Showing posts with label tlm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tlm. Show all posts

Monday, December 8, 2014

Mass with Fr. Z in Rome


From J. P. Sonnen:

It was a proud moment to serve Fr. Z's Low Mass in the crypt chapel of the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.  During our Mass we could hear the chants of the Church from a sung Mass being celebrated above at the main altar.  For over 20 years I have been serving Mass for Fr. Z.

Fr. Z was first in Rome in 1981.  His second Mass was celebrated at the main altar of this Basilica, after his ordination by Pope St. John Paul II.  Having Mass at the tomb of St. Cecilia has a bit of an enchanting feel like having Holy Mass in the catacombs.   A very special place to visit, especially at dusk.  I saw it on my first trip to Rome and return every time. 

The Art Nouveau era mosaics were completed in the year 1900 under Cardinal Rampolla, who at age 43 in 1887 had been named Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia.  Always nice to visit here on her feast day, November 22.  She is the patron saint of musicians.  A saint of the Roman Canon and Roman martyr - one of eight female saints mentioned in the Canon... (continued)


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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Reforming the Irreformable?





IT COULD BE evidence of exemplary patience on the part of NLM editor Jeffrey Tucker that I am still counted among the contributors to this blog. More than two years have passed since I posted anything relative to the ‘reform of the reform’. Although I consider myself a capable writer, I am not a fast one, which impairment makes the demands of parish ministry even less favorable to the task of unpacking my liturgical ruminations for those who might care to know them. But that only partly explains the hiatus.

I have the impression that whatever can be said in general terms about the ‘reform of the reform’—its origin and aims, its scope and methodology, the various proposals advanced in its interest (if not in its name), its proponents and critics—has pretty much already been said.1 Although the movement is difficult to define (Is it synonymous with the ‘new liturgical movement’ or but one stage of it?),2 its overall aim was nicely summed a few years ago by the Ceylonese prelate who stated that the time has come when we must “identify and correct the erroneous orientations and decisions made, appreciate the liturgical tradition of the past courageously, and ensure that the Church is made to rediscover the true roots of its spiritual wealth and grandeur even if that means reforming the reform itself…”3

Long before Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, he was critically evaluating the reform of the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council, identifying those aspects of the reform which have little or no justification in the Council’s liturgical Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) and which undermine the true spirit of the liturgy.4  As pope it was in his power to remedy the deficiencies—the “erroneous orientations and decisions”—of the reform on a universal scale not only by his teaching and personal liturgical example but also by legislation. He accentuated the liturgy’s beauty, promoted the liturgical and musical treasures of the Western Church (including of course the usus antiquior of the Roman rite), and introduced more tangible continuity with tradition in the manner of papal celebrations (e.g., the ‘Benedictine’ altar arrangement, offering Mass ad orientem in the Sistine and other papal chapels, administering Holy Communion to the faithful on their tongues as they knelt). His successor, Pope Francis, is a different man with a different personality and style, and his priorities clearly lie with other aspects of the Church’s life. I am not holding my breath in anticipation of further official progress along the lines marked out by Pope Benedict, who has deservedly been dubbed the “Father of the new liturgical movement.”5

But let us suppose, practically speaking and perhaps per impossibile, that the ‘reform of the reform’ were to receive substantive institutional support. Even so, I doubt the endeavor would be feasible—if we take that term to mean the reform of the present order of liturgy so as to bring it substantially back into line with the slowly developed tradition it widely displaced. It is not sour grapes about last year’s papal abdication that prompts my saying so. Like any movement, the ‘reform of the reform’ stands or falls on its own principles, not on any one pope or partisan. No: the ‘reform of the reform’ is not realizable because the material discontinuity between the two forms of the Roman rite presently in use is much broader and much deeper than I had first imagined. In the decade that has elapsed since the publication of my book, The Reform of the Reform? A Liturgical Debate (Ignatius Press, 2003), which concerns almost exclusively the rite of Mass, a number of important scholarly studies, most notably those of László Dobszay (†2011)6 and Lauren Pristas,7 have opened my eyes to the hack-job inflicted by Pope Paul VI’s Consilium on the whole liturgical edifice of the Latin Church: the Mass; the Divine Office; the rites of the sacraments, sacramentals, blessings and other services of the Roman Ritual; and so forth.8 Whatever else might be said of the reformed liturgy—its pastoral benefits, its legitimacy, its rootedness in theological ressourcement, its hegemonic status, etc.—the fact remains: it does not represent an organic development of the liturgy which Vatican II (and, four centuries earlier, the Council of Trent) inherited... (continued)


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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Priest: "I want to start a Catholic Church television station that has the Latin Mass every day."

From Shawn Tribe:

Here is an interesting story I picked up on from a private mailing list I on:

RIPON — After a decade of shepherding the faithful at St. Patrick’s Parish in Ripon, Father Peter Carota is moving on to the next chapter of his spiritual service to the Lord.

That next chapter is a yearlong sabbatical. His last official day as pastor of the parish is Tuesday, Nov. 13.

[...]

Father Carota is planning to pursue a dream that he has nurtured for a long time.

“I want to start a Catholic Church television station that has the Latin Mass every day. That’s my dream,” he said.

Like the early pioneers who came west in search of their dream – “we don’t know where we’re going but we’re on our way,” was their common refrain – Father Carota is on his way to fulfill his dream although, he admits, “I don’t know how that’s going to happen...”  (continued)


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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Bishop Anthony Taylor's Claims About the Pre-Vatican II Church not Being "What Jesus Taught" - Michael Voris Responds


By Michael Voris

Hello everyone and welcome to The Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed. I’m Michael Voris.

With this week’s onset of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.. many Catholics around the world have been holding their breaths.. fearing that a round of tradition bashing would be unleashed.

It appears that has begun. The lead-off hitter appears to be Little Rock Arkansas Bishop Anthony Taylor.

He has just released an audio version of his take on Vatican II. We have attached a link for you to hear.. if you can stomach it.

Now let’s be clear right from the outset.. this is not a challenge to the bishop’s authority or anything of the kind.


Bishop Anthony Taylor
But it is a focus on a mindset that has permeated much of the Church in the west.. including many bishops.. and consequently their priests and seminary rectors and staffs at the chancery and so forth. This mindset is so pervasive.. that many may not even realize that it is the very air they breath.

It is the mindset that most of what went on before the Second Vatican Council was bad or insufficient or deficient or somehow not correct and that practically everything that happened after the council was good and better and some coming of age fulfillment of a “BETTER” church.

So with that in mind.. we are exploring Bishop Taylor’s assessment of the Church before Vatican II and after.

It begins about 4 minutes in on his audio. His point of reference is his own childhood memories of how terrible things were then and how blessedly blissful they are now.
"I was in 8th grade when Mass began to be celebrated in English.  I had been an altar boy in Latin since 4th grade.  So I remember vividly the before, during and after of Vatican II." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
If that is his base of authority on which to speak.. that he lived before during and after the Council.. then we think that His Excellency needs to be reminded that there are MANY MANY people who have the same base of lived experience who would disagree full throatedly with his points and conclusions.

First.. he has a self-admittedly four year experience with the Pre-Vatican II days.. from when he was 10-14 years old.. not a particularly mature platform that.. your middle school years.. to be making vast sweeping judgments about the world.

He first mentions a “ghetto” experience of the Church.
"It's really hard for young people today to have any concept of the ghetto mentality that pervaded the Church 50 years ago." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
Really? A Catholic GHETTO?

Let’s look at those pre-council days and consider the utter absurdity of that observation.

Does anyone remember Bishop Sheen? NATIONAL television figure?

And how about Loretta Young who, on her NATIONAL television series over several years, played Sister Ann, head of nursing at a Catholic hospital who was seen IN FOUR EPISODES making visits to the Blessed Sacrament, blessing herself with holy water, blatantly showing her trust in God etc.

And there was the series special "Road to Lourdes" about, well, Lourdes. And speaking of Lourdes.. how about the 1943 FOUR time Oscar winning movie The Song of Bernadette?


And what about "Dial O for O'Malley," Bing Crosby in "Going My Way" and "The Bells of St. Mary's" who, while obviously an idealized portrayal of a Catholic priest, was close enough to NORMAL experience of Catholic priests that he could inspire you rather than make you laugh at the absurdity of the idealization.

And how about Pat O'Brien and Spencer Tracy as Fr. Duffy and Fr. Flanagan respectively with Tracy taking home the best acting Oscar.

The Amazing thing about this supposed Catholic Ghetto was its ability to inspire a PROTESTANT.. quite often anti-Catholic culture to accept its message. This “Catholic ghetto” inspired a world with its proclamation of its ideals.

Catholics of the day had no shared anything to speak of except their faith. We didn’t dress alike .. have the same ethnic backgrounds.. eat the same foods.. do the same work.. live in the same places.

Heck.. in many cases.. depending on the ethnic background the original different groups of immigrants .. we didn’t even have the same devotions. Of course there were shared experiences.. but those experiences were rooted in the faith .. our beliefs .. what is called our Catholic identity.

Incidentally.. it is that same Catholic identity that many bishops in the US has stated quite openly we need to discover again. How prey tell can we re-discover and live our Catholic identity without fear of returning to the ghetto? There appear to be contradictions even among the bishops on this point.

His Excellency seems to have bought into a revisionist history of a time largely before he was born.

Now here was another humdinger.. that Catholics were discouraged from reading the bible for fear of misinterpreting it.
"I remember well what it was like to be discouraged from reading the bible out of fear of misinterpreting it..." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
Well, given the MASSIVE misinterpretations that have resulted from individual reading of Sacred Scripture all the way back to Martin Luther and the 500 years since, it seems that' s a pretty legitimate concern.

And those misinterpretations have resulted in a world full of woe.

Even today.. all over the western world.. Catholics gather for “Bible Studies” that are nothing more than “tell me how that passage makes you FEEL sessions.” That’s not bible study and it most certainly is not learning about the scriptures with the mind and heart of the Church.

That Catholics don’t KNOW the Bible is a Protestant canard. Sure many may not know book.. chapter and verse .. as if that’s really all that important anyway.. but faithful Catholics absolutely do know those scriptural truths.. whether they could cite the book or not.

Then he goes on to say how Catholics were discouraged from interacting with Protestants in formal worship settings.
"...and to be forbidden to attend practically anything except funerals in a non-Catholic church out of fear of contagion." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
Yep. From the point of view of our eternal lives.. what is to be gained from formally associating with people who subscribe to a heresy.

That isn’t to say shun them and be rude to them and un-Christian and uncharitable and don't invite them to barbeques. But it is to say that to mingle truth with heresy in a form that appears to be condoning of error will bode nothing but bad.

“Sharing” our faith traditions with each other gives the impression that all of them are equally valid.. and they are not.

Unless your goal is to evangelize and convert them.. what’s the point. It’s like dating a girl you aren’t gonna marry. Sure you might have some laughs or fun times along the way.. but in the end.. what’s the point? The Catholic life has a very definite end.. and it is salvation and bringing others to it.

His Excellency.. in a not so veiled slam.. implies that all that went before Vatican II was not really what Jesus taught.
"The Council Fathers realized that this is not what Jesus taught, and that it was time for us to lay aside our fear of the outside world." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
THANK GOD for 1962 when the Church FINALLY came into existence. Most of those previous 1900 years were not REALLY what Jesus taught.

In a broad and dismissive statement.. totally unbecoming of his role as a successor of the Apostles.. he says that today’s young people who are – notice the language here – GRIPPED – by a nostalgia for a time they never knew.. they just don’t realize what “those” days were really like.
"Many of those, who today seem so gripped with nostalgia for the time before Vatican II, have no actual lived experience of what those days were really like." - Bishop Anthony Taylor
Yep Your Excellency.. it must have been horrible to have packed churches.. vocations by the millions.. faithful catechism being taught in a thriving Catholic school system.. two hour long lines for confession.. Catholics attending Mass.. believing in sin.. believing in Hell.. not shacking up.. not aborting their children.. not using birth control.. not supporting same-sex marriage.. not divorcing and re-marrying like the rest of the world.. actually believing that Jesus was present in the Eucharist.. having their children baptized into families that actually believed and understood what that baptism meant.. honoring the Mother of God .. and on and on.

Oh the horror of what the Church must have been like in “those days”.

Imagine.. balanced books in parishes .. Catholic educational institutions popping up everywhere.. converts coming to the Faith by the hundreds of thousands.. award winning movies.. number-one ranked TV programs.. best-selling books.. so many vocations that we could actually export religious to the missions.. instead of now importing priests to shrinking parishes.

Bishop Taylor goes on to say more and imply even much more in the next section of his audio and we are going to pick up with that tomorrow.

And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he takes direct aim at the Traditional Latin Mass.. a Mass he comes close to portraying as a kind of meaningless waste of time for the laity that had no real connection to anything.

Excuse me Your Excellency.. but that MASS was what brought my father into the Faith in the late 1950’s.. a Faith that he passed on to me. And his experience was certainly not singular.. millions of people came into the Church because of the solemnity and mystery of that Mass.. unlike the abuse ridden current Mass .. which while absolutely valid.. has resulted in a near collapse of the Faith in the west.

That’s why the Pope and many others in the Church are taking a long hard look at what’s gone wrong and trying in fits and starts to fix it. It’s why we have a new translation for Mass each Sunday.. to be faithful to the original Latin.

To paint pre-Vatican II types as either nostalgic children too stupid to understand what things were “really” like.. as if YOU or others are the sole expert.. or a bunch of old doddering dementia victims is an approach that should elicit an apology.

The Church before Vatican II knew who she was.. she produced countless saints and the greatest minds the world has ever known.. brought untold millions of converts to the Church established by Our Blessed Lord as his ONLY one true Church.

What do we have now? Look around Your Excellency, look around. A near bankrupt bureaucracy that needs to run one fundraising campaign after another to fleece the flock to make up for billions paid out in legal costs for homosexual predator priests.. and shrinking congregations.. nuns who hop on a bus and travel the nation’s highways whipping up support for a child murdering president.. 2000 parishes closed in twenty years.

With all due respect Your Excellency.. you need to drop the revisionist history and get out more. More on this tomorrow.

GOD Love you,

I’m Michael Voris 

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Bishop Fellay’s “Conditions”

While the Holy See waits for a response from the Lefebvrians, it is prepared to discuss pastoral and disciplinary questions but not doctrinal ones

Andrea Tornielli

(La Stampa / Vatican Insider) The letter which the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, sent in response to the doctrinal preamble presented to him in the Vatican last 13 June, has not yet reached Rome. “The ball is clearly in the Fraternity’s court,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi had said this after the meeting. Everyone was aware that it was unlikely a response would have been sent before the Lefebvrian General Chapter held at the beginning of July. And even though over three months have gone by since the doctrinal document was handed to the Fraternity, the Holy See seems to be in no rush at all.
 
Following the meeting on 13 June, the Pope chose a new leader for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” (the Vatican body responsible for dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X): Archbishop Ludwig Müller replaced resigning cardinal William Levada as Prefect, while Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia was appointed Vice-President of the “Ecclesia Dei” Commission. So the figures Fellay will be exchanging views with will not be the same as those he met with three months ago.
 
The Holy See is well aware of how delicate the situation within the Society of St. Pius X is: it knows about the group that opposes an agreement with Rome, just as it knows about the (not so small) group of priests that does not want to suffer the consequences of the extreme choices of some. There is disquiet in some Lefebvrian districts in Latin America and Bishop Richard Williamson who is awaiting sentence is already on a collision course with Fellay. It is highly unlikely the Vatican will ask the Society of St. Pius X for a response to the preamble before October.
 
Readers may recall that last June, Fellay received a draft proposal for the canonical normalisation in the relationship of the Society of St. Pius X and the Holy See, by making the Fraternity a personal prelature. He received this in addition to the doctrinal preamble prepared by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by the Pope, containing some modifications proposed by the Lefebvrian Superior himself, some of which he did not fully agree with.
 
Vatican Insider has learnt that Fellay’s much anticipated response should still be interlocutory and contain certain conditions. If these involve requests that are to do with pastoral matters or discipline, the Holy See is willing to take these into consideration. Some conditions were discussed following the July chapter. The first three were considered “absolute” and were to do with the “freedom to correct the promoters of the errors or the innovations of modernism, liberalism, and Vatican II and its aftermath.” The second condition involved the “exclusive use of the Liturgy of 1962,” whilst the third requires “the guarantee of at least one bishop.” Other less binding conditions included the possibility of having a separate ecclesiastical court of the first instance and the exemption of the houses of the Society of St. Pius X from the diocesan bishops.
 
Agreement can be reached on most points and the Holy See is prepared to discuss these and incorporate changes in the draft about the future canonical normalisation of the Society of St. Pius X. What are not subject to discussion are the doctrinal issues outlined in the preamble. Lefebvrians are required to accept the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Therefore, although they will be allowed to celebrate mass using the old Missal (an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite), they will still have to recognise that the ordinary form was introduced as a result of the post-Conciliar reform, whose validity and lawfulness is unquestionable.

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Sunday, August 5, 2012

This is what they have stolen from you

By Ann Barnhardt @ Barnhardt.biz

I can tell from my email box that the vast, vast, vast majority of people out there have absolutely no fathom what the Mass looked like before 1968. Most Catholics think that the Mass was pretty much like it is today, except in Latin.

Um, that would be very, very, very wrong. The Mass today, the Novus Ordo Mass, has been so radically altered, you can only tell that it is even related to the Tridentine Mass by a few phrases here and there, namely the Gloria, Creed, Orate Fratres (Pray, my brothers and sisters), Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

As I explained it to one person, the Novus Ordo Mass is FAR closer to Superfun Rockband church than it is to the Tridentine Mass. His reply? "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Indeed.

I stumbled across a set of videos made by EWTN, the Catholic cable channel out of Alabama. The videos demonstrate the Low Tridentine Mass (not sung, and with only one server). What is so cool about these videos is the camera work. It is wonderful being able to see the priest's hands and everything that is going on upon the altar.

In these videos the server is an adult. Please understand that in most Masses in Latin Mass parishes today, the servers are young boys - altar boys. I would guesstimate that the youngest boy I have seen serve a Low Mass alone was probably eight or nine years old, and I have seen boys who were probably seven years old serve a Low Mass with another older boy as a team. That includes every movement and every response you see in these videos, memorized in Latin, performed not just by boys, but by sometimes quite young boys.

The sight of boys and teenaged young men not just doing something, but doing something fairly complicated, and doing it with stone-cold excellence is so rare today that it is shocking and beautiful when you see it. Boys have been run out of almost every activity except sports by girls, and they are now even trying to make sports "co-ed". Additionally, boys are hated by the Marxist-lesbian education mafia and are submitted to psychological castration from the time they enter pre-school. One of the big reasons the Marxist-homosexualists hate the Tridentine Mass so much is because it fosters and develops boys into masculine achievers and allows them to attain disciplined excellence.

Now watch this and see, perhaps for the first time in your entire life, what the Mass was for 1900 years, and what the Marxist-homosexualists have stolen from you, and are desperately trying to keep hidden from you. Look at the reverence, the solemnity, the MASCULINITY, the profound humility, the dignity, and the loving care and intricacy. Watch these videos and then contemplate what goes on at your Novus Ordo Mass. Contemplate how your priest probably stands outside the sanctuary in the narthex, fully vested immediately before AND immediately after Mass, and gladhands and socializes with people as they walk in and out - again, desacralizing the Mass AND drawing attention to himself as the "STAR of the SHOW". Because you clearly go to Mass to see Father Liza-Judy, right? I mean seriously, WHO ELSE could you POSSIBLY be there to see if not Father Liza-Judy? Hmmmm?

Contemplate the priest ad-libbing during the Mass, chatting, delivering multiple "homilies" before the readings and after Holy Communion. Compare how the priest carries himself in the Tridentine Mass to the casual and effete comportment of almost all Novus Ordo priests.

Finally, compare the orientation of the Tridentine Mass and priest 100% toward Our Lord in the Tabernacle, or upon the altar, to the self-referential and performance-driven orientation of the priest in the Novus Ordo, who is always facing the people as if on a stage, and thus has his BACK to Our Lord in the Tabernacle for the entire Mass.

The homosexualist priests will never, ever relinquish their ability to "perform" and be "on stage" as the "star of the show" - and the same goes for the lesbian nuns, who rage at the fact that they are denied full "performance" rights. They WILL schism the Church, and it will be over the Mass itself. Homosexual "marriage" and "gay rights" are merely wedge issues designed to get the ball rolling. The final schism will be over the rubrics of the Mass because it HAS to be all about THEM. It HAS to be the "Father Liza-Judy Show", and the Marxists, who recruited the homosexualists, gleefully approve because the Marxist objective is to destroy the Mass and the Church from within by desacralizing the Mass, and eliminating the priesthood. (Remember, no priest, no Mass. No Mass, no Eucharist.) They do this by denying the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist by making the whole Mass so casual, sloppy, sacrilegious and self-centered that the people who WERE taught the faith lose it by the very example of the clergy.

Finally, after four decades, the objective has been achieved - there is absolutely no denying that. The laity has NO IDEA that the Mass is Calvary made present, and are clueless that Jesus Christ is actually, physically present in the Tabernacle, upon the altar after the consecration, and in the Eucharist which they casually receive thinking It (He) is a mere "symbolic community meal".

When you watch these videos, you should feel awe at the beauty - even though this is a mere instructional set, and you should also feel burning ire at what has been stolen from you, and what is being actively hidden and suppressed by the majority of bishops yet today. THIS is how Mass was said in EVERY CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE PLANET UNTIL 1968 - exactly, precisely like this. A person could walk into any Catholic Church anywhere on the planet and be 100% oriented and comfortable, because every priest said the Mass exactly like this every day - from the tiny little town in Kansas to the largest cathedral in Europe to the remotest chapel in South America or Asia. Every word, every gesture, every prayer - completely consistent and unified, JUST. LIKE. THIS:




These videos just cover the actual rubrics. They do not cover the MASSIVE meaning and referential symbolism contained in literally every word and gesture. If you want to learn about that symbolism, St. Thomas Aquinas covers it all in the Summa Theologica.

If you want more info, a great resource is SanctaMissa.org, and I also recommend everyone buying a 1962 Hand Missal, which contains EVERYTHING, including every Mass for the entire year with English translations. Baronius Press is the main publisher these days, and 1962 Missals can be purchased easily through Amazon and most online booksellers.
But there are also many other things which Jesus did; which, if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written. John 21:25
Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle.
2 Thessalonians 2:15
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Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Young Shock Troops - Michael Voris

H/t to Fr. Z.   An update to Michael Voris' Latin Anyone? video:


Hello everyone and welcome to The Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed. I’m Michael Voris.

Its probably a safe bet that most Catholics .. at least the 500 million or so in the west have no idea of the struggle going on INSIDE the Church.

That’s because the vast majority of them .. close to 90 percent .. have almost no contact with the Church anymore. You heard right .. except for the occasional wedding or funeral and MAYBE Christmas or Easter .. MAYBE .. 450 million of more of the west’s 500 million Catholics are just missing in action.

By the way .. prior to 1960 .. it would have been almost totally reversed. About 400 million of the 500 million .. using today’s population numbers .. would have been plugged in to the Faith.

That’s quite a devastating condemnation .. from 400 million or so relatively faithful followers to around less than 50 million. WOW! That is nothing less than religious nuclear bomb.

"The world has turned militant against the Church... The only proper response to a militant enemy, is an even more ferocious militancy right back at them. The Saints knew this and they lived it. The bishops of the past who fought the evils in their own day knew this. And they protected their sheep with a ferocity reserved to a father protecting his family." - Michael Voris
Now .. as we look into the remaining 50 million .. and that’s probably an overly generous number of practicing Catholics in the west .. there is a battle royale raging for the Catholic identity.

We’ve talked about this before in various Vortex episodes .. but its worth talking about now in terms of who’s winning this battle.

Battles have casualties and in this inter-Church war .. the blows are going against the lukewarm crowd .. the parishes and parishioners who are content to simply sit back watch the world pass by.

This is most parishes .. the overwhelming majority in the United States. Even if they are larger and Fr. Popular is running the show .. the rot is still there. No vocations to speak of are emerging, many that are there .. even the weekly Mass-goers know very little about the faith and are therefore contracepting, in the very least.

They have so-called tolerant attitudes toward the militant homosexual agenda .. not really supporting it, but willing to concede that if Bob and John love each other, then they don’t really see the big deal.

The average parish in the United States is a mish-mosh of non-zealous relaxed attitudes with no real fire in the belly. Add to this, that parish is generally unofficially run by a former nun, or current version of one, who is angry and bitter about a hundred different things as she approaches her dotage .. and you have a sure fire recipe for the Faith NOT being passed on to the parish.

And by the way, these parishes are being closed down boarded up and sold off at dizzying speeds. Even the Vatican has had to step in and tell local bishops to knock off the fire sales.

Compare this to more traditional Catholic groups .. who have the exact opposite problems. Not enough room to spread out, congregations swelling with young people, vocations pouring out them, Catholics massively informed of their faith with a great desire to evangelize and take no prisoners when they do.

Almost every time you encounter this .. you find at the heart of it .. the Traditional Latin Mass. Not every time, but very frequently. Even when the TLM [traditional latin mass] isn’t offered, you find everything BUT that.

You find a deep devotional life, solid priests who love their sheep, deep involvement in the pro-life movement seen more as a spiritual work than a political one, although it is both.

But in these TLM groups, you see something else. A respect and reverence for the Mass as something bound up with the masculine. A willingness to dive in and swim through the currents of the mystery of the Divine.
The TLM is not the more feminine “celebration” that most Catholics who still go Mass encounter. It is masculine through and through. That may be one reason it is so despised by so many other Catholics .. including many clergy.

It bespeaks a strong masculinity .. a Muscular Catholicism .. a Church Militant .. and for the majority of Catholics who have been nursed for the past 50 years on the weaker .. feminine .. Protestantized .. don’t be offensive type of Liturgy .. they don’t where to go with this Mass.

And .. it’s not their fault. Even many of the priests and some bishops have a kind of knee-jerk reaction against the TLM because .. they righty intuit .. it holds forth a different style theology .. a different tone. They have been brought up on a Church that is much more Protestant in its approach .. meaning .. more accommodating .. more tolerant and all those other buzz words .. that at the end of the day .. spell out W-E-A-K weak.

Weak as in non-confrontational .. as in much more content to dialog and have donuts than do hand to hand combat with Satan and his legions. Its kind of the politicians compared to the army. Neither really likes the war, but only one is willing to fight it up close and personal.

Well .. as the lukewarm, politically correct parishes close down and the numbers of PRACITCING .. not just baptized .. but actually PRACTISING Catholics continues to dry up .. against all that failure for that is what it is .. there is a story of gigantic success in the more militant Church.

The world has turned militant against the Church .. truth is it always has been, it was just faking dialog and good will so as to deceive. The only proper response to a militant enemy is an even more ferocious militancy.

The saints knew this and they lived this.

The bishops of the past who fought the evils in their own day knew this and protected their sheep with a ferocity reserved to a father protecting his family. And this is what we see in the traditional circles of the faith these days. And unsurprisingly .. large numbers of those circles enjoy the presence of young men. They
instinctively .. intuitively have sniffed out the stench of the enemy and have enlisted in the fight.


They see the destruction reined down on their Mother .. the Church and her children and they have committed to the fight. And all of this is expressed in worship in the Traditional Latin Mass.

You’ll find no guitars or tambourines or hand holding and lovey dovey sermons in that camp. What you will find is comradeship and a preparedness for the war. And that’s exactly what the Church needs in this time and place .. men .. prepared with the sacraments .. willing to fight and die .. and in dying .. be born to eternal life.

GOD Love you. I’m Michael Voris.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Priest physically assaulted for celebrating TLM and bringing back sacred tradition

"The liberal approach.

Our friends at Rorate posted a translation of an article in Italian about an incident in Ronta, near Florence.

My emphases and comments:

You have been tough, but we will smash your head. Signed, Your friend Satan”. That was one of several threatening messages sent to Father Hernán García Pardo, parish priest of San Michele, in Ronta [Mugello region of the Province of Florence, Tuscany]. His fault [was] that of celebrating the Latin Mass, liberalized by Benedict XVI in September 2007.  [NB: "The Latin Mass" can also be the Novus Ordo.]
The warnings, which had been recurrent for some time, had not made the priest, who despite everything has continued to say Mass according to the ancient rite, give up. The last chapter [took place] last Wednesday, when he was beaten up by a ‘faithful’ in the town’s rectory in the presence of his aged mother. The beating led to bruising on his back; having been sent to the emergency room of Borgo San Lorenzo, he was medicated..." (continued)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Altar girls and the Extraordinary Form of the Mass - Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei States They Are Not Permitted

From Father Zuhlsdorf:


"I have now a copy of a letter sent by the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesiae Dei” and signed by the Secretary Msgr. Guido Pozzo, which clarifies that UE 28 in fact does say that females cannot serve at the altar in the Extraordinary Form.

The letter essentially quotes UE 28 and then states:
In this regard, the Circular Letter of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments of 1994 (cf. Notitiae 30 [1994] 333-335) permitted female altar servers, does not apply to the Extraordinary Form.
Bottom line: females may not serve at the altar in the Extraordinary Form..."

Sunday, September 5, 2010

High Mass Clip in 1940s Feature Film

From Father Tim Finigan at the The Hermeneutic of Continuity:

http://www.rosary.freeuk.com/media/tf07-02.jpg"H/T to Gillibrand at Catholic Conservation for posting this YouTube clip with scenes from a Traditional High Mass - er - some time before Summorum Pontificum. The second half of the sung Confiteor before the Communion of the people is partly cut: presumably at the bidding of the film Director. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating view of High Mass in the 1940s when it was just a normal part of Catholic life. You only need to watch the first two and a half minutes."

Monday, July 26, 2010

Super Ranjith


From Rorate and here are Father Z's comments:

"Our worthy friends at Rorate have posted a piece by His Excellency Most Rev. Malcolm Ranjith, once Secretary of the CDW and now Archbishop of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Archbp. Ranjith demonstrates why he was the right man for the CDW and why he was so hated by the lefties.

Archbp. Ranjith is setting out to reform the liturgical worship of the Archdiocese entrusted to his care.  He has declared a year of the Eucharist for the diocese and has issued directives in a "Liturgical Guardian".  Now he explains the situation to everyone.

You can read the whole thing at Rorate but here are some salient excerpts with my emphases and comments."

"2.1 The Liturgical Guardian  of the Archdiocese of Colombo which has already been given to the priests in the Archdiocese, and which will be made available for all others from 29th August 2010, is the main point of reference in all matters pertaining to liturgical celebrations within the Archdiocese of Colombo. Please abide by its stipulations faithfully without trying to implement personal views and opinions. Those wishing to do things as they wish make themselves like God himself, and that is self-idolatry. [!] During this Year we shall concentrate very specially towards eliminating all erroneous practices regarding the celebration of the most holy Eucharist, the Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours.  I would draw your attention also to the renovation and construction of churches which need to be done according to the guidelines set forth in the Guardian. In order to deepen our understanding about the Eucharist I wish to appeal to all parish priests, heads of institutions, principals of schools, superiors of religious houses to organise liturgical formation sessions on the Eucharist, sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours. Please pay special attention to the training of lectors which is conducted in the Archdiocese as a deanery level training session, formation of choristers and training of church organists while not neglecting other ministries.

2.2 I appeal to all rectors of seminaries, administrators of archdiocesan shrines, superiors of institutions and directors of archdiocesan apostolates to very specially cooperate in this effort. While not exempting others, in such places we cannot tolerate liturgical errors. [Do I hear an "Amen!"?] [...]

2.3 An effort will be made to make common Latin chants popular during this year. [Do I hear an "Amen!"?] With this aim in mind the Archdiocesan Coordinator for Liturgy, together with Mr Francis D’ Almeida will be organising sessions of practice in all 15 deaneries and teach all choirs some basic Latin chants which could be used in parishes and institutions. Once these practice sessions take place parishes may sing at least the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei at parish Sunday Masses on the first Sunday of the month. No. 36 of the Constitution on the Sacred liturgy clearly sets forth the principles in this regard. Latin still remains the main liturgical language of the Church. In Sri Lanka we made a mistake in abandoning the language of our worship altogether. [For this part alone, Archbp. Ranjith should be made Cardinal as soon as possible.] Let this Eucharistic Year be an occasion for us to resuscitate this lost tradition at least to some extent. I appeal to all priests, religious and laity to cooperate.

I also wish to affirm that as indicated in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of 7th July 2007 priests and institutions are now permitted to celebrate, where it is appropriate, the Tridentine Mass and the Sacraments in that rite. In this case it is best that the faithful be prepared for it beforehand. [There is no hint of restriction here at all.  Priests may take the initiative themselves to implement Summorum Pontificum in their parishes.  But, there is a commonsensical admonition: prepare people beforehand so that they are not blind-sided.] I myself hope to celebrate a solemn Eucharist in that rite sometime in the near future at the Archdiocesan Cathedral."
• • • • • •

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Calgary Bishop Suspends TLM

http://gomeler.com/pic/Articles/I%20Live/Cartman.jpg

h/t to Robert Krumpel and Fr. Z.



From WDTPRS:
"Apparently, the local bishop, His Excellency Most. Rev.Frederick Henry is having a fight with the local presence of the FSSP over the distribution of Communion on the tongue. The bishop issued "norms" for the Diocese of Calgary which forbid Communion on the tongue because of H1N1. The FSSP and the people frequenting their Masses are not conforming to his wishes.
Bishop Henry issued the directive to cease distribution of Communion on the tongue following the recommendation from the Medical Officer of Health, whom I assume is a government official."

When Bishop learned that at the FSSP parish people were still receiving Holy Communion on the tongue, he ordered that they not celebrate Mass at all. He suspended the Extraordinary Form Masses. --- more

Thursday, September 10, 2009

SSPX priest celebrates Mass in St Peter's in Rome

From Catholic Church Conservation:

The sensation is that there are finally signs that point to a return to Catholic normalcy.

The Prior of the SSPX House of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Father Marcus Jasny has celebrated Masses in St. Peter's in the Old Rite.
The SSPX referrto this in a report on its website about a pilgrimage to Rome of graduates of the Schöneberg High School for Girls near Bonn.

Neustadt an der Weinstrasse is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate in southwest Germany.

The students visited the Eternal City, 24 August to 2 September.

In the morning at 7 clock Fr Jasny "could" celebrate the Mass in St. Peter’s - the report on the website of the SSPX states- at "that mysterious, quiet time of daybreak in St. Peter's, before the arrival of the torrents of tourist."

The paleo- liberal Swiss news agency 'Kipa-Apic' complained about the Latin Masses in Rome.

The person responsible for arranging Masses in St. Peter's said that there was no written request from the Father for the period concerned.

But it is possible that a priest can ask in the sacristy directly for an opportunity for celebration. Whoever presenting evidence of priesthood and asking for a Missal for the traditional rite, does not get a negative response.

Even already in the Jubilee Year 2000, the SSPX was able to celebrate during their great pilgrimage to Rome - at that time even under Pope John Paul II - a prayer service in St. Peter's.

Friday, August 28, 2009

New Poll on the Traditional Latin Mass

From The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University:

Three in ten Catholics who do not “oppose” bringing back the Latin Mass say they would attend such a Latin Mass if it was readily available at convenient times and locations. This is equivalent to about one in ten adult Catholics (11 percent overall) or approximately 5.7 million individuals.

If the Latin Tridentine Mass were made readily available at convenient times and locations, and you were able to attend, would you?
Respondents who “Favor” or have “No opinion” about easing restrictions on the Latin Tridentine Mass

Yes: 29%
No: 25%
No opinion: 46%

Among those who do not oppose the return of the Latin Mass, interest in attending a Latin Mass is more likely among frequent Mass attendees. More than four in ten of these respondents, who attend Mass at least once a month, say they would attend a Latin Mass if it was available.
If the Latin Tridentine Mass were made readily available at convenient times and locations, and you were able to attend, would you?
Respondents who “Favor” or have “No opinion” about easing restrictions on the Latin Tridentine Mass

Mass Attendance

Weekly or more

Yes: 45%
No: 20%
No opinion: 35%

Less than weekly but at least once a month

Yes: 42%
No: 16%
No opinion: 42%

A few times a year or less

Yes: 18%
No: 30%
No opinion: 52%
h/t to EWTN's The World Over and Una Voce Carmel

Friday, August 21, 2009

Solemn High Mass - EWTN Saturday 8/22 8:00 AM ET

SOLEMN HIGH MASS ON THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - LIVE ( 2hrs)
From the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Sat 8/22/09 8:00 AM ET / 5 AM PT

Update - photos from NLM:

Monday, June 29, 2009

EWTN - Pontifical Tridentine High Mass of the Extraordinary Form - July 1

PONTIFICAL TRIDENTINE HIGH MASS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM - LIVE (2hrs)
From the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Hanceville, Alabama, Pontifical Tridentine High Mass of the Extraordinary Form on the Solemnity of the Most Precious Blood.
Wed 7/01/09 8:00 AM ET / 5 AM PT
Thu 7/02/09 12:00 AM ET / (Wed) 9 PM PT

Friday, March 20, 2009

Vatican clamps down on Killala Latin Mass move

Michael Kelly

Bishop John Fleming

A high-profile Vatican office has ordered Bishop John Fleming to make provision for the traditional Latin Mass in his Killala diocese. The move, from the powerful 'Ecclesia Dei' Commission comes after the Killala Council of Priests decided that no provision should be made for the celebration of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

In July 2007, Pope Benedict's letter, Summorum Pontificum, eased restrictions on the pre-Vatican II Mass, the so-called Tridentine Rite and established that any Catholic priest can celebrate the traditional Latin Mass without first seeking the permission of his bishop. Prior to the coming into force of Summorum Pontificum bishops had the right to restrict access to the Latin Mass.

Initially, the Killala Council of Priests, an advisory body made up of both elected members and priests appointed by Bishop Fleming, advised that no provision should be made for the Latin Mass pending a request for clarification from the Vatican on aspects of the Pope's letter. This advice was accepted by Bishop Fleming and an announcement made that the Mass would be unavailable in the Killala diocese.

However, The Irish Catholic has learned that the matter came to the attention of the Holy See as a number of people in Killala wrote to the Vatican to express their frustration at the lack of provision. The Irish Catholic also understands that a number of diocesan priests who believed the decision countermanded papal legislation, contacted Bishop Fleming to register discontent.

The 'Ecclesia Dei' Commission, headed by Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, then wrote to Bishop Fleming insisting that the restriction was forbidden under Church law since Pope Benedict had made universal provision for the availability of the Mass in the extraordinary form. In its letter, the Commission insisted that neither Bishop Fleming, nor the Council of Priests, had the right to place a restriction on a right approved by the Pope. Bishop Fleming has now designated the Church of the Assumption, Ardagh, Crossmolina, Co Mayo as the centre for the traditional Mass in the Killala diocese and the celebrant will be Fr John Loftus, a priest of the diocese.

h/t to Ulster Taig

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Report from Canons Regular of St. john Cantius Training Session

http://www.canons-regular.org/images/ui/canons-crest.gif
"From February 9-13, 2009, priests from diverse parts of the United States and Canada studied the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (1962 Missale Romanum) under the direction of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. Two classes were offered, one for beginners, learning the ceremony and rubrics of Missa Lecta (Low Mass) for the first time, and an advanced class for those studying the Missa Cantata (High Mass)...

On Wednesday evening one of the students studying High Mass, Fr. John Ubel, Pastor of St. Agnes Church in St. Paul, MN, offered the Missa Cantata with incense...."