Friends in Christ,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Sunday after the Ascension. In the Gospel reading for this Sunday we return to the Farewell Discourse delivered by Our Lord to His disciples following the Last Supper. He speaks of the coming of the Paraclete, “the Spirit of truth who proceedeth from the Father.” The Spirit is to testify to the Truth: “And you shall give testimony, because you are with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27). Then Jesus speaks frankly about the consequences to be expected by those who testify to the Truth:
These things have I spoken to you, that you may not be scandalized. They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God. And these things they will do to you; because they have not known the Father, nor me (John 16:1-3).
In speaking to His disciples, Our Lord was also speaking to all who would come after them to give testimony of the Truth without regard for the potential consequences. The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized as a group in 1970, were among nearly 300 victims of the English Reformation. Most were executed for celebrating or assisting at the Latin Mass, or for supporting Catholic priests who secretly offered the Roman Rite after it was declared to be illegal. Many were harangued by ministers of the new religion who told them, even as they ascended the scaffold to be hanged and butchered, that the barbaric cruelty with which they were to be dispatched was only being done in service to God.
In our own time, a French priest celebrating Mass was slain by an assassin who proclaimed the greatness of God as he slit the throat of 85-year-old Jacques Hamel on the altar of a Catholic church in Normandy. According to Vatican News, over 50,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria alone by the adherents of a different religion who seek to exterminate the Christian population in that populous African nation while proclaiming the superiority of their own God. The list of those who have given their lives for Christ over almost two thousand years is long indeed. There are many countries today in which it is not safe to be a Christian. We should be thankful that such is not the case in our own country, but we should also remain alert to the growing hostility manifested toward the followers of Christ – and especially Catholics – even in America.
Calendar of Special Observances
Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.
DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)
Sunday, June 1 – Sunday after the Ascension (II)
Monday, June 2 – Feria of Paschaltide (IV) – Ss. Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus, Martyrs
Tuesday, June 3 – Feria of Paschaltide (IV)
Wednesday, June 4 – St. Franciscus Caracciolo, Confessor (III)
Thursday, June 5 – St. Boniface, Bishop & Martyr (III) – Jesus Christ the High Priest (III) – Commemoration of St. Boniface, Bishop & Martyr
Friday, June 6 – St. Norbert, Bishop & Confessor (III) – Sacred Heart of Jesus (III) – Commemoration of St. Norbert, Bishop & Confessor
Saturday, June 7 – Vigil of Pentecost (I)
Sunday after Ascension
The
links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the
Proper Prayers for Sunday after Ascension with English or Spanish
translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.
Latin Mass Schedule: Sundays
Charlotte Area Latin Masses
11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas
12:30 p.m., Saint Ann
Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses
8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)
9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)
1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)
1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)
Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses
12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)
1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)
Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.
Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (June 2 - June 7)
Charlotte Area Latin Masses
Saint Ann – Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.
Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.
Saint Ann – Friday, 7:00 a.m.
Saint Thomas Aquinas – No 1st Saturday Mass due to diaconate ordinations
Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses
Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.
Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – Friday, 8:30 a.m.
Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.
Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – No 1st Saturday Mass due to diaconate ordinations
Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – No 1st Saturday Mass due to diaconate ordinations
Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses
Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – No daily Mass this summer (starting June 2)
Note: The summer Mass schedule for Prince of Peace parish goes into effect Monday June 2nd and according to the bulletin this summer there will be no daily Latin Masses at Prince of Peace Monday-Saturday.
Travelers
are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday
Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change
without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of
obligation and other special feast days.
Special Announcement
SAVE THE DATE
TUESDAY JUNE 24, 5:00 p.m.*
FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
757 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC
Bishop Martin invites you to learn about the new Latin Mass chapel in Mooresville.
Per the Catholics News Herald,
Bishop Martin is hosting a meeting at the new Latin Mass chapel in
Mooresville (757 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC) for anyone who
would like to visit the site and learn more about the changes in how the
Latin Mass is offered in this diocese. The meeting will be held in the
hall on June 24, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.
This is your chance to see the new property, hear the bishop speak about his plans for the Latin Mass, and to ask your questions to him about the Latin Mass. Your prayers and physical presence are needed to express how much the Latin Mass matters in this diocese.
Everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.
*Although the meeting begins at 6:00 p.m., due to the heavy rush hour traffic on I-77, we advise everyone to arrive by 5:00 p.m. and join us in praying the Rosary. The address of the new Latin Mass chapel is 757 Oakridge Farm Highway, Mooresville, NC.
Announcements
First Sunday Food and Fellowship – First Sunday Food and Fellowship is this Sunday June 1 at St. Thomas Aquinas after the 11:30 a.m. Latin Mass (1:30-3:30 p.m.). All are invited!
No First Saturday Latin Mass on June 7 – There will not be a First Saturday Latin Mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint John the Baptist, or Church of the Epiphany on June 7th due to diaconate ordinations that day. Please pray for those seminarians set to be ordained that morning.
Fr. Jones appointed chaplain of the new Latin Mass chapel – Saint Ann parish announced that Fr. Brandon Jones has been appointed parochial vicar of Saint Ann parish effective July 8 and will also serve as the new chaplain of the Latin Mass chapel in Mooresville. As our many readers know Fr. Jones offered the Latin Mass regularly at St. Ann parish from 2020 thru December 2024.
We welcome Fr. Jones back to Saint Ann parish and thank Bishop Martin for appointing a great spiritual father and friend to serve as chaplain of the new chapel. We also welcome Fr. Raymond Ekosse who will be in residence at Saint Ann parish.
Let us continue to pray for our bishop and priests, entrusting them to Our Lady's care and protection. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
Diocese of Charlotte announces changes to the Latin Mass effective July 8 – The diocese, on Friday May 23, announced changes on how the Traditional Latin Mass will be offered. The changes go into effect July 8. Let us continue to pray for our bishop and priests, entrusting them to Our Lady's care and protection. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us! [New chapel being established for the Traditional Latin Mass] [Announcement Letter]
Novenas and Prayers for the Preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass
There are several prayers and novenas being offered for the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass. We include three and encourage our readers to pick one, or all of them, to pray during the remaining days of the novena.
Rosary Novena to Our Lady of Undoer of Knots (Ascension Thursday May 29 - June 6) – The Latin Mass community at Our Lady of Grace parish in Greensboro continues to pray a 9-day Rosary novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, for the Latin Mass. It runs from Ascension Thursday May 29 - Friday June 6.
The intention is: To remove all spiritual and temporal obstacles which prevent the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte.
All are invited to participate. The novena can be easily downloaded here or accessed at this website.
Novena to the Holy Ghost (Friday May 30 – Vigil of Pentecost June 7) – The Carolina Traditional Liturgy Society continues to pray our own 9-day novena to the Holy Ghost, ending on the Vigil of Pentecost Saturday June 7. The intention is the Preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte. The novena can be easily downloaded here or accessed at this website.
Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – It has been recommended to all friends of the sacred liturgy in the diocese to consider praying the powerful Holy Face chaplet, under the banner of Our Lady of the Holy Name. To pray the chaplet, please see this link.
Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV – His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a new prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church.
Prayer for Pope Leo XIV: Vicar of Christ on Earth and Shepherd of the Universal Church
O Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord of Heaven and of Earth, Our Lady of Guadalupe, guide and protect the Roman Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. Through your intercession, may he receive in abundance the grace of the Successor of Saint Peter: the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of our Bishops and of all our brothers and sisters in the Mystical Body of your Divine Son. Unite Pope Leo’s heart to your Immaculate Heart, leading him to rest his heart ever more securely in the glorious-pierced Heart of Jesus, so that he may confirm us in the Catholic faith, in the worship of God in spirit and truth, and in a good and holy Christian life.
In the tumult of the present time, keep Pope Leo securely within the hollow of your mantle, in the crossing of your arms, protecting him from Satan, the Father of Lies, and from every evil spirit. Implore Our Lord to grant him, in particular, the wisdom and courage to be a true Shepherd of the Church throughout the world. With you, I place all my trust in Christ, the Good Shepherd, Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, have mercy upon us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!
Pope Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!
PDF copies can be accessed at these links: [English] [Español] [Latin]
Prayers for Diocese of Charlotte Candidates for Ordination – There are several seminarians in the Diocese of Charlotte who are to be ordained to the transitional diaconate or priesthood next month. Please keep these men in your prayers. [Seven men to be ordained deacons June 7]
Special schedule change Sunday June 8 for Prince of Peace parish (Taylors SC) –
Per the bulletin, on Sunday June 8, Prince of Peace parish in Taylors,
SC will offer its Sunday Latin Mass (Low) at a special time of 5:00 p.m.
There will not be a 12 noon Sunday Latin Mass June 8. This is
due to the first Mass of future Father Daniel Perry, a Prince of Peace
parishioner, which will be offered earlier that morning followed by a
reception. Please pray for Deacon Perry and all those set to be ordained
in the Charleston and Charlotte dioceses in the weeks ahead.
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) Ordinations – The FSSP has posted a video of their Ordination Mass in the Extraordinary Form, in Lincoln, NE on May 28, 2025. Five new priests were ordained to the priesthood. To watch the Mass visit this link.
Holy Face Devotions
Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:
St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)
St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.
St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.
Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday, June 17, at 6:45 p.m. after Mass in the Youth Room
St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)
Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.
“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).
Latin Mass and Liturgical News
New chapel being established for the Traditional Latin Mass, Catholic News Herald (May 23, 2025). [New Chapel being established for the Traditional Latin Mass]
If God Is Lost, All Is Lost — Seek Him in Silence and Beauty at Mass by Bishop Earl K. Fernandes (Diocese of Columbus, OH), National Catholic Register (May 14, 2025). [If God Is Lost, All Is Lost]
The Architect Who Fought Modernism — and Inspired a Sacred Architecture Revival, by Jonathan Liedl, National Catholic Register (May 27, 2025). [The Architect Who Fought Modernism]
The Orate fratres and Suscipiat, by Dr. Michael P. Foley, New Liturgical Movement (May 23, 2025). [The Orate fratres and Suscipiat]
Cum Petro: Newsletter for the Confraternity of Saint Peter, Published by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (Easter-May 2025 Newsletter). [Cum Petro]
Zita: Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, by Charles Colombe, TAN Books (May 2025). [Zita: Empress of Austria]
A History of the Popes Named Leo, Part 3: The 10th Century (Leo V-VIII by Greg DiPippo, New Liturgical Movement (May 22, 2025). [A History of the Popes Named Leo Part 3]
Saints and Special Observances
St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr, was an English Benedictine monk who came to be known as the Apostle of the Germans. a well-deserved title earned over the course of 36 years devoted to the conversion of pagans in central Germany. The ever-dangerous mission to the Germanic tribes ended in martyrdom when Boniface and 50-plus companions were slaughtered in Frisia on June 5, 754.
Boniface was born around 680 into a Christian family numbered among the nobility of Devonshire. Given the name Winfrid at baptism, he resolved at an early age to pursue a religious vocation. His early education was provided by the monks of the abbey at Exeter. He completed his studies at the abbey of Bursling in the Diocese of Winchester. His academic achievements there were such that upon graduation he was appointed head of the school.
Ordained to the sacred priesthood at the age of 30, Winfrid felt drawn to missionary work in foreign lands. He made an abortive trip to Friesland with two companions, only to find that war was raging in that country between the forces of two powerful dukes opposed to one another on the question of religion. Beating a retreat to Bursling, Winfrid stifled an effort to make him abbot and set off for Rome to seek papal authorization for the missionary work he still hoped to undertake.
Pope Gregory II welcomed Winfrid to Rome and kept him there until spring before sending him forth with a new name, Boniface, and a general commission to convert the heathen peoples of Europe. His missionary journey took Boniface across the Alps into Bavaria and on to Hesse before he settled in Friesland for three years under the protection of two powerful chieftains who had been baptized but left uninstructed in the Faith. His success during that period was so notable that the Pope recalled him to Rome for the purpose of making him a bishop.
On the feast of St. Andrew, November 30th in the year 722, Boniface was consecrated bishop with jurisdiction over “the races in the parts of Germany and east of the Rhine who live in error, in the shadow of death.” Pope Gregory II also gave him a letter commending him to the care and protection of Charles Martel. Buttressed by the support of both the Pope in Rome and the ruler of the Franks, Boniface decided to launch a frontal assault on the pagan customs of the Hessian people. Taking an axe to the sacred oak of Thor, he managed to fell the mighty tree with the assistance of one or two companions. When Thor failed to exact immediate retribution, the people turned away from the pagan god and accepted the God of Christianity.
Boniface built a chapel on the site of his triumph over Thor and added a second monastery to the one he had established on his first foray into Hesse. Monks and nuns flocked to the Continent from England to support his work. In 731 Pope Gregory III made him archbishop and named him metropolitan of all Germany beyond the Rhine with authority to create new bishops within that country.
After a third trip to Rome, Boniface created a number of new dioceses in Germany, installing an English monk as bishop in each. In 741 the great Benedictine abbey at Fulda was founded to serve as the center of monastic culture among the Germanic peoples. Charles Martel passed away in the same year, and Boniface convinced his successors to convoke a synod for the purpose of addressing errors and abuses in the Frankish churches that had taken root during the reign of the late king. Presiding over that synod and several that followed in the next five years, Boniface succeeded in bringing about substantial reforms that restored the Church in Gaul to its former state of solid faith and fidelity to Rome.
Having been appointed apostolic legate, as well as primate of Germany, it was Boniface who crowned Pepin king at Soissons in 751. Now more than 70 years old, but still driven by missionary zeal, he sailed down the Rhine with 50 companions to revisit the scene of his first conversions to Christianity in Friesland. Having won new converts among tribes located northeast of Utrecht, Boniface planned a special confirmation ceremony on Whitsun Eve. He was reading in his tent, awaiting the arrival of the new converts, when a band of armed pagans suddenly appeared in the missionary encampment. Boniface ordered his companions not to resist; and all were speedily deprived of their lives in this world, winning that higher life which is the martyr’s reward.
St. Boniface’s body was retrieved for burial at Fulda where it remains to this day. His extensive literary output includes a copious collection of letters valued for the light they shine on the history of the Church in Europe and the development of dogma during the eighth century.
Closing Commentary
We close with a commentary on “The Ascension of Our Lord” excerpted from The Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB. Please use the link following the excerpt to access the full text of this excellent commentary.
The Ascension of Our Lord
The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendor. The earth, which shook with gladness at the Birth of our Emmanuel, now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The Angelic Choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their Princes stand at the Gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty Conqueror’s approach. The holy souls that were liberated from Limbo on the morning of the Resurrection are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when Heaven’s gate, closed by Adam’s sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer:—a few hours more, and then to Heaven! Meanwhile, our Risen Jesus has to visit his Disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left, for some years longer, in this vale of tears.
They are in the Cenacle, impatiently awaiting his coming. Suddenly he appears in their midst. Of the Mother’s joy, who would dare to speak? As to the Disciples and the holy Women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, who has come down to take his leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them; he even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of his Resurrection, for he knows that they have no further doubts of the mystery—but now that he is about to sit at the right hand of the Father, he would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. O admirable repast! in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus, and in which the Church (represented by the Disciples and the holy Women) is honored by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse.
What tongue could describe the respect, the recollected mien, the attention of the guests? With what love must they not have rived their eyes on the dear Master? They long to hear him speak; his parting words will be so treasured! He does not keep them long in suspense; he speaks, but his language is not what they perhaps expected it to be—all affection. He begins by reminding them of the incredulity wherewith they heard of his Resurrection. He is going to entrust his Apostles with the most sublime mission ever given to man; he would, therefore, prepare them for it by humbling them. A few days hence, and they are to be lights of the world; the world must believe what they preach, believe it on their word, believe it without having seen, believe what the Apostles alone have seen. It is by Faith that man approaches his God: they themselves were once without it, and Jesus would have them now express their sorrow for their former incredulity, and thus base their Apostolate on humility.
Then assuming a tone of authority, such as none but a God could take, he says to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not, shall be condemned. And how shall they accomplish this mission of preaching the Gospel to the whole world? how shall they persuade men to believe their word? By Miracles. And these signs, continues Jesus, shall follow them that believe: in my name, they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. He would have Miracles to be the foundation of his Church, just as he had made them the argument of his own divine mission. The suspension of the laws of nature proves to us that it is God who speaks; we must receive the word, and humbly believe it.
Here, then, we have men unknown to the world and devoid of every human means, and yet commissioned to conquer the earth and make it acknowledge Jesus as its King! The world ignores their very existence. Tiberius, who sits on the imperial throne, trembling at every shadow of conspiracy, little suspects that there is being prepared an expedition which is to conquer the Roman Empire. But these warriors must have their armor, and the armor must be of heaven’s own tempering. Jesus tells them that they are to receive it a few days hence. Stay, says he, in the city, till ye be endued with power from on high. But what is this armor? Jesus explains it to them. He reminds them of the Father’s promise, that promise, says he, which he have heard by my mouth: for John, indeed, baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
But the hour of separation is Come. Jesus rises: his blessed Mother, and the hundred and twenty persons assembled there, prepare to follow him. The Cenacle is situated on Mount Sion, which is one of the two hills within the walls of Jerusalem. The holy group traverses the city, making for the eastern Gate, which opens on the Valley of Josaphat. It is the last time that Jesus walks through the faithless City. He is invincible to the eyes of the people who denied him, but visible to his Disciples, and goes before them as, heretofore, the pillar of fire led on the Israelites. How beautiful and imposing a sight!—Mary, the Disciples, and the holy Women, accompanying Jesus in his Heavenward journey, which is to lead him to the right hand of his Eternal Father! It was commemorated in the Middle Ages by a solemn Procession before the Mass of Ascension Day. What happy times were those, when Christians took delight in honoring every action of our Redeemer! They could not be satisfied, as we are, with a few vague notions, which can produce nothing but an equally vague devotion.
They reflected on the thoughts which Mary must have had during these last moments of her Son’s presence. They used to ask themselves, which of the two sentiments were uppermost in her maternal heart—sadness, that she was to see her Jesus no more? or joy, that he was now going to enter into the glory he so infinitely deserved? The answer was soon found: had not Jesus said to his Disciples: If ye loved me, ye would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father? Now, who loved Jesus as Mary did? The Mother’s heart, then, was full of joy at parting with him. How was she to think of herself, when there was question of the triumph of her Son and her God? Could she that he witnessed the scene of Calvary do less than desire to see Him glorified, whom she knew to be the Sovereign Lord of all things—Him whom, but a short time ago, she had seen rejected by his people, blasphemed, and dying the most ignominious and cruel of deaths?
The holy group has traversed the Valley of Josaphat; it has crossed the brook Cedron, and is moving onwards to Mount Olivet. What recollections would crowd on the mind! This torrent, of which Jesus had drunk on the day of his humiliation, is now the path he takes to triumph and glory. The Royal Prophet had foretold it. On their left are the Garden and Cave, where he suffered his Agony and accepted the bitter Chalice of his Passion. After having come as far as what St. Luke calls the distance of the journey allowed to the Jews on a sabbath day, they are close to Bethania, that favored village, where Jesus used to accept hospitality at the hands of Lazarus and his two Sisters. This part of Mount Olivet commands a view of Jerusalem. The sight of its Temple and Palaces makes the Disciples proud of their earthly city: they have forgotten the curse uttered against her; they seem to have forgotten, too, that Jesus has just made them citizens and conquerors of the whole world. They begin to dream of the earthly grandeur of Jerusalem and, turning to their Divine Master, they venture to ask him this question: Lord, wilt thou, at this time, restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus answers them with a tone of severity: It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father hath put in his own power. These words do not destroy the hope that Jerusalem is to be restored by the Christian Israel; but as this is not to happen till the world is drawing towards its end, there is nothing that requires our Savior’s revealing the secret. What ought to be uppermost in the mind of the Disciples is the conversion of the pagan world—the establishing the Church. Jesus reminds them of the mission he has just given to them: Ye shall receive, says he, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth.
According to a tradition, which has been handed down from the earliest ages of Christianity, it is mid-day—the same hour that he had been raised up, when nailed to his Cross. Giving his Blessed Mother a look of filial affection, and another of fond farewell to the rest of the group that stand around him, Jesus raises up his hands and blesses them all. While thus blessing them, he is raised up from the ground whereon he stands, and ascends into heaven. Their eyes follow him, until a cloud comes and receives him out of their sight. [The Ascension of Our Lord]