The Vigil Of Saint Simon And Saint Jude. Apostles. 27 October.

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

The Vigil of Saint Simon and Saint Jude.
Apostles.
27 October.

Violet Vestments.

Saint Simon and Saint Jude.

Apostles.

By Father Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876.

Illustration: CATHOLIC HARBOR OF FAITH AND MORALS

Simon, whom Saint Peter calls "The Cananean" to distinguish him from Saint Peter, who bore the same name [Editor: "Simon"], was born at Cana, in Galilee. Saint Luke calls him "Zelotes", because had had probably belonged to the Jewish party, thus called for its zeal in defending the Faith.

Jude, surnamed "Thaddeus" or "Lebbe" (The Courageous), was, by Cleophas, his father, and Mary, his mother, a nephew to Saint Joseph and The Blessed Virgin Mary and cousin to Jesus.

Saint James the Less, first Bishop of Jerusalem and the first Apostle Martyred, and Simeon, who succeeded him in this See, were his brothers.

These Apostles of Christ heard from the lips of The Master at The Last Supper the words of the Gospel: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Every branch which bears fruit, My Father shall prune in order that it should bear more."

After having preached the Gospel, at the price of great sufferings, the first in Egypt, the second in Mesopotamia, they were both Martyred in Persia (Introit, Gradual, Communion).

Wherefore, their Feasts are Celebrated on the same day, in the same Office, and their names are mentioned jointly in The Canon of The Mass.

Mass: Intret in conspéctu.

      The Gloria is not said.

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Saint Evaristus. Pope. Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 26 October.

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

Saint Evaristus.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 26 October.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

Pope Saint Evaristus.

This image is a faithful representation of an icon inside the

Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Rome, Italy.

The author is unknown and the image is Centuries old.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Evaristus, a Greek by birth, was unanimously elected Pope when The Holy See became vacant at the death of Pope Anacletus  I in 92 A.D.

It was Saint Evaristus who first divided Rome into "Titles", or Parishes, appointing to each a Priest.

He prescribed that seven Deacons should surround the Bishop when he preached, for the greater honour of The Word of God and of the Episcopal dignity.

Pope Saint Evaristus was condemned to death under Emperor Trajan in 109 A.D.

Mass: Státuit, for a Martyr Bishop.

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Sacred Liturgy Conference. Saint Stephen Catholic Church. Portland, Oregon. The Beauty And Spiritual Treasures Of The Liturgy.

Sister Frostina, Indeed !!!

Nuns will be Nuns !!!

Illustration: IMAGINE SISTERS

The Feast Of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King. Feast Day The Last Sunday Of October.

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

Feast Day of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King.
The Last Sunday of October.

Double of The First-Class.

White Vestments.

English: Christ The King, a detail from The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck.

Deutsch: Genter Altar, Altar des Mystischen Lammes, obere mittlere

Haupttafel, Szene: Thronender Gottvater.

Artist: Hubert van Eyck (1366–1426).

Date: Before 1426.

Current location: Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium.

Notes: Auftraggeber: Joducus und Isabelle Vyd, urspr. für die Johannes dem Täufer gewidmete Seitenkapelle in St.-Bavo in Gent, Wandelaltar, in Zusammenarbeit mit Jan van Eyck entstanden.

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

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Insignia of The Vendean Insurgents (Royalist Insurgents), during the War in Vendée, 1793, who fought against Suppression of The Church in The French Revolution. Note the French words

" Dieu Le Roi ", beneath the Heart-and-Cross, meaning " God The King ".

(Wikimedia Commons)

In his Encyclical of 11 December 1925, His Holiness Pope Pius XI denounced the great modern Heresy of Laicism. This Heresy refuses to recognise the Rights of God and His Christ, over persons and peoples, and organises the lives of individuals, families, and of Society itself, as though God did not exist.

This Laicism ruins Society, because, in place of the love of God and one's neighbour, it substitutes pride and egoism. It begets jealousy between individuals, hatred between classes and rivalry between nations.

The world denies Christ, because it ignores His Royal prerogatives. The world must be instructed on this subject. Now, "a yearly Feast can attain this end, more effectively than the weightiest documents issued by Ecclesiastical authority".

The Feast of Christ The King.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/h1I7Zc71IzQ.

The Holy Father has instituted this new Feast to be a public, social, and official declaration of the Royal Rights of Jesus, as God the Creator, as The Word Incarnate, and as Redeemer.

This Feast makes these Rights to be known and recognised, in a way most suitable to Man and to Society by the Sublimest Acts of Religion - particularly by Holy Mass.

The Magnificat.

First Vespers of The Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King.

Composed by Arvo Pärt.

Sung by The Tallis Scholars.

(Thomas Tallis, 1505 - 1585).

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/E5PMQmQDBEY

In fact, the end of The Holy Sacrifice is the acknowledgement of God's complete Dominion over us, and our complete dependence on Him.

And this Act is accomplished, not only on Calvary, but also through The Royal Priesthood of Jesus, which never ceases in His Kingdom, which is Heaven. The great reality of Christianity is not a corpse hanging from a Cross, but The Risen Christ Reigning in all the Glory of His Triumph in the midst of His Elect, who are His Conquest (Epistle).

And that is why The Mass begins with the finest vision of The Apocalypse, where The Lamb of God is acclaimed by Angels and Saints (Introit).

The Holy Father has expressed his wish that this Feast should be celebrated towards the end of The Liturgical Year, on The Last Sunday of October, as The Consummation of all The Mysteries by which Jesus has established His Royal Powers and nearly on the Eve of All Saints, where He already realises them in part, in being "The King of Kings and The Crown of All Saints " (Invitatory at Matins); until He shall be The Crown of all those on Earth whom He saves, especially by The Mass.

It is, indeed, principally by The Eucharist, which is both a Sacrifice and a Sacrament, that Christ, now in Glory, assures the results of the Victorious Sacrifice of Calvary, by taking possession of Souls through the application of the Merits of His Passion (Secret) and thereby unites them as Members to their Head.

The end of The Eucharist, says the Catechism of The Council of Trent, is "to form one sole Mystic Body of all The Faithful" and so to draw them in the cult, which Christ, King-Adorer, as Priest and Victim, rendered in a bloody manner on The Cross and now renders, in an un-bloody manner, on the Stone Altar of our Churches and on the Golden Altar in Heaven, to Christ, King-Adored, as Son of God, and to His Father, to Whom He offers these Souls (Preface).

Mass: Dignus est Agnus.

Commmemoration: Of the occurring Sunday.

Last Gospel: Of the occurring Sunday.

The Battle Of Agincourt. 600th Anniversary. Saint Crispin's Day. 25 October 1415.

Morning of The Battle of Agincourt,

25 October 1415.

Artist: Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897).

Date: 1884.

Source: http://www.bridgemanartondemand.com/art/97435/

Morning_of_the_Battle_of_Agincourt_25th_October_1415_1884

Author: Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Thanksgiving Service on The Field of Agincourt.

Date: Pre-1909.

Source: Edmund Bleigh, Leighton (1909) "The Thanksgiving Service on The Field of Agincourt"

in Cassell's History of England (Volume 1. The King's Edition ed.), London, New York,

Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, pp. p. 557 Retrieved on 19 June 2009.

Author: Edmund Leighton (1853–1922).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Battle of Agincourt:

The Bloodiest Battle of The Mediaeval Age

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/s5C0avWFUjA

                            

The Coats-of-Arms of the Commanders of the English Army at The Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

On the Left: King Henry V of England.

In the Middle: Edward of Langley, 2nd Duke of York. (Killed at Agincourt).

On the Right: Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester.

Illustration Credits:

King Henry V of England. Date: 20 July 2010. Source: Own work. Author: Sodacan. (Wikimedia Commons).

Edward of Langley, Duke of York. Date: 28 October 2007. Source: Elements from 50px and
[Image: Blason Beaumont sur Sarthe 7]. Author: Ipankonin. (Wikimedia Commons).

Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester. Date: 16 July 2013. Source: Own work. Author: Sodacan. (Wikimedia Commons).

Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422) was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of thirty-five in 1422. He was the second English Monarch who came from the House of Lancaster.

After military experience fighting the Welsh during the Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr, and against the powerful aristocratic Percys of Northumberland at the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry came into political conflict with his father, whose health was increasingly precarious from 1405 onward. After his father's death in 1413, Henry assumed control of the Country and embarked on war with France in the ongoing Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) between the two nations. His military successes culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) and saw him come close to conquering France.

Edward of Langley, 2nd Duke of York, KG (c.1373 – 25 October 1415), was the eldest son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, by his first wife Isabella of Castile, and the grandson of Edward III. He held significant appointments during the reigns of three monarchs, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V, and was slain at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG (3 October 1390 – 23 February 1447), was "son, brother and uncle of Kings", being the fourth and youngest son of King Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to King Henry V of England, and uncle to the latter's son, King Henry VI of England.

As a son of The Sovereign, Humphrey bore the Arms of the Kingdom, differenced by a Bordure Argent. [A Bordure Argent is a Silver Border]

Facsimile of The Agincourt Carol (15th-Century).

Oxford, Bodleian Library, Manuscript Archives.

Source: English Carols of the 15th-Century.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Battle of Agincourt.

Henry V.

1944.

Sir William Walton.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/WOCMvfLjmVM.

Cry God For Harry, England, and Saint George".

Henry V.

Sir Laurence Olivier.

1944.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/IQqG262EC5A.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead!

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit

To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.

Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof !

Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought

And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Saint Crispin's Day Speech.

Henry V.

Sir Laurence Olivier.

1944.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/P9fa3HFR02E.

What's he that wishes so? 

My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:

If we are mark'd to die, we are enow 

To do our country loss; and if to 

The fewer men, the greater share of honour. 

God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. 

Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, 

That he which hath no stomach to this fight, 

Let him depart; his passport shall be made 

And crowns for convoy put into his purse: 

We would not die in that man's company 

That fears his fellowship to die with us. 

This day is called the feast of Crispian: 

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, 

Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, 

And rouse him at the name of Crispian. 

He that shall live this day, and see old age, 

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, 

And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:' 

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars. 

And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.' 

Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, 

But he'll remember with advantages 

What feats he did that day: then shall our names. 

Familiar in his mouth as household words 

Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, 

Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, 

Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. 

This story shall the good man teach his son; 

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, 

From this day to the ending of the world, 

But we in it shall be remember'd; 

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; 

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me 

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, 

This day shall gentle his condition: 

And gentlemen in England now a-bed 

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, 

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks 

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day.

                          

The Coats-of-Arms of the Commanders of the French Army at The Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

On the Left: Charles d'Albret, Constable of France. Co-Commander of Army). (Killed at Agincourt).

In the Middle: Jean II Le Maingre, called Boucicaut. Marshal of France. (Captured at Agincourt).

On the Right: Charles of Orléans. Duke of Orléans. (Captured at Agincourt).

Illustration Credits:

Charles d'Albret, Constable of France. Date: 21 January 2006. Source: Own work. Author: Odejea. (Wikimedia Commons).
Jean II Le Maingre, called Boucicaut. Marshal of France. Date: 24 May 2007. Source: Perso Inkscape. Author: Patrice Panaget. (Wikimedia Commons).
Charles of Orléans. Duke of Orléans. Date: 6 July 2007. Source: Own work. Author:
Syryatsu. (Wikimedia Commons).

Charles d'Albret (died 25 October 1415) was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the Co-Commander of the French Army at the Battle of Agincourt, where he was killed by the English Army led by King Henry V.

Jean II Le Maingre (in Old French, Jehan le Meingre), called Boucicaut (1366 — 1421) was Marshal of France and a Knight renowned for his military skill. In the Battle of Agincourt, 1415, he Commanded the French Vanguard, but was captured by the English and died six years later in Yorkshire.

Charles of Orléans (1394 – 1465) was Duke of Orléans from 1407. Charles was one of the many French noblemen at the Battle of Agincourt. He was discovered unwounded, but trapped under a pile of corpses, incapacitated by the weight of his own armour. He was taken prisoner by the English, and spent the next twenty-four years being moved from one Castle to another in England.

The Agincourt Carol,

by Maddy Prior and June Tabor.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/UK16e-Emrms.

The Agincourt Carol.

Today, is the 600th Anniversary of The Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

Morning of The Battle of Agincourt,

25th October 1415.

Artist: Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897).

Date: 1884.

Source: http://www.bridgemanartondemand.com/art/97435/

Morning_of_the_Battle_of_Agincourt_25th_October_1415_1884

Author: Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897).

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Agincourt Carol.

Sung by 

Maddy Prior and June Tabor.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/UK16e-Emrms

Saint Chrysanthus And Saint Daria. Martyrs. Feast Day 25 October.

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

Saint Chrysanthus And Saint Daria.
Martyrs.
Feast Day 25 October.

Simple.

Red Vestments.

English: Altar in the Chapel of Saints Chrysanthus And Daria,

Innervillgraten, Tyrol, Austria.

Deutsch: Altar der Kapelle hll. Chrysanth und Daria

auf der Unterstalleralm (Gemeinde Innervillgraten).

Photo: 22 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Michael Kranewitter.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: The Village of Innervillgraten, Tyrol, Austria,

which contains the Chapel of Saints Chrysanthus And Daria.

Deutsch: Der Ortskern der Gemeinde Innervillgraten in Osttirol, Österreich. Blickrichtung süd-ost.

Italiano: Nucleo del comune di Innervillgraten in Tirolo Orientale, Austria. Vista verso il sud-est.

Photo: 8 August 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: WolfgangFaber

(Wikimedia Commons)

"At Rome," says The Roman Martyrology, "the triumph of Saint Chrysanthus and his wife, Saint Daria, Martyrs. After several torments, which they endured for Jesus Christ, under the Prefect Celerinus, they were condemned by The Emperor Numerian to be thrown into a sandpit on The Salarian Way, and buried alive there under a heap of earth and stones". in 283 A.D.

Mass: Intret.

English: The Church of Saint Chrysanthus And Saint Daria,

Bad Münstereifel, Germany.

Deutsch: St. Chrysanthus und Daria, Bad Münstereifel.

Photo: 8 March 2015

Source: Own work.

Author: Raimond Spekking

(Wikimedia Commons)

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A Day With Mary. Our Lady Of Fatima. The Sermon Is By Fr. George Roth, Franciscans Of The Immaculate (F.I.).

"My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph."

(Our Lady at Fatima, 1917).

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK

This Article is repeated from October 2014.

The following four paragraphs are taken from OUR SORROWFUL MOTHER'S MINISTRY

The Franciscans of The Immaculate strive to be perfectly conformed to the Poor, Humble, Crucified Jesus through a Life of Charity, Supernatural Charity and Poverty.

They are totally Consecrated to The Immaculate Virgin,

after the recent example offered by Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe.

The Franciscans of The Immaculate were founded by the two Franciscan Friars, Fr. Stefano Maria Manelli and Fr. Gabriel Maria Pellettieri. Together, they outlined a form of life for the Friars, Sisters and the Laity, after the example of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, giving the fullest expression to the Marian dimension of Saint Francis' ideal and Rule.

The Franciscans of The Immaculate were established by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1990 as a Diocesan Institute. The Institute was erected as a Pontifical Institute of Religious Life by His Holiness Pope Saint John Paul II on 1 January 1998, The Solemnity of The Mother of God.

[Editor: The Franciscans of The Immaculate have now been hamstrung

and put into "Special Measures" by the current Pope (Pope Francis).

Nobody knows why.

Only Pope Francis knows why.]

Zephyrinus suggests that people all over the World send respectful and polite

E-Mails to The Vatican, asking for His Holiness, Pope Francis, to release

The Franciscans of The Immaculate from their Spiritual Imprisonment.

Pope Francis does not have a direct E-Mailing address, but you can E-Mail the Vatican's Press Office

at

av@pccs.va

Alternately you can mail His Holiness the Pope, by sending a Letter to this address:

His Holiness Pope Francis PP.

00120 Via del Pellegrino

Citta del Vaticano.

or

His Holiness Pope Francis

Apostolic Palace

Vatican City

or

His Holiness Pope Francis

Vatican City State, 00120

The following Article can be found at CATHOLICISM PURE AND SIMPLE

Fr. George Roth: A Day With Mary, Our Lady of Fatima.

It is still the month (October) of The Holy Rosary, and, in this brilliant Homily,

Fr. Roth gives us some solid Catholic reminders.

"The July 1917 Secret of Fatima

and Our Present Day".

Sermon by Fr George Roth, F.I.

A Day With Mary.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/qNWf5YpR8zI.

PRAY THE ROSARY.

SAY THE DIVINE OFFICE

IN THE

BREVIARY.

GO TO CONFESSION.

GO TO THE DIVINE MASS.

GO TO HOLY COMMUNION WORTHILY

IN A STATE OF GRACE.

Over Eight Million Killed . . .

Due to the profundity and importance of this Article, it is repeated from October 2014.

Zephyrinus is extremely grateful for the Text and Illustration, for this Article,

which is taken from MULIER FORTIS

Into the Beloved Hands

of Our Beloved Mother,

Mary, Queen of Heaven,

Queen of the Angels,

we commend all the Aborted Babies.

(Daily Prayer for The Little Ones)

Image: MULIER FORTIS

It's a ghastly statistic. Over eight million babies killed in the forty-seven years since the Abortion Act was given Royal Assent . . . and that's just in Great Britain. Last year [2013] in England and Wales, we averaged 550 deaths a day.

The numbers are horrific, but they are difficult to grasp, and so we can ignore them.

It helps to provide concrete examples. I teach Science in Secondary School. In London; these Schools generally have about 1,000 students. So that works out as killing a School's-worth of children every two days.

This was not what was envisaged when Parliament passed The Abortion Act forty-seven years ago.

There were supposed to be safeguards. The mother's health was supposed to be at risk before the awful step of ending a life could be contemplated. The signatures of two independent Medical Practitioners were required.

But now, an abortion is seen as a woman's right, and, in some cases, almost a duty.

The parallels with the drive towards legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide are striking. All the assurances of safeguards ring very hollow in the face of Britain's abortion statistics.

SPUC is inviting people to hold a minute's silence on Monday 27 October, at 11:04 a.m. - the time Royal Assent was given to The Abortion Act by Queen Elizabeth II. [Editor: This Article is a repeat from October 2014.]

"SPUC invites everyone to hold a minute’s silence in honour of the children who will never be born and who will never know what it is to be loved in this life. We also remember the mothers and fathers who have made this tragic mistake which has also damaged them. We honour, as well, all those mothers and fathers who have withstood enormous pressures and have given their babies the best chance of life by respecting their right to be born." 

If you can, support SPUC in its work to defend the Sanctity of human life with A DONATION HERE.

Illustration: SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF UNBORN CHILDREN

Saint Raphael The Archangel. Feast Day, Today, 24 October.

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

Archangel Raphael with Bishop Domonte.
Artist: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682).

Current location: Pushkin Museum, Moscow, Russia.

Source/Photographer: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Archangel-Raphael-

with-Bishop-Domonte-Posters_i1732063_.htm. 

Transferred from en.wikipedia 2007-11-26 (original upload date) 

Original uploader was Commment at en.wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Raphael (Standard Hebrew רָפָאֵל, Rāfāʾēl, "It Is God Who Heals", "God Heals", "God, Please Heal") is an Archangel of Judaism and Christianity, who, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, performs all manner of healing. In Islam, Raphael is the same as Israfil. Raphael is mentioned in The Book of Tobit, which is accepted as Canonical by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholics, and as useful for public teaching by Lutherans and Anglicans.

The Angels, mentioned in The Torah, the older books of The Hebrew Bible, are without names. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish of Tiberias (230 A.D. – 270 A.D.), asserted that all the specific names for the Angels were brought back by the Jews from Babylon, and modern commentators would tend to agree.

Raphael is named in several Jewish apocryphal books (see below).

Raphael bound Azazel under a desert called Dudael, according to Enoch 10:4–6:

And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgment he shall be cast into the fire.

English: Pope Benedict XV in 1915.

[Editor: Pope Benedict XV extended The Feast Day of Saint Raphael 

to the whole of The Catholic Church in 1921.]

Français: Photo de Benoît XV prise vers 1915.

Source: Library of Congress.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Of seven Archangels in The Angelology of post-Exilic Judaism, only Michael, mentioned as Archangel (Daniel 12:1; Jude, verse 9), and Gabriel, are mentioned by name in The Scriptures that came to be accepted as Canonical by all Christians.

The name of the Angel Raphael, appears only in The Deuterocanonical Book of Tobit. The Book of Tobit is considered Canonical by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Anglicans. Raphael first appears disguised in human form as the travelling companion of Tobit's son, Tobiah (Greek: Τωβίας/Tobias), calling himself "Azarias, the son of the great Ananias". During the course of the journey, the Archangel's protective influence is shown in many ways, including the binding of a demon in the desert of Upper Egypt. After returning, and the healing the blind Tobit, Azarias makes himself known as "the Angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before The Lord" (Tobit 12:15). He is often Venerated and Patronised as Saint Raphael The Archangel.

Regarding the healing powers attributed to Raphael, we have his declaration to Tobit (Tobit, 12) that he was sent by The Lord to heal him of his blindness and to deliver Sarah, his future daughter-in-law, from the demon Asmodeus, who kills every man she marries, on their wedding night, before the marriage can be consummated.

English: Tobias and the Angel (Tob. 6:1-18).

Русский: Товия и ангел (Тов. 6:1-18).

Date: 1866.

Source: Doré's English Bible.

Author: Gustave Doré (1832–1883).

(Wikimedia Commons)

In The New Testament, only the Archangels Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name (Luke 1:9-26; Jude 1:9). Later manuscripts of John 5:1-4 refer to the Pool at Bethesda, where the multitude of the infirm lay, awaiting the moving of the water, for "an Angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond, after the motion of the water, was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under". Because of the healing role assigned to Raphael, this particular Angel is generally associated with the Archangel.

Raphael is sometimes shown as standing atop a large fish, or holding a caught fish at the end of a line. This is a reference to the Book of Tobit (Tobias), where he told Tobias to catch a fish, and then uses the gall-bladder to heal Tobit's eyes, and to drive away Asmodeus by burning the heart and liver.

Due to his actions in the Book of Tobit and the Gospel of John, Saint Raphael is accounted Patron of travellers, the blind, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, medical workers, matchmakers, Christian marriage, and Catholic studies.

Saint Raphael's Roman Catholic Church 

at Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.

Photo: 26 November 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Mattinbgn.

(Wikimedia Commons)

As a particular enemy of the devil, he was revered in Catholic Europe as a special protector of Catholic sailors: on a corner of Venice’s famous Doge’s Palace, there is a Relief, depicting Raphael holding a scroll, on which is written: Efficia fretum quietum (“Keep the Gulf quiet”).

On 8 July 1497, when Vasco Da Gama set forth from Lisbon, Portugal, with his four-ship fleet to sail to India, the flagship was named, at the King of Portugal’s insistence, Saint Raphael. When the flotilla reached the Cape of Good Hope on 22 October 1497, the sailors disembarked and erected a column in the Archangel’s honour. The little statue of Saint Raphael, that accompanied Da Gama on the voyage, is now in the Naval Museum in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Feast Day of Raphael was included for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in the year 1921, for celebration on 24 October [Editor: Pope Benedict XV extended the Feast of Saint Raphael to the whole Catholic Church in 1921]. With the reform of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints in 1969, this Feast was transferred to 29 September, for celebration together with Saints Michael & Gabriel (both are Archangels). Due to Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum, the Roman Catholic Church still permits use of the 1962 Calendar, allowing both Feast Days.

English: Church of Saint Raphael The Archangel, 

Montreal, Canada.

Français: Église Saint-Raphael-Archange, 

495, rue Cherrier, île Bizard. Montreal, Canada. info.

Photo: 30 July 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Jeangagnon.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Archangel Raphael is said to have appeared in Cordoba, Spain, during the 16th-Century; in response to the City’s appeal, Pope Innocent X allowed the local celebration of a Feast in the Archangel’s honour on 7 May, the date of the principal apparition. Saint John of God, founder of the Hospital Order that bears his name, is also said to have received visitations from Saint Raphael, who encouraged and instructed him. In tribute to this, many of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God’s facilities are called “Raphael Centres”, to this day. The 18th-Century Neapolitan Nun, Saint Maria Francesca of the Five Wounds, is also said to have seen an apparition of Raphael.

Raphael is honored in Islam as one of the great Archangels and is known more commonly as "Israfil" or "Israfel" in Islamic history.

Deutsch: Aleksandrów Łódzki, römisch-katholische Kirche
der Hl. Erzengel Rafael und Michael.

English: Aleksandrów Łódzki, Roman Catholic Church
of the Holy Archangels Raphael and Michael.

Italiano: Aleksandrów Łódzki, Chiesa romana-cattolica
dei SS. Arcangeli Raffaele e Michele.

Русский: Александрув-Лодзинский, костёл Св.
Архангелов Рафаила и Михаила.

Photo: 26 May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: KKK2352.

(Wikimedia Commons)

According to the hadith, he is the Angel responsible for signalling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing the trumpet (namely Sûr). According to tradition, the trumpet will be blown three times. The first blow of the trumpet will signal the beginning of The Last Day and the second blow will signal the death of all living things, and the third blow will signal the time when all the Souls from all ages will be gathered for The Last Judgement. According to the Quran, an unnamed Trumpet-Angel, assumed to be Israfel, has been holding his breath, waiting for Allah's order to blow the Sûr.

The Angel Raphael, along with many other prominent Angels, appears in John Milton's Paradise Lost, in which he is assigned by God to re-warn Adam concerning the sin of eating of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He also expounds to Adam the War in Heaven, in which Lucifer and the demons fell, and the creation of the Earth.

Saint Michael's Church, 

Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland.

East Window, behind the Altar, 

by Frederick Settle Barff (1823–1886), 

depicting the Assumption (top Light), 

the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, 

and an Angel blowing the Last Trumpet (upper row), 

and the Saints Patrick, Bridget, Dymphna, 

and Brendan (lower row). 

The Tracery matches that of the 

East Window of Kilconnell Friary 

(see small picture).

Photo: 15 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Andreas F. Borchert.

Reference: 2010/9614.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Kilconnell Friary, Ireland.

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Raphael The Archangel.

Feast Day 24 October.

Double.

White Vestments.

Introit: 

Benedicite Dominum, omnes Angeli ejus . . .

Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels . . .

Saint Raphael is one of The Seven Spirits who always stand before The Lord (Antiphon at The Magnificat) and offer Him the Incense of their Adoration and that of men (Offertory).

"While thou didst Pray with tears," he declared to Tobias, "and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner to conceal the dead in thy house by day, and by night didst bury them, I presented thy Prayer unto The Lord. And because thy wast agreeable to The Lord, it was necessary that temptation should try thee" (Second Lesson at Matins).

Tobias became blind. "The loss of his eye-sight," says Saint Augustine, "was the occasion for the old man to receive an Angelical physician" (Fourth Lesson at Matins).

Deutsch: Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Michael in Lutzingen, 

einer Gemeinde im Landkreis Dillingen an der Donau (Bayern), 

zentrales Chorfenster mit der Darstellung des 

Erzengels Raphael, der Tobias begleitet.

English: The Archangel Raphael, together with Tobias.

The Church of St. Michael in Lutzingen, Germany.

Photo: 2 December 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: GFreihalter.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Raphael, a name meaning "God heals", was sent by God to cure Tobias, as He sent the Angel who moved the water in the pool called Probatica (Gospel). He told the younger Tobias what remedy he was to use to restore his father's sight, accompanied and protected the young man on his journey, helped him to find a wife, and warded off the wiles of the devil.

"We praise with sentiments of veneration," the Church sings, "all the Princes of the Heavenly Court, but in a special manner the Archangel Raphael, healer and faithful companion, who chained down the devil under his power.

Deutsch: Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Michael in Lutzingen, 

einer Gemeinde im Landkreis Dillingen an der Donau (Bayern), 

Innenraum mit Blick zum Chor.

English: The Church of St. Michael in Lutzingen, Germany.
Saint Raphael is depicted in one of the Stained-Glass Windows in this Church.

Photo: 2 December 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: GFreihalter.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"O Christ, King of all goodness, by giving us such a guardian, make it impossible for the enemy to do us harm" (Hymn).

"May the Angel Raphael, physician of our Salvation, help us from the heights of Heaven, heal all diseases and guide our faltering steps towards the True Life" (Hymn at Lauds).

Pope Benedict XV extended Saint Raphael The Archangel's Feast Day to The Universal Church in 1921.