Veneration, The Relic of St. Stephen, Protomartyr

And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.

Acts 7: 56-59            

Relic of St. Stephen, the First Martyr;

St. Stephen Church, Cleveland

And centuries later, the same Stephen would be treated much differently, having a glorious structure built in his name and to his honor. Honored so much, in fact, so as to be placed at the foot of the Cross.

High Altar; St. Stephen at the Foot, not St. John;

St. Stephen Church, Cleveland 

And as custom, following the solemn celebration of the Holy Sacrifice on that ordained day, the 26th of December, the Faithful of Christ piously approach the rail from which they just received Him, to venerate with a kiss --not from treason, but from love-- that holy relic of St. Stephen, the Protomartyr.

Happy Christmas!

Come, Ye Gentiles

Alleluia, alleluia. A sanctified day hath shone upon us; come, ye Gentiles, and adore the Lord; for this day a great light hath descended upon the earth. Alleluia.

The Alleluia verse from the Third Mass on Christmas Day in the TLM is very powerful and provocative. It seems to foresee the coming of the Magi at Epiphany, which is the revelation of the Messiah to the Gentiles, the world outside of the Jews.

Could this apply to us?

And not only that, but the emphasis given to light is also full of meaning. Light, after all, shines in the darkness. And this newly delivered Light, the Light from the womb of the Our Lady, has in fact descended up on.

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Message

Fr. Willie Doyle, a Jesuit and World War I chaplain for the 16th Irish Division, wrote a wonderful letter at Christmas to his sister. The letter spoke of his deep thoughts about his life as this chaplain, which he said he "dreaded most" and "was angry" at Our Lord for sending him to that Front.

He tells of some truly gruesome moments, but then blesses us with his true point: sacrifice yourselves, in union with the Divine Babe, the Divine Victim; let this be your gift to Jesus in the manger.

We invite you to share this video with your family and friends.

And for more information about Fr. Willie Doyle, visit https://fatherdoyle.com/

https://youtu.be/uAj8FJo0fXs

Updates, Added Masses

Today, Cleveland TLM Friends learned of two more Masses for Christmastide. St. Paul's, in Akron, will offer Midnight High Mass on Christmas Eve. St. Paul's is located at 1580 Brown St, Akron, OH.

And on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Poor Clares in Canton, Sancta Clara Monastery, will celebrate with a Solemn High Mass. The monastery is located at 4200 North Market Avenue, Canton, OH, 44714.

New Years Events at MQP

A golden opportunity to usher in the New Year in a totally counter-cultural way exists courtesy of Fr. Doug Brown and Mary Queen of Peace. The flyer below explains everything. Holy and happy are not mutually exclusive.

Ember Friday and the Mass Schedule for Christmas and Epiphany

A blessed ember Friday of this third week in Advent to you all. 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then....

https://juventutemdc.org/

Tuesday, Dec 24

Vigil of the Nativity

6:45am Low Mass

St. Stephen, Cleveland

Midnight Solemn Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
St. Paul, Akron

Wednesday, Dec 25

Nativity of Our Lord (holy day of obligation)

8am Low Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

9:30am High Mass

St. Stephen, Cleveland

12pm High Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

1pm High Mass

St. Sebastian, Akron

Thursday, Dec 26

Feast of St. Stephen

6:30pm Solemn Mass

St. Stephen, Cleveland

Saturday, Dec 28
Feast of the Holy Innocents
12pm Solemn Mass
Sancta Clara Monastery
4200 North Market
Canton, OH  44714

Tuesday, Dec 31

New Years Eve

6:45am Low Mass

St. Stephen, Cleveland

Midnight Mass
Mary Queen of Peace, Cleveland

Wednesday, Jan 1

Octave Day of the Nativity (holy day of obligation)

8am Low Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

9:30am High Mass

St. Stephen, Cleveland

12pm High Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

5:15pm High Mass

St. Sebastian, Akron

Monday, Jan 6

Epiphany of Our Lord

7am Low Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

6:30pm Solemn Mass

Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

Photos From Immaculate Conception

A Friend shared his photos with us, which recall the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception as celebrated with Solemn Mass at Immaculate Conception in Cleveland. The photographer implores you to view these high resolution images on a computer, and not a smartphone, in order to truly appreciate the beauty. Click the link below to view all of the moments he captured.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

MQP Bulletin Announcement: Rorate Mass, Dec 14

A Friend notified us of the following, as found in the recent bulletin from Mary Queen of Peace parish. 

On Saturday, December 14th at 8 am, I will be offering a “Rorate Mass”.

What is a Rorate Mass? I provide for you these words from the Fraternity of Saint Peter website who provide an excellent description:

“The Rorate Caeli Mass is a traditional Advent devotion wherein the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Advent is offered just before dawn. In many instances families and individuals travel an hour or more, rising and arriving very early for this stunningly beautiful Mass. The interplay of light and darkness speak to the meaning of Advent and the coming of the Light of the world.The Mass takes its title, Rorate Caeli, from the first words of the Introit, which are from Isaiah 45:8: ‘Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.’“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son called Emmanuel, and call on all to raise the gates of their hearts and their societies to let Christ the King enter; asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarnation and saving Resurrection of Our Lord."

Please join us for the very special Latin Mass offered only once each year. May your Advent continue to be blessed.

Yours in Christ,

Father Brown

Rorate Mass, Dec. 12

Solemn Mass, Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on Sunday this year. In a way, we should be extra thankful, because it IS a Sunday, and not a weekday, wherein we can more fully celebrate this glorious day. Most of us will not be at work, consumed with the normal we experience during the week. Instead, its completely open to us to observe this feast day, indeed as all days of precept should be, in the manner the Church encourages and wants for us.

Recently, someone on the internet (can't quite remember who it was, perhaps Dr. Taylor Marshall) recommended making this feast day equal to or better than Thanksgiving Day. Truly, we have no reason to not do this. Its Sunday. Most of us aren't scheduled to work that day or go to school. So celebrate it highly, gloriously, gathering together your family. Feast.

Regular Schedule of Sunday Masses:

8am Low Mass
Immaculate Conception, Cleveland

9:30am High Mass
St. Stephen, Cleveland

*12pm Solemn Mass
Immaculate Conception, Cleveland
(Eucharistic Procession after Mass and light luncheon)

1pm High Mass
St. Sebastian, Akron