Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Becket: The hooly blisful martir

According to the Ordo today is the "optional commemoration" of St Thomas Becket the Patron of the English Pastoral Clergy, how sad his memory has been laid aside so easily.
Chaucer reminds us of the centrality he had in the Medaeval Chuirch for the faithful
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
The destruction of every image of Thomas in the country, the erasure of his name from the Missal was one of the first marks of Henry VIII's break from Rome.
Pray today for the English clergy: bishops, priests and deacons.

As a mark of devotion you could watch Becket, which is Youtube here in 15 parts.

6 comments:

JDB said...

S. Thomas Becket has been raised to a feast in England & Wales.

http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/

Fr Ray Blake said...

Not in my diocesan directory!

motuproprio said...

From the Liturgy Office, Department for Christian Life
& Worship, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales:

"The bishops have received the recognitio of the Holy See for their decision to raise to the rank of feast:

The English Martyrs — 4 May
St Augustine of Canterbury — 27 May
St Gregory the Great — 3 September
St Thomas Becket — 29 December"

Better make sure you mark all these up in your Ordo, not to mention the Optional Memoria of Blessed John Henry Newman on October 9th.

Mulier Fortis said...

It is in the Southwark directory. I think you mentioned that A&B got it wrong last year as well, Father!

Michael Petek said...

By some coincidence, I discovered this week on his feast-day that he received a vision of Our Lady in which she presented to him the holy oil that was used afterwards for the anointing of the Kings of England.

The Flying Dutchman said...

But, Father, it was you yourself who brought us the news of the four new national feasts for England a while back. Have you forgotten?

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