Friends at Court.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 6, 7 February 1901, Page 7

Friends at Court.

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR. (Written for the N.Z. Tablet.) February 10, Sunday. — Sexagesima Sunday. „ 11, Monday.— St. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. „ 12, Tuesday. — Commemoration of the Passion of our Lord. „ 13, Wednesday .—St. Gregory 11., Pope and Confessor, U, Thursday. — St. Aeratho, Pope and Confessor. „ 15, Friday. — St. Martina, Virgin and Martyr. „ 16, Saturday.— St. Gregory X., Pope and Confessor.

SEXAGESIMA 6UHDAY. The second Sunday before Lent, and roughly reckoned the sixtieth day before Easter. ST. TELESPHORUS. St. Telesphorus was Pope from 127 to 138, being successor to Sixtua 1., and died a martyr in Rome under Hadrian. He instituted the practice of saying three Masses on Christmas Day, ST. GBBGOBY 11. St. Gregory 11., Pope, was a man of rare virtue and equally renowned for learning and administrative ability. He rebuilt the ruined walls of Rome, and restored the monastery of Monte Cassino, which, 140 years before, had been destroyed by the Lombards. ST. AGATHO. St. Agatho, Pope and Confessor, was born at Palermo, Sioily. His legates presided at the Sixth Ecumenical Counoil (Constantinople) which condemned Monothelism, in the year 680, and which had assembled at the request of Constantino IV. (Pogonatus), to whom the Pope had written a remarkable letter to refute the new heresy. ST. GBEGOBY X. St. Gregory X. was Pope from 1272-1276. No sooner had he ascended the Apostolio Chair than he summoned the Fourteenth Ecumenioal Counoil, which met at Lyons, in 1274. The declared objects of the Council were : succor to the Holy Land, the reconciliation of the Greek Church, and reformation of morals. The Council opened with great solemnity, the Pope himself officiating. For the succor of the Holy Land, a tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues was voted for six years. In the fourth session, the reunion of the Greek Church with the Latin was solemnised ; and the Council, besides, passed 32 canons regulating the discipline of the Church, and providing for the reformation of morals. Also a new constitution providing for the speedy and concordant election of a Roman Pontiff received the approbation of the Council.