St. Philip, Childermas, and the English Martyrs

Merry Christmas to all!

Today begins the Childermas Octave ("childer" being an archaic form of "child" and a cognate of the German word "kinder"), commemorating the martyrdom of the Holy Innocents. Cardinal Gasquet wrote about how St. Philip used to greet the students of the Venerable English College in Rome with the first line of the Lauds hymn of the Holy Innocents, Salvete flores martyrum ("Hail ye flowers of the martyrs!"). This was of course referencing the sweet fate of many English priests, who obtained the martyr's crown during the persecutions in Elizabethan England.

Proud indeed must be every son of the Roman Alma Mater at the thought of the heroic sufferings and deaths of so many of the old students of the Venerabile, and of the fact that the very foundations of the College were washed, as it were, by the blood of the many martyrs who went forth as priests from its walls to help to preserve the Catholic religion in England. They were true heroes in every sense of the word, knowing as they did that they were preparing themselves in their college life for certain persecution and possible death, in the exercise of their ministry in England. This is why the sweet St. Philip, who lived close to the College, on meeting them in the streets was wont to salute them with the words of the hymn for the feast of the Holy Innocents, Salvete Flores Martyrum.

Young C.B. members in our diocesan newspaper

A couple of Chorus Breviarii members had their photo from the January 2023 SD Walk for Life featured in the November issue of the Diocese of San Diego's news publication, The Southern Cross. Among the ones depicted included C.B. Murrieta's Gabe Palencia, creator of the pro-life publication The Mission Mail. The photo was used to promote a video contest (that none of us are really that familiar with!) related to the 2024 Walk. The January 2024 Walk for Life will be on the morning of Saturday, January 13, 2024 (Epiphany Octave / The Baptism of Our Lord) from 8:30 a.m. to noon. On the same day, the quarterly Men's Rosary March at San Juan Capistrano will be held at 9:30 a.m. for Catholic men only in Southern California. Whichever event you choose to attend, we encourage you to pray for an end to abortion and the liberation of the Traditional Mass. 

Special thanks to a woman at St. Anne Catholic Church for handing us a newspaper clipping featuring our photo to bring this to our attention.

Lucius Sulla is Coming to Town

Gaudete omnes! Yesterday, the Brothers and friends had a party to celebrate Gaudete Sunday and the imminent arrival of Christmas. We will post some of the highlights at a later date, but in the meantime, we would like to present you with a live recording of our own Fratellino performing his Roman spin on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." The meme comparing Santa to Sulla has been floating around the Internet for some time, with even Elon Musk posting it on his account. Christopher Check, President of Catholic Answers, enjoyed this song when Fratellino performed it at a Christmas party a couple years back. Hopefully you will enjoy it too!

Monday, Dec. 11: 1st Vespers of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Flyer featuring San Juan Diego's vision w/
Franciscan Breviary from Mission San Luis Rey

Monday, December 11, 17:30 ( 5:30 P.M.)

 1st Vespers of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Hebdomadary: Rev. Fr. Jesus Valenzuela, F.S.S.P.

St. Anne Catholic Church

621 Sicard St. San Diego, CA 92113-2396

Text of Vespers with translation for printing or reading on mobile devices.

Join us in celebrating 1st Vespers of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Anne Catholic Church in Logan Heights at 5:30 p.m. on December 11. Come and commemorate the Patroness of the Americas in the Octave of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception. Following Vespers will be the celebration of Sung Mass for Pope St. Damasus I.

Calendar misalignments and St. Didacus

There is still a great deal of confusion in the United States on when to celebrate the Feast of St. Didacus in the Traditional Roman Rite due to the conflict of multiple calendars (see the image below). Until the bishops begin using their authority to govern liturgical observances in their diocese (beyond unjust restrictions of the Mass or strange celebrations of diversity and environmentalism), then we will expect this confusion to continue.

Happy Feast of San Diego!

Photos from All Hallows 2023

Eighteen men sang in choir for 1st Vespers of All Saints this year, including servers from St. Anne and the folks from Chorus Breviarii Murrieta. Some of us gathered at Fratellino's house for warm cider and other treats proper to the evening. Onward to future events!

"Now that God and His saints have been duly praised, the minions of darkness may be duly mocked."

Courtesy: Vaticanguard

Courtesy: Fratellino

For Friends, Relations, and Benefactors

The month of November, and especially the Octave of All Saints, is dedicated to prayer for the souls suffering in Purgatory. Please pray for our deceased brethren, friends, and benefactors, as well as for the deceased relatives of our members and benefactors still living. We have included some below.

• Fr. Harry Neely, O.S.A. (+2020), chaplain to the Holy Cross TLM

• Fr. Reginald "Rex" DeFour, C.S.Sp. (+2021), chaplain to the Holy Cross TLM

• Fr. Louis Mary Solcia, C.R.S.P. (+2023), beloved priest of San Diego's Little Italy

• Frater John James Velasco (+2022), a San Diego Brother of the Little Oratory

• Jon Roussos (+2022), a Chorus Breviarii member, friend of the Byzantines and Ordinariate

• John M. Polhamus (+2022), father of Frater John B. Polhamus

• Romualdo G. Clemente (+1989), father of Frater Ron Clemente

• Adelaida C. Clemente (+2023), mother of Frater Ron Clemente

• Raleigh S. Clemente (+2022), brother of Frater Ron Clemente

• Angelina Albor (+2023), great aunt of Fr. Raymond Philip Napuli

• Hank Goldmann (+2023), father-in-law of Brian Donnelly of C.B. Murrieta

• Peter Vincent Leparulo (+2015), a supporter of the Brothers in San Diego

• Daniel Francis Grady (+2022), founding member of Holy Cross TLM

• Joseph Shaara (+2023), a Holy Cross member, for whom we sang a Requiem for last month

And for all others who we have not named here, especially for the deceased Fathers of the London Oratory, and for our brethren in London, may they and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Courtesy: Fratellino

Tuesday, Oct. 31: 1st Vespers of All Saints

The Last Judgement (detail of the Saints)
Fra Angelico (c. 1395-1455)

Tuesday, October 31, 17:30 ( 5:30 P.M.)

 1st Vespers of All Saints

w/ Benediction

Hebdomadary: Rev. Fr. Jesus Valenzuela, F.S.S.P.

St. Anne Catholic Church

621 Sicard St. San Diego, CA 92113-2396

Text of Vespers with translation for printing or reading on mobile devices.

Join us in celebrating 1st Vespers of All Saints at St. Anne Catholic Church in Logan Heights on All Hallows Eve. We will sing the Hour of the Office, followed by the chanting of the Litany of the Saints during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

UPDATE: Start time is 17:30 ( 5:30 P.M.).

Two Saintly Friends of St. Philip

Today, October 9, marks the feast days of St. John Henry Newman and St. John Leonardi. Though they lived nearly three centuries apart, St. John Henry Newman and St. John Leonardi both came to know St. Philip Neri during their lifetimes. The former knew St. Philip through joining the Oratory following his conversion, while the latter knew St. Philip as a fellow counter-reformer and his own spiritual director.

At the Brompton Oratory

After years of defending the High Church position within Anglicanism, Newman became wholly convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith, especially in the face of the Church of England's questionable alliances with explicitly Protestant church bodies. Through the Passionist priest Blessed Dominic Barberi, Newman was formally brought into the Church on October 9, 1845. Over the next two years, he was ordained a priest and became an Oratorian, preparing him for the coming decades of Protestant animosity directed against him. 

Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory, while he sent fellow convert priest Fr. Faber to establish the Brompton Oratory. While Newman's own efforts to bring the Oratorians to Oxford failed during his lifetime, his influence led to Oxford being the location of the first "Newman Center" (those places where Catholic students at non-Catholic universities congregate). A century after Newman's death, the Oxford Oratory was finally established in 1993. Pope Leo XIII made Newman a cardinal in 1879, under Newman's conditions that his cardinalate not come with ordination to the episcopate or his removal from Birmingham. While Cardinal Newman's most well-known hymns come from his poetic works, his hymnography also includes many hymns celebrating St. Philip, including "This is the Saint of Gentleness and Kindness." 

Cardinal Newman was canonized in 2019, with his feast day of October 9 meant to coincide with his reception into the Church, as well as to be close to the beginning of the Michaelmas quarter at English universities. The elevation of his feast day to a higher rank remains to be seen, so it currently stands as an optional memorial in the current calendar of England and Wales.

Between the reigns of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI, October 9 was celebrated as the feast of Blessed John Leonardi by the clergy of Rome. This was a very unique privilege given to the beatus, considering the only beati allowed to be celebrated with full Office and Mass in Rome at the time were beatified Popes. Such a privilege was given due to the strong memory of John's religious fervor and miracle-working in the city of Rome. Pope Pius XI extended the Feast of St. John Leonardi to the universal church in 1938.

St. John Leonardi originally did not seek conversions in the city of Rome, instead wanting to start his congregation in the city of Lucca and eventually go out on foreign missions for the conversion of the pagans. However, the hostility of Luccan leaders towards his religious endeavors forced him to move to Rome, where he met and befriended St. Philip Neri and St. Joseph Calasanz. St. John Leonardi's group of priests, the Lucca Fathers, were at first absorbed into the Piarists of St. Joseph Calasanz. Such an arrangement aligned with the advice that St. Philip gave to St. John Leonardi as a spiritual father: that St. John Leonardi's mission lied primarily in the conversion of poor souls in Italy, rather than in far-off lands. 

St. John Leonardi died before he could see the Lucca Fathers become an independent group from the Piarists, but his acceptance of St. Philip's advice certainly brought him great rewards both on earth and in heaven. His allies in the Roman Curia allowed him to co-found the seminary for the Propagation of the Faith, bringing his wish of contributing to the foreign missions to fulfillment. Like St. Philip, he also promoted the Forty Hours Devotion in the churches of Rome. Five years after his death, the Lucca Fathers were given papal approval as a group in union with the Piarists, and three years later, the Lucca Fathers were granted a status independent from the Piarists.

St. Philip on Proper Clothing

The following quote is from the Sep. 27 entry of the Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri.

"Men of rank ought to dress like their equals, and be accompanied by servants, as their state requires, but modesty should go along with it all."

The following images are now presented without comment for our American readers.

Paschal Gaudeamus 2023

During Eastertide, the Brothers and Chorus Breviarii hold their annual Paschal Gaudeamus to both celebrate the general festivities of the Easter season and to recall their efforts at their annual Tenebrae. This year's Gaudeamus included salad and risotto, hot dogs and steaks, and some cold cuts. Pimm's and monastic beer accompanied our meal, and for dessert after Compline, Fratellino had a Paschal lamb cake. We're half a year away from our next one!

Courtesy: Fratellino

Lenten Exercise Paralipomena

In a prior article, we discussed the Exercises proper to the Brothers during the summer. Since it is now the penitential Ember Week of September, this article will return to discussing the Lenten Exercises and how we concluded with them this year. Our previous article on the Lenten Exercises can be found here. 

Chorus Breviarii Murrieta at Mass

Murrieta Visits

On March 17, Chorus Breviarii Murrieta and others came down to San Diego as part of a Mission Pilgrimage in honor of St. Junipero Serra. Gabriel Palencia has a write-up on the purpose of the pilgrimage available on the Chorus Breviarii Murrieta blog. After attending Mass and praying the Stations of the Cross, these pilgrims prayed the rosary in the Mission courtyard in front of the statue of Fr. Serra, concluding with various hymns.

The Pilgrimage Flyer

After some hesitancy over what the pilgrims would have for dinner, followed by a failed attempt at getting a table at another restaurant, they settled on a nearby IHOP location. Despite being a "24-hour location," this location was just about to close because one of the cooks was feeling a bit under the weather. Nonetheless, they were able to secure their breakfast-for-dinner while enjoying a good few laughs around the table over various jokes.

After an exchange of goodbyes amongst themselves in the IHOP parking lot, some of the pilgrims concluded their visit by joining the Brothers for Friday Exercises at St. Anne. The Brothers were delighted by their presence, and they were all excited for the upcoming Tenebrae services.

Saturday Stations in Spanish

Lauds of the Dead at the Mission

Some affiliates of Chorus Breviarii paid another visit to the mission the following day as part of a pilgrimage in honor of the Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, as well as for the general needs of the children of the Spanish Empire. After attending the morning Low Mass and receiving a blessing from one of the priests at St. Anne, the pilgrims made their way to Mission San Diego to pray the Stations of the Cross according to an early 20th-century Spanish translation. The Most Holy Rosary followed the Stations.

The Pilgrimage Flyer

After the Rosary, Chorus Breviarii members led Lauds of the Dead for the repose of the souls of those killed in the Spanish Civil War who were not listed among the martyrs. It had probably been decades since even laymen had sung the Office of the Dead in the old mission church, so it was certainly an opportunity to feel united to the traditional expressions of the faith that had long been neglected. Following the conclusion of Lauds, the pilgrims chanted the noon Angelus and exited the church into one of the courtyards. A couple that had been visiting the mission asked the pilgrims what they had been singing, saying that it sounded beautiful. The pilgrims both explained what it was and why they were praying these things at the mission, especially emphasizing the importance of the Office of the Dead to pray for the departed souls.

The humble St. Junipero Serra likely prayed these same Hours for the Dead after his fellow Majorcan Franciscan, Father Luis Jayme, was brutally killed at the hands of the Kumeyaay Indians following the burning of Mission San Diego in 1775. Father Jayme is now buried under the sanctuary of the current mission, and it would be profitable to pray for his future canonization as Protomartyr of California. 

When the Kumeyaay came with their clubs, stones, and
arrows, Father Luis Jayme greeted them with the
traditional Franciscan invitation to love God.

As Father Luis Jayme was martyred at the hands of enraged native warriors for conducting his ministry, so was an Oratorian on the path to sainthood martyred at the hands of cruel soldiers during the Spanish Civil War. The Blessed Salvio Huix Miralpéix, Cong. Orat., was Bishop of Lleida in Spain when he was imprisoned by the Spanish leftists along with other priests and laymen. During his time in prison, he continued to provide the sacraments, and when the leftists decided it was time for the good bishop to die, they brought him out to the cemetery so that he would dig his own grave. The leftist soldiers tried to make the Blessed Salvio renounce the faith to save his earthly life, but the bishop refused, instead choosing to be the last to die among the prisoners so that he could bless each one. Despite having his right arm shot by one of the soldiers to interrupt the blessings, the bishop continued with his left arm until the soldiers finally shot him in the head. Father Luis, Blessed Salvio, and the Martyrs of both the Spanish Civil War and the Cristero Wars serve as great examples for Catholics today to stand strong in the face of persecution by earthly powers.

Blessed Salvio Huix, an Oratorian

In Passiontide

The Brothers' last set of exercises was prayed on the Friday in Passion Week (also called the Friday of Sorrows), and thus, the illuminated crucifix was veiled in the violet cloths specific to Passiontide. The darkness of Friday Exercises was made more apparent by the hiding of the figure of Our Lord, the Light of the World, from the eyes of those praying before the Cross. At the conclusion of Exercises, the Brothers were now only five days away from the beginning of Tenebrae.

Photos and Flyers: Gabriel, Martin
Art Courtesy: Unknown artists

• The sketch of the martyrdom Fr. Jayme is from The Journal of San Diego History via Wikipedia.
• The portrait of Blessed Salvio Huix, C.O., was obtained via the Birmingham Oratory

Our Marian Vestments at St. Mary’s

Thank you to Fr. Scott Herrera, pastor of St. Mary’s in Escondido, for giving a good word about the Brothers of the Little Oratory before a weekday sung Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary. (The white-blue cope worn is the Brothers’ and has been used at Vespers services).

Courtesy: Grace Magill