"Kingsman" puts Guy Noir back in a cheerful mood. Go figure

The undercover correspondent we keep on retainer in an Atlantic seaboard city that knows how to keep its secrets, Guy Noir - Private Eye, just called me to tell me how much he enjoyed "Kingsman," which he calls "a very good and happy James Bond movie" that has "much more heart than foul language or innuendo." He adds: "And all the bad leaders of the earth [in this story there were quite a few] literally fond their heads being blown up in the climax. You probably have to see it to begin to appreciate it."

A reliable measure of his change of disposition is the list of accompanying links he sent me for review, "five positives," he calls them:

• Russell Shaw, "Hopeful signs in a post-Christian era" (CWR, March 5, 2015)
• Joel Belz, "First thing in the morning: Don't start your day with the news" (World, March 6, 2015)
• Jim Graves, "Catholicism in New York City: an interview with Fr. George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in NYC, and noted author and commentator" (CWR, December 28, 2014)
• Regis Martin, "Dietrich von Hildebrand's War Against Hitler" (Crisis, March 10, 2015)
• Emily Whitten, "Movies: Cinderella" (World, March 6, 2015).

Yes. Cinderella. Would it not warm your heart now to see a review of Cinderella written by Guy Noir?

Revealing Dietrich von Hildebrand letter takes issue with previous Wanderer editor over new Mass

F.Y.I. [Disclaimer: See Rules 7-9]: "The Remnant Scrapbook History ~ In The Beginning" (Remnant, February 18, 2015) offers a meaty history of a couple of traditionalist brothers involved in the beginnings of two newspapers, The Wanderer and The Remnant, the second founded by Walter Matt as a result of a falling out over the new Mass with his brother, Alphonse Matt, who was then left as editor of The Wanderer. Walter Matt opposed the liturgical changes and Alphonse supported them.

Walter Matt’s strong stand against the new Mass was not shared by everyone, but Dietrich von Hildebrand quickly allied himself with Walter Matt and his fledgling Remnant in trying to mount a "Catholic counterrevolution." In a letter dated April 27, 1970, von Hildebrand wrote a letter to Walter Matt’s brother, the new editor of The Wanderer, summing up, in effect, the substance of the issue that had separated the two Matt brothers. Von Hildebrand wrote:

Dear Mr. Alphonse Matt:

I thank you very much for your kind letter. But I believe that there is some misunderstanding. You assume that the new ordo missae and especially the rubrics constitute for me merely a personally painful change by replacing something very beautiful and perfect with something less beautiful and less perfect. But unfortunately it is my conviction that the new ordo missae is the greatest pastoral mistake and that its consequences for the Church may be disastrous.

I agree however completely with you that it is a grave problem, whether one should criticize it publicly or only intra muros. Concerning this problem every one must follow his conscience. But I frankly cannot understand that you do not only abstain from a public criticism of the new ordo missae but make the “Wanderer” an instrument for propagating and praising the new ordo. You even suggest in your letter, dear Mr. Matt, that I should join this propaganda. As you say that you agreed with my article in “Triumph” in which I stress that obedience to practical decisions of the Pope does not imply approval of them – it is difficult for me to understand why you expect me to utter a univocal approval of something which seems to be, from the purely religious point of view, a “suicidal” practical decision. I do not believe that a mere loyalty to the present Pope who does not act against those who destroy the Catholic faith daily more and more – like Kueng, Schillebecks, Padovano, Greeley and many others – and who does not use the means by which the Church survived through 2000 years: anathema and excommunication – can preserve Catholic faith untarnished.

Dear Mr. Matt, it is painful for me to disagree with you because of my sincere admiration for the “Wanderer” throughout the past years and our warm personal union in Christ. This disagreement, however should in no way affect our friendly relations.

Faithfully yours in Christ
Dietrich von Hildebrand

A new concordat with the sexual revolution?

R.R. Reno raises a provocative question in this article, "A New Concordat?" (First Things, January 2015). The old concordat, of course, was the one contracted between the Vatican and the Hitler-led German government in 1933. Doubtless there were benign motives at work on the side of the Vatican -- perhaps the fear of being out of step with a rising power that seemed to have history on its side and a desire to secure the Church's survival.

Dietrich von Hildebrand deeply regretted the Church's failure to witness in a clear and forceful way: "Just fourteen days after Hitler's seizure of power, the German bishops had lifted the excommunication that previously had been attached to membership in teh National Socialist Party, including both the SA and the SS." Hildebrand saw the demoralizing implications of the concordat for the faithful: "It must have given Catholics throughout Germany the impression that the Vatican was withdrawing its rejection of National Socialism and of racism -- as if it were possible to be a Catholic and a Nazi at the same time."

Although Hildebrand was friends with Eugenio Pacelli (who became Pius XII) and never criticized him in his memoirs, he looked back upon the period with dismay: "I saw with horror that path some leading Catholics were taking, and I saw how terribly the soon-to-be concluded Concordat wit Hitler was bout to affect the spirit of Catholics, how their inner resistance would be paralyzed by it."

Reno turns from the Church's concordat with Hitler to its more recent seeming accommodations of the sexual revolution. While noting the significant differences, he also notes significant parallels. "The HHS contraception mandate requires church-related institutions to collaborate with the dominant, contraceptive culture of our time, and to do so in a public way. This is why the mandate has been a bone in the throat of Catholic institutions in a way that widespread use of contraceptives among Catholics hasn't." He continues:

As Hildebrand recalls with anguish, although the concordat with Hitler's Germany did not mean the Vatican was endorsing the Nazi regime, it undermined resistance.

The same goes for recognizing gay marriages. As Archbishop Chaput observes in his Erasmus Lecture ["Strangers in a Strange Land"], the public reality of marriage gives its redefinition powerful "sign value." If we negotiate unofficial concordats with same-sex marriage of the sort Creighton [University] has -- not "approving," mind you -- then it's hard to maintain the Church's public identity as a teacher of truths about sex, marriage, and the family that are at odds with the sexual revolution.

Will Catholicism, then, forge a concordat with the sexual revolution? The decision made by Creighton University doesn't tell us very much. Nor does a similar decision made by Notre Dame under somewhat different circumstances. The church is a very large, international, and diverse institution. But we can identify pressures and counterpressures likely to shape Catholicism's response to the new challenges posed by the sexual revolution, at least in the West.

First, then, the pressures to find a modus vivendi. Today, American Catholic institutions like Creighton and Notre Dame are run by upper-middle-class Americans more loyal to their class and its values than to the Catholic Church's historic teachings, which have in any event not been passed down over the past fifty years.

This bourgeois loyalty does not mean Catholic leaders lack faith. But it's existentially painful for them to be out of sync wit dominant opinion. Being pro-gay rights is today's badge of honor. I don't think many Catholics who want to move among the Great and the Good will refuse that badge. The same goes for one of today's god terms: inclusive. It functions like a secret handshake that signals membership in the elite. That will be hard to resist. Moreover, open dissent now brings personal risks. Anyone deemed insufficiently "gay-friendly" faces career obstacles.

The pope himself offers little in the way of encouragement to resist a convenient fusion of Catholic and bourgeois life, an ironic but predictable outcome given the tenor of his papacy so far. He routinely denounces Catholic conservatives as small-minded and warns us not to "obsess" over the issues central to the sexual revolution: abortion, contraception, homosexuality. However one reads his intent in these and other statements, there can be no doubt they provide handy talking points for those who want to capitulate on gay marriage or other aspects of the sexual revolution.

Reno goes on to identify factors that work the other way, including the Bible's opposition to values of the contemporary sexual revolution, and the Church's own institutional ballast. Yet the question he raises undeniably highlights one of the fundamental challenges facing the Church today: to accommodate or to resist, to be of the prevailing sexual culture, or to be against it.

Related: Dietrich von Hildebrand, My Battle Against Hitler: Faith, Truth, and Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich(Image, 2014).

In The House of Von Hildebrand

The following from our trusty underground correspondent, Guy Noir - Private Eye:

I believe I sent this before, so forgive the possible repeating. It is a 14 year old interview, but doesn't read like its gathered any dust.

I know you've already noted that AvH's Memoirs of a Happy Failureis now out (what a terrific title choice!). She provides an arresting counterpoint to the current narrative of preconcilar Catholics as uptight pre-Freudian American puritans. Really, how many 80-somethings do you know who would not hesitate to go toe to toe with someone like Christopher West when the rest of us pause as he starts mouthing words like "orgasm" and "stimulation"? And how many Catholics do you know who can manage to demur from a Pope and still give an after-the-fact accounting of their audience with him that's convincingly respectful and affectionate? She is just an example all-around. She conveys class and charm.

This interview is striking because of where it is found. Christian Book Distributors is an Evangelical outfit. I can't imagine many Catholics knowing about it, much less using it. And the few interviews they have on their site are buried deep -- pretty much easier to miss than to notice. So the number of people who have seen it must be nil.

It is also striking because CBD must have had someone within its ranks who read AvH and actually became a fan as a result. There is no other explanation for this interview's appearance. As such it is an instance of the real spiritual bond that we often find does exist between a faithful Catholic and a faithful conservative Christian outside the bounds of the Church. We think of Bible Christians as demonizing us, but often when a real encounter takes place they turn and tell their friends, "Something must be there. In this regard, I recall a letter printed in the Evangelical World Magazine (ads for Ignatius Press they ran in the late 1990s proved to be small stepping stones on my own way into the Church). The writer says: "I strongly disagree with a letter published … criticizing you for carrying Roman Catholic advertisements …. My grandmother, a staunch Presbyterian, had a close friend who was an equally staunch Catholic. The two ladies had frequent and learned theological debates, each being well versed in her own creed, but neither of them ever found a chink in the other’s sectarian armor. The debates invariably ended with: 'Minnie dear, you are a Catholic and you don’t know it;' and 'Cora darling, you are a Protestant and you don’t know it!' [(Machen 1991, 22)]

Finally the interview is striking for some fascinating pieces not found elsewhere. A comparison of CS Lewis with DvH. That's something I'd love to read!

Speaking of other books, it appears Image Books will be releasing its own von Hilderbrand title this month, one that sounds like it offers a galvanizing portrait of the other Dr. Hilderbrand's years in Germany. Together these two seem to comprise a bonafide real life dynamic duo.

Alice von Hildebrand, reflecting on her life: WHAT A LIFE!!!

Jim Graves, "Alice von Hildebrand: Reflecting on a Life of Teaching, Scholarship, and Prayer" (CWR, July 9, 2014):

Pope Francis recently recognized Alice von Hildebrand as a Dame Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory in recognition of her lifetime of work on behalf of the Church. She is originally from Brussels, Belgium, and came to the United States in 1940, as World War II began ravaging Europe.

Unable to find employment at a Catholic college, she began a 37-year career teaching philosophy at Hunter College, a public university in New York, beginning in 1947. She married Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) in 1959, two years after the death of his first wife. Since her husband’s death in 1977, she has devoted her time and energy to promoting his work. She is a prolific writer and gifted public speaker, eloquently sharing the message of the Gospel with Catholic audiences throughout the world.

Later this summer, Mrs. von Hildebrand will release her memoirs, Alice von Hildebrand: Memoirs of a Happy Failure (Saint Benedict Press). She recently spoke to CWR.

Read the interview. Amazing, as always with Dame Alice!!

[Hat tip to JM]

"New" Evangelization? "[It is an] illusory notion that the man of our age can only be reached with the message of Christ in a completely new way." (Dietrich von Hildebrand)

Yes, it's true that evangelizing post-Christian pagans is notoriously difficult, if only because the post-Christian pagan believes he already knows the content of the Gospel, has found it wanting, and dismissed it as so much worthless piffle; whereas in fact his dismissive attitude is simply proportional to his ignorance of it.

Nevertheless, the only way anyone today is going to be evangelized is for Catholics to stop writing books, organizing sub-committees, launching programs, and endlessly talking on and on about the "New Evangelization," and quite simply start evangelizing -- which is to say, sharing the good news about what Jesus Christ has done for them to atone for their sins, save them from hell and damnation, and offer them eternal life in the fellowship of the Blessed Trinity.

Lady Alice von Hildebrand!

Just received the following impressive report regarding the celebrated Lady Alice  von Hildebrand:

In the company of over two hundred friends, family, and former students, gathered from around the world, Alice von Hildebrand celebrated her 90th birthday at a festive dinner held in Manhattan on Oct. 30.

She was presented with a rare gift on the occasion: investiture as Dame Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great. The evening’s special guest, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, presented the award to Alice von Hildebrand in honor of her exemplary personal witness as a philosopher, teacher, author, and leading Catholic voice on cultural matters.

In his remarks accompanying the award, Cardinal Burke celebrated the many contributions Alice von Hildebrand has made to Catholic culture, and especially her unflagging work in advancing the philosophical work of her late husband, Dietrich von Hildebrand, through the Legacy Project named in his honor.

“It brings me great joy to be with you tonight to celebrate the 90th birthday of Dr. Alice von Hildebrand who is a beloved and deeply esteemed friend. With you, I thank God for the gift of life which, through the cooperation of her good parents, He gave to her and has sustained in her for more than 90 years.
Read Cardinal Burke’s full remarks here

“There is yet another cause of joy tonight, for Pope Francis, in recognition of the outstanding and faithful service of Dr. Alice von Hildebrand to the Church and to society in general has  on September 19th of this year deigned to confer upon her the title of Lady Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory in public recognition of the esteem in which she is held in the Church. Regarding the title of Lady of Saint Gregory, Blessed Pope John Paul II, on July 25, 1996, wrote of his great pleasure in conferring the title upon those “who, excelling in vigilant genius, have undertaken and brought to completion many works on behalf of society, both Christian and civil.

“In celebrating the birth and baptism of Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, we think immediately of her husband of revered memory, Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand, to whom she was so devoted, first as his student and then as his wife and co-worker in the study of truth taught to us both by faith and reason, and in the life of truth through love of God. How fitting it is that the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project is the host of our celebration, for, since its foundation by John Henry Crosby, Dr. von Hildebrand has worked tirelessly with him for the realization of its noble purposes.

Click here to see the diploma investing Dr. von Hildebrand into the Order of St. Gregory.

“In thanking God for the gift of Alice von Hildebrand to us and to so many whose lives she has transformed by her teaching and her writing, let us join with her in preserving the memory of her beloved husband and in making his important writings, philosophical and theological, more available and better known, especially in the English-speaking world. In honoring her tonight, let us rededicate ourselves to the work of the Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project.”

To support the work of the Legacy Project, click here.

The newly-minted Lady Alice, in accepting the honor, spoke of the importance of gratitude, of love and friendship as “remnants of the earthly paradise,” and of how she came to value philosophy through her husband’s witness:


“His approach showed that philosophy is not an abstract discipline. It is life. It involves my heart, my intelligence and my will, and therefore opens a vista of greatness and beauty that most of us are not aware of… He showed me that what we call Christian philosophy is not an abstraction, it is simply reason baptized by faith.”

It was a great honor for all of us at the Legacy Project to celebrate the life of Alice von Hildebrand, and with her, it is our privilege to continue the work of her late and illustrious husband, Dietrich von Hildebrand. 

Yours Faithfully, 

John Henry Crosby
Founder & Director

P.S. To see more photos of the event, click here.

P.S.S. To make a gift to the Legacy Project in honor of Alice von Hildebrand, please visit our secure donation page.

Theology of the Body: Janet Smith replies to Alice von Hildebrand

Janet Smith, "The Need to Read Carefully: A Response to Alice von Hildebrand's Critique of Christopher West" (Catholic Exchange, October 18, 2010). The treatment is thorough and erudite, and the tone is as gracious as the topic can be nasty (reader advisory). Certainly a must-read for anyone following the controversy involving Christopher West's interpretation of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body and treatment of human sexuality.

[Hat tip to J.S.]

Reverence in the Liturgy

"In all liturgical prayers (orationes) we never turn directly to the Father, but always address Him through the One in Whom alone God is well pleased: per Christum Dominum nostrum. This feeling, that we only dare address God in Christ and through Christ, is one which is deeply opposed to all easy familiarity; it never allows us to forget the awe in which we must always make our approach to God."

"The holy Sacrifice of the Mass is especially penetrated with this spirit: the necessity of sacrificing to God, the impossibility of offering Him an adequate sacrifice because of our poverty... we find this spirit, too, toward all that enters into contact with the Lord's holy Body, in the handling of the paten and the cleansing of the chalice.

"We also find it in all that symbolizes Christ or is dedicated to the divine service, in the kissing of the divine altar and the Gospel book. It is expressed in the bodily comportment of the priest, the faithful and the religious; in the standing up during the reading of the Gospel, during the songs of praise taken from the Gospels, the Magnificat, Benedictus, Nunc dimittis, in the bowing of the head during the Gloria Patri.

"The very fact of the harmonious structure and order of the entire Liturgy, extending even to the outer comportment, contains a profound element of reverence. This unique organic structure, corresponding so clearly to the adequate inner attitude of the one who is standing before God, is the very opposite of slackness; and, in equal measure, it is opposed to the attitude of a military or athletic drill."

-- Dietrich von Hildebrand, Liturgy and Personality: The Healing Power of Formal Prayer (1943; Sophia Inst Pr; Reprint ed., 1993). Dr. von Hildebrand (died 1977) was first Chairman of Una Voce in the United States

[Hat tip to Una Voce America, Summer 2009), p. 11]

Memories of Dietrich Von Hildebrand

by Ronda Chervin, Ph.D.

It was truly a miracle that I met Gogo (as all his friends called him). Here is how it happened.

I was brought up as a total atheist, though my background was culturally Jewish. I studied philosophy hoping to find truth but only found skepticism, relativism, and historicism. I was looking for love but only found fascinating, sinful, disappointing relationships. By the age of 20 I was in despair of ever finding love or truth.

One Saturday my mother, who never surfed the TV, not ever, turned on the set in the middle of the afternoon, and there was a program called the Catholic Hour with two philosophers on it: Dietrich Von Hildebrand and Alice Jourdain. "Ronda, come see, there are some philosophers on TV." To my amazement, these philosophers were talking as if truth, love, goodness and beauty were objective realities.

I wrote them a long letter describing my futile search and asked if they could help me. It turned out that Alice (Lily – shortly afterwards to become Gogo's second wife) lived but 2 blocks away from me on the West Side of New York city. Neither she nor I, nor Madeleine (to be Stebbins) who was her roommate will ever forget our first meeting. Somehow, even though I was an atheist, I knew that there was something extraordinary in that apartment. Never had anyone looked into my eyes with such compassion and insight as did Lily. Afterwards, I danced down the street thinking, "I have met a saint."

Impressed by my yearning for truth, Lily suggested that I make a visit to the classes of Dietrich Von Hildebrand at Fordham and if I was enthusiastic, why not transfer my Woodrow Wilson scholarship from Johns Hopkins graduate school to Fordham.

Stephen Schwarz escorted me to Fordham. Two things caught my attention. The first was that, unlike the professors at Johns Hopkins who seemed to me to be dessicated academics, Von Hildebrand and Balduin Schwarz were vibrant men, overflowing with joy. Secondly I noticed that they could refute skepticism, relativism and historicism in a few sentences.

I like to think that two of my favorite saints also had something to do with the miracle of my mother turning on the TV at that moment: St. Therese of Lisieux who, during her dark night, prayed so much for atheists, and St. Edith Stein – who, having been an atheistic philosophy student from a Jewish background herself, surely she would want me to meet her "cousin" philosopher, Von Hildebrand.

Of course, being such a thoroughgoing atheist who had been brought up to think that all religious people were stupid and weak, I didn't think that the wonderful traits of Von Hildebrand, Lily, and the Schwarzs: Balduin, Leni (a convert from an atheist Jewish background) and Stephen, their son, had anything to do with their religion. I just wanted to be with them.

Zealous Gogo, at the urging of Lily, quickly arranged for my scholarship to be transferred and within a month I was taking courses at Fordham.

Ecstasy is the only word to describe my reaction to each of Gogo's classes, as I realized that truth was real, and what glorious truths, such as proofs that moral values were absolute. Simultaneously I was lapping up the love the members of the lay community surrounding me with. Getting to know them took place at lunches at the Schwarz house, and on the D-train of the NY subway from the Manhattan to the Bronx and back again, for I was able to travel a whole hour each way with either Gogo or Balduin who were riding up to the classes I was taking and they were teaching.

The miraculous events that led me to become a Catholic a year after meeting Gogo and Lily are told in my autobiography En Route to Eternity. A large part came from reading the authors recommended by them such as Augustine, Newman, and Chesterton. The night before my baptism I was visiting the Schwarzs who would become my godparents. Gogo was there. On my way home, I grabbed his arm and asked, "But suppose it isn't true, after all?" I expected some insight into philosophy or psychology of religion, but he replied with the simplicity of a peasant, "but think of the miracles!"

I found the personality of Gogo overwhelmingly. That the same man could be so serious, so deep, but also so spontaneous and affectionate, delighted me. We used to attend the same daily Mass, walking from different directions. Always I would find him singing opera loudly along the way. I often thought of this as the Italian side of his personality whereas the philosophical side was more German.

These personality traits of Gogo made whatever he wanted to teach me not so much didactic as enticing. And this was not only in the realm of philosophy. My father was a lover of classical music who filled our early childhood with the sound of music every hour he was home. As a teenager I rebelled and listened only to popular tunes. By college I gradually grew to love classical music, but had very little sense of choral music. I will never forget sitting in a room next to Gogo who was playing a 78 recording of Mozart's Laudate Dominum. To make sure I understood the beauty of it, he grabbed my arm with his hand and emphasized each climax of the singing with an extra squeeze accompanied by his radiant smile.

Another memory from these early days of the friendship, which would last until the end of his life, is of his insistence that those of us who rode with him on the subway from Fordham back to Manhattan pray Compline out loud in Latin. It was for me such an exemplification of the later buzz-word "counter-cultural" but also of freedom of spirit. In later years I followed his lead by insisting that friends pray the rosary aloud with me in airports during long waits at the gate.

Gogo played a large role in my marriage to Martin Chervin, a man from an orthodox Jewish background who had become an atheist as a teen but who wanted to know Christ. When I got interested in Martin as a possible spouse, I was on the verge of becoming a Catholic. At the time, he was a divorced playboy. I was confused. I thought a good way of getting rid of him would be to introduce him to Gogo and Lily and the Schwarz family. Surely they would tell me to drop this dangerous friendship immediately. Instead they all loved him and encouraged us in what turned out to be a long chaste courtship and helped us get a dispensation from Martin's previous non-religious marriage. We went through a long process with the New York and Roman tribunals. Finally Gogo was instrumental in persuading a prominent Cardinal to intervene for a dispensation in favorem fide.

It seemed as if Martin would soon become a Catholic. A major influence on him was the reading of Transformation in Christ. He recognized the genius of Gogo's combination of consummate understanding of human nature with sublime faith.
Even more, my husband, who had the same kind of joie de vivre as Gogo, could only have understood a faith like Gogo's, which included rejoicing in the goods of the earth, as well as opening to the redemptive gifts. Before meeting Gogo he thought of Catholics as either tight Puritanical types or rebellious sinners. It took him many years to finally become a Catholic, because he detested the American post-Vatican II Mass. Shortly before Gogo's death he made a bargain with God that should Gogo survive longer, at a time when his life seemed almost at an end, he would take it as a sign to become a Catholic in spite of his dislike of the English Mass. Gogo was spared a short time longer and Martin did become a Catholic

Gogo also had an influence on the conversion of my atheist mother. She was horrified at my interest in Roman Catholicism, but the personality of Gogo opened her to investigating the faith for herself. He decided to meet her informally at our home for individual teaching sessions to overcome her formidable doubts. In a charming gesture, the first time he came he presented her with a huge bouquet of peonies.

A few less important but telling memories:

Before his conversion, Martin and I were once traveling in Europe and went out of our way to go to Florence to see Gogo and Lily. I was praying constantly that whatever Gogo said would be a turning point for Martin to becoming a Catholic. We had a lovely visit but mostly the conversation was humorous and anecdotal instead of deep. At the end I was alone for a few moments and told Gogo how sorry I was that no important points had come up. Immediately Gogo's humorous expression changed to great seriousness and he exclaimed "What a sin on my part to have talked so much thoughtlessly!" I was touched by his readiness to acknowledge a fault even when it was unintentional.

Summers included a yearly meeting of a lay community that most of the Von Hildebrand circle were part of. I occasionally came to these meetings in Bavaria. The Mass was celebrated in a small chapel with parts of the congregation on either side – men on one side and women on the other. It always delighted me to see that, even after many years of marriage, Gogo could not bear to be separated from Lily – so throughout the Mass he would turn his head and gaze upon her with love.

A memory that fits with the name of the book The Soul of a Lion took place when Gogo and Lily came to Loyola Marymount University where I was teaching in the early 70's. Gogo gave the first talk. During the break, Lily told me that I must sit next to him while she was speaking and be sure that he stayed calm because he could have a fatal heart attack at any moment. During the question period the wife of a colleague of mine challenged Lily on some point. Gogo took it as an insult and tried to leap up to seize the floor. I grabbed him to hold him down. He turned on me swiftly and remarked: "Ronda, you can't keep me down. I am not a lamb, I am a lion."

We all knew that Gogo had a bad heart. Once, toward the end of his life, I had a nightmare that he was falling down a staircase to his doom. After that, whenever I was with him and there were stairs I pushed myself ahead of him so that I might cushion a fall.

As a professor of philosophy I have taught Gogo's books for decades with great impact. Some of my philosophy majors such as Michael Healy and James Harold, now at Franciscan University of Steubenville, went on to graduate school to study his thought. I cannot teach his ideas, or those of Lily, my life long friend, without a sense of the presence of their minds and hearts and souls permeating my smaller personhood. What a legacy. Viva the Von Hildebrands!

[Ronda Chervin is presently an adjunct philosopher at Lenoir Rhyne College in North Carolina. For more information about her numerous books about Catholic living, as well as videos and audios, go to www.rondachervin.com. The present article is reproduced here by kind permission of the author.]

Grazie, Benedetto XVI

by Alice von Hildebrand

The date of July 7th, 2007 will be remembered with gratitude by all those who treasure the Traditional Mass. Not only is it likely that the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum will bring back into the fold many who have been rightly distressed and grieved by the shocking abuses which have taken place in the Sacred Liturgy since Vatican II ..., but also because it contains treasures of spirituality which have been buried.

When in January 1980, I had the priviledge of having a private audience with John Paul II, I drew this fact to his attention, and mentioned that, shortly before his death, my husband said to me, "I believe that to prohibit a holy traidition is morally illegitimate." John Paul was silent for a moment and then said, "Your husband is definitely one of the very great ethical thinkers of the twentieth century." Later, the Holy Father granted an indult to priests wishing to celebrate in the "old" rite, but permission had to be obtained from the local bishop. In spite of the pope's explicit request that bishops be "generous" in granting this request, many of them were deaf to his plea. Nevertheless, the sacred Tridentine Mass refused to die.

Cardinal Ratzinger, whose magnificent book on the liturgy, testifies to his profound understanding of its importance for man's religious life, clearly indicated that he regretted some of the changes that had taken place since 1969, many of which could not claim to be requested by Vatican II.

As head of the Congregation of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger became aware that the de facto prohibition of the "Tridentine" Mass had nefarious effects. When I was once again granted the incredible privilege of having a private audience with another pope, Benedict XVI, I repeated to him what I had said to John Paul II twenty seven years earlier. He told me that the Motu Proprio would be released in May 2007. (Apparently problems of translation delayed somewhat this ardently awaited proclamation.)

His Holiness was clearly aware that the legitimate wishes of innumerable faithful had been totally disregarded. He also knew that the congregations faithful to the "old" rite were flourishing, whereas many religious orders and seminaries had great difficulties recruiting young men for the priesthood.

Let us mention one parish whose story deserves to be told ...

[For the rest of the story, see "Grazie, Benedetto XVI" (Scripture and Catholic Tradition, February 23, 2008).]

[Alice von Hildebrand, wife of famed philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand, is an internationally known philosopher and author of numerous books, most recently The Privilege of Being a Woman. The present article, "Grazie, Benedetto XVI," was originally published in Latin Mass: A Journal of Catholic Culture and Tradition (Advent/Christmas 2007), pp. 32-34, and is reprinted in its entirety at Scripture and Catholic Tradition by permission of Latin Mass Magazine, 391 E. Virginia Terrace, Santa Paula, CA 93060.]

"When Küng and Von Hildebrand Came to Loyola"

Here is a truly amazing article on the respective visits by Hans Küng and Dietrich von Hildebrand to Loyola University of Los Angeles (now Loyola Marymount University) in the 1970-71 academic year, as related by Michael Healy of Franciscan University, who was a student there at the time, "When Küng and Von Hildebrand Came to Loyola" (Insidecatholic.com, January 17, 2008). What is particularly fascinating is the respective receptions the two guests received and the impressions they left. Influenced by the prevailing opinions at the liberal Jesuit Marymount at the time, Healy writes:

Imagine my surprise, then, when I happily went to see the great Küng -- before whom the red carpet had been unrolled, before whom the Jesuits bowed and scraped, hoping they were making a good impression, hoping that they would be seen as avant-garde as the leading European thinkers -- and instead had one of the most negative reactions to any person I have met in my life. The look on his face, the tone of his voice, the way he held himself, the manner of his response to questions, all combined to give me the most powerful impression of someone immensely pleased with himself, actually encouraging those around him to flatter him (and they happily obliged). The main point of his talk seemed to be that everything that ails either the Catholic or the protestant churches would be solved if they would only listen to Hans Küng.

By the end of Küng's talk, I was extremely suspicious of his view of the Church, and therefore of the prevailing "Jesuit" view at Loyola. I was beginning to think that my own insights might be worth something, compared with those of the crowd. For this important step toward maturity, I shall be forever grateful to Hans Küng.

However, it wasn't until I went to hear the von Hildebrands -- despite Jesuit disapproval -- that all of this really fell into place in a positive way....

[Dietrich von Hildebrand] stood up . . . and spoke passionately and lovingly of Christ and the Church, using phrases I had not heard since grammar school, like "the Holy Roman Catholic Church."

I was left several impressions that came together almost immediately.

First, here was someone who really believed, who humbly accepted revelation from God. He was not intent on figuring out how to get around Church teachings but on how to live them. Secondly, here was someone who really loved Christ and the Church with all his heart. He was full of gratitude for the Church, for its authority, its teachings, its sacraments. He was not resentful of the Church or her authority.

Third, here was a true apostle, proclaiming the truth -- rather than his own truth -- in season and out of season, ready to stand joyfully with Christ and the Church even when human opinion showered him with ridicule. . . . Finally, here was someone full of joy and hope, despite his deep sorrow over and reasoned critique of what was going on in the Church.

The Motu Proprio, Alice von Hildebrand, and the Indult

First of all, there's this snippet from Joseph Bottom, "Notes from Underground" (First Things, April 5, 2007), which takes the cake:

A word in your ear—A well-known physicist told me that a popular blogger told him that an unnamed source told her that a distinguished elderly lady told the unnamed source that the pope told the distinguished elderly lady that the long-rumored motu proprio on the Latin Mass will appear on the feast day of St. Pius V, which is May 5. So that’s settled.

Then there is this, from Michael J. Matt, Editor of The Remnant, in his post of April 11, 2007:

By the way, word recently reached this office that Pope Benedict informed Alice Von Hildebrand in a private audience in March that his motu proprio on the universal indult for the return of the traditional Mass will be released on the Feast of St. Pius V, May 5, 2007. We’ll see . . . (emphasis added)

I don't know whether there is anything to this. But I do know, for what it's worth, that there is some precedent here: In "An Audience With Peter," in Crisis magazine (May 2005), GUEST COLUMN II, Alice von Hildebrand describes the extraordinary privilege she was granted in 1980 of a private audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II. She says she dared to request the audience only because she knew John Paul had a great admiration for her late husband. They were, of course, both philosophers and fellow phenomenologists. While Mrs. von Hildebrand's account of the audience is well worth reading in full, the relevant portion to this post follows:

My main concern, however, was the fact that the Tridentine Mass had been prohibited. Indeed, some bishops declared that if a person attended the so-called old Mass on Sunday, he would not thereby fulfill his Sunday obligations. I introduced the question as follows:

“Your Holiness, the last years of his life, my husband was much concerned about an ethical question: namely, whether it is ever legitimate to prohibit a holy tradition. Should not formal prohibitions be limited to what is evil or harmful? The Tridentine Mass has been a precious heritage for centuries, said by all priests until a few years ago. One thing was to introduce a new, valid liturgy; quite another was to prohibit one that all the fathers of Vatican II had prayed during the council.”

The pope was silent for a brief moment, and then said: “Your husband is no doubt one of the very great ethical thinkers of the 20th century.” I knew that the pope would consider this seriously. Soon afterward, he gave the indult.

Who knows? God knows.

The wisest words I have read about the matter come from Rorate Caeli's "Notes" (April 10, 2007): "Do not be unreasonably concerned with the actual date of the document on the 'liberalization' of the Traditional rites of the Latin Church. It will come out."