Mass Schedule of Rev. Fr. David Hewko

December 2023

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 4:30pm at The Oratory
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  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 4:30pm at The Oratory
3
  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 10:30am at The Oratory
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5
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  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 4:30pm at The Oratory
7
  • Holy Mass 7:30am at The Oratory
8
  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 10:30am at The Oratory
9
  • Holy Mass 6:00pm in PA
  • Holy Mass 8:00am at The Oratory
10
  • Holy Mass 5:00pm in PA
  • Livestreaming Holy Mass 9:00am in PA
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12
13
14
15
16
  • Holy Mass 5:30pm in GA
17
  • Holy Mass 5:00pm in TN
  • Holy Mass 9:00am in GA
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19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Christmas Novena of Saint Andrew

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

{It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.}

 
Imprimatur
† Michael Augustine,
Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897
 
(Gratefully taken from the “Our Lady of Fatima Newsletter”)

For those good souls willing to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, please scroll down to “How To Make The Five First Saturdays” for an explanation of this devotion, as requested by Our Lady. To view or download in pdf, click here: How To Make the Five First Saturdays

 

Act of Spiritual Communion

As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness of assisting at the holy Mysteries, O my God! I transport myself in spirit at the foot of Thine altar; I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the priest, offers Thee Thine adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice; I offer myself with Him, by Him, and in His Name. I adore, I praise, and thank Thee, imploring Thy mercy, invoking Thine assistance, and presenting Thee the homage I owe Thee as my Creator, the love due to Thee as my Savior.

Apply to my soul, I beseech Thee, O merciful Jesus, Thine infinite merits; apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray. I desire to communicate spiritually, that Thy Blood may purify, Thy Flesh strengthen, and Thy Spirit sanctify me. May I never forget that Thou, my divine Redeemer, hast died for me; may I die to all that is not Thee, that hereafter I may live eternally with Thee. Amen.

To view/download the online brochure click here: Why the Traditional Latin Mass Why NOT the New 62 Reasons

 

Also, Fr. Hewko has reprinted this excellent brochure (originally printed by the SSPX in 1986). You can request copies of this brochure either in writing directly to Fr. Hewko at:

 

The Oratory of the Sorrowful Heart of Mary

Rev. Fr. David Hewko

66 Goves Lane

Wentworth, New Hampshire  03282

 

or via email at sspxmariancorps@gmail.com

Many thanks to the coordinator of Fr. Hewko’s mission chapel in MA for the following newsletters

 
 
   Our Lady of Fátima Chapel
          SSPX-MC Massachusetts Mission

              


The Second Week of Advent 

After Bethlehem and the manger comes Golgotha with the Cross already shining far off over the peaceful country or Ephrata, where the Incarnate Word first appeared upon earth. The station is therefore at the Sessorian Basilica – the Roman counterpart of the Martyrdom at Jerusalem. Here was kept the Holy Cross which the Empress Helena had presented to the Church in Rome. Many allusions are made today to Jerusalem in the Liturgy.

The Prayer is inspired by the famous cry of the Baptist: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord;” so we pray to God to pour His grace into our hearts. This preparation consists in the spirit of contrition purifying the soul and in the sincere purpose of obedience to the divine precepts.

In the Epistle, St. Paul in a few touches sketches the mission of the Redeemer to establish all mankind in one single family, the Church. The Gospel testifies to the divinity of Christ by deeds rather than by words.

The Eucharistic grace for which we beg in the Post-Communion is that the holy bread, the memorial of the death of Our Lord, may destroy in us the germs of evil and may nourish us unto everlasting life. – The Roman Missal

 

The Most Holy Virgin of Guadalupe
Patroness of the Americas

Feast Day Tuesday – December 12th

One of the most striking apparitions of the Blessed Virgin took place on our own American Continent in Mexico. She appeared to a lowly Aztec Indian, Juan Diego, in 1531. On that occasion, as a proof of her identity, she caused an image of herself to appear on Juan Diego’s cloak. Further, she has continued to preserve this miraculous self-portrait which, though executed on poor material that should have perished centuries ago, remains perfectly intact to this very day. Thus, we can still see our beautiful Mother exactly as she appeared over 450 years ago. More importantly, perhaps, than the sacred image, is the manifestation which Our Lady gave of her loving maternal heart through her tender words to all of her children, through Juan Diego:

“Know for certain, littlest of my sons, that I am the Immaculate, the Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God, through Whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of Heaven and Earth. I wish and ardently desire that in this place my sanctuary be raised. Here I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and protection to the people.”

“I am your merciful Mother, the merciful Mother of you who live in this land, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrows, and I will remedy and alleviate all their many sufferings, necessities, and misfortunes.”

“Hear, and let it penetrate your heart, my dear little son. Let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you. Let nothing disturb your heart or your countenance.  Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything . . .”

Our own beloved country is dedicated to our Blessed Lady under the glorious title of her Immaculate Conception. How very fitting, then, that when the Mother of God deigned to appear on the North American continent during the Octave of her Immaculate Conception and the images of this Catholic Dogma were included in her apparition. Our Lady of Guadalupe: She who crushed the head of the serpent, symbolizes her triumph over Satan’s seduction and cunning deceptions; her triumph over the serpent-god of the pagan Indians, and the ultimate triumph of her Immaculate Heart over the legions of hell. 

Vouchsafe that I should praise thee, O Sacred Virgin; and grant me strength against thy enemies! O Immaculate Virgin of Guadalupe, protect our homes, our families, our country, against the raging tide of apostasy; of apathy and moral indifference; against the threatening menace of global socialism. May our nation and all the nations of the Americas acknowledge thee as their Mother and Queen; and may all our souls be truly converted to the Sacred Heart of Thy Divine Son. Amen.

Holy Mass Schedule
Second Week of Advent

 

Today – Sunday, December 10th
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Saint Melchiades, Pope & Martyr

Holy Mass Livestream from PA – 8:30 AM EST
Link Here

Tuesday, December 12th – 4:30 PM
Within the Octave
Our Lady of Guadalupe

Wednesday, December 13th – 7:30 AM
Saint Lucy, Virgin & Martyr
Within the Octave

Thursday, December 14th – 7:30 AM
Within the Octave

Friday, December 15th – 4:30 PM
Within the Octave

Confessions / Rosary – 30 Minutes Before Mass

Location:

Sorrowful Heart of Mary Oratory
66 Goves Lane
Wentworth

The Second Sunday of Advent

Behold, I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.- Matthew xi:10

The Office of this Sunday is filled, from beginning to end, with the sentiments of hope and joy, with which the soul should be animated at the glad tidings of the speedy coming of Him who is her Saviour and Spouse. The interior coming, that which is effected in the soul, is the almost exclusive object of the Church’s prayers for this day: let us therefore open our hearts, let us prepare our lamps, and await in gladness that cry, which will be heard in the midnight: ‘Glory be to God! Peace unto men!’

The Roman Church makes the Station to-day in the basilica of Holy-Cross-in-Jerusalem. It was in this venerable church that Constantine deposited a large piece of the true cross, together with the title which was fastened to it by Pilate’s order, and which proclaimed the kingly character of the Saviour of the world. These precious relics are still kept there; and, thus enriched with such a treasure, the basilica of Holy-Cross-in-Jerusalem is looked upon, in the Roman liturgy, as Jerusalem itself, as is evident from the allusions made in the several Masses of the Stations held in that basilica. In the language of the sacred Scriptures and of the Church, Jerusalem is the image of the faithful soul; and the Office and Mass of this Sunday have been drawn up on this idea, as the one of the day. We regret not to be able here to develop the sublime beauty of this figure; and must proceed at once to the passage, which the Church has selected from the prophet Isaias. There she tells her children how well founded are her hopes in the merciful and peaceful reign of the Messias. But first let us adore this divine Messias: 

Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus.  Come, let us adore the King, our Lord, who is to come.
De Isaia Propheta.

Cap. xi.
Et egredietur virga de radice Jesse, et flos de radice ejus ascendet. Et requiescet super eum Spiritus Domini, Spiritus sapientiae et intellectus, Spiritus consilii et fortitudinis, Spiritus scientiae et pietatis: et replebit eum Spiritus timoris Domini. Non secundum visionem oculorum judicabit, neque secundum auditum aurium arguet: sed judicabit in justitia pauperes, et arguet in aequitate pro mansuetis terrae. Et percutiet terram virga oris sui, et spiritu labiorum suorum interficiet impium. Et erit justitia cingulum lumborum ejus, et fides cinctorium renum ejus. Habitabit lupus cum agno, et pardus cum hoedo accubabit: vitulus et leo et ovis simul morabuntur, et puer parvulus minabit eos. Vitulus et ursus pascentur: simul requiescent catuli eorum: et leo quasi bos comedet pa leas. Et delectabitur infans ab ubere super foramine aspidis: et in caverna reguli, qui ablactatus fuerit, manum suam mittet. Non nocebunt, et non occident in universe monte sancto meo: quia repleta est terra scientia Domini, sicut aquae maris operientes. In die illa radix Jesse, qui stat in signum populorum, ipsum Gentes deprecabuntur, et erit sepulchrum ejus gloriosum.
From the Prophet Isaias.

Ch. xi.
And there shall come forth a branch out of the rod of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge and of godliness: and he shall be filled with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears: but he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain: for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

How much is contained in these magnificent words of the prophet! The branch; the flower that is to come from it; the Spirit which rests on this flower; the seven gifts of this Spirit; peace and confidence established on the earth; and, throughout the world, one brotherhood in the kingdom of the Messias! St. Jerome, whose words are read by the Church in the lessons of the second nocturn of this Sunday, says that the branch which cometh forth from the root of Jesse, is the blessed Virgin Mary, who had contact with no shrub or plant; and that the flower is the Lord Jesus, who says in the Canticle of canticles: ‘I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valley.’ In every age of the Christian Church, this wonderful branch and its divine flower have been objects of enthusiastic veneration. In the middle ages the tree of Jesse, with its prophetic branches, was carved on the cathedral porches, was painted on the windows, was embroidered on the hangings of the sanctuary, and the melodious voice of the priests sang its praises in the beautiful responsory composed by Fulbert of Chartres, and put to music by the devout king Robert. 

R. Stirpe Jesse virgam produxit, virgaque florem; * et super hunc florem requiescit Spiritus almus.
V. Virgo Dei Genitrix virga est, flos filius ejus, * Et super hunc florem requiescit Spiritus almus.		 R. The root of Jesse gave out a branch, and the branch a flower; * and on the flower resteth the holy Spirit.
V. The Virgin Mother of God is the branch, her Son the flower. * And on the flower resteth the holy Spirit.

The devout St. Bernard, commenting upon this responsory in his second Advent homily, says: ‘The Virgin’s Son is the flower, a flower white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands; a flower on whom the angels love to look; a flower whose fragrance restores the dead; a flower, as himself assures us, of the field, not of a garden: for the flowers of the field bloom without man’s care, no man has sown their seed, no man has cultivated them. Just so the Virgin’s womb, a meadow verdant in an endless spring, has brought forth a flower, whose beauty will never droop, whose freshness will never fade. O Virgin, branch sublime, to what a height art thou grown! Even up to Him that sitteth on the throne, even to the Lord of majesty. It was sure to be so, for thou castest deep down the roots of humility. O plant of heaven indeed! precious above all, holier than all. O tree of life indeed! alone worthy to bear the fruit of salvation.’

And of the holy Spirit and His gifts, what shall we say? They rest and are poured out on the Messias only to the end that they may flow from Him upon us; He needs them not; but we alone need wisdom and understanding, counsel and fortitude, knowledge and godliness, and fear of the Lord. Let us ask with instance for this divine Spirit, by whose operation Jesus was conceived and born in Mary’s womb, and let us beg of Him to form Jesus within our hearts. But let us not forget to rejoice at those other glorious things which are told us by the prophet, of the happiness, and peace, and delights, which are to be on the holy mountain. The world has been looking so many ages for peace; it is now coming. Sin had caused enmity and division everywhere; grace will bring unity. A little Child will be the pledge of an alliance between all nations. The prophets have foretold it, the sibyl has announced it, and in Rome itself, buried as it is in paganism, the prince of Latin poets has sung the celebrated poem, which, after all, is but the voice of the old tradition: ‘The last age foretold by the Cumean Sibyl, is at hand; a new race is being sent down to earth from high heaven. The flock shall no more fear the fierce lions. The serpent shall be no more: the treacherous plant, which yielded poison, shall grow no more.’ *

* Ultima Cumaei venit jam carminis aetas …
Jam nova progenies coelo demittitur alto …
… Nec magnos metuent armenta leones …
Occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni
Occidet … (Virgil. Eclog. iv.)

Come then, O Messias, and restore to the world its primitive peace; but remember, we beseech Thee, that it is in the heart of man that harmony has been broken more than elsewhere in Thy creation: cure this heart, enter into possession of this Jerusalem, which Thou lovest, though so unworthy: she has been too long captive in Babylon; lead her out of this strange land. Build up her temple again, and make the glory of this second temple to be greater than that of the first, by having Thee to dwell in it, not in figure, but in the reality of Thy adorable Person. The angel said to Mary: ‘The Lord God shall give unto thy Son the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’ What can we do, O Jesus, but say with Thy beloved disciple, at the close of his prophecy: ‘Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!’ 

 

MASS

The holy sacrifice commences with a song of triumph, addressed to Jerusalem. This song expresses the joy which will fill the heart of man, when he shall hear the voice of his God. It extols the goodness of that divine Shepherd, who looks on each of our souls as a sheep most dear to Him, so dear, indeed, that He will feed it with His own flesh. 

INTROIT

Populus Sion, ecce Dominus veniet ad salvandas gentes: et auditam faciet Dominus gloriam vocis suae in laetitia cordis vestri.
Ps. Qui regis Israel intende: qui deducis velut ovem, Joseph. V. Gloria Patri.		 People of Sion, behold the Lord will come to save the Gentiles: and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard to the joy of your hearts.
Ps. Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V. Glory be to the Father.

In the Collect, the priest lays stress on the great preparation we must make for the coming of our Saviour; we must have purity of heart. 

COLLECT

Excita, Domine, corda nostra ad praeparandas Unigeniti tui vias: ut per ejus adventum, purificatis tibi mentibus servire mereamur. Qui tecum.  Stir up, O Lord, our hearts to prepare the ways of thy only-begotten Son: that by  his coming we may be enabled to serve thee with pure minds. Who liveth, &c.

The other Collects of the blessed Virgin, against the persecutors of the Church, and for the Pope, are the same as on the first Sunday in Advent. 

EPISTLE

Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos. 

Cap. xv.
Fratres, quaecumque scripta sunt, ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt: ut per patientiam et consolationem Scripturarum, spem habeamus. Deus autem patientiae et solatii det vobis idipsum sapere in alterutrum secundum Jesum Christum: ut unanimes uno ore honorificetis Deum, et Patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Propter quod suscipite invicem, sicut et Christus suscepit vos in honorem Dei. Dico enim Christum Jesum ministrum fuisse circumcisionis propter veritatem Dei, ad confirmandas promissiones patrum. Gentes autem super misericordia honorare Deum, sicut scriptum est: Propterea confitebor tibi in Gentibus Domine, et nomini tuo cantabo. Et iterum dicit: Laetamini Gentes cum plebe ejus. Et iterum: Laudate omnes Gentes Dominum: et magnificate eum omnes populi. Et rursus Isaias ait: Erit radix Jesse; et qui exsurget regere Gentes, in eum Gentes sperabunt. Deus autem spei repleat vos omni gaudio, et pace in credendo: ut abundetis in spe, et virtute Spiritus sancti.
Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans.

Ch. xv.
Brethren, what things so-ever were written, were written for our learning: that through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind one towards another, according to Jesus Christ: that with one mind and with one mouth you may glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive one another as Christ also hath received you unto the honour of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. But that the Gentiles are to glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name. And again he saith: Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people. And again: Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles, and magnify him all ye people. And again Isaias saith: There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing: that you may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost.

Here, Christians, is your instruction; be patient, be firm in hope, and you shall delight in the God of peace who is coming to you. But take heed, you must have cordial charity one for the other; it is the mark of the children of God. The prophet tells us that the Messias will make even wolf and lamb dwell together; and now we have the apostle showing us how this same Christ brings Jews and Gentiles into the one same family. Glory to this sovereign King, the powerful offspring of the root of Jesse, who now bids us hope in Him! Listen to the Church, she again tells us that He is about to show Himself in Jerusalem. 

GRADUAL

Ex Sion species decoris ejus; Deus manifeste veniet.
V. Congregate illi sanctos ejus, qui ordinaverunt testamentum ejus super sacrificia.

Alleluia, alleluia.
V. Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: in domum Domini ibimus. Alleluia.
He shall come in his comeliness and beauty from Sion: God will come visibly.
V. Gather to him his saints, who have set his covenant by sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia.
V. I rejoiced at what was told me: we are to go up to the house of the Lord. Alleluia.

 

 

GOSPEL

Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum.

Cap. xi.
In illo tempore: Cum audisset Joannes in vinculis opera Christi, mittens duos de discipulis suis, ait illi: Tu es, qui venturus es, an alium exspectamus? Et respondens Jesus ait illis: Euntes renuntiate Joanni quae audistis, et vidistis. Caeci vident, claudi ambulant, leprosi mundantur, surdi audiunt, mortui resurgunt, pauperes evangelizantur: et beatus est, qui non fuerit scandalizatus in me. Illis autem abeuntibus, coepit Jesus dicere ad turbas de Joanne: Quid existis in desertum videre? Arundinem vente agitatam? Sed quid existis videre? Hominem mollibus vestitum? Ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt. Sed quid existis videre? prophetam? Etiam dico vobis, et plus quam prophetam. Hic est enim de quo scriptum est: Ecce ego mitto angelum meum ante faciem tuam, qui praeparabit viam tuam ante te.
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Ch. xi.
At that time: When John had heard in prison the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to him: Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another? And Jesus making answer, said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel preached to them: and blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitude, concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.

Thou art He that was to come, O Jesus! We look for no other. We were blind, Thou hast enlightened us; we were lame, Thou hast made us walk; the leprosy of sin disfigured us, Thou hast cleansed us; we were deaf to Thy words, Thou hast given us hearing; we were dead in sin, Thou hast given us life again; we were poor and had none to care for us, Thou hast come to us with every aid and consolation. These have been, and will again be, the blessings of Thy visit to our souls, O Jesus! A visit, silent but wonderful in its work; which flesh and blood cannot understand, but which faithful hearts feel is granted them. Come, my Saviour, come to me, Thy condescension, and familiarity with such poverty as mine, shall not scandalize me; Thy workings in the souls of men are proof enough that Thou art God. He alone, that created souls, can heal them.

After the symbol of faith has been chanted, when you see the priest is about to make the offering of the bread and wine, unite with the Church in asking to be filled with life by the divine Guest, who is so soon to be with her. 

OFFERTORY

Deus, tu convertens vivificabis nos, et plebs tua laetabitur in te: ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis. Thou wilt turn, O God, to us, and bring us to life, and thy people shall rejoice in thee: show us, O Lord, thy mercy, and grant us thy salvation.

 

SECRET

Placare, quaesumus Domine, humilitatis nostrae precibus et hostiis: et ubi nulla suppetunt suffragia meritorum, tuis nobis succurre praesidiis. Per Dominum. Be appeased, O Lord, we beseech thee, by our humble prayers and sacrifices: and although we allege no deserts on our part, grant us thy protection. Through, &c.

The other Secrets as on the first Sunday.

During the Communion, the voice of the Church is again heard, proclaiming the happiness which is to be granted to Jerusalem. Her God is coming to her, and He wishes to make her His bride. Let her prepare herself for this divine visit, and detach herself from everything which is not God, her God who is her Spouse. 

COMMUNION

Jerusalem, surge, et sta in excelso: et vide jucunditatem, quae veniet tibi a Deo tuo.   Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high; and behold the joy that will come to thee from thy God.

In the following prayer the Church explains in what consists that high standing to which she has just invited Jerusalem: love of the things of heaven whence comes her Saviour, and contempt of earthly things which, when loved, separate man from God. 

POSTCOMMUNION

Repleti cibo spiritualis alimoniae, supplices te, Domine, deprecamur, ut hujus participatione mysterii, doceas nos terrena despicere, et amare caelestia. Per Dominum.  Being filled, O Lord, with this spiritual food, we humbly beseech thee to teach us, by partaking of this mystery, to despise earthly things, and to love such as are heavenly. Through, &c.

The other Postcommunions as on the first Sunday of Advent

– The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger 
SSPX-MC
SSPX-MC
Sermons
Sermons
Fr. Hewko
Fr. Hewko
 

  
  Our Lady of Fátima Chapel
         SSPX-MC Massachusetts Mission

              

 
“The Immaculate Conception”
by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1767 *

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
 Feast Day Today – December 8th

Holy Mass Today at the Oratory – 10:30 AM
Confessions / Rosary – 10:00 AM

Holy Mass Livestream 
Link Here


Tota pulchra es, Maria,
et macula originalis non est in te

Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the original stain is not in thee

Today is one of the greatest solemnities of the entire Liturgical year. It is the day when the Church celebrates the most precious gift in which Almighty God bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this feast we consider the incredible mystery of God creating his own mother!
 
If possible, who among us would not have created their mother to be the most perfect and wonderful mother who ever existed? And Who but the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, is most eminently deserving of such a perfect mother?
 
By a singular favor and privilege from God, and through the foreseen merits of her Son, the Most Holy Virgin, from the first instant of her conception in the womb of her mother, was preserved free from all stain of sin.
 
Original sin is that moral guilt and stain of soul which we inherit from Adam, the first man and father of the human race. Sanctifying grace and many other extraordinary privileges were conferred upon our first parents from their creation, but all these they lost through their sin; and the effect of their fall has descended upon all their posterity with the exception of Christ, Who was sinless by reason of the Hypostatic Union; and Mary, who was conceived immaculate by the special favor of God. Hence, the Blessed Virgin from the first moment of her conception was free from sin and endowed with sanctifying grace.
 
The Immaculate Conception does not refer, as some non-Catholics imagine, to the virgin birth of Christ, nor to His sinlessness. Neither does it imply on the part of the Blessed Virgin that her conception, like Our Lord’s, was divine, in the sense that it was without a human father.

In virtue of the Immaculate Conception, Christ found a most worthy dwelling in the spotless womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to take flesh. The same flesh which shepherds and kings gazed upon; and the same flesh which was bruised, torn, and pierced for our redemption.
 
Originally referred to as the “Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” December 8th became a Holy Day of Obligation in 1708 under Pope Clement XI, almost 150 years before Pope Bl. Pius IX dogmatically and infallibly defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In 1693, Pope Innocent XII raised it to the rank of “Double of the Second Class” with a Common Octave for the universal Church. The days within the octave are Semi-doubles and have precedence over Simple feasts and the Advent Feriae. At Mass, when there is no saint to commemorate, after the Commemoration of the Feria, there is a third set of orations to the Holy Ghost. The Credo is prayed daily by reason of the Octave. 

By the wisdom of Holy Mother Church, it is perfectly appropriate that this great solemnity and its octave are celebrated in the midst of Advent Season, during our preparation for the coming new-born King. Like the dawn which announces the new day, Mary precedes the Sun of Justice, which will soon illuminate the darkened souls of mankind. So, it is most fitting that in bringing to us her Son, it is she who first appears in the Liturgical cycle.
 
In the Holy Mass for today’s solemnity, we beseech Almighty God “to heal us and to deliver us from all our sins”  so that by the special graces which belong to this particular feast, the Immaculata herself may help us become more worthy to receive her Divine Son in our hearts when He descends into them on Christmas Day.

The Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of both the United States and the priestly fraternity founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. We invoke the Immaculata’s powerful intercession for the many poor, confused priests and religious who have abandoned their founding father’s guiding principles. Read here the inspired words of the Archbishop in his sermon given at the seminary of Econe, Switzerland on today’s magnificent feast in 1972.

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Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe
On the Immaculate Conception

I Am the Immaculate Conception

A few hours before his second and final arrest on February 17th, 1941, Fr. Kolbe had time to put on paper his thoughts about her, who for a quarter of a century had never ceased to occupy his priestly and apostolic mind and heart. This text is therefore, of the highest importance. He could not have written it during his captivity near Warsaw, or during his detention in the death camp at Auschwitz, although he delivered many heartfelt sermons on the Immaculata. In these lines we find the gist of his Marian doctrine. The words are based on several very rough sketches between 1939 – 41. This last writing from Fr. Kolbe constitutes his last spiritual testament:

Immaculate Conception! These words fell from the lips of the Immaculata herself. Hence, they must tell us in the most precise and essential manner who she really is.

Since human words are incapable of expressing Divine realities it follows that these words: “Immaculate,” and “Conception” must be understood in a much more profound, much more beautiful and sublime meaning than usual: A meaning beyond that which human reason at its most penetrating, commonly gives to them. However, we can and should reverently inquire into the mystery of the Immaculata and try to express it with words provided by our intelligence using its own proper powers.

Who then are you, O Immaculate Conception?

Not God, of course, because He has no beginning. Not an angel, created directly out of nothing. Not Adam, formed out of the dust of the earth. Not Eve, molded from Adam’s rib. Not the Incarnate Word, Who exists before all ages; and of Whom we should use the word “conceived” rather than “conception.” Humans do not exist before their conception, so we might call them created “conceptions.”

But you, O Mary, are different from all other children of Eve. They are conceptions stained by Original Sin; whereas you are the unique Immaculate Conception. Everything which exists, outside of God Himself, exists since it is from God and depends on Him in every way; and it bears within itself some semblance to its Creator. There is nothing in any creature which does not betray this resemblance, because every created thing is an effect of the Primal Cause.

It is true that the words we use to speak of created realities express the Divine perfections only in a halting, limited and analogical manner. They are only a more or less distant echo, as are the created realities that they signify – of the properties of God himself. Would not “conception” be an exception to this rule? No, there is never any such exception.

The Father begets the Son; the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. These few words sum up the mystery of the life of the Most Blessed Trinity and of all the perfections in creatures which are nothing else but echoes – a hymn of praise of this primary and most wondrous of all mysteries. We must perforce use our vocabulary, since it is all we have; but we must never forget that our vocabulary is very inadequate.

Who is the Father? What is His personal life like? It consists in begetting, eternally because He begets His Son from the beginning and forever. Who is the Son? He is the Begotten-One; Who, from the beginning and for all eternity, is begotten by the Father. And Who is the Holy Ghost? The flowering of the love of the Father and the Son.

If the fruit of created is a created conception, then the fruit of Divine love, that prototype of all created love, is necessarily a Divine “conception.” The Holy Ghost is, therefore, the “uncreated, eternal conception,” the prototype of all the conceptions that multiply life throughout the whole universe.

The Father begets; the Son is begotten; the Spirit is the “conception” that springs from their love. There we have the intimate life of the Three Persons by which They can be distinguished from one another. But They are united in the Oneness of Their Nature, of Their Divine existence. The Spirit is, then, this thrice holy “conception,” this infinitely holy Immaculate Conception.

The creature most completely filled with this love, filled with God Himself, was the Immaculata, who never contacted the slightest stain of sin, who never departed in the least from God’s will. United to the Holy Ghost as His spouse, she is one with God in an incomparably more perfect way than can be predicated of any other creature.

What sort of Union is this? It is above all an interior union, a union of her essence with the “essence” of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost dwells in her; lives in her. This was true from the first instance of her existence. It was always true and it will always be true. And in what does this life of the Spirit in Mary consist?

He Himself is uncreated Love in her; the Love of the Father and of the Son, the Love by which God loves Himself, the very love of the Most Holy Trinity. He is a fruitful Love – a “Conception.” Among creatures made in God’s image, the union brought about by married love is the most intimate of all. In a much more precise, more interior, more essential manner, the Holy Ghost lives in the soul of the Immaculata, in the depths of her very being. He makes her fruitful, from the very first instance of her existence, all during her life, and for all eternity.

This eternal “Immaculate Conception” [which is the Holy Ghost] produces in an immaculate manner Divine life itself in the womb or depths of Mary’s soul, making her the Immaculate Conception – the human Immaculate Conception. And the virginal womb of Mary’s body is kept sacred for Him; there He conceives in time the human life of the God-Man.

The path of creation goes from the Father through the Son and by the Holy Ghost; this return trail goes from the Spirit through the Son back to the Father. In other words – by the Spirit, the Son becomes incarnate in the womb of the Immaculata; and through this Son, love returns to the Father. And the Immaculata, grafted into the Love of the Blessed Trinity, becomes from the first moment of her existence and forever after, the “complement of the Blessed Trinity.”

In the Holy Ghost’s union with Mary we observe more than the love of two beings; in this union is all the love of the Blessed Trinity; and all of creation’s love. So it is – that in this union, Heaven and earth are joined! All of Heaven with the earth – the totality of eternal love with the totality of created love. It is truly the summit of love.

At Lourdes, our Blessed Lady did not say that she was conceived in an immaculate way – but as Saint Bernadette repeated it: “Que soy era Immaculata Councepiou” – I am the Immaculate Conception. Mary’s affirmation that “I am the Immaculate Conception” refers not only to her spiritual I, but to her total and personal I – “I am.”

To her body united to her soul as to its vital principle, both making up her personal reality. Our Heavenly Father is the source of all that is; everything comes from the Blessed Trinity. We cannot see God; but God the Son came to this earth as Christ Jesus; and through Him, God is known to us.

The Most Blessed Virgin is the one in whom we venerate the Holy Ghost – for she is His holy spouse. The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity never took flesh. Still, our human word for “spouse” is far too weak to express the reality of the relationship between the Immaculata and the Holy Ghost.

We can affirm that she is, in a certain sense – the “incarnation” of the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Ghost that we love in her; and through her we know and love the Son. – Rev. Fr. H.M. Manteau-Bonamy, O.P.

 

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MILITIA IMMACULATAE

Founded by Seminarian Maximillian Kolbe – October, 1917

PRAYER:

O Mary Immaculate, you know the most perfect way to God; intercede for me with your Divine Son and use me as your instrument; by helping me to know and fulfill the plan the Father has established for me; because only then will I be truly pleasing God, and find true peace and happiness in this world and in the next. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee; and for all those who do not have recourse to thee; especially all Communists and Freemasons and other enemies of Holy Mother Church.

 

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* “The Immaculate Conception” (top of this page) is a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and crowned with the circle of twelve stars. The dove above the Blessed Virgin’s head represents her Spouse, the Holy Ghost.. She is shown trampling the serpent, representing her victory over the devil. The lilies and the rose are references to hortus conclusus (enclosed garden) and symbolize the Blessed Virgin’s love, virginity and purity.

The painting was one of seven altarpieces commissioned in March 1767 from Tiepolo by King Charles III of Spain for the Church of Saint Pascual in Aranjuez, then under construction. This was originally a Franciscan) monastery. The portrait was later assigned to a nearby convent of the Conceptionist Sisters. Both Orders promoted the cult of the Immaculate Conception. The painting is now in the Prado Museum, Madrid. Read more details here and here.

How To Make The Five First Saturdays

 
 
   Our Lady of Fatima Chapel
     Massachusetts Mission of the SSPX-MC

              
 

  The Five First Saturdays

“To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation.”

 

On December 10th 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Sister Lucia. By Our Lady’s side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested her hand on Sister Lucia’s shoulder and as she did so, she showed her Heart encircled by thorns, which she was holding in her other hand.

At the same time, the Holy Child said:

“Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment and there is none to make an act of reparation to remove them.”

Then, the Most Holy Virgin said:

“Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and announce in my name that I promise to assist, at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who:

(1) On the First Saturday of five consecutive months,
(2) Shall confess,
(3) Receive Holy Communion,
(4) Recite five decades of the Rosary and
(5) Keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary,
(6) With the intention of making reparation to me”

– Conditions of the Promise –

Why Five First Saturdays? Our Lord Himself gave the answer to Sister Lucia:

“My daughter, the reason is simple. There are five types of offenses and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

1 – Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;

2 – Blasphemies against her virginity;

3 – Blasphemies against her Divine Maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize her as the Mother of men;

4 – The blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;

5 – The offense of those who outrage her directly in her holy images.

Here, My daughter is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspired Me to ask for this little act of reparation…” 

+ THE CONFESSION +

Sister Lucia asked Our Blessed Lord:

My Jesus!  Many souls find it difficult to confess on Saturday. Will Thou allow a confession within eight days to be valid?

He replied: “Yes. It can even be made later on, provided that the souls are in the state of grace when they receive Me on the First Saturday and that they had the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Sister Lucia replied: “My Jesus! And those who forget to form this intention?”

 “They can form it at the next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to confession.”

In brief, therefore:

(a) The confession should be made as close as possible to the First Saturday;

(b)  We must be sorry for our sins, not only because we have offended God but also with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

+ THE HOLY COMMUNION +

If one cannot fulfill all the conditions on a Saturday, can it be done on Sunday? Our Lord gave the answer to Sister Lucia:

“The practice of this devotion will be equally acceptable on the Sunday following the First Saturday when My priests – for a just cause, allow it to souls.”

Important: It is to His priests – not to the individual conscience that Our Lord gives the responsibility of granting this additional concession.

+ THE ROSARY +

Since it is a question of repairing for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, what other prayer could be more pleasing to Our Lady than that which she requested the people to recite every day?

+ THE 15 MINUTE MEDITATION +

This is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary.

It requires, in Sister Lucia’s words:

“…to keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.”

Note: It is not required to meditate on all fifteen mysteries. Meditation on one or two is sufficient.

+ THE INTENTION OF MAKING REPARATION +

“You, at least, try to console me.” 

Without this general intention – without this will of love which desires to make reparation and consolation to Our Lady – all these external practices are worth nothing for the Promise.


” …I promise salvation” 

“To all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, fulfill all the conditions requested, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their soul.”

This little devotion practiced with a good heart, is enough to procure – ex opere operato, so to speak; as with the sacraments – the grace of final perseverance and eternal salvation!

Heaven for eternity for five Holy Communions!
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