Tridentine Community News - Spiritual Suggestions for Lent

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (February 23, 2020):

February 23, 2020 – Quinquagésima Sunday

Spiritual Suggestions for Lent

Spiritual Communion: On each day that you cannot receive Holy Communion, take a minute and make a Spiritual Communion. Holy Mother Church grants a Partial Indulgence for this practice. St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori composed the following prayer for this purpose:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire Thee in my soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though Thou wert already there, I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee; permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee. Amen.

Daily Rosary: Strive to pray the Holy Rosary every day during Lent, for an intention of your choosing. If you are able to pray the Rosary in a church, with a group or privately, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence for yourself or for the Souls in Purgatory, under the usual conditions of Confession within 20 days, reception of Holy Communion once per Plenary Indulgence sought, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin.

Confession: Try to begin the habit of going to Confession at least once per month, if you don’t already.


Adoration: At least once per week, make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Many churches offer extended hours for this purpose, including the Stone Chapel at St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills, the 24/7 Adoration Chapel at the Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, and the Rosary Chapel at Assumption Church in Windsor. If you are able to spend 30 minutes in Adoration, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence under the above conditions.

Stations of the Cross: Pray the Stations at least once during Lent. If done in a church, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence under the above conditions. If you are making the devotion privately, you must physically move from station to station.

Indulgenced Prayer Before a Crucifix: On the Fridays of Lent, the Church grants a Plenary Indulgence for the simple act of praying this prayer before a Crucifix after receiving Holy Communion, under the usual conditions. A Partial Indulgence may be gained by praying this same prayer after receiving Holy Communion at other times.

En ego, o bone et dulcíssime Jesu, ante conspéctum tuum génibus me provólvo, ac máximo ánimi ardóre te oro atque obtéstor, ut meum in cor vívidos fídei, spei et caritátis sensus, atque veram peccatórum meórum pæniténtiam, eáque emendándi firmíssimam voluntátem velis imprímere; dum magno ánimi afféctu et dolóre tua quinque vúlnera mecum ipse consídero, ac mente contémplor, illud præ óculis habens, quod jam in ore ponébat tuo David Prophéta de te, o bone Jesu: “Fodérunt manus meas et pedes meos: dinumeravérunt ómnia ossa mea.”

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, with a true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five wounds, having before my eyes the words which David the prophet put on Thy lips concerning Thee: “My hands and My feet they have pierced, they have numbered all My bones.”

On Saints’ Feast Days, Pray the Collect [Opening Prayer] from the Mass: If you have a hand missal for the Extraordinary or Ordinary Forms, on Feast Days of Saints, take a minute and pray the Collect for the day’s Mass. This practice is enriched with a Partial Indulgence.

[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 23, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Spiritual Suggestions for Lent

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (February 23, 2020):

January 23, 2020 - Quinquagésima Sunday

Spiritual Suggestions for Lent

Much press is given to the meritorious practice of giving something up for Lent. We can all do without our favorite sweets or a certain enjoyable activity during this holy season. It’s also worthwhile to consider going an extra mile during Lent by making a special effort to participate in some additional spiritual activities. Here are a few suggestions:

Weekday Mass: Try to attend one of the local weekday Masses in the Extraordinary Form once per week during Lent. If you can’t make it to a Tridentine Mass, consider attending Holy Mass in the Ordinary Form at a parish which offers it in a traditional manner, such as the daily 12:15 PM Mass at Old St. Mary’s.

Spiritual Communion: On each day that you cannot receive Holy Communion, take a minute and make a Spiritual Communion. Holy Mother Church grants a Partial Indulgence for this practice. St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori composed the following prayer for this purpose:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire Thee in my soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though Thou wert already there, I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee; permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee. Amen.

Daily Rosary: Strive to pray the Holy Rosary every day during Lent, for an intention of your choosing. If you are able to pray the Rosary in a church, with a group or privately, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence for yourself or for the Souls in Purgatory, under the usual conditions of Confession within 20 days, reception of Holy Communion once per Plenary Indulgence sought, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin.

Confession: Try to begin the habit of going to Confession at least once per month, if you don’t already.

Adoration: At least once per week, make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Many churches offer extended hours for this purpose, including the Stone Chapel at St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills, the 24/7 Adoration Chapel at the Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, and the Rosary Chapel at Assumption Church in Windsor. If you are able to spend 30 minutes in Adoration, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence under the above conditions.

Stations of the Cross: Pray the Stations at least once during Lent. If done in a church, you may gain a Plenary Indulgence under the above conditions. If you are making the devotion privately, you must physically move from station to station.

Indulgence for each Communion: Strive to gain a Plenary Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory for each Holy Communion you receive. This is a great act of charity for souls who cannot help themselves. Praying the Rosary in a church or spending 30 minutes in Adoration are two easy ways to attain this goal.

Indulgenced Prayer Before a Crucifix: On the Fridays of Lent, the Church grants a Plenary Indulgence for the simple act of praying this prayer before a Crucifix after receiving Holy Communion, under the usual conditions. A Partial Indulgence may be gained by praying this same prayer after receiving Holy Communion at other times.

En ego, o bone et dulcíssime Jesu, ante conspéctum tuum génibus me provólvo, ac máximo ánimi ardóre te oro atque obtéstor, ut meum in cor vívidos fídei, spei et caritátis sensus, atque veram peccatórum meórum pæniténtiam, eáque emendándi firmíssimam voluntátem velis imprímere; dum magno ánimi afféctu et dolóre tua quinque vúlnera mecum ipse consídero, ac mente contémplor, illud præ óculis habens, quod jam in ore ponébat tuo David Prophéta de te, o bone Jesu: “Fodérunt manus meas et pedes meos: dinumeravérunt ómnia ossa mea.”

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, with a true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment; while with deep affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five wounds, having before my eyes the words which David the prophet put on Thy lips concerning Thee: “My hands and My feet they have pierced, they have numbered all My bones.”

On Saints’ Feast Days, Pray the Collect [Opening Prayer] from the Mass: If you have a hand missal for the Extraordinary or Ordinary Forms, on Feast Days of Saints, take a minute and pray the Collect for the day’s Mass. This practice is enriched with a Partial Indulgence.

Resolve to make the nine First Fridays or the five First Saturdays: Metro Detroit now has sites where you can conveniently attend these weekday Masses in the Extraordinary Form, for example Old St. Mary’s on First Fridays and St. Mary of Redford and Ss. Peter & Paul Westside on First Saturdays.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 02/25 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Matthias, Apostle)
• Wed. 02/26 8:00 AM: High Mass at St. Matthew, Flint (Ash Wednesday)
• Wed. 02/26: 8:00 AM & 12:00 Noon Low Mass, 7:00 PM High Mass at St. Joseph (Ash Wednesday)
• Wed. 02/26 7:00 PM: High Mass at St. Alphonsus, Windsor (Ash Wednesday)
• Sat. 02/29 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday After Ash Wednesday)
• Sun. 03/01: No Mass at OCLMA/Academy

[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 23, 2020. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

A Christmas Reflection - 2019

It's time to reconsider the reason for the season and the challenges offered by the drive-by "experts" of the day who intend to cast the entire Biblical narrative concerning the Blessed Nativity into doubt. Consider again the Biblical narrative:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pas, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (The Gospel According to Luke, Chapter Two, Verses 13-20)

Here we are again, on the first day of the Christmas season. It has become something of a Christmas tradition for me to engage the following text by C.S. Lewis in connection with the above quoted Scriptures. The reason will be obvious.

Nearly every Christmas, it seems, NEWSWEEK or TIME or some television special will feature the "latest scholarship" questioning the "authenticity" of the Christmas story. I am not concerned with the question about whether the Nativity of our Lord occurred on December 25th. That's a matter of Church tradition and incidental to my concerns here. What concerns me is how the Biblical narrative itself is invariably called into question or even dismissed as mere "myth" -- the account of the shepherds, the Angelic host, the Christ Child in a manger, the Star and the Magi from the East, Herod's slaughter of the innocents, the flight of Mary and Joseph and the Christ Child into Egypt, etc.

The scholarly authorities typically interviewed, whether Catholic or Protestant, are consistently and incorrigibly one-sided, quite thoroughly corrupted by the Humean and Kantian philosophical presuppositions undergirding the historical-critical reading of the Biblical narrative. Typical is the About.com website, where Internet browsers frequent to learn "the facts" about this or that -- a site where one finds this sort of thinking gone to seed in an article by Austin Cline, "Nativity vs Gospels: Are the Gospels Reliable About Jesus' Birth?" (About.com), where the partisan skepticism of such historical critical assumptions is abundantly evident in his suggestions that all the key ingredients of the Nativity story in the Gospels were concocted fictions of various kinds.

The lack of critical circumspection, if not patent fantasy, in all of this would be amusing if it were not so destructive. The upshot is always the same: that the Gospel writers are unreliable and not to be trusted, and certainly not to be taken at face value. Just how ludicrous this all is, however, can be seen easily by anyone with a modicum of familiarity with literature, mythology, and history. One of the best examples of a powerful antedote to this kind of foolishness -- and one I keep using because it is simple -- is a little essay by C.S. Lewis entitled "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism," which is available in a collection of essays by Lewis entitled Christian Reflections (1967; reprinted by Eerdmans, 1994). The following are some excerpts from Lewis' essay, which begins on p. 152 and contains four objections (or what he calls "bleats") about modern New Testament scholarship:

1. [If a scholar] tells me that something in a Gospel is legend or romance, I want to know how many legends and romances he has read, how well his palate is trained in detecting them by the flavour...

I have been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that not one [of the stories in the Gospel of John, for example] is like this... Either this is reportage - though it may no doubt contain errors - pretty close up to the facts; nearly as close as Boswell. Or else, some unknown writer in the second century, without known predecessors or successors, suddenly anticipated the whole technique of modern, novelistic, realistic narrative...

2. All theology of the liberal type involves at some point - and often involves throughout - the claim that the real behaviour and purpose and teaching of Christ came very rapidly to be misunderstood and misrepresented by his followers, and has been recovered or exhumed only by modern scholars... The idea that any... writer should be opaque to those who lived in the same culture, spoke the same language, shared the same habitual imagery and unconscious assumptions, and yet be transparent to those who have none of these advantages, is in my opinion preposterous. There is an a priori improbability in it which almost no argument and no evidence could counterbalance.

3. Thirdly, I find in these theologians a constant use of the principle that the miraculous does not occur... This is a purely philosophical question. Scholars, as scholars, speak on it with no more authority than anyone else. The canon 'if miraculous, unhistorical' is one they bring to their study of the texts, not one they have learned from it. If one is speaking of authority, the united authority of all the Biblical critics in the world counts here for nothing.

4. My fourth bleat is my loudest and longest. Reviewers [of my own books, and of books by friends whose real history I knew] both friendly and hostile... will tell you what public events had directed the author's mind to this or that, what other authors influenced him, what his over-all intention was, what sort of audience he principally addressed, why - and when - he did everything... My impression is that in the whole of my experience not one of these guesses has on any one point been right; the method shows a record of 100 per cent failure.

The 'assured results of modern scholarship', as to the way in which an old book was written, are 'assured', we may conclude, only because those who knew the facts are dead and can't blow the gaff... The Biblical critics, whatever reconstructions they devise, can never be crudely proved wrong. St. Mark is dead. When they meet St. Peter there will be more pressing matters to discuss.

However... we are not fundamentalists... Of course we agree that passages almost verbally identical cannot be independent. It is as we glide away from this into reconstructions of a subtler and more ambitious kind that our faith in the method wavers... The sort of statement that arouses our deepest scepticism is the statement that something in a Gospel cannot be historical because it shows a theology or an ecclesiology too developed for so early a date...

Such are the reactions of one bleating layman... Once the layman was anxious to hide the fact that he believed so much less than the Vicar; he now tends to hide the fact that he believes so much more...

Lewis, of course, was hardly a naive ignoramus. He knew all the critical objections to Christianity because for the first part of his life he was himself a confirmed agnostic. He was anything but "soft-minded," to use the Jamesian idiom. He taught philosophy at Oxford briefly before going on to teach Medieval and Renaissance literature at Magdalen College, Oxford, and conclude his prolific academic career teaching at Cambridge. An account of his conversion can be found in his Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life,in which we find the following quotation:

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words “compelle intrare,” compel them to come in, have been so abused be wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation. (emphasis added)

Lewis, an Anglican, was a man of deep Catholic habit of mind, probably because of his immersion in medieval literature; and many have wondered why he never himself crossed the Tiber. Walker Percy even compared him to Moses, who led many others to the Promised Land, though never himself crossing over. A number of books have been written about this, like Joseph Pearce's C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church,and Christopher Derrick's C.S.Lewis and the Church of Rome.The most probable reason is cultural: his father was an Ulsterman. Whatever the reason, his common sense criticisms of those Biblical "experts" who attempt to dismantle the entire Biblical narrative under the influence of Enlightenment prejudices, can be accepted with gratitude.

For further reading:

• Jesus Seminar critically examined (edited by Pertinacious Papist)
• C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections,edited by Walter Hooper.
• If you're interested in reading the relevant chapter from Lewis's book online, click on: "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism" (Lewis on Biblical Criticism, posted June 10, 2005)
• Hurd Baruch, "The Crisis in Biblical Scholarship" (New Oxford Review, December 2014).
• Mark Giszczak, "The Early Responsa of the Pontifical Biblical Commission" (Catholic bible Student, March 20, 2008)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tridentine Community News - The Advent Wreath; St. Benedict Tridentine Choir to Sing at Assumption Church Midnight Mass; 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 (December 8, 2019):

December 8, 2019 – Immaculate Conception

The Advent Wreath


Most Catholic churches nowadays place an Advent Wreath in their sanctuaries. This practice has been questioned by some Catholics. Some contend that this is a Protestant custom, not found in Catholic churches before Vatican II. Is this a matter warranting concern?

There are contrasting stories as to how the Advent Wreath came to be. Some maintain that it evolved from ancient Germanic and Scandinavian winter prayer wheels, which beseeched pagan gods for a return to days of longer light. Others claim that it had its origins in the Middle Ages, with modern forms of the wreath developing in the 17th century. Definitely Lutherans, and apparently some Catholics, began to employ it in that century. Still others believe that it began as a 19th century German custom with 23 candles representing all of the days in December before Christmas. Later it was abbreviated to only four candles, to represent each of the Sundays in Advent. Various documents indicate that Advent Wreaths began to attain popularity in Catholic churches and homes in the mid-20th century.

The current form is meant to help us anticipate the joy of Christmas to come. The use of evergreens symbolizes life through arid times. It is preferable not to include flowers, as they are prohibited on the altar during Advent except on Gaudéte Sunday; it would be premature to express the exuberance that flowers represent.

The anti-wreath position notes that the Prayer of Blessing of an Advent Wreath is not found in the Extraordinary Form Rituále Románum, the Church’s official book of prayers, blessings, and sacraments. Because the blessing is found in the Ordinary Form equivalent, the Book of Blessings, it is argued that the practice has only begun to be encouraged post-Vatican II.

Advent Wreath supporters point out that the very fact that the wreath is composed of three violet candles and one rose candle points to its Catholicity. These are, after all, the Catholic Church’s liturgical colors of Advent. Any Protestant denomination using an Advent Wreath with the same colors is merely adapting a practice originated by the Catholic Church. If a Protestant group modifies the wreath design, for example by changing the candle colors, then for purposes of this discussion, it is not comparable to the Catholic version of the Advent Wreath and should not be cited in comparison. Furthermore, the Extraordinary Form Rituále’s “Blessing of Any Object” prayer may be used to bless an Advent Wreath, just as it is often used to bless various religious objects which do not have their own particular blessing prayers. The Catholic Church supports, and in some cases embraces, sacramentals and practices consistent with the Faith. These evolve over time; for example, the Divine Mercy devotion has only been approved by the Church for approximately 30 years, yet it enjoys popularity among many of those who prefer the Extraordinary Form of Holy Mass. Some of the most popular English hymns employed at Extraordinary Form Masses have Protestant origins. Thus, just because something is new, or partially or wholly created by Protestants, does not mean that it is not compatible with the Catholic Faith as taught throughout the ages.

There is nothing inherently Protestant about the Advent Wreath. It is an optional, para-liturgical component of our churches. So are Christmas trees and a Nativity Set, yet those are also seen in virtually every Catholic Church. None of these objects suggests anything contrary to Catholic belief. While we should not clutter our sanctuaries with every imaginable item that might evoke some religious concept, there is nothing wrong with judicious use of popular customs compatible with our Holy Faith.

St. Benedict Tridentine Choir to Sing at Assumption Church Midnight Mass


For many years, Assumption Church in Windsor had an impressive choral program, singing the traditional Latin repertoire at their 11:00 AM Sunday Ordinary Form Mass and even producing the occasional recording. Several years ago, however, parish leadership disbanded this choir and terminated the employment of the organist/choir director. Assumption has since offered a contemporary repertoire without organ at all of their Masses. It was therefore encouraging to learn that the St. Benedict Tridentine Community Choir has been invited to provide the music for the Christmas Midnight Mass at Assumption Church this year. It is both an honor for the St. Benedict Choir, which until 2014 had been based at Assumption Church, and hopefully a recognition that some parishioners might appreciate more traditional music.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 12/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Feria)
• Sat. 12/14 7:00 AM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Redford (Roráte Mass)
• Sat. 12/14 7:30 AM: High Mass at St. Matthew, Flint (Roráte Mass)
• Sat. 12/14 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Feria)

[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 December 8, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - London Oratory Schola Sings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI; Rubrics Books for the Ordinary Form; Fort Hood Episode 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 (October 20, 2019):

October 20, 2019 – Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost

London Oratory Schola Sings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

There’s the A-List, and then there’s the A-List. Readers of this column have heard about the amazing music program on offer at the London Oratory in England. One of the several choirs which sings there is the London Oratory Schola, a boys’ choir from the affiliated London Oratory School. They rehearse every day, sing for many Masses at the church, tour the world every year, and sing for film scores, most notably the Harry Potter films.

Last Sunday, October 13, they were invited to sing at the Vatican for the Canonization Mass for St. John Henry Newman. That’s impressive enough, but the young choristers had a surprise in store: They were also invited to sing for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. In the photo below, taken after the private concert (a video is available on the schola’s Facebook page), choir director Charles Cole is seated on Pope Benedict’s left. What a joy to see one of our most renowned Latin repertoire choirs being given such a significant honor.


Rubrics Books for the Ordinary Form



Many readers of this column are aware that there exist books which are considered the standard references for the rubrics of the Traditional Latin Mass: The primary, and periodically updated, reference is the 2009 edition of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described, by Fortescue, O’Connell, and Reid; and the secondary reference, particularly for calendar issues, is the 1964 edition of O’Connell’s The Celebration of Mass.



Less well-known are the comparable books for the Ordinary Form of Mass: Auxiliary Bishop Peter Elliott of Melbourne, Australia, wrote Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite [now in its second edition], Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, and Ministry at the Altar, the definitive books concerning celebration of and serving the Novus Ordo. No one else has undertaken this sort of effort.

A common theme in these books is that His Excellency recommends that we look to the Traditional Mass rubrics for guidance when the norms for the new liturgy are unclear or ambiguous. Continuity does make sense.

Bishop Elliott has toured the world lecturing on proper celebration of the Holy Mass and even concelebrated a Latin Novus Ordo Mass ad oriéntem at St. Josaphat Church in Detroit in 2005. More recently he has offered the Extraordinary Form at various prominent churches and conferences around the globe.

Fort Hood Episode of Extraordinary Faith Now Viewable on YouTube and Vimeo


Episode 23 of Extraordinary Faith – Fort Hood – is now available for viewing on-line. This episode covered the remarkable establishment of a Latin Mass community at one of the U.S.’s largest army posts. You can find the episode on the Extraordinary Faith channel on both YouTube and Vimeo. This episode was posted on-line prior to some earlier episodes due to popular demand; additional episodes will be posted in upcoming weeks.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 10/22 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
• Sat. 10/26 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)
• Sun. 10/27 11:00 AM: Pontifical Solemn Mass at Assumption Grotto (Christ the King) – Celebrant: Raymond Cardinal Burke

[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 October 20, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - The Mystical Body of Christ; Archbishop Cordileone to Celebrate Traditional Mass at DC’s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; Visiting the “Scavi” at the Vatican; St. Mary, Williamston Debuts Monthly Traditional Mass; 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 (October 6, 2019):

October 6, 2019 – External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary

The Mystical Body of Christ


Via Juventútem London comes the above diagram of the Mystical Body of Christ, depicting the relationship between the Church Militant on Earth, the Church Suffering in Purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in Heaven. We must never forget the assistance that the branches are able to provide one another, in particular the obligation we have to assist the Suffering Souls in Purgatory.

Archbishop Cordileone to Celebrate Traditional Mass at DC’s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception


On Saturday, November 16 at 10:00 AM, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will celebrate a Pontifical Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Washington, DC’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This will only be the third or possibly fourth time that the Traditional Mass will have been celebrated in the main upper church of the National Shrine over the past 50 years. The Mass will be broadcast live on EWTN. The occasion is the debut of composer Frank La Rocca’s Mass of the Americas. First performed for the Ordinary Form in 2018, La Rocca specifically adapted this Mass setting for the Extraordinary Form, and colleagues from San Francisco’s Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship will comprise the choir at the Basilica. Visiting the “Scavi” at the Vatican


The “Scavi” are the excavations of the necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. St. Peter’s tomb is located there. It is not well-known that tours of the Scavi are available. The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See has published a web page explaining how to arrange such a visit. For details, see: https://va.usembassy.gov/embassy/vatican-visit/the-scavi/

St. Mary, Williamston Debuts Monthly Traditional Mass

Via Juventútem Michigan comes word that St. Mary Church in Williamston, Michigan is introducing monthly Tridentine Masses on Sundays at 5:00 PM. The celebrant will be pastor Fr. Mark Rutherford. Consult the parish’s Facebook page for the specific dates on which Masses will be held.

Williamston is located southeast of Lansing, Michigan.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 10/08 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Bridget of Sweden, Widow)
• Sat. 10/12 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 October 6, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

St. John Henry Cardinal Newman! - canonized today, Oct. 13th, 2019

Fr. Rutler's Weekly Column
October 13, 2019
Over forty years ago, I told a wise Protestant theologian that I had been reading the Apologia pro Vita Sua of John Henry Newman (1801-1890). He warned me that it is “a dangerous book.” That was just the sort of advice that makes a young thinker all the more eager to read it. And so I did, and so did countless others whose lives were changed by this book, whose passages are some of the most beautiful in the English language, and whose author’s the thoughts considering the psychology of the soul are undying.

Newman wrote that book in four weeks, standing at his upright desk in Birmingham, England, in response to a personal attack on his integrity: “I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never have had one doubt. I was not conscious to myself, on my conversion, of any change, intellectual or moral, wrought in my mind . . . but it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.”

Today Newman is to be canonized in Rome, a tribute to his unsurpassed gifts of grace as theologian, historian, writer, poet, preacher and, most of all, a pastor of souls. While preaching and writing immortal words, he also was meticulous in running the Oratory school he founded, even making costumes for school plays, paying coal bills, and playing his fiddle in the school orchestra.

In his honor and in thanksgiving for the Church’s recognition of his holiness, of which the angels never were in doubt, we shall dedicate today a shrine for him in our church. As with all that we try to do in our church, this sculpture is the work of one of our own parishioners. Newman foresaw with uncanny prescience the various challenges of our own day, and this monument should be a reminder to pray for his intercession on behalf of our local church and the Church Universal in a time of spiritual combat, which is a lot like what he faced in his own age.

To Newman’s great surprise, and even “shock,” the newly elected Pope Leo XIII in 1879 created him a cardinal. He had been so attacked and calumniated for his religious views over many years, that he was satisfied that the “cloud” had finally been lifted. In his acceptance speech he said that his entire life had been consecrated to refuting the doctrine of relativism which held that “Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy.”

Today we sing Cardinal Newman’s hymn, “Lead, Kindly Light,” which his own life embodied and faith made bold: “I do not ask to see the distant scene, one step enough for me.”

Faithfully yours in Christ,
Father George W. Rutler

Tridentine Community News - The Rite of Betrothal – Part 3 of 3

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (September 29, 2019):

September 29, 2019 – Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel

The Rite of Betrothal – Part 3 of 3


5. Thereupon he blesses the engagement ring:

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray. O God almighty, Creator and Preserver of the human race, and the Giver of everlasting salvation, deign to allow the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, to come with His blessing upon this ring. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for endless ages.
R. Amen.
The ring is sprinkled with holy water.

6. The man takes the ring and places it first on the index finger of the left hand of the woman, saying: In the name of the Father, (then on the middle finger, adding): and of the Son; (finally placing and leaving it on the ring finger, he concludes): and of the Holy Spirit.

7. The priest opens the missal at the beginning of the Canon, and presents the page imprinted with the crucifixion to be kissed first by the man and then by the woman.

8. If Mass does not follow (or even if Mass is to follow, if he deems it opportune), the priest may read the following passages from Sacred Scripture:

Tobias 7: 8

Tobias said: I will not eat nor drink here this day, unless thou first grant me my petition, and promise to give me Sara thy daughter… The angel said to Raguel: Be not afraid to give her to this man, for to him who feareth God is thy daughter due to be his wife; therefore another could not have her… And Raguel taking the right hand of his daughter, he gave it into the right hand of Tobias, saying: The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be with you, and may He join you together, and fulfill His blessing in you. And taking paper they made a writing of the marriage. And afterwards they made merry, blessing God… Then Tobias exhorted the virgin, and said to her: Sara, arise, and let us pray to God today, and tomorrow, and the next day; because for these three nights we are joined to God; and when the third night is over, we will be in our own wedlock. For we are the children of saints, and we must not be joined together like heathens that know not God. So they both arose, and prayed earnestly both together that health might be given them.
R. Thanks be to God.

John 15: 4-12
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is My Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; as I also have kept my Father’s commandments, and do abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ!

9. Lastly, the priest extends his hands over the heads of the couple and says: May God bless your bodies and your souls. May He shed His blessing upon you as He blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May the hand of the Lord be upon you, may He send His holy Angel to guard you all the days of your life. Amen. Go in peace! 10. Before leaving the church, the betrothed couple as well as the witnesses will affix their signatures to the document previously prepared for this purpose. [The Ritual goes on to provide an example document.] 11. If Mass does not follow immediately, it would be appropriate to sing at this time the seasonal anthem of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 10/01 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Remigius, Bishop & Confessor)
• Thu. 10/03 6:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Redford (St. Therese of Lisieux, Virgin) – Rosary, Novena Prayers for fallen away Catholics, and veneration of relics follow the Mass
• Fri. 10/04 7:00 PM: High Mass at Old St. Mary’s (St. Francis of Assisi, Confessor) – First public Tridentine Mass of Fr. Adam Nowak. Devotions to the Sacred Heart before Mass. Reception after Mass. Juventútem gathering for young adults also follows.
• Sat. 10/05 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Saturday of Our Lady)
• Sun. 10/06 6:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Redford (External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary) – Rosary, Novena Prayers for fallen away Catholics, and veneration of relics follow the 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 September 29, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - The Rite of Betrothal – Part 2 of 3; Tridentine Masses this Coming Week

September 22, 2019 – Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Rite of Betrothal – Part 2 of 3


Below is the first part of the English translation of the Rite of Betrothal from the Traditional Roman Ritual, which speaks beautifully of God’s plan for the man and the woman.

1. The priest (vested in surplice and white stole) with his assistants (vested in surplice) awaits the couple at the altar rail. At hand are the stoup with holy water and the altar missal. As the man and woman come forward with the two witnesses they have chosen, the following antiphon and psalm are sung on the eighth psalm tone:

Antiphon: To the Lord I will tender my promise: in the presence of all His people.

Psalm 126

Unless the house be of the Lord’s building, in vain do the builders labor.

Unless the Lord be the guard of the city, 'tis in vain the guard keeps his sentry.

It is futile that you rise before daybreak, to be astir in the midst of darkness,

Ye that eat the bread of hard labor; for He deals bountifully to His beloved while they are sleeping.

Behold, offspring result from God’s giving, a fruitful womb the regard of His blessing.

Like arrows in the hand of the warrior, are children begotten of a youthful father.

Happy the man who has filled therewith his quiver; they shall uphold him in contending at the gate with his rival.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and forever, through endless ages. Amen.

Antiphon: To the Lord I will tender my promise: in the presence of all His people.

2. The priest now addresses them:

Allocution

Beloved of Christ: It is in the dispensation of Divine Providence that you are called to the holy vocation of marriage. For this reason, you present yourselves today before Christ and His Church, before His sacred minister and the devout people of God, to ratify in solemn manner the engagement bespoken between you. At the same time you entreat the blessing of the Church upon your proposal, as well as the earnest supplications of the faithful here present, since you fully realize that what has been inspired and guided by the will of your heavenly Father requires equally His grace to be brought to a happy fulfillment. We are confident that you have given serious and prayerful deliberation to your pledge of wedlock; moreover, that you have sought counsel from the superiors whom God has placed over you. In the time that intervenes, you will prepare for the sacrament of matrimony by a period of virtuous courtship, so that when the happy and blessed day arrives for you to give yourselves irrevocably to each other, you will have laid a sound spiritual foundation for long years of godly prosperity on earth and eventual blessedness together in the life to come. May the union you purpose one day to consummate as man and wife be found worthy to be in all truth a sacramental image and reality of the union of Christ and His beloved Bride, the Church. This grant, Thou Who livest and reignest, God, forever and evermore.

R. Amen.

3. The priest now bids the couple to join their right hands, while they repeat after him the following:

The man:

In the name of our Lord, I, N.N., promise that I will one day take thee, N.N., as my wife, according to the ordinances of God and holy Church. I will love thee even as myself. I will keep faith and loyalty to thee, and so in thine necessities aid and comfort thee; which things and all that a man ought to do unto his espoused I promise to do unto thee and to keep by the faith that is in me.

The woman:

In the name of our Lord, I, N.N., in the form and manner wherein thou hast promised thyself unto me, do declare and affirm that I will one day bind and oblige myself unto thee, and will take thee, N.N., as my husband. And all that thou hast pledged unto me I promise to do and keep unto thee, by the faith that is in me.

4. Then the priest takes the two ends of his stole and in the form of a cross places them over the clasped hands of the couple. Holding the stole in place with his left hand, he says: I bear witness of your solemn proposal and I declare you betrothed. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

R. Amen.

As he pronounces the last words, he sprinkles them with holy water in the form of a cross.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 09/24 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Our Lady of Ransom)
• Sat. 09/28 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Wenceslaus, Duke & Martyr)
• Sun. 09/29 6:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at St. Mary of Redford (Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel) – Rosary, Novena Prayers for fallen away Catholics, and veneration of relics follow the Mass

Tridentine Community News - Solemn High Masses at St. Mary of Redford; Men’s Discussion Group at St. Mary of Redford; The Rite of Betrothal – Part 1 of 3

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (September 15, 2019):

September 15, 2019 – Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Solemn High Masses at St. Mary of Redford

The Franciscans of the Holy Spirit have scheduled three Solemn High Tridentine Masses (with Deacon and Subdeacon) at St. Mary of Redford Church as part of a Novena for the Return of Fallen Away Catholics. The Novena runs from Sunday, September 29 through Monday, October 7. The Holy Rosary, novena prayers, and veneration of relics of St. Therese, St. Francis, and St. Faustina will follow the Mass. The schedule for the three Traditional Masses is as follows:

• Sunday, September 29 at 6:00 PM (Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel)
• Thursday, October 3 at 6:00 PM (St. Therese of Lisieux, Virgin)
• Sunday, October 6 at 6:00 PM (External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary)

Men’s Discussion Group at St. Mary of Redford

Along with the above Latin Masses, a men’s group is being formed at St. Mary of Redford which will discuss the Franciscan Masters of Prayer. Details from Fr. Athanasius: The Franciscan tradition is unique in that many of our most popular devotions were either developed by Franciscans or popularized by Franciscans (ie. Stations of the Cross, the Angelus, devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Sacred Heart devotion) as well as devotional practices like pilgrimages and hermitages.

There are many people who ‘mastered’ the spiritual life in the Franciscan tradition. Some are very popular: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bonaventure, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, St. Maximillian Kolbe, Blessed Solanus Casey; others are more obscure: Blessed Giles, David of Augsburg, St. Margaret of Cortona, Blessed Angela Foligno). But these Franciscan Masters of Prayer are tremendous examples and teachers for us as we try to live the Gospel and imitate our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here’s the plan: 

Where: Greyfriars House of Studies (the friary attached to St. Mary of Redford Catholic Church in Detroit: 14601 Mansfield Street, Detroit).
When: Thursdays 6:30 (you can come early at 6:15 for Compline with the friars). Beginning September 19th.
Who: Men. You are invited and can bring friends. Boys in High school can also attend with you as their guardian.
  What:

• Compline (Night Prayer) in the Church for those who come early
  
• Each week I (or another friar) will present for approx 30 mins on a Franciscan Master of Prayer. 
• a primary text will be provided ahead of time for you to read over if you'd like
  
• Questions and Discussion will follow the presentation (approx. 30mins)
  
• Fellowship

This semester we will focus on St. Francis of Assisi and his experiences in prayer, also how he taught his brothers to pray. 

Please e-mail Fr. Athanasius if you plan to attend: athanasius@becomefire.faith

The Rite of Betrothal – Part 1 of 3


The Traditional Roman Ritual provides two sister ceremonies that are not often seen, which complement two of the Sacraments: The first is the Churching of Women, a blessing of a new mother which can accompany or follow the Sacrament of Baptism. The second is the Rite of Betrothal, a formalization of the engagement of a couple who intend to be married. Recently a young couple well-known to many readers of this column, Laura Hurajt, who sings alto in the choirs at St. Benedict and Old St. Mary’s, and Matthew Charbonneau, an altar server at St. Benedict and Old St. Mary’s, chose to mark their upcoming nuptials with the Rite of Betrothal following Sunday Mass at St. Alphonsus Church in Windsor. [Photo by Sheila & Francis Ang]

To help our readers become familiar with this beautiful ritual, the next two weeks’ columns will contain the text of the rite.

[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 15, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Cardinal Burke to Celebrate Pontifical Solemn Mass at Assumption Grotto; Interesting British Church Fixtures; The Strange Case of the Palmarians; 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 8, 2018):

September 8, 2019 – Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Cardinal Burke to Celebrate Pontifical Solemn Mass at Assumption Grotto


This year’s Call to Holiness conference on Saturday, October 26 has the honor of having Raymond Cardinal Burke as its keynote speaker. On Sunday, October 27 at 11:00 AM His Eminence will celebrate a Pontifical Solemn Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Assumption Grotto Church in Detroit. This is a rare opportunity for our local readers to attend this most elaborate of liturgies. Further information on the conference and Mass may be found at: www.calltoholiness.com

Interesting British Church Fixtures

Recently two photos of unusual church fixtures appeared on Facebook postings by two churches in London, England:


The liturgical and musical powerhouse St. James Spanish Place posted the above photo of a paddle sign located next to the sacrárium (sink which drains into the soil) in their sacristy. The movable boards on this sign are titled after some of the Tridentine Votive Masses which a priest may celebrate. More likely they represent the optional Collects, taken from those Votive Masses, which a priest either is required to or intends to add to a Mass, after the principal and possible commemoration Collects. The English translations of the paddles are In Time of War, For the Celebrating Priest, For Any Necessity, Obligatory Prayer [e.g. as ordered by the bishop], Of the Holy Spirit, and For the Pope.

The second photo, from the Dominicans’ Rosary Shrine, depicts a Sanctus Candle permanently mounted to the wall. Ordinarily we are accustomed to seeing the (optional) Sanctus Candle placed on the altar by a server at the Sanctus and removed after Holy Communion, signifying the Real Presence of Christ on the altar during that portion of the Mass. Apparently the Dominicans consider this to be a more essential component of the traditional Dominican Rite.


The Strange Case of the Palmarians

One usually thinks of the Traditional Latin Mass as being longer and more elaborate than the typical Ordinary Form Mass. Many of the so-called independent [not in union with Rome], usually sedevacantist, “Catholic” groups take things a step further, using pre-1955 or older, often even lengthier liturgies. However, one independent movement takes the matter in entirely the opposite direction: The Palmarians, a group in Spain, have reduced the Tridentine Mass to a five minute liturgy, focused on the bare essential elements of Offertory, Consecration, and Communion. Their thinking is that this enables a priest to offer more Masses each day, each of which is a source of grace for the world. A more thorough treatment of this odd subject, including the entire text of the Palmarian Mass and a link to a video of one of their Masses, is here: https://magnuslundberg.net/2017/08/29/the-palmarian-order-of-the-mass/comment-page-1/

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 09/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor)
• Sat. 09/14 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

[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 8, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]