Br. Paul instituted as Acolyte

During the celebration of the 12 noon Mass  in the Relic Chapel Fr. Wilfrid McGreal, Provincial of the British Province instituted Br. Paul Jenkins in the ministry of Acolyte.  The acolyte is, according to Vatican II, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and may function as such at all celebrations of the Mass.  He is also to be involved in Catechesis and preparation of young people for 1st Eucharist and Confirmation.

Feast of the Deication of the Lateran Basilica

Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the  cathedral church of the Dipcese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas of Rome having the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome.^[1] It claims the title of ecumenical mother church among Roman Catholics.

The Archbasilica stands over the remains of the 'new fort' of the imperial cavalry bodyguard. The fort was established by Septimus Severus in AD 193. Following the victory of Constantine I over Maxentius  at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the guard was abolished and the fort demolished. Substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the nave. The remainder of the site was occupied by the palace of the Laterani family.  This Lateran Palace came into the hands of the emperor when Constantine I married his second wife Fausta and it was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine. The actual date of the gift is unknown but scholars believe it had to have been during the pontificate of  Pope Miltiades, in time to host a synod of bishops in 313 that was convened to challenge the Donatist schism. The palace basilica was converted and extended, becoming the residence of Poe Sulvester I eventually becoming the cathedral of Rome; the seat of the popes as bishops of Rome.  It has been badly damaged twice by fire; in 1307 and 136, the damage adding to its decline.  When the papacy returned to Rome it was considered unsuitable for the Pope’s residence and so after two moves the papal palace was built adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Papal court moved in there; it remains the papal residence today.

The Lateran Basilica houses 6 Papal tombs, a large number of the older tombs having been destroyed by the 14^th Century fires.  The last Pope to be entombed in the Lateran was Leo XIII.

 

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Elizabeth of the Trinity (July 18, 1880 – November 9, 1906) was a French Carmelite and religious writer.  She entered the Dijon Carmel on August 2, 1901. As a young nun she said, "I find Him everywhere while doing the wash as well as while praying." Her time in the Carmel had some high times as well as some very low times. Today, we know about how she felt and her experiences from her writings. She would often write when she felt she needed a richer understanding of God’s great love.

At the end of Elizabeth’s life, she began to call herself Laudem Gloriæ which can be translated as praise of glory. She once said, "I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great inner silence which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself."

Elizabeth died at the age of 26 from Addison's disease, which in the early 20th century had no treatment. Even though her death was unbearable, Elizabeth still accepted that God gave her that gift and was grateful. Her last words were, "I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!"

Elizabeth was beatified on November 25, 1984 and her memorial day is November 8. Her best-known prayer is "Holy Trinity Whom I Adore” which she wrote out of her love of the Trinity. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity is a patron of illness, sick people and loss of parents.