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"O Michael, who hast strongly kept the way
Invaders sought, and hast undone their boast:
With thee may blest Saint Boniface now pray
And Mary Queen of Peace, and heav'nly host
That all misled by heresy, may search
The paths and find the Way of Holy Church.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of European Protestants (For the conversion of the Lutherans and Protestants of Europe)

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

 ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

 ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.
• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100

Reflection:

"There is little to be gained in criticizing Martin Luther today. Rather men should pray that those who follow him may come to a realization of the gift that he, and those who follow him, flung aside: veneration for the Mother of God. As a young priest Luther wrote and preached beautiful tributes to Mary. Even after he nailed his ninety-fives theses to the door of Wittenburg's Cathedral and turned his back on his Lord, he wrote in a commentary on the Magnificat: "If I had as many tongues as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore, or leaves of all the forests, and if with all these tongues I did nothing but praise Mary day and night, I could never say anything half so glorious to her as that which is expressed in the single phrase: "Thou art the Mother of God."
In a short while he repudiated Our Lady too, but among his followers devotion to the Virgin did not die so quickly. In many places in the sixteenth century the Lutherans continued to celebrate the feast of the Assumption with meetings and canticles because the people would not give up the festival. (...)

During the Holy Year of 1950 a Lutheran minister, Richard Baumann, made a pilgrimage to Rome. In writing of his experiences he frequently alluded to the Blessed Virgin. Of the Rosary he said: "...when the rosary is said, truth sinks in to the subconscious like a slow and steady downpour, the hammered sentences of the catechism receive an indelible validity for precisely the little ones..." He made special note of the fact that the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church use the following phrases: "Mary, the pure, the holy, the ever-virgin, the God-Bearer, truly the Mother of God, worthy of the amplest praises. She will that we follow her example. She prays for the Church."

For the first time in four hundred years the sons of St. Francis have returned to Norway. The land that produced its St. Olaf and St. Magnus, its St. Hallvard and St. Eyestein is beginning to re-echo with the liturgy of the Church and its Aves in honor of the Mother of God. St. Canute of Denmark will live in other sons of the Church and St. Bridget and St. Catherine of Sweden will rise once more as modern heroines of God's family, if only a sufficient number of missioners will take the torch of faith and carry it full-flaming among men who know it not. In the prayer of the famous Barnabite priest, Fr. Karl Schilling, who labored so extensively for the conversion of the Scandinavian people, we ask divine blessings: "Good Jesus, I humbly fall at Thy feet and pray Thee by Thy holy wounds and by Thy Precious Blood which Thou has shed for the whole world, to look in mercy upon the Scandinavian people. Let astray hundreds of year ago, they are now separated from Thy Church and denied the inestimable benefit of the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, and also the many other means of grace which Thou hast instituted for the consolation of the faithful in life and in death.

Remember, O Saviour of the world, that for these souls also Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood and endure untold sufferings.
Good Shepherd, lead these Thy sheep back to the wholesome pastures of Thy Church, so that they may be on flock together with us under Thy Vicar here on earth - the Bishop of Rome, who in the person of the Holy Apostle Peter was commissioned by Thee to care both for the lambs and for the sheep.

Hear, O merciful Jesus, these our petitions, which we make to Thee with full trust in the love of Thy Sacred Heart towards us, and to Thy Holy Name be glory, honor, and praise through all eternity."

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. Our Lady and The Unity Octave, page 9. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"1. At length they reached the spot that God designed for their sojourn, in a land full of idols and idolaters. What uncongenial surroundings for the Holy Family, alone in the midst of those who worshiped a false god! So many a Catholic has to dwell in a most uncongenial atmosphere — perhaps among heretics, or bad Catholics, or those whose words and looks and actions continually jar and cause pain. Patience! Jesus and Mary know by experience what such have here to suffer.

2. When the Holy Family arrived in Egypt, in the town where they came to dwell, all the idols in the temples fell prostrate to the ground, and were shattered to pieces. Thus when Christ comes to dwell within the soul, all that opposes itself to God is destroyed by His sacred presence. If Jesus dwells with us, we shall no longer allow pride, envy, bitterness, self-will, discontent, to reign in our hearts.

3. The presence of the Holy Family in Egypt hallowed the spot where they sojourned. In early Christian times it was covered with the cells of the monks and hermits. Thus Jesus always leaves a blessing behind Him. When He comes to me in holy Communion, if only I put no obstacle in the way, my soul will flourish with virtues and good works as the effect of His presence."

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

"Then those whom Thy true servant Gregory
Named "angels," and to make them such sent forth
Augustine and his forty monks - to free
From pagan thrall - to give their souls true worth:
Thy Pontiff be today a beacon bright
To lead them into unity's true light.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to Thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Submission of Anglicans to Christ's Vicar (For the conversion of the Anglicans)

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

 ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

 ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.
• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100

Reflection:

"Prior to its separation from Rome in the sixteenth century England was so devoted to Our Lady as to merit the title, "Dowry of Mary." Its valleys and hillsides were dotted with her shrines; its people vied with each other in giving precious gifts to her altars. Every county and diocese abounded with prominent places of devotion: Canteburry, Ely, Lincoln, Worcester, York, and hundreds more. But most celebrated of all was Walsingham where even members of the nobility went in pilgrimage to honor the Mother of God.

King Edward III dedicated the kingdom to Mary as her dowry forever, and his grandson Richard II, confirmed the gift. In the English College at Rome there is an ancient painting showing Richard and his queen on their knees offering, through the hands of St. John, their country to the Blessed Virgin. Below are inscribed the words: "Do tue, Virgo pia, Haec est; quare rege Maria - This, O holy Virgin, is thy dowry; do thou, O Mary, reign over us. "

But England's devotion to Our Lady, is for the most part, a thing of the past. Sadly enough, one of the greatest devotees of Walsingham was Henry VIII; no king of England ever began his reign with greater devotion to this shrine than he who later plundered it and stripped its sanctuary of its gems and precious metals. The lone wall that starkly stands today is a mute reminder of what a man did because he cast aside the love of the Mother of God. For more than three hundred years the faith was nearly stifled and devotion to Mary lay hidden, almost buried, in the hearts of a few faithful. But during the last century the Church began its re-conversion of the English nation, and it seems that the ancient prophecy is near fulfillment: "When England returns to Walsingham, then Mary will return to England."

For England is returning. The movement is gradual, but constant and steadily growing; each year sees an increase in conversions so that the Second Spring of which Newman spoke seems to have begun. With his sentiment men can pray to Mary: "Arise, and go forth in thy strength into that north country which once was thine own, and take possession of a land which knows thee not. From thy sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from thy majestic brow, let then thousand influences rain down, not to confound or overwhelm but to persuade, to win over thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O Mother undefiled, fulfill to us the promise of this Spring."

But our prayer is not alone for the Anglicans of England, whether they be "high, low, or broad" but for all who belong to this communion in America, Canada, Indian and other parts of the world. It is a prayer to Our Lady which Pope Leo XIII first sent to England nearly sixty years ago:

O Blessed Mother of God and our most gently Queen and Mother look down in mercy upon England thy dowry and upon all who gently hope and trust in thee. By thee Jesus our Savior and our help was given to the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us, thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross. O Sorrowful Mother! intercede for our separated brethren that they may be united with us in the one fold of the supreme shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home."

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. Our Lady and The Unity Octave, page 9. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"Once more thy guiding star place in the sky,
And lead - lead back the Magi of the East
To thy One See on earth through which from High
Thou speakest to the world's greatest and least:
Communion with the Apostolic See
Will banish schism in true unity.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of Oriental Separatists, for the recomposition of all schisms and the return of the Orthodox and Eastern Churches under papal authority.

(Form of prayer decreed by Pope Benedict XV: to be recited Daily during the Octave.  + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.)

 Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.

    ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,

    ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

•  Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

• Lord Jesus, most gracious savior of the world, we humbly beg of Thee by Thy most Sacred heart, that all the sheep now wandering astray may be converted to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest through all eternity. Amen (Pius X, 26 Oct., 1905)

Source: The Church Unity Octave, 1939  American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 100.

Reflection:

"On this second day of the Unity octave our prayers are for a special group cut off from the Church, but united to her in may ways. These dissidents of the East who can trace their spiritual lineage to Ignatius of Antioch, John Chrystostom, the two Gregorys, John Damascene and so many other illustrious saints, have the seven sacraments and the Mass; they have bishops and priests with valid orders. They treasure a deep devotion to the Mother of God, but they lack the fullness of love because they reject the oneness of government and authority in the Holy Father.

Among the so-called Orthodox there are many manifestations of love for Mary. The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Byzantine in style, is the most popular representation of Mary in the Near East and before the Bolsheviks and Communists defamed her image it was most widely venerated in "Holy Russia." Despite the suffering and persecution of the present hour an ardent love for Mary lives on in the hearts of the Russian people and of others enslaved by the same oppressor, with smuggled pictures and hidden icons that testify to a love that cannot be uprooted by force. The flames now concealed will burst forth again and the Bogoroditza (She-who-gave-birth-to-God) will once more reign as Queen and Mother.

Even in the Kremlin there is a church building dedicated to Mary under the title of the Assumption. Assuredly it is not used for divine services today, but in the future it will again re-echo the prayers and hymns in honor of the Mother of God and the prophecy of a holy priest and Apostles of Mary, Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., will be fulfilled: "One day you will see the statue of the Immaculate atop the Kremlin."
When the Catholics of Zhorimir, Russia, asked Pope Leo XIII for a copy of the most popular picture of Our Lady of Rome, the Pontiff sent a copy of the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He likewise made it the official seal of the Pontifical Mission for Russia. The same inscription is used as the cover of a publication, Balcan, devoted to the study of Christian Unity, it adorns the walls of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Rome, an inspiration for the Europeans and Asiatics who gather there to discuss plans for reunion.

In 1931 Pope Piux XI issued an encyclical, Lux Veritatis, on the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. His reference to Our Lady at the end of the document is most appropriate at the present time:

Under the auspices of the Heavenly Queen, We desire all to beg for a very special favor of the greatest importance, that she who is loved and venerated with such ardent piety by the people of the East, may not permit that they should be unhappily wandering and still kept apart from the unity of the Church, and thus from her Son, whose vicar We are. (...) Would, moreover, that very soon the happiest of days might dawn when the Virgin Mother of God, looking through her image so exquisitely worked in mosaic under Our Predecessor, Sixtus III, in the Liberian Basilica, and restored by Us to its original beauty, would see the separated children returning to venerate her with Us with one mind and one faith." Lux Veritatis, Dec. 25 1931

Source: Rev. Father Titus Cranny, S.A. Our Lady and The Unity Octave, page 9. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"1. Out into the darkness of the night went Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Can these homeless wanderers really be the three whose value in the eyes of Heaven made all the rest of the world insignificant as a grain of sand compared with a continent? Yes, this is God's way of treating those whom He loves best. Herod, in his luxurious palace, is feasting and reveling in luxury and ease: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are outcasts from their home, shivering in the cold and stormy night. How foolish, then, to desire ease and comfort, or to regret the hardships and disagreeables that befall me!

2. Whither were they going? To Egypt, along an unknown road to a distant and idolatrous country; not knowing the way, not knowing how long they should find subsistence from day to day. What was the trial of Abraham compared with this? He went forth with an escort of servants and camels, and with tents and a store of good things for the way; the Divine Son of God and His parents, empty-handed and alone. Compassionate the Holy Family in their sufferings by the way.

3. What were those sufferings? Often they knew not where to lay their heads, and had to sleep under the starry sky. Often they had to beg their bread. Sometimes they were in danger from the rough banditti who infested the road. Sometimes the wild beasts howled around them. This is a model of the life of the Christian: sometimes deprived of all spiritual sustenance and of all human consolation; sometimes fiercely attacked by men, sometimes by evil passions and the rage of Satan; yet always safe under the watchful care of God."

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

The Chair of St. Peter

 "1. No such questioning as we have supposed in our last meditation ever occurred to St.Joseph's mind. His duty, his pleasure, was to hear and to obey. Not a moment did he lose. He roused his virgin-spouse and told her what they had to do, and ere morning dawned, they had left Bethlehem far behind.

2. Yet there was no hurry or bustle or undue haste in the preparation they made ; no rushing to and fro, no impatience, not a movement but such as was calm and deliberate, modest and dignified. It is one of the marks of sanctity to have thus under control every look and every action. How can I stand this test When time presses, or my indignation is aroused, or my patience tried, am I gentle and peaceful and calm?

3. Observe, moreover, how there is not a single word of complaint or of grumbling, no expression of annoyance or word of mutual commiseration. Each seeks to lighten the work of the other. How cheerful both Mary and Joseph are! Almost joyous. It is a trial; yes, but more for the sake of the Divine Child than for their own. Even the thought of what Jesus may have to suffer never destroys their peace. O happy Joseph! O blessed Mary! make me more like you."

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891

The priest being the man of God, charged with the interests of His glory, is destined to do on earth what the angel does in heaven. As the blessed spirits, lost in veneration before the throne of the universal King, unceasingly sing His praises, and emulate one another in repeating their sublime Sanctus, so, says Father Olier, the Lord, desiring to be worshiped in a similar manner upon earth, and seeing that the majority of men would not keep themselves to this perpetual adoration, has instituted the priesthood to offer it in their stead.

The good priest is ever imbued with the profoundest love for God and the most ardent desire of procuring His glory. But it is especially towards the Holy Eucharist that his pious affection shows itself most ardent and zealous. It is in this wonderful mystery, as we have previously observed, that our divine Lord has humbled Himself most profoundly for our sake. Gratitude, therefore, demands that our love and veneration towards Him should be correspondingly greater than in other mysteries; and in this the Church and God Himself have given us the example.

(...)

"Priests," said Alain de Solminiac, "being officers of the crown, are under particular obligations not only to honor their divine King, but also to make Him honored as He deserves."

When the minister of Jesus Christ is under the guiding influence of lively faith, he manifests in his whole exterior such modesty, gravity, and every-abiding sense of God's holy presence that his very appearance becomes an homage to God and a salutary instruction to all who see him. People are influenced more by example than by precept. The sight of a holy priest prostrate before the tabernacle, motionless, and as it were, annihilated in the presence of the Lord, has, not un-frequently, been the means designed by a merciful Providence to re-animate lukewarm Christians, to convert sinners, and even to convince unbelievers by awakening in their souls a spirit of reflection, study, and prayer.

Source: The Sacrifice of the Mass Worthily Celebrated by Rev. Pierre Chaignon S.J., 1897