Pentecost

Pentecost is only one of three Octaves that remain on the 1962 Calendar.  The other two are Christmas and Easter.  Pentecost has a Privileged Octave of the 1st Order.  This means that nothing can outrank it.  Each day has its own set of reading too.  The Sequence Veni Creator Spiritus is sung every day and the Special Communicantes is said in the Canon.  For a week, every day is Pentecost; this is an amazing preparation for Trinity Sunday which is the Octave Day of Pentecost! 

 

Our Lady, Queen of Apostles

 

The feast of Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles is a lesser known feast and is celebrated on the Saturday after the Ascension.  It is a moveable date in the Easter season based on when the Ascension falls.  

This is the Patronal feast of the the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, MO and her daughterhouses in Ava, MO; Evansville, IN and Colwich, England.

                                                           Our Lady, Queen of Apostles  (White)                                                 

INTROIT Ps. 86:1-3 Fundamenta ejus in montibus sanctis;  diligit Dominus portas Sion super omnia tabernacula Jacob.  Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, civitas Dei!  PS.133:1  Ecce nunc benedicite Dominum, omnes servi Domini : qui statis in domo Domini, in atriis domus Dei nostri. Gloria Patri . . . COLLECT Deus, qui Apostolis tuis, cum Maria Matre Jesu unanimiter orantibus. Sanctum dedisti Spritiu: da nobis, ut eadem Matre nostra et Apostolorum Regina protegente, majestati tuae fideliter servire et nominis tui gloriam verbo et exemplo diffundere valeamus. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum.   EPISTLE  Acts 1:1-14   Primum quidem sermonem feci de omnibus, o Theophile, quae coepit Jesus facere, et docere usque in diem, qua praecipiens Apostolis per Spiritum Sanctum, quos elegit, assumptus est :  quibus et praebuit seipsum vivum post passionem suam in multis argumentis, per dies quadraginta apparens eis, et loquens de regno Dei.  Et convescens, praecepit eis ab Jerosolymis ne discederent, sed exspectarent promissionem Patris, quam audistis ( inquit) per os meum :  quia Joannes quidem baptizavit aqua, vos autem baptizabimini Spiritu Sancto non post multos hos dies.  Igitur qui convenerant, interrogabant eum, dicentes : Domine, si in tempore hoc restitues regnum Israel?  Dixit autem eis : Non est vestrum nosse tempora vel momenta, quae Pater posuit in sua potestate :  sed accipietis virtutem supervenientis Spiritus Sancti in vos, et eritis mihi testes in Jerusalem, et in omni Judaea, et Samaria, et usque ad ultimum terrae.  Et cum haec dixisset, videntibus illis, elevatus est : et nubes suscepit eum ab oculis eorum.  Cumque intuerentur in caelum euntem illum, ecce duo viri astiterunt juxta illos in vestibus albis, qui et dixerunt : Viri Galilaei, quid statis aspicientes in caelum? Hic Jesus, qui assumptus est a vobis in caelum, sic veniet quemadmodum vidistis eum euntem in caelum.  Tunc reversi sunt Jerosolymam a monte qui vocatur Oliveti, qui est juxta Jerusalem, sabbati habens iter.   Et cum introissent in coenaculum, ascenderunt ubi manebant Petrus, et Joannes, Jacobus, et Andreas, Philippus, et Thomas, Bartholomaeus, et Matthaeus, Jacobus Alphaei, et Simon Zelotes, et Judas Jacobi.  Hi omnes erant perseverantes unanimiter in oratione cum mulieribus, et Maria matre Jesu, et fratribus ejus.       PASCAL ALLELUIA  V. Num. 17:8; Judith 13:17-18   Alleluia, alleluia!  Sequenti die regressus invenit germinasse virgam Aaron in domo Levi : et turgentibus gemmis eruperant flores, qui, foliis dilatatis, in amygdalas deformati sunt.  Alleluia. Laudate Dominum Deum nostrum, qui non deseruit sperantes in se :  et in me ancilla sua adimplevit misericordiam suam, quam promisit domui Israel : et interfecit in manu mea hostem populi sui hac nocte.   GOSPEL  John 19:25-27   Stabant autem juxta crucem Jesu mater ejus, et soror matris ejus, Maria Cleophae, et Maria Magdalene. Cum vidisset ergo Jesus matrem, et discipulum stantem, quem diligebat, dicit matri suae : Mulier, ecce filius tuus.  Deinde dicit discipulo : Ecce mater tua. Et ex illa hora accepit eam discipulus in sua.      OFFERTORY  Judith 5:3, 7-8  Ego sum, ego sum quae Domino canam, psallam Domino Deo Israel.  Cessaverunt fortes in Israel, et quieverunt: donec surgeret mater in Israel.  Nova bella elegit Dominus et portas hostium ipse subvertit.   SECRET  Tua, Domine, propitiatione et beatae Mariae semper Virginis intercessione haec nostra obtineat oblatio: ut Ecclesia tua fidelium numero crescat et jugiter fulgeat varietate virtutuum.  Per Dominum nostrum.   COMMUNION   Beata Mater et intacta Virgo, gloriosa Regina mundi, intercee prop nobis ad Dominum tu eni gloria Jerusalem, tu Laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri.   POSTCOMMUNION   Sumptis, Domine, salutis nostrae subsidiis:  da nobis quaesumus, beatae Mariae semper Virginis ac Reginae Apostolorum patrocinio, perserverantem in tua voluntate famularum: ut Ecclesia tua novis semper proficiat incrementis.  Per Dominum nostrum.

Her foundation is upon the holy mountain. The Lord loves the gates of Sion more than any of the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God. Alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 133:1. Behold, now bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. V. Glory be . . .   O God, You sent Your Holy Spirit upon the Apostles as they were united in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. May the Queen of Apostles, the same Mother of us all, help us serve Your majesty faithfully, and to spread the glory of Your name by word and example. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . . in the unity of the same Holy Spirit.   The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach, Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, "which you have heard" (saith he) "by my mouth. For John indeed baptized with water: but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?" But he said to them: "It is not for you to know the time or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power: But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth." And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount that is called Olivet, which is nigh Jerusalem, within a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Jude the brother of James. All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.       Alleluia, alleluia!  The rod of Jesse has blossomed. A Virgin has brought forth the God-man. God has restored peace to us, reconciling in Himself the lowness of earth and the highness of heaven. Alleluia! V. Praise the Lord our God, who has not forsaken those who hope in Him, and who by me, His handmaid, has fulfilled His mercy which He promised to the house of Israel; He has killed the enemy of His people by my hand. Alleluia!   At that time, there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: "Woman, behold thy son." After that, he saith to the disciple: "Behold thy mother." And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. It is I, it is I who will sing to the Lord. I will sing to the Lord, the God of Israel. The valiant men ceased and rested in Israel, until a mother arose in Israel. The Lord chose new wars, and He Himself overthrew the gates of the enemies. Alleluia! May our offering, O Lord, hasten the growth of Your Church and add to the splendor of the virtues of her members through Your mercy and the intercession of the blessed ever-Virgin Mary. Through Our Lord . . .   Blessed Mother and spotless Virgin, glorious Queen of the world, intercede for us with the Lord, for you are the glory of Israel, the honor of our people. Alleluia!   O Lord, the Sacrament we have received will help us towards salvation. May we persevere in doing Your holy Will so that Your Church may always increase under the protection of the blessed ever-Virgin Mary, the Queen of Apostles. Through Our Lord . . .

The Season of Octaves

Octaves in the Liturgical Calendar 2026

In older times, this great feast of the Ascension had a Privileged Octave of the 3rd Class.  This meant that it is offered on feria days and commemorated on any day that has a feast, but the Octave day can only be outranked by a Double of the 1st or 2nd Class feast.  We forget what an incredible feast this truly is.  Not only did it get stripped of its Octave in 1956, but now it is no longer a Holy Day of Obligation and is moved to the Sunday.  

The Octave coincides with the Novena to the Holy Ghost which begins today and ends on the Vigil of Pentecost!  I have attached two different Novenas.  

The feast of the Ascension ushers in a period of Octaves in the next month.  There are many great feasts coming up and Holy Mother Church highlights them with Octaves of varying degrees:  Pentecost, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, Nativity of St John the Baptist and Sts. Peter and Paul!  

From the chart below, you can have a visual of this blessed time.  

Ascension Thursday

 

The Ascension occurs exactly 40 days after Easter.  This puts it on a Thursday.  

During the Mass, a very special Liturgical action takes place.  After the Gospel is read, the Pascal Candle is extinguished.  This symbolizes that Our Lord in his glorified Body has left us and gone to Heaven.  Of course we still have Him sacramentally present in the Blessed Sacrament, but He is physically gone. 

 

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