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Chaldean Catholic Church ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ Ecclesia Chaldaeorum Catholica Emblem of the  Chaldean Catholic Church Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  Gospel   Matthew 13:44-52 [or 13:44-46]  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;   on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. [“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;   when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.   So it wil

Saint Peter , El Greco, painted 1610-13 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)   Gospel  Mark 8:27-35   (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him, and

Today the Church honours  St Sixtus II and Companions , martyred in Rome on 6 August AD 258. Sixtus had been pope for just under a year. We can read about the deaths of these martyrs in the Office of Readings which includes an extract from a letter of St Cyprian:  Know that Sixtus and four of the deacons were beheaded in the cemetery on 6 August. Moreover, the Prefects of the City are pursuing the persecution relentlessly; if any suspected Christians are brought before them they will be executed and their property confiscated . The six deacons were  Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, Stephanus, Felicissimus  and  Agapitus . Four days later the great  St Laurence of Rome , another deacon, was martyred. The names of Sts Sixtus, Cyprian and Laurence appear in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I). I wonder did St Cyprian, as he wrote, have any inkling of the fact that he too would be beheaded in the same persecution under the Emperor Valerian, on 14 September that same yea

St Patrick the Pilgrim by Ken Thompson, 2002 The statue is located close to the mainland pier of the ferries to Station Island, Lough Derg, where St Patrick's Purgatory is. Thanks to English blogger Fr Ray Blake for drawing the Novena for the Church in Ireland to my attention. He in turn found the novena at Protect the Pope . Just now I have discovered that it originated on Facebook . The Church in Ireland, meaning all its members, needs prayers very badly. May I invite you to join in this novena which ends on the Solemnity of the Assumption, known in Irish Gaelic as Lá Fhéile Mhuire Mhóir , the Great Feast Day of Mary. The photo above was taken at the point where pilgrims take a boat on Lough Derg to go to St Patrick's Purgatory. I must confess that I've never been there. A priest who spent some summers working there was Fr Ragheed Ganni (20 January 1972 - 3 June 2007), the Iraqi priest who was murdered along with three subdeacons just after celebrating Mass on Pente

Pentecost, El Greco, painted 1596-1600 Readings for Vigil Mass The Vigil Mass has its own prayers and readings. You will find them in the lower part of the page that the link above opens. The texts for the Mass During the Day should not be used on Saturday evening, though many priests seem to be unaware of this. Pentecost is one of a number of feasts that have a Vigil Mass. A Vigil Mass is not an 'anticipated Mass'. It is a liturgical celebration in its own right, for a specific day and time. Participation in the Vigil Mass fulfils our Sunday obligation.   The readings here are from the Jerusalem Bible, used in the lectionary in Australia,, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland. Readings for Mass During the Day Gospel, John 20:19-23 (Jerusalem Bible) In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his