Ave Maria - Robert Parsons

Ave Maria - Robert Parsons

I've sung and heard many Ave Maria's in my time as a member of the Toronto Oratory Choir, Sacred Music Society, and the award-winning Victoria Scholars. If there is a more sublime setting of the Ave Maria, I do not know it. Schubert? Bach- Gounod? They can't touch this. Victoria? Yes, comes close, but this is by far, the best!

A blessed Feast of the Assumption to all.

Most Blessed Mary, ever-virgin, intercede for this writer and his readers. Amen.

 

Be it done unto me according to thy word.

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On this day I leave it up to God

This writer has never professed to be an expert on prophecy, Catholic mystics or apparitions. In fact, I find much of it to be near idolatrous. Take for example the idea of "refuges." Is this not Darbyist Rapture heresy? When the "born-again" are not taken up to the sky by magic and are left here with the rest of us to endure the Tribulation, what will remain of their faith? When the magic private revelation and Medjugorge angels do not appear to lead us to some rural paradise, what remains of the faith of those not lead, but who supposedly lived, at least in their minds, a proper Catholic life? To many, private revelation has become idolatry. We are to observe and note the seasons but not follow every Gnostic which comes along. 

So it is with Fatima. Since today's prayer actually mentions Russia, will the Fatimites say it was done properly? If nothing suddenly miraculous happens and the situation worsens will they say, it was not done properly and start all over again? Some argue it won't "take" because Bergoglio is not the Pope.

Not being so gifted to receive messages directly or having had an angel appear unto me, sorry if I just don't buy any of this anymore. I will remain just a simple Catholic accepting that I am not gifted with being a Gnostic. As for me and my house, we will just carry on going to Mass and the Sacraments, trying to pray more and being faithful. I'll leave idolatry up to those special Gnostics and their own version of mass formation psychosis. 

I wrote a week ago of the wisdom of Holy Gamaliel. I will stand by his advice. 

In the meantime, for Our Lady on Her day, the greatest of all the settings:

Biebl's 'Ave Maria'

Most Blessed Mary

Oh sweet Mother of Jesus, O Theotokos, Queen of Heaven and Earth of Saints and we sinners. On this glorious day, pray for us in this time of trial and be with us. Amen

Chanticleer performs Biebl's 'Ave Maria' at the Cathedral of St. Paul

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY  

COMMEMORATION OF SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / WHITE

From all eternity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit chose Mary to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate. It was unthinkable that she be defiled by sin, in any way or for the least second of time. Therefore, in the instant of creating Mary's person, the Trinity made her immaculate. This grace, like every other grace granted since the fall of Adam, was given her through the merits of Christ. She was truly saved, redeemed, not from an evil already present, but from an evil that threatened. 

INTROIT Isa. 61:10

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation and covered me with the robe of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels.

Ps. 29:2. I will extol You, O Lord, for You have upheld me, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

V. Glory be . . . 

COLLECT

O God, by foreseen merits of the death of Christ, You shielded Mary from all stain of sin and preserved the Virgin Mother immaculate at her conception so that she might be a fitting dwelling place for Your Son. Cleanse us from sin through her intercession so that we also may come to You untainted by sin. Through Our Lord . . . 

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday of Advent

O Lord, stir up our hearts to accept the message of Your only-begotten Son, so that, through His coming on earth, we may serve Him always with a pure intention; who lives and rules with You . . . 

EPISTLE  Prov. 8:22-35

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made any thing from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived, neither had the fountains of waters as yet sprung out. The mountains, with their huge bulk, had not as yet been established: before the hills, I was brought forth: He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world.

When he prepared the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law, and compass, he enclosed the depths: When he established the sky above, and poised the fountains of waters: When he compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the waters that they should not pass their limits: when he balanced the foundations of the earth; I was with him forming all things: and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times; Playing in the world: and my delights were to be with the children of men.

Now, therefore, ye children, hear me: blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors. He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord. 

GRADUAL  Judith 13:23; 15:10

By the Lord the Most High God you are blessed, O Virgin Mary, above all women upon earth. V. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honor of our people. 

Alleluia, alleluia! V.  Cant. 4:7

You are all fair, O Mary, and there is in you no stain of original sin.

Alleluia! 

GOSPEL  Luke 1:26-28

At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  Luke 1:28

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. Alleluia! 

SECRET

Accept this saving host, O Lord, which we offer you on the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We firmly believe that she was shielded from all stain of sin by Your prevenient grace; may we be freed from all our faults through her holy intercession. Through Our Lord . . . 

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday of Advent

O Lord, let our humble offering of these prayers and sacrifices appease You for our sins. We have no merits of our own to depend on; so assist us with Your aid. Through Our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Glorious things are said of you, O Mary, for He who is mighty has done great things for you. 

POSTCOMMUNION

O Lord our God, may the Sacrament that we have received heal in us the wounds of that sin from which blessed Mary alone was preserved by her Immaculate Conception. Through Our Lord . . . 

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday of Advent

We have just been nourished with Your Body and Blood, O Lord. Teach us through this Sacramental rite to despise the things of earth and to yearn for the things of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .

Officium Parvum Beatæ Mariæ Virginis - Vesperae

Thank you Mary. Thank you for saying, "Be it done unto me according to thy word."

St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople. "On the Presentation of the Mother of God."

From today's Matins from the Fifth Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May the Gospel's holy lection be our safety and protection. Amen.

Reading 7

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 1:26-28

At that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople.

On the Presentation of the Mother of God.

O Mary, where shall I find words to praise thee? Maiden undefiled, virgin unstained, exaltation of women, glory of daughters! Holy Maiden Mother, blessed art thou among women, thy glory is in thy guilelessness, and thy name is a name of purity. In thee the curse of Adam is done away, and the debt of Eve paid. Thou art the clean offering of Abel, chosen out of the firstlings profession thereof to be made at of the flock, a pure sacrifice. Thou art the hope of Enoch, that firm hope that he had in God, and was not ashamed. Thou art the grace that was in Enoch in this life, and his transit to a better. Thou art the Holy Ark of Noah, and the bond of reconciliation with God in a new regeneration. Thou art the exceeding glory of the kingdom and Priesthood of Melchisedech. Thou art the unshaken trust of Abraham, and his faith in the promise of children that were to-be. Thou art the renewed oblation and the reasonable burntoffering of Isaac. Thou art the ladder that Jacob saw going up to heaven, and the most noble of all his children throughout the twelve tribes of Israel. According to the flesh thou art the daughter of Judah. Thou art the modesty of Joseph, and the overthrow of the old Egypt, yea, and of the Synagogue of the Jews. O purest! Thou art the book of Moses the Lawgiver, whereon the new covenant is written with the finger of God, for the new Israel, fleeing from the spiritual Egypt, even as the old law was written upon Sinai, for the old Israel, that Israel which was fed in the wilderness upon manna and water from the rock, whereof both were types of Christ, which was yet to come from thy womb, as a bridegroom from his chamber. Thou art Aaron's rod that budded. Thou art David's daughter, all glorious within, clothed in a vesture of gold, wrought about with divers colours.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

* O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.

R. O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. She whose feast-day we are keeping, Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens, be our Advocate with God. Amen.

Reading 8

Thou art the vision of the Prophets and the fulfilment of those things which they foretold. Thou art the gate whereof Ezekiel spake, when he prophesied, and said, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut xliv. 2. Thou art the Rod of Jesse, whereof Isaiah spake, xi. I, even that Rod whose Flower is Christ, and whose offshoots shall choke out all the seedlings of sin, and fill the earth with plants of grace. Thou art the Covenant foretold by Jeremiah when he said xxxi. 31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers thereby signifying the coming of thy Son, and calling upon all nations to worship Him for their God, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. Thou art the great mountain spoken of by Daniel, the man greatly beloved, wherefrom is cut without man's hands the corner-stone, that is, Christ, which hath smitten in pieces the parti-coloured image of the old serpent. I honour thee as the unpolluted fountain, I proclaim that thou art full of grace, I praise thee as the clean and undefiled tabernacle of God. Verily, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. As by a woman death entered into the world, by a woman came the power to rise again. The serpent gave us to eat deadly fruit, but that fall hath ended in the lifegiving Bread of Immortality. Eve, our first mother, brought forth Cain the first murderer; thou, O Mary, hast brought forth Christ, the first-fruits of life and of the resurrection. Ear hath not heard the like. It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive this new thing. Blessed be the unspeakable depths of the Wisdom of God.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. My soul doth magnify the Lord;

* For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May He that is the Angels' King to that high realm His people bring. Amen.

Reading 9

And now we, the people of God, a holy generation, an acceptable congregation, the nestlings of the dove of peace, children of grace, do with purified minds and unpolluted lips, praise God in the tongues of all nations in this joyful solemnity of the Virgin. This is a noble Feast wherein the Angels keep holiday and men do most fitly offer praise, even a feast wherein we echo with reverence and joy that salutation first spoken by Gabriel. Hail Mary! Hail, thou Paradise of God the Father, whence the knowledge of Him floweth in broad rivers to the ends of the earth! Hail, Dwelling-place of God the Son, whence He came forth clothed in flesh! Hail, mysterious Tabernacle of God the Holy Ghost! Hail, thou that art holier than the Cherubim! Hail, thou that art more glorious than the Seraphim! Hail, thou that art nobler than the heavens! Hail, thou that art brighter than the sun! Hail, thou that art fairer than the moon! Hail, manifold splendour of the stars! Hail, light cloud, dropping the dew of heaven! Hail, holy breeze, clearing the air of the vapours of sin! Hail, royal theme of the Prophets! Hail, sound of the Apostles gone out into all the earth! Hail, most excellent confession of the Martyrs! Hail, just hope of the Patriarchs! Hail, peculiar honour of all the Saints! Hail, source of health to dying creatures! Hail, O Queen, ambassadress of peace! Hail, stainless crown of motherhood! Hail, advocate of all under heaven! Hail, restoration of the whole world! Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, even the Lord that is before thee, and from thee, and that is with us. To Him, with the Father, and the most holy and Life-giving Spirit, be ascribed all praise, now and ever, world without end. Amen.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

Octave of the Immaculate Conception continues

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman liturgy before the destruction which began in 1955, this time now after December 8 was known as the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. You can follow this link, http://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl# which is also on a tab above to find out more about today and the different versions of the Divine Office, not including the new deformed and debased, Liturgy of the Hours wherein Pope Montini even had the temerity to write, "In this new arrangement of the psalms a few of the psalms and verses that are somewhat harsh in tone have been omitted, especially because of the difficulties anticipated from their use in vernacular celebration."

Because Pope Giovanni Battisti Montini knew better than the King David, the Prophet and God himself.

Leaving you to research as you will, I do wish to post the Readings of the Third Nocturne from St. Bernard of Clariveaux on Mary as the new Eve. May they enrich your day.

Reading 7

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 1:26-28

In that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux.

2nd on this text.

Rejoice, father Adam, and yet more thou mother Eve, ye that are the source of all, and the ruin of all, and the unhappy cause of their ruin before ye gave them birth. Be comforted both in your daughter, and such a daughter; but chiefly thou, O woman, of whom the first evil came, and who hast cast thy slur upon all women. The time is come for the slur to be taken away, and for the man to have nothing to say against the woman. At the first, when he unwisely began to make excuse, he scrupled not to throw the blame upon her, saying, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Wherefore, O Eve, betake thyself to Mary Mother, betake thyself to thy daughter let the daughter answer for the mother let her take away her mother's reproach; let her make up to her father for her mother's fault for if man be fallen by means of woman, it is by means of woman that he is raised up again.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

* O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.

R. O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. She whose feast-day we are keeping, Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens, be our Advocate with God. Amen.

Reading 8

What didst thou say, O Adam? The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. These are wrathful words, by the which thou dost rather magnify than diminish thine offence. Nevertheless, Wisdom hath defeated thy malice. God asked thee that He might find in thee an occasion of pardon, but, in that He found it not, He hath sought and found it in the Treasure of His Own mercy. One woman answereth for another; the wise for the foolish; the lowly for the proud; for her that gave thee of the tree of death, another that giveth thee to taste of the tree of life; for her that brought thee the bitter food of sin, another that giveth thee of the sweet fruits of righteousness. Wherefore accuse the woman no more, but speak in thanksgiving, and say, Lord, the woman whom Thou hast given me, she hath given me of the tree of life, and I have eaten; and it is in my mouth sweeter than honey, for thereby hast Thou quickened me. (Ps. cxviii. 103, 93.) Behold, it was for this that the angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, to the most worshipful of women, a woman more wonderful than all women, the restorer of them that went before, and the quickener of them that come after her.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. My soul doth magnify the Lord;

* For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May He that is the Angels' King to that high realm His people bring. Amen.

Reading 9

Has it not of this thy daughter, O Adam, that God spake when He said unto the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman And if thou wilt still doubt that He speaketh of Mary, hear what followeth She shall bruise thy head. Who won this conquest but Mary? She brought to nought the whole wiles of Satan, whether for the pollution of her body or the injury of her soul. Was it not of her that Solomon spake, where he saith, Who shall find a virtuous woman? (Prov. xxxi. 10.) The wise man knew the weaknesses of women, how frail they are in body, and how changeable in mind. But he had read that God had promised that the enemy, who had prevailed by means of a woman, was by a woman to be overthrown, and he believed. But he wondered greatly, and said, Who shall find a virtuous woman? that is to say If our salvation, and the bringing back of that which is lost, and the final triumph over the enemy, is in the hand of a woman, it must needs be that a virtuous woman be found, meet to work in that matter

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to 

Toronto Latin Masses for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ

Ave Regina Caelorum

Isabella Leonarda, the name chosen by or perhaps forIsabella Calegari, when she became an Ursaline nun, is a remarkable figure in the history of Western music. It was not at all unheard of for women to compose music in times gone by, but in virtually all such instances, the music written is vocal: sacred motets -- such as we might expect nuns (for most woman composers in earlier times were nuns) to produce -- and/or secular madrigals. It is indeed unusual to find a seventeenth-century Italian woman like Leonarda putting together textless instrumental music in the new Italian Baroque fashion.

Calegari, the daughter of a seventeenth century Italian aristocrat, was born in the city of Novara in 1620. As was still common in her day, most of the sons and daughters of the family were sent into church service, leaving only the eldest son to look after family matters. At age 16, then, Isabella entered the convent of Santa Orsala (Ursala), henceforth to be known as Leonarda. It is possible, though not proven, that Gasparo Casati, master of music at the Novara Cathedral, was her teacher in music. At any rate, in 1620, Casati organized the first publication of music written by her, in a volume otherwise devoted to his own music. She composed throughout her life and from the 1670s on, her music was regularly published, to a total of 20 volumes. She was, in addition, a very successful nun, eventually rising to the rank of Mother Superior for her convent and then becoming a Regional Counselor for the Ursalines. She died a few years into the new century, mostly likely in 1704.
  

Hail, O Queen of Heaven enthroned.

Hail, by angels mistress owned.

Root of Jesse, Gate of Morn

Whence the world's true light was born:

Glorious Virgin, Joy to thee,

Loveliest whom in heaven they see;

Fairest thou, where all are fair,

Plead with Christ our souls to spare.

V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin.

R. Give me strength against thine enemies.

Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to assist our infirmity: that like as we do now commemorate Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, Mother of God; so by the help of her intercession we may die to our former sins and rise again to newness of life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ave Maria

Ave Maris Stella

Ave, star of ocean,

Child divine who barest,

Mother, ever-Virgin,

Heaven's portal fairest.

Taking that sweet Ave

Erst by Gabriel spoken,

Eva's name reversing,

Be of peace the token.

Break the sinners' fetters,

Light to blind restoring,

All our ills dispelling,

Every boon imploring.

Show thyself a mother

In thy supplication;

He will hear who chose thee

At his incarnation.

Maid all maids excelling,

Passing meek and lowly,

Win for sinners pardon,

Make us chaste and holy.

As we onward journey

Aid our weak endeavour,

Till we gaze on Jesus

And rejoice forever.

Father, Son, and Spirit,

Three in One confessing,

Give we equal glory

Equal praise and blessing.

Amen.

On Mary's perpetual virginity

From the combox.

Obviously Mary had relations with her husband Joseph once the period of purification of 40 days after the birth of her firstborn, the Savior Jesus Christ, was over. "And didn’t know her until she had given birth to her firstborn son. And he named him Jesus"; Matthew 1:25 Stan on Look upon the face of the Sister Lucia "the Heretic" Caram. To her, the Blessed Virgin Mary, wasn't!

Sorry, Stan, you're stating heresy.

You see, here is the thing. You are to preoccupied with sex to imagine that it is possible to love a celibate and chaste life. It reveals your own issues. What you also fail to grasp, is what is explained about the language of the Bible as discussed below. Further, you do not recall the words of St. John about all the libraries of the world could not hold all the books if everything was written down. What we know about the Angel's visit to Joseph is what we are told but what we don't know is what else he was told that was not recorded. I happen to believe that he was told much more so that he knew fully what his role and responsibility to the Christ Child and His Mother were. Joseph knew that the Womb of Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant. He knew that it was the true Holy of Holies. As in the Temple, he could not enter into the Holy of Holies. Nor did he enter or put his seed into that which was Mary's. We also recall the words of God to Moses in the Burning Bush, "take off your sandals for you walk on holy ground."

Simple.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3007.htm

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-case-for-marys-perpetual-virginity

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/01/09/on-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary-a-response-to-peter-leithart/

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/biblical-evidence-for-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary

O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

Homily by St. Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople.

On the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, holier than the Saints, higher than the heavens, more glorious than the Cherubim, more honourable than the Seraphim, and the most worshipful thing that the hands of God have made. Hail, O dove, bearing in thy beak the olive-branch of peace that telleth us of salvation from the spiritual flood, Gen. viii. 10, n, dove, blessed omen of a safe harbour, whose wings are of silver, and thy feathers of gold, shining in the bright beams of the Most Holy and Light-giving Spirit. Ps. lxvii. 14. Hail, thou living garden of Eden, planted towards the East by the right hand of the Most Merciful and Mighty God, wherein do grow to His glory rich lilies and unfading roses, for the healing of them that have drunk in death from the blighting and pestilential breezes of the bitter West, Gen. ii. 8, 9; Eden, wherein hath sprung that Tree of life, Whereof if any man eat he shall live for ever. Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. John vi. 52. Hail, stately Palace of the King, most holy, stainless, purest, House of the Most High God, adorned with His Royal splendour, open to all, filled with Kingly dainties; Palace wherein is that spiritual bridal chamber, not made with hands, nor hung with divers colours, in the which the Eternal Word, when He would raise up fallen man, wedded flesh unto Himself, that He might reconcile unto the Father them who had cast themselves away.

Hail, O rich and shady Mountain of God, whereon pastured the True Lamb, Who hath taken away our sins and infirmities, Hab. iii. 3; Isa. liii. 4; John i. 29, mountain, whereout hath been cut without hands that Stone which hath smitten the altars of the idols, and become the head-stone of the corner, marvellous in our eyes. Dan. ii. 34; Ps. cxvii. 22, 23. Hail, thou holy Throne of God, thou divinest store-house, thou temple of glory, thou bright crown, thou chosen treasure, thou mercy-seat for the whole world, thou heaven declaring the glory of God. Ps. xviii. 2. Hail, thou vessel of pure gold, made to hold the manna that came down from heaven, the sweet food of our souls, even Christ. Ex. xvi.33; Heb. ix. 4; John vi. 49-51. Hail, O purest Virgin, most praiseworthy and most worshipful, hallowed treasury for the wants of all creatures; thou art the untitled earth, the unploughed field; thou art the vine full of flowers, the well overflowing with waters, Maiden and Mother; thou art the Mother that knew not a man, the hidden treasure of guilelessness, and the clear, bright star of holiness; by thy most acceptable prayers, strong from thy motherly mouth, obtain for all estates of men in the Church that they may continually tend unto Him Who is the Lord, and God, and Maker of thee, and of them, and of all, but of thee the Son also, conceived without man's intervention; obtain this, O Mother, pilot them to the harbour of peace.

Be it thine to clothe God's priests with righteousness, and to make them shout aloud for joy Ps. cxxxi. 9, 16, in approved and stainless, and upright and glorious faith. thine be it to guide in peace the sceptres of orthodox princes, even of princes who put their trust in thee to be the crown of their Majesty, and the Royal Robe of their greatness, and the firm foundation of their dominion, more than in purple, or fine gold, or pearls, or precious stones; thine be it to put under their feet the unfaithful nations, nations that blaspheme thee, and the God That was born of thee; thine be it to keep in meek obedience the people that are under them, according to the commandment of God. Behold, this is thine own city, which hath thee for her towers and her foundations, crown her with victory, gird the house of God with strength, keep undefiled the loveliness of His tabernacles, as for them that praise thy name, be thou their deliverer from strife and bitterness of spirit. Free thou the prisoner, protect the wanderer, and if there be any that hath no refuge, be thou to him a consolation. Stretch forth thine hand and help the whole earth so shall we year by year keep this and all thy feasts, and at last be found with thee in Christ Jesus, Who is Lord of all, and verily our God. To Him, with the Holy Father, Who is the Fountain of Life, and the coeternal Spirit, Three Persons and One Substance, even as there is one Kingdom, be glory and strength, now and for ever. Amen.