Holy Week Schedule 2010

THURSDAY, APRIL 1

Mass of the Lord’s Supper

7:30 p.m. (Archabbey Basilica)

FRIDAY, APRIL 2
Commemoration of the Passion and Death of Our Lord

1:30 p.m. (Archabbey Basilica)
Tenebrae
8 p.m. (Archabbey Basilica)

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 3 

Easter Vigil Mass (Archabbey Basilica)

8:15 p.m.

Steelers greats visit St. Vincent for talk hosted by our Br. Maximilian, OSB

Annunciation Prayer (from the Orthodox Church)

Lord who came down from heaven
and stayed in the womb of St. Mary,
after making the annunciation
to her through his head of angels, is blessed.
The Lord is blessed whom the heaven and earth,
Angels and mankind are praising always.
Oh Lord let the intercession of your mother
be a fort for us all.

Peace be unto thee,
Mother of the Sun of righteousness.
Peace be unto thee, the palace of holiness,
Peace be unto thee the ship full of blessings,
the fruit of your virginity is blessed,
Holy Mother please pray for us,
so that we would also be holy like you in our lives.
Lord have mercy upon us.

Lord Jesus,
who was kind enough
to take the presence in humble virgin,
kindly live in us
and redeem us from the strong bondages of sins and death.
Lord make us good and worthy divine homes,
so that you could stay in us.

Lord who had been kind enough
to take the human body from the virgin,
unite us all in your peace.
Unite us all with your grace.
Fill your love in us
so that we could share the love
with you and among us all.
Make us worthy to praise thee
with your blessed Mother and all the saints.

Holy virgin Mother, you are blessed,
By thy prayers
let the Holy church and her children
be saved from all sorts of calamities
and let all the departed get forgiveness for their sins.
Amen.

Transitus of our Holy Father St. Benedict

On Monday, March 22, 2010, Archabbot Douglas and the monks of St. Vincent will celebrate the Passing of Our Holy Father Saint Benedict into everlasting life with a 4:00 PM celebration of the Holy Mass in the Archabbey Basilica.  All are invited to attend.

Message from the Archabbot (on the life of St. Benedict)

From: saintvincentarchabbey.org

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From: Saint Vincent Archabbey

 

2Sm 7:4,5a,12-14a,16; Ps 89:2-5,27,29; Rom 4:13,16-18,22; Mt 1:16,18-21,24a

"Forever I will maintain my kindness."

It is the kindness and faithfulness of God that is celebrated in this Lenten Solemnity. This festival of Saint Joseph is not inappropriately dropped out of the blue into the springtime of our faith. Indeed, we celebrate a great festival of the Blessed Mother next week, the Annunciation. Both of these solemnities do not interrupt our Lenten preparation for the great Joy of Easter. On the contrary both feasts speak to our hearts of essential truths of our faith. Indeed, on the most basic level we cannot separate the mystery of the incarnation from the mystery of the resurrection. Both teachings proclaim the irrepressible dignity and universal value of all human life from conception to natural death. King David is given a promise, "forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations." The LORD announces that David's Son is His Son. The Eternal Son of God has taken on flesh and taken on the family of David. He is the perfect and definitive fulfillment of this promise. Indeed, the Father maintains his kindness forever in the Son of David who is also his LORD. Indeed, he says to God and teaches us to say to God, "You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior."

The Prophet Nathan takes the desire of King David's heart to do something great for God and brings it to fulfillment in God's greater desire to do something great for King David. After all, in spite of all his failure, the Father loves David because he is a man after his own heart. The faith of the greatest king in Israel bears the fruit of a divine promise, "I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm." There is nothing more trustworthy than the promise of the LORD. In his promise, King David's disappointment about not being worthy to build the Temple of the LORD becomes rejoicing. How could the King not be glad to hear that his kingdom will be built upon the faithfulness of God and not his own or his son's own virtue? Solomon, though wise and holy at the beginning of his reign, becomes corrupted by his many wives and their idols by the end of his days. So the Father provides another Son, his only begotten Son, the one True King, Jesus the Christ. Indeed, he alone is the perfectly faithful Son of God, Son of David, and True Heir of the Promise.

Abraham believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations. This universal influence of faith is also captured in the life and service of one of Abraham's sons, King David. He too hoped against hope that in one of his sons a Temple would be built and that all the nations would come to Jerusalem to sing the praises of the One and Only True God. King David believed that the LORD of his ancestors, the God who protected and gave him victory, is the Creator of Heaven and earth. It is through faith and not through the law that both King David and our Father Abraham received the gift of God. Abraham received countless children, and David received a Son whose universal Kingdom will never end. This faith of our ancestors, Abraham and David, dwells in the heart of Saint Joseph. His children are countless, and the faith abounds in their hearts. He protects and upholds the dignity of the Lord Jesus who is a helpless and defenseless child. Saint Joseph protects him within the womb, by not letting his Mother Mary be stoned. Saint Joseph protects him from the frightened king Herod, by taking the child and his mother to Egypt. Saint Joseph protects him from poverty and hunger, by working as a carpenter. Indeed, Saint Joseph is a righteous man, a man who hopes against hope that the Father's plans are accomplished in this world and forever and forever. 

It is so rare to hear about a father who is obedient. Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary, was not a biological father, but he was the son of David who gave shelter and livelihood to the Lord Jesus. He became, because of Saint Joseph, a son of Jacob, a son of David, a member of the royal family of Israel. In his birth he fulfills the promise of the Father to chosen one Abraham and to the man after his own heart, King David. This just man, Saint Joseph beheld an angel of the LORD who said to him do not be afraid, do not be afraid of ridicule, do not be afraid of unfaithfulness, do not be afraid of unrighteousness. Have no fear that your espoused wife, the Blessed Virgin, is not a virgin. Indeed, the power of the Holy Spirit has conceived this child within her. "She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." He, this Jesus, will rescue the people from fear and from evil. Saint Joseph awoke and fulfilled the command of the LORD through his holy angel. We awake to the power of our faith, enabling us to hope against hope, so that the whole human race will know that indeed, we are children of God. Indeed, all the children of God will come to the New Temple, the temple of the Body of Christ. Through him, with him and in him in the unity of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God The Father, we come to live and move and have our being.

Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Prayer of St. Patrick

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Cardinal Newman to be Beatified

 PRESS RELEASE
16 MARCH 2010, 12 noon

BEATIFICATION OF CARDINAL NEWMAN
BY POPE BENEDICT XVI CONFIRMED

The Fathers and many friends of the English Oratories are delighted by the official announcement that our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will beatify our founder, the Venerable John Henry Newman, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham during his visit to Britain in September. Newman made his home in the Archdiocese for all his adult life, first in Oxford, where he lived as an Anglican and was received into the Catholic Church, and later in Birmingham itself where he founded and worked in the Birmingham Oratory for over forty years.

The Holy Father's life-long devotion to Newman has made a profound contribution to understanding the depth and significance of our founder's legacy. His decision to beatify Newman in person confers a unique blessing upon the English Oratories and all who have drawn inspiration from Newman's life and work.

We joyfully look forward to welcoming the Holy Father, as well as the many pilgrims and visitors who will come to the Beatification ceremony and visit Newman's shrine at the Birmingham Oratory.

We also look forward to the challenging work of preparing for the Beatification in conjunction with Church and civil authorities. We pray that the Beatification will fittingly reflect both Newman's significance for the Universal Church and the honour paid to our Archdiocese and our country by the Holy Father's presence among us.

Very Rev. Richard Duffield
Provost of the Birmingham Oratory
and Actor of the Cause of John Henry Newman

Steelers Basketball Team?

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on a team of Saint Vincent College football players, coaches, faculty, and staff in a basketball game beginning at 8pm in the Carey Center.  Br. Gabriel Myriam, OSB and his seminary classmate Kevin Favio, of the Diocese of Pittsburgh will be playing for the SVC team.

Tickets can be ordered beginning March 2nd by calling the Saint Vincent athletic department at (724) 805-2045.  In addition, tickets can be purchased on campus beginning on March 8th, as they will be sold outside of the SVC Community Center and well as in the Carey Center lounge, outside the bookstore.

For more information, contact Lorrie in the SVC athletic department at (724) 805-2045.   

Vote for us!!!

svamonks.com has been nominated for three blogger's choice awards in the categories of 1) Best religion Blog, Best Blog Design, and Best Education Blog.   We are not expecting to win but it is quite an honor to be nominated and we ask that you take a moment to vote for svamonks.org so that we can better get the word out about the Catholic faith and Benedictine Monasticism at St. Vincent Archabbey.  Please click on the links below to vote!!! Thanks.

A Celebration of Easter

Help Wanted!!!

The monks of St. Vincent Archabbey are looking to restore many of our older vestments as well as other liturgical items so that they may both be used and preserved for future generations of monks and the faithful to enjoy and appreciate.  We are also asking for donations to help purchase a Ombrellino (Umbrella) and Papal Tintinnabulum (Bell) for our Archabbey Basilica.   Anyone willing to help donate to this worthy cause is asked to e-mail Br. Gabriel Myriam, OSB or contact him at (724) 532 -6749.  Thank you.

 One of our historic roman chasubles in need of repair

Historic cope matching the above chasuble

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The Ombrellino is a historic piece of the papal regalia and insignia, once used on a daily basis to provide shade for the pope. In modern usage, the Ombrellino is a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church and the authority of a pope over it and the Eastern Rite. It is found in the contemporary Church at all the basilicas throughout the world, placed prominently at the right of their main altars. Whenever a pope visits a basilica, its Ormbrellino is opened.

Translated from the Latin language into the Italian language, it is known as an ombrellino or in the English language as an umbrella. It is shaped as a canopy with broad alternating gold and red stripes, the traditional colors of the pontificate. It also featured a staff with small bells. It often chimed to announce the arrival of a pope travelling by horse and carriage. Pope Alexander VI was the first pope to use the ombrellino as a symbol of the temporal powers of the papacy; royalty during those days always walked outdoors under a canopy. A member of the Papal Gentlemen would often follow behind a pope with the ombrellino in hand.

The tintinnabulum is a bell which had the practical function of alerting the people to the approach of the Holy Father during papal processions through the streets of Rome.