May 13: St Robert Bellarmine, Memorial

St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-121) was an important figure of the Counter-Reformation. 

He spent a good part of his career as a theological professor, before being called to Rome and receiving a number of appointments including as an Inquisitor, and  Cardinal.  In 1602 he was appointed Archbishop of Capua.

He combatted heresy and dissent vigorously, and engaged in many controversies (including an interesting case of a priest making the oath of obedience to James I of England, which St Robert took him to task for).

From a modern perspective though, his most enduring works are surely his spiritual ones, particularly his book on the art of dying well, and his excellent commentaries on the psalms.

He was canonised only in 1930, and declared a Doctor of the Church a year later.

May 12 - SS Nereus, Archilleus and Pancras, Memorial

Rubens, SS Domitilla, Neus and Archilleus

SS Nereus and Achilles were soldiers in the praetorian guard who were baptized by Saint Peter and decided that they must give up fighting. They escaped from the guard, but were discovered and sent into exile first to the island of Pontia with Saint Flavia Domitilla and then to Terracina. They were beheaded in the reign of Emperor Trajan.

In the traditional Roman rite, the feast of St Domitilla is also celebrated today - she was a niece of the Emperor Domitian and was a victim of a purge that prevented one of those near misses of history for the reasons of providence, when the Empire almost became Christina two centuries earlier than it actually did.  She has since become the victim one again of a purge, namely that of the calendar in 1969!

St Pancras was born in Syria or Phrygia and died in Rome around 304. According to his legend, St Pancras was orphaned and brought to Rome by an uncle, where both were converted to Christianity. As a boy of fourteen, he was beheaded in Rome for his faith during the reign of Diocletian.

May 11: SS Philip and James, Apostles, Class II

St Philip, Rubens c1611

You can find the Holy Father's General Audience on these two saints here:

• St Philip;
• St James 'the lesser'.

May 10: SS Gordian and Epimarchus, Martyrs, Memorial

Martyrdom of St Gordianus, c14th manuscript

SS Gordianus and Epimarchus were Roman martyrs, who were killed during the reign of Julian the Apostate around 362 AD. St Gordianus was a judge, converted by the faith of St Januarius; his body was interred in a crypt with St Epimarchus who had recently been laid there hence their conjoined veneration.

May 9: St Gregory Nazienzen, Class III

St Gregory Nazianus (c325-390) was Archbishop of Constantinople, and is a doctor of the Church.  Known as one of the Cappadochian Fathers, he was a friend of Basil the Great with whom he lived a monastic life for a few years (in defiance of his father who wanted him to assist as a priest in his diocese), and an acquaintance of Emperor Julian the Apostate. 

He wrote vigorous treatises against the Emperor's rejection of Christianity and persecution of the Church, fought Arianism, and made important contributions of Trinitarian theology in particular.

Throughout his life he swung backwards and forwards over competing calls on him to play an active role in the Church politics of the time at the instigation of his father and St Basil amongst others, and the call of the contemplative life.  He played a key role in relation to the Second Ecumenical Council held at Constantinople in 381, at which he dramatically resigned from the see of Constantinople to return to Nazianus.

Pope Benedict XVI gave two General Audiences on the saint back in 2007.  You can find them here:

• Part I provides an introduction to his life;
• Part II gives an overview of his teachings.

May 7: Office of Our Lady on Saturday in Eastertide***

Just a little note to point out that the Monastic Diurnal omits an important rubric in the Office of Our Lady during Eastertide, namely the addition of an alleluia to the end of each of the antiphons and versicles (for Prime to None).

So Lauds is as noted in the Diurnal, with the antiphons and psalms of Saturday, chapter and hymn of the Office of Our Lady on Saturday during the year, but short responsory of Eastertide, versicle and Benedictus antiphon of the season, as set out on MD (135).

At Prime to None, use the antiphons of Our Lady on Saturday with an Alleluia added to the end of each of them; chapter verses as usual; versicles with an alleluia added to the end of each line; together with the collect of Our Lady from Lauds.


NB: The opening section in the video is the Compline antiphon, not the antiphon for the Canticle at Lauds!

May 5: St Pius V, Memorial

El Greco, c1600-10

Pope St Pius V is of course, renowned as a hero of the Counter-Revolution.

A Dominican, as Cardinal Ghislieri he prosecuted eight French Bishops for heresy. He also stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year old member of his family a cardinal and subsidise a nephew from the Papal treasury.

As Pope he acted quickly to restore discipline and morality, and to implement effectively the decrees of the Council of Trent. 

He is most famous for promulgating the Tridentine Missal in 1570 which reflected the ancient practices of the Church of Rome, but necessarily of many other places, and thus in effect, if not in law, suppressing many legitimate rites such as the Sarum. 

He also took strong measures with rather mixed results, against Protestants.  In France he dismissed a Cardinal and several bishops who had been pursuing a policy of tolerance towards the Huguenots.  And he excommunicated Elizabeth I of England in the bull Regnans in Excelsis, and urged her subjects to rebel against her, a measure that resulted in a much tougher policy of repression and many martyrdoms.

He also formed the Holy League, which enabled the defeat of the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.