Friday 5 September 2008

More from the Martyrology

Today's Martyrology has a few interesting entries.
7. At Ripon, in England, blessed William Browne, martyr, who, under King James I was condemned to be hanged and dissected for having persuaded others to reconcile to the Catholic faith. (The dissection, I assume, means quartering, and not being given to scientists as a hundred years later).
8. In a filthy ship anchored out at sea by Rochefort in France, blessed Florence Dumontet de Cardaillac, priest and martyr, who, during the French Revolution, was condemned for his priesthood, assisting his fellow captives and the sick with charity and zeal until illness completed his martyrdom.
9. In the city of Ninh Tai in Vietnam, the holy martyrs Peter Nguyen Van Tu, a Dominican priest, and Joseph Hoang Luong Canh, a doctor, who were beheaded out of hatred for the name of Christian. [I have made no attempt to reproduce the baroque diacritical marks in the Vietnamese names. Most days there are Vietnamese or Korean names in the Martyrology, which I forgot to mention yesterday].
10. In Calcutta in India [sic], blessed Teresa (Agnes) Gonhxa Bojaxhiu, virgin, who, born in Epirus, in order to quench the thirst of Christ abandoned on the cross in his poor brethren, founded the female and male Missionaries of Charity to give themselves utterly to the sick and abandoned.

3 comments:

Rubricarius said...

Father,

Could you kindly explain how the Martyrology is used in the Ordinary Form? Is still the following. day announced or the day itself?

I would also appreciate knowing what the asterisks mean next to some of the enteries for particular days.

Pastor in Monte said...

The asterisks indicate optional commemorations, to be added ad libitum, for instance, in the region where they apply.
Personally, I read the martyrology at Prime, and read it of the current day, as I say Prime at or about dawn.
The London Oratory reads the M. at dinner in the evening, and read the following day's saints, and ends the reading with the traditional 'et alibi…' which is not actually mentioned in the new rite.

The new rite actually specifies reading the M. after the collect at Lauds. It is begun with the announcement of the FOLLOWING day, and concludes, as at Prime, with the versicle:
V. Pretiosa in conspectu Domini
R. Mors sanctorum eius.
There is then a short reading, ending
Verbum Domini / Deo gratias,

Then the blessing:
Dominus nos benedicat…;
Fidelium animæ (nice to see that back)
Ite in pace / Deo gratias.

When read outside the office, it simply begins with the announcement of the following day, and continues as above.

Hope this helps.

Rubricarius said...

That is intersting. Thank you.

So I suppose in effect there is the creation of a 'chapter office' interpolated into Lauds to take the place of the missing hour of Prime and basically what happened in the Old Rite continues (i.e. the announcement of the following day, moon and entries) - except of course hardly anywhere apart from a handful of places would do it.

I fear at dawn I would be incapable of anything other than seeking the nearest caffeine fix so I admire your dedication.