Second Sunday of Advent

Roráte Cœli

Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just.

Be not angry, O Lord, remember no more our iniquities. Behold the city of the Holy one is deserted: Sion is laid desolate: Jerusalem is laid waste: the home of Thy sanctification and of Thy glory, where our fathers praised Thee.

Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just.

We have sinned, and we are become like the unclean; we are fallen like the leaves, and our sins, like the storm, have carried us away. Thou hast hidden Thy face from us, and hast thrown us into the power of our sins.

Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just.

Behold, O Lord, the affliction of Thy people, and send Him whom Thou wilt send forth, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mountain of the daughter of Sion, that He may take away the yoke of our captivity.

Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just.

Be comforted, be comforted, O my people: thy Saviour shall come quickly. Why hath grief devoured thee? Why hath sorrow disfigured thee? I will save thee: fear not: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.

Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just.

Mass at 5pm, St Patrick's Church, College Rd, Kilkenny, Sunday 5th December.

Celebrant: Rev Thomas O'Toole

First Sunday of Advent

To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths.

Mass at 5pm, St Patrick's Church, College Rd, Kilkenny, Sunday 28th November.

Celebrant: Rev Thomas O'Toole CC

Last Sunday after Pentecost

The Lord saith: I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction: you shall call upon Me, and I will hear you;  and I will bring back your captivity from all places. Lord, Thou hast blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. 

Mass at 5pm, St Patrick's Church, College Rd, Kilkenny, Sunday 21st November.

Celebrant: Rev Thomas O'Toole CC

November - Month of the Holy Souls

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins" (II Macc. 12:43-46).

November  is  the  month  dedicated  by  the  Church  to  the  Holy  Souls  in  Purgatory.  Purgatory is  a  place of  temporal  punishment  for  those  who have died in  the  state  of grace, but who are not entirely free from venial faults, or who  have  failed  in  this  life  to  make  full  satisfaction  for  their  sin. The  souls  in  Purgatory  are  also  known  as  the  Church  Suffering.   Our prayers for these souls can help alleviate their sufferings and help them reach heaven more quickly. Although they can no longer pray for themselves, they can and do pray for us.  In this Month of the Holy Souls, we should devote some time each day to prayer for the dead.   We should also  help the  souls  in  Purgatory by having Masses said for them and by engaging in works of charity and/or sacrifice on their behalf.

Eternal rest grant unto him/her (them), O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him/her (them). May he/she (they) rest in peace. Amen.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei (eis) Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei (eis). Requiéscat (Requiéscant) in pace. Amen.

                                 

De  Profundis

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice.		De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: Dómine, exáudi vocem meam.
Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.		Fiant aures tuae intendéntes: in vocem deprecationes meae.
If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?		Si iniquitátes observaveris, Dómine: Dómine, quis sustinébit.
But there is forgiveness with Thee: because of Thy law I wait for Thee, O Lord.		Quia apud te propitiátio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Dómine.
My soul waiteth on His word: my soul hopeth in the Lord.		Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.
From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in the Lord:		A custodia matutina usque ad noctem: specret Israel in Dómino.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plentiful redemption.		Quia apud Dóminum misericordia: et copiósa apud eum redémptio.
And He shall redeem Israel, from all their iniquities.		Et ipse redimet Israel, ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great (Feast Day 16th November)

St. Gertrude the Great was a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived in the 13th century. According to tradition, our Lord promised her that 1000 souls would be released from purgatory each time it is said devoutly. Because of the desire to unite the prayer with the merits of the Mass, it is most powerful:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood Of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen.

Hymn of Blessed John Henry Newman

Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,

The souls to Thee so dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

Those holy souls, they suffer on,

Resigned in heart and will,

Until Thy high behest is done,

And justice has its fill.

For daily falls, for pardoned crime,

They joy to undergo

The shadow of Thy cross sublime,

The remnant of Thy woe.

Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,

The souls to Thee so dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

Oh, by their patience of delay,

Their hope amid their pain,

Their sacred zeal to burn away

Disfigurement and stain;

Oh, by their fire of love, not less

In keenness than the flame,

Oh, by their very helplessness,

Oh, by Thy own great Name,

Good Jesus, help! sweet Jesus, aid

The souls to Thee most dear,

In prison for the debt unpaid

Of sins committed here.

The Brown Scapular and Purgatory - What is the connection?

Among the many ways of avoiding Purgatory we find one wonderful promise to wearers of Our Lady’s ‘Brown Scapular’. This promise is known as the "Sabbatine Privilege”. What is the Sabbatine Privilege? It is a Privilege enjoyed by those who wear the Brown Scapular and fulfill the other necessary conditions, namely:

1. Chastity according to one’s state in life
2. The recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the recitation of the Little Office can be replaced by the recitation of five decades of the Rosary if permission is granted by a priest.)

The pious tradition of the Sabbatine Privilege, approved by the Church, tells us that those who fulfill these conditions will be released from Purgatory (should they still be detained there) on the Saturday following their death.

To take full advantage of the blessings of the scapular, one must be enrolled in the Brown Scapular by a priest. Once you are enrolled in the Brown Scapular you will not need to have any new scapulars you wear blessed by a priest.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.