Many other blogs are paying the proper attention to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. I will therefore remind you that other saints share this day with the Mother of God’s feast and consequently are somewhat marginalized (not that they mind, of course). For example, today is the feast of St. Tarcisius! Here is his entry in the Martyrologium Romanum:
2. Romae in coemeterio Callisti via Appia, commemoratio sancti Tarcisii, martyris, qui, Christi defendens sacratissimam Eucharistiam, quam insana gentilium turba profanare conabatur, lapidibus usque ad mortem mactari maluit quam sacra prodere canibus. … At Rome in the cemetery of Callistus on the Via Appia, the commemoration of Saint Tarcisius, martyr, who while defending the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which a raging gang of gentiles was trying to profane, preferred to be slaughtered by being stoned to death rather than that sacred things be given to dogs.
This reminds you of the great Sequence for Corpus Christi by St. Thomas Aquinas, right? … non mittendus canibus…
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I will be sure to pass appropriate greetings then to Sr. Tarcisius today. She is among the Benedictines of Mary who with Bishop Finn, are breaking ground today on the first building of their new monastery. Deo Gratias!
That’s another reason why the old rite is better, the saint can be commemorated when a larger feast or a Sunday takes his place.
There’s a parish school nearby who have St. Tarcisius as their patron. They’ve named their sports team the “Tars.”
Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that the parish is named Blessed Sacrament — hence the school’s patron.
And please remember your altar-servers of this day, as Tarcisius is their patron.
By coincidence, a friend of mine found herself in San Silvestro in Capite (Rome)yesterday, and the parish priest told her that there is a tradition that St. Tarcisius is buried somewhere under the church, but no one knows where.
This is also the first day of Saint Michael’s Lent, an ancient tradition of prayer and fasting, observed by Saint Francis. It lasts for forty days, honoring the Blessed Mother and Saint Michael the Archangel, beginning August 15th and ending on September 29th (Feast of the Assumption to Feast of the Archangels). This year Secular Franciscans in St. Joan of Arc Region are praying especially for priests and for our nation. Prayers are on my fraternity’s website: http://www.ourladyofthepearl.com/st__michael's_lent.htm Peace And All Good.
The link above does not work for me. Try: http://www.ourladyofthepearl.com/and then click on the St. Michael’s Lent page.
At Holy Mass, a Low Mass yet profound, today in Lincolnton, NC, the priest mentioned this saint and drew a parallel to Our Lady: Both held and guarded Our Lord’s body.
pattif: Thanks for that reminder!
We might now want to use the ecclesiastical pronunciation of our saint’s name, “Tar-Cheezee-oos”. My kids thought I said “Tar-Cheesiest” and laughed for about 15 minutes even though I tried to calm them down during the little story on his life.
That is we might NOT want to use the ecclesiastical pronunciation.
Now, that was a real EMHC!