuilt on the much older foundations in 432 A.D. – 440 A.D., to house The Relic of The Chains that bound Saint Peter, when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem, the episode called The Liberation of Saint Peter.

The Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III), who received them as a gift from her mother, Aelia Eudocia, consort of Valentinian II, presented The Chains to Pope Leo I. Aelia Eudocia had received these Chains as a gift from Iuvenalis, Bishop of Jerusalem.

According to legend, when Pope Leo, while comparing them to The Chains of Saint Peter's final imprisonment in The Mamertine Prison in Rome, the two Chains miraculously fused together. The Chains are kept in a Reliquary under The High Altar in The Basilica.

English: The Interior of San Pietro-in-Vincoli, Rome.

Deutsch: San Pietro in Vincoli, Gesamtansicht des Innenraums.

Photo: 20 May 2012.

Source: This file was derived from: SPIV_small.jpg

Author: SPIV_small.jpg: Philippos. Derivative work: Rabanus Flavus.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica, consecrated in 439 A.D., by Pope Sixtus III, has undergone several restorations, among them a restoration by Pope Adrian I, and further work in the 11th-Century. From 1471 to 1503, in which year he was elected Pope Julius II, Cardinal Della Rovere, the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, effected notable rebuilding.

The front Portico, attributed to Baccio Pontelli, was added in 1475. The Cloister (1493–1503) has been attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo. Further work was done at the beginning of the 18th-Century, under Francesco Fontana, and there was also a renovation in 1875.

English: The Internal Courtyard of Saint Peter-ad-Vincula

(Saint Peter's Chains),

Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Vista di parte del cortile interno.

Photo: 21 June 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Costanza spaggiari.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Titulus S. Petri ad vincula was assigned on 20 November 2010, to Donald Wuerl. The previous Cardinal Priest of the Basilica was Pío Laghi, who died on 11 January 2009.

Two Popes were Elected in this Church: Pope John II in 533 A.D., and Pope Gregory VII in 1073.

Basilica of San Pietro-in-Vincoli.

18th-Century Lacunar Ceiling,

frescoed in the centre

by Giovanni Battista Parodi,

portraying The Miracle of The Chains (1706).

Photo: 26 December 2009.

Source: San_Pietro_in_Vincoli_-_ceiling,_Rome.jpg

Author: San_Pietro_in_Vincoli_-_ceiling,_Rome.jpg: Maros M r a z (Maros).

Derivative work: Alberto Fernandez Fernandez.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Interior has a Nave and two Aisles, with three Apses divided by antique Doric Columns. The Aisles are surmounted by Cross-Vaults, while the Nave has an 18th-Century Coffered Ceiling, frescoed in the centre by Giovanni Battista Parodi, portraying The Miracle of The Chains (1706).

Michelangelo's Moses (completed in 1515), while originally intended as part of a massive forty-seven-statue, free-standing funeral monument for Pope Julius II, became the centerpiece of the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in this, the Church of The Della Rovere Family. Moses is depicted with horns, connotating "the radiance of The Lord", due to the similarity in the Hebrew words for "beams of light" and "horns". This kind of iconographic symbolism was common in early sacred art, and, for an artist, horns are easier to sculpt than rays of light.

Other works of art include two canvasses of Saint Augustine and Saint Margaret by Guercino, the monument of Cardinal Girolamo Agucchi, designed by Domenichino, who is also the painter of a Sacristy fresco depicting the Liberation of Saint Peter (1604).

The Altarpiece on the first Chapel to the Left is a Deposition by Cristoforo Roncalli. The tomb of Cardinal Nicholas of Kues (died 1464), with its Relief, Cardinal Nicholas before Saint Peter, is by Andrea Bregno. Painter and sculptor Antonio Pollaiuolo is buried at the Left Side of the entrance. He is the Florentine sculptor who added the figures of Romulus and Remus to the sculpture of The Capitoline Wolf on the Capitol. The tomb of Cardinal Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini, decorated with imagery of The Grim Reaper, is also in the Church.

Moses.

Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564).

Date: 1513-1515.

Current location: San Pietro-in-Vincoli, Rome.

Source/Photographer: Prasenberg (transferred from en.wikipedia to

Commons by User:Leoboudv using CommonsHelper).

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1876, archaeologists discovered the tombs of those once believed to be the Seven Maccabean Martyrs, depicted in 2 Maccabees 7–41. It is highly unlikely that these are, in fact, the Jewish Martyrs that had offered their lives in Jerusalem. They are remembered each year on 1 August, the same day as The Miracle of The Fusing of The Two Chains.

The third Altar, in the Left Aisle, holds a mosaic of Saint Sebastian from the 7th-Century A.D. This mosaic is related to an outbreak of plague in Pavia, in Northern Italy. It would only stop if an Altar was built for Saint Sebastian in The Church of S. Pietro-in-Vincoli in that City. Somehow, this story also became accepted in Rome. Hence the Altar.

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

THE SAINT ANDREW DAILY MISSAL

Available (in U.K.) from

CENACLE CATHOLIC BOOKS

Available (in U.S.A.) from

ST. BONAVENTURE PUBLICATIONS

Saint Birinus, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Solemn High Mass On Easter Monday, 17 April 2017, 1000 hrs.

In 2017, Easter Monday falls on 17 April.

Solemn High Mass is at 1000 hrs.

Saint Birinus,

1 Bridge End, Dorchester-on-Thames,

Oxfordshire OX10 7JR. Tel: 01865 340417.

The Church is located on Bridge End Street, Dorchester, OX10 7JR Click for a map.

Illustration: THE TRADITIONAL MASS IN OXFORD

Saint Birinus Church is stunning. One of the very few Catholic Churches with a Rood Screen, lending an extra dimension to Celebrations of The Traditional Mass.

The Church was built in the 1850s by architect William Wardell, a follower of Pugin, and has, in recent years, undergone extensive restoration and embellishment.

Saint Birinus Catholic Church,

1 Bridge End, Dorchester on Thames,

Oxfordshire, England OX10 7JR.

Parish Priest: Fr. John Osman MA STL,

Tel: 01865 340417.

Illustration: SAINT BIRINUS CATHOLIC CHURCH

SAINT BIRINUS CATHOLIC CHURCH,

DORCHESTER-ON-THAMES, WEBSITE

​Welcome to the Web-Site for the Parish Church of

​Saint Birinus, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxford OX10 7JR.

Saint Birinus Catholic Church,

1 Bridge End, Dorchester-on -Thames,

Oxfordshire, England OX10 7JR.

Parish Priest: Fr. John Osman MA STL,

Tel: 01865 340417.

Illustration: SAINT BIRINUS CATHOLIC CHURCH

Fr John Osman and his Parishioners welcome you to our beautiful Church.

​Saint Birinus and its associated Cemetery and Presbytery

have remained largely unaltered since its Founding in 1849.

Saint Birinus was one of the first "new" Catholic Churches

raised since the 1850 Act restored the hierarchy.

Quadregesima Sunday. The First Sunday Of Lent. Lenten Station at The Papal Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

Quadregesima Sunday.
First Sunday of Lent.

Station at Saint John Lateran.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Semi-Double.

Privilege of The First Class.

Violet Vestments.

"And behold, Angels came and ministered to Him".

English: Papal Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

Main façade of the Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran,

Rome, Italy, by Alessandro Galilei, 1735.

Latin: Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptistae et

Evangelistae in Laterano. Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput

Italiano: Facciata principale della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),

progettata da Alessandro Galilei (1735).

Français: Façade principale de la basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran (Rome)

par Alessandro Galilei, 1735.

Photo: 2006/09/07.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jastrow

(Wikimedia Commons)

Originally, The Forty Days of Lent were counted from this Sunday. The Liturgical gathering of "The Station" takes place today, as it has since the 4th-Century A.D., at Saint John Lateran, which is The Patriarchal Basilica of The Bishops of Rome. At its first Consecration, it was Dedicated to "Saint Saviour", a name which calls to mind the Redemption accomplished by Our Blessed Lord.

Immediately after His Baptism, Our Lord began to prepare for His Public Life by a Fast of Forty Days in the mountainous desert which stretches between Jericho and the mountains of Judea. [Tradition tells us that Our Lord took shelter in the grotto on the highest peak of all, known as Mount of the Quarantine.] It was there that He was tempted by Satan, who wished to discover whether The Son of Mary was, in reality, The Son of God (Gospel of The Mass of The Day).

As in the case of Adam, Satan addresses his first attack to the senses. Our Lord is hungry and the tempter suggests to Him that He should turn stones into bread. In the same way, he tries, during these Forty Days, to make us give up on our Fasting and mortification. This is the concupiscence of the flesh.

English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Vatican.

With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica ranks fifteenth among the largest Churches in the World.

Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres, cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174

(Wikimedia Commons)

The devil had promised our first parent that he should be as God. Now, he takes Our Lord to the pinnacle of the Temple and tries to induce Him to let Himself be carried by the Angels through the air, amidst the applause of the crowds below. Satan tempts us by Pride, which is opposed to the spirit of Prayer and meditation on God's Word. This is the Pride of Life.

Finally, just as he had promised Adam a knowledge which, like that of God Himself, should enable him to know all things, so Satan assures Jesus that he will make Him Ruler over all Created Things, if He will fall at his feet and worship him. In the same way, the devil seeks to attach us to Temporal goods, when we ought, by Alms and Works of Charity, to be doing good to our neighbour. This is the concupiscence of the eyes, or Avarice.

Since the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, Our Lord made use of the 90th Psalm against Satan, and this is the theme of the whole Mass and is found again and again in The Office of The Day. "His Truth shall cover thee with a shield," says the Psalmist. This Psalm is, therefore, the ideal Psalm for Lent as a special time of warfare against the devil.

English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Vatican.

The Choir and Apse.

The mosaics in the dome are a 19th-Century rebuilding of

Jacopo Torriti's works, dating back to the 13th-Century.

Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie.

Chœur et abside. La mosaïque du dôme est une réfection du XIXè siècle de l'œuvre

de Jacopo Torriti remontant au XIIIè siècle.

Photo: September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tango7174

(Wikimedia Commons)

Again, the Eleventh Verse: "He hath given His Angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee in all Thy ways," recurs in Vespers-like refrain during the whole Season. We find the entire Psalm in the Tract, which reminds us of the old custom of singing Psalms during certain parts of The Mass.

Some of its Verses make up the Introit, with its Verse, the Gradual, the Communion and the Offertory, which last was formerly composed, in today's Mass, of three Verses instead of one, following the order of the threefold temptation as recorded in the Gospel.

Side-by-side with this Psalm, the Epistle, certainly dating from the time of Pope Saint Leo, sounds one of the characteristic notes of Lent. There, Saint Paul borrows a Text of Isaias: "In an accepted time, have I heard thee, and in the Day of Salvation have I helped thee." "Behold," says the Apostle, "now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the Day of Salvation" (Epistle and First Nocturn).

The Decorated Ceiling

of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: March 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Grenouille vert

(Wikimedia Commons)

On this, Saint Leo comments: "Although there is no Season of the Year which is not rich in Divine Gifts and in which we, by God's Grace, do not find immediate access to His Mercy; nevertheless, at this time, when the return of the day on which we are redeemed summons us to fulfill all the duties of Christian piety, the Souls of Christians must be stirred with more zeal for spiritual progress, and possessed of a very great confidence in Almighty God.

In this manner, with pure Souls and bodies, shall we celebrate this Mystery of The Lord's Passion, Sublime beyond all others. True, we ought always to be in The Divine Presence, just as much as on The Easter Feast. But, because this spiritual vigour is the possession of only a few, while, on the other hand, the weakness of the flesh leads to any very severe observance being relaxed, and on the other, the varied occupations of this life share and divide our interest, it necessarily happens that the dust of the world soils the hearts, even of Religious themselves.

The Cloisters at Saint John Lateran.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Kodiak

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Divine Institution has been planned with great profit to our Salvation, in a manner that the exercises of these Forty Days may help us to regain the Purity of our Souls, making up, in a way, for the faults of the rest of the Year, by Fasting and pious deeds.

However, we must be careful to give no-one the least cause of complaint or scandal, so that our general behaviour may not be inconsistent with our Fasting and Penance. For it is useless to reduce the nourishment of the body unless the Soul departs from sin" (Second Nocturn).

In this "acceptable time" and in these "Days of Salvation", let us purify ourselves with The Church (Collect), "in Fastings, in Chastity," by zeal in hearing and meditating on The Word of God and by Charity unfeigned (Epistle).

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

Mass: Invocábit me.

Preface: For Lent.

The Roman Station Liturgy.

The Minor Basilica of Santa Sabina, Rome, Italy,
where the first Lenten Station is kept on Ash Wednesday.
Illustration: THE PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,
THE PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE


The Roman Station Liturgy.

This information comes largely from "The Urban Character of Christian Worship", 
by Rev. John Baldovin, S.J. 

Each year, The North American College follows the ancient Tradition of The Roman Stational Liturgy.

All are invited to join us for the Celebration of Mass each day.

Mass will begin each day at 0700 hrs, with the exception of Mass on Ash Wednesday, which begins at 0645 hrs. Please note that we do not Celebrate either Sunday Mass or The Paschal Triduum at the Station Churches.

The Schedule of Station Churches can be seen at

THE NORTH AMERICAN PONTIFICAL COLLEGE


History.

Our modern observance of The Stational Liturgy traces its roots back to the practice of The Bishop of Rome Celebrating the Liturgies of The Church Year at various Churches throughout the City of Rome, a Tradition dating back as far as the Late-2nd-Century A.D. or Early-3rd-Century A.D.

One reason for this was practical: With The Church in Rome being composed of diverse groups from many cultures, regular visits by The Bishop of Rome (The Pope) served to unify the various groups into a more cohesive whole.

Another reason, particularly following the legalisation of Christianity in 313 A.D., which permitted public Worship, was to commemorate certain Feast Days at Churches with a special link to that Celebration. Therefore, Good Friday came to be Celebrated at the Basilica of The Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and Christmas, at Saint Mary Major, where a Relic of The Manger was Venerated.

In time, the original Churches in the City, known as Tituli (singular: Titulus), because they often bore the name of the donor, took on an additional significance as the places that held the Relics of The Martyrs and the memory of the early history of The Church in this City.

As time passed, the schedule of these Stational Visits, which had earlier followed an informal order, took on a more formalised structure. By the last half of the 5th-Century A.D., a fairly-fixed Calendar was developed, having the order of the places at which the Pope would say Mass with the Church Community on certain days throughout the year.

In the weeks before the beginning of Lent, the three large Basilicas outside-the-Walls were visited, forming a ring of Prayer around the City before The Season of Lent began. During Lent, the various Stations were originally organised so that the Masses were held in different areas of the City each day. During The Octave of Easter, The Stations form a Litany of The Saints, beginning with Saint Mary Major, on Easter Sunday, and continuing with Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Laurence, The Apostles, and The Martyrs.

The Liturgy of these Masses had several elements, many of which developed over time. According to the structure of The Late-First-Millennium, the people would gather in mid-afternoon, with the Pope, at one Church, known as the Collectum. There, after some Prayers, the group would move in Procession to the Statio, at which Mass would be said. The use of the term Statio, for this ending point, has a connection with the practice of Fasting on these days.

The Christians of this time made a comparison of their Fasting and Prayer during Lent with the Guard Duty of Soldiers, seeing their actions as something to be approached with a similar seriousness of purpose. The term Statio came to be applied to The Eucharistic Celebrations that took place on Fasting Days. Later, the term Statio came to be used for all Churches at which the major Liturgical Celebration in the City was to be held on a certain day.

The order of The Stations, originally organised in the 5th-Century A.D., would undergo several changes over the following three Centuries. The current order was essentially fixed by the time of The Council of Trent. Over the last several Centuries, two of the original Stations have been lost, although most older Liturgical Books still list their name as the Station for their original day.

The Church of Saint Augustine has taken the place of Saint Tryphon, an older Church which once stood on a nearby site. The second lost Church is that of Saint Cyriacus, which originally stood near The Baths of Diocletian. Having fallen into ruin, its Stational Day was transferred to Santa Maria-in-Via-Lata, possibly because a Monastery, also Dedicated to Saint Cyriacus, once stood behind this Church.

The other Churches have not passed the Centuries without their difficulties, either; many have been destroyed and rebuilt; some fell into ruins, being saved only when on the verge of final collapse; all have been modified in various ways throughout the ages. Yet, what remains through all the changes is the memory of those past Christians who Worshipped at these places.

While other Cities, such as Jerusalem, Constantinople, and Milan, once had similar Stational Liturgies, Rome is the only City in which these continue in some regular form. Therefore, just like The Writings of The Fathers of The Church and The Art of The Early Christian Era, The Stational Cycle comes down to us as a Monument of The Early Church, a living connection to those days when the witness of The Martyrs was still fresh and The Echo of The Apostles’ voices could still be heard in the City’s streets.