The Queenship of Mary

It's the end of May when we celebrate Our Lady during her
Feast of the Queenship of Mary!

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God…that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Blessed Andrew Franchi, B.C.O.P

Bl. Andrew Franchi's memorial day is today according to the Extraordinary calendar. 27 May was his day on the Ordinary calendar.

He was born in Pistoia, Italy, in 1335 and came from a noble family. He entered the Dominican order at the age of 14. He was in the order during the time of the Black Death and worked to bring back regular observance after the plague. He had served as prior in three different convents while still a young age.
As bishop of Pistoia, he was known for his preaching and austerity. He was a preacher of peace, devoted himself to the poor, and known for his devotion to the Infant Jesus, Mary, and the Three Kings.

He died 1401 and was declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XV in 1921.
He is one of the incorruptables!

Trinity Sunday

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui dedisti famulis tuis, in confessione verae fidei,
aeternae Trinitatis gloriam agnoscere,
et in potentia maiestatis adorare Unitatem:
quaesumus; ut, eiusdem fidei firmitate,
ab omnibus semper muniamur adversis.

Fr. Aidan Nichols, OP on Liturgy

Study

Thanks (said sarcastically) to one of my good friends, an Orthodox priest, a new personal phase of Fr. Aidan Nichols has entered my head.

Here's a great comment on the Liturgy he made during an interview.

Q. So you would see the Liturgy as playing a key role in divesting people of false ideas, especially in the Church?

A. Yes. It has to be Scripture and the Liturgy. Of course, the Liturgy is where Scripture, in a sense, comes most fully into its own, in the liturgical preaching and in the way in which the Liturgy is textured out of myriad biblical references.

But it has to be Liturgy that is not denatured so that it simply becomes an instrument of political correctness. Because in that case you’re losing precisely its power to challenge and transform the way people are when they arrive. If the function of the Liturgy is simply to affirm people in their secular identities or those aspects of decent living that are available through secular agencies, then I don’t see the Liturgy as having any special evangelical force. It must lift people up to something beyond their secular consciousness.

Translation of the body of our Holy Father St. Dominic

24 May is the day the Order celebrates the feast of the translation of the body of St. Dominic.

By the urging of the Saint, himself, Dominic was given a simple burial in an unadorned church tomb, being placed in a simple wooden coffin. Although it was attested that "no spices or aromatical perfumes of any kind were placed therein," the spot very soon afterward began emanating a "sweet and penetrating perfume" filled the church. Miracles also followed and continuously increased.

Despite the discouragement of St. Dominic's friar brethren, the translation of his body to a new coffin for interment in a new tomb took place 12 years after his death on 24 May. When the flagstone of his simple tomb was removed, the strong perfumed aroma filled the entire church. It was during this event that another miracle took place:

Tradition says that during the translation of the relics of Saint Dominic de Guzman 1267, when the body was exposed to view, the head was seen to turn towards Blessed John [Vercelli]. Embarrassed, John moved to another part of the church, giving his place to a cardinal. The head of Saint Dominic was seen by all to turn again toward John.

The marble tomb St. Dominic's precious body was interred is greatly adorned, including 4 carvings by Michelangelo.

One of the angel candleholders by Michelangeo at St. Dominic's tomb

MEMORARE TO ST. DOMINIC

REMEMBER, O most dear and holy Father St. Dominic, that, at the close of thy mortal career, thou didst raise thy pure hands to heaven and pray:
"Holy Father, since by thy mercy I have ever accomplished thy will, and have kept and preserved those whom thou hast given to me, now I recommend them to thee : do thou keep them, do thou preserve them." Animated with unbounded confidence in thee. O tender Father, I cast myself at thy feet, beseeching thee to plead still for thy poor helpless children, to protect us amidst the dangers of om- earthly pilgrimage, to guard and keep us. Be mindful, O great Father, of the comforting assurance thou didst make in thy last moments to thy weeping brethren, promising that after death thou wouldst assist thy children. O Father, fulfil thy word, and help us by thy prayers.

The Ark of St. Dominic in Bologna, Italy

Pentecost Sunday - Suggestions

Highly recommend this:



or this




Strongly discourage (except for entertainment)



and



Hymn to the Holy Spirit

O Fire, Spirit, Comforter, life of the life of all creation!
Holy are you, bringing thought alive in flesh.
Holy are you, anointing the lost and broken.
Holy are you, healing infected wounds.
O sacred breath, O loving fire,
O sweetness in the breast
and flooding of the heart with the fragrance of goodness.
O clearest spring in which it is seen
that God gathers in strangers and seeks the lost.
O breastplate of life and hope for the unity of all the members,
O sword-belt of honor:
Save the blessed.
Protect those who are imprisoned by the enemy.
Set them free! Divine power wants to save them.
O most mighty way, you are everywhere
—in the heights and on the earth and in all the depths.
You gather and reconcile all people.
Clouds flow from you, skies fly, stones take in moisture,
Rivers of water overflow and drench the earth in living green.
You continually teach scholars who rejoice in Wisdom's gifts.
Therefore, praise be to you!
You yourself are the sound of praise and the joy of life,
You are hope and the most powerful grace,
Giving the gift of life.

- Hildegard of Bingen (translation by Ellen Oak)

Saint Servatius

Today the Order of Preachers remembers the feast day of Saint Servatius according to the Extraordinary Calendar. He was declared protector of the order in the 14th century.

"In the fourteenth century the Church and the Order of Preachers were suffering bitter persecution from the schismatical Emperor, Lewis of Bavaria. Learning that the General Chapter was convoked to meet in his dominions , at the city of Cologne, 1330, A.D., this prince secretly plotted the death of the capitular Fathers. They had just assembled, when Saint Servatius appeared in a dream to one of their number, a very holy religious, warned him of the danger which threatened himself and his brethren , and bade them to flee to Maestricht. This they accordingly did, thus escaping the snares which had been laid for them. And though their coming to Maestricht was wholly unexpected, God disposed the hearts of the inhabitants to receive them with the utmost kindness."

Prayer

Graciously hear these our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord, while we offer to Thee in this soleminity of Blessed Servatius, Thy Confessor and Bishop, that as he deserved to do Thee worthy service, so, through his merits and intercession, Thou wouldst mercifully absolve us from all our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Text and Prayer: A Sister of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena (1909). Short Lives of the Dominican Saints. London, United Kingdom: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & CO. LTD. Now in public domain.