The Feasts of The Apostles are spread throughout The Liturgical Cycle, as if to show that The Apostles are The Foundation on which the whole Church rests.
Saint Bartholomew is the sixth in the List of twelve, as given by The Evangelists.
Like the other Apostles, he learned the secrets of The Divine Law and made them known to the World, confirming them by his Martyrdom (Gospel). On this day, The Liturgy prepares us for his Feast of tomorrow (Collect).
We honour on this day a Saint to whom The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared, to announce to him that he was to enter The Order of Servites, whose object is to honour The Sorrows, through which The Virgin attained the Glory that we have rejoiced in (Editor: The Assumption) during the last eight days.
Born at Florence, Italy, of the illustrious family of Benizi, Saint Philip gave signs from the cradle of his future holiness. The Order of The Servants of The Virgin Mary, called The Servites, had been instituted fifteen years before. The little Convent was not far from his town. There, while hearing Mass on The Thursday in Easter Week, Saint Philip was struck by the words of the Epistle, addressed by The Holy Ghost to Philip The Deacon.
As he bore that name, he applied to himself the Scriptural Text, and, feeling himself invited by The Holy Ghost to enter that Order, he left everything to purchase the Imperishable Treasure of Heaven (Gospel). Entering as a Lay Brother, he was, later on, Ordained a Priest, and became General of The Servites.
English: Statue of Saint Philip Benizi
on The Charles Bridge, Prague, The Czech Republic.
Čeština: Sousoší Svatého Filipa Benicia na Karlově mostě.
Date: 31 July 2006 (original upload date).
Source: Originally from cs.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
2006-07-31 19:30 Zp 1000×1500×8 (129942 bytes) Sousoší Svatého Filipa
The Cardinals, assembled at Viterbo, wished to Elect him Pope, but, out of humility (Collect), he refused the honour and hid himself in the mountains. There, he flourished like the Palm Tree and grew like the Cedar of Libanus (Introit). God then called him to evangelise Italy, France, and Germany. On his return, he was confirmed in his Office for life.
He tried to calm the animosity which existed between the Guelfs, partisans of the Pope, and the Ghibellines, partisans of the Emperor, and ran serious danger to which the Epistle alludes.
He was seized by a burning fever on Assumption Day, and died at Todi, in 1285, on The Day of The Octave, contemplating the Crucifix.
Let us ask God to grant us the humility of Saint Philip Benizi, so that, despising, as he did, the riches of the World, we may always seek the riches of Heaven (Collect).
Mass: Justus.
Commemoration: Of The Vigil of Saint Bartholomew from the Collects of The Mass: Ego autem, of which the Gospel is read at the end of Mass.
Saint Philip Benizi.
One of the 140 Saints on The Colonnade of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy.
Statue created: Circa 1671.
The statue is part of a group of sixteen that were installed between August 1670 and March 1673. It was made immediately after the statues of Saint Cajetan and Saint Philip Neri, and simultaneously with Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Charles Borromeo.
Sculptor - Lazzaro Morelli.
The Saint, in the Habit of The Servite Order, holds a Crucifix in his Left hand.
At his feet, is the Papal Tiara that he shunned.
Philip Benizi, a Florentine physician, became the fifth Superior-General of The Order of Servites. The story is that he tried to become a Lay Brother by pretending to be illiterate, but was found
out and told that he could only remain in The Order if he were Ordained. When an
influential Cardinal named him as a possible Papal candidate, Philip was so distressed
by the idea that he hid in a cave until the Papal Election was over.
According to a Tradition, sanctioned by authority, it was at Jerusalem, near the room of The Last Supper, at the spot where now stands a Church committed to the care of The Benedictines, that Mary breathed her last (Secret).
And it is at the foot of The Mount of Olives, in a place where, about 1130, a Monastery of The Benedictine Monks of Cluny was built, that her mortal remains were laid and "she was carried up to Heaven" (Alleluia).
The Pilgrimages, made to this tomb, originated The Feast of The Assumption, which was already Solemnised in The East at the end of the 6th-Century A.D. At the beginning of the 7th-Century A.D., The Feast was also Solemnised at Rome, and it spread with The Roman Liturgy over The Whole West. Pope Leo IV instituted The Octave in 847 A.D.
"We have accompanied thee with all our Prayers, when thou didst ascend towards thy Son," says Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, "and we have at least followed thee at a distance, O Blessed Virgin ! May thy goodness make known to the World, the Grace bestowed on thee by God: Obtain by thy Holy Prayers, the forgiveness of the guilty, health for the sick, strength for weak Souls, consolation for the afflicted, help and deliverance for those in peril.
O Mary, Queen of Clemency, on this joyful Solemnity, may thy humble servants, who praise and invoke thy sweet name, be overwhelmed with Graces by Jesus Christ thy Son, Our Lord, Who is The Sovereign God, Blessed throughout the ages. Amen." [Fifth and Sixth Lessons at Matins.]
Let us honour Mary with special confidence during these Feasts, which celebrate her triumph.
Mass: Adeamus. Commemoration: Saints Timothy, Hippolytus and Symphorian. Martyrs.
The Liturgical worship of "The Most Pure Heart of Mary" was suggested by The Fathers who commented The Canticle of Canticles; it was first joined to that of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the 17th-Century, by Saint John Eudes; however, it was only at the beginning of the 19th-Century that Pope Pius VII allowed some places to keep a Feast in its honour, on the Sunday after The Octave of her Assumption.
Blessed Pope Pius IX granted it a Proper Mass and Divine Office (Mass: Omnis Gloria).
In other places, it was kept on the Sunday, or, rather, (since the present Edition of The Roman Missal, made in 1920 in the spirit of Pope Saint Pius X) [Editor: This Text is from the 1945 Edition of The Saint Andrew Daily Missal] on the Saturday after The Feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On 8 December 1942 [Editor: The Feast Day of The Immaculate Conception], during the terrible World War, Pope Pius XII Consecrated the whole of mankind to "The Immaculate Heart of Mary"; consequently, he extended The Feast to The Universal Church and gave it a new Mass and Divine Office by Decree of 4 May 1944.
That Feast, of The Immaculate Heart, is fixed, not to a Sunday, but to the very Octave-Day of The Assumption: Mary in Heaven goes on interceding lovingly on our behalf. Her Heart is the symbol of the ardent love, which she fosters first for God and for her Divine Son (Epistle), but also of her maternal care for all human Souls, which Jesus entrusted her when He died (Gospel, Communion).
We exalt the particular Holiness of her Heart (Gradual, Offertory), and we Pray her (Introit, Collects) to obtain "Peace for all Nations, freedom for The Church, conversion for the sinners, and for all Faithful, love for Chastity and the practice of all Virtues" (Decree 4 May 1944).
English: State Flag of Poland, with Coat-of-Arms (symbolic version).
It is based on Image:Flag of Poland.svg and Image:Herb Polski.svg. Note: The Coat-of-Arms used here is not the official, accurate version. The official one is still not available in Vector Format.
Polski: Flaga Polski z godłem, wersja symboliczna. Oparta na Image:Flag of Poland.svg i Image:Herb Polski.svg. Uwaga: godło użyte w tej grafice nie jest oficjalne. Oficjalna wersja godła nie jest jeszcze dostępna w formacie wektorowym, stąd zamieszczono poniżej dodatkową wersję tej grafiki w formacie PNG, w której użyto poprawnego wizerunku godła.
One of England's main ABORTION providers has suspended terminations under general anaesthetic, and to under-18s, following inspections by healthcare inspectors.
The Care Quality Commission raised concerns about patient safety before Marie Stopes International suspended a number of services.
NHS England said the move would affect around 250 women a week.
Following the Care Quality Commission's inspections of Marie Stopes' services and its corporate headquarters in England, the regulator said it was concerned about poor governance arrangements, leading to what it called "specific immediate concerns" about consent and safeguarding.
It also said it was not satisfied about training and competence for terminations which take place under general anaesthetic or conscious sedation.
Marie Stopes has now decided to:
• suspend termination of pregnancy provision for under-18s and vulnerable groups of women;
• suspend terminations under general anaesthetic or conscious sedation;
• suspend all surgical terminations at its Norwich centre.
Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated. Saint Jane Frances Fremiot De Chantal. Widow. Feast Day 21 August. Double. White Vestments.
Like Mary, whose Assumption we have been Celebrating for the last seven days, Saint Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal was a Spouse, a Mother, and a Widow. She was born at Dijon, France, the same Country as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (Feast Day, today), and received the Baptismal name of Jane, because that day, 23 January 1572, was The Feast Day of Saint John the Almoner.
The name of Frances, which she added at her Confirmation, reminds us of the gentle Saint of Geneva (Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva). As in days of yore, Benedict and Scholastica, Francis of Assisi and Clare, so Francis de Sales and Jane Frances, corresponding with the designs of Divine Providence, united their pious efforts and enriched The Church by "the Foundation of a new family" (Collect). [Editor: The new family was The Order of The Visitation of Holy Mary.]
At the death of her husband, Baron de Chantal (1601), his young Widow Consecrated herself to God by a Vow of Perpetual Chastity.
This strong woman (Editor: Latin:Mulier Fortis), spoken of in the Epistle, left everything to acquire at this price the precious Pearl of a Religious Life (Gospel). Her father and four of her six children were still living.
She became the Mother of innumerable Nuns of The Order of The Visitation, now dispersed over the whole World. Filled with The Spirit of Divine Charity (Postcommunion), she constantly repeated to them, like Saint John The Apostle: "Let us love God with our whole heart, and our neighbour as ourselves, for the love of God."
Like Saint Jane Frances Frémiot de Chantal, and by her intercession, let us Pray God, that, knowing our weakness and relying on His strength, we may, by His Grace, overcome all obstacles (Collect).
Mass: Cognóvi.
Commemoration: Of The Octave of The Assumption.
Creed.
English: Stained-Glass Window in the Church of Saint Philibert, Charlieu, France.
It depicts (from Left to Right): Saint Francis de Sales; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque;
Saint Jane Frances Frémiot De Chantal.
Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster in der Kirche Saint-Philibert in Charlieu, Darstellung:
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, Baronne de Chantal; 28 January 1572 – 13 December 1641) is a Roman CatholicSaint, who Founded a Religious Order after the death of her husband.
Jane Frances de Chantal was born in Dijon, France, on 28 January 1572, the daughter of the royalist president of the Parliament of Burgundy. Her mother died when Jane was 18 months old. Her father became the main influence on her education. She developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. She married the Baron de Chantal when she was 21 and then lived in the feudal castle of Bourbilly. Baron de Chantal was accidentally killed by an Arquebus, while out shooting in 1601. Left a widow at 28, with four children, the broken-hearted baroness took a vow of chastity. Her mother, step mother, sister, first two children and now her husband had died. Chantal gained a reputation as an excellent manager of the estates of her husband, as well as of her difficult father-in-law, while also providing alms and nursing care to needy neighbors.
English: Stained-Glass Window in The Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist,
Dammartin-en-Goële, France, It depicts Saint Francis de Sales introducing
Saint Jane Frances Frémiot De Chantal to Saint Vincent de Paul.
Deutsch: Katholische Pfarrkirche Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Johannes der Täufer) in Dammartin-en-Goële im Département Seine-et-Marne (Région Île-de-France/Frankreich), Bleiglasfenster, Darstellung: Franz von Sales stellt Johanna Franziska von Chantal dem hl. Vinzenz von Paul vor.
During Lent in 1604, the pious baroness met Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop of Geneva who was preaching at the Sainte Chapelle in Dijon. They became close friends and de Sales became her spiritual director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. Later, with his support, and that of her father and brother (the archbishop of Bourges), and after providing for her children, Chantal left for Annecy, to start the Congregation of the Visitation. The Congregation of the Visitation was canonically established at Annecy on Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610.
The Order accepted women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. During its first eight years, the new order also was unusual in its public outreach, in contrast to most female religious who remained cloistered and adopted strict ascetic practices. The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of St. Augustine. He wrote his Treatise on the Love of God for them. When people criticised her for accepting women of poor health and old age, Chantal famously said, "What do you want me to do ? I like sick people, myself; I'm on their side."
Her reputation for Sanctity and sound management resulted in many visits by (and donations from) aristocratic women. The Order had thirteen Houses by the time Saint Francis de Sales died, and eighty-six Houses before Chantal died at The Visitation Convent in Moulins, France, aged sixty-nine. Saint Vincent de Paul served as her Spiritual Director after Saint Francis de Sales' death. Her favorite Devotions involved The Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Heart of Mary.
She was buried in the Annecy Convent, next to Saint Francis de Sales. The Order had 164 Houses by 1767, when she was Canonised. Saint Jane Frances de Chantal outlived her son (who died fighting the Huguenots and the English on the Île de Ré during the Century's Religious Wars) and two of her three daughters, but left extensive correspondence. Her grand-daughter also became a famous writer, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné.
The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.
The Order of The Visitation of Holy Mary (Latin: Ordo Visitationis Beatissimae Mariae Virginis, V.H.M.), or, The Visitation Order, is an EnclosedRoman Catholic Religious Order for Women. Members of The Order are also known as The Salesian Sisters (not to be confused with The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) or, more commonly, as The Visitandines, or, Visitation Sisters.
The Order of The Visitation was Founded in 1610 by Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France. At first, the Founder had not a Religious Order in mind; he wished to form a Congregation without External Vows, where The Cloister should be observed only during The Year of Novitiate, after which The Sisters should be free to go out by turns to visit The Sick and The Poor. The Order was given the name of The Visitation of Holy Mary with the intention that The Sisters would follow the example of The Virgin Mary and her joyful visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth, (known as "The Visitation" in The Roman Catholic Church).
He invited Saint Jane Frances de Chantal to join him in establishing a new type of Religious Life, one open to older women and those of delicate constitution, that would stress the hidden, inner virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, even-tempered Charity, and patience, and founded on the example of Mary in her journey of mercy to her cousin Elizabeth.
The Order was established to welcome those not able to practice austerities required in other Orders. Instead of Chanting The Canonical Office in the middle of the night, The Sisters recited The Little Office of The Blessed Virgin at half-past eight in the evening. There was no Perpetual Abstinence nor prolonged Fast. The Order of The Visitation of Mary was Canonically Erected in 1618 by Pope Paul V, who granted it all the privileges enjoyed by the other Orders. A Bull of Pope Urban VIII Solemnly Approved it in 1626.
The Church is pleased to honour, during The Octave of The Assumption, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, "The Honey-Mouthed Doctor" (Doctor Mellifluous), whose principal title of glory is to have Celebrated, with ineffable tenderness and ardent piety, in his Prayers, his Books and Sermons, the varied greatness of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Born in 1091, of a noble Burgundian family, he succeeded, at the age of twenty-two, in winning over to Christ thirty noblemen, who, with him, embraced Monastic Life at Cîteaux, France.
There, The Cistercian Order, a Branch of the old Benedictine trunk, acquired a new vigour, which enable it to cover the whole of Europe with its shoots. "The Just," says the Offertory, "shall flourish like the palm-tree, he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus (Lebanon)."
And, in the famous Monastery which Saint Bernard Founded a short time afterwards in the Vale of Clairvaux, on the Left-Bank of The River Aube, and whose first Abbot he became (Communion), he each day lavished on a Community of 700 Monks the treasures of Doctrine and Wisdom, with which God endowed him and which makes his name immortal (Introit, Epistle, Gradual).
An austere Monk, a great Christian Orator, and a Learned Doctor, he was the luminary, mentioned in the Gospel, which enlightened the World in the 12th-Century.
Pope Eugenius III, who had been trained by him to The Monastic Life, solicited and received his counsels; at The Council of Etampes, he put an end to the Schism, which, opposing "Pope" Anacletus to Pope Innocent III, troubled the Clergy and people of Rome.
He was consulted by Duke William of Aquitaine, by the Duchess of Lorraine, by the Countess of Brittany, by Prince Henry, son of the King of France, by Prince Peter, son of the King of Portugal, by King Louis VI of France, by King Louis VII of France, by King Conrad of Germany, and by the Abbot of Saint Denis, Paris.
He silenced the famous Doctor Abelard at The Council of Laon, and his powerful logic unmasked the errors of Arnold of Brescia and of Peter de Bruys (Gospel). Lastly, he attacked Islam, and, by Preaching The Second Crusade, at Vezelay, France, he stirred up the whole of Europe by his overpowering eloquence.
Pope Pius VIII in Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, on the Sedia Gestatoria.
He reigned from 1829 to 1830, the shortest reign of any Pope in the 19th-Century,
Saint Bernard died at Clairvaux, France, on 20 August 1153, and his body was laid at the foot of the Altar of The Blessed Virgin. He left 160 Monasteries which he had Founded in Europe and Asia. His writings, replete with Doctrines inspired by Divine Wisdom, caused him to be placed among The Doctors of The Church by Pope Pius VIII.
Let us have recourse to the intercession in Heaven of the one who, on Earth, taught us the way of life (Collect). Let us ask him to give us his love for The Mother of God, and let us piously recite The Marian Anthem of The Season, currently Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Queen), of which the three last invocations, "O Clemens, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary" are attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
