May 2007 Archives

Thursday Adoration

Today, being Thursday, is our weekly day of Eucharistic Adoration at Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed from Tierce until Vespers in our choir chapel in the cloister. We take turns watching in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, each member of the community having his designated hour.

John Paul II on the Visitation

It is also the Solemnity of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Yes, Cistercians keep today and all the other greater festivals of Our Lady as solemnities!) The Servant of God Pope John Paul II offered a rich Eucharistic hermeneutic of the Visitation in the Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003). John Paul II wrote:

Blessed is she who believed” (Lk 1:45). Mary also anticipated, in the mystery of the incarnation, the Church's Eucharistic faith. When, at the Visitation, she bore in her womb the Word made flesh, she became in some way a "tabernacle" – the first "tabernacle" in history – in which the Son of God, still invisible to our human gaze, allowed himself to be adored by Elizabeth, radiating his light as it were through the eyes and the voice of Mary.

The Hidden Face of Christ

The Face of Christ was hidden in Mary’s virginal womb: hidden, yet wonderfully radiant, Christ was hidden in Mary as He is hidden in the tabernacle. (I think that the traditional use of the tabernacle veil suggests that very connection.) The Virgin of the Visitation bears within herself the Human Face of God. She holds it beneath her heart. The joy on Mary's face as she intones her Magnificat is the very joy that shines eternally on the Face of the Word in the presence of the Father. Mary’s womb sheltered “the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Christ Jesus” (2 Cor 4:6).

The Virgin of the Sign

This is the significance of the ancient icon of the Virgin of the Sign. She is the Virgin of the Magnificat and the Woman of the Eucharist. Here, the Child in the tabernacle of her womb is displayed to the eyes of faith. His Face shines from Mary’s womb as it shines from the Eucharist. Elizabeth was affected by the light shining from the Face of the hidden Christ; the same light that radiated from the Face of the Infant Christ in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb shines for us from his Eucharistic Face.

The Eucharistic Face of Christ

When the Body of Christ is displayed to our eyes at Mass, or exposed to our gaze in the monstrance during adoration, His Eucharistic Face streams with light for every darkness, healing for every brokenness, joy for every sorrow, and pardon for every sin. When Christ is “brought forth” in the Eucharist, as he was from Mary’s virginal womb on the first Christmas, the Church can sing what she sings every year at First Vespers of Christmas: Rex pacificus magnificatus est, cuius vultum desiderat universa terra — "The King of peace is magnified, the One whose face the whole earth desires to see.”

Visited by Joy

The festival of the Visitation invites to imitate the faith of Elizabeth who, without seeing it, was illumined by the Human Face of God tabernacled in Mary’s womb. For us the same Human Face of God is hidden beneath the sacramental veils, the appearances of bread and wine. The Most Holy Eucharist is the Visitation of the Hidden Christ. He come always with Mary that from her we might learn, as John Paul II said, “to sing the Magnificat in a Eucharistic key.” Thus does the Hidden Face of Christ become for us, as it was for Mary and for Elizabeth, the wellspring of joy in God.

Every year at this time I rediscover with wonderment the magnificent hymn given us by the Church for the Office of Readings on the — for the O.Cist. — Solemnity of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Veni, praecelsa Domina. The hymn dates from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Remarkably, each of its six strophes begins with the word, Veni: Come!

The Spirit and the Bride

The first thing that struck me about this hymn is how deeply it resonates with the prayer of the Church during Whitsuntide. Just as, over and over again, we call upon the Holy Spirit, crying Veni — I am thinking of the Veni, Creator Spiritus and of the Golden Sequence the Veni, Sancte Spiritus — so too do we address the Virgin Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, singing Veni today. Here is the text of the hymn as I translated it:

COME, Lady upon the heights;
Mary, visit us,
you who already brought such joy
to the house of your kinswoman.

COME, Help of the World
remove the stains of sin
and, in visiting your people,
take away the threat of punishment.

COME, Star and Light of the Sea,
pour forth a ray of peace;
set straight what is crooked,
give innocence of life.

COME visit us, we pray you,
strengthen our vigor
with the energy of a holy impulse,
lest our soul waver.

COME, Royal Sceptre,
bring back the wave of those in error
to the unity of the faith
by which the citizens of heaven were saved.

COME, that together with you
we may ceaselessly praise the Son,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit;
may they give us their help. Amen.

I took a few minutes this evening to translate the Litanies de Notre-Dame-du-Chêne. Some of the invocations are quite beautiful. I especially like the allusion to Colossians 3:3 in the Oration. Do read through the litanies and let me know if you have a favourite invocation!

Thérèse Dussud offered me a lovely reproduction of the statue in the actual size of the original. I burned a candle in front of it all day yesterday and until this morning for a special intention. The Mother of God does not disdain our little gestures of confidence and love; she welcomes them and delights in them.

The Litanies of Notre-Dame-du-Chêne

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

Heavenly Father who art God, have mercy upon us.
Son, Redeemer of the world who art God, have mercy upon us.
Holy Spirit who art God, have mercy upon us.
Holy Trinity who art one God, have mercy upon us.

Our Lady of the Oak, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak who revealed thyself by means of miraculous apparitions, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, Virgin most humble, hidden for so long in the tree of Grand-Champ, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, whose sweet image was revealed in the branches of an age-old tree, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, whose goodness is ever displayed by precious favours, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, who hast fixed thine abode in the valley there to spread abroad thy maternal gifts, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, glory and honour of the region, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, all-powerful protectress, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, open refuge in all of life’s necessities, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, evergreen palm of holy hope, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, sweet rest of the afflicted soul, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, hope of downcast souls, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, safe haven in the tempest, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, friend of the lowly of heart, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, arm of victory, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, mystic ladder, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, magnet of hearts, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, mother of mercy, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, fountain of graces, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, health of the sick, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, peace and bond of families, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, joy and hope in exile, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, shelter of hearts that are pure, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, way that leads to Jesus, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, mother most devoted to those who implore thee, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Oak, who art never invoked in vain, pray for us.

Cast into the furnace of love, the Heart of Jesus,
all your anxieties,
your trials, your fears,
so that He may burn them away.
— Mother Clelia Merloni

Mother Clelia Merloni founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy on May 30, 1894, 113 years ago today. The photo is not of Mother Clelia but of one of the first Sisters sent from Italy to America. With one little orphan in her arms and another holding her hand, she is the perfect image of the Apostle called to be a spouse of Jesus Christ and a mother to those dearest to His Sacred Heart: the little, the vulnerable, the poor.

The daughters of Mother Clelia make reparation to the Sacred Heart by means of their life of adoration and apostolic service to the Church. For every "No" to the love and mercy of the pierced Heart of Christ, the Sister Apostle offers her own unconditional "Yes."

The Generalate of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is located within the parish confines of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, a mere five minutes from the basilica.

A Little Known Manifestation of the Blessed Virgin

One of the joys of my recent trip to France was a visit with Thérèse Dussud to the shrine of Notre–Dame–du-Chêne (Our Lady of the Oak) in the diocese of Besançon in eastern France. The miraculous events occurred in 1803, well before the Marian apparitions at rue du Bac, la Salette, Lourdes, and Pontmain.

In the Radiance of the Eucharist

The restoration of Catholic worship that followed the Concordat in 1802 made it possible for the little parish of Maisières at Scey-en-Varais to organize a solemn celebration of First Holy Communion, the first such celebration in twelve years. Thirteen year old Cécile Mille was among the First Communicants.

A Lady Dressed in White

Returning home from the First Communion Mass together with a friend, Cécile saw a beautiful Lady clothed in white surrounded by maidens bearing candles. She assumed it was a procession of First Communicants. Then the Lady stopped in front of an oak tree and the attendants disappeared. Against the trunk of the tree, at the parting of the branches, Cécile saw a statue with lighted candles on both sides. Cécile's friend, however, saw nothing.

Incredulity at Home

As soon as Cécile arrived home, she recounted the apparition to her parents. Her father, having consulted the parish priest and a gentleman of some learning, dismissed Cécile's story as the product of a pious imagination stimulated by the solemnities of the First Holy Communion.

He Abjured Protestantism

May 30th is the feast of someone very dear to me — for the obvious reason — Saint Luke Kirby, priest and martyr. Born in 1549 in England under Edward VI — an England severed from its Catholic roots — Saint Luke was educated at Cambridge. He abjured Protestantism and was reconciled to the Catholic Church at Louvain. He studied for the priesthood at Douai College, then in Rome, and was ordained at Cambrai in 1577 for the English mission.

A Catholic Priest

As the world measures such things, Father Kirby's missionary apostolate was a failure because it lasted but a few hours. He set out for England in the same valiant band that included Saint Edmund Campion, Saint Ralph Sherwin, and others, and made his way eventually to Dunkirk. He was arrested immediately upon landing at Dover in June 1580. His crime: simply being a Catholic priest. The threat he posed to national security: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered according to the Roman Missal. The young Father Kirby risked his life, and lost it, to bring the Sacrifice of the Mass to England.

Vultus Christi reader Patrick asked:

1. Is the icon I used to illustrate the previous post the one that was in the cell of Saint Seraphim of Sarov?

Yes, indeed. In fact, it is the icon before which Saint Seraphim of Sarov died. Its sensibility is Western; its beauty undeniable. The eyes of the Mother of God are lowered. She is the humble Handmaid of the Lord. Her expression is one of interiority and stillness, of pure attention to the Holy Spirit indwelling her Immaculate Heart. The hands, crossed over her breast, depict her reception of the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Incarnation and, again, in the Cenacle on Pentecost. They also suggest her participation in the adorable Mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist. The stars adorning her veil and garments and the cincture tied about her waist are the sign of her perpetual and ever–fruitful virginity.

2. Why do I prefer Father Faber's translation of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort's Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary?

A long time ago when I first read Father Faber's introduction to the book, I was smitten by it. After that, no other translation of True Devotion touched me in quite the same way. Read this excerpt from Faber's introduction and you will understand why.

The Remedy

Let a man but try it for himself, and his surprise at the graces it brings with it, and the transformations it causes in his soul, will soon convince him of its otherwise almost incredible efficacy as a means for the salvation of men, and for the coming of the Kingdom of Christ. Oh, if Mary were but known, there would be no coldness to Jesus then! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much more wonderful would our faith, and how different would our Communions be! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much happier, how much holier, how much less worldly should we be, and how much more should we be living images of our sole Lord and Saviour, her dearest and most blessed Son!

When the Holy Ghost, her Spouse, has found Mary in a soul, He flies there. He enters there in His fullness; He communicates Himself to that soul abundantly, and to the full extent to which it makes room for His spouse. Nay, one of the greatest reasons why the Holy Ghost does not do startling wonders in our souls is because He does not find there a sufficiently great union with His faithful and inseparable spouse. I say "inseparable" spouse, because since that Substantial Love of the Father and the Son has espoused Mary, in order to produce Jesus Christ, the Head of the elect, And Jesus Christ in the elect, He has never repudiated her, because she has always been fruitful and faithful.

Saint Louis–Marie Grignion de Montfort
Father Faber's Translation

Those who have taken this teaching to heart know, by experience, just how true it is. Expertus potest credere. Seeking Mary, one finds the grace of the Holy Spirit. Listening to Mary, one hears the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Entrusting oneself to Mary, one surrenders to the Holy Spirit.

All the ministrations that the liturgy ascribes to the Holy Spirit, it pleases Him to carry out with and through Mary. Mary consoles the afflicted. She prepares the soul for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. She is Advocate — advocata nostra — Mother of Good Counsel in every perplexity and doubt, and Mother of Perpetual Help in our every weakness.

Certain crises can be resolved and certain weaknesses overcome only through confident recourse to the Mother of God. Why? Because it pleases the Father to administer the infinite treasury of mercies revealed by Our Lord Jesus Christ for us on the Cross through the hands of His Most Pure Mother, in the strength and sweetness of the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago, out of personal conviction and experience, I began saying to those who came to me asking questions and seeking answers, "Seek ye therefore first Mary, and all these things shall be added unto you." She is the Mediatrix of All Graces. Pope Benedict XVI made this clear in his homily at the Canonization of Frey Antônio de Sant'Anna Galvão in Brazil on May 11, 2007:

Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, stands particularly close to us at this moment. . . . She, the Tota Pulchra, the Virgin Most Pure, who conceived in her womb the Redeemer of mankind and was preserved from all stain of original sin, wishes to be the definitive seal of our encounter with God our Saviour. There is no fruit of grace in the history of salvation that does not have as its necessary instrument the mediation of Our Lady.

"And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit" (Joel 2:28–29).

Brian Geraghty visited Santa Croce in Gerusalemme May 25 and 26, joining us in the choir and refectory. Brian also came to the novitiate Rosary in the chapel of the Madonna di Buon Aiuto on Saturday afternoon, leading a decade in English.

Brian left Rome for Poland on the Vigil of Pentecost after First Vespers. Fra Ryan Maria was kind enough to drive him and his enormous backpack to the train station. Brian's plans were to stop in Vienna for the Pentecost Mass in Saint Stephen's Cathedral and then continue on to Wadowice, Jasna Gora, and Auschwitz.

Days of Fire and of Light

In the traditional Roman liturgical calendar the glorious solemnity of Pentecost has its own Octave: eight days under the grace of the Holy Spirit, eight days of joy in the fire and light of His presence, eight days of thanksgiving for His gifts. The Octave of Pentecost was one of the most beautiful moments in the Church Year, not only by reason of the liturgical texts, but also by reason of its effect in the secret of hearts. Each day of the Octave the Church would sing her “Golden Sequence,” the Veni, Sancte Spiritus: a chant of such unction that one never tires of repeating it.

The Suppression of a Great Joy

In some places in the Catholic world, Whit Monday was a reason to have a civil holiday, as well as a liturgical celebration. In this way, the mysterious presence of the Holy Spirit marked even the secular culture. It came as shock, and brought no little distress to the faithful, when in 1969 the Octave of Pentecost suddenly disappeared from the calendar. It would appear that not even the Pope was apprised of the suppression of one of the Church’s great joys.

Alleluia!
Today the Spirit of the Lord has invaded the cosmos and filled it!
Life spills out of the Cenacle
and, like a torrent of wine,
courses through the streets of Jerusalem.
God arises and His enemies are scattered;
those that hate Him flee before his face,
and those that love Him sing: Alleluia!

Today He who came down to see Babel’s tower
and confused the speech of the proud
visits the Upper Room.
He unties the tongues of the humble
and unites into one holy people those long divided by sin.
Amazed at what she sees and hears,
the Church intones her birthday song: Alleluia!

Today He who on Sinai descended in fire,
causing rocks to quake and peaks to pale,
descends upon Jerusalem;
tongues of fire dance over the heads of those
who, cloistered in the Cenacle, waited to meet their God
and at His coming, they cry out: Alleluia.

Alleluia!
The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world (Wis 1:7);
every created thing trembles for joy,
every waiting heart recognizes the sound of his voice.
The accent of the Father whispers to children playing in the wind.
“It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit
that we are children of God” (Rom 8:16).
The breath of God carries far and wide the confession of the Rock:
“This Jesus God raised up,
and of that we are all witnesses,” (Ac 2:29) singing, “Alleluia!”

Today the Holy Spirit is poured over the face of the earth
turning confusion to communion,
gathering in what was scattered,
making clear what was obscure
and teaching all to sing, “Alleluia!”

Hear the Pentecostal concert and rejoice;
voices of Parthians and Medes and Elamites,
voices hailing from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
from Pontus and Asia, from Phrygia and Pamphilia,
from Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene,
voices of Romans, both Jews and proselytes, of Cretans and Arabians
all singing, “Alleluia!”

Many years ago, while searching out the treasures of my missal, I discovered, among the Masses for Certain Places, the Mass of Our Lady of the Cenacle for the Saturday within the Octave of the Ascension. The proper texts of the Mass stirred my heart. It was not retained in the Collection of Masses in Honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The orations are, like so many composed in the 19th century, addressed to Our Lord Jesus Christ, rather than to the Father.

Collect

Deus, qui beatam Mariam semper Virginem matrem tuam
in Cenaculi solitudine cum discipulis orantem
Sancti Spiritus donis cumulasti:
fac nos, quaesumus, cordis recessum diligere;
ut sic rectius orantes
Spiritus Sancti gratiis repleri mereamur.

O God, who with the gifts of the Holy Spirit
didst fill the Blessed Ever–Virgin Mary, Thy mother,
in prayer with the disciples in the solitude of the Cenacle;
grant that we may cherish the secret places of the heart,
so that by a more insistent prayer,
we may deserve to be filled with the graces of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday of the Seventh Week of Paschaltide

Acts 28:16–20, 30_31
Psalm 10:4, 5 and 7 (R. 7b)
John 21: 20–25

The Forty–Ninth Day of The Pentecost

We have come to the 49th day of The Pentecost! We have come to the close of Paschaltide, to the end of the Acts of the Apostles, and to end of the Gospel according to Saint John. These days have been but One Day: the Day which the Lord has made (cf. Ps 117:24). The past 49 days have been the Church’s yearly spatium laetissimum, her “space of surpassing joy.”

Conversion

The prayers of today’s Mass make it very clear that we cannot close Paschaltide without making a firm resolution to persevere in the grace of conversion and in newness of life. Today’s Collect already speaks of the paschal festivals as something in the past; at the same time it makes them the fulcrum of an effective conversion of life. If by the grace of Christ, we have indeed celebrated Paschaltide worthily, then certain things have changed in our lives, and must continue to change.

Grant, we beseech you, Almighty God,
that, having celebrated these paschal festivals,
we may, by your gracious gift,
hold fast to them in our conduct and in our life.

The Holy Spirit and the Forgiveness of Sins

The Prayer Over the Oblations calls the Holy Spirit “the forgiveness of all sins.” To stand in need of forgiveness is to stand in need of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, may your Holy Spirit, by his coming,
prepare our minds for these divine sacraments,
since he himself is the forgiveness of all sins.

These are my petits amis who came to Mass with their parents at the monastery in Nans–sous–Sainte–Anne.

No, it is the view from my window at the Monastère Saint Benoît in Nans–sous–Sainte–Anne in the Doubs in eastern France

I was walking along this little passage between the Monastery of the Incarnation and Subiaco (the novitiate) at Saint–Loup–sur–Aujon when I saw these roses and thought of Plunkett's poem.

I see his blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice—and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.

Joseph Mary Plunkett
Executed During The 1916 Uprising
(b. Nov. 21, 1887 - d. May 4, 1916)

Just look at her! Indomitable. Ready to take on the world! While I was in France . . . my beautiful niece Lauren Elizabeth Hope Cable graduated from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Lauren is the daughter of my sister Donna and of her husband Wayne. She has an older brother Sean who has also appeared on Vultus Christi. Uncle Mark sends Lauren a very special blessing . . . and this magnificent text of Cardinal Newman to light her future path:

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some
work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission -- I
may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next. I am a
link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created
me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of
peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it if I do
but keep His commandments. Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever I am, I can
never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in
perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may
serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take
away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel
desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me -- still He knows
what He is about.

Bonjour, tout le monde. Je m'appelle Jean et j'habite tout près du monastère Saint–Benoît à Nans–sous–Sainte–Anne dans le Jura français. Je suis allé à la messe hier soir avec Maman et Papa et, après, le Père m'a pris en photo.

Little Jean was remarkably well behaved at Mass last evening in the Monastère Saint–Benoît at Nans–sous–Ste–Anne. He followed everything attentively and even imitated some of my gestures at the altar, folding his hands in prayer. Jean's grandfather Michel was killed in a tragic accident last week and the Mass was offered for the repose of his soul.

I left France this morning and, with Thérèse Dussud at the wheel, and Soeur Marie–Isabelle in the back seat, arrived in Geneva (Switzerland) in time for my 11:00 flight to Rome. Don Carlo met me at the airport in Fiumicino.

I am back in my monastery and connected, once again, to Vultus Christi. There is a lot to write about and I do have some splendid photos to post.

The purpose of my trip to France was to give conferences in two monasteries of Benedictine nuns. I also found time time to go in pilgrimage to two Marian shrines: Notre Dame de la Sainte Espérance (Our Lady of Holy Hope) in Mesnil–Saint–Loup, and Notre–Dame du Chêne (Our Lady of the Oak) between Besançon and Nans–sous–Sainte–Anne.

I more or less promised Our Lady that I would offer something in her honour on Vultus Christi every day during the month of May. I don't know if I will be able to do it while in France. Here is a magnificent text from our Cistercian Adam of Perseigne. The last lines — at least for me — bring to mind Our Mother of Perpetual Succour.

If your faith is shaken by assault from an enemy
turn your eyes to the Virgin
and what was wavering will be firmly fixed.

In every peril
the goodness of the Virgin comes to succour
and power to succour it is.

I leave early tomorrow morning for la doulce France via Geneva. I will be giving some conferences in two monasteries of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified. I will return to Rome on May 25th.

First, I will go to the Monastère Saint–Benoît; then I will go to the Monastère de l'Incarnation. Fra Michel–Marie, our novice from Bénin, was supposed to accompany me but, at the last minute, he was denied admission to Switzerland. Such things are very complicated here. I don't know whether or not I will be able to write from France. I will bring my computer along and hope for the best.

View from the roof terrace of the Pontifical Irish College. In the foreground is the Augustinian Monastery of the Santi Quattro Coronati. The dome of Saint Peter's is visible in the distance

The Reverend Mr. Bernard Healy invited me to visit him at the Pontifical Irish College today. Before lunch he guided me through the house, pointing out the various works of art. Bernard knew of my special devotion to Blessed Abbot Columba Marmion (1858–1923), an alumnus of the College, and of my interest in Archbishop Tobias Kirby, its rector from 1850 to 1891.

The wood sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Regina Coeli, is the work of a contemporary Irish artist and is in the chapel of the Irish Martyrs.

In the same chapel is this tabernacle with its fine Celtic tracery. Bernard explained that its design is based on ancient Irish house reliquaries.

Would you have recognized him? This is none other than Blessed Abbot Columba Marmion, O.S.B. He was obliged to travel in disguise during World War I while searching for a refuge in Ireland for the monks of his abbey of Maredsous in Belgium.

This is the painting of Blessed Marmion — looking very abbatial — on the College's grand staircase.

On the opposite side of the same staircase one finds Saint Oliver Plunkett.