The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is bankrupt because of the homosexual abuse.
30 November 2018
The Vortex—First Things, Last Things
Michael Voris on the homosexual situation in the Church, once again.
Gonzaga University Blocks Ben Shapiro Speech, Citing ‘Jesuit’ Values
Recently I asked if there were any Catholics left in the Jesuit Order in Germany. Now the same question arises concerning the Order in the United States.
From LifeSiteNews
From LifeSiteNews
SPOKANE, Washington, November 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Gonzaga University has blocked a proposed speaking engagement for Ben Shapiro, saying it would be “contrary” to the school’s “Catholic/Jesuit mission and values.”
Gonzaga Vice President of Student Development Judi Biggs Garbuio declined the College Republicans chapter’s request to book Shapiro to speak at the university, Campus Reform reports, citing in addition to the school’s “Catholic/Jesuit mission,” human dignity, solidarity with vulnerable people, and safety concerns, given the sort of protests that might accompany an appearance by the conservative, pro-life Jewish commentator.
“Mr. Shapiro’s appearances routinely draw protests that include extremely divisive and hateful speech and behavior, which is offensive to many people, regardless of their age, politics or beliefs,” Biggs Garbuio said, appearing to accidentally acknowledge the intolerance of campus left-wing protestors, who have at other schools rioted and stormed buildings in response to speakers with whom they disagreed.
“Gonzaga University is committed to the human dignity of every individual,” she said. “This is the core of our mission based on the teachings of Christ Jesus, and the foundations of the Society of Jesus. We stand in solidarity with vulnerable members of our community who may be targeted for discrimination, ridicule, or harassment by others.”
Biggs Garbuio went on to say that because of “what has occurred on other campuses” there is question of whether safety could be guaranteed.
Gonzaga College Republicans President Olivia Johnston had submitted the Shapiro event request, which was obtained by Campus Reform.
“They want Gonzaga to be a left of center university and they have made it clear diversity of thought it not welcome,” Johnston told Campus Reform. “My mission as president is to ensure free speech on campus, as college is a place to expand your thinking and not be indoctrinated in the classroom.”
“I refuse to accept a University that only supports strictly liberal thinking,” she added. “The hypocrisy must end.”
Although Biggs Garbuio cited Gonzaga’s mission in her reasoning for denying the request to host Shapiro, the university’s mission statement does express a commitment to support for critical thinking.
The mission statement says in part, “Through engagement with knowledge, wisdom, and questions informed by classical and contemporary perspectives, Gonzaga cultivates in its students the capacities and dispositions for reflective and critical thought, lifelong learning, spiritual growth, ethical discernment, creativity, and innovation.”
A Washington Times report noted how Shapiro reacted without fanfare to the rebuff.
“Would have loved to come out, gang,” Shapiro said in a Facebook post.
Gonzaga College Republicans Vice President Cody Meyer criticized the Shapiro banning.
“When an idea or figure arises who does not support the politically biased narrative Gonzaga clings to, our university can dismiss it as hate and intolerance,” Meyer told Campus Reform. “I urge Gonzaga to reconsider this decision and support the fundamentals of the Jesuit university to which I belong.”
Nicholas Gervasini, a Gonzaga senior and past president of the College Republicans, termed Shapiro a “nightmare for the administration.”
Gervasini said that the conservative speaker and Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief has “made his living criticizing their exact types.”
Young America’s Foundation (YAF) reported on the move by Gonzaga Wednesday, with another take on the blocking of Shapiro beyond that of a ban of free speech and critical thought.
YAF spokesman Spencer Brown pointed out that Gonzaga took no issue with inviting avowed Communist Angela Davis to campus.
He referenced specifics of her background, including among other things Davis having been a proud member of the Communist Party, Davis having been welcomed to Cuba in 1969 by the country’s dictator Fidel Castro and praising the socialism there, and her making the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives in 1970 for her role purchasing firearms used to shoot a judge.
“This decision by Gonzaga administrators amounts to institutional anti-Semitism,” Brown said. “For Gonzaga to allow someone like Angela Davis to speak—while barring Ben Shapiro from appearing at the invitation of conservative students—is the height of liberal hypocrisy.”
“No one is expecting Shapiro to be teaching on the tenets of the Catholic faith,” added Brown, “so Gonzaga’s objections are flatly absurd, especially when one considers Angela Davis somehow passed muster for Gonzaga administrators.”
In the past Gonzaga has hosted supporters of abortion and same-sex “marriage” as commencement speakers, shown support for a pro-same-sex “marriage” group, been open to instituting policies recognizing gender-fluidity, welcomed the vulgar Vagina Monologues play, and been unsupportive of the pro-life cause on campus.
Shapiro is scheduled to speak at the 2019 March for Life, which draws hundreds of thousands of Catholics every year.
S Andrew and the British Ordinariate
Happy St Andrew's Day! It's my Grandson's Name Day.
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
A very happy and holy Name Day to all those splendid people whose Patron Saint is S Andrew!
You don't need to be a Scotsman to have a devotion to S Andrew. His cultus is embedded also in the history of English Christianity in a way which goes back to the Roman origins of our Liturgy even before S Augustine had arrived off the shores of Kent. And it is most happily bound up with those heady days when England, after the Henrician schism, was reconciled to the See of S Andrew's brother.
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, gives, for the most part, the same Sunday Collects, Epistles, and Gospels as the Missal of S Pius V. But the Reading and Gospel for the Sunday Next Before Advent (taken, like most such Prayer Book material, from the medieval Sarum Rite) were, unlike the other Epistles and Gospels After Trinity, quite different from those in S Pius V's edition of the Roman Rite. Not because they are some sort of Protestant jiggery-pokery; they are thoroughly respectable lections offered to us by Tradition; they go back to the earliest Roman lectionaries, the Comes of Wuerzburg and Murbach.
The old Gregorian Roman and Prayer Book Gospel thus provided contains the John 6 account of the Miraculous Feeding, which is not only suitable as an eschatological meditation on the Messianic Banquet, but also gives prominence to S Andrew. I wondered if this is one reason why that pericope got selected; it was chosen at the time when the Sunday readings in the 'Green' seasons often reflected the themes of adjacent great festivals. And S Andrew is, in the authentic ancient Roman Tradition, a very major solemnity indeed; an all-night vigil was held and the 'Leonine Sacramentary' offered three Masses in addition to the Vigil Mass; possibly because of S Andrew's closeness to S Peter?
The English Church, so laudably permeated by Romanita in its early days, perpetuated this 'Andreian' bias. The 'Leofric Missal', before it made its way to eleventh century Exeter and then, at the Reformation, to the Bodleian Library in this University, started its life as the working book of the Archbishops of Canterbury and has been thought by its (immensely painstaking) most recent editor (Henry Bradshaw Society 1999-2002) probably to have been copied from books brought from Rome to Canterbury by the Augustinian Mission. In its provision for the Consecration of Churches, this book appears to reflect a situation in which S Andrew is having a great many churches dedicated in his honour (i.e. it incorporates a prayer specifically relating to just this one Saint). And in fact, the percentage of 'Andreian' churches in England is well above statistical expectation. After all, S Gregory the Great named his great monastery on the Caelian Hill (from which S Augustine and his fellows came) after S Andrew, and it was pretty certainly he who added S Andrew to the Libera nos [he is absent from the pre-Gregorian form found in Stowe].
What a shame that the modern Roman Rite has so very little respect for this 'Andreian' tradition. Not least because not only is S Andrew the Patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and of several Orthodox countries; in Kiev, where tradition has it that S Andrew planted his wooden Cross, there now stands one the world's baroque masterpieces, the great Church of S Andrew (now a Cathedral of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church). Closer to home, his Feast was the splendiferous, coruscating day in 1554 on which Parliament begged Good King Philip and Good Queen Mary to intercede with the Legate, and Cardinal Pole reconciled this Kingdom to the Unity of S Peter. It was also the day, in 1569, when Frs Peirson and Plumtree reconciled the diocese of Durham to Catholic Unity and sang High Mass in that amazing Cathedral.
Unity Day!! A day, surely, to gather ones right-thinking friends, at least in spirit; to stoke up the fire and to line the bottles up; nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus.
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
A very happy and holy Name Day to all those splendid people whose Patron Saint is S Andrew!
You don't need to be a Scotsman to have a devotion to S Andrew. His cultus is embedded also in the history of English Christianity in a way which goes back to the Roman origins of our Liturgy even before S Augustine had arrived off the shores of Kent. And it is most happily bound up with those heady days when England, after the Henrician schism, was reconciled to the See of S Andrew's brother.
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, gives, for the most part, the same Sunday Collects, Epistles, and Gospels as the Missal of S Pius V. But the Reading and Gospel for the Sunday Next Before Advent (taken, like most such Prayer Book material, from the medieval Sarum Rite) were, unlike the other Epistles and Gospels After Trinity, quite different from those in S Pius V's edition of the Roman Rite. Not because they are some sort of Protestant jiggery-pokery; they are thoroughly respectable lections offered to us by Tradition; they go back to the earliest Roman lectionaries, the Comes of Wuerzburg and Murbach.
The old Gregorian Roman and Prayer Book Gospel thus provided contains the John 6 account of the Miraculous Feeding, which is not only suitable as an eschatological meditation on the Messianic Banquet, but also gives prominence to S Andrew. I wondered if this is one reason why that pericope got selected; it was chosen at the time when the Sunday readings in the 'Green' seasons often reflected the themes of adjacent great festivals. And S Andrew is, in the authentic ancient Roman Tradition, a very major solemnity indeed; an all-night vigil was held and the 'Leonine Sacramentary' offered three Masses in addition to the Vigil Mass; possibly because of S Andrew's closeness to S Peter?
The English Church, so laudably permeated by Romanita in its early days, perpetuated this 'Andreian' bias. The 'Leofric Missal', before it made its way to eleventh century Exeter and then, at the Reformation, to the Bodleian Library in this University, started its life as the working book of the Archbishops of Canterbury and has been thought by its (immensely painstaking) most recent editor (Henry Bradshaw Society 1999-2002) probably to have been copied from books brought from Rome to Canterbury by the Augustinian Mission. In its provision for the Consecration of Churches, this book appears to reflect a situation in which S Andrew is having a great many churches dedicated in his honour (i.e. it incorporates a prayer specifically relating to just this one Saint). And in fact, the percentage of 'Andreian' churches in England is well above statistical expectation. After all, S Gregory the Great named his great monastery on the Caelian Hill (from which S Augustine and his fellows came) after S Andrew, and it was pretty certainly he who added S Andrew to the Libera nos [he is absent from the pre-Gregorian form found in Stowe].
What a shame that the modern Roman Rite has so very little respect for this 'Andreian' tradition. Not least because not only is S Andrew the Patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and of several Orthodox countries; in Kiev, where tradition has it that S Andrew planted his wooden Cross, there now stands one the world's baroque masterpieces, the great Church of S Andrew (now a Cathedral of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church). Closer to home, his Feast was the splendiferous, coruscating day in 1554 on which Parliament begged Good King Philip and Good Queen Mary to intercede with the Legate, and Cardinal Pole reconciled this Kingdom to the Unity of S Peter. It was also the day, in 1569, when Frs Peirson and Plumtree reconciled the diocese of Durham to Catholic Unity and sang High Mass in that amazing Cathedral.
Unity Day!! A day, surely, to gather ones right-thinking friends, at least in spirit; to stoke up the fire and to line the bottles up; nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus.
More Wolves ... Pope Francis and the Black Death ...
Father H discusses a short trip to to Douai, from whence the Mission Priests went to their martyrdom in England. All ye Holy Martyrs of Egland and Wales, pray for the conversion of your nations!
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
S Peter, when he wrote his Catholic Epistle, envisaged danger as likely to come from the attentions of the Enemy who tamquam leo rugiens circuit. However, despite PF's pleas for Biodiversity, imaginative plans to reintroduce lions into the English countryside are not currently in the forefront of our public debate. Nor are we likely to release the small pox from its incarceration, or to launch battalions of genetically enhanced rats infected with the Black Death. Rigid Pharisaical obscurantism is thus still preventing the full and generous implementation of Laudato si. O we of little faith. But the Holy Father would undoubtedly be delighted to know that wolves now howl nightly around the precincts of Douai Abbey.
I have returned from the Abbey after preaching a retreat to a select group of highly intelligent ladies, one at least of whom was awakened at night by the authentically Gothick experience of the wolfpack discussing Brexit. Fr Guestmaster reassured us that, although one of the pack had escaped from its enclosure not long ago and had still not returned from its Annual Break, dangers were but minimal. I chased out of my fevered imagination a naughty fantasy that Father might himself be a werewolf just on the point of ...
I like Douai. Cardinal Allen greets you in Reception ... what a great Englishman and Oxonian he was. Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England ... but for a faulty weather forecast. I just love his cheerful and reassuring prediction that, in the days after the success of the Armada, not many of the Protestant governing class might have survived. And round the walls of the Guest Refectory (good food) hang portraits of an Alternative England which, so sadly, never got its chances. Queen Mary of Modena's Almoner in Paris ... Bishop Richard Smith, who is described in his picture as Totius Angliae et Scotiae Ordinarius (same title as Mgr Newton's) ... Deans of the Old Chapter (now, 'Brotherhood') of the English Clergy, that august body of most superior men ... et tot alii totque clarissimi. Along the corridors hang monks who enjoyed the evocative style of (Titular) Abbot of Westminster. In the Library, serried ranks of English Recusant gentlewomen who founded and ruled English convents in the Low Countries. Formidable ladies; I would rather face the wolves than their disapprobation.
That Catholic England never got beyond being what you might call a Platonic Idea. But you can almost catch a glimpse of it at Douai.
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
S Peter, when he wrote his Catholic Epistle, envisaged danger as likely to come from the attentions of the Enemy who tamquam leo rugiens circuit. However, despite PF's pleas for Biodiversity, imaginative plans to reintroduce lions into the English countryside are not currently in the forefront of our public debate. Nor are we likely to release the small pox from its incarceration, or to launch battalions of genetically enhanced rats infected with the Black Death. Rigid Pharisaical obscurantism is thus still preventing the full and generous implementation of Laudato si. O we of little faith. But the Holy Father would undoubtedly be delighted to know that wolves now howl nightly around the precincts of Douai Abbey.
I have returned from the Abbey after preaching a retreat to a select group of highly intelligent ladies, one at least of whom was awakened at night by the authentically Gothick experience of the wolfpack discussing Brexit. Fr Guestmaster reassured us that, although one of the pack had escaped from its enclosure not long ago and had still not returned from its Annual Break, dangers were but minimal. I chased out of my fevered imagination a naughty fantasy that Father might himself be a werewolf just on the point of ...
I like Douai. Cardinal Allen greets you in Reception ... what a great Englishman and Oxonian he was. Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England ... but for a faulty weather forecast. I just love his cheerful and reassuring prediction that, in the days after the success of the Armada, not many of the Protestant governing class might have survived. And round the walls of the Guest Refectory (good food) hang portraits of an Alternative England which, so sadly, never got its chances. Queen Mary of Modena's Almoner in Paris ... Bishop Richard Smith, who is described in his picture as Totius Angliae et Scotiae Ordinarius (same title as Mgr Newton's) ... Deans of the Old Chapter (now, 'Brotherhood') of the English Clergy, that august body of most superior men ... et tot alii totque clarissimi. Along the corridors hang monks who enjoyed the evocative style of (Titular) Abbot of Westminster. In the Library, serried ranks of English Recusant gentlewomen who founded and ruled English convents in the Low Countries. Formidable ladies; I would rather face the wolves than their disapprobation.
That Catholic England never got beyond being what you might call a Platonic Idea. But you can almost catch a glimpse of it at Douai.
The Oddidities of Nature
We had five or six inches of snow last Sunday. It has been slowly melting since then. Out by the driveway is an upturned bucket that, in nicer weather, I use as a seat whilst I wait for the Cuter and Shorter Half to come home from work.
Earlier, I took the Household Canine outside to wait for her. I walked over to the driveway and saw a nice ring of snowfree area surrounding the bucket.
Earlier, I took the Household Canine outside to wait for her. I walked over to the driveway and saw a nice ring of snowfree area surrounding the bucket.
I would assume that what sun we've had, heated the bucket, and the heat radiated melting the snow round the bucket.
How to Revive the Catholic Church
Mr Holdsworth with some very pointed ideas on how the Church can restore Her 'brand' in the modern world.
A loose transcript:
There is a fundamental crisis of identity taking place in the Catholic Church and if don’t believe me, let me offer an analogy: Imagine a large company whose fundamental purpose was to sell Animal Print Blankets. In order to accomplish this task, it employed a large work force of sales people. At the end of the year, when the company assessed its year end, it discovers that it made 10 blanket sales. Any reasonable leadership would look at that outcome and realize they have a crisis on their hands. It would either take drastic measures to adjust its game plan or abandon the venture altogether. As all Catholics should know, evangelization is the fundamental mission of the Church. This is the work of proclaiming the message of Christ to the world and inviting people to respond by adopting the faith. Pope Paul VI, said as much in Evangelium Nuntiandi which Pope Francis has described as the greatest pastoral document ever written. In it, he writes, “Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity.” Now, before I make my point let me dispel what might be a crude interpretation that some of you might be jumping to. I’m not comparing evangelization with sales. What I do want to compare is two organizations with different missions, but missions none the less. One is to sell a product the other is to evangelize. If any organization were to catastrophically fail in their mission the way I described our blanket sales force, then there would be some serious consequences for that. I attend one of the largest parishes in my Archdiocese. Last year, we welcomed 2 people into the Catholic Church at Easter. We have a membership of over 2000 families who are called to be participants in the mission of the church and managed to attract 2 new people last year. I realize that addressing this issue is an intimidating challenge, but if we aren’t embracing our deepest identity as a community of spiritual outreach, than what’s the point of keeping the lights on? If we’re going to address this issue, then we need to diagnose why the faith has seen such a dramatic decline over the past century. There are a lot of things that we could point to but let me focus in on one that speaks to my own area of expertise, which is our brand. By brand, I’m not talking about candy bar packaging. I’m talking about the impression that people get when they think of something. Everyone, everything, and every organization has a brand. When you say the name of a person or an organization, what do you think of. If someone says, Catholic Church, what do you think most people think of? Do they think of a rich cultural and intellectual tradition? Do they think of social justice? Do they think of an authentic pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty? Or, do they think of sex abuse, intolerance, superstition, and an aging population of rule followers? For many, it’s the latter and the reason for that is that we haven’t been deliberate about telling our story. We’ve been letting other people tell it for us and when they do, they take the opportunity to create an impression that is unflattering and with no voice to counteract that, people adopt those conclusions. In everything we do, we are communicating and representing our faith. We’re leaving people with an impression of who we are and what we represent. This is especially true for our liturgy, our architecture, the practice of our faith, and our approach to communication. When we allow or encourage silly or trivial music to dominate our liturgy, we signal to Catholics and non-Catholics that our faith is silly and trivial. When we water down the practice of our faith so that it demands so little of its adherents, we are suggesting that this isn’t something that you should take seriously. When our gathering areas feature bulletin boards that belong in a kindergarten classroom, we’re giving the impression that Catholicism is for the simple minded. When our Church buildings are designed to look like shopping malls, we’re reinforcing the idea that there’s nothing of substance or value here. When our websites look like they were built in 1998, you get the point. If our culture believes that Catholicism is irrelevant to today’s culture, we have to take the blame because all of these careless things that we’re doing are reinforcing that sentiment. So we need to be more deliberate about all of these opportunities that leave an impression on people. The Catholicism that I know is bold, authentic, intensely spiritual, and filled with a rich history of communicating transcendentals in profound ways. Let’s start reinforcing that impression in everything that we do!
A loose transcript:
There is a fundamental crisis of identity taking place in the Catholic Church and if don’t believe me, let me offer an analogy: Imagine a large company whose fundamental purpose was to sell Animal Print Blankets. In order to accomplish this task, it employed a large work force of sales people. At the end of the year, when the company assessed its year end, it discovers that it made 10 blanket sales. Any reasonable leadership would look at that outcome and realize they have a crisis on their hands. It would either take drastic measures to adjust its game plan or abandon the venture altogether. As all Catholics should know, evangelization is the fundamental mission of the Church. This is the work of proclaiming the message of Christ to the world and inviting people to respond by adopting the faith. Pope Paul VI, said as much in Evangelium Nuntiandi which Pope Francis has described as the greatest pastoral document ever written. In it, he writes, “Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity.” Now, before I make my point let me dispel what might be a crude interpretation that some of you might be jumping to. I’m not comparing evangelization with sales. What I do want to compare is two organizations with different missions, but missions none the less. One is to sell a product the other is to evangelize. If any organization were to catastrophically fail in their mission the way I described our blanket sales force, then there would be some serious consequences for that. I attend one of the largest parishes in my Archdiocese. Last year, we welcomed 2 people into the Catholic Church at Easter. We have a membership of over 2000 families who are called to be participants in the mission of the church and managed to attract 2 new people last year. I realize that addressing this issue is an intimidating challenge, but if we aren’t embracing our deepest identity as a community of spiritual outreach, than what’s the point of keeping the lights on? If we’re going to address this issue, then we need to diagnose why the faith has seen such a dramatic decline over the past century. There are a lot of things that we could point to but let me focus in on one that speaks to my own area of expertise, which is our brand. By brand, I’m not talking about candy bar packaging. I’m talking about the impression that people get when they think of something. Everyone, everything, and every organization has a brand. When you say the name of a person or an organization, what do you think of. If someone says, Catholic Church, what do you think most people think of? Do they think of a rich cultural and intellectual tradition? Do they think of social justice? Do they think of an authentic pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty? Or, do they think of sex abuse, intolerance, superstition, and an aging population of rule followers? For many, it’s the latter and the reason for that is that we haven’t been deliberate about telling our story. We’ve been letting other people tell it for us and when they do, they take the opportunity to create an impression that is unflattering and with no voice to counteract that, people adopt those conclusions. In everything we do, we are communicating and representing our faith. We’re leaving people with an impression of who we are and what we represent. This is especially true for our liturgy, our architecture, the practice of our faith, and our approach to communication. When we allow or encourage silly or trivial music to dominate our liturgy, we signal to Catholics and non-Catholics that our faith is silly and trivial. When we water down the practice of our faith so that it demands so little of its adherents, we are suggesting that this isn’t something that you should take seriously. When our gathering areas feature bulletin boards that belong in a kindergarten classroom, we’re giving the impression that Catholicism is for the simple minded. When our Church buildings are designed to look like shopping malls, we’re reinforcing the idea that there’s nothing of substance or value here. When our websites look like they were built in 1998, you get the point. If our culture believes that Catholicism is irrelevant to today’s culture, we have to take the blame because all of these careless things that we’re doing are reinforcing that sentiment. So we need to be more deliberate about all of these opportunities that leave an impression on people. The Catholicism that I know is bold, authentic, intensely spiritual, and filled with a rich history of communicating transcendentals in profound ways. Let’s start reinforcing that impression in everything that we do!
One of the Organiser of Abuse Summit Accused of Covering Up Abuses
Is anyone surprised? I'm not. This is par for the course for Francis, his Den of Perverts and their Protectors.
From Gloria.tv
Pro-gay Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias, one of the four organisers of Pope Francis' February abuse summit, is himself accused of covering up abuses by Virginia Saldanha, a former director of the women’s commission of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
Saldanha was involved in the arrest of Jalandha Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is alleged to have raped a nun 13 times.
She also gathered information about a priest who allegedly raped several women. Saldanha went to Cardinal Gracias and demanded action but he replied that he “was too busy” to care.
Only six months later, the priest was sent away from the parish.
According to CruxNow.com (November 28) Saldanha made these revelations at a Tuesday abuse conference in Rome.
From Gloria.tv
Pro-gay Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias, one of the four organisers of Pope Francis' February abuse summit, is himself accused of covering up abuses by Virginia Saldanha, a former director of the women’s commission of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
Saldanha was involved in the arrest of Jalandha Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is alleged to have raped a nun 13 times.
She also gathered information about a priest who allegedly raped several women. Saldanha went to Cardinal Gracias and demanded action but he replied that he “was too busy” to care.
Only six months later, the priest was sent away from the parish.
According to CruxNow.com (November 28) Saldanha made these revelations at a Tuesday abuse conference in Rome.
Chicago Priest: Crisis Priest Shortage Brings 'Enlightenment'
I am reminded of something from years ago, when the Priest shortage was not nearly as bad as it is now,
From The Remnant
Enlightenment fills closed churches, not so much with people, but with light!
Isn't that enlightening?
What some refer to as a "vocations crisis" is, rather, one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council, a sign of God’s deep love for the Church', From a Pastoral Letter from Roger, Cardinal Mahony and the Priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Holy Thursday, April 20, 2000
From The Remnant
The Archdiocese of Chicago will experience a dramatic loss of priests, and therefore parishes, in the next 13 years. It's estimated that 180 priests will have retired by then, but only 10 will have taken their place. Fr. Thomas Belanger, the pastor of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Chicago, was interviewed on this grim prospect. He expects his own parish will become stronger, because:
“Enlightenment, and also not judging as quickly as we used to, but accepting people where they’re at, but also help them become stronger in their own self-identity and their lives.”
…Um? Well, anyway, sit back and have a look at the Springtime of Vatican II, which is just bustin' out all over the Windy City:
Thank you, Father, for illustrating the exact reason we’ve run out of priests to shepherd the “faith communities” of Chicago.
Enlightenment fills closed churches, not so much with people, but with light!Isn't that enlightening?
Word of the Day: Sandals
SANDALS. Episcopal slippers with embroidered silk or velvet tops worn by popes, bishops, and other prelates at solemn pontifical services.
+++++
Agai, as with the buskins, or liturgical stockings, we defined yesterday, these are normally only seen at a celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass by a Bishop.
Observations on Catholic Social Teaching
Dr Chojnowski has a Ph.D. in philosophy and undergraduate degrees in political science and philosophy, so he's well versed i the subject of this essay. His undergraduate degrees are from Christendom College, one of the few Catholic institutions of higher education left in the U.S.
From The ChesterBelloc Mandate
By Dr Peter E. Chojnowski
Economic theory distills to Catholic principles based on the Church's perennial philosophy and theology. Therefore, let it be said:
A "world of order" is not synonymous with a "world governed by economic theories and procedures of liberal capitalism." Why not?- A "world of order" implies limitation and form. The core problem with Capitalism is that it rejects the idea that there are "limits," It is a system which states that every man should seek to maximize his own wealth. The psychology of Capitalism is contrary to the Catholic principle that man should only seek after a sufficient amount of wealth to cover his basic needs with an allowance for an element of comfort and genuine leisure.
Rather than being reasonable, Capitalism transgresses reason by telling man that he should not "stop spending" when he has experienced contentment with his condition and possessions. Modern capitalistic advertisement (outlawed in days of the corporate guild system) indicates how new, non-natural "needs" are created by profit-seekers. It is manifest that the contemporary "consumer" is an artificially constructed entity. For example, clothing no longer has the purpose of covering the body in a dignified way, but rather; to "create" a character. The nature of modern clothing is an expression of the capitalist/liberal ethos telling consumers there is no end to "self-creation" and "need-fulfillment"
If we are to conform our economic, social, and political actions to the "economic laws" of the advocates of Capitalism, we must ask: "Where is the regularity which is summarized by these so-called laws?" Are we speaking about the regularity of physical interactions? Are these the basis for the laws to which we are to conform all our actions if we are to attain a state of maximum prosperity? Excuse me! Is not man the master of creation? Was he not given the divine mandate to name all of the creatures in the natural order? By naming all of the creatures, he gained control over them by including all of the divergent instances of a being into a concept which expresses their essence and, hence, type. Shouldn't man order all he finds, regulating all with prudence and moderation towards the greater good of the social order of which he is a part? Is not man called to be providential just as God is providential? And since the State, which St. Thomas Aquinas understood to be a perfect society, is called upon to see to the common good of those under its temporal authority, isn't it self-evident that the State is called upon to order all the goods which are present within its jurisdiction for the sake of the common good? This ordering would necessarily involve insuring that private property be possessed by a maximum number of the citizenry.
Capitalists tend to move without a blink from explaining the only Catholic sense of God's order to a favorable account of the appreciation for the "elegant regularity of phenomena and the beautiful order that Isaac Newton had described." What they fail to explain is the radically different understanding of "nature" and "order" which characterized the Catholic Aristotelian of the Middle Ages and the mechanistic Newtonian/Cartesian world of the Enlightenment. What is most important to remember is that the philosophy dominant during the Enlightenment rejected the Aristotelian doctrine that final causes could be discovered, through an experiential and philosophical encounter with nature, by the human mind. Descartes insisted that the human mind could not "discern the plan of God for all things" and rejected the knowability of that towards which a being is directed (i.e., the final cause).Therefore, he eliminated all reference to "goals" in nature by philosophy or empirical science. For him, all nature was simply one "extended" thing. He denied that individual substances had discernible natures that were directed towards fulfillment through the achievement of certain ends. Following in this philosophical development, the modern science of economics has forgotten the "goal orientation" ingrained in the nature of things by the Creator Himself. Most importantly, it has forgotten that all men are meant to achieve the same final end. This indicates that the goods of the world are given by God for mankind to fulfill those basic needs which God has placed in man's nature. A commonality of needs requires the recognition of a certain commonality of goods. The true goal of an economy is to provide those goods to man, using what St. Thomas called "the prudence of rulers."
Since prudence involves concrete acts of reason and-in the case of economics-reason extended to the common good of a community, those in charge of the good of the community must use reason to distribute the commonality of goods in a just way amongst those who have a commonality of needs. Quite obviously, man's needs are not provided for automatically by following the empirical laws of nature! Why should they be provided for by following the so-called capitalist "laws of the market"?!
©The Angelus
30 November-Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations for Every Day
30th November
The Blessedness of the Clean of Heart
1. “Blessed are the clean of heart,” says Jesus in the Beatitudes, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8) “The sensual man,” adds St. Paul, “does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:14)
How true this is. When the flesh gains control over the spirit and our lower instincts enslave the intellect, we are overcome by confusion and spiritual blindness. No longer can we see God's reflection in created things; no longer do we hear His voice. Impurity and sensuality lead to disregard for the law of God, whereas purity of heart makes it easy for us to love His law.
One day, as was his custom, St. Joseph Cafasso went to the prison to visit the convicts. Among them there was a hardened old sinner who was interested neither in God nor in confessing his sins. The Saint met him and tried to persuade him to kneel down and make his confession. "I do not believe in God," replied the old man. The Saint simply looked at him. "Kneel down," he said, "confess your sins, and afterwards you will believe." It turned out as he had predicted. The old crime-hardened sinner told his sins, wept for them, and became a new man. It was as if the scales had fallen from his eyes, which now saw God clearly once more. Through the forgiveness of his sins he found again the way of supernatural love.
One day, as was his custom, St. Joseph Cafasso went to the prison to visit the convicts. Among them there was a hardened old sinner who was interested neither in God nor in confessing his sins. The Saint met him and tried to persuade him to kneel down and make his confession. "I do not believe in God," replied the old man. The Saint simply looked at him. "Kneel down," he said, "confess your sins, and afterwards you will believe." It turned out as he had predicted. The old crime-hardened sinner told his sins, wept for them, and became a new man. It was as if the scales had fallen from his eyes, which now saw God clearly once more. Through the forgiveness of his sins he found again the way of supernatural love.
We should be grateful to God that we are not in the same state as this poor prisoner was, but it is probable that we have been often disturbed by impure suggestions. On these occasions we may have lost sight of God and our high and pure ideals may have suffered an eclipse. We must preserve our chastity, however. With this purpose in view we should renew our good resolutions in the presence of God and should constantly implore His grace and the protection of the Blessed Virgin.
2. The clean of heart will see God. St. Thomas observes that the heart may and should be purified in two ways, even as God may be seen in two ways. (S. Th., II-II, q. 8. a. 7) The first essential is to purify the disturbed passions, which blind the soul to heavenly things. The second is to cleanse the mind and to make it immune from error and from evil fancies so that it may be permanently enlightened by God.
Similarly, the vision of God is twofold. When we see God perfectly, we see His Divine Essence, and such happiness is possible only in the Beatific Vision. There is also an imperfect vision of God, by which we see Him not in Himself but in created things. We can and should have this vision in this life. All the wonders of creation are rays of the eternal beauty of God. Creatures, therefore, should form for us a mystical ladder which leads us to God. We should never become entangled with transient worldly goods, but should see and love God in them all. The Saints were clean of heart and could see God more clearly than the most learned scholars.
3. Let us conclude this meditation with an appropriate prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas. "Make my heart watchful, O God, so that no vain thought may distract it from You. Make it noble, so that it may never be seduced by any base affection. Make it upright, so that no evil intention may defile it. Make it steadfast, so that troubles may not dismay it. Make it free, so that it may not yield to the onslaughts of passion. Grant me, my God, the intelligence to understand You, the love to seek You, the wisdom to find You, words to please You, the perseverance to wait faithfully for You, and the hope of embracing You at last. Grant that I, a repentant sinner, may bear Your chastisements with resignation. Poor pilgrim that I am, may I draw on the treasury of Your grace and may I one day be eternally happy with you in heavenly glory. Amen."
IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 NOVEMBER – SAINT ANDREW (Apostle and Martyr)
IN LUMINE FIDEI: 30 NOVEMBER – SAINT ANDREW (Apostle and Martyr): Dom Prosper Guéranger: Let us read the life of this glorious fisherman of the lake of Genesareth, who was afterwards to be the succes...
30 November, A Chesterton Calendar
NOVEMBER 30th
ST. ANDREW’S DAY
I am quite certain that Scotland is a nation; I am quite certain that nationality is the key of Scotland; I am quite certain that all our success with Scotland has been due to the fact that we have in spirit treated it as a nation. I am quite certain that Ireland is a nation. I am quite certain that nationality is the key of Ireland; I am quite certain that all our failure in Ireland arose from the fact that we would not in spirit treat it as a nation. It would be difficult to find, even among the innumerable examples that exist, a stronger example of the immensely superior importance of sentiment, to what is called practicality, than this case of the two sister nations. It is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be rich; it is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be active; it is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be free. It is that we have quite definitely encouraged a Scotchman to be Scotch.
‘All Things Considered.’
Chesterton, G. K.. The G. K. Chesterton Collection [50 Books] (Kindle Locations 45365-45373). Catholic Way Publishing. Kindle Edition.
ST. ANDREW’S DAY
I am quite certain that Scotland is a nation; I am quite certain that nationality is the key of Scotland; I am quite certain that all our success with Scotland has been due to the fact that we have in spirit treated it as a nation. I am quite certain that Ireland is a nation. I am quite certain that nationality is the key of Ireland; I am quite certain that all our failure in Ireland arose from the fact that we would not in spirit treat it as a nation. It would be difficult to find, even among the innumerable examples that exist, a stronger example of the immensely superior importance of sentiment, to what is called practicality, than this case of the two sister nations. It is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be rich; it is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be active; it is not that we have encouraged a Scotchman to be free. It is that we have quite definitely encouraged a Scotchman to be Scotch.
‘All Things Considered.’
Chesterton, G. K.. The G. K. Chesterton Collection [50 Books] (Kindle Locations 45365-45373). Catholic Way Publishing. Kindle Edition.
1 December, The Roman Martyrology
Kaléndis Decémbris Luna vicesima tertia Anno 2018 Domini
On the morrow we keep the Feast of the holy Confessor Felix de Valois, of whom mention is made upon the 4th day of November.
December 1st anno Domini 2018 The 23rd Day of the Moon were born into the better life:
The Prophet Nahum, who sleepeth in Begabar.
At Rome, (about the year 283,) the holy martyrs the Priest Diodorus, and the Deacon Marianus with many others, who gained the glory of martyrdom by command of the Emperor Numerian.
There likewise the holy martyrs Lucius, Rogatus, Cassian, and Candida.
On the same day, the holy martyr Ansanus, who confessed Christ at Rome, under the Emperor Diocletian, and was cast into prison then was brought to Sienna, in Tuscany, where he was beheaded, and so finished the course of his testimony, (about the year 304.)
At Ameria, in Umbria, under the same Diocletian, the holy martyr Olympias. He was a man of consular rank, who had been converted by blessed Firmina, and died upon the rack, (about the year 284.)
At Arbela, in Persia, the holy martyr Ananias.
At Narni, the holy martyr Proculus, Bishop (of that see,) who, after many good works, was beheaded by order of Totila, King of the Goths.
At the city of Casala, the holy martyr Evasius, Bishop (of that see.)
At Milan, holy Castritian, Bishop (of that see,) who gained great praise for his worthy acts and his godly and pious conduct of affairs during the most troublous times of the Church.
At Brescia, holy Ursicinus, Bishop (of that see.)
At Noyon, (in, probably, the year 659,) holy Eloy, Bishop (of that see,) whose marvelous life is commended by the number of signs wrought through him.
At Verdun, (in the year 591,) holy Ageric, Bishop (of that see.)
On the same day, holy Natalia, the wife of the blessed martyr Hadrian. She ministered for a long time to the holy martyrs who were kept in prison at Nicomedia under the Emperor Diocletian, and after their battle was over went to Constantinople, where she fell asleep in peace.
V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
On the morrow we keep the Feast of the holy Confessor Felix de Valois, of whom mention is made upon the 4th day of November.
December 1st anno Domini 2018 The 23rd Day of the Moon were born into the better life:
The Prophet Nahum, who sleepeth in Begabar.
At Rome, (about the year 283,) the holy martyrs the Priest Diodorus, and the Deacon Marianus with many others, who gained the glory of martyrdom by command of the Emperor Numerian.
There likewise the holy martyrs Lucius, Rogatus, Cassian, and Candida.
On the same day, the holy martyr Ansanus, who confessed Christ at Rome, under the Emperor Diocletian, and was cast into prison then was brought to Sienna, in Tuscany, where he was beheaded, and so finished the course of his testimony, (about the year 304.)
At Ameria, in Umbria, under the same Diocletian, the holy martyr Olympias. He was a man of consular rank, who had been converted by blessed Firmina, and died upon the rack, (about the year 284.)
At Arbela, in Persia, the holy martyr Ananias.
At Narni, the holy martyr Proculus, Bishop (of that see,) who, after many good works, was beheaded by order of Totila, King of the Goths.
At the city of Casala, the holy martyr Evasius, Bishop (of that see.)
At Milan, holy Castritian, Bishop (of that see,) who gained great praise for his worthy acts and his godly and pious conduct of affairs during the most troublous times of the Church.
At Brescia, holy Ursicinus, Bishop (of that see.)
At Noyon, (in, probably, the year 659,) holy Eloy, Bishop (of that see,) whose marvelous life is commended by the number of signs wrought through him.
At Verdun, (in the year 591,) holy Ageric, Bishop (of that see.)
On the same day, holy Natalia, the wife of the blessed martyr Hadrian. She ministered for a long time to the holy martyrs who were kept in prison at Nicomedia under the Emperor Diocletian, and after their battle was over went to Constantinople, where she fell asleep in peace.
V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
29 November 2018
The Vortex—Smashing Modernism
Read the Syllabus Against Modernism and the Oath Against Modernism, both by St Pius X, and examine what's going on in the Church today!
Church Militant Headlines—November 29, 2018
Mostly bad news, but the good news is that Blessed John Henry Newman is one step closer to canonisation! A second miracle has been approved. Blessed John Henry, pray for us!
Where’s Fr. Martin SJ?
One Mad Mom says in the header of her blog, 'Crazy? Angry? You decide...' I'm going with 'angry' on this one.
A friend of mine knew Harvey Milk well. From what he has told me, Milk was the lowest of the low, a homosexual predator who deliberately looked for young boys. I'm sure that's why Fr Jimmy's pals like him so much.
If he were ever 'canonised', I suppose he could become the Patron 'Saint' of the Lavender Mafia and StupichChurch.
From One Mad Mom
From One Mad Mom
Out @ St. Paul is one of James Martin, SJ’s favorite clubs. He re-tweets his pride for them quite often. He portrays them as just a benign, loving support group for those who are so oppressed by the Church simply for trying to be faithful Catholics that She needs to change for them. The reality is they completely support engaging in sodomy, entering into “gay marriages,” and engaging in the slander and detraction of Bishop Morlino, all while continuing to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Let’s look at just two of their tweets from this last week and you can tell me how loving and moral they are.
First we have this…
Harvey Milk was NO saint and no martyr for the Faith. To portray him as such is such a dishonor to saints, especially saints like Charles Lwanga. Milk was a homosexual man who sexually preyed on teen runaways who were homeless and resorted to prostitution. He even encouraged boys to run away to join him in San Francisco. We’re not even talking about teens who were above the statutory age, which is really irrelevant but people are going to make the claim it is. He admits some of these relationships and/or parents intercepted his letters. Even his own biographer friend, Randy Shilts, wrote, “Harvey always had a penchant for young waifs with substance abuse problems.” Sadly, at least one of his victims committed suicide years later. So, please, Fr. Martin and his buddies who talk about how we’re so mean or how horrible the abuse of minors is might want to zip it instead of trying to claim loving, moral superiority. Of course, there wasn’t a peep from Fr. Martin to build his bridge and point out the Church’s position on this.
And then there’s this…
Bishop Morlino was NOT an opponent of LGBT people. He was an opponent of the LGBT lifestyle. He LOVED people suffering from same-sex attraction so much that he spoke the hard truth to them. On the occasion of his death, to say that he was an enemy of anyone, that he hated anyone, that he committed calumny or persecution is disgusting. And still no peep from Fr. Martin on this one, either.
Out @ St. Paul is not some warm, cozy support group for those intent on living the chaste life. They’re not some group of persecuted who just want to be accepted so they can practice the Faith in peace. It is a militant group seeking to thwart as many of the Church’s teachings as they see fit.
I call on Fr. James Martin, SJ, to condemn these scurrilous posts and tweets. I know he won’t, but it just shows, once again, show how fake his bridge overtures are. The bridge only leads one way – away from the Church that wants the best for all of us.+
@SSPXEN Tribute to @BishopMorlino of @MadisonDiocese
Fr Zed shares the obituary of Bishop Morlino from the US District of the SSPX with his comments.
From Fr Z's Blog
From Fr Z's Blog
This was gracious.
From the US site of the SSPX.
Bp. Robert Morlino, Brave Defender of the Traditional Mass, Passes AwayBishop Morlino of the Madison, WI diocese, passed away Saturday evening last, after a sudden “cardiac event,” shocking traditionally-minded faithful who had flocked to his diocese in recent years.If, as Archbishop Lefebvre so staunchly maintained, the lifeblood of the Catholic Church is its priests, then Bishop Morlino was a shepherd of the Church who can be admired by all Catholics. When he donned the mitre as Madison’s bishop, enrollment at the local seminary stood at 5 seminarians. Not 5 seminarians in the first-year class – 5 seminarians in the entire seminary. Today, more than three dozen are receiving priestly formation, with 25 having been ordained during His Excellency’s fifteen years overseeing it – all during the worst abuse scandal to have shaken Holy Mother Church in its history and while vocations are plummeting in Diocesan seminaries. [They didn’t get the right numbers. Better… there were 6 in formation when Morlino arrived. The height was 3 dozen. Now there are two dozen. He ordained 40 – not 25 – in his years in Madison. However, that doesn’t change the main point, which they go right: big impact on the number of seminarians and ordinations.]As the common prayer goes, we do not ask the Lord to grant us priests, or many priests. We beg for “many holy priests”. [The young priests and seminarians I know in Madison are great!] It goes without saying that quality is preferable in every measure over quantity for those anointed. The bishop molded men into some of the most traditional priests emerging from any diocesan seminary throughout the world. While the seminarians were taught the Novus Ordo Mass – albeit with strong recommendations to celebrate ad orientem – they were also trained in the Traditional Latin Mass, more than a rarity in today’s Church-wide seminary curricula. [Without imposing on them, Bp. Morlino told the guys that he would like for them to learn the TLM before ordination. Every one of them knew that he would support them. He said the TLM for them himself. Last August, during the annual gathering of seminarians with the bishop, they organized a Solemn Mass, with a 1 yr ordained as celebrant, brand new deacons assisting, and a newly ordained priest as MC. They did it.]Bishop Morlino himself celebrated the Mass in the “extraordinary rite” and publicly manifested his preference by regularly celebrating a pontifical High Mass, surrounded and served by his local priests and seminarians.While it is true that he did not mandate the celebration of the Latin Mass in his diocese, he encouraged it, possibly hoping that its fruits would bear in time – an approach far less strong than many traditional Catholics beg for. [I think there are some 8 places in the diocese where the TLM is regularly found.]Yes, his plan was certainly passive. [I’m not sure that is the right word. He lead by example and didn’t impose. In Madison, imposing would have meant all out war against him and everything he was doing.] But he was not passive in defending truth – including the Society of St. Pius X.In 2002, His Excellency appeared on EWTN Television, after a letter, purportedly from his desk, attacked the SSPX. He courageously “gathered the feathers in the wind,” offering a public apology for the letter, taking ownership of its message, while explaining the words were not his, and in fact, he had struck them from the first draft. [That is exactly true. I can attest to that.]The SSPX does not often publish these sorts of obituaries, but an exception has been made in this case. The hierarchical Church needs more bishops like Bishop Morlino, ready to draw a line against the storm of confusion and innovation still plaguing the Church, ready to refute falsehoods perpetuated in his name, and acting as much as a leader as one can hope for in the Church. It is through these sorts of men that incremental progress within the Church can be achieved, and the restoration of the Catholic Church can be realized.May God rest his soul in peace!
Also, this morning I received a note from the great SSPX priest who served for sometime in the area of Madison, within the Diocese. He sent photos of the Requiem Mass he celebrated for the Bishop.
Another example of how Bp. Morlino brought out the best in people.
That was a very gracious gesture from the SSPX and I am impressed and grateful.
The Miraculous Medal and the Anglican Patrimony
Father H wrote this in 2010, when he was still technically an Anglican. I had no idea that prayers were specifically offered for the conversion of Blessed John Henry Newman in the Church of Our Lady of Victories in Paris. That was a favourite devotion of the Little Flower.
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
I wrote this in 2010; I reprint it, together with its admirable thread.
On Saturday 27 November 1830, a young French nun, (S) Catherine Laboure, beheld her second and third visions of the Mother of God in the Sanctuary of her Convent Chapel in the Rue du Bac in Paris. Our Lady appeared to her, radiant, standing on a globe, and with her arms stretched out in a compassionate gesture. From her fingers rays of light fell upon the globe at her feet. An oval frame then formed around her with gold lettering that read: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Our Lady promised great graces to those who wore this design with confidence; she showed the Saint the design which now appears on the back of the Miraculous Medal: a large M surmounted by a bar and cross, with two hearts beneath it, one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword, all encircled by twelve stars.
In 1836, Abbe Desgenettes, who had taken over the Church of Our Lady of Victories (a church degraded and desecrated during the Revolution and with a minute congregation), dedicated his parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and founded a Confraternity of Prayer, which had the Miraculous Medal as its badge. In the days before Newman's conversion, intense prayer was offered for him in this Church by the members of that very same Fraternity. Back in Blighty, it was on the Octave Day of the Assumption in 1845 (a very patrimonial day: it was also the birthday of blessed Edward Bouverie Pusey) that Blessed John Henry Newman first began to wear the Miraculous Medal.
Yes! The greatest intellect of the nineteenth century! Like any Irish washerwoman, he wore a miraculous medal! Is there a sobering message here for our supercilious cultural pride? Should we each be a little more thorough in rooting out of our own minds the sordid dregs of Enlightenment superstitions? I stand by my mixed metaphor!!
Now back two or three years, to January 20, 1842. On this day, a wealthy Jewish banker called Alphonse Ratisbonne had, in the Church of S Andrea delle Fratte in Rome, a vision of our Lady just as she appeared on the Miraculous Medal. Shunt forward ... please ... to 1847: Newman and St John (who, after their reception, had visited the shrine in Notre Dame des Victoires in thanksgiving for the prayers offered for him there) found themselves now awaiting admission to the presbyterate of the Latin Church, lodged in the Collegio di Propaganda in Rome. Newman makes clear in a number of letters that their windows looked down on the Church of S Andrea delle Fratte; it clearly made some considerable impression upon him. On June 9 1847, his long-time intimate woman friend, Maria Giberne, painted a picture of Newman and St John in a room at Propaganda, with our Lady, as she appears on the Miraculous Medal, between the two of them.
In the Old Missal, in the Appendix pro aliquibus locis, November 27 is the feast of Our Lady Immaculate of the the Miraculous Medal. Let us hope that this commemoration will one day make its way into the Calendar of the Patrimony!
From Fr Hunwicke's Mutual Enrichment
I wrote this in 2010; I reprint it, together with its admirable thread.
On Saturday 27 November 1830, a young French nun, (S) Catherine Laboure, beheld her second and third visions of the Mother of God in the Sanctuary of her Convent Chapel in the Rue du Bac in Paris. Our Lady appeared to her, radiant, standing on a globe, and with her arms stretched out in a compassionate gesture. From her fingers rays of light fell upon the globe at her feet. An oval frame then formed around her with gold lettering that read: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Our Lady promised great graces to those who wore this design with confidence; she showed the Saint the design which now appears on the back of the Miraculous Medal: a large M surmounted by a bar and cross, with two hearts beneath it, one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword, all encircled by twelve stars.
In 1836, Abbe Desgenettes, who had taken over the Church of Our Lady of Victories (a church degraded and desecrated during the Revolution and with a minute congregation), dedicated his parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and founded a Confraternity of Prayer, which had the Miraculous Medal as its badge. In the days before Newman's conversion, intense prayer was offered for him in this Church by the members of that very same Fraternity. Back in Blighty, it was on the Octave Day of the Assumption in 1845 (a very patrimonial day: it was also the birthday of blessed Edward Bouverie Pusey) that Blessed John Henry Newman first began to wear the Miraculous Medal.
Yes! The greatest intellect of the nineteenth century! Like any Irish washerwoman, he wore a miraculous medal! Is there a sobering message here for our supercilious cultural pride? Should we each be a little more thorough in rooting out of our own minds the sordid dregs of Enlightenment superstitions? I stand by my mixed metaphor!!
Now back two or three years, to January 20, 1842. On this day, a wealthy Jewish banker called Alphonse Ratisbonne had, in the Church of S Andrea delle Fratte in Rome, a vision of our Lady just as she appeared on the Miraculous Medal. Shunt forward ... please ... to 1847: Newman and St John (who, after their reception, had visited the shrine in Notre Dame des Victoires in thanksgiving for the prayers offered for him there) found themselves now awaiting admission to the presbyterate of the Latin Church, lodged in the Collegio di Propaganda in Rome. Newman makes clear in a number of letters that their windows looked down on the Church of S Andrea delle Fratte; it clearly made some considerable impression upon him. On June 9 1847, his long-time intimate woman friend, Maria Giberne, painted a picture of Newman and St John in a room at Propaganda, with our Lady, as she appears on the Miraculous Medal, between the two of them.
In the Old Missal, in the Appendix pro aliquibus locis, November 27 is the feast of Our Lady Immaculate of the the Miraculous Medal. Let us hope that this commemoration will one day make its way into the Calendar of the Patrimony!
Wherein Fr. Z Offers a Cautionary Tale to Those Who Struggle With Liturgical Conundra.
Fr Zed has some good advice for those who might think of writing to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei with questions about liturgical practice in the TLM. As he says, the PCED are not the only people in Rome!
From Fr Z's Blog
From Fr Z's Blog
The site of the CMAA, Musica Sacra Forum, published response to the 29 – yes, twenty-nine – dubia submitted to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”.
The questioner is a Polish priest, I assume young, working on a doctorate.
Folks, I get it. I get that some people want official clarity and black and white rules about some things. However, I have this to say to those who perhaps are less inclined to handle fluidity according to the genius of the Roman Rite.
The young can be reckless because, not having scars and mended bones, they don’t yet get it.
Right now… right now… it is ill-advised, imprudent, not to say playing with fire to submit any sort of question about traditional liturgical matters to the Holy See… unless… unless… you are darn sure of the answer in advance.
AND… learn how to ask questions!
It is not that I distrust the collaborators of the Pontifical Commission. On the contrary, I hold them in esteem. But, they are not the only people in Rome.
It is better right now to leave sleeping dogs lie. To put it another way, it’s reckless… right now… to ask.
The answers are a mixed bag. Some good. Some less good. But, I hope you all get my drift.
Fantastic Priests and How to Find Them
A powerful essay with some excellent advice in these dark days.
And I love the pun in the title!
From One Peter Five
And I love the pun in the title!
From One Peter Five
Pope St. Pius X foresaw it. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen saw the signs of its imminent arrival. Michael Davies experienced it and documented its early attacks on the liturgy. Ross Douthat has chronicled its continued progress. Elizabeth Yore has put it into global context.
Put on it whatever label you want, but the fact of it is undeniable. “It” is the destruction of the institutional Roman Catholic Church from within, now proclaimed by the current papacy. If you doubt that this is the case, you have only to view the video that was projected onto the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, at the conclusion of the Synod on the Youth, which depicted the crumbling of that church and, by extension, of the whole institutional Church.
How could this have happened? The successors of St. Peter were endowed with unerring authority by Christ to lead and govern his Church. Most answers come back to something like “diabolical infiltration.” Really? So the gates of Hell have prevailed, despite the promise made by Jesus Christ himself? Has the latest successor of Peter been sifted and found destined for the fire? Are all faithful Catholics now obliged to follow him to their ultimate destruction?
The sedevacantists have an attractive answer: Satan has not prevailed. Francis is not the pope. There has not been a valid pope since 1958 with the death of Pope Pius XII. Thus, Francis may be safely ignored. With this argument, they bludgeon those who hold that Pope Francis is the valid pope, but his manifest errors can and must be resisted.
Personally, I do not find compelling the notion that the Barque of Peter has been steering itself for 60 years with no captain. It is difficult even for a loyal crew to stay on course without a captain when the wind shifts or a pirate vessel approaches. And, as Dr. Peter Kwasniewski has recently asked, how will we know the authority of the new captain if and when he takes command?
Equally unappealing is the notion that the passengers and crew of the Barque of Peter must obey without questioning when the captain gives orders to steer for the rocks. I never thought of myself as a mutineer, with all of the attendant consequences of being one. Yet must I participate in the mutiny in order to be saved?
This debacle has been decades, if not centuries, in the making. My generation has no time to figure out how it happened in spite of the Church’s divine protection, nor what the true state of affairs in the papacy has been for the last 60 years. We will not live to see the restoration of the Church as we once knew it. All we can do is live the faith that is ingrained in us. Leave the present conundrum for scholars and theologians to solve. For us, the only thing that matters is to prepare for our own particular judgment as best we can.
My strategy starts with Mass and the sacraments. With the Mass and the sacraments, particularly Holy Eucharist, Confession, and Extreme Unction, we have the best chance of achieving Heaven and avoiding Hell. But it gets tricky right off the bat. Because to avail ourselves of these means of grace, we need priests. Validly ordained priests. Priests who understand and believe what it means to be an authentic Catholic priest.
Are Novus Ordo diocesan priests validly ordained? Are SSPX priests validly ordained? Are FSSP priests validly ordained? Does being in communion with the Holy See validate or invalidate a priest’s orders? You can find sincere, well reasoned, and well supported arguments on both sides of these questions. But that’s the problem: they are arguments. I have read the arguments, and, with my darkened intellect, I have assented to some and rejected others.
A diocesan priest of the Novus Ordo, a priest of the Society of St. Pius X, a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter – all, I believe, are validly ordained. I do not have the means (or time) to vet the orders of each individual priest. So if they are wearing a Roman collar, that’s a start on determining whether they are what I regard as an authentic Catholic priest.
The next step is not so easy. I must find out if a particular priest truly believes in the Real Presence and understands that the Mass is a sacrifice. At one time, this would have been taken for granted. Now we are learning that two generations of priests were malformed in their seminaries. Ordination is not sufficient assurance, therefore, that this is an authentic Catholic priest. This is why I have the temerity to judge for myself.
I know one of those malformed priests. We went to school together. He became a diocesan priest. I have attended some of his Masses. He believes that the Missal – and I am talking about the new Missal – contains only suggested words and actions. Say the black and do the red! I silently scream. I left his Masses wondering if I had really fulfilled my Sunday obligation.
Then a trusted person told me that this priest has even attempted to consecrate coffee and doughnuts. Was he absent from seminary the day they covered matter and form? I can safely conclude that Father Freelance and priests like him do not meet my criteria.
Michael Voris refers to the post-Vatican II church as the “Church of Nice.” I call it the “Church of Nothing Special.” That church understands that the biggest impediment to universal membership is belief in the divinity of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and His Real Presence on the altar. And so the Eucharist is a “symbol” and the Mass is a “meal.” Priests who view the Eucharist and the Mass this way do not meet my criteria.
Priests like these can be of no help to me because I am sure that their liturgical innovations and doctrinal misconceptions mirror their similarly distorted moral views. I do not need or want their accompaniment on this final leg of my journey. Do not join me on my path; show me instead the better path.
So I use a priest’s liturgical style, his comportment during Mass, and the content of his homilies as outward signs of his inward beliefs. (This applies especially to Novus Ordo diocesan priests.) Does he reverently say the words of consecration without additions, subtractions, or changes? Does he bow? Does he elevate the host and chalice? Does he genuflect? Does he reverently consume the Body and Blood of Christ? Does he remind the congregation that only those in the state of grace may approach for Communion? Does he preach on theological matters? Does he preach on life, death, Heaven, and Hell? Is this the priest I would want my family to call when it comes time for my own last anointing?
If the answers are “yes,” I have probably found a fantastic priest.
Fortunately, there are some shortcuts for identifying a fantastic priest. A priest who can and does offer Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal is almost guaranteed to believe in the Real Presence and the Mass as sacrifice. So I look for a priest who wears a biretta. It is the ultimate in virtue-signaling.
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