Laudetur Iesus Christus and blessed feast of St. Louis IX, the great monarch of France, who was one of the holiest civil leaders in the Church’s history. St. Thomas Aquinas has a Latin Mass at 7pm tonight to commemorate St. Louis.

To learn more visit: https://staging2.sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/august/august-25-st-louis-king-of-france-confessor/

St. Louis was born in 1215, and frequently attended the chanting of the divine offices, which he ordered to be prayed in his palace. According to the St. Andrew Missal, he awoke to attend Matins at midnight, and then started his day by attending the office of Prime. St. Louis also introduced the custom of genuflecting for “Et homo factus est.” in the Credo, and bowing down during the Passion on Good Friday when Christ expires on the cross, both were adopted universally by the Church. Before his death in 1270, he led two crusades to try and reclaim the Holy Land, and Jerusalem, which were overtaken again by the Muslims.

Votive Mass for the Defense of the Church – Tomorrow Friday August 26 (7am St. Ann and 12:30pm St. Mark)

While under St. Louis’ reign, the Church enjoyed much liberty and prosperity, today in many places, the Church’s liberty has suppressed, especially in Communist countries like China, and more recently Nicaragua (among other places). Recently, a bishop and several priests, and a seminarian were arrested by Nicaragua’s communist regime.  Here in Charlotte, St. Matthew parish announced that one of those arrested priests is the son of two parishioners, bringing a local angle to this situation.

Tomorrow August 26 is a Feria day in the Latin Mass calendar (e.g. no feast day and where votive Masses are permitted) and to assist the Catholics in Nicaragua and elsewhere, there will be at least two special votive Latin Masses for the Defense of the Church offered. These are special devotional Latin Masses that can be offered on feria days for special occasions such as persecutions (there are also votive Masses for removal of schisms, time of war, plagues, and others). Vestments for tomorrow’s votive Mass are typically violet.

The Masses will be regularly scheduled Latin Masses, but using the Votive Mass propers. The Masses thus far will be:

• 7:00am – St. Ann parish
• 12:30pm – St. Mark parish

The propers can be found here: http://www.saintrosequincy.org/propers/votive-mass-defense.pdf (they can also be found in one’s daily Missal under “Votive Masses”)

Priests confront dictatorship in Nicaragua: ‘Let us work in peace!’: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252100/priests-confront-daniel-ortega-dictatorship-in-nicaragua-let-us-work-in-peace

In your charity, please also pray for the priests at St. Ann and St. Mark for kindly offering these votive Masses on short notice.

St. Louis IX, pray for us!