Saint Hildegard of Bingen

Today, September 17th, is the feast of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard was born in 1098, in the Rhineland of Germany. She became a Benedictine nun and served as Abbess of her community. Hildegard was a mystic who received visions from

God. Her major work, Sci Vias Domine, Know the Way of the Lord, details her many visions. Hildegard was also a gifted musician, artist, poet, cook, a "proto-pharmacist", gardener, brilliant author, master of humility, and dedicated Benedictine nun, who was on fire with the love of God. She died on September 17, 1179, at the Abbey of Bingen, near the Rhine river in Germany. She was canonized by popular acclaim not long after her death. For a thousand years, she has been honored by the Benedictines nuns and monks for her model of openness to God. Pope Benedict XVI recently made her canonization official and on October 7, 2012, will proclaim Hildegard of Bingen,the 35th Doctor of the Church, for the tremendous contribution that she made to Christianity and the importance of her message in today's world. Saint Hildegard, pray for us! Happy Feast of Saint Hildegard to all!

Feast of the Veneration of the Most Holy Cross

Veneration of the Cross. This feast began in the 4th century after the miraculous discovery of the True Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helen. A traditional prayer for this is, "We adore you Jesus Christ and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world." 

In the seventh century, the Church in Rome adopted the practice of Adoration of the Cross from the Church in Jerusalem, where a fragment of wood believed to be the Lord's cross had been venerated every year on Good Friday since the fourth century. According to tradition, a part of the Holy Cross was discovered by the mother of the emperor Constantine, St. Helen, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 326. A fifth century account describes this service in Jerusalem. A coffer of gold-plated silver containing the wood of the cross was brought forward. The bishop placed the relic on the a table in the chapel of the Crucifixion and the faithful approached it, touching brow and eyes and lips to the wood as the priest said (as every priest has done ever since): 'Behold, the Wood of the Cross.'

Adoration or veneration of an image or representation of Christ's cross does not mean that we actually adore the material image, of course, but rather what it represents. In kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it we are paying the highest honor to our Lord's cross as the instrument of our salvation. Because the Cross is inseparable from His sacrifice, in reverencing His Cross we, in effect, adore Christ. Thus we affirm: 'We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has Redeemed the World.

The Most Holy Name of Mary

The Feast of the Holy Name of Mary was suppressed after the liturgical revisions following Vatican II, but restored as an optional memorial to September 12th in the revised Missal.

After the most holy and adorable Name of Jesus, there is no name more glorious or more powerful than the name of Mary. At the mention of this name, the Angels rejoice and the devils tremble; through this invocation of this name, sinners obtain grace and pardon. --St. Peter Canisius

As wax melts before fire, so do the devils lose their power against those souls who remember the name of Mary and devoutly invoke it. --St. BonaventureHer Son esteems Her prayers so greatly, and is so desirous to satisfy Her, that when She prays it seems as if She rather commanded than prayed, and was rather a queen than a handmaid." --St. Peter Damian



Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica has a chapel dedicated to the names or titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mary, Gate of Heaven

 Mary, Ark of the Covenant

Mary, Health of the Sick

Mary, Seat of Wisdom

Mary, Vessel of Honor

Mary, Vessel of Devotion 

Prayer for 9/11

Throughout the course of history, the Benedictine Order has had a beneficial influence on the peace and harmony of society.  Just as St. Benedict help transform the ignorance and turmoil of a collapsing civilization, his sons today continue to bring the truth and charity of the Gospel to a world terrorized by hate.  For all of those affected by the events of 9/11, let our prayer today be the prayer of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict. 

picture from gracesgraphics.com

O God of love, compassion, and healing,

look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,

who gather today at this site,

the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness

to give eternal light and peace

to all who died here--

the heroic first-responders:

our fire fighters, police officers,

emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel,

along with all the innocent men and women

who were victims of this tragedy

simply because their work or service

brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion

to bring healing to those

who, because of their presence here that day,

suffer from injuries and illness.

Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families

and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.

Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well

of those who suffered death, injury, and loss

on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Our hearts are one with theirs

as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:

peace in the hearts of all men and women

and peace among the nations of the earth.

Turn to your way of love

those whose hearts and minds

are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding,

overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,

we seek your light and guidance

as we confront such terrible events.

Grant that those whose lives were spared

may live so that the lives lost here

may not have been lost in vain.

Comfort and console us,

strengthen us in hope,

and give us the wisdom and courage

to work tirelessly for a world

where true peace and love reign

among nations and in the hearts of all.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated at least by the sixth century, when St. Romanos the Melodist, an Eastern Christian who composed many of the hymns used in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies, composed a hymn for the feast. The feast spread to Rome in the seventh century, but it was a couple more centuries before it was celebrated throughout the West.

The source for the story of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel written about A.D. 150. From it, we learn the names of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, as well as the tradition that the couple was childless until an angel appeared to Anna and told her that she would conceive. (Many of the same details appear also in the later apocryphal Gospel of the Nativity of Mary.)

The traditional date of the feast, September 8, falls exactly nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not celebrated today with the same solemnity as the Immaculate Conception. It is, nonetheless, a very important feast, because it prepares the way for the birth of Christ.

Br. Joachim Morgan O.S.B.,

shares his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anne, 

and the feast of the Nativity of Mary

Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Christe, audi nos. Christe, exaudi nos. Pater de caelis Deus, miserere nobis. Fili redemptor mundi Deus, miserere nobis. Spiritus Sancte Deus, miserere nobis. Sancta Trinitas unus Deus, miserere nobis. Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis. Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora pro nobis.  Sancta Virgo virginum, ora pro nobis.  Mater Christi, ora pro nobis.  Mater divinae gratiae, ora pro nobis.  Mater purissima, ora pro nobis.  Mater castissima, ora pro nobis.  Mater inviolata, ora pro nobis.  Mater intemerata, ora pro nobis.  Mater amabilis, ora pro nobis.  Mater admirabilis, ora pro nobis.  Mater boni consilii, ora pro nobis.  Mater Creatoris, ora pro nobis.  Mater Salvatoris, ora pro nobis.  Virgo prudentissima, ora pro nobis.  Virgo veneranda, ora pro nobis.  Virgo praedicanda, ora pro nobis.  Virgo potens, ora pro nobis.  Virgo clemens, ora pro nobis.  Virgo fidelis, ora pro nobis.  Speculum justitiae, ora pro nobis.  Sedes sapientiae, ora pro nobis.  Causa nostrae laetitiae, ora pro nobis.  Vas spirituale, ora pro nobis.  Vas honorabile, ora pro nobis.  Vas insigne devotionis, ora pro nobis.  Rosa mystica, ora pro nobis.  Turris Davidica, ora pro nobis.  Turris eburnea, ora pro nobis.  Domus aurea, ora pro nobis.  Foederis arca, ora pro nobis.  Janua caeli, ora pro nobis.  Stella matutina, ora pro nobis.  Salus infirmorum, ora pro nobis.  Refugium peccatorum, ora pro nobis.  Consolatrix afflictionem, ora pro nobis.  Auxilium Christianorum, ora pro nobis.  Regina angelorum, ora pro nobis.  Regina patriarcharum, ora pro nobis.  Regina prophetarum, ora pro nobis.  Regina apostolorum, ora pro nobis.  Regina martyrum, ora pro nobis.  Regina confessorum, ora pro nobis.  Regina virginum, ora pro nobis.  Regina sanctorum omnium, ora pro nobis.  Regina sine labe originali concepta, ora pro nobis.  Regina sacratissimi Rosarii, ora pro nobis.  Regina pacis, ora pro nobis.  Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Parce nobis, Domine.  Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Exaudi nos, Domine.  Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Miserere nobis.  Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix, Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.  Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosae Virginis Matris Mariae corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante, praeparasti: da, ut cujus commemoratione laetamur, ejus pia intercessione ab instantibus malis, et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Lord have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us Holy Mother of God, pray for us Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us Mother of Christ, pray for us Mother of divine grace, pray for us Mother most pure, pray for us Mother most chaste, pray for us Mother inviolate, pray for us Mother undefiled, pray for us Mother most amiable, pray for us Mother most admirable, pray for us Mother of good counsel, pray for us Mother of our Creator, pray for us Mother of our Redeemer, pray for us Virgin most prudent, pray for us Virgin most venerable, pray for us Virgin most renowned, pray for us Virgin most powerful, pray for us Virgin most merciful, pray for us Virgin most faithful, pray for us Mirror of justice, pray for us Seat of wisdom, pray for us Cause of our joy, pray for us Spritual vessel, pray for us Vessel of honor, pray for us Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us Mystical rose, pray for us Tower of David, pray for us Tower of ivory, pray for us House of gold, pray for us Ark of the covenant, pray for us Gate of Heaven, pray for us Morning Star, pray for us Health of the sick, pray for us Refuge of sinners, pray for us Comforter of the afflicted, pray for us Help of Christians, pray for us Queen of Angels, pray for us Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us Queen of Prophets, pray for us Queen of Apostles, pray for us Queen of Martyrs, pray for us Queen of Confessors, pray for us Queen of Virgins, pray for us Queen of all Saints, pray for us Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us Queen of peace, pray for us Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us. Pray for us, most holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech you, that while meditating of the mysteries of the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.