Prayers suitable for this time of trial

The Faithful may be under attack at this time but we can hit back with the power of prayer, here below are prayers suitable for this time of trial. These prayers are from the ‘Manual or collection of indulgenced prayers & good works’ more commonly known as THE RACCOLTA. The English edition by Ambrose St John was last published in it’s sixth edition in 1909. For those looking for Meditations for Lent, Meditations for Lent from St. Thomas Aquinas, 1937

196. The Memorare. 300 Days. T.Q. ii. (Plenary, once a month. I, II,III IV.) Plus IX, ii Dec., 1846.

MEMORARE, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a sæculo quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto; noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere, sed audi propitia, et exaudi. Amen.

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never – was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy, help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions; but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.

210. Prayer. (100 days, once a day) Leo XIII, December 19, 1885.

O POWERFUL Virgin, who alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world, deliver the Christian world from the snares of the devil, and have compassion on the souls deceived by diabolical cunning, that laying aside all heretical guilt, the hearts of the erring may be converted and return to the unity of the Catholic Faith, through thy intercession with our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with GOD the FATHER in the unity of the HOLY SPIRIT, GOD for ever and ever. Amen.

273. Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians. (100 Days, once a day) Leo XIII, December 20, 1890.

MARY, Immaculate Virgin, Mother of GOD and our Mother, thou seest how the Catholic Faith, in which we propose by the help of GOD to live and die, and so attain to eternal glory, is everywhere assailed by the devil and the world. Do thou, Help of Christians, renew thy victories as of old, for the salvation of thy children. To thee we entrust our firm purpose of never joining assemblies of heretics or sectaries. Do thou, all holy, offer to thy divine SON our resolutions, and obtain from him the graces necessary to enable us to remain steadfast in them to the end. Bring consolation to the visible head of the Church; support the Catholic Episcopate; protect the Clergy and the people who proclaim thee Queen ; hasten by the power of thy prayers the day when all nations shall be gathered together around the Supreme Pastor. Amen. Mary, help of Christians, pray for us.

313. Prayer for the Observance of Sundays and Feast Days. (300 Days. T.Q.) Pius X, December 1, 1905.

MOST glorious Patriarch, St Joseph, obtain, we beseech thee, from our LORD JESUS CHRIST a most abundant blessing on all who keep festival days holy; obtain for us that those who profane them may know, in time, the great evil they commit, and the chastisements which they draw down upon themselves in this life and in the next, and may be converted without delay.
O most blessed St Joseph, thou who on the LORD’S day didst cease from every labour of thy craft, and with JESUS and Mary didst fulfil the duties of religion with most lively devotion, bless the pious work of the sanctification of feast-days, erected under thy most powerful patronage; cause it to spread to every home, office, and workshop, so that the day may soon come when all the Christian populace may on feast-days abstain from forbidden work, seriously attend to the salvation of their souls, and give glory to GOD, who liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen.

482. Prayer for the Conversion of Freemasons. (100 Days, once a day) Leo XIII, Br. August 16, 1898.

O LORD JESUS CHRIST, who showest forth thy omnipotence most manifestly when Thou sparest and hast compassion; Thou who didst say, “Pray for those who persecute and calumniate you,” we implore the clemency of thy Sacred Heart on behalf of souls, made in the image of GOD, but most miserably deceived by the treacherous snares of Freemasons, and going more and more astray in the way of perdition. Let not the Church, thy spouse, any longer be oppressed by them; but, appeased by the intercession of the blessed Virgin thy Mother and the prayers of the just, be mindful of thy infinite mercy; and, disregarding their perversity, cause these very men to return to Thee, that they may bring consolation to the Church by a most abundant penance, make reparation for their misdeeds, and secure for themselves a glorious eternity; who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Prayer Cards

Important Prayer request

Appeal for prayers and penances

for the Liberty of the Traditional Mass in Lent

From Una Voce International and others
Una Voce International and other organisations, groups and individuals concerned with the Traditional Latin Mass would like to appeal to all Catholics of good will to offer prayers and penances during the season of Lent, particularly for the intention: the liberty of the Traditional Mass.

We do not know how credible rumours of further documents from the Holy See on this subject may be, but the rumours themselves point to a situation of doubt, conflict, and apprehension, which is severely harmful to the mission of the Church. We appeal to our Lord, through His Blessed Mother, to restore to all Catholics the right and opportunity to worship according to the Church’s own venerable liturgical traditions, in perfect unity with the Holy Father and the bishops of the whole Church.

Una Voce International (Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce, FIUV,) https://fiuv.org

This initiative has the support of The Remnant newspaper, Preserve the Latin Mass, the many member associations of Una Voce International, and others.

The Feast of the Holy Name

This feast was formerly on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, and is not on the Sunday between the 1st of January Circumcision DNJC and the Epiphany, otherwise on the 2nd January. The History of the Feast can be found in the excellent Liturgical Year, by Dom Prosper Guéranger.

The Order of Friars minor, celebrate this Feast with a Proper Sequence, Laura Sion Salvatoris. This can be found in Missa Propriae Ordinis Fratrum Minorum, 1951 or in Graduale Romano-Seraphicum, 1924. This sequence is a ‘modern’ composition, using the metre and melodies from the Lauda Sion / Laudes Crucis Sequences.

Other Hymns for this Feast can be found here, Feast of the Holy Name

New Year day indulgence

On January 1st a Plenary Indulgence may be gained if the Hymn Veni Creator is publicly recited or sung.

Commentary from the Liturgical year, Gueranger for todays feast.

From the Manual of Prayers Authorized by the Hierarachy of England and Wales, this uses the more modern text for this Hymn.

A list of Indulgences can be found here, thanks to the Latin Mass Society.

Feast of St. Stephen

St. Stephen has three Feasts, today (26th December) the Octave day 2nd of January and the Invention on the 3rd of August. A look on the Cantus database finds two main hymns, the Sancte Dei pretiose and the Stephano primo Martyri. These hymns are also found in the Liturgical year, Gueranger with translations Sancte Dei pretiose (O Holy Protomartyr) and Stephano primo Martyri (To Stephen the first Martyr).

The Sancta Dei pretiose is found in the Cantus database, it is found in 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th century manuscripts,

Bebel, Heinrich (1472-1518): Liber hymnorum in metra noviter Redactorum.

Sancte Dei pretiose, Protomartyr Stephane,
Qui virtute charitatis Circumfultus undique, Dominum pro inimico Exorasti populo.

Tu coelestis primitivus Signifer militiae, Veritatis assertivus, Testis primus gratis, Fundamento lapis vivus, Basis patientiae.

Saxo caesus, non mucrone, Per saxorum cuspides, Corpus membri passione Circumcidi praevides : Ad decorem sunt coronae Rubricati lapides.

Tu coelorura primus stratam Consternis lapideam, Tu per Christum hebetatam Primus transis rhomphaeam, Primum granum trituratum, Ditans Christi aream.

Tibi primum reseratae Coeli patent; januae, Jesum vides potestate, Cui pugnas strenue ; Stans cum Patris majestate Tecum est assidue.

Funde preces pro devoto Tibi nunc collegio, Ut tuo propitiatus Interventu Dominus Nos purgatos a peccatis Jungat coeli civibus.

Gloria et honor Deo, Qui te flore roseo coronavit et locavit In throno sidereo : Salvet reos, solvens eos A mortis aculeo. Amen.
O holy Protomartyr Stephen, most dear to God! in the virtue of charity, wherewith thou wast armed on every side, thou didst beseech the Lord to have mercy on thine enemies.

Thou art the Standard-bearer of heaven’s martyr-host; the herald of truth; the first witness of Christian grace; the living foundation-stone, and ground-work of martyrdom.

Stones were the instrument of thy martyrdom, not the sword. The sharp-edged stones, like knives of a second circumcision, tore thine innocent flesh; but, tinged in thy blood, they were made rubies for thy Crown.


Thou wast the first to tread the stony rugged path, that leads to heaven; thou wast the first to breast that sword, which had slain our Lord and lost its keen edge by piercing Him; thou wast the earliest winnowed wheat, that graced the granaries of Christ.

To thee were heaven’s gates first opened, showing thee Jesus in his power, for whom thou didst so bravely fight: He, standing at the right hand of his Father’s majesty, is with thee incessantly.

Pray now for this thy devout people, that our Lord, through thy prayers, may mercifully forgive us our sins, and grant us fellowship with the citizens of heaven.

Glory and honour to the God who gave thee thy Crown of roses and thy throne above the stars. May he free us from the sting of death, and save us sinners. Amen.

The Stephano primo Martyri is also found in the Cantus Database, and is found in 12th, 13th, 14th, and 16th century manuscripts.

Stephano primo Martyri
Cantemus novum canticum,
quod dulce sit psallentibus,
Opem ferat credentibus.


Psallamus hoc discipuli,
Laudem dicamus Martyri,
Qui primus, post Redemptorem,
Christi secutua est crucem.


Hic enim per Apostolos
Probatus in laudem Dei,
Vexilla mortis rapuit.
Ut praeferretur omnibus.


O praeferenda gloria!
O beata victoria!
Hoc meruisse Stephanum
Ut sequeretur Dominum.


Ipse martyr egregius,
Amore Christi praedicans,
Sancto repletus Spiritu,
Vultum gerens Angelicum.


Ille levatis oculis,
Vidit Patrem cum Filio,
Monstrans in coelis vivere,
Quem plebs quaerebat perdere.


Judaei magis saeviunt,
Saxaque prensant manibus,
Currebant, ut occiderent
Sacratum Christi militem.


Iste paratus vertice,
Gaudens suscepit lapides,
Rogans pro eis Dominum,
Gaudens tradidit spiritum.


Gloria tibi, Domine,
Gloria Unigenito,
Una cum Sancto Spiritu,
In sempiterna saecula.
Amen.
To Stephen the first Martyr,
let us sing a new canticle:
may it be sweet to them that sing,
and bring grace to them that believe.


Come, ye disciples of the Lord,
thus let us sing: let us give praise to the Martyr,
who was the first, after the Redeemer,
to follow the cross of Jesus.


For, having been found, by the Apostles,
to be fervent in God’s service,
he outran all others
and bore off the Banner of death.


O glorious First place!
O blessed victory!
Stephen to be the first
to follow his Lord!


The noble Martyr preaches to men
for the love of Christ,
with his heart full of the Holy Spirit,
and his face beaming as an Angel’s.


He raises his eyes, and sees the Father with the Son:
he tells the people how he beholds,
living in heaven,
Him whom they had sought to destroy.


The Jews grow the more enraged,
and, seizing up stones in their hands,
they ran out to kill
the holy Soldier of Christ.


He was ready, and standing up,
right gladly receives the stones:
he asks God to forgive them,
and joyfully breathes forth his soul.


Glory be to thee, O Lord!
Glory be to thine Only Begotten Son,
together with the Holy Ghost,
for everlasting ages.
Amen.

A modified version of the above Hymn can also be found, Stephano primo martyri, cantemus canticum novum, and another version below,

Stephano primo martyri.
cantemus canticum novum.
quam dulcis est psallentibus.
opem ferre credentibus.

Hic primus almo sanguine.
christi secutus gloriam.
viam salutis ceteris.
amore mortis praebuit.

Hic enim per apostolos.
probatus in laude dei.
vexilla mortis rapuit.
ut praeferretur omnibus.

O praeferenda gloria.
o beata victoria.
hoc meruisse stephanum.
ut sequeretur dominum.

Ille levatis oculis.
vidit patrem cum filio.
monstrans in caelis vivere.
quem plebs gaudebat perdere.
Iudaei magis saeviunt.
saxaque pressant manibus.
coniurant ut occiderent.
verendum christi militem.

At ille caelum intuens.
tradit beatum spiritum.
pro persequentum crimine.
precem fecundam dirigit.

Deus creator omnium.
indulge caecis hoc malum.
et hoc nefas quod aspicis.
indulge meis precibus.

Deo patri sit gloria.
eiusque soli filio.
cum spiritu paraclito.
et nunc et in perpetuum.




We also have two sequences, Hanc concordi famulatu by Notker also found in Cantus here and here,

Another Sequence is the Heri mundus exsultavit, composed by Adam of Saint Victor. The music for this can be found here. More hymns and sequences can be found in the Analecta Hymnica.

Supplement to the Kyriale

This supplement contains an Asperges dated 16th-17th c. and Vidi Aquam dated 19th c., these have been taken from the Holger Peter Sandhofe edition of the Kyriale. We have not found the original sources for these.

Various editions of the Liber Usualis contain the Mass settings of Henri Du Mont in the back as supplements. The most common supplement contains the Messe Royale (first tone), others also contain the Masses in the second and sixth tone. These three Masses are from a collection of five Henri Du Mont plainchant Masses from, Cinq messes en plainchant 1669 we have set the two missing Mass settings, with the help of colleagues on the Musica Sacra Forum.

We have also added the “Messe de Sainte Hildegarde” , this was not a complete Mass setting composed by the Saint, but includes music written by her that has been used to produce a complete Mass setting.