The Prayer which Cardinal Merry del Val composed and which Leo XIII commended (and iindulgenced) in his Letter (1895) Ad Anglos, is very properly used as the basis of the prayers suggested for our use at the Rededication.
There is a certain naive but pleasing simplicity about the following prayer, composed probably by Fr Hope Patten, and for use on the site of the Priory High Altar. It is found in his 1928 (first) Pilgrims' Manual; possibly some of its wording may reflect the 'Prayer Book Controversies' of 1927-8.
I imagine that Walsingham, the shrines, the churches, the sites of the original Holy House and of the Priory, are shut down as I write this ... which, curiously, puts us all this morning into the same boat, of being able to be there in spirit only.
Pardon, O Lord God, the sacrilege of our forefathers, who, from greed, or fear, or any other motive, defiled Thy holy House. Here, in the holy pyx, Thy most sacred Body reposed; food at all times for the weary pilgrim, the whole and the sick. Lord Jesus Christ, we adore Thee present in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar throughout all the ages, on all the Altars of Christendom, where the blessed Eucharist has been, and is, reserved.
And to quote Erasmus: "O Khaire Iesou meter eulogemene, mone gunaikon theotokos kai parthenos ...
... geras megiston aito, theosebe ten kardian pason t'hapax hamartion eleutheran. "
Walsingham may be shut down to pilgrims but you can watch it on churchservices.tv. So far we have watched morning prayers at 8.30, a talk at 10, Rosary at 11a.m. and are now waiting for Mass at mid-day which we could have watched at 9.30. You could watch it all day!
ReplyDeleteA Traditionalist Test:
ReplyDeleteDear Father. Ask of anyone you know their personal opinion of the great Cardinal and their response will tell you whether or not they are a Traditionalist.
Traditionalists love him; others are embarrassed, at best, by many of his actions because to them they seem so Medieval and mean and not nice.
Rafael Cardinal María José Pedro Francisco Borja Domingo Gerardo de la Santísma Trinidad Merry del Val y Zulueta
Winsome euphony so suffuses his name that to speak it is to sing, revealed in his actions that he was a man of principle and purpose whose Titanium-Tough Traditionalism stands as a model of action to forever be imitated.
@Amateur Brain Surgeon: "Cardinal", being a title, comes after the baptismal names und before the family name. So it should be:
ReplyDeleteRafael María José Pedro Francisco Borja Domingo Gerardo de la Santísma Trinidad Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta
Servant of God, Cardinal Merry del Val, pray for us!
ReplyDeleteThe Merry's were an Irish family of noble blood, who removed to Spain. One of the Del Vals was a martyr- Little Dominic. The cardinal himself spent the first 12 or 13 years of his life in England, and was considered to be very charming.
ReplyDeleteDear Victor. Yes, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI did once see a prayer card for the good Cardinal’s beatification, is the cause in abeyance?
ReplyDeleteGiven the full length name, I wonder if Cardinal Merry del Val, Servant of God had some sort of descent from the storied Borgias from Alexander VI (both Sixtus V and Urban VIII rated him highly as a political operative) and progeny, to St Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandia, father of eight, turned Jesuit Superior General and composer of sacred music, and likely others?
ReplyDelete