Many of you might have noticed that there are extra prayers being said during Mass, specifically  an extra Collect, and an extra Postcommunion.  There is also an additional Secret being said, but the Secret is said sotto voce, of course.

These extra prayers are because we are in the Octave of Church Unity which began on January 18th, the old calendar feast of the Chair of St. Peter in Rome, and concludes on January 25th, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

If you have the Baronius Press 1962 Missal that so many of us do, the Votive Mass for the Unity of the Church is on page 1655.

What I especially love is the Collect, which gives every indication of having been composed by the Divine Providence for our times.  It is absolutely perfect:

O God, who settest straight what has gone astray, and gatherest together what is scattered, and keepest what Thou hast gathered together: we beseech Thee in Thy mercy to pour down on Christian people the grace of union with Thee, that, putting disunion aside and joining themselves to the true Shepherd of Thy Church, they may be able to render Thee worthy service.

Might I suggest adding this to one’s concluding prayers of the Rosary?

Here is a picture of Antipope Victor IV Conti submitting to the true Pope, Pope Innocent II Papareschi.  Antipope Victor actually was the second consecutive Antipope.  His “predecessor” was Antipope Anacletus II Pierleone, who, GET THIS, reigned uncontested in Rome for EIGHT YEARS and died peacefully in his bed.  The situation was fixed by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who, after studying the CANONICAL VALIDITY of the events leading to the usurpation by Antipope Anacletus II went to Rome and very patiently met with people and calmly and rationally demonstrated the Canonical Case that Pope Innocent II was and had been the one and only true Pope all along.  Antipope Victor IV acknowledged the truth of St. Bernard’s case, and went to Pope Innocent II, cast off his “Antipapal” Tiara, and did public submission and obeisance to the One True Pope, Innocent II.

If you would like to read this fascinating history in full, click HERE.