Our Lady on Saturday in Paschaltide: Missa “Salve, sancta parens“
The Mass of the Blessed Virgin shows us Mary as Mother of our Savior. She was destined for her role in the history of our salvation (Epistle), for as Eve was the intermediary chosen by the angel of darkness to bring about the fall of Adam, so also Mary the intermediary to whom the angel Gabriel delivered the message of salvation from Heaven. She is also blessed since she heard the word of God and obeyed it (Gospel).
St Andrew’s Daily Missal: Propers p.1600
INTROIT Sedulius
Hail, holy Parent, that didst bring forth the King who ruleth Heaven and earth for ever and ever. Alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 44. 2). My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak of my works to the King. V.: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Hail, holy Parent, that didst bring forth the King who ruleth Heaven and earth for ever and ever. Alleluia, alleluia.
COLLECT
Grant us Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, to enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary ever Virgin, to be delivered from present sorrows and to enjoy everlasting gladness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever. R. Amen.
To the Holy Spirit
O God, unto Whom each heart is open, to Whom each desire speaks and from Whom no secret lies hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the infusion of the Holy Spirit, that we may be found worthy to perfectly love and fittingly praise You.
for the Church
Mercifully hear the prayers of thy Church, we beseech thee, O Lord, that all adversities and errors being overcome, she may serve thee in security and feedom. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
EPISTLE Eccles. 24. 14-16
Lesson from the Book of Wisdom. From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before Him. And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took root in an honorable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of Saints.
GRADUAL/ALLELUIA
Allelúja, allelúja. Num 17:8 The rod of Jesse had blossomed, virgin hath brought forth God and man: God hath restored peace, reconciling in himself the lowest with the highest, alleluia. Luke 1:28 Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Allelúja.
GOSPEL John 19:25-27
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON
Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, who didst bear the Creator of all things; Thou broughtest forth Him Who made thee, yhet for ever remainest a virgin, alleluia.
SECRET
Through Thy mercy, O Lord, and by the intercession of blessed Mary ever Virgin, may this oblation give us prosperity and peace both now and forever. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God Forever and ever. R. Amen.
To the Holy Spirit
Sanctify the gifts offered unto You, O Lord, and cleanse our hearts by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
for the Church
Protect us, O Lord, who celebrate thy mysteries, that holding fast to divine things, we may serve thee with body and soul. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
PREFACE of the Blessed Virgin Mary
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should praise and bless, and proclaim Thee, in the Festivity of the Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin: Who also conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and the glory of her virginity still abiding, gave forth to the world the everlasting Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:
ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Oh my Jesus,
I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things, and I desire Thee in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
As though Thou were already there,
I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee.
Permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee. Amen.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father..
POSTCOMMUNION
Having received, O Lord, these helps to our salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be ever protected by the patronage of blessed Mary ever Virgin, in whose honor we have made these offerings to Thy majesty. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God For ever and ever. R. Amen.
To the Holy Spirit
May the infusion of the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts, O Lord, and may He render them fruitful by sprinkling His dew deep within us.
for the Church
We beseech thee, O Lord, our God, that thou permit not those, to whom thou hast given a participation of divine things to be subjected to human dangers. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Pope St Anicetus governed the Church of Rome in the mid-second century (c. 155–166), a period marked not by imperial peace but by doctrinal trial and internal tension. Of Syrian origin, he succeeded Pope St Pius I and presided over the Roman Church during the reigns of the emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, when Christianity, though intermittently tolerated, remained vulnerable to persecution.
His pontificate is especially remembered for his firm opposition to early heresies, particularly Gnosticism, which threatened to dissolve the concrete reality of the Incarnation into myth and speculation. In this, Anicetus stood as a guardian of apostolic doctrine, preserving the faith once delivered to the saints against subtle corruption.
A notable episode of his reign was the visit of St Polycarp, disciple of St John the Apostle. Their meeting in Rome concerned the dating of Easter. Though differing in custom—Polycarp following the Asian tradition, Anicetus the Roman—they remained united in charity, offering a powerful witness that unity of faith need not be shattered by diversity of discipline.
Tradition holds that Anicetus suffered martyrdom, sealing with his blood the fidelity he had shown in life. He was buried near the tomb of St Peter in Rome, a fitting testimony to his role as successor and steward of the apostolic inheritance.
In an age not unlike our own—confused by doctrinal novelty and strained by internal division—St Anicetus reminds the faithful that truth must be preserved without compromise, yet always in charity. His witness calls us to hold fast to the apostolic tradition, even when unity seems fragile and the cost of fidelity high.
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