Why Conservative Justices Run Interference for Liberal Causes

THE CONSTITUTIONAL FLAW IN THE CONSERVATIVE MIND

by Edwin Dyga

Edwin Dyga is the Chief of Staff to the Parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Party in New South Wales, Australia. He was the founder and convenor of the Sydney Traditionalist Forum.

The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the consequent appointment of a third justice to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Donald Trump reignited debate about the impact of jurisprudence on American society. As the debate often revolves around questions of morality and its role in contemporary governance, conservatives cannot boast about their track record. Even if they exert cultural influence over large sections of the public, this is seldom reflected in legislative or judicial outcomes. This disconnect is the result of a political approach on the putative Right that seems to focus on diagnosis — why things are as they are — instead of on self-reflection and a reassessment of the tactics used to arrive at the status quo. What do recent developments in the judicial arena teach us about how we have arrived at this juncture?

Prof. David Flint, former dean of law at the University of Technology Sydney, wrote that the Supreme Court was the American Founding Fathers’ “biggest mistake, a disaster our [Australian] founders followed, even awarding the federal government an untrammeled discretion in choosing judges” (The Spectator, June 27). Flint argues that the Founders should have foreseen the rise of the kritarchy (i.e., rule by the judiciary) in much the same way Alexis de Tocqueville foresaw the potential decay of American democracy. Perhaps Flint is right, but intuition suggests that no matter how a judicial institution is established, politics, like greed and corruption, will make its presence felt. The seismic cultural shifts experienced in recent decades confirm this as we witness the continuing hyper-politicization of the public square. The problem of institutional collapse lies elsewhere, and the Founders of both nations can be forgiven for what seems, in retrospect, to be no more than the sin of gallant naïveté.

The formal structure of an institution, its constitutional order and the framework of rules and regulations according to which it operates, is not enough to guarantee its integrity. To believe otherwise is to indulge in a dangerous utopianism that ignores the primacy of an institution’s animating force: the people who constitute it, their attitudes and dispositions, and their culture, which is never a rigid force and inevitably changes the way organizations operate over time. The cultural impact of a judicial system does not, therefore, depend on whether judges are elected or appointed but on the cultural milieu in which its jurisprudence is shaped. Just as the milieu changes, so does its jurisprudence. Much like the human-resource departments in both the private and public sectors today, fill an organization with revolutionaries and it will reflect their values and act according to their imperatives — sometimes in a manner hostile to the organization’s original purpose.

Collapse is evident when those dedicated to preservation or renewal appear to strike at the foundations of the social order or actively fail to protect its integrity. Consider President Trump’s second appointee, Brett Kavanaugh, who, in his first act as an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 2018, sided with his liberal colleagues in refusing to hear an argument in support of a state law that purported to prevent Planned Parenthood, a billion-dollar corporation dedicated to the promotion of abortion, from receiving additional taxpayer funds. Catholic commentator Michael Warren Davis put it delicately when he said this development “doesn’t bode well” for the pro-life cause (theDoveTV, Dec. 17, 2018). Kavanaugh, Davis said, “didn’t even want to hear the case…. He is invincibly certain that Planned Parenthood is entitled to taxpayer money.”

Similarly, President Trump’s first appointee as associate justice, Neil Gorsuch, wrote the decision in June this year that effectively extended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to people who profess exotic sexual identities, consequently imposing the next stage of the sexual revolution on the public square and further restricting the public and private rights of citizens who prefer to live by normative values. In an unrelated case decided that same day, he did not dissent from a decision that effectively upheld California’s so-called sanctuary laws that prohibit local law-enforcement officials from aiding federal agents in enforcing federal law.

These decisions are nothing short of a colossal humiliation to the Christians and conservatives who supported Kavanaugh and Gorsuch during their confirmation hearings. What inclines these supposedly conservative appointees to score such “own goals,” and so consistently? Flint writes that the “long term solution is to reverse unaccountable judicial supremacy and the deleterious effect it has had,” but reliance on “originalist” appointments (i.e., judges who claim to uphold original intent of the law) is obviously not enough.

Gorsuch’s decision on the scope of Title VII in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) was made on the basis of a strict reading of the law. Ironically, this is what conservatives have been demanding of their court officials since the era of judicial activism came to dominate social policy. However, it remains somewhat of a mystery that a self-described originalist would hold that the drafters of the Civil Rights Act had the incessantly expanding matrix of performative sexual identities in mind over half a century ago, in 1964. What strikes the observer is that a commitment to due process and the letter of the law, however flawed in this case, has led Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, ostensible opponents of jurisprudential progressivist overreach, to effectively defend a status quo they were expected to nudge to the Right, if not at least reform to something approximating a legal order untainted by the mischief of contemporary identity politics.

While this may seem counterintuitive, conservatives’ rejection of the political Left’s messianic disposition and methodology is to blame for its inability to reclaim ground lost to the so-called Enlightenment project in the field of law reform. That disposition may be anathema due to the perceived crudity of the Left’s revolutionary character: The nature of a conservative prohibits him from taking revolutionary steps to promote his agenda. By eschewing the Left’s tactics, the conservative does not “lead by example” to “shame his opponents”; instead, he is led by his opponents who are unshackled by the sensibilities of “polite society.” As a consequence, conservatives have been gamed by their own commitments to decorum and process.

Thus, jurisprudential orthodoxy has been turned on itself to further entrench an inherently hostile cultural revolution, and it has done so as a function of its own animating principles: seeming acceptance of the letter of the law (which is increasingly drafted by unapologetic leftist ideologues), restraint in the novel application of precedent (i.e., refusal to engage the Left at its own game), and, of course, compromise in the face of progressive pressure. The result has been a gradual and successive defeat over the past half century for those who would maintain a traditional social order, facilitated by their own judicial appointments.

The historical legacy of this conservative failure can be seen in a number of significant Supreme Court decisions, all of which were facilitated by Republican-appointed justices. In Engel v. Vitale (1962) Chief Justice Earl Warren (an Eisenhower appointee) sided with the majority in banning prayer in public schools. In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) Warren again, along with Justice John Marshall Harlan II (also an Eisenhower appointee), held for the majority in legalizing the free availability of artificial contraception. In Roe v. Wade (1973) Chief Justice Warren Burger (a Nixon appointee) and Justices Harry Blackmun and William Brennan Jr. (Nixon and Eisenhower appointees, respectively) held for the majority in legalizing abortion. In Lawrence v. Texas (2003) Justice Anthony Kennedy (a Reagan appointee and a Catholic) joined Justice David Souter (a Bush appointee) for the majority, with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (another Reagan appointee) concurring, effectively normalizing paraphilia nationally.

Though the rationale for those decisions is open to debate, the weakness of the conservative elements on the bench could be identified in their commitment to reason while their opponents’ was a function of their commitment to social engineering at the service of “progress.”

If Justice Kavanaugh were indeed motivated by a desire to retard the hijacking of the judicial system by militant progressives, he would be receptive to any opportunity that might expose the bench to a legal argument that could rationally justify an interpretation of law amiable to advocates of normative values. Yet in Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (2018) he seemed to agree that the state should not consider evidence of alleged organ-harvesting from aborted children, evidence which an experienced legal team believed had reasonable prospects of being persuasive in a court of law. Where does this urge to err on the side of the enemy’s program originate?

Giving a hearing to arguments, however tenuous, is the leftist strategy for shifting public opinion and creating rhetorical space for the development of legal precedent. Forever on the lookout for implications and inferences, judges committed to “progressive” social engineering through judicial fiat have set a now-long-standing precedent for this jurisprudential strategy — one their erstwhile opponents refuse to follow. It is difficult to imagine that there wouldn’t be a prima facie case to consider in Andersen, given the complex legal and moral arguments cited by both sides in what is one of the most passionately contested debates in the American public square: When does human life begin? Yet the conservative disposition, forever disinclined to learn from the victories of the Left — and therefore incapable of applying strategies that actually succeed — is thus constitutionally handicapped in the culture war.

What, then, are we to make of alleged champions of judicial originalism who lead the charge for the continuing revolution in social mores? The coalition on which Trump was delivered to office in 2016 had to squint at Gorsuch’s “long history of espousing progressive opinions,” Davis writes at CrisisMagazine.com (June 17), in order to avoid the potential disaster of Hillary Clinton appointments to the Supreme Court. “What do we have to show for it?” Davis asks. Not much, it seems. Gorsuch was preferred over Amy Coney Barrett, whose cultural traditionalism suggested that her Senate confirmation hearings would be excruciating and, therefore, intolerable. The torturous process endured by the compromise appointee Gorsuch and his family illustrated that the Trump administration and its Christian and conservative supporters suffered the indignities of a contentious confirmation process anyway, for little in return.

While it is true that both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have shaped, and will likely continue to shape, the future of American jurisprudence the right way in other areas, their milquetoast resistance — or effective defection — on these civilization-defining issues is unforgivable. Victory in “most cases” isn’t the point; victory in the difficult cases is crucial.

The passing of Justice Ginsburg in September opened the path for yet another appointment by the Trump administration. Amy Coney Barrett’s successful appointment to the position this October — on the auspicious date of Hillary Clinton’s birthday, no less — unsurprisingly infuriated the political and cultural Left. But legal traditionalists would do well to restrain themselves from pre-emptive celebration. Constitutional scholar Patrick Deneen gave a cautious endorsement of the charismatic Catholic jurist while noting that she may well be susceptible to the “gentry liberal” ethos that has seen a successive number of allegedly conservative appointees to the Supreme Court lean Left or defect to the progressive side of the bench altogether (First Things, Sept. 29).

An early portent of failure might be seen in the manner in which conservatives promoted Barrett’s candidacy in the media: her status as a woman, the “diversity” of her family, and in some cases playing down her Catholicity. These were highlighted as assets or advantages, but all of them are markers of politically progressive legitimacy. How can a conservative prevail by reaffirming an allegiance to liberalism? Would it really be a disqualifier to say that the only equality she intends to promote is equality before the law, that she will bring the wealth of Aquinas to the bench and reintroduce the spirit of Antonin Scalia?

These unhappy developments bring to mind my own experiences, a decade ago, as an advisor to the New South Wales attorney general and minister for justice. New South Wales is the most populous and litigious state in Australia and, as such, sets the tone for legal reform throughout the Commonwealth. Under the Australian system, ministers (and the AG) are appointed from among elected parliamentarians. The AG was elected to the Lower House in an atmosphere of considerable acrimony, mostly caused by activist elements who targeted his Catholic faith and history of pro-life advocacy as a “threat to democracy.” They denounced him as an “extremist,” called his appointment evidence of a “creeping theocracy,” and accused him of other such predictable nonsense. While in the privacy of personal conversation he did profess a commitment to fighting a culture war, this was more rhetoric than praxis.

The invectives took their toll, however, and the preferred strategy was to “prove” to those who despised him that he wasn’t the incarnation of their greatest fears. The result was an unremarkable policy agenda that terminated with his eventual removal from the Ministry and retirement from politics shortly thereafter.

Advice can be given, but it cannot be compelled. I recall a conversation with a senior colleague about the perils of judicial activism in which I suggested that the one way to put a stop to it would be to engage in it from our side of politics. The appointment of judges and magistrates is the responsibility of the minister; there are no confirmation hearings. Surely the specter of activist judges pushing the acceptable scope of debate on contentious issues to the Right would have roused an outcry against conservative judicial activism. Today, the brazen impudence of the Left comes down exclusively on the activism of conservative justices. A decade ago, however, there might still have been a desire to manifest a semblance of impartiality in the eyes of the public. Thus, the whole culture of “legislating from the bench” might have been put in the spotlight, irrespective of the politics involved. Whatever the outcome, either judges committed to normative values and legal orthodoxy would populate the bench or the whole concept of activism might face critical scrutiny.

Yet the blissful incomprehension that glazed over the eyes of my senior colleague in response to my suggestion of confronting the Left at its own game was telling — and deflating. Instead, a steady stream of “sensible” judges (his description) was appointed, one of whom actually boasted of his feminist credentials in a press release. I asked the then-convenor of the Samuel Griffith Society (the Australian equivalent of American Federalists) whether they were ever consulted about judicial appointments during that period. His answer was a simple “no.” I felt a fool for even asking.

The pathology of meekness among main stream conservatives is evidently shared across the Anglosphere. There simply doesn’t seem to be any real desire to prevail. The heart is cold, and the fight is gone. The root of this flaccidity of character is as much a function of allowing their political foes to set the boundaries of acceptable discourse as it is with adhering to rules that are no longer applicable to modern political combat. Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch are undoubtedly brilliant judicial scholars in their own right, but they (and their appointers) do not seem to appreciate that one cannot wear red and march in a straight line when fighting a guerrilla war.

The same could be said of my colleague, who, in another exchange concerning the reasons why conservatives are losing the culture war, stated laconically, without the slightest tone of concern or urgency, “There are more of them than there are of us.” When asked why he thought that was the case, he chuckled condescendingly and walked away. These exchanges are memorable because they are shocking; they fill a person concerned about the future of his nation with bitter dread.

Is this a conflict between generational perspectives? Opposition to Australia’s legislative redefinition of “family” in 2018 was organized through a corporate entity presided over by three directors, two of whom were born in the 1930s, the other being not much younger. The campaign, evidence of which was difficult to discern on the streets or in cyberspace — where cultural and political questions are determined by a growing cohort of engaged citizenry — failed spectacularly and unsurprisingly. Anything that was effective in drawing the public’s attention to the creeping totalitarianism of the “woke Left” (such as an Internet meme that was cited in parliamentary debates) was, of course, dutifully withdrawn in an attempt never to give offense to the enemy. These people might be described as “beautiful losers,” but the “beautiful” aspect relates to their oft-professed principles, which might be true in a teleological sense but which are no longer valid in light of contemporary rules of engagement. They are trapped in an Ernstfall in which they meander blindly, wondering why the times keep passing them by. The tragedy is that they seem incapable or unwilling to learn from their, or anyone else’s, mistakes.

The perennial complaint that I and some of my younger colleagues had against our senior leaders was the utter lack of mentorship or support, outside of the simple world of party politics, which would be aimed at fostering a future cadre of community leaders capable of forming an alternative cultural and political elite. But under these circumstances, even with such mentorship, all we can hope for is a litany of future judicial, political, and managerial officers who “sensibly” — if unwittingly — comply with the leftist program and steer the course of “progress.”

Pace Flint, the biggest mistake does not lie with the Founders (whether American or Australian) but with those charged with the task of defending the institutions the Founders established. An effective defense requires an offensive strategy in the cultural sphere. But this is rarely accomplished, much less tried. It is past time for conservatives to recalibrate their methodologies if they are to have any real hope of achieving their objectives. Political history is a record of competing rules of engagement between opposing cultures, worldviews, and systems. Contemporary conservatives are historically illiterate, for they are unable to recognize where tactical changes in approach to defending those institutions have become necessary. It is time to realize that a different kind of leadership is required.

©2020 New Oxford Review. All Rights Reserved.

Edwin Dyga's "Why Conservative Justices Run Interference for Liberal Causes" was originally published in the New Oxford Review (December 2020), and is reproduced here by kind permission of New Oxford Review, 1069 Kains Ave. Berkeley CA 94706-2260.

Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and south-eastern Michigan

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint

Monday

• Mon. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Mon. 5:30 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint
(Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

Tuesday

• Tue. 7:00 AM Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Tue. 8:45 AM: Low Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Tue. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada

Wednesday

• Wed. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Wed. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Wed. 12:00 Noon: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit followed by Perpetual Novena to St. Joseph

Thursday

• Thu. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions Thursdays: 7:00 - 7:30 PM during Benediction) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Thu. 8:45 AM: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Thu. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance

Friday

• Fri. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM during Holy Hour) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Fri. 7:00 PM (First Fridays only): Tridentine Mass (usually Low Mass) at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 7:00 PM (First Fridays only): High Mass at Old St. Mary's, Greektown, Detroit
• Fri. 7:00 PM Second Fridays only: Tridentine Mass at St. Joseph, Sarnia, Ontario
• Fri. 7:00 PM (after 6:00 PM Holy Hour, 1st Fridays only): High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• 7:00 PM during Lent only: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit

Saturday

• Sat. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• 8:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Mary, Redford.
• 8:00 AM (1st Saturdays only): Low Mass at St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport
• 8:00 AM Second through last Saturdays only: Low Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi, South Lyon, MI
• 9:00 AM: High Mass at St. Mary, St. Clair
• Sat. 9:00 AM (1st Saturdays): High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 9:00 AM: Low Mass and Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint
• Sun. 6:00 PM: Tridentine Mass at SS. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church, Sterling Heights

* 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.

Tridentine Community News - Thirteenth Metro Detroit Weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass Site Debuts Today: St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor; Sage Advice from Cleveland; Archdiocese of Portland Liturgical Handbook; First of Two Pittsburgh Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo; Tridentine Masses 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 (September 13, 2020):

September 13, 2020 – Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Thirteenth Metro Detroit Weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass Site Debuts Today: St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor

The thirteenth weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass, and the 37th Traditional Mass site in metro Detroit and Windsor, debuts on Sunday, September 13 at 11:00 AM at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor. Fr. Gerald Gawronski, a longtime celebrant of the Traditional Mass in the Diocese of Lansing, will be the celebrant. Professional, paid choir members are being sought.

Since Summórum Pontíficum was published in 2007, there have been repeated attempts to establish a weekly Sunday Mass in Ann Arbor. Until now the best that has been possible was a monthly Mass at Old St. Patrick’s and sporadic special occasion Masses at St. Thomas the Apostle. The debut of this Mass is a testament to the years of patient and persistent work of Juventútem Michigan founder Paul Schultz and Ann Arbor TLM organizer Joe Lipa. St. Thomas offers a central location in downtown Ann Arbor, and 11:00 AM is a surprisingly prime time hour.

Sage Advice from Cleveland

Along similar lines, an August 29, 2020 post on the Cleveland TLM Friends blog (www.clevelandtlmfriends.com) explains how new TLM sites typical start up. Asking the diocese, the bishop, or chancery officials for assistance rarely helps and often introduces unnecessary red tape. New Mass sites are most successfully initiated at the ground level through joint efforts of laypeople and clergy, as the post so eloquently states: “But for those who live on the outermost eastern and western edges, there is still room for growth. Cleveland TLM Friends has been contacted by quite a few Faithful Catholics over the years, asking if there is any known effort to get the Mass started in these outlying areas. My opinion has always been the same: it starts with a stable group and a faithful pastor. Part of the success of the Traditional Catholic Movement in Cleveland has been its grass-roots development, never relying upon diocesan involvement to get the ball rolling. This isn’t to insinuate a separatist attitude. Rather, the Traditional Catholic Movement finds its success in having a pure heart, one based upon love for Tradition and the Mass; its success is not the result of a manufactured accommodation by the less-than-interested.”

Archdiocese of Portland Liturgical Handbook


The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon has issued a 350 page Liturgical Handbook establishing norms for celebration of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Form Mass and Sacraments in their diocese. Impressive in scope and orthodoxy, it devotes special attention to the role of appropriate sacred music. Many problems could be solved if other dioceses followed this lead. For more details, see this story on The New Liturgical Movement blog:
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2020/02/liturgical-handbook-published-by.html. The book can be downloaded free here: https://archdpdx.org/divine-worship, or purchased for Amazon Kindle.

First of Two Pittsburgh Episodes of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo



Episode 21 of Extraordinary Faith – Pittsburgh Part 1 of 2 – is now available for viewing on the Extraordinary Faith channel on YouTube and Vimeo. Church Music Association of America General Manager Janet Gorbitz introduces us to the organization and welcomes us to its Sacred Music Colloquium, held at Duquesne University. This annual gathering attracts approximately 250 people of all levels of experience seeking to increase their understanding of Gregorian Chant and Sacred Polyphony, while offering exemplary liturgies. We speak with symposium instructors from Camden, New Jersey; San Diego; and Chattanooga, and learn how they are implementing innovative traditional sacred music programs in their home parishes.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 09/14: No Mass at Holy Family, Detroit
• Tue. 09/15 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Wed. 09/16: No Mass at Holy Family
• Fri. 09/18: No Mass at Holy Family
• Sat. 09/19 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Januarius, Bishop, & Companions, Martyrs)

[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 September 13, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Twelfth Metro Detroit Weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass Site Debuts on September 13: St. Priscilla, Livonia; St. Aloysius Mass Report; Side Altar Spotted in Use at St. Hugo; Simultaneous TLMs at Orchard Lake Shrine Chapel; No Weekday TLMs at Holy Family Sept. 14-25; Tridentine Masses 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 (September 6, 2020):

September 6, 2020 – Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Twelfth Metro Detroit Weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass Site Debuts on September 13: St. Priscilla, Livonia The twelfth weekly Sunday Tridentine Mass, and the 36th Traditional Mass site in metro Detroit and Windsor, debuts on Sunday, September 13 at 1:00 PM at St. Priscilla Church in Livonia. Administrator Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz, one of metro Detroit’s best-known roving celebrants of the TLM, will be offering this Mass at the request of some parishioners and with the support of his Parish Council. Music for this High Mass will be supplied by parish music director Felicity Long, a member of the family whose multi-generational members have served as music directors for Latin Masses at Assumption Grotto, St. Edward on the Lake, Immaculate Conception Lapeer, and Ss. Cyril & Methodius Sterling Heights.

St. Aloysius Mass Report


Thanks to everyone who turned out on Friday, August 28 for the first Traditional Mass in the lower level church at St. Aloysius in Detroit. The acoustics were amazing! And Administrator Fr. Mario Amore invited us to hold more Masses there in the future. A little-known fact: The lower level High Altar came from the original St. Aloysius Church and dates to 1873. Imagine how many thousands of Holy Masses must have been celebrated on that altar up until it got idled around 1965. A perfect setting for the Traditional Mass. [Photo by Fr. Mario]



Side Altar Spotted in Use at St. Hugo


On Saturday, August 29, this writer randomly walked into the St. Hugo Stone Chapel and found a priest saying a private Mass at a Side Altar. In over 50 years of visiting this chapel, never, ever has a Side Altar been seen in use. How beautiful and appropriate to see these architectural elements once again used for the Holy Sacrifice.

Simultaneous TLMs at Orchard Lake Shrine Chapel


In a further sign of the times, that same Saturday, August 29 at 12:00 Noon, two simultaneous Traditional Masses were offered at Orchard Lake Seminary’s Archdiocesan Shrine Chapel of St. John Paul II: In the main church there was a scheduled High Requiem Mass celebrated by Msgr. Ronald Browne, while in one of the chapels in the sacristy, an unscheduled Low Mass was offered by Fr. Lukasz Iwanczuk at the request of two seminarians. For those who have not been back there, the expansive sacristy has six private chapels – six small rooms with ad oriéntem altars and seating for two faithful each – in which seminary priests can and do offer their daily Masses.

No Weekday TLMs at Holy Family Sept. 14-25

Because of Fr. Paul Ward’s planned time away from the parish, there will be no Traditional Masses at Holy Family Church in Detroit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, September 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, and 25. Weekday Masses will resume at 12:00 Noon on Monday, September 28.

Interesting tidbit: Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit from St. Mary of Redford serve the Monday Masses at Holy Family.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 09/08 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Sat. 09/12 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Most Holy Name of Mary)

[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 September 6, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - The Missal for the Blind; Bishops Saying Private Masses During Vatican II; Miles Christi Mass Time Change; Tridentine Masses 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 (August 16, 2020):

August 16, 2020 – Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

The Missal for the Blind

One of the more interesting obscure liturgical books is the Missále Cæcutiéntium, the so-called Missal for the Blind, more accurately described as an altar missal for priests with poor eyesight. It is a large format book with very large print. It contains the Ordinary of the Mass and only two sets of Propers, the Daily Mass for the Dead and the five seasonal Votive Masses of Our Lady. Presumably priests with poor eyesight were given dispensation to be able to use those two sets of Propers even on other Feast Days, through most likely not on the most important Feasts. This writer has only seen editions of this book from prior to 1955; the one whose pages are excerpted below was published in 1921. Nevertheless these missals are not all that rare and turn up with used book vendors relatively frequently.



With our current technology, a priest with poor eyesight can supplement one of these missals with copies of the actual Mass Propers for the day blown up on a photocopier for easier readability. One such priest in Florida using this missal actively does just that.

One must appreciate the care and concern that the Church showed for its priests with special needs back when such a specialized book with limited appeal needed to be created and kept up to date via a painstaking manual process, without the convenient computerized typesetting tools we enjoy today.

Bishops Saying Private Masses During Vatican II

This 2018 post on Fr. Z’s blog contains a link to a video of bishops saying their daily private Masses during the meetings of the Second Vatican Council: https://wdtprs.com/2018/07/video-bishops-saying-private-masses-during-vatican-ii/


Reader comments following the post remind us of the immense value of daily Masses celebrated individually by priests: Each Holy Mass that is offered brings tremendous graces to the world. When priests concelebrate a Mass, there is only one Mass being offered, not many, and thus the world does not receive as many graces as it would if multiple individual Masses had been offered instead. The Side Altars one sees in older churches were not placed there primarily to serve as devotional shrines, but as functioning altars on which the various priests serving that church would offer their daily Masses.

As the Extraordinary Form of Holy Mass continues to regain popularity, the practice of celebrating individual daily Masses is slowly being recovered. As this column has previously pointed out, the gallery of Side Altars in the main chapel at Detroit’s Sacred Heart Major Seminary is once again seeing regular use, as several priests who teach there offer their daily private Tridentine Masses on them. Some prominent churches known for Traditional Liturgy, such as the Birmingham, Oxford, and London Oratories in England, have always made frequent use of their Side Altars for private Masses. Last but not least, here in metro Detroit and Windsor you can witness multiple priests offering simultaneous Low Masses on the Side Altars of a church on All Souls Day, a tradition we hope to continue in 2020 at a church yet to be announced.

Miles Christi Mass Time Change

The weekly Saturday Low Mass at Miles Christi’s Family Center Chapel is now being held at 8:00 AM, 30 minutes earlier than before.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 08/18 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Agapitus, Martyr)
• Sat. 08/22 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Immaculate Heart of Mary)

[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 August 16, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and southeastern Michigan

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint

Monday

• Mon. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*

Tuesday

• Tue. 7:00 AM Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Tue. 8:45 AM: Low Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Tue. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada

Wednesday

• Wed. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Wed. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Wed. 12:00 Noon: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit followed by Perpetual Novena to St. Joseph

Thursday

• Thu. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions Thursdays: 7:00 - 7:30 PM during Benediction) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Thu. 8:45 AM: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Thu. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance

Friday

• Fri. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM during Holy Hour) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Fri. 7:00 PM (First Fridays only): Tridentine Mass (usually Low Mass) at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 7:00 PM (First Fridays only): High Mass at Old St. Mary's, Greektown, Detroit
• Fri. 7:00 PM Second Fridays only: Tridentine Mass at St. Joseph, Sarnia, Ontario
• Fri. 7:00 PM (after 6:00 PM Holy Hour, 1st Fridays only): High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• 7:00 PM during Lent only: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit

Saturday

• Sat. 08/15 8:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary, Redford (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - Marian procession follows, with relics of Our Lady's house, St. Louis de Montfort and St. Maximilian Kilbe.
• 8:00 AM (1st Saturdays only): Low Mass at St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport
• 8:00 AM Second through last Saturdays only: Low Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi, South Lyon, MI
• 9:00 AM: High Mass at St. Mary, St. Clair
• Sat. 9:00 AM (1st Saturdays): High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 08/15/ 10:00 PM: High Mass at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint
• Sat. 08/15 11:00 AM: High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Sat. 08/15 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - Held at the outdoor grotto with choir and candlelight procession following.

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint
• Sun. 6:00 PM: Tridentine Mass at SS. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church, Sterling Heights

* 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.

Tridentine Community News - The Ánima Christi; Altar Servers Needed for New TLM Sites; Eye Candy from Tridentine Mass Homecomings; Tridentine Masses 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 (August 9, 2020):

August 9, 2020 – Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Ánima Christi

One of the most famous prayers in the Catholic canon, sometimes set to music, is the Ánima Christi. Holy Mother Church has enriched this prayer with a Partial Indulgence when said as an act of thanksgiving after Holy Communion.

Ánima Christi, sanctífica me. Corpus Christi, salva me. Sanguis Christi, inébria me. Aqua láteris Christi, lava me. Pássio Christi, confórta me. O bone Jesu, exáudi me. Intra tua vúlnera abscónde me. Ne permíttas me separári a te. Ab hoste malígno defénde me. In hora mortis meæ voca me: et jube me veníre ad te, ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te, in saécula sæculórum. Amen.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malicious enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me. And bid me come to Thee, That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee for ever and ever. Amen.

Altar Servers Needed for New TLM Sites

Every time a new Tridentine Mass sites debuts – which has become a relatively frequent occurrence in the Archdiocese of Detroit of late – there arises a need for altar servers, singers, and volunteers of many sorts. Presently two new sites are in need of assistance:

Ss. Peter & Paul Westside needs altar servers for their First Saturday 9:00 AM Low Mass. The parish is considering adding additional Masses, including occasional High Masses, if sufficient servers are found. Contact Pastor Fr. Jerry Pilus if you can help.

Holy Family Church in Detroit needs altar servers for its 12:00 Noon Low Masses on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Contact Pastor Fr. Paul Ward if you are able to assist.

Eye Candy from Tridentine Mass Homecomings

In recent months there seems to have been an abundance of beautiful historic churches around the world hosting the Traditional Mass for the first time in decades. This is most fitting, considering that their ornate architecture was intended to complement the ceremonies of the immemorial Mass. One particularly eye-catching recent photo was of the first TLM celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Maurice in Angers, France. One gets a sense of something at long last coming home.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 08/11 7:00 PM: Low Requiem Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
• Sat. 08/15 8:00 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Sat. 08/15 8:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Redford (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) – Marian procession follows, with relics of Our Lady’s house, St. Louis de Montfort, and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
• Sat. 08/15 10:00 AM: High Mass at St. Matthew, Flint (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Sat. 08/15 11:00 AM: High Mass at St. Joseph (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
• Sat. 08/15 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at Assumption Grotto (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) – Held at the outdoor grotto with candlelight procession following.

[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 August 9, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and southeast Michigan

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint

Monday

• Mon. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Mon. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Mon. 12:00 Noon: Low Mass at Holy Family, Detroit

Tuesday

• Tue. 7:00 AM Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Tue. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Tue. 8:45 AM: Low Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Tue. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada

Wednesday

• Wed. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Wed. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions by appointment) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Wed. 12:00 Noon: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit followed by Perpetual Novena to St. Joseph

Thursday

• Thu. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Thu. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions Thursdays: 7:00 - 7:30 PM during Benediction) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Thu. 8:45 AM: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Thu. 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance

Friday

• Fri. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Fri. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM during Holy Hour) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Fri. 7:00 PM (First Fridays only): Tridentine Mass (usually Low Mass) at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Fri. 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Old St. Mary's, Greektown, Detroit (Requiem After the Announcement of a Death) - For the repose of the soul of recently deceased Pastor of Old St. Mary's Fr. Wayne Epperly, C.S.Sp. Celebrant: Msgr. Ronald Browne, Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Choir will sing Missa O Quam Gloriosum by Tomas Luis de Victoria, Dies Irae by Louis Homet, and Lux Aeterna by Maurice Durufle.
• Fri. 7:00 PM Second Fridays only: Tridentine Mass at St. Joseph, Sarnia, Ontario
• Fri. 7:00 PM (after 6:00 PM Holy Hour, 1st Fridays only): High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• 7:00 PM during Lent only: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit

Saturday

• Sat. 7:30 AM: Low Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• 8:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Mary, Redford.
• 8:00 AM (1st Saturdays only): Low Mass at St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport
• 8:00 AM Second through last Saturdays only: Low Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sat. 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi, South Lyon, MI
• 9:00 AM: High Mass at St. Mary, St. Clair
• Sat. 9:00 AM (1st Saturdays): High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 9:00 AM: Low Mass and Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit

Sunday

• Sun. 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM: Low Mass (Confessions 45 minutes before and after Masses) at St. Joseph's Church, Ray Township [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 and 10:30AM Low Mass (Confessions 1/2 hour before Mass: call beforehand) at St. Ann's Church, Livonia [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 8:00 AM (& Holy Days at 12:00 Noon): Tridentine Mass at St. Edward on the Lake Catholic Church, Lakeport
• Sun. 9:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 9:30 AM: High Mass at Assumption Grotto, Detroit
• Sun. 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills
• Sun.: [occasional Tridentine Masses: contact parish] at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish
• Sun. 11:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph Oratory, Detroit
• Sun. 11:30: High Mass at St. Stephen, New Boston
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer
• Sun. 12:00 noon: High Mass at St. Anthony, Temperance
• Sat. 12:30 PM (2nd Sundays): Tridentine Mass at Old St. Patrick's, Ann Arbor
• Sun. 1:00 PM: High Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
• Sun. 2:00 PM (1st Sundays only):St. Alphonsus Church, Windsor, Canada
• Sun. 2:00 PM (every Sunday except 1st): High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Canada
• Sun. 3:00 PM (2nd and 4th Sundays): Tridentine Mass (call ahead for Confession times, 989-892-5936) at Infant of Prague, Bay City [NB: See note at bottom of this post about SSPX sites.]*
• Sun. 3:00 PM: High Mass St. Matthew Catholic Church, Flint
• Sun. 6:00 PM: Tridentine Mass at SS. Cyril & Methodius Slovak Catholic Church, Sterling Heights

* 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.

Tridentine Community News - First Traditional Mass at Detroit’s Tri-Level St. Aloysius Church To Be Held on August 28; Tridentine Mass Temporarily Returns to St. Josaphat; Tridentine Masses 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 (August 2, 2020):

August 2, 2020 – Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

First Traditional Mass at Detroit’s Tri-Level St. Aloysius Church To Be Held on August 28




Untouched, unmodernized, and apparently not used for Mass in over 50 years, the amazingly intact lower level crypt church at St. Aloysius Church in downtown Detroit will host a Traditional Mass for the first time since the reforms of Vatican II on Friday, August 28 at 7:00 PM.

The music will be directed by Wassim Sarweh. St. Aloysius, located on Washington Boulevard near the Book Cadillac Hotel, is a unique tri-level structure: The second floor has a U-shaped balcony containing the pipe organ and overflow seating. The main floor contains the main sanctuary, framed in a theatre-like proscenium. The real gem is a lower-level church visible through a cutout inside the Communion Rail, reminiscent of the confessio at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. With a High Altar, two Side Altars, a Communion Rail, and two confessionals, the lower level church is a perfect setting for the Extraordinary Form.

Fr. John McKenzie, a former monk of the Benedictine monastery in Norcia, Italy which celebrates the Traditional Mass exclusively, will be the celebrant. He is now a diocesan priest assigned to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak. It will be a High Votive Mass for Any Necessity, with the specific intention of ending racism. Fr. McKenzie works with the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Office of Black Catholic Ministries and believes the Traditional Mass has a key role to play now, as it has historically, in uniting Catholics of all races.

Juventútem Michigan will offer a social event for young adults age 18-35 afterwards. Many thanks to St. Aloysius Administrator Fr. Mario Amore for welcoming this special Mass.

Tridentine Mass Temporarily Returns to St. Josaphat

Last Sunday, July 26 at 2:00 PM, Detroit’s St. Josaphat Church offered its first Traditional Mass in several years for the Feast of Ste. Anne. This currently underutilized grand edifice was home to the Archdiocese’s first and only indult Mass starting in October, 2004. Tridentine Masses ended there after the Institute of Christ the King took over nearby St. Joseph Shrine.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 08/03 12:00 Noon: Low Mass at Holy Family, Detroit (Finding of the Body of St. Stephen, Protomartyr) – Debut of Monday, Wednesday, & Friday Low Masses at 12:00 Noon. Confessions are offered at 11:30 AM.
• Tue. 08/04 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Dominic, Confessor)
• Fri. 08/07 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Old St. Mary’s (Requiem After the Announcement of a Death) – For the repose of the soul of recently deceased Pastor of Old St. Mary’s, Fr. Wayne Epperley, C.S.Sp. Celebrant: Msgr. Ronald Browne, Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Choir will sing Missa O Quam Gloriósum by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Dies Iræ by Louis Homet, and Lux Ætérna by Maurice Duruflé.
• Sat. 08/08 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. John Mary Vianney, 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 August 2, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - The Dominican Rosary Shirine in London, England; Tridentine Masses 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 (July 19, 2020):

July 19, 2020 – Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

The Dominican Rosary Shrine in London, England

Many of our readers will be familiar with Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, a Dominican priest renowned for his skill with photography, particularly of stained glass around the world. Fr. Lawrence visited metro Detroit in April, 2018 and took pictures of some of our local historic churches. He is a master of social media, and his photographs have appeared on web sites and printed media across the globe for years.

Though he remains a world traveler – at least until the recent travel restrictions – Fr. Lawrence’s main responsibility is as a priest of London, England’s Rosary Shrine / St. Dominic’s Priory, a massive church north of central London in the Chalk Farm neighborhood. With so many lovely Catholic churches offering high-quality liturgy in London, the Rosary Shrine, in large part due to its somewhat remote location, has managed to stay under the radar for tourists and locals, but Fr. Lawrence intends to change that.


First of all, Fr. Lawrence began to celebrate the Dominican Rite Low Mass in the church’s gallery of side chapels. There are 15 chapels, one each for the 15 mysteries of the Holy Rosary. This writer has been privileged to serve Fr. Lawrence’s Low Masses there on two occasions and can vouch that the thematic decoration of those chapels is most impressive. It is not uncommon to see faithful praying the 15 decades of the Rosary as they move from one chapel to the next.


Fr. Lawrence then started a weekly Sunday 4:00 PM Dominican Rite Missa Cantata, initially at a Side Altar. A young adults’ group formed, receptions were held after Mass, and a community gradually built, in part because there was no other Traditional Mass in London at that time of day. Also, despite London’s almost incredible abundance of Latin Masses, most High Masses around town are actually Novus Ordo Latin Masses. The Rosary Shrine offered one of the few sung Traditional Masses on a Sunday, and the only one at that time of day, filling a need.

Next up the Rosary Shrine commenced a “Future Decades” campaign to raise funds for the restoration of the church. EWTN filmed a documentary about the project, The Way of Beauty, which can be viewed here: https://rosaryshrine.co.uk/ewtns-rosary-shrine-special-feature/

The Dominican Order then named Fr. Lawrence Rector of the Rosary Shrine and “General Promoter of the Rosary”, an important title and responsibility given that the Rosary was originally given by Our Lady to St. Dominic. A Rosary Garden, where the Rosary can be prayed while walking along a mini-pilgrimage path, was built in an unused area behind the church.

Recently, the Rosary Shrine began using its impressive High Altar once again for Dominican Rite Masses. The Sunday 4:00 PM Mass was moved from a Side Altar to the High Altar to accommodate the growing congregation, and a wedding Mass was recently held at the High Altar.


During the pandemic while churches were closed, Fr. Lawrence livestreamed weekly Sunday Dominican Rite Low Masses on the Facebook page of the parish, https://www.facebook.com/RosaryShrineUK. Now that public Masses have resumed, the 4:00 PM High Masses are being livestreamed.

For a media maven such as Fr. Lawrence, the parish web site just had to receive special attention. It contains a mind-bending 3D Virtual Reality Tour in the “Visit the Shrine” section. You can click on any part of a “dollhouse” view of the church and be zoomed in to any place you would like view as though you were standing there. Visit their web site to take this tour and learn more: www.rosaryshrine.co.uk.

Of course, nothing beats seeing it for yourself. We encourage you to make a pilgrimage to the Rosary Shrine on your next visit to London; it’s not far from the Belsize Park station on the subway system known as the Tube.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 07/21 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Laurence of Brindisi, Confessor & Doctor)
• Sat. 07/25 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. James the Greater, Apostle)

[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 July 19, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Oakland County Latin Mass Association Announces New Permanent Home at Orchard Lake Seminary; Windsor Masses Resume

June 21, 2020 – External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

Oakland County Latin Mass Association Announces New Permanent Home at Orchard Lake Seminary

What started out as a scramble to find a temporary site for Mass turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When the Academy of the Sacred Heart closed due to the pandemic and announced it would not be reopening until late June at the earliest, Fr. Miroslaw Krol, Chancellor of the Orchard Lake Schools, without hesitation welcomed the Oakland County Latin Mass Association to use the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, the main chapel on the expansive campus of Orchard Lake’s Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary. Long-term readers of this column may remember Fr. Krol as a weekend assistant at St. Josaphat Church in Detroit during the 2000s.



Over the four Sundays that the OCLMA has been at Orchard Lake, Fr. Krol, TLM celebrant and Professor of Systematic Theology Fr. Louis Madey, and Vice Rector Fr. Przemyslaw Nowak have gone out of their way to welcome and support the Traditional Mass, even going so far as to construct four outdoor altars for last Sunday’s Corpus Christi procession and arranging for a camera crew to televise the Corpus Christi Mass and procession on Catholic TV in Poland. Shot with multiple cameras and a drone providing a variety of views, it was a beautiful production of a lovely Mass and may be viewed on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNA2R_sd-E


Attendance at the OCLMA Mass has increased steadily since the move to Orchard Lake, with members of the Polish community and other Orchard Lake regulars comprising over 100 newcomers attending the Traditional Mass on Corpus Christi. It goes without saying that being at a seminary brings benefits of its own. Fr. Krol hopes to make Orchard Lake Seminary “a center for traditional liturgy”, with training on the Extraordinary Form provided to seminarians and priests. In turn, priests in residence can provide sacramental assistance to the OCLMA. The weekly OCLMA Mass will be held on Sundays at 9:00 AM. The seminary intends to install a camera system so the Mass can be livestreamed.

We wish to extend special gratitude to the Academy of the Sacred Heart for welcoming the OCLMA to use their chapel from 2014 until now. It was and remains a beautiful edifice for the Traditional Latin Mass. Msgr. Ronald Browne remains Chaplain of the OCLMA and intends to return to celebrate Mass in the fall. [Photos of exterior of Shrine Chapel and camera crew by Cynthia Simon. Photo of procession by Patti Bickerstaff.]


Windsor Masses Resume

The Diocese of London, Ontario has allowed Masses to resume, with certain restrictions and pre-registration required. St. Benedict Masses are restarting today, June 21. See the St. Benedict web site www.windsorlatinmass.org or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WindsorLatinMassCommunity for more information.

Tridentine Community News - Fr. Wayne Eperley, C.S.Sp., RIP; Welcome Fr. Iwanczuk; Donations sought for livestream camera system; New Altar Missal Stand; Holy Family Church goes Ad Oriéntem once again

July 12, 2020 –Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

Fr. Wayne Epperley, C.S.Sp., RIP


Pastor of Old St. Mary’s in Detroit Fr. Wayne Epperley went to his eternal reward on Friday, July 3 at the age of 66. It was Fr. Epperley who, after 30 years of requests to his predecessors, gladly welcomed the Traditional Latin Mass, Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form, and chant workshops to this otherwise conservative church. His support for an innovative radio ad campaign has been bringing people to the TLM who never would have sought it out on their own. May his soul rest in peace.

Welcome Fr. Iwanczuk


The Archdiocese of Detroit already has one of the largest numbers of Tridentine Mass-trained celebrants of any diocese in the world, and we have just been blessed with yet another addition: Fr. Lukasz Iwanczuk, a priest of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, has arrived to take up his new assignment as Spiritual Director of Orchard Lake’s Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary. Originally from Poland, Fr. Lukasz was ordained in 2015 and has celebrated Low Masses in New Jersey. After training from Extraordinary Faith he was able to take on the additional ceremonies of the Missa Cantata and has asked to be in rotation as one of the celebrants of the Oakland County Latin Mass Association’s Sunday 9:00 AM Mass at the Orchard Lake Shrine Chapel. Fr. Lukasz joins Fr. Louis Madey at Orchard Lake Seminary and Frs. Clint McDonell, Cy Whitaker, and Pieter vanRooyen at Sacred Heart Major Seminary as another faculty member at our metro Detroit seminaries who regularly offers the Extraordinary Form.

Donations Sought for Livestream Camera System

Following the success of the broadcast in Poland of this year’s Corpus Christi Mass and Procession, Orchard Lake Schools Chancellor Fr. Miroslaw Krol would like to install a permanent camera system in the Shrine Chapel to be used, among other things, to livestream the weekly Oakland County Latin Mass Association High Mass. The cost of the camera system is $18,000, and Fr. Krol has invited any who may be interested in contributing to make a check out to Orchard Lake Schools, write Shrine Chapel Camera System on the memo line, and place it in the OCLMA collection basket. Donations are, of course, tax deductible, and will not be taxed by the Archdiocese. It is worth noting that this is the first of several Tridentine-related upgrades Fr. Krol intends to make to the Shrine Chapel over the next several years; the OCLMA could not ask for a more supportive host.

New Altar Missal Stand


Every once in a while a liturgical object appears that just seems perfect for its intended duty. Most altar missal stands are either made of low quality wood or flimsy metal, too small or too large for the books they must hold, or in the case of older metal ones, tarnished or corroded. Several years ago this writer happened upon an absolutely lovely missal stand, not surprisingly at a church where everything from the lighting to the mural work is first-rate, St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago. Years later that same model of missal stand has been put back into production by, again not surprisingly, the purveyor of the highest quality church metalwork in North America, Adrian Hamers of New York. With customizable jewels in the front, solid construction, and a perfect size for Latin Mass altar missals, these stands will soon make their debut at the St. Benedict Tridentine Community and the Oakland County Latin Mass Association.

Holy Family Church Goes Ad Oriéntem Once Again


In the years following Vatican II, only one church in the Archdiocese of Detroit had the drive to continue celebrating all of their Holy Masses ad orientem: Holy Family, the Sicilian parish in downtown Detroit. Under memorable and animated pastors Fr. Noel Patacconi and Fr. John Stopponi, only the High Altar was used. In recent years under a succession of administrators, that practice had been abandoned, however with the arrival on July 1 of new administrator Fr. Paul Ward, the practice has been restored. The freestanding altar has been removed, and Masses are once again offered at the High Altar. The 9:30 AM Sunday Mass at Holy Family has long been Latin Novus Ordo, however Fr. Ward has extensive experience with the Extraordinary Form, so one can only speculate what the future will bring.

St. Catherine of Siena on how to be a successful priest

Two excerpts from the latest issue of The New Oxford Review, in which David Mills writes, in his Last Things column:

It’s St. Catherine of Siena’s feast day as I write. She was famously critical of worldly clergy. In The Dialogue, she describes them as caring about “having grand horses, many gold and silver vessels, and well-adorned homes. They have and keep what they ought not, all with huge vanity. Their heart babbles out its disordered vanity, and their whole desire is feasting, making a god of their bellies.”

Inevitably, she says, they soon fall into sexual immorality. As a famous movie director said, the heart wants what it wants. We don’t easily say no to it. He who lets his heart have the horses and homes it wants, though he intends to remain chaste, eventually lets his heart have the body it wants.

Not surprisingly, the saint continues, these priests fail as pastors: “They leave behind my little sheep, whom I had entrusted to them, like sheep without a shepherd. Spiritually they do administer the sacraments of holy Church (the power of which sacraments can neither be taken away nor lessened by any sin of theirs) but they do not feed them with sincere prayers, with hungry longing for their salvation, with holy and honorable living, nor do they feed their poor subjects with temporal assistance.”

She writes pages and pages of this. She uses the word “filth” a lot. I wonder how often she’s read in seminaries.

Also from St. Catherine: The hierarchy “will never correct persons of any importance, even though they may be guilty of greater sin than more lowly people, for fear that these might retaliate by standing in their way or deprive them of their rank and their way of living. They will, however, correct the little people, because they are sure these cannot harm them or deprive them of their rank. Such injustice comes from their wretched selfish love for themselves.”

I saw this a lot in my experiences inside the religious world, as an Episcopalian as well as a Catholic, and it was one of the most disheartening things I saw. If you want a bishop’s attention, you would do well to have a lot of money, or the ability to get it for him. If, say, your priest makes a mess of the liturgy and preaches heresy from the pulpit, the bishop might listen to the rich man’s complaints, but the poor man from the small parish has no more hope of getting the bishop’s help than I do of playing center in the NBA.

I met a friend at the pub we favor, and started working after he left. A man about my age came over. “Are you religious?” he asked. I wanted to say no, but since most people mean “Do you go to church a lot?” I said, “Fairly.” He said, “No, I said are you a religious?” and explained he’d seen me there before with a priest friend. I said no. Then he asked, “Are you Irish?” No, I said.

When I told the priest this, he wrote back, “So was he raising the stakes or trying to make you feel better for having to answer negatively? That is, is being Irish a step up or down from being a religious?”

Fr. Rutler's Weekly Column, July 5, 2020

Stalin, killer of at least 20 million people, said “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” In mid-nineteenth-century China, the civil war known as the Taiping Rebellion cost upwards of 30 million lives.

The feast of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, on July 9, is a reminder that the persecution of Christian missionaries and native Chinese, begun in the mid-17th century, continues into our time. Augustine had been a soldier assigned as a prison guard for the French missionary bishop, Louis Gabriel Dufresse, whose martyrdom in Chengdu moved Augustine to request baptism, after which he became a priest and was tortured and killed in 1815. Later, in the Boxer Rebellion, 30,000 Christians would be slaughtered.

There are magnificent witnesses in China today, among whose champions is Cardinal Zen, indomitable at the age of eighty-eight. The insouciance with which some timorous Western ecclesiastics have cast a blind eye to the persecution of the Catholics in China, will be remembered as a dark blot on the history of our time.

Mao killed at least 40 million. His “Cultural Revolution,” which executed upwards of 3 million, excited mobs of youths as agents of government repression. Monuments of ancient culture were destroyed. These included nearly 7,000 priceless works of art in the Temple of Confucius alone as part of the frenzied attack on the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Habits, Old Culture, and Old Ideas.

In our own country, the debutantish radicalism of hysterical youths whose misguided idealism makes a venomous brew when mixed with poor education, is exploited by more sinister strategists. James Madison described such mobs as: “united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

Young people eager to condemn the immorality of forebears, while exulting in their own undisciplined lives, recently pulled down a statue of Saint Junípero Serra. It evoked the attack on the Franciscan mission in Alta California on November 4, 1775, when 600 native warriors pierced the friar Father Luis Jayme with eighteen arrows as he called to them: “Love God, my children!”

Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, the one Iraqi combatant to receive the Medal of Honor, has said that our universities are turning out “Peter Pan” adolescents who would profit better if they joined the Army where they would be taught how to be men and women.

After the destruction of the statue of Saint Junípero Serra, the wise Archbishop of San Francisco did not engage in polemics. He simply went to the site of the vandalism and said the exorcism prayer of Saint Michael. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Father George W. Rutler