From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
Father, thanks for your recent posts on praying for our clergy. They really need it, whether they’re fighting the good fight or serving the enemy, and in the case of the latter, it’s more use to pray than complain. We need this reminder from time to time.
I loved the picture you posted if ‘Notre Dame du Clergè’, and shared it with a number of faithful priests, who have nicknamed her ‘Our Lady of the Maniple’. [I think it is supposed to be a stole, but I like maniple, too. “Tie One On!”] One asked me where it comes from, and whether there’s a back story to the title and image. I have searched high and low for a copy of it or some more information, but have not found anything.
Any posts on the interweb all point back here. Would you be able to assist? These young priests would like to know more about their patron, and where the image can be found.
Thanks for that. And thanks for praying for priests.
I’ve dug around a little for the history of this image. As a matter of fact, I’ve posted about it on the blog before and the comments it produced were fantastic. HERE
Last year, I checked out the chapel in the exceptional Parisian church of the SSPX, Saint-Nicholas de Chardonnet. There was and perhaps still is an active confraternity to O.L. Queen of the Clergy there. They have a statue of her prominently displayed before the sanctuary, so they honor the old devotion. You can see through to the back, where her chapel is.
In any event, I would very much like more information.
Meanwhile, here is a lovely prayer.
O Marie, Reine du Clergé,
vous qui êtes la Mère de l’Eglise, la reine des missions, l’idéal achevé et séduisant de toutes les vertus ecclésiastiques, daignez semer, avec une royale profusion, les grâces des vocations sacerdotales et missionnaires dans les coeurs purs des premiers communiants; préparez vous-même les âmes des jeunes lévites aux redoutables fonctions du ministère sacré; remplissez les prêtres, vos fils de prédilection, des brûlantes ardeurs d’un zèle inlassable et ornez les de la sainteté et de la science nécessaires à leur glorieuse mission.
O Vierge sacerdotale, vous qui êtes la protectrice attitrée de la hiérarchie catholique, éclairez et fortifiez nos évêques pour qu’ils soient les vigilants pasteurs et les chefs entraînants de votre peuple. — Etendez votre puissante protection sur notre saint Père le Pape, pour qu’il guide d’une main ferme et sûre la barque de votre Eglise, à travers les orages et les convulsions du monde moderne, vers le port de l’éternité.
Auguste Reine du ciel et de la terre, ô divine ravisseuse de mon coeur, attirez toutes les âmes à vous et enchaînez-les à votre coeur virginal par l’infrangible lien d’un amour si pur et si enthousiaste qu’elles ne vivent plus que pour vous aimer et vous plaire, maintenant dans les ombres de l’exil, et bientôt dans les splendeurs de l’éternelle patrie. Ainsi soit-il!
P. Ignace-Marie O.F.M.Imprimatur: Fr. Paulus, C.P. Metis, 16.6.1925. E. Emel, vic. gen.
(F. Conrard, Metz)
And there’s this one, which is particularly poignant.
Prayer Of The Suffering Priest
| Regina Cleri et nostra Dulcissima, ora pro nobis!(Invocation du P. Eugène Prévost) | O Queen and our Most Sweet Lady, pray for us! (Invocation of Fr. Eugène Prévost) |
| Le Sauveur nous a faits porteurs de son Message, Message de Lumière et Message d’amour… Nous entendant, Il veut que le monde L’entende, Et nous voyant, Il veut que le monde Le voie! Il nous faut répéter ses divines paroles, Il nous faut, comme Lui, peiner, être immolés… |
The Savior made us bearers of His Message, Message of Light and Message of Love … Hearing us, He wants the world to hear Him, And seeing us, He wants the world to see! We must repeat his divine words, We must, like Him, toil, be immolated …
|
| Il voulut être las, fatigué de la route, Avoir soif, avoir faim, n’avoir pas de demeure, Pleurer, être incompris, abandonné, trahi, Agonisant, frappé, cloué sur une croix, Avili, condamné, mourir de mort ignoble… |
He wanted to be weary, fatigued from the road,To be thirsty, to be hungry, to have no home,To Cry, be misunderstood, abandoned, betrayed,Agonizing, struck, nailed on a cross,Despised, condemned, to die an ignominious death … |
| …Maintenant, comme Lui, c’est à nous de souffrir…
Oh! Qu’il est écrasant, Mère, ce grand Message! |
.. Now, like Him, it is up to us to suffer … Oh! It is overwhelming, Mother, this great Message!Too weak messengers, we are trembling, frightened … |
| Mère qui, sur sa croix, avez aidé Jésus, Venez auprès de nous, apportez-nous votre aide! O Reine du Clergé, notre très douce Reine, Priez pour nous, soutenez-nous! |
Mother who, on her cross, helped Jesus,Come to us, give us your help!O Queen of the Clergy, our very sweet Queen,Pray for us, support us! |
| (Prière du Prêtre souffrant) | (Prayer of the suffering priest) |
| Pour aider nos Prêtres souffrants, si vraiment nous comprenons leurs souffrances, pourquoi n’offririons-nous pas à notre très douce Reine l’humble concours de nos activités et de nos vies? Encouragé et béni par tous les Papes, de Léon XIII à Pie XII, témoins de ses efforts, le Père Eugène Prévost, animé de cette pensée, a groupé, sous la protection de Marie, en deux familles religieuses: “Fraternité Sacerdotal”, et “Oblates de Béthanie”, Prêtres, Frères et Soeurs, pour qu’ils se donnent totalement au Service de JÉSUS en la personne de ses PRÊTRES éprouvés, fatigués et souffrants. |
To help our suffering priests, if we really understand their suffering, why not offer our very sweet Queen the humble support of our activities and our lives? Encouraged and blessed by all Popes, from Leo XIII to Pius XII, witnesses of his efforts, Father Eugène Prévost, animated by this thought, grouped, under the protection of Mary, into two religious families: “Sacerdotal Fraternity”, and “Oblates of Bethany”, Priests, Brothers and Sisters, so that they give themselves totally to the Service of JESUS ??in the person of his tried, tired and suffering PRIESTS. |
| Par la prière, unissons-nous à ces familles. À leurs efforts, unissons nos efforts. | Through prayer, let us join these families. To their efforts, let us join hands. |
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Many good and holy priests are suffering right now because of the suspicion thrown on them because of the sins of other clerics; the prayer of the suffering priest is apropos. Every day all of us must pray for the holiness of our clergy, for the conversions of those in need of that grace, for the moral courage of those that need that grace as well.
The Bibliotheque Nationale de France has some materials by Joseph Marcel Breton (1879-1955). Woodcuts, I think. Perhaps they may be able to direct you to some academic who has studied the artist’s work.
Main page: http://data.bnf.fr/13001604/joseph_marcel_breton/
Engraver: http://data.bnf.fr/en/documents-by-rdt/13001604/410/page1
Illustrator: http://data.bnf.fr/en/documents-by-rdt/13001604/440/page1
David.
There is a wall painting (or possibly a mosaic) and a statue/altar at St. John’s Seminary, Wonersh, England… I used the former for prayer cards back when we held a Chrism Mass “Thank you to our priests” demo outside St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark. I used photos from Fr. Finigan’s Flickr account as I can’t find my own…
https://flic.kr/p/92Qgd4
https://flic.kr/p/92TpyW
Mulier Fortis says: Wonersh, England
Thanks for those. There are quite a few version of Queen of the Clergy, as it turns out. Some of them are rather like “mantle Madonnas”. Quite a few, however, involve a chalice or ciborium.
PS: It’s good to see you!
;-)
I specified “England” because of your worldwide readership, Father Z, and so many place names seem to crop up elsewhere… I mean, who would have guessed that there was more than one “London” (there are, apparently, 11 of them… including one in France and one in Canada) and even more than one “Margate” (including one in New Jersey)!!!