Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Monday 21 April 2014

House Of Discernment For Potential Priests At Shrewsbury Cathedral, Says Bishop Mark Davies.


File:Bishop Mark Davies.jpg

English: Bishop Mark Davies during Invocation 2011, 17-19 June, Oscott College
Deutsch: Bischof von Shrewsbury, Mark Davies, Juni 2011, Oscott College
© Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk Camera: Nikon D3X. License on Flickr (2011-06-19): Non-Commercial restriction - not compatible with Commons policy
Flickr tags: Invocation 2011, 17-19 June, Oscott College
Photo: 4 July 2010.
(Wikimedia Commons)


File:Shrewsbury Cathedral 2.jpg

Shrewsbury Cathedral
(Cathedral Church of Our Lady, Help of Christians,
and Saint Peter of Alcantara),
Shropshire, England.
Photo: 30 October 2012.
Source: This file was derived from:
derivative work: Rabanus Flavus.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1852, Bertram Arthur Talbot, the 17th Earl of Shrewsbury, offered to build a Cathedral, from which the new Diocese of Shrewsbury would be based. The Cathedral was designed by Edward Pugin (the son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin). Originally, a larger Cathedral, with a tall Spire, was planned. However, two years into the building of the Cathedral, a stratum of sand was discovered very close to the building's foundations, causing them to be weaker than expected, so the Spire had to be abandoned and the building scaled down.
The Earl of Shrewsbury then agreed to meet the cost of a smaller Church, and this was finished at a cost of £4,000, but he died three months prior to its completion. In 1856, the Cathedral was completed and was opened by Cardinal Wiseman.


The following Text can be found at CNA CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

Manchester, United Kingdom, Apr 16, 2014 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury, England, has announced plans for a House of Discernment for potential Priests, emphasising the need for “a renewed love for the Priesthood.”

“If we truly open our hearts in Prayer within our families and Parishes, I have no doubt this gift of new vocations will be given us,” the Bishop said in his Homily during the 16 April Chrism Mass at Saint Anthony’s Church, in the Wythenshawe district of Manchester, England.

The new Discernment House will be based at Shrewsbury Cathedral and is set to open in September 2015, the Diocese of Shrewsbury reports.

Bishop Davies said the House will create “a Community at the heart of our Diocese, where the vocation to Priesthood can be actively discerned and supported.” The House will be a year-long programme.


File:Bishop Mark Davies.jpg


He told the Congregation that Catholics must recognise their role in caring for “the supernatural environment of Faith and Love, within which each new generation grows.”

“Each of us has a part in making an environment where vocations can flourish,” he said.

The Bishop lamented that some young people have told him that they were discouraged from their vocation, not by “hostile influences” outside the Church, but by Catholics.

Bishop Davies compared concerns for the vocations environment to concerns about the natural environment. He noted that problems in the natural environment turn people’s attention to the state of the water, soil and air.

File:Bishop Mark Davies.jpg


“Likewise, in the supernatural order, if these vital signs of life in the vocations of marriage, consecrated life and the Priesthood die away in a local Church, we also must be alert to the environment,” he said.

“This crisis of vocation is neither inexplicable nor irreversible,” the Bishop continued. He encouraged Prayer and a “renewed love for Priestly vocation” to resolve the vocations crisis.

Bishop Davies noted that Jesus teaches Christians to Pray, “not as a last resort, but as the first and irreplaceable means towards receiving this gift from God.”

He also announced Prayer Cards for vocations, which bear a Prayer he wrote himself. These Cards will be sent to all his Diocese’s Parishes.

File:Bishop Mark Davies.jpg


The Bishop also voiced gratitude for Priests.

“Today, we give thanks for every Priest who has faithfully accompanied us along the path of our Christian lives, bringing us the Word of Truth, the Grace of the Sacraments, and, above all, the supreme gift of the Holy Eucharist,” he said.

This love for the Priesthood is not “human adulation”, but, rather, “a Faith-filled appreciation of the gift God gives in every man called to share in Christ’s Priesthood.”

The Priesthood is a life and ministry in which a man seeks “to draw all eyes to Christ the Lord,” Bishop Davies explained.

The Diocese of Shrewsbury presently has eight Seminarians and 111 Priests, including 28 Retired Priests, who are serving 98 Parishes with 121 Churches.


A Very Happy Birthday, Your Majesty.


This Article is taken from ONCE I WAS A CLEVER BOY



H.M. The Queen.
A Golden Jubilee photographic portrait.
Image: onelondonone


Happy Birthday, Ma'am.


Today, is the 88th Birthday of Her Majesty, The Queen, and this is a way for me to express loyal greetings and good wishes to her on the occasion.

It is an obvious and well-worn cliché to say that the world has changed much in the years since 1926, but that the Queen has remained a constant in our national life - it is true, but it is a very familiar notion in writings about such anniversaries. One might add that both she and the institution she embodies have over her lifetime shown an adaptability, but also a stamina and an endurance, that is both impressive in an individual and in a ruling mechanism.

Less frequently pointed out is the centrality of that ability to the process of monarchy at all times and in all nations. On occasion that skill has been neglected with serious, even disastrous results. The tragedy of some nations - far too many indeed - has been the abandonment of the system for the failings of an individual or their advisors.

That, happily, has not been the case with Queen Elizabeth II. She continues to display not only skill as a Sovereign, but, seemingly, an enviable zest for life. Long may she reign, happy and glorious.


Easter Monday Morning.


Taken from HOLY CARD HEAVEN



Jesu,
Candor Lucis Aeternae.

Jesus,
The Bright Whiteness Of Light


Lenten Station At The Papal-Basilica Of Saint Peter's. Easter Monday.


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Indulgence of 30 years and 30 Quarantines.
Double of the First-Class.

White Vestments.



English: Saint Peter's Basilica.
Italiano: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano.
Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri.
English: Saint Peter's Basilica seen from the River Tiber. The iconic Dome dominates the
skyline of Rome. Christianity became the dominant religion of Western Civilisation
when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity.
Magyar: Vatikánváros látképe.
Italiano: Veduta del Vaticano dal Tevere.
한국어: 테베레 강 방향의 성 베드로 대성전. 
로마의 지평선을 압도하는 전통적인 돔 양식이다.
Kiswahili: Vatikani ikitazamwa kutoka mto Tiber.
中文: 从台伯河遥望梵蒂冈.
Photo: January 2005.
Source: Flickr.
Reviewer: Andre Engels.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Title: Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome.
Artist: Giovanni Paolo Panini (1692–1765).

Date: 1731.
Current location: Saint Louis Art Museum,
Missouri, United States of America.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Octave of Easter, during which, formerly, no servile work was done, was one continual Feast. Each day, the Neophytes attended Mass at a Lenten Station, at which they received Holy Communion. In the evening, they went to Saint John Lateran for the Office of Vespers.

On the first day of the week, the Station was at Saint Peter's, which contains the tomb of the temporal Head of the Church. We hear his voice in the Epistle. He proclaims to the world the Resurrection of Christ, of which he was a witness.

Likewise, the Gospel, after describing the appearance of the Risen Christ to the disciples of Emmaus, mentions His apparition to Peter on the very day of His Resurrection.

Receiving, as we do during these Easter festivities, one and the same Sacrament, the milk of our Souls, which were born to the Life of God and brought into the promised land by Baptism (Introit), let us all be one in heart and Soul (Postcommunion) in proclaiming together our Faith in the Risen Christ.

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


Sunday 20 April 2014

Supper At Emmaus. Easter Sunday. Caravaggio (1573–1610).


File:Caravaggio - Cena in Emmaus.jpg

English: Supper at Emmaus.
Deutsch: Abendmahl in Emmaus.
Italiano: Cena in Emmaus.
Artist: Caravaggio (1573–1610).
Date: 1601.
Current location: National Gallery, London.
Photo: May 2010.
Source/Photographer: Own work.
User: Lafit86.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Lenten Station At The Papal Basilica Of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore). Rome. Easter Sunday.


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Plenary Indulgence.

Double of the First-Class with Privileged Octave
of the First-Order.

White Vestments.



Illustration (above) from
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND NEWSPAPER


File:SantaMariaMaggiore front.jpg

English: Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.
Italiano: Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore.
Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris.
Photo: December 2005. 
Original Upload Date: 7 January 2006.
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia.
Author: Original uploader was JACurran at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


As at Christmas, the Lenten Station is made at Saint Mary Major, on this greatest Feast of the whole year. The Church never separates Jesus and Mary, and today, in one and the same triumph, she honours the Mother and the Son. Before all else, the Risen Christ offers the homage of His gratitude to His Father in Heaven (Introit).



The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
is a Church on the Esquilino, in Rome, Italy.
Photo: October 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Maros M r a z (Maros).
(Wikimedia Commons)


In her turn, the Church gives thanks to God, inasmuch as, by the victory of His Son, He has re-opened the way to Heaven, and implores Him to assist us that we may attain this, our final goal (Collect). For this, Saint Paul tells us, just as the Jews eat the Paschal Lamb with the unleavened bread, so we must feast on the Lamb of God, with the unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth (Epistle and Communion), that is free from the leaven of sin.


File:IT-Rom-sm-magg-hauptschiff.jpg

English: The Nave, Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.
Deutsch: Basilika Santa Maria Maggiore, Hauptschiff.
Photo: February 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: Bgabel.
Attribution: Bgabel at wikivoyage shared
(Wikimedia Commons)


In the Gospel and the Offertory, we read of the coming of the Holy Women to the Sepulchre to embalm Our Lord. They find an empty tomb, but an Angel proclaims to them the great Mystery of the Resurrection. Let us joyfully keep this day on which Our Lord has restored Life to us in His own rising from the dead (Easter Preface), and affirm with the Church that "the Lord is risen indeed", and, like Him, make our Easter a passing to an entirely new way of life.

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


File:Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore 2011 14.jpg

English: Interior of the
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy.
Česky: Vnitřní prostory Baziliky
Santa Maria Maggiore, Řím, Itálie.
Photo: April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Italian: Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, Latin: Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is the largest Catholic Marian Church in Rome, Italy.

Other Churches in Rome, dedicated to Mary, include Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greater size of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major justifies the adjective (Papal) by which it is distinguished from the other twenty-five.

According to the 1929 Lateran Treaty, the Basilica, located in Italian territory, is owned by the Holy See and enjoys Extra-Territorial Status, similar to that of foreign embassies. The building is patrolled internally by Police agents of Vatican City State, not by Italian Police.

The Church may still sometimes be referred to as "Our Lady of the Snows", a name given to it in the Roman Missal, from 1568 to 1969, in connection with the Liturgical Feast of the Anniversary of its Dedication on 5 August, a Feast that was then denominated "Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Nives" (Dedication of Saint Mary of the Snows).

This name for the Basilica had become popular in the 14th-Century, in connection with a legend that the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia reports thus: "During the Pontificate of Liberius, the Roman Patrician, John, and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour".




English: Decorated wall murals in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.
Magyar: Santa Maria Maggiore, Róma. A főbejárat feletti belső faldíszítés.
Date: 2008-08-27 (original upload date). Taken on 2005.04.22.
Source: Transferred from hu.wikipedia; transferred to Commons
Author: Original uploader was Kit36a at hu.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


On 5 August, at the height of the Roman Summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary, which they had the same night, the couple built a Basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow.

The legend is first reported only after the year 1000. It may be implied, in what the Liber Pontificalis of the Early-13th-Century says of Pope Liberius: "He built the Basilica of his own name (i.e. the Liberian Basilica) near the Macellum of Livia". Its prevalence in the 15th-Century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale.

The Feast was originally called "Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae" (Dedication of Saint Mary's), and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with "ad Nives" added to its name, in 1568. A Congregation, appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741, proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office and that the Feast be given its original name. No action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the Feast was called "In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae (Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary)". The legend is still commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the Dome during the Celebration of the Mass and Second Vespers of the Feast.


File:Santamariamaggiore19.jpg

English: Interior of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.
Português: Capela lateral e parte da nave, Santa Maria MaggioreRoma.
Date: 2005.
Source: Taken by Ricardo André Frantz.
Author: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, after Pope Liberius (352 A.D. - 366 A.D.). This name may have originated from the same legend, which recounts that, like John and his wife, Pope Liberius was told in a dream of the forthcoming Summer snowfall, went in procession to where it did occur and there marked out the area on which the Church was to be built. "Liberiana" is still included in some versions of the Basilica's formal name, and "Liberian Basilica" may be used as a contemporary, as well as historical, name.

No Catholic Church can be honoured with the title of Basilica unless by Apostolic Grant or from Immemorial Custom. Saint Mary Major is one of the only four Basilicas that today hold the Title of Major Basilica. The other three are Saint John LateranSaint Peter and Saint Paul-without-the-Walls. (The Title of Major Basilica was once used more widely, being attached, for instance, to the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, in Assisi.) All the other Catholic Churches that, either by Grant of the Pope or by Immemorial Custom, hold the Title of Basilica, are Minor Basilicas.

Until 2006, the four Major Basilicas, together with the Basilica of Saint Lawrence-without-the-Walls, were referred to as the five "Patriarchal Basilicas" of Rome, associated with the five ancient Patriarchal Sees of Christendom (see Pentarchy). Saint Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch. In the same year, the title of "Patriarchal" was also removed from the Basilica of Saint Francis, in Assisi.


File:Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome) 02.jpg

English: Cupola over a Side-Altar in
the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.
Deutsch: Santa Maria Maggiore Rom,
Kuppel eines Seitenaltars.
Photo: February 2008.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The former five Patriarchal Basilicas, with the Basilica of The Holy Cross in Jerusalem and San Sebastiano fuori le mura, formed the traditional Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome, which are visited by Pilgrims during their Pilgrimage to Rome, following a 20-kilometres (12 miles) itinerary, established by Saint Philip Neri on 25 February 1552, especially when seeking the Plenary Indulgence on Holy Years. For the Great Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II replaced Saint Sebastian's Church with the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.

It is agreed that the present Church was built under Pope Sixtus III (432 A.D. - 440 A.D.). The Dedicatory Inscription on the Triumphal Arch, "Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei" (Sixtus the Bishop to the people of God) is an indication of that Pope's role in the construction. As well as this Church on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, Pope Sixtus III is said to have commissioned extensive building projects throughout the City, which were continued by his successor, Pope Leo I, (The Great).

Church Building in Rome in this period, as exemplified in Saint Mary Major, was inspired by the idea of Rome being, not just the centre of the world of the Roman Empire, as it was seen in the Classical Period, but the centre of the Christian world.


File:Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore 2011 8.jpg

English: Interior of Basilica di Santa Maria MaggioreRome, Italy.
Česky: Vnitřní prostory Baziliky Santa Maria MaggioreŘím, Itálie.
Photo: April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first Churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the immediate aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431 A.D., which proclaimed Mary, Mother of God. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision.

When the Popes returned to Rome after the period of the Avignon Papacy, the buildings of the Basilica became a temporary Palace of the Popes, due to the deteriorated state of the Lateran Palace. The Papal Residence was later moved to the Palace of the Vatican, in what is now Vatican City.



File:Piazza Esquilino, Santa Maria Maggiore.JPG

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major
(Santa Maria Maggiore)
seen from the Piazza Esquilino,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: March 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sixtus.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Basilica was restored, redecorated and extended by various Popes, including Eugene III (1145–1153), Nicholas IV (1288–1292), Clement X (1670–1676), and Benedict XIV (1740–1758), who, in the 1740s, commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to build the present façade and to modify the Interior. The Interior of  Santa Maria Maggiore underwent a broad renovation, encompassing all of its Altars, between 1575 and 1630.

The original architecture of Santa Maria Maggiore was Classical, and traditionally Roman, perhaps to convey the idea that Santa Maria Maggiore represented old Imperial Rome, as well as its Christian future.


Saturday 19 April 2014

Lenten Station At The Papal Arch-Basilica Of Saint John Lateran. Holy Saturday.


Roman Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Italic Text, Illustrations and Captions, are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


Indulgence of 30 Years and 30 Quarantines.
Double of the First-Class.

Violet Vestments
      and White Vestments.



English: Papal Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Latin: Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris 
et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptistae et Evangelistae in Laterano 
Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput.

English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, Italy.
Italiano: Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Roma.
Polski: Bazylika św. Jana na Lateranie (znana jako Bazylika Laterańska), 
katedra biskupa Rzymu, Włochy.
Photo: September 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Station is at Saint John Lateran, the Mother Church of the Christian world, and it is here that the Church celebrated the First Mass of Easter and that, formerly, she received into her bosom the many Catechumens, who were Baptised on this day. First dedicated to our Blessed Saviour, this Basilica was subsequently Consecrated to Saint John the Baptist, with the Baptistry attached.

In former times, the Church held no special Service on this morning. Apart from any gathering for the Lenten Station, a Meeting was held in the course of the afternoon for the Seventh, and last, Scrutiny, which almost immediately preceded the Baptism. [It was at this gathering that the Rite of Exorcism took place, and the Rite of Ephpheta, which recalls the miracles worked by Jesus when He cured the deaf and dumb, and the Renunciation of Satan, pronounced by the Catechumen after being anointed with the Oil of Catechumens. He then recited the Symbol, a proceeding known as "the Rendering of the Symbol". We discover these Rites, again, in the present ceremonies of Baptism, following those that took place at the Third Scrutiny.]

At night, was held the Watch, or Solemn Vigil of Easter, towards the end of which, before daybreak, the Catechumens plunged in the water of the Baptistry and were, so to speak, buried with Jesus; and, at the very hour at which Christ rose triumphantly from the Sepulchre, they were born to the Life of Grace.

Later, the Great Ceremonies were Anticipated, being held first in the evening, and, subsequently, in the morning of Holy Saturday. They reveal a sudden change from sorrow to joy, and disclose certain anomalies which this notice helps to explain.


File:Lateran-north.jpg

English: The Lateran Palace (on the left) beside the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Deutsch: Das Bild zeigt den Lateranspalast und das Seitenportal der Lateransbasilika 
von der Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano aus.
Italiano: Facciata laterale della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma)
con a sinistra il Palazzo Laterano.
Photo: September 2004.
Source: Own work.
Author: Maus-Trauden.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE BLESSING OF THE NEW FIRE.

The Church, blessing, as she does, all elements of which she makes use for Divine Worship, made a practice of blessing, every evening, the new fire that was to provide the light for the Office of Vespers. The Liturgy of Holy Saturday maintains this custom. She also blesses the five grains of incense, which are to be fixed in the Paschal Candle, the offering of which to God will thenceforward be accepted as a sweet savour.

At a convenient hour, the Altars are covered with Linen Cloths, but the Candles are not lighted until the beginning of Mass. Meanwhile, fire is struck from a flint outside the Church and the coals are kindled. At the end of None, the Priest, vested in Amice, Alb, Girdle, and Stole, to which he adds, if possible, a Violet Cope, accompanied by his Ministers, with Processional Cross, Holy Water and Incense, goes outside the Church Door, and blesses the new fire.

THE BLESSING OF THE PASCHAL CANDLE.

The Celebrant goes up to the Epistle side of the Altar, and the Deacon, giving the Reed to an Acolyte, takes the Book and asks a blessing of the Priest.

The Deacon then goes to the Lectern, puts down the Book and incenses it. At his right-hand, stand the Sub-Deacon, with the Cross, and the Thurifer; at his left, the two Acolytes, one holding the Reed and the other the vessel containing the five blessed grains of incense, to be set in the Paschal Candle.


File:Latran intérieur.jpg

The Cloisters
of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Photo: May 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Briséis.
(Wikimedia Commons)


All rise and stand, as at the Gospel, and the Deacon sings the Exsultet, in which the Church expounds the beautiful symbolic meaning of the Paschal Candle. He sings of the night of happy memory, which witnessed the escape of the Children of Israel from Egypt, conducted by a Pillar of Fire illumined with the splendour of Christ. When the Exsultet has been sung, the Deacon fixes the five blessed grains of incense in the Paschal Candle, in the form of a Cross.

THE PROPHECIES.

After the Blessing of the Paschal Candle, the Deacon lays aside his White Dalmatic and puts on a Violet Stole and Violet Maniple. He then goes to the Celebrant, who, after laying aside his Cope, puts on a Violet Maniple and Violet Chasuble. The Prophecies are then chanted, by the Cantors, without any introduction, while the Priest, standing on the Epistle side of the Altar, reads them in a low voice.

The Reading of the Twelve Prophecies served the object, formerly, of a final initiation of the Catechumens.


File:Roma-san giovanni cloister.jpg

English: Cloisters of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
Italiano: Chiostro della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Roma, Italy.
Photo: October 2005.
Source: Flickr.
Author: Ern.
Reviewer: Mac9.
(Wikimedia Commons)


THE BLESSING OF THE FONT.

In earlier times, the Clergy, at this point, went to the Baptistry of the Lateran, where the Sovereign Pontiff blessed, by virtue of the Cross, the water that was to be used for the Baptism. The Paschal Candle, which he dipped three times into it, recalled to mind the incident of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, whereby He sanctified the water and imparted to it the power of regeneration.

The Catechumens were then questioned, for the last time, on the Creed, were Baptised and then Confirmed, and the white garments, in which they were then clothed, became the mystical robe which entitled them to sit at the Holy Table and make their First Communion.

At the end of the Reading of the Prophecies, if there is a Baptismal Font in the Church, the Priest, who is about to bless it, puts on a Violet Cope and, preceded by the Processional Cross, the Candelabra and the lighted Blessed Candle, goes to the Font with his Ministers and the Clergy, while the Tract is sung.

THE LITANY OF THE SAINTS.

As the Priest and his Ministers return to the Altar, after the Blessing of the Font, two Cantors begin to sing the Litany of the Saints.

At the Invocation, Peccatores, te rogamus, audi nos, the Priest and his Ministers go into the Sacristy, where they vest in White Vestments for the Solemn Celebration of Mass. Meanwhile, the Candles are lighted on the Altar.



English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica ranks fifteenth among the largest Churches in the world.
Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican, située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres, cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)


MASS AND VESPERS.

During the singing of the Litany, the Neophytes re-entered the Church, and the Mass was begun, which inaugurated the Solemn Services of Easter (Secret). This celebrates the glory of the Risen Christ (Gospel), and that of the Souls who, through Baptism, have entered on a new life, a pledge of their future resurrection (Epistle, Collect, Hanc igutur). Hence, the joyful Alleluia that is sung, the pealing of the Organ and the ringing of the Bells.

The Vespers, which follow the Communion, remind us of the Holy Women, who were the first to realise the great Mystery of the Resurrection.

Let us show our gratitude to God for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist, which have made it possible for us to pass with Jesus from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace.


File:Roma-san giovanni03.jpg

The Pope's Seat,
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano,
Roma, Italy.
Photo: October 2005.
Source: Flickr.
Author: Ern.
Reviewer: Mac9.
(Wikimedia Commons)


At the end of the Litany, the Cantors sing the Solemn Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison, each invocation being repeated thrice. Meanwhile, the Priest, attended by his Ministers, all in White Vestments, goes to the Altar, recites the Judica me, adding the Gloria Patri, and makes the Confession in the usual way. Then, ascending the steps, he kisses the Altar, incenses it and, as soon as the Choir have finished the Kyrie eleison, he intones the Gloria in Excelsis Deo; the Organ is played and the Bells are rung.

During the Mass, the Agnus Dei is omitted and, instead of a Communion Antiphon, the Choir sings Vespers.

During Vespers, the Chapter, Hymn and Verse are omitted.

During the Magnificat, the Altar is incensed, as at Solemn Vespers.


File:Basilica st Giovani in Laterano 2011 10.jpg

English: Saint James-the-Less.
By Angelo de' Rossi
Nave of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Česky: Socha Sv. Jana Menšího z dílny Angela de' Rossiho z 
Photo: April 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj.
(Wikimedia Commons)


At the Dismissal, at the end of Mass, the Deacon, turning towards the people, says: "Ite Missa est, alleluia, alleluia". This double alleluia is added to the Ite Missa est until Easter Saturday, inclusive.

The Mass ends, as usual, with the "Placeat", the Blessing, and the Last Gospel.

PASCHALTIDE.

Paschaltide, extending from Easter Sunday to Saturday after Pentecost, commemorates the Three Glorious Mysteries of the Resurrection of Our Lord (celebrated during forty days), of His Ascension (during ten days) and of the Descent of The Holy Ghost (during the Octave of Pentecost).

Therefore, the Doctrinal, Historical and Liturgical Notes for Paschaltide, in the Saint Andrew Daily Missal, will be given in Three Parts, respectively, before each one of the Feast of Easter, the Feast of Ascension Day and the Feast of Pentecost.


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