Saint Louis Catholic

It's a Good Question

2012-01-27T10:29:00.001-06:00

Fr. Edward Richard asks it-- in the wake of the good news that the U.S. Bishops are taking a strong stance against the federal mandate to violate the natural moral law, Catholic teaching, and our own consciences to provide the means to kill babies, will they now police their own flock of Catholic legislators who support this federal mandate?

When will the excommunication and interdict decrees be issued against the "Catholic" politicians, public officials, interest group members, and public policy advocates who defy the teaching of the Church, the natural moral law, and the admonitions of their bishops and the Pope? When will Holy Communion be denied by order of the local ordinaries of these people?

(To be clear, Fr. Richard limits his post to the denial of Holy Communion and "canonical penalties" generally. The use of the language "excommunication and interdict" is my own.)

When will the shepherds who stand for the faith with their actions be able to be counted on more than two hands?

Because the soft-sell of friendly persuasion and example has been a complete bust.

The USCCB did not take on Obamacare as such, but merely said the right things about abortion and contraception mandates. Ignoring the obvious Trojan Horse, the bureaucratic arm of the bishops issued mild platitudes, while encouraging the drive to place "universal health care" in the hands of a federal government that could decide who lives and who dies. Anyone with eyes could see this coming, yet there was never even a debate about whether universal health care was a good thing or not.

We now reap the whirlwind. Fine. The rearguard action must be fought, of course. But can we finally declare that the pro-death "Catholics" aren't Catholic anymore? Are we still afraid to speak the truth? Why?

Lives are at stake--those of the most innocent. But more importantly, souls are at stake-- not the least are those of the pro-death politicians themselves. Excommunication, interdict, denial of Communion are medicinal remedies. Yes, they are strong medicine, but medicine indeed.

From the Catholic Morality blog:

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OK. So Here's My Question...

Will the Bishops' Conference deal with those of its own house before suing the U.S. Government?

In the USCCB Media Blog of Tuesday, January, 24, 2012, concerning the recent Obama Administration ruling that Catholic institutions have to cover sterilizations and contraceptives (including abortion-causing agents), we read:

This egregious violation of religious freedom marks the first time in our history that the federal government is forcing religious people and groups to ante up for services that violate their consciences. Some claim this is all about access to contraceptives—but everyone knows how and where to get them, and get them cheaply. And the mandate also forces coverage of sterilization and abortion-causing drugs. This is about forcing the church to pay for all these things through insurance coverage, to sponsor these “benefits” that it considers immoral. This is, in other words, about freedom of religion, which is a foundation stone of U.S. democracy.

The government allows other religions to live out their beliefs. The Amish and Christian Scientists have a conscientious objection to health insurance, and so the law exempts them from buying it. The government acknowledges the right of these religious groups to live out their religious convictions in U.S. society. Why are beliefs of Catholics and others dismissed?

The course seems clear. If the administration persists, this is going to court. So, my question, from a priest, moral theologian, interested party, cheerleader for the bishops, and adherent to the authority of the magisterium, (the list goes on) is will the conference of bishops, or individual bishops, now correct individual Catholic legislators and administration officials who support these abridgments of the Church's freedom by pursuing the moral and canonical measures available? As we know, the bishops' conference has chosen not to speak in favor of adherence to the Church's long-standing, well-established, and incontrovertible moral tradition regarding the refusal of admission of public sinners to Holy Communion in the case of formal cooperation in abortion (referring to those politicians who promote and vote for the so-called right to abortion)--and it should be clear that the administration of Holy Communion to such public sinners entails cooperation in sacrilege and the sin of scandal on the part of the minister of Holy Communion.

Will the bishops' conference find in these offenses, the offenses against conscience and religious freedom committed by Kathleen Sebelius and others involved, serious enough reason to say that these actions are scandalous enough public sin to require that the ministers of Holy Communion not cooperate in the scandal and ensuing sacrileges involved in the reception of Holy Communion by these public sinners? If the bishops conference is willing to take the US Government to civil court to fight this on a legal basis, to have these offenses declared unconstitutional by government standards, has the time not come, as well, to say that the individuals involved in this should have to publicly repent from their moral and canonical offenses before being admitted to Holy Communion?

Archbishop Carlson Calls on Catholics to Fight for Conscience Rights Protections

2012-01-26T14:25:00.000-06:00

Archbishop Carlson, in this week's Review, issued a call to Catholics to fight against the DHS/Obamacare mandate that all employers, regardless of religious or moral objections, provide free coverage for contraception, abortifacients, and sterilizations:

Archbishop Carlson calls on Catholics to fight for conscience rights protection

by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson

Today we are facing grave and unprecedented threats to our religious freedom here in the United States. The Obama administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, has decided to impose a nationwide mandate for coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs — including at least one abortion drug — sterilization procedures, and education and counseling to promote these to "all women with reproductive capacity." The HHS rule includes an exemption for "religious employers" so narrowly crafted that Catholic health care providers, educational institutions and social services agencies would have to be listed in the tax code as a church or similar narrowly defined entity, make the inculcation of religious doctrine their organizational purpose, and largely refuse to hire or serve non-Catholics to be fully eligible.

This attack on our religious freedom is unacceptable to Americans who cherish the principles on which our nation was founded. Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has pointed out the following:

• The contraceptive mandate imposed on health plans by the Department of Health and Human Services violates freedom of conscience, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment and several federal laws.

• The Bill of Rights says we are free to live by our religious beliefs. Forcing all of us to buy coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including drugs that induce abortion, is a radical incursion into freedom of conscience.

• Never before in U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase a product that violates their beliefs.

The Church cannot, and will not, be silent in the face of this grave threat to religious liberty and the sanctity of human life. According to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, "The bishops of the United States have long supported the goal of universal access to health care. We have encouraged government leaders to advance this goal through morally responsible health care reform. At the same time, we have consistently stated that such reform must not become a vehicle for abandoning or weakening longstanding federal policies that respect unborn human life and rights of conscience." We bishops will speak out boldly—at every opportunity—in protest against all efforts to violate the right to life and the right to act according to one's conscience.

But as Pope Benedict said recently, to be heard the Church's voice must include the voices of "an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity." All too often, the pope and the bishops are not taken seriously. We are "expected" to speak out on these issues, people say; it's part of our job. Only when the Catholic community as a whole joins us in refusing to accept the "radical secularism" of government officials, legislators and judges, will the voice of the Church be heard in all its strength and moral clarity.

I continue to urge everyone to write to your representatives in Congress and insist that respect for the rights of conscience be an integral part of all health care legislation and policy. This request has greater urgency now that the Obama administration has refused to allow Americans who work for religious organizations that serve all people the right to respect their consciences.

I call on every pastor in the Archdiocese of St. Louis to join me in urging Catholics in all 11 counties of our Archdiocese to add their voices to those of the American bishops. We will not be silent. We must speak out in defense of life and out of respect for religious liberty.

We will not be silent, but will the voice of the Church be heard? Only if you join us in giving witness to the right to life and the right to religious freedom!

SPEAK UP

To contact the Department of Health and Human Services:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201

Toll Free: 1-877-696-6775

hhs.gov/ContactUs.html

To find contact information for you U.S. representative, see stlouisreview.com/1GL

To find contact information for your U.S. senator, see stlouisreview.com/1GM

Cardinal Burke at St. Francis de Sales Oratory on Tuesday, January 31

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder, the great defender of the faith, His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, will lead Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction on Tuesday, January 31, at 5 p.m., at St. Francis de Sales Oratory.

Afterwords, His Eminence will visit with the faithful at a reception in the Church hall. Be there or be square, as they say.

Since we're reminding you of things, remember that this Sunday is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. All who assist at Mass at the Oratory have the opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions.

2012-01-24T12:57:00.000-06:00

I FOR ONE AM VERY VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL KEEP ME SAFE AND AM THANKFUL FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL SET OF BENEVOLENT RULERS AND I WILL NOT HEAR OF ANYONE BAD-MOUTHING SUCH A WONDERFUL IDEA AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEN WELL MAYBE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO HIDE AND THE WORLD IS A SCARY PLACE AND WE NEED CONSTANT PROTECTION AND ALL THE MONEY WE GIVE THE GOVERNMENT IS WELL WORTH IT AND I ONLY WISH WE COULD GIVE MORE.

p.s. They hate us for our freedoms.

Set before Us Are Life and Death

2012-01-24T09:51:00.001-06:00

From Deuteronomy 30:

30	17	But if thy heart be turned away, so that thou wilt not hear, and being deceived with error thou adore strange gods, and serve them:	sin autem aversum fuerit cor tuum et audire nolueris atque errore deceptus adoraveris deos alienos et servieris eis
30	18	I foretell thee this day that thou shalt perish, and shalt remain but a short time in the land, to which thou shalt pass over the Jordan, and shalt go in to possess it.	praedico tibi hodie quod pereas et parvo tempore moreris in terra ad quam Iordane transmisso ingredieris possidendam
30	19	I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:	testes invoco hodie caelum et terram quod proposuerim vobis vitam et mortem bonum et malum benedictionem et maledictionem elige ergo vitam ut et tu vivas et semen tuum

This verse is often called to mind and cited in the ongoing "long defeat" of the pro-life movement. As God warned the Israelites who were to inhabit a land of promise and plenty, if we turn away from Him, how can we expect to receive blessings? Whenever someone trots out the tired standard of the "war" on "terror"-- they hate us for our freedoms-- I think of a nation that kills more than a million of its babies every year.

Fr. Edward Richard, the excellent moral theologian formerly of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, has written an excellent post on his blog about the HHS announcement that all employers, regardless of religious or moral objections, will be required to provide free contraception coverage and sterilization coverage to their employees under the execrable universal "healthcare" act:

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Time is Running Out

Cardinal-Designate Dolan: "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences." http://usccb.org/news/2012/12-013.cfm, January 22, 2012.

I could not help but reflect upon the battle ahead in light of the 3rd Sunday Readings (OF).

"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed….” God gave this prophetic message to Jonah as a sentence upon a nation that had become very proud of its own greatness. Thoroughly convinced of the wisdom and power of its own leaders, prophets, and achievements, it could not recognize its need to seek true wisdom and enlightenment of the omnipotent Father of all creation. God, in his mercy, sent Jonah to proclaim repentance.

“The time is running out.” To this people and their leader, the sentiment expressed in the words uttered by St. Paul, though yet to be spoken, seemed to be understood and to resonate in spite of Nineveh’s (the Assyrian Kingdom's) dominance, prosperity, and all around good fortune.

"This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.” Words like these and concern about the judgment of God have certainly been prominent throughout the history of the Church. When our Blessed Lord comes in the flesh, he begins his public ministry with the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. “Repent, and believe in the gospel."

This past week, events have occurred which should direct us to meditate on these important and prophetic words.

An alarm was sounded in the address the Holy Father gave to some of the bishops from the US making their 5 year visit to the Holy See. He said there, “It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.” He mentioned the need to be convinced of the seriousness of these threats. “Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.” Then he pointed to two specific problems, the denial of the right to refuse to be part of evil practices and the denial of the respect for freedom of conscience.

He was referring to efforts on the part of the administration to require that Catholic organizations provide sterilizations and chemical abortions to employees in their health care insurance plans. This would mean, as well, that Catholic hospitals, Catholic doctors and nurses and other health care workers would be required to participate in these things against their conscience. This will mean that Church-run universities and hospitals will have to participate in these plans. The Department of Health and Human Services has given us one year to comply. “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

What do you think of all of this, citizens of the United States? Woe to you. What do you think I will do when the government tells me to do this, to keep my mouth shut, or support this? ["Looming over the entire exemption is the regulation’s language that HHS “may” exempt churches within the provision’s narrow scope. Nothing aside from the government’s interest in avoiding a court battle stands in the way of simply refusing to exempt even a Catholic diocese from the contraceptive mandate." Patrick Reilly, "The Fight To Be Catholic, http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/the-fight-to-be-catholic, January 22, 2012.]

What will you do when I am removed from this parish, fined, or put in jail for refusal to participate or for teaching against these evils? I assure you, I will not go against my conscience or the Church’s teaching on this.

You judges, you lawyers, you legislators, you politicians, you police officers? What will you do? What will you do when your doctor is suspended from his or her practice for violating these laws? Woe to you.

Perhaps hearing all of this is distressing to you. It is more than that to me. Hearken, therefore, to the words of Jesus: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." And to those of St. Paul: “The time is running out.”

I would like to be able to tell you that the Holy Father, Cardinal-Designate Dolan, and the many others who have voiced their alarm are just crying wolf. They are not. (Really, I ask, how often do we get anything that straightforward from the Pope or a major prelate when it comes to our government's actions? It must be bad!) We must be convinced, more than ever, that we need the power of God to assist us in this spiritual battle to protect our freedom and the right to live out our faith as followers of Christ.

Feast of St. Timothy

2012-01-24T09:35:00.000-06:00

Yep, January 24 is the feast of this great saint, bishop and follower of St. Paul who underwent a very painful process of conversion from which St. Paul sought to exempt nearly everyone else.

And thanks to JJR for the nameday greetings.

St. Timothy, pray for us!

Meatless Friday Monday-- Meaty Edition

2012-01-23T14:43:00.000-06:00

Just cuz, from LRC blog comes this wonderful Periodic Table of Meat. FYI, bacon is the fundamental meat element--but you knew that already, didn't you? (click photo to greatly enlarge)

Gettin' While the Gettin's Good?

2012-01-23T10:55:00.001-06:00

The Traditional Benedictine Monks from the community of Our Lady of the Cenacle, founded in the Diocese of Tulsa by the good Bishop Edward Slattery, has accepted an invitation to move the monastery to County Meath, Ireland. They will be close enough to Dublin to toss them a Guinness from the brewery.

I don't know any particulars behind the reasons for the move, and I don't post this story to speculate. Bishop Slattery is a good bishop, friendly to tradition, and Ireland certainly needs another traditional Catholic presence--especially of monks praying for the sanctification of priests.

My first reaction was a mere thought that flitted across the mind, to the effect of, good for them-- I hope for our sakes that they won't look back years from now and feel as grateful as a Jewish family who left Germany in 1937 would feel. But, whatever storm is coming, it doesn't look as though Ireland will be spared.

And on that cheerful note, have a great Monday, everybody!

P.S. You can read Dom Kirby's fine blog here.

The Problem: A Culture "Increasingly Hostile to Christianity"; The Solution: "Convincing Witness in the Face of Radical Secularism"

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-06:00

Below are excerpts from the address of the Holy Father to the U.S. Bishops at their ad limina visit this month.

We have to pray that our shepherds will lead us all in giving this "convincing witness in the face of radical secularism." Without throwing blame in any particular quarter--because recounting a litany of failure is not helpful-- we could all improve in this calling, could we not?

From L'Osservatore Romano, with a few of my own emphases:

...At the heart of every culture, whether perceived or not, is a consensus about the nature of reality and the moral good, and thus about the conditions for human flourishing. In America, that consensus, as enshrined in your nation’s founding documents, was grounded in a worldview shaped not only by faith but a commitment to certain ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God. Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.

For her part, the Church in the United States is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 10). To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God. When a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery, and to close the doors to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey, as the late Pope John Paul II so clearly saw, to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.

With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth. Our tradition does not speak from blind faith, but from a rational perspective which links our commitment to building an authentically just, humane and prosperous society to our ultimate assurance that the cosmos is possessed of an inner logic accessible to human reasoning....

In the light of these considerations, it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life....

Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society....

... respect for the just autonomy of the secular sphere must also take into consideration the truth that there is no realm of worldly affairs which can be withdrawn from the Creator and his dominion...

Prayer Request

2012-01-20T09:40:00.000-06:00

My mother is currently in the hospital with pneumonia and some other issues. If you could say a prayer for her, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

Kyrie from Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor

2012-01-19T13:54:00.002-06:00

The Mohawks Didn't Smoke Peyote-- But I Can't Speak for This Guy

2012-01-19T13:37:00.002-06:00

I came across this "op-ed" about soon-to-be-Saint Kateri Tekakwitha on the Op-Ed News site, which describes itself as "Progressive. Tough. Liberal.". It doesn't say accurate, logical, or sane.

The author, Keven Tully, states in his short bio that he is "concerned about the state of public discourse and the state of the earth; good discussions and good relations should not be mutually exclusive." Based upon his hatchet job (see what I did there?) on the Catholic Church's decision to canonize Blessed Kateri and more so for its honoring (he would suggest, no doubt, exploitation) of her Christian life on earth, he doesn't appear to want good relations with the Bride of Christ. He certainly seems unhappy that she is to be made a Saint.

He begins with a variation on the venerable "tell" of "I went to Catholic schools, etc.":

I am a Catholic. I love Mass. I love Catholic iconography because it very powerfully identifies with the human condition; if you see it as Jesus and people-centric and not dogmatic or institutional. I don't go to mass anymore.

Great. Got it.

He then quotes from a biography of the Saint's life, adding his own take:

The above was posted on the Catholic Conservation website as a devotional biography - it could be interpreted as another Native American horror story.

Then the familiar litany begins: the Europeans, under the direct orders of the Catholic Church, tortured and killed and burned everyone and then destroyed the earth, then made the earth again in order to destroy it again, then committed genocide, then got rich and spent all the money killing everyone.

OK, I am paraphrasing. But you get the idea:

Europeans brought smallpox to Kateri and her people which scarred her, almost blinded her and weakened her physically. Her village was burned to the ground in 1666 by the French general Alexander de Prouville -- He set out on his mission with the blessing of the Bishop of New France. ... She was propagandized into extreme acts of penance which hastened her early death. ... She was proselytized into self-imposed virginity. The population of her people was in rapid decline because of the depredations of the Europeans and smallpox -- she consequently would not contribute to the future prosperity of her tribe. This could be construed as an indirect act of genocide...

See, it isn't enough that she was holy, it had to be a psychological con-game of some kind. So what does the author prefer for St. Kateri?

Why can't we have Saint Kateri, who did the miraculous, altruistic, wonderful things that she did, as a Native American, who was empowered and touched by Christianity, but, maintained her Mohawk identity and spirituality? In other words - a spiritual hybrid. Maybe this wouldn't be the truth, and, this is not historically the Catholic way. Catholicism conquered, tortured, appropriated, coerced, enslaved, obsfucated, diminished, denied, humiliated...I have often wondered where we would be right now if Christians and Native Americans could have somehow managed to join, Physically and spiritually, before the North American Holocaust?

I don't know if historical revisionism is the author's hobby, but at least he acknowledges that the freakish spiritual hybrid between the True Faith and pagan worship "maybe" wouldn't be the truth. Not only isn't it true, but that kind of namby-pamby compromise of both types of spirituality would not attract converts from the other. It would be rejected by upright individuals of both sides, as the type of lukewarm mess that Our Lord warned He would begin to vomit out of His mouth.

St. Kateri was converted to Christ by God's Grace, in the prayers and actions of His Church, His ministers and faithful, and the Communion of Saints. This Church worshiped God in the same Form of Mass that continues to this day. It is a demanding, rewarding faith. And now St. Kateri is in a position to help those of the Church's members who still toil here below.

I enjoyed the article, though. But I'd lay off the revisionist peyote.

Feast of St. Peter's Chair in Rome

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-06:00

Today is the Feast of St. Peter's Chair in Rome. This is the ancient patronal feast of the authority of the Popes. Even before the wreckovation of the Calendar in 1969, this feast was conflated with the Feast of St. Peter's Chair in Antioch (Feb. 22) and now we have on that date the Feast of St. Peter's Chair.

Of which he had two.

Oh, well. And speaking of wreckovations, notice in the photo above the original Altar of the Chair, before the UFO-looking dining room table thingy was insinuated into the sanctuary. Thankfully, Pope Benedict XVI had that eyesore removed-- but alas, it was too late for the altar above, kindly smashed into pieces by our "reformed" liturgical betters.

Pray for the Holy Father!

Recent Unanimous Supreme Court Case May Preview the Outcome of the St. Stanislaus Lawsuit

2012-01-17T11:02:00.001-06:00

Thanks to the reader who tipped me off to this story in Catholic Online. It covers the recently decided U.S. Supreme Court Case of Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which represents a major victory in the area of the Free Exercise of Religion clause.

In this case, a Lutheran school asked a lay teacher to resign, and when she objected, sought to resolve the situation under its usual internal resolution procedures. The employee filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and subsequently filed a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

She argued that because she was a lay employee, and not a minister, that she should not be considered to fall under the so-called "ministerial exception" to certain federal statutes. The Lutheran school replied that the nature of the position of teacher at their religious school made the job a religious one and therefore fell under its right choose its own employees under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

In a surprisingly unanimous vote, the Lutheran school prevailed. The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice Roberts. The New York Times posted this summary of the opinion, which sums it up well, though of course incompletely:

In a major religious liberty decision, the Supreme Court for the first time recognized a “ministerial exception” to employment discrimination laws, saying that churches and other religious groups must be free to choose their leaders without government interference.

The Supreme Court's own syllabus (note, this is not the law, but merely a summary-- I post it here for easier digestion of the technical aspects by lay readers) phrases the issue this way (the highlighted points are my own emphases):

Held:

1. The Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment bar suits brought on behalf of ministers against their churches, claiming termination in violation of employment discrimination laws.

(a) The First Amendment provides, in part, that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Familiar with life under the established Church of England, the founding generation sought to foreclose the possibility of a national church. By forbidding the "establishment of religion" and guaranteeing the "free exercise thereof," the Religion Clauses ensured that the new Federal Government-unlike the English Crown-would have no role in filling ecclesiastical offices.

(b) This Court first considered the issue of government interference with a church's ability to select its own ministers in the context of disputes over church property. This Court's decisions in that area confirm that it is impermissible for the government to contradict a church's determination of who can act as its ministers.

[...] 2. [Holding that the lay teacher was a minister in the context of the ministerial exception] (a) The ministerial exception is not limited to the head of a religious congregation...

[and finally] (b) Any suggestion that Hosanna-Tabor's asserted religious reason for firing Perich was pretextual misses the point of the ministerial exception. The purpose of the exception is not to safeguard a church's decision to fire a minister only when it is made for a religious reason. The exception instead ensures that the authority to select and control who will minister to the faithful is the church's alone.

I think this is relevant to the St. Stan's case for the following reasons. First, the Catholic Church, by her own rules and procedures and laws, has decided it does not want to retain the services of one Marek Bozek. She has ruled, through her lawful shepherds and under her own canon law, that Marek Bozek has been degraded from the clerical state. This decision is completely free from Court interference, as the Hosanna Tabor case shows.

OK, so what, you may ask? Isn't this a property dispute and a matter for civil law? Or at most, it is a control of a lay Board at issue, isn't that what the St. Stan's lawyers and apologists say? Well, not so fast.

One of the key issues in the St. Stan's trial-- and one of the claims the Archdiocese has made to show a breach of the bylaws and the authority to assume control of the Board-- is whether the place continues to be a Roman Catholic Church. It is no longer a parish, as it has been suppressed by the Archbishop. It doesn't have a Catholic priest as a pastor, as he has been defrocked. These two decisions are within the sole competence of the Roman Catholic Church, as she sees fit to exercise this competence. One of these conclusions is compelled by Hosanna Tabor, and one is a logical result of it. The Court itself noted that the dispute over who has authority to hire and fire ministers is often cloaked in a factual matter of a property dispute.

Also, though this may not be as clear cut under the ministerial exception, it is arguable at least that the decision to excommunicate the Board also is the firing of "ministers", under the exception. Regardless, the crux of the St. Stan's case isn't about property or control of a lay Board, but rather over who can call a Church "Catholic". If the Board decides, then they will say it is, and they may retain control. But if these many ministerial decisions are the sole province of the Roman Catholic Church, then St. Stan's isn't operating as a Catholic Church and the bylaws were breached. Game, set, match for the Archdiocese (and for sanity, too).

I hope that the lawyers for the Archdiocese are aware of this Supreme Court opinion, and will file some supplemental briefing.

The Usual Treatment

2012-01-16T10:57:00.001-06:00

Today is the federal holiday commemorating the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose efforts on behalf of civil rights for African-Americans are certainly worth commemorating. The decision to make a secular holiday is well within the competence of the secular government. It has chosen to honor Dr. King, and that's great.

Yesterday, the Archbishop continued the annual local practice of celebrating Mass in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. I have lamented this practice before (here, for example, and here). I wanted to note the event again this year, but won't beat the dead horse too much. There is no reason, and it defies logic, to justify the celebration of a Catholic Mass "in honor" of a non-Catholic. Only saints and blesseds authorized by the Church, the guardian of the sacred liturgy, may be honored by a celebration of Mass. Note again, this is not a Mass for the repose of the soul of Dr. King, seeking prayers for his soul-- offering him help. It is to honor him. This is just wrong, for the reasons I have written before. But obviously, this practice shows no signs of ending.

Then again, as this op-ed in the St. Louis Review shows, there can be a deaf ear sometimes to concerns about Catholic orthodoxy when there is a liberal social or political agenda to push. Father Art Cavitt, the Executive Director of the St. Charles Lwanga Center (the group that helps plan the MLK Mass), wrote a piece about addressing the problem of racism by gathering around the Eucharist.

Great. But he begins the piece by casually mentioning that he was the guest speaker at a JustFaith program at St. Gabriel the Archangel parish. Now, JustFaith is a group of community organizers headed by a man with ties to heterodox, anti-Catholic "Catholic" groups that seek the usual agenda of women priests and homosexual privileges at the expense of marriage. I have blogged before about the tacit approval of JustFaith that the Review's benign coverage gives. Catholic Charities in St. Louis has shown support for this group. Apparently this tacit support continues.

Why does it matter? Well, we have seen the results of divorcing "social justice" from the Church and the Truth that is Christ. Purporting to serve Christ in the poor and marginalized while rejecting His teachings and His Church is an oxymoron. When will this problem be addressed in our pulpits? And even in his op-ed, Fr. Cavitt does not hesitate to mention, among the problems that the legacy of Dr. King addresses-- in the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis-- homophobia. Yes, that malleable, tired term. It could mean simply that we treat all people with respect and due process under the law. Well, of course. But that term, in today's culture, is loaded with the implication that "gay marriage" is a cause on equivalent moral and legal ground with voting rights for African Americans back in the 1960s.

When will this nonsense stop, or at least not be tolerated in official Archdiocesan publications?

In case you might wonder where the Church stands on the issue of homosexual ersatz-marriage, check out this article in the secular press from last week.

St. Charles Lwanga, pray for us.

And the Weekend's Only Half Over

2012-01-15T09:14:00.000-06:00

Skool Daze

2012-01-12T10:16:00.000-06:00

Two items in the Drudge roundup today caught my homeschool Dad eye. I share them with you.

First comes a story from a New York state high school about a mysterious disorder that has 12 female students exhibiting Tourette's Syndrome-like symptoms. From the full story:

[Health officials] have ruled out all environmental factors, infections and the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has been consulted, along with Columbia University, as well as the Genesee County Health Department and the New York State Health Department.

Dr. Young said tics like this can be caused by genetics, head trauma, drugs (all students tested negative), antihistamines, and drugs for ADHD and OCD. They said cases like this have been seen nationwide and they come and go in individuals. They add it's not uncommon to see them in waves as stress and anxiety exacerbate them.

Symptoms in these kids are "significant" according to officials, and they add they do not believe the students are making the illness up.

The first comment on the story asked the question that had occurred to me: Did these girls receive a Gardasil vaccine? It is just so weird. Even the article lists ADHD drugs as a possible cause of such symptoms. But of course--and I would like to emphasized this fact-- this is rank speculation at this point. I would love to see a follow up as (hopefully) answers come.

The second story involves a government elementary school in Connecticut that lives up to the "prison-school" epithet. This school has parents outraged over its practice of locking nonconforming students into unsupervised rooms, where some have injured themselves and/or engaged in Lord of the Flies-type behavior. They are called by some there "Scream Rooms". From the full story:

“My daughter is telling me that there’s kids being taken out in ambulances, by stretcher,” parent Sean Archer told CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez on Wednesday.

Disturbing allegations have surfaced of teachers locking students in closet-sized concrete “scream rooms” for punishment.

“Kids come home and they cry, because they’re afraid to go to school. And it’s often,” parent Brian Robillard said.

“She can hear the kids screaming at the top of their lungs, while she’s trying to read and she asks her teacher what’s going on and they never give her an answer. They tell her to ignore it,” said Liz Archer, the sister of one Farm Hill student.

Parents said their children have witnessed teachers placing unruly students into the tiny “time-out” rooms to calm down.

“From what I heard it’s more traumatizing for the child than it was as a help,” parent Jeff Daniels said. “Kids were hitting their heads on the concrete wall. Kids were urinating in the room.”

School Superintendent Michael Freschette said allegations of children harming themselves in the timeout rooms are not true. However, the Board of Education is investigating. The chairman spoke to CBS 2’s Sanchez by phone Wednesday night.

“We certainly are concerned with these allegations and I’m looking into every single one of them to be certain that our staff is providing a safe environment for our students,” Gene Nocera said.

Two “time-out” rooms were implemented two years ago for special needs students. But with growing community concern about their use, the school district drafted a new support plan to deal with students who act up.

[...]

The state Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and the state Child Advocate are now investigating the school’s use of “time-out” rooms.

Why, again, do parents put up with this? I also find it interesting that this type of discipline began as a strategy to deal with special needs students. I can't imagine how I would react if my child were imprisoned as a form of punishment; if my child had some disability and this happened, my outrage would be 50 times greater. These are grade school students. Where are the adults with any common sense?

Bill Donohue Turns up the Heat on SNAP

2012-01-11T10:33:00.003-06:00

                I blogged the other day about the efforts of the anti-Catholic shake-downers at SNAP to resist a Court order to turn over records they may have that are relevant to a plaintiff suit out in Kansas City.

In that story, David Clohessy (SNAP's very own Al Sharpton), called for a different standard of transparency for his crowd than for the Catholic Church. That is, of course, very convenient for him. I can only suppose he would be begging for TV time if any diocese defied a similar Court order.

Then, in a bizarre move, Clohessy impugned Archbishop Carlson: “Archbishop Carlson and his brother Catholic bishops have hired, hidden, transferred, defended and enabled child molesters. SNAP hasn’t. Carlson and his colleagues have ignored and concealed their crimes. SNAP hasn’t.”

Huh, you may ask? What does Archbishop Carlson have to do with any of this? This is a suit against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph about a priest from that diocese. Though it isn't clear from the press accounts, I think that lawyers in a similar suit in St. Louis are also seeking production of this evidence. But in any event, the allegations, if true, pre-date the last few Archbishops of Saint Louis.

As it happens, this mini-snit prompted a response by the irrepressible Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League. His provocative headline:

SNAP Protects Child Molesters

Read it. It says it like only Donohue could.

In a sign of the state of news coverage today, the Riverfront Times blog has published this, along with a reply by Clohessy, here. In an improvement over its usual reporting, the RFT blog asks a lot of the right questions, and although it is clearly sympathetic to SNAP, it does acknowledge that defendants in lawsuits have the right to subpoena this type of information.

In a nutshell, Clohessy's response is the same as the one in my past post:   You see, it's OK to smear the Catholic Church because it's the Catholic Church. We all know they're evil. We are merely the helpless victims. To apply rules of evidence, fundamental principles of justice, or even due process of law to us would be to endanger our crusade to ~~bankrupt the Catholic Church~~ protect the innocent who want ~~money~~ justice. It might prevent other potential ~~plaintiffs~~ victims from ~~purchasing a lottery ticket~~ coming forward.

Good luck with that strategy, David. When even the RFT acknowledges that you're in the wrong, the Court might find you less than persuasive.

When Will Bishops Follow the Pope's Lead?

2012-01-10T09:40:00.000-06:00

The Remnant's online site has an article that asks this very relevant question, specifically concerning the norm of receiving Holy Communion while kneeling, on the tongue of the recipient. This is not a new gripe, of course, but the article does a nice job of reminding us that the novelty of Communion-in-the-hand, however ubiquitous, began as an abuse and continues as a unchecked cause of sacrilege that has led to a loss of faith in the Real Presence.

When the Congregation for Divine Worship acceded to the request to allow this in the U.S., for example, it pointed to Pope Paul VI's Memoriale Domini, which ruled out a change to the universal mode of reception. Yet, when then allowing the derogation in the United States, it made the following statement: "The condition is the complete avoidance of any cause for the faithful to be shocked and any danger of irreverence toward the Eucharist." I can only imagine that this condition imposed on the Bishops' recourse to this novelty was a charge to ensure that the the Holy Eucharist was treated with such reverence that scandal and sacrilege would be avoided. However, as it has been implemented in history, the response of the Bishops and priests seems to have been to ensure that there is so much irreverence and sacrilege that no member of the faithful can possibly ever be shocked by anything ever again.

From the full article:

Communion in the Hand while Standing:
What’s the problem?

by Howard Toon

The Church teaches that Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity are present in the Blessed Sacrament. There are many Martyrs who gave their lives rather than deny this teaching. Any self-respecting Catholic knows this. There really ought to be no question about how Holy Communion should be received, and that is: on the tongue whilst kneeling.

There can be no denying that Holy Communion is now almost universally received in the hand and that this has been the case since shortly after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. Note, however, that there is no mention whatever of Communion in the hand in the documents of Vatican II. In fact, Cardinal L Suenens first introduced the practice illicitly in Belgium in the mid 1960s from whence it spread quickly to Holland, Germany and France.

When the abuse came to the notice of Pope Paul VI in 1969, he issued Memoriale Domini ruling out universal change to the Church’s method of administering Holy Communion on the tongue to kneeling communicants. In this document the Pope expressed his sadness that Communion in the hand had been introduced in some places without either his knowledge or the Church’s consent.

Subsequently, Pope John Paul II twice indicated the irregularity of this practice as a universal norm. In Dominicae Cenae (Feb. 1980), he stated: “To touch the sacred species and to distribute them with their own hands is a privilege of the ordained.”

Then, in Inaestimabile Donum (April, 1980), Pope John Paul wrote: "It is not permitted that the faithful should themselves pick up the consecrated bread and the sacred chalice, still less that they should hand them from one to another."

Pope Benedict XVI now shows by his own example how the Apostolic See wishes Holy Communion to be administered. At his Papal Masses the faithful are obliged to kneel and receive on the tongue from HIS hand, not their own.

In fact, no post-conciliar Pope has approved, much less promoted, the novelty of Communion in the hand. Papal toleration is not the same as papal approval! That ought to be sufficient to make priests and the faithful reflect seriously on what they do.

[...]

Given the suffering that Our Lord went through in order to redeem our souls, and the greatness of our debt to Him, it is clear that no Catholic should come into His presence without genuflecting, and no Catholic should receive Him in Holy Communion without kneeling down in reverence. It ought to go without saying that no lay Catholic should ever consider touching the Blessed Sacrament with his hands. Such was the teaching throughout history up to 1960.

Religious Instruction was then suddenly changed to Religious Education and a new programme imposed teaching children to explore the different religions as if they were all equally valid means for attaining eternal life.

[...]

At any rate, an indicator of the success of the new strategy is reflected in a U.S. gallop poll of a few years ago recording just 30% of U.S. Catholics now believing in Our Lord’s True Presence. The other 70% had either various shades of Protestant belief or no belief at all. This situation can only have come about through ignorance – through simply obscuring the facts.

How has this been allowed to happen? It wasn’t just allowed to happen – it was deliberately brought about...

[...]

Amongst the chief obstacles preventing the success of their plans, however, are the Mass of all Ages, and the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The only way for them to overcome these obstacles is to debase the ancient Catholic Liturgy, from which man gains the grace to resist temptation and evil, and to destroy belief in the Real Presence.

The Novus Ordo Mass was specifically written to be inoffensive to Protestants by removing all mentions of it being a Sacrifice, and replacing that doctrine with one of it being a mere commemoration banquet or “celebration of the Lord’s supper,” as it is now widely known. This part of the undermining is now very well entrenched, and few Catholics realise what has befallen them.

[...]

If this tide of indifferentism is to be reversed, three important things have to happen. These are the restoration of the Mass of all Ages, with its emphasis on Sacrifice, restoring respect for Our Lord by fostering belief in the Real Presence, and the daily recitation of the rosary.

Pope Benedict XVI has already made a start by showing us that Holy Communion should only be received kneeling and on the tongue. When will the Catholic world begin following Peter’s lead?

Latest News from the Oratory

2012-01-09T17:15:00.000-06:00

The latest newsletter from the Oratory is out, with information on the visit of Cardinal Burke on January 31, and also the results of the latest Oratory survey:

EPIPHANY - SURVEY - VISIT CARDINAL BURKE
SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES- MORE PHOTOS OF GALA
HISTORY OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CHURCH
MYSTERY PHOTO

Dear Faithful and Friends of St. Francis de Sales Oratory,

As we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany we are made aware of the presence of God among us. Christmas is the revelation of God made man and Epiphany the celebration of the first public acknowledgement of the Incarnation of God in Christ. Today we are invited to kneel down joyfully at the crèche again, full of holy expectation for the blessings in our lives as Catholics.

2011 ORATORY SURVEY

Thanks to everyone who took part in the survey in December and the two Oratory members who contributed their talents and time to compile data, the results are in! They are presented in the following video. Please take a look.

Slightly more people participated in the survey this year than last. The statistical portrait generated by the new numbers is a strong copy of our first snapshot from last year. It confirms that people of all ages continue to be attracted to the beauty of the liturgy at St. Francis de Sales Oratory. One representative comment says, “The Oratory has been an essential part to the spiritual growth of our family.” The numbers show that families come from near and far to attend the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and the many liturgical and community events offered here.

However, the numbers cannot adequately measure the growing family spirit which is emerging in the life of the Oratory from day to day. As we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany today, let us thank Divine providence for what we have at the Oratory.

VISIT OF CARDINAL BURKE, JANUARY 31, 2012

The present status of St. Francis de Sales Oratory would not have been possible were it not for the generosity of Raymond Cardinal Burke, who, as the Archbishop of St. Louis in 2005, helped the superiors of the Institute erect this Oratory. It was this vision which first set into motion the restoration of St. Francis de Sales. We are grateful that Cardinal Burke will revisit the Oratory and celebrate a Solemn Benediction on Tuesday, January 31, at 5:00 PM. After the ceremony, the Cardinal has generously made time to attend a reception by the faithful in the Oratory Hall.

We have begun to organize the reception for the Cardinal. We would be grateful for all help with food, set up, clean up, and monetary contribution to make this a memorable evening for everyone.

Please contact Mrs. Jenny Pekny via email at jennypekny@charter.net, if you are able to provide:
help with food or funding - help with set up before the reception
help during the reception, clearing tables - help after the reception, cleaning up the hall
Thank you very much for your generosity.

FEAST OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, JANUARY 29, 2012
St. Francis de Sales, the Bishop of Geneva affectionately known as the “Doctor of Charity,” is one of the patrons of the Institute and the titular patron saint of this church. In addition to his heavenly intercessions on our behalf, his prolific writings are a great source of spiritual help, even today, nearly 400 years after they were written. This year his feast falls on the last Sunday of January. Please mark your calendars as we join the entire Institute in celebrating this patronal feast.

MORE PHOTOS OF GAUDETE GALA
The effects of the sacred music from Gaudete Gala continue to reverberate long after the memorable evening ended. We received many positive comments on the beauty experienced by so many, especially after the Midnight Mass, when some of the Christmas carols were presented before the beginning of the liturgy. We are pleased to present a few more photos from the Gala for you to enjoy - if you will, a “Nachlese,” a German word with a sweet connotation of a “second harvest.”

HISTORY OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CHURCH
We begin the new year 2012 with a look back at the humble beginning of this church, courtesy of the parish book produced for the centennial celebration in 1967.

In the year of 1867 when our parish of St. Francis de Sales was established there was reigning in the Eternal City of Rome Pope Pius IX, who had the longest pontificate in the history of the church - 32 years; there was presiding as Archbishop of St. Louis, Archbishop Peter Kenrick, who was leader of our Catholic faithful for over 45 years, the longest reign of any Archbishop in the history of our city, Cardinal Glennon of blessed memory reigned for almost 43 years; and there was as President of the United States, Andrew Johnson, who one year after our parish was established was almost removed from the high office of President by the first and only impeachment proceedings in the history of our country - President Johnson came within one vote of being forced to retire as President.

Against such a historical background and with the bitter Civil War still strong in the minds and memories of the people, our parish of St. Francis de Sales took its beginning on the date of April 22, 1867.

This was not a well-populated or settled neighborhood during the post Civil War years. It was rather a neighborhood of dairy farmers and dirt roads. The people who were living here then were members of the parish of SS. Peter and Paul at Eighth and Allen streets. But little by little the open prairie land became more and more populated by German Catholic people. It was in 1867 that these good German Catholics decided to establish a parish church for themselves at Gravois and Ohio.

2810 Ohio street was the scene of the first parish meeting in March of 1867, a meeting called specifically to discuss plans for the new parish church. The home belonged to one Theodore Thien. This first meeting was followed by the second and very decisive one at the home of a certain Mr. A. Van Mierlo on April 22, 1867, and it was at the second meeting that the actual decision to establish our parish was made.

The grounds at Ohio and Lynch avenues were purchased, just a few short yards north of old Gravois avenue, for $4,000.00 by the building committee, and the ground-breaking ceremony was soon underway. The construction of the new brick church was to cost $12,850.00, a goodly sum for the few parishioners at hand in those days. The cornerstone laying ceremony took place on September 15, 1867, barely five months after the actual decision to found a new parish. For this special occasion many neighboring priests and many people came and took part.

One month after the cornerstone laying ceremony Archbishop Peter Kenrick appointed the first Pastor of the parish, the Reverend Louis Lay. The new pastor resided at the home of one of the parishioners at 2845 Ohio for a year until the new rectory was built for him the following year.

Meanwhile with a new pastor at hand the building of the church made rapid progress so much so that the first Mass celebrated in the new church was on Christmas morning in 1867. Actually three Masses had been announced for that day but only one could be celebrated because of the poor health of the new pastor. Father Lay, however, did make that Christmas Day a memorable one also by baptizing three children into the household of God. As for the first marriage at our parish church, this did not take place until later on April 17, 1868. There are no records any longer concerning the first funeral service from the new church.

The solemn dedication of the new church of St. Francis de Sales took place on May 24, 1868 with much special ceremony. Father Lay, the first pastor, had taken a census at that time and had counted some 800 members, fifty of which had been baptized and received into the church in less than one year. This was proof enough that a new parish church was needed for this area in south St. Louis.

With all best wishes and the assurance of my fervent prayers,
Canon Michael K. Wiener
Rector, St. Francis de Sales Oratory

Epiphany

2012-01-06T13:47:00.000-06:00

Have a blessed Feast day!

Twelfth Night

2012-01-05T14:29:00.000-06:00

Today is the eve of the great Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. Tonight marks the blessing of Epiphany water, which carries a special blessing. Use it, and blessed chalk, tomorrow, to bless your homes. For seasonal customs, check out the fish eaters entries here and here.

Tomorrow's Masses at St. Francis de Sales Oratory are at 8 am (Low Mass) and 6:30 pm (High Mass).

A continued Blessed and Merry Christmas to you all.

SNAP to Court: Just Take Our Word for It

2012-01-04T13:54:00.001-06:00

It seems that "transparency" is a concept best confined to the organization it seeks to destroy. In their past and present statements relevant to defending their decision to defy a Court order, they can't hear their own irony-meters blaring. Try to suppress a spit-take when you read of charges of "reckless secrecy" and "bullying". From CNA:

SNAP refuses to obey court order for abuse documents

By Michelle Bauman

St. Louis, Mo., Jan 4, 2012 / 06:07 am (CNA).- A group claiming to advocate for clergy sex abuse victims says it will not comply with a court order asking it to turn over documents, amid concerns that it had received information in violation of a judge’s gag order.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, has said that it will refuse to submit to a judge’s request for information involving allegations of sexual abuse against a Missouri priest.

SNAP director David Clohessy told CNA on Jan. 3 that his organization should be held to a “different standard” of transparency than Church leaders and dioceses, which he described as “organizations that enable and conceal thousands of pedophiles to rape tens of thousands of kids.”

The order was issued by Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Ann Mesle in an abuse lawsuit brought against Father Michael Tierney and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Sept. 2010.

The plaintiff in the case has alleged that Fr. Tierney sexually abused him in the 1970s. Fr. Tierney, who denies any wrongdoing, has been barred from doing public Church work.

SNAP has been ordered to produce all documents and correspondence relating to the plaintiff, the accused priest and other priests in the diocese, as well as documents referring to repressed memory. The accuser in the lawsuit said he repressed memories of the abuse for many years.

The order came after defense lawyers raised concerns that the accuser’s attorney violated a gag order by revealing information about the case to SNAP. The lawyers say that SNAP printed the restricted information in a press release.

Clohessy said on Jan. 3 that SNAP “is refusing” to turn over the requested documents and will fight the order.

The group also vowed that it would “blast Catholic bishops” who allow the use of “hardball tactics” against them, at a media event scheduled for Jan. 3 in front of the chancery for the St. Louis archdiocese.
For years, SNAP has attacked Church officials for their “reckless secrecy” and demanded greater transparency within the Church.

But Clohessy said this same transparency within his own organization would violate speech, press and privacy rights.

Judge Mesle acknowledged the importance of protecting privacy interests in connection with the documents requested. She said that Clohessy could identify confidential documents to be viewed privately.
However, Clohessy insisted that he will not turn over the documents, saying that the lawyers who pushed for the order “should be ashamed of themselves.”

SNAP outreach director Barbara Dorris called the order a “bullying effort” designed to “invade the privacy of victims” and “protect predator priests.”
She criticized Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph for not calling off the “expensive, cumbersome fishing expedition.”

In its mission statement, SNAP says that its goal is to heal those who are wounded and prevent further abuse.
However, the organization’s critics argue that it does little to actually help victims and instead concentrates its time and money on undermining the Church.

According to the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, dioceses across the country have paid about $3 billion in settling abuse claims over the past 60 years.

Overheard

2012-01-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

There are only so many chocolate and peanut butter moments.

--Methodist Jim

We always grab an Octave, when an Octave is grab-able.

--Noted Local Cleric

Hungary for the Truth

2012-01-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

Leaving aside questions about form of government, the nation-state of Hungary's new Constitution (called the Fundamental Law), while not perfect, goes a long way towards the kind of Constitution that recognizes the social Kingship of Christ. This excerpt's English translation comes from Rorate Caeli:

_________________
[Preamble:]

God bless the Hungarians
...
We are proud that our king Saint Stephen built the Hungarian State on solid ground and made our country a part of Christian Europe one thousand years ago.
...
We recognise the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood. We value the various religious traditions of our country.
...
We do not recognise the suspension of our historical constitution due to foreign occupations. We deny any statute of limitations for the inhuman crimes committed against the Hungarian nation and its citizens under the National Socialist and Communist dictatorships.

We do not recognise the Communist constitution of 1949, since it was the basis for tyrannical rule; therefore we proclaim it to be invalid.
...
Article L

(1) Hungary shall protect the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman established by voluntary decision, and the family as the basis of the nation’s survival.
(2) Hungary shall encourage the commitment to have children.
...
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
...
Article II

Human dignity shall be inviolable. Every human being shall have the right to life and human dignity; embryonic and foetal life shall be subject to protection from the moment of conception.

A Good New Year's Resolution

2012-01-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

"I think of this new year as a white page given to me by Your Father, on which He will write, day by day, whatever His divine good pleasure has planned. I shall now write at the top of the page, with complete confidence: Domine, fac de me sicut vis, Lord, do with me what You will, and at the bottom I already write my Amen to all the proposals of Your divine will. Yes, Lord, yes to all the joys, the sorrows, the graces, the hardships prepared for me, which You will reveal to me day by day. Grant that my Amen may be the Paschal Amen, always followed by the Alleluia, uttered wholeheartedly, in the joy of a complete gift. Give me Your love and Your grace, and I shall be rich enough."

--Sr. Carmela of the Holy Spirit, O.C.D., as quoted in Divine Intimacy, by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

Guns Don't Kill People. Pizza Kills People.

2012-01-03T08:25:00.000-06:00

Stories like this make me wonder if common sense has been completely bred out of our nation. At least the school wardens didn't put the institution on "lockdown" after this very scary event. From the full article:

Boy disciplined after waving gun-shaped pizza slice

Posted: Dec 14, 2011 4:01 PM CST
Reported By Andy Cordan, Reporter

SMYRNA, Tenn. - For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun.

Nicholas Taylor attends David Youree Elementary School in Smyrna, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville.

School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful.

Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and never said anything derogatory or anything about shooting anyone.

"The kid across the table from him said it looked like a gun so he picked it up and started shooting it in the air," she told Nashville's News 2 Investigates.

Taylor said she learned of the incident when the school sent her a note saying her son was threatening other students.

James Evans, spokesperson for the Rutherford County School District, said the boy isn't being punished because he had a piece of pizza shaped like a gun.

He's being punished because "some students reported he was making some threatening hand gestures, that he was shooting other kids at the table and they reported it to a teacher," according to Evans.

He continued, "The student didn't tell him the truth about it so he got silent lunch for six days."

[...]

In addition to lunch at the silent table, Nicholas has spent time with the school resource officer learning about gun safety.

Taylor said the school system has made it clear that if her son eats his pizza into the shape of a gun again and there is a similar occurrence, he will be suspended.
_______________

I was going to suggest that readers eat their pizzas into the shape of guns for the rest of the month, in solidarity with young Nicholas. These guns could be rifles or handguns, whatever works best with your individual pizza and biting preferences. Just make sure you don't bite them into fully automatic shapes-- those require federal licenses, and I am not responsible for your actions. DO NOT chew them into tank, hand grenade, missile or shoe-bomb shapes. Be an adult about this. And remember that if you are traveling in Illinois, put the pizza in your trunk, with the pepperoni locked in a separate container. No funny stuff, see.

After so chewing, DO NOT send them to the David Youree Elementary School. That would mean trouble. The "school resource officer" (euphemism for the police) would have to teach you about pizza safety. Trying to rehabilitate young Nicholas with the government school authorities is impossible. Besides, pulling him out of that environment would be the best thing his parents could do.

Why do parents subject their children to this kind of treatment?

Christmastime Update; Te Deum and Plenary Indulgence on December 31

2011-12-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

Deep within this Octave of Christmas I wanted to check in with those hardy souls who still read this space. Merry Christmas to you and a very Blessed New Year!

Did you eat meat today? Did you even think about it? This is one of those days where the traditional practice and the modern law and expectation collide. Even for those who abstain from meat every Friday of the year (as is still expected under the law, unless you substitute a different penance for it), this kind of day poses a conundrum. In the olden days, only a Holy Day of Obligation set aside a Friday abstinence. Now, though, "Solemnities" do, regardless of whether they are obligatory. A day like today always gives me pause-- it is not a Holy Day of Obligation; nor, strictly speaking, is it a First Class Feast. It is, I believe, a Second Class Feast of Our Lord. But, it marks Christmas, which is a Holy Day of Obligation (even to the USCCB) and one of the principal feasts of the year. It feels incongruent to do penance today. So, did you eat meat today?

Next, I apologize for obviously and egregiously lame blogging the last ten days, even by my standards. After I return after the New Year's break, around Tuesday, it will pick up again. Thanks for your patience.

And finally, as the title indicates, there is an opportunity for a plenary indulgence for those who partake in the traditional end-of-year public recitation of the Te Deum on December 31. The Canons at St. Francis de Sales will pray the Te Deum at 5 pm. It is a very convenient opportunity to gain the indulgence, which may come in quite handy the way people drive on New Year's Eve. The usual conditions apply-- confession, communion, prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father, complete detachment from sin.

Here is the ancient prayer of thanksgiving itself, in Latin and English:

TE DEUM laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.	O GOD, we praise Thee: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur.	Everlasting Father, all the earth doth worship Thee.
Tibi omnes Angeli; tibi Caeli et universae Potestates;	To Thee all the Angels, the Heavens and all the Powers,
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant:	all the Cherubim and Seraphim, unceasingly proclaim:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.	Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae.	Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,	The glorious choir of the Apostles,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,	the wonderful company of Prophets,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.	the white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia,	Holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge Thee:
Patrem immensae maiestatis:	the Father of infinite Majesty;
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;	Thy adorable, true and only Son;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.	and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.	O Christ, Thou art the King of glory!
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.	Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum.	Thou, having taken it upon Thyself to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.	Thou overcame the sting of death and hast opened to believers the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.	Thou sitest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.	We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni: quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.	We beseech Thee, therefore, to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.	Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.
V. Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.	V. Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thine inheritance!
R. Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.	R. Govern them, and raise them up forever.
V. Per singulos dies benedicimus te.	V. Every day we thank Thee.
R. Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.	R. And we praise Thy Name forever, yea, forever and ever.
V. Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.	V.
R. Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri.	R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
V. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.	V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee.
R. In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aeternum.	R. O Lord, in Thee I have hoped; let me never be put to shame.

Another Reason to Homeschool, and Another Reason Why Homeschooling Will Be Targeted for Extinction

2011-12-28T15:17:00.001-06:00

You haven't realized that your child belongs to the state, you see.

The Christmas Truce of World War I

2011-12-27T14:36:00.000-06:00

For the season, I wanted to draw attention to the nice article in The Remnant on the Christmas Truce of 1914. This truce, in the first year of the war that finished off the remains of Christendom, was a remarkable bit of sanity in the midst of auto-demolition.

May the Prince of Peace soon win over the hearts of men, so hardened in our own day.

Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist: Blessing of Wine after Tonight's Mass at the Oratory

2011-12-27T14:08:00.000-06:00

What follows is a rehash of my post of last year-- I just wanted to post this so that any faithful who want to benefit from the blessing of wine on St. John's feast day may do so tonight after the 6:30pm Mass at St. Francis de Sales Oratory:

Having been raised in the throes of the N.O. for most of my life, I was unaware of the beautiful custom of the blessing of wine after the principal Mass on the feast of St. John. The above image captures an incident in the life of the Apostle, when he was given poisoned wine to drink. When he blessed the wine, the poison left the chalice in the form of a serpent and he safely consumed the remaining wine.

Just another one of those beautiful Catholic customs we should take care to retain and pass along to our children.
This blessing is an English translation from the Roman Ritual:
BLESSING OF WINE
on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27)At the end of the principal Mass on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after the last Gospel, the priest, retaining all vestments except the maniple, blesses wine brought by the people. This is done in memory and in honor of St. John, who drank without any ill effects the poisoned wine offered to him by his enemies.
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.
If it please you, Lord God, bless + and consecrate + this vessel of wine (or any other beverage) by the power of your right hand; and grant that, through the merits of St. John, apostle and evangelist, all your faithful who drink of it may find it a help and a protection. As the blessed John drank the poisoned potion without any ill effects, so may all who today drink the blessed
wine in his honor be delivered from poisoning and similar harmful things. And as they offer themselves body and soul to you, may they obtain pardon of all their sins; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Lord, bless + this creature drink, so that it may be a health-giving medicine to all who use it; and grant by your grace that all who taste of it may enjoy bodily and spiritual health in calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come on this wine (or any other beverage) and remain always.
All: Amen.
It is sprinkled with holy water. If the blessing is given privately outside of Mass, the priest is vested in surplice and stole and performs the ceremony as given above.

I Have No Shame

2011-12-26T20:32:00.000-06:00

in directing you to Mother Crab's blog for this and other great photos of Midnight Mass at St. Francis de Sales.

Light Blogging Through Christmas

2011-12-23T15:19:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to everyone, and have a blessed holiday!

December 23

2011-12-23T09:57:00.000-06:00

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

December 22

2011-12-22T10:07:00.000-06:00

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

Oratory Newsletter-- Gaudete Gala Round-up, Survey Reminder, Midnight Mass Info, Scrip Program, Visit of Cardinal Burke, and Good News on the Tower Front

2011-12-21T17:19:00.000-06:00

If you only read one newsletter this year-- let it be this one! ;-)

From Canon Michael Wiener, Rector of St. Francis de Sales Oratory:

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES ORATORY
EMAIL NEWSLETTER

December 21, 2011

GAUDETE BENEFIT GALA - SURVEY - STEEPLE - CANON DE LA BROSSE MIDNIGHT MASS - SCRIP - VISIT OF CARDINAL BURKE
MYSTERY PHOTO

Dear Faithful and Friends of St. Francis de Sales Oratory,

FIRST ANNUAL GAUDETE BENEFIT GALA

One member of the audience described the Oratory’s first Gaudete Benefit Gala as a “magical evening.” Others used “fantastic,” “moving” and “extraordinary” to describe the memorable experience which exceeded their expectations.

From the jazzy welcome which greeted the first arrivals at the cocktail social, to the resounding “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” that closed the evening, this “magical evening” was a delightful interlacing of skillfully performed music and a delicious banquet. The overture, “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” captivated the audience just before the first course, Winter Beef Soup, was served. Thereafter, choral and instrumental pieces by classical masters as well as contemporary composers were enchantingly interwoven with the elegant dinner, served in a joyful atmosphere.

Who can forget the Chocolate Oblivion Flourless Torte paired with timeless Christmas carols, sung with energy and expression by the Oratory’s choristers?

Once again, I would like to thank Mr. Nick Botkins, Mrs. Catherine Unseth, Mrs. Mary Hayworth, and Mr. Mike Kenney for their vision and execution of this beautiful gala, which showcased the Oratory’s choirs and orchestra. We will need support to renovate the music suite in the “1888 Building” and to refurbish the organ, and this fundraiser was a very good beginning. I would like to thank all of you who came to this sold-out event, and the many guests who came to hear our choirs for the first time. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the singers and musicians for sharing the gifts which you offer every Sunday in support of the Sacred Liturgy, and which were displayed so dazzlingly at this Gala. Thank you!

Thanks to Mr. Phil Roussin, we are able to share with you two selections performed at the Gala: the Ave Maria by Nicholas Wilton, and the traditional carol, Gloucestershire Wassail.

PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN SURVEY

We are in the final weeks of our 5-week survey of the Oratory’s attendees. The wonderful changes we have seen at St. Francis de Sales in the past six years have been supported largely by the dedicated and increased attendance. A higher rate of participation in this survey will ensure a better understanding of the demographic changes which are taking place. We kindly ask everyone to participate this year, whether you did last year, or are a newcomer this year. Last year’s survey returns cannot be re-used; therefore it is necessary that everyone fills out a new one for this year. For your convenience, the survey is designed to take only a few minutes, and it can be filled out anonymously in paper form, or online at http://www.tinyurl.com/StFdS. Your generous participation will help us gather information which will help the Oratory serve the faithful in the greater St. Louis area. Thank you very much for your help!

AN ENCOURAGING UPDATE ON THE STEEPLE TOWER

In November, we received the final report of a study which monitored the movement of the Saint Francis de Sales steeple tower. This study was conducted over a 15-month period, considerably longer than the previous report of 2005 which spanned 5 months. The results of this recent study are interesting in that they show a cyclical displacement, likely due to seasonal effects, rather than a continuous unidirectional separation of the tower from the nave. Thus, the net displacement measured was smaller than what the previous projection would lead us to believe. The study concludes: “The continual movement was not significant enough to be readily measurable over this time period,” and that “it is not a primary concern at this time.”

The report’s recommendations are two-fold: a. more long-term monitoring of the tower is needed, and b. that the damage already occurred should be addressed as soon as possible.

We are very grateful for this study which gives us a better understanding of the steeple tower situation, so that this important element in the restoration of St. Francis de Sales can be addressed in a prudent manner.

In the mean time, per recommendation of the report, we will attend to other much-needed repairs of the church, such as the stained glass windows, displaced masonry, broken brick work, and tuck-pointing. With the generosity of the faithful and friends of the Oratory, some of these repairs have already begun or been completed in the last few years. Gratefully, and encouraged by the latest information, we look forward to the next phase of collaboration with all our supporters to continue the restoration of St. Francis de Sales.

FIRST MASS OF CANON BRIEUC DE LA BROSSE

Canon Brieuc de La Brosse who was ordained priest by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, in Florence on July 7, celebrated Solemn High Mass at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, preached the sermon and gave a first blessing to hundreds of faithful. Canon de La Brosse arrived in St. Louis last Saturday and was able to attend the Gaudete Benefit Gala the night before this wonderful and grace-filled Sunday. Thank you, Canon de La Brosse, for your visit and God Speed for your apostolic work in the Institute’s apostolates in Ireland!

MIDNIGHT MASS

Solemn High Mass with Glorious Music and Veneration of the Relic of the Holy Crèche.

The first Mass of Christmas will be celebrated at midnight on December 25, and will include the veneration of the relic of the holy Crèche. Please join us, and invite your friends, neighbors and family to a memorable, traditional celebration of the birth of the Savior. Beginning at 11:30 PM, traditional Christmas carols will be sung by the Choirs of Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, including the Girls' Choir, the Oratory Choir of Men and Boys, and the Polyphonic Choir. The music repertoire accompanying the glorious Sacred Liturgy will include the Lux Arumque by Eric Whitacre, and Missa Brevis for Strings and Brass KV. 194 by Mozart.

ORATORY’S SCRIP PROGRAM – INTRODUCING “SHOPWITHSCRIP”

In the last Newsletter we announced a new Scrip program for the Oratory. By shopping with Scrip at the retailers you already frequent, a percentage of the money you spend is contributed to the Oratory. It is a year-round, ongoing fundraiser which may also be a shopping convenience at this time of the year. Everyone is cordially invited to check out the program, and to participate if you wish. The Oratory has some scrip in the form of gift cards on hand and available for immediate purchase from the following retailers.

Lowe’s - Shop-n-Save - Starbuck's - St. Louis Bread Company
JCPenny -Walmart - Sam's Club - Target - Land's End -LLBean
IHOP - Burger King - Walgreen's - Bob Evans - JoAnn Fabric
Little Ceaser's - Gymboree - Domino's -Chipolte -Dillard's

To purchase or for questions about the program, please contact Mrs. Gretchen Clinton at sfdsscrip@gmail.com or the Oratory office at 314-771-3100.

VISIT OF CARDINAL BURKE

His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, will visit the Oratory for the second time since his elevation to the cardinalate: On January 31, 2012 (Tuesday), at 5:00PM His Eminence will be the celebrant of a Solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction. Immediately afterward, His Eminence will receive all faithful who wish to greet him in the hall during a festive reception. Please come greet the Cardinal and bring friends and family. The visit of Cardinal Burke is an opportunity for us to show our filial gratitude for his friendship and support of the work of the Institute worldwide and especially for his fatherly care for the good of Saint Francis de Sales Oratory.

CAN YOU GUESS?

This last Mystery Photo in 2011 shows again a detail of the rich sacred art work we are blessed to see every day at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory. Look around and remember: Where did you receive the greatest gift the Church offers to us every day? Go to the TraditionForTomorrow blog and drop your answer in the combox under the latest entry.

With my most sincere wishes for you and your families and friends on the occasion of the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and a Happy New Year 2012 I ask you for your prayers for the Institute and our community at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory,

Canon Michael K. Wiener
Rector, St. Francis de Sales Oratory

Some Good Points in the Catholics Come Home Campaign Need to Be Reinforced by Catholic Parishes

2011-12-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

Well, obviously, asking Catholics who have fallen away from the faith to reconsider the Church is a good thing, as is seeking to bring non-Catholics to the truth of the Catholic Church. So, why the title of my post?

First, I am skeptical that the kind of ad campaign used in this effort will have major effect to convert hearts and minds. The website and videos used are professionally produced, and seek to target the emotive response of a commercial consumer, rather than to focus on the content of the faith. I'm not saying that hitting the emotions is wrong-- we are human beings of flesh, blood and emotions. And in a world of short attention spans, and considering the medium employed, there isn't enough time to really drive home lots of substance. So the problem isn't that the ads are bad, they are merely incomplete. And they are superficially compelling, with a similar feel to the ubiquitous "I'm Zebulon Pike and I'm a Mormon" ads.

The issue for me is that, at best, this type of commercial campaign will get people to "try" going to Church. But what will they find when they wander in to their local parish Sunday Mass?

And here is where the video embedded above gets more right than the average Catholic parish. Among other things, here are some good points of the video that may not be reinforced in our parishes:

The rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church: the ad reminds us that the Church, far from being the backwards opponent of scientific progress, has done more to advance the cause of scientific and intellectual development than any other institution. How well do our schools impart a total Catholic formation that integrates the truths of faith and the truths of the created world? Even in schools that teach the truths of the faith, there is usually a secular compartmentalization of the "the faith" (internal, private, imminent and not to be forced on others) with "science" (real, objective, opposed to faith and superior to faith). Our schools' approach often--by lack of integration-- relegates the faith to the realm of the imaginary, instead of acknowledging that truth is one and entire, and cannot suffer contradiction in either Catholic dogmas or in the physical world.

The Catholic Church, inspired by God, compiled the Bible: Yes, that Bible: the Bible that is used by non-Catholics to lure away Catholics from the Church; the Bible that Catholics supposedly don't read, don't understand, and don't follow. This is the Bible that every person on earth can thank the Catholic Church for compiling and promulgating. Without the Catholic Church, there is no Bible. The Church defined it, is the authority over its interpretation, and is the authority over its rightful use. Do our parishes make this point effectively? In the multiplicity of readings at Masses, in the pulpits, do Catholics hear this preached? Do Catholics know that it is impossible for the Catholic Church to be "unbiblical"? How many former Catholics were duped by religious sects into abandoning the only truly biblical Church on the charge of being unbibilical? Do pastors warn their flocks about the dangers of participating in protestant Bible studies, where heterodox interpretations of scripture are inevitable?

The Catholic Church is the one true Church: the video soft-sells this one a bit (as have many modern pastors with disastrous results), but makes the point that the Catholic Church has the fullness of Christian faith, has an unbroken history of 2,000 years of apostolic succession and that the Popes have led the Church "in truth". How many parishes reinforce this point, or even believe it enough to teach it? Catholics are told from the pulpits to dialogue with other religions and denominations. They see the example of pastors and prelates willing to engage in common prayer (at best) or even communio in sacris (at worst) with just about any religion. They are told not to judge, and rightly so. But are they ever informed that "Hey, you are right to be Catholic, and that there is a very good reason to be one"? Do the pastors really stress the need for baptism of our children as soon as possible after birth? Or are they told it doesn't really matter?

The vital importance of the Mass: the Mass and the reality of the Eucharist are depicted in several shots of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration/Benediction. I won't go into Forms, but are the Masses of our local parishes celebrated with at least as much reverence as shown on this video? Do our parishes have Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction?

The "little things" are important: I say "little things" as a shorthand, because these may not in fact be "little things" at all. What does this video show?: The "clericalism" of priests dressed as priests, doing priestly things. Religious brothers and sisters dressed as religious brothers and sisters. Girls--wearing veils (!)-- kneeling (!) to receive Holy Communion on their tongues (!) from a priest (!) with an altar boy holding a paten to prevent profanation of the Sacred Host (!). Throw in the beauties of worship like incense, beautiful Churches, sacred vestments, etc. and you've really got something. In the video, I mean. Only you can answer the question of how often these "little things" are present in your parishes.

In short, my take on the Catholics Come Home campaign is this-- it is a good effort, but will those we convince to reconsider the faith actually recognize what they see at the local parish as consistent with what in the ad campaign convinced them to give the faith another try?

December 21, The Feast of St. Thomas

2011-12-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

December 20

2011-12-20T13:35:00.001-06:00

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

A Word of Advice

2011-12-19T11:07:00.000-06:00

If you live in the Saint Louis area, and do not make plans to attend next year's Second Annual Gaudete Benefit Gala, you have only yourself to blame.

This year's event was held Saturday night at St. Francis de Sales Oratory. I expected it to be nice, but it exceeded my expectations by fifty-fold. The atmosphere, music, food and drinks, not to mention the company, were all first rate. It is truly amazing how well the choirs and orchestra sounded. The program was extensive, and the interspersion of music with the cocktail hour, meal courses, and conversation was really well done. Very classy, in every respect.

Well, I liked it, anyway. This year's event was sold out. I'm thinking there need to be more tables added next year to meet the demand. For the cost of admission, it beat a holiday concert at the Fox or Powell by a country mile, and all for the best of causes.

Those who performed were absolutely amazing, and those who planned and executed the evening deserve great thanks. I am thinking Mother Crab might post some photos (audio?) on her blog; if she does, I will link it here.

See you next year?

December 19

2011-12-19T10:59:00.000-06:00

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

The Roman Rite, Old and New: the Conclusion

2011-12-18T09:03:00.000-06:00

Is now up at Rorate Caeli. If you haven't read the series yet, or even a part of it, I recommend heading over there, printing it all out, and reading it. Then give it to your friends and family.

December 18, Fourth Sunday of Advent

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

December 17

2011-12-17T16:04:00.000-06:00

O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ.

Ongoing Survey at the Oratory

2011-12-17T08:08:00.001-06:00

The Institute of Christ the King is conducting its annual survey on attendance at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. If you attend the Oratory regularly or even just occasionally, they would greatly appreciate it if you would complete the brief survey. It helps the Institute ensure that they provide necessary resources to the apostolate and also assists in planning for the future.

The survey is available at the Oratory or you can fill it out online here.

Thanks!

Not on the Set List for the Gaudete Benefit Gala...Yet.

2011-12-16T15:29:00.002-06:00

Write in votes in the combox?

First Mass of Canon Brieuc de La Brosse at the Oratory This Sunday

2011-12-16T10:42:00.000-06:00

Canon de La Brosse

First Mass

Canon de La Brosse

Canon de La Brosse, ordained in July of this year by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, will offer a first Solemn Mass at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory on Sunday, December 18th at 10 a.m.

Noble Simplicity in the Roman Rite

2011-12-15T10:32:00.000-06:00

I was reading Rorate Caeli to prepare a post on the ongoing SSPX-Vatican "dialogue" (shout-out to cdg!) when I saw this photo of a concelebration of Mass in the Ordinary Form by Swiss bishops. The photo depicts the celebrants holding hands while gathered around a couple of what look like sawhorses adorned with the regulation fern and Marek Bozek's tableware.

It appears as though they have the "simplicity" part down cold. The "noble", not so much.

More Chartreusings

2011-12-15T01:32:00.000-06:00

Gordon Ramsey
Nick Stellino
Jacques Pepin
Cat Cora
Frugal Gourmet

All on the Index of Forbidden Cooks

_______________

This new translation controversy is really too much. It has gone way beyond Sunday Mass, too. I was watching the new blu-ray edition of Star Wars, and when Obi-Wan said to Luke, "May the Force be with you," Luke replied, "And with your spirit."

_______________

Finally, I just saw an informational video about further changes to the Mass. In addition to the new translation, there may some rubrical changes to make the Mass more appealing to our separated brethren. Instead of describing it, maybe you should just watch. Looks intriguing:

Crime and Punishment

2011-12-14T08:25:00.002-06:00

Is a really good book. Just thought you should know.

God, Sports, & All That

2011-12-13T10:03:00.000-06:00

OK, I am going to blunder in here where Angels fear to tread. And by Angels, I don't mean the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who fairly waltzed into the lives of the Pujols family and formed a lifelong partnership based upon either 1) one phone call; 2) $250-$280 million; or, 3) both.

I don't intend to go into a baseball analysis of Albert Pujols' decision to sign with the Angels for a more lucrative contract than the one offered by the Cardinals. I don't mind a professional deciding to take a new job for more money. In real life, this motivation is considered sufficient, and perhaps even laudable. Only in sports, and in a particular way in baseball, are athletes expected to evince other motivations.

However, I can't understand why players, including Pujols, have to bend over backwards to say that money "has nothing to do with" these decisions. Is this a mere platitude designed to preserve or foster the love of people they don't know? Is it a tacit admission that it shouldn't be about money? Is it guilt, misplaced or otherwise?

What I wanted to talk about today, and throw open for discussion, is the recent interview by Deidre Pujols, Albert's wife, wherein she talks about what she perceives are the actions of God and the Devil and Christians on earth in the contract negotiations and fallout. We see many athletes-- and I don't doubt their good intentions or sincerity one bit-- who in addition to thanking God for their talents or success or whatever, act as though He has money on the game, or is the player's Agent in the sky.

And here is where I think the attitude of Mrs. Pujols is typical of a God-and-me-alone spirituality. The idea that one should have a personal relationship with Jesus is sound, properly understood. But so many seem to have a notion that the existence of the relationship means that good things will always and everywhere happen to us. Specifically absent is the notion that suffering is salvific, that suffering, though evil, can bring about good. That suffering is something that is a necessary component of the Christian life.

Some quotes from Mrs. Pujols illustrate the syndrome:

"the Holy Spirit prompted me to tell people not to be deceived by what they were reading and listening to [about an impending deal.] Don't read the newspapers."

[...]

"When it all came down, I was mad. I was mad at God...We had no reason to want to leave," Pujols continued, adding later:

The reason I say I was angry with the Lord is because I felt like when we were at our weakest - both the Cardinals and our family - making this decision, and it just couldn't get finished and done, I was like, 'this is when God is going to step in.' And it didn't happen. And then when the news broke on Thursday morning after we had made our decision, I don't think we anticipated the tsunami that came our way.

[...]

After Diedre and Albert wrote an open letter to Cardinals fans in the Post-Dispatch, she "broke my own rule" and began reading the online comments attached to the letter on the newspaper's website.

"I hated them when I was done," Pujols said in the JOY-FM interview. "I [didn't] want to be like John going to Jesus and 'should we call fire down on these people because they rejected you?'" Albert had to calm her down, she said.

Again, I don't want anyone to think that I believe her to be insincere, or that there isn't truth to the presence of God's Providence in individual lives, whether athletes, doctors, or ditch-diggers. But this attitude of the me-and-Jesus crowd never encompasses that He may not want a person to achieve worldly success, or that He may not want them to win this game, or that He may be calling them to be unfairly criticized, or to suffer neglect. It wasn't enough that she wanted to let people know that her husband had been slandered-- it was the Holy Spirit who told her to do it. She said she was mad at God because He didn't come in to solve all of the contractual issues. She became angry that fans were unfair to her husband and she referred to the apostles asking Jesus to call fire from the sky.

In the end, the Apostles didn't see the Tsunami that awaited the Lord when they came down from Mount Tabor either.

So, I don't know that I have some great insight on how to square the circle of athletes, God and sports. I just found the attitude of Mrs. Pujols worthy of note. God loves her husband, He loves her, He loves us. He calls upon us all to accept our crosses and be grateful for our blessings. It is just rare to see an acknowledgement that suffering is part of the deal.

Meatless Friday Monday, Election Edition

2011-12-12T14:47:00.000-06:00

Saint Louis Catholic does not endorse any political candidate. Now that you have wiped the coffee off of your computer screen, and on a completely unrelated note, here is a video of all of Ron Paul's responses at last Saturday's debate:

"Am I Not Here, Who Am Your Mother?"

2011-12-12T14:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe to all readers!

For Methodist Jim

2011-12-09T16:15:00.001-06:00

Prayer Request

2011-12-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine is pregnant with her second child. She is 23 weeks, and has just recently learned that her unborn daughter has a serious set of abnormalities that immediately threaten her life and make her live birth unlikely. She is about the size of a normal 15 week-old. There are other problems I won't describe here. If she is born, she will likely not survive more than hours or days. Thus, the joys of an expectant mother have quickly been replaced by crushing worry and sorrow.

Could you please pray for this mother and child? Of course, prayers for miraculous healing are welcome. But even a live birth to allow baptism would be of great comfort to her.

Thank you.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T07:17:00.000-06:00

Today is the great feast of the turning point in salvation history. It is also a Holy Day of Obligation. St. Francis de Sales Oratory has Low Mass at 8am and 12:15pm, and also High Mass tonight at 6:30pm. Tonight's homilist is the internationally known Marian expert Monsignor Arthur B. Calkins.

Because Mary, under her title as the Immaculate Conception, is the primary patroness of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, the faithful assisting at Mass at de Sales or any other Institute apostolate can gain a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions.

Pope Pius IX, the Vicar of Christ, defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in Ineffabilis Deus:

Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church to God the Father through his Son, that he would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we ardently invoked the Paraclete. Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."[29]

Hence, if anyone shall dare -- which God forbid! -- to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should dare to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart.

A blessed feast day to all readers.

Regina sine labe originali concepta, ora pro nobis!

Scepticism of the Veracity of Network News Should Be a Given

2011-12-07T13:48:00.001-06:00

This isn't the first time Fox News has been caught running inaccurate video for its stories.

And before you have a fit, I believe this kind of "mistake" is not limited to one network news organization.

70 Years Ago Today

2011-12-07T08:57:00.001-06:00

Today is the 70th anniversary of the cataclysmic event that confirmed America's transformation in the field of foreign relations from a largely non-interventionist one to a very interventionist one: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This change began, arguably, with the Spanish-American War (though perhaps even earlier). As we remember those who needlessly lost their lives on that day, Catholic political commenter Patrick Buchanan echoes a question that has been asked before and remains to be answered:

Did FDR Provoke Pearl Harbor?

CBC's Sheeple Prep Program

2011-12-06T15:28:00.000-06:00

STLToday has a story today about CBC High School's mandatory drug-testing program, now at the five-year mark. Officials of the self-identified Catholic school are quoted with glee about the "success" of the program, noting that there is "no refusal allowed by students or parents, and no one has ever refused". Sounds like the perfect formation for the "real world", where grads can line up and be sexually assaulted at the airport, or be tracked on their smart phones, or any other indignities authorities of the burgeoning police state say they must endure.

The full story is worth a cautionary read, but I wanted to cull a few quotes I found particularly appalling and post them here, with commentary:

Using a small sample of hair, about 1.5 inches long, the test can identify whether use is light, moderate or heavy and can provide an approximation of when the drug was last used.

It bears mentioning that the school is seeking knowledge of past activities of the student and are forcibly extracting testimony from their very body tissue. Later, the article notes that the hair test will note drug usage for about 90 days. So, CBC is potentially seeking to know what a student has done in their private lives even months before enrolling in the school.

In his 23 years as president of CBC, _______ said the drug testing "has been one of the most positive things that's ever happened to our school."

"Our kids take pride that we're the only school in the state, as far as we know, that does mandatory drug testing for the entire student body and that the numbers are what they are."

The president thinks that brainwashing children into taking pride in submitting to invasive drug tests is one of the most positive things that has ever happened to his school. Where do I sign up!

Parents find the program reassuring, while students take it in stride.

In case you were wondering what would possess a parent to allow their children to be treated like criminals...

"He tells me the test is absolutely no big deal," _______ said. "When he passes, a letter comes home from Ms. _______ congratulating him on passing. As a parent, that's a wonderful thing to get, a letter that tells you 100 percent that everything is OK."

When the authorities give you a commendation for submission, you know that your hard work as a parent is all paying off.

_______, of St. Charles, is president of the school's Parent Club and father to _______, who graduated CBC last year, and ______, a junior.

"I think this program is excellent because it gives our kids one more reason to stay away from drugs," he said. "Let's be frank, temptations are out there, and this gives kids another tool to fight against peer pressure.

I think it is a little ironic that the president of the Parent Club is so anxious to pass off the job of being a parent to the school-- or should I say, to the contractor hired by the school to cut his childrens' hair in order to obtain evidence of criminal activity. Threat of expulsion and prosecution is one way to discourage drug use. So is parental oversight and formation in the Catholic faith. I wonder what contractor has that job at CBC.

Even in the 2007-2008 school year when testing was first done at CBC, 97.6 percent of students tested drug-free, she said. Afterward, the results were 98.7 percent for 2008-2009, 98.8 percent for 2009-2010 and 99.1 percent for 2010-2011.

"The testing was not started to be punitive or because we thought we had a problem," _________ said.

Read those last two paragraphs again. There you have statistical and testimonial proof that discouragement of drug use has nothing to do with this program, nor has drug usage significantly decreased (even if one attributes a cause-and-effect to the minuscule percentage decrease in positive test results).

However, other Christian Brothers schools across the country were doing such testing, she said.

"The reasons they've done it were like ours, because we care about our kids," she said.

Ohhhhh, OK, as long as it's because they CARE about THEIR kids...

__________ said hair testing, which has always been the methodology used, is harder to mask than a urine test.

"Drugs only stay in urine for a few days, but hair testing gives you a 90-day window of usage," she said. "Also, a hair test is very noninvasive."

Sure, noninvasive. Just taking your hair. Not like submitting to electronic-image strip searches or groping of private parts. It just conditions acceptance of such practices. That makes it OK.

I don't see how CBC's forced drug testing program is forming capable Catholic citizens of a free society. But maybe it's too late to worry about it anymore.

Tuition at CBC for the 2011-12 academic year is $11,980.

That'll buy a lot of drug tests.

But no human dignity.

2011-12-06T13:57:00.000-06:00

All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts. A British Tory will defend self-determination in Europe and oppose it in India with no feeling of inconsistency. Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage — torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians — which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by ‘our’ side. . .
The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.

-- George Orwell, quoted in this provocative article

Picture Julie Andrews in a Snood...

2011-12-06T13:30:00.000-06:00

...and you can picture Delena, the proprietress of the It's on My To-Do List blog, who has penned the following ditty, sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things". From her full post:

First, Medjugore and then Garabandal
Should priests wear cassocks or should they wear sandals?
Secrets of Fatima and Pope B16
These are a few controversial things...

High heels and make-up, and veiling, cremation
Donating organs and immigration
Nursing your child 'til the age of sixteen
These are a few controversial things...

Abstaining from meat every Friday all year
Chalices in Mass made of glass that's so clear
NFP, annulments, and home-schooling
These are a few controversial things...

JPII! Advent blue!
Clowns when I'm feeling mad!
But I just think of a few controversial things
And then I don't feeeeeeeeel soooooo sad!

May a Moody Baby Doom a Yam?

2011-12-05T17:10:00.000-06:00

A Bully Question

2011-12-05T14:45:00.000-06:00

Karen DeCoster at the LRC blog asks a legitimate question. In light of the massive "anti-bullying" movement across the several states and from the federal government, resulting in more publicly-funded programs, more laws and more angst, she asks:

"So what is it about government schools that promotes 'bullying?'"

From the full article:

Federal Bully Pulpit

Posted by Karen De Coster on December 3, 2011 05:42 AM

The Michigan legislature is working to pass an anti-bullying law to "protect" vulnerable children in the public school system. Doesn't this strike people as being bizarre that almost all the individual states have passed these laws? Don't we already have laws against aggression/violence?

A question: So what is it about government schools that promotes "bullying?" Why don't private schools and private businesses have anti-bullying laws? Note that the US Department of Uneducation (Office of Safe and Drug-free Schools!) recently held a ... Bullying Prevention Summit? An even better question: why does the federal government need to promote an entire program, funded by taxpayers, dedicated to "stopping" bullying (StopBullying.gov)?

Could the answer be that yanking children from their parents and assimilating them into dumbed-down, draconian learning pools based on age and collectivizing their learning experience in a quasi-prison environment hasn't worked, and will never work for the vast majority of the kiddies?

I had correspondence with one gentleman, on Facebook, about his fiancé, who is being threatened by the state of New Jersey for removing her children from the state's uneducation camp to educate them in the privacy and peace of her own home. The legal notice I link to maintains that the state has a legal right to file formal charges and arrest any "habitual truant child."

The threat also pointed out that any person who does not have a child attend school regularly will be "deemed a disorderly person" and therefore subject to fines as determined by the court.

That isn't violence bullying?

Invitation to Union with the Most Holy Trinity

2011-12-05T13:54:00.000-06:00

O my God, adorable Trinity, make me know Your gift, the immense gift by which You dwell in my poor soul, You, One and Three, You, the Immense, the Omnipotent!

"O Deity eternal, O high, eternal Deity, O sovereign, eternal Father, O ever-burning fire!... What do Your bounty and Your grandeur show? The gift You have given to man. And what gift have You given? Your whole self, O eternal Trinity. And where did You give Yourself? In the stable of our humanity which had become a shelter for animals, that is, mortal sins" (St. Catherine of Siena).

"O my Lord and my good! I cannot say this without tears and great delight of soul! Is it possible, O Lord, that You love us so much that You wish to be with us? If our faults do not impede us, we may rejoice in You and You will take Your delight in us, since You say that Your delight is to be with the children of men. O my Lord! What is this? Whenever I hear these words they are a great comfort to me. But is it possible, Lord, that after realizing You take delight in it, the soul would turn again to offend You, and to forget so many favors and such signal marks of love that it cannot doubt them, since it sees Your work so clearly? Alas, yes, O Lord, I am this soul. And I have done this, not once, but many times.

"I knew perfectly well that I had a soul, but I did not understand what that soul merited or who dwelt within it. If I had understood then as I do now that You dwell in this little palace of my soul, You who are so great a King, it seems to me I would not have left You alone so often, but would have kept You company from time to time and would have been more diligent to keep it spotless. There is nothing more wonderful than to see You, my God, whose greatness could fill a thousand worlds and still more worlds, confine Yourself within so small a thing! You are the Lord of the world, free to do what You will, and yet, because You love us, You fashion Yourself to our measure" (St. Teresa of Avila).

O Blessed Trinity, my God, I shall no longer close my ears to Your loving invitation. I do not wish You to be any longer the "great abandoned One" in my soul. Help me to establish all my faculties in You, especially my intellect and my will, so that I shall live in intimate, perpetual union with You. Grant that I may seek You and You alone, that my gaze may always be turned toward You, and that I may suffer, pray, and work with You and in You.

O eternal Trinity, my sweet love! O Father, draw me by the power of Your omnipotence! O Son, enlighten me by the brilliance of Your wisdom! O Holy Spirit, inflame me with the burning fire of Your charity!

--from Divine Intimacy, by Fr. Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.

The Muses Hit IHOP, p.2

2011-12-02T09:02:00.002-06:00

The Roman Rite: Old and New -- VIII

2011-12-01T17:12:00.002-06:00

Up at Rorate Caeli.

Advent Blues Survey

2011-12-01T08:40:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I have assisted at the Ordinary Form; the last Advent OF Mass I attended was three years ago, where my daughter and I were verbally assaulted by an usher-- a story for a different time.

In any event, I have had requests to send out a call for responses on what used to be a growing trend for priests to don blue chasubles instead of violet. The theory being, I suppose, that violet is "too" penitential for the penitentially hopeful season of Advent. Again, it has been a while, but I thought this fad had run its course.

But, in the interests of science, I ask you: Does your priest wear blue vestments in Advent?

You can answer in the combox. Feel free to name the parish-- but don't reveal the priest's identity, please.

It is "critical at this time that Christians stand up for the natural moral law."

2011-11-30T13:15:00.000-06:00

The great prince of the Church Raymond Cardinal Burke, in an interview with CNA, warns that we are well on our way to persecution of Catholics in the United States. And as usual, he points to the best way to prevent it-- the words quoted in the title to this post. From AINA:

Vatican Cardinal Burke: 'We're Well on the Way' to Christian Persecution in the U.S.

VATICAN -- One of the highest ranking cardinals in the Vatican has said that the United States is "well on the way" to the persecution of Christians.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Vatican's highest court, told Catholic News Agency that he could envision a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S., "even by announcing her own teaching," is accused of "engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality."

Asked if the cardinal could even see American Catholics being arrested for their faith he replied, "I can see it happening, yes."

In his remarks to several U.S. Bishops meeting with him Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI made similarly emphatic warnings about the U.S. The pope told the bishops that "the seriousness of the challenges which the Church in America, under your leadership, is called to confront in the near future cannot be underestimated."

He added: "The obstacles to Christian faith and practice raised by a secularized culture also affect the lives of believers."

In the interview published today, Cardinal Burke declared that "it is a war" and "critical at this time that Christians stand up for the natural moral law." Should they not, he warned, "secularization will in fact predominate and it will destroy us."

Pope Benedict too urged the bishops of the United States to speak out in defense of morality. "The present moment can thus be seen, in positive terms, as a summons to exercise the prophetic dimension of your episcopal ministry by speaking out, humbly yet insistently, in defense of moral truth, and offering a word of hope, capable of opening hearts and minds to the truth that sets us free," he said.

Catholic League President Bill Donohue told LifeSiteNews that Cardinal Burke's remarks were accurate and not exaggerations. "Secularism has become militant," he said. "Many elites are taking an aggressive secular approach. They have lined up against the Catholic Church and other Christian churches particularly for their stand on moral values."

Donohue pointed to New York where gay 'marriage' was passed without debate or exemptions for clerks who objected to having to grant such licenses. He also noted the closing of Catholic adoption and foster care agencies since they were unable to comply with laws forcing homosexual adoptions.

"The real big one," he added, "is the HHS of the Obama Administration." The forcing of abortifacient and contraceptive coverage in private health care plans under penalty of fines was described by the Catholic League President as the Obama Administration "on a full court press to shove its values down the throats of the Catholic Church."

By John-Henry Westen
LifesiteNews.com

Immaculate Conception Novena Begins Tonight at the Oratory

2011-11-30T13:08:00.000-06:00

Mass at 6:30 pm at St. Francis de Sales Oratory, sermon by Fr. Bede Price, OSB, Rector of the Oratory of SS. Gregory and Augustine.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us sinners who have recourse to thee!

Rogue Parish Goes Rogue Again

2011-11-29T15:04:00.000-06:00

If the mountain won't come to Mohamed, then Mohamed must go to the mountain.

This year, as in more recent years, but unlike in 2007, St. Cronan's will be heading out to hear Rabbi Talve at her own place. From the St. Cronan's website:

Dec 12 (7:00 pm): Come celebrate God's gifts of peace and light at Central Reform Congregation CRC is located at the corner of Kingshighway and Waterman. (5020 Waterman Blvd. 63108) We will gather at CRC for prayer at 7:00 p.m. Rabbi Susan Talve will help us listen more deeply to the Prophet Isaiah's message to us.

Please bring cookies or nuts to share.

I pass over the final sentence of the announcement in silence.

Yet someone else will have to explain just how it is that promoting this endeavor squares with Cardinal (then-Archbishop) Burke's injunction on interfaith activities with the head of the CRC.

From One Saint to Another?

2011-11-29T10:35:00.000-06:00

"The good odor of Christ, lord cardinal, that you have spread in every place, even in your temporary dwelling, and the many works of charity to which you have dedicated yourself constantly in your priestly ministry, especially in this our city of Rome, have won for you, with admiration, universal esteem."

--Pope St. Pius X to Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val, November 11, 1903, upon the latter being made Cardinal

_______________________
The cause of beatification of Servant of God Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val was opened in 1953, under the Pontificate of Pius XII.

Prayer for the Canonization of Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val

Latin:

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriam tuam manifestas per humilitatem, et exemplum integritatis religionis, per odium modernismi et per castigationem mortificationemque carnis servi tui Raphaelis Merry del Val, praesta, quaesumus, si conforme voluntati tuae sit, ut eum intercessione eius in terra glorifices per beneficium .... quod ferventer imploramus per Cor Sacratissimum pro gloria tua et gloria Matris Mariae doloris quam piissime diligebat. Amen.

Pater Noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

English:

Almighty everlasting God, Who manifests Thy glory through the humility, example of integrity of religion through the hatred of the heresy of modernism, and by the castigation and mortification of the flesh of Thy servant Raphael Merry Del Val, grant, we beseech Thee, if it be in conformity with Thy Will, that Thou may glorify him on earth through his intercession by the favor of ... which we fervently implore through Thy Sacred Heart for Thy glory and the glory of Mary the Sorrowful Mother, whom he devoutly loved. Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.

The Martyrs of Paracuellos de Jarama

2011-11-29T09:58:00.000-06:00

Rorate Caeli has posted another piece in its excellent series on the Passion of Spain, this time on the massacre of Catholics near Madrid in 1936 by the Communists.

Upset with the New Translation?

2011-11-28T10:34:00.000-06:00

Just wish things were like they always were?

I understand and can help:

St. Francis de Sales Oratory
2653 Ohio Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118

Sunday Masses 8am and 10am
__________

Aaaaaand, speaking of.....

This week marks the beginning of the annual Novena to the Immaculate Conception. There will be a Mass every day from November 30- December 8, with a sermon preached by a different priest or prelate every day on a Marian theme. The complete schedule:

Wednesday, November 30: 6:30pm: "Mary - Queen of the Apostles"
Father Bede Price, OSB, Rector of the Oratory of Sts. Gregory and Augustine.

Thursday, December 1: 6:30pm: "Mary, Mother of Divine Hope"
Father Eric Kunz, Associate pastor, Queen of All Saints

Friday, December 2: 6:30pm: "Woman, Behold your Son: Mary the new Eve"
Father Gregory Lockwood, Administrative Director -Vocations Office, Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph

Saturday, December 3: 8:00am: "Mary, One of Heart with Our Lord"
Canon William Avis, Rector, Old St. Patrick's Oratory, Kansas City, Missouri

Sunday, December 4: 10:00am: "Advent, Waiting and the Coming Glory of the Lord"
Father John Horn, S.J., Rector, Kenrick - Glennon Seminary

Monday, December 5: 6:30pm: "Mary, Throne of Eternal Wisdom"
Father Thomas Keller, Pastor, St. Angela Merici

Tuesday, December 6: 6:30pm: "The Purity of Mary"
Bishop Edward Rice, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Saint Louis

Wednesday, December 7: 6:30pm: "The Immaculate Conception in American History"
Father Brian Harrison, O.S.

Thursday, December 8: 6:30pm: "Mary's presence in the Mystery of Christ before the creation of the world"
Monsignor Arthur Calkins
___________

Also, mark your calendars for the first-ever Gaudete Benefit Gala, to be held on Saturday, December17: 6:30pm Oratory Hall

An evening of excellent food, drink, and music to benefit the Sacred Music program of the Oratory.

Tickets on sale Thursday, November 10th. Get your tickets now. Please contact the Oratory office. 314-771-3100

___________

Have a blessed Advent, everyone!

Two Cheers for the New New Mass Translations

2011-11-26T08:15:00.002-06:00

The new, more accurate English translation of the Ordinary Form of the Mass finally comes online tonight, as the New Roman Missal becomes obligatory for the First Sunday of Advent. That this translation took nine years to draft and implement after the the current edition of the normative Latin Missal was published may be noteworthy for the triumph of episcopal bureaucracy over common sense, but no matter. Here it is.

And this is a good thing. I don't want to say otherwise. It is important that the majority of Catholics who, for whatever reason-- historical or hysterical-- attend the Ordinary Form, pray the prayers as close to the original language as possible. For one reason, it only seems right for a Universal Church to have a Universal Liturgy. Also, one avoids unnecessary questions about validity ("...pro multis..."). And, frankly, the language used is more beautiful, more elevated, and will give an impetus to ditch some of the worst '70s ditties and perhaps install some sacred music in its place.

This rearranging of deck chairs may make the Titanic more pleasant and comfortable as she goes down. But the reality remains that the iceberg has been hit; the ship is taking on water and listing badly. The only way out of the disaster is to get off the ship and into the lifeboats. There are many already in the water-- the societies dedicated to the Extraordinary Form, the Diocesan personal parishes and Sunday Masses, the growing number of priests offering the traditional Mass in their parishes publicly and privately, houses of traditional religious orders. The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum was the distress call, and the Carpathia has yet to arrive. When the Extraordinary Form is no longer so-called due to the frequency of its celebration-that is, when it is required to be celebrated at least once on Sundays and Holy Days at every parish-- it then will have arrived. Then all Catholics will have the choice to enter the lifeboat or to go down with the ship.

My hope is that the more accurate, more reverent, more elevated translation will raise the hearts of Catholics and perhaps get them to ask themselves some serious questions. Why it took 42 years to even get a decent translation-- translation-- of the Ordo of Mass should prompt other questions about the "reforms" in general. I could go on, but won't. I will only note that the virulence of the opposition to this more accurate translation of the original by the same crowd who eagerly traded in the Mass of the Ages for this mess of pottage should be taken as a sign that I could be on to something here.

One thing the liturgical progressives lack is any sense of irony. I was amused by several articles lamenting the "changes" to the Ordinary Form. As an example, Our Sunday Visitor posted two excerpts, one from the Jesuits and one from a blog:

Saying goodbye to the 'old' Mass

With a mere six days to go before the Roman Missal, Third Edition is implemented in English-speaking parishes, some commentators are saying goodbye to its predecessor.

Jesuit Father James Martin, culture editor of America magazine, offers these words on the In All Things blog as part of his "elegy for the Sacramentary":

Any significant change is like a little death; and so any change brings about the need for some grieving. You sell a house and buy a new one; and you are sad about the loss of the old one--even if your new house is more spacious. You move from one job to another; and you shed a few tears at the loss of old colleagues--even if you’re looking forward to the new position. You graduate from high school to college, and even if it’s your top choice, you cry at your graduation.

It would be odd, therefore, not to acknowledge some sadness over the passing of something so central to our lives as what will soon be called the “old” Sacramentary. Even if you are eagerly anticipating the new translations, something significant is moving into the past, and being lost.

So let me say something: I will miss the old prayers, even as I look forward to the new. I’m 50 years old, which means that by the time I was conscious of the Eucharist, say around 1968, the Mass was being celebrated in English. I dimly remember saying things like, “It is right and just” as a very young boy, which was most likely a holdover from the earliest translations of the Mass after the Second Vatican Council. But, for the most part, my entire Catholic life has been shaped by the familiar prayers of the Sacramentary, the book that we are leaving behind this coming Sunday.

Sister Julie of "A Nun's Life" blog also has a post saying goodbye to what she terms the Roman Missal 2.0:

For now and for this week, however, I will cherish my last Mass with the current Roman Missal. Roman Missal 2.0, you’ve been my constant companion. I have celebrated with you, cried with you, and witnessed some of the most beautiful landmarks of my Catholic life with you. You were there when my siblings married their spouses, my nephews were baptized, and my parents renewed their vows. You were there when my friends became Catholic or were ordained or got married or when we celebrated their Mass of Resurrection. You were there when my IHM sisters celebrated Jubilee and when I professed my vows as an IHM Sister. I am grateful for you, Mass 2.0. Goodbye.

I'm glad for their sakes that they do not have to lament the loss of the entire Rite of Mass-- more than 1,700 years old-- in order to provide a platform in which to feature the music of Cat Stevens. But no matter. Things are beginning to get better, however slowly.

Two cheers for the new translation!

This Year, Why Not Celebrate Tradsgiving?

2011-11-22T11:22:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again, as we approach that unique mix of secular and religious occasions that are amorphously called the Holiday Season. First we have Thanksgiving, the closest that a secular holiday gets to decent religion. We are informed that this holiday was first celebrated by the pilgrims (though the Spanish claim it was celebrated earlier in St. Augustine, FL; trot out this little gem at Thanksgiving and you will deservedly be ridiculed for the Cliff Clavin that you are), but it was officially installed as a national holiday on a set date by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, who saw fit to mandate thankfulness for the Northern victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. FDR, another wallflower reluctant to impose national solutions, later changed the date to the fourth Thursday in November.

Next, we have the annual mass-worship of the god Retail, known by its remarkably descriptive name of Black Friday. The portents of this holy day are scanned, analyzed and reverently feared, as the blessings or curses of Retail are made known. It is a most amusing mix of Baal worship, Aztec heart surgery, and Groundhog Day-- only six more shopping weeks until ~~Christmas~~ Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other nondescript Winter celebratory event!

This spectacle is immediately followed by the rush to put out obnoxious Christmas lights, blow up dolls, and other lawn paraphernalia way ahead of the actual day-- thus assuring that by St. Stephen's Day we will be thoroughly sick of it all, and take it all down. I once read a blog post about this that I, at least, found amusing.

That same weekend marks the first real religious event of significance: the first Sunday of Advent. Maintaining an Advent spirit is obviously a difficult thing to do when most people don't believe in Christmas itself, let alone the need for a time of penance and preparation preceding it. Still worse, nearly everyone, whether he believes or not, goes ahead and starts celebrating it anyway. Some really love Christmas and just can't wait, and others are burning Christmas decorations and songs to the god Retail. Either way, you can't escape the forced merriment.

Finally, at the end of the year, the real honest-to-goodness--Feast of Christmas comes. This feast is obviously one of the most important of the Church calendar. It has an Octave. It has an historical season that stretches to the Epiphany on January 6 (unless you attend the novus ordo, in which case it stretches to the least offensive Sunday with decent weather). It has a liturgical season that extends to the Feast of the Purification of Mary on February 2nd. February 2nd-- the day your wife begins talking to you again after begging you to take down the tree for three weeks.

Well, pardon, gentles all, if I re-label the holiday season this year. I'm not referring to Festivus, either. I'm talking about Tradsgiving. If the world can lump every occasion into one long season, then so can we. Tradsgiving is the celebration of the next two-and-a-half months. Let's say it begins with Martinmas on November 11 and continues to the Feast of the Purification on February 2. Tradsgiving is stocked with traditional Catholic feasts and customs.

First of all, this is as good a time a year as any to be thankful for Summorum Pontificum. Next, we have a real commemoration of Advent, including the Wreath, the Novena to the Immaculate Conception, the great Marian feast itself, and the now discarded Ember Days on December 14, 16, and 17. These are followed by the "O Antiphons" in the in the breviary the Octave before Christmas.

Finally, beginning on Christmas Day, there are so many rich Catholic traditions: Midnight Mass, the veneration of the relic of the Creche, the tree and the carols, all the great Saint days in the Octave and beyond (including the blessing of wine on St. John's Day); the feast of the Circumcision, Twelfth Night, Epiphany (with the blessing of Epiphany water, chalk and the blessing of homes), the Holy Name, the Holy Family, the Feast of St. Francis de Sales and, lastly and gloriously, the feast of the Purification of Mary (Candlemas), with the blessing of Candles and the commemoration of the Purification and the Presentation of Our Lord.

So why not just step right up and call it all what it is? It used to just be known as the seasons of Advent and Christmas-- back when the Church retained her prerogative to mark the seasons of the year according to her ancient cycle. But maybe we need a new tag to reclaim this most Catholic of seasons for Catholics who want to mark it.

Happy Tradsgiving, everyone!

Institute Oblates

2011-11-21T16:03:00.000-06:00

With thanks to Mother Crab, check out this cool video about the Oblates of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest:

Presentation of Mary

2011-11-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

"All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for their mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father.

"Mary received from God a far-reaching dominion over the souls of the elect. Otherwise she could not make her dwelling-place in them as God the Father has ordered her to do, and she could not conceive them, nourish them, and bring them forth to eternal life as their mother. She could not have them for her inheritance and her possession and form them in Jesus and Jesus in them. She could not implant in their heart the roots of her virtues, nor be the inseparable associate of the Holy Spirit in all these works of grace. None of these things, I repeat, could she do unless she had received from the Almighty rights and authority over their souls. For God, having given her power over his only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over his adopted children - not only in what concerns their body - which would be of little account - but also in what concerns their soul."

--St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary

One Post-Mortem on the Crisis Following the Council, part 2

2011-11-21T10:47:00.001-06:00

This fictional correspondence from one bishop to another, bearing a date of 1977, continues:

We do not have to look very far for the result, my dear Harry. Concerning the defence of the Faith, over the past ten years have you promoted priests who refuse the term and doubtless the meaning of "Transubstantiation" and talk of "a Personal" instead of "The Real Presence?" I have. What have you done about clergy who openly preach contraception? A little more, I hope, than I-- which is practically nothing. Has your natural chivalry, if not your conviction, led you to defend the Mother of God against those who "put her in her place?" It has not me. Have you remonstrated with those who refuse to administer the Sacrament of Penance except by appointment but insist on Penitential Services? As a matter of fact I have, but I trust you have done it more firmly. Have you stamped on priests who refuse to give infant Baptism for a variety of specious reasons including the denial of Original Sin? I have done little more than wag a reproving finger accompanied by a rueful smile. Have you even defended the authority of the Papacy and your own against the democratic results of the People of God? Curiously enough, you probably less than I, which is not saying much. I call a halt to this catalogue not from lack of ammunition but of patience. The fact is, and we know it, that in our own dioceses it is not we who have defended the Faith; it has been left to pathetic little groups of layfolk, helped or hindered by a stray priest, to do so.

It is a very different matter when it comes to enforcing the New Outlook. Have you promoted a priest who has stuck to the Immemorial Mass? Of course not and, to my everlasting shame, neither have I. What has been your attitude to priests who mumble that Vatican II failed to face the facts and that post-Conciliar legislation has been disastrous; who refuse to be brainwashed by attending compulsory study-days; who jeer at Bishops' Collegiality, the National Conference of Priests and the new structures generally; who will not give Communion standing and in the hand; who administer Extreme Unction as of yore; who still say the Breviary, the Rosary and make their meditation; who...? Have you reserved key positions in your administration for such men of probity and principle? No more than I have, Harry. We have looked after the Church all right but not after the Faith.

---from Mitre and Crook, by Bryan Houghton

Tyler Dasher Funeral Arrangements

2011-11-18T14:01:00.000-06:00

Everyone in St. Louis is aware of the unbelievably awful news of the brutal death of 13-month old toddler Tyler Dasher, whose own mother has been charged with his murder.

About the only good news, and it is apparently the best news, about this sad event I just read when I checked out STLToday for his funeral arrangements.

He will have a funeral Mass at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Affton at 10:30am Monday. It gives me hope that he is Catholic and was baptized. I don't wish this post to devolve into a discussion about God's mercy to the unbaptized and all of that. Regardless, if he was baptized then he is in heaven as sure as you are reading this, and that is joyous news. May he pray for us all.

Warning-- Fair Media Alert: CNA Story Covers Bishop Finn's Agreement with Clay County

2011-11-17T13:50:00.000-06:00

Somehow a slip-up has occurred and a fair account of some aspect of the Bishop Finn persecution has been published. The full story from CNA is here. I wanted to highlight just a few excerpts below, with my comments:

The prosecutor of Clay County, Missouri is “reluctant” to follow the lead of the prosecutor in Jackson County because “he wasn’t going to have a successful prosecution,” St. Louis attorney Michael Quinlan suggested. OK, this is spin, but reasonable spin. Why? Read this one:

“I think a fair minded jury should and would conclude that, there being no abuse victim, there could be no requirement to report,” he told CNA on Nov. 16. That assumes facts not in evidence-- I wonder if any jury would be fair to a Catholic Bishop in this climate. That is why the deal is good for both sides. I agree that a fair-minded jury would acquit, to the extent we are talking about the Platonic form of fair-minded jury.

“I would have thought that this would suggest to the prosecuting authorities in Jackson County that they might step back from the brink, but I don’t know whether it will have that effect or not.” Um, if there is a dollar or a vote in it, I would guess not.

The agreement between Bishop Finn and county prosecutors prompted criticism from Peter Isely, a national board member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. I. Am. SHOCKED! SNAP would likely criticize a plan to publicly execute the Pope, all bishops and priests, and most Catholic bloggers as being too lenient. Besides, there would be no more reason for them to exist, and they just bought new clothes and all...

However, Quinlan thought such a response was overstated.

“Basically there was a delay of what, a few months? For people like SNAP and some of these people to run around saying that this is a cover-up akin to what went on in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, it’s just not at all fair.

“The diocese is the one who turned the guy in in the end. It’s not like they got caught hiding something, they turned him in. That doesn’t seem to ever get mentioned.” Wow, that really doesn't get mentioned, does it?

The Finding

2011-11-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

CHAPTER II.

Truly there is a God, although the fool has said in his heart, There is no God.

AND so, Lord, do you, who do give understanding to faith, give me, so far as you knowest it to be profitable, to understand that you are as we believe; and that you are that which we believe. And indeed, we believe that you are a being than which nothing greater can be conceived. Or is there no such nature, since the fool has said in his heart, there is no God? (Psalms xiv. 1). But, at any rate, this very fool, when he hears of this being of which I speak --a being than which nothing greater can be conceived --understands what be hears, and what he understands is in his understanding; although he does not understand it to exist.

For, it is one thing for an object to be in the understanding, and another to understand that the object exists. When a painter first conceives of what he will afterwards perform, he has it in his understanding, but be does not yet understand it to be, because he has not yet performed it. But after he has made the painting, be both has it in his understanding, and he understands that it exists, because he has made it.

Hence, even the fool is convinced that something exists in the understanding, at least, than which nothing greater can be conceived. For, when he hears of this, he understands it. And whatever is understood, exists in the understanding. And assuredly that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, cannot exist in the understanding alone. For, suppose it exists in the understanding alone: then it can be conceived to exist in reality; which is greater.

Therefore, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, exists in the understanding alone, the very being, than which nothing greater can be conceived, is one, than which a greater can be conceived. But obviously this is impossible. Hence, there is doubt that there exists a being, than which nothing greater can be conceived, and it exists both in the understanding and in reality.

CHAPTER III.

God cannot be conceived not to exist. --God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. --That which can be conceived not to exist is not God.

AND it assuredly exists so truly, that it cannot be conceived not to exist. For, it is possible to conceive of a being which cannot be conceived not to exist; and this is greater than one which can be conceived not to exist. Hence, if that, than which nothing greater can be conceived, can be conceived not to exist, it is not that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. But this is an irreconcilable contradiction. There is, then, so truly a being than which nothing greater can be conceived to exist, that it cannot even be conceived not to exist;. and this being you are, O Lord, our God.

So truly, therefore, do you exist, O Lord, my God, that you can not be conceived not to exist; and rightly. For, if a mind could conceive of a being better than you, the creature would rise above the Creator; and this is most absurd. And, indeed, whatever else there is, except you alone, can be conceived not to exist. To you alone, therefore, it belongs to exist more truly than all other beings, and hence in a higher degree than all others. For, whatever else exists does not exist so truly, and hence in a less degree it belongs to it to exist. Why, then, has the fool said in his heart, there is no God (Psalms xiv. 1), since it is so evident, to a rational mind, that you do exist in the highest degree of all? Why, except that he is dull and a fool?

--St. Anselm, The Prosolgion, chapers 2 & 3

Thank You

2011-11-17T12:26:00.000-06:00

Usury: Two Different Takes on the Current Situation

2011-11-17T09:11:00.000-06:00

Good for Crisis Magazine for even taking this on. There isn't space in either article for a thorough and systematic debate, but for most of us these articles are a good introduction. An introduction to what? To how to view the Church's consistent condemnation of usury (the charging of [excessive, in one view; in the traditional view, any at all] interest on loans or on other uses of money.

I think nearly every Catholic who even gives the subject a thought just assumes that due to the modern banking systems in place all over the world, that usury isn't implicated on small amounts of interest. But from where did that assumption come?

If you are interested, these two articles, written by Catholics, give you a start. Here is the article from the Austrian Economics perspective. Here is the article from the Distributist perspective.

The Seeking

2011-11-16T17:50:00.000-06:00

0 wretched lot of man, when he has lost that for which he was made! 0 hard and terrible fate! Alas, what has he lost, and what has he found? What has departed, and what remains? He has lost the blessedness for which he was made, and has found the misery for which he was not made. That has departed without which nothing is happy, and that remains which, in itself, is only miserable. Man once did eat the bread of angels, for which he hungers now; he eateth now the bread of sorrows, of which he knew not then. Alas! for the mourning of all mankind, for the universal lamentation of the sons of Hades! He choked with satiety, we sigh with hunger. He abounded, we beg. He possessed in happiness, and miserably forsook his possession; we suffer want in unhappiness, and feel a miserable longing, and alas! we remain empty.

Why did he not keep for us, when he could so easily, that whose lack we should feel so heavily? Why did he shut us away from the light, and cover us over with darkness? With what purpose did he rob us of life, and inflict death upon us? Wretches that we are, whence have we been driven out; whither are we driven on? Whence hurled? Whither consigned to ruin? From a native country into exile, from the vision of God into our present blindness, from the joy of immortality into the bitterness and horror of death. Miserable exchange of how great a good, for how great an evil! Heavy loss, heavy grief heavy all our fate!

But alas! wretched that I am, one of the sons of Eve, far removed from God! What have I undertaken? What have I accomplished? Whither was I striving? How far have I come? To what did I aspire? Amid what thoughts am I sighing? I sought blessings, and lo! confusion. I strove toward God, and I stumbled on myself. I sought calm in privacy, and I found tribulation and grief, in my inmost thoughts. I wished to smile in the joy of my mind, and I am compelled to frown by the sorrow of my heart. Gladness was hoped for, and lo! a source of frequent sighs!

And you too, O Lord, how long? How long, O Lord, do you forget us; how long do you turn your face from us? When will you look upon us, and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes, and show us your face? When will you restore yourself to us? Look upon us, Lord; hear us, enlighten us, reveal yourself to us. Restore yourself to us, that it may be well with us, --yourself, without whom it is so ill with us. Pity our toilings and strivings toward you since we can do nothing without you. You do invite us; do you help us. I beseech you, O Lord, that I may not lose hope in sighs, but may breathe anew in hope. Lord, my heart is made bitter by its desolation; sweeten you it, I beseech you, with your consolation. Lord, in hunger I began to seek you; I beseech you that I may not cease to hunger for you. In hunger I have come to you; let me not go unfed. I have come in poverty to the Rich, in misery to the Compassionate; let me not return empty and despised. And if, before I eat, I sigh, grant, even after sighs, that which I may eat. Lord, I am bowed down and can only look downward; raise me up that I may look upward. My iniquities have gone over my head; they overwhelm me; and, like a heavy load, they weigh me down. Free me from them; unburden me, that the pit of iniquities may not close over me.

Be it mine to look up to your light, even from afar, even from the depths. Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me, when I seek you, for I cannot seek you, except you teach me, nor find you, except you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in longing, let me long for you in seeking; let me find you in love, and love you in finding. Lord, I acknowledge and I thank you that you has created me in this your image, in order that I may be mindful of you, may conceive of you, and love you; but that image has been so consumed and wasted away by vices, and obscured by the smoke of wrong-doing, that it cannot achieve that for which it was made, except you renew it, and create it anew. I do not endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate your sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, --that unless I believed, I should not understand.

--from the Proslogion, by St. Anselm

St. Gertrude the Great

2011-11-16T09:39:00.000-06:00

Ora pro nobis.

Did You Know...

2011-11-15T19:20:00.002-06:00

...it's nearly impossible to say 'goodbye' to Hello Kitty?

Awesome. What Next?

2011-11-15T09:52:00.000-06:00

It is heartening to see so many Catholic high schools take action to increase awareness of diversity in our Catholic schools. No doubt such an effort could be duplicated to increase awareness of the Catholic faith in our Catholic schools, too.

When that happens, look for an announcement in this space.

One of the students in the article was quoted as saying, "I'm looking forward to finding out who I am, as well as experiencing the journey to discovering it."

Hopefully, such a Catholic awareness night will let her know that she is Catholic. Maybe a representative from the Catholic Church could be found to speak at this event. Stay tuned.

One Post-Mortem on the Crisis Following the Council, part 1

2011-11-14T17:57:00.000-06:00

This fictional correspondence from one bishop to another bears a date of 1977:

...You know, during the course of conversation I think we touched on one of the basic problems in the Church today. I was holding forth on the fact that the Church is guardian of the Faith and the present crisis arose because what she enjoins and permits in practice is not readily recognizable as an expression of the faith she guarantees. Hence we could arrive at the absurd situation in which practicers had lost the Faith whereas the faithful refused to practice. It was your answer to this which seems to me so important. You said: "There is only one object of Faith: the Church. I am baptized into the Church and it is she who gives me Faith. On her authority I believe all other doctrines. She can deal with them as she likes, since she is the only constant. Christ revealed no doctrines but a praxis: His Kingdom the Church." We left it at that.

Few people, I think, could formulate the argument as honestly and clearly as you. Nevertheless, I believe it expresses the basic attitude of countless Catholics today, not of the "modernists" but of those who simply obey. It is a very ecclesiastical argument, akin to the patriotism in "My country right or wrong." But is it true?

I suspect that it rests on two articles in the old catechism:

1. Faith is a supernatural gift of God enabling me to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed.

2. I am to know what God has revealed by the teaching, testimony and authority of the Catholic Church.

If one puts those two articles together, one gets the impression that Faith as a supernatural gift merely empowers a person to believe what the Church teaches and the objects of Faith are provided by the Church. It is therefore the Church which justifies the Faith and not the Faith which justifies the Church. Hence the Church must be obeyed in all things, even if she is quite clearly hiding her light under a bushel. It automatically becomes right and proper that the light should be so shaded because legitimate authority in the Church has said so. I do not think that is an unfair or distorted presentation of the case, is it?

But surely it is evident that such an argument is tautological or a vicious circle? I am to know what God has revealed by the authority of the Church. And how am I to know that the Church has such authority? Because the Church says that God has revealed it. It is patently nonsense.

You will notice that you yourself admit it to be nonsense. You said: "Christ revealed no doctrines but a praxis: His Kingdom, His Church." You thereby concede that there is at any rate one object of Faith logically prior to the Church: the authority of Christ. And once you admit that, all the rest follows. Is His authority divine? Is He God incarnate, the Second Person of the Trinity, born of the Virgin Mary, etc.? Indeed, one of the things which follows from your prior faith in the divine authority of Christ is the authority of the Church. It does not work the other way round: you do not believe that Christ receives His authority from the Church. The Church is the guardian of God's revelation but not its source. She herself is one of the objects of Faith: I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Therein, it seems to me, lies the crux of the present crisis. I mean the crisis between honest Catholics, such as I believe both of us to be. I am not referring to heretics who have lost the Faith although the Church no longer excludes them. I mean you and me. Faced with the same crisis, we react in diametrically opposite ways. Your immediate reaction, along with the overwhelming majority of churchmen, is to save the Church and the Faith will look after itself. Mine, along with a heavy percentage of the laity, is to save the Faith and let the Church look after herself. We cannot both be right. Indeed, each day the gulf between us is growing wider. If we pursue our ways indefinitely we shall come to the point when the faithful are legal schismatics and the obedient factual heretics.

At this point I can hear you say: "Don't talk rot, Edmund. It is your metaphor which deceives you. We are not going in opposite directions: we are merely looking at the opposite facets of the same coin. Even if I grant you the logical priority of Faith over the Church, in practice he who defends the Faith defends the Church."

In normal times this would by and large be so. I say "by and large" because history provides plenty of examples of excessive use of ecclesiastical authority. Quite apart from mediaeval excommunications, in our own day some of your friends might feel that Pius XII went a bit far when he demanded internal assent to the Five Ways of proving the existence of God. But at this moment of time it is patently untrue to say that in defending the Church one is automatically defending the Faith and this for two reasons: a) the Faith is ambiguously formulated; b) heretics are no longer excluded from the Church. The fact is that the Faith is exclusive whereas the Church has become inclusive. She has changed Our Lord's lapidary sentence, "He who is not with me is against me," into the coward's whine, "He is my friend who bullies me."

-- from Mitre and Crook, by Bryan Houghton

Remembering the Murder-Suicide of Christendom

2011-11-11T12:57:00.001-06:00

The above photo is of Pope St. Pius X consecrating his successor as bishop, whose later papal name became Pope Benedict XV. These two popes of peace were ignored by the powers of the day, and thus Christendom died. Already struck, perhaps mortally, in 1517 and 1789, Christendom--by any definition-- ended 93 years ago today.

When Bureaucracy Trumps the Natural Moral Law

2011-11-11T09:36:00.000-06:00

Following the brave example of the English Bishops (save one) under Henry VIII, who kept their jobs by caving in to state perversion of the laws of marriage, the so-called "Catholic" Social Services of Southern Illinois has parted ways with the Belleville Diocese in order to continue operation without objecting to the Illinois same-sex adoption laws.

They have decided to drop the word "Catholic" from their name; they have replaced it with the equally inaccurate term "Christian". Hmmm.

Perhaps a better term would be "Opportunistic", or maybe "Conveniently Immoral".

The Roman Rite, Old and New VII

2011-11-10T09:40:00.002-06:00

The new installment is up at Rorate Caeli.

NCR Celebrates Eucharistic Sacrilege on behalf of Sister Louise Lears (Of Course)

2011-11-09T17:31:00.002-06:00

The "National" "Catholic" "Reporter" ran a blog post today called Recognizing the church that we already are-- a wonderfully fatuous title, perfectly in line with the inanity of the contents. It seems to me that the '60s zeitgeist is just as compelling today as it was then-- which is to say, not at all.

Anyway, the post concerns an address made to the national (anti-) Catholic dissident group Call to Action by one of the proletarian (s)heroes who writes for the aforementioned rag. I will spare you the bulk of the speech, which I think had something to do with a pansexual workers' paradise.

However, there is something worth noting here. NCR is still carrying the flame-- and continuing the whine-- on behalf of the heresy-supporting Sister Louise Lears, who was placed under interdict by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, who was then Archbishop of Saint Louis. Sister Lears was found to have committed the canonical crimes of pertinacious rejection of doctrine de Fide tenenda under can. 750, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, of causing scandal, of encouraging contumely against and disobedience to the Ordinary under can. 1373, and of communio in sacris in that she participated in the simulation of a sacrament under can. 1365. Until she recanted her heresy and reconciled with the Church, she was barred from, among other things, receiving the sacraments. For the benefit of NCR readers, I will point out that Holy Communion is one of the sacraments.

It comes as no surprise that NCR should think Louise Lears is a veritable hero, like Martin Luther or Satan or any number of great rebels against God's authority. It is no surprise that NCR would consider the decree of interdict to be of no consequence. Yet although we have heard the story in bits and pieces before, this is the first time we have heard in such detail the story of the day that St. Cronan's parish aided and abetted Lears' defiance of the interdict.

From the full NCR post, with a few comments of my own mixed in:
__________
... It is a true story that happened in a place as ordinary as St. Louis and as recently as 2008. The year that stretched from the summer of 2008 to the summer of 2009 was especially bizarre for the Catholic Church in the United States (and, I know there is a lot of competition for that title).

[...]

Interestingly, it was also during this time that Sister Louise Lears was forced out of all church ministerial roles by Saint Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke. The archbishop also placed Lears under a severe interdict (As opposed to a downy-soft one?), banishing her receiving any of the Sacraments within in the archdiocese. Her crime? You guessed it. She supported women’s ordination. (Of course, there was more, as noted above.)

It was also during this period that Pope Benedict XVI decided to lift the excommunications of four schismatic bishops who reject the reforms (Name one. Just one. Please.) of the Second Vatican Council. (For NCR, heresy beats schism every time! And btw, since when do they really care about either?)

...Every now and then, you run into a story so powerful, it shakes you up and then re-shapes your entire theology (For some, this is the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. For NCR?). This story did just that for me.

On the first Sunday (NB: the very first Sunday) after she was placed under interdict, Louise Lears decided to attend Mass. The experience with Burke left her wounded and isolated. Naturally, she wanted to be with her beloved parish community. She did not plan to receive communion because she did not wish to jeopardize the parish any further. (Maybe she should have been as solicitous on behalf of her immortal soul.) But this was her community and she wanted at least to be physically present with this body of Christ.

Her 85-year old mother was at her side at Mass. When her mother went forward for communion, she told Louise to follow her. Louise did not ask to receive communion, but simply walked by her mother’s side. Louise’s mother took Communion, she broke it, turned around and gave it to her daughter. After witnessing this, Sr. Louise’s sister went and did the same. Seeing what was going on, many other parishioners, one by one, also broke their bread and gave it to Louise. (Can we not presume that the celebrating priest was aware of this? It should not be hard to find out who this was, whether it was the Pastor, Fr. Kleba, or someone else. Even if one of the score of "extraordinary" ministers of Holy Communion gave the Host, it would have had to have been physically near the priest.)

By the end of communion, Louise’s hands were filled with fragments of the Eucharist. (Please take a moment to offer an act of reparation to the Blessed Sacrament.) After the Mass was over, as the family was standing in the back, Louise’s mother said to her daughter, “I was the first person to feed you, and I will feed you now.”

Our stories define us as a community. They recall paradigmatic people. They are vehicles for the sacred. (OK, I admit it. I kept in this paragraph because it just made me laugh so hard...)

In that moment, Louise Lears’ 85 year-old mother revealed more about the love of God, more about living the Gospel of love, more about what makes a true church, than the entire hierarchy seems to have been able to reveal in quite some time. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

And she figured out that secret that the hierarchy doesn’t want any of us to know: lay people have extraordinary sacramental power. (Um, Miss, I think we need a citation to a council document here...)

...With their interdicts, and denials of communion and excommunications, the hierarchy seems to believe that they can magically separate the children of God from the table of God. That they can separate whomever they wish from the love of God. That God Godself (yes, that is how it is written) is subject to their rules. (Fight the power, man!)

Though the institutional church may attempt deprive us blah blah blah... it goes on from there.
_______________

This is very serious. This should be thoroughly investigated by the Archdiocese. I assume that Archbishop Carlson was not aware of this outrage when he made a pastoral visit to St. Cronan's parish last year. Perhaps as a matter of local gossip it did not merit a special effort. But now, a national publication purporting to be Catholic and marketed to purported Catholics has made this a national issue. The lawful decree of the Ordinary of this Archdiocese was flouted nearly as soon as it was issued. Eucharistic sacrilege was committed and countenanced by the parish.

Will this act of grave disobedience and sacrilege be allowed to scandalously stand?

Please Consider

2011-11-09T13:27:00.000-06:00

Because as humans we are physical beings as well as spiritual ones, it is sometimes necessary to address the less glamorous necessities of life.

Anyone who has assisted at Mass knows the glories of the liturgy at St. Francis de Sales. And anyone who enjoyed coffee and donuts afterwards knows the purgatory of the bathrooms in the hall.

Well, the bathrooms are now both fixed, renovated, and pleasant and sanitary to use. And though the work was done at no labor cost, the materials cost was substantial. The plumbing needed extensive and expensive repairs.

Therefore, though I don't ask for money on this site, I will bend the rule for a very good cause and encourage you to read this article from the Tradition for Tomorrow site. And I would encourage you to consider helping to defray those needed costs, especially if you frequent the parish hall. There is a donate tab at that site, or I am sure the rectory could help you at 314-771-3100. Thanks.

It Returns

2011-11-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Saviour

2011-11-09T09:12:00.000-06:00

From Dom Gueranger's Liturgical Year:

In the fourth century of our era, the cessation of persecution seemed to give the world a foretaste of its future entrance into eternal peace. 'Glory to the Almighty! Glory to the Redeemer of our souls!' wrote Eusebius at the opening of the tenth and last book of his history. Himself a witness of the triumph, he describes the admirable spectacle everywhere displayed by the dedication of the new sanctuaries. In city after city the bishops assembled, and crowds flocked together. From nation to nation the goodwill of mutual charity, of common faith, and of recollected joy, so harmonized all hearts that the unity of Christ's Body was clearly manifested in these multitudes animated by the same inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It was the fulfilment of the ancient prophecies: the living city of the living God, where all, whatever their age or sex, praise together the Author of all good things. How solemn were then the rites of the Church! The complete perfection therein displayed by the pontiffs, the enthusiasm of the psalmody, the inspired readings, the celebration of the ineffable mysteries, formed a divine pageantry.*

Constantine had placed the imperial treasure at the disposal of the bishops; and he himself stimulated their zeal for what he called in his edicts the work of the churches.# Rome, the place of his victory by the cross, the capital of the now Christian world, was the first to benefit by the prince's munificence. In a series of dedications, to the glory of the holy apostles and martyrs, Sylvester, the pontiff of peace, took possession of the eternal city in the name of the true God.

To-day is the birthday of the mother and mistress of churches, called 'of our Saviour, Aula Dei (God's palace), the golden basilica'; it is a new Sinai, whence the apostolic oracles and so many Councils have made known to the world the law of salvation. No wonder this feast is celebrated by the whole world.

As we live in a time so very different from the golden age wherein it was dedicated, may we thank God for His providence both for the establishment and the preservation of St. John Lateran, and the apostolic succession it in some measure represents.

*Eusebius, Hist. eccl. x, 1-4. # Ibid. De vita Constantini, ii, 45-46.

Thanks a Million!

2011-11-08T15:21:00.000-06:00

Writing a blog can be a lot of things: fun, educational, trying, frustrating, a temptation to sin, a lesson in humility, useful, interesting, and lots of other things.

Mostly, I am grateful for a platform to try to spread the Catholic faith, to support the Pope and any faithful bishops, priests and laity that could use it, and to evangelize based on the Tradition and traditions of the Church, especially in her liturgy.

Today, this blog surpassed the one million mark for unique visitors; there are also more than 1.4 million page views. After a slow start, it averages approximately a quarter of a million hits a year. There are bigger blogs and more interesting bloggers, but I am very grateful to every reader who visits here. And thank you to the person who encouraged me to start it; you know who you are. Thank you.

From the time I began this blog in 2007 I have been truly amazed that anyone unrelated to me would read it at all, let alone read it often. Many readers have said such kind things in comboxes, emails and conversations to keep me going; I don't think you will realize how much I have appreciated them. Lots of other readers have said critical things, and sometimes that is helpful as well. Providentially, the positive comments have always outweighed the negative. But whether you cared enough about what I wrote to encourage or complain, I am glad you were motivated by this blog.

I thank God for any good this blog has accomplished, and ask Him for forgiveness for any harm it has done.

Today is the feast day of the Four Holy Crowned Martyrs. After doing some minimal research, I have decided to make them co-patrons of this blog, after Our Blessed Mother, St. Francis de Sales, St. Benedict and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Why?

Well, for one thing, they are anonymous saints. We really don't know their real names, though they have the Fourth Century version of "screen names": Secundus, Severianus, Carpoforus, and Victorius. These names are given in tradition, but are probably not their real names. They were Christian soldiers who refused to sacrifice to a false god, earning the emperor's enmity. Their feast day is shared by more well-known martyrs whose names we know (see the link), also martyred in the Fourth Century. Finally, their feast was removed from the modern liturgical calendar, and considering everything this blog stands for, I am glad to have patrons whose feast, and thus whose memory and intercession, were scorned by the denuded calendar.

May the Four Holy Crowned Martyrs intercede for all who read, and all who write, this blog. May God bless you and your families.

The Little Things, Indeed

2011-11-07T13:51:00.001-06:00

Jill, a reader of this site, has a blog of her own. She posted something yesterday that I really enjoyed, so much so that I wanted to post it in its entirety here. The beauty of Catholicism, and of the Mass particularly, can be described, argued, proposed, appreciated and discussed from so many angles. But sometimes the little things really hook you:

The Little Things

Most readers will know that for several years now my husband and I and our boys have assisted almost exclusively at the Mass in the Extraordinary Form, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass. We have learned a great deal about our faith over the years and we continue to grow in our love for this Mass handed down to us through the centuries by Holy Mother Church. But it is so much more than 'just' the Mass. It is so much more than the Latin. It is so many things, in fact, that I'm sure a blog post won't adequately cover them all.

Therefore, I'm not going to get into detail about the prayers of the traditional Mass, or following the 'old' Liturgical Calendar, or the reverence and beauty inherent in all of the traditional Sacraments with the priestly vestments, the incense, the bells and sacred music that go along with them. Instead I will mention just one of the 'little' things that happened today.

At St. Francis de Sales Oratory, after Mass there was a very nice display of items for sale, crucifixes, nativity scenes and other statuary made by Christians in the Holy Land. My husband and I decided to purchase a crucifix and after doing so, hastened to find one of the canons to bless it before we left.

We found Canon Wiener and he was very pleased to do this for us, but he would have to do it in the Sacristy, and could he keep the crucifix and return it to us on Wednesday at homeschool co-op? We said of course, that would be fine.

After talking with Canon Wiener my husband and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: that's never happened before! Any time in the past that we've asked a priest to bless a sacramental, he has done so on the spot, regardless of where we were. But not this time. We learned today that there is a right and proper place to bless Sacramentals, and I would bet a proper vestment as well.

This is just another of so many little things that enrich our faith. Nothing is trivial, nothing is just by-the-way. Not that blessing Sacramentals in a crowded vestibule after church as we've experienced before makes it necessarily trivial. But certainly the extra care of time and place taken to fulfill our desire for a blessed crucifix today, for us at least, carries with it a level of importance, of reverence, that will translate into our own care for how and where we place the blessed crucifix in our home and further venerate it.

This is what I mean by the little things. Our faith is so much bigger than we are, so much richer than we even know. And we are just overwhelmed with thanksgiving to Our Lord for His leading us to the Traditional Latin Mass community where the small things matter enough that a bigger deal is made of them than anywhere else that we've been.

Truly we are blessed. But at the same time we grieve for that which has been lost over the past nearly 50 years since Vatican II, and for all the Catholics who have no idea what they're missing out on. These 'little' things should never have been lost. It is our Faith, that which has been handed down over the centuries. And Lord-willing and with the help of the Holy Angels and Saints, we will continue to learn and grow in this faith, through the big and little things.

God bless you!

Weekend Roundup

2011-11-07T13:34:00.002-06:00

After a great weekend, I thought I would catch up on some miscellany today.

First, my lovely wife Sharon and I attended the Munich Symphony's performance of Mozart's Requiem on Friday at the Cathedral. The concert was very well attended, and the music was very fine. Phillipe Entremont conducted, and also played piano for Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12. I thought that with the echo-y acoustics at the Cathedral, the tempo during the Requiem was a little fast, and the big choral sections got a little jumbled. But that is a mere quibble. The soloists were all fantastic.

Dr. Horst Buchholz, the Director of Sacred Music for the Cathedral, introduced the Requiem, and I have to give him credit. He emphasized that the Requiem is not just a piece of music, but is a Mass, and moreover the Mass for the dead. He invited the audience to read the words of the prayers of the Mass as the piece was played, and also reminded them to pray for the dead in November, the month of the holy souls. His words added the necessary solemnity for a concert in a sacred space.

This was a good move, as sitting behind us was a gentleman who, prior to the concert, was speaking to his date about the Requiem, the words of which were printed in the program. He wondered what language it was. First he thought Italian, but maybe Latin, though it "didn't look like Latin". Finally, he concluded that it was either Italian or German.

I don't repeat this story to criticize him for not knowing Latin, but to highlight the fact that the Church really didn't hand down her liturgical patrimony very well after the Council of 1962-65. You see, this Mass setting, composed in the Eighteenth Century, obviously would have been in Latin. Sacrosanctum Concilium did direct that Latin be retained, did it not? At the very least, one might have been aware that Masses were allowed to be, and used to be, in Latin, yes? If Latin had been retained, then even a non-Catholic would have been aware that Catholics' liturgies were in Latin. Well, it is what it is. Perhaps the most astounding part is that someone could confuse Italian with German.

The best part of the evening is that I got to spend time with my children's homeschool teacher, whom I discovered is also my wife. Dinner and a concert while the children were in the good hands of my eldest daughter-- very nice.

On Saturday, I finally got to confession, and so was able to try to obtain a plenary indulgence for some recently deceased family by visiting a cemetery before November 8 is past.

Sunday brought the high point of every weekend-- High Mass at St. Francis de Sales Oratory. Canon Avis had a great sermon; I always know it's good when I think that I am in big trouble for how I am most of the time.

Finally, I got to see the Rams find a new and creative way to lose a game.

And this morning, in keeping with thoughts of the holy souls, I was privileged to serve a daily Mass for the Dead in the Extraordinary Form. Pretty good weekend, all told.

Hope yours was great, too!

Cardinal Burke Celebrates Pontifical High Mass in Amsterdam

2011-11-07T10:36:00.000-06:00

Photos at NLM, video at Rorate Caeli. The above photo shows His Eminence in procession, with Canon Guitard of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Cardinal Burke to Visit St. Francis de Sales Oratory January 31, 2012

2011-11-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis, will visit St. Francis de Sales Oratory this coming January 31st. He will pray the Te Deum and lead Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. Mark your calendars now, and I will update as I have more information.