Giggle Doctors. We Bring Magical Moments To Sick And Disabled Children.

Illustration: THEODORA CHILDREN'S CHARITY

500,000 Smiles And Counting.

The Theodora Children’s Charity (originally Theodora Children's Trust) was founded in 1994 by two brothers, in memory of their mother, Theodora Poulie. When one of Theodora’s sons was hospitalised for many months as a child, she brought joy, laughter and storytelling to his bedside through her regular visits. Theodora inspired her sons to bring magical moments to all sick and disabled children.

To date, the lives of over half a million children have been improved, thanks to The Giggle Doctor programme that they created.

Celebrating Success

Twenty-one years on, with a team of twenty-five trained Theodora Giggle Doctors, we are visiting approximately 30,000 children and their families every year.

The profile of the Charity has grown and grown over past years. In 2003, The Theodora Children’s Charity was awarded The Guardian Charity Award which honours outstanding Charities. In 2012, the profile of The Theodora Children’s Charity was raised yet further, when Samantha Cameron hosted a Reception for The Charity at Number 10 Downing Street.

In 2013, the work of The Charity was again recognised when The Theodora Children’s Charity was a finalist in the Third Sector Excellence Awards for Small Charity, Big Achiever.

The Web-Site of The Theodora Children's Charity (where you can make a Donation and help sick and disabled children), is at THEODORA CHILDREN'S CHARITY

Poland Blasts The Council Of Europe Report On ABORTION.

This Article can be read in full at CENTER FOR FAMILY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Illustration: CENTER FOR FAMILY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

By Stefano Gennarini, J.D.

NEW YORK, June 24 (C-Fam) The Polish Government snapped back at European bureaucrats in a scathing response to a Report published last week by The Council of Europe that criticised Poland’s restrictive ABORTION Law and its treatment of women.

Donning the ceremonial tone and submissive deference that many Countries adopt in their interface with international bureaucrats, Poland accused The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Latvian-American Nils Muižnieks, of “overstepping his mandate,” of bias and selectivity, and interfering in internal affairs in an official response to a Report of The Commissioner published last week.

In a section on “sexual and reproductive health” the Commissioner’s Report instructs Poland to decriminalise ABORTION, remove conscience protections for doctors and medical personnel, and enact mandatory comprehensive sexuality education.

Instead of bowing obsequiously, as is commonly assumed Nations will do in such situations, Poland replied that The Commissioner had his facts wrong, and that he both misunderstood Polish Law and the obligation of Poland under The European Convention on Human Rights.

“Polish Law in this regard has its sources in The Constitution and is conditioned by a widely-shared care of Polish Society for The Respect For Life,” was Poland’s specific response on the issue of ABORTION.

Regensburg ? Nürnberg ? Schweinfurt ? Bamberg ? Bayreuth ? Rothenburg ?

Illustration: ABEBOOKS

Zephyrinus is holidaying in Northern Bavaria this year.

Illustration: PINTEREST

German Steam Locomotive.

Illustration: WORLD OF STEAM (GERMANY)

English: Rothenburg, Franconia, North Bavaria.

Deutsch: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Plönlein mit Sieberstor und Kobolzellertor.

Français: Rotemburg sur la Tauber, Place de Plönlein. Cette place était une place de marché.

Sur la gauche, on voit la porte Siebers; sur la droite, on voit la porte de Kobolzeller.

Cette vue est l'une des plus photographiées et peintes d'Allemagne.

Photo: 1 July 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner.

(Wikimedia Commons)

German Steam Locomotive.

Illustration: YOUTUBE

Saint John And Saint Paul. Martyrs. Feast Day, Today, 26 June.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless otherwise stated.

Saints John and Paul.

Martyrs.

Feast Day 26 June.

Double.

Red Vestments.

English: Basilica of the Church of The Holy Martyrs, John and Paul, 

on Mount Coelius, Rome.

The Lenten Station, for Friday after Ash Wednesday, is held at this Basilica.

Français: Vue d'ensemble de la Basilique Santi Giovanni e Paolo de Rome sur le Celio.

Photo: May 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The two brothers, John and Paul, were Romans and in the service of Constantia, daughter of Emperor Constantine. Julian the Apostate, having invited them to be among his familiar friends, they refused, so as to remain faithful to Jesus.

Ten days were allowed for them to deliberate, and they used them in distributing all they possessed to the Poor. They were then arrested and "without fearing those who can only kill the body, and beyond that can do nothing more" (Gospel), they became, in 362 A.D., brothers more than ever, by the same Faith and the same Martyrdom (Collect, Gradual, Alleluia).

The Church compares them "to the two olive-trees and to the two candle-sticks, mentioned in The Apocalypse, which shine before the Lord." [Response at Matins.]

"These Just Men," she [Editor: The Church] adds, "have stood before The Lord and have not been separated from one another." [Antiphon at The Magnificat.] Wherefore, both their names, mentioned in The Canon of The Mass (First List), pass on from generation to generation, while their bodies rest in peace (Epistle) in the ancient Church erected in their honour on Mount Coelius at Rome. It is there that The Station is held on The Friday after Ash Wednesday.

Let us enjoy today, with The Church, the double triumph of Saints John and Paul (Collect) and let us, like them, courageously confess Jesus before Men, so that He may recognise us for His own before His Angels (Gospel).

Mass: Multae tribulatiónes.

Commemoration of The Octave of Saint John the Baptist.

English: Basilica of The Holy Martyrs, John and Paul, Rome, Italy.

Italiano: SS. Giovanni e Paolo - Roma, Italia.

Photo: July 2006.

Source: Flickr

Author: Patrick Denker

Reviewer: Mac9

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

John and Paul were Saints in The Roman Empire. They were Martyred at Rome on 26 June. They should not be confused with the famous Apostles of the same names (see Saint Paul; Saint John the Apostle). The year of their Martyrdom is uncertain according to their Acts; it occurred under Julian the Apostate (361 A.D. – 363 A.D.).

In the second half of the 4th-Century A.D., Byzantius, the Roman Senator, and Saint Pammachius, his son, fashioned their house on The Cælian Hill into a Christian Basilica. In the 5th-Century A.D., the Presbyteri Tituli Byzantii (Priests of The Church of Byzantius) are mentioned in an Inscription and among the signatures of The Roman Council of 499 A.D. The Church was also called the Titulus Pammachii, after Byzantius's son, the pious friend of Saint Jerome.

In the ancient apartments on the ground-floor of the house of Byzantius, which were still retained under the Basilica, the tomb of two Roman Martyrs, John and Paul, was the object of Veneration as early as the 5th-Century A.D.

The Sacramentarium Leonianum already indicates, in the Preface to The Feast of the Saints, that they rested within the City walls ("Sacr. Leon.", ed. Feltoe, Cambridge, 1896, 34), while, in one of the early itineraries to the tombs of The Roman Martyrs, their grave is assigned to the Church on The Cælian (De rossi, "Roma sotterrania", I, 138, 175).

Basilica di San Zanipolo, Venice, Italy

(Basilica of Saints John and Paul).

Photo taken by Necrothesp, 14 May 2004.

Date: 1 July 2004 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons

by Padawane using CommonsHelper.

Author: The original uploader was Necrothesp at English Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Titulus Byzantii, or Pammachii, was consequently known at a very early date by the names of the two Martyrs (Titulus SS. Joannis et Pauli). That the two Saints are Martyrs of The Roman Church is historically certain; as to how and when their bodies found a resting-place in the house of Pammachius, under the Basilica, we only know that it certainly occurred in the 4th-Century A.D. The year and circumstances of their Martyrdom are likewise unknown.

According to their Acts, the Martyrs were eunuchs of Constantina, daughter of Constantine the Great, and became acquainted with a certain Gallicanus, who built a Church in Ostia. At the command of Julian the Apostate, they were beheaded secretly by Terentianus in their house on The Caelian Hill, where their Church was subsequently erected, and where they were buried.

The rooms on the ground-floor, of the above-mentioned house of Pammachius, were rediscovered under the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome. They are decorated with important and interesting frescoes, while the original tomb (Confessio) of Saints John and Paul is covered with paintings, of which the Martyrs are the subject. The rooms and the tomb form one of the most important Early-Christian Memorials in Rome.

English: Frescoes in the original Roman house

below the present-day Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome, Italy.

Italiano: Roma , casa romana sotto la basilica

dei santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio - affreschi.

Photo: 3 October 2004.

Source: Own work.

Author: user:Lalupa.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Since the erection of the Basilica, the two Saints have been greatly Venerated, and their names have been inserted in The Canon of the Mass. Their Feast Day is kept on 26 June.

The Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, in Rome, is Dedicated to them, as well as the Basilica di San Zanipolo in Venice ("Zanipolo" being Venetian for "John and Paul").

The Lueneberg Manuscript (circa 1440–1450) mentions "The Day of John and Paul" in an early German account of The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

A small village next to Caiazzo, in the Campania region of Italy, is named Santi Giovanni e Paolo, in honour of these Martyrs. Many residents of this village bear the family name "San Giovanni," as do the descendants of immigrants to The United States from this village (in particular, in Michigan, New York, and Florida).

Saint William. Abbot. Feast Day 25 June.

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

Saint William.
Abbot.
Feast Day 25 June.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint William of Vercelli.

Statue at Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican.

Date: 1878.

Source: http://www.stpetersbasilica.org/

Author: Giuseppe Prinzi.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint William was born, in 1085, of noble parents, at Vercelli, Piedmont, Italy. Having left his family and renounced his riches (Gospel), he built a Monastery on Monte Vergine.

Like Moses, to whom God gave His Law on the mountain (Epistle), under the guidance of Heaven, he gave to the Congregation of Hermits, whose father he became (Communion), a Rule, inspired, in a great measure, by that of Saint Benedict.

His holy life was entirely spent in the meditation of Divine things (Introit), and became renowned by his numerous Miracles.

After having foretold the moment of his death, he fell asleep in The Lord in 1142, and in Heaven his brow was encircled with "the Crown of Precious Stones" (Gradual, Offertory), the symbol of his virtues.

Let us walk in the footsteps of Saint William, with the help of his Prayers (Collect).

Mass: Os justi.

Commemoration: Of The Octave of Saint John the Baptist.

English: The Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto, in what is now Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Italy,

was Founded by Saint William of Vercelli in 1114. It was started as a female Cloister, with

a small attached Monastery for the spiritual guidance and economic assistance of the Nuns.

The period 1135-1515 was known as The "Age of the Nuns." The Cloister became wealthy

from 1135 to 1348 until The Black Death struck and the Cloister began to decline.

On 24 January 1506, Pope Julius II declared that, upon the death of the last Abbess,

the Cloister would be closed, which occurred in 1515.

The "Age of the Nuns" was followed by the "Epoch of the Monks" from 1515 to 1807.

When the Cloister closed, the Monastery merged with that on Montevergine and began to grow.

Pope Sixtus V, who was also Superior of The Franciscan Convent of 

Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, accelerated this growth. The Monastery reached its peak between the 17th- and 18th-Centuries.

In 1807, the King of Naples, Joseph Bonaparte, ordered the Abbey closed. Saint William's body was moved to Montevergine and the furnishings of the Abbey were looted.

The Abbey remained abandoned until 1973, when a Monk of Montevergine, Lucio M. De Marino, obtained permission to relocate to Goleto, re-occuping the Abbey and beginning its restoration.

In 1989, the Abbey was entrusted to The Little Brothers of Jesus.

Español: Abadia de Goleto, Campania, Italia.

Photo: 23 October 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Bocachete.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Saint William of Montevergine, or, Saint William of Vercelli, (Italian Guglielmo) (Latin Gulielmus) (1085 – 25 June 1142) was a Catholic Hermit and the Founder of The Congregation of Monte Vergine, or, "Williamites".

He was born into a noble family of Vercelli, in North-West Italy, and brought up by a relation after the death of his parents. He undertook a Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Catholic Tradition states that, on his Pilgrimage to Compostela, William encircled his body with iron bands to increase his suffering.

He then lived as a Hermit on the summit of Monte Vergine (then known as Monte Vergiliana), between Nola [Editor: See Saint Paulinus of Nola - Feast Day two days ago, 22 June] and Benevento. Here, he attracted a number of followers and founded the Monastery of Montevergine.

While at Montevergine, William of Vercelli is stated as having performed Miracles. King Roger I of Sicily served as a Patron to William, who Founded many Monasteries for men and women in Sicily. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that King Roger I built a Monastery opposite his Palace at Salerno in order to have William always near him.

Saint William died at Goleto, a Daughter House of Montevergine, near Nusco, Province of Avellino. Catholic Tradition states that William foresaw his own imminent death “by special revelation”

The following Text is from INSTITUTE OF CHRIST THE KING SOVEREIGN PRIEST

The Feast Day of Saint William was inserted into the Church's Calendar by Pope Leo XIII.

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. William Shakespeare's Place Of Baptism And Burial.

Stained-Glass Window in Holy Trinity Church,

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.

The Church where William Shakespeare was Baptised and buried.

Date: 18 May 2006 (original upload date).

Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia to 

Commons

by Kurpfalzbilder.de using CommonsHelper..

Author: Elfineer at English Wikipedia.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Collegiate Church of The Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, is a Grade I Listed Parish Church of The Church of England in Stratford-upon-Avon.

It is often known simply as Holy Trinity Church, or, Shakespeare's Church, due to its fame as the place of Baptism and burial of William Shakespeare. More than 200,000 tourists visit the Church each year.

The building dates from 1210 and is built on the site of a Saxon Monastery. It is Stratford's oldest building and is situated on the banks of The River Avon, and is one of England's most visited Churches.

Holy Trinity Church,

Stratford-upon-Avon,

Warwickshire, England.

Photo: 8 April 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: Oosoom.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the 14th-Century, John de Stratford founded a Chantry, which was rebuilt between 1465 and 1491 by Dean Thomas Balshall, who is buried at the Church. The building is believed to have originally had a Wooden Spire, which was replaced by William Hiorne in 1763.

Holy Trinity Church contains many interesting features, including:

A 14th-century Sanctuary Knocker in the Church's Porch (built circa 1500);

Twenty-six 15th-Century Misericord Seats in The Chancel, with Religious, Secular and Mythical carvings;

Several large Stained-Glass Windows featuring major English and Biblical Saints at the Church's East and West Ends.

Shakespeare's Funerary Monument,

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford Upon Avon, England.

Photo: 23 April 2006.

Source: Cropped from Image:ShakespeareMonument.JPG

released to PD by Tom Reedy.

Author: Cropped from original by current uploader. License as before.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The carved scenes of The Life of Jesus, around Balsall's tomb, were mutilated during The Reformation, as were most images of Christ. Notable 'survivors' include a remarkable Face of Christ, or, possibly, God the Father, within a Sedilia Canopy, and some beautiful Mediaeval Stained-Glass Windows depicting The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and The Day of Pentecost. The Pre-Reformation Stone Altar slab, or Mensa, was found hidden beneath the floor in Victorian times and has now been re-instated as the High Altar.

The Church has a large three-manual Pipe Organ, which dates from 1841, by the Organ Builder William Hill. It has undergone several restorations by Hill, Norman and Beard, and Nicholson, and now has two separate sections. The Great and Swell 1 and Pedal 1 divisions are high on the wall above the Arch into The Tower Crossing and face West.

The Choir and Swell 2 and Pedal 2 divisions are at ground level between the Saint Peter Chapel and the South Aisle. A specification of the Organ can be found on The National Pipe Organ Register. The Organ Case was designed by George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner.

The Church of The Holy Trinity,

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.

Photo: 25 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Bin im Garten.

(Wikimedia Commons)

William Shakespeare, Poet and Playwright, was Baptised in Holy Trinity Church on 26 April 1564 and was buried there on 25 April 1616. The Church still possesses the original Elizabethan Register giving details of his Baptism and burial, though it is kept by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for safekeeping.

He is buried in the beautiful 15th-Century Chancel, built by Thomas Balsall, Dean of the Collegiate Church, who was buried within it in 1491. Shakespeare was eligible to be buried in the Chancel owing to his position as a 'Lay Rector' of the Church, as Peter Ackroyd explains, this was due to his leasing of Tithes from the Church. This entitlement was taken either at his behest or on his behalf. Shakespeare's Funerary Monument is fixed on a wall alongside his burial place.

Shakespeare would have come to Holy Trinity Church every week, when he was in Town, i.e. all through his childhood and on his return to live at New Place. His wife, Anne Hathaway, is buried next to him along with his eldest daughter, Susanna. The Church witnessed a sad episode shortly before Shakespeare's death. The day after Shakespeare signed his Last Will and Testament on 25 March 1616 in a 'shaky hand', William's son-in-law, Thomas Quiney was found guilty in the Church Court of fathering an illegitimate son by a Margaret Wheler, who had recently died in childbirth. Quiney was ordered to do Public Penance within the Church. The distress and shame for the Shakespeare family must have been immense. Within a month, Shakespeare was dead, his funeral and burial being held at Holy Trinity Church on 25 April 1616.

The grave of William Shakespeare.

The Church of The Holy Trinity,

Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.

Photo: 25 July 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Bin im Garten.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Above the grave, a badly-eroded stone slab displays his epitaph:

GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS' SAKE FOREBEAR,

TO DIGG THE DVST ENCLOSED HERE.

BLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARES THESE STONES,

AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES.

It has been claimed, by at least one textbook author, that the warning has served to prevent both the removal of Shakespeare's body to Westminster Abbey and the exhumation of his body for examination.

The grave of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, is next to her husband's. The inscription states:

"Here lyeth the body of Anne, wife of William Shakespeare,

who departed this life the 6th day of August 1623, being of the age of 67 years."

Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England,

with Shakespeare's Funerary Monument in Bottom Left Corner.

Photo: 23 May 2008.

Source: Own work.

Author: Poliphilo.

(Wikimedia Commons)

A Latin inscription followed, which translates as:

"Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me - for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I Pray that the good Angel should move the stone, so that, like Christ's Body, thine image might come forth ! But my Prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb, may rise again and reach the stars." 

The inscription may have been written by John Hall on behalf of his wife, Anne's daughter, Susanna.

The Church houses Shakespeare's Funerary Monument, which was renovated in 1746 through proceeds from a production of Othello; it is the first recorded performance of a Shakespeare Play in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The official Web-Site of Holy Trinity Church can be found at

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

I Vow To Thee My Country.

Poppy Field in Kent, England.

Photo: 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Zephyrinus.

"I Vow To Thee My Country".

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/7MG27BKwjaI

The Nativity Of Saint John The Baptist. Feast Day 24 June.

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

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.
Feast Day 24 June.

Double of The First Class
   with an Octave.

White Vestments.

English: The Voice in the Desert.
Français: La voix dans le désert.

Artist: James Tissot (1836-1902).

Date: Between 1886 and 1894.

Current location: Brooklyn Museum, New York City.

Credit line: Purchased by public subscription.

Source/Photographer: Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum;

Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2007, 00.159.44_PS1.jpg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

English: Interior of Saint John the Baptist Church, 

Konigsberg.

Deutsch: Im Innern der Probsteikirche in Königsberg.

Date: 1904.

Source: http://www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de/index.html

Author: Herausgeber: Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen e.V. Parkallee 84/86 20144
Hamburg HRA VR4551 Ust-ID-Nr.: DE118718969Bundesgeschäftsführer:
Dr. Sebastian Husen.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"A Prophet of The Most High" (Alleluia), Saint John is pre-figured by Isaias and Jeremias (Introit, Epistle, Gospel); moreover, he was Consecrated before birth to announce Jesus (Secret) and to prepare Souls for His coming.

The Gospel narrates the prodigies which accompanied his birth. Zachary gives his child the name which Saint Gabriel has brought him from Heaven, which signifies: "The Lord has pardoned". He immediately recovers his speech and, filled with The Holy Ghost, he foretells the greatness of his son: "He shall walk before The Face of The Lord, to give unto the people the knowledge of Salvation."

The Virgin and Child, with The Infant Saint John,

appearing to Saint Jerome and Saint Anthony.

Artist: Andrea Celesti (1637-1712).

Date: Circa 1700.

Current location: Santa Maria dei Derelitti,

Venice, Italy.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Angel Gabriel had announced to Zachary that "many would rejoice in the birth of Saint John the Baptist". Indeed, not only "the neighbours and relations of Elizabeth" Solemnised the event, but every year, on its Anniversary, the whole Church invites her children to share in this Holy Joy. She knows that The Nativity "of this Prophet of The Most High", at this "Summer Christmas", is intimately connected with The Advent of The Messias.

After The Feast of The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, the days become shorter, while, on the contrary, after The Nativity of The Saviour, of which this Feast is the prelude, the days become longer. The Precursor must efface himself before Jesus, Who is The True Light of Faith. "He must increase," says Saint John, "and I must decrease."

The Solstices were the occasion of pagan feasts, when fires were lighted to honour the orb which gives us light. The Church Christianised the Rites, seeing in them a symbol of Saint John, who was "a burning and brilliant lamp".

The beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

Artist: Caravaggio (1573-1610).

Date: 1608.

Current location: Saint John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta, Malta.

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

ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Indeed, "she encouraged this kind of manifestation, which corresponds so well with the character of the Feast. The Saint John bonfires happily completed The Liturgical Solemnity: They showed The Church and the Earthly City united in one thought." [The Liturgical Year by Dom Guéranger: The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.]

The name of The Precursor is inscribed in The Canon of The Mass at the head of The Second List.

Formerly, on his Feast Day, three Masses were Celebrated in his honour, and numerous Churches were Dedicated to him. Parents loved to give his name to their children.

Gregorian Chant.

The Life of Saint John the Baptist.

Available on YouTube at

http://youtu.be/XPxh8_my0F8.

Paul the Deacon, a Monk of Monte Cassino and a friend of Charlemagne, had composed, in honour of Saint John the Baptist, the Hymn: "Ut queant laxis." In the 13th-Century, the Benedictine Monk, Guy of Arezzo, noticed that the notes, sung on the first syllables, formed the sequence of the first six degrees of The Scale. He named each degree by the corresponding syllable: "Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si" and thereby greatly facilitated the study of musical intervals.

Ut queant laxis resonare fibris [Do - Re]

Mira gestorum famuli tuorum [Mi - Fa]

Solve polluti labii reatum [Sol - La]

Sancte Johannes [Si] (S J makes Si)

"Unloose, great Baptist, our sin-fettered lips;

That with enfranchis'd voice we may proclaim,

The Miracles of thy transcendent life,

Thy deeds of matchless fame."

"That thy servants may sing with full voice

the marvels of thy works, purify their sullied lips, O Saint John."

Immediately Zachary made signs that he wished to call his son "John", he recovered his speech; and Lo !, a Hymn composed in honour of The Prophet, whose voice resounds in the desert, becomes the occasion of a new progress in music.

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

Mass: De ventre.

English: The Chapel of Saint John and Saint Paul in Szekszárd, Hungary.

Magyar: A barokk stílusú Szent János és Pál kápolna Szekszárdon.

Esperanto: Kapelo Sanktaj Johano kaj Paŭlo en Szekszárd, Hungario.

Photo: 4 October 2010.

Source: Hungarian Wikipedia, file hu:file:SzentJanos esPal.jpg.

Author: Pásztörperc.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Armed Forces Day. Saturday, 25 June 2016.

42 Commando Captain gives a SitRep.

Date: 2007.

"I Vow To Thee My Country".

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/7MG27BKwjaI

An 11-foot high bronze statue of a Black Watch soldier, by William Birnie Rhind, commemorates over 200 members of The Regiment who were killed or wounded in The South African War of 1900-1902. The Black Watch, the oldest Highland Regiment, was formed by General Wade in 1739 to police The Highlands at a time when many of the Clans harboured pro-Jacobite sympathies. Their name derived from the contrast of their Dark Green Tartan against the regular Red Tunics of The British Army. The unveiling ceremony for the memorial, planned for 25 May, 1910, was cancelled because the nation was still in official mourning after the death of King Edward VII.

Photo: 9 September 2011.

Source: Own work.

Author: Kim Traynor.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Union Flag.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/BdnZqZ6PY8o

Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral.

"I Vow To Thee My Country".

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/87Xkr8z3lEo

"I Vow To Thee My Country".

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/7MG27BKwjaI

I vow to thee, my Country, all earthly things above,

Entire and whole and perfect, the Service of my love;

The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,

That lays upon the Altar the dearest and the best;

The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,

The love that makes undaunted The Final Sacrifice.

And there's another Country, I've heard of long ago,

Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;

We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;

Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;

And Soul by Soul and silently her shining bounds increase,

And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

Words by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice.

"Thaxted" tune by Gustav Holst.

ARMED FORCES DAY,

SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2016.

A CHANCE TO SALUTE OUR ARMED FORCES

AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

FOR ALL THEY DO FOR US.

Armed Forces Day Web-Site is at

ARMED FORCES DAY

The Vigil Of Saint John The Baptist. 23 June.

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

The Vigil of Saint John the Baptist.
23 June.

Violet Vestments.

The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist (detail).

Artist: Pieter Breughel the Elder (1526-1569).

Date: 1566.

Current location: Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts),

Budapest, Hungary.

Source: Own work.

Author: Yelkrokoyade. Taken on 20 July 2013.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Feast Day Procession of Saint John the Baptist,

Patron Saint of Florence,

in Florence, Italy, 24 June 2011.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/1uidY9IluOo

The Infant Jesus and John the Baptist.

Artist: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682).

Date: 1600s.

Source: http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Bartolome-Esteban-Murillo/

Infant-Christ-Offering-A-Drink-Of-Water-To-St-John-1675-80.html.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In the Gospel of 25 March, we read that The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that, three months later, Elizabeth, in virtue of a Divine Miracle, would have a son.

This is why The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is Celebrated towards the end of June.

This important Feast is preceded by a Vigil.

Mass: Ne timias.

Fresco of The Birth of Saint John the Baptist.

Date: 1486-1490.

Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Current location: Tornabuoni Chapel,

Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Tornabuoni Chapel (Italian: Cappella Tornabuoni) is the main Chapel (or Chancel)

in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. It is famous for the extensive

and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete in the City,

which was created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

At The Annunciation, when The Angel Gabriel appeared to The Virgin Mary to inform her that she would conceive of The Holy Ghost, he also informed her that Elizabeth, her cousin, was already six months pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary then journeyed to visit Elizabeth. Luke’s Gospel recounts that the baby “leapt” in Elizabeth’s womb at the greeting of Mary (Luke 1:44).

The Nativity of John the Baptist, on 24 June, comes three months after the Celebration on 25 March of The Annunciation, when The Angel Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, and six months before the Christmas Celebration of The Birth of Jesus. The Nativity of John the Baptist Anticipates The Feast of Christmas.

Vespers for The Feast of Saint John the Baptist.

Recorded on 19 June 2014 at the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste,

New York City, by Tom Durack, Michael McGuinnes,

and video editing by Anthony Indelicato.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/tghuKjSPdO4

The Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the oldest Festivals of The Christian Church, being listed by The Council of Agde, in 506 A.D., as one of that region's principal Festivals, where it was a day of rest and, like Christmas, was Celebrated with three Masses: A Vigil Mass; a Dawn Mass; and a Mid-Day Mass. This Feast of The Nativity of Saint John is one of the Patronal Feasts of The Order of Malta.

Ordinarily, the day of a Saint's death is usually Celebrated as his or her Feast Day, because that day marks their entrance into Heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions: The Birthday (Nativity) of The Blessed Virgin Mary (8 September); and The Birthday (Nativity) of Saint John the Baptist (24 June). According to Catholic Tradition and teaching, Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from Original Sin (her Conception itself is Commemorated by a separate Feast (8 December)), while Saint John the Baptist was cleansed of Original Sin in the womb of his mother.

The Nativity of John the Baptist, though not a widespread public holiday outside of Quebec, is a high-ranking Liturgical Feast, kept in The Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Churches. In the Roman Rite it is Celebrated, since 1970, as a Solemnity. In the 1962 Missal, it is a Feast of The First-Class and, in still-earlier Missals, as a Double of The First-Class with a Common Octave.

Like The Birth of The Virgin Mary, the subject is often shown in art, especially from Florence, whose Patron Saint is John the Baptist.

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