September 8 — Commemoration of Saint Adrian

Muneribus nostris, quaesumus Domine, precibusque susceptis; et coelestibus nos munda mysteriis, et clementer exaudi. Per Dominum.

Receive our offerings and prayers, 0 Lord, we beseech thee; and purify us by heavenly mysteries, and mercifully hear us. Through our Lord.

PREFACE

Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus: Et te in Nativitate beatae Marias semper Virginis collaudare, benedicere, et praedicare. Quae et Unigenitum tuum sancti Spiritus obumbratione concepit, et virginitatis gloria permanente, lumen aeternum mundoeffudit, Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quern Majestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates; coeli coelorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.

It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, 0 holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and that we should praise, bless, and glorify thee on the Nativity of the blessed Mary ever a Virgin. Who by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost conceived thine only- begotten Son, and, the glory of her virginity still remaining, brought forth the eternal light to the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. By whom the Angels praise thy Majesty, the Dominations adore it, the Powers tremble before it, the Heavens, the heavenly Virtues, and blessed Seraphim, with common jubilee glorify it. Together with whom we beseech thee that we may be admitted to join our humble voices saying: Holy! Holy! Holy!

When we receive our Lord in holy Communion, let us not forget that we owe His coming to the blessed

TIME AFTER PENTECOST ohild who was born on this day nineteen centuries ago.

COMMUNION

Beata viscera Mariae Vir- Blessed is the womb of the ginis, quaB portaverunt seter- Virgin Mary, which bore the ni Patris Filium. Son of the eternal Father.

May the annual return of the beautiful feast never be without fruit in our souls ; and may the adorable mysteries it has led us to receive, deliver us from evils both temporal and eternal. This is what we ask for in the Postcommunion.

POSTCOMMUNION

Sumpsimus, Domine, celebritatis annuse yotiva sacramenta: praesta, quaesumus; ut et temporalis vitaa nobis remedia praebeant et seternae. Per Dominum.

We have received, 0 Lord, the votive mysteries of this annual celebration; grant, we beseech thee, that they may confer upon us remedies for time and eternity. Through our Lord.

COMMEMORATION OF ST. ADRIAN

Da, quaesumus, Domine Grant we beseech thee, 0

Deus noster: ut, sicut tuo- Lord our God, that as in com- rum commemoratione san- memorating thy saints, we ctorum tempo rali gratula- rejoice in a temporal festival; mur officio; ita perpetuo so we may exult in beholding laetemur aspectu. Per Do- them for eternity. Through minum. our Lord.

SECOND VESPERS

The antiphons, psalms, capitulum, hymn, and versiole are the same as at First Vespers, page 152.

ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT

Nativitas tua, Dei G-eni- Thy birth, 0 Virgin Mother trix Virgo, gaudium annun- of God, brought joy to the tiavit uni verso mundo: ex whole world: for out of thee te enim ortus est Sol justi- arose the Sun of justice, Christ tiae, Christus Deus noster: our God: who, taking off the qui solvens maledictionem, curse, hath bestowed blessing; dedit benedictionem, et con- and, defeating death, hath fundens mortem, donavit given us life everlasting, nobis vitam sempiternam.

After the Collect of the feast, a commemoration is made of a holy martyr, whom the Church associates in the honours paid to our Lady on the second day of her earthly life. Gorgonius was chamberlain of the emperor Diooletian. The ' saints of Caesar's household,' whose greetings St. Paul sent to the Philippians, had, ever since then, been increasing in numbers. Eusebius shows that before the last persecution they were in great favour with the emperors ; such preference was shown them, that they were exempted from all participation in public rites in order that they might acoept the government of the provinces. 1 In the palace, their wives, children, and servants, were allowed full liberty to praotise and profess their faith; so much so, that the court of Nicomedia formed as it were a little church around the empress Prisca and her daughter Valeria, who were then Christians, but who, unhappily, did not persevere. 2

It required all the craft of Galerius to make Diocletian publish the bloody edicts of the year 303 against the religion of such devoted men, whom he loved, says Eusebius, as his own sons. Sut once the gate of martyrdom was opened, and Csesar had become Nero once more, the officers of the palace surpassed in glory all the other heroes of Christ illustrious for their courage throughout the empire, and even beyond its limits. Chief among these

1 Euseb. Mist. eccl. viii, 1. 'Lactant. De mort. persecute xv.

TIME AFTER PENTECOST valiant men, the historian mentions Peter, Dorotheas, and Gorgonius. The relics of the last-named were afterwarus translated to Rome ; it is on this aooount that he has a plaoe in the Roman calendar, where he has the honour of being in the oort£ge of the Mother of God.