Ascension Thursday

 

Rogation Days

 

There is a special Procession and Mass for the Rogation Days.  Before Mass begins the Litany of Saints is chanted during an outdoor procession around the church grounds and prayers of supplication offered to appease the wrath of God and avert the scourges of His justice.  The three days preceding Ascension Thursday are these special Rogation Days (Lesser Litanies).  The word "litany" means "supplication" and "rogare" means "to ask". 

Dom Gueranger talks about the Rogation Days in The Liturgical Year, Vol 8 on pp. 350-353.  In it he says: "After all, we are sinners, with much to regret and much to fear; we have to avert those scourges which are due to the crimes of mankind; we have, by humbling ourselves and invoking the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, to obtain the health of our bodies and the preservation of the fruits of the earth; we have to offer atonement to divine justice for our own and the world's pride, sinful indulgences and insubordination  Let us enter into ourselves, and humbly confess that our own share in exciting God's indignation is great; and our poor prayers, united with those of our holy Mother the Church, will obtain mercy for the guilty, and for ourselves who are of the number." 

The Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel

 

Today is the feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel on Mt. Gargano in 490.  It is an unofficial tradition that St. Michael was the Guardian Angel of St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family.  He is also the special defender of the Pope.

St. Michael, pray for us! 

St. John before the Latin Gate

Today's feast commemorates the "martyrdom" of St. John the Apostle in Rome by being boiled in oil.  Only he did not die!  He was exiled to the Island of Patmos. 

St John the Apostle, pray for us! 

 

The Finding of the True Cross

The feast outranked the 4th Sunday after Easter in the pre-1955 Calendar; however the Sunday would have been commemorated and the Proper Last Gospel read.  The finding of the True Cross by St. Helena was an extremely important discovery for the Church.  This most precious relic was found and brought back to Rome.  In the search for it, three crosses were dug up on Mount Calvary.  Numerous miracles occurred when only one was touched.  That is how they knew it was Our Lord's cross upon which He wrought our Salvation. 

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, 

because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!

 

May 1 -- Traditional Feast of the Apostles, Sts. Philip and James

 

In 1956, the Liturgical Calendar had a major overhaul.  We have already talked about the changes from Christmas to Pentecost with the removal of most Octaves and the demotion of the great feast of Epiphany.  The 2^nd most tragic change is in the 1^st week of May.  The “needless repetition” of feasts caused three feasts to be eliminated.   The great Easter Solemnity of St. Joseph on the 3rd Wednesday after Easter, which also had a Common Octave, was eliminated and the new feast of St. Joseph the Worker was placed on May 1 to contrast with the Communist May-day celebrations thereby displacing the Apostles Saints Philip and James.  They were moved to May 11 which was the 1st open day.  Antiquity meant nothing to these reformers.  Instead they replaced them with feria days.  Unbelievable!

	Pre-1955	1962
May 1	Sts. Philip and James	St. Joseph the Worker
May 2	St Athanasius	St Athanasius
May 3	Finding of the True Cross	Feria
May 4	St. Monica	St. Monica
May 5	Pope St. Pius V	Pope St. Pius V
May 6	St. John before the Latin Gate	Feria
May 7	St. Stanislaus	St. Stanislaus
May 8	Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel	Feria

May 1---Sts. Philip and James’ feast had been on May 1 since the 6^th century!

May 3  The Finding of the True Cross is a joyful feast to remember the elderly St. Helena travelling to the Holy Land to find this most precious relic. 

May 6—St John before the Latin Gate commemorates his “martyrdom” by being boiled in oil in Rome.  He did not die and was exiled to the Island of Patmos.

 May 8---The Apparition of St Michael the Archangel took place on Mount Gargano in 490.  We cannot honor him too much as he is the chief defender of the Church!  

Month of May -- Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  

The most beautiful month for our Blessed Mother!

Ideas to celebrated the 31 Days of May: 

Crown all statues of  Our Lady in your home 

Make a May altar for a special statue of picture

Place flowers from your garden in front of a statue or picture

Organize a May-crowning at your parish or your home 

Have a Marian Tea Party focusing on the Titles of Our Lady

Pray the Rosary daily 

Pray one decade of the Rosary daily with small children

Sing or pray the Regina Caeli 3x a day 

Learn the Regina Caeli in Latin

Print out 31 different pictures of Our Lady; 

each day choose one to place in a prominent place, such as a mantlepiece or home altar.

Pray the Litany of Loreto 

Learn the chant to the Litany of Loreto

Sing Marian hymns:

Tis the Month of Our Mother 

Bring Flowers of the Rarest 

On This Day, O Beautiful Mother

Immaculate Mary 

Hail Holy Queen 

Daily, Daily Sing to Mary 

Mother Dearest, Mother Fairest 

Hail Queen of Heaven

Ave Maria, O Maiden, O Mother

O Queen of the Holy Rosary  

Learn new Marian hymns in Latin: 

Tota Pulchra Es 

Ave Maris Stella 

Ave Maria

Sub Tuum Praesidium 

Salve Mater 

Spiritual Reading on Our Lady: 

At the Foot of the Cross by Father Faber 

The Mystical City of God by Ven. Mary of Agreda

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Louis de Montfort 

The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort