Bulletins

December 28, 2014

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Merry Christmas!

Last week’s recipe for “St. John’s Love” came from the great traditional Catholic website called “FishEaters” although it could just as easily have come from the kitchen of Fr. Hathaway.

This Christmastide season lasts from Vespers of 24 December to 13 January (the Octave of the Epiphany) inclusive (19 calendar days in terms of liturgical calculations). The Feast of Christmas itself lasts 12 days ("The Twelve Days of Christmas"), but the spiritual focus of Christmas does not end truly until Candlemas on 2 February. Our friends at fisheaters.com have plenty more poetry, history, art, customs, songs and recipes for other days during this holy season. See it all at:

www.fisheaters.com/customs.html#christmastide

Of particular importance this week is the prayerful way we begin the new year. The Manual of Indulgences indicates that:

    “a plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly assist either at the recitation or solemn singing of

  1. the Veni Creator, either on the first day of the year to implore divine assistance for the course of the whole year…;
  2. the Te Deum, on the final day of the year, to offer thanks to God for gifts received throughout the course of the entire year.”

So let’s mark our calendars and our hymnals. Veni Creator is #809 in the St. Michael Hymnal. Te Deum is #773 in the same. Both appear with accompanying unofficial translations. And both can be found on Fisheaters:

www.fisheaters.com/prayers.html#veni
www.fisheaters.com/prayers.html#tedeum

Please remember that the usual conditions for receiving a plenary indulgence are by no means ordinary. In addition to the three conditions: “sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff” which may be fulfilled several days before or after the work, one must have “a generous disposition of heart, which would exclude all attachment to sin”. The Manual does say “all”. God bless your heart. So let’s keep trying… and... how about another toast to St. John!

Cheers. Happy New Year!

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard