Feast of St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas heals a sick man with a copy of St. Matthew's Gospel.

Greater Double (1955 Calendar): June 11

Today the Church recalls and celebrates the life of St. Barnabas, one of the 72 disciples called by Jesus. After Pentecost and the founding of the Church by the Holy Ghost, the apostle Barnabas was sent to Antioch, where he invited Paul, the former persecutor of God's elect, to be his co-worker.

Inspired by the Holy Ghost, the clergy of Antioch dedicated Barnabas and Paul to the work of converting the Gentiles. Both St. Paul & St. Barnabas labored for many years in Cyprus for the Faith.  And many years later, St. Barnabas followed the same fate as nearly all of the other apostles when he willingly suffered martyrdom. 

Taken from today's Lesson at Mass as taken from Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3

In those days, a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Barnabas, called also Joseph, a Levite, was born in Cyprus, and was the one designated by the apostles, together with Paul, to preach the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. He having land, sold it and brought the money to the apostles. Being sent to Antioch to preach there, he met with a great number of people already converted to the faith of Christ the Lord, which thing filled him with much joy, and he multiplied his exhortations, that they might persevere in the faith of Christ. His word had great success, for he was looked upon by all as a good man and one filled with the Holy Ghost.

Travelling thence to Tarsus, there to seek Paul, he came with him as far as Antioch. They here passed one year with the faithful who formed the Church of this city, labouring to instruct them in the Christian life and in faith; and here also it was, that the worshippers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. The disciples of Paul and Barnabas aided with alms the Christians that were in Judea, and sent these subsidies by the hands of Paul and Barnabas. Having performed this work of charity, joining unto them John surnamed Mark, they returned to Antioch.

Whilst Paul and Barnabas were serving the Lord in the Church of Antioch, fasting and praying with the other prophets and doctors, the Holy Ghost spoke and said: Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work whereunto I have called them. Then, with fasting and prayer, they imposed hands upon them and let them depart. They went to Seleucia, and thence to Cyprus; besides this, they passed through many towns and countries, preaching the Gospel everywhere, with much fruit amongst all who heard them. After this Barnabas separated himself from Paul, and together with John surnamed Mark returned to Cyprus. Here about the seventh year of the reign of Nero, on the third of the Ides of June, he joined the martyr's crown to the dignity of an apostle. In the reign of the emperor Zeno, his body was discovered in the island of Cyprus: on his breast lay a copy of the Gospel of St Matthew, written by the hand of Barnabas himself.

Prayer:

O God, we are made happy by the merits and intercession of Your blessed apostle Barnabas. May the prayers we offer through him bring us the gift of Your grace. Through our Lord . . .

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland

SemiDouble (1955 Calendar): June 10

Holy Mother Church again places before us the saintly example of a member of the nobility who sought to follow closely the example of Christ and of His Blessed Mother.  Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland.  May we recall her intercession at this time more than others as the United Kingdom falls further from the grace of God and back into the abyss of paganism.  St. Margaret, pray for us!

The following is taken from the great work of Dom Guaranger in his massive collection on "The Liturgical Year":

SCOTLAND had long been Christian when Margaret was given to her to establish, amidst a population so diversified, and so often at mutual enmity as was hers, that unity which makes a nation.

Ancient Caledonia, defended by her lakes, mountains, and rivers, had, up to the fall of the Roman empire, kept her independence. But, whilst herself inaccessible to invading troops, she had become the refuge of the vanquished of every race and the proscribed of every epoch.

Many an advancing wave, that had paused at the feet of her granite frontiers, had swept pitilessly over the southern provinces of the great British island. Britons, Saxons, and Danes in turn, dispossessed and driven from their homes, fleeing northwards, had  successively crept in, and settling down as best they might, had maintained their own customs in juxtaposition with those of the first inhabitants, adding consequently their own mutual jealousies to the inveterate divisions of the Picts and Scots.

But from the very evil itself the remedy was to corne. God, in order to show that he is master of revolutions just as he is of the surging waves, was about to confide the execution of his merciful designs upon Scotland to such casual instruments as a storm or a political overthrow may sometimes prove to be. At the opening of the eleventh century, Danish invasion had driven from the English shore the sons of the Saxon king, Edmund Ironside. The crowned apostle of Hungary, St Stephen I, generously received the fugitives at his court, welcoming in these helpless children the great-nephews of a saint, namely Edward the Martyr

To the eldest he gave his own daughter in marriage, and the second he affianced, to the niece of St Henry, emperor of Germany. Of this last mentioned union were born three children, Edgar, surnamed Atheling, Christina, afterwards a nun, and Margaret, whose feast the Church is keeping to-day. By the turning tide of fortune, the exiles once more returned to their country, and Edgar was brought to the very steps of the English throne. For in the meantime, the sceptre had passed from the Danish princes back again to the Saxon line, in the person of their uncle, St Edward the Confessor, and by very birthright seemed destined to pass ultimately to Edgar Atheling.

But almost immediately after their return from exile, the death of St Edward and the Norman conquest again banished the royal Saxon family. The ship bearing these noble fugitives, bound for the continent, was driven in an opposite direction by a hurricane, and stranded on the Scottish shore. Edgar Atheling, in spite of the efforts of the Saxon party, was never to raise up the fallen throne of his sires; but his sister, the saint of this day, made conquest of the land whither the storm, God's instrument, had carried her.

Having become the wife of Malcolm III, her gentle influence softened the fierce instincts of the son of Duncan, and triumphed over the barbarism still so dominant in those parts of the country as to separate them utterly from the rest of the known world. The fierce highlander and haughty lowlander, reconciled at last, now followed their gentle queen along hitherto unknown paths, thrown open by her to the light of the Gospel. The strong now bent down to meet the weak or the poor; and all alike, casting aside the rigidity of their hardy race, let themselves be captured by the alluring charms of Christian charity. Holy penitence resumed its rights over the gross instincts of mere nature. The frequentation of the Sacraments, once more brought into esteem, produced seasonable fruits. Everywhere, whether in Church or in State, abuses vanished.

The whole kingdom became one family, whereof Margaret was called the mother; for Scotland was born by her to true civilization. David I (inscribed like his mother in the catalogue of the saints) completed the work begun by her; and another child of Margaret's, alike worthy of her, Matilda of Scotland, surnamed' good Queen Maud,'was married to Henry I of England; and thus an end was put on the English soil to the persistent rivalries of victors and vanquished, by this admixture of Saxon blood with the Norman race.

Prayer:

O God, who didst make the blessed Queen Margaret wonderful for her surpassing charity to the poor, grant that by her intercession and example, Thy love may ever grow in our hearts. Through our Lord . . .

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Star of the Sea Catholic Church: Altar Boy Policy Update

Source: Matthew (A Catholic Life) copyright 2018

Earlier this year on January 31st I contacted the pastor of Star of the Sea Catholic Church in San Francisco, as they had been under liberal attacks for restoring the practice of male-only altar servers.  Yesterday I received an email response from Father that I wish to make known:

My Original Message:

Hello Father, 

I just wanted to send you a note of support to thank you for taking this tough stand.
I go to a parish in Chicago that only has male altar servers.  We've seen a large increase in vocations in the parish.  It's important to note, as you have explained, that altar boys is the long standing tradition of the Church.  It is vital for our Church's future vocations that boys be trained in altar serving.  I know that you do not need reminded of this. 

I just wanted you to know that you are very much supported by many.  And I hope that despite the pressures you may face, that you will stay true to this position. 

May Almighty God protect you and may our Blessed Mother intercede for you amidst those who wish to attack you.

Father's Response:

Dear Matthew,

Thank you for your email in support of Fr. Driscoll and me, and for your prayerful support of our dear Archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone. Since the altar girl controversy broke out in January, I have received hundreds of emails from around California, the entire country, and even several dozen from foreign countries. I cannot respond to all of them personally, so am sending this general letter to you.

Archbishop Cordileone is working hard, and suffering personally with resolute magnanimity, to bring the light of Christ’s Gospel and the beautiful teachings of our Church to his people in San Francisco. He is widely misunderstood and even attacked for it, but accepts this with graceful patience. He is a good father. We at Star of the Sea want to share in this mission, and so have accepted also a part of this suffering. Please pray for us, that we accept the wisdom and perseverance that God, through Our Lady, is offering to us. Personally, I hope that this experience will truly purify me and many others, so that we may all be holy and bring glory to God. All of Jesus, through His Holy Mother.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Joseph Illo
The San Francisco Community of St. Philip Neri at Star of the Sea Parish

Please join me in praying for the parish and those who suffer so much for remaining true to the Church.  May the Crucified Lord protect them, inspire them, and sustain them.

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Traditional Mass Propers: Corpus Christi

INTROIT Ps. 80:17
He fed them with the finest wheat, alleluia! and filled them with honey from the rock, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 80:2. Sing joyfully to God, our helper, sing aloud to the God of Jacob. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT - O God, we possess a lasting memorial of Your Passion in this wondrous Sacrament. Grant that we may so venerate the mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always feel within ourselves the effects of Your redemption; who lives and rules with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

EPISTLE
I Cor. 11:23-29
Breathren: For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, And giving thanks, broke and said: "Take ye and eat: This is my body, which shall be delivered for you. This do for the commemoration of me." In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: "This chalice is the new testament in my blood. This do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come." Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself.

GRADUAL
The eyes of all look hopefully to You, O Lord, and You give them food in due season. V. You open Your hand and fill every living creature with blessing.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. John 6:56-57 My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him, alleluia!

GOSPEL
John 6:56-59

At that time, Jesus said to the crowds of the Jews: "For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live for ever."

OFFERTORY
Lev. 21:6
The priests of the Lord offer incense and loaves to God; therefore they shall be sacred to their God and shall not profane His name, alleluia!

SECRET  O Lord, graciously bestow upon Your Church the gifts of unity and peace, which are symbolized in this Sacrifice we offer You. Through our Lord . . .

PREFACE

Pre-1955: Rubrics: Preface of the Nativity
1962 Rubrics: Common Preface

COMMUNION
I Cor. 11:26-27
As often as you shall eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, alleluia!

POST COMMUNION -  O Lord, grant that we may enjoy the eternal presence of Your divinity, which is foreshadowed by our earthly reception of Your Precious Body and Blood; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal, 1945

Note: For more information on the Theology of Corpus Christ, please click here.  And for information on this day's processions, please click here.  And click here to see videos of processions.

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My New Life as a Third Order Dominican

 

Image Source

As of May 29th, I am now a member of the Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic, which is better known, as a 3rd Order Dominican.  The Order to which I am now a postulant is affiliated with the Dominican Friars of Steffeshausen, a newer community of traditional Dominicans.  As a Traditional Third Order Dominican, I will be following the Rule that was in place as of 1923, the last Rule for Dominican tertiaries before the Second Vatican Council.

I will begin my studying with the text of Fr. Joret entitled "Our Dominican Life." In order to spread the spirit of the Order, I have a copy of this book in PDF and I'd be happy to send it out via email to all who are interested.  Just email me to request it.

For those interested, the Rule itself can be found here:Dominican Third Order (Traditional) Rule of 1923

In summary, the observances of the Rule include:

I am far from perfect and pray that this Rule help me in my quest for spiritual perfection.  Please pray for me to grow in grace and seek the salvation of souls. St. Dominic, pray for me!

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Traditional Mass Propers: FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST: Trinity Sunday

INTROIT Tobit 12:6
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and undivided Unity. We will give glory to Him, because He has shown mercy to us. Ps. 8:2. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Your name over all the earth! V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT - TRINITY SUNDAY - Almighty and ever-living God, to You we owe the grace of our true faith, which enables us to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and to adore the blessed Unity through the power of Your majesty. Grant that by holding fast to that faith we may always be guarded against all afflictions. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - O God, the strength of all who place their trust in You, graciously hear our prayers. Because of our weak human nature, we can do nothing without You. Help us by Your grace that we may fulfill Your commands and please You in will and action. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE
Rom. 11:33-36
O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen.

GRADUAL
Blessed are You, O Lord, who behold the depths and are enthroned upon the Cherubim. V. Blessed are You, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven, and worthy of praise forever.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Dan. 3:52 Blessed are You, O Lord the God of our fathers, and worthy of praise forever. Alleluia!

GOSPEL
Matt. 28:18-20

At that time, Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."

OFFERTORY
Tob. 12:6
Blessed be God the Father, and the only-begotten Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, because He has shown mercy to us.

SECRET  Bless this Sacrificial Offering as we call upon Your holy name, O Lord our God, and through it let us too become an eternal offering to You. Through our Lord . . .

SECRET - Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST  Graciously accept the offerings we dedicate to You, O Lord, and let them win for us Your unending assistance. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION
Tob. 12:6
We bless the God of heaven, and we will praise him before all men, because He has shown mercy to us..

POST COMMUNION -  O Lord, our God, let us be made strong in body and soul by the reception of this Sacrament and by acknowledging the Holy, Eternal Trinity and its undivided Unity. Through our Lord . . .

POST COMMUNION  - Commemoration of the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
We have received Your exceedingly great Gifts in all their fullness, O Lord. Grant that we may use these graces for our salvation and never cease to sing Your praises. Through our Lord . . .

Sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal , 1945

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Prayers for the Salvation of All Men

PRAYERS FOR THE SALVATION OF ALL MEN

O Lord Jesus Christ, Lover and Saviour of souls, Who didst choose to die for all men and whose Sacred Heart yearns that no soul may perish, but that all may come to the knowledge of Thy truth, grant, I beseech Thee, the salvation of all mankind. Have pity on all Catholics, that they may be true to Thy Faith, steadfast in its practice, faithful to their duties, holy in their lives and happy in their deaths.

Have mercy on all those disinherited children of God who find themselves in the Christian denominations which are separated from Thy One True Church. Grant them the light to see and the strength to embrace the fullness of Thy truth. Encourage them to read and study, and help me to find the means of giving to many of them good Catholic books and of bringing them to instructions. Have mercy, O my God, on the great sad multitude of our fellow countrymen, who wander like lost sheep, far from true Christian teaching. Multiply the number of Thy priests, stir up the zeal of Thy laity, so that all Thy wandering children may be brought to the knowledge and the love of Thy full truth. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR PAGAN PEOPLES

O Lord, have mercy also on the pagan nations of the world, the sad thousands of millions who walk in the darkness of the shadow of the valley of death. Have pity on abandoned sinners, on the malicious, on outcasts, on the fallen and on the depraved. Have mercy on the dying and especially on those who have none to pray for them. With all the fervor of Thy Sacred Heart, my Jesus, pray and beseech Thy Heavenly Father for the conversion of all sinners, and for the perseverance in Thy grace of all the just. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT

O most merciful Jesus, Shepherd of souls, behold the great multitude of the heathen, redeemed and purchased by Thy Sacred Blood and Thy horrible agony, still wandering far off from Thy holy Fold and ignorant of the very existence of their Redeemer. O Jesus, the abundant treasure of Thy Blood has purchased a million times over those souls so dear to Thy Sacred Heart. Stir up in all Thy faithful a burning zeal for missionary endeavor, a great generosity toward missionary works, and an immense desire to convert the whole world and bring all men to the knowledge of Thy truth. Amen.

IMPRIMATUR; + Albert G. Meyer. Archb. of Milwaukee. Nov. 7. 1956
TAN Books and Publishers. Inc.. P.O. Bo. 424, Rockford. Illinois 61105

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Whit Embertide Reminder: Fast & Abstain

During the Octave of Pentecost, the Church traditionally celebrates the Summer Ember Days. Today is Ember Wednesday. This Friday and Saturday will also be Ember Days. As per the traditional discipline of the Church, Ember Days are days of Fast and Partial Abstinence. (Friday, of course, being a day of complete abstinence). If you wish to read more about the Ember Days, please see my post from last year.

This week serves as an excellent opportunity for all of us to fulfill Heaven's request at Lourdes and Fatima of "Penance, Penance, Penance." (We can also read about the importance of Penance from the very teaching of our Lord and King in the Gospels, for example see Lk 13:3,5 and Mt 4:17, 11:20-21; Mt 12:41)

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CORDAID Funds Planned Parenthood and Dispenses Contraception

CORDAID, which stands for "Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid," is a co-founder and current affiliate of Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-run umbrella organization that oversees Catholic charity, aid, and development organizations (like Catholic Relief Services) all over the world.

Caritas constitutes part of the governing body for the international Marxist organization known as the World Social Forum, which is avidly pro-abortion and pro-homosexual. CORDAID is the local Caritas affiliate for the Netherlands.

CORDAID promotes abortion, funds Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes International, and dispenses contraception of every kind, including abortifacient contraception. CORDAID goes out of its way to make condoms and contraception readily available to the youth at little or no cost. CORDAID indirectly is part of the Vatican's network of charity relief organizations, but CORDAID is passionately anti-Catholic and pro-death.

Source

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Traditional Latin Mass Propers: Vigil of Pentecost

Today is the Vigil of Pentecost (Saturday after the 6th Sunday after Easter).

Today's preparation should not be underestimated.  Catholics should fast and abstain from meat today in order to better conform themselves to celebrate this High Holy Day of Pentecost. See: Vigil of Pentecost: Fast and Abstinence.

As the missal's opening section states before the Propers: "The feast of Whitsun [another name for Pentecost] is as ancient as that of Easter, and First Vespers on the Saturday following begins the liturgical season called Season after Pentecost.  The Ascension of God's Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Heaven did not leave us abandoned and helpless. By the Divine Will, the Third Person of the Trinity is to be the soul and guiding light of Christ's Mystical Body."

For the pre-1955 rubrics for the Vigil of Pentecost, click here. For all of the Mass readings including the prophecies and the for the rubrics for the Solemn Blessing of Water, click here.

INTROIT Ezech. 36:23-24, 25-26

When I shall be sanctified in you, I will gather you together out of all the countries; and I will pour upon you clean water and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will give you a new spirit, alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 33:2. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be in my mouth. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

Let the brightness of Your glory shine upon us, Almighty God, so that the Holy Spirit, light of Your light, may strengthen the hearts of those who are reborn in Your grace. Through Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE 
Acts 19:1-8

Now it was while Apollo was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. And he said to them: "Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" But they said to him: "We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost." And he said: "In what then were you baptized?" Who said: "In John's baptism." Then Paul said: "John baptized the people with the baptism of penance saying: That they should believe in him, who was to come after him, that is to say, in Jesus." Having heard these things, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them: and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And entering into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and exhorting concerning the kingdom of God.

Alleluia
Ps. 106:1

Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

TRACT 
Ps. 116:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him in unison, all you peoples!
V. For His mercy is steadfast towards us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

GOSPEL  
John 14:15-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father: and He shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever: The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him. But you shall know Him; because He shall abide with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world seeth Me no more. But you see Me: because I live, and you shall live. In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me. And he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and will manifest myself to him."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  
Ps. 103:30-31

Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure forever, alleluia!

SECRET

Bless our offering, O Lord, and cleanse our hearts by the light of the Holy Spirit. Through Our Lord...

COMMUNION ANTIPHON  
John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, from within him there shall flow rivers of living water." He said this of the Spirit, whom they who believed in Him were to receive, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION

May the coming of the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts, and, as a heavenly dew, water them to bring forth good fruit. Through Our Lord . . .

Full Video of the Pre-1955 Mass for the Vigil of Pentecost:

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