Varia

Various goings-on this week: for a change, there will be Benediction at Carmel this afternoon at 5.45 pm, it being the transferred solemnity of Corpus Christi, and on Friday, the feast of the Sacred Heart, there will be Exposition at Church of Apostles from after the noon Mass until 6 pm (presumably concluding with Benediction, though who knows these days).

On the domestic front, I've just bought a new bookcase, to deal with the ever-growing overflow and inflow of books that I purchase... at the moment, I actually have four empty shelves, but that won't last long!  (A friend of mine and fellow bibliophile, Jennifer - one of the members of Psallamus, the choir at St Aloysius, the Latin Mass parish in Melbourne - tells me that she's had to give away twelve boxes of books in order to free up the spare room: I was tempted to say, Why didn't you send them here? but realize that was my biblio-avarice talking.)

In other news, two seminarians I know are off to Rome in due course for studies, and another seminarian (currently at Wagga) is doing well, Deo gratias. 

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Litanies - which to say when?  I came up with a scheme for this years back, which I may resurrect pro opportunitate:

• Sunday - Litanies of the Most Holy Name of Jesus;
  
• Monday- Litanies of the Most Precious Blood;
  
• Tuesday - not litanies, but the Veni Creator or Veni Sancte in honour of the Holy Ghost;
  
• Wednesday - Litanies of St Joseph;
  
• Thursday - Litanies of the Most Blessed Sacrament;
  
• Friday - Litanies of the Sacred Heart;
  
• Saturday - Litanies of Loreto, that is, of Our Lady.

There are various systems by which certain days are considered as set aside for sundry devotions - this scheme is a composition of these.  Of course, Saturdays are devoted to Our Lady, as all men know; and so likewise Wednesdays for St Joseph, her most chaste spouse.  The Litanies of the Holy Name mention the Resurrection, to which mystery Sunday is dedicated; Mondays traditionally are days to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and the Litanies of the Precious Blood contain the words "Precious Blood of Jesus, delivering souls from the lake of purgatory"; God the Holy Ghost is customarily specially adored on Tuesdays; and of course Thursday is the weekly commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist, while Friday is devoted to the Passion, which is mentioned in the Litanies of the Sacred Heart.

It ought be observed that the full Litanies of the Saints are suitable for every day, but given their length may be used on penitential days especially.