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White Semidouble Hæc dies quam fecit Dominus; exsultemus et lætemur in ea! This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us be glad and rejoice therein! THE SEVENTH DAY of the gladdest of weeks has risen upon us, bringing with it the memory of the Creator’s rest, after the six days of creation. It also reminds us of that other rest, which this same God took in the tomb; like a warrior who, when sure of the victory, calmly reposes before the final combat with the enemy. Our Jesus slept His rest in the sepulcher, after permitting...

Violet & White Double of the First Class A NIGHT HAS PASSED over the Tomb, wherein lies buried the Body of the Man-God. Death is triumphant in that silent cave, and hold captive Him that gives life to every creature—but his triumph will soon be at an end. The Soldiers may watch, as best they will, over that Grave: they cannot hold Jesus prisoner, as soon as the moment fixed for his Resurrection comes. The holy Angels are there, profoundly adoring the lifeless Body of Him whose Blood is to reconcile all things, both on earth, and in heaven....

Violet Simple TODAY WE BEGIN, as does the holy Gospel, to number the days which precede the Death, the Sacrifice, of the Lamb of God. St. John, in the 12th Chapter of his Gospel, tells us that this is the Sixth day before the Pasch. Jesus is in Bethania, where a feast is being given in his honor. Lazarus, he whom Jesus has restored to life, was present at this repast, which was given in the house of Simon the Leper. Martha is busy looking after the various arrangements; her sister, Mary Magdalene, has a heavenly presentiment that the...

Violet Simple THIS SATURDAY, in the early ages of Christianity, was called Sitientes, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass, in which the Church addresses her Catechumens in the words of Isaias, and invites them that thirst after grace, to come and receive it in the holy Sacrament of Baptism. At Rome, the Station was originally in the Basilica of Saint Laurence outside the walls; but it was found inconvenient, on account of its great distance from the City; and the Church of Saint Nicholas in carcere, which is within the walls, was selected for today’s...

Violet Simple THE STATION is in the Church of Saint Susanna, Virgin and Martyr of Rome. The reason of this Church having been chosen is that today, there is read the history of the chaste Susanna, the daughter of Helcias. COLLECT Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus; ut qui se, affligendo carnem, ab alimentis abstinent, sectando justitiam, a culpa jejunent. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that they who mortify themselves by abstinence from food, may, by observing thy holy law, also fast from all sin. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Let thy kind favor, O...

Violet Simple THE STATION is the Church of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, two celebrated Martyrs of Rome, under the persecution of Diocletian. Their names are inserted in the Canon of the Mass. COLLECT Da, quæsumus, Domine, nostris effectum jejuniis salutarem: ut castigatio carnis assumpta, ad nostrarum vegetationem transeat animarum. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, this saving effect of our fast, that the chastisement of the flesh, which we have undertaken, may become the improvement of our souls. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE LECTIO LIBRI GENESIS. LESSON from the BOOK of GENESIS. Cap....

Violet Simple THE STATION is in the Basilica of Saint Peter, on the Vatican, where the people were wont to assemble, towards evening, that they might be present at the Ordination of the Priests and Sacred Ministers. This day was called Twelve-Lesson-Saturday, because formerly, twelve passages from the Holy Scriptures used to be read, as upon Holy Saturday. The Mass, during which the Ordinations were given, was celebrated during the night; so that by the time it was over, the Sunday had begun. Later on, the Ordination Mass was said early on the Saturday, as we now have it;...

THE STATION for today is as noted in the missal, in the church of St. Trypho, martyr; but this church having been destroyed many centuries ago, the station is now in that of St. Augustine, which is built on the same site. COLLECT Adesto, Domine, supplicationibus nostris, et concede ut hoc solemne jejunium, quod animabus corporibusque curandis salubriter institutum est, devoto servitio celebremus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Give ear, O Lord, to our prayers, and grant that we may, with true devotion, observe this solemn fast which was wholesomely instituted for giving health to both our souls and...

ON THE SATURDAY of the preceding week, which was devoted to the consideration of the fall of our first parents both in its own malice and in its sad consequences upon us, we turned our thoughts towards our blessed Lady, who, though a daughter of Eve, was by the special mercy of God preserved from the stain of original sin. Let us end this week with a like act of veneration and love towards this Immaculate Queen of heaven. We, even the most saintly among us, have not only been stained with original sin, we have the actual sins...

THE SENTENCE pronounced by the Almighty upon our first parents was to fall upon their children to the end of time. We have been considering, during this week of Septuagesima, the penalties of the great sin; but the severest and most humiliating of them all remains to be told. It is the transmission to the whole human race of original sin. It is true that the merits of the promised Redeemer will be applied to each individual man, in the manner established by God at various periods of time; still, this spiritual regeneration, while cleansing us from the leprosy...

THE CALENDAR of the liturgical year will soon bring us to the commemoration of the Passion and Resurrection of our Redeemer; we are but nine weeks from these great solemnities. It is time for the Christian to be preparing his soul for a fresh visit from his Savior; a visit even more sacred and more important than that He so mercifully paid us at His Birth. Our holy mother the Church knows how necessary it is for her to rouse our hearts from their lethargy, and give them an active tendency towards the things of God. On this day,...

Violet Fast and Partial Abstinence Prope est jam Dominus; venite, adoremus. The Lord is now nigh: come, let us adore. THE LESSONS from the Prophet Isaias are interrupted today also; and a Homily on the Gospel of the Mass is read in their place. As this Gospel is repeated in the Mass of the fourth Sunday of Advent, which is tomorrow, we will, for the present, omit it, and be satisfied with mentioning the reason of the same Gospel being assigned to the two days. The primitive custom, in the Roman Church, was to hold Ordinations in the night...

Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus. Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. De Isaia Propheta. From the Prophet Isaias. Cap. xxv. Ch. xxv. Domine, Deus meus es tu; exaltabo te, et confitebor nomini tuo: quoniam fecisti mirabilia, cogitationes antiquas fideles. Amen. Quia posuisti civitatem in tumulum, urbem fortem in ruinam, domum alienorum: ut non sit civitas, et in sempiternum non ædificetur. Super hoc laudabit te populus fortis; civitas gentium robustarum timebit te: quia factus es fortitudo pauperi, fortitudo egeno in tribulatione sua, spes a turbine, umbraculum ab æstu; spiritus enim robustorum quasi turbo impellens...

ELKHART _ Two people are confirmed dead in an hit and run accident on Beardsley Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday. According to a press release issued late last Saturday by Elkhart Police Department Communications officer Chris Snyder, Ekhart police and fire department were dispatched to the area of East Beardsley Avenue and Cassopolis Street in regards to a motor vehicle crash. Police and fire arrived to find several victims in the roadway and on the sidewalk. At this time it appears the suspect vehicle was traveling east on Beardsley Avenue when it left the south side of the road...

COEUR d’ALENE — Ted Cruz supporters confirmed the presidential hopeful will make a stop in Coeur d’Alene Saturday afternoon. Norm Semanko, Cruz’s statewide coordinator, posted a message on his Facebook page confirming Cruz is going to be in town on Saturday.

A mall in Louisville, Kentucky, reopened this morning after over 1,000 teens loitering, fighting and refusing to leave businesses forced the shopping center to shut down Saturday night, police said. Around 7 p.m., police started to receive disturbance calls from the Mall St. Mathews regarding "juveniles who were loitering, refusing to leave businesses, fights, those kinds of things," St. Matthews Police spokesman Dennis McDonald told ABC News today. McDonald said the department always stations an extra police presence at the mall during the holidays, and there were six officers at the mall Saturday assigned to help mall security. "As they...

Where Is Jesus Between His Death and Resurrection? By: Msgr. Charles PopeWhere is Christ after He dies on Friday afternoon and before He rises on Easter Sunday? Both Scripture and Tradition answer this question. Consider the following excerpt from a second century sermon as well as this meditation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday (ca. 2nd century A.D.):Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up...

The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays starting Aug. 1 — but will continue delivering packages. Unless forbidden to do so by Congress, which has moved in the past to prohibit five-day-a-week delivery, the agency for the first time will delivery mail only Monday through Friday. The move will save about $2 billion a year for the Postal Service, which has suffered tens of billions of dollars in losses in recent years with the advent of the Internet and e-commerce, officials said. “The American public understands the financial challenges of...

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Saturday, March 17: 8:00am CST: Senator Santorum will meet and greet voters in St. Louis, MO. Location: Westminster Christian Academy 800 Maryvill Centre Drive St. Louis, MO 63017 9:15am CST: Senator Santorum will meet and greet voters in Wildwood, MO. Location: Schnucks Wildwood Crossing Community Room 16580 Manchester Road Wildwood, MO 63040 10:20am CST: Senator Santorum will speak in Ballwin, MO. Location: Ballwin Police Station 300 Park Drive Ballwin, MO 63011 11:30am CST: Senator Santorum will speak in Hazelwood, MO. Location: Prairie Commons Library Auditorium 915 Utz Lane Hazelwood, MO 63042 2:00pm CST: Senator Santorum will hold a Rally for...