Sunday, June 08, 2014

Hilarious! a parody of contemporary church music so painful it's funny

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Extraordinary Community News


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News (June 8, 2014):
The First Blessing of a Newly Ordained Priest

Today Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz celebrates his first Mass after ordination, in the Extraordinary Form, at St. Joseph Church in Detroit. Not only is this an occasion of great joy, but it is also an opportunity for the faithful in attendance to gain a Plenary Indulgence, under the usual conditions of Confession within 20 days, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin.

Not to be confused with this Plenary Indulgence for attending the first public Mass (N.B.: the first Mass, not “one of the” first Masses) is the additional grace to be gained from receiving the “first blessing” of a newly ordained priest. It is customary for these first blessings to be given out over the course of the first several Masses a new priest celebrates; tradition says that the first blessing may be given for up to a full year after ordination.


The Church does not specify the text of the first blessing; there is no entry for it in the Rituále Románum, the official book of blessings for the Extraordinary Form. A priest could choose to use a very simple form of blessing, or something elaborate and suited to the state in life of the recipient. However, a particular form of first blessing has become popular in recent years, and is in fact the form that Fr. Joe has chosen to use:
Per impositiónem mánuum meárum sacerdotálium, et per intercessiónem beátæ Maríæ semper Vírginis, et Sancti (Sanctæ)…, et ómnium Sanctórum; Benedíctio Dei Omnipoténtis, Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti, descéndat super te et máneat semper. Amen.

May, through the imposition of my hands and upon the intercession of Holy Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, Sts. N. (patron saint) and N. (of the priest’s choosing), the blessing of the Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, come upon thee and remain with thee forever. Amen.
After receiving the blessing, it is customary for the faithful to kiss the priest’s anointed hands.

Extraordinary Faith Detroit Episode Filming Dates Set

Plans have been firmed up for the filming of the Detroit/Windsor episode of Extraordinary Faith, our locally produced EWTN television program on sacred tradition. Our film crew will be in town Sunday-Wednesday, June 22-25, visiting several of the area’s beautiful historic churches and interviewing key people on the local Latin Mass scene.

Curious about how a television show is made? Readers of this column are welcome to join us during the shoot. E-mail the address at the bottom of this page, and we will send you a timetable of the places we will be.

Most notably, we will be filming Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz’s first Solemn High Mass with Deacon and Subdeacon, at Windsor’s Assumption Church on Sunday, June 22 at 2:00 PM. That date being the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi, a procession with the Blessed Sacrament will follow the Mass, outdoors if weather permits. The Knights of Columbus Colour Guard will be present. A reception for Fr. Joe will follow the Mass.

Mass at Ste. Anne de Detroit to be Solemn High

The previously reported special Mass at the Gabriel Richard Chapel at Ste. Anne de Detroit Church this Wednesday, June 11 will take place at 7:00 PM. The Mass will be a Solemn High Mass with Deacon and Subdeacon. Archdiocese of Detroit Music Director Joe Balistreri will provide the music. A Facebook event page has been created at: https://www.facebook.com/events/296210717170968.

The Coolest Tridentine Mass in Town

We recently learned that the Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel in Bloomfield Hills has that rarest of Latin Mass accessories: air conditioning, a special treat for the summer months. Join us for the weekly Sunday Tridentine High Mass at 9:45 AM.

Old St. Patrick to Hold Pentecost Octave Masses

To commemorate the Octave of Pentecost, Ann Arbor’s Old St. Patrick Church will be holding special daily Masses in the Extraordinary Form at varying times, as listed below. A Facebook event page has been created at: https://www.facebook.com/events/241092926087649.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Mon. 06/09 6:30 AM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Pentecost Monday)
  • Mon. 06/09 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Joseph (Pentecost Monday)
  • Tue. 06/10 7:00 PM: High Mass at St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor (Pentecost Tuesday)
  • Tue. 06/10 7:00 PM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Pentecost Tuesday)
  • Wed. 06/11 6:30 AM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Ember Wednesday of Pentecost)
  • Wed. 06/11 7:00 PM: Solemn High Mass at the Gabriel Richard Chapel at Ste. Anne de Detroit (Ember Wednesday of Pentecost)
  • Thu. 06/12 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Pentecost Thursday)
  • Fri. 06/13 6:30 AM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Ember Friday of Pentecost)
  • Sat. 06/14 8:30 AM: Low Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Ember Saturday of Pentecost)
  • Sun. 06/15 10:30 AM: High Mass at Old St. Patrick, Ann Arbor (Trinity Sunday)
[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for June 8, 2014. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]
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Friday, June 06, 2014

Disheartening suppression of the Franciscans of the Immaculate


A substantial religious order of mostly youthful-vocations (the friars alone numbered 300 plus 120 postulants as of 2008), all of whom (but for a handful of malcontents) responded with enthusiasm to the provisions Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum, is being demolished by the Ancien Régime for failing to submit to the "spirit of Vatican II" and its "counter-syllabus" against anti-modernism, tarring them with the opprobrious reputation of being "more Catholic than the (current) Pope."


I just read the latest from The Eponymous Flower HERE. But there's also Adfero's post HERE, Augustinus' post HERE, New Catholic's post HERE and call to prayer on behalf of the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate HERE.


In a day when the Church is imploding, it seems unconscionable that a handful of malcontents and partisans of the unmandated innovations that have gutted our churches and eviscerated our Catholic identity over the last several decades should be permitted to suppress a thriving religious order in this way. As Fr. Ray Blake suggests, it reflects poorly on those who should be minding the store.

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Japan and the October Synod


Sandro Magister, "In Japan As on the Banks of the Rhine. The Church's Surrender" (www.chiesa, June 6, 2014): "The responses of the Japanese and central Europeans to the questionnaire for the synod on the family register the yielding of Catholics to the dominant “uniform thought.” But also the pastors' inability to lead."

[Hat tip to JM]
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The myth of liberal democratic tolerance

J.L. Talmon was right: liberal democracy can become totalitarian and repressive if unchecked by traditional values -- as evidenced by yet another Colorado baker, Jack Phillips, who is being strong-armed by authorities into violating his religious convictions by serving sodomite couples asking for wedding cakes.

Reading Carol Kuruvilla's article, "Colorado baker ordered to serve gay couples vows to stop making wedding cakes" (Daily News, June 3, 2014), our underground correspondent we keep on retainer in an Atlantic seaboard city that knows how to keep its secrets, Guy Noir - Private Eye, writes: "I feel like we are in the Netherlands. Can you imagine the USCCB saying something with such plain clarity? 'We would close down the bakery before we would complicate our beliefs ...'" Good point.

Here is the Daily News article with Guy Noir's highlights:
Colorado baker ordered to serve gay couples vows to stop making wedding cakes This takes the cake.

A Colorado baker has pledged to stop making wedding cakes after his state’s Civil Rights Commission ordered him to start baking for same-sex couples.

Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, was willing to go to court to defend his decision to refuse service to two grooms who walked into his shop last year looking for a way to celebrate their marriage.

Phillips’ crusade turned out to be a giant failure after the Commission unanimously ruled that he had violated civil rights law by discriminating against the couple.

The devout Christian is retaliating by refusing to make wedding cakes altogether.

“We would close down the bakery before we would complicate our beliefs,” Phillips told CBS Denver.

The man said that he would be happy to make cakes for an LGBT person’s birthday party. But he believes making a wedding cake would be equivalent to participating in the ceremony.

“My issue is that I don’t want to be forced to participate in a same-sex wedding,” Phillips said.

The grooms at the center of the controversy, David Mullins and Charlie Craig, tied the knot in Massachusetts. They wanted to order a cake for a reception in Colorado.

Phillips isn’t too worried about his business shutting down—he says business is booming at Masterpiece Cakeshop. His brownies and cookies are reportedly flying off the counters, snatched up by people who agree with his stance on gay marriage.

But for the next few months, he’ll have to submit quarterly reports about who he refuses to serve. He’ll also have to give his employees anti-discrimination training.
[Hat tip to JM]
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Tridentine Masses Coming to Metro-Detroit & Eastern Michigan This Week


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
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Thursday, June 05, 2014

Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz' first Mass venue confirmed

Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz will be celebrating his first Mass this Sunday at 9:30am at St. Joseph's Church in Detroit.
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Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Doubts over Sudanese death row woman release

As reported HERE: "KHARTOUM - Conflicting comments by Sudanese officials over whether a Christian woman sentenced to hang for apostasy will be freed, reflect confusion within the Islamist government, hit by international outrage over the verdict, analysts say.

"Khartoum is torn between hardline Islamists, who demand the execution of the 27-year-old mother of two, who just gave birth to a daughter in prison, and foreign pressure to free her, Sudanese analyst Khaled al-Tijani al-Nur says."
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Pope embraces charismatic renewal


As reported by Kathy Schiffler on Patheos (May 30, 2014), two Americans, Dr. Ralph Martin, founder of Renewal Ministries, and Patti Mansfield, popular Catholic author and speaker, joined the Holy Father and 52,000 Charismatic Catholics from more than 50 countries on Sunday afternoon, June 1, at the Olympic Stadium of Rome. On that day, Pope Francis -- the first pontiff to ever visit a sports stadium in Rome -- participated in the 37th National Assembly of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement. The June 1-2 conference had the theme of “Convert! Believe! Receive the Holy Spirit!”


The assembly reportedly had numerous representatives of other Christian "denominations" present in a spirit of ecumenical good will.

According to Catholic News Service, the pope reported that in the early years of the charismatic renewal in Buenos Aires, he "did not have much love for charismatics" and compared them to "a samba school." On June 1st, however, he declared that the Holy Spirit had begun the charismatic renewal as "a current of grace in the church and for the church." He also reportedly pleaded with charismatic groups "not to try to organize everything or create a bureaucracy that attempts to tame the Holy Spirit."

In an interview with Boston Globe, Ralph Martin, one of the featured speakers and a longtime leader in charismatic circles who today teaches at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit, sat down in Rome with John L. Allen, Jr., preceding the rally to discuss the significance of the event the the pope's involvement:
Globe: What’s this weekend in Rome about?

Martin: The charismatic renewal is very strong in Italy, and they have an annual meeting. They usually have it in Rimini but this year they decided to do it in Rome, and when they explained it to Pope Francis he said, “I’m coming!” He volunteered to come. He’s going to be spending a fair amount of time with us, and more than 50,000 people signed up within a couple weeks.

The hope is that papal calls for a New Pentecost, which go back to St. John XXIII, and papal calls for a New Evangelization, which go back to Vatican II and especially to St. John Paul II, can come together. Pope Francis’ vision is to bring together the reality of a New Pentecost with the urgency of a New Evangelization.

Globe: Do you expect him to engage in charismatic practices such as speaking in tongues or healings?

Martin: Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised. We don’t know what he’s going to do. We know he wants to enter the stadium walking, he wants to participate in the worship that’s going on, and we also know that he wants to say something to us. Beyond that, we’ll just have to see.

Globe: What was the pope’s relationship with the charismatic movement in Argentina?

Martin: He’s said publicly that initially he didn’t know what to think, and he wondered if it was superficial emotion, but as he got to know [charismatics] he changed his mind. [Note: In a press conference during his return flight from Brazil in July, Francis said he used to think that charismatics “confused the holy liturgy with a school of samba,” but that he was “converted when I got to know them better and saw the good they do.”]

My hope for the weekend is that all Catholics will become more open to the presence and reality of the Holy Spirit, because I think we really need it.

Globe: What do charismatic Catholics make of Pope Francis? They tend to be fairly conservative theologically, yet they must like his free-wheeling style.

Martin: It’s pretty much what a lot of committed Catholics are making of him. They’re thrilled, they’re refreshed, they think it’s a breath of fresh air. Charismatics have seen pictures of Pope Francis when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires praying and asking Protestant pastors to pray for him. His friendship towards the charismatic renewal is there.

At the same time, they’re scratching their heads sometimes wondering, “What did he mean by that?” Is he pro-life? What does he mean, “Who am I to judge?” They think he’s fantastic, but they also wonder how some of these pieces fit.

Globe: Francis is going to be holding his prayer meeting with the Palestinian and Israeli presidents on June 8, which also happens to be the Feast of Pentecost. Do you think there’s anything significant about that?

Martin: Whenever people open their hearts to God in some way, the Lord wants to do something good. Even if it just got scheduled randomly for that day, I’m sure [Pope Francis] sees significance in that.

Globe: What do you hope the impact of this weekend will be?

Martin: I think there are a lot of closet charismatics out there. A lot of [clergy] personally have had their vocations saved because of their experience of Christ and the Holy Spirit through the renewal, but they discovered it wasn’t cool [to say so out loud] because it was considered fringe. They got the message from the environment not to talk about it very much. I think the time has come for the closet charismatics to come out. I think the pope’s presence might encourage it, along with a growing realization that an action of God may be the only thing that can save the Church today.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world a Malayalam Catholic charismatic prayer group has staged another spirit-filled performance illustrating the beauty of diversity in charismatic inculturation:

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Remarkable: Catholic writes lay apologist, Mark Shea, seeking assurance that Church won't change doctrine

Assignment: Compare, contrast, and critically evaluate:[Hat tip to JM]
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"This video tracks one song across 800 years and multiple films"

"What do Star Wars, The Exorcist, and The Lion King all have in common?" asks William Hughes, in an article by the above title:
As demonstrated in this web video from CBC Music, presented by CBC Radio 2 host Tom Allen, they all have soundtracks that feature the Dies Irae, a 13th century Latin hymn that listeners probably know as “that one sad song you’ve heard a thousand times.” The video traces the song, a meditation on death and the ending of the world, from its medieval roots through just a few of the many, many soundtracks it’s appeared on, including The Lord Of The Rings, The Lion King, and “Tubular Bells,” the theme from The Exorcist.

[Hat tip to Nina Brhyn and Fr. David Bechill]
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Monday, June 02, 2014

Frank talk from archbishop of Detroit: "We are a shrinking community"

Patricia Montemurri, "Catholic archbishop on Detroit diocese: 'We are a shrinking community'" (Detroit Free Press, May 28, 2014):
In just 13 years, there has been a 50% drop in the number of Catholic baptisms and marriages performed in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Archbishop Allen Vigneron revealed Wednesday.

... In 2001, about 24,000 people partook of Catholic sacraments such as baptism and marriage rites in the Detroit archdiocese, compared with 11,689 last year.

... Vigneron said he had to “think of myself like Alan Mulally,” who became Ford CEO in 2006 and was charged with turning around the Dearborn automaker during profound contraction in the domestic auto industry.

“I have to change the culture of our operation ... as he changed the culture of his operation,” said Vigneron.

The survey results, said Vigneron, show ways for Catholic parishes and pastors to bolster those numbers. Parishes and pastors need to work on reaching out to inactive and non-Catholics and to do more for youths and young adult Catholics, respondents said.
Everything hinges on the diagnosis of the problem. We give thanks for the clarity with which the problem of the shrinking Catholic community has been identified, and we promise our prayers for God's guidance of the Archbishop and fellow bishops as they seek to formulate their diagnosis and prescribe the cure.

Some readers may remember our own earlier discussions of the issue of "Catholic culture." Sometimes we hear "cultural Catholics" rightly derided for having no personal faith. We even hear them called "sacramentalized pagans." There is some truth to this. At the same time, we believe it would be a huge loss to turn our backs on the rich legacy of Catholic culture with which the Church has gifted us over previous generations. This legacy is in many respects nothing less than a gift of the Holy Spirit enfleshed in human culture. Thus, when we hear the Archbishop declare that the "culture" is the problem, and the "culture" must be changed, we are heartened, if this means razing the bastions of the ebulliently self-indulgent, antinomian culture of the 1960s that has imbued the western Church over the last half-century. It's time to wake up, as they say, and smell the coffee, and get down to the business of living The Faith in earnest, come what may. Pope Benedict XVI predicted that the Church of tomorrow would be radically diminished in size and likely face persecution. Let us prepare ourselves to be unabashedly Catholic, to say what we mean and mean what we say, and to be faithful custodians of the legacy entrusted to us by our Catholic forefathers.
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Sunday, June 01, 2014

"Two Popes": Has the Papacy become a Diarchy? A new controversy


"Messori enters into the picture, Socci stands his ground and questions - Special double-article post" (Rorate Caeli, May 31, 2014).
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Ordination and First Masses of Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News (June 1, 2014):
Thanks be to God, Deacon Joe Tuskiewicz will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit next Saturday, June 7. As many of you know, Deacon Joe has had a long history serving at the altar with the St. Josaphat, St. Albertus, St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor, and Ss. Cyril & Methodius Tridentine Communities. He is the first man to be ordained to the priesthood from these local Latin Mass groups, though several more are currently in seminary.

Soon-to-be Fr. Joe will celebrate his first Holy Mass, in the Extraordinary Form, next Sunday, June 8 at 9:30 AM. At press time the Mass is scheduled to be held at St. Josaphat Church, however there is a possibility that the Mass may be held instead at St. Joseph Church if St. Josaphat is not ready to reopen in time. Please allow yourself some extra time to drive over to St. Joseph if St. Josaphat is closed. [Update: Please note: the Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph.]

Subscribers to our weekly Mass Schedule e-mail update will be notified of the final location of the Mass. Please e-mail the address at the bottom of this page to be added to the e-mail list.

Wassim Sarweh and the St. Benedict Tridentine Choir will supply the music, and a joint team of altar servers from St. Josaphat/St. Joseph, St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor, St. Albertus, and the Academy of the Sacred Heart will assist.

It will be a grace-filled occasion in many ways, supplemented with a special gift from Holy Mother Church: A Plenary Indulgence may be gained by attending the First Mass of a newly ordained priest, under the usual conditions of Confession within 20 days, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions, and freedom from attachment to sin.

Fr. Joe will administer individual first priestly blessings at the Communion Rail after Mass. A reception will follow Mass in the parish hall.

Fr. Joe is also scheduled to celebrate the following Tridentine Masses in June:
Sunday, June 22 2:00 PM: Solemn High Mass with Deacon and Subdeacon at St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor (External Solemnity of Corpus Christi) – Subdeacon will be Deacon Jake van Assche from Sacred Heart Major Seminary; Deacon will be Fr. Peter Hrytsyk. A procession with the Blessed Sacrament will follow the Mass, outdoors if weather permits. EWTN’s Extraordinary Faith television program will be present to film this Mass.

Sunday, June 29 12:00 PM: High Mass at St. Albertus (Ss. Peter & Paul, Apostles)
Chant Workshop on June 28

Archdiocese of Detroit Music Director Joe Balistreri will be leading a day-long workshop on Gregorian Chant at Flint’s St. Matthew Church on Saturday, June 28, beginning at 8:30 AM. St. Matthew is Flint’s most ornate historic church, which hosted a special Tridentine Mass in 2012. The cost is $25, and attendees will receive a copy of the Gregorian Missal, which contains Latin chants for the Ordinary Form of Holy Mass. Registration information is available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/flint-summer-chant-workshop-tickets-11415164063

CatholicPrayer on Twitter

Looking for a convenient way to add more opportunities for prayer into your day? The Manual of Indulgences informs us that a Partial Indulgence may be gained from brief “pious invocations”, or short prayers, offered “while carrying out [one’s] duties and enduring the hardships of life”. Graces can therefore be gained from offering our daily routines to the Lord.

An aid to prayer particularly beneficial to those who make use of smartphones and tablets has come into existence: Consider following “CatholicPrayer” / @ACatholicPrayer on Twitter. The anonymous person or people behind this effort stream brief, Tweet-sized prayers throughout the day, at a rate of approximately one per hour. Most are quite traditional, and sources are given when space allows. An excellent way to add to help sanctify your day as well as gain Indulgences for yourself and the souls in Purgatory.

Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
  • Mon. 06/02 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Joseph (Ss. Marcellinus, Peter, & Erasmus, Martyrs)
  • Tue. 06/03 7:00 PM: High Requiem Mass at St. Benedict/Assumption-Windsor (Daily Mass for the Dead)
  • Fri. 06/06 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Joseph (Sacred Heart of Jesus) – First Friday
  • Sun. 06/08: No Mass at Academy of the Sacred Heart – Mass resumes on June 15 at 9:45 AM as usual
  • Sun. 06/08 9:30 AM: High Mass at St. Josaphat or St. Joseph (see above) (Pentecost Sunday) – First Holy Mass of Fr. Joe Tuskiewicz
[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and Assumption (Windsor) bulletin inserts for June 1, 2014. Hat tip to A.B., author of the column.]
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Tridentine Masses Coming to the Metro-Detroit Area This Week


Tridentine Masses This Coming Week
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