From St John XXIII’s opening address to the Second Vatican Council, 59 years ago today:
The Council now beginning rises in the Church like daybreak, a forerunner of most splendid light. It is now only dawn. And already at this first announcement of the rising day, how much sweetness fills our heart. Everything here breathes sanctity and arouses great joy. Let us contemplate the stars, which with their brightness augment the majesty of this temple. These stars, according to the testimony of the Apostle John (Revelation 1:20), are you, and with you we see shining around the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, the golden candelabra.