COLLECTS FOR THE ROSARY MYSTERIES - JOYFUL

Encouraged by the popular response of the Hymn for the Holy Rosary posted on the feast-day, HERE, we offer below, today and on the two succeeding days, the traditional liturgical prayers for the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, so rarely found published in modern books. These were much loved by our confrère Pope Saint John XXIII, who recited the rosary daily, kneeling, with great humility. By complete coincidence today is the celebration of the feast of this saintly Pope.

The meditations and prayers allow us to focus more clearly on the content of each mystery.  There is no right and wrong way to pray the Rosary, and these prayers may not suit everyone, not would one be expected to use them reguarly. Other methods, such as the traditional intentions and fruits of each mystery, which are much more widely available, are of great value, as is the German practice of troping the Hail Mary in the middle with a Christological description of the mystery, which used regularly may be found very effective; this too is available in modern publications. Highly commended by some spiritual directors are sets of pictures of each mystery which allow the mind to imagine the scene free from the harness of words, both the great Mgr Augustine Hoey and our late chaplain Canon MacDonald recommended this practice. Perhaps the most important thing is to do whatever suits one’s character, and to avoid sticking to a method which turns over time into simple repetition. The prayers should free the mind, not chain it.

These texts, then, are taken from “The Manual of Prayers: Authorized by the Hierarchy of England and Wales for Congregational Use”, published by Burnes, Oates and Washbourne, 1953, with an Inprimatur by Bernard Cardinal Griffin.  They are given here without alteration, they may therefore be freely used in public, even in any church before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, without any further permissions.

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES 

Usually recited on Mondays and Thursdays throughout 

the year, and the Sundays from Advent to Quinquagesima. 

I. THE ANNUNCIATION 

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the angel 

Gabriel saluted our Blessed Lady with the title, “full 

of grace,” and declared to her the incarnation of our 

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times. 

Glory be to the Father. 

Let us pray. 

O HOLY Mary, Queen of virgins, through 

the mystery of the incarnation of thy beloved 

Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by which our salvation 

was so happily begun ; obtain for us, through thy 

intercession, light to be aware of the greatness 

of the benefit which he has bestowed on us, in 

becoming our brother, and in making thee, his 

Mother, our Mother also. Amen. 

II. THE VISITATION 

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, understanding from the 

angel that her cousin St Elizabeth had conceived, 

went with haste into the mountains of Judea to 

visit her, and remained with her three months. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, ten times. 

Glory be to the Father. 

Let us pray. 

O HOLY Virgin, spotless mirror of humility, 

by that charity which moved thee to visit thy 

holy cousin, obtain for us, through thy inter- 

cession, that our hearts being visited by thy holy 

Son and freed from all sin, we may praise and give 

thanks for ever. Amen. 

III. THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR 

JESUS CHRIST IN BETHLEHEM 

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, when the time of her de- 

livery was come, brought forth our Redeemer 

Jesus Christ at Bethlehem, and laid him in a manger, 

because there was no room for him in the inn. 

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times. 

Glory be to the Father. 

Let us pray. 

MOST pure Mother of God, through thy 

virginal and joyful delivery, whereby thou 

gavest unto the world thy only Son our Saviour ; 

we beseech thee, obtain for us, through thy inter- 

cession, the grace to lead such pure and holy lives 

that we may become worthy to sing without 

ceasing the mercies of thy Son and his benefits to 

us through thee. Amen. 

IV. THE PRESENTATION OF OUR BLESSED 

LORD IN THE TEMPLE 

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, on the day of her purifica- 

tion, presented the child Jesus in the Temple, 

where holy Simeon, devoutly giving thanks to 

God, received him into his arms. 

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times. 

Glory be to the Father. 

Let us pray. 

O HOLY Virgin, admirable pattern of obedi- 

ence, who didst present in the temple the 

Lord of the temple; obtain for us, of thy beloved 

Son, that with Simeon and Anna we may praise 

and glorify him for ever. Amen. 

V. THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS 

IN THE TEMPLE 

Let us contemplate in this mystery, how the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, after having lost her beloved 

Son in Jerusalem, and sought him for the space of 

three days, found him at last, on the third day, 

discoursing with the doctors in the temple. 

Our Father. Hail Mary, ten times. 

Glory be to the Father. 

Let us pray. 

BLESSED Virgin, more than martyr in thy 

sufferings, and the comfort of such as are 

afflicted; by that unspeakable joy wherewith thy 

soul was ravished at finding thy Son in the temple, 

obtain of him that we may seek him, and find him 

in the holy Catholic Church, and be never more 

separated from him. Amen. 

SALVE REGINA 

HAIL, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail, 

our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To 

thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve ; 

to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and 

weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most 

gracious advocate, thy eyes of mercy towards us; 

and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed 

fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, 

O sweet Virgin Mary. 

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O GOD, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, 

death, and resurrection, has purchased for us 

the rewards of eternal life ; grant, we beseech thee, 

that, meditating upon these mysteries, in the most 

holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may 

both imitate what they contain, and obtain what 

they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The painting at the top shows the Madonna of the Rosary by Caravaggio, 

in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 

VICTORY FOR COMMON SENSE

The Truth has finally been allowed to shine through in the unseemly battle between the Powers of Darkness and those who ask the simple right to state the eternal Truth without hindrance. We may hope that this ruling of the United Kingdom Supreme Court will colour future judgements where political ideologies strive to exclude God from our society.

This country has a bad history on religious intolerance, as the Martyrs testify, and we should guard, in an age in which many of us were brought up to believe was civilised and tolerant, against the constant attempts to undermine justice. Those naive days are past.

The work in our own Order of Tuitio Fidei, so often close to being under threat, as the young seem to be so much more aware that those who precede them, will be greatly assisted by this ruling. Deo Gratias!

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy upon us.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us.

Blessed Gerard, pray for us.

NEXT SATURDAY BLESSED GERARD AND ROSARY CRUSADE

OUR HOLY FOUNDER'S FEAST

Next Saturday, 13th October, is the feast of our holy Founder, Blessed Gerard. A solemn sung Mass will be celebrated by the Chaplain of the Grand Priory, Dr Antony Conlon, at the Church of St James Spanish Place, W1U 3QY, at 11.30 am. 

Mass will be followed by a buffet lunch in the Social Centre in the crypt. A contribution of £20 will be asked to cover the cost of food and wine. Please email Caroline de la Force ,basmom(AT)btconnect.com, substituting @ in the usual way, if you are planning to stay for lunch. 

ROSARY CRUSADE OF REPARATION

At 1.45pm the Rosary Crusade of Reparation leaves Westminster Cathedral, SW1P 1QW, to walk to the Brompton Oratory for solemn Benediction of the Most August Sacrament. 

While historically the reparation is for sins against the Blessed Sacrament committed in this country since the Reformation, this year more than ever it is important to attend in reparation for the vile sins committed also against Our Lord’s Sacred Body in the Church. Only by prayer and fasting will reparation truly be made, and this procession of thousands is a wonderful witness both to the world and the Church. Please be ready vested to form up in the procession by 1.45pm at the latest. 

Would Knights and Dames please inform Caroline de la Force (as above) if they are planning to attend the Procession. Choir-dress will be worn for both the Mass and the Rosary Crusade, it has been very firmly requested that everyone should robe for the latter, to make clear the formal participation and witness of the Order of Malta at a time when our public witness is so very important. Indeed if we are not prepared to make this kind of public witness we might do well to question our entire disposition towards to the Order.

SAINT HUGH, RELIGIOUS OF OUR ORDER

Today is the Feast of Saint Hugh, who was born about 1168 at Alessandria, Italy. As a young man he became a knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. After lengthy service with the Order in the Holy Land, he was elected Master of the Commandery of San Giovanni di Prè in Genoa (Italy), where he worked in the infirmary nearby.  He was renowned for miraculous powers over the natural elements.  He is believed to have died in 1233.

He is regarded in the Order as having particular care of those involved actively in Hospitaller work, and in Britain may be seen as patron of the Companions of Malta.

St Hugh's name is inscribed in a panel of the outer wall of the Conventual Church of St John of Jerusalem in St John's Wood in London.

From the Collect

Saint Hugh,

God gave you the power to heal the sick by the sign of the cross.

Pray that God will give all our members

the spirit which inspired your own love

to serve God in our sick brothers and sisters.

St Hugh, pray for us.

HYMN FOR THE HOLY ROSARY

The Grand Priory of England wishes to all our Readers a very happy and blessed Feast of the Most Holy Rosary. In the Extraordinary Form today, though being Sunday, is celebrated as the Feast. In the Novus Ordo, the Mass is of the Sunday, but the Divine Office may be that of the Feast, logic in such matters being set to one side.

The Holy Rosary is the foremost weapon of the Order's armoury in her battle of Tuitio Fidei through her long history. Not of course since the very beginning, as the Rosary in its currently know form was developed only in the 15th century, when we were already over 300 years old, but we have held it faithfully in our calloused hands during the long years of the naval battles in the Mediterranean, and there is good ground to assume that the more primitive version of this prayer, as preached by Saint Dominic following Our Lady's apparition to him in 1214, was early adopted by our crusader knights, whose devotion to Our Blessed Lady is aboriginal.

The Feast of the Most Holy Rosary was instituted by Pope S Pius V in 1571. In 1757 Father Augustino Tomasso Ricchini O.P. (1695-1779) composed this hymn, in four sections, for the Dominican Breviary. It was added to the Roman Breviary for the universal Church in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII, the 'Pope of the Holy Rosary'.

The hymn is based upon the Fifteen Mysteries, and it is to this end that we offer it to our gentle Readers, as an aid to meditation and prayer. The first three parts, for I Vespers, Matins and Lauds of the Feast, adopt each of the 15 mysteries for each successive verse. The last five verses, for II Vespers, is a sort of recapitulation and summary, and this may fruitfully be used as a thanksgiving at the end of the recitation.  Each section of the hymn recited liturgically concludes with the doxology "All honor, laud, and glory be." given here at the end, though this may be omitted in private recitation and simply replaced by the final "Gloria Patri" of the last decade.

UPDATE There has been a request for the tune on the Facebook page. The correct chant tune is appended at the end of the post, giving the first two verses. This is the tune members of the Order know as the Lauds and Compline hymn from the Little Office of Our Lady. It may nevertheless be sung to the well-known Roman tune for Advent Vespers, Creator alme siderum,  known also by its English title 'Creator of the stars of night'.

The translation is by Monsignor Hugh Thomas Henry (1862-1946).

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES  CAELESTIS aulae Nuncius. 

THE Messenger from God's high throne
His secret counsel making known
Hails Mary, child of David's race,
God's Virgin Mother, full of grace. 

The Mother Maid with joyous feet
Her friend, John's mother, goes to greet;
He, stirring in the enclosing womb,
Declares that Christ his Lord has come. 

The Word, who ere the worlds began,
From God the Father's thought forth ran,
Of Mary, Virgin undefiled,
For us is born a mortal child. 

Christ to the Temple courts they bring;
The King's own law subjects the King;
The world's Redeemer for a price
Is there redeemed, our sacrifice. 

The joyful Mother finds once more
The Son she mourned as lost before;
While doctors by His speech were shown
The mysteries they had never known. 

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES  IN monte olivis consito.

THE Mount of Olives witnesseth
The awful agony of God:
His soul is sorrowful to death,
His sweat of blood bedews the sod. 

And now the traitor's work is done:
The clamorous crowds around Him surge;
Bound to pillar, God the Son
Quivers beneath the blood-red scourge. 

Lo! clad in purple soiled and worn,
Meekly the Savior waiteth now
While wretches plait the cruel thorn
To crown with shame His royal brow. 

Sweating and sighing, faint with loss
Of what hath flowed from life's red fount,
He bears the exceeding heavy Cross
Up the verge of Calvary's mount. 

Nailed to the wood of ancient curse,
Between two thieves the Sinless One
Still praying for His murderers,
Breathes forth His soul, and all is done! 

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES   IAM morte, victor, obruta.

NOW Hell is vanquished; every chain
Of sin is broken; Christ again
Returning, victor over death,
The gates of heaven openeth. 

We mortals saw Him, till He passed
Into the heavens, where at last,
Partaker of God's glory bright,
He sitteth on the Father's right. 

From thence He sheds the promised boon,
The Holy Spirit, on His own
In fiery tongues of love, o'erspread
Above each sad disciple's head. 

The Virgin, from the flesh set free,
Is borne beyond the stars; where she
Receives from heaven's joyous throngs
The welcome of angelic songs. 

Twice six the stars that crown her brow;
The gracious Mother reigneth now
Beside her Son's eternal throne
O'er all creation as her own. 

TE gestientem gaudiis.

THE gladness of thy Motherhood,
The anguish of thy suffering,
The glory now that crowns thy brow,
O Virgin Mother, we would sing. 

Hail, blessed Mother, full of joy
In thy consent, thy visit too;
Joy in the birth of Christ on earth,
Joy in Him lost and found anew. 

Hail, sorrowing in His agony
The blows, the thorns that pierced His brow;
The heavy wood, the shameful Rood
Yea! Queen and chief of Martyrs thou. 

Hail, in the triumph of thy Son,
The quickening flames of Pentecost;
Shining a Queen in light serene,
When all the world is tempest-tost. 

O come, ye nations, roses bring,
Culled from these mysteries divine,
And for the Mother of your King
With loving hands your chaplets twine. 

All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us. 

THE SCOURGE OF ABORTION - AN UPDATE ON YOUR GENEROSITY!

Following our earlier post, HERE, on the Be Here for Me Campaign, we are delighted to be be able to give this update from Alina, on her legal battle with the powers of darkness who promote abortion.

She writes:

EXCITING UPDATE: we have reached our target goal of £50,000!! Thank you all so much for your incredible support and for making the appeal possible! 

As I mentioned in my last update, we still are waiting to hear back from the Court of Appeal, but I will let you know as soon as I hear any news. 

Thank you again! 

Alina

The Report, and an opportunity to continue to support this legal effort, may be seen HERE.

Many thanks to all our readers who have helped Alina and made this possible, you will be rewarded in Heaven.

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for us and for all unborn children.

"COMMANDERIES" BOOK LAUNCH - NEXT WEDNESDAY

The Grand Priory is thrilled to announce the publication of THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLER IN GREAT BRITAIN IN 1540, written and illustrated by Michael Hodges, Chancellor of the British Association.

The launch will be held at St Wilfred’s Hall at the Brompton Oratory, SW7 2RP, on Wednesday 10th October, from 6.30 to 8pm. 

This volume is a wonderfully pictorial gazetteer of the Commanderies, churches, and other properties of the Order of Saint John in Britain in the centuries leading up to the Reformation. Each property is photographed in its present condition, and people will be truly amazed at how much survives dotted around the country, notwithstanding the dreadful devastation and plundering of religious houses under Henry VIII. The book is entertaining and colourful, as well as having a seriously academic underlying thesis.  This is the first ever published major collection of the Order's properties.

It is an invaluable work for members of our Order to learn more about an important subject upon which we have all been a little hazy (one cannot fully serve the future without learning of the past), and constitutes at the same time a very attractive and informative present for our friends. 

Michael Hodges is a well-known author of books on churches, including the recent "Parish Churches of Greater London : A Guide", and "The Urns and Sepulchres of Mortality – The Church Monuments of Wiltshire". He is also a fine photographer.

Please inform Caroline de la Force if you propose to attend the launch, by telephone on 020 7286 1414 or at basmom(AT)btconnect.com, substituting @ in the usual way.

Copies may be ordered by post, for those justly impatient or unable to come, by printing out and using the form below and sending a cheque, a suitably historical way of paying.

DON CAMILLO SHOWS THE WAY!

This well-known and charming video rather speaks for itself in the current turbulent climate. It might be observed, nonetheless, that in this clip, though very short, there are sketches of many characters whom we know in our Church today. Perhaps we see ourselves here?

PRAYER FOR THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF

V. Let us pray for Francis, our Pope. 
R. May the Lord preserve him, give him long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and may the Lord not hand him over to the power of his enemies.  

V. May thy hand be upon thy holy servant. 
R. And upon thy son whom thou hast anointed. 

O GOD, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, look down, in thy mercy, upon thy servant Francis, whom thou hast appointed to preside over thy Church; and grant, we beseech thee, that both by word and example, he may edify all those under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length unto life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR BISHOPS AND PRIESTS 

O GOD, who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son to be the eternal High Priest for the glory of Thy Majesty and the salvation of mankind; grant that they whom He hath chosen to be His ministers and the stewards of His mysteries, may be found faithful in the fulfillment of the ministry which they have received. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, give us priests.

O Lord, give us many priests.

O Lord, give us many good and holy priests.

Today is also the feast of Blessed Peter Pattarini de Imola, religious of our Order, a 13th century lawyer, and Prior of Rome. He served Our Lords the Poor with diligence in Florence, where he died this day in 1320.

Blessed Peter, pray for us.

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE!!!

Some may say, with certain justification, that our beloved Order has not alway treated Scotland fairly. Nevertheless, never ones to hold a grudge, the sons of St Columba, of St Ninian, St Mungo, St Aidan and Saint Margaret, among whom, no doubt some sons of Torphichen, have put us all, not for the first time, to shame. The fine Catholic Herald has excellent coverage (with full list of the signatories, HERE), as do several sound blogs, with fruitful comment.

Over 100 young people, aged 18 to 35, have written to our august confrere, Archbishop Leo Cushley, expressing their concerns about the upcoming Synod for the Young People, and the foolishness of downplaying orthodox teaching in the interest of some short-term appeal. Such a shying away from traditional apologetics has become the mark of our age.

Will the young of England, of our universities, indeed of our own Order, follow this lead?

We print below the full text of this excellent initiative. People of a certain age – that covers the hierarchy of Holy Mother Church, of our Order, and most probably the editors of this Blog, really have to get to grips with the fact that Young People do not think the way we feel they should think, nor the way perhaps we thought when we ourselves were young. Thank God for that. The young are their own, and surprisingly sound, loyal, traditional and right-minded. We should do well to listen... we are never too old to learn. This, then, is their text:

Your Grace, 

We write to you in advance of the upcoming Synod of Bishops on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”. As young Catholics across Scotland, we would like to express our hopes and concerns for the future of the Church in this country. 

In some of the discourse surrounding the synod, we have noted a trend of suggesting that difficult aspects of the Church’s teaching, in matters of morals and matters of faith, need to be downplayed, or even put aside, in order to be relevant to people’s lives and sensitive to their difficulties. Some even imply that priests who hold to orthodox teaching are out of touch with the lives of lay people, and of young people especially. However, it is in fact this line of thought that is utterly in contradiction to our lived experience. What made us become and/or remain Catholic, against ever increasing cultural pressure, are those aspects of the faith that are uniquely Catholic, not things that can be found in social clubs, in NGOs, or in political parties. What matters is precisely the Church’s claim to truth; Her liturgy and Sacraments; Her transcendent doctrine, communicated in teaching but also through beauty and goodness; Her understanding of the human person, laid out so powerfully for the modern world by St John Paul II; and Her moral teaching, that while so very challenging, also offers the only path to true joy and human flourishing as we see in the lives of the saints. These are the things that convince us that here is something worth the sacrifice, something good for us and for every human being. 

Young Catholics are inspired by the heroic virtue espoused by the Church, in opposition to the cynicism and pessimism of postmodern culture. A faith that merely legitimises the habits we would otherwise have anyway is simply not worth it. Far from being “out of touch”, it is those priests who proclaim orthodox teaching in its fullness with joy and courage who have brought the light of Christ into our lives, and really offered us His Mercy – the remedy for a broken world, which does not pretend human brokenness is irremediable, but truly heals and gives the grace we need to live new lives of virtue. To those priests, we are unendingly grateful. 

Sadly, far too few young people have encountered this fullness of the faith lived out visibly and confidently. A young Catholic father in America recently wrote to Archbishop Chaput that “The disastrous effect that Beige Catholicism (as Bishop Robert Barron aptly describes it) has had on my generation can’t be overstated.” (“From the Heart of a Young Father”, Charles Chaput, First Things, 18^th  April 2018). God has, in His mysterious ways, providentially and gratuitously blessed us with encounters, pastors, and formation that many of our peers have not had. We desperately want to share this great gift with so many lapsed and non-Catholics among our family, friends, and colleagues, who have not rejected Catholicism but a poorly-understood shadow of it. If the synod is to bear fruit, it is with this task that it must help us. 

We need to ensure that our local Catholic communities are permeated with a Catholic worldview, and unashamed that such an orientation is very different from the prevailing cultural trends. The sacramental life, beyond just Sunday Mass, needs to be obviously and visibly the foundation of Catholic existence. We must draw on our rich heritage to ensure the liturgy is celebrated with beauty and splendour so as to reveal and draw us into the profound mysteries taking place. We need to see the various vocations lived out fully and joyfully, with parishes and dioceses forming a living iconography of faith, so that we can discern God’s will for our own lives, not in isolation but in an ecclesial context. 

Young people need the chance to get to know our priests as priests – not just as administrators, nor presiders rushing from church to church, nor again merely as pals, but as fathers, whose fatherhood is rooted in their sacramental identity as men called and set apart to absolve and to offer the Holy Sacrifice. Young Catholics find priests who live their vocation to celibacy faithfully and joyfully to be highly credible witnesses to the joys and challenges of life in Christ. 

The Church must be proactive and not merely reactive in facing the crisis affecting marriage and the family. To a large extent, Catholic married life has come to be treated as little different from secular relationships. Our economic and social structures are based almost entirely around a presumption of contraception, and this makes it extremely difficult for any couples who live faithfully according to God’s commandments. So many of our generation are living with the consequences of broken families, and this has engendered a cynicism about marriage. However, these young people have never been shown an alternative and therefore the Church has a great opportunity and obligation to clearly, confidently, and joyfully proclaim the truth about marriage. Young Catholics have a right to hear these truths at a local level so that our parishes are consciously supportive of the vocation to holiness in married life. This is vital since it is firstly in the family that vocations are fostered and it is on this foundation that an authentic renewal of Catholic culture and the life of the Church will be built. 

There is no doubt that discovering and living out one’s vocation is very difficult in the modern world, as indeed it has been in every age. However, we know that God’s grace is enough for us and we hope and pray that a renewed faith and confidence in this will suffuse the Church and inspire young people to discern and live out their vocations faithfully. 

Entrusting the synod to the intercession of St John, youngest of the Apostles, we assure you of our prayers. 

Yours sincerely in Christ,

(100+ signatures) 

Our Lady, Queen of the Family, pray for the young. 

Our Lady of Philermo, pray for our Order.
St John the Evangelist, pray for the Synod.
All Holy Saints of Scotland, pray for the Church.

MICHAELMAS RECOLLECTION - SECOND TALK

All Saints Chapel hiding behind the palladian facades of the Castle

There follows Father Rupert Allen's afternoon paper.  The Day then closed with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Our sincere thanks to Lord Talbot of Malahide and the Trustees of Wardour Chapel for their generous hospitality at the altar once again.

Let us invoke anew the aid of our heavenly patron. Holy Michael the Archangel …..

I hope that this morning I brought home to you the reality of the spiritual fight in which we are engaged as Christians and the great encouragement God gives us in such enormous generosity for every moment of our battle with darkness. Saint Michael offers each of us such guidance, protection and ready help in the age-old battle between good and evil, between God and Satan. The war waged by Michael and the heavenly host is of course not simply a far off moment in sacred history, but an ongoing battle for our souls and those of all. Quite simply St. Michael’s war is our war too. 

 Throughout all ages the Christian people have, in popular piety and heartfelt devotion, sought to unite their own struggles to the protection of our Heavenly standard-bearer. I recall a few years ago visiting a little village church just outside of Brussels. There was a great window of St. Michael which especially caught my eye. In it Saint Michael was depicted wearing a Belgian soldier’s helmet and his face was familiar if rather out of place; the serpent writhing at his feet sported a Prussian helmet and sported a large handle-bar moustache. The artist had so identified the struggle of his people at a particular moment in history with the spiritual battle that St. Michael had been transformed into King Albert of the Belgians crushing the Emperor Wilhelm. Such a depiction is obviously very much of its time and place, but recalls the truth that our battles for goodness, beauty, and truth – for the Truth – must be seen in the context of Heaven’s war too.

MICHAELMAS RECOLLECTION - FIRST TALK

Fra' Richard renewing his vows before the Lieutenant, Fra' Max Rumney,
with his witnesses, Patricia Lady Talbot of Malahide and Fra' Julian Chadwick,
watched by his family.

This is the text of the first paper given by Father Rupert Allen at Wardour Castle last Saturday. For those who were present it merits careful rereading, and equally we are sure it will be of spiritual benefit to our wider readership. Fr Allen touches upon the areas of grave concern to all Catholics in the Church today, but particularly to knights committed to the defense of the Faith, as well as our perennial goal to get ourselves, and each other, into Heaven.

Fr Allen is a priest of the Diocese of Clifton, and Catholic Chaplain to Bristol University. 

The second paper will be published tomorrow.

There has long been a tradition amongst Catholics in this land to say one Hail Mary each day for the conversion of our country and so to make us mindful of all our quest and aim let us now so petition the Holy Mother of God, Patroness of the Order, Our Lady of Mount Phileremos as we say; Hail Mary …. 

I must begin by thanking you for the kind invitation to come and lead you in your recollection today. This place is of course permeated with the prayers and devotions of so many of the faithful and has such a particular place in the history and life of our diocese of Clifton, and it is all the more splendid to be here with all of you. Members of your Order have always played a part in my own Christian life; I see before me already a good number of old friends and so too in other parts of the world where I have had occasion to live and work the knights have been amongst my most loyal and loving of friends. It is good therefore to see you all ‘en masse’ today. 

            This is not the first time I have been asked to perform a service for the Order of Malta (and I hope it will not be the last!). Very many years ago I was in Rome to visit some saints and Fr. Ronald asked me to come and answer Mass on the Via dei Condotti. I dutifully took a cab from the nuns I was staying with but the driver could only take me so far. It was the day of the Rome marathon and the only way I would make it to the Magistral Palace in time for Mass was by running the course of the marathon. Onlookers encouraged me by their cheers as, cassock and surplice flying, I sped through the streets of the Eternal City. I did make it in time for Mass, albeit exhausted and even more red-faced than usual, but I am glad you will never require a marathon of me again.

There is a point to that little story – when faced with trails, as all Christians are if we truly live the Faith, we need encouragement to help us reach our Heavenly home.

PRAY TO YOUR GUARDIAN ANGELS

The Guardian Angel and his soul, with
St Ursula and St Thomas, by
Caravaggio, in the collection of the Prado

Today is the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. Our Angels are given to us by Almighty God to protect us from our own foolishness and from others. They have no other interest but to look after us; think about it, we do not make their life easy! It is good to get into the habit of speaking to them regularly, to treat them as the friends they are, to thank them for their care, and to ask them to walk with us through the trials of life, to walk with us in Death, and to lead us to the step of the Throne of Grace. The Church is silent about how many Angels each of us has to guard us, some say one, the Dominican tradition teaches two, one to protect us and one to protect other people from us. Others say we may each have four.

The following prayer, originally composed as a Novena, may fruitfully be used as a daily prayer to our Guardian Angels.

O HOLY ANGELS, whom God, 

by the effect of His goodness 

and His tender regard for my welfare, 

has charged with the care of my conduct, 

and who assist me in all my wants 

and comfort me in all my afflictions, 

who support me when I am discouraged 

and continually obtain for me new favours, 

I return you profound thanks, 

and I earnestly beseech you, 

O most amiable protectors, 

to continue your charitable care and defense of me 

against the malignant attacks of all my enemies. 

Keep me away from all occasions of sin. 

Obtain for me the grace of listening attentively 

to your holy inspirations 

and of faithfully putting them into practice. 

In particular, I implore you to obtain for me 

the favour for which I ask. 

[Here mention your need.]

Protect me in all the temptations and trials of this life, 

but more especially at the hour of my death, 

and do not leave me until you have conducted me 

into the presence of my Creator  

in the mansions of everlasting happiness. Amen.

Holy Guardian Angels, protect us.