About


A Treasure To Be Shared is a celebration of Catholic liturgy and teaching.

This blog is informed by the intellectual, artistic, musical, and liturgical traditions of the English Patrimony, as embraced in the Personal Ordinariates established under the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.

This blog celebrates the Venerable English Mass, i.e., Divine Worship, a beautiful expression of the Eucharistic Liturgy of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and Divine Worship: the Office, i.e., Mattins and Evensong.

Explore... .
  • temporal and spiritual topics
  • opinions, facts, and beliefs
  • the true, the good and the beautiful
  • trustworthy Catholic resources
Readers are invited to think critically, avoid snap judgments, and comment responsibly.

Popular Posts

The Mandorla: Shape And Meaning

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Ever wonder what the curious pointed oval shape in religious art is called, the shape that is also used in various designs adopted by guilds and religious groups? That almond shape is called the mandorla, the Italian word for almond. The mandorla is a significant symbol in Christian art and theology, characterized by its almond shape, which is formed by the intersection of two circles. This shape has deep theological implications and is often used to represent the divine presence, particularly in relation to Christ and the Virgin Mary. Symbolic Meanings Divine Presence. The mandorla is frequently depicted as a radiant shape surrounding Christ in His glory, particularly in scenes of the Transfiguration or the Ascension. It symbolizes the divine light and glory that emanates from Christ, emphasizing His dual nature as both God and man. The use of the mandorla in art serves to highlight the sacredness of the figure it surrounds, marking a clear distinction between the divine and the eart...
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Who is Brian Holdsworth? And Why You Should Watch His Videos.

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Are you thirsty for solid Catholic content? Do you seek to raise your children in a vibrant Catholic culture that helps them become faithful adults? Are your hungry for truth, goodness and beauty? Are you tired of parish programs that waste resources and do little to feed the soul? Are you seeking to learn how you can help build up the Body of Christ? Introducing Brian Holdsworth. If you haven't watched this articulate, insightful and faithful fellow share a thoroughly Catholic understanding of the Faith, then you are invited to start by watching one of his videos. Visit Mr. Holdsworth's main site at:  https://www.brianholdsworth.ca/ Brian Holdsworth, a Catholic convert, resides in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and seven children. His videos are rich with genuine Catholic content, revealing a deep faith. Far from being just another "influencer" or social media personality, he is a true man of God, passionately advocating for truth, goodness, and beauty within the C...
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The Solemn Rite of Betrothal in The Ordinariate

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St John Henry Newman, Victoria, BC | Betrothal Rite The Ordinariate is blessed with a patrimonial treasure of tremendous beauty and goodness. The Solemn Rite of Betrothal might be familiar to more than a few Anglicans. It is a beautiful gift that helps couples enter more fully into their emerging communion in Christ and provides an acknowledgement of the path ahead, ornamented with avenues through which a couple may dispose themselves to God's grace. Betrothal betroth  (v.) | Online Etymology Dictionary c. 1300, betrouthen , "to promise to marry (a woman)," from be- , here probably with a sense of "thoroughly," + Middle English treowðe "truth," from Old English treowðe "truth, a pledge". It is attested from 1560s as "contract to give (a woman) in marriage to another, affiance." Middle English also had a verb truth ( treuthen ) "become betrothed" (c. 1300). -al suffix forming nouns of action from verbs, mostly from Latin an...
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Sharing The Beauty Of Evensong In The Catholic Church

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DURANDUS | NLM Evensong is a liturgy of the Daily Office where psalms and other biblical passages are sung or said, usually close to sunset. The Latin word vesperas was rendered as aefensang  by Old English speakers, and this became "evensong" in modern English. https://singtheoffice.com/  | Music companion for chanting the Office. Variable audio support available. A very useful site! Structure The office of Vespers normally includes psalms, the Magnificat , a hymn, and other prayers. By the Early Middle Ages, it became common for secular clergy to combine Vespers and Compline . By the sixteenth century, worshippers in western Europe conceived 'evensong' as Vespers and Compline performed without break. Modern Byzantine services advertised as 'vespers' often similarly conclude with Compline . Background The Anglican archbishop Thomas Cranmer created choral evensong as a component of the Book of Common Prayer (1549) during the Edwardian Reformation, drawing on t...
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The True Definition of a Gentleman

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Cecil B. Hartley is the male alter ego of Florence Hartley, author of The Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness and The Ladies' Hand Book of Fancy and Ornamental Work. Hints For Gentlemanly Deportment from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness (G.G. Evans, Publisher, Philadelphia: 1874); being a complete guide for a gentleman's conduct in all his relations toward society. Containing rules for the etiquette to be observed in the street, at table, in the ball-room, evening party, and morning call; with full directions for polite correspondence, dress, conversation, manly exercises and accomplishments. From the best French, English and American authorities. By Cecil B. Hartley https://archive.org/details/gentlemenquotsb00Hart/page/n3/mode/2up Excerpt from Chapter XI: p.198.  One hundred hints for gentlemanly deportment 22. Perhaps the true definition of a gentleman is this: "Whoever is open, loyal, and true; whoever is of humane and ...
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Review: Saint Gregory's Prayer Book

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Two copies of the St. Gregory's Prayer Book (SGPB) arrived a few days ago. It is a lovely work replete with beautiful devotions drawn from the English Patrimony. Both Ordinariate and diocesan Catholics would do well to acquire a copy to access its riches. The SGPB is "a collaborative venture" of the three personal ordinariates and the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society . A blurb from the Ignatius Press site where one can go to purchase copies: https://www.ignatius.com/St-Gregorys-Prayer-Book-P3228.aspx The St Gregory's Prayer Book is a beautifully produced leatherette prayer book compiled by the Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict XVI and drawing on the riches of the Anglican liturgical heritage and the exquisite Cranmerian language of the Book of Common Prayer to further enrich the panoply of Catholic liturgy and devotion. The text includes ancient English collects, introits and hymns available together for the first time for the whole Church...
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ST AUGUSTINE

The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.

JOHN DONNE

Sleep with clean hands, either kept clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.

MARCUS AURELIUS

There is but one thing of real value - to cultivate truth and justice, and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men.

MARK TWAIN

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.