CALENDAR OF FEASTS AND DIRECTORY.

JANUARY.

20. SUNDAY. Septuagesima Sunday.

sd. purple. First Vespers of the fol. com. of Sunday, red.

21. Mon. St. Agnes, v. m. d. red.

22. Tues. SS. Vincent and Anastasius, mm. sd. red. 23. Wed. The Espousals of the B. V. Mary, gr. d. white. Plenary Indulgence.

24. Thurs. St. Timothy, bp. m. d. red.

25. Frid. Conversion of St. Paul, gr. d. red. Abstinence. 26. Sat. St. Polycarp, bp. m.d. red.

THE BENEDICTINE DIRECTORY.

20. SUNDAY. Septuagesima. 2 cl. gr. d. purple. 21. Mon. St. Agnes, V. M. d. red.

22. Tues. SS. Vincent, &c. MM. sd. red.

23. Wed. Espousals of our B. Lady, gr. d. white.

24. Thur. St. Timothy, B. M. d. red.

25. Frid. Abstinence. Conversion of St. Paul, ap. gr. d.

white.

26. Sat. St. Polycarp, B. M. d. red.

ALMANACK.

20. SUNDAY. Sun rises 57 min. past 7, and sets 25 min. past 4.

21. Mon. Battles of Kalafat and Citate, Russians defeated, 1854.

22. Tues.

23. Wed. William Pitt died, 1806.

24. Thurs.

25. Frid.

26. Sat. Mozart born, 1756.

ST. MARY'S, DOVER.

KENT, rich in memorials of old Catholic England, possesses few edifices of equal interest with that which is illustrated on the opposite page. The Church of St. Mary's is about 120 feet long and 55 feet broad. It is said to have been built by the Prior and Monks of St. Martin, in the year 1216, but part of the architecture is of an earlier date. When the monasteries were dissolved, Henry VIII. gave this church to the inhabitants of Dover. Rapin states that it was in this church, that King John resigned his crown to Pandulph, the Pope's legate, but this point is disputed. The poet Churchill is buried here. The church was restored in 1843, at a cost of nearly 6,000l. but of course for purposes of Protestant worship.

To our Correspondents.

SCHOLARS are requested to read our motto.

OUR Crimean correspondent (29th December) reports all the Catholic chaplains to be quite well; all zealously labouring to promote religion, temperance, and good order amongst the troops. The Lamp had been distributed amongst the Catholic soldiers.

RECEIVED.-T. C.-M.H.L.-William Reeve.-W. S. D. -Pancratius.-Shawn.

A CORRESPONDENT states that he would give employment to an honest man who would travel with saddlery goods, and that (for a small premium with cach) he would teach the saddlery trade to six boys.

THE next memoir in our "Biographical Gallery" will be that of the distinguished French preacher, Père Lacordaire.

In our next will appear (specially translated for the Lamp by the editor) the defence of Catholicity by the eloquent Silvio Pellico, recently published in the (Roman) Civilta Cattolica.

"NOTES BY AN OLD PRIEST."--No. vi. in our next; also the beautiful poem of our active friend, Mr. Carroll, of Waterford.

TWENTY-FIVE stamps have come to hand-with M. B. on the envelope. As the sender names no destination, Lamps will be sent to the Crimean chaplains.

IN order to have Mr. Kerr's beautiful translation of Bossuet on the Apocalypse perfect in this volume, we reprint the portion (only two columns) which appeared on 8th December, and will give some every week.

THE following address was presented to the Rev. James Conway, along with a handsome gold watch, on Christmasday, at a tea party by the Catholics of Oldham. We feel great pleasure in placing before the readers of the Lamp this beautiful address, and the eloquent and feeling reply of our esteemed friend, Father Conway. Amongst all the good priests in England and elsewhere, there is not one more indefatigable in the sacred duties of the Ministry, or more beloved by his flock :

"To the Rev. James Conway, Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Oldham.

"December 25, 1855. "Dear and Reverend Sir,-It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we beg to address you as our pastor and spiritual guide, the more particularly at this great and solemn festival of the Church, the anniversary of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the foundation of Christianity throughout the whole world; and to tender you our most sincere and heartfelt thanks for the valuable and inestimable blessings you have been the means of throwing around us during the short period you have as yet been amongst us.

"We are very well aware of the arduous duties of a priest in such an extensive and populous district as Oldham, even if they were confined to the bare actual duties which are imperative to his sacred calling; but we ought to be doubly grateful for your never-ceasing and untiring exertions for the advancement, both spiritual and temporal, of the flock which it has pleased Almighty God to put under your care.

"During the time you have been on this mission the improvements that have been made in the Church by the erection of a chancel and chapel to our Blessed Lady, and also the gallery, must be in fact chiefly attributed to you, as without your admirable advice, assistance, and cheering manner, the good work that has been done could scarcely have been accomplished.

"Your exertions amongst your flock, in every way that you considered it possible for your services to be of any avail,

are beyond all praise; aud, although during many months you have been entirely without aid in the performance of the arduous duties which devolve upon the sacred calling of a priest in a district so populous and so extensive as Oldham, we are quite sure that from the extra care, time, and attention which you have bestowed upon us, the charge which you have under your care has not been in any way neglected. "Your high qualifications and eloquence peculiarly fit you for one of God's ministers on earth; and although you are so far above us in an intellectual point of view, in your charity you can descend to be our equal, and expound the doctrines of Christianity and Catholicity in so lucid and clear a manner, that the totally uneducated portion of the congregation most clearly understand you, and you lead us on to virtue, and point out so forcibly the beauties of Religion, and the blessings of Hope which is one of the most sublime of the cardinal virtues of the Catholic faith.

We also beg to offer you our warmest thanks for the care and attention you have bestowed on the education of the children, and must congratulate you on the vast improvement that has taken place amongst them during the last two years, which we are sure is to be chiefly attributed to your fatherly guidance.

"We are also indebted to your exertions for the formation of three societies or associations in this town, the Young Men's Society, the Children of Mary, and the Catholic Association, which, through the blessing of God, and the aid of the Blessed Virgin, we have no doubt will be of great importance in extending the Catholic religion in this neighbourhood.

"We trust that you will be pleased to accept of the small tribute of affection which is now presented; and if ever, in after years, it should be our misfortune to part on this earth, we hope it will bring to your mind the tender love which we have for you; and in conclusion, beg that you will remember us in your prayers; and may the patron saint of your church, the Blessed Virgin, ever guide and protect you, and finally, bring you to her Adorable Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is the fervent prayer of, dear and reverend father, your children in Christ,

"THE OLDHAM CATHOLICS."

The following is the answer of the reverend gentleman:

"St. Marie's, Oldham, Dec. 28th, 1855. "MY VERY DEAR FRIENDS,-If you felt a pleasure in addressing me as your pastor and spiritual guide, I ought to feel the same in replying to you, for you are my flock, my spiritual children; and if your satisfaction were the greater in consequence of the festival on which you addressed me, so ought mine, for that festival has not yet passed away its commemoration is still, and will be for some days to come, almost hourly on the lips of the Church.

"I trust I have feeling enough not to remain unmoved by the kindness that prompted you to present me with an address, the good nature and the charity that moved you to say what that address contains. I listened to the reading of it with pleasure; but still I listened to it with confusion and shame. It paints the feelings of kind-hearted Catholics towards their priest, but furnishes no picture of me or of what I have done. Your feelings gave me pleasure, but I am confused and ashamed that I know myself so unlike what you consider my portrait.

"I have done no more for you than any other would have done; not half what many would have done. If we have been busy for the church you made me active. If we have our Chancel and Lady Chapel, you erected them-you have paid for them; if we have our new gallery it is your offering to our Blessed Lady, a tribute to her of your affection, a memorial of your joy at the sight of the last gem added to her crown. It is one of the fruits of your devotions to her during last May.

"You speak of high qualifications and eloquence; if it were God's will, I wished I possessed them. But if I did possess them, I should consider myself possessing them in vain, unless in my instructions and discourses I made the doctrines of the Church and the duties of religion so plain and intelligible that the uneducated could understand. However, I feel assured there is nothing so calculated to make them understood as high qualifications and the truest eloquence.

"You congratulate me on the improvement in the children. I am happy to say that it requires only little to make them improve. They are so gifted by nature that, unless altogether neglected, they will be always good.

"Our societies have been of much service-may they continue to prosper! The Young Men's Society-we know its founder. I was but instrumental in bringing him to Oldham. If it has done good, to Dr. O'Brien is due the praise. The other societies are simple, only small matters. They have been more useful than I have time now to say.

"I accept with great gratitude your valuable gold watch. I hope to prize it as the gift of The Oldham Catholics." I shall have to turn it to account by remembering, as I hear its beats, that the days of my life are fast passing away-by remembering, too, that they ought to be spent in promoting your interests.

"Whether with you, or called to labour amongst others, I shall never forget you at the altar. I wish you all the blessings of this holy season, and I pray you may have great happiness during the approaching new year. And may she, to whose protection you commend me, watch over you also. Very affectionately, and truly yours in Christ, "JAMES CONWAY."

(Translated from the French for the Lamp,
BY JOSEPH KERR, ESQ.)

[THE dreadful punishments which our Saviour by this revelation predicted would befall the two bitterest enemies of the early Catholic Church, viz.: the reprobate Jews and the Pagan empire of Rome, having been most blasphemously applied by a multitude of Protestant writers to the Catholic Church herself, I feel assured that the readers of the Lamp will be gratified by perusing this most masterly exposition of the Apocalypse by him, who, with the exception of St. John himself, who wrote that divine book, is the only great luminary of the Church, who, in consequence of his eminent gift of wisdom, is known by the appellation of "Eagle." Protestants proclaim that what they call the "Reformation," was begun and is carried on upon the principle, that the Pope is the beast of the Apocalypse, and the Catholic Church, say they, is the Babylon of the Revelations. Bishop Bossuet, in this exposition, shows the stupidity of their blasphemy against the Church of God. Verse by verse, by historical facts, by conclusive proofs, and with astonishing ability, he shows that "the vials" of wrath and the woes of the Apocalypse have been already poured out and inflicted upon those against whom alone they were denounced, namely, the reprobate inhabitants of Judea and imperial Pagan Rome, that unrelenting persecutor of fhe Catholic Church. His work, no doubt, brought back to the one fold thousands in France, and I hope that this masterpiece of reasoning, whose foundations are historical facts, may produce a similar result in this land, where so many pens and mouths have perverted to the purposes of fearful blasphemy the predictions of our Saviour's wrath against the foes of the Catholic and everlasting Church.

J. K.]

THE PREFACE TO THE EXPOSITION,

Wherein are proposed the meaus of profiting by the reading of the Apocalypse, and the principles of discovering its meaning.

1. Those who are devont, find a particular attraction in this wonderful revelation of St. John. The name alone of Jesus Christ, by which it is intituled, at once inspires a holy joy; for observe the words with which St. John commences and intitules his prophecy: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God has given to him to make known to his servants by the mouth of his angel to his servant John." We must therefore regard Jesus Christ as the real communicator of this revelation, for St. John was only the agent whoin he selected to convey his oracles to the Church; and if we are prepared for some great revelation when in opening the books of the ancient prophets, we read thus-" The vision of Isais, the son of Amos; the words of Jeremiah, the son of Helcias;" and so of the other prophets, how much more ought we to be moved when we read at the head of this book-"The revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Everything contained in the revelation corresponds with this beautiful title. Notwithstanding the deep mysteries of this divine book, we experience in reading it a sensation so sweet, and altogether so magnificent, of the majesty of God, so exalted are the ideas which it gives to us of the mystery of Jesus Christ, so earnest is the gratitude of the people whom he has redeemed by his blood, so noble are the descriptions of his triumphs and of his kingdom, and so glorious are the canticles which proclaim their grandeur,that it is sufficient to enrapture heaven and earth.

It is true that we are struck with awe when we read in this revelation the description of the terrible effects of the justice of God, the bloody vengeance executed by his holy angels, their trumpets which announce his judgments, their golden vials full of his implacable wrath, and the incurable wounds which they inflict upon the impious; but the gentle and enrapturing pictures with which these frightful spectacles are intermingled, immediately inspire the confidence, in which the soul reposes the more tranquilly after having been for a long time stunned and struck to the quick by these horrors.

All the excellencies of the Bible are embodied in this revelation; all that is most striking and majestic in the law and the prophets, receives herein a new lustre, and passes again before our eyes, in order to fill us with all the consolations and favours which have ever been vouchsafed by God to man. This is one of the characteristics of this wonderful prophecy, as the angel has expressly declared in the words which he addressed to St. John:-"The Lord God of the holy prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is shortly to come to pass;" words that give us to understand that God who inspired all the prophets, has revived the spirit of prophecy in St. John, to consecrate anew to Jesus Christ and to his Church, all that had ever been revealed to the prophets.

2. I find two reasons for this course. The first is taken from St. Irenæus. "There might," says that saint, "arise false teachers who would put forth that the God who had sent Jesus Christ was not the same as He who had sent the ancient prophets." It is, in order to confound their audacity, that the prophecy of the New Testament, that is to say, the Apocalypse, is full of all the ancient prophecies, and that Saint John, the new prophet, expressly sent by Jesus Christ, is full of the spirit of all the prophets.

But the second reason is not less strong; and that is, that all the prophets and all the books of the Old Testament, were inspired and written for the purpose of bearing testimony to Jesus Christ, conformably to the words addressed by the angel to St. John,-"The spirit of prophecy which is the testimony of Jesus." Neither David, nor Solomon, nor any one of the prophets, nor Moses, who was the chief of

them, was raised up except to announce Him who was to come; that is to say, the Messiah. It is for this reason that Moses and Elias appear with Him in His transfiguration, in order that the law and the prophets should confirm His mission, acknowledge his authority, and bear testimony to His doctrine. For the sume reason it is that Moses and all the prophets take part in the Apocalypse, and that in order to write this wonderful book, Saint John received the spirit of all the prophets.

We find, in truth, in this great apostle, the spirit of all the prophets and of all the men sent by God. He received the spirit of Moses that he might chant the canticle of the new deliverance of the holy people, and build, to the honour of God, a new ark, a new tabernacle, a new temple, a new altar of incense. He received the spirit of Isaias and of Jeremiah, that he might describe the woes of the new Babylon and astonish the universe with the cry of its destruction. It is by the spirit of Daniel that he points out to us the new beast, that is to say, the new empire of Pagan Rome persecuting the saints, together with its decline and fall. By the spirit of Ezekiel he describes to us all the grandeur of the new temple wherein God desires to be worshipped; that is to say, of Heaven and of the church on earth; in which all the consolation, all the promises, all the graces, all the revelations of the sacred Scriptures concentre. All the men that were ever inspired by God, seem to have brought to this divine book of St. John all the lustre and grandeur of their prophecies, in order that they may compose a description the most beautiful that is possible to conceive of the glory of Jesus Christ; in which description nothing stands so prominent as the fact, that He was truly the end of the law, the reality of its types, the body of its foreshadowings, and the soul of its prophecies.

We must not therefore imagine that Saint John is merely the imitator of the prophets who preceded him; upon every part of their prophecies embodied in this revelation he pours a fresh light; in fact, we discover therein the very source of all the prophets, namely,--Jesus Christ and His Church. Moved by the same spirits which animated the prophets, he penetrates the spirit of their prophecies, determines their meaning, expands their obscurities, and reveals in all its entirety the glory of Jesus Christ.

3. Let us add to these so great wonders that which excels them all, I mean the happiness of thus bearing Jesus Christ speak, and of seeing him act after his resurrection from the dead. We see in the Gospel of Jesus Christ a man conversing with men, humble, poor, weak, suffering. Everything about him speaks of a victim who is about to immolate himself, and of a man doomed to grief and death. But the Apocalypse is the Gospel of Jesus risen, wherein He speaks and acts as the conqueror of death, and as the despoiler of the grave, and as one entering in triumph into the dwellingplace of His glory, wherein He begins to exercise that Almightiness which his Father has given Him in Heaven

and on earth.

(To be continued.)

FEMALE MARTYRS.

THE female mind has ever been susceptible of receiving deeper impressions of religion than that of the rougher sex. The Church, at a very early period, availed herself of this peculiarity of the female character, and employed women in disseminating the religion of the cross. The order of Deaconesses (Romans xvi. 1), was the first attempt of the Church to enlist the female in her service. This society was generally composed of widows who had been only once married it was not, however, confined to them. Young unmarried women were sometimes employed. The duty of the Deaconess consisted in preparing young women for the Holy Sacrament of baptism, by a series of catechetical ex

ercises, and in afterwards assisting at the baptism of their own sex. Visiting the sick of their own sex, was another duty that belonged to this order. The labours of these pious females were frequently crowned with success: many individuals, through their instrumentality, were brought to acknowledge the truths of the Gospel of the crucified.

In the fourth century an order of young women existed, termed Sacred Virgins. Their exertions also contributed to the diffusion of Christianity. The term Ecclesiastical or Canonical* Virgins, was also given to the females belonging to this order. This society cousisted exclusively of unmarried females, who considered that in this state they could better advance the sacred causc. Sometimes these females resided in their fathers' houses, and were supported by their parents, or, in case of necessity, by the Church; others lived in community, maintaining themselves by their own labour.

The consecration of an ecclesiastical virgin was publicly performed in the churches with great solemnity, either by the bishop or some priest deputed by him for that purpose. The young woman first made known her intention to the bishop, and afterwards on a day fixed, came and made her public profession in the church. The bishop, after having heard her declaration at the altar, put on her the habit worn by these sacred virgius, by which they were distinguished from others of the sex. The habit consisted of a veil with a purple and golden mitre. Whether this vow was irrevocable or not it is impossible to ascertain at this distance of time. In the event of a sacred virgin marrying, she was subjected to penance, but the length of time left to the discretion of the bishop: her marriage, however, was never disannulled.

This order led in the fourth century to the rise of the conventual system. The foundress of this system was St. Syncletica, a native of Alexandria, in Egypt. From her carliest years, she had formed the resolution of devoting herself to God, by a life of celibacy, and nothing could induce her to alter her purpose. Possessed of uncommon beauty, and heiress of a considerable fortune, she had numerous offers of marriage, but all were declined. "She had vowed to the Lord, and would not go back." Syncletica, however, did not consider that her vow obliged her to retire from the domestic circle during the life of her parents; she remained with them administering as far as was in her power, to the comfort of their declining years. Death removed Syncletica's two brothers from this earthly scene, and a sister who was afflicted with blindness, was all that remained to cheer their afflicted parents. So great was the confidence the parents of Syncletica reposed in her integrity, that they committed this helpless being to the charge of the saint at their death, which took place shortly after the loss of their sons. St. Syncletica now became possessor of a large estate, which she sold, and divided its produce among the poor and destitute. She then, accompanied by her sister, retired to a lonely monument, situated on a relative's estate, where she fixed her residence for the remainder of her life. St. Syncletica now sent for a priest, in whose presence she renewed her dedication to God, and as a symbol of having renounced the world, cut off her hair.

The fame of St. Syncletica's piety quickly spread abroad, and her retreat soon became the resort of many of her own sex, who were anxious to have the benefit of her instructions. One or two extracts from the exhortations delivered by the saint on these occasions, will show the state of her religious views, better than any lengthened dissertation on our part. How happy should we be, did we but take as much pains to gain heaven and please God, as worldlings do to heap up

* The term "canonical," was applied to this order from the circumstance that they were enrolled in the canon or books of the church.

riches and perishable goods! By land they venture among thieves and robbers; at sea they expose themselves to the fury of winds and storms; they suffer shipwrecks and all perils; they attempt all, try all, hazard all: but we, in serving so great a Master, for so immense a good, are afraid of every contradiction." In another exhortation on the dangers of this life, she says, "We must be continually upon our guard, for we are engaged in a perpetual war; unless we take care, the enemy will surprise us, when we are least aware of him. A ship sometimes passes safe through hurricanes and tempests, yet, if the pilot, even in a calm, has not a great care of it, a single wave raised by a sudden gust may sink her. It does not signify whether the enemy clambers in by the window, or whether all at once he shakes the foundation, if at last he destroys the house. In this life we sail, as it were, in an unknown sea. We meet with rocks, shelves, and sands; sometimes we are becalmed, and at other times we find ourselves tossed and buffeted by a storm. Thus we are never secure, never out of danger; and, if we fall asleep, are sure to perish. We have a most intelligent and experienced pilot at the helm of our vessel, even Jesus Christ himself, who will conduct us safe into the haven of salvation, if by our supineness, we cause not our own perdition."

In her eightieth year, St. Syncletica was attacked by an inward fever, which reduced her to a state of great weakness; a cancer also formed on her check, which increased the sufferings of the saint. Notwithstanding the acuteness of her agony, Syncletica never uttered a complaint, but bore all these severe trials with a mcek aud patient spirit. Death brought the sufferings of that truly pious woman to a close, in the eighty-fourth year of her age.

However valuable religious orders were to the primitive church, piety was not confined to these institutions. Many females who attached themselves to no community, equally promoted the cause of Christianity, by the noble confession they gave of their adherence to Christ when the hour of trial arrived.

The persecutions to which the Christians had been exposed under the preceding Roman emperors, were for a short period suspended by Antonius Pius, who published an edict prohibiting in future any severities towards this despised sect. The trauquillity enjoyed by the Christians terminated with the death of this amiable monarch. His successor, Marcus Ausilus, though at the commencement of his reigu tolerant to the followers of the saint, entertained secretly towards them feelings of the bitterest rancour. Nor was he long in revealing his real views. By his command, the sword of persecution was again unsheathed, and many of both sexes were put to death under circumstances of the most revolting barbarity. In order to give the reader a view of the trials to which the professors of the Gospel were exposed in this century, we shall devote some observatious to the trials and death of Blandina, who was one of the most remarkable of these heroic sufferers. No record of the carly life of this remarkable martyr, has reached us, and it is not until she was called upon to suffer for Christ, that the name of Blandina, is mentioned in the records of the Church. However much we may regret the silence of history on this interesting period of her life, enough of her career remains to illustrate the power of divine grace, in enabling a tender female to endure an amount of suffering even beyond what could be expected from the other sex. Blandina, along with her brother and several individuals, whose prominent position in the Church made them objects of peculiar hatred to the Roman governors, were seized, and thown into prison, where they were subjected to every specics of torture their cruel enemies could devise. From morning till evening, the young martyr was tortured without a moment's repose, and her enemies, wearied with their inhuman occupation, were under the necessity of relieving each other at intervals; but nothing they could inflict on her could induce her to deny her Saviour. In