Saturday, May 15, 2004

Three tech questions...
Apparently my comment feature is working now...
1. How do I change it so that people will not need to log in on Blogger to make a comment ? Or is that impossible ?
2. How do I change the plus sign on the posts to "Comments" ?
3. How do I get it to note the number of comments on a post ?

I got the invitation yesterday....
"THE FATHERS OF THE ORATORY
invite you to join them in celebrating
The Commemeration of Their Founder
St. PHILIP NERI
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
7:00 pm Mass in Heinz Chapel
Refreshments following at The Oratory
4450 Bayard Street

R.S.V.P. by May 21: 681-3181"

The facing page of the invitation has the following verse:

St. Philip in his God
"Philip, on thee the glowing ray
Of heaven came down upon thy prayer,
To melt thy heart, and burn away
All that of earthly dross was there.

And so, on Philip when we gaze,
We see the image of his Lord;
The Saint dissolves amid the blaze
Which circles round the Living Word.

The Sinless One, He comes to seek,
The dreary heart, the spirit lone,
Tender of natures proud or weak,
Not less than if they were His own.

Jesu, to Philip's sons reveal
That gentlest wisdom from above,
To spread compassion o'er their zeal,
And mingle patience with their love.

J.H. Newman
The Oratory 1850 "




And it's eleven days...
until St. Philip's Day!
It is the sixth day...
of the Birthday Novena for the Holy Father.

Mary is the Mater Christi, the Mother of Christ
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.
"Each of the titles of Mary has its own special meaning and drift, and may be made the subject of a distinct meditation. She is invoked by us as the Mother of Christ. What is the force of thus addressing her? It is to bring before us that she it is whom from the first was prophesied of, and associated with the hopes and prayers of all holy men, of all true worshippers of God, of all who 'looked for the redemption of Israel' in every age before that redemption came.

Our Lord was called the Christ, or the Messias, by the Jewish prophets and the Jewish people. The two words Christ and Messias mean the same. They mean in English the 'Anointed.' In the old time there were three great ministries or offices by means of which God spoke to His chosen people, the Israelites, or, as they were afterward called, the Jews, viz., that of Priest, that of King, and that of Prophet. Those who were chosen by God for one or other of these offices were solemnly anointed with oil—oil signifying the grace of God, which was given to them for the due performance of their high duties. But our Lord was all three, a Priest, a Prophet, and a King-a Priest, because He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins; a Prophet, because He revealed to us the Holy Law of God; and a King, because He rules over us. Thus He is the one true Christ.

It was in expectation of this great Messias that the chosen people, the Jews, or Israelites, or Hebrews (for these are different names for the same people), looked out from age to age. He was to come to set all things right. And next to this great question which occupied their minds, namely, When was He to come, was the question, Who was to be His Mother? It had been told them from the first, not that He should come from heaven, but that He should be born of a Woman. At the time of the fall of Adam, God had said that the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's head. Who, then, was to be that Woman thus significantly pointed out to the fallen race of Adam? At the end of many centuries, it was further revealed to the Jews that the great Messias, or Christ, the seed of the Woman, should be born of their race, and of one particular tribe of the twelve tribes into which that race was divided. From that time every woman of that tribe hoped to have the great privilege of herself being the Mother of the Messias, or Christ; for it stood to reason, since He was so great, the Mother must be great, and good, and blessed too. Hence it was, among other reasons, that they thought so highly of the marriage state, because, not knowing the mystery of the miraculous conception of the Christ when He was actually to come, they thought that the marriage rite was the ordinance necessary for His coming.

Hence it was, if Mary had been as other women, she would have longed for marriage, as opening on her the prospect of bearing the great King. But she was too humble and too pure for such thoughts. She had been inspired to choose that better way of serving God which had not been made known to the Jews—the state of Virginity. She preferred to be His Spouse to being His Mother. Accordingly, when the Angel Gabriel announced to her her high destiny, she shrank from it till she was assured that it would not oblige her to revoke her purpose of a virgin life devoted to her God.

Thus was it that she became the Mother of the Christ, not in that way which pious women for so many ages had expected Him, but, declining the grace of such maternity, she gained it by means of a higher grace. And this is the full meaning of St. Elizabeth's words, when the Blessed Virgin came to visit her, which we use in the Hail Mary: 'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.' And therefore it is that in the Devotion called the 'Crown of Twelve Stars' we give praise to God the Holy Ghost, through whom she was both Virgin and Mother."

A laita te !
Thanks be to God for a brave Justice of the Peace and for some Anglicans with guts.

Links courtesy of David Morrison.



The Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer
is today. There is information on him here. Prayers for all farmers would be appropriate. St. Isidore is also notable in that he was canonized at the same ceremony as some saints who are more well-known: St.Ignatius Loyola, S.J., Priest and Founder, St. Francis Xavier, S.J., Priest, St. Teresa of Avila, O.C.D, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, and, of course, St. Philip Neri, C.O., Priest and Founder..
It is also the feast of St. Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr and her friend St. Gerebernus, Priest and Martyr, so prayers for the mentally ill and those who care for them would be welcome as well. Finally,it is the feast of St. Pachomius, Abbot, one of the earliest monastics.













Friday, May 14, 2004

Does anybody know...
what has happened to the blog "And Then?"
Twelve more days...
until St. Philip's Day !
Happy Blogoversary
to Irish Elk !

The Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here. In his Anglican days, Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., wrote this sermon for this feast day. Here is a small sample:
"What solemn overpowering thoughts must have crowded on St. Matthias, when he received the greetings of the eleven Apostles, and took his seat among them as their brother! His very election was a witness against himself if he did not fulfil it. And such surely will ours be in our degree. We take the place of others who have gone before, as Matthias did; we are 'baptized for the dead,' filling up the ranks of soldiers, some of whom, indeed, have fought a good fight, but many of whom in every age have made void their calling. Many are called, few are chosen."
It is also the feast of St. Maria Mazzarello, F.M.A., Virgin and Foundress. To any Salesians out there, happy feast day !





Thursday, May 13, 2004

Thirteen days...
until St. Philip's Day !
Mary is the Janua Coeli, the Gate of Heaven
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.
"Mary is called the Gate of Heaven, because it was through her that our Lord passed from heaven to earth. The Prophet Ezechiel, prophesying of Mary, says, 'the gate shall be closed, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it, since the Lord God of Israel has entered through it-and it shall be closed for the Prince, the Prince Himself shall sit in it.'

Now this is fulfilled, not only in our Lord having taken flesh from her, and being her Son, but, moreover, in that she had a place in the economy of Redemption; it is fulfilled in her spirit and will, as well as in her body. Eve had a part in the fall of man, though it was Adam who was our representative, and whose sin made us sinners. It was Eve who began, and who tempted Adam. Scripture says: 'The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, and he did eat.' It was fitting then in God's mercy that, as the woman began the destruction of the world, so woman should also begin its recovery, and that, as Eve opened the way for the fatal deed of the first Adam, so Mary should open the way for the great achievement of the second Adam, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save the world by dying on the cross for it. Hence Mary is called by the holy Fathers a second and a better Eve, as having taken that first step in the salvation of mankind which Eve took in its ruin.

How, and when, did Mary take part, and the initial part, in the world's restoration? It was when the Angel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the great dignity which was to be her portion. St. Paul bids us 'present our bodies to God as a reasonable service.' We must not only pray with our lips, and fast, and do outward penance, and be chaste in our bodies; but we must be obedient, and pure in our minds. And so, as regards the Blessed Virgin, it was God's will that she should undertake willingly and with full understanding to be the Mother of our Lord, and not to be a mere passive instrument whose maternity would have no merit and no reward. The higher our gifts, the heavier our duties. It was no light lot to be so intimately near to the Redeemer of men, as she experienced afterwards when she suffered with him. Therefore, weighing well the Angel's words before giving her answer to them—first she asked whether so great an office would be a forfeiture of that Virginity which she had vowed. When the Angel told her no, then, with the full consent of a full heart, full of God's love to her and her own lowliness, she said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.' It was by this consent that she became the Gate of Heaven."

Meditations and Devotions
It is the fourth day...
of the Birthday Novena for the Holy Father.
Technical question....
I tried to figure out how to add Blogger's new comments function, and it is not working. Any tips ?
Two great parodies...
from Meredith.
The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
is today. There is information on it here.
It is also the feast of St. Andrew Fournet, Priest and Founder,and Blessed Imelda Lambertini, Virgin.



Wednesday, May 12, 2004

May 12, 1879
was the date when Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., became John Henry Cardinal Newman, C.O.
His biglietto speech is here.
One of the Fathers who accompainied him wrote home to Birmingham:
"All has passed off beautifully—an immense crowd—the Father made a very fine speech, which you will see verbatim in the Times, and which is very heartily enjoyed here. How he managed it St. Philip knows best—but he did not cough—and his delivery was very animated, and perfect, as the vehicle of his words. Several Cardinals have come—more will be coming this evening. They are very cordial, and seem very earnestly and sincerely to look on the Father as a glorious addition to their number. One said he read English and knew the 'Apologia' &c. well. I am now easy about the Father—I have been at times uneasy. The cough is obstinate and weakness great. He seems today quite himself. Old Wagner from Brighton was present.

The Italian ladies behind me were unanimous that he was: 'che bel vecchio! che figura!' &c. &c. 'pallido si, ma bellissimo,' &c. &c. &c. In short the Father was quite up to the occasion, which is saying a great deal."


Back in 1979, the Holy Father wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Birmingham,commemerating the centenary of this event.



Two weeks ...
until St. Philip's Day !
Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel
take out the trash.

Please pray ...
It seems that the threat to Terri Schiavo's life is growing...

The Feast of Sts. Pancras, Dionysius, Acheilleus, Nereus, and Flavia Domitilla, Martyrs
is today. There is information on them here, here, here, here, and here.
It is also the feast of St. Richrudis, O.S.B., Widow and Abbess and of St.Epiphanius of Salamis, Bishop
" ' We never heard of Petrines, or Paulines, or Bartholomeans, or Thaddeans,' says St. Epiphanius; 'but from the first there was one preaching of all the Apostles, not preaching themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. Wherefore also all gave one name to the Church, not their own, but that of their Lord Jesus Christ, since they began to be called Christians first at Antioch; which is the Sole Catholic Church, having nought else but Christ's, being a Church of Christians; not of Christs, but of Christians, He being One, they from that One being called Christians. None, but this Church and her preachers, are of this character, as is shown by their own epithets, Manicheans, and Simonians, and Valentinians, and Ebionites. '" - Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Please pray...
for this lady and all other people enduring musical dreck in their parishes.
It's the second day...
of the Birthday Novena for the Holy Father.
Fifteen days...
until St. Philip's Day !
May the Lord grant eternal rest...
to this troubled soul. It seems that he was a victim of insane sexual ideology as well as medical malpractice.

Link courtesy of Zorak.



On May 11, 1851
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., preached a sermon, of which the following notes survive. (This is one that I really wish had been written down !)
Oratory of Brothers— On the General Scope of the Institute

"1. INTROD.-Perhaps some of you do not know what it is we are offering you in this association.

2. In one word, which, vague as it is, still is true, we are meeting together to do something towards saving our souls.

3. Difficulty of saving the soul. St. Philip's saying that no one could be expected to get to heaven who had not feared hell. Scripture texts, 'narrow is the way,' etc.

4. Grace most abundant. Till the last day, we shall not know how much.

5. But there is a most unaccountable waywardness in man. It is needless to speculate on it. Every one feels it. He cannot steady, command, direct himself—inefficacious desires. He is beaten about here and there at the mercy of the waves. Sloth, cowardice, anger, fretfulness, sullenness, vanity, curiosity, concupiscence, ever lead him astray.

6. Hence all serious men look out for a rule of life to defend them against themselves.

7. This leads many into religion for assistance, for sympathy, for guidance.

8. The Oratorium Parvum is a slight bond of sympathy and of mutual assistance.

9. Hence it matters not what we do, or whether you have anything definite in it beyond this end, if you secure it. "

He was encouraging membership in the Oratorium Parvum- the Little, or Secular, Oratory. Hence my frustration over only having these sketchy notes !
Oh, wonderful....
Blogger is messing up my special characters again !
May 11,1926....
was the day J.R.R. Tolkien met C.S. Lewis, at an English Faculty Tea held at Merton College, Oxford. While they did not hit it off immediately, the friendship that they later developed was to have profound spiritual and literary consequences.
"Lewis was a very impressionable man, and this was abetted by his great generosity and capacity for friendship. The unpayable debt I owe to him was not 'influence' as it is commonly understood, but sheer encouragement. He was for long my only audience. Only from him did I ever get the idea that my 'stuff' could be more than a private hobby. But for his interest and unceasing eagerness for more, I should never have brought the L. of the R. to a conclusion. " -J.R.R. Tolkien to Dick Plotz of the Tolkien Society of America, September 12, 1965
The Feast of St. Francis of Girolamo, S.J., Priest
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of St. Ignatius of Laconi, O.F.M. Cap., St. Mayeul, O.S.B.,Abbot, and of Blessed James Walworth, O.Cart., Martyr and Blessed John Rochester,O. Cart.,Martyr.



Monday, May 10, 2004

Sixteen days...
until St. Philip's Day !
The Sleepy Mommies
have begun a birthday novena for the Holy Father.
In the country once known as "Mary's Dowry"...
Young girls are being given lessons in how to degrade themselves without getting pregnant.

Our Lady, Spotless Rose of Chastity, intercede for the country once so devoted to you and still dear to your Immaculate Heart !


Link courtesy of Kross & Sweord
On May 10,1852
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., delivered the first in a series of lectures to prepare the ground for the foundation of a Catholic University in Dublin. These lectures, along with other ones given later, were eventually put into written form as The Idea of a University, considered a classic work on education.
All I can say is....
Where is my bishop?
Oh, and also, I just hope Kerry tries to do this at the chapel named for some deceased members of the family of his wife's first husband. Something tells me that the Fathers who celebrate Mass there would not be quite as welcoming.


Link courtesy of Catholic World Report.

The Feast of St. Antonius of Florence, O.P., Bishop
is today. There is information on him here. A happy feast day to all the Dominicans out there, including this blogger. It is also the feast of St. John of Avila, Priest, and of St. Solange, Virgin and Martyr. Finally, if you think you have problems, remember another saint whose feast is today- St. Job.





Sunday, May 09, 2004

Remember that picture I found ?
The one of Fëanor, Nerdanel, and their growing family ?
Well, the same artist has more Tolkien-themed pictures, and it seems she specializes in scenes derived from the First Age, with particular emphasis of the First House of the Noldor.....

Maglor, son of Fëanor
Amrod and Amras, twin sons of Fëanor
Humiliation
Fingon Rescues Maedhros
"Forgive me, my brother"
Healing the Feud
Battle Fury
The Dispossessed
The Ruin of Fëanor's House
A Tapestry of Sorrows
and three non-Fëanorian ones.....
The Coming of Fingolfin

Finrod Dreaming by the Waters of Sirion

Nirnaeth Arnoediad - Unnumbered Tears










Seventeen days....
until St. Philip's Day !
For all the mothers out there....
" Mary's 'hidden life' is example to mothers"- Pope John Paul II- General Audience, January 29, 1997

" In Jesus Christ is the fulness of the Godhead with all its infinite sanctity. In Mary is reflected the sanctity of Jesus, as by His grace it could be found in a creature.

Mary, as the pattern both of maidenhood and maternity, has exalted woman’s state and nature, and made the Christian virgin and the Christian mother understand the sacredness of their duties in the sight of God.

Her very image is as a book in which we may read at a glance the mystery of the Incarnation, and the mercy of the Redemption; and withal her own gracious perfections also, who was made by her Divine Son the very type of humility, gentleness, fortitude, purity, patience, love.

What Christian mother can look upon her image and not be moved to pray for gentleness, watchfulness, and obedience like Mary’s? What Christian maiden can look upon her without praying for the gifts of simplicity, modesty, purity, recollection, gentleness such as hers?

Who can repeat her very name without finding in it a music which goes to the heart, and brings before him thoughts of God and Jesus Christ, and heaven above, and fills him with the desire of those graces by which heaven is gained?

Hail then, great Mother of God, Queen of Saints, Royal Lady clothed with the sun and crowned with the stars of heaven, whom all generations have called and shall call blessed. We will take our part in praising thee in our own time and place with all the redeemed of our Lord, and will exalt thee in the full assembly of the saints and glorify thee in the Heavenly Jerusalem. "- Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.


From the folks at Zenit
Why Miracles Are Required for Canonizations

Aide With Congregation for Sainthood Causes Explains


" VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The requirement of miracles in the causes of canonization are crucial because they are a divine confirmation of the holiness of the person invoked, says a Vatican aide.

Monsignor Michele Di Ruberto, the undersecretary of the Congregation for Sainthood Causes, has spent 35 years in the dicastery and for the past two decades has been part of the Medical Consultation, which is crucial for the verification of miracles.

The monsignor was relator of the cause of Gianna Beretta Molla, whom John Paul II will canonize on May 16 with five other people.

To prove the authenticity of a miraculous event means going through the process of meticulous scientific and theological examination, Monsignor Di Ruberto said in an interview with the Italian magazine 30 Giorni.

'For the beatification of a servant of God who is not a martyr, the Church requires a miracle; for canonization, including that of a martyr, it requires another,' he explained. 'Only the presumed miracles attributed to the intercession of a servant of God or of a blessed "post mortem" can be the object of verification.'

A miracle is an 'event that goes beyond the forces of nature, which is realized by God outside of what is normal in the whole of created nature by the intercession of a servant of God or a blessed,' Monsignor Di Ruberto said.

The investigation of a miracle is carried out separately from that of virtues or martyrdom.

The process of recognizing a miracle has two stages. The first is in the diocesan realm where the miraculous event took place; here, eyewitnesses' statements and documentation and other material are collected. In the second, the Vatican congregation examines all the material collected.

To declare someone's holiness is not like conferring an honorary title.

Even 'if someone is in heaven, it might be that they are not worthy of public devotion,' Monsignor Di Ruberto explained.

Moreover, the process of establishing 'heroic virtues, through all the work of collecting testimonials and documentaries as proofs' and of 'theological assessments' until arriving at 'moral certainty and the formulation of a judgment,' even if well-founded, serious and precise, is not exempt from possible errors, he said.

'We can make mistakes, deceive ourselves,' said the undersecretary. 'Miracles, instead, can only be realized by God, and God does not deceive.'

Miracles are a 'sure sign of revelation, destined to glorify God, to awaken and reinforce our faith, and, therefore, they are also a confirmation of the holiness of the person invoked,' the monsignor said.

Consequently, the recognition of a miracle 'makes it possible to grant with certainty permission for devotion,' he added. Hence, the 'capital importance of keeping miracles as a requirement in the causes of canonization.'

A collegial body made up of five medical specialists and two professional experts form the Medical Consultation, in charge of the scientific examination of the presumed miracle. Their judgment is of a 'strictly scientific' character, so their being 'atheists or of other religions is not relevant,' Monsignor Di Ruberto emphasized.

'Their examination and final discussion are concluded by precisely establishing the diagnosis of the illness, the prognosis, the treatment and its solution,' he continued. 'To be considered the object of a possible miracle, the cure must be judged by the specialists to have been rapid, complete, lasting and inexplicable, according to present medical-scientific knowledge.'

The miracle might go beyond the capacities of nature in regard to the substance or the subject of the event, or the way it occurred.

So a distinction is made of three great miracles: the resurrection of the dead; the complete cure -- which might entail the reconstruction of organs -- of a person judged incurable; or the curing of an illness -- which could be cured over time but takes place instantly.

'If there are uncertainties, the consultation suspends the evaluation and asks for more experts or documentation,' Monsignor Di Ruberto said. 'Once there is a majority or unanimity in the voting, the examination is sent to the theologians' consultation.'

Starting with the conclusions of the Medical Consultation, the theologians 'are called to identify the nexus of causality between prayer to the Servant of God and an inexplicable cure or technical success, and they express the judgment that the prodigious event is a real miracle.'

'When the theologians have also expressed their vote in writing, the assessment is sent to the Congregation for Bishops and cardinals who, after hearing the exposé of a "speaker", discuss all the elements of the miracle,' the monsignor said. 'Each component, therefore, gives his judgment, which must be submitted for the approval of the Pope.'

Finally, it is the Holy Father who 'determines the miracle and decides on the promulgation of the decree,' the monsignor said. The latter is a juridical act of the Congregation for Sainthood Causes, sanctioned by the Pope, 'by which a prodigious event is defined as a genuine miracle,' he concluded. "

Therefore, I offer the following for the use of all those who wish to see Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., raised to the honors of the altar:

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.


Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

On May 9, 1850...
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., delivered the first of a series of lectures which were eventually published as Certain Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Catholic Teaching, Volume 1
Here is a little sample:

"And my confidence that you will do so at last, and that the sophistries of this world will not hold you for ever, is what has caused the hesitation to which I have referred, whether I have done wisely in deciding on addressing you at all. I have in truth had anxious misgivings whether I should not do better to let you alone, my own experience teaching me, that even the most charitable attempts are apt to fail, when their end is the conviction of the intellect. It is no work of a day to convince the intellect of an Englishman that Catholicism is true. And even when the intellect is convinced, a thousand subtle influences interpose in arrest of what should follow, carrying, as it were, an appeal into a higher court, and claiming to have the matter settled before some tribunal more sacred, and by pleadings more recondite, than the operations and the decision of the reason. The Eternal God deals with us one by one, each in his own way; and bystanders may pity and compassionate the long throes of our travail, but they cannot aid us except by their prayers. If, then, I have erred in entering upon the subjects I have brought before you, pardon me; pardon me if I have rudely taken on myself to thrust you forward, and to anticipate by artificial means a divine growth. If it be so, I will only hope that, though I may have done you no good, yet my attempt may be blessed in some other way; that I may have thrown light on the general subject which I have discussed, have contributed to map out the field of thought on which I have been engaged, and to ascertain its lie and its characteristics, and have furnished materials for what, in time to come, may be the science and received principles of the whole controversy, though I have failed in that which was my immediate object.

At all events, my dear brethren, I hope I may be at least considered to be showing my goodwill and kindness towards you, if nothing else, and my desire to be of use to you. All is vanity but what is done to the glory of God. It glitters and it fades away; it makes a noise and is gone. If I shall not do you or others good, I have done nothing. Yet a little while and the end will come, and all will be made manifest, and error will fail, and truth will prevail. Yet a little while, and 'the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.' May you and I live in this prospect; and may the Eternal God, Father, Son, and Spirit, Three in One, may His Ever-blessed Mother, may St. Philip, my dear father and master, the great Saints Athanasius and Ambrose, and St. Leo, pope and confessor, who have brought me thus far, be the hope, and help, and reward of you and me, all through this weary life, and in the day of account, and in glory everlasting! "


A laita se !
A bishop warns Catholics ( including Catholic politicians) who do not defend the lives of unborn children that they are playing with eternal fire.

Link courtesy of John Mallon.

I think it is of interest....
to those devoted to Venerable Newman, and fans of the Professor, to note that if today were not Sunday, it would be the feast of St. Gerontius, Bishop and Martyr.
Music at the 11:30 am Mass
Processional Hymn: "The Strife is O'er, The Battle Done"
Offertory: "Adoro Te Devote" - Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Communion: "Ave Maria" - Franz Schubert (1797-1828) - Baritone Solo
Recessional Hymn: "Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly"