HORA NOVISSIMA "It is the last hour, the time of adversity, let us watch."

Hora Novissima

"It is the last hour, the time of adversity, let us watch!"

Words: Bernard of Cluny, a 12th century Benedictine Monk
An excerpt from De Contemptu Mundi, circa 1145

HORA NOVISSIMA. 71

The world is very evil; 1
The times are waxing late:
Be sober and keep vigil;
The Judge is at the gate;
The Judge That comes in mercy,
The Judge That comes with might,
To terminate the evil,
To diadem the right.
When the just and gentle Monarch
Shall summon from the tomb,
Let man, the guilty, tremble,
For Man, the God, shall doom.
Arise, arise, good Christian,
Let right to wrong succeed;
Let penitential sorrow
To heavenly gladness lead;
To the light that hath no evening,
That knows nor moon nor sun,
The light so new and golden,
The light that is but one.
And when the Sole-Begotten
Shall render up once more
The Kingdom to the Father
Whose own it was before,—
Then glory yet unheard of
Shall shed abroad its ray,
Resolving all enigmas,
An endless Sabbath-day.

72 MEDIAEVAL HYMNS.

Then, then from his oppressors
The Hebrew shall go free,
And celebrate in triumph
The year of Jubilee;
And the sunlit Land that reeks not
Of tempest nor of fight,
Shall fold within its bosom
Each happy Israelite:
The Home of fadeless splendour,
Of flowers that fear no thorn,
Where they shall dwell as children,
Who here as exiles mourn.
Midst power that knows no limit,
And wisdom free from bound,
The Beatific Vision
Shall glad the Saints around:
The peace of all the faithful,
The calm of all the blest,
Inviolate, unvaried,
Divinest, sweetest, best.
Yes, peace! for war is needless,—
Yes, calm! for storm is past,—
And goal from finished labour,
And anchorage at last.
That peace—but who may claim it?
The guileless in their way,
Who keep the ranks of battle,
Who mean the thing they say:

HORA NOVISSIMA 73

The peace that is for heaven,
And shall be for the earth:
The palace that re-echoes
With festal song and mirth;
The garden, breathing spices,
The paradise on high;
Grace beautified to glory,
Unceasing minstrelsy.
There nothing can be feeble,
There none can ever mourn,
There nothing is divided,
There nothing can be torn:
‘Tis fury, ill, and scandal,
‘Tis peaceless peace below;
Peace, endless, strifeless, ageless,
The halls of Syon know.
O happy, holy portion,
Refection for the blest:
True vision of true beauty,
Sweet cure of all distrest!
Strive, man, to win that glory;
Toil, man, to gain that light;
Send hope before to grasp it,
Till hope be lost in sight:
Till Jesus gives the portion
Those blessed souls to fill,
The insatiate, yet satiate,
The full, yet craving still.

74 MEDIAEVAL HYMNS.

That fulness and that craving
Alike are free from pain,
Where thou, midst heavenly citizens,
A home like theirs shalt gain.
Here is the warlike trumpet:
There life set free from sin;
When to the last Great Supper
The faithful shall come in:
When the heavenly net is laden
With fishes many and great;
So glorious in its fulness,
Yet so inviolate:
And perfect from unperfected,
And fall’n from them that stand,
And the sheep-flock from the goat-herd
Shall part on either hand:
And these shall pass to torment,
And those shall triumph then;
The new peculiar nation,
Blest number of blest men.
Jerusalem demands them:
They paid the price on earth,
And now shall reap the harvest
In blissfulness and mirth:
The glorious holy people,
Who evermore relied
Upon their Chief and Father,
The King, the Crucified:

HORA NOVISSIMA. 75

The sacred ransomed number
Now bright with endless sheen,
Who made the Cross their watchword
Of Jesus Nazarene:
Who, fed with heavenly nectar,
Where soul-like odours play,
Draw out the endless leisure
Of that long vernal day:
And through the sacred lilies,
And flowers on every side,
The happy dear-bought people
Go wandering far and wide.
Their breasts are filled with gladness,
Their mouths are tun’d to praise,
What time, now safe for ever,
On former sins they gaze:
The fouler was the error,
The sadder was the fall,
The ampler are the praises
Of Him Who pardoned all.
Their one and only anthem,
The fulness of His love,
Who gives, instead of torment,
Eternal joys above:
Instead of torment, glory;
Instead of death, that life
Wherewith your happy Country,
True Israelites! is rife.

76 MEDIAEVAL HYMNS.

Brief life is here our portion;
Brief sorrow, short-liv’d care;
The life that knows no ending,
The tearless life, is there.
O happy retribution!
Short toil, eternal rest;
For mortals and for sinners
A mansion with the blest!
That we should look, poor wand’rers,
To have our Home on high!
That worms should seek for dwellings
Beyond the starry sky!
To all one happy guerdon
Of one celestial grace;
For all, for all, who mourn their fall,
Is one eternal place:
And martyrdom hath roses
Upon that heavenly ground:
And white and virgin lilies
For virgin-souls abound.
There grief is turned to pleasure;
Such pleasure, as below
No human voice can utter,
No human heart can know:
And after fleshly scandal,
And after this world’s night,
And after storm and whirlwind,
Is calm, and joy, and light.

HORA NOVISSIMA. 77

And now we fight the battle,
But then shall wear the crown
Of full and everlasting
And passionless renown:
And now we watch and struggle,
And now we live in hope,
And Syon, in her anguish,
With Babylon must cope:
But He Whom now we trust in
Shall then be seen and known,
And they that know and see Him
Shall have Him for their own.
The miserable pleasures
Of the body shall decay:
The bland and flattering struggles
Of the flesh shall pass away:
And none shall there be jealous;
And none shall there contend:
Fraud, clamour, guile—what say I ?
All ill, all ill shall end!
And there is David’s Fountain,
And life in fullest glow,
And there the light is golden,
And milk and honey flow:
The light that hath no evening,
The health that hath no sore,
The life that hath no ending,
But lasteth evermore.

78 MEDIEAVAL HYMNS.

There Jesus shall embrace us,
There Jesus be embraced,—
That spirit’s food and sunshine
Whence earthly love is chas’d.
Amidst the happy chorus,
A place, however low,
Shall show Him us, and showing,
Shall satiate evermo.
By hope we struggle onward,
While here we must be fed,
By milk, as tender infants,
But there by Living Bread.
The night was full of terror,
The morn is bright with gladness:
The Cross becomes our harbour,
And we triumph after sadness:
And Jesus to his true ones
Brings trophies fair to see:
And Jesus shall be loved, and
Beheld in Galilee:
Beheld, when morn shall waken,
And shadows shall decay,
And each true-hearted servant
Shall shine as doth the day:
And every ear shall hear it :—
Behold thy King’s array:
Behold thy God in beauty,
The Law hath pass’d away!

HORA NOVISSIMA. 79

Yes! God my King and Portion,
In fulness of His grace,
We then shall see for ever,
And worship face to face.
Then Jacob into Israel,
From earthlier self estranged,
And Leah into Rahel
For ever shall be changed 2
Then all the halls of Syon
For aye shall be complete,
And, in the Land of Beauty,
All things of beauty meet.
For thee, O dear dear Country!
Mine eyes their vigils keep;
For very love, beholding
Thy happy name, they weep:
The mention of thy glory
Is unction to the breast,
And medicine in sickness,
And love, and life, and rest.
O come, O onely Mansion!
O Paradise of Joy!
Where tears are ever banished,
And smiles have no alloy;
Beside thy living waters
All plants are, great and small,
The cedar of the forest,
The hyssop of the wall:

80 MEDIEAVAL HYMNS.

With jaspers glow thy bulwarks; 3
Thy streets with emeralds blaze;
The sardius and the topaz
Unite in thee their rays:
Thine ageless walls are bonded
With amethyst unpriced:
Thy Saints build up its fabric,
And the corner-stone is Christ.
The Cross is all thy splendour,
The Crucified thy praise:
His laud and benediction
Thy ransomed people raise:
Jesus, the Gem of Beauty,
True God and Man, they sing:
The never-failing Garden,
The ever-golden Ring:
The Door, the Pledge, the Husband,
The Guardian of His Court:
The Day-star of Salvation,
The Porter and the Port.
Thou hast no shore, fair ocean!
Thou hast no time, bright day!
Dear fountain of refreshment
To pilgrims far away!
Upon the Rock of Ages
They raise thy holy tower:
Thine is the victor’s laurel,
And thine the golden dower:

HORA NOVISSIMA. 81

Thou feel’st in mystic rapture
O Bride that know’st no guile,
The Prince’s sweetest kisses,
The Prince’s loveliest smile:
Unfading lilies, bracelets
Of living pearl thine own:
The Lamb is ever near thee,
The Bridegroom thine alone:
The Crown is He to guerdon,
The Buckler to protect,
And He Himself the Mansion,
And He the Architect.
The only art thou needest,
Thanksgiving for thy lot:
The only joy thou seekest,
The Life where Death is not:
And all thine endless leisure
In sweetest accents sings,
The ill that was thy merit,—
The wealth that is thy King’s!

JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN,
WITH MILK AND HONEY BLEST,
BENEATH THY CONTEMPLATION
SINK HEART AND VOICE OPPRESSED:
I KNOW NOT, O I KNOW NOT,
WHAT SOCIAL JOYS ARE THERE!
WHAT RADIANCY OF GLORY,
WHAT LIGHT BEYOND COMPARE!

And when I fain would sing them
My spirit fails and faints,
And vainly would it image
The assembly of the Saints.

THEY STAND, THOSE HALLS OF SYON,
CONJUBILANT WITH SONG,
AND BRIGHT WITH MANY AN ANGEL,
AND ALL THE MARTYR THRONG:
THE PRINCE IS EVER IN THEM;
THE DAYLIGHT IS SERENE:
THE PASTURES OF THE BLESSED
ARE DECKED IN GLORIOUS SHEEN.

THERE IS THE THRONE OF DAVID,—
AND THERE, FROM CARE RELEASED,
THE SONG OF THEM THAT TRIUMPH,
THE SHOUT OF THEM THAT FEAST;
AND THEY WHO, WITH THEIR LEADER,
HAVE CONQUERED IN THE FIGHT,
FOR EVER AND FOR EVER
ARE CLAD IN ROBES OF WHITE!

O holy, placid harp-notes
Of that eternal hymn!
O sacred, sweet refection,
And peace of Seraphim!
O thirst, for ever ardent,
Yet evermore content!
O true, peculiar vision -
Of God cunctipotent! DEFINATION
Ye know the many mansions
For many a glorious name,
And divers retributions
That divers merits claim:
For midst the constellations
That deck our earthly sky,
This star than that is brighter,—
And so it is on high.

Jerusalem the glorious!
The glory of the Elect!
O dear and future vision
That eager hearts expect:
Even now by faith I see thee:
Even here thy walls discern:
To thee my thoughts are kindled,
And strive and pant and yearn:
Jerusalem the onely,
That look’st from heaven below,
In thee is all my glory;
In so is all my woe!
And though my body may not,
My spirit seeks thee fain,
Till flesh and earth return me
To earth and flesh again.
O none can tell thy bulwarks,
How gloriously they rise:
O none can tell thy capitals
Of beautiful device:
Thy loveliness oppresses
All human thought and heart:
And none, O peace, O Syon,
Can sing thee as thou art.
New mansion of new people,
Whom God’S own love and light
Promote, increase, make holy,
Identify, unite.
Thou City of the Angels!
Thou City of the Lord!
Whose everlasting music
Is the glorious decachord. ! 4
And there the band of Prophets
United praise ascribes,
And there the twelvefold chorus
Of Israel’s ransomed tribes:
The lily-beds of virgins,
The roses’ martyr-glow,
The cohort of the Fathers
Who kept the faith below.
And there the Sole-Begotten
Is Lord in regal state;
He, Judah’s mystic Lion,
He, Lamb Immaculate.
O fields that know no sorrow!
O state that fears no strife!
O princely bow’rs! O land of flow’rs!
O realm and home of Life!

Jerusalem, exulting
On that securest shore,
I hope thee, wish thee, sing thee,
And love thee evermore!
I ask not for my merit:
I seek not to deny
My merit is destruction,
A child of wrath am I:
But yet with Faith I venture
And Hope upon my way;
For those perennial guerdons
I labour night and day.
The Best and Dearest Father
Who made me and who saved,
Bore with me in defilement,
And from defilement laved:
When in His strength I struggle,
For very joy I leap,
When in my sin I totter,
I weep, or try to weep:
And grace, sweet grace celestial,
Shall all its love display,
And David’s Royal Fountain
Purge every sin away.

O mine, my golden Syon!
O lovelier far than gold!
With laurel-girt battalions,
And safe victorious fold:
O sweet and blessed Country,
Shall I ever see thy face ?
O sweet and blessed Country,
Shall I ever win thy grace ?
I have the hope within me
To comfort and to bless!
Shall I ever win the prize itself ?
O tell me, tell me, yes!

Exult, O dust and ashes,
The Lord shall be thy part:
His only, His for ever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art!
Exult, O dust and ashes!
The Lord shall be thy part:
His only, His for ever,
Thou shalt be, and thou art!

St John Bosco, confessor January 31

Saint John Bosco Confessor; Father and Teacher of Youth


Saint John Bosco

Confessor; Father and Teacher of Youth

John Bosco (Italian: Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; 16 August 1815 – 31 January 1888), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that is known as the preventive system. A follower of the spirituality and philosophy of St.Francis de Sales, Bosco dedicated his works to him when he founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales (more commonly known as the Salesian Society or the Salesians of Don Bosco). Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls, and popularly known as Salesian Sisters. In 1876 Bosco founded a movement of laity, the Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor. In 1875 he published Bibliofilo Cattolico - Bollettino Salesiano Mensuale (The Catholic Book Lover - Salesian Monthly Bulletin.) The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.


Life

Bosco was born in the evening of 16 August 1815 in Becchi.He was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1780–1817) and Margeret Occhiena. He had two elder brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862). The Bosco of Becchi were farmhands of the Moglia Family. John Bosco was born into a time of great shortage and famine in the Piedmontese countryside, following the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic wars and a drought in 1817.

Margaret played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality, and was an early supporter of her son's ideals. When he was young, he would put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician and acrobat with prayers before and after the performance.

In 1825, when he was nine, Bosco had the first of a series of dreams which would play an influential role in his work and outlook. This dream "left a profound impression on him for the rest of his life", according to his own memoirs. Bosco saw a man, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing". The man said to him:

You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. So begin right now to show them that sin is ugly and virtue beautiful


old his father died, leaving the support of three boys to the mother, Margaret Bosco. John's early years were spent as a shepherd and he received his first instruction at the hands of the parish priest. He possessed a ready wit, a retentive memory, and as years passed his appetite for study grew stronger. Owing to the poverty of the home, however, he was often obliged to turn from his books to the field, but the desire of what he had to give up never left him. In 1835 he entered the seminary at Chieri and after six years of study was ordained priest on the eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni of Turin.

Leaving the seminary, Don Bosco went to Turin where he entered zealously upon his priestly labours. It was here that an incident occurred which opened up to him the real field of effort of his afterlife. One of his duties was to accompany Don Cafasso upon his visits to the prisons of the city, and the condition of the children confined in these places, abandoned to the most evil influences, and with little before them but the gallows, made such a indelible impression upon his mind that he resolved to devote his life to the rescue of these unfortunate outcasts. On the eighth of December, 1841, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, while Don Bosco was vesting for Mass, the sacristan drove from the Church a ragged urchin because he refused to serve Mass. Don Bosco heard his cries and recalled him, and in the friendship which sprang up between the priest and Bartolomeo Garelli was sown the first seed of the "Oratory", so called, no doubt, after the example of St. Philip Neri and because prayer was its prominent feature. Don Bosco entered eagerly upon the task of instructing this first pupil of the streets; companions soon joined Bartolomeo, all drawn by a kindness they had never known, and in February, 1842, the Oratory numbered twenty boys, in March of the same year, thirty, and in March, 1846, four hundred.

As the number of boys increased, the question of a suitable meeting-place presented itself. In good weather walks were taken on Sundays and holidays to spots in the country about Turin where lunch was eaten, and realizing the charm which music held for the untamed spirits of his disciples Don Bosco organized a band for which some old brass instruments were procured. In the autumn of 1844 he was appointed assistant chaplain to the Rifugio, where Don Borel entered enthusiastically into his work. With the approval of Archbishop Franzoni, two rooms were secured adjoining the Rifugio and converted into a chapel, which was dedicated to St. Francis de Sales. The members of the Oratory now gathered at the Rifugio, and numbers of boys from the surrounding district applied for admission. It was about this time (1845) that Don Bosco began his night schools and with the closing of the factories the boys flocked to his rooms where he and Don Borel instructed them in rudimentary branches.

The success of the Oratory at the Rifugio was not of long duration. To his great distress Don Bosco was obliged to give up his rooms and from this on he was subjected to petty annoyances and obstacles which, at times, seemed to spell the ruin of his undertaking. His perseverance in the face of all difficulties led many to the conclusion that he was insane, and an attempt was even made to confine him in an asylum. Complaints were lodged against him, declaring his community to be a nuisance, owing to the character of the boys he befriended. From the Rifugio the Oratory was moved to St. Martin's, to St. Peter's Churchyard, to three rooms in Via Cottolengo, where the night schools were resumed, to an open field, and finally to a rough shed upon the site of which grew up an Oratory that counted seven hundred members. Don Bosco took lodgings nearby, where he was joined by his mother. "Mama Margaret", as Don Bosco's mother came to be known, gave the last ten years of her life in devoted service to the little inmates of this first Salesian home. When she joined her son at the Oratory the outlook was not bright. But sacrificing what small means she had, even to parting with her home, its furnishings, and her jewelry, she brought all the solicitude and love of a mother to these children of the streets. The evening classes increased and gradually dormitories were provided for many who desired to live at the Oratory. Thus was founded the first Salesian Home which now houses about one thousand boys.

The municipal authorities by this time had come to recognize the importance of the work which Don Bosco was doing, and he began with much success a fund for the erection of technical schools and workshops. These were all completed without serious difficulty. In 1868 to meet the needs of the Valdocco quarter of Turin, Don Bosco resolved to build a church. Accordingly a plan was drawn in the form of a cross covering an area of 1,500 sq. yards. He experienced considerable difficulty in raising the necessary money, but the charity of some friends finally enabled him to complete it at a cost of more than a million francs (about 200,000). The church was consecrated 9 June, 1868, and placed under the patronage of Our Lady, Help of Christians. In the same year in which Don Bosco began the erection of the church fifty priests and teachers who had been assisting him formed a society under a common rule which Pius IX, provisionally in 1869, and finally in 1874, approved.

Character and growth of the oratory
Any attempt to explain the popularity of the Oratory among the classes to which Don Bosco devoted his life would fail without an appreciation of his spirit which was its life. For his earliest intercourse with poor boys he had never failed to see under the dirt, the rags, and the uncouthness the spark which a little kindness and encouragement would fan into a flame. In his vision or dream which he is said to have had in his early boyhood, wherein it was disclosed to him what his life work would be, a voice said to him: "Not with blows, but with charity and gentleness must you draw these friends to the path of virtue." And whether this be accounted as nothing more than a dream, that was in reality the spirit with which he animated his Oratory. In the earlier days when the number of his little disciples was slender he drew them about him by means of small presents and attractions, and by pleasant walks to favorite spots in the environs of Turin. These excursions occurring on Sunday, Don Bosco would say Mass in the village church and give a short instruction on the Gospel; breakfast would then be eaten, followed by games; and in the afternoon Vespers would be chanted, a lesson in Catechism given, and the Rosary recited. It was a familiar sight to see him in the field surrounded by kneeling boys preparing for confession.

Don Bosco's method of study knew nothing of punishment. Observance of rules was obtained by instilling a true sense of duty, by removing assiduously all occasions for disobedience, and by allowing no effort towards virtue, how trivial soever it might be, to pass unappreciated. He held that the teacher should be father, adviser, and friend, and he was the first to adopt the preventive method. Of punishment he said: "As far as possible avoid punishing . . . . try to gain love before inspiring fear." And in 1887 he wrote: "I do not remember to have used formal punishment; and with God's grace I have always obtained, and from apparently hopeless children, not alone what duty exacted, but what my wish simply expressed." In one of his books he has discussed the causes of weakness of character, and derives them largely from a misdirected kindness in the rearing of children. Parents make a parade of precocious talents: the child understands quickly, and his sensitiveness enraptures all who meet him, but the parents have only succeeded in producing an affectionate, perfected, intelligent animal. The chief object should be to form the will and to temper the character. In all his pupils Don Bosco tried to cultivate a taste for music, believing it to be a powerful and refining influence. "Instruction", he said, "is but an accessory, like a game; knowledge never makes a man because it does not directly touch the heart. It gives more power in the exercise of good or evil; but alone it is an indifferent weapon, wanting guidance." He always studied, too, the aptitudes and vocations of his pupils, and to an almost supernatural quickness and clearness of insight into the hearts of children must be ascribed no small part of his success. In his rules he wrote: "Frequent Confession, frequent Communion, daily Mass: these are the pillars which should sustain the whole edifice of education." Don Bosco was an indefatigable confessor, devoting days to the work among his children. He recognized that gentleness and persuasion alone were not enough to bring to the task of education. He thoroughly believed in play as a means of arousing childish curiosity — more than this, he places it among his first recommendations, and for the rest he adopted St. Philip Neri's words: "Do as you wish, I do not care so long as you do not sin."

St. John Bosco and the Novissima

The year, 1854. The scene, an auditorium of young men gathered to hear the spiritual lecture of the evening. Don Bosco entered, looked around the room and described a strange dream. He had seen a number of his boys on the playground, but one was draped in black and wearing a kind of tophat with the number 22 on it. He was confused about what this meant, until a dignified stranger appeared and told him that the lad had only 22 “moons” to live.

“I know who that lad is. He is right here among you,” the priest announced.


St. John Bosco at times would announce the
imminent death of one of his boys
Terror gripped the boys. This was the first time that Don Bosco had predicted the death of anyone in his school publicly and so solemnly. He noticed the fear and continued, “Don’t be afraid! True, I know that boy, and he is here now, but this is a dream, and you know that dreams are only dreams. One thing is certain, though – we must always be prepared, just as Our Divine Savior has warned us in the Gospel, and never commit sins. If we follow this rule, death will not frighten us. Put your conscience in order, therefore, and resolve not to offend God anymore. And on my part, I shall look after the boy of the 22 moons. These moons signify 22 months. I hope he will die a good death.”

The announcement caused an understandable fear among the boys. And, it did them good because each one began to consider the state of his soul should he be called to stand before God. The fear of God is the beginning of the wisdom. The focus on death kept the boys in God’s grace as they counted the months. At the end of the 22 months, one young man had a sudden attack of abdominal pains and died unexpectedly. He had made a general confession only a week before.

This was the first of a series of the dreams of St. John Bosco in which he saw the impending death of one of his boys. Each time, he announced to the auditorium that he had seen the boy, he knew him, but would tell no one, since it was only a dream. But he warned each one “to look after and correct himself, for while he wonders who it is, he himself may be just the one.” Each time, one of the boys would die within the prescribed time. Each time, the fervor of the whole group would increase, as the boys made more frequent and fervent Confessions and Communions, preparing themselves for the Novissima.

What are the Novissima? A first guess from the Latin novum might be that it is something new. In fact, it is the opposite. The superlative of novum, novissimus, means the latest, the last thing. And what are the novissima - the last things - that every man must face, regardless of position, wealth, or power? They are Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Death: every man will die; it is a consequence of original sin. Judgment: everyone, even the atheist will stand before God to be judged. Heaven: eternal happiness for those who were friends of God and died in his grace. Hell: eternal punishment for those who were enemies of God or indifferent to him and die in the state of sin.




The Church always taught that man should be prepared for the Novissima, the last things. It is what we pray in the Hail Mary: “Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.” It is a wise prayer because Scriptures makes us this great promise: “In all thy works, remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin eternally” (Eccles 7:40). That is to say, one who meditates on the Novissima will not go to Hell. It is quite a promise, and it is why – until the progressivist catechesis that came from Vatican II which teaches that no one go to Hell – the pastors of the Church have always preached on the Novissima, the four last things. In the Age of Faith, consideration of the Novissima became a branch of learning, eschatology. Eschatology in Greek means the study of the last things. Today students have chemistry, biology, social sciences. But I’m afraid there isn’t much attention paid to the eschatology, the study of the last things.

OTTAVIANI INTERVENTION: SHORT CRITICAL STUDY OF THE NEW ORDER OF MASS

ALFREDO CARDINAL OTTAVIANI
ANTONIO CARDINAL BACCI

TO HIS HOLINESS
POPE PAUL VI

COMMONLY CALLED "THE OTTAVIANI INTERVENTION"


[On September 25, 1969, Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, Prefect-Emeritus of
the Sacred Congregation for the Faith; Antonio Cardinal Bacci, of the
Vatican's Congregations for Religious, Causes of Saints, and Catholic
Education; and a group of Roman theologians sent a letter to Pope Paul VI "A
Short Critical Study of the New Order of sent a letter to Pope Paul VI.
Accompanying the letter was a theological Study of the New Order of the
Mass (Novus Ordo Missae), written by a group of Roman theologians.
Cardinal Ottaviani's letter was a plea to His Holiness "not to deprive
us of the possibility of continuing to have recourse to the fruitful
integrity of that Missale Romanum of St. Pius V, so highly praised by
Your Holiness and so deeply loved and venerated by the whole Catholic
world." It was apparently in response to the Ottaviani Intervention
that Pope Paul subsequently ordered a delay of two years in the deadline
for mandatory implementation of the new Ordo.

[Note that the Cardinal is speaking here of the defects not of any
vernacular translation, but of the original Latin draft, that is, the
New Mass in its best, in its purest form.]

full text

http://www.traditio.com/tradlib/ottavian.txt

St. Francis de Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor January 29

Saint Francis de Sales


Francis de Sales (French: Saint François de Sales) (August 21, 1567 – December 28, 1622) was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly Introduction to the Devout Life. His writings on the perfections of the Heart of Mary as the model of love for God influenced Jean Eudes to develop the devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Childhood and youth

Francis de Sales was born Aug 21, 1567 in Château de Thorens into a Savoyard noble family in what is today Thorens-Glières, Haute-Savoie, France. His father was François de Boisy and his mother was Françoise de Sionnz. Because he was the first of six children, his father wanted him to attend the best schools, and he enjoyed a privileged education in the nearby towns of La Roche-sur-Foron and Annecy; his spiritual formation and academics were formed by the Jesuits. In 1578, at the age of 12, he went to the Collège de Clermont in Paris. A year later Francis was engulfed in a personal crisis when, after attending a theological discussion about predestination, he became convinced that he was damned to Hell. In December 1586 his despair was so great that he was physically ill and even bedridden for a time. In January 1587, he visited the church of Saint-Etienne des Grès, in southern France, with great difficulty. There his crisis ended, and he decided to dedicate his life to God. Francis came to the conclusion that whatever God had in store for him was good, because "God is love", as Scripture attests. This faithful devotion to the God of love not only expelled his doubts, but also influenced the rest of his life and his teachings. His way of teaching Catholic spirituality is often referred to as the Way of Divine Love, or the Devout Life, taken from a book he wrote of a similar name: Introduction to the Devout Life.

Studies

In 1588, Francis transferred from the University of Paris to the University of Padua in Italy, where he studied both law and theology. There he made up his mind about becoming a priest. Intelligent and handsome, de Sales went through various conversion experiences that moved his heart to serve God rather than money or the world. One incident included his sword falling to the ground while riding a horse, and crossing another sword, making the sign of the Cross. de Sales interpreted this, among other signs, that Jesus Christ was calling him to a life of sacrifice and self-giving love for the Church.

Graduation

In 1592, he ended his studies with the title of "doctor", certified both in law and theology. He made the pilgrimage to Loreto, Italy, famous for its shrine to the Virgin Mary, before going home. At home, his father had already secured a variety of positions for his son, one of which was a position on the Senate of Chambéry. It was difficult for Francis's father to accept that his son had already chosen the priesthood over a military or political career.

After studying the humanities, rhetoric, theology, and law, he famously refused to marry the wealthy heiress his father had chosen as his bride, preferring a clerical career. The intervention of Claude de Granier, then Bishop of Geneva, won him ordination and appointment as provost of the cathedral chapter of Geneva in 1593.


The Old Faith

Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, which began in 1517, the seat of the Catholic bishops of Geneva, Switzerland, had been located at Annecy in Savoy, France, due to Calvinist control of Geneva itself. Francis, in his capacity as provost, engaged in enthusiastic campaigns of evangelism among the Protestants of Savoy, winning many returns to the Old Faith (i.e., Catholicism). He also traveled to Rome and Paris, where he forged alliances with Pope Clement VIII and the French King Henry IV.

St. Francis developed a sign language in order to teach a deaf man about God. Because of this, he is the patron saint of the deaf.

In 1602, Bishop Granier died, and Francis was consecrated Bishop of Geneva. During his years as bishop, he acquired a reputation as a spellbinding preacher and something of an ascetic; in particular, he was known as a friend of the poor, a man of almost supernatural affability and understanding. These last qualities come through in his books. He died on 28 December 1622 in Lyon, France, while travelling in the entourage of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy.

Saint Francis de Sales was beatified in 1661 by Pope Alexander VII, who then canonized him three years later. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Blessed Pius IX in 1877.From the year 1666, when his feast day was inserted into the General Roman Calendar is observed on January 29.

Patron Saint of Journalists, Writers

A BULL OF POPE ST. PIUS VQUO PRIMUM

St. Raymond of Penafort, Confessor January 23

Saint Raymond of Penyafort

Saint Raymond of Penyafort, O.P. (c. 1175 – 6 January 1275) (Catalan: Sant Ramon de Penyafort, Spanish: San Raimundo de Peñafort ) is a Dominican friar who compiled the Decretals of Gregory IX, a collection of canon laws that remained part of church law until the Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1917. He is the patron saint of canon lawyers, specifically, and lawyers.

Life

Raymond of Penyafort was born in Vilafranca del Penedès, a small town near Barcelona, Catalonia, around 1175. He was educated in Barcelona and also at the University of Bologna, where he received doctorates in both civil and canon law. From 1195 to 1210, he taught canon law. In 1210, he moved to Bologna, where he remained until 1222, including three years occupying the chair of canon law at the university. He was chaplain to Pope Alexander IV, and confessor of King James I of Aragon.

Raymond returned to the Iberian peninsula in 1236. Not long able to remain in seclusion, however, he was made General of the Dominican Order in 1238, but resigned in 1240. It was during his tenure that he revised the Dominican Constitutions. Having reached his sixtieth year, Raymond retired in Barcelona.

He was instrumental in the founding of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. When approached by Peter Nolasco, Raymond encouraged and assisted him in obtaining the consent of King James I of Aragon for the foundation of the Order. Returning to Barcelona in 1222, he entered the Dominican Order.

Raymond died in 1275 and was canonized by Pope Clement VIII in the year 1601. He is buried in the cathedral of Barcelona.

Gregorian Decretals

Knowing Raymond's reputation in the juridical sciences, Pope Gregory IX summoned him to Rome in 1230 to help in the rearranging and codifying of canon law. Canon laws, which were previously found scattered in many publications, were to be organized into one set of documents. In particular papal decretal letters had been changing the law over the course of the previous 100 years since the publication of the Decretum of Gratian. Being pleased with Raymond's efforts, the pope announced the new publication in a Bull directed to the doctors and students of Paris and Bologna in 1231, commanding that the work of Raymond alone should be considered authoritative, and should alone be used in the schools. His collection of canon law, known as the Liber extra or Decretals of Gregory IX, became a standard for almost 700 years. When Raymond completed his work, the pope appointed him Archbishop of Tarragona, but he declined the honour. Raymond followed this with the publication of a work on penitential discipline, Summa casuum, which is widely considered an authoritative work on the subject. Canon law was finally fully codified by 1917.

Conversion of Jews and Muslims

There, his principal aim became to convert Jews and Muslims to Christianity, and for the furtherance of this aim he caused both Arabic and Hebrew to be studied and taught in the higher schools conducted by Dominicans, the Studia Linguarum. He also encouraged Thomas Aquinas to write his work Summa contra Gentiles.

He exercised great influence over King James of Aragon and succeeded in persuading him to order a public debate, concerning Judaism and Christianity, between Moshe ben Nahman, a rabbi in Girona, and Paulus Christiani, a baptized Jew of Montpellier who belonged to the Dominicans. In this debate, which took place in the royal palace at Barcelona from 20–24 July 1263, in the presence of the king and of many of the higher clergy, Raymond took an important part. He was at the head of the theologians present, and in agreement with the king gave the rabbi perfect freedom of speech. Raymond simply observed to Moses ben Nachman that he must not allow himself to blaspheme Christianity, to which Moses replied that he knew what the laws of propriety demanded. On the Jewish Sabbath following the close of the debate, the king, together with many preaching friars and other clergy, visited the synagogue. There, Raymond allegedly delivered an address on the Trinity, which Moses ben Nachman denied.

He was among those who established the Inquisition in Catalonia

General Roman Calendar of 1954

Missale Romanum": a 1915 printing of the 1884 typical edition



The following is a list of the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as it was in 1954. It is thus basically that established by Pope Pius X (1903–1914), but it also incorporates changes that were made by Pope Pius XI (1922–1939), such as the institution of the Feast of Christ the King, while not including those made in 1955 by Pope Pius XII (1939–1958).

The changes that the latter Pope made are indicated in General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII. They included the institution of two feasts in May: St. Joseph the Workman was added on May 1 as a Double of the I Class, requiring the transfer of Ss. Philip and James to May 11, and involving also the suppression of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, which for just over a century had been celebrated on the second Wednesday after the Octave of Easter; the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen, was added on May 31 as a Double of the II Class, transferring St. Angela Merici, but not the commemoration of St. Petronilla, to June 1. A total of fifteen Octaves - all those except Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas - were also suppressed in the reform of 1955.

Rank of feast days

The ranking of feast days that had grown from an original division between doubles and simples and that by the time of the Tridentine Calendar included semidoubles, with Pope Clement VIII adding in 1604 to the distinction between first and second class doubles the new rank of greater double, was still in use in the 1954 calendar, and would continue until the following year, 1955, when Pope Pius XII abolished the rank of semidouble.

The rank of feast days determines which Mass is to be said when two feast days coincide (or "occur") on the one day, as well as when a feast day falls on Sundays or certain other privileged days. Feast days were classified as Simple, Semidouble, or Double, with feast days of the Double Rite further divided into Double of the I Class, Double of the II Class, Greater Double or Major Double, and Double, in order of descending rank. On ferias and many feast days of simple rank, the celebrant was permitted to substitute a Mass of his own choice such as a votive Mass, or a Mass for the Dead.

What the original meaning of the term "double" may have been is not entirely certain. Some think that the greater festivals were thus styled because the antiphons before and after the psalms were "doubled", i.e. twice repeated entire on these days. Others, with more probability, point to the fact that before the ninth century in certain places, for example at Rome, it was customary on the greater feast days to recite two sets of Matins, the one of the feria or week-day, the other of the festival. Hence such days were known as "doubles".

The Catholic Encyclopedia of the early years of the twentieth century shows the incremental crowding of the calendar (which had increased further by 1954) in the following table based on the official revisions of the Roman Breviary in 1568, 1602, 1631, 1882 and on the situation in 1907.

In 1907, when, in accordance with the rules in force since the time of Pope Pius V, feast days of any form of double, if impeded by "occurrence" (falling on the same day) with a feast day of higher class, were transferred to another day, this classification of feast days was of great practical importance for deciding which feast day to celebrate on any particular day. Pope Pius X simplified matters considerably in his 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary. In the case of occrrence the lower-ranking feast day could become a commemoration within the celebration of the higher-ranking one


Sundays

Sundays were divided into greater and lesser Sundays, with the greater Sundays being further divided into two classes. The Greater Sundays of the I class were the I Sunday of Advent, the four Sundays of Lent, Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Low Sunday, and Pentecost. No feast day whatsoever could be celebrated on these days, although they admitted commemorations except on Easter and Pentecost. Greater Sundays of the II class permitted the celebration of Doubles of the I Class only, and consisted of the other three Sundays in Advent and the three pre-Lenten Sundays. All other Sundays (II to V after Easter and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost, except for those which might occur during an Octave, which followed the rules for the Octave), were lesser Sundays or Sundays per annum ("through the year"), and only the celebration of Doubles of the I or II Class, or a feast of the Lord, took precedence over them. The Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity was a special case, due to the fixed date of Christmas and the high rank of the feast days following it. If December 29, 30, or 31 were a Sunday, the Mass assigned to it was celebrated on that day; otherwise, it was celebrated on December 30.

Before the reform of Pope St Pius X in 1911, ordinary Doubles took precedence over most of the Semidouble Sundays, resulting in many of the Sunday Masses rarely being said. While retaining the Semidouble rite for Sundays, the reform permitted only the most important feast days, Doubles of the I or II class, to be celebrated on Sunday. When a feast of the rank of double of the I or II class fell on a Sunday, the Mass would be that of the feast, with a commemoration of the occurring Sunday; the Gospel of the omitted Sunday Mass would be read at the end of Mass instead of the usual Gospel "In principio erat Verbum" of St. John. When a feast of a rank lower than that occurred with a Sunday, the feast would be commemorated in the Sunday Mass by including a commemoration of the feast, and its Gospel would be read at the end of Mass, provided it was a "proper" Gospel, i.e. one not taken from the Common.[9]

Following the reform of Pope Pius X, only three feasts were assigned to a Sunday: the feast days of the Holy Name, the Holy Family, and the Most Holy Trinity. A fourth, Christ the King, was added in 1925.

Ferias

Ferias also were classified into three categories:

*Greater privileged ferias: Ash Wednesday and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week. No feast day could be celebrated on these days.

*Greater non-privileged ferias: The ferias of Advent, Lent, and Passion Week, Rogation Monday, and the Ember Days. Any feast day except a Simple could occur on these days, with a commemoration of the feria.

*On all other ferias, any feast day of whatever rank could be celebrated without any commemoration of the feria.

Ember Days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that were formerly set aside for fasting and prayer. These days set apart for special prayer and fasting were considered especially suitable for the ordination of clergy. The Ember Days are known in Latin as quatuor tempora (the "four seasons"), or jejunia quatuor temporum ("fasts of the four seasons"). They occur in the weeks between the third and fourth Sundays of Advent, between the first and second Sundays of Lent, between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and beginning the first Wednesday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), which is between the liturgical third and fourth Sundays of September.

Rogation Days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation (or Greater Litanies), coinciding with St. Mark's Day (but transferred to the following Tuesday if they fell on Easter); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, the Minor Rogations (or Lesser Litanies). These are indicated below in the main body of the calendar and in the Movable Feasts section.

Vigils

In the Tridentine Calendar the vigils of Christmas, the Epiphany, and Pentecost were called "major vigils"; the rest were "minor" or "common" vigils In early times, every feast day had a vigil, but the increase in the number of feast days and abuses connected with the evening and night service of which the vigils originally consisted, led to their diminishment. Nevertheless, the Roman Rite kept many more vigils than other Latin liturgical rites such as the Ambrosian Rite and the Mozarabic Rite. If a Vigil fell on a Sunday, it was transferred to the previous Saturday, although the Vigil of Christmas took precedence over the IV Sunday of Advent.

Prior to the suppression of some vigils by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were three classes of Vigils. The Vigils of Christmas and Pentecost were of the I class, and took precedence over any feast day. The Vigil of Epiphany was of the II class, and permitted only Doubles of the I or II classes, or any feast of the Lord. All other vigils were "common" and took precedence only over ferias and Simple feast days, but were anticipated on Saturday if they fell on Sunday. Most feasts of the Apostles had Vigils; the exceptions being those which fell in Eastertide, when Vigils were not permitted. The Vigil of St. Matthias was unique, in that it was normally commemorated on February 23, the feast day of St. Peter Damian, but in leap year, was kept on February 24, the traditional leap day of the Roman calendar.

Octaves

The Tridentine Calendar had many octaves, without any indication in the calendar itself of distinction of rank between them, apart from the fact that the Octave Day (the final day of the octave) was ranked higher than the days within the octave. Several octaves overlapped, so that, for instance, on 29 December the prayer of the saint of the day, Saint Thomas Becket, was followed by the prayers of Christmas, of Saint Stephen, of Saint John the Evangelist and of the Holy Innocents. The situation remained such until the reform of Pope Pius X.[12]

To cut down on the monotony of repeating the same prayers in Mass and Office every day for eight days, Pope Pius X classified the octaves as "privileged", "common" or "simple"

The privileged octaves were of three "ranks". The first rank belonged to Easter and Pentecost (permitting no feast day to be celebrated during them, nor even to be commemorated until Vespers on Tuesday), the second to Epiphany and Corpus Christi (the Octave Day ranked as a Greater Double, the days within the octave as Semidoubles, giving way only to Doubles of the I Class, and on the Octave day itself only to a Double of the I class which was celebrated in the entire Church), the third rank to Christmas, the Ascension, and the Sacred Heart (these gave way to any feast day above the level of Simple).

The common octaves were those of the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and All Saints, as well as, locally, the principal patron saint of a church, cathedral, order, town, diocese, province, or nation. These too gave way to any feast day above the level of Simple; the difference between these and the third privileged rank was that ferial Psalms were said during common Octaves, while the Psalms from the feast day were used during privileged Octaves.

The simple octaves were those of Saint Stephen, Saint John the Evangelist, the Holy Innocents, Saint Lawrence, the Nativity of Mary and, locally, secondary patrons. These were all Doubles of the II class, their Octave day was a Simple and, in contrast to the situation before Pope Pius X, their Mass was not repeated nor a Commemoration made, except on the Octave day, as simple Octaves had no days within the Octave.

In Pope Pius XII's reform, only the octaves of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost were kept. The days within the Easter and Pentecost octaves were raised to double rite, had precedence over all feast days, and did not admit commemorations.


January

January 1: Circumcision of the Lord and Octave of the Nativity, Double of the II Class.
January 2: Octave of St. Stephen Protomartyr, Simple.
January 3: Octave of St. John Apostle and Evangelist, Simple.
January 4: Octave of the Holy Innocents Martyrs, Simple.
January 5: Vigil of the Epiphany, Semidouble, Com. of St. Telesphorus Pope and Martyr.
January 6: Epiphany of the Lord, Double of the I Class with a privileged Octave of the II rank.
January 7: Of the II day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble.
January 8: Of the III day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble.
January 9: Of the IV day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble.
January 10: Of the V day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble.
January 11: Of the VI day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble, Com. of St. Hyginus Pope and Martyr.
January 12: Of the VII day within the Octave of the Epiphany, Semidouble.
January 13: Octave of the Epiphany, Greater Double.
January 14: St. Hilary Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of St. Felix Priest and Martyr.
January 15: St. Paul first hermit, Confessor, Semidouble, Com. of St. Maurus.
January 16: St. Marcellus I Pope and Martyr, Semidouble.
January 17: St. Anthony, Double.
January 18: Chair of St. Peter Apostle at Rome, Greater Double, Com. of St. Paul Apostle, and of St. Prisca Virgin and Martyr.
January 19: Ss. Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum Martyrs, Simple, Com. of St. Canute, Martyr.
January 20: Ss. Fabian Pope and Sebastian Martyrs, Double.
January 21: St. Agnes, Roman Virgin and Martyr, Double
January 22: Ss. Vincent and Anastasius Martyrs, Semidouble.
January 23: St. Raymund of Peñafort Confessor, Semidouble, Com. of St. Emerentiana Virgin and Martyr.
January 24: St. Timothy Bishop and Martyr, Double.
January 25: Conversion of St. Paul Apostle, Greater Double, Com. of St. Peter.
January 26: St. Polycarp Bishop and Martyr, Double.
January 27: St. John Chrysostom Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
January 28: St. Peter Nolasco Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Agnes Virgin and Martyr second.
January 29: St. Francis de Sales Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
January 30: St. Martina Virgin and Martyr, Semidouble.
January 31: St. John Bosco Confessor, Double.
Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany [or January 2, when no such Sunday occurs]: The most holy Name of Jesus, Double of the II Class.
Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany: The Most Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Greater Double.

February

February 1: St. Ignatius Bishop and Martyr, Double.
February 2: Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class.
February 3: St. Blase Bishop and Martyr, Simple.
February 4: St. Andrew Corsini Bishop and Confessor, Double.
February 5: St. Agatha Virgin Martyr, Double.
February 6: St. Titus Bishop and Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Dorothy Virgin Martyr.
February 7: St. Romuald Abbot, Double.
February 8: St. John of Matha Confessor, Double.
February 9: St. Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of St. Apollonia Virgin Martyr.
February 10: St. Scholastica Virgin, Double.
February 11: Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, Greater Double.
February 12: The Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Confessors, Double.
February 13: Feria
February 14: St. Valentine Priest and Martyr, Simple.
February 15: Ss. Faustinus and Jovita Martyrs, Simple.
February 16: Feria
February 17: Feria
February 18: St. Simeon Bishop and Martyr, Simple.
February 19: Feria
February 20: Feria
February 21: Feria
February 22: Chair of St. Peter at Antioch, Greater Double, Com. of St. Paul.
February 23: St. Peter Damian Confessor, Double, Com. of the Vigil.
February 24: St. Matthias Apostle, Double of the II Class.
February 25: Feria
February 26: Feria
February 27: St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Double
February 28: Feria
In leap year the month of February is of 29 days, and the Feast of St. Matthias is celebrated on the 25th day and the Feast of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows on the 28th day of February, and twice is said Sexto Kalendas, that is on the 24th and 25th; and the dominical letter, which was taken up in the month of January, is changed to the preceding; that, if in January, the dominical letter was A, it is changed to the preceding, which is g, etc.; and the letter f is kept twice, on the 24th and 25th.

March

March 1: Feria
March 2: Feria
March 3: Feria
March 4: St. Casimir Confessor, Semidouble, Com. of St. Lucius I Pope and Martyr.
March 5: Feria
March 6: Ss. Perpetua and Felicity Martyrs, Double.
March 7: St. Thomas Aquinas Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Double.
March 8: St. John of God Confessor, Double.
March 9: St. Frances of Rome Widow, Double.
March 10: The Forty Holy Martyrs, Semidouble.
March 11: Feria
March 12: St. Gregory I Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
March 13: Feria
March 14: Feria
March 15: Feria
March 16: Feria
March 17: St. Patrick Bishop and Confessor, Double.
March 18: St. Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
March 19: St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church, Double of the I Class.
March 20: Feria
March 21: St. Benedict Abbot, Greater Double.
March 22: Feria
March 23: Feria
March 24: St. Gabriel the Archangel, Greater Double.
March 25: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the I Class.
March 26: Feria
March 27: St. John Damascene Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Double
March 28: St. John Capistran Confessor, Double
March 29: Feria
March 30: Feria
March 31: Feria
Friday after Passion Sunday: Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Greater Double, Com. of the Feria.

April

April 1: Feria
April 2: St. Francis of Paula Confessor, Double.
April 3: Feria
April 4: St. Isidore Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
April 5: St. Vincent Ferrer Confessor, Double.
April 6: Feria
April 7: Feria
April 8: Feria
April 9: Feria
April 10: Feria
April 11: St. Leo I Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
April 12: Feria
April 13: St. Hermenegild Martyr, Semidouble.
April 14: St. Justin Martyr, Double, Com. of Ss. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus Martyrs.
April 15: Feria
April 16: Feria
April 17: St. Anicetus Pope and Martyr, Simple.
April 18: Feria
April 19: Feria
April 20: Feria
April 21: St. Anselm Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
April 22: Ss. Soter and Cajus Popes and Martyrs, Semidouble.
April 23: St. George Martyr, Semidouble.
April 24: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen Martyr, Double.
April 25: St. Mark Evangelist, Double of the II Class.
April 26: Ss. Cletus and Marcellinus Popes and Martyrs, Semidouble.
April 27: St. Peter Canisius Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Double.
April 28: St. Paul of the Cross Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Vitalis Martyr.
April 29: St. Peter of Verona Martyr, Double.
April 30: St. Catherine of Siena Virgin, Double.
Wednesday within the II Week after the Octave of Easter: Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, and Patron of the Universal Church, Double of the I Class with a common Octave.
Wednesday within the III Week after the Octave of Easter: Octave of St. Joseph, Greater Double.

May

May 1: Ss. Philip and James Apostles, Double of the II Class.
May 2: St. Athanasius, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
May 3: Invention of the Holy Cross, Double of the II Class, Com. of Ss. Alexander I Pope, Eventius and Theodulus Martyrs, and Juvenal, Bishop and Confessor.
May 4: St. Monica Widow, Double.
May 5: St. Pius V Pope and Confessor, Double.
May 6: St. John Apostle before the Latin Gate, Greater Double.
May 7: St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, Double.
May 8: Apparition of St. Michael, Greater Double
May 9: St. Gregory Nazianzen Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
May 10: St. Antoninus Bishop and Confessor, Double, Com. of Ss. Gordian and Epimachus Martyrs.
May 11: Feria
May 12: Ss. Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla Virgin, and Pancras Martyrs, Semidouble.
May 13: St. Robert Bellarmine Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
May 14: St. Boniface Martyr, Simple.
May 15: St. John Baptist de la Salle Confessor, Double.
May 16: St. Ubald Bishop and Confessor, Semidouble.
May 17: St. Paschal Baylon Confessor, Double.
May 18: St. Venantius Martyr, Double.
May 19: St. Peter Celestine Pope and Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Pudentiana Virgin.
May 20: St. Bernardine of Siena Confessor, Semidouble.
May 21: Feria
May 22: Feria
May 23: Feria
May 24: Feria
May 25: St. Gregory VII Pope and Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Urban I Pope and Martyr, Double.
May 26: St. Philip Neri Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Eleutherius Pope and Martyr.
May 27: St. Bede the Venerable Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Com. of St. John I Pope and Martyr, Double.
May 28: St. Augustine Bishop and Confessor, Double.
May 29: St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Virgin, Semidouble.
May 30: St. Felix I Pope and Martyr, Double.
May 31: St. Angela Merici Virgin, Double, Com. of St. Petronilla Virgin.

June

June 1: Feria.
June 2: Ss. Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus Bishop, Martyrs, Simple.
June 3: Feria
June 4: St. Francis Caracciolo Confessor, Double.
June 5: St. Boniface Bishop and Martyr, Double.
June 6: St. Norbert Bishop and Confessor, Double.
June 7: Feria
June 8: Feria
June 9: Ss. Primus and Felician Martyrs, Simple.
June 10: St. Margaret Queen, Widow, Semidouble.
June 11: St. Barnabas Apostle, Greater Double.
June 12: St. John of San Facundo Confessor, Double, Com. of Ss. Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius Martyrs.
June 13: St. Anthony of Padua Confessor, Double.
June 14: St. Basil the Great Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
June 15: Ss. Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia Martyrs, Simple.
June 16: Feria
June 17: Feria
June 18: St. Ephraem Syrus Deacon, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of Ss. Mark and Marcellianus Martyrs.
June 19: St. Juliana Falconieri Virgin, Double, Com. of Ss. Gervase and Protase Martyrs.
June 20: St. Silverius Pope and Martyr, Simple.
June 21: St. Aloysius Gonzaga Confessor, Double.
June 22: St. Paulinus Bishop and Confessor, Double
June 23: Vigil.
June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Double of the I Class with a common Octave.
June 25: St. William Abbot, Double, Com. of the Octave.
June 26: Ss. John and Paul Martyrs, Double, Com. of the Octave.
June 27: Of the IV day within the Octave of St. John the Baptist, Semidouble.
June 28: St. Irenaeus Bishop and Martyr, Double, Com. of the Octave and of the Vigil.
June 29: Ss. Peter and Paul Apostles, Double of the I Class with a common Octave.
June 30: Commemoration of St. Paul Apostle, Greater Double, Com. of St. Peter Apostle and of the Octave of St. John the Baptist.

July

July 1: The Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, Double of the I Class, Com. of the Octave day of St. John the Baptist.
July 2: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class, Com. of Ss. Processus and Martinian Martyrs.
July 3: St. Leo II Pope and Confessor, Semidouble, Com. of the Octave of the Holy Apostles.
July 4: Of the VI day within the Octave of Ss. Peter and Paul Apostles, Semidouble.
July 5: St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria Confessor, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Holy Apostles.
July 6: Octave of Ss. Peter and Paul Apostles, Greater Double.
July 7: Ss. Cyril and Methodius Bishops and Confessors, Double.
July 8: St. Elizabeth Queen, Widow, Semidouble.
July 9: Feria
July 10: The Seven Holy Brothers Martyrs, Semidouble, and Ss. Rufina and Secunda Virgins and Martyrs.
July 11: St. Pius I Pope and Martyr, Simple.
July 12: St. John Gualbert Abbot, Double, Com. of Ss. Nabor and Felix Martyrs.
July 13: St. Anacletus Pope and Martyr, Semidouble.
July 14: St. Bonaventure Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
July 15: St. Henry II Emperor, Confessor, Semidouble.
July 16: Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel, Greater Double.
July 17: St. Alexius Confessor, Semidouble.
July 18: St. Camillus de Lellis Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Symphorosa and her seven Sons Martyrs.
July 19: St. Vincent de Paul Confessor, Double.
July 20: St. Jerome Emiliani Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Margaret Virgin Martyr.
July 21: St. Praxedes Virgin, Simple.
July 22: St. Mary Magdalene Penitent, Double.
July 23: St. Apollinaris Martyr, Double, Com. of St. Liborius Bishop and Confessor.
July 24: Vigil. Com. of St. Christina Virgin and Martyr.
July 25: St. James Apostle, Double of the II Class, Com. of St. Christopher Martyr.
July 26: St. Anne Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class.
July 27: St. Pantaleon Martyr, Simple.
July 28: Ss. Nazarius and Celsus Martyrs, Victor I Pope and Martyr, and St. Innocent I Pope and Confessor, Semidouble.
July 29: St. Martha Virgin, Semidouble, Com. of Ss. Felix II Pope,[17] Simplicius, Faustinus, and Beatrice Martyrs.
July 30: Ss. Abdon and Sennen Martyrs, Simple.
July 31: St. Ignatius Confessor, Double.

August

August 1: St. Peter in Chains, Greater Double, Com. of St. Paul and the Holy Machabees Martyrs.
August 2: St. Alphonsus Mary of Liguori Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of St. Stephen I Pope and Martyr.
August 3: Invention of St. Stephen Protomartyr, Semidouble.
August 4: St. Dominic Confessor, Greater Double.
August 5: Dedication of Our Lady of the Snows, Greater Double.
August 6: Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, Double of the II Class, Com. of Ss. Xystus II Pope, Felicissimus and Agapitus Martyrs.
August 7: St. Cajetan Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Donatus Bishop and Martyr.
August 8: Ss. Cyriacus, Largus and Smaragdus Martyrs, Semidouble.
August 9: St. John Vianney Confessor and Priest, Double, Com. of the Vigil and St. Romanus Martyr.
August 10: St. Laurence Martyr, Double of the II Class with a simple Octave.
August 11: Ss. Tiburtius and Susanna Virgin, Martyrs, Simple.
August 12: St. Clare Virgin, Double.
August 13: Ss. Hippolytus and Cassian Martyrs, Simple.
August 14: Vigil. Com. of St. Eusebius Confessor.
August 15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the I Class with a common Octave.
August 16: St. Joachim Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor, Double of the II Class.
August 17: St. Hyacinth Confessor, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Assumption and the Octave Day of St. Laurence.
August 18: Of the IV day within the Octave of the Assumption, Semidouble, Com. of St. Agapitus Martyr.
August 19: St. John Eudes Confessor, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Assumption.
August 20: St. Bernard Abbot, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Assumption.
August 21: St. Jane Frances de Chantal Widow, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Assumption.
August 22: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class, Com. of Ss. Timothy, Hippolytus Bishop, and Symphorianus Martyrs.
August 23: St. Philip Benizi Confessor, Double, Com. of the Vigil.
August 24: St. Bartholomew Apostle, Double of the II Class.
August 25: St. Louis King, Confessor, Semidouble.
August 26: St. Zephyrinus Pope Martyr, Simple.
August 27: St. Joseph Calasanctius Confessor, Double.
August 28: St. Augustine Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of St. Hermes Martyr.
August 29: Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Greater Double, Com. of St. Sabina Martyr.
August 30: St. Rose of St. Mary Virgin of Lima, Double, Com. of Ss. Felix and Adauctus Martyrs.
August 31: St. Raymond Nonnatus Confessor, Double.

September

September 1: St. Giles Abbot, Simple, Com. of the Holy Twelve Brothers Martyrs.
September 2: St. Stephen King, Confessor, Semidouble.
September 3: St. Pius X Pope and Confessor, Double.
September 4: Feria
September 5: St. Laurence Justinian Bishop and Confessor, Semidouble.
September 6: Feria
September 7: Feria
September 8: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class with a simple Octave, Com. of St. Adrian Martyr.
September 9: St. Gorgonius Martyr, Simple.
September 10: St. Nicholas of Tolentino Confessor, Double.
September 11: Ss. Protus and Hyacinth Martyrs, Simple.
September 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary, Greater Double.
September 13: Feria
September 14: Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Greater Double.
September 15: Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class, Com. of St. Nicomedes Martyr.
September 16: St. Cornelius Pope and St. Cyprian Bishop, Martyrs, Semidouble, Com. of Ss. Euphemia Virgin, Lucy and Geminian Martyrs.
September 17: Impression of the sacred Stigmata of St. Francis Confessor, Double.
September 18: St. Joseph of Cupertino Confessor, Double.
September 19: St. Januarius Bishop and Companions Martyrs, Double.
September 20: St. Eustace and Companions Martyrs, Double, Com. of the Vigil.
September 21: St. Matthew Apostle and Evangelist, Double of the II Class.
September 22: St. Thomas of Villanova Bishop and Confessor, Double, Com. of Ss. Maurice and Companions Martyrs.
September 23: St. Linus Pope and Martyr, Semidouble, Com. of St. Thecla Virgin and Martyr.
September 24: Our Lady of Ransom, Greater Double.
September 25: Feria
September 26: Ss. Cyprian and Justina Virgin, Martyrs, Simple.
September 27: Ss. Cosmas and Damian Martyrs, Semidouble.
September 28: St. Wenceslaus Duke, Martyr, Semidouble.
September 29: Dedication of St. Michael Archangel, Double of the I Class.
September 30: St. Jerome Priest, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.

October

October 1: St. Remigius Bishop and Confessor, Simple.
October 2: The Holy Guardian Angels, Greater Double.
October 3: St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Virgin, Double.
October 4: St. Francis of Assisi Confessor, Greater Double.
October 5: St. Placid and companions Martyrs, Simple.
October 6: St. Bruno Confessor, Double.
October 7: The most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class, Com. of St. Mark Pope and Confessor, and Ss. Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus and Apuleius Martyrs.
October 8: St. Bridget Widow, Double.
October 9: St. John Leonard Confessor, Semidouble, St. Denis Bishop, Rusticus Priest, and Eleutherius Martyrs.
October 10: St. Francis Borgia Confessor, Semidouble.
October 11: The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the II Class.
October 12: Feria
October 13: St. Edward King, Confessor, Semidouble.
October 14: St. Callistus I Pope and Martyr, Double.
October 15: St. Teresa Virgin, Double.
October 16: St. Hedwig Widow, Semidouble.
October 17: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Virgin, Double.
October 18: St. Luke Evangelist, Double of the II Class.
October 19: St. Peter of Alcantara Confessor, Double.
October 20: St. John Cantius Confessor, Double.
October 21: St. Hilarion Abbot, Simple, Com. of St. Ursula and Companions Virgins and Martyrs.
October 22: Feria
October 23: Feria
October 24: St. Raphael Archangel, Greater Double.
October 25: Ss. Chrysanthus and Daria Martyrs, Simple.
October 26: St. Evaristus Pope and Martyr, Simple.
October 27: Vigil.
October 28: Ss. Simon and Jude Apostles, Double of the II Class.
October 29: Feria
October 30: Feria
October 31: Vigil.
Last Sunday in October: The Feast of our Lord Jesus Christ the King, Double of the I Class, Com. of the Sunday.

November

November 1: All Saints, Double of the I Class
November 2: Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, Double.
November 3: Of the III day within the Octave of All Saints, Semidouble.
November 4: St. Charles Bishop and Confessor, Double, Com. of the Octave of All Saints and Ss. Vitalis and Agricola Martyrs.
November 5: Of the V day within the Octave of All Saints, Semidouble.
November 6: Of the VI day within the Octave of All Saints, Semidouble.
November 7: Of the VII day within the Octave of All Saints, Semidouble.
November 8: Octave of All Saints, Greater Double, Com. of the Holy Four Crowned Martyrs.
November 9: Dedication of the Archbasilica of the most Holy Saviour, Double of the II Class, Com. of St. Theodore Martyr.
November 10: St. Andrew Avellino Confessor, Double, Com. of Ss. Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha Martyrs.
November 11: St. Martin Bishop and Confessor, Double, Com. of St. Mennas Martyr.
November 12: St. Martin I Pope and Martyr, Semidouble.
November 13: St. Didacus Confessor, Semidouble.
November 14: St. Josaphat Bishop and Martyr, Double.
November 15: St. Albert the Great Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double.
November 16: St. Gertrude Virgin, Double.
November 17: St. Gregory Thaumaturgus Bishop and Confessor, Semidouble.
November 18: Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss. Peter and Paul, Greater Double
November 19: St. Elisabeth Widow, Double, Com. of St. Pontianus Pope and Martyr.
November 20: St. Felix of Valois Confessor, Double.
November 21: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Greater Double
November 22: St. Cecilia Virgin and Martyr, Double.
November 23: St. Clement I Pope and Martyr, Double, Com. of St. Felicitas Martyr.
November 24: St. John of the Cross Confessor and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. St. Chrysogonus Martyr.
November 25: St. Catherine Virgin and Martyr, Double.
November 26: St. Sylvester Abbot, Double, Com. of St. Peter of Alexandria Bishop and Martyr.
November 27: Feria
November 28: Feria
November 29: Vigil. Commemoration of St. Saturninus.
November 30: St. Andrew Apostle, Double of the II Class.

December

December 1: Feria
December 2: St. Bibiana Virgin and Martyr, Semidouble.
December 3: St. Francis Xavier Confessor, Greater Double.
December 4: St. Peter Chrysologus Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of St. Barbara Virgin and Martyr.
December 5: Com. of St. Sabbas Abbot.
December 6: St. Nicholas Bishop and Confessor, Double.
December 7: St. Ambrose Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, Double, Com. of the Vigil.
December 8: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Double of the I Class
December 9: Of the II day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Semidouble.
December 10: Of the III day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Semidouble, Com. of St. Melchiades Pope and Martyr.
December 11: St. Damasus I Pope and Confessor, Semidouble, Com. of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception.
December 12: Of the V day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Semidouble.
December 13: St. Lucy Virgin and Martyr, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception.
December 14: Of the VII day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Semidouble.
December 15: Octave of the Immaculate Conception, Greater Double.
December 16: St. Eusebius Bishop and Martyr, Semidouble.
December 17: Feria
December 18: Feria
December 19: Feria
December 20: Vigil.
December 21: St. Thomas Apostle, Double of the II Class.
December 22: Feria
December 23: Feria
December 24: Vigil.
December 25: Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Double of the I Class with a privileged Octave of the III rank.
December 26: St. Stephen Protomartyr, Double of the II class with a simple Octave, Com. of the Octave of the Nativity.
December 27: St. John Apostle and Evangelist, Double of the II class with a simple Octave, Com. of the Octave of the Nativity.
December 28: The Holy Innocents, Double of the II class with a simple Octave, Com. of the Octave of the Nativity.
December 29: St. Thomas Bishop and Martyr, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Nativity.
December 30: Of the VI day within the Octave of the Nativity, Semidouble.
December 31: St. Sylvester I Pope and Confessor, Double, Com. of the Octave of the Nativity.
Although not listed on the general Calendar, a commemoration of St. Anastasia Martyr is made at the second Mass on December 25.

[edit] Moveable feastsThe moveable feasts are those connected with the Easter cycle, and Easter is the date relative to which their position is ultimately determined. The date of Easter is determined relative to the lunar calendar as used by the Hebrews. The rule has since the Middle Ages been phrased as “Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox.” However, this does not reflect the actual ecclesiastical rules precisely. One reason for this is that the full moon involved (called the Paschal full moon) is not an astronomical full moon, but an ecclesiastical moon. Another difference is that the astronomical vernal equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon, which can fall on 20 or 21 March, while the ecclesiastical vernal equinox is a fixed March 21 (on the Gregorian Calendar). Easter is determined from tables which determine Easter based on the ecclesiastical rules described above, which do not always coincide with the astronomical full moon. The moveable feasts are given below:

Septuagesima Sunday (9th Sunday before Easter)
Sexagesima Sunday (8th Sunday before Easter)
Quinquagesima Sunday (7th Sunday before Easter)
Ash Wednesday (Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday)
Passion Sunday (Sunday 2 weeks before Easter)
Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary (Friday after 2nd Sunday before Easter)
Palm Sunday (Sunday before Easter)
Holy Thursday (Thursday before Easter)
Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
Holy Saturday (Saturday before Easter)
Easter Sunday, the Solemnity of Solemnities, the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Low Sunday (Sunday after Easter)
The Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary, confessor, and patron of the Universal Church (Wednesday after the 2nd Sunday after Easter)
The Octave of St. Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary, confessor and patron of the Universal Church (Wednesday after the 3rd Sunday after Easter)
The Lesser Litanies at St. Mary Major (Monday after the 5th Sunday after Easter)
The Lesser Litanies at St. John Lateran (Tuesday after the 5th Sunday after Easter)
The Vigil of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Lesser Litanies at St. Peter's (Wednesday after the 5th Sunday after Easter)
The Ascension (Thursday after the 5th Sunday after Easter)
The Octave of the Ascension (Thursday after the 6th Sunday after Easter)
The Vigil of Pentecost (Saturday after the 6th Sunday after Easter)
Pentecost (7th Sunday after Easter)
Holy Trinity and the Octave of Pentecost (8th Sunday after Easter)
Corpus Christi (Thursday after the 8th Sunday after Easter)
Octave of Corpus Christi (Thursday after the 9th Sunday after Easter)
Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after the 9th Sunday after Easter)
Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after the 10th Sunday after Easter)
The 1954 calendar assigned special celebrations also to the days within these Octaves, as to the days within the Octaves of fixed feasts.

[edit] Feasts celebrated in some placesThe pre-1962 Roman Missal also listed a number of celebrations in the section headed "Mass for Some Places". These celebrations were:

The Holy House of Loreto (10 December)
The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (18 December)
The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary with Saint Joseph (23 January)
Saint Ildephonsus (23 January)
The Flight into Egypt (17 February)
Saint Margaret of Cortona (26 February)
The Prayer of Christ (Tuesday after Septuagesima)
Commemoration of the Passion of Christ (Tuesday after Sexagesima)
The Sacred Crown of Thorns (Friday after Ash Wednesday)
The Sacred Lance and Nails (Friday after the First Sunday in Lent)
The Holy Shroud (Friday after the Second Sunday in Lent)
The Five Holy Wounds (Friday after the Third Sunday in Lent)
The Precious Blood (Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent)
Saint Catherine of Genoa (22 March)
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (16 April)
Our Lady of Good Counsel (26 April)
Saint Isidore the Farmer (15 May)
Saint John Nepomucene (16 May)
Saint Rita of Cascia (22 May)
Saint John Baptist de Rossi (23 May)
Our Lady Help of Christians (24 May)
Saint Ferdinand III (30 May)
Saint Joan of Arc (30 May)
Our Lady Queen of All Saints and Mother of Fair Love (31 May)
Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces (31 May)
Our Lady Queen of the Apostles (Saturday after the Ascension)
The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (Thursday the Sacred Heart)
The Immaculate Heart of Mary (Saturday after the Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
Our Lady Mother of Grace (9 June)
Saint John Francis Regis (16 June)
Our Lady of Prompt Succor (27 June)
All Holy Popes (3 July)
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (7 July)
Saint Veronica Giuliani (9 July)
Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary (17 July)
Our Lady Mother of Mercy (Saturday after the 4th Sunday of July)
Saint Emygdius (9 August)
Saint Philomena (11 August)
Our Lady Refuge of Sinners (13 August)
Saint John Berchmans (13 August)
Saint Roch (16 August)
Empress Helena (18 August)
Our Lady of Consolation (Saturday after the Feast of St. Augustine)
Our Lady Help of the Sick (Saturday after the last Sunday in August)
Saint Rose of Viterbo (4 September)
Saint Peter Claver (9 September)
Saint Gregory the Illuminator (1 October)
Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (16 October)
Feast of the Holy Redeemer (23 October)
The Sacred Relics (5 November)
Saint Stanislaus Kostka (13 November)
Our Lady Mother of Divine Providence (Saturday after the 3rd Sunday in November)
St. Leonard of Port Maurice (26 November)
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (27 November)




Also see

Missale romanum ex decreto sacrosancti Concilii tridentini restitutum: s ... By Catholic Church


http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN33036844&id=E7sPAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP34&lpg=PP34&dq=missale+romanum&as_brr=1#v=onepage&q&f=false



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ST. VINCENT of Saragossa, Martyr January 22

Born: at Heusca


Died: martyred c.304 at Valencia


Also known as Vincent of Saragossa; Vincent the Deacon; Vincent Tourante; Vincent of Aragon
ST. VINCENT was archdeacon of the church at Saragossa. Valerian, the bishop, had an impediment in his speech; thus Vincent preached in his stead, and answered in his name when both were brought before Dacian, the president, during the persecution of Diocletian. The Roman emperors had published their edicts against the clergy in 303, and the following year against the laity. Vincent and his bishop were imprisoned in Valencia. Hunger and torture failed to break them. Like the youths in the fiery furnace (Book of Daniel, chapter three), they seemed to thrive on suffering.
Valerius was sent into exile, and Dacian, the Roman governor, now turned the full force of his fury on Vincent.Finally he suggested a compromise: Would Vincent at least give up the sacred books to be burned according to the emperor’s edict? He would not. Torture on the gridiron continued, the prisoner remaining courageous, the torturer losing control of himself. Vincent was thrown into a filthy prison cell—and converted the jailer. Dacian wept with rage, but strangely enough, ordered the prisoner to be given some rest, perhaps to win Vincent by clemency or to prevent him from becoming a martyr.
For a time Vincent had some relief. The faithful were permitted to gaze upon his broken body, probably in the hope that they would abandon their faith. Instead, they came in troops, kissed the open sores, and carried away as relics cloths dipped in his blood. The gentle hands of Christian women tended his wounds. But he did not survive long and died of his injuries in prison in 304 or 305.

When he died, the anger of the authorities was renewed and followed him to his grave. His body was thrown into a bog as prey to the wild birds and beasts, but it was strangely preserved it is said by the protection of a raven. When any wild beast or bird tried to attack the mortal remains of the saint, the raven drove them away. Thwarted, Dacian had Vincent’s body tied to a stone and cast into the sea. But in the night it was washed ashore, and again loving hands gave it reverent care and secret burial. Relics were claimed by Valencia, Saragossa, Lisbon (the Augustinian monastery), Paris, and Le Mans.

He was the protomartyr of Spain. There can be no doubt of Vincent martyrdom; however, there is plenty of room for speculation on the manner of his death. Prudentius devoted a poem to his praise and embroidered acts of his martyrdom have been preserved. The fame of Saint Vincent spread very rapidly and far, as Saint Augustine testifies, in a sermon, that his cultus extended to every part of the Roman Empire and everywhere the name of Jesus was known.






Reading
"To you has been granted in Christ's behalf not only that you should believe in him but also that you should suffer for him."

Vincent had received both these gifts and held them as his own. For how could he have them if he had not received them? And he displayed his faith in what he said, his endurance in what he suffered.

No one ought to be confident in his own strength when he undergoes temptation. For whenever we endure evils courageously, our long-suffering comes from him Christ.

He once said to his disciples: "In this world you will suffer persecution," and then, to allay their fears, he added, "but rest assured, I have conquered the world."

There is no need to wonder then, my dearly beloved brothers, that Vincent conquered in him who conquered the world. It offers temptation to lead us astray; it strikes terror into us to break out spirit.

Hence if our personal pleasures do not hold us captive, and if we are not frightened by brutality, then the world is overcome. At both of these approaches Christ rushes to our aid, and the Christian is not conquered.

from a sermon by Saint Augustine of Hippo

St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr January 21

Saint Agnes by Domenichino


St.Agnes of Rome (c. 291 – c. 304) is a virgin–martyr, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. She is the patron saint of chastity, gardeners, girls, engaged couples, rape victims, and virgins.

She is also known as Saint Agnes and Saint Ines. Her memorial, which commemorates her martyrdom, is 21 January in both the Roman Catholic calendar of saints. Agnes is depicted in art with a lamb, as her name resembles the Latin word for "lamb", agnus. The name "Agnes" is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective "hagnē" (ἁγνή) meaning "chaste, pure, sacred".
According to tradition, Saint Agnes was a member of the Roman nobility born c. 291 and raised in a Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve or thirteen during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on 21 January 304.

The Prefect Sempronius wished Agnes to marry his son, and on Agnes' refusal he condemned her to death. As Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, Sempronius had a naked Agnes dragged through the streets to a brothel. Various versions of the legend give different methods of escape from this predicament. In one, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men who attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. In another the son of the prefect is struck dead, but revived after Agnes prayed for him, causing her release. There is then a trial from which Sempronius excuses himself, and another figure presides, sentencing her to death. When led out to die she was tied to a stake, but the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his sword and beheaded her, or, in some other texts, stabbed her in the throat. It is also said that the blood of Agnes poured to the stadium floor where other Christians soaked up the blood with cloths.

A few days after Agnes' death, her foster-sister, Saint Emerentiana was found praying by her tomb; she claimed to be the daughter of Agnes' wet nurse, and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana was also later canonized. The daughter of Constantine I, Saint Constance, was also said to have been cured of leprosy after praying at Agnes' tomb. Emerentiana and Constance appear in the scenes from the life of Agnes on the 14th-century Royal Gold Cup in the British Museum.

Agnes' bones are conserved beneath the high altar in the church of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura in Rome, built over the catacomb that housed Agnes' tomb. Her skull is preserved in a separate chapel in the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone in Rome's Piazza Navona.

An early account of Agnes' death, stressing her steadfastness and virginity, but not the legendary features of the tradition, is given by Saint Ambrose.
An interesting custom is observed on her feast day. Two lambs are brought from the Trappist abbey of Tre Fontane in Rome to the Pope to be blessed. On Holy Thursday they are shorn, and from the wool is woven the pallium which the pope gives to a newly consecrated metropolitan archbishop as a sign of his jurisdiction and his union with the pope.

Saint Agnes is the patron saint of young girls. Folk custom called for them to practice rituals on Saint Agnes' Eve (20–21 January) with a view to discovering their future husbands. This superstition has been immortalized in John Keats's poem, "The Eve of Saint Agnes".

She is represented in art as a young girl in robes, holding a palm branch in her hand and a lamb at her feet or in her arms.

In the historical novel Fabiola or, the Church of the Catacombs, written by Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman in 1854, Agnes is the soft-spoken teenage cousin and confidant of the protagonist, the beautiful noblewoman Fabiola.

She is sometimes misconstrued to be the St Agnes referred to in the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas"; as the peasant who Wenceslas sees, lives, "Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain." The saint being referred to is actually St. Agnes of Bohemia.

Hrotsvitha, the tenth-century nun and poetess, wrote a play the subject of which was St. Agnes. Grace Andreacchi wrote a play based on the legends surrounding the martyrdom of St. Agnes.



"This is a virgin's birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It is a martyr's birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy Agnes: let men be filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married woman with awe, and the unmarried with emulation. It seems to me that this child, holy beyond her years and courageous beyond human nature, received the name of Agnes (Greek: pure) not as an earthly designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be."

~ St. Augustine

"Today is the birthday of a virgin; let us imitate her purity. It is the birthday of a martyr; let us offer ourselves in sacrifice. It is the birthday of Saint Agnes, who is said to have suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve."

~ St. Ambrose