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

Friday 26 April 2024

Sacerdotal Golden Jubilee Year Of Pope Leo XIII. Commenced 1 January 1888. And Encyclicals During His Pontifical Reign.



The next paragraph is from CHRISTIAN ETHICS

When Italy became unified as a Country in 1871, and The Papal States ceased to exist, the then Pope, Blessed Pope Pius IX, considered himself to be a “Prisoner of The Vatican”. This state of affairs continued through the Pontificates of the following three Popes (Pope Leo XIII, Pope Saint Pius X, Pope Benedict XV) – until The Lateran Treaty in 1929, signed by Pope Pius XI.

The following Text is from “Leo XIII. God's Prisoner”,
published by The Desert Will Flower Press, Papa Stronsay,
unless stated otherwise.
Web-Site: PAPA STRONSAY

On 1 January 1888, Pope Leo XIII formally and devoutly opened the observance of his Sacerdotal Golden Jubilee Year by a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving.

A worshipper wrote: “The appearance of Pope Leo was the signal for what I can only describe as a spontaneous outburst, or, rather, an explosion of passionate emotion.

“A wild cheer burst suddenly from all the vast multitude that packed Saint Peter's Basilica from end to end. The crash of silver trumpets in the dome was instantly drowned in a more human music, and the organ was unheard in the hoarse roar of the crowd.

“The scene which followed was simply one of indescribable enthusiasm. The deafening and tremendous shout of 60,000 voices, the vehement and violent clapping of hands, the excited voices, the waving of countless handkerchiefs, the open sobbing of both men and women, altogether made a display of feeling which can seldom have been paralleled, even in the long history of Rome.


“When the people at the other end of Saint Peter's, forgetful 
for the moment of the Sacred character of the place, began to hurrah and applaud, at first I imagined the sounds must come from the piazza without, and it was a little shock to me to find that the cheering was actually inside the Basilica.

“Some French Priests, who were not far from me, seemed to have felt this, and, with violent gesticulations, tried to bring the people to a sense of decorum. They might as well have tried to turn back The Tiber with a broom.

The people shouted just because that was their heart's need, and in a moment a great tide of contagious and restless enthusiasm had swept over the Basilica, and all alike, Italians and strangers, cheered as though impelled by one common and masterful impulse.

“Immediately surrounding the Sedia Gestatoria were forty-eight Cardinals, many more Bishops assisting at The Throne, the Colonels of The Noble Guard, The Majordomo and The Master of The Chamber, and the Heads of The Princely Houses of Colonna and Orsini.


“Following The Pope were some 360 Bishops, besides a great number of persons forming The Pontifical Court. His Holiness appeared to be singularly well, and, though very pale and evidently much moved, looking as little as possible like the tired Titan of the spiritual world. His voice, too, though it seemed to falter a little at the beginning of the Mass, was afterwards clear and strong, and, a friend tells me, was heard quite distinctly right at the end of the Transepts as he Blessed the people when leaving Saint Peter's”.

Perhaps the most spiritually illustrious Pilgrim that knelt before Pope Leo XIII, during his Golden Jubilee Year, was a fifteen-year-old girl, the future Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Her description of the Pilgrimage and Audience, given to her, gives us an intimate glimpse into what such events were like, and into the real sentiments of the most profound love and veneration felt towards the Pope by his children. She writes:

“We spent six days visiting the chief wonders of Rome, and, on the seventh day, we saw the greatest of all - Pope Leo XIII. I longed for, and yet I dreaded, that day, since on it depended my Vocation. No answer had come from the Bishop of Bayeux, and now my one and only hope lay in The Holy Father's permission. But, to obtain that permission, I should have to ask for it, and I trembled at the mere thought of daring to address the Pope in the presence of many Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals.

“It was on Sunday morning, 20 November 1888, that we went to The Vatican, and at eight o'clock, we Assisted at the Pope's Mass in his own Private Chapel. His Saintly bearing at the Altar gave abundant evidence that The Vicar of Christ was, in very truth, “The Holy Father”.


“The Holy Father's Mass was followed by a Mass of Thanksgiving, and then the Audience began.

“Pope Leo XIII was seated on a dais, while round him were grouped various dignataries of The Church. According to custom, each visitor, kneeling in turn and kissing, first the foot and then the hand of The Sovereign Pontiff, finally received his Blessing. At this moment, two of The Noble Guards placed their hands on the Pilgrim's shoulders as a sign to rise and leave.

“No-one uttered a word, but I was firmly determined to speak, when, suddenly, The Vicar-General of Bayeux, Fr. Reverony, who was standing next to His Holiness, announced in a loud voice that he forbade anyone to address The Holy Father. On hearing this, my heart beat wildly as if it would break, and I looked for counsel to Céline [Editor: her sister], who whispered: “Speak !”

“The next moment I was on my knees before the Pope. I said imploringly: “Holy Father, I have a great favour to ask of you.” At once, he bent down towards me. “Holy Father,” I repeated, “in honour of your Jubilee Year, allow me to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen.”

“His Holiness said: “Well, child. Well, you will enter if it be God's Will ! ” ”


The Emperor of Germany:
Sent a splendid Mitre, worked in Gold and encrusted with Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires, and Brilliants.

The Empress of Germany:
Sent a set of Mass Vestments.

Queen Victoria of England:
Sent a massive Silver Basin.

The Carmelite Order:
Sent a Silver Pastoral Cross, ornamented with Precious Stones, and with figures of Our Lady of The Rosary, and Saint Peter, and Saint Leo the Great, and Saint Francis, and Saint Teresa of Ávila.


The Pontifical Zouaves:
Sent a handsome Yellow and White Papal Standard, in which England is represented by Saint George, and Ireland by Saint Patrick, and Canada by Saint John the Baptist.

Bombay, India:
Sent a beautiful piece of Tanna Silk, manufactured for The Pope's Jubilee Year. And the Pope sent word of his intention of Celebrating his Jubilee Mass in a Soutanne made from the Tanna Silk.

Hungary:
A Jewish citizen of Hungary sent the gift of a Universal Calendar of Chronology; a monument of patience and method, upon which he had worked for twenty years.

Cuba:
The ladies of Havana sent a generous gift of Peter's Pence, collected by them from door to door, while other Cuban citizens sent Refined Sugar, Wax, Tobacco, Objets d'Art, Church Vestments. All addressed to: “The Vicar of Him Who so greatly valued the Widow's mite”.


The Sultan of Turkey:
Sent an antique Pastoral Ring, set with Precious Stones.

The Queen Regent of Spain:
Sent a magnificent antique Ring.

France:
The people of Paris had made for the Pope a Tiara, whose foundation was a Silver Cloth, embroidered with Fine Pearls, whose Triple Crown was of Gold, studded with 600 Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires, and whose surmounting Cross contained a huge Diamond.

The Empress of Austria:
Sent a Gold Tiara.


The Duke de Nemours, France:
Sent a Pectoral Cross, studded with Diamonds and Emeralds.

Syria:
Syrian Catholics sent a Cross and Chain, containing fifteen pounds of Gold.

Princess Clotilde Bonaparte, Savoy:
Made and sent a magnificent Cope of White Satin, embroidered with flowers.

Spain:
The ladies of Seville sent a Cope and Clasp of Gold, set with 580 Precious Stones.


The Polish Mission in Paris, France:
Sent a splendid Gold Snuff-Box, inscribed in Polish.

Ireland:
The Dominican Nuns in Cabra, County Dublin, sent an Irish Lace Alb and an Irish Lace Rochet.

All of these Treasures form part of the Patrimony of The Church, which, in Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's time as Pope, were put to Public Use, again.


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

Pope Leo XIII (Italian: Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci;[a] 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the Head of The Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in 1903. Living until the age of ninety-three, he was the oldest Pope (with the exception of Pope Benedict XVI as Emeritus Pope), and had the third-longest, confirmed, Pontificate, behind those of Blessed Pope Pius IX (his immediate predecessor) and Pope Saint John Paul II.

He is well known for his intellectualism and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. In his famous 1891 Encyclical, “Rerum novarum”, Pope Leo outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage, safe working conditions, and the formation of trades union, while affirming the rights of property and free enterprise, opposing both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism.

With that Encyclical, he became popularly titled as the “Social Pope” and the “Pope of the Workers”, also having created the foundations for modern thinking in the Church’s social doctrine, influencing the thoughts of his successors. He influenced Mariology of The Catholic Church and promoted both the rosary and the scapular. Upon his election, he immediately sought to revive Thomism, the theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas, desiring to refer to it as the official theological and philosophical foundation for The Catholic Church. As a result, he sponsored the Editio Leonina in 1879.

Leo XIII is particularly remembered for his belief that pastoral activity in the socio-political field was also a vital mission of The Church as a vehicle of social justice and maintaining the rights and dignities of the human person.

Leo XIII issued a record of eleven Papal Encyclicals on The Rosary, earning him the title of the “Rosary Pope”. In addition, he approved two new Marian scapulars and was the first Pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as Mediatrix. He was the first Pope never to have held any control over The Papal States, which had been dissolved by 1870. Similarly, many of his policies were oriented towards mitigating the loss of The Papal States in an attempt to overcome the loss of temporal power, but nonetheless continuing the Roman Question. He was briefly buried in the grottoes of Saint Peter's Basilica before his remains were later transferred in 1924 to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.


The following Text is from “Leo XIII. God's Prisoner”,
published by The Desert Will Flower Press, Papa Stronsay,
unless stated otherwise.
Web-Site: PAPA STRONSAY

The following are the Encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII.

Adiutricem: On The Rosary. 1877.
Inscrutabili Dei Consilio: On The Evils Of Society. 1878.
Quod Apostolici Muneris: On Socialism. 1878.
Aeterni Patris: Restoration Of Christian Philosophy. 1879.
Arcanum: On Christian Marriage. 1880.
Grande Munus: On Saints Cyril And Methodius. 1880.
Sancta Dei Civitas: On Mission Societies. 1880.
Diuturnum: On The Origin Of Civil Power. 1881.
Licet Multa: On Catholics In Belgium. 1881.


Etsi Nos: On Conditions In Italy. 1882.
Auspicato Concessum: On Saint Francis Of Assisi. 1882.
Cum Multa: On Conditions In Spain. 1882.
Supremi Apostolatus Officio: The Devotion Of The Rosary. 1883.
Nobilissima Gallorum Gens: On The Religious Question In France. 1884.
Humanum Genus: On Freemasonry. 1884.
Superiore Anno: On The Recitation Of The Rosary. 1884.
Immortale Dei: Christian Constitution Of States. 1885.


Spectata Fides: On Christian Education. 1885.
Quod Auctoritate: Proclaiming A Jubilee. 1885.
Iampridem: On Catholicism In Germany. 1886.
Quod Multum: On The Liberty Of The Church. 1886.
Pergrata: On The Church In Portugal. 1886.
Vi E Ben Noto: On The Rosary And Public Life. 1887.
Officio Sanctissimo: On The Church In Bavaria. 1887.
Quod Anniversarius: On His Sacerdotal Jubilee. 1888.
In Plurimus: On The Abolition Of Slavery. 1888.
Exeunte Iam Anno: Ordering Of Christian Life. 1888.


Libertas: On The Nature Of Human Liberty. 1888.
Saepe Nos: On Boycotting In Ireland. 1888.
Quam Aerumnosa: On Italian Immigrants. 1888.
Etsi Cunctas: On The Church In Ireland. 1888.
Magni Nobis: On The Catholic University Of America. 1889.
Quamquam Pluries: On Devotion To Saint Joseph. 1889.
Sapientiae Christianae: On Christians As Citizens. 1890.
Dall'Alto Dell'Apostolico Seggio: On Freemasonry In Italy. 1890.
Catholicae Ecclesiae: On Slavery In The Missions. 1890.


In Ipso: On Episcopal Reunions In Austria. 1891.
Rerum Novarum: On Capital And Labour. 1891.
Pastoralis: On Religious Union. 1891.
Pastoralis Officii: On The Morality Of Duelling. 1891.
Octobri Mense: On The Rosary. 1891.
Au Milieu Des Sollicitudes: Church In France. 1892.
Quarto Abeunte Sæculo: Columbus Centennial. 1892.
Magnæ Dei Matris: On The Rosary. 1892.
Custodi Di Quella Fede: On Freemasonry. 1892.
Inimica Vis: On Freemasonry. 1892.


Ad Extremas: On Seminaries For Native Clergy. 1893.
Constanti Hungarorum: Church In Hungary. 1893.
Lætitiæ Sactæ: Devotion To The Rosary. 1893.
Providentissimus Deus: Study Of Holy Scripture. 1893.
Caritatis: Encyclical On The Church In Poland. 1894.
Litteras A Vobis: On The Clergy In Brazil. 1894.
Iucunda Semper Expectatione: On The Rosary. 1894.
Christi Nomen: On Propagation Of The Faith And Eastern Churches. 1894.
Permoti Nos: On Social Conditions In Belgium. 1895.


Adiutricem: On The Rosary. 1895.
Insignes: On The Hungarian Millenium. 1896.
 Satis Cognitum: On The Unity Of The Church. 1896.
Fidentem Piumque Animum: On The Rosary. 1896.
Divinum Illud Munus: On The Holy Spirit. 1897.
Militantis Ecclesiæ: On Saint Peter Canisius. 1897.
Augustissimæ Virginis Mariæ: On The Confraternity Of The Holy Rosary. 1897.
Affari Vos: On The Manitoba School Question. 1897.
Caritatis Studium: On The Church In Scotland. 1898.


Spesse Volte: Suppression Of Catholic Institutions. 1898.
Quam Religiosa: On Civil Marriage Law. 1898.
Diuturni Temporis: On The Rosary. 1898.
Quum Diuturnum: On The Latin American Bishops' Plenary Council. 1898.
Testem Benevolentiæ Nostræ: Opinions With Regard To Americanism. 1899.
Annum Sacrum: Consecration To The Sacred Heart. 1899.
Depuis Le Jour: On The Education Of The Clergy. 1899.
Paternæ: On The Education Of The Clergy. 1899.
Omnibus Compertum: On Unity Among The Greek Melchites. 1900.


Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus: On Jesus Christ The Redeemer. 1900.
Graves De Communi Re: Christian Democracy. 1901.
Gravissimas: On Religious Orders In Portugal. 1901.
Reputantiubus: Language Question In Bohemia. 1901.
Urbanitatis Veteris: Foundation Of Athens Seminary. 1901.
In Amplissimo: On The Church In The United States. 1902.
Quod Votis: On The Proposed Catholic University. 1902.
Miræ Caritatis: On The Holy Eucharist. 1902.
Quæ Ad Nos: The Church In Bohemia And Moravia. 1902.
Fin Dal Principio: On The Education Of The Clergy. 1902.
Dum Multa: On Marriage Legislation. 1902.

The “Solita Oscula” (“With The Customary Kisses”). How, And When, They Are Given.



Chalice in the Vestry of Ipatevskii Monastery
Kostroma, Russia.
Date: 1911.
Source: This image is available from The United States
under the digital ID prok.01289.
Author: Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944).
(Wikimedia Commons)


This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,

ROMANITAS PRESS


By: Louis J. Tofari.

The Latin words “Solita Oscula” (pronounced soh-lee-tah ohs-coo-lah) mean “with the customary kisses” and refer to some of the Ceremonial kisses made during The Liturgy.

There are actually several kinds of kisses used in The Liturgical Ceremonies, for example those given to the Altar, the Book of the Gospels, the Paten and Chalice, Sacramentals and, even, the “Pax” (Kiss of Peace), but, to keep this Article brief, here we will cover those made by just The Inferior Ministers (i.e., Servers).

Like the Roman custom of genuflecting, the “Solita Oscula” were derived from Royal Court etiquette, and the Rubrician, L. O’Connell, attests to the act as an “ancient sign of respect and reverence”[1], while Wapelhorst expounds that these kisses, given either to Sacred things or The Celebrant, signify respect to The Person of Christ that they represent[2] and The Celebrant’s hands which are a symbol of power, protection, assistance and Blessing.[3]


A Scruple Spoon being used by The Celebrant during
The Divine Holy Mass. He is taking Holy Water from
The Water Cruet prior to putting it in The Chalice.
Illustration: SSPX MANILA (TWITTER)

Callewaert also comments, saying these kisses exist to give Solemnity and signify joy,[4] and we will discover later how this symbolism causes them to be occasionally omitted.

Before we cover what is kissed, let us first examine how the “Solita Oscula” are used. First, they are given only to The Celebrant and never to the other Sacred Ministers (e.g., the Deacon or Sub-Deacon), even if these positions are being exercised by a Priest.

When making the “Solita Oscula”, these should be made inaudibly with closed lips. The order[5] of making the “Solita Oscula” is simple:

When a Server is giving an object to The Celebrant: Kiss the object, first, then The Celebrant’s hand, second.


Thurible.
Illustration: LUZAR VESTMENTS


When a Server is receiving an object from The Celebrant: Kiss The Celebrant’s hand, first, then the object, second.

There is, however, an exception to this rule: When receiving a Sacramental (e.g., a Blessed Candle during Candlemas, or, a Palm on Palm Sunday), it is kissed, first, then The Celebrant’s hand, second. The reason for this is that the Sacramental take precedence over The Celebrant.[6]

Now, the items (and to what part of each) the “Solita Oscula” are given by the Servers:

The Biretta: On one of its four sides;
The Aspergilium: On the end of the handle;
[Editor: And, presumably, The Scruple Spoon, as well, as it is offered to The Celebrant];
The Incense Spoon: On the end of the handle;
The Thurible: On the Disk (where the Chains are attached).


French Antique Baroque
Chalice and Paten.
Illustration: LUZAR VESTMENTS


You may have noticed that I left out the Cruets, and this is due to some special considerations.

First, the Cruets are kissed alone [Editor: The Wine Cruet on its own, when being given to The Celebrant, and The  Water Cruet on its own, when being given to The Celebrant] and just during the Offertory.[7]

They should be kissed on the Cruet side, and never on their pouring channel, as this is unsanitary. Also, the Cruets should be kissed between the bows made to The Celebrant (i.e., bow, kiss, present, receive, kiss, bow).

During the Lavabo and Ablutions however, no kisses are made whatsoever to the Cruets, as the Servers are simply pouring the Cruets and not presenting them to The Celebrant.

There is one other thing to note regarding the “Solita Oscula”. As mentioned, above, these can signify joy, hence they are omitted for Funeral Rites and, also, Mass on Good Friday.


A Server's Cotta (Surplice).
Illustration: LUZAR VESTMENTS

They are also omitted under the condition of “Coram Sanctissimo” [Editor: In the presence of the exposed Blessed Sacrament] as all Reverence is given to Our Lord when He is exposed, or, if the local Ordinary [Editor: Bishop] or a greater Prelate is present (as a mark of hierarchical respect).[8]

Nevertheless, you will notice that some type of kisses are still retained (e.g., the kissing of the Paten and the Chalice) because these form “an intrinsic part of The Mass Ceremonies”.[9]

Footnotes

1 L. O’Connell, The Book of Ceremonies (1958), p 40.

2 It should be remembered that every Sacramental represents Christ in some fashion, e.g., Holy Water as the regenerative Water of Baptism and Blessed Candles as The Light of Christ. This includes Consecrated items used during The Liturgy, e.g., the Altar (or Altar Stone), the Chalice and Paten, as well as Blessed items such as Vestments (which, for Servers, includes the Surplice [Editor: Cotta]; so yes, you are supposed to kiss it before putting it on).

3 Wapelhorst, Compendium Sacræ Liturgicæ (1931), p 414; this is a paraphrased rendering of the Latin Text.

4 Callewaert, Cæremoniale in Missa, Privata et Solemni (1941), p 38; again, a paraphrased rendering of the Latin Text.


5 This general principle is mentioned throughout the Cæremoniale Episcoporum (1886), specifically in Liber I, chap. XVIII, n. 16, and legislated by the SRC’s rescript 3139.

6 L. O’Connell (p 41, ff 25) gives this (“if the object is Blessed”) as a general principle which makes sense. The two regular instances when it is enacted are for the aforementioned Feasts, for which the Cæremoniale Episcoporum, Liber II, chap. XVI, n. 9, Martinucci, Manuale Sacrarum Cæremoniarum (1879), pp 146 and 166, Le Vavasseur, Haegy & Stercky, Manuel de Liturgie et Ceremonial (1936), p 127, Van der Stappen, Cæremoniale (1935), pp 355-356 & 366) and Stehle, Manual of Episcopal Ceremonies (1961), vol. II, pp 59 & 74, give this as a specific Rubric, while others such as De Herdt in Sacræ Liturgiæ Praxis (1894), p 26, and The Ceremonial For The Use Of The Catholic Churches In The USA (1926), pp 339 and 345, imply this rule.


A Biretta.
Illustration: LUZAR VESTMENTS

7 This is a relic of an old direction, now defunct, that The Inferior Ministers were to kiss the item, but not The Celebrant’s hand, when enacting the “Solita Oscula”. It is interesting to note that this was specific to the positions of the Acolytes and MCs (Rubricians list at least two during Pontifical and even Solemn Ceremonies) who often had contact with The Celebrant, the former which Rubricians presumed would be enacted by Clerics with that Minor Order, while the latter (during Pontifical functions) would have the first MC position fulfilled by a Priest and the second MC position by a Sub-Deacon.

Callewaert (p 37) explains that this distinction demonstrated the hierarchy of The Liturgical Offices. This distinction was gradually diminished as High Masses (“Missa Cantatas”) without Sacred Ministers, but with Incense, became more frequent (circa 1864, the SRC was already granting such an Indult to various Dioceses).

Another contributing factor was that, during the 20th-Century, a few Rubricians (e.g., Fortescue, The Ceremonies Of The Roman Rite Described; 1917-1962 eds.) and even the Guild of Saint Stephen's “The Altar Servers' Handbook” (1962) had the Server (including non-Clerics) render the “Solita Oscula” like the Sacred Ministers during Low Mass and High Mass. However, SRC’s rescript 4193,2 and The Missale Romanum (1962), “Ritus Servandus”, VII, 4) still prescribe the original practice for presenting the Cruets during the Offertory.

8 Regarding the four reasons for omitting, this is briefly stated in the “Cæremoniale Episcoporum”, Liber I, chap. XVIII, n. 16, and all Rubricians agree on these points.

9 This is more or less the exact wording that the majority of Rubricians give for this reason.

Saint Cletus And Saint Marcellinus. Popes And Martyrs. Feast Day 26 April.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saints Cletus and Marcellinus.
   Popes and Martyrs.
   Feast Day 26 April.

Semi-Double.

Red Vestments.



Pope Saint Cletus.
Two Popes of The Early Church sit on opposite corners of the Portico Ceiling of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Today, we Celebrate their Feast Day. The two men served as Popes two Centuries apart. What they share is that their Pontificates occurred during times of great torture and persecution for professing Christians under Roman rule. Whilst reflecting on the lives of Pope Saint Cletus (above) and Pope Saint Marcellinus I, it puts into perspective the trials that the Faithful now are facing.
Illustration: THE BRIGHTON ORATORY


English: Church of Saint Marcellinus, Liège, Belgium.
Français: Vue de l'église Saint-Marcellin à Chokier,
dans la commune de Flémalle
(province de Liège, en Belgique).
Photo: 30 April 2017.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jean Housen
(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Cletus was the third Pope. Born at Rome, he was converted by Saint Peter and succeeded Saint Linus on the Pontifical Throne. He received the Crown of Martyrdom in
91 A.D., under Emperor Domitian and was buried near The Prince of The Apostles.

Saint Marcellinus was also a Roman. He governed The Church from 293 A.D. to 304 A.D., during the terrible persecution of Diocletian, who caused him to be beheaded. The name of Saint Cletus is in The Canon of The Mass (First List).

Their Mass is that of Martyrs in Paschaltide. It shows how Faith in the Virtue of The Resurrection of Christ sustains Souls in the midst of the sufferings they have to undergo on Earth after Christ (Epistle) before sharing in His Triumph in Heaven (Introit, Epistle, Gospel, Offertory, Communion).

Let us glorify Jesus, whose members we are, by producing many fruits of patience, as did these Holy Martyrs (Gospel).

Mass: Sancti tui.

Thursday 25 April 2024

“Goodnight”. Artist: Arthur J. Elsley (1860-1952).

 


“Goodnight”.
Artist: Arthur J. Elsley (1860-1952).
Illustration: MEISTERDRUCKE

Chauffeur Perkins Is Getting Big Ideas, Again.

 


“Perkins !!! We need to talk !!!”
1931 CADILLAC V16 IMPERIAL CABRIOLET.
Illustration: HYMAN LTD

Saint Mark The Evangelist. Feast Day 25 April.



English: Saint Mark the Evangelist.
Español: San Marcos.
Artist: Jusepe Leonardo (1601–1653).
Date: Circa 1630.
Current location: Bowes Museum,
Barnard Castle, England.
This File: 7 June 2010.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Saint Mark The Evangelist.
Artist: René de Cramer.
“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.
Used with Permission.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Mark the Evangelist.
   Feast Day 25 April.

Double of The Second-Class.

Red Vestments.

Saint Mark, the Disciple of Saint Peter, is one of the Four Evangelists (Collect) who wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, an abridgement of the Life of Jesus. His narration begins by the mission of Saint John the Baptist, whose “voice was heard in the desert”; he is represented with a Lion lying at his feet, because the Lion, one of the four symbolical animals in the vision of Ezechiel (Epistle), makes the desert re-echo with its roaring.

He was one of the seventy-two Disciples (Gospel). He went to Egypt, where he was the first to announce Christ at Alexandria. The Preaching of the Gospel, which his Martyrdom confirmed, made him to enter into Glory (Secret), where Saint John shows him to us as one of the four symbolical animals who attend the Triumph of the Immolated Lamb.



Statue of Saint Mark the Evangelist (Copy).
Artist: Donatello
Location: OrsanmicheleFlorence, Italy.
This File: 22 August 2005.
(Wikimedia Commons)

His body was taken to Venice, whose Patron he is since the 9th-Century A.D. Rome possesses a Church Dedicated to Saint Mark, where a Station is held on the Monday of the Third Week in Lent.

Let us profit by the teaching of Saint Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Christ and Preached it, and let us have recourse to his Prayers (Collect).

Mass: Protexisti.
Commemoration: Of the Rogations, should the Rogation Mass not be Celebrated.
Credo: Is said.
Preface: Of The Apostles.


English: Venetian merchants,
with the help of two Greek Monks,
take Mark the Evangelist’s body to Venice
Deutsch: Bergung des Leichnams
des Hl. Markus (vor der Restaurierung).
Artist: Tintoretto
Date: 1562-1566.
Current location: Accademia of Venice, Italy.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project:
10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei.
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Procession And Holy Mass Of The Greater Litanies (25 April). Procession Et Sainte Messe Des Litanies Majeures.




Procession And Holy Mass Of The Greater Litanies (25 April).
Procession Et Sainte Messe Des Litanies Majeures.
The Church of Saint-Eugène - Sainte-Cécile, Paris.
Transmitted Live on YouTube at
1800 hours (British Summer Time), 
Tuesday, 25 April 2023.
Available on YouTube


Procession of The Greater Litanies: Pope Saint Gregory the Great has a vision of Saint Michael the Archangel on Castel Sant'Angelo sheathing his sword, marking the end of the plague epidemic in Rome. The Clergy carry in Procession the miraculous icon Salus Populi Romani.
Illustration: SCHOLA SAINT CECILE


The following Text is from SCHOLA SAINT CECILE

“De Jerusalem exeunt” – First Parisian Processional Antiphon for the Procession of The Greater Litanies on 25 April.


In Litaniæ Majores

In Processione, Prima Antiphona


De Jerusalem * exéunt relíquiæ et salvátio de monte Zion; proptérea protectio erit huic civitáti, et salvábitur propter David fámulum ejus.

Alleluia.

From Jerusalem come the relics, and the salvation of Mount Zion; also this city will be protected and saved because of David, his servant.



This Antiphon, from “De Jerusalem exeunt”, is part of a large series of Processional Antiphons which were sung in Rome during the Procession of The Greater Litanies, which are held on 26 April.

Not having been recorded in the Missale Romanum of Pope Saint Pius V, they have in fact fallen into disuse, despite their great antiquity.

The custom of Paris has preserved a certain number of them and began the procession of The Greater Litanies with this one, “De Jerusalem exeunt”.


These Antiphons were transcribed both in the Missal and in the Processional, they were used not only for The Greater Litanies, Celebrated on 25 April concomitantly with the Feast of Saint Mark, but also for The Lesser Litanies, that is to say three days of Rogation (Rogation Monday, Rogation Tuesday, Rogation Wednesday) immediately preceding the Feast Day of The Ascension.

These Antiphons were called in The Middle Ages “Litaniales Antiphons” – “Antiphonæ Lætanialis” or even “Antiphons of Mercy” – “Antiphonæ de Misericordia” . They most likely date back to the time of Pope Saint Gregory the Great (6th-Century A.D. ) or even earlier.

Originally, and before seeing their use specialising in Mediæval manuscripts for The Greater Litanies and The Lesser Litanies, they were used in Rome for all Processions, beginning with those that took place every day of Station between the Collect Church and that of the Station.

The text of our Antiphon “De Jerusalem exeunt” recalls that the Relics of the Saints must be carried to the Processions of The Greater Litanies and The  Lesser Litanies (The Rogations Days), as can be seen on all the graphic representations of these Ceremonies.

The Greater Litanies On 25 April. The Lesser Litanies (Rogation Days). Chestnut Sunday (Rogation Sunday). The Litany Of The Saints.




Rogation Sunday.
The Ancient Custom of Blessing the Fields,
Hever, Kent, England.
Photo: 9 February 1967.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Ray Trevena
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

The Station is at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Violet Vestments.

The Church Celebrates, on 25 April, two Solemnities, which have nothing in common: The Greater Litanies, so called on account of their Roman origin, and the Feast of Saint Mark, which is of later date. The word “Litany” means “Supplication”.

In ancient Rome, on 25 April, used to be celebrated the pagan feast of Robigalia. It consisted, principally, of a procession, which, leaving the City by the Flaminian Gate, went to the Milvian Bridge and ended in a suburban Sanctuary situated on the Claudian Way.


There, a ewe was sacrificed in honour of a god or goddess of the name Robigo (god or goddess of frost). The Greater Litany was the substitution of a Christian, for a pagan, ceremony. Its itinerary is known to us by a convocation of Saint Gregory the Great. It is, approximately, the same as that of the pagan procession.

All the Faithful in Rome betook themselves to the Church of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina, the nearest to the Flaminian Gate. Leaving by this Gate, the Procession made a Station at Saint Valentine’s, crossed the Milvian Bridge, and branched off to the Left towards the Vatican.


After halting at a Cross, it entered the Basilica of Saint Peter for the Celebration of the Holy Mysteries.

This Litany is recited throughout the Church to keep away calamities, and to draw down the Blessing of God on the Harvest. “Vouchsafe to grant us to preserve the fruits of the Earth, we Pray Thee, hear us”, is sung by the Procession through the Countryside.


The whole Mass shows what assiduous Prayer may obtain, when, in the midst of our adversities (Collects, Offertory), we have recourse with confidence to Our Father in Heaven (Epistle, Gospel, Communion).

If the Feast of Saint Mark is Transferred, the Litanies are not Transferred, unless they fall on Easter Sunday. In which case, they are Transferred to the following Tuesday.


Litany of The Saints.
Available on YouTube at

The Litany Of The Saints.

The Litany of The Saints is used in connection with:

Holy Mass on the Greater Litanies (25 April);

The Lesser Litanies (Rogation Days);

Holy Saturday;

The Vigil of Pentecost;

Masses of Ordination, before the conferring of Major Orders.


On Saint Mark’s Day and Rogation Days, if the Procession is held, the Litany is preceded by the Antiphon “Exurge, Domine”, (Psalm XLIII. 26), and all Invocations are sung by the Cantors and repeated in full by the Choir [i.e., “Doubled”].

If the Procession cannot be held, the Invocations are not repeated.

On the Vigils of Easter and Pentecost, the Invocations marked with an asterisk (*) in the Missal are omitted; all the remaining Invocations are repeated, either there be a Font and a Procession from the Baptistry, or not.

At Masses of Ordination, only the first five Invocations are repeated.


The Litany of the Saints at the Funeral of
Pope Saint John Paul II.
 Available on YouTube at

Rogation Days are, in the Calendar of the Western Church, observed on 25 April (the Major Rogation) and the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday immediately preceding Ascension Thursday (the Minor Rogations).

The first Rogation, the Greater Litanies, has been compared to the ancient Roman religious festival of the Robigalia, a pagan ritual involving prayer and sacrifice for crops held on 25 April. The first Rogation is also observed on 25 April, and a direct connection has sometimes been asserted, with the “Christian substitute” following the same processional route in Rome. If Easter falls on 24 April, or on this day (25 April) (the latest possible date for Easter), the Rogations are Transferred to the following Tuesday.


The second set of Rogation Days, the Lesser Litanies, or Rogations, introduced about 470 A.D. by Bishop Mamertus of Vienne and eventually adopted elsewhere, are the three days (Rogation Monday, Rogation Tuesday and Rogation Wednesday) immediately before Ascension Thursday in the Christian Liturgical Calendar.

The word “Rogation” comes from the Latin verb “Rogare”, meaning “to ask”, and was applied to this time of the Liturgical Year because the Gospel reading for the previous Sunday included the passage, “Ask and ye shall receive” (Gospel of John 16:24).

The Sunday itself was often called Rogation Sunday, as a result, and marked the start of a three-week period (ending on Trinity Sunday), when Roman Catholic and Anglican Clergy did not solemnise marriages (two other such periods of marital prohibition also formerly existed, one beginning on the First Sunday in Advent and continuing through the Octave of Epiphany, or 13 January, and the other running from Septuagesima until the Octave of Easter, The Sunday after Easter (Low Sunday)).

In England, Rogation Sunday is called “Chestnut Sunday”.



The Faithful typically observed the Rogation Days by Fasting in preparation to Celebrate Ascension Day, and farmers often had their crops Blessed by a Priest at this time. Violet Vestments are worn at the Rogation Litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what colour was being worn at the ordinary Liturgies of the day.

A common feature of Rogation Days, in former times, was the Ceremony of “Beating the Bounds”, in which a Procession of Parishioners, led by the Minister, Churchwarden, and Choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their Parish and Pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. This was also known as “Gang-Day”.



The reform of the Liturgical Calendar for Latin Roman Catholics, in 1969, delegated the establishment of Rogation Days, along with Ember Days, to the Episcopal Conferences. Their observance in the Latin Church subsequently declined, but the observance has revived somewhat, since 1988, (when Pope Saint John Paul II issued his Decree “Ecclesia Dei Adflicta”) and especially since 2007 (when Pope Benedict XVI issued his Motu Proprio, “Summorum Pontificum”), when the use of older Rites was encouraged.

Churches of the Anglican Communion reformed their Liturgical Calendar in 1976, but continue to recognise the three days before Ascension [Editor: the Rogation Days (the Lesser Litanies)] as an Optional Observance.
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