January 5th: Dom Gueranger on the Octave of St. Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, and Martyr

"It is but fitting that the Country, which was beautified with the blood of the illustrious Martyr, should honour his memory with especial fervour, and keep up his Feast during the joyful Octaves of Stephen, of John, the Beloved Disciple, and the Innocents of Bethlehem."

Conclusion of a Prose, taken from the ancient Missals of Liege:

"O thou gem of the Priesthood! O glorious Pontiff Thomas! thy prayers are ne'er refused - oh! calm the rebellion of our flesh.

That being rooted in Christ, the true Vine, we may receive the solid rewards of eternal life. Amen.

".....the Episcopal Hierarchy has reappeared in this beautiful Isle of ours, where thou wast once the Primate, vested with the sacred Pallium. Oh! protect the Bishops who are now so zealously governing the vineyard over which thou didst once preside, and for which thou didst shed thy blood. Ask our Lord to increase the number of his Priests; for the harvest is great, and the labourers are few. May they be endued, by the Master of the Vineyard, with the spirit of patience and courage; may they be powerful in word and work, and may their name, as thine is, be held in blessing by future generations!"