Understanding the Day
Season
Ascensiontide
Week
Week 2 of Ascensiontide
Rank
First-class vigil
Introit (Daily Prayer)
When I prove My holiness through you, I will gather you from all the foreign lands; and I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities; and I will give you a new spirit, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. 33:2.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Glory Be to the Father…
Through our Lord… eiusdem
Weekly Prayer
Prayer to St. Joseph
before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,
and obtain for me from your Divine Son
all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;
I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.
Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and
ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls - pray for me.
Amen.
Weekly Formation
Commandment 4
The Ten Commandments
Honor thy father and thy mother.
The Fourth Commandment concerns the honor, gratitude, obedience, and care owed to parents and to lawful authority. It also binds parents and superiors to govern justly, provide what is needed, and seek the true good of those entrusted to them.
Saint & Feast
Vigil of Pentecost
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Customs & Fasting
Traditional fast · Complete abstinence
Traditional Pentecost Vigil fast and complete abstinence.
Today in Church History
Execution of Girolamo Savonarola
1498MartyrdomOn May 23, 1498, Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar known for his prophecies and calls for Church reform, was executed in Florence. His death marked a significant moment in the pre-Reformation Church.
Savonarola's life reminds us of the importance of reform and renewal within the Church.
Election of Pope Paul IV
1555PapalPope Paul IV was elected on May 23, 1555. His papacy was marked by efforts to reform the Church and strengthen the Inquisition, reflecting the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation.
Pope Paul IV's election reminds us of the Church's ongoing commitment to reform and fidelity to its teachings.
Capture of Joan of Arc
1430MartyrdomJoan of Arc, a key figure in the Hundred Years' War and a devout Catholic, was captured by the Burgundians on May 23, 1430. Her capture led to her trial and martyrdom, which significantly impacted French national identity and Catholic sainthood.