On Wednesday evening, I joined the St. Clement's congregation--directed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter--who had recently moved from their church on Mann Avenue to St. Anne's Church on Old St. Patrick Street, which enjoys a designation as a heritage building.
A large assembly was present for the Solemnity of the Assumption and a reception was held on the church grounds following Mass. Here is my homily for the occasion (bilingual, as the congregation is comprised of francophones and English-speaking members) along with some photos (a number of which were taken by Deborah Gypagong and graciously made available by her.
Paroisse Saint-Clément (église Ste-Anne) Ottawa, ON
La solennité de l'Assomption – 15 août 2012
Messe dans la forme extraordinaire
LE CHRIST PARTAGE SA VICTOIRE SUR LA MORT AVEC MARIE
[Judith 13,22 à 25; 15,10 [Psaume 44 (45)]; Luc 1.41 à 50]
CHRIST SHARES HIS VICTORY OVER DEATH WITH MARY
[Judith 13.22–25; 15.10 [Psalm 45 (44)]; Luke 1.41–50]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Chers frères et sœurs dans le Christ,
Ce soir, je tiens à reconnaître les efforts et le beau travail de la Fraternité sacerdotale de Saint-Pierre, ainsi que vous, les fidèles et amis de la paroisse Saint-Clément, alors que vous avez entrepris et réalisé le déplacement de votre communauté de foi en cette belle église patrimoniale de Sainte-Anne.
Que vos patrons, le grand pape saint Clément et sainte Anne, la mère de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie, dont nous célébrons l'Assomption aujourd'hui, intercèdent pour vous. Je prie pour qu'ils vous aident à relever les défis qui vous attendent et de favoriser votre vie de foi et vos célébrations liturgiques.
This evening, I congratulate the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and you, the parishioners and friends of St. Clement’s, for the transfer you have undertaken of your faith community to this beautiful heritage church of St. Anne. May your patrons, the great pope St. Clement and the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose Assumption we celebrate today, intercede for you. I pray that they help you meet the challenges that lie ahead and foster your life of faith and worship.
The Church proclaimed the solemn definition of the Assumption in 1950. However, the Holy Spirit had been progressively revealing this truth to Christians for nearly 2,000 years.
The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady. Yet, its origin was lost before Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. For 200 years, every memory of Jesus had been erased from the city. The sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection had become pagan temples.
After the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in 336, faithful Christians restored the sacred sites. The people of Jerusalem began to celebrate memories of the life of Our Lord. One of the memories about his mother centred on the Tomb of Mary, close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived.
On the hill itself was the Place of Dormition, the spot of Mary’s “falling asleep,” where she had died. The Tomb of Mary was where she was buried. The faithful of the day celebrated the feast of the Memory of Mary.
For a time, the Memory of Mary was marked only in Palestine, but later the emperor extended it to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it was celebrated in Rome as the “Falling Asleep” (Dormition) of the Mother of God.
Soon, the Church changed the name to the Assumption of Mary. In addition to her passing from this life, the new name also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.
La croyance en l’Assomption de la sainte Vierge était ancienne, remontant aux apôtres eux-mêmes. Le tombeau de Marie au bord de Jérusalem était vide. Ce lieu est devenu un lieu de pèlerinage, mais il n'y avait pas des reliques à vénérer.
Les évêques du monde méditerranéen se sont réunis à Constantinople en 451 pour le concile de Chalcédoine. L’empereur Marcian a demandé au Patriarche de Jérusalem de lui apporter les reliques de Marie afin qu’elles soient déposées dans le Capitole. Le Patriarche a répondu qu’il n’y avait aucune relique de Marie à Jérusalem. Il déclara : Marie est morte en présence des apôtres; mais plus tard, lorsqu’on a ouvert sa tombe, on l’a retrouvée vide. Les apôtres ont alors conclu que le corps avait été emporté au ciel.
Au VIIIe siècle, saint Jean Damascène était reconnu pour donner des sermons sur les lieux saints de Jérusalem. Au tombeau de Marie, il dit : « Bien que son corps a été déposé dans la tombe suivant la coutume, il ne séjourne pas dans la mort et n'est pas détruit par la corruption. Vous avez été emporté dans votre demeure céleste, Ô Notre-Dame, vous êtes vraiment Reine et Mère de Dieu. »
Le mystère central de la vie et de la personne, Marie, est sa maternité divine. Elle avait la plénitude de la grâce dès le premier instant de son existence, complètement épargné de tout pêchés. Dieu lui destina le rôle sublime de Mère du Sauveur.
L'Assomption complète parfaitement l'œuvre de Dieu, car il ne convenait pas que le corps qui a donné vie à Dieu-fait-homme lui-même subisse la corruption. L’Assomption couronne tout ce que Dieu a accompli en Marie alors que prend fin son pèlerinage sur la terre et que s’ouvre pour elle l’éternité. La fête de ce jour tourne notre attention dans cette direction, alors que nous espérons nous aussi la vie avec Dieu pour toujours.
Les fêtes chrétiennes ne sont pas seulement la commémoration d'événements historiques. Elles ne nous tournent pas seulement vers le passé, comme nous le rappelle le livre de Judith, qui remercie Dieu d’avoir libéré les personnes choisies de leurs persécuteurs. Ces fêtes que l’Église nous invite à célébrer regardent le présent et nous tourne vers le futur. Elles nous donnent de regarder notre propre relation avec Dieu, comme nous faisons nôtre le Magnificat, que Marie proclame dans l'Évangile d'aujourd'hui. L'Assomption nous tourne vers les réalités du ciel et nous donne l'espérance que, par la grâce de Dieu, nous la retrouverons un jour, nous aussi, dans la gloire.
In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church. He wrote, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven.” With that, the ancient belief in the Assumption became Catholic doctrine and was declared a truth revealed by God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us rejoice in God’s crowning of Our Blessed Mother’s life with her elevation to heaven and see in it the pledge of our own future—that of dwelling intimately with God forever.
Chers frères et sœurs dans le Christ, réjouissons-nous en Dieu du couronnement de la vie de la Vierge Marie, notre Mère. Par son élévation au ciel, nous voyons ce à quoi nous sommes appelés : vivre dans l’intimité de Dieu pour toujours.
* * * * * *
SAINT HYACINTH
Saint Hyacinth was born in 1185 at Lanka Castle, Kamin, Silesia, Poland. He descended from the noble family of Odrowaz, relatives of Ivo Odrowaz, bishop of Krakow.
Bishop Ivo was a broad-minded man whose strong personality and powerful position in the church, greatly influenced the spiritual path which Hyacinth decided to follow. He appointed Hyacinth a canon of the cathedral and sent him to Paris and Bologna to study theology and canon law.
Bishop Ivo journeyed to Rome accompanied by Hyacinth, where they met Dominic, founder of the order which would later be named after him. Bishop Ivo asked Dominic to send some friars to Poland. Since none were available, Dominic invited the Poles to join the order in Rome and promised to send them back to Poland. Thus, Hyacinth, along with a few other Poles, entered the novitiate in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood at the age of twenty.
After his profession, he was appointed head of the band of missionary preachers sent into Poland. There he established numerous communities and preached in Prussia, Pomerania, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Lower Russia.
Hyacinth was never provincial nor even a prior. He focused on the challenges facing the Polish Dominicans: the internal and external mission. Paramount was the necessity to deepen the Christian faith, still very superficial in many parts of Polish society.
Tradition has it that during an attack on a monastery, Hyacinth managed to save a crucifix and statue of Mary, though the statue weighed far more than he could normally have lifted; the saint is usually shown holding these two items.
Hyacinth died on August 15, 1257, the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother. He was buried in the Dominican church in Krakow.
On April 17, 1594, pope Clement VIII canonized Hyacinth. This fact contributed to the growth of the veneration of Saint Hyacinth, which is most vivid at his tomb in Krakow and in Silesia, his place of birth. St. Hyacinth is credited with many miracles.
Saint Hyacinth is venerated not only in Poland but also in the rest of Europe, the Americas and Asia. The feast day of Saint Hyacinth is August 17. Saint Hyacinth is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Krakow.
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