Remembrance Day. At The Eleventh Hour. Of The Eleventh Day. Of The Eleventh Month. The Guns Fell Silent. Lest We Forget.

Because the subject matter of this Post is of such importance, Zephyrinus will be Posting it every day this week.

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

LEST WE FORGET

HYMN TO THE FALLEN

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/qda__aFhR6I

VISIT TO THE SOMME BATTLEFIELDS

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/KhmWgCaiF7w

IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

LEST WE FORGET.

Remembrance Day at the John McCrae House (birthplace, museum, and Memorial) in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A detail shot of the "Altar" of the Memorial, with the complete poem 

"In Flanders Fields"and the line "LEST WE FORGET" inscribed on it.

Photo: 11 November 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lx 121.

Note: Part of a series of photographs taken at the John McCrae site 

in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, on 11 November 2009 (Remembrance Day).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Illustration: LANDSCAPES

Portrait photo of John Alexander McCrae (1872–1918).

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was a soldier, physician and poet.

Date: 1918 or earlier.

Image from In Flanders Fields, and other poems, by Lieut.-Col. John McCrae, M.D., with an essay in character, by Sir Andrew Macphail (New York, London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1919): http://www.archive.org/details/inflandersfields00mccr.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

An autographed copy of the poem "In Flanders Fields". Unlike the printed copy in the same book, McCrae's handwritten version ends the first line with "grow".

Facsimile of handwritten version of McCrae's "In Flanders Fields", in a volume of his poetry where an acknowledgement is given "The reproduction of the autograph poem is from a copy belonging to Carleton Noyes, Esq., of Cambridge, Mass., who kindly permitted its use."

Date: 1919.

Source: Scan of McCrae's "In Flanders Fields And Other Poems", 

obtained from archive.org, converted to PNG and Black and White, slight rotation.

Author: John McCrae.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Illustrated page by Ernest Clegg.

Note that the first line ends with "grow".

Page 1 of the main content from a limited edition book

containing an illustrated poem, "In Flanders Fields".

Date: 1921.

Source: JP2 zip data at fieldsinflanders00mccrrich archive.org.

Author: John McCrae and Ernest Clegg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first chapter of "In Flanders Fields and Other Poems", a 1919 collection of McCrae's works, gives the text of the poem as follows:

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Bleuet de France.

Circa 1950.

Source: Own work.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Remembrance Day (11 November) is a national holiday in France and Belgium. It commemorates the Armistice, signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at 11:00 a.m. in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."

Illustration: LABOUR UNCUT

Armistice Day is one the most important military celebrations in France, since it was a major French victory and the French paid a heavy price in blood to achieve it. The First World War was considered in France as the "Great Patriotic War". Almost all French villages feature Memorials dedicated to the Fallen. In France, the blue Cornflower (Bleuet de France) is used symbolically, rather than the Poppy.

"Ghosts of Vimy Ridge" 
depicts ghosts of the Canadian Corps on Vimy Ridge, 
surrounding the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

Date: 1931.

Source: Canadian House of Commons Collection, (AN: O-4714) [1].

Author: William Longstaff.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, Somme, France.

Français: Villers-Bretonneux (Somme, France).

La croix du cimetière militaire et la tour du Mémorial National Australien.

Photo: April 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Markus3 (Marc ROUSSEL).

(Wikimedia Commons)

Australian Remembrance Day.
Image: J2M CLASS BLOG




Australian Remembrance Day.
Image: STITCHERS CORNER

De Profundis.

Psalm 129 

(Douay–Rheims Bible)

By Orlando de Lassus.

Taken from the

Prayers for the Dead.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/bHVnrvEalJw.

Psalm CXXIX

De Profundis

Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord !

Lord, hear my voice.

Let Thine ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplication.

If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark iniquities,

Lord, who shall endureth ?

For with the Lord there is merciful forgiveness,

And by reason of Thy law I have waited upon Thee, O Lord.

My Soul doth rely on His word:

My Soul doth hope in the Lord.

From the Morning Watch, even unto night,

Let Israel hope in the Lord.

For with the Lord there is mercy,

And with Him plentiful redemption.

And He shall redeem Israel,

From all his iniquities.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:

Domine, exaudi vocem meam.

Fiant aures tuae intendentes:

In vocem deprecationis meae.

Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine:

Domine, quis sustinebit ?

Quia apud te propitiatio est:

Et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.

Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:

Speravit anima mea in Domino.

A custodia matutina usque ad noctem:

Speret Israel in Domino.

Quia apud Dominum misericordia:

Et copiosa apud eum redemptio.

Et ipse redimet Israel,

Ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.

R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.

. . . "If ye break faith,

With us who die,

We shall not sleep,

Though Poppies grow,

In Flanders fields."

Photo: 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zephyrinus.

South African Infantry Soldier stands guard

at the Johannesburg Memorial

on the 90th Remembrance Day Ceremony.

Image: DIGITAL JOURNAL

Delville Wood,
near Longueval,
The Somme,
France.
Image: WORLD WAR ONE BATTLEFIELDS

Delville Wood was sometimes known as Devil's Wood, and the fighting there during the Battle of the Somme was particularly ferocious. The majority of the wood was eventually taken by South African soldiers on 15 July 1916, and they held on grimly during numerous German counter-attacks for six days, until they were relieved.

After the War, South Africa purchased the site in 1920, and it serves as a Memorial to those of that nation who fell, not just there, but elsewhere.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Confederation Square in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 
immediately following the Remembrance Day ceremonies on 11 November, 2006. 

Since its installation, it has become traditional to place Poppies 

on the Tomb, after the formal ceremony has concluded.

Photo: 11 November 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mikkel Paulson.

(Wikimedia Commons)

New Zealand 

Remembrance Day Ceremony.

NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE WEB-SITE

Armistice Day (also referred to as Remembrance Day) marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War One and commemorates the sacrifice of those who died serving New Zealand in this War, and all Wars and armed conflict.

The Great War of 1914 to 1918 was one of the most devastating events in human history. New Zealand, with a population of 1.1 million in 1914, sent 100,000 men and women abroad. 16,700 died and over 40,000 were wounded – a higher per capita casualty rate than any other country involved.

The coming of Peace, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, brought Blessed Relief for all involved.

They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning.

We will remember them.

(Fourth stanza of Laurence Binyon's Poem 'For the Fallen')

Illustration from

IN CAELO ET IN TERRA

For The Anzacs And All The Fallen At Gallipoli.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.

Available on YouTube

at

http://youtu.be/VAl0FRjEzCA.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

No-Man's Land (Flowers Of The Forest).

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

No-Man's Land

(Flowers of the Forest)

Available on YouTube

at

http://youtu.be/cWhOO9Q323Y

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Remembrance Sunday. 10 November 2013.

Faure Requiem Op.48.

Durufle Requiem Op.9.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UnilUPXmipM.

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,

and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Prayer Is The Elevation Of The Soul To Heaven. La Prière C'est L'elévation De L'ame Jusqu'au Ciel.

Taken from HOLY CARD HEAVEN

Prayer Is The Elevation Of The Soul To Heaven.

La Prière C'est L'elévation De L'ame Jusqu'au Ciel.

Remembrance Sunday. 10 November 2013.

Faure Requiem Op.48.

Durufle Requiem Op.9.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UnilUPXmipM.

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,

and in the morning,

We will remember them.

The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs. Feast Day, Today, 8 November.

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

The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340).
E-Mail: enquiries.carmelbooks@gmail.com

The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs.
Feast Day 8 November.

Red Vestments.

English: The Four Crowned Saints. Statue commissioned by the Arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname (Guild of Wood and Stone Cutters), Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy. Sculptor: Nanni di Banco.

Français: Les Quatre saints couronnés. Statue commandée par l'arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname (guilde des tailleurs de bois et de pierre). Orsanmichele, Florence.

Italiano: Tabernacolo dell'arte dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname, con Quattro Santi Coronati di Nanni di Banco. Orsanmichele, Firenze.

Date: 1408.

Source: it:Utente:MM, own picture (April 2005).

Author: Nanni di Banco (Italian, 1375–1421).

(Wikimedia Commons)

These Saints were four brothers, whose names remained long unknown. They were called "The Four Crowned" because they received the Palm of Martyrdom and were crowned in Heaven, 304 A.D.

Mass: Intret.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The designation "Four Crowned Martyrs" or "Four Holy Crowned Ones" (in Latin, Sancti Quatuor Coronati), actually refers to nine separate Martyrs, divided into two groups:

First Group: Severus (or Secundius); Severian(us); Carpophorus (Carpoforus); Victorinus (Victorius, Vittorinus).

Second Group: Claudius; Castorius; Symphorian (Simpronian); Nicostratus; and Simplicius.

According to the Golden Legend, the names of the members of the First Group were not known at the time of their death “but were learned through the Lord’s revelation after many years had passed." They were called the "Four Crowned Martyrs", because their names were unknown ("Crown" referring to the Crown of Martyrdom).

Martyrdom of The Four Crowned Martyrs. 

Painting by Mario Minniti, in San Pietro dal Carmine,

Siracusa, Sicily, Italy.

Date: Circa 1620.

Source: http://www.parrocchiadelcarmine.

siracusa.it/opere_darte.html.

Author: Minitti, Mario.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Severus (or Secundius), Severian(us), Carpophorus, Victorinus were martyred at Rome, or Castra Albana, according to Christian tradition.

According to the Passion of Saint Sebastian, the four Saints were soldiers (specifically cornicularii, or Clerks, in charge of all the Regiment's records and paperwork), who refused to sacrifice to Aesculapius, and therefore were killed by order of Emperor Diocletian (284 A.D. - 305 A.D.), two years after the death of the five sculptors. The bodies of the Martyrs were buried in the Cemetery of Santi Marcellino e Pietro, on the fourth mile of via Labicana, by Pope Miltiades and Saint Sebastian (whose skull is preserved in the Church).

The Second Group, according to Christian tradition, were sculptors from Sirmium, who were killed in Pannonia. They refused to fashion a pagan statue for the Emperor Diocletian or to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. The Emperor ordered them to be placed alive in lead coffins and thrown into the sea, about 287 A.D. Simplicius was killed with them.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "the Acts of these Martyrs, written by a Revenue Officer, named "Porphyrius", probably in the 4th-Century, relates to the five sculptors that, although they raised no objections to executing such profane images as Victoria, Cupid, and the Chariot of the Sun, they refused to make a statue of Æsculapius for a heathen temple. For this they were condemned to death as Christians. They were put into leaden caskets and drowned in the River Save. This happened towards the end of 305 A.D."

English: Stained-Glass Window of the "Four Crowned Martyrs" 

in the Assumption Church of Samoëns (Haute-Savoie, France).

Français: Vitrail (1982) dit des "Quatre Couronnés" dans l'église de l'Assomption à Samoëns (Haute-Savoie). Les fr:Quatre Saints couronnés sont les patrons de la confrérie des maçons de Samoëns.

Photo: 29 August 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Tangopaso.

(Wikimedia Commons)

When the names of the First Group were learned, it was decreed that they should be Commemorated with the Second Group. The bodies of the First Group were interred by Saint Sebastian and Pope Melchiades (Miltiades) at the third milestone on the Via Labicana, in a sandpit where rested the remains of other executed Christians. According to tradition, since the names of the Four Martyred Soldiers could not be authentically established, Pope Melchiades commanded that, since the date of their deaths (8 November) was the same as that of the Second Group, their anniversary should be celebrated on that day.

It is unclear where the names of the Second Group actually come from. The tradition states that Pope Melchiades asked that the Saints be Commemorated as Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronian, and Castorius. These same names actually are identical to names shared by converts of Polycarp the Priest, in the legend of Saint Sebastian.

Entrance of San Silvestro Chapel, at Basilica dei SS. Quattro Coronati, 

Rome, Italy, with painting of The Four Crowned Martyrs.

Date: Circa 1570.

Source: www.universitadeimarmorari.it/ universita.html.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "this report has no historic foundation. It is merely a tentative explanation of the name Quatuor Coronati, a name given to a group of really authenticated Martyrs, who were buried and venerated in the Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, the real origin of which, however, is not known. They were classed with the Five Martyrs of Pannonia in a purely external relationship."

The bodies of the Martyrs are kept in four ancient sarcophagi, in the Crypt of Santi Marcellino e Pietro. According to a lapid, dated 1123, the head of one of the four Martyrs is buried in Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, 

Rome, Italy.

Photo: 10 November 2005.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 4th- and 5th-Centuries, a Basilica (the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati) was erected and dedicated in honour of these Martyrs on the Caelian Hill, probably in the general area where tradition located their execution. This became one of the Titular Churches of Rome and was restored several times.

The Four Crowned Martyrs were venerated early on in England, with Saint Bede noting that there was a Church dedicated to them in Canterbury. This veneration can perhaps be accounted for by the fact that Augustine of Canterbury came from a Monastery near the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, in Rome, or because their Relics were sent from Rome to England in 601 A.D.

Their connection with stone-masonry, in turn, connected them to the Freemasons. One of the scholarly journals of the English Freemasons was called Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, and the Stonemasons of Germany adopted them as Patron Saints of "Operative Masonry."

The Octave Day Of All Saints. 8 November.

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

The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340).
E-Mail: enquiries.carmelbooks@gmail.com

Illustration and caption are taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
which reproduce them, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press, from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 1952 Edition.

The Octave Day of All Saints.
8 November.

Greater-Double.
White Vestments.

The Church Triumphant.

The Church Militant.

The Church Suffering.

The custom of celebrating, during eight days, the Feast of All Saints, was established by Pope Sixtus IV in 1430 for the Universal Church.

Let us realise the part played by the Liturgy of the Church initiating us into the Liturgy of Heaven.

"As daughter of those very Choirs that are continually singing before the Throne of God and the Lamb," said Pope Saint Pius X. And Pope Urban VIII: "It is proper that Divine Psalmody, by which the Spouse consoles herself during her exile for the absence of her Divine Lord, should be without fault or stain."

Mass as on the Feast of All Saints.

Commemoration of The Holy Four Crowned Martyrs.

1914-1918. World War I. Slaughter In The Trenches. The War To End All Wars.

LEST WE FORGET.

World War I
in Colour.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/XWOrzp5KcCw.

Image: CRANMER

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,

and in the morning,

We will remember them.

We will remember them.

1914-1918. World War I. Slaughter In The Trenches. The War To End All Wars.

LEST WE FORGET.

World War I
in Colour.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/XWOrzp5KcCw.

Image: CRANMER

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,

and in the morning,

We will remember them.

We will remember them.

Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel, Written By Pope Leo XIII. Prière À Saint Michel Archange. Michael: "Who Is Like God".

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Saint Michael The Archangel.

Artist: Guido Reni (1575–1642).

Date: Circa 1636.

Current location: Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, Italy.

Note: Deutsch: Auftraggeber: Kardinal Sant'Onofrio, Bruder von Papst Urban VIII.

Source: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. 

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

Permission: [1].

(Wikimedia Commons)

Holy Michael Archangel,

Defend us in the Day of Battle;

Be our safeguard against the wickedness

      and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him,

We humbly Pray,

And do thou,

Prince of the Heavenly host,

By the power of God,

Thrust down to Hell,

Satan and all wicked spirits,

Who wander through the world

      for the ruin of Souls.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Sancte Michael Archangele,

defende nos in proelio;

contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.

Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:

tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,

satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,

qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,

divina virtute in infernum detrude.

Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis.

Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis.

Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis.

Amen.

Saint Michel Archange,

Défendez-nous dans le combat;

Soyez notre secours contre la perfidie

      et les embûches du démon.

Que Dieu exerce sur lui Son empire,

      nous le demandons en suppliant;

Et vous, prince de la milice céleste,

Refoulez en enfer, par la Vertu divine,

Satan et les autres esprits malins,

Qui errent dans le monde pour la perte des âmes.

Sacré-Cœur de Jésus. Aie pitié de nous.

Sacré-Cœur de Jésus. Aie pitié de nous.

Sacré-Cœur de Jésus. Aie pitié de nous.

Amen.

The French version of the Prayer to Saint Michael (above) [with the exception of "Sacré-Cœur de Jésus. Aie pitié de nous"] is taken from the Newsletter of the Benedictine Abbey at Le Barroux, France, "Les Amis Du Monastère".

The Newsletter is available from:

Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine,

1201, Chemin des Rabassières,

84330 Le Barroux,

France.

A Shop is also available (CDs, Books, Gifts, etc) and the Web-Site is: www.barroux.org

The Abbot of Le Barroux, Abbé F. Louis-Marie, O.S.B., states in the Newsletter, reference the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:

"Cet appel est toujours bien actuel, c'est pourquoi je vous propose de réciter souvent la prière à saint Michel Archange".

"This plea is always relevant, it is for that reason that I propose to you to recite often the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel."

The Prayer to Saint Michael The Archangel is part of The Leonine Prayers.

The Leonine Prayers are a set of Prayers, prescribed by Pope Leo XIII (hence, "Leonine Prayers"), that, from 1884 to early-1965, were recited after Low Mass. They are still sometimes used at celebrations of the Tridentine Mass, today.

The Prayers did not form part of the Mass, itself, but were prescribed for specific intentions. The original intention was the defence of the temporal sovereignty of the Holy See. After this problem was settled with the Lateran Treaty of 1929, Pope Pius XI ordered that the Prayers should be said for the restoration to the people of Russia of tranquillity and freedom to profess the Catholic Faith. This gave rise to the unofficial and inaccurate use of the name, "Prayers for the Conversion of Russia" for the Prayers, which were also known, less inaccurately, as "Prayers after Mass".

The final form of The Leonine Prayers consisted of three Ave Marias, a Salve Regina, followed by a Versicle and Response, a Prayer for the conversion of sinners and the liberty and exaltation of the Catholic Church, and a Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel.

Pope Saint Pius X permitted the addition of the Invocation, "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us", repeated three times.

Michael The Archangel: The Original Counter-Revolutionary. Michael: "Who Is Like God".

This Article is taken from the Blog, CATHOLICISM PURE & SIMPLE

unless otherwise stated.

A 13th-Century Byzantine icon 

from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s a Sermon, about Saint Michael, which comes from the Audio Sancto Collection of Sermons, given by Catholic Priests who prefer to remain anonymous.

From the appearance of the great Archangel, on Mount Gargano, to the origin of Pope Leo XIII’s famous Prayer, this Sermon is packed with information about one of our most powerful Patrons and protectors.

The Archangel Michael: 

The Original Counter-Revolutionary.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/HfDB2rpmgUM.

Annual Solemn Requiem Mass. Saint Mary's, Chislehurst, Kent. Saturday, 16 November 2013, 1200 hrs.

ST MARY’S
CATHOLIC CHURCH,
28, CROWN LANE,
CHISLEHURST,
KENT BR7 5PL.

An early drawing of Saint Mary's,

Chislehurst, Kent.

A simple village Roman Catholic Church, built in 1854 on land donated by Henry Bowden, owner of Coopers. It was the focus of a funeral for the exiled Emperor Napoleon III of France in 1873, following which a large and elaborate Mortuary Chapel was built to house his tomb. Six years later his son, killed in the Zulu Wars, was also buried here. (See a report of his funeral here...)

The Chapel is still extant, though the remains of her husband and son were taken by 

Empress Eugenie to Saint Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, Hampshire, 

after she was refused permission to extend the Chapel at Chislehurst.

Photo and Text (above): CHISLEHURST SOCIETY

ANNUAL

SOLEMN 

REQUIEM MASS.

SATURDAY,

16 NOVEMBER 2013.

1200 hrs.

Annual Requiem Mass,

Saint Mary's, Chislehurst, 2009.

Photo: MULIER FORTIS

Mass will be offered for the Faithful Departed 

buried in the Cemetery at St Mary’s 

and in the Beaverwood Cemetery.

The Blessing of Graves will follow Mass.

Saint Mary's, Chislehurst, Kent.

Photo: CHISLEHURST SOCIETY

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them.

May their Souls and the Souls of all the Faithful Departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

The Commemoration Of All The Faithful Departed. Feast Day 2 November. All Souls.

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

The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed.
All Souls.
Feast Day 2 November.

Double.
Black Vestments.

(Illustration taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

who reproduce Text and Illustrations from St. Andrew's Daily Missal, 1952 Edition,

with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press)

Gabriel Faure 

Requiem op. 48.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UnilUPXmipM.

The Feast of All Saints is intimately connected with the remembrance of the Holy Souls, who, detained in Purgatory to expiate their Venial Sins, or to pay the temporal pains due to sin, are nonetheless confirmed in Grace and will, one day, enter Heaven.

Therefore, after having joyfully celebrated the Glory of the Saints, who are the Church Triumphant in Heaven, the Church on Earth extends her maternal solicitude to the place of unspeakable torments, the abode of Souls who equally belong to her.

Requiem Aeternam.

The Gradual from the Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian Chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), pp. 1808-1809. 

Latin lyrics sung by the Alfred Deller Consort.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/-zpHs8bf4k4.

"On this day," says the Roman Martyrology, "commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, in which our common and pious Mother the Church, immediately after having endeavoured to celebrate by worthy praise all her children who already rejoice in Heaven, strives to aid by her powerful intercession with Christ her Lord and Spouse, all those who still groan in Purgatory, so that they may join as soon as possible the inhabitants of the heavenly city."

Nowhere in the Liturgy is more vividly affirmed the mysterious unity which exists between the Church Triumphant, the Church Militant, and the Church Suffering, and never is better fulfilled the double duty of Charity and Justice incumbent on every Christian by virtue of his membership of the mystical body of Christ.

It is through the very consoling dogma of the Communion of Saints that the merits and suffrages of the Saints may benefit others. Whereby, without infringing the indefeasible rights of Divine Justice, which are exercised in their full vigour after this life, the Church can join her Prayers here on Earth, to those of the Church in Heaven, and supply what is wanting in the Souls in Purgatory, by offering to God for them, by the Holy Mass, by Indulgences, by the Alms and sacrifices of her children, the superabundant merits of Christ's Passion and of His mystical members.

Requiem Aeternum.

The Introit from the Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1807. 

Latin lyrics sung by the Schola of the Vienna Hofburgkapelle.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/TjrsqJaLDOg.

Wherefore, the Liturgy, the centre of which is the Sacrifice of Calvary continued on the Altar, has always used this pre-eminent means of exercising in favour of the departed the great law of Charity; for it is a precept of Charity to relieve our neighbour's wants, as if they were our own, in virtue of the supernatural bond, which unites in Jesus, those in Heaven, in Purgatory, and on the Earth.

The Liturgy of the Dead is perhaps the most beautiful and consoling of all. Every day, at the end of each Hour of the Divine Office, we recommend to the Divine Mercy the Souls of the Faithful Departed. In the Mass, at the Suscipe, the Priest offers the sacrifice for the living and the dead and, in a special Memento, he implores the Lord to remember His servants who have fallen asleep in Christ and to grant them to dwell in consolation, light and peace.

Masses for the Dead are already recorded in the 5th-Century. But, to Saint Odilo, the fourth Abbot of the famous Benedictine Monastery of Cluny, is due the Commemoration of All The Departed. He instituted it in 998 A.D. and prescribed that it should be celebrated the day following All Saints' Day.

Domine Jesu Christe.

The Offertory from the Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian Chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), pp. 1813-1814. 

Latin lyrics sung by the Alfred Deller Consort.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/8SjzLy26xPA.

Through the influence of this illustrious French Congregation, the custom was soon adopted by the whole Christian world and it even sometimes became a Day of Obligation. In Spain, Portugal and the formerly-Spanish parts of South America, Priests, in virtue of a Privilege granted by Pope Benedict XIV, celebrated three Masses on 2 November. A Decree of Pope Benedict XV, dated 10 August 1915, authorises the Priests of the whole world to do the same. [By this same institution, the Holy See granted a Plenary Indulgence toties quoties, on the same conditions as on 2 August, applicable to the Souls of the Departed on All Souls' Day, to all those who visited a Church between Noon on All Saints' Day and Midnight on the following day and prayed for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.]

Dies Irae.

The Sequence from The Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian Chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1810. 

Latin lyrics sung by the Alfred Deller Consort.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/dsn9LWh230k.

The Church reminds us in an Epistle, taken from Saint Paul, that the dead will rise again, and tells us to hope, for on that day we shall all see one another in the Lord. The Sequence strikingly describes the Last Judgment, when the good will be for ever separated from the wicked.

The Offertory reminds us that it is Saint Michael who introduces Souls into Heaven, for, as the Prayers for the recommendation of the Soul say, it is he who is "the Chief of the Heavenly Host" in whose ranks men are called to fill the places of the Fallen Angels.

Libera Me.

A Responsory from the Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian Chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1767. 

Latin lyrics sung by the 

Schola of the Hofburgkapelle Vienna.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/e28H76aT0DY.

"The Souls in Purgatory," declares the Council of Trent, "are helped by the suffrages of the Faithful, especially by the Sacrifice of the Altar." The reason is that, in Holy Mass, the Priest offers officially to God the ransom for Souls, that is the Blood of the Saviour. And Jesus, Himself, under the elements of Bread and Wine, which recall to the Father the Sacrifice of Golgotha, Prays God to apply to these Souls its atoning virtue.

Let us, on this day, be present at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when the Church implores God to grant to the Faithful Departed, who can now do nothing for themselves, the remission of all their sins (Collect) and Eternal Rest (Introit, Gradual, Communion), and let us visit the Cemeteries where their bodies repose [the word "Cemetery" comes from a Greek word meaning "a place where one rests in peace".] until the day when, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet, they will rise again to be clothed in immortality and to gain through Jesus Christ the victory over death (Epistle).

The following is taken from "The Liturgical Year" by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.,
for All Souls' Day, 2 November.

"We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope." [Saint Paul, I Thess. iv. 13.] The Church today has the same desire as the Apostle thus expressed to the first Christians.

The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union between God's justice and His goodness; it also inspires a charitable pity which the hardest heart cannot resist, and at the same time offers to the mourners the sweetest consolation.

Absolve, Domine.

The Tract from the Mass for the Dead.

Gregorian chant notation from 

the Liber Usualis (1961), p. 1809. 

Latin lyrics sung by the Alfred Deller Consort.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/np_slIOn5Jk.

If Faith teaches us the existence of a Purgatory where our loved ones may be detained by unexpiated sin, it is also of Faith that we are able to assist them; and Theology assures us that their more or less speedy deliverance lies in our power.

Let us call to mind a few principles which throw light on this Doctrine. Every sin causes a twofold injury to the sinner: It stains his Soul, and renders him liable to punishment. Venial sin, which displeases God, requires a temporal expiation. Mortal sin deforms the Soul, and makes the guilty man an abomination to God: Its punishment cannot be anything less than eternal banishment, unless the sinner, in this life, prevent the final and irrevocable sentence.

But, even then, the remission of the guilt, though it revokes the sentence of damnation, does not cancel the whole debt. Although an extraordinary overflow of Grace upon the prodigal may sometimes, as is always the case with regard to Baptism and Martyrdom, bury every remnant and vestige of sin in the abyss of Divine Oblivion; yet it is the ordinary rule that, for every fault, satisfaction must be made to God's justice, either in this world or in the next.

The Feast Of All Saints. Feast Day 1 November.

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

The Feast of All Saints.
Feast Day 1 November.

Double of the First-Class 
          with an Octave.
White Vestments.

The Church Triumphant.

The Church Militant.

The Church Suffering.

(Illustration taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

who reproduce Text and Illustrations from St. Andrew's Daily Missal, 1952 Edition,

with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press)

The temple of Agrippa was dedicated, under Augustus, to all the pagan gods, hence its name of "Pantheon". Under Emperor Phocas, between 607 A.D. and 610 A.D., Pope Boniface IV translated hither numerous remains of Martyrs taken from the Catacombs.

On 13 May 610 A.D., he dedicated this new Christian Basilica to Saint Mary and the Martyrs. The Feast of this dedication later took a more universal character, and the temple was consecrated to Saint Mary And All The Saints.

English: Saint Mary And All The Saints 

(The Pantheon (27 B.C.))

- Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, Italy.

Français: Le Panthéon (27 av. J.C.) - Piazza della Rototonda (Rome).

Deutsch: Das Pantheon (27 v.Chr.) - Piazza della Rototonda (Rom).

Español: El Panteón (27 aC.) - Piazza della Rototonda (Roma).

Italiano: Il Pantheon (27 aC.) - Piazza della Rototonda (Roma).

Photo: 3 October 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Interior of Saint Mary And All The Saints, Rome.

Русский: Внутреннее убранство Пантеона.

Photo: 22 May 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Владимир Шеляпин.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As there was already a Feast in commemoration of All The Saints, celebrated at first on various dates in various Churches, then fixed by Pope Gregory IV in 835 A.D. on 1 November, Pope Gregory VII transferred to this date the anniversary of the dedication of the Pantheon as a Church. The Feast of All Saints, therefore, recalls the triumph of Christ over the false pagan deities. In this Church is held the Station on the Friday in the Octave of Easter.

As the Saints commemorated during the first three centuries of the Church were Martyrs, and the Pantheon was at first dedicated by the Church to them, the Mass of All Saints is made up of extracts from the Liturgy of Martyrs. The Introit is that of the Mass of Saint Agatha, used later for other Feasts; the Gospel, Offertory and Communion are taken from the Common of Martyrs.

The Church gives us on this day a wonderful vision of Heaven, showing us, with Saint John, the twelve thousand signed (twelve is considered a perfect number) of each tribe of Israel, and a great multitude, which no-one can count, of every nation and tribe, of every people and tongue, standing before the throne and before The Lamb, clothed in white robes and with palms in their hands (Epistle).

Christ and Our Lady; the blessed battalions distributed in Nine Choirs; the Apostles and Prophets; the Martyrs, crimsoned in their blood; the Confessors, adorned in white garments; and the chaste Choir of Virgins, form, as the Hymn of Vespers sings, the majestic court.

It is composed of all those, who, here below, were detached from worldly riches, gentle, suffering, just, merciful, pure, peaceful, and persecuted for the name of Jesus. "Rejoice," the Master had foretold them, "for a great reward is prepared for you in Heaven" (Gospel, Communion).

Among those millions of The Just, who were faithful disciples of Jesus on Earth, are several of our own family, relations, friends, members of our parochial family, now enjoying the fruit of their piety, adoring the Lord, King of Kings, and Crown of All Saints (Invitatory at Matins) and obtaining for us the wished-for abundance of His mercies (Collect).

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