+ Last night 8.00 p.m. - Rendezvous on the high sea +

Ship ahoy!
What vessel are you?
First look
what a beautiful sight
... just the right size ...
Permission to come aboard, Father?
At last, six months overdue
-she was going to be home last Christmas-
the
Saint Alphonsus
arrives in Stronsay
Fr. Anthony at the helm.
There is a marble altar
and
church furnishings to bring across,
sheep and cattle to move,
stone chips, fuel, tractor, trailer and machinery...
... the monastery is not finished yet ...
On with the work!
Welcome home to the Saint Alphonsus!

Note to Lost Sheep

Dear Lost Sheep

Thank you for your comment. You could get a hotmail account since they are free. Then whenever you are on-line you could check that account even if you do not have a computer of your own.
However, I can always answer your letters by posting a reply. Unfortunately this one was too long to be accepted by the Comment Box.

The place to begin is with the basic questions:

1) What if the Sedevacantists are right? –this was your question.

The Sedevacantists cannot be right because Our Lord said that He would be with His Church to the end of time and the Church has defined the perpetuity of the Papacy.

Now there are sede vacante periods between every Papacy. However the Sedevacantists claim there has been no Pope since Pius XII (50 years) and that Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI are all anti-popes. Therefore, presuming there was to be a Conclave to elect a new Pope, there are not even any Cardinals left from the time of Pius XII to elect one. For most people the idea is preposterous but, for many traditionalists, myself included, when you have seen the scandals, when the soul aches and nothing seems to make any sense, Sedevacantism seems the best solution to the crisis in the Church. But, having had the experience, in my opinion, the only salvageable aspect of Sedevacantism it that it may help you to make a clear choice in favour of whole heartedly accepting Pope Benedict XVI as the true Pope of the Catholic Church.

The SSPX solution of both accepting the Pope and rejecting obedience to him imprisons souls in a mental limbo whereby they continually recognise the Pope in name but never obey him in fact. This solution is dangerous for the soul and mind. At least Sedevacantism does not mix yes and no together.

Sedevacantism is clean thinking, logical. With logic and mathematical precision applied to past Papal Bulls, Definitions or Encyclicals the Sedevacantists make their case. But Catholicism is more than a computation of logic and mathematics applied to theology after the fashion of the Rabbis of the Talmud.

My conclusion is that the Catholic Church is NOT the Sedevacantist Diaspora. My conclusion is based on Faith in Jesus Christ who through His Church has defined that the Papacy would be continual. I do not accept that for 50 years there could be no Pope. But my conclusion can be doubted by Sedevacantists because it may be argued that the Church has not defined that there could not be a sede vacante period for 50 years. And, Our Lord has said that, when he comes, will He find Faith on the Earth?

Therefore I support my conclusion that the Catholic Church is not the Sedevacantist Diaspora by noting that the Church of Pope Benedict XVI has the Church’s Mark of Holiness and that the Sedevacantist Diaspora does not.

Sedevacantism shows itself to be only human, and not at all the Church, since the Mark of Holiness is absent. This is particularly evident in the absence of charity and the presence of unholy-bitterness that for many has been an identifying Mark of Sedevacantism. I conclude that this unholy bitterness is God's providential sign that Sedevacantism is NOT the continuation of the True Church of Jesus Christ.

Whereas, in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ ruled by Pope Benedict XVI there is a superabundance of charity, holiness, forgiveness and generous long-suffering. Be careful. For traditionalists this has often been obscured. Traditionalists do not look to the Church to find its Mark of Holiness. Generally they look to the Church to point out only the liturgical abuses, vile clerical impurity, scandals and distortions of doctrine.

But this is a distraction and is not to the point. Our Lord described the Church as the field in which wheat and cockle will grow together until the Day of Judgment. There has always been, and always will be, the presence of the cockle that, finally, will be tied into bundles to burn. That there is a lot or a little cockle in the field of the Church is not the point. The point is: there is wheat.

The Mark of Holiness is still clearly present in the Church ruled by Pope Benedict XVI and it can be verified by all who would go to investigate it.

In the Holy Church ruled by Pope Benedict XVI there are still HOLY CONFESSORS ( for one example, the imprisoned faithful, priests and bishops in China). Sedevacantism has no Holy Confessors.

There are still HOLY MARTYRS (for one example, in 1996 the seven Cistercians monks of Algeria). Sedevacantism has none of these either.

There are holy bishops, priests, laity, religious and virgins: until recently there was the presence of Sister Lucy of Fatima, obedient daughter of the Popes, with whom Sedevacantism has nobody to compare.

Even in Her present trials and terrible crisis the Church ruled by Benedict XVI has Her Marks of UNITY, HOLINESS, CATHOLICITY and APOSTOLICITY.

The Sedevacantist Diaspora is schismatic and sterile.

There is no reasonable doubt that the True Church of Jesus Christ is that One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic body ruled by Pope Benedict XVI to whom, for salvation, all men must be subject.

2) Who ordained the Sedevacantist priest who runs your chapel? -This is my question to you.

This is an important point for everything to do with your future possible options. Was he ordained by a bishop of the Church or by a SSPX bishop? Or was he ordained by one of the many Sedevacantist bishops who are not recognised by the Church?

If he was not ordained by a bishop of the Church or a bishop of the SSPX you cannot possibly continue to frequent that chapel. So this is the first question to sort out.

+ J's letter +

Dear Friends,

I was grateful to J for giving me permission to post his letter. I thought it was better to turn off the comments so that his honest voice would not be debated but would be heard more clearly and respected. J is a youth struggling with the crisis in the Church, striving to be faithful, hoping to persevere. At 15 years of age it isn't easy.

.
J was born in the 1990’s. “Immediately after the Second Vatican Council it was presumed that requests for the use of the 1962 Missal would be limited to the older generation which had grown up with it, but in the meantime it has clearly been demonstrated that young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, particularly suited to them.” [Benedict XVI, Letter to Bishops, about the Motu proprio 7.7.7]

.
It is a statement of personal integrity and attachment to Our Lord that a youth, rather than abandoning the Faith as many do, rather than going along with the crowds of the mute or of the Liturgical abusers, rather keeps aloof, and holds fast to Christ by praying his missal at home because there is no safe church to go to near his town. This could only be a desperate stop-gap measure and we do not encourage it for others.

.

What J sought was a respectful offering of the Mass. He went. He waited. He wanted to be fed. But driven away by irreverence, that always shocks the souls that truly seek God, this youth, like so many others, led by God's light found the old Mass, the holy hill, the tabernacle. (... ipsa me deduxerunt, et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum et in tabernacla tua...) There, like the deer that longs for running streams, he slaked somewhat his thirst for God, and there, too, he found the atmosphere and space to raise his heart and mind unto the God who giveth joy to his youth.

.

J also raises the subject of the Holy Father. “ I was thinking like a sedevacantist while trying to believe I professed the Pope to be the real Pope.” His words here are accurate for many.

.
J has come to the right conclusion: He can be loyal to the Church and be in the Church while staying true to the Latin Mass and the traditional theology and traditions. He can’t be expected to learn everything by himself. He needs a priest and has asked for one. Please pray three Hail Mary's for J.

Devotedly,

Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

+ A letter from "J" +

Received today, it speaks for itself:

Hello Father.
Please excuse me if this e-mail may be an inconvenience to you.

I'm fifteen years old and I don't go to a Novus Ordo Mass. And there isn't a Latin Mass close to me so I have to stay home and I pray the 1962 Missal on Sunday's. There were so many liturgical abuses and irreverences and so many horrible things at the Novus Ordo Mass that I decided that I could not attend it anymore.

But more, for two years my mindset has been of the SSPX.

Since seeing your break from the SSPX and seeing how you still remain loyal to the Latin Mass and traditional theology, I realized that I too can do that.

I guess what I am asking is first, for your prayers.

Second, maybe if there is anyone that I could contact, from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter or Institute of Christ the King that could maybe answer my questions for me.

Thank your for your support of tradition and to your fidelity to the Pope.

When I first learned about the Transalpine Redemptorists, years ago, I was pleased that someone continued the Tradition of the Great St. Alphonsus. And when I first learned your coming to the Pope, I was perplexed, but then I thought to myself, how is it bad that someone is pledging allegiance to the Pope?

I was thinking like a sedevacantist while trying to believe I professed the Pope to be the real Pope.

It was your example that finally led me to the conclusion that I can be loyal to the Church and be in the Church while staying true to the Latin Mass and the traditional theology and traditions.

I don't recall any of the Saints saving the Church by working outside of it. Thank you.

J

+ Reply to a "Lost Sheep" +

Received this morning in our blog comments:
Father: Please, I need your prayers. Presently I attend a sedevacantist chapel. I go there because it is reverent, blessedly quiet, and quite peaceful. I am not sure what to believe any more. This month of May I have been praying to Our Lady to let me know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what to do. Will you pray with me and for me please?

Thank you.

A Lost Sheep

Reply:

Dear Lost Sheep,
Thank you for writing and asking for prayers. We have begun praying with you and also for you, just as you asked. In the chapel you go to you have found reverence and peaceful quiet. You can pray. Keep praying and, although you have come to a point where you do not know what to believe any more, do not panic; the doubt will pass; Our Lord and Our Lady will not leave you in perpetual uncertainty.
You called yourself ‘a lost sheep.’ Well done. Now you need to recognise and accept the name of the Shepherd Our Lord has given to you. It is Pope Benedict. He is your shepherd and you belong to his fold, the Catholic Church.

The Shepherd of the Flock

Dear Lost Sheep, look at the photograph of your Shepherd and then, when you are ready, take a pen and a piece of paper, kneel down and write the following note:
“I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Apostle Peter, and today I fully accept Pope Benedict XVI as the true Pope of the Catholic Church and I submit myself to his authority in obedience to the same Jesus Christ who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire. Amen.”
Then sign the paper and put the date beside your signature.
I advise you to make this act of submission to the Vicar of Christ. You will see the good that it will do for you.
Secondly, make a firm decision that you will no longer go to the sedevacantist priest for Confession. This is important. Do not go to Confession to him since he has no jurisdiction to forgive sins. Do not open up to him since he will try to convince you of his errors. In fact, unless you know for sure that he was ordained by a SSPX bishop or by Archbishop Lefebvre you really must not trust his priestly Orders at all, because the Catholic Church does not recognise them.
With these things agreed, you should soon find a chapel of the Fraternity of St. Peter or another chapel where the old Mass is offered by some good, orthodox priest. This is no longer difficult, especially in the United States of America.
I know that this news presents you with the Cross since it is difficult to change and the need to change may raise many questions or bring unrest to your soul. It will pass. Trust me, it is worth it. The chapel you are in may be beautiful but, unless you are under the authority of your true Shepherd, Pope Benedict XVI, you will not be in your Father’s house; but in the house of a stranger. You need your Shepherd. Dear lost sheep, you must start for home.
If you need any help you can write to me by pressing the ‘Contact Me’ button. You will find the internet address of the Society of St. Peter on the links at the left of the screen.
May Our Mother of Perpetual Succour guide you and lead you along the rest of the way home.
Please also pray for us.

Your devoted servant

Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

+ "No other name ..." To refuse submission to Pope Benedict is not an option +

Today, at a distance of some twenty centuries, Peter’s Successor, the Bishop of Rome, stands before that same empty tomb and contemplates the mystery of the Resurrection. Following in the footsteps of the Apostle, I wish to proclaim anew, to the men and women of our time, the Church’s firm faith that Jesus Christ “was crucified, died and was buried”, and that “on the third day he rose from the dead”. Exalted at the right hand of the Father, he has sent us his Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Apart from him, whom God has made Lord and Christ, “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12).

-Pope Benedict XVI

Visit to the Holy Sepulchre

15 May 2009

+ White Night -preparation for our 10th Anniversary +

Looking across to Papa Stronsay

On the 31st May, Feast of the Queenship of Mary, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of our aquisition of the island of Papa Stronsay in Orkney.

The pier in last night's "White Night".

We can never be sufficiently grateful to God for all that He has done for us... Baptism, Penance, Holy Communion, Monastic Life and the Priesthood, ... ineffable gifts.

To that superabundance, we add the gift of a place to live, -our monastery in Papa Stronsay, Orkney.

Monks first came to this holy island in ancient times and remained until after the Middle Ages. 'Papa Stronsay' means "Priests' island of Stronsay." In those past ages the island was called "Papa in Litia" and "Papa Minora" which translate as "Little Papa", "Little Priests' island".

Now, soon for ten years, priests and monks, we have returned to Little Priests' Island, Papa Stronsay.

We will sing God's praises here.

Highlanders in the White Night

The Orkney islands are now in that period of the year where there is light for most of the night. Since these 'nights' are not dark at all, yet nor are they bright, they are sometimes called "White Nights" in Northern countries.

These photographs were taken last night between 9.30 and 10.00 p.m. when the sky was cloudy, and the sea, perfectly still, was a mirror of the sky. The still air carried the sounds of nature: a few ducks swimming on the sea; the calling of the seals; and the breathing and moving of Papa Stronsay's Highland cattle.

Highland beasts of the Lord, wild and tame,

bless the Lord, in His White Night.

Benedicite, maria et flumina, Domino.

Benedicite, cete, et omnia quae moventur in aquis, Domino:

Benedicite, omnes volucres caeli, Domino.

Benedicite, omnes bestiae et pecora Domino:

Benedicite, filii hominum, Domino.

Seas and rivers bless the Lord.

You dolphins and all water creatures bless the Lord;

All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.

All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.

You sons of men, bless the Lord.

Praise and exalt Him above all forever.

Et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.

And the night shall light up my joy.

(Exsultet of the Paschal Mystery)

+ Princeps gloriosissime Michael Archangele,* +

Let us celebrate the feast

of the glorious Captain of the angelic hosts

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL !

Today is the commemoration of his apparition

on Mount Gargano.

Hic est Michael archangelus, princeps militiae angelorum:*

Cujus honor praestat beneficia populorum,

et oratio perducit ad regna coelorum, Alleluia.

This is Michael the Archangel, the chief of the angelic hosts:*

He repays by blessings the honour shown him by the faithful;

and his prayer leads us to the kingdom of heaven, alleluia.

That the blessed Archangel Michael has often appreared to men, is attested both by the authority of sacred Scripture, and by the ancient tradition of the Saints. Hence the memory of these apparitions is commemorated in divers places. As, heretofore, Michael was honoured by the Synagogue of the Jews as guardian and patron, so he now by the Church of God. A celebrated apparition of the Archangel took place under the pontificate of Gelasius I, in Apulia, on the top of Mount Gargano, at the foot of which lies the town of Siponto.

A bull, belonging to a man who lived on the mountain, having strayed from the herd, was found after much searching caught fast in the mouth of a cave. One of its pursuers shot an arrow, in order to rouse the animal by a wound; but the arrow rebounding, struck him that sent it. This circumstance excited so much fear in the bystanders, and in them that heard of it, that no one dared to go near the cave. The inhabitants of Siponto, therefore, consulted the bishop; who answered that in order to know God's will, they must spend three days in fasting and prayer.

At the end of three days, the Archangel Michael intimated to the bishop that the place was under his protection, and that what had occurred was an indication of his will that God should be worshipped there, in honour of himself and the angels. Whereupon, the bishop repaired to the cave together with his people. They found it to be shaped like a church, and began to use it for the celebration of divine service. Many miracles were afterwards wrought there. Not long after Pope Boniface dedicated a church in honour of St. Michael in the great Circus of Rome, on the third of the Kalends of October (29 September), the day on which the Church celebrates the memory of all angels. But today's feast is kept in commemoration of the apparition of Michael the Archangel.

Block by block - The Feast of St. Joseph the Workman

V. Verbum Dei, per quod facta sunt omnia, alleluia.

R. Dignatus est operari manibus suis, alleluia.

V. The Word of God, by Whom all things were made, alleluia.

R. Did not disdain to work with His hands, alleluia.

The Feast of St. Joseph the Workman

Brother Matthew and Brother Xavier

V. Gloria et exemplar opificum, sancte Ioseph, alleluia.

R. Cui oboedire voluit Filius Dei, alleluia.

V. O St. Joseph, glory and model of workmen, alleluia.

R. Whom the Son of God chose to obey, alleluia.

Fratres: Pax Christi exultet in cordibus vestris...

Brethren: may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts....

[Little Chapter of the Feast, Lauds, Terce, Vespers]

Ioseph, opifex sancte, opera nostra tuere, alleluia.

Joseph, holy workman, be the guardian over all our works, alleluia.

Omne quodcumque facitis ...

Whatever you do in word or in work,

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

[Little Chapter of the Feast, Sext]

Quodcumque facitis...

Whatever you do, work at it from the heart

as for the Lord and not for men....

[Little Chapter for the Feast, None]

Oremus.

Visita, quaesumus, Domini, habitationem istam,

et omnes inimici ab ea longe repelle:

Angeli tui sancti habitent in ea,

qui nos in pace custodiant;

et benedictio tua sit super nos semper.

Let us pray.

Visit this house, O Lord;

keep the devil's wily infleunce away from it.

Let Thy holy Angels dwell here,

to guard us in peace.

And let Thy blessing rest upon us always.

[Office of Compline]

The Alphonsianum

We are pleased to announce another Papa Stronsay blog.

This one is called the

Alphonsianum.

The purpose of this new blog is to give us a place to publish some of the works of our Holy Father St. Alphonsus. The title 'Alphonsianum' is the name given to the section in monastery libraries that is consecrated to St. Alphonsus. Now we will have some inspired words from the Most Zealous Doctor close at hand. Eventually we will also publish images of the great Doctor and articles about him. An attractive button will soon link from this blog to the Alphonsianum site. Meanwhile the link is at the bottom of this post.

We have started with the right little work: Short, practical, and useful for every situation of life from living peacefully with the weather to accepting the heaviest crosses: Perhaps this is the first time it has been published on the Internet, perhaps not, but here it is: the little work called 'Conformity to the Will of God.'

This has been called the 'heavenly' little work of St. Alphonsus.

This is a document to print out and read many times.

In this little work St. Alphonsus teaches about true holiness. It is edifying that having written it, he used it repeatedly himself and, when enfeebled by old age, he often asked for it to be read to him. If this great ascetic, monk, bishop, Saint and Doctor of the Church used this little document so frequently and fruitfully himself, surely we would all profit from being familiar with it.

http://www.alphonsianum.blogspot.com/

Mother of Good, Counsel pray for us!

Feast of the Miraculous Image

of

Our Mother of Good Counsel

enshrined in the town

of

Genazzano In this image we see

Our Mother of Good Counsel

venerated by Blessed Stephen Bellesini, Augustinian,

and Saint Alphonsus Maria, Redemptorist.

The Holy Augustinian, Blessed Stephen Bellesini lived for many years as Master of Novices and as curate of the parish of St. Mary's at Genazzano. It would take a volume to record all that he did to spread devotion to Our Mother of Good Counsel. Genazzano is full of the fame of his miracles. His body is incorrupt.

Providence has been pleased for both

Augustinians and Redemptorists

to share in devotion to both

Our Mother of Good Counsel

and

Our Mother of Perpetual Succour

(since the latter was cared for by the Augustinians

for 300 years before the Redemptorists received Her in 1866).

The miraculous image, almost paper-thin,

is as light and fine as egg shell.
Since 1467 it has been standing on its bottom edge
unsupported and without its back touching the wall.

St Alphonsus and the Mother of Good Counsel
The desk of St. Alphonsus
At the foot of the crucifix you can make out
the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
The Saint wrote all his works before Her image.
He invoked Her with the Hail Mary
before every new action
and
whenever the clock struck the next quarter of an hour.
A brief account
of the history of
Our Mother of Good Counsel

The year is 1467 and the Mohammedans were invading Albania. Two soldiers who had served under the brave Skanderbeg both had the same dream in which the Blessed Mother, who had been venerated near the city of Scutari, communicated to them that they should prepare all that they needed for a journey because they should leave Albania and also that Her holy image would also leave to escape from the sacrilegious hands of the Turks and avoid desecration. The names of these men were Georgio and De Sclavis. They took heed of the dream and went to pray for the last time at the shrine of the miraculous image of the Blessed Mother.

As they knelt in prayer they saw the image detach itself from the wall. It was veiled in a little cloud and proceeded towards the doors to leave the church. The men followed. The image, borne no doubt by the angels, now began to move in the direction of the coast. The followed the little cloud for nineteen miles from Scutari to the Adriatic coast.

When the arrived at the coast the cloud continued on, out to sea. Here the soldiers must have wondered what to do. As they began to wade into the sea, following after the cloud and their beloved image of the Mother of God, they found that, like St. Peter of old, they were actually walking on the sea. The water became hard beneath their feet. Feeling neither hunger, cold nor any natural need, intent only upon following the image that was wrapped in the luminous cloud before them, they journeyed on foot over the Adriatic Sea during that night until, in the morning, they could see the coast of Italy. Ashore, the continued on as before, but, as they neared Rome, She who had ordered them to follow Her, now abandoned them. Search as they did, they could not find Her.

Meanwhile on April 25th 1467,

during the festivities held

in honour of St. Mark,

in the town of Genazzano:

“About the twenty-first hour of the Italian day, or about four o’clock in the afternoon, according to our computation, the dense multitude assembled in the piazza of Santa Maria was astonished to hear, high in the clear atmosphere of their country, strains of celestial harmony. Never had they heard such sounds before. It seemed as if the portals of paradise were flung open, and that the choirs of angels were permitted to give mortals some knowledge of the joys of the blessed. With eyes upturned, in breathless attention, and ravished by such exquisite melody, they anxiously sought to find out whence the sounds came. Soon ... they beheld a beautiful white cloud, darting forth vivid rays of light in every direction, amidst the music of heaven and a splendour that obscured the sun. It gradually descended, and, to their amazement, finally rested on the furtherest portion on the unfinished wall of the chapel of St. Biagio.
Suddenly the bells of the high campanile, which stood before their eyes, began to peal, though they could see that no human hand touched them. And then, in unison, every church bell in the town began to answer in peals as festive. The crowd was spell-bound, ravished, and yet full of holy feeling. With eager haste they filled the enclosure; they pressed round the spot where the cloud remained. Gradually the rays of light ceased to dart, the cloud began to clear gently away, and then, to their astonishment, there remained disclosed a most beautiful object. It was the image of Our Lady, holding the Divine Child Jesus in Her arms, and She seemed to smile upon them and say: ‘Fear not; I am your mother, and you are and shall be my beloved children.’
“All who had come there, to their astonishment, saw the beautiful Image of Our Lady still suspended in the air, without any visible support whatever, and heard from those present of the miraculous circumstances that accompanied its coming. The princes of the house of Colonnna, the captains of their forces, the magnates of the town, the Augustinian Fathers, and the secular clergy, all flocked to admire the wonder. And throughout that night, on bended knees, an immense multitude remained in the presence of their blessed treasure, filled with most intense feelings of love and gratitude to God’s Virgin Mother of Good Counsel, who thus had honoured their land.” -(The Virgin Mother of Good Counsel, Mgr. George F. Dillon, D.D., Missionary Apostolic, Dublin, M.H. Gill & Son, 1885, Ch.5, p. 60)
When the two pilgrims who had lost their treasure heard of its arrival at Genazzano they hurried thither. They told the inhabitants of the 200 years that the image had been venerated in Scutari. They did not know where it had been before then.
Between 27 April and 14 August 1467 there were recorded 171 miracles before the image of Our Mother of Good Counsel.

Ready to Ship

At present we are wrapping

the latest newspaper and book

from

The Desert Will Flower Press.

For those of you not yet subscribed

now would be the ideal moment to do so.

If you wish, simply use the button located on the left of this page.

This edition of Catholic is, as usual, packed with pious information. Dedicated to the end of the Pauline year you will find several pages through which you will be able to take a journey through the Acts of the Apostles with the Saint. Lavishly illustrated with photographs of the places he visited and pictures of the scenes evoked in Holy Scripture you will be able to approach that book of the Bible in a way you have probably never encountered before.
We journey to Spain where we learn about the Saint of the Eucharist who has knocked on his tomb for centuries in answer to prayer, and we hear about Rev. Fr (and also Lord) Archibald Douglas and his marvellous, to the point of the miraculous, work for orphaned children. In the light of the recent media abuse of the Holy Father – which we speak about in the news – we hear from the children of Ireland who wrote to Pope Pius XII in 1954 about everything from their pet hens to the most moving sentiments. The letters are beautiful.
The news pages are packed with positive happenings in the Church and the world.

One of the most uplifting of these items of news concerns the Franciscan Nuns of the Immaculate in Lanherne, Cornwall (England). Very Providentially, and unplanned, was the choice of the book we have begun to republished with this edition.
Entitled God’s Sparrows, the work was originally published in French in 1882 as the Auréole Séraphique — with the approbation of the highest Superiors of the Order — and the series was translated, slightly re-arranged and re-printed in 4 volumes, by the Franciscans of Taunton (Devon), England, in 1885, and prefaced by His Eminence, Cardinal Manning.
The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer have, over the years, gained much from these books and it has been our long-standing desire to re-print them. We are very pleased that our first attempts coincide with this wonderful news from this vibrant young community of contemplative nuns who have come to the south-west of England more than century after our books were first translated by their fellow Franciscans in the same part of the world.
The handsomely bound English edition seems to have been printed privately, and judging by the library classifications, i.e. one set only in the possession of Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University — in the ‘rare books’ department, and the British Library, (neither Cambridge nor the British Library will allow the books off their premises), they have all but disappeared from circulation.
Coincidentally and not without significance, the re-printing of these books by us in this year of Our Lord 2009, coincides with the 8th centenary of the events surrounding the founding of this great and holy Order of St Francis, whose rich spiritual tradition is so needed in the world today.
May these beautiful lives, profusely illustrated for the first time, edify you the reader, and serve to inspire others to offer themselves generously to the Renaissance of the Monastic Life, so willed and supported, as in our own case, by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
Happy reading to you all!

2009 Easter Sunday

After a Holy Week of wind

Easter morning arrived with a blue sky, calm sea;

the sun shining brightly in the sky

gave the day's light to the island Crucifix;

Last night's taper that lit the Paschal candle,

with a Latin prayer from the priest,

seemed now to have spread its flame to the whole world:

Lumen Christi gloriose resurgentis

Dissipet tenebras cordis et mentis.

[May the Light of Christ rising in glory

Scatter the darkness of heart and mind.]

The Easter morning

Sunshine and quiet stillness:

Earth, flowers and sky express an Easter Alleluia!

In the spirit of Easter

The stand for the Stronsay Paschal Candle

is borne to the waiting boat.

Our Paschal Candle for Stronsay...

Yes, shorter than normal by far....

....another peep into remote island life....

The two Paschal candles that arrived by post,

one for Papa Stronsay the other for Stronsay,

arrived as four even though marked Fragile.

It was too late to do anything other than

revamp last year's candles.

The image of the Crucified

Glorious and Risen

The Cantors

In Alleluias and Jubilations

Their voices carried mortal men

-and perhaps even angels- ...

all who would

were raised aloft as on Eagles' wings.

Baptised into His death we are raised to new life,

Incensed as the Temples of the Living God,

Members of the Mystical Body of Christ...

The Easter Acolytes

They stand, dressed in white, all aflame

representing the Angels of the Resurrection:

"Now as she was weeping,

she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre;

and she saw two angels in white...

they said to her,

Woman, why weepest thou?..."

(John 20)

The Easter Gospel

"...You seek Jesus of Nazareth,

who was crucified:

He is risen,

He is not here;

behold the place where they laid Him:

but go tell his disciples, and Peter...." (Mark 16)

Incensing of the Crucifix and the Altar
Incensing of the Members of the
Mystical Body of Christ
When words, chant, incense,

flowers, flames and alleluias
all run their course and fall short;
when there is still more needed,

to express what we know,

cannot in time or eternity

be expressed by us;
when the mystery is utterly ineffable;
mortal man goes on,

trying at the impossible,
by ringing out

with the bells of angels' voices:
"...Scimus Christum surrexisse
a mortuis vere:
Tu nobis Victor Rex,
Miserere. Amen. Alleluia.
...We know that Christ indeed has risen from the grave;
Hail Thou King of Victory,
Have mercy Lord, and save. Amen. Alleluia! "

Easter Vigil, O vere beata nox

Haec nox est, de qua scriptum est:

Et nox sicut dies illuminabitur:

et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis. ...

This is the night of which it is written:

And the night shall be as enlightened as the day:

And the night is my light in my enjoyments...

O vere beata nox

O truly blessed is the night

Vicitimae paschali laudes

immolent Christiani.

Agnus redemit oves:

Christus innocens Patri

Reconciliavit peccatores....

Forth the paschal Victim

Christians bring

Your sacrifice of praise:

The lamb redeemed the sheep;

and Christ the sinless One

hath to the Father

sinners reconciled.

Good Friday

The Afternoon Liturgy of Good Friday

was celebrated on Golgotha.

The strong wind continued

and combined with the Church in mourning:

The stripped altar; gaping tabernacle -

general disarray.

Even the hard baked clay of the sanctuary floor

brought to mind an image of the parched desert of the world

before Good Friday's Redemption;

when heaven had been sealed up.

With desolation is all the world made desolate.

The Great Litany is chanted

The Great Litany goes back to before the time of Pope St Leo the Great (440-461 AD). Its origin is probably Apostolic. It was used both in Mass and outside Mass. We still see its trace in the Mass where, when after the Credo, the priest sings a simple Oremus followed now, not by a prayer but by the Offertory verse. It was after that simple Oremus that the Great Litany was sung in the time before Pope St Gregory the Great (590-604 AD).

The Exposition of the Cross and the Crucified

Ecce lignum Crucis,

in quo salus mundi pependit.

Venite adoremus.

Behold the wood of the Cross

on which hung the salvation of the world.

Come let us adore.

[Holy Liturgy of Good Friday]

Animam meam dilectam...

My soul that I loved

I delivered into the hands of the wicked,

and My heritage has turned on me

like a lion in the jungle.

My enemy roared against Me, saying,

"Gather together, and hurry to devour Him."

They put Me in a desert waste,

and the whole earth mourned over Me,

Because no one is found to acknowledge Me

and do good to Me.

Men without mercy have risen up against Me,

and they have not spared My life.

Because no one is found to acknowledge Me

and do good for Me.

[Good Friday Matins, Lesson vi, Response]