Sunday, May 27, 2018

Montesquieu: "The Catholic religion will destroy the Protestant religion and then the Catholics will become Protestants."

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, May 27, 2018):
Many, Many years back, I would say in the 1970s, I read something that so shocked me that I never forgot it, and from time to time would quote it in my teaching. Admitting the possibility of the memory's paraphrasing it a bit, it asserted: 'Protestantism has within it the germ of its own destruction. But by the time it destroys itself Catholicism will have become Protestant.' I wish I had noted who said that but I had not -- a fact I greatly regretted. The statement The statement shook me greatly as I had been -- even way back then -- witnessing both the disintegration of Protestantism and the temporizing of much of the religion in which I had been reared. I knew then, and I still affirm that the Catholic Church cannot ever be extinguished. Yet there is no divine guarantee that the true faith will be preserved intact everywhere until time's end. The prophecy of doom contained in that forbidding dictum may not have been entirely accurate but it contained a truth that experience could not deny Something was going wrong with the Catholic Church.

During the past week I was overjoyed after so many years, to have alighted upon that quotation once again, at least substantially. It reads somewhat variously fro the form preserved in my memory but conveys essentially its core. "The Catholic religion will destroy the Protestant religion, and then the Catholics will become Protestants." The source cited is the (Baron de) Montesquieu in a work of his titled, Spirit of the Laws (1748-50). This writing was condemned by the Church and put on her Index of Forbidden Books, yet it proved to be very influential in forming American political theory.

My purpose here is not to advance the writings of this or any other philosopher but to refer to Montesquieu's frightening prediction as an impetus for us to remain solidly grounded in the true Catholic faith which admits of no compromise with error. The Author of the Church and of her doctrines is none other than the Son of God, He who can neither deceive nor be deceived. And where this bears particular relevance is in the affirmation of profession of the Creed.

There's a corrosive tendency in our anti-intellectual times to denigrate creedal formulas (by which I mean here the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as the prime examples). A vaguely formulated biblical creed (essentially a protestant postulate) is admired as presented as the ideal, for it shrinks from making apodictic [indisputably certain] affirmations of belief. In order to bring down the whole edifice of the Catholic Church, one need not begin at the periphery, dismantling brick by brick, but only to dislodge its foundation of stones. Such are the articles of faith enshrined in the various Creeds of the Catholic Church, first and foremost being those articles that refer to God Himself. "I believe in one God" is not an idle opening statement having little or no bearing on what follows. It is rather that without which nothing else can be asserted as true. From the "unity" of God (that is, the one God) follows the trinity of God (His threeness), and from there all the rest: the incarnation, redemption, the Church, the scaraments, grace, eternal life.

Today is Trinity Sunday, the liturgically ideal day for the priest to assert and explain to the people the foundational beliefs of the Church in the whole truth about God. That most parish priests will probably avoid delivering a dogmatic sermon for this day is as sure as the aforementioned dire prediction of Montesquieu, for many priests lead their charges away from that indispensable doctrine which alone identifies them as Catholics. An amorphous belief in Jesus, or in "the bible" is regarded as all-sufficient, even though nothing can be therein asserted as positively binding beyond barebones statements. It is this minimalism, this reductionism which is uprooting the Catholic religion from the minds of men and leaving them, at best, as Protestants.

Today when you stand up to sing or recite the Credo (Creed), do it with confidence and with an awareness of being a faithful witness to the whole edifice of that Catholic truth in which you have been baptized as Christians. It is, may I say, your moment of glory, of greatness. And, while I'm at it, I'd like to propose thatyou revive the age-old Catholic devotional practice of reciting the Creed with your daily morning prayers. Such starts the day off with that solid affirmation of truth that will steady the course of the rest of your day.

"This is our faith: it is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord" (from the Rite of Baptism).

Fr. Perrone

An important footnote: Next Sunday is Corpus Christi Sunday (either a replication, in the Tridentine calendar, or a transfer in the new calendar), a feast which more properly belongs to this Thursday. The Latin Tridentine Mass net Sunday will not be at the 9:30 but at noon where it will be followed by the Eucharistic Procession, that splendid demonstration of Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Our fearsome ushers will be at the ready to offer you, for a nominal price, a light lunch after the Procession (weather permitting).

Tridentine Community News - A Novena to the Holy Ghost; Plenary Indulgence for Corpus Christi; The Traditional Mass at St. Joseph College Seminary; 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 (May 27, 2018):
May 27, 2018 – Trinity Sunday

A Novena to the Holy Ghost

It is traditional for the faithful to pray a Novena to the Holy Ghost over the nine days starting on the Friday after Ascension Thursday and ending on Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost. Such a Novena, of course, may be prayed at any time. The Holy Ghost stands ready to assist us in our needs, though relative to the other Persons of the Holy Trinity and even relative to many Saints, He is not as often invoked.

While the Church does not prescribe any particular prayer to be used for this Novena, a number of traditional prayers have been composed for this purpose. The below Novena prayer is taken from the Blessed Sacrament Prayerbook:
O Holy Spirit, O my God, I adore Thee, and acknowledge, here in Thy divine presence, that I am nothing and can do nothing without Thee. Come, great Paraclete, Thou Father of the poor, Thou Comforter the best, fulfil the promise of our blessed Savior, Who would not leave us orphans, and come into the mind and the heart of Thy poor unworthy creature, as Thou didst descend on the sacred day of Pentecost on the holy Mother of Jesus and on His first disciples. Grant that I may participate in those gifts which Thou didst communicate to them so wonderfully, and with so much mercy and generosity. Take from my heart whatever is not pleasing to Thee, and make of it a worthy dwelling-place for Thyself. Illumine my mind, that I may see and understand the things that are for my eternal good. Inflame my heart with pure love of Thee, that it may be cleansed from the dross of all inordinate attachments, and that my whole life may be hidden with Jesus in God. Strengthen my will, that it may be made conformable to Thy divine will, and be guided by Thy holy inspirations. Aid me by Thy grace to practice the divine lessons of humility, poverty, obedience, and contempt of the world, which Jesus taught us in His mortal life.

Oh, rend the heavens, and come down, consoling Spirit! that inspired and encouraged by Thee, I may faithfully comply with the duties of my state, carry my daily cross most patiently, and endeavor to accomplish the divine will with the utmost perfection. Spirit of love! Spirit of purity! Spirit of peace! Sanctify my soul more and more, and give me that heavenly peace which the world cannot give. Bless our Holy Father, the Pope, bless the Church, bless our bishops, our priests, all Religious Orders, our relatives, friends, benefactors, and all the faithful, that they may be filled with the spirit of Christ and labor earnestly for the spread of His kingdom.

O Holy Spirit, Thou Giver of every good and perfect gift, grant me, I beseech Thee, the intentions of this novena. May Thy will be done in me and through me. Mayest Thou be praised and glorified for evermore! Amen.
Plenary Indulgence for Corpus Christi

A reminder that Holy Mother Church grants a Plenary Indulgence to the faithful who participate in a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi, under the usual conditions of Confession within 20 days, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin.

The Traditional Mass at St. Joseph College Seminary


It is always encouraging to learn of the ever-increasing number of seminaries which integrate the Extraordinary Form into their curricula. St. Joseph College Seminary, the minor seminary opened (yes, opened) in 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week posted the adjacent photo of a Tridentine Mass on their Facebook page, with no mention of the fact that it was the Extraordinary Form. The caption explained that a false fire alarm was triggered during the Mass by too much smoke from the incense. It is a satisfying sign of the times that an occurrence which would only recently have been considered ... extraordinary ... namely to have the Traditional Mass offered in a seminary chapel, was not even worthy of elaboration.

The seminary’s founding rector, Fr. Matthew Kauth, is a proponent of the Extraordinary Form and has assisted at Traditional Masses at St. Ann Church, a prominent local TLM site. He also has St. Joseph’s seminarians wear the cassock, uncommon for diocesan seminaries.

As a side note, Charlotte has a unique parallel to Windsor/Detroit: A Ukrainian rite priest there, Fr. Joseph Matlak, also offers the Extraordinary Form, like a certain familiar cleric from these parts.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 05/29 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin)
  • Thu. 06/01 8:45 AM: High Mass at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer (Corpus Christi) – Procession with the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass.
  • Thu. 06/01 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph (Corpus Christi) – Procession with the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass.
  • Thu. 06/01 7:00 PM: High Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor (Corpus Christi) – Procession with the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass.
  • Fri. 06/02 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Angela Merici, Virgin) – Celebrant: Fr. Mark Borkowski. Choir will sing Mass of the Holy Cross by Alois Bartschmid. Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass; a reception will be held afterwards.
  • Sat. 06/02 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Ss. Marcellinus, Peter, & Erasmus, Martyrs)
  • Sun. 06/03 9:45 AM: Solemn High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart (External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) – One of the first Masses of newly ordained Fr. Graham Latimer, FSSP. First Blessings and a reception will follow the Mass. Procession with the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass.
[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 May 27, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and east Michigan


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Sunday


Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday (Corpus Christi)


Friday


Saturday

Sunday

  • Sun. 06/03 9:45 AM: High Mass at OCLMA/Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills (External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) – One of the first Masses of newly ordained Fr. Graham Latimer, FSSP. First Blessings and a reception will follow the Mass. Procession with the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass.

* 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.

How a traditional priest slowly introduced liturgical changes and architectural adjustments to his church over the years

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, April 15, 2018):
I admit to being a little worried. Change may be an inevitable part of life but whenever changes concern the liturgy I'm concerned that this mot vital aspect of the Christian life should not upset the religious sensitivities of the people. I know we have many outdoor improvements to make about the parish. But I'm thinking here of things relating to divine worship.

I've been here twenty-three years. That's a long time. The first of my concerns was the introduction of Latin every Sunday at the parish. Formerly there had been only one Latin Mass per month. Soon after arriving it became a weekly celebration, with only a few gentle murmurs of opposition to it. In the end, it was well received. Then there came the daily Latin high Mass, complete with Gregorian chant. People joined in, singing from booklets made for them. Then there was the use of the Communion rail. Most people had taken to the prevailing modern custom of standing to receive Holy Communion. Once offered the kneeling posture nearly everyone adopted it. (My predecessor had already instituted Communion by intinction which removed the brazen custom of hand Communion.) Mass had been celebrated at the "low alter," facing the people. Moving the low altar somewhat further back we began to face the Eastward direction, in the so-called Mass ad orientem. I distinctly remember the day, it was a Mass for the Dead, when I told the altar boys just before leaving the sacristy for the sanctuary that we would be using the high altar instead of the low alter for Mass. I worried again. How would the people take it? It went very well. A more radical decision was to remove the low alter entirely. It had been getting in the way of ascent to the high altar and was partially obscuring the view of the people. It vanished over night with almost no one even noticing its absence.


The Latin Novus Ordo on Ephiphany 2005 with a visiting military chaplain celebrating

Then came the permission graciously given by Pope Benedict for the return of the older and traditional form of the Latin Mass. I wondered how that would be received since there is so much silence in the old Mass! This too was, for the greater part, welcome,though some even now have a preference for the Mass said in English. The old Latin Mass is now celebrated here daily. Then somewhere along in the history came the restoration of the Communion rail cloth. This was gratefully received, even with some emotion, for the increase in reverence it offered the communicants. (Should we not use this cloth for our Masses in English also?)

Along the way other things came about also: "new" (from the 1850s) altar candles; a new sanctuary lamp suspended from the ceiling (the former one had been affixed to the wall). A new green backdrop curtain for the high altar crucifix, replacing a light blue-colored curtain. New lighting in the church and a new sound system. (I must also mention the removal of some pews from the back of the church -- a move which I did only reluctantly on account of the necessity of clearing more room for the choir and orchestra. These pews should someday be reinstalled in the church, for which reason they are held in storage in the school.) Cassocks and surplices were purchased for the altar boys, replacing the blue-tinged smocks that had been in use. A signifiant 'small' change was the removal of the square boxy tabernacle that had stood on the altar in front of the original tabernacle which had been hidden. Our stained glass windows were covered on the exterior side to protect the precious glass and to slow the entry of the cold into the church.

With all this change, gradually introduced, one wonders where there is anything more that should be done? Well, there is. One of the things I'd like to see is the return of the choir stalls in the sanctuary, those banks of pews on each side of it. Originally there were two more rows on both sides. It would be essential to have these well crafted and made to resemble the originals which had been removed to accommodate space for the low altar. Were I rich, I'd also look to getting a fine pipe organ (the one we have is really a poor instrument, take my word on this). And I'm always trying to [improve] our liturgical music for choir and people: more chant and more silence - a much overlooked aspect of Catholic worship these days.

After reviewing our Holy Week celebrations [some weeks ago], I found that there are still some things lacking. Year by year we have been making adjustment great and small to further enhance the celebration of the sacred liturgy. My goal is always to give God our very best, as we can afford it. The essential thing, thus far unmentioned, is the bettering of the interior attitude of the worshippers. Besides the external glory given to God through our liturgical worship, there remains the work of the sanctification of the souls of our people. While this is essentially the work of the Holy Ghost, it is facilitated by the measure of diligence and reverence we apply to our worship.

Near the end of the Creed we find the word expecto -- I await. I await the heavenly liturgy, the great goal of my whole life. There I know everything will be utterly perfect and eternally enthralling. In the meantime, there's always something to improve, and in my zeal for this, I must sometimes worry.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

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.

Tridentine Community News - Our Lady of Czestochowa Church Adds Communion Rail and Traditional Furnishings; Boston College Jesuits Commence Offering the Traditional Mass; Rock DJ Now a Catholic Talk Show Co-Host; New Prayer Pilgrimages Bus Tours; 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 (May 20, 2018):
May 20, 2018 – Pentecost Sunday

Our Lady of Czestochowa Church Adds Communion Rail and Traditional Furnishings


Built in 1979 in a modern, angular style, Sterling Heights, Michigan’s Our Lady of Czestochowa Church serves a Polish congregation and is pastored by priests of the [Polish] Society of Christ. All but one Mass per week are in the Polish language.

Recently the parish undertook some adaptations to its sanctuary to make it more traditional in appearance. More classically-styled artwork, quasi-Side Altars, and a Communion Rail were added. There is a clear trend underway at several churches in the Archdiocese of Detroit to install and/or reintroduce the use of Altar Rails for distributing Holy Communion. In this particular church’s case, we have proof that even a modern building can accommodate a traditional appearance, which can only help to bolster the faith of the congregation.

Boston College Jesuits Commence Offering the Traditional Mass

Another group of Jesuits has begun to celebrate the Tridentine Mass: In Boston, Fr. Gary Gurtler, SJ, and Fr. Juan Carlos Rivera Castro, SJ have begun to offer the Traditional Mass every Friday at noon at Boston College’s St. Joseph Chapel. Fr. Castro has also offered the Extraordinary Form at St. Paul Church in Cambridge, the same church that hosts the St. Paul Choir School, mentioned in this column many times.

These Boston Jesuits join their confrères here in Detroit, Miami (at Gesu Church), San Francisco (Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ), the peripatetic Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, Fr. William Blazek, SJ [head of the Apostleship of Prayer], and various priests at London’s Farm Street Church, as regular celebrants of the Latin Mass.

Rock DJ Now a Catholic Talk Show Co-Host

Metro Detroit readers of a certain age will recognize the name Ken Calvert. Ken was a rock DJ on WRIF, WCSX, and several other radio stations for decades. He was also the announcer for the Detroit Pistons for many years. His mellifluous voice is etched into local memories. A few years ago Ken retired from commercial radio, but recently he has resurfaced. You might be surprised about his choice of subject matter.

You’re used to hear that voice introducing Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, and the like. Now you can hear Ken talking about Rogation Days, Mortal Sin, and the importance of Apostles’ Feast Days. That’s because he is the producer and host of The Father Joe Podcast (www.thefatherjoepodcast.com), his co-host being Fr. Joe Grimaldi, a former teacher of his from Brother Rice High School who is now a weekend assistant at St. Hugo of the Hills and Ss. Cyril & Methodius Churches. Interestingly, Ken’s take on Catholicism has a decidedly more traditional slant than Fr. Grimaldi’s.

New Prayer Pilgrimages Bus Tours

After the briefest of hiatuses, intrepid bus tour director Michael Semaan has announced four new tours of historic churches:
  1. July 1-7: Montreal & Quebec City
  2. July 13: Detroit churches
  3. August 1-3: Ordinations of the Institute of Christ the King in St. Louis, Missouri
  4. November 8-15: Rome & Assisi [Mike’s furthest and most ambitious tour yet]
Unfortunately only the August tour will include Holy Masses in the Extraordinary Form. For more information, visit www.prayerpilgrimages.com or call (248) 250-6005.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Mon. 05/21 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Pentecost Monday)
  • Tue. 05/22 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Pentecost Tuesday)
  • Tue. 05/22 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Pentecost Tuesday)
  • Wed. 05/23 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Wednesday of Pentecost)
  • Thu. 05/24 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Pentecost Thursday)
  • Fri. 05/25 8:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Friday of Pentecost)
  • Sat. 05/26 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Ember Saturday of Pentecost)
  • Sat. 05/26 9:00 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Ember Saturday of Pentecost)
  • Sun. 05/27 12:30 PM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick (Trinity Sunday)
[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 May 20, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Tridentine Community News - Priest Assignments Benefitting the TLM; FSSP Solemn High Mass at OCLMA; OCLMA Men's Evening of Recollection; Large Turnout for Archbishop Sample's TLM in DC; FSSP Solemn High Mass at DC Shrine; Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

May 13, 2018 – Sunday After the Ascension

Priest Assignments Benefitting the TLM

It was not so long ago that our local dioceses gave little or no thought to supporting local Latin Mass sites by making appropriate priest assignments. News from the last two weeks proves that this is no longer the case; assignments have been made that at least in part directly benefit Extraordinary Form communities, and for this we should be grateful to the respective dioceses’ priest assignment boards:

In the Archdiocese of Detroit: The new pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Lapeer will be Fr. Brian Hurley, who offered the Tridentine Mass at his previous parish of St. Anthony in Temperance. His interest directly coincides with that of Assistant Pastor Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz and will surely lead to an increasing prominence of the Traditional Mass in that parish’s life. Fr. Robert Slaton, another regional TLM celebrant, will be taking Fr. Hurley’s place as Administrator of St. Anthony, so the EF will surely continue there.

In the Diocese of London: Being moved to the Windsor area are four priests with an interest in the Traditional Mass: Fr. David Johnston, currently the celebrant of the First Friday EF Masses at St. Joseph Church in Sarnia, will be moving to Most Precious Blood Parish in Windsor. Fr. Danny Santos will be moving to Good Shepherd Parish in Lakeshore. Newly ordained Fr. Paul Kim will be assigned to St. Anne in Tecumseh. Fr. Tom Ferrera, formerly one of the celebrants of the TLM in St. Thomas, will become Administrator of St. Michael Parish in Leamington. The proximity of these priests should make it easier to arrange for substitute celebrants at St. Benedict.

OCLMA Men’s Evening of Recollection

The first Men’s Evening of Recollection hosted by the Oakland County Latin Mass Association will be held on Sunday, May 20 at the chapel at St. Elizabeth Briarbank in Bloomfield Hills from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM. Msgr. Ronald Browne will present “The Blessed Mother, Blessed Solanus Casey, and Us.” There is no charge, but registration is requested. Sign-up forms are available on the information table outside the chapel entrance, or you may also e-mail info@oclma.org.

FSSP Solemn High Mass at OCLMA

On Sunday, June 3, the celebrant of the 9:45 AM Oakland County Latin Mass Association Mass at the Academy of the Sacred Heart will be soon-to-be-ordained Fr. Graham Latimer of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. It will be a Solemn High Mass; the Deacon will be Fr. Joshua Houck, FSSP, and the Subdeacon will be Msgr. Ronald Browne. Fr. Latimer’s family attends the OCLMA, and his cousins have served at the altar for the Tridentine Masses at Immaculate Conception, Lapeer and St. Matthew, Flint. A Eucharistic Procession for the Feast of Corpus Christi will follow the Mass. Fr. Latimer will give First Blessings afterwards, and a reception for the newly ordained priest will be held in the hall.

Large Turnout for Archbishop Sample’s TLM in DC


By varying accounts, Archbishop Alexander Sample’s April 28 Pontifical Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Washington, DC’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception drew between 2,500 – 4,000 attendees. Videos of the entire Mass and of His Excellency’s impressive homily noting the appeal of the Traditional Mass to youth may be viewed on YouTube.

FSSP Solemn High Mass at DC Shrine

Prior to Archbishop Sample’s Mass, the last Tridentine Mass in the Upper Church of the Shrine in DC had been in 2010. Since then semi-regular Low Masses and Missa Cantatas have been held in the Shrine’s lower level Lourdes Chapel.

However just a few weeks after this recent major event Mass there, another significant event has been scheduled: The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter has announced that they will be holding a Solemn High Mass at the Shrine on Saturday, June 2. No location or time has been specified, but logic would suggest based on other events scheduled there that day is that it will be held in the Lower Church.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 05/15 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. John Baptist de la Salle, Confessor)
  • Sat. 05/19 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Vigil of Pentecost)
  • Sun. 05/20 12:00 Noon: High Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular (Pentecost Sunday)

Saturday, May 12, 2018

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, May 06, 2018

Don't forget: Ascension Thursday this week! Tridentine Masses coming this week to metro Detroit and east Michigan


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Sunday


Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday (Ascension 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.

Tridentine Community News - Extraordinary Faith Episode 16: London Part 2 of 4; 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 (May 6, 2018):
May 6, 2018 – Fifth Sunday After Easter

Extraordinary Faith Episode 16: London Part 2 of 4 The second of four episodes of Extraordinary Faith filmed in London, England has aired on EWTN this past week and will surely be re-run, on dates yet to be determined. Because the network scheduled five new episodes to run last week, it was not possible to provide a column about each of the episodes before their air dates. You will be able to view the episode on the Extraordinary Faith YouTube and Vimeo channels and at www.extraordinaryfaith.tv one month after its debut on EWTN.

One of the most impressive churches in the world for traditional liturgy is London’s Oratory of St. Philip Neri, also known as the Brompton Oratory for its location on Brompton Road. At any point in the day, a visitor is likely to stumble in on Masses being offered at Side Altars throughout the church. All Masses are celebrated ad oriéntem, and Latin Masses in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Form are offered daily. Fr. Ronald Creighton-Jobe is American by birth and one of the longtime priests of the Oratory. He explains the charism of his order and why his church has become so renowned for its reverent liturgical offerings.


The music program at the Oratory is one of the most ambitious in the world. Four choirs regularly sing there, the first being the adult professional choir which sings at the Sunday 11:00 AM Ordinary Form Latin Mass and at the 3:30 PM Sunday Vespers in the Extraordinary Form. Music Director Patrick Russill explains the reasons for this commitment to sacred music and the exceptional solemn experience that is the Sunday Vespers [the procession to Our Lady’s Side Altar at the end of Vespers is pictured].


Charles Cole is the director of three children’s choirs that sing at the Oratory. He is also one of the highest-profile choir directors in the world and a familiar face at the Sacred Music Colloquia organized by the Church Music Association of America. Charles tells us his background and introduces us to the first of his choirs, the London Oratory Schola, a boys’ choir consisting of students at the affiliated London Oratory School which sings at the 6:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass, issues recordings, and regularly goes on concert tours of Europe and the U.S. We were allowed to film one of their practice sessions.


We are also introduced to the London Oratory Junior Choir, consisting of boys and girls who do not attend the parish school. The Junior Choir sings at the 10:00 AM Sunday “Family Mass” and at the Tuesday 6:30 PM Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Tuesday Benediction is an ethereal experience, with a different O Salutáris, Tantum Ergo, and motet sung each week. Our crew was permitted to film the Junior Choir as they sang for one of those Benediction services.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 05/08 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
  • Thu. 05/10: 8:00 AM Low Mass & 7:00 PM Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph (Ascension Thursday)
  • Thu. 05/10 7:00 PM: High Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular (Ascension Thursday)
  • Sat. 05/12 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Ss. Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, Virgin, & Pancras, 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 May 6, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

The weight of a priest's examen: How will I be judged by history, by God?

Fr. Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" (Assumption Grotto News, April 22, 2018)

Recently I watched a video about the Stalin years in the Soviet Union. It was concerned with the 'other' interest of my life, music. The backdrop to the story is that during the height of the Communist era everything was under the control of the central government which, in turn, meant under Joseph Stalin. In terms of music, there was a Soviet Composer's Union which promoted patriotic, that is, Soviet, themes of national pride, (forced) happiness, and (feigned) comradery among the peoples of the USSR. Along with this artificially induced patriotism there was a suppression of any music which was deemed modernistic or, in the language of the day, formalistic. By this means of name-labeling, certain composers of modern music were held in check by Soviet controls. The man Stalin appointed to head this union of composers was the subject of the DVD I saw. In the historical footage he was shown at the height of his power delivering inflated fustian (pompous talking) about the high ideals of Soviet nationalistic music with condemnation of types of music that were being performed in those decadent western countries (such as the USA). At the time of the making of the DVD, the Soviet empire had collapsed and this same man who had once been Stalin's appointee was being interviewed. It was a sad spectacle, in some ways. Now that the great Enemy (Communism) had been defeated, what was one to say for having stood by, complicit in the oppressive Soviet system, an accomplice in fact of the brutal Stalinist regime? Thus was the man interviewed in the post-Soviet era.

This DVD affected me greatly, not only because of the musical interest I had in it but also because of the significance it holds for me as a priest in those disturbing times. What will history say about us, and about me specifically, when at some future time the Church will have settled down (God grant it!) and there will be a return to orthodoxy and sanity in the Church? I imagine an interviewer questioning me about what I was doing and not doing during those years (the present time) and why I had not been more outspoken about abuses in the Church, about the failure of the hierarchy to defend Christ's truth and their contentment to be silent bystanders as corruption rotted away the faith and morals of the Catholic faithful. "How come you, Father Perrone, did not come out and speak more forcefully against the tidal wave of corruption?" This is the question I imagine being posed to me in some future time. The dilemma for me now, as it was for many in the Communist era, is whether it is prudent to be vocal in condemnation or in working in more subtle, behind-the-scenes ways. Prudence is needed to know how much to say at a given time and when to say it. Should, for example, I have spoken out any more forthrightly against things such as contraception, gay 'marriage,' or the troubling messages purportedly made by Pope Francis? Have I been wimpy? Certainly, at the moment many priests and bishops in our country have been anywhere from timid to cooperative in the evil things taking place in our day. What then will happen when this era will have passed and history will pass its judgment upon them? While I wonder about this I am particularly disturbed about what will be leveled against me for not having been a more outstanding critic and defender of truth.

I know of priests who have stood apart and been bold to challenge the mediocrity of our leadership. They have suffered the consequences of their valor. But in the end, and especially in view of the Last Judgment, I wonder how will I stand against accusations of my moderation or my cowardice. Will I be deemed a betrayer of moral and religious truth? Do I need to be more clear or forceful to make my parishioners comprehend doctrinal truth and to practice Catholic living? Or am I failing them by my weakness?

It's always difficult to assess oneself in the present moment, to know that one is pursuing the right path. If I were to deliver a weekly diatribe against the evils of our time in the world and in the Church, would I have been acting rightly? Or are my people already in the know and I only need to be subtly nuanced in condemning errors and the deceptions that cause many to err? I recall Saint John Paul II's first address to the world after his election: "Do not be afraid!"

This reflection of mine also concerns you as parents, citizens of this country, and members of the Catholic Church. How much must you be a vocal "witness"? If you speak up imprudently you may do more harm than good. If you fail to act at all you may be betraying Christ. This is the dilemma.

God's mercy is for this life. When we will finally appear before God's judgment seat, we should expect only justice, what is neither too lenient nor too severe. Each will get exactly what is his due, not more or less, according to what he has done or failed to do.

Wile we have time in this life let us do as much good as we can and repair for our evils. And let us not fear to help our relatives and neighbours to do the same. Much is expected of us.

Fr. Perrone

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Tridentine Community News - Extraordinary Faith Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Monday, April 30; TLMs 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 (April 29, 2018):
April 29, 2018 – Fourth Sunday After Easter

Extraordinary Faith Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 to Debut on EWTN on Monday, April 30 The first of four episodes of Extraordinary Faith filmed in London, England will air on EWTN. Episode 15: London Part 1 of 4 will be shown on Monday, April 30 at 5:30 PM and on Tuesday, May 1 at 2:30 AM. As with all episodes, it will be posted for viewing on the Extraordinary Faith YouTube and Vimeo channels and at www.extraordinaryfaith.tv one month after it debuts on EWTN. You are not imagining things; EWTN scheduled the debut of this later episode of the show before earlier episodes are to debut later this the same week.

As this column has many times emphasized, London is the most exuberantly Catholic city this writer has ever visited. Traditional liturgy and music abounds; the quality of Catholic life, liturgical and otherwise, is unparalleled. These episodes provide a glimpse into this amazing world.

Our visit begins at the center of Catholicism in this capital city, Westminster Cathedral. Rector Canon Christopher Tuckwell explains the myriad of sacramental and devotional offerings at the cathedral. Mass is offered in Latin in the Ordinary Form daily and in the Extraordinary Form at least once per month, with occasional Solemn High Masses at the High Altar.


Dylan Parry was at the time of filming the editor of Westminster Cathedral’s Orémus Magazine; he has since joined the Norbertines and has taken the religious name of Br. Gildas Parry. He explains why Catholic tradition is so strong in London and the role of the late Cardinal Heenan in obtaining the pioneering “Agatha Christie Indult” for the Tridentine Mass in 1971.


Few Catholic parishes in the world can boast of a music program that features occasional polyphonic Masses in Latin. Westminster Cathedral has them all beat: They offer choral Masses most every day of the year, usually with the Cathedral Choir School boys’ choir. Music Director Martin Baker explains their ambitious music program and lets us in on a rehearsal with the choir school.


Occasional devotional processions are a part of the life of many parishes that feature the Traditional Mass. London, however, pretty much outclasses them all: In October there are not one but two major outdoor processions on successive weeks, both starting from Westminster Cathedral. We filmed the Rosary Crusade, in which approximately 2,000 of the faithful process down the main commercial streets of London on a Saturday, from Westminster Cathedral to the London Oratory. The procession ends with standing-room-only Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at the Oratory. How inspiring to see such an enthusiastic public witness to our Holy Faith.


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Tue. 05/01: 8:00 AM Low Mass & 7:00 PM Solemn High Mass at St. Joseph (St. Joseph the Worker)
  • Tue. 05/01 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Joseph the Worker)
  • Fri. 05/04 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Monica, Widow) – Celebrant: Fr. Stephen Wolfe, SJ; Deacon: Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz; Subdeacon: Fr. Peter Hrytsyk. Choir will sing Missa Surréxit Pastor Bonus by Orlando di Lassus. Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass; reception after Mass.
  • Sat. 05/05 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Pius V, Pope & 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 April 29, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]