Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Our Morning Offering – 30 June – O Adorable Heart of my Jesus! By St Alphonsus

Our Morning Offering – 30 June – The Last Day of the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

O Adorable Heart of my Jesus,
Heart yearning expressly. for the love of men!
Until now, I have shown towards Thee
only ingratitude.
Pardon me, O my Jesus.
Heart of my Jesus,
Abyss of Love and of Mercy,
how is it possible,
hat I do not die of sorrow,
when I reflect on Thy Goodness to me
and my ingratitude to Thee?
Thou, my Creator, after having created me,
hast given Thy Blood and Thy Life for me
and, not content with this,
Thou hast invented a means of offering
Thyself everyday for me,
in the Holy Eucharist,
exposing Thyself to a thousand insults and outrages!
Ah, Jesus, do Thou wound my heart
with a great contrition for my sins
and a lively love for Thee.
Through Thy Tears and Thy Blood,
give me the grace of perseverance
in Thy fervent love, until I breathe my last sigh.
Amen.

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 28 June – O Lamb of God By St Irenaeus

Our Morning Offering – 28 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Feastday of St Irenaeus (c130 – c202) Bishop & Martyr, Father of the Church

O Lamb of God
By St Irenaeus (c130 – c202)
Bishop & Martyr,
Father of the Church

O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us
and have mercy upon us,
Thou who art Thyself,
both Victim and Priest,
Thyself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom Thou hast redeemed,
O Saviour of the world!
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 27 June – Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart!By St Margaret Mary

Our Morning Offering – 27 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” and the Feast of the Sacred Heart

Be my Strength, O Sacred Heart!
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary of the Sacred Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I fly to Thee,
I unite myself to Thee,
I enclose myself in Thee!
Receive my call for help, O my Saviour,
as a sign of my horror of all within me,
contrary to Thy holy love.
Let me die rather a thousand times,
than consent to sin against Thee!
Be my strength, O God –
defend me,
protect me.
I am Thine and desire forever to be Thine!
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 26 June – Lauda Sion Salvatorem

Our Morning Offering – 26 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Octave Day of Corpus Christi

Lauda Sion Salvatorem
Sion, Lift Up thy Voice and Sing

(Excerpt)
By St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

Sion, lift thy voice and sing,
Praise thy Saviour and thy King,
Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true,
Dare thy most to praise Him well,
For He doth all praise excel,
None can ever reach His due.

Special theme of praise is Thine,
That true living Bread divine,
That life-giving flesh adored,
Which the brethren twelve received,
As most faithfully believed,
At the Supper of the Lord.

Let the chant be loud and high,
Sweet and tranquil be the joy
Felt to-day in every breast;
On this festival divine
Which recounts the origin
Of the glorious Eucharist.

St Thomas Aquinas wrote the Liturgy for Corpus Christi when Pope Urban IV added the Solemnity to the universal Church’s Liturgical Calendar in 1264. He provided a great Sequence, one of the great poems chanted or recited before the proclamation of the Gospel.
Lauda Sion is one of only four medieval Sequences which were preserved in the Roman Missal published in 1570 following the Council of Trent (1545–1563)—the others being Victimae Paschali Laudes (Easter), Veni Sancte Spiritus (Pentecost) and Dies irae (requiem masses).
(A fifth, Stabat Mater, would later be added in 1727.)
Before Trent, many Feasts had their own Sequences. The existing versions were unified in the Roman Missal promulgated in 1570.
The Lauda Sion is still sung today as solemn Eucharistic Hymn, although its use is optional in the post-Vatican II Ordinary form.
As with St Thomas’s other three Eucharistic Hymns, the last few stanzas of the Lauda Sion are often used alone, in this case, to form the “Ecce Panis Angelorum.”

Posted in GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 25 June – “ O Good Jesus, Make Me Live in Thee and for Thee

Our Morning Offering – 25 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave

O Good Jesus, Make Me
Live in Thee and for Thee
By Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922)

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
O fount of every good!
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and sincerely repenting of my sins
I present to Thee my poor heart.
Give it back to me
humble, patient,
pure and in everything,
conformed to Thy wishes.
Make me, O good Jesus,
live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in dangers,
comfort me in afflictions,
grant me health of body,
succour in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing in all my works
and the grace of a holy death.
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, St JOHN the BAPTIST

Our Morning Offering – 24 June – Antra Deserti – Thou, in thy Childhood

Our Morning Offering – 24 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave – The Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist

Antra Deserti
Thou, in thy Childhood
By Paul the Deacon (c720s-c799)
“Cassinensis (of Monte Cassino)”
Monk, Spiritual Author, Historian, Poet

Thou, in thy childhood, to the desert caverns
Fleddest for refuge from the cities’ turmoil,
Where the world’s slander might not dim thy luster,
Lonely abiding.

Camel’s hair raiment clothed thy saintly members;
Leathern the girdle which thy loins encircled;
Locusts and honey, with the fountain-water,
Daily sustained thee.

Oft in past ages, seers with hearts expectant
Sang the far-distant advent of the Day-Star;
Thine was the glory, as the world’s Redeemer
First to proclaim Him.

Far as the wide world reacheth, born of woman,
Holier was there none than John the Baptist;
Meetly in water laving Him who cleanseth
Man from pollution.

Praise to the Father, to the Son begotton,
And to the Spirit, equal power possessing,
One God whose glory, through the lapse of ages,
Ever resoundeth.

This Hymn, “Ut queant laxis resonare fibris”, is in three parts.
The Breviary and Roman Missal list the above for Matins today, on the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist.

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 23 June – Anima Christi

Our Morning Offering – 23 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Good Jesus, hear me
Within Your wounds, shelter me
from turning away, keep me
From the evil one, protect me
At the hour of my death, call me
Into Your presence lead me
to praise You with all Your saints
Forever and ever,
Amen

For many years the Anima Christi was popularly believed to have been composed by Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) , as he puts it at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises and often refers to it. In the first edition of the Spiritual Exercises Ignatius merely mentions it, evidently supposing that the reader would know it. In later editions, it was printed in full. It was by assuming that everything in the book was written by Ignatius that it came to be looked upon as his composition. On this account the prayer is sometimes referred to as the Aspirations of St. Ignatius Loyola and so my image shows St Ignatius at prayer.

However, the prayer actually dates to the early fourteenth century and was possibly written by Pope John XXII but its authorship remains uncertain. It has been found in a number of prayer books printed during the youth of Ignatius and is in manuscripts which were written a hundred years before his birth. The English hymnologist James Mearns found it in a manuscript of the British Museum which dates to about 1370. In the library of Avignon there is preserved a prayer book of Cardinal Pierre de Luxembourg (died 1387), which contains the prayer in practically the same form as we have it today. It has also been found inscribed on one of the gates of the Alcázar of Seville, which dates to the time of Pedro the Cruel (1350–1369).

The invocations in the prayer have rich associations with Catholic concepts that relate to the Eucharist (Body and Blood of Christ), Baptism (water) and the Passion of Jesus (Precious Blood and Holy Wounds). And yes – that is St Ignatius in my image.

Posted in EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 22 June – Soul of My Saviour, Sanctify My Breast

Our Morning Offering – 22 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – he Solemnity of Corpus Christi and Within the Corpus Christi Octave

Soul of My Saviour,
Sanctify My Breast

Trans. Attri. to Fr John Hegarty (1752-1834)

Soul of my Saviour,
sanctify my breast;
Body of Christ,
be Thou my saving Guest;
Blood of my Saviour,
bathe me in Thy tide;
Wash me with water
flowing from Thy side.

Strength and protection,
may Thy Passion be;
O Blessed Jesus, hear
and answer me;
Deep in Thy Wounds, Lord,
hide and shelter me;
So shall I never, never,
part from Thee.

Hear me, Lord Jesus,
listen as I pray;
“Lead me from night,
to never-ending day.
Fill all the world,
with love and grace Divine,
And glory, laud and praise,
be ever Thine.”

This Hymn is based on the original Latin text of the Anima Christi. Fr Hegarty is attributed with its translation and/or arrangement.
He was born in County Derry, Ireland, educated at Dublin University and was Ordained in June 1890 and spent most of active apostolic years in Brisbane, Australia. He died aged 82 years.

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – Consecration to Our Lady of the EucharistAfter Holy Communion

Our Morning Offering – 21 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Saturday within the Corpus Christi Octave

Consecration to Our Lady of the Eucharist
After Holy Communion

By the Claretian Fathers Teaching Ministry
Order founded by St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)

Mary is called Our Lady of the Eucharist, because
without her, there would be no physical Body of Jesus
to be present in the Eucharist.
 (See John 6:51)

Most kind Mother,
we consecrate to thee, our bodies,
which have just been
honoured and sanctified,
by the presence of thy Divine Son,
our souls which have
conversed with Him
and our hearts which have loved Him.
O dearest Mother,
may the words which we have spoken, be made
acceptable to Him. through thy intercession.
Tell Him the things which we should have said
but were unable to express.
Love Him and beseech Him for us,
thy poor children.
Receive and keep us in thine heart.
Warn us, protect us
and guide us during this day
that we may faithfully serve thy Divine Son
and please Him
in all our thoughts, desires and actions.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, INDULGENCES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 20 June – O Divine Jesus! Lonely in So Many Tabernacles Indulgenced Prayer By St Pius X

Our Morning Offering – 20 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Within the Corpus Christi Octave

O Divine Jesus!
Lonely in So Many Tabernacles

By St Pope Pius X (1835-1914)
Pope of the Blessed Sacrament

O Divine Jesus!
Lonely today in so many Tabernacles,
without visitor or worshipper,
I offer Thee my lonely heart.
May it’s every beat be a prayer of love to Thee.
Thou are ever watching under the Sacramental Veils,
in Thou love, Thou never sleeps
and Thou are never weary of Thy vigils for sinners.
O Loving Jesus!
O Lonely Jesus!
may my heart be a lamp,
the light of which shall burn and beam
for Thee alone.
Watch, Sacramental Sentinel!
Watch for the weary world,
for the erring soul
and for Thy poor lonely child.

O Jesus, my God, I adore Thee,
here present in the Sacrament of Thy love.
Amen

Indulgences:
100 days each time before the Tabernacle
300 days each time before the Blessed Sacrament Exposed
(St Pope Pius X – 3 July 1908)
Prayers to the Sacred Heart

15th Ed 1936

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 19 June – Pange Lingua Gl oriosi Corporis Mysterium – Sing, My Tongue By St Thomas Aquinas

Our Morning Offering – 19 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Corpus Christi

Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium
Sing, My Tongue
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Eng trans – Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
(Excerpt on the image – the 4 last stanzas)

Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory,
Of His Flesh, the Mystery sing;
Of the Blood, all price exceeding,
Shed by our Immortal King,
Destined, for the world’s redemption,
From a noble Womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
Born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
Stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
Then He closed in solemn order
Wondrously His Life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
Seated with His chosen band,
He, the Paschal Victim eating,
First fulfils the Law’s command;
Then as Food to all His brethren
Gives Himself with His own Hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
By His Word to Flesh He turns;
Wine into His Blood He changes,
What though sense no change discerns.
Only be the heart in earnest,
Faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo, the Sacred Host we hail,
Lo, o’er ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail,
Faith for all defects supplying,
When the feeble senses fail.

To the Everlasting Father
And the Son Who comes on high
With the Holy Ghost proceeding
Forth from each eternally,
Be salvation, honour, blessing,
Might and endless majesty.
Amen. Alleluia.

Written by St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) the Angelic and Common Doctor of the Church, for the very first Solemnity of Corpus Christi, this Hymn is considered the most beautiful of Aquinas’ Hymns and one of the seven great Hymns of the Church.

The last two stanzas make up the Tantum Ergo (Down in Adoration Falling) which is used at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Hymn is also used on Maundy Thursday during the procession from the Sanctuary to the Altar of Repose, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept until Good Friday.

Posted in EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 17 June – Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart By St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Prayer in Adoration of the Sacred Heart
By St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Visionary and Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God,
Whom I believe to be really present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar,
receive this most profound Act of Adoration
to supply for the desire I have,
to adore Thee unceasingly
and in thanksgiving,
for the sentiments of love
which Thy Sacred Heart
has for me in this Sacrament.
I cannot better acknowledge them,
than by offering Thee,
all the Acts of Adoration,
resignation, patience and love
which this same Heart has made
during its mortal life
and which it makes still
and which it shall make eternally in Heaven,
in order that through it,
I may love Thee, praise Thee
and adore Thee worthily,
as much as it is possible for me.
I unite myself to this Divine Offering
which Thou dost make to Thy Divine Father
and I consecrate to Thee,
my whole being,
praying Thee, to destroy in me,
all sin and not to permit
that I should be separated from Thee,
in time and eternally.
Amen.

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – Be the Heart of My Heart

Our Morning Offering – 16 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”

Be the Heart of My Heart
By St John Eudes (1601-1680)
Apostle of the Sacred Heart

O Heart all Lovable
and all Loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole Principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen

St John Eudes is the Author of the Proper for the Mass and Divine Office of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin. St John was an ardent proponent of the Sacred Heart and dedicated himself to it’s promotion and celebration. The Masses he compiled for both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were both first celebrated during his lifetime. He preached missions across France, including Paris and Versailles, while earning recognition as a popular Evangelist and Confessor. St John Eudes was also a prolific writer and wrote on the two Holy Hearts despite opposition from the Jansenists.

Posted in BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to THE HOLY GHOST, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 15 June – Patris et Filii Concordia Come Holy Ghost,Love of Father and Son. By St Bede

Our Morning Offering – 15 June – Trinity Sunday
Patris et Filii Concordi – Pentecost I

Patris et Filii Concordia
Come Holy Ghost,
Love of Father and Son.

By St Bede the Venerable (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O COME to me, my only Hope,
O Lord my God.
Come to me, true Light,
Father, Almighty God.
Come, Light from Light,
both Word and Son of God,
God Almighty.
Come Holy Ghost, Love of Father and Son,
One God Almighty.
Come One Almighty God,
Father and Son and Holy Ghost.

Teach faith, stir up hope, pour out love.
Thy will is present with me
(yet not from me but from Thee)
to leave the world and the earth
and to seek the Heavens.
But this will is a feeble feather, without Thy help.
Give wings of faith
that I might fly on high to Thee.
Amen

Posted in CARMELITES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 14 June – Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart By St Thérèse

Our Morning Offering – 14 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face (of Lisieux) OCD (1873-1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them
to His Infinite Merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask of Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly
Thine Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day, be united together
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, Holy Name PRAYERS, I BELIEVE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on HOPE, Quotes on SALVATION, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 13 June – Sweet Jesus, Thy Name is JoyBy St Anthony of Padua

Our Morning Offering – 13 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – The Feast of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Cpmfessor, Evangelical Doctor of the Church

Sweet Jesus, Thy Name is Joy
By St Anthony of Padua OFM (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church

Sweet Jesus,
is there anything sweeter than Thee?
To remember Thee is more delightful
than everything else.
Thy Name is joy – it is the true
Gate of our Salvation.
What else are Thou, Jesus,
if not our Saviour?
Be our Redeemer.
Give us the virtues of hope and love,
just as Thou hast given us faith,
our primary joy.
Give us the words which we need
to praise Thee always.
With the help and through the prayers
of Thy Mother.
Thou Who art blessed throughout the ages.
Amen

Posted in JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 12 June – O Heart of Jesus! By St Gertrude

Our Morning Offering – 12 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

O Heart of Jesus!
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)

Sanctity of the Heart of Jesus,
consecrate my heart;
Providence of the Heart of Jesus,
watch over my heart;
Unchangeableness of the Heart of Jesus,
strengthen my heart;
Purity of the Heart of Jesus,
purify my heart;
Obedience of the Heart of Jesus,
subjugate my heart;
Amiability of the Heart of Jesus,
make Thyself known to my heart;
Divine attractions of the Heart of Jesus,
captivate my heart;
Riches of the Heart of Jesus,
do ye suffice for my heart;
Floods of grace and blessing
which flow from the Heart of Jesus,
inundate my heart.
O Heart of Jesus! be Thou my joy,
my peace, my repose in this world
and in the next.
O Heart of Jesus! adored in Heaven,
Invoked on earth, feared in hell,
Reign over all hearts,
Reign throughout all ages,
Reign forever in celestial glory.
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 11 June – Feast of St Barnabas the Apostle – Exsultet Orbis!

Our Morning Offering – 11 June – Feast of St Barnabas the Apostle, Martyr, The “Son of Encouragement.”

Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author

Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.

O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.

Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.

Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.

So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.

Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen

(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time.
The Hymn is found as early as the 10th Century in a Hymnal of Moissac Abbey.

Posted in ACT of LOVE, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 10 June – Act of Love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Our Morning Offering – 10 June – “The Month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Penticost Tuesday

Act of Love to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
By Servant of God
Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930)

Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus
and show me Its attractions.
Unite me to It forever.
Grant that all my aspirations
and all the beats of my heart,
which cease, not even while I sleep,
may be a testimonial to Thee,
of my love for Thee
and may it say to Thee –
Yes, Lord, I am all Thine
the pledge of my allegiance to Thee,
rests forever in my heart
and will never cease to be there.
May Thou accept,
the slight amount of good that I do
and be graciously pleased,
to repair all my wrong-doing –
so that I may be able,
to bless Thee,
in time and in eternity.
Amen

Servant of God Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930) – In his first Consistory, on 9 November 1903, when St Pius X announced the elevation of Abbot Merry del Val to the dignity of Cardinal to the Sacred College, the Pope did not fear to affirm that he had personally observed his “noble gifts of soul and of character, as well as his outstanding prudence in dealing with the affairs of the Church.”
The Holy Father made the following reply to the comments made by one of the Cardinals: “I chose him because he is a polyglot – born in England, educated in Belgium, of Spanish nationality and living in Ital; the son of a diplomat and himself a diplomat, he is acquainted with the problems of all countries.
He is very modest, he is a saint. He comes here every morning and informs me of all the questions concerning the world.
I need never make an observation to him and he knows no compromise.”

Posted in INDULGENCES, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS

Our Morning Offering – 9 June – Indulgenced Prayer, O DIVINE Heart of JESUS By Pope Leo XIII

Our Morning Offering – 9 June – “The Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” – Pentecost Monday

O DIVINE Heart of JESUS
By Pope Leo XIII
(1810-1903)
Indulgence 100 Days, Once a day
Raccolta 167
13 March 1901.

O DIVINE Heart of JESUS,
grant, we beseech Thee,
eternal rest to the souls in purgatory,
the final grace to those who shall die today,
true repentance to sinners,
the light of the faith to pagans
and Thy Blessing to me and mine.
To Thee, O most compassionate Heart of JESUS!
I commend all these souls
and I offer to Thee, on their behalf,
all Thy merits,
together with the merits
of Thy most Holy Mother
and of all the Saints, Angels
and all the Sacrifices of the Holy Mass,
Communions, prayers and good works,
which shall be accomplished today,
throughout the Christian world.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, NOTES to Followers, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUEENSHIP of MARY

Wishing you a Blessed and Holy Feast of our Great Queen

Our Morning Offering – 11 February – Apparition of the Immaculate Conception at Lourdes

Hail! all Hail! Great Queen of Heaven,
Notre Dame de Lourdes
Unknown Author
First Published in 1905

Hail! all Hail! great Queen of Heaven,
Hail sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes,
‘Neath whose care our weary exile,
Is from countless ills secured.

Refrain:
Then let men and angels praise thee,
Fount of grace to all assured,
While in gladsome strains we are singing,
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes
Hail! sweet Notre Dame de Lourdes.

Blessed thou above all others,
Mary Mistress of the spheres,
Star of hope, serenely beaming
Through this darksome vale of tears.
Refrain

Happy angels joy to own thee,
O’er their choirs exalted high,
Throned in blissful light and beauty,
Empress of the starry sky.
Refrain

As the fount is still unsealing
Its pure treasures softly fair,
May each drop be fraught with healing,
Dearest Mother, at thy prayer.
Refrain

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 22 May – St Augustine’s Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mary!

Our Morning Offering – 22 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mary!
By St Augustine (354-430)

Father & Doctor of the Church

Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay thee
with praise and thanksgiving
for having rescued a fallen world
by thy generous consent!
Receive our gratitude and by thy prayers,
obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the sanctuary of Heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary, help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for thy people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate thee,
feel now, thy help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray
and bring back to us, the answers to our prayers.
Make it thy continual concern,
to pray for the people of God,
for thou were blessed by God
and were made worthy to bear
the Redeemer of the world,
Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – O Blessed Lady by St Bernard

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Blessed Lady,
Mediatrix and Advocate
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Doctor of Light

Our Mediatrix and Advocate
O blessed Lady,
you found grace, brought forth the Life,
and became the Mother of Salvation.
May you obtain the grace for us to go to the Son.
By your mediation, may we be received by the One
who through you, gave Himself to us.
May your integrity compensate with Him
for the fault of our corruption
and may your humility,
which is pleasing to God,
implore pardon for our vanity.
May your great charity
cover the multitude of our sins
and may your glorious fecundity
confer on us, a fecundity of merits.
Dear Lady, our Mediatrix and Advocate,
reconcile us to your Son,
recommend us to Him
and present us to your Son.
By the grace you found,
by the privilege you merited,
by the Mercy you brought forth,
obtain for us the favour we ask of you,
O blessed Lady.
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 19 May – Tota Pulchra Es, Maria

Our Morning Offering – 19 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Tota Pulchra Es, Maria
You Are All Beautiful, Mary
Unknown Author – 4th Century

You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
you are the joy of Israel,
you give honour to our people.
You are an advocate of sinners.
O Mary, O Mary,
Virgin most intelligent,
Mother most merciful.
Pray for us,
Plead for us,
To the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tota pulchra es, Maria.
Et macula originalis non est in Te.
Tu gloria Ierusalem.
Tu laetitia Israel.
Tu honorificentia populi nostri.
Tu advocata peccatorum.
O Maria, O Maria,
Virgo prudentissima.
Mater clementissima.
Ora pro nobis.
Intercede pro nobis.
Ad Dominum Iesum Christum.

This prayer used by the Church since the 4th Century for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Purity of the Blessed Virgin. It takes some text from the book of Judith and other text from Song of Songs, specifically 4:7. Many composers have set this prayer to music over the centuries.

Posted in IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 May – INVIOLATA! INVIOLATE!

Our Morning Offering – 18 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Easter IV

INVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

Posted in IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 17 May – I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary By Father John Wyse

Our Morning Offering – 17 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary
By Father John Wyse (1825-1898)
Irish Priest and Hymn writer

I’ll sing a hymn to Mary,
The Mother of my God,
The Virgin of all virgins,
Of David’s royal blood.
O teach me, Holy Mary,
A loving song to frame,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

O Lily of the Valley,
O Mystic Rose, what tree,
Or flower, e’en the fairest,
Is half so fair as thee?
O let me, tho’ so lowly
Recite my Mother’s fame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

O noble Tower of David,
Of gold and ivory.
The ark of God’s own promise,
The gate of Heav’n to me.
To live and not to love thee
Would fill my soul with shame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

When troubles dark afflict me
In sorrow and in care,
Thy light doth ever guide me
O beauteous Morning Star.
Lo, I’ll be ever ready
Thy goodly help to claim,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

The Saints are high in glory,
With golden crowns so bright;
But brighter far is Mary,
Upon her throne of light.
Oh that which God did give thee,
Let mortal ne’er disclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

But in the crown of Mary,
There lies a wonderous gem,
As Queen of all the Angels,
Which Mary shares with them;
No sin hath e’er defiled thee,
So doth our faith proclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

And now O Virgin Mary
My mother and my Queen,
I’ve sung thy praise so bless me,
And keep my heart from sin.
When others jeer and mock thee,
I’ll often think how I
To shield my Mother, Mary,
Would lay me down and die.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 omitted on image.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION

Our Morning Offering – 16 May – O Purest of Creatures by Fr Faber

Our Morning Offering – 16 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid

By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 15 May – St John Bosco’s Most Holy Virgin, Help of Christians

Our Morning Offering – 15 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians
By St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians,
how sweet it is to come to thy feet
imploring thy perpetual aid.
If earthly mothers cease not
to remember their children,
how canst thou,
the most loving of all mothers, forget me?
Grant then to me, I implore thee
thy perpetual aid in all my necessities,
in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations.
I ask for thy unceasing assistance
for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak,
cure the sick,
convert sinners.
Grant through thy intercession,
many vocations to the religious life.
Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians,
that having invoked thee on earth
we may love and eternally thank thee in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 14 May – Alma Redemptoris Mater, Loving Mother of the Redeemer

Our Morning Offering – 14 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Alma Redemptoris Mater
Loving Mother of the Redeemer
By Blessed Herman Contractus
of Reichenau OSB (1013–1054)

Loving Mother of the Redeemer!
Hear thou thy people’s cry,
Star of the deep
and portal of the sky!
Mother of Him
Who thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive
and call to thee for aid;
Oh, by that joy
which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last,
let we thy mercy see.

Alma Redemptóris Mater,
quæ pérvia cæli
Porta manes, et stella maris,
succúrre cadénti,
Súrgere qui curat pópulo:
tu quæ genuísti,
Natúra miránte,
tuum sanctum Genitórem
Virgo prius ac postérius, Gabriélis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave,
peccatórum miserére.

Marian Antiphon Traditionally said from Advent to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin.
Blessed Herman is the Author of the Salve Regina, the Veni Sancte Spiritus and the Alma Redemptoris Mater amongst others.

Posted in HYMNS, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Ven Servant of God John A Hardon

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – A Hymn to Mary the Virgin By St Robert Bellarmine

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

A Hymn to Mary the Virgin
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church.

Virgin adored and clothed with the sun,
grant me thine aid.
Virgin most beautiful, mystical rose,
take abode in my heart.
Virgin most chaste, all undefiled,
grant me true peace.
Virgin deserving of all honour and praise,
give me thy love.
Virgin elect and full of all grace,
lead me to God.
Virgin most blessed, star of the sea,
dispel the storms besetting me.
Virgin most virtuous, holy and sweet,
show me the way.
Virgin illustrious, with thy burning light,
enlighten thou my mind.
Virgin more precious than jewels or gold,
make reparation for me.
Virgin most worthy of all praise,
mother, daughter and immaculate spouse.
Virgin and Mother,
make me more pleasing to Jesus thy Son.
Virgin most innocent of any stain or fault,
make me more worthy of God.
Virgin enriched with every gift and grace,
obtain the remission of my sins.
Virgin most pure, grant me to enjoy
the bliss of heavenly love.
Virgin, thou lily among thorns,
I pray thee for the grace of a happy death.
Virgin more rare than the rarest dream,
bring joy to my heart.
Virgin so great, there is none like thee on earth,
bring peace to my soul.
Virgin most true, loving Mother too, Virgin Mary.
Amen

St Robert Bellarmine’s Hymn to Mary the Virgin:
Among St Robert’s extant writing, there is a short poem of twenty stanzas which he composed in the nature of a Litany to the Blessed Virgin.
The text was first published in Italian some fifty years ago and to the best of the writer’s knowledge, has never been translated into English.
Each verse-line begins with the name “Virgin,” joined to a title and petition to Our Lady, starting with the letter “A” and going down the Italian alphabet to “V”
Thus the first seven verses begin with the invocation: “Vergine adorna … Vergine Bella …Vergine casta … Vergine degna … Vergine eletta … Vergine felice … Vergine gradita …”
A translation to this tribute to the Virgin Mother reads as above: – Fr John A Hardon SJ (1914-2000).