Each day during Lent has, traditionally, assigned a church in Rome called a “station”. In ancient times the people and clergy would process singing litanies to the station church for Mass. This Sunday’s station is Rome’s cathedral, St John Lateran.
“Concede nobis, omnipotens Deus, ut, per annua quadragesimalis exercitia sacramenti, et ad intellegendum Christi proficiamus arcanum, et effectus eius digna conversatione sectemur.”
Quadragesima (“fortieth”) is the Latin word for the season of Lent. St Leo the Great (d 461) described Lent as quadragesimale ieiunium, “the Forty Fast”. Exercitium indicates military and other practices for preparedness – “exercises”. Arcanum means something that is “closed”, “a secret thing or place”. It refers to sacred rites, sanctuaries and mysteries. Conversatio, which tricks the unwary who equate it with the English “conversation”, is “manner of living”. Think of “crim. con.” and “conduct, intercourse”.
