Patron Saint of Ireland - Patrick

BUT!  Then you hear or read of those who proclaim that St. Patrick was never officially declared a Saint by the Catholic Church - and most of us then say, um, WHAT?! While it is true that St. Patrick was not declared a Saint, in the same manner, most other Saints have been so declared - one must look at the REASON his canonization was different. The fact is, in the first millennium the formal canonization process had not been fully developed. However, to proclaim he was never officially canonized is simply NOT TRUE! The fact of the matter is, in ancient times, starting about 787 A.D., a new church had to have a relic from a Saint before it could be consecrated.

In 1177, a knight named John de Courcy built a new monastery and he, with Bishop Malachy, applied to Pope Urban III for permission to have the remains of Sts. Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille moved to the new monastery. An investigation was conducted and a Solemn Translation (elevato corporis) was approved. Pope Urban sent Cardinal Vivian with his official commission for the verification of the sanctity of the persons (Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille), followed by an all-night vigil prior to moving the remains. For the day, this WAS an official declaration of sainthood by and through the Catholic Church (McCormick, 2011). 

The process of declaring one a saint has changed many, many times throughout the ages, most recently in 1983 and 1997 (McCormick, 2011). So, while St. Patrick's official canonization was not according to the modern means - he was most definitely recognized as a Saint of the Catholic Church and BY the Catholic Church in 1177 A.D.

References

McCormick, M. (2011). St. Patrick IS a Saint! Ancient Order of Hibernians.                https://aoh.com/2011/03/01/st-patrick-is-a-saint/ 

Choirs of Angels

Did you know there are nine (9) Choirs of Angels in Heaven?

So, what are the names of these choirs, and is there a scriptural reference?

The Seraphim: Isaiah 6:2; Hebrews 12:22.

The Cherubim: Genesis 3:24; Hebrews 12:22

The Thrones: Colossians 1:16

The Dominations or Dominions: Colossians 1:16

The Virtues: Ephesians 1:21

The Powers: Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16

The Principalities: Colossians 1:16-17

The Archangels: Tobit 12:15; John 5:4; Revelation 12:7-9

The Angels: (Including Guardian or Personal Angels): Daniel 3:28, Daniel 6:22; Matthew 18:10

Additional Reading (and credit for sources):

The Nine Choirs of Angels: https://whoislikegodblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/the-nine-choirs-of-angels/ 

The Nine Choir Hierarchy of the Angels in Scripture and Tradition: https://taylormarshall.com/2014/10/nine-choir-hierarchy-angels-scripture-tradition.html 

What are the categories of Angels (archangels, thrones, dominions, seraphim)? https://catholicstraightanswers.com/categories-angels-archangels-thrones-dominions-seraphim/ 

Explanation and Hierarchy of the 9 Choirs of Angels: https://soulpainter.com/2015/09/explanation-and-hierarchy-of-the-9-choirs-of-angels-infographic/ (source of the image below):

Candlemas - February 2nd

Candlemas - February 2

Christmas IS Over!

Candlemas Eve

Down with the rosemary and bays,

Down with the misletoe;

Instead of holly, now up-raise

The greener box, for show.   
 

The holly hitherto did sway;

Let box now domineer,

Until the dancing Easter-day,

Or Easter’s eve appear.   
 

Then youthful box, which now hath grace

Your houses to renew,

Grown old, surrender must his place

Unto the crispèd yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in,

And many flowers beside,

Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,

To honour Whitsuntide.   

Green rushes then, and sweetest bents,

With cooler oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments,

To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift; 

Each thing his turn does hold;

New things succeed,

As former things grow old.

(Source: https://www.bartleby.com/337/368.html)

The poem takes us from Christmastide, taking down our Christmas decorations, to Easter and then Pentecost (Whitsunday) and into summertime - and back to when "cooler oaken boughs..." and it is time again to re-adorn the house for the next Christ Mass celebration.

 

Today's readings are from the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple - and is the last lectionary reference to the infancy of Jesus for the liturgical year.

Septuagesima Sunday

So, what is this funny word? Septuagesima literally translates to 70, as in 70 days before Easter and is actually the ninth Sunday before Easter. The purpose behind Septuagesima is for the faithful to begin thinking about Lent and what your penance for Lent might be. Septuagesima is not a time of fasting and penance, it is a time of preparation. Lent starts in two and a half weeks, on Ash Wednesday.

So why do we fast during Lent? The Season of Lent, forty days, represents the forty days Jesus spent in fasting and prayer in the desert before entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. For Lent, we offer up something, and it does not have to be huge - but it should be something you would normally do or partake in every day. By offering up something you do all the time - it provides you an opportunity to think of WHY you are offering it up. You offer it up in union with Christ's sufferings, not only in remembrance of his forty days of fasting but also of His Passion and death on the Cross. So, if you give up chocolate, or coffee, or sodas, or desserts, or whatever you choose - so long as it is something you would participate in regularly and will give you that moment of meditation on Christ's suffering which was FOR YOU.

Why is Septuagesima not in the Ordinary Rite of the Catholic Church?  

We'll answer that in the next posting!

Cell Phones in Church

How many times have you been in church and during the sermon or during consecration or, well anytime during Mass and you hear someone's cell phone go off? It can probably be well asserted that most of the time a cell phone in church is wholly unnecessary. Most times because there can be incidents that require individuals to have their cell phones on them. As an example, a doctor who is on-call. Another example could be support personnel for a medical facility or someone awaiting emergency information from or about a loved one. That said, there is no reason the phones cannot be in silent mode. For anyone else, leave your cell phone at home or at least in your vehicle.

Now, if someone forgets to leave their phone outside or forgets to put it into silent mode and it goes off, one can sense the frustration in others. Is it really any more distracting than a child crying? Is it something we could just accept and not take offense to? It seems that some are overly annoyed by cell phones. We can all agree that any methods to avoid distracting others at church should be observed, but can we also make it our responsibility to refocus our attention as necessary when someone messed up and forgot to silence their phone? Consider the feelings of that person too - who now has the focus of many in their pews now on them - they are likely quite embarrassed and well aware of the distraction.

Another valid possibility of cell phones in church is the use of a smartphone app that contains the readings or even a full missal with rubrics to follow the Mass. Some will still frown upon someone using a "screen" in church, but in reality, what is the real difference between an electronic missal and a traditional book or booklet form? Still, if one wishes to use a smartphone app in church, they should do their best not to be distractive to others.

It Is STILL Christmastide!

Just a reminder! Christmastide BEGAN on Christmas Day in celebration of the Christ Mass and continues even after Epiphany through February 2nd - Candlemas Day!

Keep at least SOME of your Christmas decorations up!

Epiphany

Epiphany, the celebration of the arrival of the "Three Wise Men" from the East. They came bearing gifts for the Christchild. In many Catholic traditions, gifts are given on this day instead of (or on top of) December 25th. It is also a time of reflecting not only on the Infant Jesus, but also upon the baptism of Jesus - when He is revealed by God - and the Trinity is physically present as the Father announces His Son, and the Holy Ghost descends upon Him as a dove. 

The letters C, M, B have two meanings:
• They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.
• They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus Mansionem Benedicat, “May Christ bless this house.”

The “+” signs represent the cross and 2021 is the year.

After the chalking of your front door, a blessing should be said. Here is a suggestion from the Carmelites website:

All make the Sign of the Cross.

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Leader: Peace be to this house and to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.