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| Daily Missal, church bulletin and Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary handout |
Signum magnum appáruit in cælo: múlier amicta sole, et luna sub pédibus jus, et in cápite ejus coróna stellárum duódecim.(1)
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| The Mass of the Ages courtesy of Arrys Ortañez |
Following Asperges, Fr. Miara performed the traditional blessing of the flowers, fruits and herbs on the Feast of the Assumption.
To our great delight, our parish also participated in the worldwide corporate consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass. During his homily Father led us in prayer:
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary — Feast of the Assumption, 15 August, 2021
O Immaculata, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, we come to thee in this bleak hour. The forces of evil, enemies of thy beloved Son, rear their heads with overweening audacity. Our families are under relentless attack, the unborn are slaughtered by the millions, our children are scandalised and corrupted, vice is glorified and sanctioned by law, our most fundamental liberties are being speedily curtailed. Good is now called evil, and evil good (Cf. Is 5:20).
Nor is this lamentable situation confined to the secular world. In our beloved Church, founded by thy Divine Son, the cause of Truth and Justice is often brushed aside; priests who stand up for the moral law are silenced and besmirched; religious communities devoted to traditional observance are pressed to compromise or written off as outdated; the Sacred Liturgy handed down by Tradition is under overt attack.
In this hour of fierce trial and impending persecution, we entrust to thee our woes. Thou hast assured us that, in the end, thy Immaculate Heart would triumph. This promise consoles us, and we are ever mindful that we must make ourselves worthy of such a victory by the sanctity of our lives.
Our Lady of Victories, on this day, as we honour thy glorious victory over death and look up with joy to the eternal crown of victory which rests upon thy beloved head, we are filled with confidence that thou dost not forget thy beloved sons and daughters, still labouring in sorrow in this vale of tears.
At Fatima thou didst request that the entire world, and especially Russia, should be consecrated to thy Immaculate Heart. As we look around us, it is all too clear that the errors of Communism have indeed spread throughout the world through the tentacles of atheistic cultural Marxism; our societies live more and more as if there were no God. We are saddened by the plight of our beloved Church in which prominent Catholics are allowed with impunity to reject the most formal teachings of our faith without condemnation and even with approval, while faithful Catholics who defend the moral law and cleave to the sacred rites and traditions of our Fathers are forced to the margins. In this hour, Most Powerful Virgin, each one of us approaches with filial confidence thy Immaculate and Maternal Heart.
United together with all Catholic communities around the world who are attached to Tradition, we consecrate to thee ourselves, our families, our communities, our priests, our bishops, our Holy Father the Pope, and the whole world. Following thy command, we consecrate especially Russia to thy Immaculate Heart. We entrust to thy maternal intercession all those whose lives and whose souls are in danger: the unborn, the youth, the elderly, the weak and handicapped, the persecuted and the slandered, the famished souls who search in vain for the clarity of truth and the purity of divine worship. We ask thee to look down with thy merciful eyes and to save one and all.
In a very special way, we consecrate to thee all the priests and faithful who remain devoted to the Mass of Ages as it was handed down to us by an unbroken and immemorial Tradition, forever immortalised by Pope St Pius V. We ask thee to protect every priest in whose heart thou hast sown the resolve to remain faithful to the Traditional Latin Mass, to give him the grace and the courage to stand firm in the midst of whatever persecution he may have to undergo. We entrust to thee all the traditional religious communities and societies of apostolic life, that they may be unshakeable in fidelity to their charism, immoveable in their dedication to doing the truth in charity (cf. Eph 4:15) for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
O Woman clothed with the sun, upon whose head rests a crown of twelve stars and under whose feet lies the moon – symbol of change and instability – (cf. Apoc 12:1), abandon us not in this hour which we know is thy hour. Spread thy immaculate mantle over each of us, our families and communities, and protect us from all harm. Keep us ever faithful to the practice of the true faith and to the Mass of our Fathers. Lead us to that heavenly home where, with thee and all the angels and saints, we may forever be the Praise of the Glory of the Most Holy Trinity (Cf. Eph 1:12). Amen.
Sub tuum Praesidium…
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
After coffee hour, we took part in the outdoor Rosary procession with statue of Our Lady through the bustling city streets surrounding our parish. As usual, we encountered a couple of belligerent drug-addled dolts, but the overwhelming majority of the people looked on inquisitively or favorable, with some actually joining in on the prayers. We returned to the church for Sung Vespers and benediction with the Blessed Sacrament.
Fondly recalling our last luncheon at Meze restaurant (6601 13th Ave.), we greedily returned to the cozy Greek eatery in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn for another celebratory repast. Evviva Maria!
We enjoyed Greek beer with dinner 
Stuffed grape leaves 
Ohtapodi (marinated and char-grilled octopus) 
I don't remember what this Epicurean medley of meat was called,
but it should be named 'decadent platter o' meat'
Homemade yogurt with honey and crushed walnuts 
Galaktoboureko (custard wrapped in phyllo dough)
~ Giovanni di Napoli, August 16th, Feasts of San Gioacchino and San Rocco di Montpellier
(1) A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
