Prayer of the Society of St Tarcisius

Prayer of the Society of St Tarcisius (for private use)

Lord Jesus, I profoundly adore Thee, really present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love Thee, and desire to love and serve Thee more perfectly. I do reparation to Thy Sacred Heart, for the negligence and indifference which is often shown to Thy true Body and Blood.

I thank Thee for the great privilege of serving Thee on the Sanctuary, and resolve for the future to serve Thee with greater fervour, devotion, attention, and exactness. O Lord, let my example when on the Sanctuary never be an occasion for scandal to my neighbour, but rather encourage others to greater reverence. May I always act as I believe, and show by my example my belief in the great truths of our Faith.

Most Blessed Mary, Mother of our Lord, obtain for me by thy prayers the grace to serve thy Son with reverence and devotion.

Saint Tarcisius, pray for me, that I may follow thy example by defending the honour of the Blessed Sacrament all the days of my life and even unto death. Amen.

Latin Mass Society Announces Six New Patrons

The Latin Mass Society (LMS) has announced the establishment of six patrons, including well-known figures from the worlds of music, journalism, politics and the law.

This marks a major advance for the LMS and for the cause of the Traditional Latin Mass in England and Wales which are both attracting the support of mainstream figures within the Church.

The new patrons include Dr James MacMillan CBE, who composed the setting for the Beatification Mass of John Henry Newman and is well known for his tireless campaigning for excellence in Church music.

Charles Moore, a convert to Catholicism, is a former editor of the Daily Telegraph and a prominent national journalist and political commentator.

Prince Rupert Loewenstein is a former President and long time supporter of the Latin Mass Society.

Lord (Brian) Gill is the second most senior judge in Scotland and was recently honoured with a papal knighthood. He has supported the Traditional Latin Mass for many years.

Colin Mawby is another composer who is highly respected in Catholic music circles. He was Director of Music at Westminster Cathedral under Cardinal Heenan and more recently has been very supportive of the LMS’s attempts to nurture a wider knowledge of Gregorian Chant.

Sir Adrian FitzGerald is President of the Irish Association of the Knights of Malta, a former mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and was previously a Chairman of the Governors of the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.

Announcing the establishment of the LMS’s new patrons, Chairman Dr Joseph Shaw said: ‘I’m delighted they have agreed to be patrons. This is a real indication of the Society’s standing in the Catholic community and the Church. Since Summorum Pontificum, our support of the Traditional Mass is no longer considered an eccentricity, to be tolerated at best, but an important apostolate for the good of the whole Church and recognised as such by the Holy Father.’

(For further information, please contact Michael Lord, General Manager, on (T) 020 7404 7284; (F) 020 7831 5585; (E mail) michael@lms.org.uk)

Sub tuum praesidium ~ πὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus. Sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.

We fly to thy protection O Holy Mother of God. Despise not our prayers in our necessities, but save us from all dangers. O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.


πὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν, καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε. Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας, μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς, μόνη Ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.




The Sub Tuum praesidium is, without question, one of the most ancient hymns, having been dated to the mid Third Century in its Greek form, which is given above. The Latin version is comparatively recent, dating to the 11th century - about the time of the Battle of Hastings.


It is used in the Roman Liturgy as the antiphon at Compline in the Little Office of Our Lady. It is also in the Raccolta, and is often added to Litanies of Our Lady. It's well worth learning by heart.

Office for the Dead, Dominican Rite

Over on the Liturgia Latina blog, I have written a short article on the Office for the Dead in the Dominican rite, in memory of Dominic Mary, Tertiary of the Order of Preachers, recently deceased, who was a founder member of the Sodality.

http://liturgialatina.blogspot.com/2011/11/office-for-dead-dominican-rite.html

DF

Requiescat in Pace

I regret to report that one of our founder members, Dominic Mary - who blogged at Libera Me - died on 21st October.

Dominic Mary provided encouragement at the foundation of the Sodality in May last year. This inauguration was appropriately held at Blackfriars, Oxford - Dominic Mary was a Dominican tertiary.

Last time I saw Dominic Mary was at the LMS pilgrimage to Oxford just over a year ago. He had been ill - had a "funny turn" - and had a stay in hospital.

Would all members and friends of the Sodality please pray for Dominic Mary. I will say the office of the dead for him, according to the traditional Dominican breviary - it's what he would have expected!

It is one of the duties of being in a Sodality that members should pray for one another - especially for their departed brethren.

Further details of the last year of his life are on the blog Gem of the Ocean - if you knew him, you may wish to read this. Also remember his widow in your prayers.

Anima ejus, et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace.

DF

Possible design for a medal

Members of the Sodality will know that it is hoped to produce a medal at some point, which could be worn on a royal blue ribbon or cord while serving mass or on other occasions. Two issues: cost - which could be considerable; and design.

I have recently purchased a medal of the design below, which is about an inch in diameter, and is of a Congregation of St Tarcisius (Martyr). It's source is Argentina; date unknown, possibly 1910-ish?

The design is of St Tarcisius, clearly carrying the Blessed Sacrament under a cloth. You will remember that our saint was martyred while protecting the Body of Our Lord, which he had been commissioned by the Pope to carry to those in prison in that time of persecution. The palm branch is a symbol of martyrdom.

Our Sodality could adopt a similar design, but with 'Sodalitas Sancti Tarcisii' around the top rather than the name of the Spanish congregation. I'd like to get in our motto 'Fidelis usque ad mortem' but it may get rather overcrowded.

The obverse of the original medal is blank. Members could, if they wished, have their names inscribed on the back with the date of enrollment.

Cost will still be an issue. Casting such a medal would not be cheap.

But for now, what about the design - any comments would be welcome.

DF

Incensation and hierarchy

At Solemn Mass it is very noticable how the order of incensation at the Offertory reflects and reminds us of the hierarchy in the sancturary.

First, and with great ceremony, the celebrant incenses the oblata, the host and the chalice, then the Cross and the Altar, with the assistance of the deacon. Then the deacon, with the assistance of the thurifer, incenses first the celebrant, then any clergy there may be in choir, and then the subdeacon (who is holding the paten with the humeral veil). Then the thurifer takes the thurible and incenses the deacon, then the MC, then the acolytes, and then the congregation.

(Thurifer incensing the deacon.)

In incensing the oblata, the celebrant is giving honour to Our Lord, who is about to make Himself present in them. The celebrant honours Him also in the Cross and the Altar. The celebrant is then himself honoured by the deacon, followed by other priests present in choir and the subdeacon (who is liturgically a subdeacon, even if he is actually a Monsignor!). Since the Deacon cannot incense himself, it falls to the thurifer to do this, followed by the remaining ranks of people present: MC, acolytes, and the faithful.

(Thurifer incensing the acolytes.)

In this way is the liturgical hierarchy emphasised: first God, and then the ranks of the clergy and others according to their liturgical function. Into this hierarchy relics or sacred images exposed on the altar for the occasion are added, as are on occasion especially important clerics (if a Bishop is present) or laity (if a Catholic monarch were present, for example). The lower ranks receive fewer swings of the thurible.

(Thurifer incensing the congregation.)

In doing this we witness sacred ordering of the offices, not of the individuals holding the offices, and it is the offices not exactly of the Christian society, but of the Mass. In Christian society a bishop would outrank the simple priest who is celebrant, but here we have a ranking of function of the liturgy just now taking place: in this Mass the celebrant has a more central role than a bishop in choir. The various functionaries at the altar have importance, and honour, just in so far as they have a role in the service of the Altar. The worthiness or otherwise of the individuals is not now at issue: we are dealing with an objective order of function.

The word 'hierarchy' means a 'sacred order'. The sacred order in a Solemn Mass, of which we see a simplified version in a Missa Cantata, is a glimpse of the sacred order of the heavenly liturgy. This is just one small way, in which the thurifer plays an important role, that the Traditional liturgy communicates the grandeur both of God and of the sacred action taking place on the altar.

(Photos from a Solemn Mass celebrated by Fr Marek Grabowski FSSP in St William of York. See the full set of photos here, and a post about the Mass here.)