Novena - Oremus
59
Blessed Feast Day of St. Thomas Becket! He was murdered in his Canterbury cathedral by four of King Henry II’s knights during the chanting of Vespers, Dec 29, 1170. “Better are the blows of a friend,…More
Blessed Feast Day of St. Thomas Becket! He was murdered in his Canterbury cathedral by four of King Henry II’s knights during the chanting of Vespers, Dec 29, 1170.
“Better are the blows of a friend, than the false kisses of an enemy.” ~St. Thomas Becket
Contemporary accounts say that the murder happened during the singing of the “capitulum” or “Chapter” verse before the hymn. An excellent recording of the “Unfinished Vespers of Dec. 29, 1170” can be listened to at the following link. In this moving recording, at the dread moment, the Cantor’s voice trails off and the great bell of Canterbury takes over.