*Solemn Traditional Latin Mass in Cleveland is a fitting honor to Our Lady of Mercy.
*SSPX superiors to meet in order to discuss the preamble on October 7th and 8th.
*El Paso priest reassigned for preaching against homosexuality.
*Solemn Traditional Latin Mass for the Feast Day of Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria slated for October in Washington, D.C.
*Legal persecution of Catholics already here under the guise of "human rights".
*You CatholicCulture.org, Adoremus, EWTN conservative, novus ordo Catholics need to wake up. The "reform of the reform" is a complete joke, and convenient fantasy, and a happy lie that makes you feel good about the ruination of the mainstream Church.
*Bishop Fellay of the SSPX: The Fraternity will not sign a text that is not clear.
*Division in the ranks of Pro-Lifers over the use of graphic images of aborted babies.
*Rorate Cæli makes the argument that any real "reform of the reform" has to begin with reforming the manner in which Holy Communion is handled. (I think it must begin with abrogating the Ordinary Form.)
*The Legionaries of Christ force founder Jesus Colina out of Zenit. Colina brings up the Legionaries' culture of cover up and hints at financial corruption in regards to donations to Zenit. Why anyone would have anything to do with the Legionaries of Christ or their various money making ventures is beyond me.
*If there's one thing the modern Magisterium is good at, it's silence.
*News flash, Jenkins, Obama was never your friend. This is what happens when idiots like Fr. Jenkins care more about their reputations than their faith.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
TradNews Roundup
*Catholic priest suspended for telling Catholics what the Church teaches about abortion, cohabitation, and homosexuality. He apparently wasn't "pastoral" enough. How many priests and bishops are going to rot in hell for being "pastoral"?
*Solemn High Mass on Saturday, September 24, in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, in Cleveland, Ohio.
*Pilgrimage to Aylesford's Priory slated for October in the UK.
*Request for the Traditional Latin Mass could give new life to a closed church in Streator, Illinois (Diocese of Peoria).
*Gregorian Chant Workshop slated for October in Los Angeles. (pdf)
*Regularization of the SSPX fraught with possible pitfalls. Please pray for Bishop Fellay and the other bishops and priests of the society.
*Louie Verrecchio's take on the SSPX communiqué from the CDF.
*Addition of new saints and prefaces to the 1962 missal could be coming soon.
*Bishop Blase Cupich encourages priests and seminarians not to participate in prayer vigils outside abortion mills. When I was a seminarian at the Josephinum, Cupich was the rector there, and I know from personal experience that Msgr. Blase Cupich was, at least at that time, an ecclesiastical climber whose chief concern was his image. I never trusted him. He was also opposed to the Traditional Latin Mass when bishop of Rapid City. So this is no surprise to me at all.
*Ah, the spin at CatholicCulture.org! Is there no end to it? CatholicCulture ignores the fact that there is no Traditional Latin Mass in San Rafael Tlanalapan, Mexico... so they just leave the term "traditional Catholic" inaccurately hanging. (The term "traditionalist Catholic" originates from the Compass Direct article, and is not used by either the bishops of Mexico or the indigenous people.) No TLM, no traditional Catholics... just simple, NOVUS ORDO Catholics (who apparently practice an odd blend of "indigenous and Catholic rituals").
*Ahhh, those fruits of Vatican II! More practicing Muslims in France than practicing Catholics.
*Homosexuals exhibit just how twisted and hate filled they are.
*Perverts of a feather fly together. Why homosexuals support abortion.
*Archbishop Dolan warns Obama that he and Catholic bishops could be on a collision course due to Barry's attack on DOMA.
*Entitled not to suffer natural disasters? Someone has to pay, might as well be the scientists. Is this the "Inquisition of the Holy Entitlement"?
*CIA agents... err... I mean hikers (yeah... "hikers", because hiking along the Iranian border is every American hiker's dream come true! Why just the other day I saw a travel agency add for a vacation package to the Iraq/Iran border... sure happens all the time!) were released from an Iranian prison. (I know, not the kind of news you would expect here, but this whole "hiker" thing has become a pet peeve of mine.)
*Solemn High Mass on Saturday, September 24, in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, in Cleveland, Ohio.
*Pilgrimage to Aylesford's Priory slated for October in the UK.
*Request for the Traditional Latin Mass could give new life to a closed church in Streator, Illinois (Diocese of Peoria).
*Gregorian Chant Workshop slated for October in Los Angeles. (pdf)
*Regularization of the SSPX fraught with possible pitfalls. Please pray for Bishop Fellay and the other bishops and priests of the society.
*Louie Verrecchio's take on the SSPX communiqué from the CDF.
*Addition of new saints and prefaces to the 1962 missal could be coming soon.
*Bishop Blase Cupich encourages priests and seminarians not to participate in prayer vigils outside abortion mills. When I was a seminarian at the Josephinum, Cupich was the rector there, and I know from personal experience that Msgr. Blase Cupich was, at least at that time, an ecclesiastical climber whose chief concern was his image. I never trusted him. He was also opposed to the Traditional Latin Mass when bishop of Rapid City. So this is no surprise to me at all.
*Ah, the spin at CatholicCulture.org! Is there no end to it? CatholicCulture ignores the fact that there is no Traditional Latin Mass in San Rafael Tlanalapan, Mexico... so they just leave the term "traditional Catholic" inaccurately hanging. (The term "traditionalist Catholic" originates from the Compass Direct article, and is not used by either the bishops of Mexico or the indigenous people.) No TLM, no traditional Catholics... just simple, NOVUS ORDO Catholics (who apparently practice an odd blend of "indigenous and Catholic rituals").
*Ahhh, those fruits of Vatican II! More practicing Muslims in France than practicing Catholics.
*Homosexuals exhibit just how twisted and hate filled they are.
*Perverts of a feather fly together. Why homosexuals support abortion.
*Archbishop Dolan warns Obama that he and Catholic bishops could be on a collision course due to Barry's attack on DOMA.
*Entitled not to suffer natural disasters? Someone has to pay, might as well be the scientists. Is this the "Inquisition of the Holy Entitlement"?
*CIA agents... err... I mean hikers (yeah... "hikers", because hiking along the Iranian border is every American hiker's dream come true! Why just the other day I saw a travel agency add for a vacation package to the Iraq/Iran border... sure happens all the time!) were released from an Iranian prison. (I know, not the kind of news you would expect here, but this whole "hiker" thing has become a pet peeve of mine.)
Please offer a rosary today in reparation
From Pope Benedict XVI's address to the representatives of the Jewish Community in Berlin we find these troubling words:
Is Christianity nothing more than a simple "rereading of the biblical texts" that stands against other equally valid readings, as the pope suggests? Are we to believe now that in order to understand God's will and word aright we need to consult readings of the biblical texts from outside our august religion?
These notions certainly need to be clarified, especially in light of the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church that all truth necessary for the salvation of our souls resides in our Holy Catholic religion. In comparison, the Holy Father's words and the ideas that seem to be conveyed, seem to amount to rank indifferentism and liberalism.
I'm not suggesting that certain truths of our religion can not be appertained in other religions, much less Judaism, but they can be appertained only as remnants left behind, like ashes from a fire. To attain to these same truths, to understand them aright, one needs go to the fire and not to what the fire has left behind, so to speak. We have been given only one Master and Lord, Jesus Christ, and He founded a Church that contains the only way to salvation, and that Church is the Holy Catholic Church. What remnants of truth, which are contained fully and clearly in the teachings of Christ proclaimed by His Church, that can be found in modern Talmudic Judaism is at best truncated and obscured. Why then should Catholics need to engage in a dialogue with modern Talmudic Judaism to come to understand God's will aright? Such a notion runs totally counter to what the Church has always taught, and stinks of liberalism.
This certainly needs to be clarified, but such a clarification probably will not be forthcoming anytime soon, thus the faithful will once again be subjected to the post-Council confusion that has so marked this painful era of the Church Militant.
So in the meantime, please offer at least one rosary in reparation.
The message of hope contained in the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament has been appropriated and continued in different ways by Jews and Christians. “After centuries of antagonism, we now see it as our task to bring these two ways of rereading the biblical texts – the Christian way and the Jewish way – into dialogue with one another, if we are to understand God’s will and his word aright” (Jesus of Nazareth. Part Two: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, pp. 33f.).
Is Christianity nothing more than a simple "rereading of the biblical texts" that stands against other equally valid readings, as the pope suggests? Are we to believe now that in order to understand God's will and word aright we need to consult readings of the biblical texts from outside our august religion?
These notions certainly need to be clarified, especially in light of the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church that all truth necessary for the salvation of our souls resides in our Holy Catholic religion. In comparison, the Holy Father's words and the ideas that seem to be conveyed, seem to amount to rank indifferentism and liberalism.
I'm not suggesting that certain truths of our religion can not be appertained in other religions, much less Judaism, but they can be appertained only as remnants left behind, like ashes from a fire. To attain to these same truths, to understand them aright, one needs go to the fire and not to what the fire has left behind, so to speak. We have been given only one Master and Lord, Jesus Christ, and He founded a Church that contains the only way to salvation, and that Church is the Holy Catholic Church. What remnants of truth, which are contained fully and clearly in the teachings of Christ proclaimed by His Church, that can be found in modern Talmudic Judaism is at best truncated and obscured. Why then should Catholics need to engage in a dialogue with modern Talmudic Judaism to come to understand God's will aright? Such a notion runs totally counter to what the Church has always taught, and stinks of liberalism.
This certainly needs to be clarified, but such a clarification probably will not be forthcoming anytime soon, thus the faithful will once again be subjected to the post-Council confusion that has so marked this painful era of the Church Militant.
So in the meantime, please offer at least one rosary in reparation.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Excellent article on Ember Days
Our friends at Rorate Coeli have posted an excellent essay by Michael P. Foley concerning the meaning of ember days and their significance. Please take a moment to click over and read.
THE GLOW OF THE EMBER DAYS
"...My point is not to deny the validity of these anxieties, but to lament the neo-pagan framework into which they are more often than not put. Modern man is such a mess that when he finally recovers a love of nature, he does so in a most unnatural manner. Both the early modern antipathy to nature and the late modern idolatry of it stand in dire need of correction, a correction that the Church is well poised to provide. As Chesterton quipped, Christians can truly love nature because they will not worship her. The Church proclaims nature’s goodness because it was created by a good and loving God and because it sacramentally reflects the grandeur of God’s goodness and love.
"The Church does this liturgically with its observance of the “Four Seasons,” the Embertides. Celebrating the Ember days does not, of course, provide ready solutions to the world’s complicated ecological difficulties, but it is a good refresher course in basic first principles. The Ember days offer an intelligent alternative to pantheist environmentalism, and they do so without being contrived or pandering, as a new Catholic “Earth Day” or some such thing would undoubtedly be.
"It is a shame that the Church unwittingly let the glow of Embertide die at the precise moment in history when their witness was needed the most, but it is a great boon that Summorum Pontificum makes their celebration universally accessible once again. What remains is for a new generation to take up their practice with a reinvigorated appreciation of what they mean. At least then we’ll know why we are so furious."
THE GLOW OF THE EMBER DAYS
"...My point is not to deny the validity of these anxieties, but to lament the neo-pagan framework into which they are more often than not put. Modern man is such a mess that when he finally recovers a love of nature, he does so in a most unnatural manner. Both the early modern antipathy to nature and the late modern idolatry of it stand in dire need of correction, a correction that the Church is well poised to provide. As Chesterton quipped, Christians can truly love nature because they will not worship her. The Church proclaims nature’s goodness because it was created by a good and loving God and because it sacramentally reflects the grandeur of God’s goodness and love.
"The Church does this liturgically with its observance of the “Four Seasons,” the Embertides. Celebrating the Ember days does not, of course, provide ready solutions to the world’s complicated ecological difficulties, but it is a good refresher course in basic first principles. The Ember days offer an intelligent alternative to pantheist environmentalism, and they do so without being contrived or pandering, as a new Catholic “Earth Day” or some such thing would undoubtedly be.
"It is a shame that the Church unwittingly let the glow of Embertide die at the precise moment in history when their witness was needed the most, but it is a great boon that Summorum Pontificum makes their celebration universally accessible once again. What remains is for a new generation to take up their practice with a reinvigorated appreciation of what they mean. At least then we’ll know why we are so furious."
Saturday, September 17, 2011
TradNews Roundup
TradNews Roundup is back!
*Solemn High Mass in Duluth. Deo Gratias!
*It's The Passion of the Christ all over again!! Traditional Catholics will take to the streets and lynch Jews! RUN!! High Schmuck Abe Foxman and his cronies are "concerned" about gesture to SSPX. Were we expecting anything less from these Pro-Semite-Anti-Everybody-Else putzes and schlemiels? (Pardon my Yiddish, once again.)
*Second Annual Conference for Catholic Tradition to be hosted by Angelus Press in Kansas City.
*Catholic Hospitals in Texas are more beholden to NARAL than the bishops or the Catholic faith, and decide to administer abortifacient drugs. Springtime of the Church?
*Fr. Pavone roundup at LifeSite News. It is my strong suspicion that Priests for Life is a target of influential liberals in the American Catholic Church as they attempt to silence Catholic Pro-Lifers in the months leading up to the presidential election. I'm sure I'm not the only who thinks it's quite the coincidence that Bishop Zurek is asking people to stop giving to Priests for Life right when they need funding to get the message out about the most pro-abortion president this nation has ever had.
*That being said... There are some distressing things about Fr. Pavone's demeanor, and some things that he is saying that reminds me, quite frankly, of that crazy hack, John Corapi, and Ed Peters does a good job articulating what I find troubling. This was particularly well said:
*Solemn High Mass in Duluth. Deo Gratias!
*It's The Passion of the Christ all over again!! Traditional Catholics will take to the streets and lynch Jews! RUN!! High Schmuck Abe Foxman and his cronies are "concerned" about gesture to SSPX. Were we expecting anything less from these Pro-Semite-Anti-Everybody-Else putzes and schlemiels? (Pardon my Yiddish, once again.)
*Second Annual Conference for Catholic Tradition to be hosted by Angelus Press in Kansas City.
*Catholic Hospitals in Texas are more beholden to NARAL than the bishops or the Catholic faith, and decide to administer abortifacient drugs. Springtime of the Church?
*Fr. Pavone roundup at LifeSite News. It is my strong suspicion that Priests for Life is a target of influential liberals in the American Catholic Church as they attempt to silence Catholic Pro-Lifers in the months leading up to the presidential election. I'm sure I'm not the only who thinks it's quite the coincidence that Bishop Zurek is asking people to stop giving to Priests for Life right when they need funding to get the message out about the most pro-abortion president this nation has ever had.
*That being said... There are some distressing things about Fr. Pavone's demeanor, and some things that he is saying that reminds me, quite frankly, of that crazy hack, John Corapi, and Ed Peters does a good job articulating what I find troubling. This was particularly well said:
Pavone: [It’s distressing to have to endure] disruption to a mission which is at the core of my life.Well, Dr. Peters will probably never be willing to say it, but I will: Too many Vatican II, EWTN priests are out of control! It's time to put a stop to the EWTN celebrity priests. They are simply too much of a liability.
Peters: Stop. Something is seriously askew here. Nothing, not even the most visible (and arguably the most effective) pro-life work in the world, is at the “core” of any priest’s life; nothing is there, besides the High Priest Jesus Christ. That is no pious platitude. For any priest, religious or diocesan, to assert before the world that anything is at the core of his life besides the Son of God is very disturbing.
Post-Council, the natural son of the Council
Please visit Dici for a facinating look at Msgr. Brunero Gherardini's Vatican Council II: a Debate That Has Not Taken Place, a sequel to his The Ecumenical Council Vatican II: a Debate To Be Opened.
Msgr. Brunero Gherardini:
Msgr. Brunero Gherardini:
If we wish only to blame the post-Council, so be it, for it is not at all free of wrongs. But also, we must not forget that it is the natural son of the Council, and that it is into the Council that it has found the principles upon which it has then founded its most devastating contents, to the point to exhausting them.
Côme Prévigny of the SSPX speaks out at Rorate Cæli
A voice from the SSPX speaks out at Rorate Cæli regarding the CDF communiqué concerning the meeting between Cardinal William Levada and Bishop Bernard Fellay:
Essentially this interpretation is the same as that presented here at Ars Orandi, as an essential acquiesce to the traditionalist critique of the Second Vatican Council. However, Prévigny puts it even more startlingly, as a liberation from the Second Vatican Council as the "alpha and omega of the life of the Church" so that Catholics can once again focus on what is essential to the faith.
In short, Catholics are free from the endless interpretations proffered for the various ambiguities of Vatican II, and the fear of accepting an interpretation that is not in line with the thinking of the Church. This, of course, means an end to the charlatans who have made careers for themselves out of interpreting the Second Vatican Council (such as Dr. Jeff Mirus here and here). The communiqué opens the door wider for the faith to once again be presented, not as an interpretation, or an interpretation of an interpretation, but as it truly is, the voice of Christ enunciated by Holy Mother Church.
For while no Pope could free a Catholic from the decisions of dogmatic Councils, the Pope, by way of the text of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, liberates the souls from those of a pastoral Council. From now on, one may be of the Church without holding on to the controversial points of Vatican II. In 2007, the helmsman of the Church had already undermined the monopoly held by the Novus Ordo. Four years later, he removes from the Conciliar doctrine its non-negotiable character and its exclusivity. It is not any longer the alpha and the omega of the life of the Church; that life is now once again refocused on its object: Faith.
Essentially this interpretation is the same as that presented here at Ars Orandi, as an essential acquiesce to the traditionalist critique of the Second Vatican Council. However, Prévigny puts it even more startlingly, as a liberation from the Second Vatican Council as the "alpha and omega of the life of the Church" so that Catholics can once again focus on what is essential to the faith.
In short, Catholics are free from the endless interpretations proffered for the various ambiguities of Vatican II, and the fear of accepting an interpretation that is not in line with the thinking of the Church. This, of course, means an end to the charlatans who have made careers for themselves out of interpreting the Second Vatican Council (such as Dr. Jeff Mirus here and here). The communiqué opens the door wider for the faith to once again be presented, not as an interpretation, or an interpretation of an interpretation, but as it truly is, the voice of Christ enunciated by Holy Mother Church.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Blessed Aiello: "They are entering the Vatican! What a horrible scene!"
Our Lady to Blessed Elena Aiello, Good Friday, 1961:
“Russia, spurred on by Satan, will seek to dominate the whole world and, by bloody revolutions, will propagate her false teachings throughout all the nations, especially in Italy. The Church will be persecuted and the Pope and the priests shall suffer much.”
Blessed Elena Aiello describes the vision she had:
“Oh, what a horrible vision I see! A great revolution is going on in Rome! They are entering the Vatican. The Pope is all alone; he is praying. They are holding the Pope. They take him by force. They knock him down to the floor. They are tying him. Oh, God! Oh God! They are kicking him. What a horrible scene! How dreadful!”
The Second Vatican Council.
Is this how "they" entered the Vatican? It has long been conjectured that the Soviet Union used the liberals of the Council to infiltrate the Church.
“Russia, spurred on by Satan, will seek to dominate the whole world and, by bloody revolutions, will propagate her false teachings throughout all the nations, especially in Italy. The Church will be persecuted and the Pope and the priests shall suffer much.”
Blessed Elena Aiello describes the vision she had:
“Oh, what a horrible vision I see! A great revolution is going on in Rome! They are entering the Vatican. The Pope is all alone; he is praying. They are holding the Pope. They take him by force. They knock him down to the floor. They are tying him. Oh, God! Oh God! They are kicking him. What a horrible scene! How dreadful!”
The Second Vatican Council.Is this how "they" entered the Vatican? It has long been conjectured that the Soviet Union used the liberals of the Council to infiltrate the Church.
St. Cyprian: Peter is the Key to Unity
He that keeps not the unity of the Church, does he think to keep the faith? He that abandons the See of Peter whereon the Church is founded, can he flatter himself that he is still in the Church?--St. Cyprian
Please join me in praying that the Lord will sharpen the minds and soften the hearts of the bishops of the Fraternity of St. Pius X, and please ask the martyrs Cornelius and Cyprian, on this their feast day, to watch over these bishops and all the priests of the Society and beseech the Lord on their behalf.
The See of Peter is under attack. God forbid that the bishops and priests of the SSPX abandon the See of Peter in this time of trial.
The See of Peter is under attack. God forbid that the bishops and priests of the SSPX abandon the See of Peter in this time of trial.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Jumping to conclusions and twisting the facts... liberals and neo-cons up to their old tricks
John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter still insists that no reconciliation will be reached between the SSPX and the Vatican, even though there's no evidence that the SSPX will outright reject the preamble. While I admit there's certainly no evidence that Bishop Fellay or the other bishops of the SSPX (especially Bishop Williamson) will sign off on the preamble, there's no evidence that they won't.
John Allen bases his negative conjecture on the words of the SSPX district superior of Italy who was interviewed before the meeting and before we knew anything about it. Fr. Davide Pagliarani's words in that interview hardly have any relevance regarding a document the contents of which John Allen hasn't a clue. Besides, when Fr. Pagliarani states that there are errors in the Church he's hardly stating something outrageous or unbelievable... unless, of course, you write for the National Heretic Reporter, err... National Catholic Reporter. For all we know, the preamble may even state that the Church is rife with error and may call out the NCR by name as one of the primary reasons!
The point is, John Allen doesn't know what's in the preamble and he doesn't know what Bishop Fellay is thinking, thus the only basis for his negativism is his own prejudices. If the SSPX finds nothing objectionable in the preamble, then that means to a man like John Allen that the Vatican is on the side of the SSPX, and there's nothing to be feared more than that in the minds of the liberals over at NCR.
The same holds true for Jeff Mirus over at CatholicCulture.org. Again CatholicCulture has reported, without any basis in fact, that the preamble demands an acceptance of the "core teachings of Vatican II" even though the Vatican communiqué says nothing about the core teachings of Vatican II being a condition in the preamble.
Once again, Mirus and the neo-con gang over at CatholicCulture.org have no idea what is in the preamble, thus their insistence that an "acceptance of Vatican II" must be in the preamble comes from their own prejudices. If the documents of Vatican II are not essential and necessary elements of the faith (de fide), if the preamble does not contain any mention of having to accept any Vatican II teaching as de fide (unless of course it simply repeats an already defined dogma), then Mirus has to admit he has been wrong, and Vatican II is not the litmus test of true Catholicism and obedience.
Traditionalists already feel vindicated by just the contents of the communiqué, and this whether or not the SSPX bishops sign off on the preamble. A victory has already been won for the Church in the fight against Modernism. Thus, it's no wonder that the Modernists are digging in their heels. They aren't going to give up. However, it is obvious that the thick skulls at the liberal National Catholic Reporter and the neo-cons over at CatholicCulture.org are having to either jump to conclusions or twist the facts in order to cover up their hand ringing.
John Allen bases his negative conjecture on the words of the SSPX district superior of Italy who was interviewed before the meeting and before we knew anything about it. Fr. Davide Pagliarani's words in that interview hardly have any relevance regarding a document the contents of which John Allen hasn't a clue. Besides, when Fr. Pagliarani states that there are errors in the Church he's hardly stating something outrageous or unbelievable... unless, of course, you write for the National Heretic Reporter, err... National Catholic Reporter. For all we know, the preamble may even state that the Church is rife with error and may call out the NCR by name as one of the primary reasons!
The point is, John Allen doesn't know what's in the preamble and he doesn't know what Bishop Fellay is thinking, thus the only basis for his negativism is his own prejudices. If the SSPX finds nothing objectionable in the preamble, then that means to a man like John Allen that the Vatican is on the side of the SSPX, and there's nothing to be feared more than that in the minds of the liberals over at NCR.
The same holds true for Jeff Mirus over at CatholicCulture.org. Again CatholicCulture has reported, without any basis in fact, that the preamble demands an acceptance of the "core teachings of Vatican II" even though the Vatican communiqué says nothing about the core teachings of Vatican II being a condition in the preamble.
Once again, Mirus and the neo-con gang over at CatholicCulture.org have no idea what is in the preamble, thus their insistence that an "acceptance of Vatican II" must be in the preamble comes from their own prejudices. If the documents of Vatican II are not essential and necessary elements of the faith (de fide), if the preamble does not contain any mention of having to accept any Vatican II teaching as de fide (unless of course it simply repeats an already defined dogma), then Mirus has to admit he has been wrong, and Vatican II is not the litmus test of true Catholicism and obedience.
Traditionalists already feel vindicated by just the contents of the communiqué, and this whether or not the SSPX bishops sign off on the preamble. A victory has already been won for the Church in the fight against Modernism. Thus, it's no wonder that the Modernists are digging in their heels. They aren't going to give up. However, it is obvious that the thick skulls at the liberal National Catholic Reporter and the neo-cons over at CatholicCulture.org are having to either jump to conclusions or twist the facts in order to cover up their hand ringing.
Blessed Elena Aiello: they will be saved by the recitation of the rosary
Our Lady to Blessed Elena Aiello, The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22, 1960:
“Spread the devotion to my Immaculate Heart, in order that many souls may be conquered by my love and that many sinners may return to my Maternal Heart. Do not fear, for I will accompany with my maternal protection my faithful ones, and all those who accept my urgent warnings, and they — especially by the recitations of my Rosary — will be saved.”
The Madonna of the Rosary by Tommaso Minardi, 1841
“Spread the devotion to my Immaculate Heart, in order that many souls may be conquered by my love and that many sinners may return to my Maternal Heart. Do not fear, for I will accompany with my maternal protection my faithful ones, and all those who accept my urgent warnings, and they — especially by the recitations of my Rosary — will be saved.”
The Madonna of the Rosary by Tommaso Minardi, 1841Palestrina's Stabat Mater
Stabat mater, by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Stabat mater dolorosa
iuxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.
Cuius animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.
O quam tristis et afflicta
fuit illa benedicta,
mater Unigeniti!
Quae maerebat et dolebat,
pia Mater, dum videbat
nati poenas inclyti.
Quis est homo qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si videret
in tanto supplicio?
Quis non posset contristari
Christi Matrem contemplari
dolentem cum Filio?
Pro peccatis suae gentis
vidit Iesum in tormentis,
et flagellis subditum.
Vidit suum dulcem Natum
moriendo desolatum,
dum emisit spiritum.
Eia, Mater, fons amoris
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
in amando Christum Deum
ut sibi complaceam.
Sancta Mater, istud agas,
crucifixi fige plagas
cordi meo valide.
Tui Nati vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pati,
poenas mecum divide.
Fac me tecum pie flere,
crucifixo condolere,
donec ego vixero.
Iuxta Crucem tecum stare,
et me tibi sociare
in planctu desidero.
Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara,
fac me tecum plangere.
Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,
passionis fac consortem,
et plagas recolere.
Fac me plagis vulnerari,
fac me Cruce inebriari,
et cruore Filii.
Flammis ne urar succensus,
per te, Virgo, sim defensus
in die iudicii.
Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
da per Matrem me venire
ad palmam victoriae.
Quando corpus morietur,
fac, ut animae donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.
iuxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.
Cuius animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.
O quam tristis et afflicta
fuit illa benedicta,
mater Unigeniti!
Quae maerebat et dolebat,
pia Mater, dum videbat
nati poenas inclyti.
Quis est homo qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si videret
in tanto supplicio?
Quis non posset contristari
Christi Matrem contemplari
dolentem cum Filio?
Pro peccatis suae gentis
vidit Iesum in tormentis,
et flagellis subditum.
Vidit suum dulcem Natum
moriendo desolatum,
dum emisit spiritum.
Eia, Mater, fons amoris
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
in amando Christum Deum
ut sibi complaceam.
Sancta Mater, istud agas,
crucifixi fige plagas
cordi meo valide.
Tui Nati vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pati,
poenas mecum divide.
Fac me tecum pie flere,
crucifixo condolere,
donec ego vixero.
Iuxta Crucem tecum stare,
et me tibi sociare
in planctu desidero.
Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara,
fac me tecum plangere.
Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,
passionis fac consortem,
et plagas recolere.
Fac me plagis vulnerari,
fac me Cruce inebriari,
et cruore Filii.
Flammis ne urar succensus,
per te, Virgo, sim defensus
in die iudicii.
Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
da per Matrem me venire
ad palmam victoriae.
Quando corpus morietur,
fac, ut animae donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Blessed Elena Aiello: The Times are Grievous
Our Lady to Blessed Elena Aiello, The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1956:
“The times are grievous. The whole world is in turmoil, because it has become worse than at the time of the deluge!"
“The times are grievous. The whole world is in turmoil, because it has become worse than at the time of the deluge!"
CatholicCulture Willfully Miscontrues Communiqué
In what can only be a brash and shocking disregard for the plain truth, the neo-con, mainstream, novus ordo Catholics over at CatholicCulture have decided to to re-write the Vatican's communiqué regarding the meeting between Cardinal William Levada and Bishop Bernard Fellay of the SSPX.
CatholicCulture wrote, "the Vatican has asked the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to endorse a statement accepting the central teachings of Vatican II."
This is not at all what the communiqué stated! What the communiqué actually says is:
There is absolutely NO mention of the "central teachings of Vatican II."
Dr. Jeffrey Mirus is a particularly rabid defender of the illusion that the documents of Vatican II are impeccable and indefectible right down to every syllable and punctuation mark. However, I never thought he and his neo-con lackeys at CatholicCulture would stoop so low as to willfully misrepresent the Vatican's communiqué in a pathetic attempt to avoid having to eat their own words.
This has to be a new all time low for Mirus and company.
CatholicCulture wrote, "the Vatican has asked the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to endorse a statement accepting the central teachings of Vatican II."
This is not at all what the communiqué stated! What the communiqué actually says is:
This preamble enunciates some of the doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia.
There is absolutely NO mention of the "central teachings of Vatican II."
Dr. Jeffrey Mirus is a particularly rabid defender of the illusion that the documents of Vatican II are impeccable and indefectible right down to every syllable and punctuation mark. However, I never thought he and his neo-con lackeys at CatholicCulture would stoop so low as to willfully misrepresent the Vatican's communiqué in a pathetic attempt to avoid having to eat their own words.
This has to be a new all time low for Mirus and company.
What did Bishop Fellay mean by that?
From Bishop Fellay's interview following his meeting with Cardinal William Levada:
It is difficult to understand what this actually means without knowing what is contained in the preamble, however, I would like to venture a guess since this statement has caused some consternation among friends.
Some are interpreting this statement to mean that Bishop Fellay is not happy with the preamble. However, I'm not so sure. To provide the context of the bishop's words, he was replying the question: Can you confirm that the preamble contains a distinction between what is de fide (essential to the faith) and what in the Vatican II documents can be subjected to criticism?
Bishop Fellay responds in the interview that the preamble does not make any such distinction. At face value this means that the distinction simply isn't discussed by the preamble, and there's no reason to take this statement in any other way than in this manner. The preamble, after all, isn't intended to discuss it. It is intended to set forth the essentials of the faith to which the SSPX must adhere. There's no reason for the preamble to exhaustively list all the expressions and formulations contained in the Vatican II documents with which it is acceptable for the SSPX or anyone else to criticize.
In fact, Bishop Fellay insinuates that the preamble contains no requirement to accept anything with which the SSPX would object. He makes this insinuation by telling an antidote about Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos just prior to making the above statement. Bishop Fellay relates that Cardinal Hoyos thought there was nothing in the SSPX's objections to Vatican II that would keep the Society "outside the Church."
Thus, there is a distinction to be made, but the preamble simply does not delve into what matters are open to discussion. And why should it?
Today, for the sake of objectivity, I must acknowledge that in the doctrinal preamble there is no clear-cut distinction between the inviolable dogmatic sphere and the pastoral sphere that is subject to discussion.
It is difficult to understand what this actually means without knowing what is contained in the preamble, however, I would like to venture a guess since this statement has caused some consternation among friends.
Some are interpreting this statement to mean that Bishop Fellay is not happy with the preamble. However, I'm not so sure. To provide the context of the bishop's words, he was replying the question: Can you confirm that the preamble contains a distinction between what is de fide (essential to the faith) and what in the Vatican II documents can be subjected to criticism?
Bishop Fellay responds in the interview that the preamble does not make any such distinction. At face value this means that the distinction simply isn't discussed by the preamble, and there's no reason to take this statement in any other way than in this manner. The preamble, after all, isn't intended to discuss it. It is intended to set forth the essentials of the faith to which the SSPX must adhere. There's no reason for the preamble to exhaustively list all the expressions and formulations contained in the Vatican II documents with which it is acceptable for the SSPX or anyone else to criticize.
In fact, Bishop Fellay insinuates that the preamble contains no requirement to accept anything with which the SSPX would object. He makes this insinuation by telling an antidote about Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos just prior to making the above statement. Bishop Fellay relates that Cardinal Hoyos thought there was nothing in the SSPX's objections to Vatican II that would keep the Society "outside the Church."
Thus, there is a distinction to be made, but the preamble simply does not delve into what matters are open to discussion. And why should it?
Does the SSPX Communiqué indicate a sea change in the Catholic Church?
The developments today concerning the meeting between Cardinal Levada and Bishop Fellay of the SSPX are both significant and objectively positive, even if the preamble is rejected by the SSPX.
Laying aside the contents of the preamble and any speculation as to its contents, and looking at just the communiqué released by the Vatican information service, we can discern a number of significant facts that are highly favorable to the traditional Catholic position and critique of the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent Magisterium.
First, the communiqué spoke about the doctrinal difficulties, which were the objective of the two year talks between the CDF and the SSPX experts, as opposed to “theological difficulties” as some in the mainstream conservative blog-o-sphere have mischaracterized them. This is significant as the Vatican continues to use language that conveys very clearly that the clarifications needed refer to what is essential to the faith, not theological positions that may be legitimately disputed. What is at issue is what is essential to the faith.
Second, the communiqué admits, very clearly, that particular expressions and formulations in the (nota bene) documents of the Second Vatican Council are open to “legitimate discussion” and “theological explanation”. This is a startling admission that the documents lack clarity, that they are ambiguous and require further explanation. It is important that the communiqué is referring to the texts, themselves, and not later interpretations (hermeneutic of rupture) of the texts. This can be characterized as nothing other than a practical agreement with the traditionalist critique, specifically that the documents of Vatican II are ambiguous and require reform, and that the hermeneutic of rupture was principally caused by this ambiguity in the texts.
Third, the communiqué admits a distinction between what is essential to the faith and these “particular expressions and formulations” contained in the Vatican II documents. Without knowing the contents of the preamble it is difficult to speculate as to what the CDF considers essential to the faith for the SSPX or how the SSPX should think with the Church. However, we can safely assume that probably all of those expressions and formulations with which the SSPX has expressed difficulties are not included in these enumerated essentials of the faith contained in the secret preamble. Otherwise, why would Cardinal Levada even broach the issue of a canonical solution? Such a solution would be impossible if the preamble contained any demand for the SSPX to accept any expression or formulation with which they have expressed theological opposition. It would have been a non-starter.
All in all, this has been an auspicious day for the Church, and could very well signal a sea change of epic proportions. The conclusions drawn from the communiqué alone is enough to spark significant changes in the Church, whether or not it will result in a canonical solution for the Society in the short term. Either way, the nary-do-wells, those who scoffed at the possibility of an agreement, who proclaimed a breakdown in the talks between the CDF and the SSPX are eating a healthy dose of crow. Apparently we are closer to an agreement than these mainstream novus ordo liberals and conservatives alike were comfortable admitting.
Relevant links:
The Communiqué translated by Rorate Cæli
Interview with Bishop Fellay after the meeting with Cardinal William Levada
Please continue to pray for a favorable outcome, especially that minds may be hardened and hearts softened.
Laying aside the contents of the preamble and any speculation as to its contents, and looking at just the communiqué released by the Vatican information service, we can discern a number of significant facts that are highly favorable to the traditional Catholic position and critique of the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent Magisterium.
First, the communiqué spoke about the doctrinal difficulties, which were the objective of the two year talks between the CDF and the SSPX experts, as opposed to “theological difficulties” as some in the mainstream conservative blog-o-sphere have mischaracterized them. This is significant as the Vatican continues to use language that conveys very clearly that the clarifications needed refer to what is essential to the faith, not theological positions that may be legitimately disputed. What is at issue is what is essential to the faith.
Second, the communiqué admits, very clearly, that particular expressions and formulations in the (nota bene) documents of the Second Vatican Council are open to “legitimate discussion” and “theological explanation”. This is a startling admission that the documents lack clarity, that they are ambiguous and require further explanation. It is important that the communiqué is referring to the texts, themselves, and not later interpretations (hermeneutic of rupture) of the texts. This can be characterized as nothing other than a practical agreement with the traditionalist critique, specifically that the documents of Vatican II are ambiguous and require reform, and that the hermeneutic of rupture was principally caused by this ambiguity in the texts.
Third, the communiqué admits a distinction between what is essential to the faith and these “particular expressions and formulations” contained in the Vatican II documents. Without knowing the contents of the preamble it is difficult to speculate as to what the CDF considers essential to the faith for the SSPX or how the SSPX should think with the Church. However, we can safely assume that probably all of those expressions and formulations with which the SSPX has expressed difficulties are not included in these enumerated essentials of the faith contained in the secret preamble. Otherwise, why would Cardinal Levada even broach the issue of a canonical solution? Such a solution would be impossible if the preamble contained any demand for the SSPX to accept any expression or formulation with which they have expressed theological opposition. It would have been a non-starter.
All in all, this has been an auspicious day for the Church, and could very well signal a sea change of epic proportions. The conclusions drawn from the communiqué alone is enough to spark significant changes in the Church, whether or not it will result in a canonical solution for the Society in the short term. Either way, the nary-do-wells, those who scoffed at the possibility of an agreement, who proclaimed a breakdown in the talks between the CDF and the SSPX are eating a healthy dose of crow. Apparently we are closer to an agreement than these mainstream novus ordo liberals and conservatives alike were comfortable admitting.
Relevant links:
The Communiqué translated by Rorate Cæli
Interview with Bishop Fellay after the meeting with Cardinal William LevadaPlease continue to pray for a favorable outcome, especially that minds may be hardened and hearts softened.
In hoc vince!
By this be thou conqueror!
May the Cross of Christ be our standard as we endure the assaults of the enemies of Christ and His Church, those both within and without. "Alike in the secret combats between the soul and satan, as in the great battles recorded in history, the final success [will be] due to the weakness and folly of Calvary" (Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year).
Pray for a favorable outcome to the meeting between the CDF and the SSPX. Pray that this day the Church might be liberated from the wreck of the Modernists, liberated by the Power of the Cross of Christ.
Allelluia, alleluia. Sweet the wood, sweet the nails, sweet the load that hangs on thee: thou only wast worthy to bear the King and Lord of heaven. Alleluia.
(From the Alleluia versicle of the day's Mass.)
(From the Alleluia versicle of the day's Mass.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Mel Gibson and Ab Foxman: a couple of schmucks (pardon my Yiddish)
I don't really care for either one. However, injustice is injustice, and no one does injustice like Abraham Foxman.
Foxman says the following about Mel Gibson's upcoming movie about the Maccabees:
But why does Judah Maccabee deserve better? Foxman continues:
To the first charge, I thought that Mr. Gibson publicly apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks that he made while inebriated. I believe that Gibson characterized his remarks as "inexcusable" (as they certainly were). Gibson has even gone so far in his apology that he's taken a break from Catholicism to divorce his wife, commit adultery, dive into a bottle, and abuse the woman he shacked up with. If Foxman wanted Gibson to debase himself to the lowest, vilest neighborhood of schmuckdom, Gibson did everything in his power to accommodate Foxman's wildest fantasy.
It's not good enough, though. Foxman's hang up over Gibson's drunken stupidity proves that any apology to Foxman will be regarded by Foxman as nothing more than an admission of guilt, certainly not a call for forgiveness.
As to the second charge, Foxman is still whining about the anti-Semitic nature of The Passion of the Christ, which was anti-Semitic, of course, for depicting a Jew being condemned to death by Jews. Never mind the fact that that is exactly what happened. It's no secret that Foxman is still upset that there weren't mobs of angry Christians running around looking to lynch Jews after watching The Passion as Foxman and his cabal had predicted. It goads them so much that they go on ad nauseam about how anti-Semitic The Passion of the Christ is in the hopes that they will finally succeed in convincing maybe a half dozen goyim that it is indeed, despite all evidence to the contrary, a vile piece of anti-Semitic propaganda intended to incite violence against Jews. As the crickets chirp, Foxman is still waiting, seven years later, for the first flash mob to materialize.
Foxman continues:
... because a much better choice would be Michael Moore, and maybe Lady Gaga should be cast as Judah's love interest. Foxman wouldn't even bat an eyelash at that.
Foxman says the following about Mel Gibson's upcoming movie about the Maccabees:
We would have hoped that Warner Bros. could have found someone better than Mel Gibson to direct or perhaps even star in a film on the life of the Jewish historical icon Judah Maccabee. As a hero of the Jewish people and a universal hero in the struggle for religious liberty, Judah Maccabee deserves better.
But why does Judah Maccabee deserve better? Foxman continues:
Not only has Mel Gibson shown outward antagonism toward Jews and Judaism in his public statements and actions, but his previous attempt to bring biblical history to life on the screen was marred by anti-Semitism.
To the first charge, I thought that Mr. Gibson publicly apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks that he made while inebriated. I believe that Gibson characterized his remarks as "inexcusable" (as they certainly were). Gibson has even gone so far in his apology that he's taken a break from Catholicism to divorce his wife, commit adultery, dive into a bottle, and abuse the woman he shacked up with. If Foxman wanted Gibson to debase himself to the lowest, vilest neighborhood of schmuckdom, Gibson did everything in his power to accommodate Foxman's wildest fantasy.
It's not good enough, though. Foxman's hang up over Gibson's drunken stupidity proves that any apology to Foxman will be regarded by Foxman as nothing more than an admission of guilt, certainly not a call for forgiveness.
As to the second charge, Foxman is still whining about the anti-Semitic nature of The Passion of the Christ, which was anti-Semitic, of course, for depicting a Jew being condemned to death by Jews. Never mind the fact that that is exactly what happened. It's no secret that Foxman is still upset that there weren't mobs of angry Christians running around looking to lynch Jews after watching The Passion as Foxman and his cabal had predicted. It goads them so much that they go on ad nauseam about how anti-Semitic The Passion of the Christ is in the hopes that they will finally succeed in convincing maybe a half dozen goyim that it is indeed, despite all evidence to the contrary, a vile piece of anti-Semitic propaganda intended to incite violence against Jews. As the crickets chirp, Foxman is still waiting, seven years later, for the first flash mob to materialize.
Foxman continues:
While we do not argue with Mel Gibson's right to make this film, we still strongly believe that Warner Bros. should reconsider Gibson's involvement in this project.
... because a much better choice would be Michael Moore, and maybe Lady Gaga should be cast as Judah's love interest. Foxman wouldn't even bat an eyelash at that.
Blessed Elena Aiello: Repentance, Devotion, the Daily Rosary
Our Lady to Blessed Elena Aiello, Good Friday (March 23), 1961:“How can the world be saved from the disaster that is about to crash down upon the misleading nations if man does not repent of his errors and failings? The only salvation is a complete repentance and return to God, and a true devotion to my Immaculate Heart, particularly in the daily recitation of my Rosary.”
SSPX to be vindicated, according to Le Figaro
Rorate Cæli translates the Le Figaro report that Rome will admit for the first time the reality that the Second Vatican Council does not constitute an essential aspect of the Catholic faith. What's more Le Figaro reports that the Vatican will find the SSPX in agreement with all the essentials of the Catholic faith, and will grant the SSPX a "juridical solution."
Read the full translation here at Rorate Cæli.
Please offer your rosary tonight that Rome will indeed admit that the Second Vatican Council does not constitute an essential of the faith, and that a juridical solution will both be offered to and accepted by the SSPX.
We place this in the hands of Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Read the full translation here at Rorate Cæli.
Please offer your rosary tonight that Rome will indeed admit that the Second Vatican Council does not constitute an essential of the faith, and that a juridical solution will both be offered to and accepted by the SSPX.We place this in the hands of Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mater Ecclesiæ, ora pro nobis!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Guéranger on the Feast of the Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
FromThe Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.
Two glorious triumphs, two victories won under the protection of our Lady, have rendered this present day illustrious in the annals of the Church and of history.
Manicheism, revived under a variety of names, had established itself in the south of France, whence it hoped to spread its reign of shameless excess. But Dominic appeared with Mary's rosary for the defense of the people. On September 12, 1213, Simon de Montfort and the crusaders of the faith, one against forty, crushed the Albigensian army at Muret. This was in the pontificate of Innocent III.
Nearly five centuries later, the Turks, who had more than once caused the west to tremble, again poured down upon Christendom. Vienna, worn out and dismantled, abandoned by its emperor, was surrounded by 300,000 infidels. But another great Pope, Innocent XI, again confided to Mary the defense of the baptized nations. Sobieski, mounting his charger on the feast of our Lady's Assumption, hastened from Poland by forced marches. On the Sunday within the octave of the Nativity, September 12, 1683, Vienna was delivered; and then began for the Osmanlis that series of defeats which ended in the treaties of Carlowitz and Passarowitz, and the dismemberment of the Ottoman empire. The feast of the most holy name of Mary inscribed on the calendar of the universal Church was the homage of the world's gratitude to Mary, our Lady and Queen.
Madonna del Rosario by Caravaggio, 1607Blessed Elena Aiello: Her story
There is a very good blog entry at this link (at Mystics of the Church), which documents the life of Venerable (soon to be Blessed on Wednesday, God willing) Elena Aiello.
The private revelations of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Venerable Elena Aiello fit into the context of Our Lady's messages at Fatima and Akita, and serve as a dire warning to our generation that we must embrace the rosary and make frequent acts of reparation.
From the Desk of the Chaplain: 9/11
From Fr. Fryar's email to the Confraternity of St. Peter members:
Dear Member of the Confraternity,
Today [Sunday, 9/11/11] we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the sad incidents of September 11th 2001. We all remember where we were on that day as the shocking news stunned the world. It seemed unreal. It seemed that time stood still and it was almost impossible to continue the work of the day. Most people left work early, went home and prayed.
Many people died in the multiple tragic incidents, and so many family members still grieve today at the loss of their loved ones.
Most people in the New York and Washington DC areas knew someone who had passed away on that day. I am sure there are many of you who lost a loved one, or know friends who lost loved ones or relatives on that day. I remembered you especially in my prayers today. I would like to ask all of you, members of the Confraternity, to pray for the souls of the people who passed away on this day, and to keep the sorrowing families and friends in your prayers.
Requiem aeternam, dona eis Domine!
Praying for you,
Rev. Fr. J. Fryar FSSP
English-speaking Chaplain of the CSP
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The TLM comes to Hagerstown, Maryland
Extraordinary Form Mass offered in Hagerstown for first time in decades
Originally published September 10, 2011
By Blair Ames
News-Post Staff
For the first time in about 40 years, an Extraordinary Form Mass, also known as a Tridentine or Latin Mass, will be celebrated at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Hagerstown.
An Extraordinary Form Mass has not been celebrated in Western Maryland in recent history, although it is unclear how long it's been, according to Sean Caine, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The only other Catholic parish in the archdiocese to hold an Extraordinary Form Mass -- including all churches in Frederick County -- is St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore.
Frederick resident Marie Paulhamus is elated that a Latin service will be held in Western Maryland because she believes it is the most respectful way to worship.
"I feel as if I'm floating on a cloud, I'm so happy," she said.
Paulhamus expects at least 30 other Frederick County residents to celebrate the Mass in Hagerstown...
Blessed Elena Aiello: "The scourge is near at hand"
"Launch forth into the world a message to make known to all that the scourge is near at hand. The justice of God is weighing upon the world. Mankind, defiled in the mire, soon will be washed in its own blood, by disease; by famine; by earthquakes; by cloudbursts, tornadoes, floods, and terrible storms; and by war. But men ignore all these warnings, and are unwilling to be convinced that my tears are plain signs to serve notice that tragic events are hanging over the world, and that the hours of great trials are at hand."--Our Lady to Venerable Elena Aiello, 1955
For the love of all that's.... Why?
As a homeschooler I'm usually very excited to get the Mother of Our Saviour Catholic Goods & Refuge of Sinners Publishing catalog. However, the catalog my son pulled out of the mailbox gave me quite a shock... and no little horror.
Why did the publishers think that doing this to William-Adolphe Bouguereau's The Madonna of the Roses would be OK?
This interpretation, quite possibly the worst knock-off in history... well, it makes me want to cry. I'm sorry, but whoever did this should somehow be punished.
Here is the actual masterpiece:
Why did the publishers think that doing this to William-Adolphe Bouguereau's The Madonna of the Roses would be OK?
This interpretation, quite possibly the worst knock-off in history... well, it makes me want to cry. I'm sorry, but whoever did this should somehow be punished.
Here is the actual masterpiece:
Saturday, September 10, 2011
It's Time for Tradititional Catholics to Become Leaders
I was recently reminded of a story, or rather a legend, about a priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. I can't vouch for the veracity of the story, but neither am I inclined to disbelieve it, since I’m from the neck of the woods where the priest concerned served as pastor.
Back in 1973 the archbishop of Cincinnati, Joseph Bernardine, was celebrating his first Chrism Mass at the cathedral. He was surrounded by all the priests of the archdiocese as he offered the Mass, but at one point in the ceremony he noticed an elderly priest standing toward the back, and it appeared to Bernardine that he wasn’t participating. After the chrism Mass, the archbishop approached the elderly priest and asked him if he had concelebrated the Mass or not.
The elderly priest shook his head sadly and replied, “I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but I’m afraid I don’t know how.”
Archbishop Bernardine was surprised that after four years there were priests in the archdiocese who didn’t know new order of the Mass. He told the elderly priest that he would be sure to send someone at once to make sure he was properly trained. The priest thanked Archbishop Bernardine and then excused himself.
The priest, as the story goes, was the pastor of a small rural parish in the far northern part of the archdiocese, in Mercer County. That particular County had been inhabited by German Catholic immigrants who had built huge German Gothic churches, their towering steeples seeming to grow wildly like weeds in the corn fields. Catholics in that day and in that place were quiet, mind-your-own-business sort of people, who, for better or for worse, took to change very slowly and suspiciously. The new vanguard in Cincinnati considered that part of the archdiocese as a backwater, and, as it turned out, there was a lot on the archbishop’s plate that year, and he soon forgot his conversation with the elderly priest from that far northern corner of his archdiocese.
The following year sadly the elderly priest passed away just before Easter, and this jarred the archbishop’s memory about his conversation with the priest. Fearing that his parish may be a bit backward, he sent as a replacement a young priest thoroughly convinced of the “Spirit of Vatican II” and enthusiastic about the new Mass and creative liturgy.
The new priest arrived just days before the Sacred Triduum, and he was surprised to find some rather serious problems. There were no “proper” vestments at all, and the new priest was happy that he had brought his own set of modern Mass vestments. He also found a rather odd problem with the liturgical schedule for the Triduum. He was confused by the fact that the “Easter Vigil” was scheduled for eight in the morning on Holy Saturday. He was even more surprised that there were no missals for the new Mass anywhere in the parish. In order to say the new order of the Mass the new parish priest had to visit another nearby parish staffed by the Redemptorists to borrow the needed liturgical books.
When the new priest related these oddities to the Redemptorist priest, that priest chuckled. “That old priest,” explained the Redemptorist, “has never said the new Mass.” He patted the new pastor on the shoulder. “In fact, if you look closely at that missal over there, you will see it’s from the 1930s. Those people over there haven’t known any changes to the liturgy since they built that church a hundred years ago.”
Incredibly, for nearly six years after the implementation of the new Mass, there was at least one parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that hadn’t even experienced the liturgical changes of the late 1950s… or so the legend goes. However, with a bit of effort and some special attention by men of a more modern bent, things in that part of the world were eventually set “aright”, and today that same northern and isolated part of the Archdiocese is now stuck in the crazy 70s, ecclesiastically speaking. Like I said, the people there take to change, for good or for bad, slowly and suspiciously.
The story, whether true or embellished, does demonstrate that the vast majority of Catholics, no matter how stubbornly they take to change, looks to the Church and churchmen for guidance and leadership, and will follow the promptings of churchmen for good or for ill simply because they know of no other way.
Traditionalists often have a tendency to see themselves as an isolated group at war with the rest of the “novus ordo establishment” to which they lump any and every Catholic that exclusively attends the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. However, these are not the folks against whom we should be fighting, but quite the contrary! The vast majority of Catholics have simply followed the promptings of the churchmen. Keep in mind that if there had been no new order of the Mass, these same Catholics would not have clamored for one. The history of its implementation tells us that the new Mass was foisted on the people, and the people accepted it because that is what Catholics had always done before: they accepted what their pastors and bishops told them to accept. The Modernists and liberals skillfully used this reality to advance their agenda, as did sexual perverts and thieves who weaseled their way into the Church with the Modernists. Fifty years later, the mentality is entrenched, but no more entrenched than the Mass had been before 1969. Turning it around is not impossible or even improbable.
It is important, therefore, that traditionalists, especially traditional priests, become real leaders, instead of a whining group of isolated complainers on the fringes. The Traditional Latin Mass and traditional Catholicism are superior to the alternatives: the Ordinary Form and the liberal experiment, which is now being perceived for the complete failure it is by all but the most entrenched liberals. However, mainstream Catholics will never experience the Traditional Latin Mass if traditionalists do not step up and become the leaders that Christ is calling us to be for His Church. The best way for us to become effective leaders is to pray that God grants us an abundance of charity, so that it might overflow into a genuine concern for our neighbor, which above all is a desire that our neighbor discovers the fullness of the Catholic faith.
Back in 1973 the archbishop of Cincinnati, Joseph Bernardine, was celebrating his first Chrism Mass at the cathedral. He was surrounded by all the priests of the archdiocese as he offered the Mass, but at one point in the ceremony he noticed an elderly priest standing toward the back, and it appeared to Bernardine that he wasn’t participating. After the chrism Mass, the archbishop approached the elderly priest and asked him if he had concelebrated the Mass or not.
The elderly priest shook his head sadly and replied, “I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but I’m afraid I don’t know how.”
Archbishop Bernardine was surprised that after four years there were priests in the archdiocese who didn’t know new order of the Mass. He told the elderly priest that he would be sure to send someone at once to make sure he was properly trained. The priest thanked Archbishop Bernardine and then excused himself.
The priest, as the story goes, was the pastor of a small rural parish in the far northern part of the archdiocese, in Mercer County. That particular County had been inhabited by German Catholic immigrants who had built huge German Gothic churches, their towering steeples seeming to grow wildly like weeds in the corn fields. Catholics in that day and in that place were quiet, mind-your-own-business sort of people, who, for better or for worse, took to change very slowly and suspiciously. The new vanguard in Cincinnati considered that part of the archdiocese as a backwater, and, as it turned out, there was a lot on the archbishop’s plate that year, and he soon forgot his conversation with the elderly priest from that far northern corner of his archdiocese.
The following year sadly the elderly priest passed away just before Easter, and this jarred the archbishop’s memory about his conversation with the priest. Fearing that his parish may be a bit backward, he sent as a replacement a young priest thoroughly convinced of the “Spirit of Vatican II” and enthusiastic about the new Mass and creative liturgy.
The new priest arrived just days before the Sacred Triduum, and he was surprised to find some rather serious problems. There were no “proper” vestments at all, and the new priest was happy that he had brought his own set of modern Mass vestments. He also found a rather odd problem with the liturgical schedule for the Triduum. He was confused by the fact that the “Easter Vigil” was scheduled for eight in the morning on Holy Saturday. He was even more surprised that there were no missals for the new Mass anywhere in the parish. In order to say the new order of the Mass the new parish priest had to visit another nearby parish staffed by the Redemptorists to borrow the needed liturgical books.
When the new priest related these oddities to the Redemptorist priest, that priest chuckled. “That old priest,” explained the Redemptorist, “has never said the new Mass.” He patted the new pastor on the shoulder. “In fact, if you look closely at that missal over there, you will see it’s from the 1930s. Those people over there haven’t known any changes to the liturgy since they built that church a hundred years ago.”
Incredibly, for nearly six years after the implementation of the new Mass, there was at least one parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that hadn’t even experienced the liturgical changes of the late 1950s… or so the legend goes. However, with a bit of effort and some special attention by men of a more modern bent, things in that part of the world were eventually set “aright”, and today that same northern and isolated part of the Archdiocese is now stuck in the crazy 70s, ecclesiastically speaking. Like I said, the people there take to change, for good or for bad, slowly and suspiciously.
The story, whether true or embellished, does demonstrate that the vast majority of Catholics, no matter how stubbornly they take to change, looks to the Church and churchmen for guidance and leadership, and will follow the promptings of churchmen for good or for ill simply because they know of no other way.
Traditionalists often have a tendency to see themselves as an isolated group at war with the rest of the “novus ordo establishment” to which they lump any and every Catholic that exclusively attends the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. However, these are not the folks against whom we should be fighting, but quite the contrary! The vast majority of Catholics have simply followed the promptings of the churchmen. Keep in mind that if there had been no new order of the Mass, these same Catholics would not have clamored for one. The history of its implementation tells us that the new Mass was foisted on the people, and the people accepted it because that is what Catholics had always done before: they accepted what their pastors and bishops told them to accept. The Modernists and liberals skillfully used this reality to advance their agenda, as did sexual perverts and thieves who weaseled their way into the Church with the Modernists. Fifty years later, the mentality is entrenched, but no more entrenched than the Mass had been before 1969. Turning it around is not impossible or even improbable.
It is important, therefore, that traditionalists, especially traditional priests, become real leaders, instead of a whining group of isolated complainers on the fringes. The Traditional Latin Mass and traditional Catholicism are superior to the alternatives: the Ordinary Form and the liberal experiment, which is now being perceived for the complete failure it is by all but the most entrenched liberals. However, mainstream Catholics will never experience the Traditional Latin Mass if traditionalists do not step up and become the leaders that Christ is calling us to be for His Church. The best way for us to become effective leaders is to pray that God grants us an abundance of charity, so that it might overflow into a genuine concern for our neighbor, which above all is a desire that our neighbor discovers the fullness of the Catholic faith.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A Good Day at the Thrift Store
While most everyone else in South Bend was getting ready for the opening of the 2011 Notre Dame football season, those of us "haters" were engaged in other activities.
Today my wife and I visited a local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, and I made a great $1 purchase, a 1934 Catholic hand missal.
The missal was in great shape. I looked up the missal on line and was surprised that one I bought for a dollar was in much better shape than the same edition being sold on line for over $20.
The ribbons were all in excellent condition. The ends weren't frayed, and the string (it isn't really a flat ribbon) intended to mark the ordinary of the Mass still has at its end the cardboard marker that spells out the intention. No other edition I could find on line still had this curious feature.
The pages and edges are in good shape, and all the art prints are in mint condition.
I've been looking for a good pre-1962 missal, so I'm ecstatic to find this. This will make a great addition to my liturgical library, and only for a dollar. I was also able to purchase The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort ($0.35), Eucharistic Retreats by St. Peter Julian Eymard; Vol. 3 of the Eymard Library ($0.25), and a replacement for an old college sociology book that I loaned out and lost, Habits of the Heart by Robert Bellah, et al. ($0.35).
So, while most the inhabitants of this town begin their long lament over another failed Notre Dame football season, I can't help but feel victorious.
Today my wife and I visited a local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, and I made a great $1 purchase, a 1934 Catholic hand missal.
Copyright 1934
The missal was in great shape. I looked up the missal on line and was surprised that one I bought for a dollar was in much better shape than the same edition being sold on line for over $20.
The ribbons were all in excellent condition. The ends weren't frayed, and the string (it isn't really a flat ribbon) intended to mark the ordinary of the Mass still has at its end the cardboard marker that spells out the intention. No other edition I could find on line still had this curious feature.
The pages and edges are in good shape, and all the art prints are in mint condition.
I've been looking for a good pre-1962 missal, so I'm ecstatic to find this. This will make a great addition to my liturgical library, and only for a dollar. I was also able to purchase The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort ($0.35), Eucharistic Retreats by St. Peter Julian Eymard; Vol. 3 of the Eymard Library ($0.25), and a replacement for an old college sociology book that I loaned out and lost, Habits of the Heart by Robert Bellah, et al. ($0.35).
So, while most the inhabitants of this town begin their long lament over another failed Notre Dame football season, I can't help but feel victorious.
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