Long Out-of-print Benedictine Martyrology Now Available

For obvious reasons—it has been around for much longer, and its contemplative and liturgical way of life is entirely structured for prioritizing the pursuit of sanctity—the Benedictine Order numbers more saints, blesseds, venerables, and reputed holy men and women than any other order in the Church, especially if we include the many later branches and reform movements that, called by various names, nevertheless take Benedict’s Holy Rule as their guide.

Those who admire or follow St. Benedict will rejoice, therefore, in the republication by Os Justi Press of A Benedictine Martyrology. Published in 1922 and long out-of-print, this book is Alexius Hoffman’s English translation and adaptation of the Rev. Peter Lechner’s Ausführliches Martyrologium des Benedictiner-Ordens und Seiner Verzweigungen [Detailed Martyrology of the Benedictine Order and its Branches], published in Munich in 1855. The original was published in cloth; this reprint is paperback, but with the simple and formal cover design displayed above.

A Collect Worthy of Royalty

Today, October 16, is the traditional feastday of St. Hedwig, or St. Jadwiga, patroness of Poland. (She died on October 15, 1243, but in the general calendar that day was given to St. Teresa of Jesus.) And what an exemplary Catholic she was, whether as royal consort, wife, mother, widow, or nun! Here is the entry in my old St. Andrew's Daily Missal, showing how beautifully suited to her are the readings of the Common of Holy Women.

Hedwig, of royal birth, and still more illustrious by the innocence of her life, was the daughter of Berthold, Prince of Carinthia, and aunt, on the mother's side, of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Having married Henry, Duke of Poland, she fulfilled her duties as wife in so holy a fashion that the Church compares her to the strong woman, whose portrait is drawn for us by the Holy Ghost in today's Epistle. She had three sons and three daughters. She macerated her body, both by fasting and watching and by the roughness of her clothes; she was very charitable to the poor, whom she herself served at table. She washed and kissed the ulcers of lepers.

          To devote herself more to the service of God, she induced her husband to bind himself, by vow, with her, to observe continence. The Duke having died, Hedwig, like the merchant mentioned in the Gospel, gave away all her riches to acquire the precious pearl of eternal life. After praying earnestly, and under divine inspiration, she generously exchanged worldly pomp for the life of the Cross (Collect), entering the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz, where her daughter was abbess. She died on 15 October 1243, and Poland honours her with special veneration as her patroness.

The Collect for her feast is one more gem from the treasure chest of the traditional Roman rite:

Event: “Festival of Saint Louis,” August 24–25 in the City of St. Louis, Missouri

MONDAY, AUGUST 24TH, 4:00 P.M.

Adoration and First Vespers for the Feast of Saint Louis

Begin the feast on the afternoon of the preceding day with vespers and Benediction (programs provided).

St. Luke Catholic Church, 7230 Dale Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 5:00 A.M.

Sung Matins and Lauds for the Feast of Saint Louis

Pray the beautiful morning hours of the Divine Office as the sun rises (programs provided)

Epiphany Catholic Church, 6596 Smiley Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 12:15 P.M.

Solemn Mass of Saint Louis

Celebrate our city’s patron with the highest prayer of the Church (programs provided)

St. Luke Catholic Church, 7230 Dale Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 4:00 P.M.

Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction

St. Luke Catholic Church, 7230 Dale Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 5:00 P.M.

Procession

Accompany a statue of Our Lady and a relic of Saint Louis in a joyful and prayerful procession

Starting Point: St. Luke Catholic Church, 7230 Dale Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117

Ending Point: St. Louis statue on Art Hill - Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110

Route is approximately 2 miles (Not recommended for those with limited mobility)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 6:30 P.M.

Rosary & Reception

Rosary at the Statue of Saint Louis followed by a Celebratory Reception

Come to thank Saint Louis for his intercession and ask for his continued protection

Art Hill, Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110

SPONSORED & ORGANIZED BY

The Oratory of Sts. Gregory and Augustine | Epiphany of Our Lord Parish | Knights of Columbus Council 17355 | St. Louis Forever Rosary Coalition | Juventutem St. Louis | Equites Sancti Ludovici | CREDO of the Catholic Laity

Why Did “Prayer and Penance” Go Missing on the Feast of St John Vianney?

Today on the 1960 general Roman calendar is the feast of St John Mary Vianney. When he was canonized in 1925, his feast was set for August 9, but in 1960 he was bumped back a day to August 8. His dies natalis, August 4, had been occupied by St. Dominic for so many centuries that no one thought of moving him. As Gregory DiPippo pointed out at New Liturgical Movement, St. John Vianney would himself have celebrated Mass in honor of St. Dominic on August 4th.

What struck me this morning as I assisted at Mass is the Collect, which is the only proper item (the rest of the Mass is from the Common of Confessors “Os Justi”). Here is how it reads:

“The heathens have defiled Thy holy temple... Revenge the blood of Thy saints!”: On the Thymotic Realism of the Traditional Latin Mass

Titian, Averoldi Polyptych (1520-22)
SS. Nazarius & Celsus are the standing figures in the lower left

“Let the sighing of the prisoners come in before Thee, O Lord; render to our neighbours sevenfold in their bosom; revenge the blood of Thy saints, which hath been shed. Ps. O God, the heathens are come into Thy inheritance: they have defiled Thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit. Glory be to the Father... Let the sighing...”

This virile Introit for today’s TLM—in honor of the martyrs Nazarius, the boy Celsus, and Pope Victor I, and the confessor Pope Innocent I (cf. Dom Guéranger’s commentary on them)—is taken from Psalm 78, verses 10–12. Verse 12, a “cursing” verse, was removed from both the Lectionary and the Liturgy of the Hours, so it is nowhere prayed in the Novus Ordo. These saints, too, were given the axe, in spite of being called upon by the Church for well over a thousand years.

In general, the spirited or thymotic psalms have been minimized or excised, which corresponds to the generally effeminate presentation of Christianity in recent times. Think of the doe-eyed Sacred Heart images from the 19th and 20th centuries, where Our Lord is depicted as a saccharine, fragile, androgynous figure, as if He would flinch at a passing softball, or deflate when poked with a needle.

A Saint—and a Mass—for Our Times: St. Camillus de Lellis (July 18)

This morning I had the privilege of singing the chant for a Solemn High Mass in the cathedral of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a feast for which I had never sung before: that of St. Camillus de Lellis (1500–1614). The texts of the Mass itself made me want to learn more about him.

A soldier and a gambler, Camillus experienced a profound religious conversion that led him to attempt to join the Capuchins. Refused admission due to an incurable leg wound, he moved to Rome, took as his spiritual director St. Philip Neri, and dedicated himself to the unstinting care of the sick, whose wretched abandonment he witnessed firsthand. He was eventually ordained to the priesthood by the last surviving Catholic bishop of Great Britain, Lord Thomas Goldwell, in 1584. 

Camillus established a religious congregation, the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm (also known as Camillians), devoted to the care of the sick—above all, the dying. Like so many other Counter-Reformation saints, he ministered tirelessly to plague victims. In 1591, the Order adopted a fourth religious vow: “to serve the sick, even with danger to one’s own life.”

A Collect Fit for a King (or Rather, an Emperor): St. Henry II

Today, on the traditional Roman calendar, is the feast of the Emperor St. Henry "the Exuberant" (d. 1024), husband of St. Cunegund. Both are buried, side by side, in the cathedral of Bamberg, which Henry had built. I had the privilege of visiting their tomb in 2018 when I gave a lecture "auf Deutsch" for Pro Missa Tridentina in Germany. Here are a few photos:

The imperial pair

Henry's traditional Collect is magnificent:

O God, who on this day didst translate blessed Henry, Thy confessor, from the summit of earthly empire to an eternal kingdom: we humbly beseech Thee, that even as Thou didst protect him with the fullness of Thy grace, and dist give him victory over the enticements of this life, so Thou wouldst enable us after his example to shun the blandishments of this world and to come to Thee with clean hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ...

We should celebrate St. Henry for many reasons. Here are three.

Adventures in the Lex Orandi #2: Old and New Versions of St. Ephrem the Syrian

The Mass in honor of St. Ephrem the Syrian—observed in the traditional Roman calendar on June 18 (his dies natalis of June 9 being already occupied by Saints Primus and Felician, who have been venerated since time immemorial)—displays, as usual, a magnificent Collect. As is often the case, the traditional liturgy does not merely “shred” other saints who fall on the same day but commemorates them. Accordingly, the feast of two great ancient saints and blood brothers is not forgotten.

Collects (MR 1962) 

O God, Who hast willed to illuminate Thy Church by the wondrous learning and excellent merits of the life of blessed Ephrem, Thy Confessor and Doctor: we humbly beseech Thee that through his intercession Thou mayest defend her by Thine everlasting power against the snares of error and wickedness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who celebrate the heavenly birthday of Thy holy martyrs Mark and Marcellian, may through their intercession be delivered from all threatening evils. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Note that these prayers make no bones about acknowledging what we are up against—“snares of error and wickedness” and “threatening evils”—nor do they hesitate to call “humbly” on the “excellent merits” of the saints and on their “intercession.”

De Mattei: How St. Charles Borromeo braved the epidemic of his time

Roberto de Mattei 

Corrispondenza Romana

March 4, 2020

St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Milan from 1565 to 1583, was described in the decree for his canonization, as “a man, even while the world smiles on him with the utmost flattery, he lives crucified to the world, spiritually, trampling earthly things, seeking continuously the things of heaven, emulating the life of the Angels on earth, in his thoughts and actions. (Paolo V, Bolla « Unigenitus » del 1 Nov. 1610).

Devotion to the angels accompanied St. Charles throughout his life.  Count Enrique de Guzmán, Philip II’s Ambassador to Rome, described him as “more of an angel than a man” (Giovanni Pietro Giussano, Vita di San Carlo Borromeo, Stamperia della Camera Apostolica, Roma 1610, p. 441).  Many artists, such as Teodoro Vallonio in Palermo and Sebastien Bourdon in Fabriano, depicted Charles Borromeo in their paintings while contemplating an angel re-sheathing his bloodied sword into its scabbard, signifying the cessation of the terrible plague of 1576.

Everything began in the month of August that year. Milan was celebrating joyfully the arrival of Don John of Austria, on his way to Flanders, where he had been appointed governor. The city authorities were abuzz with excitement in their desire to bestow the highest honours on the Spanish prince, but Charles, who had been Archbishop of the diocese for six years,  was following with concern the news coming from Trento, Verona and Mantua, where the plague had begun claiming victims. The first cases exploded in Milan on August 11^th, right at the moment when Don John of Austria arrived. The victor of Lepanto, followed by the governor, Antonio de Guzmán y Zuñiga, departed the city, while Charles, who was in Lodi for the Bishop’s funeral, returned in haste.

Guest Op-Ed: Praying to the Saints in the Confiteor

By Veronica A. Arntz

The Great Cloud of Witnesses:

Praying to the Saints in the Confiteor

In the older form of the Confiteor, which is prayed three times in the 1962 liturgy, specific saints are invoked: the Blessed Mother, St. Michael the Archangel, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, and then all the Saints. While the listing of these saints in the Confiteor was not retained in the liturgical changes after the Second Vatican Council, this ancient tradition is vital for the spiritual growth of the members of the Body of Christ, for a number of reasons. Indeed, praying for the intercession of the saints while we are on our journey toward the heavenly patria is essential for our sanctification, for these individuals have come before us and are now worshipping before the heavenly throne of God.

The Confiteor is the prayer that asks the Lord to pardon of us of our sins. We admit that we have sinned against our Lord, and we recognize that we are in need of His mercy, of which we are certainly not deserving. How fitting, then, for us to pray to the saints when asking for the Lord’s mercy. Indeed, the Psalms of David reveal a saint who prayed to the Lord for mercy, because he was aware of his deep and profound sinfulness: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).

St. Catherine of Alexandria — broken on the Consilium's wheel

As one who has spent many years of my life studying and teaching philosophy, I have always felt a special devotion to St. Catherine of Alexandria -- or at least, ever since I first learned of her existence and patronage.

Rorate Caeli 'Saints' Special Offer

We love bringing our readers special discounts on items that they can't get anywhere else. And today, we have a great one, from Romanitas Press. In fact, you can't even get this on the Romanitas website -- only here, at Rorate. 

“…John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia…”

We invoke these saintly names at every Mass during the Roman Canon -- as well as others throughout the Ordinary -- but who are they? And why is it important to pray for their intercession during the Holy Sacrifice?

Just in time for Lent is a wonderful little gem, The Saints Who Pray with Us in the Mass, that Romanitas Press has reprinted that explains these theological and spiritual points, while providing a brief sketch about each saint named.

                                               CLICK HERE FOR A QUICK PURCHASE

Written by Archbishop Amleto Cicognani (America’s longest-serving Apostolic Delegate) and published only once in 1958, this new reprint has been produced as an enlarged edition to include:

Pope Venerable Pius XII speaks to us

Discourse of His Holiness Pius XII to the Pilgrims in Rome for the Solemn Beatification 

of Teresa Eustochio Verzeri

From the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo

October 28th 1946

To be uniquely an instrument of Providence, an instrument of blind docility in the hands of God yet at the same time, of the most shrewd and personal impetus in the execution of His plans, such is how it seems to Us, Venerable Brothers, beloved sons and daughters, the figure of the newly Beatified, Teresa Eustochio Verzeri.

After [experiencing] the most disconcerting vicissitudes of life, she passed definitively from her silent and contemplative stay at Santa Grata to the buzzing, bustling beehive of Gromo, and the words that gushed from her heart were “Let us go! The words that Jesus used, when passing from the Cenacle to the Garden and then on to Calvary: “But that the world may know, that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I: Arise, let us go hence.” (John 14, v.31).

Also she goes on the mission the Father has given her; she goes in the joy of love, sacrifice and in total and absolute detachment, towards unabated tensions, towards the many travails and painful trials of the apostolate.  

Beatification and Canonization of Saints

The Catholic Church canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by the exercise of heroic virtue, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity and by conclusive arguments. The chief difference, however, lies in the meaning of the term canonization, the Church seeing in the saints nothing more than friends and servants of God whose holy lives have made them worthy of His special love. She does not pretend to make gods (cf. Eusebius Emisenus, Serm. de S. Rom. M.; Augustine, City of God XXII.10; Cyrill. Alexandr., Contra Jul., lib. VI; Cyprian, De Exhortat. martyr.; Conc. Nic., II, act. 3).

The true origin of canonization and beatification must be sought in the Catholic doctrine of the worship (cultus), invocation, and intercession of the saints. As was taught by St. Augustine (Quaest. in Heptateuch., lib. II, n. 94; Reply to Faustus XX.21), Catholics, while giving to God alone adoration strictly so-called, honour the saints because of the Divine supernatural gifts which have earned them eternal life, and through which they reign with God in the heavenly fatherland as His chosen friends and faithful servants. In other words, Catholics honour God in His saints as the loving distributor of supernatural gifts.

The worship of latria (latreia), or strict adoration, is given to God alone; the worship of dulia (douleia), or honour and humble reverence, is paid the saints; the worship of hyperdulia (hyperdouleia), a higher form of dulia, belongs, on account of her greater excellence, to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church (Augustine, Reply to Faustus XX.21; cf. City of God XXII.10) erects her altars to God alone, though in honour and memory of the saints and martyrs. There is Scriptural warrant for such worship in the passages where we are bidden to venerate angels (Exodus 23:20 sqq.; Joshua 5:13 sqq.; Daniel 8:15 sqq.; 10:4 sqq.; Luke 2:9 sqq.; Acts 12:7 sqq.; Revelation 5:11 sqq.; 7:1 sqq.; Matthew 18:10; etc.), whom holy men are not unlike, as sharers of the friendship of God. And if St. Paul beseeches the brethren (Romans 15:30; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Colossians 4:3; Ephesians 6:18-19) to help him by their prayers for him to God, we must with even greater reason maintain that we can be helped by the prayers of the saints, and ask their intercession with humility. If we may beseech those who still live on earth, why not those who live in heaven?

[Catholic Encyclopedia]

Beatification of John Bosco A. D. 1929: