Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas, IInd Class

Today is the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Almighty and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to govern us in all our doings in the way of thy good pleasure : that we, faithfully serving thee in the Name of thy well-beloved Son, may worthily abound in all good works. Who liveth and reigneth with thee.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass for the Day may be found here.

Prior to the Reforms of Blessed John XXIII, St Sylvester, Pope during the Reign of the Emperor Constantine (the illustration is of the Saint and the Emperor) would have had a Commemoration on this day:

V. The Lord guided the righteous in right paths.
R. And shewed him the kingdom of God.

Antiphon: Well done, good and faithful servant: * thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, saith the Lord.

Let us pray.
O eternal Shepherd, do thou look favourably upon thy flock, which we beseech thee to guard and keep for evermore, through the blessed Sylvester, thy Supreme Pontiff, whom thou didst choose to be the chief shepherd of the whole Church. Through.

The article on the Saint from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Magnificat.

From Catholic Online.

From Catholic Forum.

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrology

31 December 2006.

1 January 2007.

Polish President supports Turkish entry into EU.

The President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, has come out in favour of the admission of Turkey to the EU. He is a Catholic politician, elected by the Catholics of Poland, and now he takes a stance which may help to be the death of what remains of Christian Europe, Poland, with Malta, being two of the main holdouts in the defence of the remnant of Christendom.

From Poland.pl.

I have emailed him as follows:

Your Excellency,

I was extremely disappointed to read the following at Poland.pl. "He (that is you) said Poland supports EU entry of Turkey..." As a Catholic, committed to the defence of the Christian European values upon which Polish society is founded, how can you possibly support the admission of Turkey to the EU?

As I have often pointed out, Turkey is a non-European country, populated by non-Europeans speaking a non-European language, who follow a religion antipathetic to all that traditional Europe holds dear, including our Holy Faith and our Greco-Roman Civilisation.

By what stretch of the imagination could any believing Christian European support the entry of the hereditary enemy of Europe into the EU?

Respectfully in Christ and Our Lady, Queen of Poland,

Jovan-Marya Weismiller, T.O.Carm.

You, too, can email him at his website. (Click on "President" in the main navigation bar and then on "Mail to President" in the left hand navigation bar.)

The Sixth Day Within the Octave of Christmas, IIIrd Class

Today is the Sixth Day in the Octave of the Nativity, the only day in the Octave with no Feast.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Martyrology

30 December 2006.

31 December 2006.

The Feast of St Thomas a Beckcet, B. & M., IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Thomas a Becket.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who for thy Church's sake didst suffer thy Bishop Thomas gloriously to be slain by the swords of wicked men : grant, we beseech thee ; that all they who call upon him for succour may be profited by the obtaining of all that they desire. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass of the Feast may be found here.

The article on the Saint from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus de Voragine.

From Tradition in Action.

From Magnificat.

From Catholic Information Network.

From Catholic Online.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrology

29 December 2006.

30 December 2006.

Feast of The Holy Innocents,Mm., IInd Class

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, slain by King Herod in an attempt to kill the Christchild. It is sometimes called Childermas.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, whose praise the martyred Innocents did this day proclaim, not be speaking but by dying, do to death in us all the malice of sinfulness, that our lives may also proclaim thy faith, which our tongues profess. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass for the Feast may be found here.

The article on the Holy Innocents and their Feast from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus de Voragine.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From Catholic Forum.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrology

28 December 2006.

29 December 2006.

Feast of St John the Evangelist, Ap. & Ev., IInd Class

Today is the Feast of St John the Evangelist.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Of thy loving-kindness, O Lord, shed light upon thy Church : that, being enlightened by the teachings of blessed John, thine Apostle and Evangelist, it may attain to thine everlasting gifts. Through.

The Proper Lessons can be found here.

The Propers of the Mass for the Feast may be found here.

The Article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Goffines's Devout Instructions.

From Catholic Forum.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus de Voragine.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

(I am not bothering to post an article from Wikipedia because, as a result of the "modern criticism", it has no less than four articles on the Saint! One on the Apostle, one on the Evangelist, one on "John of Patmos" and one on "John the Presbyter"!)

The Martyrology

27 December 2006.

28 December 2006.

Doreen Louise Oxley Weismiller Spiller, 27 December 1923-27 November 2001, R+I+P

My beloved Mother would have celebrated her 83rd birthday today. Born in Horndean, nr. Catherington, Hants., England, she was a WW II war bride who came to America to be with the man she loved, Perry Weismiller, my sorely missed father. When he died, she remarried and was a loving wife for 38 years, until his death, to my wonderful stepfather, Marion Edward Spiller.

Please pray for the repose of her soul.

Feast of St Stephen, Protomartyr, IInd Class

Today is the Feast of St Stephen, the First Martyr. Saul of Tarsus, later Saint Paul, held the cloaks of the Jews as they stoned Stephen.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Grant us, we beseech thee, O Lord, to imitate what we venerate, that we may learn to love even our enemies; for we celebrate the birth to life everlasting of him who knew how to plead even for his persecutors even unto Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with thee.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass for the Feast may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Catholic Forum.

From Magnificat.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus Voragine.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrology

26 December 2006.

27 December 2006.

The Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ist Class

And may all my readers have a Holy and Happy Christmas Season!

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the new birth, in the flesh, of thine only-begotten Son, may deliver us whom slavery from of old doth keep under the yoke of sin. Through the same.

The Proper Lessons of the Feast may be found here.

The Propers for the Mass at Midnight of the Feast may be found here.

The Propers for the Mass at Dawn of the Feast may be found here.

The Propers for the Mass during the Day of the Feast may be found here.

The Article on the Feast from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From the Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911.

From Wikipedia.

An excerpt from a Christmas sermon of my name saint, Zveti Jovan Zlatoust (St John Chrysostom to most of my readers!) can be found here.

The Martyrology

25 December 2006.

26 December 2006.

The Vigil of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Today is the Vigil of the Feast of the Nativity. As it falls on a Sunday, it is not a day of fast and abstinence, as it would be normally. The opening of the Roman Martyrolgy for 25 December, read this morning at Prime, is one of the most moving pieces of literature, outside of Holy Scripture in the world, so I have it posted in full, in the preceding post. May all my readers have a very Blessed and Happy Christmas Season!

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly Expectation of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ: grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge. Who liveth and reigneth with thee.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of the Mass of the Day, which supercedes the IVth Sunday of Advent this year, may be found here.

The opening of the Martyrology for Christmas Day

I n the 5199th year of the creation of the world, from the time when in the beginning God created heaven and earth; from the flood, the 2957th year; from the birth of Abraham, the 2015th year; from Moses and the going-out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the 1510th; from the anointing of David as king, the 1032nd year; in the 65th week according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the 194th Olympiad; from the founding of the city of Rome, the 752nd year; in the 42nd year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, when the whole world was at peace, in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, desiring to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and nine months having passed since His conception (A higher tone of voice is now used, and all kneel) was born in Bethlehem of Juda of the Virgin Mary, having become man.



T HE NATIVITY of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

The Martyrology

24 December 2006.

25 December 2006.

Ember Saturday in Adventtide

Today is Ember Saturday.

The Propers of today's Mass can be found here.

The Martyrology

23 December 2006.

24 December 2006.

Feast of Frances Xavier Cabrini, V., IIIrd Class and Ember Friday

Today is the Feast of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonised.


The Collect from the Roman Missal:

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who to win souls for Thyself didst conduct the Holy Virgin Frances Xavier, aflame with the fire of love from Thy most Sacred Heart, on her long and repeated journeys and through her didst raise up a new family within Thy Church: grant us, we beseech Thee, by her intercession, the grace to put on the virtues of that same Heart of Thine and to arrive safely at the Heavenly port, there to be happy forever. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.

The Propers of the Mass in her honour may be found here.

The article on her from Magnificat.

From Wikipedia.

Ven. Therese of St Augustine, OCD, V

It is also the feast of the Venerable Therese of St Augustine of the Discalced Reform. Born Madame Louise, the daughter of His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XV, King of France and Navarre, she entered Carmel in her early thirties and died at fifty in 1787, being spared, by God's grace, the horrors of the Revolution. Her last words, befitting a Princess of the Blood, were, ""Au paradis! Vite! Au grand galop!" ("To heaven! Quickly! At the gallop!") His Holiness, Blessed Pius IX declared her Venerable on 19 June 1873. Her life is celebrated on 23 December.


The article on her from Tradition in Action.

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrology

22 December 2006.

23 December 2006.

The Feast of St Thomas, Ap, IInd Class

Today is the Feast of St Thomas Didymus, the Apostle of India (the illustration is of an Indian postage stamp honouring him).

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Grant us, we beseech thee, O Lord, to glory in the solemn festival of blessed Thomas, thine Apostle, that we may both be helped continually by his patronage and imitate his faith with befitting devotion. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The Propers of his Mass may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Magnificat.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From the Golden Legend of Bl Jacobus Voragine.

From Tradition in Action.

From Wikipedia (watch out for the gnostic influence!).

The Martyrology

21 December 2006.

22 December 2006.

Oliver Cromwell and the original PC brigade

The current "War against Christmas" is not the first! An article from a British source on the puritans' attempts to ban the Holy Day, as a "Catholic relic", in the XVIIth Century.

From The First Post.

Ember Wednesday in Adventtide

Today is Ember Wednesday of the Advent Season. There is no Feast and no Commemoration on the Calendar for today.

An interesting article from Fish Eaters on the Ember Days. (Thanks, Vox!)

The Martyrology

20 December 2006.

21 December 2006.

Feria

Today is a Feria, with no Commemoration. As a point of information, I have neglected to mention that Ferias in Advent are of the IInd Class.

The Martyrology

19 December 2006.

20 December 2006.

Murder suspect fled under Muslim veil

'Nuff said!

Muslims out of Europe!

From the Telegraph.

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration, but before the reforms (probably of St Pius X, but I don't know for sure) it was the Feast of the Expectation of Mary, sort of a "mirror" of the Annunciation.

The article from the Catholic Encyclopædia, on why it was celebrated in December. The fascinating things I find out, researching for posts!

The Martyrology

18 December 2006.

19 December 2006.

Gaudete Sunday, the IIIrd of Advent

Today is Gaudete Sunday, so named from the opening word of the Introit. It is one of two days in the Liturgical year on which rose coloured vestments are allowed, the other being Laetare Sunday, the IVth of Lent.

The Collect from the Roman Missal:

Incline Thy ear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to our petitions: and, by the grace of Thy visitation, enlighten the darkness of our minds. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

The Propers of the Mass may be found here.

The article from the Catholic Encyclopædia on the Feast.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

Sapientiatide

Sapientiatide, or the seven days of the Great "O" antiphons, begins at Vespers this evening. The illustration is of the chant notation for the Seventh, sung on the 23rd of December. These "O" Antiphons inspired the great Christmas hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", with the title taken from this Antiphon. In the original Latin, the hymn had seven verses one for each antiphon and, indeed, some good English hymnbooks have all seven. The usual English translation is by the Anglican, John Mason Neale.

The article from Medieval Saints at Yahoo!, with all seven antiphons in Latin and English.

The 'O' Antiphons in Rev. E. J. Quigley's The Divine Office , with a tip of the Red Beret to in illo tempore.

The Martyrology

17 December 2006.

18 December 2006.

Those darned Christians: From the way they're treated, you'd think they were a threat to the nation

An excellent leader from a Canadian, on the war against Christianity in that overwhelmingly Christian nation. By Licia Corbella (Italian Catholic, by any chance?)

From the Calgary Sun.

Feast of St Eusebius of Vercelli, BM, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Eusebius of Vercelli.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly festival of blessed Eusebius thy Martyr and Bishop : mercifully grant that, as we now observe his heavenly birthday ; so we may likewise rejoice in his protection. Through...

The Proper Lessons can be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Magnificat.

From Wikipedia.

The Martyrolgy

16 December 2006.

17 December 2006.

Blair seeks alliance with Turkey

Red Tony is trying to sell out, not only Britain, but all of Europe. Where are these "moderate Muslims" of whom he speaks? May God hasten elections in Britain and may the people of Britain vote for their own interests rather than Blair's insanity!

Muslims out of Europe! God save Britain!

A tip of the Red Beret to GrumpyTroll.

From the Times.

Traditionalists of the world, unite! In defense of Christian Civilization

And from Italy, another manifesto in favour of the TLM. This one is soliciting additional signatures from around the world. SIGN IT!

RORATE CÆLI

French declaration favouring liberalizing of the 1962 Missal

Whilst the Bishops of France are opposing the attempts of our Holy Father to liberalise the use of the Traditional (or Tridentine) Latin Mass, at least some Frenchmen, "French Catholic lay academics, artists, etc", are in favour!

A tip of the Red Beret to David at Vox Cantor and The Cranky Cantor.

From The New Liturgical Movement.

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration.

The Martyrology

15 December 2006.

16 December 2006.

Nun accused of religious harassment

This was in a comment to my earlier post A Protestant Take on Pope Benedict's Prayer in a Mosque, but it's too important to be hidden in the combox. More evidence of insanity in Red Tony's Britain!

A tip of the Red Beret to Religion of Pieces for bring this to my attention.

Muslims out of Europe! Our Lady of Walsingham and all ye Saints and Martyrs of England, pray for your people!

From Life Style Extra.

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration.

The Martyrology

14 December 2006.

15 December 2006.

The Feast of St Lucy, VM, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Lucy.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Graciously hear us, O God of our salvation : that, like as we do rejoice in the festival of blessed Lucy thy holy Virgin and Martyr ; so we may learn to follow her in all godly and devout affections. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article on her from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Blessed Jacobus Voragine's The Golden Legend.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

From Wikipedia.

And, also from Wikipedia, an article on how her Feastday is celebrated, even in protestant countries.

The Martyrology

13 December 2006.

14 December 2006.

The Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of the Great Mother of God Mary most Holy, in Her apparition on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, known as our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Collect from the Roman Missal:

O God, Who hast willed that, under the special patronage of the blessed Virgin Mary, we be laden with perpetual favours, grant to Thy suppliants that, as we this day rejoice in her commemoration on earth, we may enjoy the vision of her in heaven. Through...

The article from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Martyrology

12 December 2006.

13 December 2006.

Baby DNA idea sparks new concerns

It's beginning to look like Orwell was just a few years late in his predictions. Red Tony has created a new "offence", on the average, for every day he has been in office, has so weakened the common law concept of trial by jury that many minor offences are now punished with a fine by the constable on patrol ("cop", get it?) and now they want everyone's DNA on file. God save England!

Our Lady of Walsingham, St George and all ye Saints and Martyrs of England, pray for your people!

(A tip of the Red Beret to Alan Goudman)

From the BBC.

Monarchy vs. Republic by HIAM Otto

Found via Google BlogAlerts, this may be of interest to my readers.

From Jonathan's Blog on MySpace.

A Protestant Take on Pope Benedict's Prayer in a Mosque

This, from a pæleoconservative American fundamentalist protestant! I couldn't have said it better myself!

From Acid Ink.

The Feast of St Damasus, PC, IIIrd Class

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O eternal Shepherd, do thou look favorably upon thy flock, which we beseech thee to guard and keep for evermore through the Blessed Damasus thy Supreme Pontiff, whom thou didst choose to be the chief shepherd of the whole Church. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Father Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints.

From Magnificat.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Martyrology

11 December 2006.

12 December 2006.

IInd Sunday of Advent

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

The Propers for the Mass, in Latin and English may be found here.

The Martyrology

10 December 2006.

11 December 2006.

The Gay agenda in "Catholic" Italy

Two articles on recent developments in Italy. First, Padua, the City of St Anthony, is granting "legal registration" to unwed couples, whether straight or unrepentant sodomites.

Legal status of gay and unwed couples debated, from the Scotsman.

Secondly, the left-wing government of Romano Prodi is attempting to undermine traditional marriage:

Italy's left is seeking to "eradicate" the traditional family with its plan for a law that would give unmarried couples, including gays, some of the same rights as married couples, the Vatican newspaper (L'Osservatore Romano) said Saturday.

Vatican Paper Blasts Italian Proposal, from the Washington Post.

An Eye Opener!

Not only is the West being attacked from without, we are committing suicide by contraception! A review of Mark Steyn's book, America Alone, which points out that of all the developed world, only the US has a birth rate above the net loss level:

For a stable population — that is, no growth — a country has to have a fertility rate of at least 2.1 live births per woman. Of all developed countries, only the U.S. meets that standard. Canada’s fertility rate is 1.48 while Europe as a whole is even lower at 1.38. Japan’s is 1.32, Russia’s 1.14, and so on throughout Europe. Steyn calls it “the self-extinction of civilization.”

Read it all from the Toronto Sun.

More Milingo Insanity!

Excommunicate Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo has struck again! He's ordained two married men to the priesthood. That's the first link. The second, however is the more interesting. It seems that "Married Priests Now" is an "outreach" of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. For those not familiar with "Reverend" Moon, I've appended a couple of links to Wikipedia, pointing out that, to Christians at least, this man is truly inspired by Satan. He claims to be "humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent"! and he has been "crowned" as "Messiah" by no less than a Member of the United States Congress!

Does anyone besides me have a bad feeling about this minion of the Evil One? It seems that Milingo is not insane after all, he's just actively coöperating with Satan to bring about, what he hopes is, the destruction of the Catholic Church!

Cleric Installs Married Priests in N.J., from the Washington Post.

Contentious Movement Credits Rev. Moon, Married Priest Cites the Leader's 'Utmost Support', From the Washington Post.

Sun Myung Moon, from Wikipedia.

Sun Myung Moon Coronation, from Wikipedia.

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration.

The Martyrology

9 December 2006.

10 December 2006.

Holy Wisdom: Why the Pope Should Call for the Return of the Hagia Sophia

From a good Catholic blog, a follow up on my earlier post from the LA Times on the double standard afforded Muslims.

Pro Ecclesia * Pro Familia * Pro Civitate

The Feast of the The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ist Class

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who in the foreknowledge of thy Son's most precious death didst consecrate for him a dwelling-place by the immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin : mercifully grant that she who was preserved from all defilement ; may evermore pray for us until we attain unto thee in purity of heart. Through the same.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus Voragine.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From Tradition in Action.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Martyrology

8 December 2006.

9 December 2006.

The Feast of St Ambrose, BCD, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Ambrose, defender of the Rights of God before the Emperor Theodosius, who received St Augustine into the Church.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, by whose providence blessed Ambrose was sent to guide thy people in the way of everlasting salvation : grant, we beseech thee ; that as we have learned of him the doctrine of life on earth, so we may be found worthy to have him for our advocate in heaven. Through.

The Proper Lessons can be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Catholic Forum.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!.

The Martyrology

7 December 2006.

8 December 2006.

Muslim boys urinated on Bible

Note that the "school" which taught them this hatred receives $3.9 million/per year in federal and state funds from the hardworking, non-Muslim majority of Australians!

From the Australian.

"I Want An Islam Of France..."

From our friend Tiberge, a post on Big Nick Sarkozy, the "right-wing, law'n'order" candidate for President of France and how he is pandering to the "immigrant" vote.

Muslims out of Europe! Vive la France! De Villiers for President of the Republic!

GalliaWatch

The Feast of St Nicholas, BC, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Nicholas. "Hurrah!" as my children would have said when they were younger. They got a gift on his Feast, their regular presents on Christmas morning (they got to open one after Midnight Mass, but I never got to sleep in on Christmas morning!) and another small gift on the Feast of the Three Kings. The whole idea of gift giving at Christmas seems to actually have come from these two Feasts. Of course, there is evidence that as a liturgical celebration, the Epiphany is older than Christmas, so in a way, it was just a transfer.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who didst adorn thy blessed Bishop Nicholas, with power to work many and great miracles : grant, we beseech thee ; that by his prayers and merits we may be delivered from the fires of everlasting torment. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From the Golden Legend of Bl. Jacobus Voragine.

From Tradition in Action.

From the Lives of the Saints, by Fr Alban Butler.

From Catholic Forum
(with other links).

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!.

An Orthodox view from the Orthodox Church in America.

And the article from Medieval Saints at Yahoo! on the fun that was had by all at the Festival of the Boy Bishop, held on this day during the High Ages of Faith.

The Martyrology

6 December 2006.

7 December 2006.

The Truth Breaks Out in Italy

An article by Christopher A. Ferrara about an Italian journalist who sat out to "debunk" the" extreme" views of many Trads regarding the Third Secret of Fatima and came to the conclusion that they are right. The Vatican did not reveal it and covered it up!

From the Fatima Network.

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration.

The Martyrology

5 December 2006.

6 December 2006.

Interview with Fr. James Doran on Muslims, Benedict, and the "one God."

An excellent post from Stephen Heiner. I especially like the bit where Father says,

(S)ince we know what God is, to say that Muslims worship the same God is to say he puts on one baseball hat or face for the Christians, and another for the Jews, and another for the Muslims. This is false.

TrueRestoration

Artistic freedom debate sparked by 'paedophile' show

The fact that this pædoporn pusher is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour shows just how far the Republic has fallen (not that it was very high to begin with!) but at least there is a possiblity that he might get at least part of his just deserts!

From Expatica.

Islam gets concessions; infidels get conquered

I may the last person in the world to expect sanity from the LA Times. Despite the fact that my beloved eldest daughter and (so far) all of my grandchildren live in the greater LA area, I've always felt that southern California was like a bowl of granola: you take away the flakes and you've still got the fruits and nuts! However, this article may cause me to revise my opinion a bit. The author points out the extreme double standard which the Muslims demand and the West allows them to receive.

I am reminded of a post from a few months ago, in which I reported that Muslim children were being taught that Spain is part of worldwide Islam, because it was once conquered by the Caliphate.

Muslims out of Europe! Return Hagia Sophia to the Church!

From the Los Angeles Times.

The Feast of St Peter Chrysologus, BCD, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Peter Chrysologus, with a Commemoration of St Barbara, VM.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, who by divine foreshewing wast pleased to summon thy great teacher Peter Chrysologus to be a ruler and Doctor of thy Church : grant, we beseech thee ; that, as we have learned of him the doctrine of life on earth, so we may be found worthy to have him for our advocate in heaven. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Catholic Forum.

From the New Catholic Dictionary.

From Doctors of the Catholic Church.

The Commemoration of St Barbara:

Ant: Come, thou bride of Christ, receive the crown which the Lord hath prepared for thee for ever.

V. In thy comeliness, yea in thy beauty.
R. Go forth, ride prosperously, and reign.

Let us pray.
O God, who among the manifold works of thine almighty power hast bestowed even upon the weakness of women strength to win the victory of martyrdom : grant, we beseech thee ; that we, who on this day recall the heavenly birth of blessed Barbara, thy Virgin and Martyr, may so follow in her footsteps, that we may likewise attain unto thee. Through

The aricle on her from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From the Golden Legend.

From Catholic Forum.

From the New Catholic Dictionary.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Martyrolgy

4 December 2006.

5 December 2006.

Runaway victory for Chavez

Sad news from Venezuela. The Communists are solidifying their hold on the country. While I am sure the left stuffed a few ballot boxes, the size of the victory margin is so large that I have little doubt that Chavez did win fairly. Let us pray for the people of Venezuela as they are being duped into slavery by the Reds.

Our Lady of Coromoto, Patroness of Venezuela, pray for your people!

From the Independent.

Child-care center warned over 'loving Jesus' songs

"Overzealous bureaucrat threatens loss of funding to moms, tots unless group becomes 'gay'-inclusive"!

At least she was forced to back down by saner heads, but for how long? Notice that the majority of the children/families affected are Catholic. Do they try to enforce the same in predominantly Muslim Sure Start programmes and make them become more "gay-friendly"?

From WorldNetDaily.

Spanish School Cancels Christmas!

MADRID (Reuters) - A school in traditionally Catholic Spain has
cancelled Christmas celebrations so as not to offend children who
are not Christians, ABC newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The Hilarion Gimeno school in Zaragoza said teachers had put forward
various reasons for not celebrating Christmas, but ABC said the
worry was that Muslim children might be upset.

The school will not put on a nativity play or hand out presents, but
pupils will be free to decorate the halls and sing carols.

"We are educators and we want our school programme to advance the
personal development of our students as much as possible," the
school said.

Christmas celebrations usually last for about a month in Spain, with
parties starting in December and running through to January 6
for "Los Reyes", a huge fiesta to celebrate the visit of the three
wise men to the new-born Jesus in Bethlehem.

A tip of the Red Beret to Knight4Mary

Real Turkish interests

From an excellent Catholic blog, an insight into the Turkish mindset. Note the last anecdote. The concept that the rule of law prohibits a murderer from profiting from his crime seems not to have penetrated!

RORATE CÆLI:

Ist Sunday of Advent

Today is the First Sunday of Advent.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

Stir up thy power, O Lord, we beseech thee, and come: that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest.

The Propers of the Mass, in Latin and English, can be found here.

Were it not Sunday, it would be the Feast of St Francis Xavier,C., IIIrd Class. Before the Johannine Reforms this Commemoration would have been said at Mass and Office:

Ant: Well done, good and faithful servant: * thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter into the joy of thy Lord.

V. The Lord guided the righteous in right paths.
R. And shewed him the kingdom of God.

Let us pray.
O God, who by the preaching and wondrous works of blessed Francis didst unite unto thy Church the peoples of India : mercifully grant that we who venerate his glorious merits, may likewise follow him in all virtues and godly living. Through.

The article on him from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

From Tradition in Action.

From Catholic Forum.

From Goffine's Devout Instructions.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Marturology

3 December 2006.

4 December 2006.

From GalliaWatch

A post from our friend Tiberge, with a roundup of articles of interest (en anglaise) on the 'net. Read 'Till You Drop

Argentine Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide

The Argentine House of Deputies has adopted "a resolution recognizing the 1915-1918 mass killings and deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide."

Sooner or later the Turks must own up to these vicious murders, an attempt to destroy the Christian Armenian Nation!

From ArmeniaLiberty.

Fun With The ACLU--A Reminder--Time is running out

What a GREAT idea!

Fun with the ACLU......
Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS? Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year. As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world.

Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it or has some sort of religious message to it.

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude.

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 39 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a "Holiday Tree". . . . It's a Christmas tree, even in the fields!!

And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU!

They really DESERVE us!!

St Bibiana, VM, IIIrd Class

Today is the Feast of St Bibiana.

The Collect from the Roman Breviary:

O God, the giver of all good gifts, who didst bestow on thy servant Bibiana both the flower of virginity and the palm of martyrdom ; we pray thee, that, by her intercession, our hearts may in such wise be joined in charity unto thee ; that we, being defended against all dangers, may attain unto the rewards of everlasting salvation. Through.

The Proper Lessons may be found here.

The article on her from the Catholic Encyclopædia.

Short bio from the New Catholic Dictionary.

From Catholic Forum.

From Catholic Online.

From Medieval Saints at Yahoo!

The Martyrology

2 December 2006.

3 December 2006.

H.L. Mencken's poignant analysis of the liturgy

From Gerald Augustinus at The Cafeteria Is Closed, a post quoting H.L. Menckens view of the Liturgy.

Keeping in mind that Mencken wrote this in 1923, while His Holiness, Pope Pius XI was still gloriously reigning, he was quite prophetic:

If they (the American Bishops)keep on spoiling poetry and spouting ideas, the day will come when some extra-bombastic deacon will astound humanity and insult God by proposing to translate the liturgy into American, that all the faithful may be convinced by it.

Read the whole post here. (A tip of the Red Beret to Mike at in illo tempore!)

How Unpleasant!

From our friend, Tiberge, at GalliaWatch, a link to an article (en Française) from Occidentalis.

The post at GalliaWatch begins:

I found this article in Occidentalis to be...uh, just a bit troubling, don't you think? Or am I worrying over a trifle?

The Danish government said it was shocked to learn that a Koranic school is teaching its pupils that the only way to obtain peace in the Middle East is to exterminate all the Jews.

The school, situated in Odense, in the suburbs of Vollsmose, in the center of Denmark, is also supposed to be teaching pupils in the elementary grades that the Jews are Nazis and that the American president George W. Bush ought to be electrocuted.

Read the whole post!

Feria

Today is a Feria with no Commemoration.

The Martyrology

1 December 2006.

2 December 2006.