Showing posts with label Saint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saint. Show all posts

Monday, 9 June 2014

St. Columba’s Day - 9 June 2014 -Traprain Minister

Feast of Saint Columba 

by kind permission of David Scott


including the churches of Prestonkirk, Stenton and Whittingehame  
   
 
  

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9 June 2013 – St. Columba’s Day
Posted on June 8, 2013 by David Scott

Today, we are used to copyright laws. Did you know that St. Columba was one of the first to break them? Finian had a beautiful Psalter. Columba borrowed it without permission and copied the contents.

Columba's House Kells
Finian reported the crime to the king. There was a battle. Many people were killed and Columba fled in a coracle to the island of Iona where he could no longer see his native lreland. Here he established a religious community in 563 AD, 1,450 years ago!
It not only became a place of learning producing the ‘The Book of Kells’ but also a base from which he and his monks were able to travel into the heart of the West Highlands making converts to Christianity among the High Kings and Chiefs!
In his biography, Adomnan gives Columba another name – Colum Cille which means ‘the dove of the church’. He was a man of great learning and a deep spirituality who had a rare affinity with animals and a gentle attitude to other people.
But he also had another nickname – Crimthann which means ‘the fox’. And the fox is clever, cunning, fearless, untouchable. And so was Columba. He was proud, fearless in battle, hasty to speak out for justice, a warrior as well as a peace-maker.
‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,’ says Jesus, ‘so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.’ If the servants of God were all dove and no fox, they would probably be so heavenly minded as to be no earthly use!
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© Parish of Traprain 2012 - 2014
Scottish Charity Number SC012277

Monday, 17 March 2014

St Patricks Day Poem - Greetings of Donegal friends

                                                                                                                                           
www.ballybofeystranorlar.com/?p=8041
St Patricks Day Poem

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

The theme for this year’s poem came from a relative in Co. Donegal, Tony Gallinagh who resides in the Twin Towns area. Stranorlar and Ballybofey have joined hands to break  The Guinness Book of World Records for the most people with the same first name gathered together at the same time and in the same place and the name they have chosen appropriately enough is Patrick.
This is their contribution to The Gathering a year long initiative sponsored by the National Tourism Development Authority aimed at reconnecting decedents of the Irish Diaspora with their roots while at the same time helping Ireland’s economy.

 

A Gathering of Patrick’s

By Pat Gallinagh

 The Irish Diaspora was fueled by famine, poverty and fear
Of a tyrannical overlord that made immigration grounds for cheer
They left Ireland by the millions and scattered to the four corners of the earth
They settled, multiplied and prospered and kept their heritage for all its worth

After many generations they now numbered over seventy million strong
Yet many had never set foot in Ireland, and to the government this indeed seemed wrong
To address this anomaly an initiative called The Gathering was born
To help reconnect their descendants with the roots from which their ancestors had been torn

It’s a year long celebration from New Year’s Day until December fades from light
Featuring fairs, festivals and reunions that will be running both day and night
But there’s one day that stands above all others in the Irish calendar
Tis the day they honor Ireland’s patron saint and celebrated near and far

In county Donegal there are Twin Towns separated by the river Finn
The intersection of The Gathering and St. Patrick’s Day presented them a chance to win
“What if we could gather on this day in one place at one time more Patrick’s than ever before.
We’d make the Guinness Book of World Records and get compliments by the score”

Their first name can be Patrick, Paddy, Patricia or any derived from it thereof
From the saint who converted Ireland from paganism into a Christian Hub
They must be there in person and with them proof of birth
Tho they needn’t necessarily be Irish and this could cause some mirth

This endeavor will not be easy but then no one said it would
But it’ll be well worth the effort to break the record if we should
So the call has gone out far and wide for all Patrick’s to set their sights
To converge on the Emerald Isle and help the Irish celebrate their rites.

So if you are in County Donegal on St. Patrick’s Day and Patrick is your name
Make your way to Stranorlar and Ballybofey and stake your claim to fame
And your presence there to no one will be a great mystery
For if the Twin Towns are successful, you’ll be going down in history




Monday, 10 March 2014

National Shrine to Saint John Ogilvie, S.J

http://www.staloysius.rcglasgow.org.uk/stjohnogilvie

St. John Ogilvie

John Ogilvie
1579 - March 10, 1615
John Ogilvie was a Scottish Catholic martyr.
The son of a wealthy laird, he was born into a respected Calvinist family near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland and was educated in mainland Europe.
He attended a number of Catholic educational establishments, under the Benedictines at Regensburg in Germany and with the Jesuits at Olomouc and Brno in the present day Czech Republic. In the midst of the religious controversies and turmoil that engulfed the Europe of that era he decided to become a Catholic. In 1596, aged seventeen, he was received into the church at Leuven, Belgium. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1608 and was ordained a priest in Paris in 1610. After ordination he made repeated entreaties to be sent back to Scotland to minister to the few remaining Catholics in the Glasgow area (after the Scottish Reformation in 1560 it had become illegal to preach, proselytise for, or otherwise endorse Catholicism).
He returned to Scotland in November 1613 disguised as a soldier, and began to preach in secret, celebrating mass clandestinely in private homes. However, his ministry was to last less than a year. In 1614, he was betrayed and arrested in Glasgow and taken to jail in Paisley.

Martyrdom and Death
He suffered terrible tortures, including being kept awake for eight days and nine nights, in an attempt to make him divulge the identities of other Catholics. Nonetheless, Ogilvie did not relent; consequently, after a biased trial, he was convicted of high treason for refusing to accept the King's spiritual jurisdiction.
On 10th March 1615, aged 36 years, John Ogilvie was paraded through the streets of Glasgow and hanged at Glasgow Cross.
His last words were "If there be here any hidden Catholics, let them pray for me but the prayers of heretics I will not have". After he was pushed from the ladder, he threw his concealed rosary beads out into the crowd. The tale is told that one of his enemies caught them and subsequently became a lifelong devout Catholic. After his execution Ogilvie's followers were rounded up and put in jail. They suffered heavy fines, but none was to receive the death penalty.
As a martyr of the Counter-Reformation he was beatified in 1929 and canonised in 1976. He is the only post-Reformation saint from Scotland.

National Shrine to Saint John Ogilvie, S.J
The church also contains the National Shrine to Saint John Ogilvie, S.J., a Scottish Jesuit, who was canonised on 17th October, 1976 by His Holiness Pope Paul VI, having suffered martyrdom in Glasgow in 1615 during the Scottish Reformation

10 Mar 2010
St John Ogilvie, Priest and Martyr, SJ (Memorial) John Ogilvie, the son of a wealthy laird, Walter Ogilvie, was born into a respected Calvinist family at Drum-na-Keith in Banffshire, Scotland, in 1579. As a youth he studied on the ...
10 Mar 2013
"Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts." This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday and is a Sunday of joy.
10 Mar 2009
John Ogilvie (1579-1615) performed ministry in his native Scotland for only 11 months after he returned to his homeland following 22 years abroad. He is the only canonized Scottish martyr from the time of the Reformation, ...


Monday, 10 February 2014

Saint Scholastic 10 February. Sr. Concordia died 5th Feb 2014

Saint Scholastica
Monday, 10 February, Benedictines celebrate the admirable life of Saint Scholastica of Nursia. Her twin brother, Saint Benedict, is the Patriarch of Western Monasticism.
"Whether or not the great Patriarch established a nunnery, it is certain that in a short time he was looked upon as a guide and father to the many convents already existing. His rule was almost universally adopted by them, and with it the title Abbess came into general use to designate the superior of a convent of nuns" (Cath. Encyclopedia).
frescoPope Saint Gregory, in Chapter 33 of Book II of his Dialogues, tells the story of the last meeting between the two siblings. He uses it to teach a lesson in the efficacy of prayer and the primacy of love. The visit Benedict made to his sister suggests that their monasteries were not far distant. Such has remained the pattern, and many Brother/Sister monasteries are geographically close. Through collaboration in the apostolate and in prayer, men and women Benedictines support each other in fidelity to the Holy Rule.
In the next chapter of the Dialogues, Gregory recounts how three days later Benedict, "lifting up his eyes to heaven, beheld the soul of his sister that had departed her body ascend into heaven in the likeness of a dove." He gave orders that they both should be buried at Monte Cassino. Saint Benedict was soon thereafter laid to rest beside her in the crypt of Monte Cassino Abbey. "As their souls had always been one in God while they lived, so their bodies continued together after their deaths."
  http://www.osb.org/new/current.html 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PAX
Minster Abbey Ramsgate     
Please pray for the repose of the soul of our dear 
Sister Maria Anna Concordia (Caroline) Scott OSB
who died peacefully, fortified by the Rites of the Holy Church
on the Feast of St. Agatha, 5th February 2014
in her 90th year
and the 59th year of her Monastic Profession.



SAINT BENEDICT
“Father of Europe”
Sculpted by
Sr. Concordia Scott O.S.B.
Minster Abbey  1980.

Note from Sr. Concordia, March 1980,
to Abbot at Nunraw.

The medallion on St. Benededict’s neck is the symbol for European Unity
-       12 stars around the cross - . 

A very happy Feastday to you and good community on 21st March

Yours in Christ
           Sr. Concordia Scott O.S.B

Saturday, 13 July 2013

Proclamation of St. Benedict 'Patron of Europe' by Pope Paul VI 1964

Paul vi Consecration of MonteCassino 1964


http://www.britishpathe.com/video/pope-paul-consecrates-new-abbey-at-monte-cassino/query/DECLARATION+WAR

Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, the 24th of October in the year 1964, the second of Our Pontificate.
Paolo PP. VI (1897-1978)

Pope Paul VI (Latin: Paulus PP. VI; Italian: Paolo VI), born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (26 September 1897 – 6 August 1978

Reading:
Pope Paul VI 'Pacis Nuntius'.
Less satisfactory is the Night Office Translation, “A Word  In Season” Monastic Lectionary for the Diven Office, Sanctoral.
The two Feasts;
Passing of St Benedict 21 Marc
Benedict Patron of Europe 11 July.


Original Italian and Latin
Better translation from ZENIT
We appreciate, [Translation by Diane Montagna]

Paul VI
Pacis Nuntius
Apostolic Letter
by which St. Benedict, Abbot, is proclaimed
Principle Patron of All of Europe
In everlasting memory

Messenger of peace, molder of union, teacher of civilization, and above all herald of the religion of Christ and founder of monastic life in the West: these are the proper titles of exaltation given to St. Benedict, Abbot. At the fall of the crumbling Roman Empire, while some regions of Europe seemed to have fallen into darkness and others remained as yet devoid of civilization and spiritual values, he it was who, by constant and assiduous effort, brought to birth the dawn of a new era.  It was principally he and his sons, who with the cross, the book and the plow, carried Christian progress to scattered peoples from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Ireland to the plains of Poland (Cf. AAS 39 (1947), p. 453). With the cross; that is, with the law of Christ, he lent consistency and growth to the ordering of public and private life. To this end, it should be remembered that he taught humanity the primacy of divine worship through the “opus Dei”, i.e. through liturgical and ritual prayer. Thus it was that he cemented that spiritual unity in Europe, whereby peoples divided on the level of language, ethnicity and culture felt they constituted the one people of God; a unity that, thanks to the constant efforts of those monks who followed so illustrious a teacher, became the distinctive hallmark of the Middle Ages.  

It is this unity, which St. Augustine calls the “exemplar and type of absolute beauty” (cf. Ep.18: PL 33, 85) but which regrettably has been broken through a maze of historical events, that all men of good will even in our own day seek to rebuild. With the book, then, i.e. with culture, the same St. Benedict, -- from whom so many monasteries derive their name and vigor -- with providential care, saved the classical tradition of the ancients at a time when the humanistic patrimony was being lost, by transmitting it intact to its descendants, and by restoring the cult of knowledge. Lastly, it was with the plow, i.e., with the cultivation of the fields and with other similar initiatives, that he succeeded in transforming wastelands gone wild into fertile fields and gracious gardens; and by uniting prayer with manual labor, according to his famous motto “ora et labora”, he ennobled and elevated human work. Rightly, therefore, did Pius XII salute St. Benedict as the “father of Europe” (Cf. AAS loc. Mem.); for he inspired in the peoples of Europe that loving care of order and justice that forms the foundation of true society. Our same Predecessor desired that God, through the merits of this great saint, second the efforts of all those seeking to unite the nations of Europe in fraternal bonds. In his paternal solicitude, John XXIII also greatly desired this to come about. 

It is natural, then, that We also give our full assent to this movement that tends toward the attainment of European unity. For this reason, we gladly welcomed the requests of many cardinals, archbishops, bishops, superior generals of religious orders, rectors of universities and other distinguished representatives of the laity from the various European nations to declare St. Benedict the Patron of Europe. And in the light of this solemn proclamation, today’s date appears to Us particularly appropriate, for on this day We re-consecrate to God, in honor of the most holy Virgin and St. Benedict, the temple of Montecassino, which having been destroyed in 1944 during the terrible world conflict, was reconstructed through the tenacity of Christian piety. This we do most willingly, repeating the actions of several of Our Predecessors, who personally took steps throughout the centuries towards the dedication of this center of monastic spirituality, which was made famous by the sepulcher of St. Benedict. May so remarkable a saint receive our vow and, as he once dispelled the darkness by the light of Christian civilization and radiated the gift of peace, may he now preside over all of European life and by his intercession develop and increase it all the more.  

Therefore, as proposed by the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and after due consideration, in virtue of Our apostolic power, with the present Brief and in perpetuity we constitute and proclaim St. Benedict, Abbot, the Principle heavenly Patron of all Europe, granting every honor and liturgical privilege due by law to primary Protectors. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary. This we make known and establish, deciding that the present Letter remain valid and effective, that it obtain its full and integral effect and be respected by all those it regards or shall regard in future; so also, may whatever judgment or definition be in accordance with it; and henceforth, may whatever contrary act, by whatever authority it was established, consciously or through ignorance, be deemed invalid.  

Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, the 24th of October in the year 1964, the second of Our Pontificate.
Paolo PP. VI

[Translation by Diane Montagna]
(July 11, 2012) © Innovative Media Inc.



Friday, 24 May 2013

And I will show you a still more excellent way. 1 Cor 12:31

Scottish Saints: Margaret, Giles, David
Special prayers during these days; for 'the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland').

Saint of the day: 24th May

Saint David of Scotland

Scotland's greatest king was the sixth and youngest son of St Margaret of Scotland and Malcolm III, born in 1085. He married Matilda daughter of Waldef, the Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northampton and Huntingd on which gave him a claim to the earldom Northumberland.

For many years he waged a long and unsuccessful war against England, but after being crowned king of Scotland in 1124, around the age of 40, he devoted his life to peaceful activities and became known as a kind, just and liberal king.

Historians say he was responsible for making Scotland into a modern nation, by reforming the legal system and public administration and encouraging trade and the foundation of towns. He also reformed the Scottish church, establishing a system of dioceses. Under his rule many monasteries, hospitals and almshouses were founded.

David prayed the Divine Office daily, received Communion each week and gave generous alms to the poor - often in person as his mother had done.

He died on this day in 1153 and was buried at Dunfermline. His shrine was a popular place of pilgrimage until the Reformation. One of the patron saints of Scotland, many churches are named after him.


Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Our Calendar today has Saint David of Scotland.
St. David was a friend of St. Aelred of Rievaux, and it so happens that the Night Office second reading is by Aelred.
The commentary  beautifully add light to the very favoured I Corinthians’  13th chapter.
The Friday Collect of Lauds has the embrace of the thought in prayer.
Night Office.
Friday (1)
“God of strength,
You light of hope in the heart of your Church.
Free your children from fear,
Strength them when evil threatens,
Make them more humble and more confident
On this day,
Which in your love you have prepared,
In Jesus, our Lord”.

Friday
First Reading     1 Corintians 12:31 – 13:13

Second  Reading
From The Mirror of Charity by Saint Aelred of Rievaulx

The Lord's yoke is easy; the Lord's burden is light. For what can be more agreeable, what more delightful than to find that by renouncing the world we have been raised above it? As we stand on the lofty height of a clear conscience, we have the whole world under our feet. When insults have no effect on us, when persecutions and penalties have no terror for us, when prosperity or adversity has no influence on us, when friend and foe are viewed in the same light, when we follow the example of him who makes his sun rise on the wicked and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust alike, do we not come close to sharing the serenity of God? All such dispositions spring from charity and charity alone, in which is true peace and contentment; for it is the Lord's yoke, and if we follow his call to bear it our souls will find rest, because his yoke is easy and his burden light.

Charity is patient and kind, it is not jealous or boastful, it is not conceited or rude. The other virtues are to us as a carriage bearing the weary traveler, as provisions fortifying the wayfarer, as a lamp for those in darkness, or as arms for combatants. But charity, although it must be present in all the other virtues, is yet in a special way rest for the weary, shelter for the traveller, fullness of light for one who arrives, and a glorious crown for the victor.

For what is faith but the carriage that bears us to our native land? What is hope but the food we take for our journey through life's hardships? And those other virtues of temperance, prudence, fortitude and justice-what are they but the weapons given us for the struggle? But when death has been swallowed up by that perfection of charity which is achieved in the vision of God there will be no more faith, because faith was the preparation for that vision, and there will be no need to believe what we see and love. And when we embrace God with the arms of our charity, there will be no more hope, for there will be nothing left to hope for. And as for the other virtues, temperance is our weapon against lust, pru­dence against error, fortitude against adversity, justice against injustice. But in charity there is also perfect chastity, and so no lust for temperance to combat; in charity there is the fullness of knowledge, and so no error for prudence to guard against; in charity there is true blessedness, and so no adversity for fortitude to overcome; in charity all is peace, and so there is no injustice for justice to withstand.
Faith is not even a virtue unless it is expressed by love; nor is hope unless it loves what it hopes for. And if we look more closely, do we not see that temperance is only love that no pleasure can seduce; that prudence is only love that no error can mislead; that fortitude is only love courageously enduring adversity, and that justice is only impartial love mitigating the injustices of this life? Charity therefore begins with faith, is exercised through the other virtues, but achieves perfection in itself.

Response   1 Jn 4:16.7



Wednesday, 20 March 2013

March 20 – St. Cuthbert, Bishop, A.D. 687.



Channelkirk - Childrens Kirk dedicated to the Innocents.

lThrough the ages the church has been referred to as Childenchurch, Childeschirche, Childer-Kirk, Gingle-Kirk, Chingelkirk, Channonkirk and from 1716, Channelkirk. The name perhaps means “Church of the Child” after St.Cuthbert. On the church bell, which was taken down for repairs in 1990 is inscribed CHANNON KIRK 1702.
The Bell Tower is pictured below. (Photo : Copyright © H.Jones 2012) 
In the Statistical Account of 1885, a further explanation of the name is given as follows: "The ancient name of the parish was Childer-kirk, ie Childrens Kirk, having been dedicated to the Innocents
William Holman Hunt - The Triumph of the Innocents. 
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Holman_Hunt_-_The_Triumph_of_the_Innocents_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg  

The date of Holy Innocents' Day, also called Childermas or Children's Mass, varies. 27 December is the date for West Syrians (Syriac Orthodox Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and Maronite Church) and East Syrians (Chaldeans and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church). 28 December is the date in theChurch of England, the Lutheran Church and the Roman Catholic Church (in which, except on Sunday, violet vestments were worn before 1961, instead of red, the normal liturgical colour for celebrating martyrs). The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the feast on 29 December.  


Barrett/Scottish Saints/St. Cuthbert
Dom Michael Barrett

March 20 – St. Cuthbert, Bishop, A.D. 687. translation 4 September
This saint was born of Saxon parents in Northumbria, and was early left an orphan. While tending sheep on the slopes of Lammermoor the youth had a remarkable vision, in which he saw the heavens at night-time all bright with supernatural splendour and choirs of angels bearing some soul of dazzling brightness to its eternal reward. Next day he learned that Aidan, the holy Bishop of Lindisfarne, had passed away. Cuthbert had often before thought of embracing the monastic state, and this vision of the blessedness of one who was a brilliant example of that way of life decided him. He therefore presented himself at the gates of the monastery of Melrose, being probably in his twenty-fourth year. He was received as a novice by St. Boisil, the Prior, who, on first beholding the youth, said to those who stood near: "Behold a true servant of the Lord," a prediction abundantly fulfilled in Cuthbert's life.

For ten years the saint remained hidden at Melrose perfecting himself by the routine of monastic observance. Then on the foundation of Ripon he was sent there as one of the first community. After a short stay he returned to Melrose, and on the death of St. Boisil was made Prior. To the greatest zeal for all that concerned monastic life he added a tender charity for the souls of others, which led him to make many missionary excursions into the surrounding territory.

When Abbot Eata in 664 received the charge of the Abbey of Lindisfarne in addition to Melrose, Cuthbert was sent thither as Prior. For twelve years he was a teacher to his community, both by word and example, of the precepts of the perfect life. Then, desiring more strict seclusion, he retired to a solitary cell on Farne Island, that he might give himself more completely to prayer. Here he lived eight years, visited on great feasts by some of the Lindisfarne monks, and at frequent intervals by pious Christians who sought his direction and intercession.

Having been thus prepared, like St. John Baptist in his desert, for the work God had in store for him, he was chosen Bishop of Lindisfarne. During the two years he exercised this office he was to his flock a model of every virtue, and a pastor full of zeal and charity. He preserved, notwithstanding his high dignity, the humility of heart and simplicity of garb which belonged to his monastic state. Numerous and striking miracles attested his sanctity.

Foreseeing his approaching end he retired to his little cell at Farne where he passed away, strengthened by the Sacraments, with his hands uplifted in prayer. He was buried at Lindisfarne; but incursions of the Danes necessitated the removal of his remains, and for nearly two hundred years his body was conveyed from place to place till it was eventually laid to rest in the Cathedral of Durham. There it became an object of pious pilgrimage from all the three kingdoms. More than 800 years after death the sacred body was found still incorrupt, and there, in a secure hiding-place, it still awaits the restoration of St. Cuthbert's shrine to its rightful custodians, the sons of St. Benedict, the guardians of the secret. Among the churches dedicated to St. Cuthbert in Scotland were those at Ballantrae, Hailes, Ednam, Glencairn, Kirkcudbright, Drummelzier, Glenholm (Broughton), Malton, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Eccles, Drysdale, Girvan, Maybole, Mauchline, Weem, and even distant Wick. Besides Kirkcudbright (Church of St. Cuthbert), which gives the name to a whole county, Northumbria is studded with churches built in his honour, which recall the resting-places of his body, and witness to the devotion inspired by those sacred remains to this great saint. Fairs were formerly held on his feast-day at Ruthwell (Dumfries-shire), and Ordiquhill (Banffshire)--both for eight days--and probably in other localities also. His holy wells were at St. Boswell's and in Strathtay (Perthshire).

A Brief Life and History of St.Cuthbert

http://www.melrose.bordernet.co.uk/mha/5/cuthbert.html