OCTOBER 30; THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF DOUAI; SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ (1617 A.D.); SAINT MARCELLUS THE CENTURION (309 A.D.)

  

THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF DOUAI
 

Commemoration

SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ

SAINT MARCELLUS THE CENTURION

Martyr

[Historical]

The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Roman Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680. Eighty were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Today, British Catholic dioceses celebrate their feast day on 30 October. 

INTROIT (Ps. 78:1)
O God, the heathen are come into Thy inheritance, they have defiled Thy holy temple, they have made Jerusalem as a garner of fruit. (Ps. ibid. 2) The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat for the fowls of the air, the flesh of Thy Saints for the beasts of the earth. Glory be to the Father . . . ---O God, the heathen are come .  . .

 
GLORIA

COLLECT
Excite in us, O Lord, that Spirit which Thy blessed Martyrs of Douai obeyed, that we, filled with the same Spirit may ourselves endeavor to love what they cherished, and to practice what they taught. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ 
St. Alphonsus, born at Segovia in Spain A.D. 1531, was a clock merchant up to thr age of forty. After the death of his wife and child he entered the Society of Jesus as a lay-brother and spent his religious life as porter in a College in the Island of Majorca, where he closed a life of humility, mortification and charity by a saintly death on October 31, A.D. 1617.

O God, strength of the weak and greatness of the humble, who didst make Thy servant Alphonsus wonderful by the practice of constant penance and the merit of deep humility, grant that we may mortify our flesh as he did and faithfully carry the cross in the footsteps of Thy Son, and thus attain eternal glory, Who liveth and reigneth . . .


EPISTLE (Hebrews 12:1-10)
 And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:

² Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.

⁴ For you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin:

⁵ And you have forgotten the consolation, which speaketh to you, as unto children, saying: My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him.

⁶ For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

⁷ Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct?

⁸ But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are made partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.

⁹ Moreover we have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we reverenced them: shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰ And they indeed for a few days, according to their own pleasure, instructed us: but he, for our profit, that we might receive his sanctification.

GRADUAL (Ps. 33:18, 19) 

The just cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart, and He will save the humble of spirit.

Alleluia, alleluia. Thewhite robed army of Martyrs praises Thee, O Lord. Alleluia.

GOSPEL (St. Luke 12:1-8)

And when great multitudes stood about him, so that they trod one upon another, he began to say to his disciples: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

² For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, that shall not be known.

³ 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.

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.

⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

⁷ Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ 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 (Baruch 3:5-6)

Remember not the iniquities of our fathers, but be mindful of Thy hand and of Thy Name at this time, for Thou art the Lord our God, and we will praise Thee, O Lord.

SECRET

Hearken, O Lord, unto the voices of Thy blessed Martyrs who cry from beneath Thine altar, and look kindly upon our offerings. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ
May the holy prayers of blessed Alphonsus accompany our offerings to Thee, for, whilst he prayed before Thine altars, Thou didst refresh him with the sweetness of heavenly favors. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Apoc. 6:9, 11)

Beneath the altar of God I heard the voice of the slain saying, Wherefore dost Thou not defend our blood? And they received a divine answer, Bear ye yet a little time, until the number of your brethren be fulfilled.

POSTCOMMUNION

Quickened by this heavenly Banquet, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that by the intercession of these Thy blessed Martyrs, we may worthily attain unto their fellowship. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ
 May this heavenly banquet give us the spirit of fortitude, O Lord, so that like the blessed Confessor Alphonsus we may escape the snares of the enemy of our salvation and deserve to enjoy eternal peace. Through our Lord . . .

 

 

Saint Marcellus, The Centurion, Martyr

 

The birthday of the Emperor Maximum Herculeus in the year 298 was celebrated with extraordinary feasting and solemnity. Marcellus, a Christian centurion or captain in the legion of Trajan, then posted in Spain, not to defile himself with taking part in those impious abominations, left his company, declaring aloud that he was a soldier of Jesus Christ, the eternal king. He was at once committed to prison. When the festival was over, Marcellus was brought before a judge, and having declared his faith, was sent under a strong guard to Aurelian Agricolaus, vicar to the prefect of the praetorium, who passed sentence of death upon him. Saint Marcellus was forthwith led to execution, and beheaded on the 30th of October. Cassian, the secretary or notary of the court, refused to write the sentence pronounced against the martyr, because it was unjust. He was immediately hurried to prison, and was beheaded, about a month after, on the 3rd of December.