Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

  

 

English: A more recent and accurate picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Taken in 2009 using my own Camera, approved by the Parish at Saint Alphonse in Roma, Italia. 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 

Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

White Vestments/1 Cl.

   Today is the Traditional Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help which can be said in place of the Feria Mass. In the thirteenth century, a beautiful picture of Our Lady holding the Child Jesus, with the Archangels Michael and Gabriel on either side of her, was painted in the East. In the fifteenth century, this picture was brought from the Island of Crete and was taken to Rome. It was placed in the Church of Saint Matthew in Rome. There, for three hundred years, pilgrims came to reverence and pray before this holy picture, because everyone loved its simplicity, its beauty and its truth. After the French Revolution, when the vicious Napoleon desecrated thirty Catholic Churches in Rome, this precious picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was hidden away, but it was rediscovered in 1862.

    It was then placed in the Church of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist Order, in Rome, where it is now kept. The purpose of this lovely picture is by way of simple and innocent symbol to teach us that

    Our Lady is our help in all things, and our help at all times. Many Catholic churches in all countries are called by the name, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Resources: We are grateful to Friends of Our Lady of Fatima for providing the Propers for the faithful. Sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal , 1945

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Missa "Gaudeámus ómnes"Go to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENSINTROIT:   

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast in honor of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary: at whose solemnity the angels rejoice and join in praising the Son of God (Ps. 44: 2) My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. RepeatLet us all rejoice...
GLORIA

Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS

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COLLECT

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit.Let us pray. Almighty and merciful God, Who hast given us a picture of Thy most blessed Mother to venerate under the special title of Perpetual Succor, mercifully grant us to be so fortified, among all the vicissitudes of this wayfaring life, by the protection of the same immaculate, ever Virgin Mary, that we may deserve to attain the rewards of Thine everlasting redemption. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God,  Forever and ever. R.Amen. Collect for the Commemoration of the Feria
Grant us, we beseech You, O Lord, that the course of the world may be directed according to Your rule in peace and that Your Church may have the joy of serving You undisturbed. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

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EPISTLE:   Ecclesiasticus 24: 23-31

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom. As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits; for my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger; and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded, and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.  Thanks be to God.

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GRADUAL:  

Thou art all lovely and sweet, O daughter of Sion, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army in battle array. V. (Judith 13: 22) The Lord hath blessed thee by His power, because by thee He hath brought to naught our enemies. Alleluia, alleluia. V. (Luke 1: 28) Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. Alleluia.

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GOSPEL:    John 19: 25-27

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. The continuation of the holy Gospel according to John. R. Glory to Thee, O Lord  Now 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.  Praise be to Christ

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OFFERTORY:  

Be mindful, O Virgin Mother, to speak good things before God's face in our behalf, that He may turn away His anger from us,

Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE OFFERTORY

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SECRET

By Thy clemency, O Lord, and the intercession of blessed Mary, ever a virgin, may this oblation profit us unto eternal and also present well being and peace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R.Amen. Secret of the Commemoration for the FeriaBe appeased, we beseech You, O Lord, by accepting our offerings, and in Your kindness make even our rebellious wills turn to You. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

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PREFACE   OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. Lift up your hearts. R.We have lifted them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R. It is meet and just. It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God and that we should praise and bless, and proclaim Thee, on the Visitation of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin: Who also conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the over-shadowing of the Holy Ghost, and the glory of her virginity still abiding, gave forth to the world the everlasting light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say with lowly praise: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY...

Return to the ORDINARY OF THE HOLY MASS THE CANON OF THE MASS

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COMMUNION:    Hebrews 9: 28

O Mary, ever Virgin, who because of thy great worth, God set up as Queen of the whole world, pray for our peace and salvation, for Thou hast brought forth Christ the Lord, the Savior of us all.

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POSTCOMMUNIONThe Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray. May the august intercession of Mary, Thy glorious Mother, ever a virgin, help us, O Lord, that those whom it hath heaped with benefits it may deliver from all peril and by her tender kindness, make to be of one mind. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, 
For ever and ever.
R. Amen.
Postcommunion for the Commemoration for the FeriaMay the sacrament we have received cleanse us, we beseech You, O Lord, and by its grace protect us.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Bishop Burbidge approves FSSP Latin Mass chaplaincy in Arlington, Virginia diocese

 

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge Arlington, Va., holds the monstrance during adoration at Life is VERY Good at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va., Jan. 23, 2020. (CNS photo/Zoey Maraist, Arlington Catholic Herald)

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, approved a chaplaincy to serve Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in accordance with the Missale Romanum of 1962.

The “Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory,” announced June 19, will be officially established on July 1. According to the diocesan announcement, the chaplaincy is being formed “to serve the needs of those who attend Mass and receive other sacraments in the Extraordinary Form.”

The chaplaincy will be administered by two priests from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) appointed from Front Royal, Virginia, about 70 miles west of Washington, D.C.: Father Jonathan Romanoski and Father John Audino.

“As a Chaplaincy, rather than a parish, this agreement allows for Fr. Romanoski and Fr. Audino to live the fraternity that is part of the FSSP charism and to serve primarily in Front Royal while periodically assisting elsewhere in the diocese,” the diocesan statement read.

According to the diocese, the chaplaincy formalizes an arrangement that had already been in place, as an FSSP priest has been assisting Arlington clergy. It does not add more locations for the TLM.

Access to baptism, confirmation, and matrimony in the traditional form remain available only to those “who have a particular pastoral connection to the community and who participate regularly in this form of the liturgy with the consent of the local pastor and the local ordinary,” in line with the current rules, according to the diocese.

“The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is grateful to His Excellency, Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, for establishing the Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory to serve the needs of those who attend the traditional form of the Latin Liturgy beginning on July 1, 2026,” Father Daniel Powers, the provincial secretary of FSSP’s North American Province, said in a statement to EWTN News.

“We are looking forward to working in the Diocese of Arlington and serving the faithful there,” he said.

Noah Peters, a board member and the president emeritus of The Arlington Latin Mass Society (ALMS), expressed “sincere appreciation” to the bishop on behalf of the society for entrusting a chaplaincy to the two priests.

“ALMS believes that this is an enormously positive step that will help ensure access to the traditional sacraments: baptisms, matrimony, confirmation, and the rites for the sick,” he told EWTN News. “We pray for Bishop Burbidge, the FSSP priests, and all the faithful, and we pray that this chaplaincy will be the seed from which broader access to the treasures of Traditional Catholicism grows.”

Arlington, like many dioceses globally, faced Latin Mass restrictions over the past few years, in line with the rules set in Pope Francis’s 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which limited access to the older form of the Mass. However, the pontiff granted FSSP, which will administer the chaplaincy in the diocese, an exemption from those rules.

FSSP was founded in 1988 by priests who broke away from the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), when then-Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who led SSPX, defied the Holy See by appointing bishops without papal approval and faced excommunication. FSSP was founded to maintain those liturgical traditions while remaining loyal to the papacy.

In Arlington — where the TLM remains popular, especially among young adults — Burbidge secured dispensations approved by the Holy See for three parishes and five non-parish church locations when Traditionis Custodes went into effect. These were temporary dispensations, but have been extended and remain in place.

This is still a reduction in locations for the diocese, which had 21 locations that offered the TLM prior to the motu proprio. Some Arlington locations also saw an influx of worshipers from the neighboring Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., which limited access to three locations — one in the city itself and two in Maryland.

In March, Pope Leo XIV described divisions surrounding liturgical unity as “a painful wound” in the church.

In his communication with French bishops, Leo encouraged concrete solutions, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that allow for “the generous inclusion” of Catholics attached to the TLM “in respect for the directions desired by the Second Vatican Council in matters of liturgy.”

Leo has not issued far-reaching documents related to the TLM, nor has he changed any of the rules established under Francis. He did, however, approve Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s celebration of the TLM last year at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL (362 A.D.) Martyrs

     

 
Martyrdom

SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL

Martyrs

DOUBLE / RED
John and Paul, Roman brothers, were imperial officers of high repute. When Julian the Apostate summoned them to appear at his court they refused, in order to remain faithful to their Master in Heaven. Having been allowed ten days in which to reconsider their decision, the brothers used the time distributing their possessions to the poor. Firm in their love of God and fellow men, John and Paul were beheaded in about A.D. 362.

INTROIT Ps. 33:20-21

Many were the troubles of the just men, but out of them all the Lord delivered them. The Lord watches over all their bones; not one of them shall be broken.
Ps. 33:2. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be in my mouth.
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
O Almighty God, let our joy be doubled on this feast of the victory of blessed John and Paul, for they were made true brothers by sharing the same faith and the same martyrdom. Through our Lord . . .

READING Eccli. 44:10-15 [Sirach]
These were men of mercy, whose godly deeds have not failed: Good things continue with their seed, Their posterity are a holy inheritance, and their seed hath stood in the covenants. And their children for their sakes remain for ever: their seed and their glory shall not be forsaken.
Their bodies are buried in peace, and their name liveth unto generation and generation. Let the people shew forth their wisdom, and the church declare their praise.

GRADUAL Ps. 132:1-2
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity!
V. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that runs down over the beard, the beard of Aaron.

Alleluia, alleluia! V.
Here was true brotherliness which overcame the sinfulness of the world and followed Christ to attain the glorious kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 12:1-8
At that time, Jesus began to say to his disciples: "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: nor hidden that shall not be known. For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers shall be preached on the housetops. And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will shew you whom you shall fear: Fear ye him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you: Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows. And I say to you: Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 5:12-13
All those who love Your name shall glory in You, for You, O Lord, will bless the just man. You, O Lord, will surround us with Your good will, as with a shield.

SECRET 
O Lord, graciously accept the gifts we offer You in honor of Your blessed martyrs, John and Paul, and help us to find in them unending assistance. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Sap. 3:4, 5. 6
And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, God was trying them, and as gold in the fire He was proving them, and as a victim of a holocaust He received them.

POSTCOMMUNION 
We have received Your Sacrament of Heaven, O Lord, to commemorate Your holy martyrs John and Paul. May this Sacred Rite which we celebrate now on earth bring us happiness in eternity. Through our Lord . . .    

 

Saint William of Vercelli, Hermit (1142 A.D.)

  

SAINT WILLIAM 
Abbot

DOUBLE / WHITE
This Piedmontese religious founder (1085-1142) lived as a hermit in various regions of Italy. While he was on a height between Nola and Benevento, he was joined by a group of hermit-monks to whom he gave a rule based on that of St. Benedict. His congregation of Williamites was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. William was merciless in the austerities he imposed upon himself, believing ardently that the Christian who suffers with Jesus will also be glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17).

Mass of an ABBOT, except

Introit
Ps 36:30-31
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.
Ps 36:1
Be not vexed over evildoers, nor jealous of those who do wrong.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom, and his tongue utters what is right. The law of his God is in his heart.

 
GLORIA

 
COLLECT 
O God, the example and protection of Your saints, strengthen us in our own weakness, and enable us to walk in the path of salvation. May we pay fitting honor to the merits of the blessed abbot William, so that he may intercede for us and lead us in his own footsteps. Through our Lord . . .

Lesson Ecclesiasticus 45: 1-6
Beloved of God, and men: whose
memory is in benediction. He made
him like the saints in glory, and
magnified him in the fear of his
enemies, and with his words he made
prodigies to cease. He glorified him in
the sight of kings, and gave him
commandments in the sight of his
people, and shewed him His glory. He
sanctified him in his faith, and
meekness, and chose him out of all
flesh. For he heard Him, and His
voice, and brought him into a cloud.
And He gave him commandments
before His face, and a law of life and
instruction.

Gradual Psalms 20: 4-5
Lord, Thou hast prevented him with
blessings of sweetness: Thou hast set
on his head a crown of precious
stones. He asked life of Thee, and
Thou hast given him length of days for
ever and ever.

GOSPEL Matthew 19: 27-29

At that time, Peter said to Jesus:
Behold we have left all things, and
have followed thee: what therefore
shall we have? And Jesus said to
them: Amen, I say to you, that you,
who have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man
shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you
also shall sit on twelve seats, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel. And every
one that hath left house, or brethren,
or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands, for My name's
sake, shall receive an hundredfold,
and shall possess life everlasting.

 
OFFERTORY Psalms 20: 3-4

Thou hast given him his heart's desire,
O Lord, and hast not withholden from
him the will of his lips: Thou hast set
on his head a crown of precious
stones

  
SECRET
May the holy Abbot William, we
beseech Thee, O Lord, obtain by his
prayers, that the Sacrifice laid on Thy
holy altar, may profit us unto salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy
Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
forever and ever.

COMMUNION LUKE 12:42

The faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord setteth over his family, to give
them their measure of wheat in due
season

POSTCOMMUNION
May the pleading of blessed William,
the Abbot, for us, as well as the
reception of Thy Sacraments, protect
us, O Lord, that we may both share in
the glory of his works, and receive the
help of his intercession. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives
and reigns with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST (1 B.C.)

     

 NATIVITY OF 

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE

Our Lord said of His Precursor that among those born of women there had not risen a greater than John the Baptist. John was more than a prophet, because it was his office to point out to mankind the Saviour whom the ancient prophets had foretold obscurely and from afar. The Baptist practiced in a heroic degree the virtues of purity, penance, and incessant prayer; but the crown of his great holiness was his selfless humility. "He must increase, but I must decrease," John said of Christ. These words are the inspiration of foreign missioners striving to train native priests, in order to yield their places to them. They also mark the goal of all sincere Catholics, in whom self must die before they can attain "to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).

INTROIT Isa. 49:1, 2
The Lord has called me by name from my mother's womb, and He has made my mouth as a sharp sword. Under the shadow of His hand He has protected me, and has made me a chosen arrow.
Ps. 91:2. It is good to praise the Lord, and sing to Your name, O Most High!
V. Glory be . . .

GLORIA

COLLECT
O God, the birth of blessed John made this day one of honor to us. Grant the grace of spiritual happiness to Your people everywhere, and lead Your people in the path of eternal salvation. Through our Lord . . .

LESSON Isa. 49:1-3, 5, 6, 7
Give ear, ye islands, and hearken, ye people from afar. The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother he hath been mindful of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword: in the shadow of his hand he hath protected me, and hath made me as a chosen arrow: in his quiver he hath hidden me. And he said to me: Thou art my servant Israel, for in thee will I glory. And now the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says, "Behold, I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth. Kings shall see, and princes shall rise up, and adore for the Lord's sake, because he is faithful, and for the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee."

GRADUAL Jer. 1:5, 9
Before I formed you in the body of your mother, I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you.
V. The Lord stretched forth His hand and touched my mouth, and said to me:

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Luke 1:76
"Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High, for thou shall go before the Lord to prepare His ways." Alleluia!

GOSPEL Luke 1:57-68
At that time, Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come: and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her: and they congratulated with her. And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child: and they called him by his father's name Zachary. And his mother answering, said: "Not so. But he shall be called John." And they said to her: "There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name." And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: "John is his name." And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed: and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their neighbours: and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: "What an one, think ye, shall this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost. And he prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people."

CREED

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 91:13
The just man shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.

SECRET
We place our gifts upon Your altar, O Lord, in solemn celebration of the birthday of John. John was the herald of the coming of the Saviour of the world, and pointed Him out when He arrived as Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord; who lives and rules with You.
 
The Preface for Weekdays is said.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Luke 1:76
Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High, for thou shalt go before the Lord to prepare His ways.

POSTCOMMUNION
O God, let Your Church rejoice over the birth of blessed John the Baptist, for through him she came to know the author of her own birth, Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord; who lives and rules with You . . .