St. Sabina and Her Church

Today, August 29, in the traditional calendar, the Church commemorates St. Sabina, an early martyr.

Sabina, a Roman noblewoman, was the widow of one Valentinus and the daughter of Herod Metallarius. She was martyred under Emperor Hadrian in about 126. Her female slave, St. Serapia, who had been instrumental in Sabina’s conversion, was also martyred.

Between 422 and 432, a Dalmatian priest named Petrus of Illyria built a church on the site of Sabina’s house, which was on Aventine Hill in Rome, near a temple of Juno, and may have been a house church.

In 430, Sabina’s relics were brought to the church. Later, Sabina was canonized as a saint.

By 1216, the church and associated buildings were in the possession of the Savelli family of which Pope Honorious III was a member. At that time, Pope Honorius approved the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and, in 1219, he gave the church to Saint Dominic, the order’s founder. Since then, it has been the headquarters of the Dominicans. It is now called the Basilica of Saint Sabina at the Aventine.

Image:
Interior of Santa Sabina church, from Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.

Altar Flowers

According to an article on altar vases in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, the rules regarding altar flowers are as follows:

“The Caeremoniale Episcoporum (I, xii, n. 12) says that between the candlesticks on the altar may be placed natural or artificial flowers, which are certainly appropriate ornaments of the altar. The flowers referred to are cut flowers, leaves, and ferns, rather than plants imbedded in soil in large flowerpots, although the latter may fitly be used for the decoration of the sanctuary around the altar. If artificial flowers are used they ought to be made of superior material, as the word serico (ibid.) evidently implies, and represent with some accuracy the natural variations. Flowers of paper, cheap muslin, or calico, and other inferior materials, and such as are old and soiled, should never be allowed on the altar."

While there is something to be said for honoring God with elaborate floral designs, the best arrangements are usually the simplest. Perhaps this is because the emphasis is not on the skill and imagination of the flower arranger but on the beauty placed in nature by its Creator. Moreover, an elaborate arrangement may draw the attention of the faithful away from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

A simple arrangement is in any event the most suitable for a traditional Latin Mass where the altar vases must fit between the candlesticks on the altar shelf, which is usually rather narrow.

Perhaps the most important consideration is that the altar flowers should be harmonious with the color of the vestments and altar frontals for the day according to the liturgical norms. There is nothing wrong with simply using several blooms of a single color, varying the height of the stems a little, and adding a little green foliage if necessary.

If a flower arranger wants to work more with color, however, an old book on church flowers gives some sound advice regarding color combinations:

“Color in church flower arrangements is . . . a different problem from color as used in more intimate arrangements. Factors determining the color to be used are the architectural decorations of the church and the color of the vestments or frontal of the day. . . . There are three types of color combinations most suitable for church arrangements: the monochromatic or one-color scheme, the analogous or related scheme, and the complementary or contrasting color scheme. Perhaps the monochromatic is the most effective, being the simplest and easiest to make successfully.

“To make a monochromatic flower arrangement use flowers of different values or tones of one hue. A monochromatic scheme in blue could consist of large and dark blue delphinium and dark cornflowers or deep blue agapanthus. Red carnations, because they are available in many tones from dark to light, will make an effective monochromatic bouquet. The red can range from deep red to a pink, almost white tone.

"The analogous color scheme is the next easiest to create. It is made by using flowers of different colors in sequence as they appear on a color wheel, thus -- red, red-orange, orange, orange-yellow, yellow. Such a combination of warm colors may be made of chrysanthemums in an autumn arrangement. However, it is important to remember to group the different colors together, for, if they are scattered and mixed together in the vase, the effect will not be the same. Analogous color schemes may be warm or cold, depending on which side of the color wheel you use. The warm colors are red and orange and their intermediates, while the cold colors are blue and green and any colors that contain any blue or green.

“A complementary or contrasting color scheme uses colors from opposite sides of the color wheel; that is, two hues which complement each other. Simple complementaries are blue and orange, red and green, violet and yellow. To be successful, the two colors should be of equal intensity but of varying amounts. Cool and warm colors can be combined. It is necessary, also, to consider the lightness and darkness of the flowers used and, if a strong and brilliant arrangement is desired, use flowers of the same values, except perhaps at the center of interest where a stronger or deeper value may be effectively used.

“. . . If soft effects are desired various shades of pink, blue, and lavender may be combined or ‘interlaced’ so that from a distance they seem united in one delicate blend of color. However a triad color scheme, that is, one based on three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, which usually results in what is called a mixed bouquet, is not so satisfactory for the church. The triad color scheme, being more complex, does not have the directness and simplicity of the other types of color scheme.”

Source:
McClinton, Katherine Morrison; Flower Arrangement in the Church (Morehouse-Gorham Co., New York, 1944, 1958 edition); pp. 52-55.

Image:
Fantin-Latour’s “White Roses”, from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.

Catholic Distinction in an Indistinct World

Kay Toy Fenner, in her American Catholic Etiquette, gave some admonitions to her readers regarding Catholic life that bear repeating.

Fenner’s book was first published in 1961, prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), prior to the infamous Sixties, and prior to the coarsening and confusion that characterize life in the early 21st century. Nevertheless, Fenner’s advice is even more apt now than it was in 1961.

To the contemporary ear, her words may sound radical. Yet, in the same volume are found chapters on such relatively tame topics as wedding etiquette and the proper manner of addressing Catholic clergy and religious.

Here is how Fenner urges her readers to “Dare to Be Different”:

“Many influences in modern living unite to induce the general public to accept a universal standard of morals, behavior, opinion, manners, and dress. To some extent this has always been so; our ideas in these areas have ever been heavily influenced by those of our fellows. Universal literacy, the availability of inexpensive books and magazines, and our public school system have encouraged the spread of common standards. To these we add today television, radio, and moving pictures, and, most important of all, the development of certain psychological theories as to how man can best function in a modern world.

“Some of these influences are good; none of them are deliberately wicked; at least, none are the result of a planned conspiracy of evil. The educators engaged in teaching children how to ‘function in the group,’ to accept the ‘will of the majority’ as the standard of what constitutes right behavior, are, from their own point of view, merely assisting children to live happily with their fellows. All of this would be intensely valuable, if the ideas and standards upheld were the noblest possible. Unfortunately, setting such a universal uniform standard always means leveling down. One can never level ‘up’. . . .

“For society at large, the acceptance of a low dead level of conformity, the spread of a common fear to differ from one’s fellows, is a tragedy. For Catholics, it is impossible. We are, and will continue to be (for how long, only God knows, but He knoweth) a minority group. Socially and governmentally, this is unimportant. In the realm of ideas and moral standards, it is important, and it is just in these realms that we are far more of a minority than we were a hundred years ago. . . .

“This means that present-day Catholics must learn and must teach their children to differ from the majority of their fellows in many basic moral principles, to love and cherish those with whom they differ, while refusing to accept, as their moral guides, standards with which they do not agree.”

Source:
Fenner, Kay Toy; American Catholic Etiquette (The Newman Press; Westminster, Maryland; 1961); pp. 294-296. Emphasis in the original.

Image: Zurbarán’s "Mary as a Child" (1630), from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.

Queen Dagmar of Denmark and Her Cross

Once upon a time, prior to the Reformation, Denmark was Catholic. One reminder of its former Catholicity is the “Dagmar Cross”.



Queen Dagmar, a princess named Margrethe, was born around 1186 in Bohemia, and became the consort of the Danish King Valdemar II ("Valdemar the Victorious"), who reigned from 1202-1241. Dagmar was much loved by the Danish people.

In 1209, Queen Dagmar gave birth to a son, also named Valdemar. In 1212 or 1213, Dagmar died while giving birth to her second son. In 1214, King Valdemar II remarried. Unfortunately, in 1231, Dagmar's first son, Prince Valdemar, was killed in a hunting accident.

Queen Dagmar is buried in St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted, Denmark next to King Valdemar II, whose second wife is buried on his other side.

"St. Bendt" refers to St. Benedict, the great father of western monasticism. The church is the only remaining building of Ringsted Kloster, a Benedictine monastery that was destroyed by fire in the 18th century.

Dagmar's grave was opened in 1690 and she was found to have been buried wearing a Cross that is believed to date to around the year 1000. On one side is a Crucifix. On the other side, Christ is at the center and the four arms of the Cross depict, starting at the top and moving clockwise, St. John Chrysostom, St. John the Evangelist, St. Basil, and Our Lady.

Images:
-- Queen Dagmar, St. Bendt's Church detail, from Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.
-- Black and white representation of the Dagmar Cross, also from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.
-- Color photograph of Dagmar Cross - From Visit Denmark. There you will find a slide show of St. Bendt's, including the above photograph of the Dagmar Cross and pictures of the church's stunning interior.

The Care of Liturgical Cruets

In the liturgical context, cruets are the small containers in which the sacramental wine and water are brought to the altar. In the traditional Latin Mass, during the offertory, the priest pours wine and water from these cruets into the chalice and says (in translation):

“O God, Who in creating man didst exalt his nature very wonderfully and yet more wonderfully didst establish it anew: by the mystery signified in the mingling of this water and wine, grant us to have a part in the Godhead of Him Who hath vouchsafed to share our manhood . . . ” *

Even though the wine and water brought to the altar in the cruets are not yet consecrated, they will be used in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and therefore their containers should be well maintained and immaculately clean.

McClinton and Squier give the following advice for care of the cruets:

“Cruets should never be left standing filled, but should be emptied after each service, washed out, and dried so that they will not become discolored. All glass should be washed in warm, soapy water, rinsed and dried while warm. The stoppers of cruets should not be replaced until the cruets are completely dry. When a stopper sticks, run hot water on the neck of the cruet, being careful not to let it get too hot. If this does not remove the stopper, put a few drops of glycerine at the joining of the stopper and the neck of the cruet and let stand for several hours. Cruets that have become discolored may be filled with a mixture of vinegar, salt, and water, or a little Clorox, or some other bleaching agent, and water, and left to stand a few hours. Another method for cleaning glass cruets or vases is to put in some dry rice and water and shake. A bottle brush is also useful when cleaning glass.”

Some cruets have silver stoppers. The same source recommends that silver should first be washed in detergent and hot water, and then silver polish should be applied while the silver is still hot. Using that technique, “the surface will be more glistening and shiny when polished.” After applying the silver polish, the silver should then be rinsed in hot water and buffed with a clean cloth or chamois.

Source:
McClinton, Katherine Morrison, and Squire, Isabel Wright; Good Housekeeping in Church (Morehouse-Gorham Co., New York, 1951), pp. 46, 51-52. (This is not a Catholic resource but it offers very practical advice on the care of the sanctuary, sacristy, vessels, and vestments.)

Image:
Pair of cruets, from SanctaMissa.org

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*In the Novus Ordo liturgy, the priest says, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

The Assumption Lily and Our Lady

Aside from the rose, the flower most often associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary is the lily. John S. Stokes, the Mary gardener, said that Venerable Bede (673-735) discerned “the translucent whiteness of the petals of the white lily as symbolizing the purity of Mary’s body and the gold of its anthers* as symbolizing the glory of her soul, as she was assumed into heaven”. The Fish Eaters website says that early rosaries had Ave beads shaped like lilies.

The Assumption Lily, also called the plantain lily or August lily, blooms during August and is therefore associated with Assumption Day on August 15, the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin that we are celebrating today.

The Assumption Lily is actually a variety of hosta -- the hosta plantaginea, native to China and Japan. After visitors to Asia brought it to Europe for cultivation, it was given its Marian name. It is the only species of hosta that is highly fragrant, making even more significant its association with the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven.

“Today the spotless Virgin, untouched by earthly affections, and all heavenly in her thoughts, was not dissolved in earth, but truly entering heaven, dwells in the heavenly tabernacles.” St. John Damascene (676-754)

Image:
Photograph of hosta plantaginea, from Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.
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*An “anther” is the pollen-bearing part of the stamen of a plant.

The End of the Affair (1955, 1999)

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (1904-1991) is a 1951 novel that became the basis for two films: one in 1955 and the other in 1999.

The story line of the novel is this: in London, in 1939, Maurice Bendrix, a British novelist writing a book about a high level civil servant, looks for such a character to study in real life. Thus, Bendrix becomes acquainted with Henry Miles and his wife, Sarah. Almost immediately, Bendrix and Sarah embark on an adulterous affair that continues for several years, during which Bendrix reveals himself as a jealous and possessive lover.

In 1944, Bendrix and Sarah are together in Bendrix’s rented room when a bomb strikes. Bendrix appears to be dead. Sarah prays and promises God she will leave Bendrix forever if he is spared. Bendrix comes back to life and Sarah is left with a promise she must either honor or abandon.

Sarah leaves Bendrix without explanation and they remain apart for two years. Then Bendrix has a chance encounter with Henry who confides he is worried that Sarah is having an affair because of her frequent absences. Jealous of the lover who has supplanted him, Bendrix hires a private investigator to have Sarah followed.

Barkis, the awkward but lovable investigator, and his young son, conduct a bumbling investigation that initially results in the false conclusion that Sarah is indeed having another illicit affair. In reality, she meets for a time with an atheist who fails to convince her that coming to faith is folly, while at the same time she is being drawn more deeply into her relationship with that most ardent and most jealous Lover of all lovers.

Sarah frequents a Catholic church, spending time in reflection. In tentative moments that perhaps only a convert can appreciate to the fullest, she makes certain material moves toward the Faith. She writes in her diary:

“. . . I did what I had seen people do in Spanish churches: I dipped my finger in the so-called holy water and made a kind of cross on my forehead.” And, “Yesterday I bought a crucifix, a cheap ugly one because I had to do it quickly. I blushed when I asked for it. Somebody might have seen me in the shop. They ought to have opaque glass in their doors like rubber-goods shops. When I lock the door of my room, I can take it out from the bottom of my jewel-case.”

Ultimately, Sarah seek religious instruction from a Catholic priest. Meanwhile, Barkis manages to purloin Sarah’s journal, which explains why she left Bendrix after the bombing, and Bendrix reads it. Once he realizes what occurred, Bendrix is determined to win Sarah back. Bendrix reaches Sarah by telephone but by then Sarah has committed to making her separation from Bendrix permanent. She is also ill with an upper respiratory infection. Sarah tells Bendrix that she cannot see him, that she is ill, and that if he comes to her she will evade him. Bendrix disregards Sarah’s wishes and her illness and goes to her home. Sarah flees. With Bendrix in pursuit, Sarah hurries through a rainy night to a Catholic church where Bendrix confronts her. Sarah convinces Bendrix to leave and remains in the church despite her illness. As a result of the exposure to the cold and rain, Sarah’s illness deepens into pneumonia and within days she dies, repeatedly asking for a Catholic priest.

With total disregard of his role in causing Sarah’s death, Bendrix continues to oppose Sarah’s new Lover, managing to prevent a Catholic burial even after the priest who had begun instructing Sarah tells Henry that Sarah could have a Catholic funeral because, “We recognize the baptism of desire.”

After Sarah’s cremation, Sarah’s mother reveals to Bendrix that Sarah had been secretly baptized into the Catholic Church as a two-year-old, although Sarah herself did not know it. After learning this, Bendrix says to the God he does not believe in, “You can’t mark a two-year-old child for life with a bit of water and a prayer. If I began to believe that, I could believe in the body and the blood.”

Within weeks of Sarah’s death, Barkis’s son is healed from a serious illness after being given one of Sarah’s old children’s books. And, the atheist Sarah had been visiting is healed of a disfiguring facial birthmark after he sleeps with strands of Sarah’s hair pressed to his marred cheek. Ultimately, Bendrix recognizes that Sarah must have obtained these favors from her Beloved. Nevertheless, Bendrix still wants nothing to do with Him.

Except for Sarah’s diary, the novel is written from Bendrix’s point of view. On the first page, Bendrix writes, “this is a record of hate far more than of love”. The novel ends with Bendrix praying, “O God, You’ve done enough, You’ve robbed me of enough, I’m too tired and old to learn to love, leave me alone for ever.”

The 1955 film stars Van Johnson as Maurice Bendrix and Deborah Kerr as Sarah Miles. Johnson seems entirely too American in every respect to be believable as the Englishman, Bendrix, although he is convincing as a possessive lover and a selfish, arrogant unbeliever. Deborah Kerr, a Scot, does fine portraying an Englishwoman being brought to faith. She is far less credible, however, as a woman whose erotic desire for Bendrix is so powerful that relinquishing it constitutes a major sacrifice.

Although the correspondence of the 1955 film to the novel is less than a hundred percent, and the film has many defects, it is reasonably true to the book. The film has no bedroom scenes, nudity, vulgarity, or violence. Although the film portrays an adulterous affair, it does not portray the affair in a positive light. Obviously, though, this is not a film for children or young teenagers.

The 1999 version is so graphic in its portrayal of the sexual relationship between Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) and Sarah (Julianne Moore) that it should not be viewed by anyone. (I had to skip over large portions of the DVD and would not have even tried to view it if I had known in advance about the content.) In any event, the 1999 film departs from the book so significantly that the meaning of Greene’s story is entirely lost.

Image:
Video cover of 1955 film, from Wikimedia Commons. Copyrighted material. Fair use claimed.

NB: This review has been edited since its first publication.

St. Clare and Her Meal with St. Francis

In the traditional calendar, today, August 12, is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), founder with St. Francis of the cloistered religious order for women now known as the Poor Clares.

There are many wonderful stories about St. Clare. One is about her eating a meal with St. Francis at St. Mary of the Angels. It is recorded in The Little Flowers of St. Francis, a series of vignettes from the life of St. Francis written in the early 1300’s.

This event is beautifully portrayed in the 1950 Roberto Rossellini film based on the 14th century text. There, the companions of St. Francis cut armfuls of flowers to place in the path on which St. Clare will walk.

Here is the full text of Chapter 15 of The Little Flowers of St. Francis, entitled “How St. Clare Ate with St. Francis and His Companions at St. Mary of the Angels”:

“St. Francis, when residing at Assisi, often visited St Clare, to give her holy counsel. And she, having a great desire to eat once with him, often begged him to grant her this request; but the saint would never allow her this consolation. His companions, therefore, being aware of the refusal of St. Francis, and knowing how great was the wish of Sister Clare to eat with him, went to seek him, and thus addressed him: ‘Father, it seems to us that this severity on thy part in not granting so small a thing to Sister Clare, a virgin so holy and so dear to God, who merely asks for once to eat with thee, is not according to holy charity, especially if we consider how it was at thy preaching that she abandoned the riches and pomps of this world. Of a truth, if she were to ask of thee even a greater grace than this, thou shouldst grant it to thy spiritual daughter.’

St. Francis answered: ‘It seems to you, then, that I ought to grant her this request?’ His companions made answer: ‘Yea, father, it is meet that thou grant her this favour and this consolation.’

St. Francis answered: ‘As you think so, let it be so, then; but, in order that she may be the more consoled, I will that the meal do take place in front of St. Mary of the Angels, because, having been for so long time shut up in San Damiano, it will do her good to see the church of St. Mary, wherein she took the veil, and was made a spouse of Christ. There, then, we will eat together in the name of God.’

“When the appointed day arrived, St. Clare left her convent with great joy, taking with her one of her sisters, and followed by the companions of St. Francis. She arrived at St Mary of the Angels, and having devoutly saluted the Virgin Mary, before whose altar her hair had been cut off, and she had received the veil, they conducted her to the convent, and showed her all over it.

“In the meantime St. Francis prepared the meal on the bare ground, as was his custom. The hour of dinner being arrived, St. Francis and St. Clare, with one of the brethren of St. Francis and the sister who had accompanied the saint, sat down together, all the other companions of St. Francis seated humbly round them. When the first dish was served, St. Francis began to speak of God so sweetly, so sublimely, and in a manner so wonderful, that the grace of God visited them abundantly, and all were rapt in Christ.

“Whilst they were thus rapt, with eyes and hearts raised to heaven, the people of Assisi and of Bettona, and all the country round about, saw St. Mary of the Angels as it were on fire, with the convent and the woods adjoining. It seemed to them as if the church, the convent, and the woods were all enveloped in flames; and the inhabitants of Assisi hastened with great speed to put out the fire.

“On arriving at the convent, they found no fire; and entering within the gates they saw St. Francis, St. Clare, with all their companions, sitting round their humble meal, absorbed in contemplation; then knew they of a certainty, that what they had seen was a celestial fire, not a material one, which God miraculously had sent to bear witness to the divine flame of love which consumed the souls of those holy brethren and nuns; and they returned home with great consolation in their hearts, and much holy edification.

“After a long lapse of time, St. Francis, St. Clare, and their companions came back to themselves; and, being fully restored by the spiritual food, cared not to eat that which had been prepared for them; so that, the holy meal being finished, St. Clare, well accompanied, returned to San Damiano, where the sisters received her with great joy, as they had feared that St. Francis might have sent her to rule some other convent, as he had already sent St. Agnes, the sister of the saint, to be Abbess of the Convent of Monticelli, at Florence. For St. Francis had often said to St. Clare, ‘Be ready, in case I send thee to some other convent"; and she, like a daughter of holy obedience, had answered, ‘Father, I am always ready to go whithersoever thou shalt send me.’ For which reason the sisters greatly rejoiced when she returned to them, and St. Clare was from that time much consoled.”

[Paragraph breaks added for readability.]

The Little Flowers of St. Francis are posted in their entirety at the website of the Eternal Word Television Network here.

A DVD of Robert Rossellini’s film The Flowers of St. Francis released by the Criterion Collection is available from the usual outlets.

Image:
Fresco at the church at San Damiano depicting St. Clare and the sisters of her order, from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.

In the Novus Ordo calendar, the feast of St. Clare was yesterday, August 11.

The Virgin Mary and the Wild Rose

According to Mary Gardener John S. Stokes, in medieval times the wild rose was called Mary's Rose and it was the wild rose that was the model for the central rose windows of the medieval cathedrals. Mary herself was compared to a rose, and:

“[A]n entire garden of roses was used to symbolize the fullness of Our Lady's virtues and glories, and as Pope Pius XII has said . . . ‘The rosary represents primarily a garden of roses offered to Mary, an adornment of her image, a symbol of her graces’.

“For prayer everywhere, as well as in the garden, the symbolism of the rose and the garden of roses has been embodied in the string of rosary beads, which serves as an aid for meditating on fifteen of Our Lady's mysteries."

Mary's titles include Mystical Rose and Queen of the Most Holy Rosary.

Source of quoted material:
John S. Stokes.  Mary Gardens at University of Dayton website.

Image:
Rosa Acicularis (wild rose) from Wikimedia Commons.

St. Dominic and Mary's Psalter

In the traditional calendar, today, August 4, is the feast day of St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the great Order of Preachers and beloved for his popularization of the Marian Psalter (Holy Rosary).

According to the Fish Eaters website, "St. Dominic de Guzman popularized the Marian Psalter in the form we have it today (150 Aves with a Pater after each 10) when Our Lady encouraged him to pray it that way in response to the Albigensian heresy." Read more about the history and practice of the Holy Rosary here.

St. Dominic's feast is celebrated on August 8 in the Novus Ordo calendar.

Image:
El Greco's "St. Dominic in Prayer" from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Traditionally, August is the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Here is the Litany of the Immaculate Heart:

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Mary,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, like unto the Heart of God,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, united to the Heart of Jesus,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, instrument of the Holy Ghost,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, sanctuary of the Divine Trinity,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, tabernacle of God Incarnate,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, immaculate from thy creation,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, full of grace,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, blessed among all hearts,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, throne of glory,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, most humble,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, holocaust of Divine Love,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, fastened to the Cross with Jesus Crucified,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, comfort of the afflicted,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, hope of the agonizing,
pray for us.
Heart of Mary, seat of mercy,
pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Christ hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.

V. Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of heart,
R. Make our hearts like unto the Heart of Jesus.

Let us pray. O most merciful God, Who, for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the miserable, was pleased that the Most Pure Heart of Mary should be most like in charity and pity to the Divine Heart of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, grant that we who commemorate this sweet and loving Heart may by the merits and intercession of the same Blessed Virgin, merit to be found like to the Heart of Jesus, through the same Christ Our Lord.
R. Amen.

Image:
Lieber's "Herz Maria" from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.