Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption has been believed and celebrated since the earliest times of Christianity. Today's feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century. Homilies concerning the Assumption go back to at least the Sixth Century. However, in order to make it a dogma of the faith meaning all Catholics must believe it, Pope Pius XII dogmatically declared Mary's Assumption into Heaven in 1950:

"... by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory" (Munificentissimus Deus)

[Watch a video of the historic event]

Today is a Holy Day of Obligation as Catholics are required to attend Mass. For more information, see my post from 2005.

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Tutorial on Celebrating the Tridentine Latin Mass

For an excellent tutorial on how to celebrate the Tridentine Mass according to the Rite of 1962, visit Sancta Missa. I highly encourage readers to pass along this link to interested priests.

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Assumption Novena

Pray this daily from August 6 - 14 in preparation for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.

• Assumption Novena: Day One
• Assumption Novena: Day Two
• Assumption Novena: Day Three
• Assumption Novena: Day Four
• Assumption Novena: Day Five
• Assumption Novena: Day Six
• Assumption Novena: Day Seven
• Assumption Novena: Day Eight
• Assumption Novena: Final Day

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Traditional Propers: Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

Vestments: Green

INTROIT
Psalms 54:17,18,20,23
When I cried to the Lord He heard my voice, from them that draw near to me; and He humbled them, who is before all ages, and remains for ever: cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. -- (Ps. 54. 2). Hear, O God, my prayer, and despise not my supplication; be attentive to me and hear me. V.: Glory be to the Father . . . -- When I cried to the Lord.

COLLECT - O God, who dost manifest Thine almighty power most chiefly in sparing and showing mercy: multiply upon us Thy mercy: that as we hasten towards Thy promises, Thou mayest make us partakers of the heavenly treasures. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

EPISTLE
I Corinthians 12:2-11
Brethren, You know that, when you were heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man, speaking by the Spirit of God, saith Anathema to Jesus; and no man can say: The Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit; and there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all. And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit. To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom; and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another the grace of healing in the one Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, interpretation of speeches. But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as He will.

GRADUAL
Psalms 16:8,2
Keep me, O Lord, as the apple of Thine eye: protect me under the shadow of Thy wings.1 V.: Let my judgment come forth from Thy countenance: let Thine eyes behold the thing that is equitable.

Alleluia, alleluia. V.(Ps. 64. 2). A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to Thee in Jerusalem. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Luke 18:9-14

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one was a pharisee, and the other a publican. The pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers; as also is this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven, but struck his breast saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.2 I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted

OFFERTORY
Psalms 24:1,3
To Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded.

SECRET - Let the appointed Sacrifices be offered to Thee, O Lord: which Thou hast granted so to be offered to the honor of Thy Name, that they may themselves become healing remedies unto us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost . . .

PREFACE (Preface of the Most Holy Trinity) - It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who, together with Thine only-begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, art one God, one Lord: not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance. For what we believe by Thy revelation of Thy glory, the same do we believe of Thy Son, the same of the Holy Ghost, without difference or separation. So that in confessing the true and everlasting Godhead, distinction in persons, unity in essence, and equality in majesty may be adored. Which the Angels and Archangels, the Cherubim also and Seraphim do praise: who cease not daily to cry out, with one voice saying:

COMMUNION
Psalms 50:21
Thou wilt accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and holocausts, upon Thine altar, O Lord.

POST COMMUNION - We beseech Thee, O Lord, our God, that in Thy goodness Thou wilt not deprive of Thine aid those whom Thou dost not cease to renew with Thy divine Sacraments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity...

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Ad Orientem

"... When a general leads his troops into battle does he face them? When a representative of the people approaches the Ruler on their behalf does he face them? When a priest is going to the Lord on behalf of his people should he face them? When the priest is acting as the intermediary between the people and God he faces the Altar. When he is dispensing the gifts of God, or speaking to the people, he faces the people."

Source: Fr. Joseph Santos of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The above mentioned quotation was part of an interview conducted by the "Traditional Latin Mass" blog. For the original source and the segments of the interview, please see the Traditional Latin Mass Blog.

Via A Faithful Rebel

Image Source: The New Liturgical Movement

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Feastday of St. John Vianney

Today is the feastday of St. John Vianney, one of the greatest parish priests in the history of the Church. Read about his life and many of his spiritually-edifying writings in my post from last year.

St. John Vianney, ora pro nobis!!

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On Friday, He Died

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Updated: List of Feastdays

Over the course of the entire summer - and perhaps a few weeks of the Spring - I have worked to completely revise and update my list of Roman Catholic Feastdays. At last, today I was able to finish.

In the course of my editing, I added the entire Calendar of Saints according to the 1955 Calendar, used by many Traditional Catholics. The 1955 Calendar is very similar to the 1962 Calendar, which is also used by Traditionalists. Following this, I individually edited the post on each saint and added the information on the feastday according to both calendars. Since I was only able to work a few hours each day, this project has taken considerable time.

I hope that it is of value to my readers!

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First Friday Devotion

Because today is the first Friday of the Month, many Catholic parishes will have special Masses today for the First Friday Devotion. The priest may choose to offer a Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart or may choose to say the Mass of the day. However, regardless of which propers are used for the Mass texts, we can still - and should - attend Mass today. We can fulfill the First Friday devotion by going to Mass and receiving Holy Communion for nine consecutive Fridays.

Beginning on December 27, 1673, through 1675, Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to receive Him in Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month and to meditate on His passion from 11:00 PM to 12:00 midnight each Thursday. He also revealed to her twelve promises for all who are devoted to His Sacred Heart; he asked for a Feast of the Sacred Heart to be instituted in the liturgical calendar of the Church. Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque with twelve promises for those devoted to His Most Sacred Heart.

Pray the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart today

Promises for those devoted to the Sacred Heart:

1. "I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life."
2. "I will establish peace in their homes."
3. "I will comfort them in their afflictions."
4. "I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death."
5. "I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."
7. "Tepid souls shall grow fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."
9. "I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored."
10. "I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts."
11. "Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out."
12. "I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Please remember to pray for the unborn today and make an act of reparation to Our Lord. Remember, it was on Friday that Our Lord died and all Fridays in the year are days of penance.

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Portiuncula Indulgence

What is Portiuncula? The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.

" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars."

Today the chapel of Portiuncula is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

The Indulgence:

"The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, bad been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source)

August 2nd is the feast of Portiuncula. A plenary indulgence is available to anyone who will

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before of after)

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd

3. Enter a parish church and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, and a pray of his/her own choosing for the intentions of the Pope.

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

May the Merciful Jesus fill your heart with His gentle peace!

Note: An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. More information can be found at Indulgences.

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