Saint Joachim and Saint Anne

Today is the memorial of the parents of our Lady, Saints Joachim and Anne. As the breviary note about them says:

An old tradition going back to the second century gives these names to the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The veneration of Saint Anne dates from the sixth century in the East and spread throughout the West in the tenth century; that of Saint Joachim is more recent.

Tradition has it that Saints Joachim and Anne were childless until Saint Joachim went into the desert for fasting and penance for forty days. Angels then appeared to both saints promising them a child. Joachim returned to Jerusalem meeting Anne at the city gate.

St Maria Goretti

St Maria Goretti was a 12 year old Virgin and Martyr. Today is her memorial.

The breviary note about her says, simply:

Born at Ancona in Italy of a poor family in the year 1890. She spent her childhood near Nettuno in poverty, helping her mother in the domestic chores. She was a religious girl and much given to prayer. In the year 1902, while defending her chastity against a man attempting to violate her, she preferred to die rather than give way, and was repeatedly stabbed with a knife.

She was canonised by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

More on Wikipedia here.

Just because!

Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ.
Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto. 

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. 
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

Ecce Ancilla Domini.
Fiat mihi secundum Verbum tuum.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. 
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

Et Verbum caro factum est.
Et habitavit in nobis.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. 
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Gratiam tuam quæsumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.

 The picture is Jean-François Millet's The Annunciation

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8 December is the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady.

The Immaculate Conception is often confused with the Virgin Birth. Sadly this confusion extends to poorly formed Catholics, as well as to non-Catholics.

For clarity, the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception without the stain of original sin of our Lady, Mary the Mother of God. In other words, it is Mary herself that had no original sin, unlike all other humans who have original sin.

The Virgin Birth on the other hand refers, of course, to our Lord, Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary. To paraphrase the Creed - He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The feast day is an important one for our family as it is the patronal feast day of the schools our children attend (FCJ, and Beaulieu Convent) and, more, Our Lady is the Joint-Principal Patron of our Diocese (Portsmouth).