Filipino Setting of 'Pater Noster' by John Pamintuan

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Below you will hear two of the great choirs of the world singing together in Pamplona.  KUP Aldea from the Basque Country and MADZ (The University of Philippines Madrigal Singers) lend their voices to sing a setting of Pater Noster by the great Filipino composer John Pamintuan.  (MADZ singing this setting alone can be heard here.)  This is music from Heaven.

Alleluia.

Glory be to thee, O Jesus

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Written by the hand of Viktor Krivorotov

GLORY be to thee, O Jesus, 

our triumphant king, brightness of the eternal Father, 

begotten before time and before aught had being ; 

we have no hope or expectation but in thee. 

By the intercession of the righteous and elect

who have been pleasing to thee from the beginning, 

forgive us our sins and pardon our iniquities ; 

deliver us from our tribulations, 

grant our petitions and bring us to thy glory,

protecting us by thy living Cross 

from all harms, seen and unseen,

O Christ our hope, now, always, and for ever. 

Amen.

from an old Chaldean Evening Office

Uher Poem: After Compline

By Vincent Uher


After Compline

Lord God, when I upon my bed,
forgotten, to the world as dead,
you come to me, my life-long Friend,
oh, Jesus, stay with me.

The light of evening lingering,
a joy, like flame now uprising,
you breathe into my soul a spring,
oh, Jesus, stay with me.

Soon stars and moon will shine above.
I rest here cradled in your love
till dawns the day we go beyond,
oh, Jesus, stay with me.


Copyright © 2010 by Vincent Wm Uher III

The image of a pastel in this post is by Doug Dawson and is entitled
"In the Gentle Light of the Window"

+Laus Deo!

The Vigil of Pentecost

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Please see the fine article at The New Liturgical Movement blog concerning the Vigil of Pentecost: LINK.

For those who are in England and are able to be in Oxford for the Pentecost Vigil according to the splendid Divine Worship Missal I post the following notice:

Uher Visitation Hymn: LO, SHE BRINGS LIFE WITH HER

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Dear friends in Christ,

It is my sincere desire that this text be shared widely and used freely. Please feel free to post it on your blogs or email it to friends. I give permission for its use provided that my copyright notice is kept intact and that no words are altered.

Our Lady of the Sign, pray for us!

God bless us one and all,

Vincent Uher

Lo, how she brings Life with her
Concealed beneath her heart,
Eve's daughter, brave and chosen,
God's partner to his art.
Her will knit with divine will
Desires his Word be done.
For God she weaves within her
The body of their Son.

Elisabeth her cousin
A child will bring to birth -
God's answer to her longing,
A prophet for the Earth.
"Peace be with you," said Mary.
Her cousin's babe did dance
The merry steps of best man:
The Bridegroom's here, at last.

Elisabeth cried out then,
"The child within me leapt!
When he heard your sweet greeting,
With joy my baby stepped."
She spoke full of the Spirit,
With insight from the Lord,
"How is it you come to me
The Mother of my Lord?"

The Mother of her Lord, yes,
Great Mary, Anna's child,
A daughter born to Israel,
A virgin undefiled,
She sang out as a woman
Brought up on Hannah's song,
"O praise, my soul, God's greatness.
Rejoice, our Lord is strong."

All ages call her blessed
Just as she once foretold.
Blest is she amongst women,
Her Child blest from of old.
Blest is she who believes God
Who carries God's true Word.
Her Son both God and human
Fulfils great Gabriel's word.

Our Saviour, God of mercy,
Remembers Abr'am's fold.
Praise God who casts down tyrants.
Rejoice! Our God is bold.
So sing we with blest Mary
To magnify the Lord
Who raised up his handmaiden.
Oh, holy is the Lord!

Copyright © 2006 by Vincent William Uher III

A hymn for Visitation, Fourth Advent, and the Nativity of St. John Baptist

This may be sung to the Bohemian Brethren tune Far Off Lands

or to the lovely tune Wie lieblich ist der Maien

In Ascensiontide

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Blessed art thou, O Lord God Almighty, the Ancient of Days, who hast set thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord upon the glorious throne of thy kingdom, exalted far above all peoples, all places, all times, eternally; that He who hath worn our flesh, and borne our manhood into the Holy of Holies, should henceforth pour down heavenly gifts upon His Church, and be both our righteous judge and most merciful intercessor; to whom with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, one God, be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion, and praise, now and for ever. Amen

RADIO WALSINGHAM returns!

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I have the great pleasure of announcing the return of RADIO WALSINGHAM.  

The broadcasting platform Live365.com was bought by new owners and revived. And with that platform in place we are very pleased to be able to start RADIO WALSINGHAM once again.  

It will take a little while to get everything up and running, but you can listen to our preliminary broadcast by clicking on this link and then click on the Listen Now button when the page fully loads.

May God grant that RADIO WALSINGHAM will be both blessing and inspiration for all of our listeners.

The Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succour

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Remember that the Church of Jesus Christ is a persecuted body of believers who suffer the world over in a multitude of ways even to the laying down of their lives for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In such a world the following Litany which began in New Orleans in Louisiana is especially appropriate.  

There was a time when this Litany was prayed in Catholic Churches along the USA's Gulf Coast and the East Coast during hurricane season.  In a time of very uncertain weather and many other hardships for humanity, I would like to commend this Litany to you, dear Reader. It may be said at any time although in some places it was traditionally said on Saturdays.  

If you have occasion to visit New Orleans be sure to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succour, the Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, and the other Catholic holy places in the city.

In the Name + of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Litany

of

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy upon us.

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

Mother of the Infant Jesus, pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour, pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 of all who invoke you with confidence, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of all who are devout toward the Infant Jesus, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for obtaining a lively faith,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 for sustaining the hope of Christians,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for obtaining and persevering in charity,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for observing the law of God, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for observing perseverance in virtue and good works, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 in every spiritual necessity,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against the revolt of self-will,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 in the occasion of sin, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 in every temptation,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against the evil spirit,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 for obtaining contrition,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 of those wishing to re-enter the path of salvation,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for the conversion of sinners,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

in every temporal necessity,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

in every affliction,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of afflicted families,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of the sick and the poor,  

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

against contagious diseases and epidemics,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour in every accident,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against destruction by fire,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against lightning and tempest,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against destruction by flood, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour of travelers,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour of navigators,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour of the shipwrecked,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 against the enemies of our country,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour in time of war,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour of those aspiring 

to the holy priesthood and the religious life, 

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of laborers in the Lord's vineyard,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of missionaries who spread the faith,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

of our Holy Father the Pope,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour

for those searching for the faith,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour against the enemies of the Church,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour at the hour of death,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succour 

 for the deliverance of the souls in purgatory,

pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

V: Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.

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

O Almighty and Eternal God, Who sees us surrounded by so many dangers and miseries, grant in Your infinite goodness that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Your Divine Son, may defend us from the evil spirit and protect us against all adversities, that always and with prompt succor she may deliver us from every evil of soul and body, and safely guide us to the kingdom of heaven, through the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Contemplation:

If our eyes are always on heaven and God, at the end of life we will find ourselves in His Presence.

(Recitation of the Rosary)

Imprimatur:

Joseph F. Rummel

Archbishop of New Orleans.

New Orleans.

February 11, 1936.

+Kyrie eleison!

A Prayer for Memorial Day in the USA

From Fulton Sheen's "Wartime Prayer Book"

Our Father, who art in Heaven: give us, we pray You,
the courage and the strength to stamp out the threat
of paganism and slavery that hangs over the world today.

Be merciful to all those who have died in the service of our country.

Console those who have lost their loved ones in the struggle.

Help our fighting men to be always clean of heart and therefore unafraid.

Soothe the wounded in battle.

Sustain the courage of those who suffer persecution for conscience' sake.

Have pity on all those who have been
insulted, robbed, tortured, defiled, enslaved by their conquerors.

Grant wisdom to our leaders, civil and military,
that they may most effectively direct our efforts, at home and abroad.

Teach us all to walk humbly with You, so that we may be worthy to conquer, and having conquered may build a peace with justice, based on the Brotherhood of Man, under the Fatherhood of God.

Amen.

More from Bishop Sheen's "Wartime Prayer Book"

+Laus Deo.

Blessed John Henry Newman: HEART OF MARY

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Mary treasured all these words 
pondering them in her heart. 
St. Luke 2:19

 Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

(Vincent Uher's Personal Version for Family Recitation 

of the Litany of the Immacualte Heart of Mary of Blessed John Henry Newman 

adapted to the Sacral Language of the Anglican Patrimony)

Bl. John Henry Newman, ora pro nobis! 

Lord, have mercy upon us.  

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.  

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, hear us.  

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,  

have mercy upon us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,  

have mercy upon us.

God the Holy Spirit,  

have mercy upon us.

+ Holy Trinity, one God,  

have mercy upon us.

Heart of Mary,  

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, after God’s own Heart,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, in union with the Heart of Jesus,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, vessel of the Holy Spirit,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, shrine of the Trinity,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, home of the Word,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, immaculate in your creation,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, flooded with grace,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, blessed of all hearts,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, throne of glory,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, abyss of humbleness,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, victim of love,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, nailed to the cross,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, comfort of the sad,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, refuge of the sinner,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, hope of the dying,

pray for us.

Heart of Mary, seat of mercy,

pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,  

spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,  

graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy upon us.

Christ, hear us.  

Christ, graciously hear us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of heart,

Conform our hearts to the Heart of Jesus.

Let us pray:

O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in tenderness and pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate her most sweet and loving heart, may by her merits and intercession, ever live in the fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

. 

+Ave Immaculata!

St. Mesrob Meshtots: "Christ My True God"

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St Mesrop Mashtots  Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց

Christ my true God have mercy on me.

In iniquity was I conceived,

And so, my Saviour, have mercy on me.

Do not cast me aside.

But have mercy on me.

By his heartfelt sighing the tax collector was heard

And received forgiveness in the temple.

Using his words I too cry out:

Lord, my God, have mercy on me.

The thief cried out upon his cross:

“Remember me Lord.”

Using his words I too cry out:

Lord, my God, have mercy on me.

The prodigal son beseeched you with the words:

“Father I have sinned before heaven and before you.”

Using his words I too cry out:

Lord, my God, have mercy on me.

Saint Mesrob Mashtots
of Armenia (ca. 404)

Priest John McGuckin

Romanian Orthodox Church

Prayer Book of the Early Christians

Paraclete Press

Arab Christian Saints: Saint Abo of Tiflis

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In this day of Islamist violence and the violent Islamic repression of Christianity in many Islamic nations, it is clear to me that we who follow the Lord Jesus the Messiah should be seeking the intercession of the ethnic Arab saints as we pray.

For most of us it is a very difficult thing to name even one ethnic Arab saint much less an ethnic Arab Christian saint who converted from Islam.

I admit I had great difficulty thinking of any ethnic Arab saints when my father first brought up this topic. Every name that came to mind was either a Syriac Christian or a member of another ethnic group that had been overtaken by the Arabs.  But then a name came to mind ... Abo the Arab also known as Saint Abo Tibileli.

Holy Martyr Abo the Perfumer of Tbilisi

Saint Abo Tibileli

Saint Abo of Tiflis —Abu al-Tiflisi in Arabic— was both an ethnic Arab and a convert to Christianity from Islam.  He preached the Christian Gospel in the streets of Tiflis (Tbilisi) when it was under Arab control, and he was martyred there by the Arab Muslim government.

Let us seek Saint Abo's intercession for the unmasking of Islamist terrorists and their networks of terror, and let us ask him to pray to the Lord for the conversion of every Muslim and every Arab.

Saint Abo first lived in Baghdad and was by profession a maker of fine perfumes.  There is a brief biography on Wikipedia that is a good place to start in learning about this great saint and martyr: link.  But, dear Reader, you will learn a great deal more by visiting the website of the Orthodox Church of America and reading its article on Saint Abo (link) and the article on OrthodoxWiki: link.

Today he is the patron saint of Tbilisi, the capital city of the Republic of Georgia.  It was in Tbilisi (when it was under Arabic rule) that Saint Abo was denounced by Arab Muslims for having converted to Christianity. He was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ on the 6th of January A.D. 786.

"Georgia is called Mother of the Saints, some of these have been inhabitants of this land, while others came among us from Time to time from foreign parts to testify to the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ." from The Passion of Saint Abo

Next in this series: Saint John of Damascus also called Saint John Damascene
All  Holy Saints and Martyrs of the Arab People, pray for us to the Lord of Hosts.

Caryll Houselander: from "The Risen Christ"

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An Excerpt from the Chapter "The Prayer of the Body"

Before Christ died he literally gave us his sacramental body in his own hands. Day after day he is born in the consecrated hands of the priest ; in a man's hands he is lifted up and offers himself to the Father. It is fitting, then, that so often our offering of self through the body must be made literally with our hands.

Caryll Houselander

What an expression of himself a man's hands are. When he comes to die, what a story his hands tell. They have taken on the shape and colour and texture of his work. They are the story of his life. When Madame Curie lay dead, the most beautiful testimonial to her life's work was in her hands lying simply on the coverlet, scarred with burns of radium.

Long before Christ gave us his body in his own hands they were hardened by toil, beautiful with the line and muscle and sinew of the hands of an artisan, and hollowed out by the wooden mallet to cup the chalice and hold the nail. But in the consummation of his self-giving, these hands which had given   in so many ways were helpless, fastened back, immovable, to a plank.

At that moment his body was broken, the heart was broken, the flesh and blood separated. Every day the suffering of the Lord's body is shown in the breaking of the bread.

Sooner or later, our prayer of the body too becomes the helpless hands, the falling away of self, the breaking of the bread.  Sickness, old age, death ; these must come, and when they come it seems that our service is ended. There is exhaustion which makes it first an effort, then an impossibility, to lift the hand up to make the sign of the cross; no more liturgical acts in daily life, gestures and symbols that worship God and give Christ's love to men.

Everything falls away from us, even memories— even the weariness of self. This is the breaking of the bread, the supreme moment in the prayer of the body, the end of the liturgy of our mortal lives, when we are broken for and in the communion of Christ's love to the whole world.

But it is not the end of the prayer of the body. To that there is no end. Our dust pays homage to God, until the endless morning of resurrection wakens our body, glorified.

Caryll Houselander

The Risen Christ

Sheed and Ward, New York

1958

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Ascensiontide Collect

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Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God: that like as we do believe thy Only Begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

A wee bit of Chesterton for Ascension Day

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Le Jeudi de l'Ascension • Les Très Riches Heures de Duc de Barry

G.K. Chesterton writes:

WHAT is the difference between Christ and Satan?

It is quite simple. Christ descended into hell; Satan fell into it.

One of them wanted to go up and went down;

the other wanted to go down and went up.

G.K. Chesterton

The Ball and the Cross

Click here for reasons why the Ascension of the Lord matters: 
No. 6 is especially appropriate with regard to this blog-post.

A Thanksgiving for the Resurrection and Ascension [Anglican Patrimony]

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LET us bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost:
Let us praise and exalt him for ever.


Then shall be said together:

BLESSING and honour and glory and power
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty:
Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints;
All glorious thy gifts, thou Spirit of life.
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honour and power and might
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious;
And his mercy endureth for ever.

Who hath loved us from all eternity;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And remembered us when we were in trouble;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who by his Cross and Passion hath redeemed the world;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath washed us from our sins in his own blood;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who on the third day rose from the dead;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath given us the victory;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who ascended up on high;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And opened wide for us the everlasting doors;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who sitteth on the right hand of God;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And ever liveth to make intercession for us;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.


FOR the gift of his Spirit;
Blessed be Christ.

For the Catholic Church;
Blessed be Christ.

For the means of grace;
Blessed be Christ.

For the hope of glory;
Blessed be Christ.

For the triumphs of his gospel;
Blessed be Christ.

For the lives of his saints;
Blessed be Christ.

In joy and in sorrow;
Blessed be Christ.

In life and in death;
Blessed be Christ.

Now and unto the end of the ages;
Blessed be Christ.


Here may be added thanksgivings for particular mercies, and at their end all shall say together the General Thanksgiving.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.


BLESSING and honour and thanksgiving and praise more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O most adorable Trinity, + Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by all angels, all men, all creatures, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Cambridge Offices and Orisons
Eric Milner-White
B.T.D. Smith