The Feast of the Guardian Angels 2025

The Angel of the Lord came down into the furnace together with Azariah and his fellows, and smote the flame of the fire out of the furnace, * and the fire touched them not at all, nor did it hurt them. ℣. Blessed be their God, Who sent His Angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him! And the fire... (The fifth responsory of Matins)

An illustration in a manuscript of The Mirror of Human Salvation (Speculum Humanae Salvationis), a popular theological and devotional work of the early 14th century; 1360, author unknown. In the upper part, the Church Triumphant, Suffering and Militant, and the damned in hell; in the lower, the three children in the furnace with the angel, from Daniel 3. (Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons.) 

℟. Angelus Dómini descendit cum Azaría et sociis ejus in fornácem, et excussit flammam ignis de fornáce, * et non tétigit eos omníno ignis, neque contristávit. ℣. Benedictus Deus eórum, qui misit Angelum suum, et eruit servos suos qui credidérunt in eum. Et non tétigit eos...

An Update from the Saint Hildegard Project

Since its founding, The Saint Hildegard Project has been dedicated to promoting sacred music through both education and performance. Based in South Bend, Indiana (where the University of Notre Dame is located), the ensemble has steadily grown, expanding its choir and reaching new audiences with the beauty of the Church’s musical tradition.

The Project has offered music for distinguished occasions, including a 2024 performance at Holy Cross College for Cardinal Gerhard Müller, preceding his Mind & Heart lecture.

This year, the ensemble released its first album, In Te Speravi, now available on both Spotify and Apple Music. Audio recordings and samples of the group’s work can be found via their website.

Looking ahead, the choir is preparing for its Fall schedule with an upcoming concert on Sunday, October 12, which will feature music from the Spanish tradition. For more information about the Project, upcoming concerts, and recordings, please visit hildegardproject.org and follow them on Instagram.

A Virtual Reconstruction of the Abbey of Cluny

Here’s another big win for the YouTube suggestion algorithm, a new documentary about the building of the third church of the abbey of Cluny, which for over 500 years was the longest church in the world, until it was replaced by the new St Peter’s basilica. Very little of the building remains today, but this documentary gives a very nice virtual reconstruction of it, with a lot of historical details about how it was built, and information which modern archeological research has uncovered about the building the process.

There are two errors that I (and others, in the YouTube comments) have spotted. One is a just slip of the tongue - the abbey was founded in 910, not 1910. The other (41:50) is that the Pope who consecrated the church in 1095 was Bl. Urban II, not Innocent II, whose reign began 35 years later. It has to be said that a lot of the music is too dramatic, and, as has become a general problem with documentaries, some things are said at greater length than is really necessary, but on the whole, I think you will find it well worth your time.