UVM News and Readings: March 2025

UVM Survey Update

We received an encouraging response when we sent out the UVM Winter 2025 Survey a few weeks back, but we’re going to send it out again this week so that those who may have missed it the first time get a chance to make their voices heard. Please take just a couple minutes to respond to the questions as we want to demonstrate just how widespread is the commitment to the TLM in Maine.

As with the first survey, just click on the first question and you’ll be taken to the SurveyMonkey website where you can fill out the full questionnaire. Many thanks for helping us understand and better articulate your interests and commitment.

New Book Excerpt Series:

A Forest of Symbols: The Traditional Mass and Its Meaning

by Abbé Claude Barthe

Lenten reading is a longstanding tradition within the Church, so Lent seems an appropriate time to introduce a book with which many within the Maine TLM community may already be familiar. As Cardinal Sarah puts it in the preface to A Forest of Symbols: The Traditional Mass and Its Meaning, in Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Church held “that the faithful should be encouraged ‘to take a full, intelligent, active part’ in the liturgy; something which requires that the totality of liturgical signs be made available to them, these ‘forests of symbols’ dear to the poet Charles Baudelaire, which include the ceremonial, and also the beauty of the liturgical ornaments, the sacred vessels and the choral chant, and in first place the Gregorian chant; so that the entirety of the elements put to the service of a liturgy celebrated with dignity and magnificence to the glory of God, in accordance with the wishes of the Church, may constitute the true pedagogy of the sacred that goes with an ars celebrandi focused on the proclamation of the gospel of salvation.”

We hope you will find the excerpts as edifying and inspiring as we have.

The instruments of the liturgy—bells, oil, sacred vestments, prayers, and chants—play on a particular register, where memory and poetry, particularly scriptural and catechetical poetry, are based on the world of sense, but only in order constantly to go beyond it. Liturgy therefore requires active enquiry, and at the same time a very receptive state, what in the language of mysticism one might call a “passive” state. Just like Scripture, the Christian liturgy speaks almost immediately to the soul of all believers, but it penetrates deeply only into those who listen to it attentively. We must therefore go through the church door, sign ourselves with holy water, and allow ourselves to be submerged in the luminous shadow of the sacred place, as Moses and Elijah were before us. A sacred preparation takes place, like that of the priest who prepares to celebrate the holy mysteries and who performs a series of actions, accompanied by prayer, as he clothes his body, and even more his soul, in the sacred vestments.

That is what the minister is really doing (as are the faithful): he is clothing himself in the New Man of whom St Paul speaks, he is putting on Christ, in the place of the Old Man of sin. Or again, he is arming himself with spiritual armor, ready for the combat in which the Christian and spiritual life consists (Eph 5: 10–18).

P. 19, A Forest of Symbols: The Traditional Mass and Its Meaning by Claude Barthe

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

The History of Lent

The forty days’ fast, which we call Lent, is the Church’s preparation for Easter, and was instituted at the very commencement of Christianity. Our blessed Lord Himself sanctioned it by fasting forty days and forty nights in the desert; and though He would not impose it on the world by an express commandment (which, in that case, could not have been open to the power of dispensation), yet He showed plainly enough, by His own example, that fasting, which God had so frequently ordered in the old Law, was to be also practiced by the children of the new.

The disciples of St. John the Baptist came, one day, to Jesus, and said to Him: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Thy disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them: “Can the children of the Bridegroom mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.” (Matthew 9:14-15)

Hence we find it mentioned, in the Acts of the Apostles, how the disciples of our Lord, after the foundation of the Church, applied themselves to fasting. In their Epistles, also, they recommended it to the faithful. Nor could it be otherwise. Though the divine mysteries whereby our Savior wrought our redemption have been consummated, yet are we still sinners: and where there is sin, there must be expiation.

The apostles, therefore, legislated for our weakness, buy instituting, at the very commencement of the Christian Church, that the solemnity of Easter should be preceded by a universal fast; and it was only natural that they should have made this period of penance to consist of forty days, seeing that our divine Master had consecrated that number by His own fast. St. Jerome, (Epistle 27 ad Marcellam) St. Leo the Great, (Serm. ii, v, ix, de Quadragesima) St. Cyril of Alexandria, (Homil. Paschal.) St. Isidore of Seville, (De Ecclesiast. Officiis, lib. vi. cap. xix) and others of the holy fathers, assure us that Lent was instituted by the apostles, although, at the commencement, there was not any uniform way of observing it. . . .Lent, then, is a time consecrated in an especial manner to penance; and this penance is mainly practiced by fasting. Fasting is an abstinence, which man voluntarily imposes upon himself as an expiation for sin, and which, during Lent, is practiced in obedience to the general law of the Church. According to the actual discipline of the western Church, the fast of Lent is not more rigorous than that prescribed for the vigils of certain feasts, and for the Ember Days; but it is kept up for forty successive days, with the single interruption of the intervening Sundays.

The Mystery of Lent

We may be sure that a season so sacred as this of Lent is rich in mysteries. The Church has made it a time of recollection and penance, in preparation for the greatest of all her feasts; she would, therefore, bring into it everything that could excite the faith of her children, and encourage them to go through the arduous work of atonement for their sins. During Septuagesima, we had the number seventy, which reminds us of those seventy years of captivity in Babylon, after which God’s chosen people, being purified from idolatry, was to return to Jerusalem and celebrate the Pasch. It is the number forty that the Church now brings before us: a number, as St. Jerome observes, which denotes punishment and affliction. (In Ezechiel, Ch 29)

Let us remember the forty days and forty nights of the deluge (Genesis 7:12) sent by God in His anger, when He repented that He had made man, and destroyed the whole human race with the exception of one family. Let us consider how the Hebrew people, in punishment for their ingratitude, wandered forty years in the desert, before they were permitted to enter the Promised Land. (Numbers 14:33) Let us listen to our God commanding the Prophet Ezechiel to lie forty days on his right side, as a figure of the siege which was to bring destruction on Jerusalem. (Ezechiel 4:6)

There are two persons in the Old Testament who represent the two manifestations of God: Moses, who typifies the Law; and Elias, who is the figure of the Prophets. Both of these are permitted to approach God: the first on Sinai, (Exodus 24:18) the second on Horeb; (1 Kings 19:8) but both of them have to prepare for the great favor by an expiatory fast of forty days.

With these mysterious facts before us, we can understand why it is that the Son of God, having become Man for our salvation and wishing to subject Himself to the pain of fasting, chose the number of forty days. The institution of Lent is thus brought before us with everything that can impress the mind with its solemn character, and with its power of appeasing God and purifying our souls. Let us, therefore, look beyond the little world which surrounds us, and see how the whole Christian universe is, at this very time, offering this forty days’ penance as a sacrifice of propitiation to the offended Majesty of God; and let us hope that, as in the case of the Ninivites, He will mercifully accept this year’s offering of our atonement, and pardon us our sins.

The Practice of Lent

Having spent the three weeks of Septuagesima in meditating upon our spiritual infirmities and upon the wounds caused in us by sin, we should be ready to enter upon the penitential season which the Church has now begun. We have now a clearer knowledge of the justice and holiness of God, and of the dangers that await an impenitent soul; and, that our repentance might be earnest and lasting, we have bade farewell to the vain joys and baubles of the world. Our pride has been humbled by the prophecy that these bodies would soon be like the ashes that wrote the memento of death upon our foreheads.

During these forty days of penance, which seem so long to our poor nature, we shall not be deprived of the company of our Jesus. He seemed to have withdrawn from us during those weeks of Septuagesima, when everything spoke to us of His maledictions upon sinful man; but this absence has done us good. It has taught us how to tremble at the voice of God’s anger. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;” (Psalm 110:10) we have found it to be so: the spirit of penance is now active within us, because we have feared.

And now, let us look at the divine object that is before us. It is our Emmanuel; the same Jesus, but not under the form of the sweet Babe whom we adored in His crib. He has grown to the fullness of the age of man, and wears the semblance of a sinner, trembling and humbling Himself before the sovereign Majesty of His Father whom we have offended, and to whom He now offers Himself as the Victim of propitiation. He loves us with a brother’s love; and seeing that the season for doing penance has begun, He comes to cheer us on by His presence and His own example. We are going to spend forty days in fasting and abstinence: Jesus, who is innocence itself, goes through the same penance. We have separated ourselves, for a time, from the pleasures and vanities of the world: Jesus withdraws from the company and sight of men. We intend to assist at the divine services more assiduously, and pray more fervently, than at other times: Jesus spends forty days and forty nights in praying, like the humblest suppliant; and all this for us. We are going to think over our past sins, and bewail them in bitter grief: Jesus suffers for them and weeps over them in the silence of the desert, as though He Himself had committed them.

No sooner had He received baptism from the hands of St. John, than the Holy Ghost led Him to the desert. The time had come for showing Himself to the world; He would begin by teaching us a lesson of immense importance. He leaves the saintly Precursor and the admiring multitude, that had seen the divine Spirit descend upon Him, and heard the Father’s voice proclaiming Him to be His beloved Son; He leaves them and goes into the desert. Not far from the Jordan there rises a rugged mountain, which has received, in after ages, the name of Quarantana. It commands a view of the fertile plain of Jericho, the Jordan, and the Dead Sea. It is within a cave of this wild rock that the Son of God now enters, His only companions being the dumb animals who have chosen this same for their own shelter. He has no food wherewith to satisfy the pangs of hunger; the barren rock can yield Him no drink; His only bed must be of stone. Here He is to spend forty days; after which, He will permit the angels to visit Him and bring Him food.

Thus does our Savior go before us on the holy path of Lent.

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UVM News and Readings: February 2025

Correction: The Psalterium Institute’s Compline by Candlelight event will take place from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Previously it was listed as 7:00pm to 8:00pm.

UVM Survey: In Your Inbox Soon

As we noted at the end of last year, at its fall meeting the UVM board decided it was time once again to conduct a survey to gain greater insight into, among other things, where our community comes from to attend the TLM. It’s been over five years since the last survey, and between the effects of Covid and growing attendance, we’re sure it’s time to catch up. Moreover, we’re hoping to have a meeting with Bishop Ruggieri within the next couple months to tell him more about our community and its steady growth, and we’d like to be able to present him with as accurate a representation of the Maine TLM “parish” as possible.

This survey will not be avalable from our website, so if you are not already registered, please sign up for our mailing list using the form on right side of this page. We’ll be sending the survey by the middle of February, so keep an eye out for an email from SurveyMonkey.

In the meantime, here are the questions that will be on the survey:

How many people in your family/household attend, or would like to attend, the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in Maine?
What town/city do you live in? (There will be a box available for a written response.)
Do you attend, or would you like to attend, a First Saturday TLM?
Would you like Una Voce Maine to organize more events such as the evening last summer with Peter Kwasniewski?
Would you be willing to support such presentations with a registration fee of, for example up to $25 to help defray costs?
Would you be willing to contribute more as a benefactor? (There will be three possible answers listed.)

Thank you very much for your help with this survey!

Coming in February

Coffee Hour at the Basilica

Beginning in February, there will be social hours at the Basilica on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.

In February, the Basilica social hours will be on the Sunday the 9th and Sunday the 23rd.

Psalterium Institute: Compline by Candlelight

February 14, 6:30PM - 7:30PM

St. Mary’s Church, Augusta

The Psalterium Chamber Choir will provide music for sung Night Prayer including various Gregorian Chants and choral works from the Renaissance.

Event Page

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

February 2 – The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Forty Days of Mary’s Purification are now completed, and she must go up to the Temple, there to offer to God her Child Jesus. Before following the Son and his Mother in this their mysterious journey, let us spend our last few moments at Bethlehem, in lovingly pondering over the mysteries at which we are going to assist.

The Law commanded, that a woman, who had given birth to a son, should not approach the Tabernacle for the term of forty days; after which time, she was to offer a sacrifice for her Purification. She was to offer up a lamb as a holocaust, and a turtle or dove as a sin-offering. But if she were poor, and could not provide a lamb, she was to offer, in its stead, a second turtle or dove.

By another ordinance of the Law, every first-born son was to be considered as belonging to God, and was to be to redeemed by six sides, each side weighing, according to the standard of the Temple, twenty *obols. (*Leviticus 12; Exodus 30:13. The Obol was about three half-pence of English money)

Mary was a Daughter of Israel — she had given Birth to Jesus — he was her First-born Son. Could such a Mother, and such a Son, be included in the Laws we have just quoted? Was it becoming that Mary should observe them?

If she considered the spirit of these legal enactments, and why God required the ceremony of Purification, it was evident that she was not bound to them. They, for whom these Laws had been made, were espoused to men; — Mary was the chaste Spouse of the Holy Ghost, a Virgin in conceiving, and a Virgin in giving Birth to, her Son; her purity had ever been spotless as that of the Angels — but it received an incalculable increase by her carrying the God of all sanctity in her womb, and bringing him into this world. Moreover, when she reflected upon her Child being the Creator and sovereign Lord of all things — how could she suppose that he was to be submitted to the humiliation of being ransomed as a slave, whose life and person are not his own?

And yet, the Holy Spirit revealed to Mary, that she must comply with both these Laws. She, the holy Mother of God, must go to the Temple like other Hebrew mothers, as though she had lost a something which needed restoring by a legal sacrifice. He, that is the Son of God and Son of Man, must be treated in all thing’s as though, he were a Servant, and be ransomed in common with the poorest Jewish boy. Mary adores the will of God, and embraces it with her whole heart. . . .

The same Divine plan — which had required that Mary should be espoused to Joseph, in order that her fruitful Virginity might not seem strange in the eyes of the people — now obliged her to come, like other Israelite mothers, to offer the sacrifice of Purification, for the Birth of the Son, whom she had conceived by the operation of the power of the Holy Ghost, but who was to be presented in the Temple as the Son of Mary, the Spouse of Joseph. Thus it is, that Infinite Wisdom delights in showing that his thoughts are not our thoughts, and in disconcerting our notions; he claims the submissiveness of our confidence, until the time come that he has fixed for withdrawing the veil, and showing himself to our astonished view.

The Divine Will was dear to Mary in this as in every circumstance of her life. The Holy Virgin knew, that by seeking this external rite of Purification, she was in no wise risking the honour of her Child, or failing in the respect due to her own Virginity. She was in the Temple of Jerusalem what she was in the house of Nazareth, when she received the Archangel’s visit — she was the Handmaid of the Lord. (Luke 1:38) She obeyed the Law, because she seemed to come under the Law. Her God and her Son submitted to the ransom as humbly as the poorest Hebrew would have to do; he had already obeyed the edict of the emperor Augustus, in the general census; he was to be obedient even unto death, even to the death of the Cross. The Mother and the Child, both humbled themselves in the Purification, and man’s pride received, on that day, one of the greatest lessons ever given it.

The History of Septuagesima (Septuagesima Sunday is February 16th)

The Season of Septuagesima comprises the three weeks immediately preceding Lent. It forms one of the principal divisions of the Liturgical Year, and is itself divided into three parts, each part corresponding to a week: the first is called Septuagesima; the second, Sexagesima; the third, Quinquagesima.

All three are named from their numerical reference to Lent, which, in the language of the Church, is called Quadragesima, - that is, Forty, - because the great Feast of Easter is prepared for by tile holy exercises of Forty Days. The words Quinquagesima, Sexagesima, and Septuagesima, tell us of the same great Solemnity as looming in the distance, and as being the great object towards which the Church would have us now begin to turn all our thoughts, and desires, and devotion.

Now, the Feast of Easter must be prepared for by a forty-days’ recollectedness and penance. Those forty-days are one of the principal Seasons of the Liturgical Year, and one of the most powerful means employed by the Church for exciting in the hearts of her children the spirit of their Christian vocation. It is of the utmost importance, that such a Season of penance should produce its work in our souls — the renovation of the whole spiritual life. The Church, therefore, has instituted a preparation for the holy time of Lent. She gives us the three weeks of Septuagesima, during which she withdraws us, as much as may be, from the noisy distractions of the world, in order that our hearts may be the more readily impressed by the solemn warning she is to give us, at the commencement of Lent, by marking our foreheads with ashes.

This prelude to the holy season of Lent was not known in the early ages of Christianity: its institution would seem to have originated in the Greek Church. The practice of this Church being never to fast on Saturdays, the number of fasting-days in Lent, besides the six Sundays of Lent, (on which, by universal custom, the Faithful never fasted,) there were also the six Saturdays, which the Greeks would never allow to be observed as days of fasting: so that their Lent was short, by twelve days, of the Forty spent by our Saviour in the Desert. To make up the deficiency, they were obliged to begin their Lent so many days earlier, as we will show in our next Volume.

The Church of Rome had no such motive for anticipating the season of those privations, which belong to Lent; for, from the earliest antiquity, she kept the Saturdays of Lent, (and as often, during the rest of the year, as circumstances might require,) as fasting days. At the close of the 6th century, St. Gregory tile Great, alludes, in one of his Homilies, to the fast of Lent being less than Forty Days, owing to the Sundays which come during that holy season. “There are,” he says, “from this Day (the first Sunday of Lent) to the joyous Feast of Easter, six Weeks, that is, forty-two days. As we do not fast on the six Sundays, there are but thirty-six fasting days; * * * which we offer to Gel as the “tithe of our year.” (The sixteenth homily on the Gospels)

It was, therefore, after the pontificate of St. Gregory, that the last four days of Quinquagesima Week, were added to Lent, in order that the number of Fasting Days might be exactly Forty. As early, however, as the 9th century, the custom of beginning Lent on Ash Wednesday was of obligation in the whole Latin Church. All the manuscript copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary, which bear that date, call this Wednesday the In capite jejunii, that is to say, the beginning of the fast; and Amalarius gives us every detail of the Liturgy of the 9th century, tells us, that it was, even then, the rule to begin the Fast four days before the first Sunday of Lent. We find the practice confirmed by two Councils, held in that century. (Meaux, and Soissons) But, out of respect for the form of Divine Service drawn up by St. Gregory, the Church does not make any important change in the Office of these four days. Up to the Vespers of Saturday, when alone she begins the Lenten rite, she observes the rubrics prescribed for Quinquagesima Week.

Peter of Blois, who lived in the 12th century, tells us what was the practice in his days. He says: “All Religious begin the Fast of Lent at Septuagesima; the Greeks, at Sexagesima; the Clergy, at Quinquagesima; and the rest of Christians, who form the Church militant on earth, begin their Lent on the Wednesday following Quinquagesima.” (Sermon xiii) . . . This usage, however, soon became obsolete; and in the 15th century, the secular Clergy, and even the Monks themselves, began the Lenten Fast, like the rest of the Faithful, on Ash Wednesday.

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UVM News and Readings: January 2025

News & Events

Coming This February: New Social Hour Schedule after Basilica TLM

As we announced last month, at its November meeting the UVM board looked at how we might enhance our lineup of social hours after both Sunday and First Saturday masses. While we are still looking for volunteers from the TLM community to form a social hour committee that would more actively manage the logistics of the social hours to ensure there is enough food, coffee, condiments, etc., beginning in February, there will be two social hours per month at the Basilica in Lewiston. Rather than the 3rd Sunday, there will be social hours on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. Basilica social hours in February will be on the 9th and 23rd. For January, however, there will still be one social hour on the third Sunday.

If you are interested in helping support our TLM community on the social hour committee, please email UVM at info@unavocemaine.org.

Psalterium Institute Presents Epiphany Lessons & Carols

On Friday and Saturday, January 3rd and 4th, the Psalterium Institute, which we introduced in the November newsletter, will be performing an evening of choral music for the Christmas season, including music by Victoria, Bouzignac, Sweelinck, Host and a special presentation by the Institute Children’s Choirs and harpist Patrice Lockhart of Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols.” Schedule of performances is:

Friday, January 3 at 6:30 PM Saint John the Baptist Church, Brunswick

Saturday, January 4 at 6:30 PM Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland

The Heart Has its Reasons

by Gavin Ashenden

Latin functions as a language of love, of adoration, of mystery and of longing.

Dr. Dick and I sit at the back of Mass together. We are both tenors. I would not want to say ‘elderly’; I would prefer to say that we share a degree of intellectual and musical experience. But basically, we are both two retired ex-academics past the first bloom of youth. A long way past.

We have many things in common – the same size, the same vocal range, a trifle given to pedantry, but Dick is a scientist and I am not. Both of us are converts to the faith. We fell to discussing the Latin Mass. The conversation grew quite energized. Dick is a Novus Ordo kind of a guy through and through.

He was a senior lecturer in biology. He likes his facts and he likes clarity. When I suggested that the restriction of the Latin Mass was an impoverishment, he expostulated with vigorous denial.

“Of course it isn’t,” he said. “No one needs the Latin Mass. No one understands it. The liturgy has to be in the vernacular. It must be comprehensible, or else the laity are excluded.”

There was a time when I would have agreed with Dick. I remember as a recent convert to Christianity when I was a student, I had become very impatient with the ornate language of Cranmer in the 1662 prayer book. After years of attending liturgy without encountering the living God, I too was inclined to favor the contemporary, the accessible, the familiar. Beauty, cadence and elegance were all very well, but perhaps, went the familiar puritan argument, they could sometimes be a means of idolatry – ends in themselves, more than vehicles of supernatural encounter.

I tried the argument of Pope St John XXIII (in Veterum Sapienta) that perhaps if Latin was not objectively a source of holiness it might passively be so, having been sanctified by constant use in prayer? That didn’t pass the functionality test either, however.

Nor does Dick have much history. Not many biologists do. I told him how deeply I was moved by knowing I was using almost identical words and structures to my great heroes of Catholic history, prayer and thought.

In fact, I wanted to go further and say that through my whole life as a Protestant I carried the pain of not being in communion with disciples I loved – St Martin de Tours, St Anselm and St Augustine. And as for the home-growns, Bede, Alfred, Becket, Julian of Norwich, More, Fisher – the list is endless.

As with many sacramentally nostalgic ex-Anglican ministers, I was taught how to say the Latin Mass, in (sacramentally ineffective) imitation of the Catholic Church, and I immediately got the point. It was all about holiness and miracle.

What one touched, how one touched, where one moved at the altar, how one moved, what one wore, how one wore it and how one prayed when dressing, were all about holiness and the miraculous.

The choreography of priests and servers, given as much attention as any ballet or drama on stage, because something more important than a ballet or a drama is taking place, gives an indication that something of supreme beauty and importance is going on here.

There are many reasons why our generation of Catholics have found difficulty in believing in the miracle of the Mass. The alarming figure in the USA is the now well-known 69 percent surveyed who disbelieve the essential supernatural miracle and only 31 percent who do.

So, I want to ask Dick, how the culture of intelligibility is going for the Church? What has rational, accessible, colloquial, vernacular communication achieved? Is openness to the experience of the supernatural, is vulnerability to the miraculous achieved by the rational calculations of the mind; or is it perceived by the intuitions and longings of the heart?

Perhaps there is an advantage in using words from a second rather than a first language. The first language in which everyone is fluent may be the language of contract, bargains, measurement, argument, acquisition, negotiation; but perhaps Latin can offer itself as a second language; in which it functions as a language of love, of adoration, of mystery and of longing. It offers itself as the language not of the mind but of the heart.

It may not please Dick the scientist at first sight. But Dick may have forgotten that his laboratory of the mind in which empirical science is tested and discovered and in which biological life is tested and defined, is a different venture from the liturgy. The liturgy may instead act as a laboratory for the heart in which the supernatural is perceived and the life of the soul is rescued, mended and restored. The promise of God through the prophets was always, “I will give you a new heart” (Jeremiah 31).

It was a mathematician, Blaise Pascal, who got to the heart of the matter so succinctly when he wrote: “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of... We know the truth not only by the reason, but by the heart.”

And liturgical Latin is pre-eminently the language of the heart.

Reproduced from Mass of Ages, the magazine of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

January 6 - Epiphany of Our Lord

The Feast of the Epiphany is the continuation of the mystery of Christmas; but it appears on the Calendar of the Church with its own special character. Its very name, which signifies Manifestation, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to his creatures.

For several centuries, the Nativity of our Lord was kept on this day; and when in the year 376 the decree of the Holy See obliged all Churches to keep the Nativity on the 25th of December, as Rome did—the Sixth of January was not robbed of all its ancient glory. It was still to be called the Epiphany, and the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ was also commemorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had marked as the day on which that Baptism took place.

The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable and mysterious name of Theophania, which is of such frequent recurrence in the early Fathers as signifying a divine Apparition. We find this name applied to this Feast by Eusebius, St. Gregory Nazianzum, and St. Isidore of Pelusium. In the liturgical books of the Melchite Church the Feast goes under no other name.

The Orientals call this solemnity also the holy Lights, on account of its being the day on which Baptism was administered (for, as we have just mentioned, our Lord was baptized on this same day). Baptism is called by the holy Fathers Illumination, and they who received it Illuminated.

Lastly, this Feast is called, in many countries, King’s Feast: it is, of course, an allusion to the Magi, whose journey to Bethlehem is so continually mentioned in today’s Office.

The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost the honor of being called, in the Canon of the Mass, a Day most holy. It is also one of the cardinal Feasts, that is, one of those on which the arrangement of the Christian Year is based; for as we have Sundays after Easter and Sundays after Pentecost, so also we count six Sundays after the Epiphany.

The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the joy caused us by the Birth of our Jesus must be renewed on it, for, as though it were a second Christmas Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light. It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of Bethlehem, who hath appeared to us already in love; but to this it adds its own grand manifestation of the divinity of our Jesus. At Christmas, it was a few Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and recognize the Word made Flesh; but now, at the Epiphany, the voice of God himself calls the whole world to adore this Jesus, and hear him.

The mystery of the Epiphany brings upon us three magnificent rays of the Sun of Justice, our Savior. In the calendar of pagan Rome, this sixth day of January was devoted to the celebration of a triple triumph of Augustus, the founder of the Roman Empire: but when Jesus, our Prince of peace, whose empire knows no limits, had secured victory to his Church by the blood of the Martyrs—then did this his Church decree that a triple triumph of the Immortal King should be substituted, in the Christian Calendar, for those other three triumphs which had been won by the adopted son of Cæsar.

The Sixth of January, therefore, restored the celebration of our Lord’s Birth to the Twenty-Fifth of December; but in return, there were united in the one same Epiphany three manifestations of Jesus’ glory: the mystery of the Magi coming from the East under the guidance of a star, and adoring the Infant of Bethlehem as the divine King; the mystery of the Baptism of Christ, who, while standing in the waters of the Jordan, was proclaimed by the Eternal Father as Son of God; and thirdly, the mystery of the divine power of this same Jesus, when he changed the water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana.

January 14 – Saint Hilary, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

After having consecrated the joyous Octave of the Epiphany to the glory of the Emmanuel who was manifested to the earth, the Church—incessantly occupied with the Divine Child and his august Mother during the whole time from Christmas Day to that whereon Mary will bring Jesus to the Temple, there to be offered to God as the law prescribes—the Church, we say, has on her Calendar of this portion of the year the names of many glorious Saints who shine like so many stars on the path which leads us from the joys of the Nativity of our Lord to the sacred mystery of our Lady’s Purification.

And firstly, there comes before us, on the very morrow of the day consecrated to the Baptism of Jesus, the faithful and courageous Hilary—the pride of the Churches of Gaul and the worthy associate of Athanasius and Eusebius of Vercelli in the battle fought for the Divinity of our Emmanuel. Scarcely were the cruel persecution of paganism over when there commenced the fierce contest with Arianism, which had sworn to deprive of the glory and honors of his divinity that Jesus, who had conquered, by his Martyrs, over the violence and craft of the Roman Emperors. The Church had won her liberty by shedding her blood, and it was not likely that she would be less courageous on the new battlefield into which she was driven. Many were the Martyrs that were put to death by her new enemies—Christian, though heretical, Princes: it was for the Divinity of our Lord, who had mercifully appeared on the earth in the weakness of human flesh, that they shed their blood. Side by side with these, there stood those holy and illustrious Doctors who, with the martyr-spirit within them, defended, by their learning and eloquence, the Nicene Faith, which was the Faith of the Apostles. In the foremost rank of these latter we behold the Saint of today, covered with the rich laurels of his brave confessorship, Hilary, who, as St. Jerome says of him, was brought up in the pompous school of Gaul, yet had called the flowers of Grecian science, and became the Rhone of Latin eloquence. St. Augustine calls him the illustrious Doctor of the Churches.

Though gifted with the most extraordinary talents, and one of the most learned men of the age, yet St. Hilary’s greatest glory is his intense love for the Incarnate Word, and his zeal for the Liberty of the Church. His great soul thirsted after martyrdom and, by the unflinching love of truth which such a spirit gave him, he was the brave champion of the Church in that trying period when Faith, that had stood the brunt of persecution, seemed to be on the point of being betrayed by the craft of Princes and the cowardice of temporizing and unorthodox Pastors.

January 25 – The Conversion of Saint Paul

We have already seen how the Gentiles, in the person of the Three Magi, offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem, and received from him, in return, the precious gifts of faith, hope, and charity. The harvest is ripe; it is time for the reaper to come. But, who is to be God’s labourer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the gospel of salvation to the uttermost parts of the world; but not one among them has, as yet, received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision, (Galatians 2:8) is sent specially, as was Christ himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel, (Matthew 15:24) And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles; (Acts 14:26) which he solemnly does, by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman Centurion.

But the Church is to have one more Apostle - an Apostle for the Gentiles - and he is to be the fruit of the martyrdom and prayer of St. Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh, and yet Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is, then, from heaven, where he reigns impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be his disciple, just as, during the period of his active life, he called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow him and hearken to his teachings. The Son of God will raise Saul up to the third heaven, and there will reveal to him all his mysteries: and when Saul, having come down again to this earth, shall have seen Peter, (Galatians 1:18) and compared his Gospel with that recognised by Peter (Galatians 2:2) - he can say, in all truth, that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus, (Galatians 1:1) and frequently elsewhere) and that he has done nothing less than the great Apostles. (2 Corinthians 11:5)

It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul, that this great work is commenced. It is on this day, that is heard the Almighty voice which breaketh the cedars of Libanus, (Psalm 28:5) and can make a persecuting Jew become first a Christian, and then an Apostle. This admirable transformation had been prophesied by Jacob, when, upon his death-bed, he unfolded, to each of his sons, the future of the tribe of which he was to be the father. Juda was to have the precedence of honour; from his royal race, was to be born the Redeemer, the Expected of nations. Benjamin’s turn came; his glory is not to be compared with that of his brother Juda, and yet it was to be very great - for, from his tribe, is to be born Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile nations.

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UVM News and Readings: December 2024

News & Events

Wanted in 2025: Input and Volunteers

At the biannual meeting of the UVM board in November, much of the discussion revolved around what steps we might take in the year ahead to continue to build our virtual TLM parish in Maine. Out of that discussion, initiatives emerged in which we hope the Maine TLM community will participate in the name of developing a clearer understanding of who we are and how we can develop greater ties of community given that we are, in essence, a parish spread across a significant landscape.

Chaplaincy Registration
First, Fr. Parent reports there are currently 165 families registered with the St. Gregory the Great Latin Mass Chaplaincy. Given that the Una Voce Maine email list is nearly double that, however, we are confident there are a number of TLM regulars who’ve not yet registered. With a goal of developing a better understanding of who is, and how many are, attending the TLM, we’d like to invite those who haven’t registered to take a moment to fill out the form at the link above. In addition to helping us develop a clearer understanding of our community for internal purposes, we’d also like a more accurate understanding of our numbers as we anticipate possibly meeting with Bishop Ruggieri in the next few months to introduce the Maine TLM community to him more thoroughly.
2025 Survey
For similar reasons, the board decided it was time once again to conduct a survey to gain greater insight into where our community comes from to attend the TLM, what you hope to see in the year ahead as it relates to both the TLM in Maine and the activities of UVM, and what suggestions you might have for us to consider. It’s been over five years since the last survey, and between the effects of Covid and growing attendance, we’re sure it’s time to catch up. Keep an eye out for that survey early next year!
Social Hour Committee
Finally, the board looked at how we might enhance our lineup of social hours after both Sunday and First Saturday masses. While, to date, the social hours have been well-attended and well-supplied, there have been requests for more regular gatherings, particularly at the Basilica. Consequently, the board decided to ask for volunteers from the TLM community to form a social hour committee that would more actively manage the logistics of the social hours to ensure there is enough food, coffee, condiments, etc. In addition, the board voted to commit a small budget to each of the Sunday social hours, and also to take steps to ensure the needs of the First Saturday Mass communities are being met.

The first step, however, is to ask for volunteers for the UVM Social Hour committee that will be asked to oversee the logistics of the social hours. If you are interested in helping support our TLM community, please email UVM at info@unavocemaine.org.

Finally, we are pleased to announce that the Basilica fundraising campaign for the communion rail has achieved its goal, and installation should be getting underway in the next few weeks.

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

The History of Advent

The name Advent [from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies a coming] is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honor of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance; and, in fact, it is impossible to state, with any certainty, when this season of preparation [which had long been observed before receiving its present name of Advent] was first instituted. It would seem, however, that its observance first began in the west, since it is evident that Advent could not have been looked on as a preparation for the feast of Christmas, until that feast was definitively fixed to the twenty-fifth of December; which was done in the east only towards the close of the fourth century; whereas it is certain that the Church of Rome kept the feast on that day at a much earlier period.

We must look upon Advent in two different lights: first, as a time of preparation, properly so called, for the birth of our Savior, by works of penance; and secondly, as a series of ecclesiastical Offices drawn up for the same purpose. We find, as far back as the fifth century, the custom of giving exhortations to the people in order to prepare them for the feast of Christmas. We have two sermons of Saint Maximus of Turin on this subject, not to speak of several others which were formerly attributed to St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, but which were probably written by St. Cesarius of ArIes. If these documents do not tell us what was the duration and what the exercises of this holy season, they at least show us how ancient was the practice of distinguishing the time of Advent by special sermons. Saint Ivo of Chartres, St. Bernard, and several other doctors of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, have left us set sermons de Adventu Domini, quite distinct from their Sunday homilies on the Gospels of that season. In the capitularia of Charles the Bald, in 846, the bishops admonish that prince not to call them away from their Churches during Lent or Advent, under pretext of affairs of the State or the necessities of war, seeing that they have special duties to fulfill, and particularly that of preaching during those sacred times.

The oldest document in which we find the length and exercises of Advent mentioned with anything like clearness, is a passage in the second book of the History of the Franks by St. Gregory of Tours, where he says that St. Perpetuus, one of his predecessors, who held that see about the year 480, had decreed a fast three times a week, from the feast of St. Martin until Christmas. It would be impossible to decide whether St. Perpetuus, by his regulations, established a new custom, or merely enforced an already existing law. Let us, however, note this interval of forty, or rather of forty-three days, so expressly mentioned, and consecrated to penance, as though it were a second Lent, though less strict and severe than that which precedes Easter. . . The liturgical form of Advent as it now exists in the Roman Church, has gone through certain modifications. St. Gregory (d. 604 AD) seems to have been the first to draw up the Office for this season, which originally included five Sundays, as is evident from the most ancient sacramentaries of this great Pope. It even appears probable . . . that St. Gregory originated the ecclesiastical precept of Advent, although the custom of devoting a longer or shorter period to a preparation for Christmas has been observed from time immemorial, and the abstinence and fast of this holy season first began in France. St. Gregory therefore fixed, for the Churches of the Latin rite, the form of the Office for this Lent-like season, and sanctioned the fast which had been established, granting a certain latitude to the several Churches as to the manner of its observance.

The Mystery of Advent

If, now that we have described the characteristic features of Advent which distinguish it from the rest of the year, we would penetrate into the profound mystery which occupies the mind of the Church during this season, we find that this mystery of the coming, or Advent, of Jesus is at once simple and threefold. It is simple, for it is the one same Son of God that is coming; it is threefold, because He comes at three different times and in three different ways.

‘In the first coming,’ says St. Bernard, ‘He comes in the flesh and in weakness; in the second, He comes in spirit and in power; in the third, He comes in glory and in majesty; and the second coming is the means whereby we pass from the first to the third.’ (Fifth sermon for Advent)

...The holy Church, therefore, during Advent, awaits in tears and with ardor the arrival of her Jesus in His first coming. For this, she borrows the fervid expressions of the prophets, to which she joins her own supplications. These longings for the Messiah expressed by the Church, are not a mere commemoration of the desires of the ancient Jewish people; they have a reality and efficacy of their own, an influence in the great act of God’s munificence, whereby He gave us His own Son. From all eternity, the prayers of the ancient Jewish people and the prayers of the Christian Church ascended together to the prescient hearing of God; and it was after receiving and granting them, that He sent, in the appointed time, that blessed Dew upon the earth, which made it bud forth the Savior.

The Church aspires also to the second coming, the consequence of the first, which consists, as we have just seen, in the visit of the Bridegroom to the bride. This coming takes place, each year, at the feast of Christmas, when the new birth of the Son of God delivers the faithful from that yoke of bondage, under which the enemy would oppress them. (Collect for Christmas day) The Church, therefore, during Advent, prays that she may be visited by Him Who is her Head and her Spouse; visited in her hierarchy; visited in her members, of whom some are living, and some are dead, but may come to life again; visited, lastly, in those who are not in communion with her, and even in the very infidels, that so they may be converted to the true light, which shines even for them. The expressions of the liturgy which the Church makes use of to ask for this loving and invisible coming, are those which she employs when begging for the coming of Jesus in the flesh; for the two visits are for the same object. In vain would the Son of God have come . . . to visit and save mankind, unless He came again for each one of us and at every moment of our lives, bringing to us and cherishing within us that supernatural life, of which He and His Holy Spirit are the sole principle.

But this annual visit of the Spouse does not content the Church; she aspires after a third coming, which will complete all things by opening the gates of eternity. She has caught up the last words of her Spouse, ‘Surely I am coming quickly’; (Apocalypse 22:20) and she cries out to Him, ‘Ah! Lord Jesus! come!’ (Apocalypse 22:20) She is impatient to be loosed from her present temporal state; she longs for the number of the elect to be filled up, and to see appear, in the clouds of heaven, the sign of her Deliverer and her Spouse. Her desires, expressed by her Advent liturgy, go even as far as this; and here we have the explanation of these words of the beloved disciple in his prophecy: ‘The nuptials of the Lamb are come, and His wife hath prepared herself.’ (Apocalypse 19:7)

The Practice of Advent

If our holy mother the Church spends the time of Advent in this solemn preparation for the threefold coming of Jesus Christ; if, after the example of the prudent virgins, she keeps her lamp lit ready for the coming of the Bridegroom; we, being her members and her children, ought to enter into her spirit, and apply to ourselves this warning of our Savior: ‘Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands, and ye yourselves be like unto men who wait for their Lord!’ (Luke 12:35-36) The Church and we have, in reality, the same hopes. Each one of us is, on the part of God, an object of mercy and care, as is the Church herself. If she is the temple of God, it is because she is built of living stones; if she is the bride, it is because she consists of all the souls which are invited to eternal union with God. If it is written that the Savior hath purchased the Church with His own Blood, (Acts 20:28) may not each one of us say of himself those words of St. Paul, ‘Christ hath loved me, and hath delivered Himself up for me’. (Galatians 2:20) Our destiny being the same, then, as that of the Church, we should endeavour during Advent, to enter into the spirit of preparation, which is, as we have seen, that of the Church herself.

History of Christmas

We apply the name of Christmas to the 40 days which begin with the Nativity of Our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year; as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view the whole 40 days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which She received the glad tidings from the Angels (Luke 2:10) on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing 4000 years. The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of Our Savior’s Nativity by a Feast or commemoration of 40 days’ duration is founded on the Holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending 40 days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of Her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfill, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers.

Mystery of Christmas

Everything is mystery in this holy Season. The Word of God, Whose generation is before the day star (Psalm 109:3), is born in time—a Child is God—a Virgin becomes a Mother, and remains a Virgin—things divine are commingled with those that are human—and the sublime, the ineffable antithesis, expressed by the Beloved Disciple, in those words of his Gospel, The Word Was Made Flesh, is repeated in a thousand different ways in all the prayers of the Church—and rightly, for it admirably embodies the whole of the great portent which unites in one Person the nature of Man and the nature of God.

The splendor of this Mystery dazzles the understanding, but it inundates the heart with joy. It is the consummation of the designs of God in time. It is the endless subject of admiration and wonder to the Angels and Saints; nay, is the source and cause of their beatitude.

Practice during Christmas

The time has now come for the faithful soul to reap the fruit of the efforts she made during the penitential weeks of Advent to prepare a dwelling-place for the Son of God, who desires to be born within her. The Nuptials of the Lamb are come, and his Spouse hath prepared herself. (Apocalypse 19:7) Now the Spouse is the Church; the Spouse is also every faithful soul. Our Lord gives his whole self to the whole flock, and to each sheep of the flock with as much love as though he loved but that one. What garments shall we put on, to go and meet the Bridegroom? Where shall we find the pearls and jewels wherewith to deck our soul for this happy meeting? Our holy Mother the Church will tell us all this in her Liturgy. Our best plan for spending Christmas is, undoubtedly, to keep close to her, and do what she does; for she is most dear to God, and being our Mother, we ought to obey all her injunctions.

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UVM News and Readings: November 2024

News & Events

Sr. Mary Elizabeth Makes Solemn Profession to Benedictines of Mary

UVM is delighted to offer our heartiest congratulations and grateful prayers following the Solemn Profession of Sister Mary Elizabeth with the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri. Sr. Mary Elizabeth is the daughter of Josh and Sandra Smith of Auburn, and the ceremony took place on Friday, Sept 27th.

The Smiths were gracious enough to share some photographs which capture the beauty and joy of the ceremony, as well as a link to the livestream recording on the YouTube channel of the Benedictines of Mary. Those interested in understanding more deeply how a Solemn Profession proceeds can read a detailed description by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski of another Solemn Profession with the Benedictines a few years back.

Photos

Mary Elizabeth and two fellow professurae present themselves before their vows.

After all have read their chart of profession, the nuns lie down on the floor and are covered with a black pall as the church bells ring and the Litany of Saints is chanted.

Sr. Mary Elizabeth with her crown of roses.

The Smith family, including Sr. Mary Elizabeth and Sr. Consuela, together after the ceremony.

Ceremony Livestream

Psalterium Institute Works for Renewal of Catholic Sacred Music

Members of the Maine TLM community are well aware of the dedication it takes to preserve and teach the Truth and Beauty of traditional Catholicism. But while our focus is on supporting and promulgating the Latin Mass, the traditional Catholic culture of which the TLM is the foundation reaches far and wide to, among other things, education, social doctrine, and the arts such as painting, literature, and music.

On that note (if you will), we’d like to highlight the efforts of an organization that focuses on teaching and performing traditional Catholic sacred music. Founded and directed by Leon Griesbach, the Psalterium Institute, based in Lisbon, Maine, is dedicated to the mission of training singers of all ages to produce beautiful choral music, while also instructing them in the traditions of Catholic sacred music including Gregorian chant, sacred polyphony, and the modern choral repertoire.

Currently the Music and Choir Director at St. John the Baptist Church in Brunswick, in 2003, Leon spent a period of time discerning with the Benedictine monks of Blue Cloud Abbey in North Dakota where he studied organ and chanted the Liturgy of the Hours with the monks every day. This experience of living and breathing the psalms and in the liturgy was an important inspiration for Leon and contributed to his decision to devote his career to liturgical music, and to sharing the Liturgy of the Hours with as many people as he can.

For both singers and listeners, in settings both sacred and secular, the Institute serves as a source of education and formation in broader musical education in the context of the Catholic musical tradition, and in specific forms and expressions of sacred Catholic liturgy. While the Psalterium Institute intends to present learning and listening opportunities to an array of audiences, it also hopes to be of particular service to the church by training clergy, music directors, cantors, and choristers for the full range of liturgical offerings.

Upcoming Performances

In addition, the Institute maintains a performance schedule to note highlights of the liturgical year. The performances usually consist of a sacred service appropriate to the date followed by a selection of additional choral reflections. Upcoming events include:

Vespers for the Dead

November 9th

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, Lewiston

November 8th

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yarmouth

Epiphany Lessons & Carols

January 4th

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland

January 3rd

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Brunswick

More information on how to support or participate can be found at the Institute’s website.

Readings: The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

November 24 – Saint John of the Cross, Confessor

Let us go with the Church to Mount Carmel, and offer our grateful homage to John of the Cross, who, following in the footsteps of Teresa of Jesus, opened a safe way to souls seeking God. . . John of the Cross was the living image of the Word of God, more piercing than any two-edged sword, reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow; for he read, with unfailing glance, the very thoughts and intentions of hearts. Let us listen to his words. Though he belongs to modern times, he is evidently a son of the ancients.

“The soul,” he says, “is to attain to a certain sense, to a certain divine knowledge, most generous and full of sweetness, of all human and divine things which do not fall within the common-sense and natural perceptions of the soul; it views them with different eyes now, for the light and grace of the Holy Ghost differ from those of sense, the divine from the human. (The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 2, Ch 9) The dark night, through which the soul passes, on its way to the divine light of the perfect union of the love of God—so far as it is in this life possible—requires for its explanation greater experience and light of knowledge than I possess. For so great are the trials, and so profound the darkness, spiritual as well as corporal, which souls must endure, if they will attain to perfection, that no human knowledge can comprehend them, nor experience describe them. (The Ascent of Mt Carmel, Prologue)

“The journey of the soul to the divine union is called night, for three reasons. The first is derived from the point from which the soul sets out, the privation of the desire of all pleasure in all the things of this world, by an entire detachment therefrom. This is as night for every desire and sense of man. The second, from the road by which it travels; that is, faith, for faith is obscure like night to the intellect. The third, from the goal to which it tends, God, incomprehensible and infinite, who in this life is as night to the soul. We must pass through these three nights if we are to attain to the divine union with God.

November 30 – Saint Andrew, Apostle

We should remember that Saint Andrew is the Apostle of the Cross. To Peter, Jesus has given firmness of faith; to John, warmth of love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the Cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, faith, love, and the Cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is, bears this threefold character. Hence it is that after the two Apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal Liturgy as Saint Andrew. . .

Andrew, the Apostle, born at Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, was brother of Peter, and disciple of John the Baptist. Having heard his master say, speaking of Christ: Behold the Lamb of God! he followed Jesus, and brought to him his brother also. When, afterwards, he was fishing with his brother in the sea of Galilee, they were both called, before any of the other Apostles, by our Lord, who, passing by, said to them: Come after me; I will make you to be fishers of men. Without delay, they left their nets and followed him. After the passion and resurrection, Andrew went to spread the faith of Christ in Scythia in Europe, which was the province assigned to him; then he travelled through Epirus and Thrace, and by his teaching and miracles converted innumerable souls to Christ. Afterwards, having reached Patræ in Achaia, he persuaded many in that city to embrace the truth of the Gospel.

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UVM News and Readings: October 2024

News & Events

Maine Turns Out for The Pilgrimage for Restoration

Guest Post

Another year, another unforgettable pilgrimage. Whether it was their 1st year or 10th year, Mainers had a strong showing at the 29th Pilgrimage for Restoration, a 62-mile traditional walking pilgrimage in New York, devoted to the restoration of the Church.

Over 800 pilgrims reached their destination on Sunday, where we reverenced the ground that the first martyr on this continent had shed his blood, followed by a Solemn High Mass at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs.

Looking back

There's always something special (or at least extra-penitential) about each pilgrimage.

*St. Athanasius, patron of this new brigade*

Last year (2023) you could say it was how Maine had finally organized its own brigade for the first time (the St. Athanasius Brigade), which was the 3rd or 4th largest of the 20+ brigades. Or, you could say it was how a member of our brigade essentially re-entered the Church while on pilgrimage with us, receiving the Sacraments for the first time in over 10 years. Or when all attempted to sleep under park lights set on full blast, all night Thursday. Or our chaplain, a true character, giving us questionable time estimates and shaky promises of cheesecake awaiting us at the end of each day.

Then there was the pilgrimage the year before that, during Ember Week. Out in the cold before dawn, at the Saturday Ember Day Mass, silent but widespread confusion broke out over the 9 Readings heard during this Mass, far more than the typical 1 reading, and more than any other Mass in the entire Liturgical Year. Later at our destination, the first rain of the weekend was perfectly timed with our arrival, starting 15 minutes before the very end and setting a serious tone for our walk into the ravine of the first martyr. Exhausted, sore, and now wet, we reverenced the ground and went to Mass refreshed (and soggy).

And many more moments from years past.

This year

Our 2024 pilgrimage was no exception.

Eight pilgrims in our group were enrolled in the Brown Scapular, one of the main topics of our brigade’s meditations on the road. We aimed for the entire brigade to be enrolled in it by the end… maybe too ambitious, however eight is a major grace any way you count it.

Another grace for some - the often brutally cold nights didn't make an appearance this weekend, with lows generally in the 50's.

Back home, with a day left until the pilgrimage we were tested with a van breaking down, leaving a significant amount of pilgrims without transportation to New York, but the van was fixed just in time. And when we had no priest chaplain (meaning few opportunities for confession or spiritual direction) that problem was also resolved, with four priests joining us frequently at various points.

Finally, on the more action-packed side: a pilgrim in our brigade made pilgrimage history. A deer tried to cross the road between our brigade and another, and a second deer followed it without having enough room. Our guy got nailed by the deer and fell to the ground, but barely had a scratch after the encounter.

And many more moments that can't be fit in a newsletter.

Looking ahead

We are fairly certain that a certain priest from our Diocese will be our chaplain for 2025, whose own name is very appropriate for our brigade. Two other priests are possibly interested as well (but they haven’t committed yet; if you know them, don't harass them!)

We had a total of 42 people register with our brigade this year, making it the 2nd or 3rd largest in the entire pilgrimage. Because of this, if more in Maine are interested, there’s the possibility of starting a second brigade from Maine. Stay tuned!

Communion Rail to be Reinstalled at Lewiston Basilica

Fr. Daniel Greenleaf, Rector of the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, in Lewiston, recently announced the launch of a fundraising campaign with the goal of reinstalling the Basilica’s communion rail.

“When cleaning out the priory, we had to move the marble used for the altar rail at the Basilica,” Fr. Greenleaf explained in the weekly bulletin for Prince of Peach Parish. “In the renovations, the marble was placed there for safe keeping. Not having another place to store the marble, I asked the Bishop if we could restore it back to its original spot, and he gave us permission to restore it. Since then, I have asked for quotes from marble workers and the best quote we received was $40,000.”

Envelopes have been made available at the Basilica marked with “For the Restoration of the Altar Rail at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul.”

Donations can also be made online.

Contribute to the Altar Rail fund

Photo of the original sanctuary with the Communion Rail to be restored

To signal the TLM community’s support and enthusiasm for this long awaited development, Una Voce has committed to a donation. In his book, “The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite,” Michael Fiedrowicz discusses at length the traditional significance of the practice of kneeling at the Communion rail to receive Communiton.

“Ultimately, the point is that the method of receiving Communion and the careful treatment of the Eucharistic species should make evident the Church’s faith in the Real Presence. It is precisely the practice of Communion on the tongue while kneeling that contradicts the atmosphere of the everyday and profoundly conforms to the mystery: one is not taking common bread with his own hand, but receiving the Body of Christ that the Church gives to the faithful.
“For a meeting with the Redeemer’s divine Person, the outward sign of kneeling—witnessed many times in the biblical portrayals of encounters with the Risen Christ (cf. Mt 28: 9; Lk 24: 52)—is singularly appropriate. If the Church prescribes that the faithful must kneel for the moment of the consecration, then it is indeed liturgically appropriate also to kneel for the moment of Holy Communion, at which time Christ comes as close as possible to the faithful.
“Receiving Communion while kneeling is a sign of deep reverence; it is a manifest expression of a living faith in the sacramental presence of Christ and of humble reception of the divine gift. Furthermore, kneeling together at the Communion rail emphasizes the Communion of the faithful with each other in an impressive manner.”

Once the goal of $40,000 is reached, the installation will begin.

Readings: The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

October 17 – Saint Hedwige, Widow

It is Poland’s happy lot that at each decisive epoch in its history a Saint appears to point out the road to the attainment of its glorious destiny. Over the battlefield of Liegnitz (13th century) shines the gentle figure of St. Hedwige, mother of Duke Henry the Pious. She had retired, in her widowhood, into the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz, founded by herself. Three years before the coming of the Mongols, she had had a revelation touching the future fate of her son. She offered her sacrifice in silence; and far from discouraging the young duke, she was the first to animate him to resistance.

The night following the battle, she awoke one of her companions, and said to her: “Demundis, know that I have lost my son. My beloved son has fled from me, like a bird on the wing; I shall never see my son again in this life.” Demundis endeavored to console her; no courier had arrived from the army, and her fears were vain. “It is but too true,” replied the duchess; “but mention it to no one.”

Three days later the fatal news was confirmed. “It is the will of God,” said Hedwige; “what God wills, and what pleases him, must please us also.” And rejoicing in the Lord: “I thank thee, O my God,” said she, raising her hands and eyes to heaven, “for having given me such a son. He loved me all his life, always treated me with great respect, and never grieved me. I much desired to have him with me on earth, but I congratulate him with my whole soul, for that by the shedding of his blood he is united with thee in heaven, with thee his Creator. I recommend his soul to thee, O Lord my God.” No less an example was needed to sustain Poland under the new task it had just accepted.

October 18 – Saint Luke, Evangelist

The goodness and kindness of God our Savior hath appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11, 3:4) It would seem that the third Evangelist, a disciple of St. Paul, had purposed setting forth this word of the Doctor of the Gentiles; or may we not rather say, the Apostle himself characterizes in this sentence the Gospel wherein his disciple portrays the Savior prepared before the face of all peoples; a light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of … Israel. (Luke 2:31) St. Luke’s Gospel, and the words quoted from St. Paul, were in fact written about the same time; and it is impossible to say which claims priority.

Under the eye of Simon Peter, to whom the Father had revealed the Christ, the Son of the living God, Mark had the honor of giving to the Church the Gospel of Jesus, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1) Matthew had already drawn up for the Jews the Gospel of the Messias, Son of David, Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1) Afterwards, at the side of Paul, Luke wrote for the Gentiles the Gospel of Jesus, Son of Adam through Mary. (Luke 3:38) As far as the genealogy of this First-born of his Mother may be reckoned back, so far shall extend the blessing he bestows upon his brethren, by redeeming them from the course inherited from their first father.

October 31 – Vigil of All Saints

Let us prepare our souls for the graces heaven is about to shower upon the earth in return for its homage. Tomorrow the Church will be so overflowing with joy that she will seem to be already in possession of eternal happiness; but today she appears in the garb of penance, confessing that she is still an exile. Let us fast and pray with her; for are not we too pilgrims and strangers in this world, where all things are fleeting and hurry on to death?

Year by year, as the great solemnity comes round, it has gathered from among our former companions new saints, who bless our tears and smile upon our songs of hope. Year by year the appointed time draws nearer, when we ourselves, seated at the heavenly banquet, shall receive the homage of those who succeed us, and hold out a helping hand to draw them after us to the home of everlasting happiness. Let us learn, from this very hour, to emancipate our souls, let us keep our hearts free, in the midst of the vain solicitudes and false pleasures of a strange land: the exile has no care but his banishment, no joy but that which gives him a foretaste of his fatherland.

With these thoughts in mind, let us say with the Church the Collect of the Vigil.

Oremus:

O Lord our God, multiply thy grace upon us; and grant us in our holy profession to follow the joy of those whose glorious solemnity we anticipate. Through our Lord.

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UVM News and Readings: September 2024

As Summer comes to a close, our monthly newsletter is back and in an updated format. Here, you will find upcoming events this month, recaps of past events, and a return of the readings for the current month of the liturgical year.

News and Announcements

Join us on the Pilgrimage for Restoration!

by Adam Chamberland

Ever wanted to go on a pilgrimage? Later this month, Sept. 27th-29th, you have an opportunity to represent Maine at the Pilgrimage for Restoration, a 3-day traditional walking pilgrimage to the Shrine of the North American Martyrs. With over 800 participants last year, this is the largest pilgrimage of its kind within driving distance.

We walk, we camp, we pray through this 62-mile journey near the Adirondacks, offering it up both for our own intentions, and collectively for the restoration and freedom of the Church and its Tradition. High Mass is offered each day, with meditations and spiritual counseling available from traditional priests traveling with us. The North American Martyrs are a significant focus of our spirituality on the trip, since we start at the location where St. Isaac Jogues was captured, and end where the first of these missionary saints were martyred. The Maine brigade (now in its second year) has St. Athanasius as our patron saint, so you will hear about his life and works as well.

The pilgrimage again is from September 27th-29th.

Registration is open now! If you have questions or are interested, please contact Adam Chamberland at adam.chamberland1@gmail.com, or you can join us at one of the meetings below. Odds are, you'll already know a few people going on the pilgrimage.

Meetings after each TLM

To prepare for the pilgrimage, we’re having an important (but optional) meeting to ask questions, plan, prepare, and get to know who will be joining us.

This meeting is especially helpful for newcomers and those joining by themselves or a small group of friends. It’s an opportunity to ask the veteran pilgrims questions, learn how to prepare for a good pilgrimage, and coordinate things such as carpooling and camp sites.

This meeting will be held after each of the chaplaincy TLM’s social hours:

Portland, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception: 9/8 at approximately 2pm

Lewiston, Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul: 9/15 at approximately 10am

+ We hope to see you there! +

August Highlight: TLM Community Explores Traditional Liturgy with Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

Approximately 90 members of Maine’s TLM community turned out on Sunday, August 18th, for an engaging evening with noted author and liturgist Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, at Holy Martyrs Church in Falmouth.

Dr. Kwasniewski, a founding faculty member, administrator, and choir director at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, spoke for an hour in a lecture titled, “The Grace of Stability: How Liturgy Forms the Christian Soul.”

Readings

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

September 8 – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

And the Virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:27) Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies Star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being spoilt, so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from his Mother’s integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendor shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, and shining by her merits, giving us light by her example. . . .

Our Lady: such is the title which befits her in every way, as that of Our Lord beseems her Son; it is the doctrinal basis of that worship of hyperdulia which belongs to her alone. She is below her Son, whom she adores as we do; but above all God’s servants, both Angels and men, inasmuch as she is his Mother. At the Name of Jesus every knee is bent; at the Name of Mary every head is bowed. And although the former is the only Name whereby we may be saved; yet, as the Son can never be separated from his Mother, heaven unites their two Names in its hymns and praise, earth in its confidence, hell in its fear and hatred.

September 14 – The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

“Through thee the precious Cross is honored and worshipped throughout the world.” Thus did St. Cyril of Alexandria apostrophize our Lady on the morrow of that great day, which saw her divine maternity vindicated at Ephesus. Eternal Wisdom has willed that the Octave of Mary’s birth should be honored by the celebration of this Feast of the triumph of the holy Cross. The Cross indeed is the standard of God’s armies, whereof Mary is the Queen; it is by the Cross that she crushes the serpent’s head, and wins so many victories over error, and over the enemies of the Christian name.

By this sign thou shalt conquer. Satan had been suffered to try his strength against the Church by persecution and tortures; but his time was drawing to an end. By the edict of Sardica, which emancipated the Christians, Galerius, when about to die, acknowledged the powerlessness of hell. Now was the time for Christ to take the offensive, and for his Cross to prevail. Towards the close of the year 311, a Roman army lay at the foot of the Alps, preparing to pass from Gaul into Italy. Constantine, its commander, thought only of revenging himself for an injury received from Maxentius, his political rival; but his soldiers, as unsuspecting as their chief, already belonged henceforward to the Lord of hosts. The Son of the Most High, having become, as Son of Mary, king of this world, was about to reveal himself to his first lieutenant, and at the time to discover to his first army the standard that was to go before it. Above the legions, in a cloudless sky, the Cross, proscribed for three long centuries, suddenly shone forth; all eyes beheld it, making the Western sun, as it were, its footstool, and surrounded with these words in characters of fire: In hoc vince: by this be thou conqueror! A few months later, the 27th of October 312, all the idols of Rome stood aghast to behold, approaching along the Flaminian Way, beyond the Bridge Milvius, the Labarum with its sacred monogram, now become the standard of the imperial armies. On the morrow was fought the decisive battle, which opened the gates of the Eternal City to Christ, the only God, the everlasting King.

September 29 – Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel

The east commemorates on the sixth of September an apparition of the victorious Prince at Chone (ancient Collossæ) in Phrygia; while the eighth of November is the solemnity of the angels, corresponding to our feast of today, and bearing the title: “Synaxis of Saint Michael prince of the heavenly host, and of the other spiritual Powers.” Although the term synaxis is usually applied only to religious assemblies here on earth, we are informed that in this instance it also signifies the gathering of the faithful angels at the cry of their chief, and their union eternally sealed by their victory. (Menolog. Basilii.)

Who, then, are these heavenly Powers, whose mysterious combat heads the first page of history? Their existence is attested by the traditions of all nations as well as by the authority of holy Scripture. If we consult the Church, she teaches us that in the beginning God created simultaneously two natures, the spiritual and the corporal, and afterwards man who is composed of both. (Fourth Lateran Council, iv cap. Firmiter) The scale of nature descends by gradation from beings made to the likeness of God, to the very confines of nothingness; and by the same degrees the creature mounts upwards to his Creator. God is infinite being, infinite intelligence, infinite love. The creature is forever finite: but man, endowed with a reasoning intellect, and the angel, with an intuitive grasp of truth, are ever, by a continual process of purification, widening the bounds of their imperfect nature, in order to reach, by increase of light, the perfection of greater love.

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June 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

While it’s always risky to make definitive statements concerning the arrival of summer in Maine, I hope this newsletter finds you all enjoying what, well, appears to be consistently warmer weather.

In keeping with the “Vacationland” mindset, we will be taking a break from this newsletter for July and August.

Before signing off, however, we are happy to report that we were recently able to respond to a request from Fr. Cartwright for financial support that enabled him to purchase a full high Mass vestment set for the First Saturday Masses at Holy Martyrs.

These include a Marian Alta Parament, a Marian Cope & Stole for the Asperges/Vidi Aquam, and a vestment set, all of which taken together will enable Fr. Cartwright to enhance the beauty of the First Saturday Masses.

I wish you all a warm and blessed summer.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, P. 92, 101-102.

The position of the Credo as the conclusion of the Mass of the Catechumens here expresses the agreement of the faithful with the Word of God that they have heard, rather than in the Spanish rite in which the Creed was intended as a proof of orthodoxy before Communion. Nevertheless, when used as a transition from the Mass of the Catechumens to the Mass of the Faithful, the Credo is the best means of preparing the faithful for Communion, as it devoutly professes the Incarnation of the eternal Son of God, allows the Eucharistic consecration to be recognized as a continuation of this mystery, and helps the sacred character of Communion to be considered in the light of this mystery. The spiritual preparation that the recitation of the Creed allows was already emphasized by the Council of Toledo (589) at the admission of the Symbol [symbolum] into the Spanish rite of Mass: “It should be sung by the people in a loud voice so that the true Faith may have a clear testimony and so that the faithful, if they are there to receive the Body and the Blood of Christ, may purify their hearts through the Creed.”

The Sanctus in the Western liturgy can be traced back to the first half of the fifth century, while the Benedictus that follows was common in the Roman Missal since the seventh century at the latest. Appropriately, both of these texts borrowed from the Bible stand at the beginning of the Canon, because in it, through the consecration, will take place a theophany that the Church already anticipates as she joins in the singing of the angels, which the Prophet Isaiah saw before the Throne of God (cf. Is 6: 1– 3), as well as in the cry of joy at the coming Messiah with which the crowd of people greeted Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem (cf. Mt 21: 9).

As the Hosanna, kept untranslated in the Gospel, is a cry of homage (“ praise,” “hail”) and is similar to the Benedictus, the Sanctus expresses the unending dignity, majesty, and sanctity of God. The threefold repetition of the singular Sanctus was already understood in the fourth century as testimony of the three divine Persons and the simultaneous unity of Their being. Both the Sanctus and Benedictus profess the central mysteries of the Faith, the Triune God and the coming of the Savior into the world.

As the praise of God by the angels (Sanctus) is followed by the people’s song of praise (Benedictus) and the Church Militant on earth joins in with the hymns of the Church Triumphant, the earthly liturgy once again unites with the celestial liturgy (“ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty”: Rev 4: 8), deriving its worth from being the echo and reflection of the latter. The priest’s bent posture (supplici confessione dicentes: close of the Preface) is an expression of profound adoration, corresponding to the biblical description of the heavenly liturgy (cf. Rev 4: 8; Is 6: 2). At the joyful, triumphant hymn of the Benedictus, the priest rights himself again and crosses himself, since Christ comes to renew the sacrifice of the Cross on the altar in a sacramental form and to include the Church in this sacrifice.

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

June 7 - The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

A New ray of light shines today in the heaven of holy Church, and its light brings warmth. The divine Master given to us by our Redeemer, that is, the Paraclete Spirit, who has come down into this world, continues his teachings to us, in the sacred Liturgy. The earliest of these his divine teachings was the mystery of the Trinity; and we have worshipped the Blessed Three: we have been taught who God is, we know him in his own nature, we have been admitted, by faith, into the sanctuary of the infinite Essence. Then, this Spirit, the mighty wind of Pentecost, (Acts 2:2) opened to our souls new aspects of the truth, which it is his mission to make the world remember; (John 14:26) and his revelation left us prostrate before the Sacred Host, the Memorial which God himself has left us of all his wonderful works. (Psalms 110:3) Today, it is the sacred Heart of the Word made flesh that this Holy Spirit puts before us, that we may know and love and adore it.

There is a mysterious connection between these three Feasts, of Trinity, Corpus Christi, and the Sacred Heart. The aim of the Holy Ghost, in all three, is this,—to initiate us more and more into that knowledge of God by faith, which is to fit us for the face-to-face Vision in heaven. We have already seen how God, being made known to us, by the first, in himself, manifests himself to us, by the second, in his outward works,—for the holy Eucharist is the memorial, here below, in which he has brought together, and with all possible perfection, all those his wondrous works. But by what law can we pass, so rapidly, so almost abruptly, from one Feast, which is all directly regarding God, to another, which celebrates his works, done by him to and for us? Then again: how came the divine thought, how came, that is, eternal Wisdom, from the infinite repose of the eternally blessed Trinity, to the external activity of a love for us poor creatures, which has produced what we call the Mysteries of our Redemption? The Heart of the Man-God is the solution of these difficulties; it answers all such questions, and explains to us the whole divine plan.

June 18 – Saint Ephraem, Deacon, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

Saint Ephraem, monk and deacon, the contemporary of St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nazianzen and St. Gregory of Nyssa, was with them one of the glories of the Christian East so rich in testimonies to faith and sanctity during the first centuries. He takes his place in the liturgical cycle among the doctors of the Universal Church. It is only fitting that the ancient piety of Edessa and Nisibis should be represented in the Roman calendar by him who was always held to be the most illustrious of her sons. St. Ehpraem was honored by the whole Church for the depth and vastness of his doctrine, and the whole Catholic world rejoiced when Pope Benedict XV pronounced him worthy to be placed among the great doctors of the Church both Greek and Latin. No one was more worthy than the celebrated Deacon of Edessa of such an honor. Even during his lifetime men delighted to honor him with such titles as illustrious “doctor of the universe,” “prophet and sun of the Syrians,” “pillar of the Church,” and “harp of the Holy Spirit.” All the Orthodox fathers and doctors from St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom and St. Jerome down to St. Francis de Sales at St. Alphonsus Liguori are unanimous in his praise. Seldom has reputation been more brilliant, authority more universally acknowledged than that of the humble Syrian monk: less than twenty years after his death his writings were read publicly in church after the Scriptures.

As theologian, poet and orator his literary work was immense. His writings comprise commentaries on the Scriptures, theological discourses and poems, moral and ascetic treatises, hymns in praise of Almighty God, our Lady and the saints. These form an inestimable treasure where successive generations have found not only weapons wherewith to combat error but also food to strengthen their souls. The works of St. Ephraem, written in Syriac, were at an early date translated not only into Greek, but also into all the languages of the East—Coptic, Ethiopian, Arabic and Armenian—so that his hymns and canticles are to be found in all the liturgical books of the Syriac Church, both Orthodox and Uniate, which thus remains indebted to his fruitful genius.

June 24 – The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

The Voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord; behold thy God” (Isaiah 40:3-9) Oh! in this world of ours grown now so cold, who can understand earth’s transports, at hearing these glad tidings so long expected? The promised God is not yet manifested; but already have the heavens bowed down, (Psalm 17:10) to make way for his passage. No longer is He “the One who is to come,” He for whom our fathers, the illustrious saints of the prophetic age, ceaselessly called, in their indomitable hope. Still hidden, indeed, but already in our midst, — He is resting beneath that virginal cloud, compared with which, the heavenly purity of Thrones and Cherubim wax dim; yea, the united fires of burning Seraphim grow faint, in presence of the single love wherewith she alone encompasses him in her human heart, — she that lowly daughter of Adam whom He hath chosen for His mother. Our accursed earth, made suddenly more blessed far, than yonder heaven inexorably closed erstwhile to suppliant prayer, — awaits no longer aught, save that the august mystery be revealed; the hour is come for earth to join her canticles to that Eternal Praise Divine, which henceforth is rising from the depths, and which being itself no other than the Word Himself, celebrates God condignly. But beneath the veil of humility where His Divinity, even after as well as before His birth, must still continue to hide itself from men, — who may discover the Emmanuel? — who, having recognized Him in His merciful abasements, may succeed in making Him to be accepted by a world lost in pride? — who may cry, pointing out the Carpenter’s Son, (Matthew 13:55) in the midst of the crowd: Behold Him whom your fathers have so wistfully awaited!

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May 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

I hope you have all been enjoying a blessed Eastertide.

With Easter having come early, this year, May is essentially packed with liturgical highlights. So as I did once before, I’m going to turn entirely to Dom Guéranger to let him guide us through the many reasons we have in the month ahead to give continuous thanks to God.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

May 9 – THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendour. The earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel, (Psalms 95, 96, & 97) now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror’s approach. (Psalm 23:7) The holy souls, that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven’s gate, closed by Adam’s sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer: — a few hours more, and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit his Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.

They are in the Cenacle, impatiently awaiting his coming. Suddenly he appears in their midst. Of the Mother’s joy, who would dare to speak? As to the Disciples and the holy Women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, who has come to take his leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them; he even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of his Resurrection, for he knows that they have no further doubts of the mystery; but now that he is about to sit at the right hand of the Father, he would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. O admirable repast! in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus, and in which the Church, (represented by the Disciples and the holy Women,) is honored by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse.

What tongue could describe the respect, the recollected mien, the attention of the guests? With what love must they not have riveted their eyes on the dear Master? They long to hear him speak; his parting words will be so treasured! He does not keep them long in suspense; he speaks, but his language is not what they perhaps expected it to be—all affection. He begins by reminding them of the incredulity wherewith they heard of his Resurrection. (Mark 16:14) He is going to entrust his Apostles with the most sublime mission ever given to man; he would, therefore, prepare them for it by humbling them. A few days hence, and they are to be lights of the world; the world must believe what they preach, believe it on their word, believe it without having seen, believe what the Apostles alone have seen.

May 19 – WHIT SUNDAY: PENTECOST

The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has, at last, shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are accomplished. (Acts 2:1) We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of Fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the Creation of the Light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus; it is about to receive its final consecration, and bring us the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)

In the Old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the Fiftieth Day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the Desert, which was to lead to the Promised Land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and his people. The Pentecost (the Fiftieth Day) was honored by the promulgation of the ten commandments of the Divine Law; and every following year, the Israelites celebrated the great event by a solemn Festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon he began his mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under his Law. . . .

Suddenly is heard, coming from heaven, the sound of a violent wind: it startles the people in the City, it fills the Cenacle with its mighty breath. A crowd is soon round the house that stands on Mount Sion; the hundred and twenty Disciples that are within the building, feel that mysterious emotion within them, of which their Master once said: The Spirit breatheth where he will, and thou hearest his voice. (John 3:8) Like that strange invisible creature, which probes the very depth of the sea and makes the waves heave mountains high, this Breath from heaven will traverse the world from end to end, breaking down every barrier that would stay its course.

The holy assembly have been days in fervent expectation; the Divine Spirit gives them this warning of his coming, and they, in the passiveness of ecstatic longing, await his will. As to them that are outside the Cenacle, and have responded to the appeal thus given, let us, for the moment, forget them. A silent shower falls in the House; it is a shower of Fire, which, as holy Church says (in the Responsory for the Thursday within the Octave), “burns not, but enlightens—consumes not, but shines.” Flakes of fire, in the shape of tongues, rest on the heads of the hundred and twenty Disciples: it is the Holy Ghost taking possession of all and each. The Church is not not only in Mary, but also in these hundred and twenty Disciples. All belong now to the spirit that has descended upon them; his kingdom is begun, it is manifested, its conquests will be speedy and glorious.

May 26 - Feast of the Most Holy Trinity

On the day of Pentecost the holy Apostles received, as we have seen, the grace of the Holy Ghost. In accordance with the injunction of their Divine Master, (Matthew 28:19) they will soon start on their mission of teaching all nations and baptizing men in the name of the Holy Trinity. It was but right, then, that the solemnity which is intended to honor the mystery of one God in three Persons should immediately follow that of Pentecost, with which it has a mysterious connection. And yet, it was not until after many centuries that it was inserted in the cycle of the liturgical year, whose completion is the work of successive ages.

Every homage paid to God by the Church’s liturgy has the holy Trinity as its object. Time, as well as eternity, belongs to the Trinity. The Trinity is the scope of all religion. Every day, every hour, belongs to It. The feasts instituted in memory of the mysteries of our redemption center in It. The feasts of the blessed Virgin and the Saints are but so many means for leading us to the praise of the God who is One in essence, and Three in Persons. This Sunday’s office, in a very special way, gives us, each week a most explicit expression of adoration and worship of this mystery, which is the foundation of all others, and the source of all grace.

This explains to us how it is that the Church was so long in instituting a special feast in honor of the Holy Trinity. The ordinary motive for the institution of feasts did not exist in this instance. A feast is the memorial of some fact which took place at a certain time, and of which it is well to perpetuate the remembrance and the influence. How could this be applied to the mystery of the Trinity? From all eternity, before any created being existed, God liveth and reigneth, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. If a feast in honor of that mystery were to be instituted, it could only be by fixing some one day in the year, whereon the faithful would assemble for offering a more than usually solemn tribute of worship to the mystery of Unity and Trinity in the one same Divine Nature. . . . Let us, then, begin this day, by giving glory to the one God in three Persons.

May 9 – Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Side by side with Athanasius, a second Doctor of the Church comes forward, at this glad Season, offering to the Risen Jesus the tribute of his learning and eloquence. It is Gregory of Nazianzen, the friend of Basil; the great orator; the admirable poet, whose style combines energy of thought with a remarkable richness and ease of expression; the one among all the Gregories who has merited and received the glorious name of Theologian, on account of the soundness of his teachings, the sublimity of his ideas, and the magnificence of his diction. Holy Church exults at being able to offer us so grand a Saint during Easter Time, for no one has spoken more eloquently than he on the Mystery of the Pasch. Let us listen to the commencement of his second Sermon for Easter; and then judge for ourselves.

“I will stand upon my watch, says the admirable Prophet Habacuc. (Habakuk 2:1) I, also, on this day, will imitate him; I will stand on the power and knowledge granted me by the favor of the Holy Ghost, that I may consider and know what is to be seen, and what will be told unto me. And I stood and I watched; and lo! a man ascending to the clouds; and he was of exceeding high stature, and his face was the face of an Angel, and his garment was dazzling as a flash of lightning. And he lifted up his hand towards the East, and cried out with a loud voice. His voice was as the voice of a trumpet, and around him stood, as it were, a multitude of the heavenly host, and he said: ‘Today is salvation given to both the visible and the invisible world. Christ hath risen from the dead: do ye also rise. Christ hath returned to himself: do ye also return. Christ hath freed himself from the Tomb: be ye set free from the bonds of sin. The gates of hell are opened, and death is crushed; and old Adam is laid aside, and the new one is created. Oh! if there be a new creature formed in Christ, be ye made new!’

May 27 – Saint Bede the Venerable, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Bede, a priest, was born at Jarrow, on the borders of England and Scotland. At the age of seven he was placed under the care of St. Bennet Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, to be educated. He became a monk, and so ordered his life that, while devoting himself wholly to the pursuit of learning, he did in no way relax the discipline of his Order. There was no branch of learning in which he was not thoroughly versed, but his chief care was the study of the Holy Scriptures, and in order to understand them better, he learned Greek and Hebrew. At the age of thirty he was ordained priest at the command of his Abbot, and, on the advice of Acca, bishop of Hexham, immediately undertook the work of expounding the Sacred Books. In his interpretations he adhered to the teachings of the holy Fathers so strictly that he advanced nothing which they had not taught, and even made use of their very words. He ever hated sloth, and by habitually passing from reading to prayer and from prayer to reading. He so maintained the fervour of his soul that he was often moved to tears while reading or teaching. He persistently refused the office of Abbot, lest his mind should be distracted by the cares of transitory things.

The name of Bede soon became so famous for learning and piety that Pope St Sergius thought of calling him to Rome so that he might help to solve the difficult questions which had then arisen concerning sacred things. He wrote many books to reform the lives of the faithful, and to defend and propagate the faith. By these he gained such a reputation in all parts that the holy Bishop Boniface, who was later martyred, called him a “light of the Church.” Lanfranc styled him the “teacher of the English,” and the Council of Aix-Ia-Chapelle “the admirable Doctor.” But as his writings were publicly read in the churches during his lifetime. And as it was not yet allowable to call him ‘saint: they named him the “Venerable,” a title which has ever remained peculiarly his. The power of his teaching was the greater because it was confirmed by holiness of life and the observance of religious discipline. Hence his own earnestness and example made his disciples, who were many and distinguished, eminent not only in learning, but also in sanctity.

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April 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Surrexit Christus, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Greetings,

I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying a blessed Easter season!

In February, I noted that one of the Lenten monastic traditions I’ve become attached to is the “Burying of the Alleluia,” when the word “Alleluia” is written out on parchment or paper and buried on Septuagesima Sunday. Of course, this symbolizes the fact that throughout Lent the liturgy essentially banishes the word entirely. Indeed, one way I’ve come to look upon Holy Saturday is as an opportunity to reflect upon what the world would might be like if the last two millennia had never been shaped by the promise and fact of the Lord’s Resurrection, and, as a result, if we had no reason to sing “Alleluia” at all.

Well, now comes the payoff, as beginning with the Easter Vigil and continuing throughout the Easter season the liturgy allows us to more than make up for the silence of the preceding weeks. If, as St. Augustine famously observed, “to sing once is to pray twice,” then the number of Alleluias that flow through the liturgy during these weeks make Easter a season of practically endless prayer and praise.

This month, in addition to noting some of the saints whose feast days we’ll be celebrating, I’ve selected a passage from a recent book by Abbé Claude Barthe, a French traditionalist priest and a professor at the international seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. As the title suggest, Abbé Barthe focuses on the symbolism of the TLM as well as its historical development. The passage below briefly describes how the early “clerical composers” aimed to develop a style of Latin that, more than simply communicating the intentions of the liturgical prayers, also utilized “rhetorical rhythms and registers” that rose to the level of poetic praise.

A blessed and happy Easter to you all!

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: A Forest of Symbols: The Traditional Mass and Its Meaning

Abbé Claude Barthe, p. 78

On the development of “Liturgical Prose”:

“From the stylistic point of view, the priestly prayers (apart of course from the Pater noster) are the best example of the liturgical language that the Church of Rome created when Latin was first used in worship. They are typical of the Late Antique rhetoric in which their clerical composers of the fourth century, and above all, of the fifth and sixth centuries, were trained, adapted to the particular artistic prose of the liturgy, with a rhythm, a vocabulary, and a taste that is sober and solemn. The style found in the great liturgical prayers (the orations, the Preface, the Canon) is that of the elogium, the panegyric style (the celebratio), intended to produce a speech thanking God in the way that one might thank an emperor or a magistrate, or conversely to thank the magistrate and emperor in the way that one might thank God. The Prefaces in their diverse and very numerous forms (those of the Mass; those for the consecration of an object, such as the Paschal candle; of the church; of a person, such as an ordinand, a Father Abbot, a consecrated virgin, the king, etc.) are the incontestable evidence.

For this purpose liturgical prose makes use of different Roman rhetorical registers—the petition, the supplication, the celebration—and of stylistic devices highly valued by the very literate, including antitheses (earthly goods vis-à-vis heavenly goods, for example), parallelism and balance, asyndeton (between nouns or adjectives, for example), assonance (repetition of a sound), hyperbaton (separation of a subject from its verb, of a noun from its qualifier), chiasmus, and wordplay with similar-sounding words, paronomasia, etc. The literary success of this renewal of Latin solemnity and of the Roman gravitas is the achievement of a Christian Rome that was determined to surpass the ancients in the honor of Christ. The best examples of this style are the Collects, with their rhythm, their concision, their balanced antitheses, their oratorical flow; as also are the Prefaces; and, with its tone at once solemn and well constructed, the unsurpassable masterpiece of Christian Latinity, a sublime piece of poetry in prose: the Roman Canon. This liturgical Latin of Late Antiquity became a mold imparting its shape to a greater or lesser extent to all the subsequent compositions; much as the basilican plan, reinterpreted by Christian worship, remained visible in all the subsequent architectural variations.”

Excerpt:The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

April 11 –Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

One of the grandest Saints in the Church’s Calendar is brought before us today. Leo, the Pontiff and Doctor, rises on the Paschal horizon, and calls for our admiration and love. As his name implies, he is the Lion of holy Church; thus representing, in his own person, one of the most glorious of our Lord’s titles. There have been twelve Popes who have had this name, and five of the number are enrolled in the catalogue of Saints; but not one of them has so honored the name as he whose feast we keep today: hence, he is called “Leo the Great.”

He deserved the appellation by what he did for maintaining the faith regarding the sublime mystery of the Incarnation. The Church had triumphed over the heresies that had attacked the dogma of the Trinity, when the gates of hell sought to prevail against the dogma of God having been made Man. Nestorius, a Bishop of Constantinople, impiously taught that there were two distinct Persons in Christ—the Person of the Divine Word, and the Person of Man. The Council of Ephesus condemned this doctrine, which, by denying the unity of Person in Christ, destroyed the true notion of the Redemption. A new heresy, the very opposite of that of Nestorianism, but equally subversive of Christianity, soon followed. The monk Eutyches maintained that, in the Incarnation, the Human Nature was absorbed by the Divine. The error was propagated with frightful rapidity. There was needed a clear and authoritative exposition of the great dogma, which is the foundation of all our hopes. Leo arose, and, from the Apostolic Chair, on which the Holy Ghost had placed him, proclaimed with matchless eloquence and precision the formula of the ancient faith—ancient, indeed, and ever the same, yet ever acquiring greater and fresher brightness. A cry of admiration was raised at the General Council of Chalcedon, which had been convened for the purpose of condemning the errors of Eutyches. “Peter,” exclaimed the Fathers, “Peter has spoken by the mouth of Leo!”

April 21 – Saint Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

A monk, a Bishop, a Doctor of the Church—such was the Saint whose feast comes to gladden us on this twenty-first day of April. He was a martyr, also, at least in desire, and we may add, in merit too—for he did enough to earn the glorious palm. When we think of Anselm, we picture to ourselves a man in whom are combined the humility and meekness of the cloister with the zeal and courage of the episcopal dignity; a man who was both a sage and a saint; a man whom it was impossible not to love and respect.

He left his native country of Piedmont for the Monastery of Bec in France, where he became a Benedictine monk. Being elected Superior, he realized in himself the type of an Abbot, as drawn by St. Benedict in his Rule: “He that is made Abbot,” says the holy Patriarch, “should study to give help rather than to give commands.” (The Holy Rule, ch. 64) We read that the love entertained for Anselm by his brethren was beyond description. His whole time was devoted to them, either in giving them spiritual direction, or in communicating to them his own sublime knowledge of the sacred sciences. After governing them for several years, he was taken from them, and compelled to accept the dignity of Archbishop of Canterbury.

April 25 – Saint Mark, Evangelist

The Cycle of holy mother Church brings before us today, the Lion, who, together with the Man, the Ox and the Eagle, stands before the Throne of God. (Ezechiel 1:10) It was on this day, that Mark ascended from earth to heaven, radiant with his triple aureole of Evangelist, Apostle, and Martyr.

As the preaching made to Israel had its four great representatives, — Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Daniel; so, likewise, would God have the New Covenant to be embodied in the four Gospels, which were to make known to the world the Life and teachings of his divine Son. The Holy Fathers tell us, that the Gospels are like the four streams which watered the Garden of pleasure, (Genesis 2:10) and that this Garden was a figure of the future Church. The first of the Evangelists, — the first to register the actions and words of our Redeemer, — is Matthew, whose star will rise in September; the second is Mark, whose brightness gladdens us today; the third is Luke, whose rays will shine upon us in October; the fourth is John, whom we have already seen in Bethlehem, at the Crib of our Emmanuel.

Mark was the beloved disciple of Peter; he was the brilliant satellite of the Sun of the Church. He wrote his Gospel at Rome, under the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles. The Church was already in possession of the history given by Matthew; but the Faithful of Rome wished their own Apostle to narrate what he had witnessed. Peter refused to write it himself, but he bade his disciple take up his pen, and the Holy Ghost guided the hand of the new Evangelist. Mark follows the account given by Matthew; he abridges it, and yet he occasionally adds a word, or an incident, which plainly prove to us that Peter, who had seen and heard all, was his living and venerated authority. One would have almost expected, that the new Evangelist would pass over in silence the history of his master’s fall, or,, at least, have said as little as possible about it but no, — the Gospel written by Mark is more detailed on Peter’s denial than is that of Matthew; and as we read it, we cannot help feeling, that the tears, elicited by Jesus’ look, when in the house of Caiphas, were flowing down the Apostle’s cheeks, as he described the sad event. Mark’s work being finished, Peter examined it and gave it his sanction the several Churches joyfully received this second account of the mysteries of the world’s redemption, and the name of Mark was made known throughout the whole earth.

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March 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard that the Diocese of Portland will be getting a new bishop later this Spring. Most Rev. James T. Ruggieri, currently of Providence, RI, will be ordained and installed as the 13th bishop of Portland on May 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

On behalf of the Una Voce Maine team and all who attend the TLM in Maine, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Bishop Deeley for his steadfast support of the St. Gregory the Great Chaplaincy and the Traditional Latin Mass, and wish him all the best for a long and happy retirement.

As for the month ahead, Easter falling on the last day of March gives the weeks in front of us a rare sense of focus and air of inevitability. With that in mind, I thought I’d give the floor entirely to Dom Gueranger and let him walk us through Lent, the feasts of St. Joseph and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and up to the beginning of Holy Week.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpts from The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

The Third Sunday of Lent

The holy Church gave us, as the subject of our meditation for the First Sunday of Lent, the Temptation which our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to suffer in the Desert. Her object was to enlighten us how to conquer them. Today, she wishes to complete her instruction on the power and stratagems of our invisible enemies; and for this, she reads to us a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke. During Lent, the Christian ought to repair the past, and provide for the future; but he can neither understand how it was he fell, nor defend himself against a relapse, unless he have correct ideas as to the nature of the dangers which have hitherto proved fatal, and are again threatening him. Hence, the ancient Liturgists would have us consider it as a proof of the maternal watchfulness of the Church that she should have again proposed such a subject to us. As we shall find, it is the basis of all today’s instructions. . .

The Third Sunday of Lent is called Oculi from the first word of the Introit. In the primitive Church, it was called Scrutiny Sunday, because it was on this day that they began to examine the Catechumens, who were to be admitted to Baptism on Easter night. All the Faithful were invited to assemble in the Church, in order that they might bear testimony to the good life and morals of the candidates. At Rome, these examinations, which were called the Scrutinies, were made on seven different occasions, on account of the great number of aspirants to Baptism; but the principal Scrutiny was that held on the Wednesday of the Fourth Week.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent

This Sunday, called, from the first word of the Introit, Lætare Sunday, is one of the most solemn of the year. The Church interrupts her Lenten mournfulness; the chants of the Mass speak of nothing but joy and consolation; the Organ, which has been silent during the preceding three Sundays, now gives forth its melodious voice; the Deacon resumes his Dalmatic, and the Subdeacon his Tunic; and instead of purple, Rose-colored Vestments are allowed to be used. These same rites were practiced in Advent, on the third Sunday, called Gaudete. The Church’s motive for introducing this expression of joy in today’s Liturgy is to encourage her Children to persevere fervently to the end of this holy Season. The real Mid-Lent was last Thursday, as we have already observed; but the Church, fearing lest the joy might lead to some infringement on the spirit of penance, has deferred her own notice of it to this Sunday, when she not only permits, but even bids, her children to rejoice!

March 19 – Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin

The Son of God, when about to descend upon this earth to assume our human nature, would have a Mother; this Mother could not be other than the purest of Virgins, and her divine Maternity was not to impair her incomparable Virginity. Until such time as the Son of Mary were recognized as the Son of God, his Mother’s honour had need of a protector: some man, therefore, was to be called to the high honour of being Mary’s Spouse. This privileged mortal was Joseph, the chastest of men. . .

But he was not only chosen to the glory of having to protect the Mother of the Incarnate Word; he was also called to exercise an adopted paternity over the very Son of God. So long as the mysterious cloud was over the Saint of Saints, men called Jesus the Son of Joseph, and the Carpenter’s Son. When our Blessed Lady found the Child Jesus in the Temple, in the midst of the Doctors, she thus addressed him: Thy father and I, sorrowing, have sought thee; (Luke 2:48) and the holy Evangelist adds, that Jesus was subject to them, that is, that he was subject to Joseph as he was to Mary.

Who can imagine or worthily describe the sentiments which filled the heart of this man, whom the Gospel describes to us in one word, when it calls him the just man? (Matthew 1:19)

March 25 – The Annunciation of the Ever Blessed Virgin

This is a great day, not only to man, but even to God himself; for it is the anniversary of the most solemn event that time has ever witnessed. On this day, the Divine Word, by which the Father created the world, was made flesh in the womb of a Virgin, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) We must spend it in joy. Whilst we adore the Son of God who humbled himself by thus becoming Man, let us give thanks to the Father, who so loved the world, as to give his Only Begotten Son; (John 3:16) let us give thanks to the Holy Ghost, whose almighty power achieves the great mystery. We are in the very midst of Lent, and yet the ineffable joys of Christmas are upon us: our Emmanuel is conceived on this day, and, nine months hence, will be born in Bethlehem, and the Angels will invite us to come and honour the sweet Babe.

A tradition, which has come down from the Apostolic Ages, tells us, that the great Mystery of the Incarnation was achieved on the 25th day of March. (St. Augustine, De Trinitate, Book 4, Ch 5) It was at the hour of midnight, when the most Holy Virgin was alone and absorbed in prayer, that the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her, and asked her, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, to consent to become the Mother of God. Let us assist, in spirit, at this wonderful interview between the Angel and the Virgin; and, at the same time, let us think of that other interview, which took place between Eve and the serpent. A holy Bishop and Martyr of the, 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus, who had received the tradition from the very disciples of the Apostles, shows us that Nazareth is the counterpart of Eden. (Against Heresies Book 5, Ch 19)

In the garden of delights, there is a virgin and an angel; and a conversation takes place between them. At Nazareth, a virgin is also spoken to by an angel, and she answers him; but the angel of the earthly Paradise is a spirit of darkness, and he of Nazareth is a spirit of light. In both instances, it is the Angel that has the first word. Why, said the serpent to Eve, why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of Paradise? His question implies impatience and a solicitation to evil; he has contempt for the frail creature to whom he addresses it, but he hates the image of God which is upon her.

See, on the other hand, the Angel of light; see with what composure and peacefulness he approaches the Virgin of Nazareth, the new Eve; and how respectfully he bows himself down before her: Hail full of grace! The Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women! Such language is evidently of heaven: none but an Angel could speak thus to Mary.

Eve imprudently listens to the tempter’s words; she answers him; she enters into conversation with one that dares to ask her to question the justice of God’s commands. Her curiosity urges her on. She has no mistrust in the serpent; this leads her to mistrust her Creator.

Mary hears what Gabriel has spoken to her; but this Most Prudent Virgin is silent. She is surprised at the praise given her by the Angel. The purest and humblest of Virgins has a dread of flattery; and the heavenly Messenger can get no reply from her until he has fully explained his mission by these words: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Passion Sunday

Everything around us urges us to mourn. The images of the Saints, the very crucifix on our Altar, are veiled from our sight. The Church is oppressed with grief. During the first four weeks of Lent, she compassionated her Jesus fasting in the desert; his coming Sufferings and Crucifixion and Death are what now fill her with anguish. We read in today’s Gospel that the Jews threaten to stone the Son of God as a blasphemer: but his hour is not yet come. He is obliged to flee and hide himself. It is to express this deep humiliation that the Church veils the Cross. A God hiding himself, that he may evade the anger of men—what a mystery! Is it weakness? Is it that he fears death? No—we shall soon see him going out to meet his enemies: but at present, he hides himself from them, because all that had been prophesied regarding him has not been fulfilled. Besides, his death is not to be by stoning; he is to die upon a Cross, the tree of malediction which, from that time forward, is to be the Tree of Life. Let us humble ourselves, as we see the Creator of heaven and earth thus obliged to hide himself from men who are bent on his destruction! Let us go back in thought to the sad day of the first sin, when Adam and Eve hid themselves because a guilty conscience told them they were naked. Jesus is come to assure us of our being pardoned! and lo! he hides himself, not because he is naked—He that is to the Saints the garb of holiness and immortality—but because he made himself weak, that he might make us strong. Our First Parents sought to hide themselves from the sight of God; Jesus hides himself from the eye of men; but it will not be thus forever. The day will come when sinners, from whose anger he now flees, will pray to the mountains that they fall on them to shield them from his gaze; but their prayer will not be granted, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with much power and majesty. (Matthew 24:30)

This Sunday is called Passion Sunday, because the Church begins on this day to make the Sufferings of our Redeemer her chief thought. It is called also Judica, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass; and again, Neomania, that is, the Sunday of the new (or, the Easter) moon, because it always falls after the new moon which regulates the Feast of Easter Day.

Palm Sunday

Today, if ye shall hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.

Early in the morning of this day, Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, leaving Mary, his Mother, and the two sisters Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus, at Bethania. The Mother of Sorrows trembles at seeing her Son thus expose himself to danger, for his enemies are bent upon his destruction; but it is not Death, it is Triumph, that Jesus is to receive today in Jerusalem. The Messias, before being nailed to the Cross, is to be proclaimed King by the people of the great City; the little children are to make her streets echo with their Hosannas to the Son of David; and this in presence of the soldiers of Rome’s Emperor, and of the High Priests and Pharisees, the first, standing under the banner of their Eagles; the second, dumb with rage.

The Prophet Zachary had foretold this Triumph which the Son of Man was to receive a few days before his Passion, and which had been prepared for him from all eternity. “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Sion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold thy King will come to thee; the Just and the Saviour. He is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.“ (Zachariah 9:9) Jesus, knowing that the hour was come for the fulfillment of this prophecy, singles out two from the rest of his Disciples, and bids them lead to him an ass and her colt, which they would find not far off. He has reached Bethphage, on Mount Olivet. The two Disciples lose no time in executing the order given them by their divine Master; and the ass and the colt are soon brought to the place where He stands.

The holy Fathers have explained to us the mystery of these two animals. The ass represents the Jewish people, which had been long under the yoke of the Law; the colt, upon which, as the Evangelist says, no man yet hath sat, (Mark 11:2) is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever yet brought into subjection. The future of these two people is to be decided in a few days hence: the Jews will be rejected, for having refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messias; the Gentiles will take their place, be adopted as God’s people, and become docile and faithful.

The disciples spread their garments upon the colt; and our Saviour, that the prophetic figure might be fulfilled, sat upon him, (Mark 11:7, Luke 19:35) and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it was known that Jesus was near the City, the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of those Jews, who had come, from all parts, to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They go out to meet our Lord, holding palm branches in their hands, and loudly proclaiming him to be King. (Luke 19:38) They that had accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the enthusiastic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on the way, others cut down boughs from the Palm-trees, and strewed them along the road. Hosanna is the triumphant cry, proclaiming to the whole city, that Jesus, the Son of David, has made His entrance as her King.

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February 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

I suspect I speak for many when I observe that this is one of those years when the liturgical calendar seems more confusing than it is clarifying. As I write, Candlemas, often considered the absolute end of the Christmas-Epiphany season, still lies ahead. But Septuagesima Sunday, the beginning of the traditional pre-Lenten period, has already passed.

Then again, perhaps it’s not so much confusing as it is simply unexpected but also somewhat appropriate. The joy and celebration of Christmas overlaps and then gives way to an awareness of the call to, and the continued need for, penance.

I have to admit that as an adult convert my Lenten sensibilities are very much a work in progress. While I certainly wasn’t unaware of Lent, it didn’t factor much into the practices and traditions with which I was raised. What that provides me, however, is an opportunity to deepen my understanding of, and appreciation for, how the Church’s many traditions serve to express and enrich our understanding of the Christian faith itself.

One such tradition I’ve learned about in recent years is the depositio, or discontinuance, of the Alleluia throughout the liturgy beginning with the vigil of Septuagesima Sunday. As described by Father Francis X. Weiser, S.J., some decades ago, “On Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday (the third Sunday before Lent) this ancient and hallowed exclamation of joy and praise in the Christian liturgy is officially discontinued in the Western Church to signify the approach of the solemn season of Lent. According to the regulation of Pope Alexander II (1073) the Alleluia is sung twice after the prayers of the Divine Office, and not heard again till the solemn vigil service of Easter, when it once more is used as a glorious proclamation of Easter joy.”

Often referred to as the “Burying of the Alleluia,” given the common practice of writing the word on a board or piece of parchment and then burying it in the churchyard, this is one of the many liturgical traditions that had fallen by the wayside but that, fortunately, is making a comeback.

May the “ancient and hallowed exclamation of joy and praise” remain silently in our hearts, if not gloriously on our lips, as we begin once again our Lenten journey.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, pp. 89-90

The scriptural portion of the service following the Collect consists of the Epistle, Gradual, and Gospel, which may be followed by a sermon. In the Solemn High Mass, the Epistle is sung by the subdeacon and the Gospel by the deacon. While the subdeacon turns toward the altar, the deacon proclaims the Gospel toward the north, in eastern-oriented churches— a symbolic expression that the Gospel should drive out the powers of darkness and convert the pagans.

At a Low Mass, changing from the Epistle to the Gospel side and the positioning of the missal facing somewhat north are remembrances of the practice in the early church of reciting the readings from two ambos situated in the north and south side. The practice of directing the proclamation of the Gospel toward the north is a sign of the universal opening of the Church that does not limit the glad tidings to its own community. In the current form, the reading of the Epistle and Gospel is not done facing the people, they are read in liturgical Latin, and the Gospel is accompanied by candles and incense, all of which express the latreutic character of the readings insofar as proclaiming the great deeds of God (magnalia Dei) does not simply fulfill a didactic function, but constitutes an act of glorifying God.

Excerpts from The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

February 2 – The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Ash Wednesday

Yesterday, the World was busy in its pleasures, and the very Children of God were taking a joyous farewell to mirth: but this morning, all is changed. The solemn announcement, spoken of by the Prophet, has been proclaimed in Sion: (Joel 2) the solemn Fast of Lent, the Season of expiation, the approach of the great Anniversaries of our Redemption. Let us, then, rouse ourselves, and prepare for the spiritual combat.

But, in this battling of the spirit against the flesh, we need good armour. Our holy Mother the Church knows how much we need it; and therefore does she summon us to enter into the House of God, that she may arm us for the holy contest. . . .The enemies we have to fight with, are of two kinds: internal, and external. The first are our Passions; the second are the Devils. Both were brought on us by Pride, and man’s Pride began when he refused to obey his God. God forgave him his sin, but he punished him. The punishment was Death, and this was the form of the Divine Sentence: Thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return. (Genesis 3:19) . . .

It is probable, that, when this ceremony of the Wednesday in Quinquagesima Week was first instituted, it was not intended for all the Faithful, but only for such as had committed any of those crimes, for which the Church, inflicted a public penance; and these alone received the Ashes. Before the Mass of the day began, they presented themselves at the Church, where the people were all assembled. The Priests received the confession of their sins, and then clothed them in sackcloth, and sprinkled Ashes on their heads.

After this ceremony, the Clergy and the Faithful prostrated, and recited aloud the Seven Penitential Psalms. A Procession, in which the Penitents walked bare-footed, then followed; and on its return, the Bishop addressed these words to the Penitents: “Behold, we drive you from the doors of the Church, by reason of your sins and crimes, as Adam, the first man, was driven out of Paradise, because of his transgression.“ The Clergy then sang several Responsories, taken from the Book of Genesis, and in which mention was made of the sentence pronounced by God when he condemned man to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow, for that the earth was cursed on account of sin. The doors were then shut, and the Penitents were not to pass the threshold until Maundy Thursday, when they were to come and receive absolution.

Dating from the 11th Century, the discipline of Public Penance began to fall into disuse, and the holy rite of putting Ashes on the heads of all the Faithful indiscriminately, became so general, that, at length, it was considered as forming an essential part of the Roman Liturgy.

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January 2024 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

I hope this newsletter finds you all enjoying a Blessed and Merry Christmas season. Given the season and our focus on preparing for and welcoming the Lord, there is little to report from the UVM team, this month.

I would only note that the selections from Dom Guéranger highlight how the Church calendar quickly points to the myriad ways the Word spread, and continues to spread, first naturally with the Epiphany of the Lord, later in the month with the Conversion of St. Paul, and in between with the commemoration of St. Antony and what is traditionally considered the “official” founding of the monastic movement in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. As Dom Guéranger puts it, following St. Antony’s initiative, “Monasteries were built in every direction, in solitudes and in the very cities; and the Faithful had but to look at these communities living in the fervent and literal fulfillment of the Counsels of Christ, and they felt themselves encouraged to obey the Precepts.”

In what are often challenging times, may we, too, feel ourselves encouraged to emulate the fervor and commitment of those who have heeded the call to holiness by dedicating their lives to prayer and service.

Gaudete! Christus est natus!

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, pp. 75-76

Structure and Components of the Celebration of the Mass

The classical rite of the Mass includes two main parts, which further subdivide: the Foremass, or Mass of the Catechumens, since in the early Church the candidates for Baptism had to leave the divine worship afterward, and the Mass of the Faithful. The scriptural portion of the service and the Eucharistic sacrifice were placed as counterpoints to each other and related to each other just as the atrium, vestibule, and sanctuary were in an old Christian basilica.

The Mass of the Catechumens

Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

The priest’s entrance takes place in such a way that he first pauses with the acolyte at the foot of the altar and here— hence the name— recites “the prayers at the foot of the altar.” These include a variety of individual prayers (Psalm 42, Confiteor, versicle, and prayers while approaching the altar), which should interiorly prepare the priest and the acolyte, the representative of the people, for the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, so that right from the beginning they call to mind the thought of sacrifice (Introibo ad altare Dei), their sinfulness and need for forgiveness (Confiteor), and the requisite purity of heart (Aufer a nobis), and allow for a final preparatory reflection on the sacred event that is about to begin.
The prayers at the foot of the altar emphasize the sacredness of the upcoming action, which requires of the priest and the faithful alike appropriate dispositions, awakened in various ways by the individual prayers. Since neither a personal greeting nor a free-form introduction begins the Mass, in the mutual look at God the theocentrism of the sacred action becomes manifest and in the pre-shaped formula the timeless prayer of the Church can be perceived.

…To be continued

Excerpt: The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

January 6 - Epiphany of Our Lord

The Feast of the Epiphany is the continuation of the mystery of Christmas; but it appears on the Calendar of the Church with its own special character. Its very name, which signifies Manifestation, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to his creatures.

For several centuries, the Nativity of our Lord was kept on this day; and when in the year 376 the decree of the Holy See obliged all Churches to keep the Nativity on the 25th of December, as Rome did—the Sixth of January was not robbed of all its ancient glory. It was still to be called the Epiphany, and the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ was also commemorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had marked as the day on which that Baptism took place.

The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable and mysterious name of Theophania, which is of such frequent recurrence in the early Fathers as signifying a divine Apparition. We find this name applied to this Feast by Eusebius, St. Gregory Nazianzum, and St. Isidore of Pelusium. In the liturgical books of the Melchite Church the Feast goes under no other name.

Lastly, this Feast is called, in many countries, King’s Feast: it is, of course, an allusion to the Magi, whose journey to Bethlehem is so continually mentioned in today’s Office.

The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost the honor of being called, in the Canon of the Mass, a Day most holy. It is also one of the cardinal Feasts, that is, one of those on which the arrangement of the Christian Year is based; for as we have Sundays after Easter and Sundays after Pentecost, so also we count six Sundays after the Epiphany.

The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the joy caused us by the Birth of our Jesus must be renewed on it, for, as though it were a second Christmas Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light. It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of Bethlehem, who hath appeared to us already in love; but to this it adds its own grand manifestation of the divinity of our Jesus. At Christmas, it was a few Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and recognize the Word made Flesh; but now, at the Epiphany, the voice of God himself calls the whole world to adore this Jesus, and hear him.

January 17 – Saint Antony, Abbot

The East and West unite, today, in honouring St. Antony, the Father of Cenobites. The Monastic Life existed before his time, as we know from in-disputable testimony; but he was the first Abbot, because he was the first to bring Monks under the permanent government of one Superior or Father.

Antony began with seeking solely his own sanctification; he was known only as the wonderful Solitary, against whom the wicked spirits waged an almost continued battle: but, in course of time, men were attracted to him by his miracles and by the desire of their own perfection; this gave him Disciples; he permitted them to cluster round his cell; and Monasteries thus began to be built in the desert. The age of the Martyrs “was near its close; the persecution under Diocletian, which was to be the last, was over as Antony entered on the second half of his course: and God chose this time for organizing a new force in the Church. The Monastic Life was brought to bear upon the Christian world; the Ascetics, as they were called, not even such of them as were consecrated — were not a sufficient element of power.

Monasteries were built in every direction, in solitudes and in the very cities; and the Faithful had but to look at these communities living in the fervent and literal fulfillment of the Counsels of Christ, and they felt themselves encouraged to obey the Precepts. The apostolic traditions of continual prayer and penance were perpetuated by the Monastic system; it secured the study of the Sacred Scriptures and Theology; and the Church herself would soon receive from these arsenals of intellect and piety her bravest defenders, her holiest Prelates, and her most zealous Apostles. Yes, the Monastic Life was to be and give all this to the Christian world, for the example of St. Antony had given her a bias to usefulness.

January 25 – The Conversion of Saint Paul

We have already seen how the Gentiles, in the person of the Three Magi, offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem, and received from him, in return, the precious gifts of faith, hope, and charity. The harvest is ripe; it is time for the reaper to come. But, who is to be God’s labourer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the gospel of salvation to the uttermost parts of the world; but not one among them has, as yet, received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision, (Galatians 2:8) is sent specially, as was Christ himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel, (Matthew 15:24) And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles; (Acts 14:26) which he solemnly does, by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman Centurion.

But the Church is to have one more Apostle - an Apostle for the Gentiles - and he is to be the fruit of the martyrdom and prayer of St. Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh, and yet Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is, then, from heaven, where he reigns impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be his disciple, just as, during the period of his active life, he called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow him and hearken to his teachings. The Son of God will raise Saul up to the third heaven, and there will reveal to him all his mysteries: and when Saul, having come down again to this earth, shall have seen Peter, (Galatians 1:18) and compared his Gospel with that recognised by Peter (Galatians 2:2) - he can say, in all truth, that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus, (Galatians 1:1) and frequently elsewhere) and that he has done nothing less than the great Apostles. (2 Corinthians 11:5)

It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul, that this great work is commenced. It is on this day, that is heard the Almighty voice which breaketh the cedars of Libanus, (Psalm 28:5) and can make a persecuting Jew become first a Christian, and then an Apostle.

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December 2023 Newsletter & Readings

Greetings,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and anticipating the season of ultimate anticipation, Advent, that begins this Sunday. I am pleased to report that as the new liturgical year begins, we have a new beginning of sorts at Una Voce Maine in the form of a renovated website.

First and foremost, on behalf of the UVM team, I’d like to thank Adam Chamberland for lending his technical experience to our efforts. With Adam’s insights and aesthetic sensibilities, we focused on making our primary source of information about the TLM in Maine as accessible, useful, and attractive as possible.

We know we serve a diverse community, with many having years of experience with the Traditional Latin Mass but others who have only recently begun attending, so we’ve tried to offer a range of information while keeping the navigation clean and easily managed. Moving forward, we plan periodically to highlight different sections with excerpts from some of the linked sites and articles on activities and traditions in which our TLM community is involved.

I hope you will take some time to familiarize yourself with what the website has to offer. And, as always, please feel free to contact us with any comments or questions you may have.

In the meantime, on behalf of the UVM team, I wish you all a blessed and fruitful Advent.

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, pp.63-64

Merely entering into a House of God deserving of the name can communicate what it is about. Whoever enters such a place intuitively senses that this is a sacred place, separated from the restlessness and activity of the streets, withdrawn from the goals of commerce and consumption— a place sanctified, initially by its consecration but also by the many praying worshipers who have lingered here, asking, thanking, lamenting, praising. Sanctified by the countless baptisms, numberless confessions, marriages, confirmations, sanctified by missions, devotions, processions, private Masses, and solemn ceremonies. Whoever enters such a place senses how the stones and pictures have, as it were, absorbed all of these prayers over decades and centuries and likewise radiate forth an atmosphere of prayer. Whoever enters such a place senses: I do not stand alone before God; an immeasurable crowd of praying men before me has already stood and knelt before God; I am entering a place of prayer that has been built before my time, which encloses and surrounds me, supporting and accompanying my personal prayers. It is just the same with the traditional form of the Holy Mass. Whoever celebrates it enters into a spiritual space, in an atmosphere suffused with prayer, which receives and permeates his own personal prayers. . .

. . . In the same way, the traditional Mass possesses its own architectonics that differ from those of the revised form, and it is exactly in these differences that the particular “charism” of the classical rite emerges. The rite of entrance with the prayers at the foot of the altar and the double Confiteor of the priest and the acolyte, the direction of the prayer toward the altar, the richness of the diversely arranged gestures— signs of the Cross, genuflections, bows, and changing from the left to the right side— the silent Canon, the form of receiving Communion, the Last Gospel: all these are diverse elements that, like the architectonic form of the church building, lead the praying soul, prepare it, allow it to pause, to continue, and to rise up.

Excerpt: The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger, Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

The History of Advent

The name Advent [from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies a coming] is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honour of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance; and, in fact, it is impossible to state, with any certainty, when this season of preparation [which had long been observed before receiving its present name of Advent] was first instituted. It would seem, however, that its observance first began in the west, since it is evident that Advent could not have been looked on as a preparation for the feast of Christmas, until that feast was definitively fixed to the twenty-fifth of December; which was done in the east only towards the close of the fourth century; whereas it is certain that the Church of Rome kept the feast on that day at a much earlier period.

We must look upon Advent in two different lights: first, as a time of preparation, properly so called, for the birth of our Saviour, by works of penance; and secondly, as a series of ecclesiastical Offices drawn up for the same purpose. We find, as far back as the fifth century, the custom of giving exhortations to the people in order to prepare them for the feast of Christmas. . . . The oldest document in which we find the length and exercises of Advent mentioned with anything like clearness, is a passage in the second book of the History of the Franks by St. Gregory of Tours, where he says that St. Perpetuus, one of his predecessors, who held that see about the year 480, had decreed a fast three times a week, from the feast of St. Martin until Christmas. It would be impossible to decide whether St. Perpetuus, by his regulations, established a new custom, or merely enforced an already existing law. Let us, however, note this interval of forty, or rather of forty-three days, so expressly mentioned, and consecrated to penance, as though it were a second Lent, though less strict and severe than that which precedes Easter.

The liturgical form of Advent as it now exists in the Roman Church, has gone through certain modifications. St. Gregory seems to have been the first to draw up the Office for this season, which originally included five Sundays, as is evident from the most ancient sacramentaries of this great Pope. It even appears probable . . . that St. Gregory originated the ecclesiastical precept of Advent, although the custom of devoting a longer or shorter period to a preparation for Christmas has been observed from time immemorial, and the abstinence and fast of this holy season first began in France. St. Gregory therefore fixed, for the Churches of the Latin rite, the form of the Office for this Lent-like season, and sanctioned the fast which had been established, granting a certain latitude to the several Churches as to the manner of its observance.

December 17 – The Commencement of the Great Antiphons

The Church enters today on the seven days which precede the Vigil of Christmas, and which are known in the Liturgy under the name of the Greater Ferias. The ordinary of the Advent Office becomes more solemn; the Antiphons of the Psalms both for Lauds and the Hours of the day are proper, and allude expressly to the great Coming. Every day at Vespers is sung a solemn Antiphon, which consists of a fervent prayer to the Messias, whom it addresses by one of the titles given him by the sacred Scriptures.

In the Roman Church, there are seven of these Antiphons, one for each of the Greater Ferias. They are commonly called the O’s of Advent because they all begin with that interjection. In other Churches, during the Middle Ages, two more were added to those seven: one to our Blessed Lady, O Virgo Virginum;, and the other to the Angel Gabriel, O Gabriel, or to St. Thomas the Apostle, whose feast comes during the Greater Ferias; it began O Thoma Didyme. There were even Churches where twelve Great Antiphons were sung; that is, besides the nine we have just mentioned, there was O Rex Pacifice to our Lord, O Mundi Domina to our Lady, and O Hierusalem to the city of the people of God.

The canonical Hour of Vespers has been selected as the most appropriate time for this solemn supplication to our Savior because, as the Church sings in one of her hymns, it was in the Evening of the world (vergente mundi vespere) that the Messiah came amongst us.

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November 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings,

As I get older, I increasingly appreciate the Church’s traditional designation of November as a month of remembrance. In no small part, I am sure this is because with each year more of the people whom I have loved and been shaped by are in the life behind me and not in the life around me or ahead. Thus remembrance occupies an ever greater share of my regular prayers.

With the liturgical calendar, the Church offers us what might be called the pinnacle of remembrance, with All Saints Day on the first of November followed immediately by All Souls Day. Taken together, we are called to take a pause from our daily lives to remember the faithful who have passed before us, to pray that God will grant them peace and eternal rest, and to ask them to pray for us as we anticipate in faith the day we join them.

Another liturgical tradition which increasingly occupies my Novembers is the Office of the Dead, a centuries-old part of the monastic Divine Hours. At first, I prayed the Office solely on All Saints Day, which is among its primary designated uses. But increasingly, and again as more of my family and friends have passed on, I have taken to praying the Office as an Octave. Between the psalms for each of the three nocturns and the readings taken from the wisdom books, the Office offers a foundation for those times when emotions are raw, as well as a renewed focus on the Last Things which, the Church reminds us, will one day face us all.

This year, of course, our remembrances take on a significance and sorrow that I’m sure none of us had ever imagined, as we are just days beyond the tragic events of last week in Lewiston. Eighteen members of the community were cut down in the middle of their week and the fullness of their lives, and several others were wounded, all by a sole gunman who subsequently took his own life.

I have no words that can fully convey the shock and sorrow we feel for the lives lost or permanently altered, nor any that can adequately console the victims’ grieving families and friends or the community of which they were so integral a part. But as we pause to observe the Church’s tradition of remembrance, let us first hold in our hearts and minds the souls of those who have so recently and suddenly departed.

And may we remember also that this Catholic period of remembrance comes at the end of our liturgical cycle, and that what lies ahead is our renewed anticipation of the coming of the Lord, who dries all tears and makes all things new.

As we wait, let us pray:

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiscant in pace. Amen

Jeff Rowe

Readings

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz. Angelico Press, pp.61-62

Liturgies grow, as the great old houses of worship grew, over centuries. In fact, the traditional Mass resembles many of the great old churches in the process of its origination. Such monuments were not constructed within a short amount of time like modern buildings, but rather they grew up over the course of centuries under the hands of generations who were working for eternity. They were endowed with the works of stonemasons, sculptors, carpenters, and painters; each of them provided his own contribution, but all were filled with the single purpose of worthily fashioning the House of God. Just as virtually every part of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice from the floor to the roof was added in one century or another from various foreign countries, the Christian liturgy was formed from the treasures of Jerusalem, Rome, and Byzantium. Bricks from various cultural groups and time periods were brought together and used for its construction. Elements from the Jewish synagogue service (readings), the ancient Roman style of prayer (Canon), oriental Christianity (Kyrie eleison), monastic spirituality (silent prayers), and others converged here. As elements from diverse origins were assumed into the Roman Mass, its form attained its unique universality.

The traditional Mass in the Roman rite is an ancient building, stamped with many centuries and styles, often amended and further embellished, sometimes restored here and there, a building in which one can trace, part by part, the century of its origin, but only in the rarest of cases identify the artist who designed this or that element and added it to the whole. . . .It is precisely in this anonymity that the greatness of the traditional Mass lies: ‘Since Holy Mass had no author..., everyone was free to believe and feel that it was something eternal, not made by human hands.’ (M. Mosebach, Heresy of Formlessness)”

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

November 19 – Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)

Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew king of Hungary, feared God from her infancy, and increased in piety as she advanced in age. She was married to Lewis, landgrave of Hesse and Thuringia, and devoted herself to the service of God and of her husband. She used to rise in the night and spend a long time in prayer; and moreover she devoted herself to works of mercy, diligently caring for widows and orphans, the sick and the poor. In time of famine she freely distributed her store of corn. She received lepers into her house, and kissed their hands and feet; she also built a splendid hospital, where the poor might be fed and cared for. On the death of her husband, she, in order to serve God with greater freedom, laid aside all worldly ornaments, clothed herself in a rough tunic, and entered the Order of Penance of St. Francis.

November 24 – Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)

The growing disinclination of the people for social prayer was threatening the irreparable destruction of piety, when in the sixteenth century the divine goodness raised up Saints, whose teaching and holiness responded to the needs of the new times. Doctrine does not change: the asceticism and mysticism of that age transmitted to the succeeding centuries the echo of those that had gone before. . . .

John of the Cross was born of pious parents at Hontiveros in Spain. From his infancy it was evident how dear he would be to the Virgin Mother of God, for at five years of age having fallen down a well, he was held up by our Lady in her arms, so that he sustained no injury. . . As a young man, he devoted himself to the service of the sick in the hospital of Medina del Campo. Here he showed the ardor of his charity by undertaking the vilest offices; and his example incited others to devote themselves to the same charitable deeds. But as God called him still higher, he entered the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, where he was made priest in obedience to his superiors; and in his ardor for more severe discipline and a more austere manner of life, he obtained their leave to observe the primitive rule of the Order

“The soul,” he wrote, “is to attain to a certain sense, to a certain divine knowledge, most generous and full of sweetness, of all human and divine things which do not fall within the common-sense and natural perceptions of the soul; it views them with different eyes now, for the light and grace of the Holy Ghost differ from those of sense, the divine from the human. (The Dark Night of the Soul, Book 2, Ch 9)

November 30 – Saint Andrew, Apostle

This feast is destined each year to terminate with solemnity the cycle which is at its close, or to add luster to the new one which has just begun. It seems, indeed, fitting that the Christian year should begin and end with the cross, which has merited for us each of those years which it has pleased the divine goodness to grant us, and which is to appear, on the last day, in the clouds of heaven, as the seal put on time.

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October 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings,

As often happens, at least here in the Mid-Coast region, September was the summer we spent the previous months waiting for, and the early days of October seem prepared to continue the welcome string of plentiful sunshine and pleasant temperatures.

While we continue to tinker with the Una Voce website behind the scenes before rolling out the changes publicly, with this month’s newsletter, in addition to another set of liturgical highlights for October from Dom Gueranger’s Liturgical Year, we’d like to introduce another feature that we hope will enhance your understanding of and appreciation for the Traditional Latin Mass.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of histories and explanations of the Mass, so each month we will highlight an excerpt from a recent (or maybe not so recent) release. As an adult convert to the Faith, I feel like I play a lot of catch-up to make up for the formation I didn’t get when I was younger, and nowhere is that feeling more pronounced than when I’m delving into the structure, symbolism, and theology of Sacred Liturgy. In addition to running in the newsletter, both the new features will be posted on a somewhat re-vamped Resources page for convenient reference.

A particularly valuable resource I read this past spring is by a German priest, Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz, of the archdiocese of Berlin, who has written a splendid book titled, The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite. Fr. Fiedrowicz is nothing if not thorough, and I’m hoping I can highlight sections in a way that conveys clearly both the chronology of developments as well as their theological significance.

By all means, please feel free to offer us suggestions if there are books or resources you have found particularly helpful. This effort is very much a work in progress. There are certainly a number of resources available on the Resources page, many of which will remain moving forward. But we’re hoping you will find it helpful if we offer a regular, if limited, guided tour.

As always, please feel free to offer any comments or feedback.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

Excerpt: The Traditional Mass: History, Form, and Theology of the Classical Roman Rite

Fr. Michael Fiedrowicz

Angelico Press, pp.52-53.

In which, in response to commentators who suggest the TLM is not really as grounded in history as proponents claim, Fr. Fiedrowicz briefly surveys the development of the TLM over the centuries, as well as the traditional rationale for changes.

“(W)as there truly a noticeable continuity between a fourth-century celebration of the Eucharist and the 1570 codified rite of the Mass, which is at the basis of the 1962 Missal, and therefore at the basis of that form of the rite of Mass for which Pope Benedict XVI once again, with the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum on 7/7/07, provided a right of residence in the Church? Has not liturgical historical research demonstrated by now how many elements that are considered to be characteristic of the “old Mass” came to be included relatively recently, and in no way therefore belonged to the Roman rite in its earliest stage?

Let us name only a few: the prayers at the foot of the altar belong to the younger texts of the classical rite of the Mass. The Confiteor was first observed in the tenth century, the psalm Judica me appeared in the ninth or tenth century. The Offertory prayers, recited silently by the priest at the Offertory (Offerimus / In spiritu humilitatis / Suscipe, sancta Trinitas), as well as the Orate fratres, are first discovered in the sacramentaries of the ninth/ tenth century and reached the Missal of the Papal Curia only in the thirteenth century. The silent Canon began to prevail from the middle of the eighth century. The priest’s preparatory prayers before Holy Communion are discovered in the Missals of the eleventh century. The Last Gospel— the prologue of the Gospel of John— was first added to the Dominican Missal in the thirteenth century, and was made obligatory for the entire church by the Dominican Pope Pius V in 1570.

All of these, however, were additions or enhancements that did not alter the liturgy of the Mass. Instead, these prayers and gestures were intended only to express more clearly and deeply the mystery of the Mass…

…This process of continual development was accompanied from time to time by an effort to purify the existing form, in which many elements incorporated over the course of history but ultimately foreign to the Roman spirit were rejected and removed (e.g., the number of the private prayers of the priest, the so-called apologiae, or the abundance of Sequences). Such purifying acts were always carried out in a cautious and restrained manner, in reverence for tradition.”

Download PDF:

Una Voce October 2023 Newsletter

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September 2023 Newsletter

Dear Una Voce Maine friends,

Greetings, I hope you have all had a enjoyable summer, rain notwithstanding. As we look forward to the months ahead, I wanted to alert you to some of the changes you’ll be seeing on the UVM website in the weeks to come.

The Mass schedule is far and away the most frequented page, but we’d like to expand the available information to include some highlights from the Liturgical Calendar for the month ahead. Another section we’d like to add will be dedicated to excerpts from the numerous resources available that delve into the history, theology, and symbolism of the TLM. I suspect I’m not alone in observing that one of the beauties of our Faith is that there is always something more to be gained from its depth and spiritual richness.

"I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe,” St. Anselm of Canterbury famously observed in the 11th century, “but rather, I believe in order that I may understand.” On a personal note, I must admit that I wrestled for years with that observation, assuming in typical “modernist” fashion that I had to understand something before I could actually believe it. Once I realized, however, that the mystery and beauty of faith are a form of understanding unto themselves, I saw that the more I learned, the more I delved into the font of the Church’s tradition and wisdom, the deeper my belief would be.

It is our hope that the insights we are able to gather and offer will have a similar effect on daily faith for all of us, as well as the faith we bring to Mass each Sunday.

That said, the updated website is not quite ready for prime time, but we wanted to provide an example of what we’re intending. Below are three liturgical “highlights” from the month of September, with accompanying excerpts from Dom. Prosper Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year.

Moving forward, the dates will be included in the newsletter, with links to the website for the accompanying passages. Comments are always welcome.

In Domino,

Jeff Rowe

The Liturgical Year

Very Rev. Dom Prosper Guéranger Abbot of Solesmes, 1833-1875

September 8

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

And the Virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:27) Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies Star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being spoilt, so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from his Mother’s integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendor shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, and shining by her merits, giving us light by her example.

September 21

Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Great and singular, then, is the glory of the Evangelists. The name of Matthew signifies one who is given. He gave himself when, at the word of Jesus “follow me,” he rose up and followed him; but far greater was the gift he received from God in return. . . . Matthew was called to be the first Evangelist. Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost he wrote, with that inimitable simplicity which speaks straight to the heart, the Gospel of the Messiah expected by Israel, and announced by the prophets—of the Messiah the teacher and Savior of his people, the descendant of its kings, and himself the King of the daughter of Sion—of the Messiah who had come not to destroy the Law, but to bring it to its full completion in an everlasting, universal covenant.

September 29

Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel

The glorious Archangel appears today at the head of the heavenly army: There was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. (Apocalypse 12:7) In the sixth century, the dedication of the churches of St. Michael on Monte Gargano and in the Roman Circus increased the celebrity of this day, which had however been long before consecrated by Rome to the memory of all the heavenly Virtues. From the Sequence at Mass: Let all praise Michael; let none deprive himself of this day’s joy. O happy day! whereon the solemn victory of the holy angels is recorded. The old dragon is cast out, and all his hostile legions put to flight: the disturber is himself disturbed, the accuser is hurled down from the height of heaven. Under Michael’s protection there is peace on earth, peace in heaven, praise and exultation; for he, mighty and valorous, stands for the safety of all and triumphs in the battle.

Sancte Michael Archangele, ora pro nobis!

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Una Voce September 2023 Newsletter

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