Tridentine Community News - Weekly Low Mass Debuts at St. Mary of Redford; Particulars on Commemorations; Diocese of Biloxi Latin Mass Training; 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 13, 2019):

October 13, 2019 – Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Weekly Low Mass Debuts at St. Mary of Redford

Beginning on October 19, a weekly Saturday 8:00 AM Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be held at St. Mary of Redford Church. Parish Administrator Fr. Athanasius Fornwalt, FHS will be the celebrant. Keep an eye on this parish, as occasional Solemn High Masses are also in the planning stages.

Particulars on Commemorations

A reader asked about the rules for Commemorations on Sundays. A Commemoration is the addition of a second – and in a few instances a third – Collect, Secret, and Postcommunion to the Mass. On weekdays this is a common occurrence when there are secondary Saint(s) on the same Feast Day. On Sundays the rules are a little different: Sundays are days of our Lord, and He must be at least commemorated. When a special Sunday Feast of our Lord is mandated (e.g.: the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) or is optional (e.g.: the External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart), the skipped Sunday After Pentecost is not commemorated, as the primary Feast is already of our Lord.

When a special Sunday Feast is not of our Lord (e.g.: the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel or the External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary), the collects of the skipped Sunday After Pentecost are added, so that our Lord becomes part of the day’s observances. On Mission Sunday, the collects from the Votive Mass of the Propagation of the Faith are added as commemorations.

Trivia question: The Altar Missal contains (weekday) Masses for the secondary Saints. When can those be celebrated? Answer: 1) If the secondary Saint is the Patron Saint of a parish of diocese, it takes precedence on the Feast Day. In that case the roles are reversed, and the Saint that is the primary Saint becomes the secondary one. The Mass of the secondary Saint is celebrated, and the usually Primary Saint is commemorated instead. 2) On a Fourth Class Feria or Feast, the celebrant may elect to celebrate the Mass of any Saint, including the Mass of one of the usually secondary Saints from any day of the Church Year.

Diocese of Biloxi Latin Mass Training

There was much excitement this week in the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi as three priests celebrated their first Holy Masses in the Extraordinary Form on October 8 & 9, after training from Extraordinary Faith: Congratulations to Fr. Mike O'Connor [pictured], Pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf Parish, Bay St. Louis; Fr. Marcin Wiktor, Parochial Vicar, St. Charles Borromeo, Picayune; and Fr. Colten Symmes, Parochial Vicar, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, Biloxi. Of particular interest to readers of this column: Fr. Wiktor studied at Orchard Lake Seminary with Fr. Louis Madey and attended Mass at St. Josaphat Church while there.



Extraordinary Faith’s music instructor spent two days teaching the choir of Our Lady of the Gulf to sing the Traditional Mass, and altar servers also received instruction. The Diocese of Biloxi is establishing a Traditional Mass site at the recently restored historic church, with the three priests rotating as celebrants. The Communion Rail will be reinstalled over the next several weeks in preparation. Our Lady of the Gulf Master of Ceremonies Bill Cork [pictured at left] arranged the training session.

Despite there being no advance publicity, approximately 50 faithful turned out for the first High Mass on Tuesday evening. The enthusiasm on the part of everyone involved was inspiring proof that good things are happening in the Church at the grass roots level, as people work together for beauty in worship.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 10/25 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Teresa of Avila, Virgin)
• Sat. 10/19 8:00 AM: Low Mass at St. Mary of Redford (St. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor) – Debut of new weekly Low 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 October 13, 2019. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - Reasons for Thanksgiving and Optimism; 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 (November 18, 2018):

November 18, 2018 – Resumed Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

Reasons for Thanksgiving and Optimism

It seems that most of the Catholic news nowadays comes in one of two categories, either bad news about malfeasance and corruption in the Church hierarchy or “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” seemingly forced-happy news from establishment Catholic media outlets.

Ignored in both of the above are the quiet signs of improvement in many areas of Catholic life, most connected with the Traditional Latin Mass. Given that this is the week of American Thanksgiving, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves to give thanks for what we do have. For example:

The continuing mainstreaming of the Tridentine Mass, and its increasing prominence in diocesan life. The ever-increasing number of Extraordinary Form Mass sites in metro Detroit and Windsor (and elsewhere) is something unimaginable just eleven years ago. Consider how many options we now enjoy on major weekday Feast Days as one example. In this region, we’re now limited by number of volunteers available to organize and run more Masses rather than by number of willing and interested host churches and clergy.


The ever-increasing number of priests and seminarians interested in learning to serve and celebrate the Extraordinary Form. A perfect example of this was at the All Souls Day Mass on Friday, November 2 at Old St. Mary’s Church in Detroit [photo above]: Brothers from the Franciscans of the Holy Spirit served the Mass, with seminarians from Sacred Heart Major Seminary representing two dioceses sitting in choir. Every one of the Franciscan seminarians repeatedly expressed their gratitude for having been exposed to the Traditional Mass. And stay tuned – there will be more good news along this front in next week’s Tridentine Community News column.

The increasing prevalence of Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony in parish life. For example, this week this writer heard Gregorian Mass XVIII’s Sanctus and Agnus Dei and the Salve Regína sung at a weekday Mass at an average parish in Las Vegas. That would have been unthinkable in the pre-Summórum Pontíficum era as recently as eleven years ago, when blogs and discussion boards proudly boasted of Ordinary Form choirs taking the daring step of chanting the occasional Communion Antiphon in Latin. Clearly the bar has been raised.

A gradual evolution of where serious Catholicism is found. Prior to Vatican II, many if not most parishes seemed to have been fairly orthodox. Post-Vatican II, only a handful of conservative parishes and ethnic parishes cared enough to maintain traditions. Nowadays there is no mistaking that Tridentine Mass communities lead the charge, but an increasing number of Ordinary Form parishes are shifting to a more traditional presentation of the Faith, at least at certain Masses.

A recapturing of the importance of celebrating the Feasts of the Church Year, and increasing integration of the Church calendar into daily thinking and prayer. Catholic media and many priests’ preaching are helping to rekindle awareness of the sanctoral cycle, Feasts of Our Lady, octaves, and the lives of the Saints.

Rediscovery and rededication to traditional devotions, from the Rosary to Eucharistic Adoration to gaining Indulgences. Even at otherwise “modern” parishes, ground-level support from the faithful is causing a resurgence of popular devotions that often went ignored in the 1980s and 90s. One example is the increasing number of novenas and devotions prayed before or after weekday Masses.

Increasing availability of Confession before and after Mass. If you offer it, they will come, even in Ordinary Form parishes.

The resurgence of traditional art and architecture, both in new church construction and in restorations and un-wreckovations of older churches. The number of church restorations seems to be outpacing wreckovations these days. Communion Rails, High Altars, and serious religious art are making a comeback, and the designers and contractors supporting those efforts are growing in number and busier than ever.

The rise of a whole industry of secondhand and new traditional church goods vendors, as presented in the November 4 edition of this column. The era of 1970s style products is finally starting to pass.

One might ask, with all of this good news, why isn’t the Catholic press more focused on it? Certainly much of the mainstream Catholic press is under control of the bishops, most of whom still seem oblivious to or disinterested in traditional forms of piety and worship. However, web sites, blogs, and social media – and of course this column and Extraordinary Faith - abound with example after example of the resurgent interest in our immemorial traditions, so the encouraging word will spread via other channels.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Tue. 11/20 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Felix of Valois, Confessor)
• Sat. 11/24 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (St. John of the Cross, Confessor & Doctor)

[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 November 18, 2018. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fr. Perrone

Need inspiration?

[Source]

Tridentine Community News - The Sacristy and Its Arrangement; Chasuble Shapes; TLM Mass schedules

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (October 16, 2016):

October 16, 2016 – Twenty-second Sunday After Pentecost

The Sacristy and Its Arrangement


A church’s sacristy might seem to be a place of mystery to many Catholics. Relatively few have reason to venture into a sacristy, and those who do generally have a purpose in mind, usually talking to the priest. Indeed, the sacristy is typically the domain of the altar servers, sacristans, and those in charge of laundering the altar linens. Let’s take a look around and see what’s typically in there.

The accompanying diagram from Fr. William O’Brien’s book, In Sacristy and Sanctuary, depicts many of the [numbered] key objects found in a typical sacristy: 1) The sink, not to be confused with 3) the sacrárium, a special sink which drains into the ground rather than the sewer. The sacrárium is used to dispose of Holy Water, excess Precious Blood, water in which dropped Hosts have been dissolved, and in general any liquid which has been blessed. 2) The sacristy table contains drawers for altar linens, certain types of vestments and vestment parts (stoles, maniples) that can be stored flat, and supplies of all sorts. Older churches may have one or more framed prayer cards above the table, containing Vesting Prayers and Prayers Before and After Mass. Above the sink in older churches is often found the Prayer Before Washing Hands. All of these prayers are in Latin and are said by the celebrant while vesting before a Tridentine Mass. In newer churches they are provided on portable, framed cards.

5) The incense cabinet, containing the thurible, charcoal, incense, matches, the incense boat, and related supplies.

6) The safe, containing the cibória (containers for the Hosts), chalices, monstrance, reliquaries, and related precious metallic objects.

Vestments and altar servers’ cassocks and surplices are stored in closets, sometimes in a separate sacristy room on the other side of the sanctuary (the “work sacristy”, meant for servers, as opposed to the main “priest’s sacristy”).

There is always a Crucifix in the sacristy, meant as a focal point for prayer. Before Mass, the servers and celebrant all face the Crucifix while the priest says, “Procedámus in pace.” [Let us go in peace], to which the servers respond, “In Nómine Christi. Amen.” [In the Name of Christ. Amen.] After Mass, all bow to the Crucifix and say “Deo grátias.” [Thanks be to God], then the servers kneel and ask for the celebrant’s blessing, saying, “Jube, domne benedícere.” [Your blessing, Father.]

You are welcome to come explore the sacristy after Mass; please ask one of the altar servers to give you a tour.

Chasuble Shapes

The chasuble is the large outer vestment that the celebrant wears during Mass. There are three principal kinds of chasubles:

1) The Roman or “fiddleback” chasuble, so named because it is the regional norm in Rome and has a front side shaped like a cello, or fiddle [Shouldn’t it be “fiddlefront”?]. The back side is squared off. These days, most Tridentine Mass sites employ fiddleback chasubles, as their level of artistic design is typically more expressive and elaborate.


2) The Gothic chasuble is the type most commonly seen nowadays at Ordinary Form Masses. They are robe-like, longer in the front and back, and shorter on the sides for the arms.

3) The rarely seen Conical chasubles are circular pieces of fabric with a hole in the center for the head to go through. They are most commonly used in monasteries.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 10/17 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin)
• Tue. 10/18 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (St. Luke the Evangelist)
• Sat. 10/22 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 16, 2016. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Tridentine Community News - The Priest's Vesting Prayers; TLM Mass schedule

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (September 11, 2016):

September 11, 2016 - Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Extraordinary Form of Holy Mass incorporates rubrics and practices that display reverence towards holy objects and things destined for a sacred purpose. For example, any object handed to the priest during Holy Mass is to be kissed before being handed over. When an object is taken from the priest, it is kissed as soon as it is taken.

Likewise, before Mass, the celebrant kisses each of the vestments as he puts them on, often while reciting a set of Vesting Prayers.

The 1962 Roman Missal contains one chapter of Preparatory Prayers to be said before Mass, and another chapter of Prayers of Thanksgiving to be said after Mass. The Vesting Prayers comprise one section of the chapter of Preparatory Prayers. All of the prayers in these two chapters are optional. Several had been enriched with indulgences according to the pre-1968 list of indulgences. Many older sacristies, including those at St. Florian in Hamtramck and at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, have cards containing these prayers mounted on their sacristy walls. Since the pious custom of a priest’s preparation for Mass is not well-known, below we present the Vesting Prayers. For those who may not be familiar with them, these vestments were described in our June 25, 2006 column, available on our web site.

Washing Hands

Da, Dómine, virtútem mánibus meis ad abstergéndam omnem máculam; ut sine pollutióne mentis et córporis váleam tibi servíre.


Give virtue to my hands, O Lord, that being cleansed from all stain I might serve Thee with purity of mind and body.

Amice

Impóne, Dómine, cápiti meo gáleam salútis, ad expugnándos diabólicos incúrsus.

Place upon me, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.

Alb

Deálba me, Dómine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sánguine Agni dealbátus, gáudiis pérfruar sempitérnis.


Purify me, O Lord, and cleanse my heart, so that, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal bliss.

Cincture

Præcínge me, Dómine, cíngulo puritátis, et exstíngue in lumbis meis humórem libídinis; ut maneat in me virtus continéntiæ et castitátis.

Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.

Maniple

Mérear, Dómine, portáre manípulum fletus et dolóris; ut cum exsultatióne recípiam mercédem labóris.


May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow, that I may receive the reward for my labors with rejoicing.

Stole

Redde mihi, Dómine, stolam immortalitátis, quam pérdidi in prævaricatióne primi paréntis: et, quamvis indígnus accédo ad tuum sacrum mystérium, mérear tamen gáudium sempitérnum.


Restore unto me, O Lord, the stole of immortality, which was lost through the guilt of our first parents: and, although I am unworthy to approach Thy sacred Mysteries, nevertheless grant unto me eternal joy.

Dalmatic (Deacons and Bishops)

Índue me, Dómine, induménto salútis et vestiménto lætítiæ; et dalmática justítiæ circúmda me simper.

Lord, endow me with the garment of salvation, the vestment of joy; and with the dalmatic of justice ever encompass me.

Chasuble

Dómine, qui dixísti: Jugum meam suáve est et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud portáre sic váleam, quod cónsequar tuam grátiam. Amen.

O Lord, Who said, “My yoke is easy and My burden light”: grant that I may bear it well and follow after Thee with thanksgiving. Amen.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 09/12 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Most Holy Name of Mary)
• Tue. 09/13 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary, Windsor (Votive Mass for the Propagation of the Faith)
• Sat. 09/17 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Miles Christi (Stigmata of St. Francis)

[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 11, 2016. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

Farewell Celebration for Fr. Robert Marczewski

Fr. Robert Marczewski has been a significant figure in the lives of the Tridentine community in Detroit for upwards of a decade. Now he is leaving and a farewell celebration celebration is being held for him, a reception to follow the Tridentine High Mass on June 26, 2016 at St. Joseph Church in Detroit (choral music by St. Joseph Men's Schola).

I know the print is unclear in the image below, so I will transcribe the notice below (alternately you can download the PDF file here: http://motherofdivinemercy.org/docs/June26FrMarczewskiFarewell.pdf


Farewell Celebration for Fr. Robert Marczewski

Noon Tridentine High Mass on June 26, 2016
at St. Joseph Church with Choral Music by
St. Joseph Mens Schola

Reception to follow in the Social Hall
Rev. Robert Marczewski, S. T. L., S. T. D. has faithfully assisted at Mother of Divine Mercy Parish for the past seven years, particularly through celebrating the Tridentine Mass at St. Josaphat Church. A native of Poland and a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Fr. Marczewski was the Dean of Spiritual Formation and Professor of Spiritual Theology at SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake from 2009 to the present. This summer he will take up a new position as Chaplain at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California.

oin us in thanking Fr. Marczewski and praying for him at his final Holy Mass at Mother of Divine Mercy Parish. During the Reception, Fr. Marczewski will also sign copies of his book available in the Gift Shop, A Legacy of Saint John Paul II: The Reception of John Paul II's Theology of the Body in the Catholic Church in the United States of America (1984-2012).

St. Joseph Church, Mother of Divine Mercy Parish • 1828 Jay Street, Detroit
Across Gratiot from Eastern Market • Secure parking • Handicap accessible
MotherofDivineMercy.org

Fr. Eduard Perrone: past and present

I have heard some suggest that if this were today, he could pass for one of our Chaldean seminarians!


Fr. Eduard P. Perrone, ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1978


Rev. Eduard Perrone in 2011, and as he is today, the pastor of Assumption Grotto Church

Bishops who simply watch from the sidelines

So suggests Phil Lawler in his article, "In Georgia's religious-freedom debate, Catholic bishops sit on the sidelines" (CatholicCulture.org, April 7, 2016).

"And how did the Catholic bishops of Georgia respond to this disgraceful claim that the Christian faith is a form of bigotry? Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta and Bishop Gregory Hartmayer of Savannah announced blandly: 'Gov. Nathan Deal has announced his intention to veto H.B. 757 and the debate will, thus, continue.'”

Ugh. How lame. He won't even take sides in a fight where the other guy is trying to kill him?

Then there's this from a fellow college professor in another part of the country:

At the ... socially conservative college where I teach, after years of stonewalling, the administration has finally approved the charter of an LGBT student group. The school also sponsors the National Black Ministers Conference, one at which Obama spoke when he was campaigning. Sense the strange cultural cross currents? Anyway, kids are thrilled, and last night I walked across campus behind a couple of young ladies holding hands. In an advertising class I supervise, Target asked to sponsor a competition for ad design in which the students conceptualize and develop a campaign celebrating the chain's pro-LGBT stance. New world. But why should I or anyone blink or twitch, when "everyone knows the Church's teaching." (And no one believes in mortal sin any more than they understand String Theory).

Where are we now in terms of 'Building a Civilization of Love'?

Here's the kind of bishop we need:



And here's the kind of bishops we don't need:

Bishop Jugis appoints Rev. Matthew Kauth 1st rector of new Charlotte seminary

The Charlotte Observer Staff, "Charlotte Catholic diocese starting seminary for college-age men who want to be priests" (The Charlotte Observer, March 19, 2016).

I couldn't be more pleased. I know Fr. Matthew Kauth from my years in North Carolina. He's a good man. He is a well-known proponent and celebrant of the Extraordinary Form. He stands on principle.

In 2014 he came under fire for inviting a nun to speak at the Catholic Catholic High School where he was chaplain. After she offered a talk promoting Church teaching on homosexuality, dissident students and parents reacted with anger and protests, demanding Kauth's resignation. But Bishop Peter Jugis (may we have more bishops like him) supported the priest and refused to give way to their demands. And now the bishop is promoting Kauth as rector of the new St. Joseph College Seminary, which will be opening it's doors this September, on or near the Belmont Abbey campus in Gaston County.

Huzzah! This is WONDERFUL news!!


Fr. Matthew Kauth offering the Sacrifice of the Mass


Fr. Kauth & Bishop Jugis

"O Come and Mourn with Me Awhile": Fr. Perrone on Holy Week

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" [temporary link] (Assumption Grotto News, March 20, 2016):

“I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!” (Lk 12:50).

As we enter into Holy Week, these words of our Lord come to mind, expressing as they do the fervent desire and zeal He held within His Sacred Heart to enter upon the laborious work of His suffering and death for our redemption. It’s not possible to fathom the measure of that love for us ingrates and seemingly worthless creatures. God did not spare His own Son to ransom a slave. What father would sacrifice the
life of his own child to win a useless, degenerate and unappreciative person in exchange? Well can we sympathize with St. Peter when he attempted to thwart our Lord’s plan to redeem mankind through the Passion. But Christ was not to be deterred by any miscomprehension of His intentions or a misguided loyalty. “We will go up to Jerusalem,” He said. And Thomas, in excessu mentis (the Latin expression from Ps 30:25 for being ‘out of one’s mind’ is so expressive) said, “Let us go and die together with Him!” The apostles would indeed ‘drink the cup’ of suffering with Christ, but at a later time, and Saint Peter himself would be bound and carried off to die for Him. For the moment, however, it was the time for Christ to fulfill His great desire. The members of His Church would have to await their own time to die with Him.

This is our time to die (in a manner of speaking) with the Lord. Lent–for those who have taken it upon themselves–has been in preparation for this very moment. We should not now be deterred, not turn back. We have been permitted to accompany Christ in this most important week. A favorite hymn from childhood, “O Come and Mourn with Me Awhile,” beckons us to enter this week bravely and Our Lady and with full abandon to accompany our Lord in His final journey to Jerusalem.

Each year I make an appeal for all of you to attend the Holy Week services of Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday afternoon and Holy Saturday night. None of these–apart from Easter day itself–is obligatory. But what’s the point of missing, voluntarily, these events by which you were bought and paid for? Here’s then a measure to measure your love for Christ. Moreover, I ask not only that you come to the church and be present on those days, but that you do so with an eager and alert mind, fully cognizant of what those days mean, following along with our Lord with a
compassionate heart. In this way you will be with Him bodily as well as mentally, all for love of Him and for the love of your own souls. Kindly see and keep the inserted page which gives the schedule of services and confessions for the week. This will
relieve some of the stress of answering callers to the rectory during this very busy week. Note carefully that confessions will not be heard on Easter day. It is your duty to come to confession, however. Do not omit this most important obligation. You need Holy Week. It’s an annual rejuvenation of your spiritual lives. It’s a purifying bath of your defilements, a recalibration of your wills, an adornment of heavenly graces for you.

Fr. Perrone

P.S. Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence.

P.P.S. I thank the Romanos for hosting, preparing, serving (and cleaning up) after the annual St. Joseph Day meal held last Sunday. It’s a labor of love, as they say, for the great Saint and for you, our parishioners. Many thanks!

"Just give up!" What an encouraging first TLM homily!

Homily pronounced by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP at the First Solemn High Mass in England of Fr Ian Verrier, FSSP at St James’ Church in London on 20th June 2015.

Dear newly ordained Fr Verrier,

Just give up! It is all lost. Go and hide. We are vanquished. Christianity is over. Our time is gone. Anyone with eyes to see will agree. Greater than waves, tsunamis rather surge against life, against common sense, against freedom and against innocence! See the crimson tide of abortion; the green tide of Islam; the pink tide of inversion; the black tide of pornography; and as a deadly mix of all others, the fluorescent tide of political correctness.

But wait! There's more! - "'Light the Beacon' - Is Christianity Over? - A Sermon" (RC, March 11, 2016).

A cardinal, a priest with a stripper, and gay days at Lourdes: Catholic crisis exposed

Our underground correspondent in an Atlantic seaboard city that knows how to keep its secrets, Guy Noir - Private Eye, just sent us a link to a video (see below) reporting on three scandals symptomatic of deeper problems in the Church, which the commentator sees as presaging an intensifying persecution of Catholoics effectively sold out by their leaders:

(1) Cardinal law, after resigning amidst sex scandal cover-ups in his Archdiocese of Boston in 2002, received John Paul II's permission to resign before the mandatory age of 75 and get himself appointed to the plum position of Archpriest at St. Mary Major in Rome, a position from which he retired in 2011, and continues living in the Palazzo della Cancelleria, the Renaissance palace near St. Peter's.

(2) Fr. Jay Baker, Vicar General to Bishop Shelton Joseph Fabre of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana, recently appeared in a photo posted on Facebook alongside a stripper on the homepage of Trixie Minx, a scandal prompting a troubled letter from a Louisiana parishioner who can't get a hearing with her stonewalling bishop.

(3) Catholic officials at the Catholic shrine of Lourdes threw open its doors to gays for Valentine's Day this year [HERE]

Guy Noir writes:

Look... I for one don't think we are being "persecuted" in any sense worthy of the word. We *are* being marginalized.

And, unintentionally, being sold out by our leaders. Matt, for my tastes, can be strident. But who can argue with him here. And note -- he's not gay-bashing. This is good old heterosexual roaming. And meanwhile, a bishop cannot even meet with a plaintiff. No one in the private sector could now get away with such stonewalling. Maybe it is a good thing the "bastions," as von Balthasar called them, are being raized.

GrottoCast!!!

I realize what a privilege it is to be able to assist at Mass at a perish where homilists are as good as confessors, where old Catholic customs are observed with affection, and one can imagine what the Church must have been like a generation or two ago.

For anyone interested in looking through a window, as it were, into this world, and in listening in to such homilies, there is no better place than GrottoCast , a new website that shares Fr. Eduard Perrone's (and his guest celebrants') homilites in audio format. Fr. Perrone, of course, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit serving the Assumption Grotto parish.

Here, for example, are the 2015 Christmas Homilies: Fr. Logan & Fr. Perrone (GrottoCast, December 25, 2015), which are both worth a listen, along with pictures. I'm told that a series of Carmelite retreat talks will be featured this year. As the church bulletin notes, the site will also be used to share video clips from some devotional and liturgical events. Furthermore, using the archive drop down in the sidebar, you can find a Corpus Christi procession video from June of 2015; and there is a provision (also in the sidebar) for subscribing to email notifications that will send you a link as soon as items are posted.

God bless you everyone!

Fr. Perrone: Bishop Athanasius Schneider and the Synod

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" [temporary link] (Assumption Grotto News, November 15, 2015):

This weekend we celebrate the Forty Hours Devotion, and you would expect me to write on that topic. The homilies for the day, however, I deem sufficient matter for your reflection on the most Holy Eucharist, though there can never be enough said about this magnum mysterium since it concerns the prolongation of the very incarnation of the Son of God, yet in a manner more abstruse than the incarnation itself since, for just one point, in the Holy Sacrament the Lord is bodily present in many places all at once, something beyond what He did when He walked in Palestine.

My principal subject today is a brief digest of a commentary made by the stalwart Bishop Athanasius Schneider on the recent Synod of Bishops. The whole piece is well worth the read, but I bring out a few highlights for those who may be otherwise unable to peruse the entire document. I quote him here freely, stringing various phrases together, without respect to the rigorous discipline now universally imposed on writers in quoting their sources. In your charity, I beg your indulgence for this unpardonable indiscretion!

“In our days there exists a permanent and omnipresent pressure on behalf of the mass media, which are compliant with...anti-Christian powers, to abolish the truth of the indissolubility of marriage, trivializing the sacred character of this Divine institution by spreading an anti-culture of divorce and concubinage. ...When Catholics by means of divorce and adultery...repudiate the will of God expressed in the Sixth Commandment, they put themselves in a spiritually serious danger of losing their eternal salvation. ...Those who conduct a married life with a partner who is not his legitimate spouse, as is the case with divorced and civilly remarried, reject the will of God. ...The Final Report of the Synod unfortunately omits to convince the divorced and remarried concerning their concrete sin. On the contrary, under the pretext of mercy and a false pastorality, those (progressive) Synod Fathers...tried to cover up the spiritually dangerous state of the divorced and (civilly) remarried. (Moreover the Final Report) justifies indirectly such a lifestyle by means of assigning this question ultimately to the area of the individual consciences... and gives the impression...that a public life in adultery–as is the case of civilly remarried–is not violating the indissoluble sacramental bond...or that it does not represent a mortal or grave sin and that this issue is furthermore a matter of private conscience. ...(However) the shepherds (bishops) of the Church should not in the slightest manner promote a culture of divorce amongst the faithful. ...The Final Report seems to inaugurate a doctrinal and disciplinary cacophony in the Catholic Church, which contradicts the very essence of being Catholic. ...(It) caused a situation of obscuration, confusion, subjectivity...and an un-Catholic doctrinal and disciplinary particularism in a matter which is essentially connected to the deposit of faith transmitted by the Apostles. ...It is therefore a real shame that Catholic bishops, the successors of the Apostles, used synodal assemblies in order to make an attempt on the constant and unchangeable practice of the Church regarding the indissolubility of marriage, that is, in the non-admittance of the divorced who live in an adulterous union to the Sacraments. ...Through the solemn promise in the episcopal ordination...every candidate..promised: ‘I will keep pure and integral the deposit of faith according to the tradition which was always and everywhere preserved in the Church.’ The ambiguity found in..the Report contradicts the abovementioned solemn episcopal vow. Everyone in the Church, from the simple faithful to the holders of the magisterium, should say: ‘I will not accept an obfuscated speech nor a skillful masked backdoor to a profanation of the Sacraments of Marriage and Eucharist. Likewise, I will not accept a mockery of the Sixth Commandment of God. I prefer to be ridiculed and persecuted rather than to accept ambiguous texts and insincere methods.’ Now there’s a voice to be heeded! My reaction to Bishop Schneider’s straightforward teaching echoes what was once said concerning the teaching of Christ: “He teaches with authority, and not like the scribes” (Mt. 7:29).

Fr. Perrone

P.S. Next Sunday would be the feast of Saint Cecilia, patroness of music. The day, being a Sunday, the Lord’s day, must be celebrated in the breach by lovers of sacred music.

Fr. Eduard Perrone: a priest's duty to study theology and the privilege of doing so

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" [temporary link] (Assumption Grotto News, October 18, 2015):

There is usually precious little time for me to do any spiritual reading except during my vacation. I have made some adjustments now that allow me time every week to engage in some much needed theological discipline. Priests by canon law are supposed to further their education. If this happens at all, this often takes the form of priests going to workshops, hearing talks or even taking sabbaticals. None of these appeals to me because I long to ‘get serious’ about the study of the faith while, as I indicated, I have not found the time to do so–until now. Getting back to the books, in his case some serious theological studies, is a great refreshment to the mind and a real boost to the spiritual life. I hope that some of my new-found zeal may finds its way into my preaching and classroom teaching. Although there are many religion light courses that are falsely identified as ‘theology’ classes, I want the real, good ol’ tough stuff that requires deep concentration accompanied by prayer. Theology, you see, is unlike other academic disciplines in that it requires prayer to attain to its goal, which is wisdom (as opposed to acquiring a mere increase in factual knowledge). Much, as I say, passes for “theology” today that is fluff. Nor is theological study a mere reading of religious books, such as lives of the saints, liturgical books, etc. There is often a certain dryness to genuine theological writing, and this is simply because the matter at hand–God–is very heady stuff – pardon the phrase. I, on the other hand, find theological reading a great source for meditation and an incentive for prayer. By expanding the mind, so to speak, the heart becomes expanded with divine love. And so, I am now spending time every week in spiritual study and am thus less involved in that deflating humdrum busywork, limiting my involvement in the latter only as is necessary. In a practical sense this means that I will be doing less of this-‘n-that stuff, while trying to keep up with phone messages and make arrangements for needed appointments.

In closing, I wonder what your thoughts and concerns are about the way the world is going. The Church is not on the winning side of things at this time and from the looks of it there may be some grim days for Catholic Christians ahead. I say this not to worry you further but to express the great hope I have for the triumph of Christ and His truth. This will inevitably prevail. Yet it appears that the crazed lust for wickedness must play itself out in the great drama of events we are living through. Whether there will be a more flagrant form of persecution for the Church in the time to come remains to be seen but should be anticipated by a deeper personal commitment to the truths of the Church and a deeper spiritual life. In these I hope all of you will excel for–as last week’s (Tridentine) Epistle reading said it–“The days are evil.” Keep always a joyful spirit. That’s a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your souls. Fr. Perrone

Want to sing polyphany or Gregorian chant? Fr. Perrone wants to grow his already nationally-renown choir (call the parish!) - also, some interesting thoughts on the origins of terms on pastoral assignments

Fr. Eduard Perrone, "A Pastor's Descant" [temporary link] (Assumption Grotto News, September 13, 2015):

This past July marked my twentieth year as pastor of this parish. By modern standards that’s a long pastorate, but by an older measurement, it’s about average. In olden times, you see, a pastor was appointed pretty well for life as spiritual and administrative head of a parish. Long tenures had the advantage of stability–a necessity for good and effective operation. After Vatican Council II, bishops of dioceses saw their chance to ‘break the power of pastors’ who had held tight reign of their domains by the protective provisions of Canon Law. The Holy See, accordingly, granted bishops of the USA an indult which allowed them to put terms on the assignment of pastors. This was because the complaint had been made that pastors sometimes were too powerful and too comfortably ensconced in their fixed posts, even to the point that Rome would favor the rights of a pastor over those of his diocesan bishop–if ever a dispute between them developed. According to the newly created loophole, however, bishops had more control and haughty pastor’s were brought to heel. After a few decades of this experiment of limited terms, however, both pastors and parishioners expressed some dissatisfaction with it because priests varied so markedly one from one another, and in so many ways. The constant shifting about of pastors of diverse dispositions and manners tended to upset parish life for the people and it made it difficult for pastors themselves to develop and maintain lasting and fruitful relationships with their flocks–a much needed thing to secure confidence.

All that is a long way of introducing my rationale for writing today about the choir’s need for many more singers. For some reason or other we are now fewer in numbers than ever before in my twenty years here. Since I direct the choir myself, this is a special concern to me. We have been able over these years to establish a rather fine reputation for our music program. I well recall the first year here as pastor when my predecessor, Monsignor Sawher was so completely thrilled with our Christmas midnight Mass singing of a Mozart Mass–that was in 1994. We were off then to an auspicious start and were well received. Since that time, we have done a great deal to enhance the liturgical action with liturgical music composed by many outstanding composers of universal recognition, music that was composed to the glory of God. We have been able to do this because we have had parishioners willing to devote themselves to rehearse some rather difficult choral music. In general, we have not hired singers from outside (except for certain solos that required professionals). Ours has been a true parish choir.

For the first time in twenty years I am concerned that we may not be able to continue on as we have. There are some former members who have left for various reasons and there are too few new voices to replace them. I know that choral singing is not something everyone can do, nor has time to do. That said, however, I suspect there are many others who could do this special form of parish service but are content to remain in the pews. It is indeed a sacrifice of time and effort to rehearse weekly and to sing the Sunday high Mass. It is also, if I may say so, a greatly gratifying experience that few, outside some semi-professional choirs, are able to duplicate elsewhere. The Grotto advantage over them is that, though we are only a parish choir, we have been able to sing music written for the Church in church and not in a concert hall (as is the case of most other choirs that perform music of this caliber).

Surely the time will come (and may not be that far off) when I will retire and will no longer be able to be either pastor or choir director. I would not be happy to have to relinquish my duties before my time due to a poor or indifferent response to the continuance of the choir which has done so notably well all these years.

This is, of course, a pitch for joining the choir so that we can proceed and, instead of retreating, make even greater progress in the fine tradition of choral music that we have become noted for. (Yes, we do have a wide reputation for this–even nationally–and for the liturgy generally, I’m pleased to say, though I do not flaunt the fact.)

This is not an alarmist’s message. We are not ready to fold, but we ought not to be reduced to something less than we have been. Another 12 to 20 people would be about what we need in view of the dwindling in recent years. Choir rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Sundays, 9 a.m. through the 9:30 Mass, with a short ‘review’ rehearsal of music learnt the previous Wednesday night. It’s a commitment indeed, but no less a one that’s needed to accomplish anything worthwhile.

One of the Prefaces of the Mass concludes this way: “We, too, (with the angels of heaven) confess Your name in exultation, giving voice to every creature under heaven, as we acclaim: Holy, holy holy...” The choir, you see, represents every creature on earth giving its praise to God I’d only want to keep it coming.

Fr. Perrone

"Treason of the Clerisy"

In case you missed it, by Maureen Mullarkey, "Treason of the Clerisy" (First Things, July 27, 2015), on the fortunes of parishes rejuvenated by Fr. Rutler's administrative tenure and taken over by his successors. On the stripping of icons as a case study in pastoral stupidity. The article begins thusly:

I foresee churches with their Jesuit bureaucrats open daily from 9-5, closed on weekends.

Georges Bernanos

Jesuits are blameless in this article, but the point stands, says Mullarkey. It always stands.

[Hat tip to JM]

Tridentine Community News - EF priests traine at Fort Hood; TLM times this week

"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"
Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (August 30, 2015):

Extraordinary Faith Priest Training Report: Fort Hood, Texas Army Post

The latest entity to take advantage of Extraordinary Faith’s offer to train priests to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass is no ordinary parish: The Army Post at Fort Hood, Texas is the largest U.S. military base in the world by population.

Ft. Hood is a modern city unto itself, with shopping centers, multi-story office buildings, major chain restaurants, a bank, a hospital, and even [private] hotels run by IHG (Holiday Inn). It’s a far cry from the stereotypical Gomer Pyle-style barracks of the past.

Military chaplains are supplied by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, which in turn “borrows” priests from dioceses around the world. There are only four Catholic priests assigned to Ft. Hood, versus approximately 100 Protestant chaplains. Those priests are busy: not only are there tens of thousands of Catholics at the post, but daily Mass is offered, versus only weekly Sunday Protestant services. Confessions and counseling are often urgently required, given the pressures of military life and the difficulties of adjusting to life back home after combat duty.

Chaplains’ Assistant Sergeant Major John Proctor had been driving an hour and a half each way with his family to the Sunday Tridentine Mass offered at Austin’s St. Mary Cathedral. He was seeking a way to train Ft. Hood’s Catholic chaplains on the Extraordinary Form without taking them away from their myriad responsibilities at the post. Extraordinary Faith’s two-day intensive training program was a more practical solution than the week-long off-site seminars offered by others.

SGM Proctor had a significant asset up his sleeve. Most if not all chapels at U.S. military installations are non-denominational by necessity, having to host a variety of services. Ft. Hood has numerous chapels across its vast acreage, but one stood out from the rest as uniquely suited to the Tridentine Mass: The Old Post Chapel has a High Altar, a Communion Rail, stained glass with Christian symbolism, pews with kneelers, a choir loft with organ, no freestanding altar, and best of all…no scheduled services. This underutilized traditionally-appointed edifice is currently used only for an occasional class.


Chaplains Fr. Lito Amande and Fr. Pawel Zemczak, along with two veterans interested in learning altar serving, participated in the two-day training at the Old Post Chapel on August 25 and 26. Fr. Amande took the significant step of celebrating his first Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form on the afternoon of the 26th, a moment of great grace. [Above photo by Amy Proctor]

This enterprising group has ambitious plans: One of their first goals is to celebrate a Tridentine Requiem Mass in honor of Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun. Fr. Kapaun was a U.S. Army chaplain during the Korean War who was taken as a prisoner of war by Chinese soldiers and died while in captivity. Photos abound of him celebrating Mass on the hood of a Jeep. It just so happens that a Korean War era Jeep has been preserved on the grounds of the Ft. Hood Museum. SGM Proctor and Fr. Amande [pictured below] intend to build a platform in front of it so that the Requiem for Fr. Kapaun can be celebrated on the hood of that Jeep, just as Fr. Kapaun himself used to do. Beyond that, the main objective is to establish regular Holy Masses in the Old Post Chapel.


Fr. Amande remarked that he hoped that learning the Extraordinary Form would help him celebrate the Ordinary Form with greater reverence. This is a recurring theme expressed by many priests who have devoted themselves to learning the Traditional Liturgy. If you know of a priest interesting in learning the EF, please e-mail the address at the bottom of this page.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week

• Mon. 08/31 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (St. Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor)
• Tue. 09/01 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Holy Name of Mary (St. Giles, Confessor)
• Fri. 09/14 12:00 Noon: High Mass at Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation, Carey, Ohio (Votive Mass of Our Lady of Consolation) – Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz will be the celebrant. Call Prayer Pilgrimages at (248) 250-6005 for bus tour registration.
• Fri. 09/04 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 August 30, 2015. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

A "Fighting Irish" Archbishop

New York's first Archbishop, John Hughes, was apparently not one for the "softer, gentler" approach when his churches and a convent were burned down by anti-Catholics in the 19th century. He did not, like Mr. Obama, call his constituency to a "thoughtful introspection and self-examination" to consider whether they may have offended their attackers or harbored any latent hostilities that might have provoked their anger. He did not, like Cardinal Kasper, call for a more "merciful" and "pastoral" approach toward sinners. No. The response of this native Irish fighter was to punch back and defend his flock. His response was to threaten the burning of protestant churches if one more Catholic church burned.

Let's be clear, writes Adfero, in "Catholic Archbishop threatens violent uprising against enemies" (RC, July 14, 2015), "we are not suggesting violence against those who persecute us today. What we are saying emphatically is that we need more than the weak-kneed responses of those of Wuerl, Cupich or the Great Silence of Pope Francis on the attack on true marriage in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere."

Adfero also suggests: "click here to listen to a wonderful sermon on His Excellency John Hughes."