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The first mass of Christmas, in the Extraordinary Form will be at St. Anthony Catholic Church at 10:00 p.m. not midnight. Please take note, there will NOT be a midnight mass but will be celebrated two hours earlier at 10:00
Aha! A email subscriber informed me that I was overlooking the fact that the email newsletters do not have a right hand column in which the propers of mass reside. This is only on the website http://venite-missa-est.blogspot.com/ . Oops.
The Propers of mass menu (right column) has been fixed. Feel free to download and use these propers I created for the Latin Mass Community of St. Anthony. They represent an entire year of work. Larry Bethel also put in a good amount of time in proof reading the propers as well as covering the cost (of the printed material). I used to insert these propers into the red missalettes before mass each week. Do you think there is still a need?
The Propers of mass menu (right column) has been fixed. Feel free to download and use these propers I created for the Latin Mass Community of St. Anthony. They represent an entire year of work. Larry Bethel also put in a good amount of time in proof reading the propers as well as covering the cost (of the printed material). I used to insert these propers into the red missalettes before mass each week. Do you think there is still a need?
To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.
..and now for the necessaries.
Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita area. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est! is strictly a private layman's endeavor.
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What Does that Catholic Symbol Mean?
The Pelican
The Pelican is used as a
symbol of the Eucharist since the Pelican bird feeds its young by piercing its
own flesh and taking blood from itself to feed its chicks. This is like
Christ's offering of Himself on the cross in atonement for our sins. Through His
Passion and Death on the Cross we now have the Sacrament of Eucharist in which
the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Like the
Pelican, Christ's manner of feeding us is through His self-sacrificial love.
St. Thomas Aquinas makes reference to the Pelican symbol in his famous hymn
'Godhead Here In Hiding'. The Pelican also appears on the Coats of Arms of
Archbishop George Pell, and of Corpus Christi College at Oxford and Cambridge.
Oxford and Cambridge are two of the greatest Universities in the world and were
established in the thirteenth century. Many of the colleges in Oxford and
Cambridge were established by Catholic religious orders for the education of
their members and still retain reminders of their Catholic heritage, especially
on their Coats of Arms. Within the quadrangle of Corpus Christi College in
Oxford there is a large column on which is perched a statue of a Pelican. The
words 'Corpus Christi' are Latin for 'Body of Christ.'
The Cross
The Cross is the most common
of all Catholic symbols. It symbolises the Cross on which Christ died. Every
year the Church celebrates a special feast called the 'Feast of the Exhalation
of the Holy Cross'. This is in memory of a miraculous apparition to Emperor
Constantine in 312 AD as he prepared to fight a battle. He saw a vision in the
sky of the words 'In Hoc Signo Vinces' which is Latin for: 'By this sign you
shall conquer'. There are also some special kinds of crosses. For example,
paintings of St. Peter often depict him holding a cross which is upside down.
This is because St. Peter was martyred by being crucified on an upside down
cross. Similarly there is another type of cross called a 'St. Andrew's cross'.
This cross is in the shape of an X because St. Andrew was crucified on two
pieces of wood which were shaped like an X.
The Crucifix
The Crucifix is a cross with
a figure of the body of Jesus attached to it. Usually it has the letters INRI
written across the top. These letters are short for the Latin phrase - 'Jesus
Nazaranus Rex Judaeorum' which translates as 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
Jews'. These are the words which Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea,
ordered to be written above the Cross on which Christ was crucified. Sometimes
a crucifix also has a skull and crossbones at the base of the cross. A crucifix
must be placed on or over an altar where the sacrifice of the Mass is to be
offered. In some Churches the Crucifix above the altar will depict Christ as
the High Priest, crowned, robed and alive. This is because the Jewish High
Priest was the person who offered the sacrifices for the Jews, and Christ is
our High Priest who offers Himself to God for the remission of our sins.
Crucifixes are carried in processions and displayed in Catholic homes as a
constant reminder to us of Christ's sacrifice for us. Some nuns and brothers
also wear a crucifix as a part of their 'habit'. A 'habit' is the word used to
describe the special garments or 'uniforms' worn by members of religious
orders.
The Sacred Heart
This is a symbol of the love
of Jesus for all of humanity. It reminds us that His love for us is eternal and
unconditional. It usually takes the form of a heart shape with a cross on top
and thorns twisted around the top of the heart and the base of the cross. This
is a reminder to us that Christ's love was so deep that he suffered crucifixion
on our behalf. Over the centuries a series of saints have encouraged devotions
to the Sacred Heart. These include: St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), St. Bonaventure
(1221-74), St. Mechtilde (1210-80), St. Gertrude (1265-1302), St. Margaret Mary
Alocoque (1647-90) and St. Claude de la Colombiere (1641-82). Of these the most
famous is St. Margaret Mary Alocoque who fostered the practice of Catholics
attending Mass for nine consecutive first Fridays of each month to pray that
they will be spiritually prepared for death when it happens. This is a special
kind of novena, that is, a prayer that is said nine times over a particular
period of time to pray for a special spiritual gift. In Australia devotion to
the Sacred Heart has been spread by the Jesuit priests who have a special
devotion to the Sacred Heart (St. Claude de la Colombiere was a Jesuit), and
also by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The Missionaries of the Sacred
Heart are an order of priests founded in the Nineteenth century in France by
Fr. Jules Chevalier. Many of the earliest Catholic missions in the Pacific
region, including Papua New Guinea, were established by the Missionaries of the
Sacred Heart. During the period of the French Revolution in the final decade of
the eighteenth century many hundreds of thousands of Catholics were killed by
the Revolutionaries. Some were beheaded by the machine known as the guillotine
but many were also drowned. In the vendee region of France thousands of these
Catholics went to their death carrying banners of the Sacred Heart or wearing
Sacred Heart badges on their clothes. The Sacred Heart remains a very powerful
symbol of the Catholic faith throughout the world, but especially in France.
The French words for 'Sacred Heart' are 'Sacre Couer' and this explains the
name of the girls' school in Glen Iris and of other Catholic schools throughout
the Archdiocese of Melbourne. After the French Revolution the French people
built a magnificent basilica on top of Montmartre in Paris in atonement for the
sins of the revolutionaries. The word 'Montmartre' means 'hill of martyrs'. The
Basilica is known as the 'Sacre Couer' basilica.
Alpha and Omega
These are the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet. In the book of Revelation which is the last book
of the New Testament, Christ is referred to as the 'Alpha and Omega'. This
means that He is both the origin and end of all creation. We only exist because
we are created by God, and the final purpose of our lives is to spend eternity
with God in heaven. The Alpha and Omega symbols are placed on the paschal
candle at Easter. Pope John Paul II often reminds us that Jesus Christ is the
'center and purpose of human history'. All time, and all creation is under His
command.
IHS
The Fleur-De-Lis
This is the shape of the
lily and is used throughout the world, but especially in European countries, as
a symbol of Our Lady. The whiteness and beauty of the lily is a symbol of Our
Lady's purity. This symbol is found in many side chapels to Our Lady, including
the Lady Chapel in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne.
Fish
The Fish has been used as a
symbol for Christ and Christianity since the earliest days of the Church. The
Greek word for fish is Ichthus. This is treated as an acronym for Iesous,
CHristos, THeou, Uios, Soter - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. The fish is
also an emblem of those apostles who were fishermen and Christ's promise to
make them 'fishers of men' (Mark 1:17). It is found on many Christian tombs in
Rome dating from the first centuries AD, sometimes with a basket of loaves and
a glass of wine. The loaves are a symbol of the miracle described in the Gospel
when Christ feeds a multitude of people on a small number of fish and loaves of
bread. The Pope is also known as 'The Fisherman', since he is the successor of
St. Peter, and St. Peter was a fisherman. The expression 'the shoes of the
Fisherman' refers to the institution of the Papacy. The 'Fisherman's Ring' is a
special signet ring worn by the Pope and used for sealing important Papal
documents. It represents St. Peter fishing and carries the name of the ruling
Pope. When a Pope dies his ring is destroyed.
The Evangelists
The Evangelists are the
writers of the four gospels - St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. In
the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, at (4: 6-10) the
evangelists are represented by symbols. St. John has an eagle, St. Luke an ox,
St. Matthew, the face of a man, and St. Mark, a lion. These symbols can be
found on the marble floor of the sanctuary in St. Patrick's Cathedral, in
Melbourne. In Venice a huge statue of a lion stands above the piazza of St.
Mark and throughout the Christian world these symbols are found on copies of
the Gospels and in paintings of the evangelists.
The Crossed Keys
The crossed keys are a
symbol of the Papacy. This is because Christ said to St. Peter that he would
give him the 'keys of the kingdom' and that whatever he bound on earth, would
be bound in heaven, and whatever he loosed on earth, would be loosed in heaven.
(Matthew 16,19). St. Peter was the first Pope and those who have followed share
this power of the keys to bind and loose. While St. Peter is often depicted in
art work with the crossed keys, St. Paul is usually depicted with a sword which
is a symbol of the 'sword of faith' - the weapon against the devil.
The Lamb
The Lamb is a symbol of
Christ. The whiteness of the lamb symbolises its purity, and lambs are often
associated with innocence and in the Old Testament, with sacrifice. Christ was
thus the sacrificial lamb for the sins of humanity. Sometimes the lamb carries
a flag symbolising Christ's victory over death in His Resurrection. This is
known as the 'Lamb of Victories' symbol. Another form of the symbol shows a
lamb standing on a book which is closed with seven seals. This symbolises Christ
as judge at the end of the world. In the book Isaiah (53:7) are found the
words: 'harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth like
lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse'. These words are found in various
readings for Good Friday. The Latin word for Lamb is 'Agnes' and St. Agnes is
also symbolised by a figure of a lamb. St. Agnes was a Roman martyr during the
period of the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. She is one of the saints
mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer, otherwise known as the 'Roman
Canon'.
The Dominican Dog
The Dove
This is a symbol of the Holy
Spirit. When Christ was baptised by St. John the Baptist a dove descended over
him. (Matthew 3:16; and Mark 1:10). Sometimes in art a dove is depicted with
seven tongues of fire which symbolise the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. A
dove with an olive branch in its mouth also symbolises peace. This is because
of the Old Testament account of the great flood after which Noah released a
dove from the ark which returned with an olive branch in its beck. The olive
branch was a sign to Noah that the waters had resided. Some saints also have
the dove as their special symbol. These include: St. Ambrose, St. Augustine,
St. Gregory the Great, and St. John Chrysostom.
CHI-RHO
This is a symbol of Christ
arranged as a monogram The first two letters of His name in Greek are XP. The
two are usually written with the P superimposed over the X. The Emperor
Constantine used the symbol on his military standards and it continues to be
used in religious art, especially on liturgical vestments.
