Feast of St Magnus the Martyr

St. Magnus, Earl & Martyr
Feastday

Patron of Orkney.

Hymn to St Magnus from XIII century.

[Orkney Image Library]

[From the site of our friend Henri Adam de Villiers]

Quasi modo Mercy!

Never in the sunset!
Ever the sunrise!
For the Light has come into the world
a Light that the darkness cannot over-power.
Surrexit Dominus, Alleluia!

~ In joy of Easter Light ~
the monastery boat loaded with Transalpine Redemptorists
crosses to Stronsay this morning in the white light of snow!
Alleluia!

Today is a true Feast!
The feast of Divine Mercy!
"Jesus I trust in Thee!"

We ask Our Lord to pour out His Divine Mercy
on Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI:

Long may he guide and govern the barque of Peter
as His Vicar on Earth.

We beseech Our Lord to pour our His Divine Mercy
upon the Bishops and Fathers of the
Priestly Society of St Pius X:

May they receive the grace of reconciliation
with the Church.
~
To all our readers
we wish the blessings of this Feast:
our beloved,
ever ancient, ever new
Quasi modo Sunday.

Introit:
Quasi modo geniti infantes, alleluia:
rationabiles, sine dolo lac concupiscite,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
As newborn babes, alleluia!
desire the rational milk without guile,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Devotion in honour of the Burial of Our Lord.

Several readers have asked for more information about our devotions in honour of Our Lord's Burial.

We have had devotion in memory of the Burial of Our Lord for over 20 years. In early years we used some borrowed texts. But we do not use them now. As a result, the burial has been expressed through well known traditional Latin prayers that are part of our established spiritual life. This seems an improvement.

The devotion is a memorial (anamnesis) and logical completion of the day: Our Lord's Body is accompanind to the tomb. During the procession, His Passion is remembered yet again.

The devotion takes place like this:
1. After the Good Friday Liturgy the image of the Body of Our Lord is incensed and the Sixth Sorrow (1 Pater and 7 Aves) is said in memory of the descent of Our Lord's Body from the Cross. During this dolour, the people carrying relics of the Passion (Crown of Thorns, Nails etc.) prepare to form the cortege.

2. The procession departs reciting the first sorrowful mystery of the Rosary before reaching the station which is not far from the chapel.

3. At the station the body is placed on the way-side altar, it is incense and a lamentation from Matins is sung.

4. The procession resumes again and the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary are completed by the time everybody has entered into the sepulchre. Thus on the way to the tomb we are recalling the events of the Passion of Our Lord.

5. Inside the tomb the Body is incensed again; hymns concerning Our Lord's Passion are sung for as long as there are people to venerate the image by kissing it and anointing Our Lord's wounds with perfumed ointment.

6. Then the concluding section of the day's Passion from St. John is chanted.

7. Finally the Seventh Sorrow of the placing of Our Lord in the sepulchre is recited and the procession then returns slowly and silently back to the sacristy keeping the memory of Our Blessed Mother and the disciples leaving the tomb and returning home in mourning.

Communicantes et diem sacratissimum celebrantes

Paschal Vigil
Papa Stronsay

Incensing the Paschal Candle before the Exsultet.
O vere beata nox ~ O truly blessed night...
And the night shall be as light as the day,
and the night is my illumination in my delights.
Therefore the sanctification of this night blots out crimes,
washes away sins, and restores innocence to sinners,
and joy to the sorrowful.

The First Prophecy.

Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux.
Et facta est lux.
And God said: Be light made.
And light was made.

The Blessing of the Font.
Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum...
As the stag panteth after the fountains of water...

Easter Day Mass
Stronsay

Solemn Sprinkling with Holy Water.
Vidi aquam egredientem de templo,
a latere dextro, alleluia! ...
I saw water coming forth from the temple
on the right side, alleluia!

et omnes ad quos pervenit aqua asta,
salvi facti sunt et dicent, alleluia!
and all those to whom this water came,
were saved, and shall say, alleluia!

We wish all our friends and families
a blessed and holy feast of feasts.

Communicantes...
Having communion in and celebrating
the most sacred day of the resurrection
of
Our Lord Jesus Christ
according to the flesh.

The Afternoon Liturgy and the Burial Devotions.

The Afternoon Liturgy.

Ecce lignum crucis
Behold the wood of the Cross.

The Evening Devotions of the Burial of Our Lord.

Incensing at the station on the way.

Incensing of the Body of Our Lord
inside the sepulchre.

O all ye that pass by

Good Friday Morning Stations of the Cross.

R. Caligaverunt oculi mei a fletu meo:
quia elongatus est a me, qui consolabatur me.
Videte omnes populi,
* Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.
V. O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte.
R. Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.
R. Caligaverunt oculi mei a fletu meo:
quia elongatus est a me, qui consolabatur me.
Videte omnes populi, *
Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.

Oratio.
Respice, quaesumus Domine,
super hanc familiam tuam,
pro qua Dominus noster Iesus Christus
non dubitavit manibus tradi nocentium,
et crucis subire tormentum:

Et sub silentio concluditur
Qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitáte Spíritus Sancti
Deus per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.

R. Mine eyes do fail with tears,
because the Comforter that should relieve me
is far from me.
Behold, O all ye nations*
If there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
V. O all ye that pass by, behold, and see
R. If there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
R. Mine eyes do fail with tears,
because the Comforter that should relieve me
is far from me.
Behold, O all ye nations, *
If there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.

Prayer
Look down, we beseech thee, O Lord,
on this thy family,
for which our Lord Jesus Christ
did not hesitate to be delivered up into the hands of wicked men,
and to suffer the torment of the Cross.

Finish silently
Who livest and reignest with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
R. Amen

... but with silence and compunction.

Holy Thursday Nocturnal Adoration.

The Majesty of our God
has withdrawn to that mysterious sanctuary,
into which we enter not
but with silence and compunction.
[Dom Guéranger]

Holy Thursday: The Office of Tenebrae

R. Amicus meus osculi me tradidit signo:
Quem osculatus fuero, ipse est, tenete eum:
hoc malum fecit signum, qui per osculum adimplevit homicidium.
* Infelix praetermisit pretium sanguinis,
et in fine laqueo se suspendit.
V. Bonum erat ei, si natus non fuisset homo ille.
R. Infelix praetermisit pretium sanguinis,
et in fine laqueo se suspendit.

R. Mine own friend hath betrayed Me by the sign of a kiss :
Whomsoever I shall kiss, That Same is He hold Him fast.
This was the traitorous sign which he gave,
even he who murdered with a kiss.

* Woe unto that man! He cast down the price of blood,
and went, and hanged himself.

V. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.

R. Woe unto that man! He cast down the price of blood,
and went, and hanged himself.

(Lectio 4 Resp.)

Five years of blogging.

Today we mark the 5th anniversary
of this blog:
Palm Sunday 2007 - Palm Sunday 2012.

This great and holy day commemorates
the last triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth
and the opening of Holy Week.
The Cross lies ahead and is the means of victory.
Holy Week begins joyfully acclaiming
Christ the King.

Distribution of the Palms.
Glory praise and honour to Thee,
O King Christ, the Redeemer:
to Whom children poured their glad and sweet
hosanna's song.
Gloria laus et honor tibi sit,
Rex Christe Redemptor...
[Hymn to Christ the King.]

V. Procedamus in pace.
Let us go forth in peace.
R. In Nomine Christi. Amen.
In the Name of Christ. Amen.

Let the faithful join with the Angels and children,
singing to the conqueror of death:
Hosanna in the highest!
[Antiphon 2]

Fulgentibus palmis prosternimur advenienti Domino...
We are prostrate amid shining palms before the Lord as He aproacheth;
let us all run to meet Him with hymns and songs,
glorify Him and say:
Blessed be the Lord!
Benedictus Domino!
[Antiphon 6]

Ingrediente Domino in sanctam civitatem...
As our Lord entered the holy city, Hebrew children,
declaring the resurrection of life with palm branches,
cried out: Hosanna in the highest.
[Responsory]

The chanting of the Passion
of Our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.

Prayers for the Reconciliation of the Society.

Fr. Franz Schmidberger.
The hour is grave.

During this time we remember in our Masses and prayers:
the superiors, priests and faithful
of the Society of St Pius X
and its allied religious communities.
Fr Schmidberger has always been a
man of the Church with a great love of "Romanitas".

Letter from Fr. Schmidberger.

Dear faithful,

On 16 March in Rome Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation, gave the Superior General of our Fraternity, Bishop Fellay a letter with statements in which we are asked ultimately to react more positively to the doctrinal preamble of September the 14th than we had done so far.

As a final deadline for a response is given the 15th of April 2012. Surely you have heard this already wholly or partially from the media. We have thus arrived at a crucial point.

Even if the letter strikes an unpleasant sound, there are legitimate hopes for a satisfactory solution. If this solution would be reached it would considerably strengthen all the orthodox forces in the church. If not it would weaken and discourage these forces. So it is not primarily about our brotherhood, but for the good of the Church.

Therefore we ask for the eager, insistent and imploring prayer of all our faithful and all Catholics, that God through the redemptive suffering of His only begotten Son, will lead His Church through this crisis and give her in the Holy Resurrection of Jesus life new strength and new prosperity.

Stuttgart, 22 March 2012

Father Franz Schmidberger,
District Superior

Source: Fr. Finigan

The Visit of the Episcopal Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.

This afternoon we welcomed to Papa Stronsay

the Right Rev. Dr. Robert Gillies,
of the the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Bishop Gillies was elected to his position
over the Episcopal diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney
in April 2007.
On his episcopal ring the bishop has engraved
the image of the Papa Stronsay Cross.

Dr. Gillies was accompanied by the Reverend David Bowen
our friend and neighbour on Stronsay.
David and his wife, Ruth are semi-retired;
their house looks across Papa Sound to Papa Stronsay.
The visit was for about an hour and a half and
during this time the bishop himself took responsibility
for the beautiful weather!

Passiontide's Feast

The early morning of the
Feast of the Annunciation
Monday 26 March.

Expectation.
The sheep we pass on the way to meditation.

~Passiontide Waiting~
And I lay down my life for my sheep.
(Jn 10:15)

Morning Meditation.
~ The Feast of the Annunciation in Passiontide. ~
Since yesterday the images are veiled,
an atmosphere of shrouded sorrow tinges the feast.

Passiontide purple mixes with the flowers of the feast.
Since Adam's fall, the world, purpled in mournng
awaited the coming of salvation.
The Blessed Virgin Mary,
the only Lily of our vale,
is by a singular privilege raised up by God
to receive into Her spotless womb on this feast,
the Word
through Whom all things were made,
the Saviour of the World - Salvator Mundi.

It was a splendid morning as our boat left Papa Stronsay
for Mass on our neighbouring island.
Nature reflected the season and the feast.

The sea was calm,
the sun on the horizon
announced itself, majestically present indeed,

Yet, like the images on the altar,
it was present in the sky all veiled, restrained,
brilliant through a cover of haze.

Ite ad Joseph!

 I thought that you might like to see these photos from the traditional Redemptoristines in Sao Fidelis, Brazil. They are subjects of the Apostolic Administration St Jean Vianney in Campos. These photos were taken on the feast of St Joseph.  The Sisters prepared a beautiful bier in honour of St. Joseph.

 Sister begins construction of the bier.

 Arranging Flowers.

 The bier, almost complete is placed in the Church, and the finishing touches applied.

 "I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him;...I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant." - St. Teresa of Avila

 St. Joseph is carried in procession.

 An altar in honour of St. Joseph.

 Ite ad Joseph!

The Redemptoristine's grill can be seen on the left of the bier.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III

Shenouda III
3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III

died today, Saturday 17 March
aged 88 years.
He was the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church for 40 years.

SSPX and the Holy See

Vatican City, 16 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a communique relating to the Society of St. Pius X, released this morning by the Holy See Press Office.

"During the meeting of 14 September 2011 between Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei', and Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, the latter was presented with a Doctrinal Preamble, accompanied by a Preliminary Note, as a fundamental basis for achieving full reconciliation with the Apostolic See. This defined certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation Catholic doctrine, which are necessary to ensure faithfulness to the Church Magisterium and 'sentire cum Ecclesia' [means: thinking with the Church].
"The response of the Society of St. Pius X to the aforesaid Doctrinal Preamble, which arrived in January 2012, was examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before being submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement. Pursuant to the decision made by Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Fellay was, in a letter delivered today, informed of the evaluation of his response. The letter states that the position he expressed is not sufficient to overcome the doctrinal problems which lie at the foundation of the rift between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X.
"At the end of today's meeting, moved by concern to avoid an ecclesial rupture of painful and incalculable consequences, the superior general of the Society of St. Pius X was invited to clarify his position in order to be able to heal the existing rift, as is the desire of Pope Benedict XVI".

From the Website of the Holy See

+ + +

Update:
(Radio Vaticana):

"Bp. Fellay is invited to clarify his position, in order to be able to heal the existing rift, as is the desire of Pope Benedict XVI, from now until April 15."


[UPDATE - 1500 GMT]
In an article on today's events, Salvatore Izzo reports the following for Italian news agency AGI:

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, delivered [the content of the communiqué] to the Superior General of the Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, in a conversation that lasted for over two hours ... . During today's meeting in the Palace of the Holy Office - in which the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Abp. Luis Francisco Ladaria, and the Secretary of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, Mgr. Guido Pozzo, also took part, while Bp. Fellay was joined by his assistant Fr. Nelly - a complete rupture was avoided by the Holy See, making it clear that Benedict XVI still expects a recomposition.
From the blog: Rorate Caeli

Not to be missed!

Don't deny yourself this video clip!

This it is a strong message called:
"I have a say"
by Father John Hollowell
an American priest.