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St. Lucia, ora pro nobis!

by Filed Under: 12 December, 12 December Saints, Advent, St. Lucia, St. Lucy Leave a Comment

stlucy

Saint Lucia
Virgin and Martyr

Feast – December 13

Lucy, patron of Sicily, and one of the saints of the Canon of the Mass, was martyred at Syracuse in the persecution of Diocletian about the year 304. The legend of her martyrdom says that she was denounced as a Christian by a rejected suitor. Refusing to apostatize, she was condemned to a brothel, but a mysterious force prevented the persecutors from moving her from the tribunal. After an unsuccessful attempt had been made to burn her to death, her neck was pierced with a dagger.

Prayer in Honor of St. Lucy

O God, our Creator and Redeemer, Mercifully hear our prayers that a we venerate Thy servant, St. Lucy, for the light of faith Thou didst bestow upon her, Thou wouldst vouchsafe to increase and to preserve this same light in our souls, that we may be able to avoid evil, to do good and to abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and of sin.

Relying on Thy goodness, O God, we humbly ask Thee, by the intercession of Thy servant, St. Lucy that Thou wouldst give perfect vision to our eyes, that they may serve for Thy greater honor and glory, and for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of the unfailing light of the Lamb of God in paradise.

St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayer and obtain our petitions.

~~~santalucia14

Dad has Scandinavian and Italian blood but we celebrate this glorious feast day because we are Catholic and seek the intercession of  our beloved St. Lucia.  We seek her intercession in a special way this year.  SANTA LUCIA, ORA PRO NOBIS.

One of the most enjoyable ways to teach our children the richness of the Catholic Faith and to keep them close to the Holy Mother Church is to fill their lives with the sacred and the beautiful.  When they are immersed in the reverence and silence of the Traditional Latin Mass, when they grow accustomed to the rhythm and rituals of following and celebrating the feast days, both at Church and at home, these traditions become such an integral part of them that the thought of not being Catholic will seem empty and meaningless.

Sparkles and Sweetie decided to spear head our Santa Lucia feast day.  The scoured their recipes in search of a new twist.  Our simple celebration started the night before since I’m on bed-rest and there is no telling what will come at any given moment.  The girls prepped their treats with some help from Star Boys, Papi and Dragonfly.sparklessantalucia

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The girls woke us up by candlelight and led us downstairs to a beautiful spread.  Dad played “Santa Lucia” (click to hear) as we processed.

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PRAYER TO ST. LUCY, PATRON OF THE EYES

We present ourselves before thee, O virgin Martyr, beseeching thee to obtain for us that we may recognize in His lowliness that same Jesus Whom thou now seest in His glory. Take us under thy powerful patronage. Thy name signifies light; guide us through the dark night of this life. O fair light of virginity! enlighten us; evil concupiscence has wounded our eyes: pray for us, O thou bright light of virginity! that our blindness be healed, and that rising above created things, we may be able to see that true light, which shineth in darkness, but which darkness cannot comprehend. Pray for us, that our eye may be purified, and may see, in the Child who is to be born at Bethlehem, the new Man, the second Adam, the model on Which the life of our regeneration must be formed. Pray too, O holy virgin, for the Church of Rome and for all those which adopt her form of the holy Sacrifice; for they daily pronounce at the altar of God thy sweet name; and the Lamb, Who is present, loves to hear it. Heap thy choicest blessings on the fair Isle, which was thy native land, and where grew the palm of thy Martyrdom. May thy intercession secure to her inhabitants firmness of faith, purity of morals, and temporal prosperity, and deliver them from the disorders which threaten her with destruction.

~~~

Resources:

St. Lucia JOYfilledfamily Pinterest Board

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St Lucia Day 2014

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Today our parish also celebrated with a  Solemn Rorate Mass.  The Rorate Mass is a special votive mass for Our Lady during Advent, traditionally celebrated by candlelight in the early morning.  As the Mass ends the sky is just starting to glow with the new day and we journey from darkness to light and the coming of the Word Made Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mother is upon us.


The piece is “Gabriel’s Message,” a traditional Basque Advent carol, sung by the Choir and Choristers of St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish on the album “The Little Road to Bethlehem.”

This video was created by a talented parishioner, Jennifer Rego.

Christmas Novena

by Filed Under: 12 December, Advent, St. Andrew Leave a Comment

Christmas Novena

St. Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

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+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York

New York, February 6, 1897

 

O Antiphons ~ EROCRAS

by Filed Under: 12 December, Advent, O Antiphons 1 Comment

   repost from 2012

The seven “O Antiphons” (also called the “Greater Antiphons” or “Major Antiphons”) are prayers that come from the Breviary’s Vespers during the Octave before Christmas Eve, a time which is called the “Golden Nights.” Each Antiphon begins with “O” and addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaias and Micheas (Micah), and whose initials, when read backwards, form an acrostic for the Latin “Ero Cras” which means “Tomorrow I come.”  ~ Fisheaters

O-Antiphons_02

17 Dec. O Sapientia – Wisdom
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodidisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.
18 Dec. O Adonai – Lord
O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento..
O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.
19 Dec. O Radix Jesse – Rooto anitphons
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse, that stands for an ensign of the people, before whom the kings keep silence and unto whom the Gentiles shall make supplication: come, to deliver us, and tarry not.
20 Dec. O Clavis David – Key
O clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris.
O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens: come, and lead forth the captive who sits in the shadows from his prison.
21 Dec. O Oriens – Dawn
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.
O dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
22 Dec. O Rex Gentium – King
O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
O King of the gentiles and their desired One, the cornerstone that makes both one: come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.
23 Dec. O Emmanuel – Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God.
Capture2

Ero Cras

Take the first letters of each of the titles, starting with the last and working back to the first. You spell: EROCRAS or “ero cras… I will be (there) tomorrow”.
Capture2
Resources:
Capture2
O Antiphons Playlist

In His JOY,

Rorate Caeli Mass in Honor of Our Lady

by Filed Under: 12 December, Advent, Marian, Rorate 1 Comment

The “Rorate Mass,” so called because it begins with the words of Isaiah 45:8, “Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum…” (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One…), is a votive Mass offered within the season of Advent in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Celebrated by candlelight, and traditionally held before dawn.

As the Mass ends the sky is just starting to glow with the new day and we journey from darkness to light and the coming of the Word Made Flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mother is upon us.

mass for our lady in advent

Will we be the darkness who receive Him not or will we be children of the light?

~~~

The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel, and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts and their societies to let Christ the King enter; asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarnation and saving Resurrection of Our Lord.

Solemn Rorate Mass from December 15th, 2012, at St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish. The Rorate Mass is a special votive mass for Our Lady during Advent, traditionally celebrated by candlelight in the early morning. St. Stephen’s is a parish run by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

The piece is “Gabriel’s Message,” a traditional Basque Advent carol, sung by the Choir and Choristers of St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish on the album “The Little Road to Bethlehem.”

This video was created by a talented parishioner, Jennifer Rego.

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Resources:

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Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.” ~ Isaiah 45:8

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”

A Time of Preparation ~ Advent 2013

by Filed Under: 11 November, 12 December, Advent 2 Comments

   

Repost with updates.

O God, who by Thy gracious Advent hast brought joy into this world, grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to prepare ourselves by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.

greatest-nativity

Keeping our eyes on Christ is my family’s daily goal.  During Advent it becomes even more important for us to work on keeping Christ in Christmas.

Our primary objective for keeping Christ in Christmas is to observe each liturgical season in it’s entirety.

Here are a few examples on how we try to keep the focus on Him during Advent & Christmas.

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The focus of Advent is preparation for the coming of the Lord — both in commemoration of His Nativity and His coming again at the end of time… The Christmas season does not begin until the first Mass at Christmas Eve, and doesn’t end liturgically until the Octave of the Epiphany on January 14. It goes on in the spiritual sense until Candlemas on February 2, when all celebrations of Christ’s Childhood give way to Septuagesima and Lent.

Our sole focus is preparing our hearts for Jesus.

      • Simple practices that help us keep this a penitential season.
      • Limited celebratory events.  No extracurriculars.  Similar to our Lenten practices.
      • Advent List, Christkindl, Jesse Tree, Christmas, Novena, and more.
      • We take a mock pilgrimage, Journey to Bethlehem.  Journey To Bethlehem is an interactive walking tour from the recreated town of Nazareth to Bethlehem.  The journey Gloria Holy Reflectionsrecreates the events that happened on the evening of Christ’s birth. 
      • Decorations are focused on Christ, only.  Nativities are the primary décor.  The lights must wait for Christmas.
      • Christmas music is limited (to the best of our ability) until Christmas day.
      • Gift giving is not emphasized.  That means no wish lists or presents stuffed under the tree.  Instead, acts of charity are discussed and encouraged.
          • Absolutely no Santa Claus.
      • All family members receive the sacrament of Confession during the Third and Fourth Sunday of Advent.
      • All family members present their hearts (gifts) during the Third and Fourth Sunday of Advent.  This is done by way of Adoration.  We each leave a wooden heart at the nativity manager in Church.  The heart symbolizes their offering for Jesus. Our hearts are with Christ at His time of birth.  The hearts are picked up during the Christmas season and placed on the family altar as a reminder of our offering.

40 days after giving birth, Mary goes to the Temple to be purified and to “redeem” Jesus per the Old Testament Law of the firstborn. Christmas truly ends as a Season with Candlemas and the beginning of Septuagesima.

      • Put a small offering of gifts under the tree for the children on Christmas Eve.
      • Visit Our Lord and Savior at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Christmas Day.14820268-brussels--june-24-nativity-paint-on-the-wood-from-saint-antoine-church-on-march-2012-in-brussels
        • We visit Him before we ever turn towards a present. No opening any gifts on Christmas eve or Christmas morning – CHRIST IS FIRST!
      • Have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas morning.
        • Happy birthday, cake, and the works.
      • Keep the Christmas decor up for the entire span of the Christmas season.  (Many think we’re nuts or lazy but it’s done all for His glory!)
      • REJOICE!!! Sing and play Christmas music all season!
      • Increase daily Mass attendance.

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Rohden-Franz-von-Geburt-Christi-Nativity-detail-w600

It is, that, from the day itself of our Saviour’s Birth even to the day of our Lady’s Purification, there is, in the Calendar,an extraordinary richness of Saints’ Feasts, doing homage to the master feast of Bethlehem, and clustering in adoring love round the Crib of the Infant-God.

~ “The Mystery of Christmas” from Dom Gueranger’s “The Liturgical Year”

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