Not liturgy related, but I thought some of our readership, who are quite interested in Church history generally, would be interested in this audio recording of Pope Leo XIII reciting the Ave Maria:
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Voice of Leo XIII
Shawn TribeMore recent articles:
Palm Sunday 2025Gregory DiPippo
Thou didst incline the heavens, and come down to the earth as one merciful. Thou didst not leave the throne of the Cherubim, Thou sat upon a colt for our sake, o Savior of the world! And the children of the Hebrews came to meet Thee, and taking palms in their hands, they blessed Thee: “Blessed art Thou who hast come to the Passion of Thy own ...
Superb Recordings of the Hymns of PassiontideGregory DiPippo
As we are about to enter Holy Week, here are two genuinely outstanding recordings of the hymns for Passiontide Vexilla Regis and Pange lingua. These come from an album released by the choir of Westminster Cathedral in October of 2023, titled Vexilla Regis: A sequence of music from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday; the 21 tracks are also ...
The Mass of Passion Thursday - ContinuedGregory DiPippo
In yesterday’s article, I described the Roman station church of Passion Thursday as a place of exile for Eastern iconodule monks whom the persecution of the iconoclast Byzantine emperors had driven into Italy. This basilica is dedicated to St Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna, who is traditionally said to have been a disciple of St Peter, se...
The Offertory Incensation, Part IIMichael P. Foley
Cardinal Hayes incensing the altar at the opening Mass for the 7th National Eucharistic Congress at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, 1935Lost in Translation #123 When the priest incenses the altar, he recites Psalm 140, 2-4: Dirigátur, Dómine, oratio mea, sicut incensum in conspectu tuo: Elevatio manuum meárum sacrificium vespertínum. Pone, Dó...
A Choirmaster’s Reflections on the Twelve Passion Gospels: Guest Article by Fr. Herman MajkrzakGregory DiPippo
One of the most powerful services of the extremely rich Byzantine Holy Week is Matins of Great and Holy Friday, known as the Matins of the Twelve Gospels. This consists of the (mostly) regular order of Matins as it is celebrated in Lent, into which Twelve Gospel readings of the Lord’s Passion are added at various points. I am very grateful to my fr...
The Anti-Iconoclast Mass of Passion ThursdayGregory DiPippo
Today’s Divine Office contains an unusual feature: the antiphons of the Benedictus and Magnificat are not taken from the Gospel of the Mass (Luke 7, 36-50), as they are on nearly every other day of Lent. Instead, the former is taken from the Passion of St Matthew (26, 18), “The master saith, ‘My time is near at hand, with thee I keep the Pasch with...
A Comprehensive Guide to the Theology and Practice of VeilingPeter Kwasniewski
The latest release from Os Justi Press is a revised and expanded new edition of Anna Elissa’s Mantilla: The Veil of the Bride of Christ, this time in full color. (It first came out 9 years ago in Indonesia and quickly become a favorite of many readers until it sold out; it was time for a superior presentation, with better distribution channels. You...
Byzantine Holy Week Schedule in RomeGregory DiPippo
If you are planning on being in Rome for Holy Week during this Jubilee year, you should certainly make an effort to attend services in the Byzantine Rite at the church of St Anthony the Abbot on the Esquiline Hill, the Russian Greek-Catholic church in urbe. The quality of the music there is always very high, but for Holy Week and Easter, the choir ...
Daniel and Habacuc in Passiontide: Postwar CasualtiesPeter Kwasniewski
The Epistle at the traditional Latin Mass for the Tuesday of Passion week is the wonderful scene of Daniel thrown into the lion’s den by his enemies and expected to be scarfed down like cat food, but liberated after a quiet week inside the zoo, and a nourishing meal courtesy of his co-prophet Habakkuk (with rapid-flight angelic service lo...
Mary in the Old and New Testaments: The Overshadowed and Unhewn MountainDavid Clayton
Hail, O Theotokos, Maiden of many names: Tabernacle, Vessel of Manna, Table, Lampstand that bears the Light, burning Bush, overshadowed Mountain of God! (from Orthros - Morning Prayer - of the Melkite (Byzantine) Liturgy in the first week of Lent.)This is one of what I plan as an occasional series of posts in which I highlight types of the Virgin T...
