Sanctæ Mariæ Sabbato

The phrase "Sanctæ Mariæ Sabbato" is Latin and it is associated with the Catholic Church's tradition of dedicating Saturdays to the Virgin Mary¹. This phrase translates to "Holy Mary on Saturday" or "Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday".

This observance occurs on all Saturdays that are Ferias (i.e., IV class), which means whenever there is no feast on a Saturday, it becomes a "Sancta Maria in Sabbato". This tradition emphasizes certain values such as the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, strengthened by faith and hope, held vigil in expectation of the Lord's resurrection¹. It also serves as a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ.

This tradition is observed in the Divine Office (also known as the Liturgy of the Hours or the Roman Breviary) of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church¹. The Divine Office is a set of prayers that priests, religious and some lay people say at different times of the day to sanctify the day and fulfill the command of Christ to pray without ceasing.

I added a hymn titled "The God whom earth, and sea, and sky". This hymn is often sung in religious services.

The God whom earth, and sea, and sky

Adore, and laud, and magnify,

Who o'er their threefold fabric reigns,

The Virgin's spotless womb contains.



The God, whose will by moon and sun

And all things in due course is done,

Is borne upon a maiden's breast,

By fullest heavenly grace possest,



How blest that mother, in whose shrine

The great artificer divine,

Whose hand contains the earth and sky,

Vouchsafed, as in his ark, to lie.



Blest, in the message Gabriel brought;

Blest, by the work the Spirit wrought;

From whom the great desire of earth

Took human flesh and human birth.



All honour, laud, and glory be,

O Jesu, Virgin-born to thee;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete.



Amen.

The hymn is a beautiful expression of the Christian belief in the Incarnation, the doctrine that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. The hymn speaks of the divine ("The God whom earth, and sea, and sky Adore, and laud, and magnify") being contained within the Virgin Mary's womb ("The Virgin's spotless womb contains"). It also highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in the conception of Jesus ("Blest, by the work the Spirit wrought").

The hymn ends with a doxology, a short hymn of praise to the Christian Trinity: Jesus ("O Jesu, Virgin-born to thee"), the Father, and the Holy Spirit ("Paraclete")

. This hymn was originally written by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609) and later translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). It is often sung to the tune of "Eisenach" by Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630), harmonised by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).

It's a beautiful hymn that encapsulates key aspects of Christian theology and devotion.

Question on "Sancta Maria in Sabbato" : r/divineoffice - Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/divineoffice/comments/t1u0y8/question_on_sancta_maria_in_sabbato/.

(1) The God whom earth and sea and sky | Hymnary.org. https://hymnary.org/text/the_god_whom_earth_and_sea_and_sky.

(2) The God Whom Earth And Sea And Sky (Eisenach, Organ, 4 Verses) - Hymns .... https://play.hymnswithoutwords.com/the-god-whom-earth-and-sea-and-sky/.

(3) Here I Am, Lord - GodTube. https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/here-i-am-lord/.

(4) The God whom earth and sea and sky - Traditional Music. https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/hymn-lyrics/pdf/the_god_whom_earth_and_sea_and_sky-lyrics.pdf.

(5) The God Whom Earth, and Sea, and Sky - hymntime.com. http://hymntime.com/tch/htm/g/w/e/s/gwesasky.htm.