Saint George, born of an illustrious family in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), was promoted by Emperor Diocletian to the First Ranks in the army.
When the Emperor had published at Nicomedia his first Edict against the Christians, Saint George reproached him for his cruelty. Immediately, Saint George was cast into prison and subjected to such atrocious torments that the Eastern Church calls him The Great Martyr. He was beheaded in 303 A.D.
This Patron of armies is Venerated by Greeks and Latins. Rome possesses a Sanctuary erected in his honour, where The Station is held on The Thursday after Ash Wednesday.
England chose him for her Patron in the 13th-Century. Therefore, in this Country, his Feast is a Double of The First-Class with an Octave. He is one of The Fourteen Auxiliary Saints.
The following Text is from Wikipedia -the free encyclopædia.
Saint George, was a Soldier in the Roman army and was later Venerated as a Christian Martyr. His father was Gerontius, a GreekChristian, from Cappadocia, and an Official in the Roman army; his mother, Polychronia, was a Christian, from Lydda. Saint George became an Officer in the Roman army in The Guard of the Emperor Diocletian, who ordered his death for failing to repudiate his Christian Faith.
Many Patronages of Saint George exist around the World, including Countries and Cities, as well as The Scout Movement, in addition to a wide range of professions, organisations, and disease sufferers.
Pope Soter succeeded Pope Anicetus in 161 A.D., and was Martyred ten years later under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Pope Caius, whose Relics are kept in the Sanctuary of Saint Sylvester, at Rome, governed The Church a Century later and was put to death in 296 A.D.
Like all the Sovereign Pontiffs of the first Centuries, they united their sacrifice to that of Christ and "in Him bore much fruit" (Epistle). "God then avenged the blood of His servants and invited them to The Marriage Feast of The Lamb" (Epistle), to associate them in His Triumph and Happiness (Gospel, Offertory, Communion).
Let us honour the Blessed Martyrs Soter and Caius in order that, in Heaven, their powerful intercession may obtain for us Divine Protection (Collect).
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated.
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph. Spouse of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor and Patron of The Universal Church. Third Wednesday after Easter. (Wednesday after Good Shepherd Sunday).
Double of The First-Class with an Octave.
[Note: An Octave was given to this Solemnity, rather than to The Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March, because Feasts falling in Lent may not have Octaves.]
Today's Mass might be represented by a Triptych (see, below), showing us that Saint Joseph is the protector, which Divine Providence has chosen for His Church.
1. The Epistle speaks to us of Joseph, who, in The Old Testament, is a figure of Saint Joseph. The dying Jacob prophesies that his son, Joseph, "shall be the Pastor and Strength of Israel, and that The Almighty shall shower Blessings upon him." And Joseph was established by Pharao over the entire land of Egypt, so that the salvation of all depended upon him. [The Lessons and Responses of The First Nocturn of Matins.] The whole Church has recourse to Saint Joseph with confidence.
2. The Gospel, Collect, and Communion, explaining the connection between The Heavenly Trinity and The Holy Family, this Trinity on Earth, show forth the power of Saint Joseph. Jesus is, at the same time, Son of God and Son of man. Mary is The Spouse of The Holy Ghost, and it is the will of God The Father that Saint Joseph should be considered father of Christ and that he should exercise paternal rights over Him (Preface).
3. Lastly, the Introit, Collects, Alleluia, and Offertory, show us Saint Joseph as the guardian of the new Jerusalem, which is The Church, to watch over her in the midst of all her tribulations.
Full of confidence in the patronage of Saint Joseph, let us honour his Title of Protector on Earth, so as to deserve his help from Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Adjútor.
Creed: Is said. Preface of Saint Joseph during The Octave.
Prescribed by Pope Leo XIII, for the Month of October,
after the recitation of The Rosary and The Litany of Our Lady.
Indulgence: 300 Days.
21 September 1889.
Unto thee. O, Blessed Joseph, do we fly in our tribulation and, having implored the help of thy Holy Spouse, we now also confidently seek thy protection.
By that affection which united thee to The Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by thy fatherly love for The Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to look down with compassion on the inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased with His Blood, and in our need to help us by thy powerful intercession.
Do thou, O prudent Guardian of The Holy Family,
watch over the chosen people of Jesus Christ.
Keep us, O loving father, safe from all error
and corruption. O great protector, from thy place
in Heaven, graciously help us in our contest
against The Powers of Darkness.
And as of old thou didst rescue The Child Jesus from
the danger of death, so now defend God's Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.
Extend to each one of us thy continual protection,
A native of Aosta (Italy) and a Monk of Bec Abbey, Normandy, Saint Anselm became its Abbot and, later, Archbishop of Canterbury (Communion). "Filled with Divine Wisdom" (Introit) and endowed with superior talents, he endeavoured to develop the science of God by a rational method, which cleared the way for Scholastic Theologians.
"I do not try to understand in order to believe", he declared, "but I believe in order to understand". Thereby, he realised the saying of the Gospel: "You are The Light of The World" and The Church has awarded him the Title of Doctor of The Church.
"A hero for Doctrine and Virtue", declares Pope Urban II, "he was equally intrepid in fighting for The Faith". Like a courageous Pastor, he defended "in Season and out of Season" (Epistle), against the ambitious tyranny of William Rufus, the Sacred Liberty which Jesus had bought for His flock with His Blood.
"Christ", he affirms, "loves nothing so much in this World as the liberty of His Church".
Saint Anselm died at the age of seventy-three on 21 April 1109.
Let us honour Saint Anselm "so that he, who was a Doctor of Truth on Earth, may intercede for us in Heaven" (Collect).
Mass: In medio.
The following Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless otherwise stated.
He entered The Benedictine Order at the Abbey of Bec, Normandy, France, in 1060, at the age of twenty-seven, where he became Abbot in 1079. He became Archbishop of Canterbury, under William II of England . He was exiled from England from 1097 to 1100 and, again, from 1105 to 1107 (under Henry I of England), as a result of the Investiture Controversy, the most significant conflict between Church and State in Mediæval Europe. Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of The Church, in 1720, by a Papal Bull of Pope Clement XI. His Feast Day is 21 April.
Anselm was born in Aosta, in the Kingdom of Arles, around 1033. His family was related, by blood, to the ascendant House of Savoy and owned considerable property. His parents were from a noble lineage. His father, Gundulf, was by birth a Lombard. His mother, Ermenberga, was related to Otto, Count of Savoy.
At the age of fifteen, Anselm desired to enter a Monastery, but could not obtain his father's consent, and so the Abbot refused him. Disappointment brought on apparent psychosomatic illness. After recovery, he gave up his studies and lived a carefree life. During this period, his mother died. When he was twenty-three, Anselm left home, crossed the Alps and wandered through Burgundy and France.
Attracted by the fame of his countryman, Lanfranc (then Prior of the Benedictine Abbey of Bec), Anselm arrived in Normandy in 1059. The following year, after some time at Avranches, he entered the Abbey as a Novice at the age of twenty-seven, submitting himself to The Rule of Saint Benedict, which reshaped his thoughts over the next decade.
In 1063, Lanfranc was made Abbot of Caen, and Anselm was elected Prior of the Abbey of Bec, an Office he held for fifteen years, before he became Abbot at the death of Herluin, the Abbey's Founder, in 1078. He was Consecrated Abbot, on 22 February 1079, by the Bishop of Évreux. This Consecration was rushed, because, at the time, the Archdiocese of Rouen (wherein Bec lay) was sede vacante (vacant). Had Anselm been Consecrated by the Archbishop of Rouen, he would have been under pressure to profess obedience to him, which would compromise Bec's independence.
Under Anselm's jurisdiction, Bec became the foremost Seat of Learning in Europe, attracting Students from France, Italy and elsewhere. It was during his time at Bec that he wrote his first works of Philosophy, the "Monologion" (1076) and the "Proslogion" (1077–1078). These were followed by "The Dialogues on Truth", "Free Will", and "Fall of the Devil". During his time at Bec, Anselm worked to maintain its freedom from Lay, and Archiepiscopal, control. Later in his Abbacy, Anselm worked to ensure Bec's independence from Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, and from the Archbishop of Rouen.
Anselm occasionally visited England to see the Abbey's property there, as well as to visit Lanfranc, who, in 1070, had been installed as Archbishop of Canterbury. He made a good impression while there, and was the natural successor to Lanfranc as Archbishop.
Upon Lanfranc's death in 1089, however, William II of England seized the possessions and revenues of the See, and made no new appointment. In 1092, at the invitation of Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, Anselm crossed to England. He was detained there by business for nearly four months and then refused permission to return to Bec by the King. The latter suddenly fell seriously ill at Alveston, the following year, and spurred on by his wish to make amends for his sinful behaviour, which he believed had caused his illness, he allowed the nomination of Anselm to the vacant See, on 6 March 1093.
Over the course of the following months, Anselm tried to refuse, on the grounds of age and ill-health. On 24 August 1093, Anselm gave William the conditions under which he would accept the See, which amounted to an Agenda of: The Gregorian Reform; that William return the See's land which he had seized; that William accept the pre-eminence of Anselm's Spiritual Counsel; and that William acknowledge Pope Urban II as Pope (in opposition to Anti-Pope Clement III).
Anselm's professions of refusal aided his bargaining position as he discussed terms with William. William was exceedingly reluctant to accept these conditions; he would only grant the first condition. A few days after, William tried to rescind even this; he suspended the preparations for Anselm's Investiture. Under public pressure, William was forced to carry out the Appointment. In the end, Anselm and William settled on the return of Canterbury's lands as the only concession from William.
Finally, the English Bishops thrust the Crozier into his hands and took him to the Church to be Inducted. He did homage to William, and, on 25 September 1093, he received the lands of the See and was Enthroned, after obtaining dispensation from his duties in Normandy. He was Consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on 4 December 1093.
It has been argued whether Anselm's reluctance to take the see was sincere or not. Scholars such as Southern[56] and Kent[55] maintain Anselm's honest preference was to remain at Bec. Anselm had initially considered becoming a hermit[57] and, naturally drawn to contemplation, he likely would have cared little for such a political office at the best of times and disliked it all the more amid his own troubled age.[55]
Against this, Vaughn notes that feigned reluctance to accept important positions was a common practice within the Mediæval Church, as open eagerness risked earning a reputation as an ambitious careerist. She further notes that his approach improved his negotiating position and that he finally acted at the moment that gained him the greatest leverage in advancing the interests of his See and the reform movement within The Church.[58]
One of Anselm's first conflicts with William came the very month he was Consecrated. William was preparing to fight his elder brother, Robert II, Duke of Normandy, and needed funds for doing so. Anselm was among those expected to pay him, and he offered £500. William refused the offer, insisting on a greater sum. Later, a group of Bishops suggested that William might now settle for the original sum, but Anselm told them he had already given the money to The Poor. In this episode, Anselm was careful, and managed to avoid charges of Simony.
English: Saint Anselm Church, Saint-Anselme, Quebec, Canada.
Anselm continued to agitate for reform and the interests of Canterbury. His vision of The Church was one of a Universal Church with its own internal authority, which countered William's vision of Royal control over both Church and State. Consequently, he has been viewed alternatively as a contemplative Monastic or as a man politically engaged, committed to maintaining the privileges of the Episcopal See of Canterbury.
The Church's rule stated that Metropolitans could not be Consecrated without receiving the Pallium from the hands of the Pope. Anselm, accordingly, insisted that he must proceed to Rome to receive the Pallium, but William would not permit it. The Anti-Pope Clement was disputing the authority of Pope Urban II, who had been recognised by France and Normandy. It does not appear that the English King was a partisan of the Anti-Pope, but he wished to strengthen his own position by asserting his right to decide between the rival claimants.
Hence, when Anselm asked leave to go to the Pope, the King said that no-one in England should acknowledge either Pope till he, the King, had decided the matter. On 25 February 1095, the Bishops and Nobles of England held a Council at Rockingham to discuss the issue. The Bishops sided with the King, with William de St-Calais, the Bishop of Durham, even advising William to depose Anselm. The Nobles chose Anselm's position, and the Conference ended in deadlock.
Immediately following this, William sent secret messengers to Rome. They prevailed on Pope Urban to send a Legate (Walter of Albano) to the King bearing the Archiepiscopal Pallium. Walter and William then negotiated in secret. William agreed to acknowledge Urban as Pope, and secured the right to give permission before Clerics could receive and obey Papal Letters; Walter, negotiating for Pope Urban, conceded that Urban would send no Legates without William's invitation.
William's greatest desire was that Anselm be deposed and another given the Pallium. Walter said that "there was good reason to expect a successful issue in accordance with the King's wishes". William then openly acknowledged Urban as Pope, but Walter refused to depose Anselm. William then tried to extract money from Anselm for the Pallium, and was refused. William also tried to personally hand over the Pallium to Anselm, and was refused again. He compromised, and Anselm took the Pallium from the Altar at Canterbury on 10 June 1095.
Over the next two years, no overt dispute between Anselm and William is known. However, William blocked Anselm's efforts at Church Reform. The issues came to a head in 1097, after William put down a Welsh Rebellion. He charged Anselm with having given him insufficient Knights for the Campaign and tried to fine him. Anselm resolved to proceed to Rome and seek the Counsel of The Pope, because William had refused to fulfil his promise of Church Reform, but William denied him permission. The negotiations ended with William declaring that, if Anselm left, he would take back the See, and never again receive Anselm as Archbishop. If Anselm were to stay, William would fine him and force him to swear never again to appeal to Rome: "Anselm was given the choice of Exile or total submission."
As an Exile, in October 1097, Anselm set out for Rome. William immediately seized the revenues of the See and retained them until his death, though Anselm retained the Archbishopric. Anselm went into Exile to defend his vision of the Universal Church, displaying William's sins against that vision. Though he had done homage to William, Anselm qualified that homage by his higher duty towards God and the Papacy.
Anselm was received with high honour by Pope Urban at the Siege of Capua, where he garnered high praise from the Saracen Troops of Count Roger I of Sicily. At a large Provincial Council, held at Bari, Italy, in 1098, which 183 Bishops attended, Anselm was asked to defend, against representatives of the Greek Church, the Filioque and the practice of using Unleavened Bread for the Eucharist. In 1099, Pope Urban renewed the Ban on Lay Investiture and on Clerics doing homage. That year Anselm moved to Lyon.
The Meeting of The Countess Matilda and Anselm of Canterbury
William was killed on 2 August 1100. His successor, Henry I of England, invited Anselm to return, writing that he committed himself to be Counselled by Anselm. Henry was courting Anselm because he needed his support for the security of his claim to The Throne; Anselm could have thrown his support behind Henry's elder brother, instead. When Anselm returned, Henry requested that Anselm do him homage for The Canterbury Estates and receive from him Investiture in his Office of Archbishop. The Papacy had recently banned Clerics doing homage to Laymen, as well as banning Lay Investiture. Thus started Anselm's conflicts with Henry.
Henry refused to relinquish the privilege possessed by his predecessors, and proposed that the matter be laid before the Pope. Two Embassies were sent to Pope Paschal II, regarding the legitimacy of Henry's Investiture, but Paschal reaffirmed the Papal rule on both occasions. In the meantime, Anselm did work with Henry. Henry was threatened with invasion by his brother, Robert Curthose, and Anselm publicly supported Henry, wooing the wavering Barons and threatening Curthose with Excommunication.
At Michælmas, 1102, Anselm held a Council in London, in which he prohibited marriage and concubinage to those in Holy Orders (as well as condemning Simony and reforming regulations on Clerical Dress and sobriety). He was among the first to take a public stand against The Slave Trade. In 1102, at a Church Council in Saint Peter's Church, Westminster, he obtained the passage of a Resolution against the practice of selling men like cattle.
For his part, Henry granted Anselm authority over all the Church in England, and agreed to obey the Papacy. However, because Paschal had reaffirmed the Papal Rules on Lay Investiture and homage, Henry turned once more against Anselm. In 1103, Anselm, and an Envoy from the King (William Warelwast), set out for Rome, Paschal Excommunicated the Bishops whom Henry had Invested.
Late-11th-Century. Preserved at The Bibliothèque Municipale de Rouen, France.
Italiano: Iniziale miniata da un manoscritto della fine dell'XI secolo del Monologiondi Anselmo d'Aosta. Conservato presso la Bibliothèque municipale de Rouen.
Source: Anselm of Canterbury's "Monologion",
Manuscripted by Hugo Pictor, Jumièges Scriptorium, Late-11th-Century.
Author: Hugo Pictor.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Anselm withdrew to Lyon, after this Ruling, and awaited further action from Pope Paschal. On 26 March 1105, Paschal Excommunicated Henry's Chief Advisor (Robert of Meulan) for urging Henry to continue Lay Investiture, as well as Prelates Invested by Henry and other Counsellors, and threatened Henry with the same. In April 1105, Anselm threatened to Excommunicate Henry, himself, probably to force Henry's hand in their negotiations.
In response, Henry arranged a Meeting with Anselm, and they managed a compromise at Laigle, Normandy, on 22 July 1105. Part of the agreement was that Robert of Meulan's (and his associates') Excommunication be lifted (given that they Counsel the King to obey the Papacy). Anselm agreed to lift the Excommunications on his own authority, an act which he later had to justify to Pope Paschal. Other conditions of the agreement were: Henry would forsake Lay Investiture, if Anselm obtained Paschal's permission for Clerics to do homage for their Nobles; that the Revenues of his See be given back to Anselm; and that Priests not be allowed to marry. Anselm then insisted on having The Laigle Agreement Sanctioned by Pope Paschal before he would consent to return to England.
By Letter, Anselm also asked that the Pope accept his compromise on doing homage to the King, because he had secured a greater victory in Henry's forsaking Lay Investiture. On 23 March 1106, Pope Paschal wrote to Anselm accepting the compromise, though both saw this as a temporary compromise, and intended to later continue pushing for The Gregorian Reform, including the custom of homage.
Even after this, Anselm still refused to return to England. King Henry travelled to Bec, in Normandy, and met with him on 15 August 1106. Henry made further concessions, restoring to Anselm all the Churches that had been seized by King William. He promised that nothing more would be taken from the Churches.
Prelates, who had paid his controversial tax (which had started as a tax on Married Clergy) would be exempt from taxes for three years, and he promised to restore all that had been taken from Canterbury during Anselm's Exile, even giving Anselm security for this promise. These compromises, on Henry's part, strengthened the Rights of The Church against the King. Anselm returned to England following these promises.
By 1107, the long dispute, regarding Investiture, was finally settled. The Concordat of London announced the compromises that Anselm and Henry had made at Bec. The final two years of Anselm's life were spent in the duties of his Archbishopric. As Archbishop, Anselm maintained his Monastic ideals, which included stewardship, prudence, and fitting instruction to his flock, as well as Prayer and Contemplation. During his service as Archbishop, Anselm maintained a habit of pressing on his Monarchs at expedient times (when they needed his help, and when he would have public support) to advance his Church Reforms.
Anselm died on Holy Wednesday, 21 April 1109, in Canterbury, Kent, England, and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
Ceiling painting: The Virgin Mary appearing to Saint Anselm of Canterbury.
When I was about five or six years old, my Dad helped an elderly colleague move. I never knew her name or even where she was moving, but she was a grand-motherly type and her tiny house was filled with “lady things”.
Being raised with my brother by a single Dad, this was the first time I recall ever seeing female things. They were alien. Fascinating. I wanted to touch them all and the kind woman noticed this and took time to show me some of her treasures as she packed them into boxes.
Before we left that evening, she opened a tiny lacquered box, with herons edged in gold, and asked if I knew what the silver dome was inside. I couldn’t guess. She asked if I would learn to sew someday, and I assured her “Oh yes!”, without any idea what she was talking about. She gave me the box to take home and I never saw her again.
Decades later that box had remained with me without any real effort on my part. It wasn’t an important trinket. I don’t know why I still have it.
But, ten years ago, I started repairing Vestments (how I became Catholic is a different story), but I suddenly recalled that little orange box and pulled it out to use it for the first time.
A full forty years had passed and I saw it with new eyes. The graceful name engraved on the side stopped me in my tracks . . . Maria.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.
In Architecture, a Tympanum (plural, Tympana; from Latin and Greek words meaning “Drum”) is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a Lintel and an Arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element.
In Ancient Greek, Roman and Christian Architecture, Tympana of Religious buildings usually contain Religious imagery. A Tympanum over a doorway is very often the most important, or only, location for monumental sculpture on the outside of a building.
In Classical Architecture, and in Classicising Styles from The Renaissance, onwards, major examples are usually triangular; in Romanesque Architecture, Tympana have a semi-circular shape, or that of a thinner slice from the top of a circle, and in Gothic Architecture they have a more vertical shape, coming to a point at the top. These shapes naturally influence the typical compositions of any sculpture within the Tympanum.
Bands of moulding, surrounding the Tympanum, are referred to as the Archivolt.
In Mediæval French Architecture, the Tympanum is often supported by a decorated Pillar, called a Trumeau.
English: The three Tympana on the lower part of the main façade of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, France. On the upper part, the twenty-eight Kings of Judea and Israel. On the lower part, from Left to Right, are: The Portal of The Virgin; The Portal of The Last Judgement; The Portal of Saint-Anne.
Français: Partie basse de la façade ouest de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. La rangée du haut représente les 28 rois d'Israël et Judée ayant précédé le Christ. En dessous, et de gauche à droite, le portail de la Vierge, le portail du Jugement Dernier et le portail Saint-Anne.
The Paschal Cycle surrounds The King of Martyrs, Whose triumph it celebrates, with a bevy of Saints who "followed Him bearing their Crosses and who, having lost their lives for His sake," found the life of which Jesus, Risen Again, is the model (Gospel).
Saint Anicetus, Invested with full Sacerdotal power (Introit), succeeded Pope Saint Pius I as Pope. He governed The Church from 150 A.D. to his death in 168 A.D. and took such a part in The Sufferings of Christ (Epistle) that, although he did not shed his blood for The Faith, he was given the Title of Martyr.
He preserved his flock from the heresies of Valentinus and Marcion and "filled with The Consolations of Jesus, he was enabled, in turn, to console those who suffered" (Epistle). The great Saint Polycarp came to him at Rome to confer especially about the date of the Celebration of Easter, for, by the coincidence of this Feast with that of the Jews, it was right to claim that the Mysteries of The Death and Resurrection of Jesus had realised, and taken the place of, the immolation of the Jewish paschal lamb.
"Let us rejoice for the annual Solemnity of Blessed Anicetus" (Collect). This Feast reminds us of the date when, after having died with Christ on Earth, this Holy Martyr went to share The Glory of His Resurrection in Heaven.
Mass: In Paschaltide. Protexisti. Mass: Out of Paschaltide. Sacerdotes Dei.
Saint Valerian, the husband of Saint Cecilia, Tiburtius, his brother, and Maximus, their executioner, who was converted at the sight of their courage, united in 229 A.D. their Martyrdom to that of The Crucified Christ and shared the Glory of Jesus, Risen Again.
Mass: Out of Paschaltide. Sapiéntiam. Mass: In Paschaltide. Sancti tui. Epistle and Gospel of The Mass: Protexisti.
