The Way of Bethlehem

The Way of Bethlehem is an Advent devotion which was composed, practised and promoted by Our Holy Father St Alphonsus.

During the novena of Christmas, 12 shrines are erected around the monastery, church or home, representing the mysteries of our Saviour's childhood.  At each station a short hymn is sung, there is a brief meditation and prayers before processing to the next Station.

Here are some photos of the Way of Bethlehem at our Monastery in Christchurch, New Zealand this year.

 All, children and adults alike, gather around the stational shrine to pray and meditate on the infancy of Our Lord.

The 10th Station: Jesus is freed from the swaddling-bands. 

 The 6th Station: Jesus is adored by the Magi.

 The 8th Station: Jesus flies into Egypt.

 The 10th Station: Jesus begins to walk, here represented by a pair of babies booties, kindly supplied by one of the families of the Chaplaincy.

The Way of Bethlehem is a wonderful means of preparing for Our Lord's coming at Christmas.  It can be found in full in our Christmas Hymn Book

The Advent Bells

If Advent, or the month before Christmas, is a season of fasting, so, after a kind, is it of gladness too.  Alleluia, that word of ghostly joy, is sung forth at Mass; at Matins, the invitatory chanted contains this exhortation:
Regem venturum Dominum, venite adoremus
The Lord, the King who is about to come, come let us adore.

In past centuries, as now, high personages, especially the sovereign, on nearing the town to be honoured by their presence, were greeted with a festive peal from the church bells. Knowing that after a spiritual way, the King of kings is then about to come in the flesh to see and save sinners, our fathers thought it well to do out of reverence from Him not less than they did towards the princes of this world.  Hence, upon most evenings for those four weeks, this land used to be all astir, not with sad, but joyful sounds; and the bells in every church steeple swung forth their peals of gladsomeness for hours through the damp cold darkness of the night, with the tidings that the celebration of Christ's first visit to us in the flesh was drawing near.  In many a place throughout our land, the Advent bells are yet rung, but the meaning of the custom is forgotten. — cf. Daniel Rock, DD, The Church of Our Fathers, Vol III, p. 293-294.

Following in the tradition of our fathers, on Papa Stronsay the Advent bells ring forth for half an hour every night of the novena of Christmas, joyfully proclaiming the imminent arrival of our King amongst us!

"The bells...swung forth their peals of gladsomeness...through the damp cold darkness of the night, with the tidings that the celebration of Christ's first visit to us in the flesh was drawing near."

Br Felix and Br Edmund ringing the Advent bells.

Rorate Coeli Desuper et Nubes Pluant Justum

The Rorate Mass is a special Advent devotion in honour of Our Blessed Lady and is especially traditional in Germany and Poland.  The title of this devotion is taken from the first word of the Introit for the Mass of Our Lady during Advent which is itself taken from the words of Isaiah the Prophet (see below).

 The Rorate Mass is traditionally celebrated by candlelight. Today, the Saturday of the second week of Advent, we celebrated a Rorate Mass on Stronsay.

Before Holy Mass.

 Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum; aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.  Isa. 45:8

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a saviour.

 "For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names: That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth." Phil. 2:10

The Way of Bethlehem

During the novena for Christmas we make the Way of Bethlehem. It's like the Way of the Cross only the subjects of the stations are taken from the mysteries of Christmas and Christ's infancy: The Son of God Becomes an Infant, Jesus is Born an Infant, Jesus is Nourished, Jesus is Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes, Jesus is Circumcised, Jesus is adored by the Magi, Jesus is Presented in the Temple, Jesus Flies into Egypt, Jesus is Freed from the Swaddling-bands, Jesus Begins to Walk, Jesus Sleeps, Jesus the Fisher of Men.

This year we set up a station in the Ave Marias (small anti-chamber of each cell) of the cells.


We processed from station to station, singing hymns between each.


Entering in to one of the Stations.


Each Ave Maria has a small altar which the occupant of the cell decorates. We use these for the stations.


V. Christ is at hand.
R. Come let us worship Him.


Having completed the 12 stations the processions moves to the Chapel for the concluding prayer.


Knock, and it shall be opened to you. (Matt, 7:7)


The concluding prayers.


This morning the snow and fallen heavily, and continued all day. We tried very hard to get the cat to come in out of the snow, but she was quite content and took absolutely no notice of our entreaties!


The Via Paparum in the snow.


Br. Alphonso putting the leftover crumbs of bread out for the birds.

F.SS.R. Students at Rorate Mass

Early on Saturday morning, 13 December 2008, the seminarians of the Priestly Society of St. Peter, along with our five Student confreres and two Carmelite Monks, all of whom are studying at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Denton, Nebraska, sang a Rorate Mass.

The Rorate Mass is sung in candlelight only.
The church looks splendid for the offering of the holy Sacrifice.

The name, Rorate Mass is taken from the first word of

the Introit:

Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant Justum -

Drop down Dew, ye heavens from above,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One...

aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem -

let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.

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"The whole of the Mass for this day

is one deep sigh of the most heartfelt desire

for the Messiah who is to come.

Isaias is the great prophet of Advent,

hence the Church reads at this season

the finest passages from his writings,

so that the faithful, too,

may hasten by their prayers

the coming of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

"The Introit

is from Isaias XLV:8,

in which the meek and peaceful character

of this first coming of the Word of God

(our Lord and God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ)

upon earth

is wonderfully expressed

in two brilliant figures of speech

- namely,

the heavens distilling refreshing dew upon Gideon's fleece,

and

the earth producing the little flower of the fields

upon the mystic stem of Jesse."

(The Liber Sacramentorum, Blessed Ildefonso Schuster, I, 331)

For the first time our blog offers you an audio link to hear one of the beautiful hymns sung during this Mass in which we also recognise the voices of our Students.

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Click HERE to receive the audio link.

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The words of the Latin hymn the Brothers are singing:

Flos de Radíce Jesse

Est natus hódie;

Quem nobis jam adésse,

Laetámur únice.

Flos ille Jesus est,

María virgo radix,

De qua flos ortus est.

Hunc Isaías florem

Praeságus cécinit;

Ad ejus nos amórem,

Nascéntes állicit.

Flos virgam súperat,

Caéli terraéque cives,

Flos Ille récreat.

Hic suo flos odóre

Fidélis áttrahit;

Divíno mox amóre,

Attráctos ímbuit.

O flos, O grátia!

Ad te, ad te suspíro:

De te me sátia.
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An adapted English version:

Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming

From tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jese's lineage coming,

As men of old have sung.

It came a flow'ret bright,

Amid the cold of winter,

When half spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,

The Rose I have in mind,

With Mary we behold it,

The Virgin mother kind.

To show God's love aright,

She bore to men a Savior,

When half spent was the night.

This Flow'r, whose fragrance tender

With sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendor

The darkness ev'rywhere.

True man yet very God;

From sin and death He saves us,

And lightens ev'ry load.

The Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Van Vliet.