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

Tridentine Community News - Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form No Longer a Rare Occurrence; Local TLM schedule

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (October 9, 2017):

October 8, 2017 – Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form No Longer a Rare Occurrence


Last Sunday, October 1, Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Donald Hanchon celebrated a Pontifical Low Mass for the Oakland County Latin Mass Association at the Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel in Bloomfield Hills. After Mass His Excellency celebrated Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form. [Photos by Cecilia Lakin]


On Sunday, October 22, Archbishop Allen Vigneron will celebrate Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form at St. Joseph Oratory, as His Excellency has done previously once at St. Josaphat and twice at St. Edward on the Lake in Lakeport. Within a few months, a date will be announced for Confirmations in the Extraordinary Form at the St. Benedict Tridentine Community in Windsor.

There was a time, not so many years ago, when Tridentine Confirmations, globally as well as locally, were truly exceptional events. The rare instance of EF Confirmations would warrant notice on one of the major blogs such as New Liturgical Movement. One sign of progress in liturgical affairs is how…normal…Extraordinary Form Confirmations have become.

Postures for Low Mass vs. High Mass

Many of our readers only rarely attend a Low Mass, as we are blessed to have High Masses as the norm on Sundays at most Tridentine Mass sites around metro Detroit and Windsor. After last Sunday’s Pontifical Low Mass at the OCLMA/Academy, two readers asked for information on the differences in the postures of the faithful called for in Low Masses versus High Masses. Please note that the Red Missals provide guidance on posture in the right margin of the right side [English] pages. For example, on page 39 at the Pater Noster, it says “Stand – High Mass”. Missa Cantata and Solemn High (Sung Masses)

* * * * * * *

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

Mon. 10/09 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. John Leonardi, Confessor)

Tue. 10/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Francis Borgia, Confessor)

Wed. 10/11 7:00 PM: High Mass at Our Lady of the Scapular (Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Sat. 10/14 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. Callistus I, Pope & Martyr)

[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for October 9, 2017. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

A call to battle for MEN, from Bishop Olmsted

His Eminence, Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, "INTO THE BREACH: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, my Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix" - Not to be missed!

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall
and stand in the breach before me for the land…”
Ezekiel 22:30
I begin this letter with a clarion call and clear charge to you, my sons and brothers in Christ: Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes.

The world is under attack by Satan, as our Lord said it would be (1 Peter 5:8-14). This battle is occurring in the Church herself, and the devastation is all too evident. Since AD 2000, 14 million Catholics have left the faith ....

One of the key reasons that the Church is faltering under the attacks of Satan is that many Catholic men have not been willing to “step into the breach” – to fill this gap that lies open and vulnerable to further attack. A large number have left the faith, and many who remain “Catholic” practice the faith timidly and are only minimally committed to passing the faith on to their children.....

I offer this Exhortation as an encouragement, a challenge, and a calling forth to mission for every willing man in the Diocese of Phoenix: priests and deacons, husbands, fathers and sons, grandfathers and widowers, young men in preparation for your vocation – that is, each and every man. With this Exhortation, I want to clarify for you the nature of this mission from Christ, for which I will rely on the clear guidance of the Holy Scriptures, the Magisterium of the Church, and the example of the saints.

Read more >> This is absolutely wonderful stuff, from the heart of a true shepherd!

[Hat tip to Sir A.S.]

Tridentine Community News - EF Masses to be celebrated by Fr. Tim Ferguson, Bishop Boyea; EF Mass at Newman Ctr, Lincoln, NE; Confessions at Solanus Casey Center; 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 (June 14, 2015):

Fr. Tim Ferguson to Celebrate Mass at St. Josaphat

Many of our readers know Fr. Tim Ferguson from his days as a parishioner at St. Josaphat and in his former role as a Canon Lawyer for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He was recently ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan. His first Holy Mass after ordination was in the Extraordinary Form, with at least two metro Detroiters in attendance. Fr. Tim will return to St. Josaphat next Sunday, June 21, to celebrate the 9:30 AM Tridentine Mass. He has been assigned to St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, which perhaps not so coincidentally was the site of Extraordinary Form Masses formerly celebrated by current Oakland County Latin Mass Association Chaplain and fellow Canon Lawyer Msgr. Ronald Browne.

First EF Mass at Newman Center, Lincoln, Nebraska

An astute reader reported some good news concerning the new Newman Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, a new church constructed in the traditional style which was featured in our May 31 column. The very day before, on May 30, 2015, the Newman Center hosted its first Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form, an ordination Mass for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Bishop James Conley ordained six priests there, a most fitting choice considering that the previous site for FSSP ordinations, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Lincoln, has often been noted for being too modern architecturally for such ceremonies.

Confirmations in the EF at the OCLMA

A reminder for those who have not yet heard: The Oakland County Latin Mass Association has been granted permission to have the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Extraordinary Form administered to those who express a desire and are prepared. Confirmations will take place at the 9:45 AM Mass on Sunday, November 8, 2015 at the Chapel of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills. His Excellency Donald F. Hanchon, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, will administer the Sacrament. Those with an interest are urged to speak with Chaplain Msgr. Ronald Browne promptly, or to contact us via e-mail at: info@oclma.org. Since there are few occasions to receive this Sacrament in the Extraordinary Form, candidates from the entire Detroit metropolitan area are invited to apply.

Bishop Boyea to Celebrate EF Mass on June 26


Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing has a long track record of celebrating Holy Masses in the Extraordinary Form, dating back to 2005 at St. Josaphat. His Excellency will offer the monthly Last Friday Mass for Juventútem on June 26 at 7:00 PM at St. Patrick Church in Brighton. A social and dance for young adults age 18-35 will follow the Mass; those of all ages are, as always, invited to the Mass. [Photo of Bishop Boyea at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor from the Unam Sanctam Cathólicam blog]

Confessions at Solanus Casey Center

A reader suggested that we make known the fact that the Sacrament of Confession is available six days per week, for many hours of the day, at Detroit’s [Fr.] Solanus Casey Center. Also known as the Capuchin Monastery of St. Bonaventure, the Solanus Center is regarded as the “Starbucks of Confessions” for its convenience. It’s not a secret; there is almost always a (short) line of penitents waiting, no matter the day or time. Visitors also have the opportunity to pray at the tomb of Fr. Solanus.

Confessions are heard Monday through Saturday on the hour at 10:00 AM, 11:00, 12:00 Noon, 2:00 PM, 3:00, and 4:00. The priest remains until all Confessions have been heard. There are two confessionals; a second priest helps out when the line gets long.

It is worth mentioning that the Confessions are heard without hurry, and absolution is given in proper (Ordinary) form. The Solanus Center is located at 1780 Mt. Elliott St. at Kercheval, approximately one mile north of Jefferson. Guarded parking is available in the lot on the north side of the property, with the vehicle entrance off Kercheval.

A little-known fact about St. Bonaventure’s is that there is a hidden chapel, located behind the now-unusable High Altar of the modernized main chapel, which, unlike that main chapel, is fairly traditionally arranged, including its own High Altar.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 06/15 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Vitus & Companions, Martyrs)
• Tue. 06/16 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary (Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)

[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 14, 2015. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

St. Patrick betrayed

NEWS ANALYSIS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015 CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE (617) 524-6309 catholicactionleague@gmail.com
[The website here that provides an historical chronology that led up to this vote.]

SAINT PATRICK BETRAYED: IRELAND VOTES FOR SAME GENDER “MARRIAGE”

The Catholic Faith and the Christian civilization which Saint Patrick brought to Ireland nearly 1600 years ago was repudiated by more than three-fifths of the voters of the Republic of Ireland last Saturday, when that country became the first nation on earth to endorse, by popular referendum, the fashionable, neo-pagan superstition that sodomy is a conjugal act.

More than sixty generations of Irishmen and Irishwomen remained loyal to the apostle “who brought to our mountains the gift of God's Faith and the sweet light of His love.” They did so through 800 years of foreign occupation, 300 years of religious persecution and economic dispossession, a hundred years of pre-twentieth century totalitarianism known as the Penal Laws---aptly described by Edmund Burke as “a model of vicious perfection”---and a dozen hellish years of Cromwellian genocide. Now, after fifty years of peace, prosperity and post-conciliar Catholicism, the Faith is all but dead in Ireland.

This generation, of mostly young citizens of Ireland, will now forever be remembered for an appalling act of national apostasy and betrayal, effecting a moral deformity, a societal deconstruction, and a civilizational change.

Ireland is, once again, as it was before Saint Patrick, a pagan country. The difference is the pre-Christian pagan culture of Classical Antiquity admired beauty and reason, and sought truth through natural law. The post-Christian pagan culture of modernity is depraved and demonic, rejects reason, and is aggressively hostile to any expression of truth.

Among the influences which led to the debacle were the following:

I. The Power of Money The old saying that the three most important factors in politics are, in ascending order of importance, money, money, and money was reaffirmed on May 22nd in Ireland. The Yes side outspent the No side by several orders of magnitude. The American billionaire Chuck Feeney funneled at least $28,000,000 into the homosexual movement in Ireland in the last twelve years.

The Yes side had seemingly unlimited resources for voter registration, advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts. The No side could not compete financially.

II. The Power of Government The government of pro-abortion Prime Minister Enda Kenny and all Irish political parties supported the Yes campaign. Kenny was not reluctant to resort to the instruments of coercion. Funding was cut off for Catholic marriage counseling services. Non-profit organizations dependent on state support were threatened. Even the Gardaí---Ireland's National Police---were mobilized to help the Yes campaign. Kenny had already, during the abortion controversy of 2013, purged his Fine Gael Party of Catholic objectors.

III. The Power of the Media Ireland's Anglophile, aggressively secularist and hysterically anti-Catholic media, abandoned all pretense of fairness and professionalism, and served as de facto public relations agents, promoting the Yes campaign. During the Cold War, some American conservatives wondered how people behind the Iron Curtain would vote, if allowed to do so in a free election, given the total Communist control of the media. Something approximating that level of media monopoly prevailed in Ireland.

IV. The Power of Corporate Capitalism American multinationals, which provide tens of thousands of jobs to the struggling Irish economy, instructed---in a flagrant violation of Irish sovereignty---their employees to support the Yes campaign.

V. The Power of Organized Labor The Irish trade unions and their political arm, the Labor Party, campaigned for a Yes vote. The Labor Party has become so anti-Catholic that one of its leaders has called for the exclusion of practicing Catholics from government---overt religious discrimination in employment---because Catholics are loyal to a foreign power, the Holy See. This charge is the same one English occupiers used for centuries to rob and oppress the Irish.

VI. The Power of the European Union The influence of the E. U. in Ireland has been profoundly corrupting and malign. For decades now, the E. U. has operated what amounts to a system of organized bribery in Irish politics. Irish politicians are suborned by everything from infrastructure monies to the perks, privileges, and paychecks that come from European Commissionerships, and M.E.P. (Member of the European Parliament) status. The quid pro quo is de-Christianization.

VII. The Scandals in the Church The decision to ordain homosexuals to the Catholic priesthood, failing to stop them when they molested minors, and then covering up for them rather than punishing them and getting rid of them, bankrupted the moral authority of the Irish Church.

VIII. The Cowardice of the Bishops The conduct of the Irish Hierarchy during the referendum campaign was shameful. cowardly and pandering. They conceded the arguments and accepted the intellectual premises of the enemy. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, in an exercise in Stalinist self accusation, claimed that he knew of the “harshness with which the Irish Church treated gays and lesbians in the past,” and urged that “people of same sex orientation have their rights and loving and caring relationships cherished in a culture of difference.” Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry was actually worse. He said he hoped people would not vote No “for bad reasons, for bigoted reasons, for nasty reasons, for bullying reasons.”

IX. The Treachery in the Ranks of the Clergy At least fifteen Irish priests publicly endorsed the Yes campaign. Not one of them was removed, reprimanded or silenced by their bishops.

X. The Failure of Post-Conciliar Catholicism It is difficult to find a more compelling example of the absolutely dysfunctional character of the contemporary Church. Exactly fifty years after the close of Vatican II, what was the most Catholic country in the world is now mission territory. Fifty years of modernism, sappy ecumenism, toleration of heresy, secularization of Catholic institutions, corruption in religious orders, immorality against nature in the priesthood, novelties in teaching and practice, and the unprecedented invention of a new, abuse prone vernacular liturgy have all turned the Church Militant into the Church Dialoging.

Enda Kenny's next target will be Catholic schools. He has already demanded that they present same-sex unions as the same as traditional marriage. What remains of the Faith in Ireland will now face persecution. Please pray for Ireland! Sanctus Patricius, Ora Pro Nobis!

[Hat tip to Monica Miller]

Church Militant's latest report on the German bishops' proposals for the October Synod

"Hi ! We're from the German Bishops' Conference and we're here to help!"
Mr. Voris predicts a "Fur-Flying Free-for-All." Should be interesting. Hold on to your seats!

"Full text: German Bishops' Conference explains change in labor laws allowing for employment of homosexuals in 'civil unions'" (Rorate Caeli, May 5, 2015).

"Madlibbing with Modernism ..."

Elliot Bougis, "Madlibbing with Modernism ..." (FideCogitActio, April 25, 2015):

“Many __________ of the present day are little concerned about [the marks of the true Church]; the question of deciding between true and false in religion never occurs to them. They hold that all churches are equally true, since all taken collectively constitute the Church Catholic with which a man may be united by a good life even though he belong to no particular church organization. It is a matter of supreme indifference whether a person belong to one church or another; in fact, it seems to matter little whether he belong to any church. Moreover, they hold that every man enjoys full liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. Hence every man is free to select the church that suits his fancy or convenience…. God, it seems, has no voice in the matter; He must be content to receive such worship as man sees fit to render Him. It is evident that marks for recognizing the true Church have no place in such a system.”

Now, for $800 bollars, fill in the blank!

A. adolescents

B. Protestants

C. Catholics

D. bishops

BONUS QUESTION: When was this passage penned?

Any takers? I haven't heard that anyone has claimed the $800, which is probably rhetorical anyway. But you can email Mr. Bougis at fidescogitactio@ gmail . com

[Hat tip to JM]

Francis Card. George – RIP

Via Fr. Z:

I just received word that His Eminence Francis Card. George has died.

He was Archbishop of Chicago for 17 years and a great churchman.

He was quoted saying some time ago about our era:

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.”

Traditional Mass increasingly re-accepted in mainstream

Practically every month I head about a new venue in which the Tridentine Mass is being offered locally; and when one expands the field nationally or internationally, the incidents are even more common.

Here's the most recent example: the Cardinal-Archbishop of Paris celebrating the ancient rite at Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois, in the heart of Paris:

"The Traditional Mass re-enters the regular life of the Church" (Rorate Caeli, March 25, 2015):


Sunday, March 8, 2015

It seemed a regular unsurprising event for the Cardinal-Archbishop of Paris (and not the first time for him, either). In the historic parish church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, in the heart of Paris (right across the street from the cour carrée of the Louvre), where the traditional Mass is celebrated every Sunday, Cardinal Vingt-Trois celebrated the Traditional Mass (Mass in the Extraordinary Form) for the faithful in his visit to the parish. The Church in France will rise again - one day, it will rise again.

Interview: Cardinal Burke says confusion spreading among Catholics ‘in an alarming way’

Jeanne Smits, Paris correspondent, "Exclusive interview: Cardinal Burke says confusion spreading among Catholics ‘in an alarming way’ (full text)" (LifeSiteNews, March 24, 2015). Substantial.

[Hat tip to L.S.]

The Façade of "Mercy"

Cardinal Dolan to Michael Voris at the St. Patrick's Day parade: "Love to have ya!"

The problem behind what the eye sees may run deeper when one consider's Cardinal Dolan's Gay Problem.

In other news, there is an interesting discussion HERE of

1. the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade (interview with C.J. Doyle of Catholic Action League);
2. an interview with Paul McGregor of Holy Innocents Parish about the reason why Fr. Wylie was exiled to a very dangerous area of S. Africa, which involved not merely his defence of the TLM at Holy Innocents in NYC, but his whistle-blowing on financial malfeasance by Msgr. Francis Chullikatt of the Holy See's United Nations Permanent Observer Mission, in connection with the Path to Peace Foundation affiliated with the Holy See's United Nations Permanent Observer Mission; and
3. the arbitrary hold put on the cause for the beatification of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen by the Archdiocese of New York (a.k.a. Cardinal Dolan): he doesn't want to release Sheen's body to be moved back to Peoria, IL -- why? because he wants the income from a prospective shrine to Sheen at St. Patrick's Cathedral to fill the archdiocese coffers with pilgrim's financial offerings? -- all speculations the Cardinal could immediately end by an announcement of his reasons for putting a hold on the beatification process.

Stand with the Church: Support faithful priests, bishops, and the Pope

"I was pleased to see that some Catholic journalists and internet bloggers ... drew attention to this clerical agenda of undermining the perennial teaching of Our Lord."

- Archbishop Athanasius Schneider, "Against Pharisees"
(Polonia Christiana, November 5, 2014)

"Christians are born for combat... The chief elements of this duty consist in professing openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine, and in propagating it to the utmost of our power."

- Pope Leo XIII, "Sapientiae Christianae" (January 10, 1890)

Related: Benedict Constable, "Why blogs must expose the goings-on in Rome" (Rorate Caeli, February 6, 2015).