The Feast Of The Archangel Gabriel. Feast Day, Today, 24 March.

Text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

Saint Gabriel.
Archangel.
Feast Day 24 March.

Greater-Double.

White Vestments.

Polyptych of The Resurrection: The Archangel Gabriel.

Artist: Titian (1490–1576).

Date: 1522.

Current location: Santi Nazaro e Celso, Brescia, Italy.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art

(Wikimedia Commons)

Happy Feast of The Archangel Gabriel.

Saint Gabriel was sent to Daniel to enlighten him as to the time when Christ would be born (Epistle), and to Zachary, at the hour in which he offered Incense in the Temple (Offertory), to announce to him the birth of John the Baptist, the Precursor of The Messias (Gospel).

"Only Gabriel, a name that means "Power of God", was found worthy among all the Angels," says Saint Bernard, "to announce to Mary the designs of God with regard to her" (Matins). "He was chosen from among all the Angels," says the Collect, "to proclaim the Mystery of The Incarnation."

With a feeling of Holy Reverence, Saint Gabriel came to The Virgin, who, from all Eternity, had been chosen to be The Mother on Earth of Him, of Whom God is The Father in Heaven. In the words inspired by The Most High, and which The Church desires us to repeat frequently, he said to her: "Hail, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women." [As Saint Thomas Aquinas said of The Blessed Virgin Mary: "She, who stands on The Threshold of Divinity."]

And, seeing that Mary was taken aback by this salutation, the Angel explained that he had come to obtain her consent, her Fiat, that the Great Mystery on which depended the Redemption of Mankind might be accomplished. "I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak to thee and to tell thee these good tidings" (Matins).

It was Mary's wish to remain a Virgin, and the Angel of The Lord announced that she would conceive of The Holy Ghost and that she would give birth to a son, to Whom she would give the name of Jesus, that is to say, Saviour.

Mary, then, without hesitating, submitted with the most profound humility: Behold The Handmaid of The Lord: Be it done to me according to Thy word.

And, in that instant, was accomplished the greatest of all Miracles, when God raised unto Himself and into union with Him, The Blessed Fruit of The Womb of The Virgin: "And The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Word took upon Him our humanity, our poverty, our nothingness, and gave us in return His Divinity.

The Angel then returned to Heaven.

"Having learned, by the mouth of Gabriel, The Incarnation of The Word, may it be given to us to obtain, by his help, the fruits of that same Incarnation" (Postcommunion).

Pope Benedict XV (Papacy 1914-1922) extended The Feast of Saint Gabriel to the whole Church.

Mass: Benedícite Dóminum.

Stations Of The Cross. Every Friday During Lent. When Was The Last Time You Followed The Way Of The Cross ?

Taken from: FR. Z's BLOG

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, FR. Z's BLOG

Since it is a Friday of Lent, a First Friday, do please Pray The Act of Reparation.

Here also are my audio projects of The Way of The Cross.

What we need right now is PRAYER, especially at the end of this hard week. And remember to

GO TO CONFESSION !!!

Also, these days, we especially need to Pray for Priests, which includes Bishops and everyone up the hierarchy

There are many Priests, today, who  – for one reason or another  –  are failing in their duty to teach with clarity what The Church has always taught.

There are other Priests who are becoming discouraged and afraid concerning what might befall them if they remain clear and faithful. Yet other Priests are mired in sins. And always there are those Priests who are infirm, old, nearing their judgment.

Hence, this year, I’ve added a new version, The Way Of The Cross For Priests from The Benedictines of Silverstream Priory. HERE.

Would you consider getting copies of this for your Priests where you are ?

They also have beautiful Altar Cards HERE.

 In my reading, I left out the references to the Scripture passages which are quoted, for they would not be read in a public recitation. I urge you, however, to obtain a hard copy so that, if you wish, you can find them. Even more, I urge you Lay People to get a copy and then Pray with it for Priests.

Below are readings of The Via Crucis, The Way of The Cross, composed by
Joseph Card. Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, for the 2005 Good Friday observance at The Colosseum in Rome.
Saint Alphonus Liguori.
Blessed John Henry Newman.
Saint Francis of Assisi (according to the method . . . )
Silverstream Priory – The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

There are two versions of "The Way" by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording, but with The Gregorian Chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.

There are two versions of "The Way", by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. One is plain, with just my voice. The other is the same voice recording but with the Gregorian chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between The Stations.

 The Way Of The Cross For Priests [ 24:00 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (80)

 Stations of the Cross - Joseph Ratzinger (Good Friday 2005) [ 1:05:40 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (28051)

 Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori [ 35:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (14045)

 Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori (with chant) [ 34:16 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (23256)

 Stations of the Cross by Bl. John Henry Newman [ 50:42 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (7490)

 Stations of the Cross according to the method of St Francis of Assisi [ 42:43 ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (268)

You can gain a Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions of Confession and Communion, within a few days of the work, and detachment even from Venial Sin. From The Handbook of Indulgences:

63. Exercise of The Way of The Cross (Viae Crucis exercitium).

A Plenary Indulgence is granted to The Faithful, who make the pious exercise of The Way of The Cross.

The gaining of the Plenary Indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

The pious exercise must be made before Stations of The Way of The Cross, legitimately erected.

For the erection of The Way of The Cross, Fourteen Crosses are required, to which it is customary to add Fourteen Pictures, or, Images, which represent The Stations of Jerusalem.

According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of Fourteen Pious Readings, to which some vocal Prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious Meditation on The Passion and Death of The Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual Mysteries of The stations.

A movement from one Station to the next is required.

I believe that, if you follow The Holy Father’s Way of The Cross on Good Friday, even by television, the Indulgence is available.

If the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from Station to Station, it suffices if, at least, the one conducting the exercise goes from Station to Station, the others remaining in their place.

Those who are “impeded” can gain the same Indulgence, if they spend at least one half an hour in pious Reading and Meditation on The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

For those belonging to Eastern Rites, among whom this pious exercise is not practiced, the respective Patriarchs can determine some other pious exercise in memory of The Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the gaining of this Indulgence.

Meanwhile, from a reader last year . . .

Just a quick note to say thank you for providing your recordings of The Stations of The Cross. I am completely blind and had committed to making this part of my Lenten practices, only to have the Braille display, from which I read promptly, die. I had been struggling to find a recording of Saint Alphonsus’ version.

May God bless you !

If these recordings are helpful to you, please say a Prayer for me, especially if you use The Way Of The Cross For Priests.

Friday Of The Third Week In Lent. The Lenten Station Is The Basilica Of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Friday of The Third Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Laurence's-in-Lucina.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

Basilica of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina

(San Lorenzo-in-Lucina),

Rome, Italy.

Photo taken during a survey

of Roman monuments in 1911.

This File: November 2005.

User: Panairjdde

(Wikimedia Commons)

This is one of the numerous Sanctuaries built in Rome in honour of the Martyred Deacon, Saint Laurence. Part of the Gridiron, on which he was tortured, is kept there. This Church, one of the twenty-five Titular, or Parish, Churches of the First Christian Capital in the 5th-Century A.D., is still today that from which the First of The Cardinal Priests derives his Title.

It was during The Forty Years, passed in the desert, that Moses and Aaron asked God to bring from the Rock - a figure of Christ - "a Spring of Living Water," so that all the people could quench their thirst (Epistle). During these Forty Days of Lent, the Church asks Christ to give us The Living Water, about which He spoke to The Woman of Samaria, near Jacob's Well, The Water which quenches our thirst for ever (Gospel).

Basilica of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: SteO153

Permission: CC-BY-SA-2.5

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Water is our Faith in Jesus, it is Grace, it is the Blood which flows from The Wounds of The Saviour, and which, through Baptism, Penance and the other Sacraments, purifies our Souls, and gushes forth into Eternal Life, of which it assures us a share.

We should note the parallel that it pleased Christian art to establish between Saint Peter and Moses. It is the latter who touched the Rock from whence the water surged; this is a symbol of Christian Baptism, given by The Church, of which Saint Peter is the Head.

Mass: Fac mecum.

The High Altar,

San Lorenzo-in-Lucina, Rome.

The Crucifix painting is by Guido Reni.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: SteO153.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

The Church of Saint Laurence-at-Lucina (Italian: San Lorenzo-in-Lucina, Latin: S. Laurentii in Lucina) is a Roman Catholic Parish and Titular Church and Minor Basilica in Rome.

The Church is Dedicated to Saint Laurence, Roman Deacon and Martyr. The name "Lucina" comes from the 4th-Century A.D., Roman matron that gave permission for Christians to build a House of Worship.

Pope Marcellus I hid here during the Persecutions of Maxentius, while Pope Damasus I was Elected here in 366 A.D. A Church here was Consecrated by Pope Sixtus III in the year 440 AD. The Church was known as Titulus Lucinae, and thus is mentioned in The Acts of The 499 A.D. Synod of Pope Symmachus. It was first reconstructed under Pope Paschal II in the first decades of the 1100s.

English: Basilica of San Lorenzo-in-Lucina, Rome.

Italiano: Roma - Chiesa di S. Lorenzo-in-Lucina.

Photo: May 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Geobia

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1606, Pope Paul V placed the Church under The Franciscan Order of Clerics Regular Minor. The Interior was completely transformed by Cosimo Fanzago in the 17th-Century, converting the lateral Aisles of the Basilica structure into Chapels. The Ceiling was frescoed by the Neapolitan Mometto Greuter.

Charles Stewart, an Officer in The Papal Army, who died in 1864, is buried within the Church. He was the son of John Stewart, Prince Charles Edward Stuart's (Charles III) 'maestro di casa'. Charles had created John a Baronet in 1784. The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Laurentii-in-Lucina, established in 684 A.D., is Malcolm Ranjith, since November 2010.

English: Chapel of Saint Laurence's Gridiron,

San Lorenzo-in-Lucina, Rome.

Italiano: San Lorenzo-in-Lucina, Roma.

La cappella che conserva la sedicente

graticola su cui sarebbe stato

martirizzato San Lorenzo.

Photo: July 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: SteO153

(Wikimedia Commons)

The High Altar, designed by Carlo Rainaldi, is decorated with a painting of The Crucifixion by Guido Reni. Under the Altar, there is The Gridiron on which Saint Laurence was Martyred. The Relics were put here by Pope Paschal II, according to an Inscription on The Throne behind the Altar. The Chorus is decorated by Virgins and Saints by Placido Costanzi.

The second Chapel to the Right, designed by Carlo Rainaldi, was decorated by Jan Miel. Nicolas Poussin is buried in the second Chapel on the Right, with a Monument donated by Chateaubriand, with a Bust by Paul Lemoyne and a Relief by Louis Desprez.

Interior of the Basilica

of Saint Laurence-in-Lucina,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: August 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Lalupa

(Wikimedia Commons)

The fourth Chapel, the Fonseca Chapel, was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and features a lively Bust of Gabriel Fonseca by the Master Sculptor. It also houses a Copy of Guido Reni's "Annunciation", completed by Giacinto Gimignani.

The fifth Chapel, on the Right, has a "Death of Saint Giacinta Marescotti", by Marco Benefial, and a "Life of Saint Francis" (1624), by Simon Vouet. The fourth Chapel has a "Saint Giuseppe", by Alessandro Turchi, and a "San Carlo Borromeo", by Carlo Saraceni. The first Chapel has Works (1721) by Giuseppe Sardi.

PC Keith Palmer (R.I.P.).

PC Keith Palmer (R.I.P.).

Photo: BBC NEWS and PA

Tribute from The Prime Minister, Theresa May:

"Every inch a hero".

A Police Officer has sadly died (together with other innocent members of the public), and our heart bleeds Blue.

A life lost to keep us safe.

You may stretch this Blue Line.

You may bend this Blue Line.

But you'll never break it.

If you injure one of us, we will stand strong.

If you kill one of us, another will take our place.

When you run away from danger - we run towards it.

And put ourselves in harms way to keep you safe.

The #ThinBlueLine.

Thinner still today.

Thursday Of The Third Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of The Holy Martyrs Cosmas And Damian.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Thursday of The Third Week in Lent.
   Station at The Holy Martyrs, Cosmas and Damian.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

The High Altar and Apse of

The Basilica dei Santi Cosma e Damiano,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: June 2002.

Source: flickr.com

Author: iessi

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Thursday takes the name of "Mid-Lent Thursday", because it is the twentieth day in the middle of The Holy Forty Days. The Church brings to the following Sunday the sentiments of joy [on Laetare Sunday, Rose Vestments can be worn instead of the Violet Vestments] which she wishes to fill our hearts. The Feast of Easter approaches, and we must courageously continue The Lenten Fast, already half completed.

It is in a Church, made of two Pagan Temples (of The Holy City and of Romulus), where rest the bodies of The Holy Martyrs, Cosmas and Damian, who were put to death during The Diocletian Persecution, that this Station is made.

The sick came in crowds to visit the tomb of these two brothers, doctors by profession, imploring them to restore their health. It was thus fitting to say this Gospel, relating to the cure of the mother-in-law of Simon Peter and of the sick of Capharnaum. It is also a Mass of Dedication, as the words of the Epistle show: Templum Domini est.

The Jews, who possessed the magnificent Temple of Jerusalem, began to believe that respect for The House of God sufficed to Sanctify them, and they considered themselves dispensed from observing The Spirit of The Law. Wherefore, The Church warns us that our Lent should not only consist of Prayers and Fasts, but should be accompanied by Exercises of Charity and Justice towards our neighbour.

Theodoric The Great,

King of the Ostrogoths.

Source: Goed gezien: Tien eeuwen wetenschap 

in handschrift en druk Object 19.

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

We must imitate the example of Jesus, and during the whole of Lent follow Him, with The Holy Liturgy, in His Ministry of Redemption, Preaching The Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out devils (Gospel). Let us love to listen to The Word of God: It will cure our Souls and banish from them the devil, who seeks to reign therein.

The Catechumens, who were preparing for Baptism, listened especially at this Season of the Year to The Word of God. They also received The Imposition of Hands, so as to be delivered from evil spirits and to obtain the cure of their Souls.

Through the Intercession of The Holy Doctors, Cosmas and Damian, in whose Church today's Solemnities are Celebrated, let us ask The Divine Physician that the severe Abstinence of The Lenten Fast may cool the fever of our passions and assure our Salvation (Collect, Epistle, Postcommunion).

Mass: Salus pópuli.

Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian,

Rome, Italy.

Titular Church.

Photo: September 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Riccardov

(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia -the free encyclopaedia.

The Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano is a Church in Rome, located in The Roman Forum. It is one of the ancient Churches called Tituli, of which Cardinals are Patrons as Deacons. The Cardinal Deacon of the Titulus Ss. Cosmae et Damiani is Giovanni Cheli. The Basilica, devoted to the two Greek brothers, doctors, Martyrs and Saints, Cosmas and Damian, is located in The Forum of Vespasian, also known as The Forum of Peace.

The Temple of Romulus was dedicated by Emperor Maxentius to his son, Valerius Romulus, who died in 309 A.D., and was rendered divine honours. It is possible that the temple was, in origin, the temple of "Iovis Stator" or the one dedicated to Penates, and that Maxentius restored it before the re-Dedication.

Pope Felix IV presents Saints Cosmas and Damian

with the Basilica that he re-Dedicated to them.

Painting from SS Cosma e Damiano. Early-1600s, Tuscan School.

Source: http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/theorder/

Basilica/stf_basilica_paintings.htm

(Wikimedia Commons)

The ancient Roman fabric was Christianised and Dedicated to Sancti Cosma et Damiano in 527 A.D., when Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, and his daughter, Amalasuntha, donated The Library of The Forum of Peace (Bibliotheca Pacis), and a portion of the Temple of Romulus, to Pope Felix IV (526 A.D. - 530 A.D.).

The Pope united the two buildings to create a Basilica devoted to two Greek brothers and Saints, Cosmas and Damian, in contrast with the ancient pagan cult of the two brothers, Castor and Pollux, who had been worshipped in the nearby Temple of Castor and Pollux.

Not really a Temple, but a Vestibule opening into a

Hall of Vespasian's Forum of Peace,

which now houses the Church of SS. Cosma e Damiano.

Photo: May 2005.

Source: Flickr

Author: Anthony M. from Rome, Italy

Reviewer: KenWalker

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Apse was decorated with a Roman-Byzantine mosaic, representing a parousia, The Second Coming of Christ at the End of Time. The bodies of Saints Mark and Marcellian were Translated, perhaps in the 9th-Century A.D., to this Church, where they were re-discovered in 1583 during the Reign of Pope Gregory XIII.

In 1632, Pope Urban VIII ordered the Restoration of the Basilica. The works, projected by Orazio Torriani and directed by Luigi Arrigucci, raised the floor level seven metres, bringing it equal with the Campo Vaccino, thus avoiding the infiltration of water. Also, a Cloister was added. The old Floor of the Basilica is still visible in the lower Church, which is actually the lower part of the first Church.

In 1947, the Restorations of The Imperial Forums gave a new structure to the Church. The old entrance, through the Temple of Romulus, was closed, and the temple restored to its original forms; with the Pantheon, the Temple of Romulus is the best preserved pagan temple in Rome. A new entrance was opened on the opposite side (on Via dei Fori Imperiali), whose Arch gives access to the Cloister, and through this to the side of the Basilica.

Pope Urban VIII (1623 - 1644)

ordered the Restoration of the Basilica in 1632.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680).

Date: 1632.

Current location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, Italy.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Next to the new entrance to the complex, there are rooms with the original Marble Paving of The Forum of Peace, and the wall, where the 150 Marble Slabs of the Forma Urbis Romae were hung. Through the Cloister, the entrance to the Church opens on the side of the single Nave. The Plan of the Basilica followed the norms of the Counter-Reformation: a single Nave, with three Chapels per side, and the big Apse, which now looks quite over-sized because of the reduction in height of the 17th-Century Restoration, framed by the Triumphal Arch, also mutilated by that Restoration.

The mosaics are masterpieces of 6th and 7th-Century A.D. art. In the middle is Christ, with Saint Peter presenting Saint Cosmas and Saint Theodorus (Right), and Saint Paul presenting Saint Damian and Pope Felix IV; the latter holds a model of the Church.

The importance of this Basilica, for the history of medicine, is not only related to the fact that the two brothers were physicians, and soon became Patrons of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists and veterinarians, but also to the Tradition, according to which, Claudius Galen himself lectured in the Library of the Temple of Peace (“Bibliotheca Pacis”). Furthermore, for Centuries, in this “medical area” Roman physicians had their meetings.

The Feast Of The Annunciation. On Saturday, 25 March 2017. 1030 hrs. Solemn High Mass. The Church Of Saint Agnes. New York City.

Text and Illustration from: NEW LITURGICAL MOVEMENT

The Church of Saint Agnes, New York City, located at 143 East 43rd Street, will have a Solemn High Mass this coming Saturday, 25 March 2017, The Feast Day of The Annunciation, at 10:30 hrs.

The Saint Mary’s Student Schola, directed by Mr David Hughes, will sing Palestrina’s Missa Ave Maria.

Wednesday Of The Third Week In Lent. Lenten Station At The Basilica Of Saint Sixtus.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Wednesday of The Third Week in Lent.
   Station at Saint Sixtus's.

Indulgence of 10 Years and 10 Quarantines.

Violet Vestments.

English: Basilica of Saint Sixtus, Rome.

Italiano: San Sisto (Santi Nereo e Achilleo)

(Terme di Caracalla).

Photo: June 2006.

Source: nereo-achilleo2

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Hengist Decius

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Candidates from among the heathen, after a period of waiting, became Catechumens at The Station this day. Their Sponsors presented them by testifying to their purity of intention and conduct. Their names were written on Tablets of Ivory covered in Leather, which were read at The Commemoration of The Living.

After The Collect, and before The Lessons, they proceeded to The Rites of Exsufflation, of The Sign of The Cross, of The Imposition of Hands, and of that of The Salt, which are still to be found in the first part of The Ceremonies of Baptism.

The Station is at Saint Sixtus's, on The Appian Way, a Parish Church of Rome in the 5th-Century A.D. It was of this Holy Pontiff, and, according to several authors, in this very place, that Saint Laurence begged to be permitted to accompany him as his Minister in the sacrifice of himself which he was about to make. Saint Sixtus is buried in this Church.

God, on Sinai, had commanded men, the Epistle and Gospel tell us, to honour their parents and to love their neighbours. The Pharisees added to these Commandments human traditions, which consisted of formalities wholly external, to which they attached more importance than they did to the Law of Moses.

The Basilica of Saint Sixtus, Rome.

Photo: November 2009.

Source: Own work.

Author: LPLT

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Church, therefore, seeks to put us on our guard against the observance of exterior practices of Worship or Fasts, which are not united to Acts of Charity. For, in order to obtain the approval of Heaven, our Penance must come from a heart overflowing with Love of God and our neighbour, for it is from the heart that the holiness and malice of man proceeds.

To bodily mortifications, let us take great care to add the practice of Virtues: Sincerity; Justice; Patience; Charity; or, as The Collect expresses it, let us impose upon ourselves Fasting of Soul and body.

Mass: Ego autem.

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Insufflation and Exsufflation.

In Religious and magical practice, Insufflation and Exsufflation are ritual acts of blowing, breathing, hissing, or puffing, that signify, variously, expulsion or renunciation of evil or of the Devil (the Evil One), or infilling or Blessing with good (especially, in Religious use, with The Spirit or Grace of God).

Pope Leo III (795 A.D. - 816 A.D.)

rebuilt the old "Titulus" in 814 A.D.

Mosaics in the Hall (Triclinium) of Leo III

of the Lateran Palace (798 A.D. - 799 A.D.).

(Wikimedia Commons)

In historical Christian practice, such blowing appears most prominently in The Liturgy, and is connected almost exclusively with Baptism and other Ceremonies of Christian initiation, achieving its greatest popularity during periods in which such Ceremonies were given a prophylactic or exorcistic significance, and were viewed as essential to the defeat of the Devil or to the removal of the taint of Original Sin.

Ritual blowing occurs in The Liturgies of Catechumenate and Baptism from a very early period and survives into the modern Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Maronite, and Coptic Rites.

Catholic Liturgy, post-Vatican II (the so-called Novus Ordo 1969), has largely done away with Insufflation, except in a Special Rite for the Consecration of Chrism on Maundy Thursday. Protestant liturgies typically abandoned it very early on. Muslims include the practice to a certain degree, following the Biblical Rites to a lesser extent. The Tridentine Catholic Liturgy retained both an Insufflation of The Baptismal Water and (like the present-day Orthodox and Maronite Rites) an Exsufflation of The Candidate for Baptism, right up to the 1960s.

THE INSUFFLATION. He breathes thrice upon the waters in the form of a Cross, saying: "Do You with Your mouth Bless these pure waters: that besides their natural virtue of cleansing the body, they may also be effectual for purifying the Soul".

THE EXSUFFLATION. The Priest breathes three times on The Child in the form of a Cross, saying: "Go out of him . . . you unclean spirit and give place to The Holy Spirit, The Paraclete".

Pope Sixtus IV (1414-1484).

Artist: Justus van Gent and Pedro Berruguete.

Date: Circa 1473 - 1475.

Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Source/Photographer: cartelen.louvre.fr

[Pope Sixtus IV restored the Basilica in 1475].

(Wikimedia Commons)

Santi Nereo e Achilleo is a 4th-Century A.D. Basilica Church in Rome, located in via delle Termi di Caracalla, in the rione Celio, facing the main entrance to The Baths of Caracalla. The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus Ss. Nerei et Achillei is Theodore Edgar McCarrick.

A 337 A.D., epitaph inscription in the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura celebrates the Late Cinnamius Opas, Lector of a Church known as Titulus Fasciolae; the name has traditionally been explained as the place where St. Peter lost the foot bandage (fasciola) that wrapped the wounds caused by his chains, on his way to escape the Mamertine Prison.

In The Acts of The Synod of Pope Symmachus, 499 A.D., the Titulus Fasciolae is recorded as served by five Priests. This same building is recorded as Titulus Sanctorum Nerei et Achillei in 595 A.D; therefore, the Dedications to Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, two Soldiers and Martyrs of the 4th-Century A.D., must date to the 6th-Century A.D.

Basilica of Saint Sixtus (San Sisto)

(Santi Nereo e Achilleo), Rome.

Photo: June 2006.

Source: DSCN0317

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Author: Hengist Decius

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 814 A.D., Pope Leo III rebuilt the old Titulus. In the 13th-Century, the Relics of the two Martyrs (Santi Nereo e Achilleo) were Transferred from The Catacomb of Domitilla to the Sant'Adriano, whence they were Transferred to this Church by Cardinal Baronius.

The Church degraded with time, and, in 1320, according to the Catalogue of Turin, it was a Presbyterial Title with no Priest serving. So, Pope Sixtus IV Restored the Church on occasion of The Jubilee of 1475, while The Jubilee of 1600 was the occasion for the last major Restoration, funded by the scholarly antiquarian, Cardinal Cesare Baronio, who commissioned the frescoes.

Saint Domitilla with Saints Nereus and Achilleus.

Artist: Cristoforo Roncalli.

Date: 1598 -1599.

Current location: Chiesa dei Santi Nereo e Achilleo, Rome.

Source/Photographer: Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork

(Wikimedia Commons)

Behind its unassuming facade, the Church is built according to the typical Basilica Plan, with a single Nave and two Side Aisles. The original Columns were replaced in the 15th-Century by Octagonal Pillars, and the Nave is characterised by the large fresco decorations commissioned by Cardinal Baronio.

The Cardinal, in his iconographic scheme timed for the 1600 Jubilee, emphasised the role of The Roman Martyrs during the Early Centuries of Christianity. The execution of the frescoes was entrusted to a minor painter, generally thought to be Niccolò Circignani, called "Pomarancio". There are a lot of gruesome details and blood all over the walls, but the pastel colours soften somewhat a fearsome effect of the pictures.

The Ciborium and High Altar,

Basilica of Saint Sixtus (San Sisto)

(Santi Nereo e Achilleo).

Rome, Italy.

Photo: June 2006.

Source: DSCN0316

Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de

Artist: Hengist Decius

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Mediaeval Ambo is set on a large, porphyry urn taken from the nearby Baths of Caracalla. The low Screen, separating The Choir, is faced with 13th-Century Cosmatesque-Style inlays. A White Marble Candelabra was brought here from San Paolo fuori le Mura. The Ciborium, dating from the 16th-Century, is raised on African Marble Columns.

The Spandrels of the Arch, at the end of the Nave, retain some of the former mosaics of the time of Pope Leo III, with a central Transfiguration in a Mandorla. The High Altar, made of three Cosmatesque panels, houses the Relics of Nereus, Achilleus, and Saint Flavia Domitilla; all three of whom were brought here from the Catacomb of Domitilla. Next to The Altar, there are two pagan stones, depicting two winged spirits, taken from a nearby temple.

In the Apse, behind The Altar, is the Episcopal Throne, assembled under the direction of the Antiquary, Cardinal Baronius, re-using Lions in the Cosmatesque Style, that is associated with The Vassalletto School, which support the arm-rests; on the back-rest, is inscribed the opening and closing words of the twenty-eighth Homily of Saint Gregory The Great, inscribed under the mistaken Tradition that he preached them here, in front of the Relics of Saints Nereus and Achilleus on their Feast Day.

When Cardinal Baronio ordered the inscription, he did not know that the Relics were originally buried in the underground Basilica of the Catacomb of Domitilla, so thought that this was the place where Saint Gregory Preached.

The Arch of the Apse has mosaics of the 9th-Century A.D., with The Annunciation, The Transfiguration, and The Theotokos (Mother of God).