Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Saturday 3 March 2018

Thirty-Five Abbeys And Priories. Nineteen Friaries. Two Major Monastic Hospitals. Twenty-One Nunneries. Plus, The Double-House At Watton. 16th-Century Yorkshire.



Zephyrinus's latest late-night reading material.
"Monks, Friars and Nuns in Sixteenth Century Yorkshire"
(Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record Series)
by Claire Cross (Author) and Noreen Vickers (Author)
Illustration: AMAZON

Around 1530, all the Foundations mentioned in the Heading, above, accommodated over one thousand Monks, Canons, Friars, and Nuns. That was, approximately, eleven per cent of all Religious men and women in England and Wales.

Oh, that we had those same numbers of Religious, today.

Keep Praying.


Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire.
Illustration: ENGLISH HERITAGE


Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire.
Illustration: HISTORIC UK


Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire.
Illustration: DEVONSHIRE ARMS COTTAGES


Mount Grace Priory, Yorkshire.
The best-preserved and most accessible of the
ten 
Mediaeval Carthusian Houses (Charterhouses) in England.
Illustration: ENGLISH HERITAGE

Saturday Of The Second Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is At The Basilica Of Saint Marcellinus And Saint Peter.



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

Saturday of The Second Week in Lent.


Station at Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.




English: Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.
Italiano: Basilica Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano.
Photo: 23 March 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: LPLT.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Station is in the Basilica Founded by Saint Helen, where were buried the bodies of Saint Marcellinus, Priest, and Saint Peter, Exorcist, Martyred at Rome during The Diocletian Persecution. Their names are mentioned in The Canon of The Mass. This Church was one of the twenty-five Roman Parish Churches in the 5th-Century A.D.

As yesterday, the Epistle and Gospel repeat, in figure and Parable, lessons to The Catechumens and Public Penitents.

Isaac had two sons. Esau represents The People of God who sell their birthright to gratify their carnal appetite. Jacob represents the Gentiles, who check their passions and are Blessed by Heaven.



English: Church of Saints Marcellino and Peter, Cremona, Italy.
Italiano: Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro Location Cremona, Lombardy, Italy.
Photo: 26 September 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mattana.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Jesus, in the same way, said: "A man had two sons: The elder is the Jewish element of the primitive Church, which is scandalised at the vocation of the Gentiles and is loathe to associate with them; the Prodigal is the pagan element. After having wasted all The Gifts of God, these unhappy people mourn their sins and atone for them; they come to Jesus, Who opens His Arms to them, presses them to His Heart, and satisfies their hunger with His Sacred Body and Precious Blood in The Eucharistic Feast.

Let us ask God to Bless our Lenten Fast, so that the mortification of our flesh may bring health to our Souls (Collect).

Mass: Lex Dómine.



The Basilica of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter, 
Rome, Italy.
Photo: October 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Lalupa.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano is a Roman Catholic Parish and Titular Church in Rome. It is Dedicated to Saints Marcellinus and Peter, 4th-Century A.D. Roman Martyrs, whose Relics were brought here in 1256.

The first Church on the site was built by Pope Siricius in the 4th-Century A.D., close to the Via Labicana's Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter, with an adjoining Hospice, which became a Centre for Pilgrims. This Church was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th-Century A.D. [Ever since these early Centuries, it has been among Rome's Stational Churches (for Saturday of The Second Week in Lent). In the 9th-Century A.D., when Christian Churches began to be built in Germany and were in need of Relics, the Remains of Saints Marcellinus and Peter were Transferred from The Catacomb, where they still rested, to Seligenstadt, Germany.]




Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter, 
Seligenstadt, Germany.
Photo: 5 September 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Agridecumantes.
(Wikimedia Commons)





Photo: 15 November 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: © 1971markus.
Attribution: © 1971markus@wikipedia.de
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Church was again restored in 1256 [by Pope Alexander IV, and the Martyrs' Relics were returned.] (Also, under The High Altar is an urn containing Relics of Saint Marcia.) On the Left Side, is an Altar Dedicated to The Blessed Virgin, with a Copy of Guido Reni's "The Virgin in Glory with Angels, Saint Joseph and Saint Rita". Next to it, is The Chapel of Reconciliation.




English: My parents' wedding. 
Inside the "Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro"

[Church of Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter], 
Imbersago, Lombardy, Italy.
Italiano: Matrimonio dei miei genitori. 
Interno della

"Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro" 
a Imbersago, Italia (prima del restauro).
Photo: 12 September 1972.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jalo.
(Wikimedia Commons)



An image of The Dedicatees was placed on The First Column on The Left, from the Entrance, during this Restoration, with an Inscription recording the Restoration. The Hospice and Church were then given, in 1276, to The Confraternity of Those Commended to The Saviour.

The present Church is the result of Pope Benedict XIV's 1751 rebuild, leaving it with its present cube-shaped Exterior, divided by Pilaster Strips in a style close to Neo-Classicism, Borromini-influenced Dome, façade by Girolamo Theodoli, and Altarpiece by Gaetano Lapis, depicting The Dedicatees' Martyrdom.

After that Restoration, the Church was given to The Discalced Carmelites, who Served it until 1906. A small Chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes was Dedicated at the South-East (next to a Chapel of Saint Gregory The Great), with a new Ceiling painting of Our Lady, by N. Caselli, in 1903. Since 1911, it has been a Parochial Church, Served by Diocesan Clergy.

Friday 2 March 2018

Stations Of The Cross. Every Friday During Lent. When Was The Last Time You Followed The Way Of The Cross ?



Illustration: FR. Z's BLOG


This Article (dated 2017) is taken from, and can be read in full at, FR. Z's BLOG

Since it is a Friday of Lent, a First Friday, do please Pray The Act of Reparation.

Here also are my audio projects of The Way of The Cross.

What we need right now is PRAYER, especially at the end of this hard week. And remember to

GO TO CONFESSION !!!

Also, these days, we especially need to Pray for Priests, which includes Bishops and everyone up the hierarchy


There are many Priests, today, who – for one reason or another – are failing in their duty to teach with clarity what The Church has always taught.

There are other Priests who are becoming discouraged and afraid, concerning what might befall them if they remain clear and Faithful. Yet other Priests are mired in sins. And always there are those Priests who are infirm, old, nearing their Judgement.

Hence, this year, I’ve added a new version, The Way Of The Cross For Priests from The Benedictines of Silverstream Priory. HERE.

Would you consider getting copies of this for your Priests where you are ?

They also have beautiful Altar Cards HERE.


In my reading, I left out the references to the Scripture passages which are quoted, for they would not be read in a public recitation. I urge you, however, to obtain a hard copy so that, if you wish, you can find them. Even more, I urge you Lay People to get a copy and then Pray with it for Priests.

Below are readings of The Via Crucis, The Way of The Cross, composed by:

Joseph Card. Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, for the 2005 Good Friday observance at The Colosseum in Rome;

Saint Alphonus Liguori;

Blessed John Henry Newman;

Saint Francis of Assisi (according to the method . . . );

Silverstream Priory – The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

There are two versions of "The Way" by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording, but with The Gregorian Chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.

There are two versions of "The Way", by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain, with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording but with the Gregorian chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.


The Way Of The Cross For Priests [ 24:00 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (80)

Stations of the Cross - Joseph Ratzinger (Good Friday 2005) [ 1:05:40 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (28051)

Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori [ 35:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (14045)

Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori (with chant) [ 34:16 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (23256)

Stations of the Cross by Bl. John Henry Newman [ 50:42 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (7490)

Stations of the Cross according to the method of St Francis of Assisi [ 42:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (268)


You can gain a Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions of Confession and Communion, within a few days of the work, and detachment even from Venial Sin. From The Handbook of Indulgences:

63. Exercise of The Way of The Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium).

A Plenary Indulgence is granted to The Faithful, who make the pious exercise of The Way of The Cross.

The gaining of the Plenary Indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The pious exercise must be made before Stations of The Way of The Cross, legitimately erected.

For the erection of The Way of The Cross, Fourteen Crosses are required, to which it is customary to add Fourteen Pictures, or, Images, which represent The Stations of Jerusalem.


According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of Fourteen Pious Readings, to which some vocal Prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious Meditation on The Passion and Death of The Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual Mysteries of The stations.

A movement from one Station to the next is required.

I believe that, if you follow The Holy Father’s Way of The Cross on Good Friday, even by television, the Indulgence is available.

If the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from Station to Station, it suffices if, at least, the one conducting the exercise goes from Station to Station, the others remaining in their place.


Those who are “impeded” can gain the same Indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious Reading and Meditation on The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

For those belonging to Eastern Rites, among whom this pious exercise is not practiced, the respective Patriarchs can determine some other pious exercise in memory of The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the gaining of this Indulgence.


Meanwhile, from a reader last year . . .

Just a quick note to say thank you for providing your recordings of The Stations of The Cross. I am completely blind and had committed to making this part of my Lenten practices, only to have the Braille display, from which I read promptly, die. I had been struggling to find a recording of Saint Alphonsus’ version.

May God bless you !

If these recordings are helpful to you, please say a Prayer for me, especially if you use The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

Friday Of The Second Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is The Basilica Of Saint Vitalis.



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

Friday of The Second Week in Lent.

Station at Saint Vitalis's.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.




The High Altar, S
anti Vitalis, 
Rome, Italy.
Photo: November 2006.
Photo taken by BruceJWebber;
Transferred from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Bruce J Webber.
Original uploader was BruceJWebber at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


This Station is made in the Basilica, one of the twenty-five Roman Parishes in the 5th-Century A.D., which was dedicated to Saint Vitalis by Pope Innocent I. Saint Vitalis shed his blood at Ravenna, Italy. He was the father of the glorious Milanese Martyrs, Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius.

The Epistle and Gospel describe to us, the one in figure, the other in Parable, the destiny of the heathen and that of the Jews. The Catechumens saw in Joseph, Christ, denied by His own people, transferring to The Church, formed henceforth by all peoples, the abundance of His Blessings. They, likewise, saw in the Parable of The Rebellious Workers in the Vineyard, the reprobation of the Jews and the election of the Gentiles.

The brothers of Joseph and the Unfaithful Workers of the Vineyard uttered the same death cries: “Come, let us kill him.” But, whilst the first repented and obtained the pardon of their victim, the second persisted in rejecting Christ, the Corner Stone, and were crushed by it (Gospel).

Let us purify ourselves by the salutary Fast of Lent, in order that we may prepare ourselves to Celebrate, in a Holy Way, the coming Easter Festivals (Collect).

Mass: Ego autem.



The Basilica of San Vitalis, with a Christmas Crib set up in the middle of the Nave.
This Church is 5th-Century A.D. in origin, but 
underwent renovations 
in the 15th-Century.
Photo: January 2006.
Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is taken from http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/San Vitale.

San Vitalis is a Minor Basilica, as well as a Parish and Titular Church, Dedicated to the legendary Martyrs, Saint Vitalis, his wife, Saint Valeria, and his sons, Saint Gervase and Saint Protase. It is located at Via Nazionale 194/B, in the rione Monti, Rome, and amounts to a fragment of an Early-5th-Century A.D. Basilica.

The full name of the Church is Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio or, alternatively, Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea, which is its official name.

The Church used to stand on the ancient Roman street known as the Vicus Longus, which ran between the Forum of Augustus and the Baths of Diocletian. It arrived at the latter establishment just where the Church of San Bernardo alle Terme now stands, and ran down the valley between the Quirinal and Viminal hills. There were two Tituli on it, this Church and San Ciriaco, which was near the Baths.

In The Middle Ages, the area became completely de-populated and amounted to a pocket of Countryside, right up to the Late-19th-Century. The Vicus Longus became the Via di San Vitale, which only ran from Via Mazzarino near Sant'Agata dei Goti to Via delle Quattro Fontane and on which the Church was the only building. However, when the Via Nazionale was built, this street was mostly destroyed. A short length survives at the Eastern end, and also towards the West, where it is known as Vicolo dei Serpenti.




English: Entrance to the Basilica of San Vitalis, Rome.
Italiano: Roma, porta d'accesso alla basilica di San Vitale.
Photo: June 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gregorovius.
(Wikimedia Commons)



It seems that a small Church was built on the site at the end of the 4th-Century A.D., perhaps for Milanese expatriates (the City was the Western Capital of The Roman Empire at the time). As a result of a benefaction by a lady called Vestina, who gave her name to the Titulus, it was rebuilt about 400 A.D., as a Basilica with Nave and Aisles. This was Consecrated by Pope Innocent I in 402 A.D. The Dedication to Saint Vitalis was first recorded in 499 A.D., when it was referred to as Titulus Sancti Vitalis.




Pope Saint Innocent I (401 A.D. - 417 A.D.)
Consecrated the Basilica of San Vitalis in 402 A.D.
Date: 5th-Century A.D.
Source: http://cckswong.tripod.com/pope1_50.htm ("Pope's Photo Gallery")
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Church has been restored several times. The first restoration, on record, was that of Pope Leo III, about 800 A.D., during which he donated many precious items to the Basilica.

The most comprehensive rebuilding was that of Pope Sixtus IV, before the 1475 Jubilee. The Aisles of the Nave were demolished and the Arcades walled up, to create the rather elongated Single-Nave Church which exists now. The Apse was left untouched, but the ancient Narthex was also enclosed and converted into a Vestibule. After this, the Church was then granted to The Theatines after they were founded in 1525. However, it was then transferred to The Jesuits, in 1598, by Pope Clement VIII. They carried out a complete restoration, and used it mainly as a subsidiary Church for their Novitiate, based at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. It is clear that the Church lacked a Pastoral Function at the time.




English: The Basilica of Saint Vitalis, Rome.
Italiano: Roma, interno della basilica d San Vitale.
Photo: 23 May 2016.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gaux.
(Wikimedia Commons)



It was restored again in 1859 and has been served by Diocesan Clergy since 1873. After the construction of the Via Nazionale, the previous, very quiet, area became rapidly and completely built-up and, as a result, the Church was made Parochial by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

The new road was actually the result of a proposal by Pope Pius IX, in response to the obvious need for proper access to the City Centre from the Train Station, but the Italian Government, after 1870, mutated this into a typical straight-and-level 19th-Century Civic Boulevard. As a result, the Church, in its valley, was left well below the new road level, and is now accessed by a rather alarming flight of steps.

The Church was renovated in 1937-1938, the Narthex being restored to its original condition, and was again renovated in 1960.




English: Basilica of Saints Vitalis, Valeris, Gervase and Protase.
Italiano: Basilica di Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea.
Latin: Basilica Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio.
Photo: September 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gobbler.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The first Cardinal Priest of the Church was Gennaro Cardinal Celio, appointed in 494 A.D., by Pope Saint Gelasius I. Saint John Cardinal Fisher, who was Martyred by King Henry VIII of England during The Reformation, was the Titular of Saint Vitale in 1535 A.D. The current Titular is His Eminence, Adam Joseph Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit in the USA.

The Portico, or Narthex, is the most ancient part of the Church, possibly dating back to the 5th-Century A.D. It was altered at the end of the 16th-Century, but restored to its presumed original condition in 1938. The Inscription over the entrance, with the Coat-of-Arms of Pope Sixtus IV, was, however, preserved.

The façade is very simple. The Narthex is of brick, and has solid walls at the sides and corners. In front, there are five Arches with Voussoirs of tiles on edge, and these are separated by four Marble Columns. These have debased Composite Capitals, carved in Travertine when the Narthex was built, and above these are Imposts.




Armorial Bearings of His Eminence, 
Cardinal Maida, 
Titular of Saint Vitale.
Date: January 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: SajoR.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The two outer Arches have Imposts only where they meet the walls, which looks odd. The roof of the Narthex is pitched and tiled, and slopes up to the absolutely plain Nave frontage, which contains a rectangular window, the sill of which is in line with the upper roof line of the Narthex. This window was apparently once an oculus.

The finely-carved wooden entrance doors have two relief panels depicting the Martyrdoms of Saints Cosmas and Damian, one on each door.

The Church has a single Nave, with no Arcades, but with two Pilasters, without Capitals, near the Triumphal Arch. There are two Side-Altars either side of the Nave, which are not recessed into Chapels, but are enclosed in Aedicules, formed of a pair of Marble Corinthian Columns, supporting an Entablature and Triangular Pediment. The modern Ceiling is flat and of varnished wood, and was inserted in 1938.




Saint John Cardinal Fisher
who was Martyred by King Henry VIII of England

during The Reformation, 
was the Titular of Saint Vitalis in 1535 A.D.
Date: 1497 - 1543.
(Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia)
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Apse has been preserved from the original building. The painting it contains depicts The Ascent to Calvary, and was executed by Andrea Commodi. To the Left, Saint Vitalis is depicted being Racked, and, to the Right, he is being Buried Alive. These frescoes are by Agostino Ciampelli.

The High Altar is decorated with The Arms of The Della Rovere Family, and a painting of The Saints to whom the Church is Dedicated.




Coat-of-Arms.
English: The House of Della Rovere
Royal Family. 
Rulers of Urbino, Italy.
Motto: Fortune Favours The Bold 
(Latin: Audaces juvat).
The High Altar of the Basilica of Saint Vitalis 
is decorated 
with 
The Arms of The Della Rovere Family.
Français: la famille Della Rovere souverains d'Urbin en Italie.
Italiano: famiglia Della Rovere, signori di Urbino, Italia.

Blazon:
English: Azure, a durmast oak Or with the branches put in saltire.
Français: d'azur au rouvre d'or aux rameaux passés en sautoir.
Italiano: d'azzurro, al rovere d'oro con i rami passati in decusse.
Date: 18 March 2007.
Image created for The Blazon Project of the French Wikipedia.
Source: Own work.
Author: ℍenry.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The House of Della Rovere (literally "Of The Oak Tree") was a noble family of Italy. Coming from modest beginnings in Savona, Liguria, the family rose to prominence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere Popes, Francesco Della Rovere (Pope Sixtus IV )
(1471–1484) and his nephew, Giuliano (Pope Julius II) (1503–1513). Pope Sixtus IV built The Sistine Chapel, which is named after him. The Basilica San Pietro-in-Vincoli, in Rome, is The Family Church of The Della Rovere.

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro adopted Francesco Maria I Della Rovere, his sister's child and nephew of Pope Julius II.

Guidobaldo I, who was heirless, called Francesco Maria to his Court, and named him as heir of
The Duchy of Urbino, in 1504, this through the intercession of Pope Julius II. In 1508, Francesco Maria inherited the Duchy, thereby starting The Line of Rovere Dukes of Urbino. That dynasty
ended in 1626, when Pope Urban VIII incorporated Urbino into The Papal Dominions.


As compensation to the last Sovereign Duke, the Title only could be continued by Francesco Maria II, and, after his death, by his heir, Federico Ubaldo.


Vittoria, last descendant of The Della Rovere family (she was the only child of Federico Ubaldo), married Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. They had two children: Cosimo III, Tuscany's longest reigning Monarch, and Francesco Maria de' Medici, a Prince of The Church.

The walls of the Basilica are painted with scenes of Martyrdoms, painted in the 17th-Century, which, when you first see them, appear to be merely bucolic landscapes with views and trees. The scenes are separated by trompe-l'oeil Columns painted on the flat wall. There are Inscriptions on each scene, explaining whose Martyrdom is depicted. An amusing anachronism can be seen in the Martyrdom of Saint Ignatius of Antioch - he faces the lions in a meadow, with The Colosseum in ruins in the background. This cycle of frescoes is by Tarquinio Ligustri and Andrea Comodo.

The Feast of Saint Agnes is Celebrated on 21 January, with a Triduum starting on 19 January. Saint Vitalis and Companions are Celebrated on 28 April. Saint Giuseppe Cottolengo is Celebrated on 30 April - the new Calendar places his Feast on 29 April but, since that would mean Celebrating two major Feasts in a row, the old date is used.

Thursday 1 March 2018

Traditional Latin Mass Returns To Neptune, New Jersey. First Mass Is Friday, 2 March.



Illustration: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

The Traditional Latin Mass is returning this Lent to Holy Innocents Church in Neptune, New Jersey, after its enthusiastic reception at the Parish this past Advent. 

The Masses will be Celebrated on three Fridays in a row,  2 March, 9 March, and 16 March, starting at 5 p.m; the Church is located at 3455 West Bangs Avenue, Neptune, New Jersey.
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