Tridentine Community News - Church Restoration: St. Stephen the Martyr, Columbus, Ohio; Making Catholic Schools Affordable: A Lesson from the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska; Sub Tuum Præsídium; 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 (June 10, 2018):

June 10, 2018 – Third Sunday After Pentecost

Church Restoration: St. Stephen the Martyr, Columbus, Ohio

In what is becoming a regular occurrence throughout North America, another church has undergone an upgrade from bland, modern design to a traditional arrangement with Communion Rail. Unlike most such examples, this is a modest, low-ceilinged church. One does not have to have an expansive building to undertake this sort of a restoration. [Before and after photos from the Liturgical Arts Journal blog and William Heyer Architect]




Making Catholic Schools Affordable: A Lesson from the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska

Not so long ago a significant number of parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit and elsewhere had parochial schools. Most were elementary to middle schools, going up through Eighth Grade; a few parishes also offered high schools. The virtual disappearance of teaching nuns in recent decades meant that the cost of running such schools skyrocketed, since lay teachers earn significantly more pay. Many parishes started to subsidize their schools, often falling into debt as a result. With declining enrollment, many parochial schools were forced to close. Only a relative handful of parishes offer schools today.

Much has been written about the successes of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. Never lacking in vocations, it consistently has the #1 or #2 highest ratio of priests-to-laity of any diocese in America. All of its seminarians learn the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter has its own seminary in the diocese, along with the diocese’s own St. Gregory the Great Seminary. Reverent Masses in the Ordinary Form are the norm. Only altar boys are permitted. There are no Permanent Deacons, however laymen are installed as Acolytes and Lectors. And their Catholic schools are healthy and well-attended.

One of the reasons their schools have attracted so many students is that tuition is kept very low, on the order of $1,000 or lower, depending on the school. A “Parish Scholarship” system funded by stewardship at the diocesan and parish level makes up for the shortfall in the actual cost of educating a student. This buy-in from the top down has resulted in the Diocese of Lincoln opening new Catholic elementary schools at the same time that many other dioceses are experiencing net closures of schools. Perhaps the others should look to Lincoln for an example.

Sub Tuum Præsídium


A brief, historic prayer to our Lady, enriched with a Partial Indulgence, is the Sub Tuum Præsídium:

Sub tuum præsídium confúgimus, sancta Dei Génetrix; nostras deprecatiónes ne despícias in necessitátibus, sed a perículis cunctis líbera nos semper, Virgo gloriósa et benedícta.

We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 06/12 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. John of San Facundo, Confessor)
• Sat. 06/16 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)

[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 June 10, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Awesome! EWTN interview with our own Alex Begin, creator of the EWTN series, "Extraordinary Faith"

Inspirational! Whether you have seen any of the EWTN series on "Extraordinary Faith," if you love magnificent Catholic architecture, art, music and liturgy, here is an interview with the inestimable Alex Begin (creator of the show), hosted by Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe on EWTN 'LIVE' (Fr. Mitch Pacwa was still in recovery following a hospital stay). Even the lovely Diane Begin makes a couple of appearances in the show, in the first row of the audience on the left, dressed in black, with blonde hair. Enjoy!

Tridentine Community News - EWTN's Extraordinary Faith Episode 9: Church restoration; St. Hyacinth Mass on Sunday, March 13th; other TLM Mass times

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (March 6, 2016):

March 6, 2016 – Fourth Sunday of Lent – Lætáre Sunday

Extraordinary Faith Episode 9: Church Restoration

For the second week in a row, EWTN is debuting a new episode of Extraordinary Faith: Episode 9 – Church Restoration will air on EWTN today, Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 4:30 PM, and again on Wednesday, March 9 at 5:30 AM.

It can be frustrating to visit a church that has been “wreckovated”, or stripped of its original decorative elements. While such destruction was unfortunately the trend in the 1970s and 80s, in recent years the opposite has been happening: High Altars, Communion Rails, and beautiful sacred art are being re-installed into churches that had previously been modernized.


Our first stop in Episode 9 is St. Mary Church in Fennimore, Wisconsin. Perhaps the most notable restoration job of the past decade, St. Mary’s has impressive, brand new furnishings, including High and Side Altars, Stations of the Cross, a Communion Rail, and murals in the apse. We’ll meet the pastor and the designer behind this stunning project, which was completed for only $700,000.

Have you ever wondered who performs restorations such as these? Often the work is done by individual, local artisans, but on a global scale there is one firm which dominates the industry: Conrad Schmitt Studios in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a surprisingly large operation, employs designers and skilled craftspeople who paint sacred art, build church furniture, and design and manufacture traditional stained glass. We visit their facility and meet some of the artisans who show us their work.


Once a church has been restored, it needs ongoing TLC to make sure it remains in sparkling condition. We visit Milwaukee’s Basilica of St. Josaphat, a grand but formerly whitewashed edifice that has been restored to its original glory. Our crew captured staffers from Conrad Schmitt who were performing maintenance work on the High Altar and paintings in the sanctuary. The project leader gives us some background on the work that was done.


In the final segment of this episode, we meet Matthew Alderman, a young architect in the Massachusetts firm of Cram and Ferguson. Matthew is a rising star in the world of traditional church design, working for the firm which is best known locally for having designed St. Florian Church in Hamtramck and St. Mary of Redford Church.


Episode 9 will be posted for viewing on YouTube and on our web site, www.extraordinaryfaith.tv, one month after it debuts on EWTN. We encourage you to like the Extraordinary Faith page on Facebook, so you’ll be notified about the latest air dates and additional info about the places we visit.

St. Hyacinth Mass on Sunday, March 13

Detroit’s lovingly restored St. Hyacinth Church hosts its next Tridentine High Mass next Sunday, March 13 at 2:00 PM. Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz is the celebrant, and Joe Balistreri will lead the music.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 03/07 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Feria of Lent)
• Tue. 03/08 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary (Feria of Lent)
• Sun. 03/13 2:00 PM: High Mass at St. Hyacinth, Detroit (Passion 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 March 6, 2016. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - 'Extraordinary Faith' episode (EWTN) on church architecture; TLM Mass times

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (February 28, 2016):

February 28, 2016 – Third Sunday of Lent

Extraordinary Faith Episode 8: New Church Architecture Episode 8 of Extraordinary Faith will debut on EWTN today, Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 4:30 PM. It will air again on Wednesday, March 2 at 5:30 AM.

Have you ever despaired about the state of modern Catholic church architecture? Think we’re resigned to bland, modern buildings that are reminiscent of hotel conference rooms more than Houses of God? Well, don’t despair, because there’s a movement afoot to rekindle the art of classic church architecture, and this episode will show you some of its fruits.

Our first guest in Episode 8 is Dr. Denis McNamara, who teaches at Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary. Dr. McNamara is the author of numerous books on the subject of proper sacred architecture. This column has previously made mention of Heavenly City, his picture book depicting the historic churches of Chicago. Dr. McNamara explains for us what sort of considerations make for proper church design.


The remainder of the episode is dedicated to the work of one of the most prolific architects in the field of neo-classical church design, Duncan Stroik.

First, Duncan takes us on a tour of the chapel he designed for Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California.


Next we travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where we visit the Shine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, another Stroik design that is arguably the most ornate church built in the past four decades. Members of the family that donated the land for the shrine explain how it came to be, and one of the sisters who works at the shrine gives us a tour.


We then pay a visit to Duncan’s bustling office in South Bend, Indiana, where we see some of the projects on which the firm is working. We also learn about a book Duncan has written and about Sacred Architecture, the quarterly magazine on his favorite subject which he publishes as a labor of love.


Episode 8 will be posted for viewing on our web site, www.extraordinaryfaith.tv, and on YouTube, one month after it debuts on EWTN. Please also like the Extraordinary Faith page on Facebook, so you’ll be notified about the latest air dates and news about the sites we explore.

EWTN will be showing the following episode of Extraordinary Faith on March 6; we’ll cover that program in this column next week.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 02/29 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Feria of Lent)
• Tue. 03/01 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary (Feria of Lent)
• Fri. 03/04 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Sacred Heart of Jesus) [First Friday]

[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 February 28, 2016. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Extraordinary Community News - Episode 3 of EWTN's "Extraordinary Faith" now online, new Tridentine Mass sites, St. Joseph's closed for repairs, Mass schedule

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News (January 18, 2015):

Extraordinary Faith Episode 3 Available for Viewing On-line

Episode 3 of Extraordinary Faith – Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota – has been posted for viewing on the Episode 3 page of our web site, www.extraordinaryfaith.tv. The episode has been posted in full 1080p HD quality, so that you can see the fine architectural details of the beautiful churches we visit. This video, as usual, is hosted on Vimeo because of its high quality standards.

Episode 3 has also been posted to Extraordinary Faith’s YouTube channel, for those who prefer to view on that site.

Cathedral of St. Paul Mass in October, 2014

One of the churches we visited in Episode 3 was the gargantuan Cathedral of St. Paul, located on a hill overlooking the city. This beautiful edifice has every architectural feature one could wish for a worthy celebration of the Extraordinary Form, including a High Altar surmounted by a magnificent baldacchino.


As it turns out, this past October 11, the cathedral hosted its first Tridentine Mass in over 40 years, along with the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation according to the Traditional Rite. The celebrant was Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter founding Superior Fr. Josef Bisig, who has celebrated Mass for us in Windsor several times, was Assistant Priest for the ceremony. Seminarians from Saint Paul Seminary along with members of the FSSP’s All Saints Parish in Minneapolis served at the altar. [Photo from fssp.com]

St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor to Host Candlemas Tridentine Mass

Many of our Ann Arbor readers, including leaders of Juventútem Michigan, consider St. Thomas the Apostle their home parish. The parish has hosted Saturday 6:00 PM Vespers in the Extraordinary Form for a long time. At least one Tridentine Wedding Mass has been celebrated there, and this past June, their first public Mass in the Extraordinary Form was offered.


On Monday, February 2 at 7:00 PM, Gabriel Richard High School Chaplain Fr. Richard Lobert will celebrate a Tridentine High Mass for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast is also known as Candlemas, as the Mass is preceded by a blessing of candles and a procession. The faithful are invited to bring candles to be blessed.

Music will be provided by a choir consisting of parishioners and members of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club.

Please note that this Mass will take the place of Juventútem’s usual Last Friday Mass for January.

St. Joseph Church Closed for Repairs

St. Joseph Church has closed temporarily for work on the exterior of the building. All Masses at the church, including the 7:00 PM Monday and First Friday Tridentine Masses, have been relocated to St. Josaphat Church.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 01/19 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Ss. Marius, Martha, Audifax, & Abachum, Martyrs)
• Tue. 01/20 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, [Canada] (Ss. Fabian, Pope, & Sebastian, 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 January 18, 2015. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]

List of churches visited on the Chicago bus tour

To those of you interested in the specific churches visited on the Chicago Bus Tour recently reported in Extraordinary Community News (Musings, January 11, 2014), as well as earlier, below is list of the churches and descriptions (Taken from Heavenly City by Denis R. McNamara):

HOLY NAME CATHEDRAL (Downtown: Near North Side/Gold Coast)
Designed by Patrick Charles Keely of Brooklyn, New York. Dedicated on November 21, 1875. Gothic in its outside design, built with local Lannon limestone, cruciform in plan with a 210-foot spire, the building inside was completely modernized in 1969 under Cardinal Cody with the strong influence of the late Expressionist movement, which sought to reveal the inner meaning of an image by distortion and rejection of idealized beauty. Worth noting are the unusual oak and walnut ceiling vaults, pink St. Baum marble columns, and the massive Flentrop pipe organ from Holland, installed in 1989.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH (Northwest: Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village)
Designed by William G. Krieg of Chicago. Dedicated on October 7, 1906. It has and continues to minister almost exclusively to the needs of Polish-speaking Chicagoans. Like several other Polish Churches in the area the congregation grew out of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Holy Trinity Church was featured in the 1948 Jimmy Stewart film Call Northside 777. The Baroque exterior uses the architectural style associated with Poland's period of political autonomy in the eighteenth century. The exuberant interior scheme recalls the Polish Baroque tradition of elaborate, image-filled painting programs and unusual elevated devotional chapels. Drop pendants hang from the ceiling in place of columns, allowing for uninterrupted sight lines to the sanctuary.

OUR LADY OF SORROWS BASILICA (West: Near West Side)
Designed by Henry Englebert of Detroit, John Francis Pope of Chicago, and William J. Brinkmann of Chicago. Dedicated on January 5, 1902. Basilica Decree on May 4, 1956. It is one of Chicago's largest Churches, seating nearly two thousand people. It was founded by the Italian priests of the Servants of Mary, known as Servites. By the 1930's, it was necessary to hold thirty-eight services of the Novena of Our Sorrowful Mother so that some seventy thousand people might attend, with participants spilling out into the streets and lining up for blocks. In light of its cultural and devotional importance, Pope Pius XII named it the first formally designated basilica in Illinois. The central portion of the main facade, tightly wedged between two towers, reads clearly of the academic classicism of the type common to the period, with its arcade topped by a triangular pediment atop a high story. The verticality and massiveness of the two towers (one with spire removed after a fire in 1984) give the building something of a Romanesque solidity. The interior is one of Chicago's grand rooms, perhaps only equaled in singular grandeur by Chicago's Union Station waiting area. The nave, as high as a nine-story building and two hundred fifty feet long, is one of the largest Church interiors in the city, modeled on the architecture of the Roman High Renaissance and sports spectacular coffers and rosettes in the ceiling. Three large windows over the entrance flood the nave with light. One's eye leads to the sanctuary with its thirty-one foot high Carrara marble altar added in 1908 and three Eucharistic images. The rear walls are covered in murals dedicated to Christ and Saints of the Servite order, while the east transept includes an altar to the “Seven Holy Founders” of the Servite order backed by a large painting of Pope Pius XII “crowning” the Church as a Basilica completed in 1952. In the west transept, another marble altar honors Our Lady of Sorrows. Ten additional votive chapels line the nave, each with its own dedication and altarpiece. A bit off the beaten path for most tourists, this Church deserves to be better known so that the glory of its art and architecture can enrich the civic and religious spirit of those who live and visit Chicago. 

Extraordinary Community News - "Extraordinary Faith" Episode 3: Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News (December 7, 2014):

Episode 3 of Extraordinary Faith, filmed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, will be televised on EWTN in the U.S. and Canada on Monday, December 15 at 3:00 AM and 6:30 PM Eastern time. Beginning Thursday, January 15, the episode will be available for viewing on our web site, www.extraordinaryfaith.tv.

The Twin Cities have long been known for the high quality of Catholic liturgy on offer. Ground Zero is St. Agnes Church in St. Paul. Under its long-time pastor Msgr. Richard Schuler, St. Agnes gained a reputation as one of the world’s great sites for Catholic Tradition. The parish offers Holy Mass in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms, along with Sunday Vespers in Latin (pictured below). All Masses are offered at the High Altar, ad oriéntem. St. Agnes pastor Fr. Mark Moriarty shows us around the church and explains the liturgical traditions of the parish.


St. Agnes is possibly the only church on earth that offers a full orchestral Latin Mass (usually in the Ordinary Form) an incredible 30 Sundays per year. This Mass packs the church; many of the faith travel great distances to attend. We’ll introduce you to the leaders of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale, comprised of almost 100 singers plus a full professional orchestra, filling an enormous choir loft.

St. Agnes has a thriving K-12 school attached to the parish, where sacred music is an integral part of the educational program. We’ll meet the school’s music director, Donna May, along with one of her star pupils.

Our film crew shot this episode during a conference of the Church Music Association of America that was held at St. Agnes. We’ll talk with Dr. Jennifer Donelson, organizer of the conference and a nationally known Latin Mass music director and chant expert.

Also historically significant is St. Augustine Church in South St. Paul: Home to one of North America’s first Tridentine Masses started after Vatican II, St. Augustine (pictured below) has been offering a weekly Sunday Mass in the Extraordinary Form since shortly after the Vatican reintroduced permission for them to occur in 1984. In recent years, St. Augustine has become known for its Argument of the Month Club, a men’s club which attracts hundreds to debates on Catholic topics. We’ll meet pastor Fr. John Echert, who explains some of the background at St. Augustine.


The Twin Cities, appropriately enough, have twin Cathedrals: The magnificent Cathedral of St. Paul (pictured below), perched high on a hill overlooking the downtown, and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Both co-cathedrals were designed by the same architect and sport grand interiors, with baldacchino-surmounted High Altars. We’ll take you inside both edifices.


Can’t wait to see what’s in store? Take a peek at the preview video on the page for Episode 3 on our web site, www.extraordinaryfaith.tv, where you’ll also find links to every place we visit.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 12/08 11:00 AM: High Mass at All Saints, Flint (Immaculate Conception)
• Mon. 12/08 7:00 PM: High Mass at St. Joseph (Immaculate Conception)
• Tue. 12/09 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Benedict/Holy Name of Mary (Feria of Advent)

[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 Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for December 7, 2014. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]