Devotion

Te Deum for 2015 and 2016

detail of Christ iconWe pray the Te Deum  in gratitude for the blessings of this past year, and for the blessings in the year to come. We stand before God’s Providence with grateful hearts.

Holy Mother Church offers a  partial indulgence to the faithful who recite it in thanksgiving and a plenary indulgence is granted if the hymn is recited publicly on the last day of the year.

Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli; tibi caeli et universae Potestates;
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia,
Patrem immensae maiestatis:
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni: quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.

V. Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.
R. Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.

V. Per singulos dies benedicimus te.
R. Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.

V. Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.
R. Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri.

V. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.
R. In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aeternum.
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O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge Thee to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships Thee.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to Thee:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee:
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Thy adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, Thou art the King of glory!
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest it upon Thyself to deliver man,
Thou didst not disdain the Virgin’s womb.
Having overcome the sting of death, Thou opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
Thou sitest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou willst come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg Thee to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.

V. Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance!
R. Govern them, and raise them up forever.

V. Every day we thank Thee.
R. And we praise Thy Name forever, yes, forever and ever.

V. O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee.
R. O Lord, in Thee I have put my trust; let me never be put to shame.

News

End of the year gift

Dear Friends,

With the approach of a New Year the Officers of the Saint Gregory Society would like to extend their gratitude to you, our benefactors, for the generous gifts you made throughout this past year. Your financial and prayerful support has made it possible for the Society to continue the mission to support the local celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, to keep alive the Church’s rich musical tradition, to establish the Saint Gregory Purgatorial Society, and to update our website, among many things.

As we near the end of the calendar year of 2015, may we ask for your continued support by considering a tax-deductible gift to the Saint Gregory Society today?

Becoming a member of the Society is a fitting way to support the Society. You may become a member of the Society by visiting our website: http://saint-gregory.org/membership/

Checks may be sent to the following address:

P.O. Box 891
New Haven, CT 06504

May God continue to shower His blessings upon you in 2016!

Yours in Christ our Savior,

Nicholas Renouf
Chairman, The Saint Gregory Society

Saints

Saint Thomas Becket

Becket“Remember the sufferings of Christ, the storms that were weathered … the crown that came from those sufferings which gave new radiance to the faith… All saints give testimony to the truth that without real effort, no one ever wins the crown.”

Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, bishop and martyr (1117-1170). Canonized by Pope Alexander III not three years after the archbishop’s death. Let us pray for the bishops and the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom through Becket’s intercession.

Saints

Holy Innocents

Holy InnocentsOur Church gives us, on this fourth day of Christmas, the  liturgical commemoration of the baby boys –martyrs — the very first martyrs (you’ll recall that Saint Stephen, whose feast was commemorated on December 26th, was the first martyr of the Age of the Church).

Scholars tell us that  Bethlehem was a small town so the the number of the Innocents was probably no more than 25. These boys  died not only for Christ, but in His place.

The vestments are red or purple, the color of mourning; the Alleluia and Gloria are not sung.

Laurence Housman gives us a poem, “The Holy Innocents”

When Christ was born in Bethlehem,
Fair peace on earth to bring,
In lowly state of love He came
To be the children’s King.

And round Him, then, a holy band
Of children blest was born,
Fair guardians of His throne to stand
Attendant night and morn.

And unto them this grace was giv’n
A Saviour’s name to own,
And die for Him Who out of Heav’n
Had found on earth a throne.

O blessèd babes of Bethlehem,
Who died to save our King,
Ye share the martyrs’ diadem,
And in their anthem sing!

Your lips, on earth that never spake,
Now sound th’eternal word;
And in the courts of love ye make
Your children’s voices heard.

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Child,
Make Thou our childhood Thine;
That we with Thee the meek and mild
May share the love divine.

Saints

Saint Stephen

St StephenToday is the feast of Saint Stephen, whose name means “crown,” and the first disciple of Jesus to be a martyr. Saint Stephen was the first deacon of our Church;  the apostles discerned that they needed assistants to look after the care of the widows and the poor. As you know from the Acts of Apostles, seven deacons were selected by prayer and ordained for service.

In fact, sacred Scripture reveals that Stephen’s face looked like the face of an angel as he spoke of Jesus as the promised Savior. His listeners were greatly disturbed at his teaching. Having dragged Stephen outside the city walls of Jerusalem and stoned him to death. Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”  He then fell to his knees and begged God not to punish his enemies for killing him.

Let us pray for the courage and honesty of Saint Stephen in the face of trial. Let us, too, pray for deacons.