Feast of Ss. Simon and Jude

Orate pro nobis

Happy Feast.

Feast of Christ the King

In the Extraordinary Form, today is the Feast of Christ the King.

This feast was initiated by Pope Pius XI in 1925, in his Encyclical Quas Primas, as D.N. Jesu Christi Regis (Of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King), its date being set as the last Sunday in October.

During the post Vatican II liturgical reforms, the feast was re-titled D.N. Jesu Christi Universorum Regis (Of Jesus Christ King of the Universe) by Pope Paul VI in his moto proprio, Mysterii Paschalis of 1969, designated a Solemnity, and its date moved to the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year, which in 2013 will be November 24, so there are a few weeks yet to wait for the celebration in the Ordinary Form.

 

Responsory Christus Vincit for the feast of Christ the King

 

 

Vernacular Hymn 'Crown Him with Many Crowns' - done rather well in Westinster Abbey

 

 

New Blog Well Worth Visiting

Thanks to Mulier Fortis for drawing my attention to a new addition to the Catholic blogosphere. It is called 'Yes I'm Catholic', and written by a young female student who uses the nom de blog  'The Skinny Walrus'.

I have just had a look at her blog, and find her posts thoughtful and well-written, many dealing candidly with issues of student life and how to address them with Catholic faith and morality

It is good just to see a young woman writing about her obviously-strong faith, and her thoughts and advice are sure to be of help to other young Catholics currently in the student phase of their life.

A visit to this blog is thoroughly recommended.

St. Evaristus, Pope and Martyr

Today's feast in the EF is that of St. Evaristus, Pope from A.D. 97 to about 107. The following is taken from the Catholic Online website.

"St. Evaristus succeeded St. Clement in the See of Rome in the reign of Trajan and governed the Church about eight years, being the fourth successor of St. Peter. The Liber Pontificalis says that he was the son of a Hellenic Jew of Bethlehem, and, certainly incorrectly, that he divided Rome into several "titles" or Parishes, assigning a priest to each, and appointed seven deacons for the city. He is usually accorded the title of martyr, but his martyrdom is not proved; it is probable that St. Evaristus was buried near ST. Peter's tomb in the Vatican. His feast day is October 26th."

Ora pro nobis.

St. Raphael the Archangel

 

Sancte Raphael, ora pro nobis

 

Happy feast!

Commemoration of SS. Ursula and Companions, Virgins and Martyrs

 

In the EF today, the feast of St. Ursula and her companions is also commemorated. The following notes are taken from the St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition).

"To-day's feast celebrates a group of virgins martyred at Cologne at the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century. - The legend of St. Ursula's 11.000 companions, killed at Cologne by the Huns, was very popular in the Middle Ages. Probably an inscription: "undecim M. Virg."  meaning: "undecim Martyres Virgines", was interpreted as "undecim Milia Virgines".

Orate pro nobis.

St. Hilarion

Today (in the EF) is the feast of St. Hilarion, a saint perhaps better known in the Eastern Church than then West, but pehaps quite a relevant figure to pray to for some of today's needs, given his associations with the currently-troubled areas of the Middle-East.

 

The St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition) says that:

 

"Like St Anthony [the Abbot] in Egypt, St. Hilarion was the founder and organiser of monastic life in Palestine and the spiritual father of many monks. St. Jerome, who encountered Hilarion during his sojourn in Palestine wrote his life. He was born in the south of Gaza in Palestine and studied in Alexandria; in Egypt he came to know St. Anthony, desired to share his solitary life with him, and introduced this form of life to his own country where it spread rapidly. Driven from Palestine by the persecutions of Julian the Apostate, Hilarion went to Sicily and Dalmatia, finally finding refuge in Cyprus wher he died in 371 at the age of eighty."

So perhaps it might be appropriate to invoke his aid for those who are refugees in the Middle-East, especially those driven from Syria, and also entrust to his care the souls of those who died recently, attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa.

St. Jerome also relates that Hilarion had much spiritual warfare against temptation:

"So many were his temptations and so various the snares of demons night and day, that if I wished to relate them, a volume would not suffice. How often when he lay down did naked women appear to him, how often sumptuous feasts when he was hungry!" (Jerome, Life of St Hilarion, 7)

The Temptation of Saint Hilarion, by Dominique-Louis-Féréa Papety, 1843-44 (Wallace Collection)



It is comforting to know that when we experience temptaions, there are saints who have been through it before us and 'made good', and who will be with us and support us when we call on them.

Sancte Hilarion, ora pro nobis.

 



St. John Cantius

 

 

Today, in the EF,  is the commemoration on the feast of St. John Cantius, being superseded by the 22nd. Sunday after Pentecost. In my home dioces of Southwark, it is also the commemoration of the Dedication of the Cathedral [of St. George].

From the St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition):

"St. John Cantius was a Canon and professor of theology at Cracow and later Parish Priest of Ilkusi. He led a life of great humility and wonderful charity. He died on December 24, 1473. In today's Mass the Church extols his love of his neighbour, which has rarely been practised to such a degree. He even gave away his clothes and shoes, letting his cloak trail on the ground as he returned home in order to hide his bare feet. He is honoured as one of the Patrons of Poland."

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy feast, especially any readers in Poland, or of Polish descent, and also to the Parish of St. John Cantius, Chicago, USA, who have done so much to support  the Usus Antiquior liturgy, on the occasion of their patronal feast.

 

St. John Cantius Church, Chicago

St. John Cantius, pray for us.

O Queen of the Holy Rosary

...Because it is October...

...Because Our Lady deserves honour...

...Because she has received in its fullness the reward for which we all hope..

...Because this world is in desperate need of her help and prayers...

St. Peter of Alcantara

From the St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition):-

"Peter, who was a native of Alcantara in Spain, was sixteen when he became a Franciscan at Valencia. He was a faithful follower of the primitive Rule and led a very austere life. He was one of St. Teresa [of Avila]'s spiritual directors, and encouraged her in her reformation of the Carmelite Order. His great devotion to the Passion of Our Lord found expression in his extraordinary love of penance. He died on October 1, 1592, at the age of sixty-three."

Ora pro nobis.

St. Luke the Evangelist

Happy Feast.

Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all of my trust in Thee.

 

St. Margaret Mary, pray for us.

St. Teresa of Avila

 

Happy Feast.

St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr

Happy Feast!

From the St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition):-

St. Callistus I (217-222*) was one of the great popes of the Third Century. As a deacon, he was charged with the administration of the Church's property and with gathering together the bodies of the martyrs; he organised the famous cemetery on the Appian Way, called after him San Callisto, which has made his name familiar. As pope, he regulated the discipline of the Sacrament of Penance, and had to face the schism of Hippolytus. He was probably killed in a populr insurrection and has been honoured as martyr since the Seventh Century."

*Presumably the dates of his pontificate. 

Sancte Calliste, ora pro nobis.

St. Edward the Confessor

Today, in the EF,  the Feast of St. Edward the Confessor is commemorated, being superseded by the 21st Sunday after Pentecost.

The following is taken from the St. Andrew Daily Missal (1962 Edition):-

"St. Edward, King of England from 142 to 1066, was known as the Confessor to distinguish him from his uncle Edward the Martyr. He restored Westminster Abbey, was devout, much addicted to giving alms, was affable and peace-loving. His popularity spread throughout the kingdom soon after the Norman Conquest, and it as the Norman dynasty which secured his canonisation by Alexander III in 1161. Innocent XI inserted his name in the Roman calendar. October 13 is the anniversary of the translation of his relics which are still preserved in Westminster Abbey."

St. Edward's tomb in Westminster Abbey

 

I can't help feeling that there are some politicians and heads of state around the world today, who could learn a lot from taking St. Edward as a role model. 

 

Ora pro nobis.

Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Ora pro nobis.

 

 

Happy Feast!

Our Lady of the Rosary

Happy Feast.