Feast of St Benedict (July 11)

Today is the feast of Our Most Holy Father St Benedict.  St Gregory the Great started off his Dialogues, Book II as follows:

"There was a man of venerable life, blessed by grace, and blessed in name, for he was called "Benedictus" or Benedict. From his younger years, he always had the mind of an old man; for his age was inferior to his virtue. All vain pleasure he despised, and though he was in the world, and might freely have enjoyed such commodities as it yields, yet he esteemed it and its vanities as nothing.

He was born in the province of Nursia, of honorable parentage, and brought up at Rome in the study of humanity. As much as he saw many by reason of such learning fall to dissolute and lewd life, he drew back his foot, which he had as it were now set forth into the world, lest, entering too far in acquaintance with it, he likewise might have fallen into that dangerous and godless gulf.

Therefore, giving over his book, and forsaking his father's house and wealth, with a resolute mind only to serve God, he sought for some place, where he might attain to the desire of his holy purpose. In this way he departed, instructed with learned ignorance, and furnished with unlearned wisdom.

All the notable things and acts of his life I could not learn; but those few, which I mind now to report, I had by the relation of four of his disciples; namely, Constantinus, a most rare and reverent man, who was next Abbot after him; Valentinianus, who for many years had the charge of the Lateran Abbey; Simplicius, who was the third superior of his order; and lastly of Honoratus, who is now Abbot of that monastery in which he first began his holy life."

Happy feast day, and do enjoy this recording of the hymn for Lauds."

St Benedict Novena - July 2

Tomorrow is the day to start your Novena to St Benedict, leading up to the feast on July 11.

If you do say it, could I ask that you make one of your intentions the spiritual health and growth of all those participating in the Learn the Office mini-course I'm going to run?

Learn the Office Course

And for those still thinking about it, it is not too late.

The course is aimed at absolute beginners or people still struggling with the Diurnal, and will begin on July 11.  It is aimed at helping participants learn more about the traditional form of the Benedictine Office, including:

• what the Office is, and how to prepare to say it;
• finding your way around the Monastic Diurnal (or other Office books you can use);
• how to say/sing Compline and Prime; and
• how to get started on the other hours of the Office.

It will be structured so you can work through the material at your own pace, but to get the most out of it though, you will want to keep up with the group so you can participate in discussions on the material posted each week.

In order to follow the course you will need a copy of the Monastic Diurnal (ideally one of the recent editions published by Farnborough Abbey in English and Latin, but earlier/other versions can be used as well).

If you are interested, drop me an email so I can grant you access to the blog I will be using for this.

Feast of SS Peter and Paul

El Greco

We celebrate, over the three days from July 28-30, the martyrdom of SS Peter and Paul.  You can read more about the main feast, in a homily of Pope Benedict XVI here.

SS John and Paul, martyrs (memorial, June 26)

The original Roman house below the present-day
Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo

SS John and Paul were martyred under Julian the Apostate circa 361-3.  The Martyrology says:

At Rome, on Mount Coelius, the holy martyrs John and Paul, brothers. The former was steward, the other secretary of the virgin Constantia, daughter of the emperor Constantine. Afterwards, under Julian the Apostate, they received the palm of martyrdom by being beheaded. 

Feasts of July

You can find links on notes about the feasts celebrated in the calendar in July below.

July 1

Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord (EF)

July 2

Visitation of Our Lady (Class II)
Novena to St Benedict

July 3

SS Processus and Marcellian memorial

July 5

St Anthony-Mary Zaccaria (EF)

July 9

SS Thomas More and John Fisher

July 11

Translation of the relics of St Benedict

July 12

St John Gualbert OSB (Memorial)
St John Gualbert (Benedictine Martyrology)

July 14

St Bonaventure, Class III

July 15

St Henry II, Patron saint of Benedictine Oblates

July 17

Pope St Leo IV OSB, memorial

July 19

St Vincent de Paul, memorial

July 20

SS Jerome Aemiliain, Joseph Calanctius and John Baptist de la Salle, Confessors, Memorial

July 21

St Mary Magdalene

July 23

St Apollinarus
St Apollinaris and St Brigid of Sweden (Martyrology)

July 24

St Cristina

July 25

St James
St James (Benedict XVI General Audience)

July 26

SS Anne and Joachim, parents of the BVM

July 27

St Panteleon

July 28

SS Nazarius, Celsus, Victor and St Innocent I (July 28, EF)

July 29

SS Felix, Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrice, Martyrs, Memorial

July 30

SS Abdon and Sennen, Memorial
SS Julitta, Abdon and Sennen (martyrology)

July 31

St Ignatius

SS Gervase and Protasius (Memorial, 19 June)

c14th

SS Gervase and Protasius were martyred in the second century.  They are the patron saints of Milan and of haymakers and are invoked for the discovery of thieves. Their relics were discovered by St Ambrose as a result of a vision (which he records in a letter to his sister; the story is also narrated by St Augustine), who built a church to house them and is buried with them there, and their feast day marks the translation of their relics (you can read more on this over at New Liturgical Movement..

According to their Acts, Gervasius and Protasius were the twin sons of martyrs. Their father Saint Vitalis of Milan, a man of consular dignity, suffered martyrdom at Ravenna, possibly under Nero. The mother Saint Valeria died for her faith at Milan. Gervasius and Protasius were imprisoned, and visited in prison by Saint Nazarius.

The sons are said to have large hands and had been scourged and then beheaded, during the reign of the Emperor Nero, under the presidency of Anubinus or Astasius, and while Caius was Bishop of Milan.

The Martyrology says:

At Milan, the holy martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, brothers. The former, by order of the judge Astasius, was so long scourged with leaded whips, that he expired. The latter, after being scourged with rods, was beheaded. Through divine revelation their bodies were found by St. Ambrose. They were partly covered with blood, and as free from corruption as if they had been put to death that very day. When the translation took place, a blind man recovered his sight by touching their relics, and many persons possessed by demons were delivered. 

St Ephrem of Syria; SS Mark and Marcellianus, memorials (18 June)

St Ephrem (ca. 306 – 373) was a Syriac deacon and a prolific Syriac-language hymnographer and theologian of the 4th century from the region of Assyria, and is a doctor of the Church.

The readings for his feast in the Roman Office are as follows:

Ephraem was of Syrian descent, and son of a citizen of Nisibis. While yet a young man he went to the holy bishop James, by whom he was baptized, and he soon made such progress in holiness and learning as to be appointed master of a flourishing school at Nisibis, a city of Mesopotamia. After the death of the bishop James, Nisibis was captured by the Persians, and Ephraem went to Edessa. Here he settled first on the mountain among the monks, and then, that he might avoid the great numbers of men who flocked to him, he adopted the eremitical life. He was ordained deacon of the Church of Edessa, but refused the priesthood out of humility. He was conspicuous with the splendour of every virtue and strove to acquire piety and religion by professing true wisdom. He placed all his hope in God alone, despised all human and transitory things, and always longed for the divine and eternal.

 When, led by the Spirit of God, he went to Caesarea in Cappadocia, there he saw Basil, that mouthpiece of the Church, and both enjoyed mutual companionship in a suitable manner. In order to refute the countless errors which were rife at that time, and which were troubling the Church of God, and in order to expound zealously the divine mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, he wrote many studies in Syrian, almost all of which have been translated into Greek. St. Jerome beareth witness that he attained such fame, that his writings were read publicly in certain churches after the reading from the Scriptures.

His works taken as a whole, so infused with the bright light of learning, brought it about that this holy man, while yet alive, was held in great honour, and was even considered a Doctor of the Church. He also composed songs in verse, in honour of the most blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saints, and for this reason he was appropriately named by the Syrians the Harp of the Holy Ghost. He was noted for his great and tender devotion towards the immaculate Virgin. He died, rich in merits, at Edessa in Mesopotamia on the 18th day of June in the reign of Valens. Pope Benedict XV, at the instance of many Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, and religious communities, declared him by a decree of the Congregation of Sacred Rites to be a Doctor of the universal Church.

You can read more about him in Pope Benedict XVI's General Audience on him. 

C15th (the saints are at the right)

Theigtheenth of June is also the memorial of SS Mark and Marcellian, matyrs under Diocleian c286.  According to their legend, they were twin brothers who were deacons, and refused to offer pagan sacrifices.  In prison their parents attempted to persuade them to apostasize; St Sebastian, however, convinced them to stand firm.  The entry in the martyrology reads:

At Rome, on the Ardeatine road, in the persecution of  Diocletian, the birthday of the saintly brothers Marcus and Marcellian, martyrs, who were arrested by the judge Fabian, tied to a stake, and had sharp nails driven into their feet. As they ceased not to praise the name of Christ, they were pierced through the sides with lances, and thus went to the kingdom of heaven with the glory of martyrdom.