Today is the feast of St. Agatha, a virgin martyr and saint of the Roman Canon.
Agatha was martyred in Sicily in about 251 during the time of the Emperor Decius and her tomb is at Catania.
In Rome there is a lovely little church dedicated to her, Sant’Agatha de’ Goti in the Suburra zone, which is the titular church of Card. Burke. There is also a town of the same name down near Naples which used to be the seat of a diocese of which St. Alphonsus Liguori was bishop. And the de’Goti does not refer to the Goths, either the tribe or the weird eye-makeup crew. It refers to a noble family from Gascony that were the locum tenentes.
Holy legend says that, despite her vow of virginity, Agata was pursued by a powerful man and eventually subjected to humiliations and tortures, including the cutting off of her breasts. She is a patroness of women who have been abused and also for breast cancer patients.
There is a beautiful little book available…
With Glory and Honor You Crowned Them: The Female Martyrs of the Roman Canon by Matthew Manint
We should increase our devotion to the martyrs, especially those of the Roman Canon.
We should increase our USE of the Roman Canon. We should get rid of Eucharistic Prayer II and return to greater use of the Roman Canon in the Novus Ordo. Of course this isn’t an issue in the Vetus, is it.
There are going to be hard days ahead, therefore.
Oremus.
Deus, qui inter cétera poténtiæ tuæ mirácula étiam in sexu frágili victóriam martýrii contulísti: concéde propítius; ut, qui beátæ Agathæ Vírginis et Mártyris tuæ natalítia cólimus, per eius ad te exémpla gradiámur.Let us pray.
O God, Who among other wonders of Your power have given the victory of martyrdom even to the gentle sex, graciously grant that we who commemorate the anniversary of the death of blessed Agatha, Your Virgin and Martyr, may come to You by following her example. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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Perhaps she can be an intercessor for those young women ensnared in the demonic “trans” ideology and who think that surgery will change their essential nature.
A great Sicilian Saint!
Being a full blooded Sicilian I am proud.
My favorite Sicilian Saint could handle the SSPX issue.
Pope Agatho, Pope from 577-681.
Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury carved up the Diocese of Wilfred of York and created three new Bishops to run them. Wilfred appealed to Pope Agatho. After investigating, Pope Agatho agreed to the three new dioceses but said that Wilfred should name the Bishops.
Pope Agatho agreed died at 104 years old
We should increase our USE of the Roman Canon. We should get rid of Eucharistic Prayer II and return to greater use of the Roman Canon in the Novus Ordo. Of course this isn’t an issue in the Vetus, is it.
The younger priests in my diocese use it near-exclusively.
Our relatively new and young Pastor says only the Roman Canon at Sunday Masses. (I like hearing the name of Chrysogonus now as I did 60 years ago). I have complimented him on this practice, and his response was something like, “Of course.” Our previous pastors almost never did so. It gives me a little hope for the future. Our Pastor also suggests that if Traditionis Custodes were revoked (as it should be), he’d say a TLM every Sunday morning.
Father,
The Amazon links are dead.
Thanks. Fixed
The feast of St Agatha holds a special memory for me. Classes had ended for me in 1993. Since then I had been writing my dissertation, and in early 1996 I was heading back to the US where the last part would be written. My last day in Rome was St Agatha’s feast day, and in the evening I went to the church of St Agatha dei Gothi, which was very close to the Angelicum. As I entered, walking around the cortile, I noticed a group of about 10 men standing in front of the door. A few feet away the group opened, and I saw a small Cardinal standing in their midst. It was Cardinal Oddi, whom I had never met. I knew, however, he was a very good man.
As I approached, Cardinal Oddi said , “Buona sera, capo!” which generally means “Evening, Chief–”Superb Hail and Well Met from a man who was not only very Catholic, but also companionable and a bit of character.
A prayer to St Agatha for His Eminence.
Eucharistic Prayer II technically co-existed with the Tridentine Missal for a little over a year. No one talks about this.
WmHesch: And your point is…. ?
robtbrown: Oddi! What a guy. I knew him. Funny. I used to visit him in his retirement.