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

Thursday 12 September 2013

Soirée Of Sacred Music In Support Of The Good Counsel Network.







Project:Opera, the People's Opera Company presents Laudate Dominum,
A soiree of Sacred Music in support of The Good Counsel Network.

Featuring Pianist Ilya Tchetverikov.

Friday 27 September 2013 at 7 p.m.

Saint Patrick's Church, Soho Square, London W1D 4NR

Tickets at the door £17.50. But please let us know if you plan to attend.

Champagne Reception and Buffet included.

Pianist Ilya Tchetverikov and the principals of Project:Opera bring you a celebration of Oratorio and Sacred Classics, to include, among others, selections from Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and Handel's Messiah.

Advance bookings available online (https://www.facebook.com/events/350097425123188/)
or call 07757 965339.



                         


Project Opera (The People's Opera Company) is an opera initiative where professional singers, musicians and artists support charity projects through opera.

Their mission is:

- To offer free performances to hospices and schools, to bring opera to the young, and to those unable to attend theatres;

- To offer community establishments, such as Churches and less advantaged schools, the opportunity to raise funds through our productions.

- To hold performances in support of Charities.

A Little One Needs Our Help And Prayers.


A request from THE GOOD COUNSEL NETWORK





Please pray for “Baby S”, her Mother is planning to have an abortion this week, her Husband wants to keep the Baby. We have counselled her, but she really, really, needs Prayer.

Image: The Good Counsel Network 
at


Wednesday 11 September 2013

Spiritus Sanctus. Hildegard Von Bingen.


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Abtei St. Hildegard (Eibingen).jpg


English: The Benedictine Abbey of Saint Hildegard in Eibingen, Germany. 
 Founded in 1165 by Hildegard von Bingen.
Deutsch: Die Abtei St. Hildegard ist eine Benediktinerinnen-Abtei 
in Eibingen bei Rüdesheim im Bistum Limburg.
Photo: 26 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tiggr.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saint Hildegard of Bingen, O.S.B. (German: Hildegard von Bingen; Latin: Hildegardis Bingensis) (1098 - 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine Abbess, Visionary, and polymath.

Elected a magistra by her fellow Nuns in 1136, she founded the Monasteries of Rupertsberg, in 1150, and Eibingen, in 1165. One of her works as a composer, the Ordo Virtutum, is an early example of Liturgical drama and, arguably, the oldest surviving morality play.


File:Abtei St. Hildegard Eibingen Innenansicht.JPG


English: Interior of the Abbey of Saint Hildegard, 
Eibingen, Germany.
Deutsch: Abtei St. Hildegard in Eibingen, 
Ortsteil von Rüdesheim am Rhein
Innenansicht der Abteikirche.
Photo: 29 May 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Haffitt.
(Wikimedia Commons)


She wrote theological, botanical and medicinal texts, as well as Letters, Liturgical songs, and poems, while supervising brilliant miniature illuminations.

Although the history of her formal recognition as a Saint is complicated, she has been recognised as a Saint by parts of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. On 7 October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named her a Doctor of the Church.




Hildegard von Bingen.
Spiritus Sanctus.
Available on YouTube at


English: Spiritus Sanctus, the Second Antiphon and
Psalm 110/111 from Vespers of Hildegard von Bingen.
Deutsch: Spiritus Sanctus, die zweite Antiphon
und Psalm 110/111 aus der Vesper von Hildegard von Bingen.

English: Admiring the height of God´s Creation,
praising Him, thanking Him.
Deutsch: Voller Bewunderung für die Grösse der Schöpfung Gottes,
sie bewundernd und preisend.

English: Together with the photos of Marcus "Coy Dog" Werner.
Photos, visualising God´s splendour in bees, butterflies, birds and flowers.
Deutsch: Zusammen mit den Photos von Markus Coy Dog Werner.
Photos, die Gottes Grösse durch Bienen, Schmetterlinge,
Vögel und Blüten veranschaulichen.


Romanesque (Part Six)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Klosterkirche Maulbronn.jpg


English: Maulbronn Monastery
a former Cistercian Monastery, 
situated in Maulbronn, Germany. 
Since 1993, the Monastery is part of UNESCO World Heritage.
Deutsch: Klosterkirche Maulbronn (Innenansicht), 
durch Bildverarbeitung verfremdet.
Photo: 30 October 2012.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Maulbronn 3443.JPG


English: The Galilee is a variation of the Atrium, or the Narthex, in the Western part of a Church. The Galilee to the Convent Church of Maulbronn is also called The Paradise (1210 - 1215). It is regarded as a unique and perfect example of art from the time of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. The influences from Burgundy, France, are obvious and can be seen 
in the special finish of the Capitals and in the High Plinths. 
[This paragraph can be found in Romanesque - Architecture - Sculpture - Painting, 
Edited by Rolf Toman. Published by KONEMANN.]
Deutsch: Kloster Maulbronn.
This File: 12 March 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: User:Fb78.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In most parts of Europe, Romanesque Columns were massive, as they supported thick upper walls with small windows, and sometimes heavy Vaults. The most common method of construction was to build them out of stone cylinders called Drums, as in the Crypt at Speyer Cathedral.

Where really massive Columns were called for, such as those at Durham Cathedral, they were constructed of ashlar masonry, and the hollow core was filled with rubble. These huge untapered Columns are sometimes ornamented with incised decorations.

A common characteristic of Romanesque buildings, occurring both in Churches and in the Arcades that separate large interior spaces of Castles, is the alternation of Piers and Columns. The most simple form that this takes is to have a Column between each adjoining Pier. Sometimes, the Columns are in multiples of two or three. At Saint Michael's, Hildesheim, an ABBA alternation occurs in the Nave, while an ABA alternation can be seen in The Transepts.


File:Aachener1723aDom.jpg


English: Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel, Aachen, Germany. 9th-Century.
Modelled on the Byzantine Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.
Deutsch: Aachener Dom.
Photo: 23 April 2009.
Source: Bojin, on request by Túrelio.
Author: Bojin.
Permission:
The permission to use this work has been archived in the Wikimedia OTRS system. It is available as ticket #2009102710046455 for users with an OTRS account. If you wish to reuse this work elsewhere, please read the instructions at COM:REUSE. If you are a Commons user and wish to confirm the permission, please leave a note at the OTRS noticeboard.
(Wikimedia Commons)


At Jumièges, there are tall Drum Columns between Piers, each of which has a Half-Column supporting the Arch. There are many variations on this theme, most notably at Durham Cathedral, where the mouldings and Shafts of the Piers are of exceptional richness and the huge masonry Columns are deeply incised with geometric patterns.

Often, the arrangement was made more complex by the complexity of the Piers, themselves, so that it was not Piers and Columns that alternated, but, rather, Piers of entirely different form from each other, such as those of Sant' Ambrogio, Milan, where the nature of the Vault dictated that the alternate Piers bore a great deal more weight than the intermediate ones and are, thus, very much larger.

The foliate Corinthian style provided the inspiration for many Romanesque Capitals, and the accuracy with which they were carved depended very much on the availability of original models, those in Italian Churches, such as Pisa Cathedral, or Church of Sant'Alessandro, in Lucca, and Southern France, being much closer to the Classical than those in England.


File:Hildesheim St Michael.jpg


Interior of Saint Mary's Cathedral and Saint Michael's Church,
Hildesheim, Germany. 
The Corinthian Capitals are clearly seen.
Photo: Autumn 2005.
Author: Dronkitmaster.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Corinthian Capital is essentially round at the bottom, where it sits on a circular Column, and square at the top, where it supports the wall or Arch. This form of Capital was maintained in the general proportions and outline of the Romanesque Capital. This was achieved most simply by cutting a rectangular cube and taking the four lower corners off at an angle, so that the block was square at the top, but octagonal at the bottom, as can be seen at Saint Michael's, Hildesheim, Germany.

This shape lent itself to a wide variety of superficial treatments, sometimes foliate, in imitation of the source, but often figurative. In Northern Europe, the foliate Capitals generally bear far more resemblance to the intricacies of manuscript illumination than to Classical sources. In parts of France and Italy, there are strong links to the Pierced Capitals of Byzantine architecture. It is in the figurative Capitals that the greatest originality is shown. While some are dependent on manuscript illustrations of Biblical scenes and depictions of beasts and monsters, others are lively scenes of the legends of local Saints.


File:Abbaye aux hommes intérieur 03.jpeg


English: The Ribbed Vaults, 
are sexpartite and span two Bays of the Nave.
Français: Nef de l'église Saint-Étienne 
de l'ancienne abbaye aux Hommes de Caen.
Photo: 23 March 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Harmonia Amanda.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Capitals, while retaining the form of a square top and a round bottom, were often compressed into little more than a bulging cushion-shape. This is particularly the case on large masonry Columns, or on large Columns that alternate with Piers, as at Durham Cathedral.

The majority of buildings have wooden roofs, generally of a simple truss, tie beam or king post form. In the case of trussed rafter roofs, they are sometimes lined with wooden ceilings in three sections, like those that survive at Ely and Peterborough Cathedrals, in England. In Churches, typically the Aisles are Vaulted, but the Nave is roofed with timber, as is the case at both Peterborough and Ely. In Italy, where open wooden roofs are common, and tie beams frequently occur in conjunction with Vaults, the timbers have often been decorated, as at San Miniato al Monte, Florence.

Vaults of stone or brick took on several different forms and showed marked development during the period, evolving into the pointed Ribbed Arch characteristic of Gothic architecture.


File:Peterborough south choir aisle.JPG


Peterborough Cathedral, South Choir Aisle.
The Aisles at Peterborough Cathedral 
have quadripartite Ribbed Vaults. 
The Nave has an ancient painted wooden ceiling.
Photo: 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: TTaylor.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe (86) Abbatiale Intérieur 01.JPG


English: The Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe 
is located in Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, in Poitou, France
The Romanesque Church was begun in the Mid-11th-Century 
and contains many beautiful 11th- and 12th-Century murals
which are still in a remarkable state of preservation. 
[Note the decorated Columns and the decorated Nave roof.] 
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
Français: Vue vers l'orient de la nef de l'abbatiale 
de Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe.
Photo: 12 June 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: GO69.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The simplest type of Vaulted roof is the Barrel Vault, in which a single Arched surface extends from wall to wall the length of the space to be Vaulted, for example, the Nave of a Church. An important example, which retains Mediaeval paintings, is the Vault of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, France, of the Early-12th-Century. However, the Barrel Vault generally required the support of solid walls, or walls in which the windows were very small.

Groin Vaults occur in Early-Romanesque buildings, notably at Speyer Cathedral, where the High Vault, of about 1060, is the first employment in Romanesque architecture of this type of Vault for a wide Nave. In later buildings employing Ribbed Vaultings, Groin Vaults are most frequently used for the less visible and smaller Vaults, particularly in Crypts and Aisles. 

A Groin Vault is almost always square in Plan and is constructed of two Barrel Vaults intersecting at right angles. Unlike a Ribbed Vault, the entire Arch is a structural member. Groin Vaults are frequently separated by Transverse Arched Ribs of low profile, as at Speyer Cathedral and Santiago de Compostela. At Sainte Marie Madeleine, Vézelay, the Ribs are square in Section, strongly projecting and polychrome.


PART SEVEN FOLLOWS.


Tuesday 10 September 2013

Taedet Animam Meam. Requiem Aeternam. Officium Defunctorum. Tomás Luis De Victoria (1548 - 1611). Composed For The Funeral Of The Mother Of Two Emperors.


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Taedet Animam Meam are the opening words in Chapter 10 of The Book of Job.
Job laments his afflictions and begs God to be delivered from them.




Taedet Animam Meam 
and Requiem Aeternam.
Tomás Luis De Victoria 
(1548 - 1611).
Available on YouTube at


Officium Defunctorum is a musical setting of the Office of the Dead, composed by the Spanish Renaissance composer, Tomás Luis de Victoria, in 1603. It includes settings of the movements of the Requiem Mass, accounting for about twenty-six minutes of the forty-two minute composition, and the work is sometimes referred to as "Victoria's Requiem".

Officium Defunctorum was composed for the funeral of the Dowager Empress Maria, sister of Philip II of Spain, daughter of Charles V, wife of Maximilian II and mother of two emperors; it was dedicated to Princess Margaret for “the obsequies of your most revered mother”. 

The Empress Maria died on 26 February 1603 and the great obsequies were performed on 22 April 1603 and 23 April 1603. Victoria was employed as Personal Chaplain to the Empress Maria from 1586 to the time of her death.




Victoria published eleven volumes of his music during his lifetime, representing the majority of his compositional output. Officium Defunctorum, the only work to be published by itself, was the eleventh volume and the last work Victoria published. The date of publication, 1605, is often included with the title to differentiate the Officium Defunctorum from Victoria's other setting of the Requiem Mass (in 1583, Victoria composed and published a book of Masses (Reprinted in 1592) including a Missa Pro Defunctis for Four-Part Choir).

Officium Defunctorum is scored for Six-Part SSATTB Chorus. It includes an entire Office of the Dead: In addition to a Requiem Mass, Victoria sets an Extra-Liturgical Funeral Motet, a Lesson that belongs to Matins (scored for only SATB and not always included in concert performances), and the ceremony of Absolution, which follows the Mass. 

Polyphonic sections are separated by unaccompanied Chant Incipits, that Victoria printed himself. The Soprano II usually carries the cantus firmus, though "it very often disappears into the surrounding part-writing since the Chant does not move as slowly as most cantus firmus parts and the polyphony does not generally move very fast."





The sections of the work are as follows:

Taedet Animam Meam. Second Lesson of Matins (Job 10:1-7);

Missa Pro Defunctis (Mass for the Dead). With the Council of Trent, the Liturgy of the Requiem Mass was standardised. Victoria sets all of the Requiem Mass sections, except the Dies Irae (Sequence);

Introit;

Versa Est In Luctum Cithara Mea (Funeral Motet);

The Absolution:

Responsory;
Libera Me;
Kyrie.




Versa Est In Luctum Cithara Mea
(Funeral Motet).
Alonso Lobo
(1555 - 1617).
Available on YouTube at


I Stand In Support Of Fr. Ray Blake.





Monday 9 September 2013

Romanesque (Part Five).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Durham Cathedral. Interior.jpg


EnglishDurham Cathedral, England, 
has decorated masonry Columns, 
alternating with Piers of clustered Shafts 
supporting the earliest pointed High Ribs.
Català: Catedral de Durham.
Photo: 13 August 2010.
Source: Own work. 
"I had to pay a £15 fee for a daily photo permit."
Author: Oliver-Bonjoch.
(Wikimedia Commons)




English: The Papal Basilica of the Minster of Saint Martin's, Bonn, Germany.
The Bonn Minster (German: Das Bonner Münster) is one of Germany's oldest Churches, having been built between the 11th- and 13th-Centuries. At one point, this Church served as the Cathedral for the Archbishopric of Cologne. However, the Minster is now a Papal Basilica.
Deutsch: Bonner Münster.
Photo: 7 July 2010.
Source: Own photograph. Originally uploaded to File:BOMUE00.jpg.
Author: Hans Weingartz.
Permission: CC-BY-SA-3.0-DE.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Because of the massive nature of Romanesque walls, Buttresses are not a highly significant feature, as they are in Gothic architecture. Romanesque buttresses are generally of a flat, square, profile, and do not project a great deal beyond the wall. In the case of Aisled-Churches, Barrel Vaults, or Half-Barrel Vaults over the Aisles, helped to buttress the Nave, if it was Vaulted.

In the cases where Half-Barrel Vaults were used, they effectively became like Flying Buttresses. Often, Aisles extended through two Storeys, rather than the one Storey which is usual in Gothic architecture, so as to better support the weight of a Vaulted Nave. In the case of Durham Cathedral, Flying Buttresses have been employed, but are hidden inside the Triforium Gallery.

The Arches used in Romanesque architecture are nearly always semi-circular, for openings such as doors and windows, for Vaults and for Arcades. Wide doorways are usually surmounted by a semi-circular Arch, except where a door with a Lintel is set into a large Arched recess and surmounted by a semi-circular "Lunette" with decorative carving. These doors sometimes have a carved Central Jamb.


File:Autun BasiliqueStLazare01 JPM.JPG


English: Autun Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare d'Autun) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and a national Monument of France, in Autun. Famous for its Cluniac inspiration and its Romanesque sculptures, by Gislebertus, it is a highlight in Romanesque art, in Burgundy, 
and is the Seat of the Bishop of Autun
Français: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare - Ville d'Autun, France.
Photo: 4 June 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: MarcJP46.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Narrow doors and small windows might be surmounted by a solid stone Lintel. Larger openings are nearly always Arched. A characteristic feature of Romanesque architecture, both ecclesiastic and domestic, is the pairing of two Arched windows or Arcade openings, separated by a Pillar or Colonette, and often set within a larger Arch. Ocular windows are common in Italy, particularly in the Facade Gable, and are also seen in Germany. Later-Romanesque Churches may have Wheel Windows or Rose Windows with Plate Tracery.

There are a very small number of buildings in the Romanesque style, such as Autun Cathedral, in France, and Monreale Cathedral, in Sicily, in which pointed Arches have been used extensively, apparently for stylistic reasons. It is believed that, in these cases, there is a direct imitation of Islamic architecture. At other Late-Romanesque Churches, such as Durham Cathedral, the pointed Arch was introduced as a structural device in Ribbed Vaulting. Its increasing application was fundamental to the development of Gothic architecture.


File:Autun BasiliqueStLazare03 JPM.JPG


English: Autun Cathedral, France.
Français: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare - Ville d'Autun, France.
Photo: 5 June 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: MarcJP46.
(Wikimedia Commons)


An Arcade is a row of Arches, supported on Piers or Columns. They occur in the interior of large Churches, separating the Nave from the Aisles, and in large secular interior spaces, such as the Great Hall of a Castle, supporting the timbers of a Roof or Upper Floor. Arcades also occur in Cloisters and Atriums, enclosing an open space.

Arcades can occur in Storeys or Stages. While the Arcade of a Cloister is typically of a single Stage, the Arcade that divides the Nave and Aisles, in a Church, is, typically, of two Stages, with a third Stage, of window openings, known as the Clerestory, rising above them. 

Arcading on a large scale generally fulfils a structural purpose, but it is also used, generally on a smaller scale, as a decorative feature, both internally and externally, where it is frequently "Blind Arcading", with only a wall or a narrow passage behind it.


File:Le Puy en Velay 03.jpg


English: The Facade of Notre Dame du Puy, Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne, France, 
has a more complex arrangement of diversified Arches: 
Doors of varying widths; Blind Arcading; Windows and Open Arcades.
Le Puy Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and a national Monument of France, in Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne. It has been a centre of pilgrimage, in its own right, since before the time of Charlemagne, as well as forming part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Since 1998, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France". It is the Seat of the Bishop of Le Puy.
Français: Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy, Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, France.
La bildo estas kopiita de wikipedia:fr. La originala priskribo estas.
Photo: 20 October 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: GIRAUD Patrick.
(Wikimedia Commons)




Cloisters of Notre Dame du Puy Cathedral (XIIth-Century).
cloître de la cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy (XIIe siècle).
Photo: 22 June 2003.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In Romanesque architecture, Piers were often employed to support Arches. They were built of masonry, and square, or rectangular, in section, generally having a horizontal moulding, representing a Capital, at the springing of the Arch. Sometimes, Piers have Vertical Shafts attached to them, and may also have horizontal mouldings at the base level.

Although basically rectangular, Piers can often be of highly complex form, with half-segments of large, hollow-core, Columns on the inner surface supporting the Arch, or a clustered group of smaller Shafts, leading into the mouldings of the Arch.

Piers that occur at the intersection of two large Arches, such as those under The Crossing of the Nave and Transept, are, commonly, cruciform in shape, each Arch having its own supporting rectangular Pier at right angles to the other.


File:MalmesburyAbbey.JPG


Malmesbury Abbey, England, 
has hollow-core Columns, 
probably filled with rubble. (Gothic vault)
An inside picture of what remains of 
Malmesbury Abbey (Wiltshire, England). 
Picture by R Neil Marshman (c)2006. {{gfdl}} 
(Wikimedia Commons)


Columns are an important structural feature of Romanesque architecture. Colonnettes, and attached Shafts, are also used structurally and for decoration. Monolithic Columns cut from a single piece of stone were frequently used in Italy, as they had been in Roman and Early-Christian architecture. They were also used, particularly in Germany, when they alternated between more massive Piers. Arcades of Columns, cut from single pieces, are also common in structures that do not bear massive weights of masonry, such as Cloisters, where they are sometimes paired.


File:Mainzer Dom Wandaufriss.jpg


EnglishThe Nave, Mainz Cathedral, Germany, 
has rectangular Piers and possibly the earliest example of an 
internal elevation of three Stages. (Gothic vault).
Deutsch: Wandaufriss des Langhauses des Mainzer Doms.
Photo: 1/6/05.
Source: de.wikipedia.org.
Permission: GFDL.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:SantCompostela21.jpg


has large Drum Columns, 
with attached Shafts 
supporting a Barrel Vault.
Side Aisle and Gallery 
of the Cathedral.
Photo: 16 September 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Georges Jansoone.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In Italy, during this period, a great number of antique Roman Columns were salvaged and re-used in the interiors and on the Porticos of Churches. The most durable of these Columns are of marble and have the stone horizontally bedded. The majority are vertically bedded and are sometimes of a variety of colours. They may have retained their original Roman Capitals, generally of the Corinthian, or Roman Composite style. 

Some buildings, like Santa Maria in Cosmedin, and the Atrium, at San Clemente, in Rome, may have an odd assortment of Columns, in which large Capitals are placed on short Columns and small Capitals are placed on taller Columns to even the height. Architectural compromises of this type are seen where materials have been salvaged from a number of buildings. Salvaged Columns were also used to a lesser extent in France.


PART SIX FOLLOWS.


Memento Mori. Remember Dear Christian, You Have But One Soul To Save, One God To Love And Serve, One Eternity To Expect . . . Pray Without Ceasing.


Taken from the Blog  TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS


+ Behold how He loved!  He died for me. +


Reine De Paix Et De Clémence. Queen Of Peace And Clemency.


Taken from the Blog, HOLY CARD HEAVEN

We Pray, Dear Holy Mother, 

For Peace In Syria And The Middle-East.





Queen of Peace and Clemency.
Reine De Paix Et De Clémence.


Sunday 8 September 2013

His Holiness, Pope Francis, Urges Everybody To Continue Saying Prayers For Peace In Syria And The Middle East.






His Holiness,
Pope Francis.
Image: Wikipedia.


Vatican Radio today reports that His Holiness, Pope Francis, urges everybody to keep praying for Peace in the Middle East, saying the search for Peace is a long one that requires patience and perseverance.

Speaking during his Angelus address, the Pope also condemned the proliferation of wars and conflicts and questioned whether they were wars about problems or commercial wars to sell arms on the black market.

His remarks came just hours after thousands of people attended a prayer vigil in Saint Peter’s Square, Rome, on Saturday evening, as part of the events for the special day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria and the world.


In addition, Fr. Finigan, Parish Priest, Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, has the following Article on the Blackfen Parish Web-Site, OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY


Prayers and fasting for Syria and the Middle East





Pope Francis has said:

“I wish to make add my voice to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity: it is the cry for peace! 

It is a cry which declares with force: we want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society, torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break out! War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected. [...]

Let us pray for peace in Syria and throughout the world, that the prayers of people of faith may encourage leaders of nations and peoples to abandon warfare and violence and to turn to peaceful dialogue to resolve differences.”

On Saturday, we had prayers at Benediction, the Mass for Peace and Reconciliation in the evening, and the Archbishop’s Bidding Prayer for peace. 

Since you may have missed this call to prayer and fasting, I encourage you to Please respond to the Holy Father’s leadership by offering your own prayers, penances, and works of charity for this important intention.


Mass in Saint Cuthbert's Chapel, Ushaw College, Durham, England.





Mass in Saint Cuthbert's Chapel,
Ushaw College,
Durham, England,
during a Latin Mass Society Training Week 
for Priests and Servers, April 2011.
Photo: Latin Mass Society 
http://www.lms.org.uk/


Saturday 7 September 2013

A Very Shoddy Piece Of So-Called "Journalism".


Fr. Ray Blake, Saint Mary Magdalen, Brighton, has been under attack by a so-called "journalist" in his local paper, The Argus.

There is a very good Article concerning this attack (reproduced, below), and Fr Blake's equally good response, on Mac's Blog MULIER FORTIS

Fr Blake has asked that his response be published and Zephyrinus is delighted to do so, herewith.

MULIER FORTIS writes:

A cheap and nasty distortion of one of Fr. Ray Blake's blogposts has been doing the rounds of the mainstream media - obviously some people think the traditional media "Silly Season" is still up and running, and can't find anything better to do than rehash a poorly-written and even more poorly-researched blurb (I hesitate to call it an article) from a local rag.




Fr. Ray Blake.


As the piece has been picked up by a few different sources, I am reposting Fr. Blake's response (as he asked on his blog.)

Fr. Ray Blake wrote:

"I was saying that the poor, the really poor, turn our lives upside down. I know the local paper pays peanuts and expects its journalists to create stories in order to get onto the news networks but this is just a malicious and deliberate misrepresentation.

"It is very interesting to see what a disreputable journalist can do with a few carefully chosen adjectives. I didn't 'condemn', 'complain', 'blast' etc, and I am pretty certain that some of his other quotes are not my words, especially not, 'test my holiness', I don't speak like that, 'only God is Holy'. Though I admit in an informal moment I might question the marriage of the parents of someone who disrupts the worship of an entire congregation, especially if they consistently steal from the church or other poor people.

"It is interesting to see how an unscrupulous journalist can so easily put an entirely different slant on a simple theological reflection, presumably even basic Christian concepts are beyond the comprehension of some.

"Well, journalists are obviously as messy as the poor; except unscrupulous journalists can do more damage. Perhaps Mr Gardner might like to help on our soup run, it doesn't have to be 365 day a year, once a week would be fine, providing he treats our clients with respect, or maybe he could take Jason or Daryl or Pawel or Dawn out for a cup of coffee or a meal, or just come a clear up the next time someone comes in and vomits or bleeds all over my kitchen because he is drug or has been beaten up.

"Maybe next time I run out of money I could tap him for a few quid when some vulnerable 17 year old girl needs to top up her phone to speak to her mum because her boyfriend has beaten her up or she needs a roof over head because she is sleeping in a tent and it is just few degrees above zero and she is vulnerable, or maybe the next time I am arranging a child's funeral and someone comes to the door in need of someone to talk because they are suicidal I can send them round to Bill's place so he can spend a couple of hours listening to them.

Here, to, I am neither complaining, blasting, lambasting or anything else, just asking. "I understand Mr Gardner's little piece has been syndicated internationally, perhaps kind readers might, if possible post my response." 

Fr. Blake is charitable enough to ask his readers to pray for the journalist who was attacking him, and for all in the media.

An excellent critique of the shoddy item in the Argus has already been written by Caroline Farrow. I really cannot improve upon it, so I recommend you go and read it for yourselves.


Friday 6 September 2013

Romanesque (Part Four).


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Trierer Dom at night.jpg


Cathedral of Saint Peter 
Trier, Germany, at night.
Photo: 18 December 2004.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Trier Dom BW 1.JPG


English: Cathedral of Saint Peter 
Trier, Germany.
Deutsch: Trierer Dom.
Photo: 10 June 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Berthold Werner.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The system of Monasticism, in which the Religious become Members of an Order, with common ties and a common rule, living in a mutually-dependent Community, rather than as a group of Hermits living in proximity, but essentially separate, was established by the Monk, Benedict, in the 6th-Century.

The Benedictine Monasteries spread from Italy throughout Europe, being always, by far, the most numerous in England. They were followed by the Cluniac Order, the CisterciansCarthusians and Augustinian Canons. In association with the Crusades, the Military Orders of the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar were founded.

The Monasteries, which sometimes also functioned as Cathedrals, and the Cathedrals that had bodies of Secular Clergy, often living in Community, were a major source of power in Europe. Bishops, and the Abbots of important Monasteries, lived and functioned like Princes. The Monasteries were the major Seats of Learning, of all sorts. Benedict had ordered that all the Arts were to be taught and practised in the Monasteries. Within the Monasteries, books were transcribed by hand, and few people outside the Monasteries could read or write.


File:Toulouse, Basilique Saint-Sernin-PM 51242.jpg


English: Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France.
Français: Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse.
Photo: 7 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: PMRMaeyaert.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In France, Burgundy was the centre of Monasticism. The enormous and powerful Monastery at Cluny was to have lasting effect on the layout of other Monasteries and the design of their Churches. Unfortunately, very little of the Abbey Church at Cluny remains; the "Cluny II" re-building of 963 A.D., onwards, has completely vanished, but we have a good idea of the design of "Cluny III" from 1088–1130, which, until the Renaissance, remained the largest building in Europe. However, the Church of Saint Sernin, at Toulouse, 1080 – 1120, has remained intact and demonstrates the regularity of Romanesque design with its modular form, its massive appearance and the repetition of the simple arched window motif.

One of the effects of the Crusades, which were intended to wrest the Holy Places of Palestine from Islamic control, was to excite a great deal of religious fervour, which, in turn, inspired great building programmes. The Nobility of Europe, upon safe return, thanked God by the building of a new Church or the enhancement of an old one. Likewise, those who did not return from the Crusades could be suitably commemorated by their family in a work of stone and mortar.


File:Basílica de Santiago 02.JPG


Español: Basílica de Santiago, Galicia, Spain.
English: Basilica of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
Photo: 7 February 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Vasco Roxo.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Crusades resulted in the transfer of, among other things, a great number of Holy Relics of Saints and Apostles. Many Churches, like Saint-Front, Périgueux, had their own home-grown Saint, while others, most notably Santiago de Compostela, claimed the remains and the patronage of a powerful Saint, in this case one of the Twelve Apostles

Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Europe. Most of the pilgrims travelled the Way of Saint James on foot, many of them bare-footed as a sign of penance. They moved along one of the four main routes that passed through France, congregating for the journey at Jumièges, Paris, Vézelay, Cluny, Arles and Saint Gall, in Switzerland. They crossed two passes in the Pyrenees and converged into a single stream to traverse North-West Spain. 

Along the route, they were urged on by those pilgrims returning from the journey. On each of the routes, Abbeys, such as those at Moissac, Toulouse, Roncesvalles, Conques, Limoges and Burgos, catered for the flow of people and grew wealthy from the passing trade. Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, in the Berry Province, is typical of the Churches that were founded on the pilgrim route.


File:Krak des chevaliers15(js).jpg


Like many Castles built by Crusader Knights, 
the Inner Fortress of Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
was mainly constructed in this period, 
with the Outer Walls being added later.
Photo: 26 December 2007 (upload date).
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The general impression given by Romanesque architecture, in both ecclesiastical and secular buildings, is one of massive solidity and strength. In contrast with both the preceding Roman and later Gothic architecture, in which the load-bearing structural members are, or appear to be, Columns, Pilasters and Arches, Romanesque architecture, in common with Byzantine architecture, relies upon its walls, or sections of walls, called Piers.

Romanesque architecture is often divided into two periods, known as the "First Romanesque" style and the "Romanesque" style. The difference is chiefly a matter of the expertise with which the buildings were constructed. The First Romanesque employed rubble walls, smaller windows and un-vaulted roofs. A greater refinement marks the Second Romanesque, along with increased use of the Vault and Dressed Stone.


File:Castle-rising-castle.JPG


Castle Rising, Norfolk, England, shows flat Buttresses and reinforcing
at the corners of the building, typical in both Castles and Churches.
Castle Rising Castle is a ruined Castle, situated in the village of Castle Rising,
in the English County of Norfolk. It was built about 1138 by William d'Aubigny,
Much of its Square Keep, surrounded by a defensive Mount, is intact.
It is currently owned by Lord Howard of Rising, a descendant of William d'Aubigny.


The walls of Romanesque buildings are often of massive thickness, with few, and comparatively small, openings. They are often double shells, filled with rubble.

The building material differs greatly across Europe, depending upon the local stone and building traditions. In Italy, Poland, much of Germany, and parts of the Netherlands, brick is generally used. Other areas saw extensive use of limestone, granite and flint. The building stone was often used in comparatively small and irregular pieces, bedded in thick mortar. Smooth ashlar masonry was not a distinguishing feature of the style, particularly in the earlier part of the period, but occurred chiefly where easily-worked limestone was available.


PART FIVE FOLLOWS.


Wednesday 4 September 2013

Servers' Training Day.





Image from the 
Cantius Web Store at 
www.cantius.org


There will be a Servers' Training Day on Saturday, 12 October 2013, at Saint Augustine's Church, Darlington, County Durham DL3 7RG, England.

Details:

Point of Contact: David O'Neill at david-oneill3@sky.com

Date: Saturday 12th October 2013 Feast of St Wilfred (Diocesan Saint).
Venue: St Augustine's Church, 30 Coniscliffe Road, Darlington DL3 7RG.
Starting Time: 1000 hrs.
Lunch: 1200 hrs.
Mass: Missa Cantata at 1400 hrs.
Celebrant: Very Rev. Fr. Michael Brown, LMS Northern Chaplain.
Ordinary of Mass: Sung by The Rudgate Singers of York.
Proper of Mass: Sung by Schola Sancti Baedae of Jarrow.

Please advise if coming & bring packed lunch. Drinks will be provided

If you need more information, please contact David O'Neill (Latin Mass Society Rep) on 
david-oneill3@sky.com


Tuesday 3 September 2013

Ave Verum Corpus. Mozart.


Text 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.
Available on YouTube at

The Text is in Latin, and reads: 

Ave verum corpus, natum de Maria Virgine,
Vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine,
Cujus latus perforatum fluxit aqua et sanguine.
Esto nobis praegustatum mortis in examine. 
O Jesu dulcis, 
O Jesu pie, 
O Jesu, fili Mariae.

A translation into English is: 

Hail, true Body, 
born of the Virgin Mary,
who having truly suffered, 
was sacrificed on the Cross for mankind,
whose pierced side flowed with water and blood.
May it be for us a foretaste [of the Heavenly banquet] in the trial of death.
O sweet Jesus, 
O pious Jesus, 
O Jesus, son of Mary.

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, and ties it to the Catholic conception of the redemptive meaning of suffering in the life of all believers.


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