Thursday, November 30, 2017

The Church as champion of "bourgeois religion"?


R. R. Reno, "Bourgeois Religion" (First Things, December, 2017), offers an excoriating assessment of the Catholic hierarchy today. Excerpts follow. (Legere, et orare):
The Catholic Church’s retreat from anything resembling clarity about sexual morality does not surprise me. It’s been a long time coming. Catholicism and other forms of establishment Christianity in the West tend to take the form of bourgeois religion. That term denotes the fusion of church culture with the moral consensus held by the good, respectable people who set the tone for society as a whole. In the aftermath of the sexual revolution, that consensus shifted. For a long time now it has been socially acceptable to divorce and contracept. Soon thereafter it was OK to cohabitate, and then the good and responsible people who run things adopted an affirmative attitude toward gay sex. During all this, the same consensus became hostile to those who say otherwise. It became “cruel,” “hateful,” and “bigoted” to call something wrong that the bourgeois consensus now deems right. In this way, the good and responsible people did not just accommodate themselves to the sexual revolution; they took ownership of it.

Amid this change, most Catholic bishops and priests have been disoriented. Not too long ago, they were happy chaplains of the bourgeois, the good people, who tended to affirm the moral code that the Church taught. As the sexual revolution worked its way through elite culture, bishops and priests were eager to sustain their place as chaplains of the establishment consensus.... Do the loving thing! This noble and conveniently vague imperative offers wide latitude. In the smug and self-complimenting culture of the bourgeois, that meant pretty much anything they did was by definition loving. These sorts of people are always seeking to do what’s best!

.. Reconciling the Catholic Church with the sexual revolution is necessary in order to preserve Catholicism as a bourgeois religion. Unless this is done, more and more of the good and responsible people will come to regard the Church as a regressive, harmful force in society, a source of repression and bigotry that is antithetical to the spirit of inclusion and affirmation that promotes human flourishing. This is especially obvious in the controversy surrounding divorce, remarriage, and communion. These are good, sensitive people trying to make the best of a difficult situation! How can the Church deny them communion? The same is true for those who use artificial means of contraception or who are committed to another person of the same sex—which is why it’s reasonable to think the pontificate will seek to muddy the Church’s teaching on those issues as well ...

Christianity orients us upward and toward the divine. Bourgeois religion is horizontal. It takes its cues from the consensus of the moment, the opinions of the good and responsible people. This reduces Christianity to a political religion organized to buttress the status quo. The Francis papacy largely follows this pattern, making it quite predictable. We can count on Pope Francis to talk about the poor in exactly the same way that people do in Berkeley, which means with great earnestness and little consequence.

This papacy is not hard to figure out. Pope Francis and his associates echo the pieties and self-complimenting utopianism of progressives. That’s not surprising. The Jesuit charism is multifaceted and powerful. I count myself among those profoundly influenced by the spiritual genius of St. Ignatius. Yet there’s no disputing that for centuries Jesuits have shown great talent in adjusting the gospel to suit the powerful. And so, I think the European establishment can count on the Vatican to denounce the populism currently threatening its hold on power. I predict that this papacy will be a great defender of migrants and refugees—until political pressures on the European ruling class become so great that it shifts and becomes more “realistic,” at which point the Vatican will shift as well. What is presently denounced will be permitted; what is presently permitted will be denounced.

This will not end well. The West has seen a long season of loosening, opening up, and deconsolidation, of which the sexual revolution is but a part. Our establishment is committed to sustaining this consensus. This is why it has been at war with Catholic intransigence, which is based on the Church’s insistence that she answer to timeless, unchanging, and demanding truths. It’s foolish for the papacy to make a peace treaty with this establishment consensus. It’s theologically unworkable. It’s also politically inept. For the establishment consensus is failing, and that includes the sexual revolution, which made many promises that were not fulfilled.
Related: Link

The problem with "American Exceptionalism"

Jack Kerwick, in "'American Exceptionalism' Reconsidered ... And Rejected," argues that this has become a central dogma of neoconservatism, that it is an ahistorical fiction, a rationalization for globalist imperialism, and at odds with patriotism and Christianity.

[Hat tip to L.S.]

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Tridentine Community News - Indulgenced Prayer for Thanksgiving; Is It Time to Move On from Vatican II?; What are the Laity to Do?; Savannah, Georgia, Latin Mass Community; Local TLM schedule


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 26, 2017):
November 26, 2017 – Last Sunday After Pentecost

Indulgenced Prayer of Thanksgiving

At this time of year when both Canadians and Americans celebrate their respective secular Thanksgiving holidays, it is good to remember that Holy Mother Church provides us with a short official Prayer of Thanksgiving, the praying of which is enriched with a Partial Indulgence:
Ágimus tibi grátias, omnípotens Deus, pro univérsis benefíciis tuis: Qui vivis et regnas in saécula sæculórum. Amen.

We give You thanks, Almighty God, for all Your blessings: Who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Is It Time to Move On from Vatican II?

So much justification for departures from orthodox Catholic teaching has been proffered in the name of Vatican II over the past 50 years, that one can become numb. In recent years questions have started to arise as to how long Vatican II can serve as a motivating force. The circumstances that brought about the convocation of the Second Vatican Council are no longer the driving factors in contemporary Catholic life. Nowadays we are facing new challenges: Dramatically falling Mass attendance, an aging Catholic populace without adequate replacement from the young, a lack of priestly and religious vocations, declining standards for liturgy and sacred music, and so forth. Ecumenism and relations with our Protestant brethren must no longer be primary concerns when Catholics themselves do not sufficiently understand their own faith. The old justifications have become tired, while the growth of traditional liturgy, the devotional life, Latin Mass communities, and the authentic fellowship found therein have become concrete examples of how Catholicism can flourish when it is presented and lived in all its fullness. These notions have been articulated thoroughly and thoughtfully by Fr. Hugh Somerville-Knapman, OSB, a Benedictine monk and priest in England, in a blog post, Vale Vatican II. One excerpt:
“It happened over half a century ago, was conditioned by and directed to the world of the 1960s, a world that has changed beyond recognition as of 2017. It described itself as a pastoral council, and it sought to repackage the teaching, life and worship of the Church to suit a world in flux. For this very reason the Council was necessarily going to have a best-before date. That date has been passed. The sad thing is that its milk turned sour very soon after packaging.”
The full post is here: https://hughosb.com/2017/09/25/vale-vatican-ii-moving-on/

What Are the Laity to Do?

In a similar vein, convert and blogger Fr. Dwight Longenecker wrote an observation about the evolution of two disparate stems in the Catholic Church, one liberal and one traditional. A question raised in his post is, what are laity to do, in the light of so much onslaught be secular society and liberal and heretical forces in the Church? Fr. Longenecker correctly counsels the faithful to keep their heads down, learn the Faith better, and work to develop initiatives at the parish level. Certainly our experience in Windsor and metro Detroit has been that growth in the traditional Catholic sphere comes from clergy and laity working together at the grass roots level. We cannot expect the hierarchy to do our work for us. The entire post is here: https://dwightlongenecker.com/americas-two-catholic-churches/

Savannah, Georgia Latin Mass Community

Gets Front Page Coverage in Secular Newspaper The Savannah, Georgia Morning News gave prominent front page space to a well-written story about the Latin Mass Community of St. John the Baptist Cathedral and the appeal of the Traditional Mass. Sentiments expressed therein could be heard from almost any Tridentine community: http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-09-24/mass-mystery-has-been-around-10-years-cathedral-use-latin-was-reapproved


The article contains a link to a video of a Communion Motet being sung by the Latin Mass choir: https://www.facebook.com/SavannahLatinMassCommunity/videos/vb.1514066975480911/1995261054028165/

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Mon. 11/27 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal)
  • Tue. 11/28 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Votive Mass for Peace)
  • Fri. 12/01 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (Votive Mass of the Angels) – Celebrant: Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz; Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass; Choir will sing Missa Brevis by Palestrina; Reception after Mass.
  • Sat. 12/02 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Vivian, Virgin & Martyr)
  • Sun. 12/03 1:30 PM: High Mass at St. Hyacinth, Detroit (First Sunday of Advent) – Celebrant: Fr. Stephen Wolfe, SJ; Rosary at 1:10 PM; Brunch with St. Nicholas from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
  • [Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for November 26, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

    Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit (including Windsor, Canada) and east Michigan


    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

    Sunday


    Monday


    Tuesday


    Wednesday


    Thursday


    Friday


    Saturday


    * NB: The SSPX chapels among those Mass sites listed above are posted here because the Holy Father has announced that "those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins," and subsequently extended this privilege beyond the Year of Mercy. These chapels are not listed among the approved parishes and worship sites on archdiocesan websites.

    Is it time to move beyond Vatican II?

    An excerpt from a recent church bulletin in Windsor, Canada:
    So much justification for departures from orthodox Catholic teaching has been proffered in the name of Vatican II over the past 50 years, that one can become numb. In recent years questions have started to arise as to how long Vatican II can serve as a motivating force. The circumstances that brought about the convocation of the Second Vatican Council are no longer the driving factors in contemporary Catholic life. Nowadays we are facing new challenges: Dramatically falling Mass attendance, an aging Catholic populace without adequate replacement from the young, a lack of priestly and religious vocations, declining standards for liturgy and sacred music, and so forth. Ecumenism and relations with our Protestant brethren must no longer be primary concerns when Catholics themselves do not sufficiently understand their own faith. The old justifications have become tired, while the growth of traditional liturgy, the devotional life, Latin Mass communities, and the authentic fellowship found therein have become concrete examples of how Catholicism can flourish when it is presented and lived in all its fullness.

    These notions have been articulated thoroughly and thoughtfully by Fr. Hugh Somerville-Knapman, OSB, a Benedictine monk and priest in England, in a blog post, Vale Vatican II. One excerpt:
    “It happened over half a century ago, was conditioned by and directed to the world of the 1960s, a world that has changed beyond recognition as of 2017. It described itself as a pastoral council, and it sought to repackage the teaching, life and worship of the Church to suit a world in flux. For this very reason the Council was necessarily going to have a best-before date. That date has been passed. The sad thing is that its milk turned sour very soon after packaging.”
    The full post is here: https://hughosb.com/2017/09/25/vale-vatican-ii-moving-on/
    [Hat tip to A.B.]

    Friday, November 24, 2017

    Even this supporter of Teilhard de Chardin finds Massimo Faggioli's and James Martin's effort to rehabilitate him "weird"

    Read especially the last parts of Mark Lambert's "I may surprise you with a defence of Teilhard de Chardin" (November 23, 2017).

    ... his reputation as a bit of a rebel means that an approval of a proposal asking for Pope Francis to remove the monitum has almost inevitably, drawn support from Pope Francis merry band of theological nitwits & cheering boys. The fact that such people as Fr. James Martin and Massimo Faggioli are cheering for the petition to remove the monitum (warning) against the writings of Teilhard... well... it speaks volumes, doesn't it?

    Ii could easily be argued that the central error of our times is evolutionism taken as a paradigm for the whole of reality, including God, revelation, tradition, and morality. As Father Z puts it, if Teilhard's writings were ambiguous and seriously erroneous when the monitum was imposed, then surely they still are? ...

    ... I can't help but be disappointed by this constant desire to forego the practice and common sense of the past and re-write everything in the ink of modern secularism. Isn't this glib jostling for attention intellectually drab and dishonest?

    Yes I defend Teilhard de Chardin's extravagant and audacious writings. I love them! As a scientist he wanted a free-ranging, peer review of his work. His ideas should be challenged, but not demonised. But I don't mistake them for the teaching of my Church, and I don't regret or seek to revoke the very valid monitum placed on them in 1962. Fr Teilhard de Chardin accepted the Holy See's censure, & he would have accepted the monitum as a just act by the teaching authority of the Church, just as he accepted the censure of his superior in 1925. The fact that Faggioli and Martin are seeking to rehabilitate him somehow is weird (given he is pretty much old hat these days), and strikes me as just another anti-orthodoxy bandwagon for them to jump on.
    [Hat tip to J.M.]

    Christian defeatism?

    Our underground news correspondent, Guy Noir - Private Eye, recently sent me this:
    There is widespread misgivings in every church about the increasing evidence of Christian defeatism. A monthly periodical created a sensation with an article entitled, “Have Christians lost Their Nerve?” Most of the bishops whom I met in Rome had read his article and none was inclined to dispute its depressing conclusions.... One feared that the ecumenical movement was taking what little was left of the fight out of the Church:

    “Christ said ‘They will throw you out of the synagogues.’ Today we priests are being invited to preach in the synagogues. Too many of our Catholics are like the pale tepid lot who Dante said were not fit for Heaven and too cheap for Hell. He wasn’t going to bother to speak about them. Just look at them and pass on. The great word now is ‘Dialogue,' which means futile conversation between Christians of different communions, none of whom has any real belief in anything which he professes. Another popular word is ‘Encounter, which means meeting God rather less then half way.”

    Arnold Lunn, 1968

    Sunday, November 19, 2017

    The humble integrity of the man who played Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons


    "Scofield himself was baptized into the faith of his Catholic mother, although he always felt somewhat divided in spiritual matters since his father was Anglican. He was known for being 'a true country gentleman' who put his marriage, family, and home life first and never allowed the fame of his career to go to his head. A classically trained Shakespearian actor and resident of a small village in Sussex, he did not even go in person to collect his Academy Award for Best Actor. He also rejected the offer of knighthood three times, believing in the maxim 'Never the actor before the part he plays.' After his death, many of Scofield's fellow villagers knew next to nothing about his fame in the acting world, simply regarding him as one of their own, the nice old man who always supported local theater productions. Perhaps it is this abiding combination of humility and intellectual honesty, and recognition of the important things of life that truly made him perfectly destined to bring the character of Thomas More to life on screen."
    Avellina Balestri, "Silence Louder Than Words: Looking back at A Man for All Seasons," The Latin Mass: The Journal of Catholic Culture and Tradition, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Fall 2017), p. 58.

    Detroit's Blessed Solanus Casey beatified!


    Detroit's Capuchin friar, Fr. Solanus Casey (1870-1957), was beatified on Saturday, November 18th, at Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions. There were reportedly upwards of 70,000 people there. I'm sure some wondered whether a football game they hadn't heard about was in progress! What a fantastic event! Here's a picture of how it looked inside Ford Field 2 days ago where the beatification Mass was celebrated:

    It's almost Thanksgiving ... and Fr. Perrone goes to Confession!

    Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, November 19, 2017)
    This week we observe the second of the three great holidays, Thanksgiving Day. Second? Yes, when one figures in Halloween which, according to news reports, is the second most celebrated American holiday, second only to the December one which everyone used to call Christmas. (Word is out that President Trump has declared that it's once again OK to say, "Merry Christmas." That may be reassuring to some, but to those who never championed political correctness it is, in an ironic bit of pointing the finger, "fake news.")

    Thanksgiving Day is worthy of Christian endorsement so long as we recall that there's an object to our thanks -- namely God -- to whom we owe our very existence as well as everything we have. As I remarked in a pastor's column of some past year, secular society gladly embraces Thanksgiving Day for its commercial potential (kicking off, as they say, the holiday spending spree) and for the momentary reprieve of work. One may openly express thankfulness for anything whatever if it is left unsaid that the gratitude must be direct to the Almighty.


    Just this past week I made thanksgiving to God for one of the most precious of His gifts to me as a Catholic: the absolution of my sins. (In case you didn't know, priests not only hear confessions but make themselves penitents of other priests.) It so happened that this confession was in close proximity to my birthday (the admission of which is not meant to cue a raucous rendition of the familiar dirge). Confession, I would say, is a great Catholic way of celebrating one's birthday, compelling one to recollect one's utter dependence upon God for forgiveness, for His grace, for life itself. Going to confession ought not to make one grumpy and cross. I'm reminded of what I once read about a composer Igor Stravinsky who would faithfully go to confession on his birthday, the prospect of which would put the composer, in his own words, "in a mood," that is, crabby.

    The confession of my sins reminds me of my lowly place under God's infinitely vast empire and that I must ever be grateful to Him for His merciful indulgence to my sinful self. Going to confession also reminds me of what it is to be a penitent in my confessional who must not only accuse himself of his sins before God, but who must also own up to his wrongdoings before a priest, one who is as fallible as another -- so that I will not easily to be compassionate and understanding of penitents. I have posted a few choice scriptural quotes on the door of my confessional. These help me to be kindly disposed to those beggars of divine mercy who come to me to be freed of the burden of their consciences. Should ever I fail in this and get uppity or impatient with you in confession, do me the charity of asking me to read the bible verses on my confessional door. That should awaken a needed humility and spare me a severe judgment from the Judge of judges.

    Last week's somewhat panicky pastor's Descant forecasting a gloomy future for our parish Forty Hours devotion appears to have been overwrought. Attendance for the closing Mass at noon last Sunday was good and there always seemed to be someone adoring our Lord during the hours of Exposition. The real credit for the devotion, of course, goes to the benevolent Christ who makes Himself and His graces available during this sacred time. I want to make the Forty Hours a great spiritual success for our people and I would be sad to let go of it when we have held on to it so tenaciously these many years. Accordingly, I have asked a small committee to be formed for securing the future of the Forty Hourse Devotion in our parish. They would meet in September next year to plan for a greater participation and greater solemnity for this traditional parish service.

    You will note the near completion of the handicapped entrance ramp on the church's south side, a project that has taken an unduly long time to come to completion. If its serviceability matches its fine looks, I would say that we will have a worthy addition -- or rather replacement entryway -- to our majestic church structure.

    Fr. Perrone

    Why traditional Catholic devotions are disappearing even from traditional parishes

    One problem is that most traditional parishes tend to be "commuter parishes," whose members live at considerable distance from the churches. But listen in as a trusted pastor discusses the challenge today:

    Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, November 12, 2017)
    I've been toying with the idea of dropping the annual parish Forty Hours Devotion, beginning next year. The reason would only be lack of patronage. Grotto has offered this period of Eucharistic adoration for as long as anyone can remember. The Forty Hours Devotion reflects a time in the Archdiocese when this was practiced in every parish in its turn. The effect diocese-wide was that somewhere and at all times there was Eucharistic exposition. A lot has happened since those more reverent times. For one thing, Vatican Ii happened and this worldwide devotion was more or less dropped in favor of an indeterminate annual "Eucharistic day" which every parish was encouraged to host. With the decrease of Eucharistic devotion this became a dead letter in most places, though Grotto carried on with the Forty Hours. Suddenly there arose a wave of adoration in special parish chapels where the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed for some hours daily or even around the clock. A boon to adoration this was indeed, but it generally rendered those Eucharistic Days and the Forty Hours superfluous. While several parishes in the archdiocese have adoration chapels, there are almost none that have solemn public days of adoration, let alone the Forty Hours.


    Forty Hours procession at St. John Cantius in Chicago

    Another factor in the demise of the Forty Hours Devotion was the diminishing number of Catholic schools and the ruination of once highly Catholic neighborhoods around their parishes. The once tighly knit communities that gave rise to the parishes were a boon to adoration of the Holy Sacrament. Distances to the churches then were short and the presence of children in the parish schools supplied a steady stream of adorers.

    We've had our parish adoration chapel going for nearly as long as I have been pastor. At one time we had less of a difficulty filling time slots for adoration. We barely succeed in having sufficient worshippers, but their number is small. Our people live far away from the parish and often have access to adoration places closer to home than Assumption Grotto Church. (Most people, however, do not practice a weekly holy hour of adoration.)

    In the heyday, Forty Hours was a special celebration for a parish. There were processions and litanies. Altar boys in groups of two were assigned half-hour periods of adoration. A banner was placed over the front church doors of the church which announced to the neighborhood that this was the time of Forty Hours. Sermons on the Holy Eucharist were given. People came in great numbers to the solemn closing ceremony, and dozens of priests participated in it, followed or preceded by a grand dinner for the priests which was a confirmation of priestly fraternity. We have limped on with the Forty hours for a long time through interest wand attendance for it have been dwindling.

    There is a Church law which forbids the Holy Eucharist to remain exposed without adorers being present. I'm not wholly sure that this has been honored all the time. Sometimes I or Fr. John or some single person have been the only ones present at a given time.

    Having given all that preliminary information, I will assess the success of this year's Forty Hours. I do believe that it gives honor and glory to God, but only if there are people present doing the praying and adoring the Lord.


    Forty Hours closing Mass at the London Oratory

    Today [Nov. 12th] at the noon Mass we will have the solemn ceremonial as prescribed by the Forty Hours ritual. I hope the three days will be a success and warrant our continued practice of this venerable custom. If not, we will have to bid the Forty Hours Devotion a sad but fond farewell. It had nourished Eucharistic piety in the people of this parish for many generations. Let us see in what direction we must head in the years to come.

    Tridentine Community News - Tridentine Mass Celebrant Training in Saint John, New Brunswick and Medford, Oregon; Solemn High Mass at National Catholic Youth Conference; Local TLM schedule for this coming week


    "I will go in unto the Altar of God
    To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

    Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 19, 2017):
    November 19, 2017 – Resumed Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

    Tridentine Mass Celebrant Training in Saint John, New Brunswick and Medford, Oregon

    The last few months have brought more interest from priests interested in learning to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass. Publicized on the web site and in certain episodes of Extraordinary Faith, the training only requires two days for priests to learn to celebrate their first Mass. Priests need only provide essential Mass supplies; there is no cost for training materials, time, or travel.

    For a variety of reasons, some priest students request to keep their participation in the class confidential. Most, however, are thrilled to be able to provide the Extraordinary Form to their flocks and to help their own spiritual growth as priests. Three recent participants in the training in particular stand out:


    Fr. Peter Melanson [pictured above], Pastor of Holy Trinity Church near downtown Saint John, New Brunswick, is a graduate of London, Ontario’s St. Peter’s Seminary. With the support of his bishop, he is starting the first regular Latin Mass in his part of Canada in over 45 years. Having only taken the training in August, Fr. Melanson has already begun weekly Sunday 12:30 PM Low Masses at Holy Trinity on October 29. A page on the parish web site is dedicated to this new initiative: http://holytrinitysj.com/latinmass/


    Fr. Shane McKee [pictured above], Associate Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in downtown Medford, Oregon, and Fr. Ben Tapia [pictured below], Pastor of Shepherd of the Valley Church in Central Point Oregon, this past week took part in a training session at Sacred Heart Church arranged by Don Haverkamp and Mike Ford of Southern Oregon Una Voce. Don and Mike were the organizers of the sold-out Sacred Liturgy Conference held at Sacred Heart Church this past summer, which Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Cordileone, and other luminaries attended. Fr. Shane and Fr. Ben will be joining the roster of priests offering the Traditional Mass in the Medford area, with the intent of expanding the frequency of its availability.


    Priests interested in learning the Tridentine Mass are invited to e-mail info@extraordinaryfaith.tv for more information about the training program.

    Solemn High Mass at National Catholic Youth Conference


    [Here are some more photos of the event from Fr. Z's blog.]

    The below, printed verbatim from Gregory DiPippo’s post on the New Liturgical Movement blog, further demonstrates the growing influence and presence of the Traditional Latin Mass at mainstream Catholic events:
    “Every two years, over 25,000 young people attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), which for the past three years has been held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Convention Center. This year there will be a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form offered at NCYC. Two years ago, a Missa Cantata was celebrated at the conference, and it drew such a large crowd that there were more people overflowing outside of the small chapel than inside the chapel itself.

    The Mass has been moved to a larger room this year, and a portable reredos and communion rail are being built for the chapel. Please spread the word to those you know who might be attending NCYC; this will be a great opportunity for young people to experience the Traditional Rite of the Mass at such a large gathering. The Mass will be held in the NCYC Adoration Chapel in the Indianapolis Convention Center on Friday, November 17th at 11:30am.”
    This is, of course, an encouraging development, but what’s still missing is any official acknowledgement from the U.S. or Canadian Conferences of Catholic Bishops that Tradition has any real role in evangelizing the young. [emphasis added] One wonders just why this never seems to be a part of the official party line. Perhaps bishops and their staffs don’t realize that laser light shows and praise-and-worship music don’t appeal to everyone’s spiritual sensitivities.

    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
    • Mon. 11/20 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Felix of Valois, Confessor)
    • Tue. 11/21 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
    • Sat. 11/25 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin & Martyr)
    [Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for November 12, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

    Record attendance at chant workshop in Detroit (upwards of 100 attendees)!

    I want to make sure nobody missed this from the previous post:
    A special thank-you to all those who made time to attend Wassim Sarweh’s most recent Gregorian Chant Workshop on October 28. Attendance was almost triple the previous local record, and arguably was among the highest ever seen for a comparable event in North America: Old St. Mary’s Parish had set a limit of 75 attendees; all reservations on Eventbrite had been claimed, plus there were several walk-ins on the day of the class. Approximately 20 additional faithful attended the associated 2:00 PM Tridentine Mass without attending the seminar. Not surprisingly, the parish has asked Wassim to hold another Chant Workshop in 2018.

    Perhaps most notably, many of the attendees were choir directors themselves. This certainly bodes well for the (re)introduction of chant in parish repertoires.

    Catching up: Tridente Community News from Nov. 12th!


    "I will go in unto the Altar of God
    To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

    Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 12, 2017):
    November 12, 2017 – Twenty-third Sunday After Pentecost

    Record Attendance at Chant Workshop

    A special thank-you to all those who made time to attend Wassim Sarweh’s most recent Gregorian Chant Workshop on October 28. Attendance was almost triple the previous local record, and arguably was among the highest ever seen for a comparable event in North America: Old St. Mary’s Parish had set a limit of 75 attendees; all reservations on Eventbrite had been claimed, plus there were several walk-ins on the day of the class. Approximately 20 additional faithful attended the associated 2:00 PM Tridentine Mass without attending the seminar. Not surprisingly, the parish has asked Wassim to hold another Chant Workshop in 2018.

    Perhaps most notably, many of the attendees were choir directors themselves. This certainly bodes well for the (re)introduction of chant in parish repertoires.

    Mass at St. Hyacinth Church on December 3

    Detroit’s historic St. Hyacinth Church will hold its next Tridentine High Mass on Sunday, December 3 at 1:30 PM. The Mass will be offered by Fr. Stephen Wolfe, SJ, the recently-ordained Jesuit who has enthusiastically joined our roster of local TLM celebrants.

    St. Hyacinth is one of metro Detroit’s best-preserved churches, with a stunningly decorated interior incorporating mosaics and painted domes [pictured]. Recently its High Altar underwent a restorative repainting.

    From 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM that day, St. Hyacinth also will host a Brunch with St. Nicholas in the school hall. Flyers describing the event are available after Mass at the OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, St. Alphonsus, and Holy Name of Mary Churches.


    Prayer for the Queen: The Dómine, Salvam Fac

    The media has always been fascinated with the British Royal Family. If your travels will be taking you to England, you might be interested to know that the following Prayer for the Queen (or King) is specified to be prayed after Sunday High Masses, in much the same way that we have a custom of Prayers After Low Mass in the universal Church.

    This prayer can be sung as well as recited; recordings of both polyphonic and Gregorian versions of the Dómine, salvam fac can be found on YouTube. The Gregorian version is normally sung after Latin Masses, a recording of which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nLNP8sz2F4

    ℣. Dómine, salvam fac regínam nostram Elísabeth.
    . Et exáudi nos in die, qua invocavérimus te.

    Orémus. Quaésumus, omnípotens Deus, ut fámula tua Elísabeth regína nostra, qui tua miseratióne suscépit regni gubernácula, virtútum étiam ómnium percípiat increménta; quibus decénter ornáta, et vitiórum monstra devitáre, et ad te, qui via, véritas, et vita es, cum príncipe consórte et prole régia, gratiósa váleat perveníre. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

    . Amen.

    . O Lord, save Elizabeth our Queen.
    . And hear us in the day when we call upon Thee.

    Let us pray. Almighty God, we pray for Thy servant Elizabeth our Queen, now by Thy mercy reigning over us. Adorn her yet more with every virtue, remove all evil from her path, that with her consort, and all the royal family she may come at last in grace to Thee, Who art the way, the truth, and the life. Through Christ our Lord.
    . Amen.

    Other countries pray versions of this prayer adapted for their own king or queen.

    The Dómine, salvam fac demonstrates in a formal, liturgical way our obligation to pray for our leaders, no matter what faith they may espouse.

    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
    • Mon. 11/13 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin)
    • Tue. 11/14 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr)
    • Sat. 11/18 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss. Peter & Paul)
    [Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for January 4, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

    Saturday, November 18, 2017

    Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and eastern Michigan


    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

    Sunday


    Monday


    Tuesday


    Wednesday


    Thursday


    Friday


    Saturday


    * NB: The SSPX chapels among those Mass sites listed above are posted here because the Holy Father has announced that "those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins," and subsequently extended this privilege beyond the Year of Mercy. These chapels are not listed among the approved parishes and worship sites on archdiocesan websites.

    Very interesting: "The EF and the New Age"

    This article conjoins the unexpected topic of the New Age with a seemingly-unlikely mate, the Extraordinary Form of the Catholic liturgy, not any sense to conflate the two, but to show why those attracted to the New Age (and here there are many historical examples) have found or can find what they thought they were looking for in the transcendent liturgy of antiquity: "FIUV Position Paper: Joseph Shaw, "The EF and the New Age" (Rorate Caeli, November 18, 2017).

    Sunday, November 12, 2017

    Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and east Michigan


    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

    Sunday


    Monday


    Tuesday


    Wednesday


    Thursday


    Friday


    Saturday


    * NB: The SSPX chapels among those Mass sites listed above are posted here because the Holy Father has announced that "those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins," and subsequently extended this privilege beyond the Year of Mercy. These chapels are not listed among the approved parishes and worship sites on archdiocesan websites.

    Sunday, November 05, 2017

    Fr. Perrone: Why pray for the dead?

    Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, November 5, 2017):
    What we know about life after death pales in comparison with what we do not know. There are so many unanswered questions. Our Lord Himself spoke of the next life in similes, leaving us to glean a literal understanding from the imagery therein. Although the church has officially said relatively little about the souls of the deceased as being in this world (think of ghosts, apparitions of and licit communications with the dead through prayer), we have some hints that the matter may be much more complex than the little doctrinal surety we have about these matters. Upon the death of our Lord, for example, it is written that many holy souls arose from their graves and appeared to many on earth (Mt. 27:53). In our time we have testimony from a convincing number of persons who have had 'near death' experiences in which their souls seem to have hovered over and about their not-quite-yet-dead bodies. How much is fantasy, how much deception, how much undefined truth is unsure. Our doctrinal certainty on the condition of the dead is rather succinct: after the particular judgment there is heaven, or hell, or purgatory. The rest is not specified.

    Holy Church however has always prayed for the souls of the faithful departed, that is, for those who were once living members of the Church on earth but who may now, after death, be in need of our prayers. Canonized saints are excluded from this prayer since it is certain that they have successfully achieved their place and their state cannot improve. Likewise, the souls of the damned cannot be ransomed by any degree of supplication for them. Only the souls of the dead in purgatory can profit from our Masses, indulgences, and other prayers and good works offered for their amelioration.


    At one time in rather recent history -- before Vatican II -- Catholics had a more manifest devotion to the "poor souls" in purgatory. Ever since the near demise of the Requiem Mass (the Mass for the dead, revived only ten years ago by Pope Benedict XVI by permitting the return of the traditional Latin Mass), Catholics seem to have forgotten that purgatory is a solemnly proclaimed dogma of the Church (which, therefore, no Catholic can deny and yet remain a Catholic) and that Masses and prayers for the dead are a real benefit to those in purgatory, enabling them to be released the sooner from the just punishments they suffer as a result of their sins. (For the uninformed: the daily black vestment Requiem Mass was a common occurrence before the Council; there were in some churches so-called 'privileged altars' where indulgences for the dead were secured; litanies and other prayers for the dead were commonly recited; and people customarily arranged for Masses to be said for their beloved deceased.) With the loss of the doctrinal instruction, today's modern Catholics have the erroneous assumption that nearly everybody goes directly to heaven after death. Given the infallibility of the Church's dogma regarding the existence of purgatory it would be at least negligent, if not cruel, to omit praying for the souls detained in this transcendent 'prison' (cf. Mt 5:25). How many of our beloved may be in need of assistance from the church on earth? With the facile dismissal of the doctrine of purgatory that help will not be forthcoming.


    This entire month is set aside to remember the dead and to alleviate their sufferings. It has been estimated that the pains of purgatory are more intense than any known in this life. When one considers the excruciating possibilities of present pains, that's a staggering amount. Charity ought to motivate us to assist souls who have no means to help themselves.

    God in His mercy provided a place of temporary punishment for sin which we call purgatory. Let us be grateful that we can help the poor souls by our works.

    This weekend our parish will have the 40 Hours of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We open this on Friday after the 7:30 Mass until 7:00 p.m. It continues on Saturday after the 7:30 a.m. Mass until 7:00 p.m. Next Sunday adoration takes place only in short intervals between Masses and concludes with the solemn high Mass at noon, followed by the procession with the Blessed Sacrament. Plan this weekend on being in church for one hour of prayer besides your usual weekend Mass time.

    Fr. Perrone

    My dear Wormwood, ...

    ... I note what you say about guiding your patient’s reading and taking care that he sees a good deal of his materialist friend. But are you not being a trifle naïf ? It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches. That might have been so if he had lived a few centuries earlier. At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of reasoning. But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we have largely altered that. Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily “true” or “false”, but as “academic” or “practical”, “outworn” or “contemporary”, “conventional” or “ruthless”. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true ! Make him think it is strong, or stark, or courageous — that it is the philosophy of the future. That’s the sort of thing he cares about.

    The trouble about argument is that it moves the whole struggle onto the Enemy’s own ground. He can argue too; whereas in really practical propaganda of the kind I am suggesting He has been shown for centuries to be greatly the inferior of Our Father Below. By the very act of arguing, you awake the patient’s reason; and once it is awake, who can foresee the result? Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so as to end in our favour, you will find that you have been strengthening in your patient the fatal habit of attending to universal issues and withdrawing his attention from the stream of immediate sense experiences. Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. Teach him to call it “real life” and don’t let him ask what he means by “real”.
    Related:
    [From C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan Co., 1947), pp. 11-12; republished online (Samizdat University Press, 2016).]

    Tridentine Community News - Upcoming talks and receptions at the Oakland County Latin Mass Association; Christmas week bus tour of historic churches in Chicago; local TLM schedule


    "I will go in unto the Altar of God
    To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

    Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (November 5, 2017):
    November 5, 2017 - Twenty-second Sunday After Pentecost

    Upcoming Talks & Receptions at the Oakland County Latin Mass Association

    Speakers have been lined up for several of the upcoming monthly receptions that follow the Sunday 9:45 AM Oakland County Latin Mass Association Masses at the Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel in Bloomfield Hills:

    November 19: Fr. John Ezratty, MC will present a reflection about discerning the will of God for one’s life. Fr. Ezratty is a priest of Miles Christi, an order dedicated to the sanctification of the laity. As part of his ministry, he provides spiritual direction, conducts the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, and assists laypeople with building their own personal relationships with our Lord.

    December 10: Erik Coules, Regional Coordinator with the Archdiocese of Detroit Department of Parish Life & Services

    January 7: Dr. Robert Fastiggi, Professor of Systematic Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, will speak on The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Some Historical and Theological Reflections. Dr. Fastiggi’s most recent book, published in March, 2017, is The Sacrament of Reconciliation: An Anthropological and Scriptural Understanding.

    March 4, 2018: Fr. Stephen Wolfe, SJ will discuss Ignatian methods of prayer. Recently-ordained Fr. Wolfe is an enthusiastic celebrant of the Traditional Mass.

    June 3: Following the offering one of his first Masses after ordination for the OCLMA, soon-to-be Fr. Graham Latimer, FSSP will speak on Vocation to the Priesthood. Fr. Latimer is originally from metro Detroit, and his family attends the OCLMA.

    Christmas Week Bus Tour of Historic Churches in Chicago

    A perennial favorite, Prayer Pilgrimages’ annual Christmas week bus tour to Chicago will be held this year Thursday-Saturday, December 28-30. Chicago is blessed with one of the world’s most impressive collections of well-preserved historic churches.

    This year we have an embarrassment of riches, as more historic churches have welcomed our bus tour to hold Tridentine Masses than we have days to accommodate all of them. We are particularly privileged that two of them have invited us to hold the first Tridentine Masses in their churches in over 45 years. Fr. Louis Madey will once again serve as chaplain and celebrant of the Extraordinary Form Masses on this year’s tour, supported by the choir from St. Joseph Oratory and altar servers from the St. Benedict Tridentine Community.

    Tour flyers will be distributed after Mass at Old St. Mary’s in Detroit, at the OCLMA/Academy in Bloomfield Hills, and at St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches in Windsor. For more information or to register, visit www.prayerpilgrimages.com or call tour organizer Michael Semaan at (248) 250-6005.

    Stops this year will include the busy Polish parish, St. Hyacinth Basilica [photo, below, by Jonathon Brust]:


    Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, with its arcade of Side Altars [photo, below, by Krzysztof Hanusiak]:


    And this writer’s personal favorite, the eye-poppingly gorgeous St. Mary of the Angels, below, where everything from the art to the lighting to the glistening floor gives glory to God.


    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
    • Mon. 11/06 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Feria)
    • Tue. 11/07 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Votive Mass for the Unity of the Church)
    • Sat. 11/11 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Martin of Tours, Bishop & Confessor)
    [Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for November 5, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

    Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and east Michigan


    Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

    Sunday


    Monday


    Tuesday


    Wednesday


    Thursday


    Friday


    Saturday


    * NB: The SSPX chapels among those Mass sites listed above are posted here because the Holy Father has announced that "those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins," and subsequently extended this privilege beyond the Year of Mercy. These chapels are not listed among the approved parishes and worship sites on archdiocesan websites.