On the feast of St. Blase, February 3, the blessing of the throat takes place. Two candles are blessed, held slightly open and press between the throat as the prayer of blessing is said.
Few facts are known about St. Blase. He was a bishop of Armenia who was martyred under the reign of Licinius in the early fourth century. St. Blase was born into a rich and noble family who raised him as a Christian. Then he became a bishop.
According to tradition, he received a special message from Jesus to go to the hills during a persecution. Hunters discovered him in a cave surrounded by animals. St. Blase was curing the ailments of these animals when discovered by the hunters. The hunters captured him due to the bounty on his head and brought him to the governor.
On coming down the mountain, St. Blase encountered a wolf who was about to kill a pig; he asked the wolf not to eat the pig because the pig belonged to an old woman. The wolf released the pig. Out of gratitude when St. Blase was in prison, the woman brought him bread and candles.
While in prison, his guard complained about pain on his throat. St. Blase touched his throat with a candle and his ailment was miraculously cured.The governor ordered his execution. Because of what he did to his guard, St. Blase became known as healer of those with throat ailments, and patron of doctors and veterinarians.
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Sheng Shen [Holy Spirit] Parish Anticipates New Year,
Celebrates Formal Church Opening, Blessing Ceremony
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the Year of the Rabbit [Hare]. Because of my travel commitments, we anticipated its celebration with enthusiasm and great joy on Sunday, January 23.
Some Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who were at the origin of the Chinese Catholic Mission some 55 years ago, came for the occasion (some from Montreal). Other visitors came from Toronto and elsewhere.Because red is an auspicious colour in Chinese culture, it is permitted to wear this colour in New Year's celebrations (in a way it is legitimate, too, as the colour of the Holy Spirit, to whom the parish is dedicated).
Here are some scenes from the Liturgy and from the celebration afterwards in the Parish Hall:
Posted by Archbishop Terry at 1:03 AM 6 comments:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
"Finally, the Committee expressed satisfaction that the completion of the English translation of the Roman Missal has been welcomed throughout the English-speaking world." - really?? What about all the complaints about last minute changes to the translation?
February 4, 2011 4:14 PM
Anonymous said...
"The Committee discussed at some length the English-language translation of the Blessing of Holy Oils for the Chrism Mass and explored the means by which a text might be made available in time for use on Holy Thursday of 2012."
REALLY? According to the Roman Missal and General Calendar, the Chrism mass is celebrated on Thursday of Holy Week. Holy Thursday starts with the Triduum (in the evening) and the Chrism Mass is NOT celebrated inside the Triduum.
Does anyone in Vox Clara really know what's going on?
February 6, 2011 7:11 AM
Anonymous said...
Isn't that Vox Clara booklet and the Missal presented to the Pope printed and distributed by Opus Dei (Midwest Theological Forum)? And don't they also publish and distribute Monsignor Moroney's DVD on the new translation? What's with that? I thought One Body, One Spirit in Christ was to be the official catechetical program?
February 6, 2011 10:41 AM
Anonymous said...
How did the embarrassing mistranslations get into the final translation prepared by "experts". In Preface II for Lent, for example, the Latin (literally) "inordinate desires" (very broad) has been rendered "disordered affections" (Catechismese for homosexuality); in Preface IV for Lent, the Latin "vices" has been changed to "faults" (the Catechism is specific on the distinction between these). Then there are endless gaffes and howlers in English usage: "that we might all escape from dying" (Preface II for the Dead); "to the immensity of your majesty" (Preface of Christ the King); and Preface VIII for Sundays in Ordinary Time: a structural horror. And who can forget "he bends slightly" in the consecration rubric.
Yet two scholarly priests, who worked on the project, were fired from their positions with ICEL when they pointed out these errors (and violations of Liturgiam authenticam): Canon Alan Griffiths and Father Anthony Ruff. It's truly amazing, and disheartening, to find a Canadian bishop, and one with such a scholarly reputation, praising such a dysfunctional and incompetent process as the Vox Clara Committee.
February 6, 2011 11:00 AM
Anonymous said...
Cardinal Pell sent a letter this past week, as recorded on the Adoremus website, that introduces the Vox Clara Missal book by quoting a Vatican directive that "the Latin must be translated in a most exact manner."
But a priest who was at a meeting with someone who advises Vox Clara told me that the reason "adstare coram te", "to stand in your presence" (Eucharistic Prayer II) was changed to "to be in your presence" was that Cardinal Pell said the literal translation might be used as a justification by people who did not want to kneel for the Eucharistic Prayer.
So how is that "a most exact translation"? How is that any different from the alleged "paraphrase" of the older ICEL translations?
Seems like it's still an arbitrary process: just new people in power.
At any rate, it's not very honest on the part of Vox Clara.
February 6, 2011 11:10 AM
Anonymous said...
This is so disheartening. The whole thing is a farce. What does the press release really say? (Nothing, and that repetitively.) Who pays for all this? (The People of God!) Rather than being re-constituted, it should have been disbanded. It is the vast majority of the feckless bishops who continue to let this canonically dubious entity make nonsense of their clear canonical authority.
February 6, 2011 12:24 PM
Who's going to do all the Vox Clara base translations now that Canon Alan Griffiths has been given the boot for telling the truth about the Missale Moronicum?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you delete the anonymous comments and stop allowing us to comment when we make legitimate points and ask honest, probing questions? What are you scared of? THE TRUTH?
ReplyDelete