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The "Te Deum" (also known as "The Ambrosian Hymn" or "A Song of the Church") is an Early-ChristianHymn of Praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, "Te Deum laudamus", rendered as "Thee, O God, we Praise".
The Hymn remains in regular use in The Catholic Church in The Office of Readings, found in The Liturgy of The Hours, and in thanksgiving to God for a special Blessing, such as The Election of a Pope, The Consecration of a Bishop, The Canonisation of a Saint, a Religious Profession, the publication of a Treaty of Peace, a Royal Coronation, etc.
The "Te Deum" Stained-Glass Window,
by Christopher Whall, Saint Mary-the-Virgin Church,
It is sung either after Mass or The Divine Office or as a separate Religious Ceremony. The Hymn also remains in use in The Anglican Communion and some Lutheran Churches, in similar settings.
Before the 1961 Reforms of Pope John XXIII, neither the Gloria nor The Te Deum were said on The Feast of The Holy Innocents, unless it fell on Sunday, as they were Martyred before The Death of Christ and, therefore, could not immediately attain The Beatific Vision.
A Plenary Indulgence is granted, under the usual conditions, to those who recite it in public on New Year's Eve.
"At Pozzuoli, in Campania, Italy," says The Roman Martyrology, "The Feast of The Holy Martyrs, Januarius (San Gennaro), Bishop of Beneventum, Festus (his Deacon), Desiderius (his Lector), Socius (a Deacon of The Church at Misenum, Proculus (a Deacon of Pozzuoli, Eutychius, and Acutius, who, after having been bound with chains, were cast into prison and beheaded, under Emperor Diocletian (305 A.D.).
The body of Saint Januarius was taken to Naples and honourably buried in the Church where his blood is still preserved in a glass phial. When the phial is placed near the head of the Holy Martyr, the blood liquefies and bubbles as if it had just been shed."
This Miracle, known as The Miracle of Saint Januarius, still takes place. The blood, contained in two glass phials where it is coagulated into a dark-red mass, increases in volume and weight; on liquefying, it becomes bright-red, while the surface is covered with bubbles, wherefore it is said to boil.
The Miracle takes place three times a year: During the Feast of May, lasting nine days, from the First Sunday in the Month; in September, during eight days, from 19 September to 26 September; and on 16 December.
September 16, 2016, Friday -- Adieu, Padre Amorth.
"I, afraid of that beast? It is he who should be afraid of me: I work in the name of The Lord of The World. He is just the monkey of God."
—Father Gabriele Amorth, the famous Italian Exorcist who was the Exorcist for The Diocese of Rome for the last 30 years, since 1986, referring to the devil. Father Amorth died today in Rome at the age of 91.
"Stefano Maria Paci: Father Amorth, Satanism is increasingly widespread. The new Exorcism Ritual makes it difficult to do Exorcisms. Exorcists are prevented from attending an Audience with The Pope in St. Peter's Square. Tell me honestly: what is happening?
Father Gabriele Amorth: The Smoke of Satan enters everywhere. Everywhere! Maybe we were excluded from The Papal Audience because they were afraid so many Exorcists would be able to chase out the legions of demons that have taken up residence in the Vatican.
Paci: You're kidding, right?
Amorth: It may seem a joke, but I think it is no joke. I have no doubt that the devil tempts especially the leaders of The Church, as he tempts all leaders . . .
Paci: Are you saying that here, as in any war, Satan wants to conquer the opposing generals?
Amorth: It is a winning strategy. One always tries to implement it. Especially when the defenses of one's opponents are weak. Satan also tries. But thankfully there is The Holy Spirit who governs The Church: 'The Gates of Hell shall not prevail.' Despite the defections. And despite the betrayals. Which should cause us no surprise. The first traitor was one of The Apostles closest to Jesus, Judas Iscariot. But, despite this, The Church continues on her way. She is held up by The Holy Spirit and therefore all the efforts of Satan can have only partial results. Of course, the devil can win some battles. Even important ones. But never the war."
—from a 2001 interview between Italian journalist Stefano Maria Paci and Father Gabriele Amorth, published in the June 2001 issue of 30 Giorni magazine
This Article is taken from "Letter #57, 2016: Adieu Padre Amorth",
A humble son of Saint Francis, whose Stigmata we Commemorated yesterday, Saint Joseph also glorifies The Cross of Jesus, which The Liturgy exalted, recently, on 14 September (The Exaltation of The Holy Cross).
Like the Seraphic Patriarch, he strove to remain attached to The Cross by absolute Poverty, heroic Obedience, and Virginal Purity.
Such was his spirit of sacrifice and Prayer, that he accepted with Holy Patience and great serenity to be misunderstood and calumniated (Offertory). Wherefore, God, Who exalts the humble, caused him to pass from the rank of Brother to that of Clerk and to be made a Priest.
He wrought such Miracles that he implored Heaven to withdraw from him the remarkable powers with which he was endowed. He died a Holy Death at Osimo, Italy, in 1663.
Mass: Diléctio Dei.
Gospel: Loquebátur Jesus.
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Two years before his death, Saint Francis retired to Mount Alverno, Italy, where he began a Fast of forty days in honour of Saint Michael The Archangel. And lo ! In the midst of his Meditations, he saw a figure, like a Seraphim, with six wings dazzling and burning, whose feet and hands were nailed to a Cross.
Aware that suffering is incompatible with the immortality of a Seraphic Spirit, he understood this to mean that he would become more like Jesus and bear his Cross after Him (Gospel), not by physical Martyrdom, but by a Mystical kindling of Divine Love.
And, in order that this Crucified Love might become an example to us all, five wounds, resembling those of Jesus on The Cross, appeared on his feet, hands, and side. From his side, blood flowed abundantly.
The facts were so fully authenticated later, that Pope Benedict XI ordered them to be Commemorated every year, and Pope Paul V, to kindle in The Faithful the love of Jesus Crucified, extended The Feast to the whole Church.
Mass: As on The Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4 October, except Proper Collects.
Januarius is the Patron Saint of Naples, where The Faithful gather three times a year, in Naples Cathedral, to witness the liquefaction of what is claimed to be a sample of his blood, kept in a sealed glass ampoule.
Under Amtrak, it merged with the The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's George Washington to become a Chicago-Washington Train, and would later be renamed The Cardinal, which remains in operation.
"At Chalcedon," says The Roman Martyrology, "the birth in Heaven of Saint Euphemia, Virgin and Martyr, who was condemned to the wild beasts." This happened in 307 A.D.
"At Rome, the Holy Martyrs, Lucy, a noble lady, and Geminianus, who were beheaded by order of Emperor Diocletian, about 300 A.D."
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated. Saint Cornelius And Saint Cyprian. Bishops And Martyrs. Feast Day 16 September. Semi-Double. Red Vestments.
English: Saint Cornelius.
Pope and Martyr.
Deutsch: Ausstattung der ehemaligen Seitenaltäre der Meßkircher St. Martinskirche, Standflügel:Heiliger Cornelius als Papst und Märtyrer.
Source/Photographer: Eingescannt aus: Anna Moraht-Fromm und Hans Westhoff:
Der Meister von Meßkirch – Forschungen zur südwestdeutschen
Malerei des 16. Jahrhunderts, Ulm, 1997, S. 190, links.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Cornelius was a Roman and was Sovereign Pontiff under the Emperors Gallus and Volusian. He had to oppose Novatian, the first Anti-Pope. He took from the Catacomb of Saint Sebastian, where they had rested some forty years, the bodies of the Apostles Peter and Paul and Translated them to the places where they had suffered Martyrdom.
He was arrested by order of the Emperors and beheaded in 253 A.D.
English: Saint Cyprian.
Bishop and Martyr.
Deutsch: Ausstattung der ehemaligen Seitenaltäre der Meßkircher
Source/Photographer: Eingescannt aus: Anna Moraht-Fromm und Hans Westhoff:
Der Meister von Meßkirch – Forschungen zur südwestdeutschen
Malerei des 16. Jahrhunderts, Ulm, 1997, S. 190, rechts.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Cyprian was a Barrister at Carthage, when he was converted to Christianity. A short time afterwards, he was Ordained a Priest and became Bishop of Carthage. "It would be superfluous," says Saint Jerome, "to speak of his genius, since his works are more brilliant than the Sun."
This illustrious Father of The Latin Church lived in one of the most troublous periods for The Church in Africa. He was Martyred five years after Saint Cornelius on the day when this Holy Pope's remains were Translated to Rome. That explains why their names are united by The Liturgy of The Canon of The Mass (First List).
Mass: Intret; of several Martyrs.
Commemoration of The Holy Martyrs: Saints Euphemia, Lucy, and Geminianus.
It is possible that a small private Chapel stood on this site before the present building was commenced in the Late-13th-Century. The East End is unusual in that The Lady Chapel (more recently used as a school room) vies for importance with The Chancel.
Declared redundant in 1983, Saint Augustine's Church is now entirely maintained by The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust.
Travel Directions to Saint Augustine's Church, Snave (near Ashford), Kent TN26 2QJ. By Road. Leave the M20 at Junction 10. Follow the A2070 towards Hastings. After, approx, 9.3 miles, take the Slip Road to the LEFT (signposted "SNAVE"). At the Post-Box (on your LEFT), TURN LEFT, and you have arrived at the Church. (N.B. Google Maps mark the destination as "Manor Farm") By Rail. Frequent Trains from Saint Pancras International Railway Station, London, going to ASHFORD INTERNATIONAL. Then take a Taxi to SNAVE.
Permission for this Mass at Saint Augustine's Church,
Snave is one a group of Mediaeval Churches built to serve very small communities
on Romney Marsh, in Kent. Now redundant, they are in the care of The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust, who have kindly given permission for us to Celebrate Mass on
Saturday, 24 September 2016 (Feast of Our Lady of Ransom) at 12 noon.
Last year (2015) was the first time Mass had been Celebrated in the Church since Reformation times. We are delighted to be able to return this year. The Celebrant will be Fr Marcus Holden (Rector of The Shrine of Saint Augustine, Ramsgate) and music will be supplied by The Victoria Consort.
Mary stood at The Foot of The Cross where Jesus was hanging (Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Sequence, Gospel) and, as Simeon had Prophesied (Collect), a Sword of Sorrow pierced her Soul (Secret). Powerless, "she saw her Sweet Child desolate in the anguish of death, and she received His Last Breath" (Sequence).
The compassion which her Maternal Heart felt at The Foot of The Cross obtained for her as its reward The Palm of Martyrdom without death (Communion).
This Feast was Celebrated with great Solemnity by The Servites in the 17th-Century. In 1817, it was extended by Pope Pius VII to the whole Church, so as to recall the sufferings she had undergone in the person of her exiled and captive head [Editor: The Pope], delivered by the protection of The Blessed Virgin.
Just as the first Feast of The Sorrows of Mary, in Passiontide, shows us how she had her share in The Sacrifice of Jesus, the second Feast, in The Season after Pentecost, tells us of all the compassion which The Mother of The Saviour feels for The Church, the spouse of Jesus, who is crucified in her turn [Editor: The Church] and whose Devotion to The Sorrows of Mary increases in these calamitous times.
His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X, in 1908, raised this Feast to the Rank of a Solemnity of The Second-Class.
Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), The Sorrowful Mother, or, Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa, at times just Dolorosa), and Our Lady of The Seven Sorrows, or, Our Lady of The Seven Dolours, are names by which The Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to Sorrows in her Life.
The Seven Sorrows (or Dolours) are events in The Life of The Blessed Virgin Mary, which are a popular Devotion and are frequently depicted in art. It is a common Devotion for Catholics to say, daily, one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each of The Seven Sorrows, which are:
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows was originated by a Provincial Synod of Cologne, in 1413, as a response to the iconoclast Hussites. It was designated for the Friday after The Third Sunday after Easter. It had the Title: Commemoratio angustiae et doloris Beatae Mariae Virginis. Before the 16th-Century, The Feast was Celebrated only in parts of Northern Europe.
Earlier, in 1233, seven youths in Tuscany, Italy, founded The Servite Order (also known as "The Servite Friars", or "The Order of The Servants of Mary"). Five years later, they took up "The Sorrows of Mary, Standing Under The Cross", as the principal Devotion of their Order.
Over the Centuries, several Devotions, and even Orders, arose around Meditation on Mary's Sorrows. The Servites developed the two most common Devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely The Rosary of The Seven Sorrows and The Black Scapular of The Seven Dolours of Mary. The Black Scapular is a symbol of The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with The Servite Order. Most devotional Scapulars have requirements regarding ornamentation or design. The Devotion of The Black Scapular requires only that it be made of Black Woollen Cloth.
It depicts The Virgin Mary at the moment that Simeon the Righteous says: "Yea, a Sword shall pierce through thy own Soul also . . ." (Luke 2:35). She stands with her hands upraised in Prayer, and Seven Swords pierce her Heart, indicative of The Seven Sorrows. This is one of the few Orthodox icons of The Theotokos which do not depict The Infant Jesus. The Refrain "Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men !" is also used.
The first Altar to The Mater Dolorosa was set up in 1221 at the Monastery of Schönau. Especially in Mediterranean Countries, Parishioners traditionally carry statues of Our Lady of Sorrows in Processions on the days leading to Good Friday.
No Feast in her honour was included in Pope Saint Pius V's 1570 Tridentine Calendar. Vatican approval for the Celebration of a Feast, in honour of Our Lady of Sorrows, was first granted to The ServiteOrder in 1667.
Another Feast, originating in the 17th-Century, was extended to the whole of The Latin Church in 1727. It was originally Celebrated on Friday in Passion Week, one week before Good Friday. In 1954, it still held the Rank of Major Double (slightly lower than the Rank of the 15 September Feast) in The General Roman Calendar.
Each Celebration was called a Feast of "The Seven Sorrows of The Blessed Virgin Mary."
The 15 September Feast, that now combines and continues both of them, is known as "The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows" (Beatae Mariae Virginis Perdolentis). The Sequence, known as Stabat Mater, may be sung at Mass on that day.
Our Lady of Sorrows, depicted as "Mater Dolorosa" (Mother of Sorrows), has been the subject of some key works of Roman Catholic Marian Art. Mater Dolorosa is one of the three common artistic representations of a sorrowful Virgin Mary, the other two being Stabat Mater ("The Mother Stood") and Pietà.
In this iconography, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is at times simply represented in a sad and anguished mode by herself, her expression being that of tears and sadness. In other representations, The Virgin Mary is depicted with Seven Swords in her Heart, a reference to the Prophecy of Simeon, at The Presentation.
On 14 September 335 A.D., there took place The Dedication of Constantine's Basilica, which enclosed both Calvary and The Holy Sepulchre. "At this date," says Etheria, "The Cross was discovered. And the Anniversary is Celebrated with as much Solemnity as Easter or The Epiphany."
Such was the origin of The Feast of The Exaltation of The Cross. "When I shall be raised on high, I shall draw everything unto Me" (Gospel), Jesus had said.
It is because The Saviour humbled Himself, being obedient even to the Death of The Cross, that God exalted Him and gave Him a name above all other names (Epistle). Wherefore, we must glory in The Cross of Jesus, for He is our Life and our Salvation (Introit) and He protects His servants against the wiles of their enemies (Offertory, Communion, Postcommunion).
Towards the end of the reign of Phocas [Editor: Byzantine Emperor, 602 A.D. - 610 A.D.], Chosroes, King of Persia, says the legend of The Breviary, took Jerusalem, where he put to death several thousand Christians and carried off to Persia The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which Saint Helen had placed on Mount Calvary.
Heraclius, the successor of Phocas, had recourse to many Fasts and Prayers, imploring with great fervour the help of God. He assembled an army and defeated Chosroes. He then insisted on the restitution of The Cross of The Lord.
Thus, the precious Relic was recovered after an interval of fourteen years. On his return to Jerusalem, Heraclius carried it on his shoulders, in great pomp, to the Mount where the Saviour, Himself, had borne it (629 A.D.).
An extraordinary Miracle marked the occasion. Heraclius, who was loaded with ornaments of gold and precious stones, was held back by an invisible force at the entrance gate of Mount Calvary, and vain were his efforts to enter.
As the Emperor and all those who witnessed the scene were astonished, Zacharias, Bishop of Jerusalem, said to him: "Consider, O Emperor, that, with these triumphal ornaments, you are far from imitating the poverty of Jesus Christ and His humility in bearing His Cross."
Heraclius, thereupon, doffed his splendid garb and walked barefoot with a common cloak on his shoulders to Calvary, where he again deposited The Cross. The Feast of The Exaltation of The Holy Cross on the original spot, the Anniversary of which was Celebrated on this day, became of great importance.
Let us join, in spirit, The Faithful, who, in the Church of The Holy Cross, at Rome, Venerate on this day the Relics of The Sacred Wood, exposed for the occasion, so that, having been privileged to adore it on this Feast, when we rejoice for its Exaltation, we may, likewise, possess for all Eternity the Salvation and Glory that The Cross has won for us (Collect, Secret).
Mass: Nos autem gloriari oportet in Cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi. (But it behoves us to glory in The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ). Creed. Preface: Of The Holy Cross.
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In Roman Catholic Liturgical Observance, Red Vestments are worn at Church Services conducted on this day, and, if the day falls on a Sunday, its Mass Readings are used instead of that for the occurring Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Lectionary of The Church of England (and other Anglican Churches) also stipulates Red as the Liturgical Colour for 'Holy Cross Day'.
The Rule of Saint Benedict also prescribes this day as the beginning of Monastic Winter (i.e., the period when there are three Nocturns of Psalms and Readings at Matins), which also ends at Easter.
