Exeter Cathedral.

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

The Quire (Choir) of Exeter Cathedral,

looking East toward the Lady Chapel.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican Cathedral, and the Seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the City of Exeter, Devon, South West England.

The present building was complete by about 1400, and has several notable features, including an early set of Misericords, an Astronomical Clock and the longest uninterrupted Vaulted Ceiling in the world.

The Choir of Exeter Cathedral,

under the direction of Lucian Nethsingha, sing Psalm 84

to Anglican Chant for Choir and Organ. Paul Morgan (Organist).

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/2MKb32C66-I

The Organ,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The founding of the Cathedral at Exeter, dedicated to Saint Peter, dates from 1050, when the Seat of the Bishop of Devon and Cornwall was transferred from Crediton, Devon, because of a fear of sea-raids. A Saxon Minster, already existing within the town of Exeter (and dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Peter), was used by Bishop Leofric as his Seat, but Services were often held out of doors, close to the site of the present Cathedral building.

Exeter Cathedral.

Date: 2011.

Source: http://www.wyrdlight.com

Author: Antony McCallum.

Attribution: WyrdLight.com

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1107, William Warelwast, a nephew of William the Conqueror, was appointed to the See, and this was the catalyst for the building of a new Cathedral in the Norman Style. Its official foundation was in 1133, during Warelwast's time, but it took many more years to complete.

Following the appointment of Walter Bronescombe as Bishop, in 1258, the building was already recognised as outmoded, and it was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic Style, following the example of nearby Salisbury Cathedral. However, much of the Norman building was kept, including the two massive Square Towers and part of the walls. It was constructed entirely of local stone, including Purbeck Marble. The new Cathedral was complete by about 1400, apart from the addition of the Chapter House and Chantry Chapels.

Altar Panels,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Like most English Cathedrals, Exeter suffered during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but not as much as it would have done had it been a Monastic Foundation. Further damage was done during the English Civil War, when the Cloisters were destroyed. Following the restoration of Charles II, a new Pipe Organ was built in the Cathedral by John Loosemore. Charles II's sister, Henrietta Anne of England, was Baptised here in 1644. During the Victorian era, some refurbishment was carried out by George Gilbert Scott.

A North-West view of Exeter Cathedral, in England, in 1830.

Engraving by W Deeble. based on a drawing by R Browne.

(Wikipedia)

As a boy, the composer Matthew Locke was trained in the Choir of Exeter Cathedral, under Edward Gibbons, the brother of Orlando Gibbons. His name can be found scribed into the stone Organ 'Screen'.

On 4 May 1942, an early-morning air raid took place over Exeter. The Cathedral sustained a direct hit by a large high-explosive bomb on the Chapel of Saint James, completely demolishing it. The Muniment Room, above, three Bays of the Aisle and two Flying Buttresses were also destroyed in the blast. The Mediaeval Wooden Screen, opposite the Chapel, was smashed into many pieces by the blast, but it has been reconstructed and restored.

Stained-Glass Window,

depicting Moses with the Tablets of Stone.

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Many of the Cathedral's most important artifacts, such as the ancient glass (including the Great East Window), the Misericords, the Bishop's Throne, the Exeter Book, the ancient Charters (of King Athelstan and King Edward the Confessor) and other precious documents from the Library, had been removed in anticipation of such an attack. The precious effigy of Bishop Bronscombe had been protected by sand bags. Subsequent repairs, and the clearance of the area around the Western End of the building, uncovered portions of earlier structures, including remains of the Roman City and of the original Norman Cathedral.

Exeter Cathedral.

Interior view of the Nave,

looking East.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

Notable features of the Interior include the Misericords, the Minstrels' Gallery, the Astronomical Clock and the Organ. Notable architectural features of the Interior include the Multi-Ribbed Ceiling and the Compound Piers in the Nave Arcade.

The 18 m (59 ft) high Bishop's Throne, in the Quire (Choir), was made from Devon Oak, between 1312 and 1316; the nearby Choir Stalls were made by George Gilbert Scott in the 1870s. The East Window contains much 14th-Century Glass, and there are over 400 Ceiling Bosses, one of which depicts the murder of Thomas Becket. The Bosses can be seen at the peak of the Vaulted Ceiling, joining the Ribs together. Because there is no Centre Tower, Exeter Cathedral has the longest uninterrupted Mediaeval Vaulted Ceiling in the world, at about 96 m (315 ft).

Statue in front of Flying Buttresses,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The fifty Misericords are the earliest complete set in the United Kingdom. They date from two periods, 1220–1230 and 1250–1260. Amongst other things, they depict the earliest-known wooden representation of an elephant in the UK. Also, unusually for Misericords of this period, they have Supporters.

The Lady Chapel,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 30 April 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Minstrels' Gallery in the Nave dates to around 1360 and is unique in English Cathedrals. Its front is decorated with twelve carved and painted Angels playing Mediaeval musical instruments, including the cittern, bagpipe, hautboy, crwth, harp, trumpet, organ, guitar, tambourine and cymbals, with two others which are uncertain.

The Exeter Cathedral Astronomical Clock is one of the group of famous 14th- to 16th-Century Astronomical Clocks to be found in the West of England. Others are at Wells Cathedral, Ottery St Mary Church, and Wimborne Minster.

The main, lower, dial is the oldest part of the clock, dating from 1484. The fleur-de-lys 'hand' indicates the time (and the position of the Sun in the sky) on a 24-hour analogue dial. The numbering consists of two sets of I-XII Roman numerals. The silver ball and inner dial shows both the age of the Moon and its phase (using a rotating black shield to indicate the Moon's phase). The upper dial, added in 1760, shows the minutes.

The Astronomical Clock,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: July 2005.

Source: taken by user in English Wikipedia.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Latin phrase Pereunt et Imputantur, a favourite motto for clocks and sundials, was written by the Latin poet, Martial. It is usually translated as "they perish and are reckoned to our account", referring to the hours that we spend, wisely or not. The original clockwork mechanism, much modified, repaired, and neglected, until it was replaced in the Early-20th-Century, can be seen on the floor below. The door below the clock has a round hole near its base. This was cut in the Early-17th-Century, to allow entry for the Bishop's cat, to deter vermin that were attracted to the animal fat used to lubricate the clock mechanism.

The Library began during the Episcopate of Bishop Leofric (1050 – 1072), who presented the Cathedral with sixty-six books, only one of which remains in the Library: This is the Exeter Book (Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501) of Anglo-Saxon poetry. Sixteen others have survived and are in the British Library, the Bodleian Library or Cambridge University Library. A 10th-Century Manuscript of Hrabanus Maurus's De Computo and Isidore of Seville's De Natura Rerum may have belonged to Leofric, also, but the earliest record of it is in an inventory of 1327.

Si quis illum inde abstulerit eterne subiaceat maledictioni.

Fiat.

Fiat.

If any one removes this he shall be eternally cursed.

So be it !

So be it !

Curse written by Bishop Leofric (1050 - 1072)

on some of the books in his Library.

The inventory was compiled by the Sub-Dean, William de Braileghe, and 230 titles were listed. Service Books were not included and a note at the end mentions many other books in French, English and Latin, which were then considered worthless. In 1412-1413, a new Lectrinum was fitted out for the books by two carpenters, working for forty weeks. Those books in need of repair were repaired and some were fitted with chains. The catalogue, compiled in 1506, shows that the Library, furnished some ninety years earlier, had eleven desks for books. The most beautiful Manuscript in the Library is a Psalter (MS. 3508), probably written for the Church of Saint Helen, at Worcester, in the Early-13th-Century).

The earliest printed book in the Library is represented by only a Single Leaf:; this is Cicero's De officiis (Mainz: Fust and Schoeffer, 1465 – 1466). There is a good collection of early medical books, part of which came in 1948 from the Exeter Medical Library (founded 1814), and part on permanent loan from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (1300 volumes, 1965). A catalogue of the Cathedral's books, made in 1506, records over 530 titles, of which more than a third are Service Books.

Deutsch: Kathedrale von Exeter.

English: Exeter Cathedral.

Español: Catedral de Exeter.

Suomi: Exeterin tuomiokirkko.

Photo: 8 July 2008.

Source: Cathedral_of_exeter.jpg.

Author: Derivative work from Cathedral_of_exeter.jpg

by Markus Koljonen (Dilaudid)

Original photograph by Torsten Schneider on 13. Nov 2005.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1566, the Dean and Chapter presented to Archbishop Matthew Parker a Manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Gospels, which had been given by Bishop Leofric; in 1602, eighty-one Manuscripts from the Library were presented to Sir Thomas Bodley, for the Bodleian Library at Oxford. In 1657, under the Commonwealth, the Cathedral was deprived of several of its ancillary buildings, including the Reading Room of 1412-1413.

Some books were lost, but a large part of them were saved due to the efforts of Dr Robert Vilvaine, who had them transferred to Saint John's Hospital. At a later date, he provided funds to convert the Lady Chapel into a Library, and the books were brought back. By 1752, it is thought the collection had grown considerably to some 5,000 volumes, to a large extent by benefactions. In 1761, the Dean, Charles Lyttelton, describes it as having over 6,000 books and some good Manuscripts. He describes the work which has been done to repair and list the contents of the Manuscripts. At the same time, the Muniments and Records had been cleaned and moved to a suitable Muniment Room.

Deutsch: Im Inneren der Kathedrale von Exeter.

English: Interior of Exeter cathedral, showing

the 17th-Century Organ Case (enlarged in 1891).

Photo: May 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: K@rl Karl Gruber.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1820, the Library was moved from the Lady Chapel to the Chapter House. In the Later-19th-Century, two large collections were received by the Cathedral, and it was necessary to construct a new building to accommodate the whole Library. The collections of Chancellor Edward Harington and Canon Frederic Charles Cook were, together, more than twice the size of the existing Library, and John Loughborough Pearson was the architect of the new building on the site of the old Cloister. During the 20th-Century, the greater part of the Library was transferred to rooms in the Bishop's Palace, while the remainder was kept in Pearson's Cloister Library.

The Cathedral Organ stands on the ornate Mediaeval Screen, preserving the old classical distinction between Quire (Choir) and Nave. The first Organ was built by John Loosemore in 1665. There was a radical rebuild by Henry Willis in 1891, and, again, by Harrison & Harrison in 1931. The largest pipes, the lower octave of the 32 ft Contra Violone, stand just inside the South Transept. The Organ has one of only three trompette militaire Stops in the Country (the others are in Liverpool Cathedral and London's St Paul's Cathedral), housed in the Minstrels' Gallery, along with a chorus of diapason pipes.

Ceiling Bosses,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Great West Door,

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The tube web spider, Segestria florentina, notable for its metallic green fangs, can be found within the outer walls. The walls are made of calcareous stone, which decays from acidic pollution, to form cracks and crevices which the spider and other invertebrates inhabit.

The Choir consists of Trebles, either boys or girls from the Exeter Cathedral School, and a "back row" of adult male singers. There are 6 Lay Vicars and 6 Choral Scholars on each side, Decani and Cantoris. There are three voice parts on the back row, Alto, Tenor and Bass and, consequently, there are, at any given time, two singers per voice part on each side of the Choir - one Lay Vicar and one Choral Scholar.

Traceried Window (Exterior),

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Traceried Window (Interior),

Exeter Cathedral.

Photo: 10 February 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattana.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Fifth Day Within The Octave Of The Holy Apostles Peter And Paul.

Text and Illustration taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
which states that all Text and Illustrations are taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
1952 Edition, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press.

Within the Octave of The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
The Fifth Day in the Octave of The Holy Apostles.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.

The Apostles Peter and Paul.

"The Veneration of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is rooted in the very foundation of Catholicism; it can not become weakened, either in the people or in Souls, without great harm to Catholicism, itself." [The Liturgical Year, by Dom Guéranger: The Fifth Day in the Octave of The Holy Apostles.]

Let us honour Saint Peter and Pray for the Holy Father, his successor. Let us obey the Pope, seeing in him the necessary intermediary between our Souls and God.

Something Quintessentially English: London Pride And Noël Coward.

English: "London Pride".

Latin: Saxifraga x urbium ‘Variegatum’.

Latvian: Lietuvių: dekoratyvinė apvalialapė uolaskėlė.

Photo: 2007.06.02.

Source: Own work.

Author: Hugo.arg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Fr Timothy Finigan ("His Hermeneuticalness") has previously Posted a very witty, funny, and extremely "British", Post on his Blog, THE HERMENEUTIC OF CONTINUITY, entitled "Weather almost reaches "Rather Tiring" level". Here it is: The Hermeneutic of Continuity: Weather almost reaches "Rather Tiring" level.

Fr's Post put Zephyrinus in mind of this Noël Coward 1941 composition, "London Pride" (see, below).

"London Pride",
sung by Noël Coward.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/aTsIMVIWjlQ.

See if you agree whether the two things match up.

Portrait for Noël Coward's last Christmas Card.

Photograph by Allan Warren.

Date: 1972.

Source: Own work / allanwarren.com

Author: Allan Warren.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Coward wrote "London Pride" in the Spring of 1941, during the Blitz. According to his own account, he was sitting on a seat on a platform of a damaged railway station in London, and was "overwhelmed by a wave of sentimental pride". The song started in his head, there and then, and was finished in a few days.

The song compares the pride of wartime Londoners to the flower, "London Pride", which can grow anywhere and was often found growing on bomb sites.

Coward gave many morale boosting broadcasts to people in wartime London, via the BBC.

May The Sacred Heart Of Jesus Be Everywhere Loved. Aimé Soit Partout Le Sacré Coeur De Jésus. Indulgence Of 100 Days, Once A Day (Pope Leo XIII, 7 September 1897).

Illustration: HOLY CARD HEAVEN

May The Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Be Everywhere Loved.

Aimé Soit Partout Le Sacré Coeur De Jésus.

Indulgence Of 100 Days, Once A Day
(Pope Leo XIII, 7 September 1897).

Pope Benedict XV (Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista Della Chiesa). Papacy From 1914-1922. (Part One.)

Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

English: Pope Benedict XV, circa 1915.

Français: Photo de Benoît XV prise vers 1915.

Photo: Circa 1915.

Source: Library of Congress.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Benedict XV (Latin: Benedictus XV), 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, was Pope from 3 September 1914 to his death in 1922. His Pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political, social and humanitarian consequences in Europe.

Between 1846 and 1903, the Catholic Church had experienced its two longest Pontificates in history up to that point. Together, Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII ruled for a total of fifty-seven years. In 1914, the College of Cardinals chose della Chiesa at the young age of fifty-nine, indicating their desire for another long-lasting Pontificate at the outbreak of World War I, which he labelled “the suicide of civilised Europe.”

The war, and its consequences, were the main focus of Benedict XV. He immediately declared the neutrality of the Holy See and attempted, from that perspective, to mediate peace, in 1916 and 1917. Both sides rejected his initiatives. German Protestants rejected any “Papal Peace” as insulting. The French politician, Georges Clemenceau, regarded the Vatican initiative as being anti-French.

The Election of Pope Benedict XV, 1914.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/HiqYDEwkFaM.

Having failed with diplomatic initiatives, Benedict XV focused on humanitarian efforts to lessen the impacts of the war, such as attending Prisoners of War, the exchange of wounded soldiers and food deliveries to needy populations in Europe. After the war, he repaired the difficult relations with France, which re-established relations with the Vatican in 1921. During his Pontificate, relations with Italy improved, as well, as Benedict XV now permitted Catholic Politicians, led by Don Luigi Sturzo, to participate in national Italian politics.

In 1917, Benedict XV promulgated the Code of Canon Law, which was released on 27 May 1917, the creation of which he had prepared, with Pietro Gasparri and Eugenio Pacelli, during the Pontificate of Pope Saint Pius X. The new Code of Canon Law is considered to have stimulated Religious Life and activities throughout the Church.

He named Pietro Gasparri to be his Cardinal Secretary of State and personally Consecrated Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII), on 13 May 1917, as Archbishop, on the very day of the first Marian Apparition in Fatima, Portugal. World War I caused great damage to Catholic Missions throughout the world. Benedict XV revitalised these activities, asking, in Maximum Illud, for Catholics throughout the world to participate. For that, he has been referred to as the "Pope of Missions".

Copyright-expired photo of

Giacomo Della Chiesa,

aged 12, in 1866.

Source: Anton de Waal.

Author: A. Della Chiesa.

Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia

(Wikimedia Commons)

His last concern was the emerging persecution of the Catholic Church in Soviet Russia and the famine there after the Revolution. Pope Benedict XV was an ardent Mariologist, devoted to Marian Veneration, and he was open to new perspectives of Roman Catholic Mariology. He supported the Mediatrix Theology and authorised the Feast of Mary, Mediator of all Graces.

After seven years in Office, Pope Benedict XV died on 22 January 1922 after battling pneumonia since the start of that month. He was buried in the grottos of Saint Peter's Basilica. With his diplomatic skills and his openness towards modern society, "he gained respect for himself and the Papacy." To this day, he is possibly the least remembered Pontiff of the 20th-Century, overshadowed by the likes of successors, such as Pope Pius XII and Pope Saint John Paul II.

English: President of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson.

Deutsch: Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten von 1913 bis 1921, Friedensnobelpreisträger des Jahres 1919, aufgenommen am 2. Dezember 1912.

Photo: 2 December 1912.

Source: United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division.

Author: Pach Brothers, New York.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The first Meeting of a reigning Pope and the President of the United States of America took place in the Vatican, on 4 January 1919, between Pope Benedict XV and President Woodrow Wilson.

Giacomo della Chiesa was born at Pegli, a suburb of Genoa, Italy, third son of Marchese Giuseppe della Chiesa and his wife, Marchesa Giovanna Migliorati. Genealogy findings report that his father's side produced Pope Callixtus II, and also claimed descent from Berengar II of Italy, and that his maternal family produced Pope Innocent VII.

His wish to become a Priest was rejected early on by his father, who insisted on a legal career for his son. At age twenty-one, he acquired a Doctorate in Law, on 2 August 1875. He had attended the University of Genoa, which, after the unification of Italy, was largely dominated by anti-Catholic and anti-Clerical politics. With his Doctorate in Law, and at legal age, he again asked his father for permission to study for the Priesthood, which was now reluctantly granted. He insisted, however, that his son conduct his Theological Studies in Rome, not in Genoa, so that he would not end up as a village Priest or provincial Monsignore.

Della Chiesa entered the Collegio Capranica and was there in Rome when, in 1878, Pope Pius IX died and was followed by Pope Leo XIII. The new Pope received the students of the Capranica in private audience, only a few days after his Coronation. Shortly thereafter, della Chiesa was ordained a Priest by Cardinal Raffaele Monaco La Valletta, on 21 December 1878.

The Death of Pope Benedict XV in 1922.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/toBmuR-WD_A

From 1878 until 1883, he studied at the Pontificia Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici, in Rome. It was there, on every Thursday, that students were required to defend a Research Paper, to which Cardinals and High Members of the Roman Curia were invited. Cardinal Mariano Rampolla took note of him and furthered his entry in the Diplomatic Service of the Vatican in 1882, where he was employed by Rampolla as a Secretary and soon to be posted to Madrid. When Rampolla subsequently was appointed Cardinal Secretary of State, della Chiesa followed him. During these years, della Chiesa helped negotiate the resolution of a dispute between Germany and Spain over the Caroline Islands, as well as organising relief during a cholera epidemic.

PART TWO FOLLOWS.

Pope Saint Leo II. Confessor. Feast Day 3 July. Papacy 682 A.D. - 683 A.D.

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

Saint Leo II.
Pope and Confessor.
Feast Day 3 July.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.

English: Portrait of Pope Saint Leo II.

Español: imagen del papa leon II.

Date: Unknown.

Source: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura, Roma.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Leo II, a Sicilian by birth, participated in the full Priesthood of Christ (Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia) on becoming Pope. Guided by the Holy Ghost, Pope Leo II gave their full value to the spiritual riches of the Church committed to his care by Jesus (Gospel, Communion).

He approved the Acts of the Sixth Council, which condemned those who taught that Christ has only one will. Well versed in Sacred Singing, he perfected the melodies of the Psalms and of the Hymns of the Church.

He was truly the father of the poor and, by his example and Preaching, led everyone to virtue. He died in 683 A.D. and was buried in the Basilica of Saint Peter.

Let us imitate the example of this Saint (Collect), who was one of the successors of Saint Peter on the Pontifical Throne.

Mass: Sacerdotes tui.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,

unless otherwise stated.

Pope Saint Leo II (611 A.D. – 683 A.D.) was Pope from 682 A.D. to his death in 683 A.D.

He was a Sicilian by birth (the son of a man named Paulus), and succeeded Pope Agatho. Though elected Pope a few days after the death of Saint Agatho (10 January 681 A.D.), he was not Consecrated until after the lapse of a year and seven months (17 August 682). Pope Saint Leo was known as an eloquent Preacher, who was interested in music, and noted for his Charity to the poor.

Elected shortly after the death of Pope Agatho, Pope Leo II was not Consecrated for over a year and a half. The reason may have been due to negotiations regarding Imperial control of Papal Elections.

These negotiations were undertaken by Pope Leo's predecessor, Agatho, between the Holy See and Emperor Constantine IV. They concerned the relations of the Byzantine Court to Papal Elections. Emperor Constantine IV had already promised Agatho to abolish or reduce the tax, that the Popes had been paying to the Imperial Treasury, at the time of their Consecration, an Imperial policy that had been in force for about a Century.

Pope Leo's short-lived Pontificate did not allow him to accomplish much, but there was one achievement of major importance: he confirmed the Acts of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (680 A.D. - 681 A.D.). This Council had been held in Constantinople, against the Monothelite controversy, and had been presided over by the Legates of Pope Agatho. After Pope Leo had notified the Emperor that the Decrees of the Council had been confirmed, he made them known to the nations of the West. In Letters written to the King, the Bishops, and the nobles of Spain, he explained what the Council had effected, and he called upon the Bishops to subscribe to its Decrees.

During this Council, Pope Honorius I (625 A.D. - 628 A.D.) was anathematised for his views in the Monothelite controversy as tolerant of Heresy. Pope Leo took great pains to make it clear that, in condemning Pope Honorius, he did so not because Honorius taught Heresy, but because he was not active enough in opposing it. In accordance with the Papal Mandate, a Synod was held at Toledo in 684 A.D., in which the Council of Constantinople was accepted.

Regarding the decision of the Council, Pope Leo wrote once again in approbation of the decision of the Council and in condemnation of Honorius, whom he regarded as one who "profana proditione immaculatem fidem subvertare conatus est" (roughly, "one who by betrayal has tried to overthrow the Immaculate Faith").

In their bearing upon the question of Papal Infallibility, these words have caused considerable attention and controversy, and prominence is given to the circumstance that, in the Greek Text of the Letter to the Emperor, where the phrase occurs, the milder expression "subverti permisit" ("allowed to be overthrown . . .") is used for "subvertare conatus est".

At this time, Pope Leo II put an end to the attempts of the Ravenna Archbishops to get away from the control of the Bishop of Rome. The Pope sweetened the deal for the Ravenna Bishops by abolishing the tax it had been customary for them to pay, when they received the Pallium.

Also, in apparent response to Lombard raids, Pope Leo transferred the Relics, of a number of Martyrs, from the Catacombs to Churches inside the walls of the City. He also Dedicated two Churches, Saint Paul's and Saints Sebastian and George.

Pope Leo II was originally buried in his own Monument; however, some years after his death, his remains were put into a tomb that contained all four Pope Leos (Popes Leo I, II, III, IV).

The Visitation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Text and Illustration taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
which states that all Text and Illustrations are taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
1952 Edition, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press.

Feast Of The Visitation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Feast Day 2 July.

Double of the Second Class.

White Vestments.

Visitation of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Angel Gabriel had announced to Mary that God would soon give a son to Elizabeth. The Virgin at once betook herself to Hebron, where her cousin resided: That is the Mystery of the Visitation, which is Solemnised on the day following the Octave of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.

On this day, as in the Season of Advent, the Church recalls together the memories of the Precursor and of Jesus and Mary. For we then remarked, that the Friday in the Winter Ember Week recalled to us the same Mystery of the Visitation.

This Feast was instituted for the whole world, in 1389, by Pope Urban VI, in order to obtain the end of the great Western Schism. It was later on raised to the Rite of Double of the Second Class by Pope Pius IX, for on this Feast was completed at Rome in 1849 the victory of the Church over the Revolution.

The Magnificat.

The Canticle of Mary.

John Michael Talbot wrote the music

and the words are from the Gospel of Luke 1:46-55.

Sung by Annie Karto., Jackie Francois, John Michael Talbot.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/0y67GDT2kwU.

The Canticle of Mary.

This is Mary's great Exaltation of Praise to God.

For in her visit to Elizabeth, Mary's Faith is validated; that she will be The Mother of the World's Saviour - Jesus Christ! And so, with Rejoicing and Thanksgiving for all His mighty deeds, His mercy on the lowly and His fulfillment of Covenant - Mary's Soul bursts forth with Joy to the Lord.

Mary visits Elizabeth and Jesus visits and Sanctifies John. Wherefore, Saint John leaps with joy and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, exclaims: " Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb" (Gospel).

The Virgin, Mother of God, who bears and gives birth to Him who bears and produces all things (Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion) then pronounces a "sublime Canticle" (Introit), the Magnificat.

Saint Benedict Ornate Wall Crucifix.

Image: NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE

THE SAME DAY

Saint Processus and Saint Martinian.

Martyrs.

Feast Day 2 July.

Red Vestments.

Peter and Paul, cast into the Mamertine Prison, converted their two Warders, Processus and Martinian, and Baptised them. Brought before the statue of Jupiter, these new Christians refused to adore it and were put to death.

Mass: Sapientiam.

New Seminary In France.

This Article was picked up from FR Z's BLOG

Photo: MISSIONARIES FOR EUROPE

The following Text is taken from FR Z's BLOG

I am delighted at this news I just received via email:

I thought you might be interested in learning about the new seminary that will be established presently in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon by Bishop Dominique Rey, entrusted to the Fraternity of St Joseph the Guardian (FSJC). The goal of the seminary is to form priests from North and South America in order to serve as missionaries in Europe.

The seminarians will be taught both forms of the Roman Rite, with a special focus on the traditional liturgy; their formation will also emphasize the defence of human life in all its stages and the promotion of the natural family. The seminary will be located in Bormes-les-Mimosas with a future branch in La Londe-les-Maures. There is more information at its WEBSITE.

Sounds like a great place to teach! I think that a friend of mine, with whom I was in seminary, will be teaching there.

Feast Of The Most Precious Blood Of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Feast Day 1 July.

Text and Illustration taken from UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY
which states that all Text and Illustrations are taken from the Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
1952 Edition, with the kind permission of St. Bonaventure Press.

Feast Of The Most Precious Blood Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Feast Day 1 July.

Double of the First Class.

Red Vestments.

The Most Precious Blood Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Liturgy, that admirable summary of the history of the Church, reminds us every year that, at this date in 1849, thanks to the French Army, the Revolution which had driven the Pope from Rome was vanquished.

To perpetuate the memory of this triumph, and to show that it was due to the Saviour's merits, Pope Pius IX, at the time a refugee at Gaeta, instituted the Feast of The Precious Blood.

Pope Pius XI, in 1934, raised it to the First Class.

The Antiphon at the Magnificat

for Second Vespers

on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood

of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/99bEwmPUYpw.

Habebitis autem*

hunc diem in monumentum:

Et celebrabitis eum solemnem

Domino in generationibus

vestris cultu sempiterno.

Ye shall observe this day for a Memorial:

And ye shall keep it holy unto the Lord,

Throughout your generations

With an everlasting worship.

[Exodus, Chapter xii, Verse 14]

The Heart of Jesus has made this adorable Blood circulate in His limbs; wherefore, as on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the Gospel presents to our view the thrust of the lance which pierced the side of the Divine Crucified, Blood and Water gushing forth. [The Office of Matins speaks of the Blood which Jesus shed at the Circumcision, in the Garden of Olives, the Flagellation, the Crowning of Thorns and on the Cross.]

Thus become united the two testimonies which the Holy Ghost bore to the Messias, when He was Baptised in the water of the Jordan and when He was Baptised in Blood on the Cross (Gradual). [The Docetes taught that Jesus  was the Christ at His Baptism, and had thus come by Water, but being no longer Christ on the Cross, He had not come by Blood.]

Let us do homage to The Precious Blood of Our Redeemer, which the Priest offers to God on the Altar.

May They Rest In Peace. Requiéscant In Pace.

Saint Benedict Ornate Wall Crucifix.

Image: AMAZON

1 July 1916, the first day of The Battle of the Somme,
was the worst day in the history of the British Army.

British Army casualties for the day were 60,000.

The Battle of the Somme lasted from

1 July 1916 until 18 November 1916.

In total, there were more than 1 million casualties.

Leyton Orient Football Club

Supporters visit The Somme Battlefields,

July 2011.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/KhmWgCaiF7w.

Soldiers of the Australian 4th Division, 10th Field Artillery Brigade, on a duck-board track,

passing through Chateau Wood, near Hooge, in the Ypres salient, 29 October 1917.

The leading soldier is Gunner James Fulton and the second soldier is Lieutenant Anthony Devine.

The men belong to a Battery of the 10th Field Artillery Brigade.

Source: This image is available from the Collection Database of the

Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: E01220.

Author: Frank Hurley.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Frank Hurley.

(Editor: Frank Hurley was the photographer, who took the

photo (above) of Australian troops passing through Chateau Wood.)

Date: 1914.

Source: Scanned from The Endurance by

Caroline Alexander ISBN 074754123X.

Author: Frank Hurley (1885-1962).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Battle of Passchendaele

(or Third Battle of Ypres or "Passchendaele")

July 1917 - November 1917.

In total, there were, approximately, 1 million casualties.

Battle of The Menin Road.

"Australian wounded on The Menin Road, near Birr Cross Road,

on 20 September 1917".

(Caption source: National Library of Australia, n.d. (1 June 2014).

Date: 1917.

Source: State Library of New South Wales file:a479035.

Author: Frank Hurley.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Accrington Pals.

11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington),

East Lancashire Regiment.

Better known as

'The Accrington Pals' Battalion.

"Accrington Pals",

near Hyndburn Park School, Accrington, Lancashire, 1914.

[Accrington Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, B Company, No. 1 Platoon.]

Photo kindly provided by Robert and Tony Robinson.

Image: DAS ACCRINGTON PALS BATAILLON

A month after the outbreak of war,

the "Accrington Observer and Times" reported,

on 8 September 1914, that an offer by the Mayor of Accrington, 

Captain John Harwood, to set up a Battalion,

had been accepted by The War Office.

As the recruitment began, on 14 September 1914, 104 men were drafted during the first three hours. Brothers, friends and

work-mates reported together. On 24 September 1914,

The Accrington Battalion had reached a full strength of

36 officers and 1,076 men.

About half of the Battalion were recruited from Accrington and the surrounding area; the remainder were recruited from the neighbouring towns of Burnley, Chorley, and Blackburn.

The 'Accrington Pals' Battalion is probably the most famous of
The "Pals" Battalions, which were erected in the early months of
World War I, in response to Kitchener's call to form a Volunteer Army.
It was formed by men from all walks of life from Accrington, Lancashire, and the surrounding area.

Groups of friends - "Pals" - came forward together, in anticipation of a great adventure. In its first major battle, the Battalion suffered devastating losses in the attack on Serre, France, on 1 July 1916, the first day of
The Battle of the Somme.

The losses were hard to bear in a community where everyone had a close relative or friend killed or injured.

Although the Battalion fought again,
the "Pals" concept was forever lost.

May They Rest In Peace.
Requiéscant In Pace.

"Dies Irae".

The Sequence in a Requiem Mass.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/Dlr90NLDp-0