Recent Posts and other headlines...

Recent Posts:

• Commentary: St. John Bosco's lesson on boys and Archbishop Vigneron
• Apostolic Visitation of Women's Religious Communities
• ILSUSSIDIARIO: Abortions fell 91.1% from 1985 - 2005 in Croatia
• Michael Voris takes on Detroit News Story on Archbishop Vigneron
• Rumor: Full Regularization of SSPX by Feb 2nd???
• Installation Mass of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron: Photopost 2
• Archbishop Vigneron's Installation Mass - Photopost 1 and Homily
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron - Installed Today at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
• Archbishop Burke Faults Faithful Citizenship; Calls for Overhall of Catholic News Service
• Pffftttttt - Detroit News Article on Archbishop Vigneron
• Detroit Free Press: Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony
• Archbishop Vigneron, Call to Action, and Priestly Celibacy

Other headlines:

• EWTN picks up the ball on the CatholicVote.org pro-life ad (Fr. Z)
• John Allen’s take on the SSPX excommunications (Fr. Z - A must read)
• The Tablet on Rome and the SSPX - revealing their true fears (Fr. Z)
• Bp. Williamson’s health - UPDATED (Fr. Z)
• Breaking: Pro-life, devout Catholic named new RNC chair! (AmP)
• Only Six Catholic Senators Vote "YEA" to Stop Tax Money from Funding Overseas Abortion (AmP)
• Fr. Benedict Groeschel writes Philip Johnson (young Naval Officer who is pursuing the priesthood in spite of brain tumor) (Beautiful). And, Philip's headed to Europe on pilgrimage.
• Who is Separating Pregnant Women from Their Unborn Children? (Reflections of a Paralytic)
  
  
  
  
  
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Commentary: St. John Bosco's lesson on boys and Archbishop Vigneron

Today is St. John Bosco's feast day. I have a great affection for Don Bosco and one of his teenage saints, Dominic Savio.

The Office of Readings for today provided us with some words from St. John Bosco, about raising boys. He should know.....he raised hundreds.

This reading also made me reflect on something else...... and I'm putting in bold certain points I want to make. I couldn't feel stronger about this.

Each time a new bishop is appointed to a diocese, faithful Catholics look for swift changes. Consider that a bishop is the "Holy Father" of the diocese. He can see many of the same problems that we see, but he must exercise prudence in dealing with those problems. If he is harsh and abrasive, he might manage to end something, but it could come at a cost of losing many people in the process.

I would urge metro Detroiters who are looking for swift changes out of Archbishop Vigneron to read and ponder these words of Don Bosco, applied to another level: That is, on the relationship between a bishop and his priests.

Because you don't see every liturgical abuse in the city ending immediately, doesn't mean he is not working to end these things. The same can be said of priests who are indifferent to culture of life issues, who never preach on these things and are even hostile to those who try to advance them in parishes. Ditto with the kind of ambiguity we hear from the pulpit, and in some cases, outright heresy, and yet others who simply do not teach the mind of the Church.

I believe Archbishop Vigneron will work on these things in good order. I'm banking more on the impact he will have on an ever increasing number of seminarians, which I believe will explode under his reign. Heading our archdiocese, is a bishop who is not only Marian and Eucharistic, but very much tuned in to the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. I could not ask for greater characteristics in a bishop, and this is what gives me much hope.

With that, meditate carefully on these words and consider that disciplining a boy is much easier than disciplining a priest who refuses to work with the mind of the Church. With such a priest shortage, it is simply not possible to suspend, or to push into retirement, all of those who do not choose humility and heed a bishop's private admonitions (we are not privy to all that a bishop does behind close doors to try to rectify things as displine is suppose to be private and a matter of charity). If he simply pulls such priests from parishes, many would have to close - parishes that in a few years down the road will be home to many solid priests, filled with holy boldness, coming up through the system. They will be influenced not only by Archbishop Vigneron's words, but by his actions.

Once again, I encourage you to pray, make sacrifices, and to have patience. Things will shift, not when and how we want it, but as God guides our new Ordinary, Allen H. Vigneron.

Forgive any typos, as I typed this quickly from today's Office of Readings and could not find a version on the net.

From a letter by Saint John Bosco, Priest

(Epistolario, Torino 1959, 4, 201-203)

First of all, if we wish to appear concerned about the true happiness of our foster children adn if we would move them to fulfill their duties, you must never forget that you re taking the place of the parents of these beloved young people. I have always labored lovingly for them, and carried out my priestly duties with zeal. And the whole Salesian society has done this with me.

My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great trut. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.

I give you as a model of charity of Paul which he showed to his new converts. They often reduced him to tears and entreaties when he found them lacking docility and even opposing his loving efforts.

See that no one finds you motivated by impetuosity or willfulness. It is difficult to keep calm when administering punishment, but this must be done if we are to keep ourselves from showing off our authority or spilling out our anger.

Let us regard those boys over whom we have some authority as our own sons. Let us place ourselves in their service. Let us be ashamed dto assume an attitude of superiority. Let us not rule over them except for the purpose of serving them better.

This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and evne their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized, and still others to hope for God's mercy. And so he bade us to be gentle and humble of heart.

They are our sons, and so in correcting their mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is extinguished entirely.

There must be no hostility in our minds, no contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. We must use mercy for the present and have hope for the future, as is fitting for true fathers who are eager for real correction and improvement. In serious matters it is better to beg God humbly than to send forth a flood of words that will oly offend the listeners and have no effect on those who are guilty.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Apostolic Visitation of Women's Religoius Communities

Long over due....

And, it ought to be interesting. There are many faithful sisters who have given up their lives to serve the Lord in various ways. What is interesting is the sudden explosion of vocations in traditional religious orders where there is a focus on the fundamentals: Building virtue and holiness through the grace of Marian and Eucharistic devotion. Some would say that time spent in prayer is time lost working with the needy. Consider that Mother Teresa spent 4 hours daily in prayer, and probably only as much time sleeping. The rest was all work. And, the graces that followed in her work, were the fruits of that prayer.

Unfortunately, many religious orders in the US have moved away from that Marian and Eucharistic focus, with some even slipping into new age spirituality. It is also interesting to note that if one were to compare vocation statistics of these kinds of orders, to those which are more traditional, there is a real contrast. Those with a new age focus will reveal an older, average age with few new vocations. Those with a traditional focus don't have enough beds to handle all the young women who want to come on discernment weekends, and there are constant expansions being made on chapels, dorms and convents. In some cases, a handful of nuns must leave their communities to start a new branch in some distant location, such as that case with sisters from Mother Angelica's order in Alabama, who went to Phoenix.

Vatican begins visits to strengthen women religious in U.S.

Washington DC, Jan 30, 2009 / 01:25 pm (CNA).- The Vatican announced today that it is initiating the first-ever visitation of women’s religious communities in the United States. The visitations are being undertaken to help strengthen religious communities in the U.S., which are suffering from a sharp drop in vocations and gentrification of their ranks.

On the heels of issuing a report on the health of U.S. seminaries—which were found to be in relatively good condition—the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, headed by Cardinal Franc Rodé, is embarking on a comprehensive study of the more than 400 congregations present in the United States. The visitations will only assess those religious who engage in apostolic or active work, and will not involve contemplative communities.

The visitation process is being spearheaded by Connecticut native Mother Mary Clare Millea, A.S.C.J., who was appointed by Cardinal Rodé. Mother Clare is the superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a group of sisters that is based in Rome but has 135 sisters in the U.S.

According to a December 22, 2008 Vatican decree authorizing the visitations, the study is being undertaken “to look into the quality of the life” of the members of U.S. religious institutes.

Mother Clare estimates that the project will take about two years to finish, and says that upon completion she will submit a confidential report to Cardinal Rodé. There are no plans to publish the findings.

Sr. Eva-Maria Ackerman, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, explained how the several-stage process will work at a press conference in Washington D.C. on Friday.

Continue reading at Catholic News Agency: Vatican to Begin Visitation of Women's Religious Communities in US

Also visit: AposotlicVisitation.org

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

ILSUSSIDIARIO: Abortions fell 91.1% from 1985 - 2005 in Croatia

I found this article in the online Italian journal Ilsussidiario very interesting but not surprising, having lived in the region of Herzegovina for nearly 2.5 years (1980-83). Note that I was there before the alleged apparitions of Medjugorje began in 1981.

The article discusses an amazing statistic: From 1985 to 2005, abortions fell by 91.1% in Croatia. The article explores reasons for this, including the role of the Church and faith, following the collapse of Communism.

One might jump right away to thoughts of Medjugorje, and it's impact - justifiably. While I personally cannot accept authenticity of the appartions given attacks against the bishop, and obstinate disobedience to the bishop's demands to cease public manifestations of the messages in 1985, and in 2006, I have never doubted that Our Lady is using the place to her advantage. But, I also want to point out that graces can come even in the absence of an authentic apparition where there is frequent use of the sacraments, and a life of holiness built through prayer and penance.

People returned in great numbers to the sacraments while I was there after the birth of "Medjugorje" as a phenomenon, especially young people. Confession, and devotion - especially Eucharistic and Marian, exploded. I myself participated in making Communion wafers numbering into the tens of thousands, which lasted only a few days. And, I witnessed young people passing up the attempts by the communist government to pull them away through "disco-teks" and movie theatres erected along the path to Medjugorje. They also endured much persecution by the communists until....the commies realized they were bringing in tourist money.

Hence, I believe this return to sacraments and life of holiness has everything to do with these statistics.

Here is the article in a very crude translation by Google:

ABORTION / "The exception Croatia: an example to follow
Redazione Editor

Saturday 31 January 2009

In Croatia, from 1985 to 2005, abortions fell by 91.1%. We are facing a real collapse. The source is certain: the Croatian National Institute for Public Health. The numbers say that in 1989, the last year of the communist regime, there were 40,000 abortions volunteers against 4600 in 2005.

A statistic of this kind is so shocking that it should cause analysts, sociologists, psychologists, producing conferences and round tables at the highest levels. But nothing. "The exception Croatia" on abortion, which is unique in the world, despite the sensational numbers that are accompanying, had an echo on minimal media.

Among the few items that broke this silence, there was a valuable article on the excellent Antonio Gaspari Zenit, appropriately Catholic agency. And yes, because the reason can explain the anomaly Croatian (not just on abortion, then we will see) is to identify precisely in the Catholic faith of his people, a faith that in time it is kept firm and deep.

In particular, the Croats have never failed to devotion to the Virgin, developed over centuries by saints (the apostles of the Slavic people of Cyril and Methodius), Papi (John IV), emperors (Eraclio) monks (i French Benedictine and then those of Montecassino). And today confirmed by the Marian apparitions of nearby Medjugorje.

Now, if it is true that the reading of these causal (in short: more authentic, less abortions and social dramas) is absolutely peaceful for the Croatian people, we somehow doubt that our statistical experts - in a culturally plaster as the Italian - they consider these cause-effect relationships are worthy of being described. Yet that is exactly the case, we see why.

The Croatian Church, a patient with pastoral activity, in recent decades has contributed to a profound reconstruction of the social fabric, frayed completely after long seasons of injections of communist ideology. The educational activity of the Catholic Church has led to a revolution in social mores. There is not only the collapse voluntary interruption of pregnancy (which will certainly not be explained only by the fact that it is not free), the other official reserve surprises.

Croatia should be in contrast with the emergency birth (it is a growing number of families with three children) and a percentage of divorces and people living with HIV, among the lowest in Europe.

It must be said that the Croatian people lived on your skin what it means living in a society which has tried to erase the religious feelings with violence. The nursery rhyme pro Tito "Six states, five nations, four languages, three religions, two alphabets and a single Titus", signifying its ability to hold together many different, is silent on the fact that the medium used was the systematic abuse (test is that after his death any link between the various ethnic groups is bloodily landslide).

The history of former Yugoslavia is far from a nursery rhyme. The truth speaks scomodi intellectuals killed and imprisoned by the Communists Titina, thousands of churches destroyed, hundreds of priests exterminated, to humiliate the faith of the people it was even plow the cemeteries.

To give credibility to the voice of the Church also contribute the luminous testimony of his children. That the Archbishop of Zagreb Stepinac Louis, for example, by Titus sentenced to sixteen years of forced labor as opposed to the creation of a church separated from Rome. Since his death in 1960, despite the opposition of the regime, his tomb has become the destination of constant pilgrimages. John Paul II in 1998, proclaimed Blessed Stepinac.

It is also because of these stories - many well-anchored in the memory of the people - that people now trust the lessons offered by the Magisterium of the Church, showing among other things, to be protected from the risk of statolatria "recently suggested by Archbishop Antonio Amato.

"Do not promote Catholic positions because they are Catholic, but because they are the best. Best for everyone, not just for Catholics. " This is the clear theme of the "Center for Life" in Zagreb, one of the most important associations in defense of life and family.

This slogan is also a perfect synthesis of the Church in the educational world. Before whom the allegations of interference, which now regularly rising everywhere (including Italy) are, in all honesty, quite childish.

Also in Italy, which must sooner or later someone responds to a question by no means assured. The dramatic rise in divorces (70% in the last 10 years), a birth rate among the lowest in the world, more than 4 million and 600 thousand lives aborted by the law 194 to date, to combat social ills or physiological events in which to live?

The question is unfortunately not rhetoric. If so, does not explain the hostility, often angry, with a Church that these tragedies do not hide but is fighting them. And with success, especially when it is left alone (the Croatian example is there to show).

Much better - here lies the point - to inaugurate a new collaboration between church and state in order to form new generations. To launch a true "pact" to build a common education, would be a huge cultural renewal, the only one able to stop the drift of our country. A shout scandalous urgent enough simply to chronicle the events of each day.

In Croatia (of course not without some reluctance attitude) this Alliance is already working. Many state education programs are quietly sponsored by the Croatian Bishops' Conference. Some of these are also approved by the Ministry of Education, so they are disseminated and used in schools at all levels. All this without any scandal. Indeed, with a great sense of gratitude by the people, who no longer wants to live "Deus non daretur ETSI," as if God did not exist.

The dispassionate defense of life from the Catholic Church (confirmed by Cei in Education "Dignitas personae), which does not allow uncertainties in defense of his dignity and, who wants to prevent manipulation of human life, new aberrations, careful prevent the return has the best on the right and the desire to become law, is in fact, that the invitation to people of every age to self not that good which is the immense human reason. That reason is exactly the common ground of church and state.

The Croatian people seem to have understood. And we?
(Valerio Pitch)

Source Article (Italian): ABORTO/ “L’eccezione Croazia”: un esempio da seguire

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Michael Voris takes on Detroit News Story on Archbishop Vigneron

Michael Voris goes after the same Detroit News article on Archbishop Allen Vigneron that got under my skin the morning of his Installation Mass.

Gregg Krupa of the Detroit News has a habit of soliciting feedback on all things Catholic from people who have a bone to pick with the Church's teachings. Then, he uses that as the foundation for his entire article. He's done it enough times so I just brace myself whenever he releases something.

Go see today's Vortex on Real Catholic TV

Go read the original Detroit News article, with my....um....comments

Real Catholic TV also has a video clip with some scenes from the installation Mass a few minutes into today's newscast.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Rumor: Full Regularization of SSPX by Feb 2nd???

With all my focus on the photopost of Archbishop Vigneron's installation yesterday, I missed some interesting news, among other things (which is why you really want to hit a few blogs every day).

Here is some really good coverage by Fr. Z of some hot rumors hitting cyberspace on the SSPX, and related SSPX news/commentary.

• The Remnant: SSPX reconciliation by 2 February? (Fr. Z)
• Card. Castrillon: Bp. Fellay recognized Vatican II (Fr. Z)
• Dissenter Leonardo Boff against Pope Benedict on SSPX (Fr. Z)
• A good note from Alcuin Reid on the SSPX development (Fr. Z)
• An interesting notion (Fr. Z)

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Installation Mass of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron: Photopost 2

Just one rack of vestments in a room before the Installation Mass of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Detroit

What follows are many of the 116 pictures I took yesterday afternoon. I regret that I still do not have the proper lenses for this kind of work and did the best I could with my camera mounted on a tripod. The procession pictures are definitely grainy looking.

Catholic bloggers may use these, provided a link back to this post is given so people know from where they originated.

Once again, my thanks to Real Catholic TV for the invitation to join them for the afternoon. Please be sure to check into their broadcast on the Mass which should be available soon.

There were some dignitaries listed provided by the AOD or in the program who did not make the Installation. These included Cardinal Szoka and Archbishop Pietro Sambi.

WANT TO SEE MORE PICS OF THE MASS?

Go to my Smugmug site to view the entire collection where more bishops are pictured, and many more from the Mass:

• Slideshow (I suggest setting it to "fast" in the upper left hand corner)
• Lightbox (like a slideshow, but you get to move it along)
• Photos provided by the Archdiocese of Detroit

Other posts on Te Deum on Archbishop Vigneron, and News

• Archbishop Vigneron's Installation Mass - Photopost 1 and Homily
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron - Installed Today at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
• Pffftttttt - Detroit News Article on Archbishop Vigneron
• Detroit Free Press: Afternoon Ceremony will welcome Vigneron
• Detroit Free Press: Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony
• Catholic Culture: New Detroit Archbishop Criticizes Obama over Abortion
• Archbishop Vigneron, Call to Action, and Priestly Celibacy
• Archbishop Vigneron on Carmelite Spirituality, and on Eucharistic Devotion
• Video, audio and other resrouces on Abp Allen Vigneron and Cardinal Maida

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

Archbishop Burke Faults Faithful Citizenship; Calls for Overhall of Catholic News Service

I am in the process of making a rather extensive photo post with pictures I took at the Installation Mass of Archbishop Vigneron. However, I could not pass this up....so savor this piece of real clear communication....

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke is a voice of reason and common sense among bishops. There was a time when you could only count on hearing a dose of truth from Bishops Bruskewitz and Burke (and they were often dismissed like the proverbial "nutty aunt in the closet", or downright vilified by secular media, and among dissident Catholics). Those chaotic days before the election revealed bishops are now acting on a dose of grace in the form of holy boldness.

Let's hope we get some backbone into this by more bishops. CNS has long been the target of complaints by loyal Catholics dismayed at the lack of substance on heavy moral issues.

Exclusive Interview: Leading Vatican Prelate Says Document of US Bishops Partly to Blame for Election of “Most Pro-Abortion President”

Also says Bishops’ Catholic News Service needs to be given "some new direction"

By Hilary White, Rome Correspondent

ROME, January 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A document of the US Catholic Bishops is partly to blame for the abandonment of pro-life teachings by voting Catholics and the election of the “most pro-abortion president” in US history, one of the Vatican’s highest officials said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, named a document on the election produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that he said “led to confusion” among the faithful and led ultimately to massive support among Catholics for Barack Obama.

The US bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” stated that, under certain circumstances, a Catholic could in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports abortion because of "other grave reasons," as long as they do not intend to support that pro-abortion position. [so many people I know used this as justification.]

Archbishop Burke, the former Archbishop of St. Louis Mo. and recently appointed head of the highest ecclesiastical court in the Catholic Church, told LifeSiteNews.com that although “there were a greater number of bishops who spoke up very clearly and firmly ... there was also a number who did not.”

But most damaging, he said, was the document “Faithful Citizenship” that “led to confusion” among the voting Catholic population.

“While it stated that the issue of life was the first and most important issue, it went on in some specific areas to say ‘but there are other issues’ that are of comparable importance without making necessary distinctions.”

Archbishop Burke, citing an article by a priest and ethics expert of St. Louis archdiocese, Msgr. Kevin McMahon, who analysed how the bishops’ document actually contributed to the election of Obama, called its proposal “a kind of false thinking, that says, ‘there’s the evil of taking an innocent and defenceless human life but there are other evils and they’re worthy of equal consideration.’

“But they’re not. The economic situation, or opposition to the war in Iraq, or whatever it may be, those things don’t rise to the same level as something that is always and everywhere evil, namely the killing of innocent and defenceless human life.”

Archbishop Burke also cited the work of the official news service of the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference, that many pro-life observers complained soft-pedalled the newly elected president’s opposition to traditional morality.

“The bishops need to look also at our Catholic News Service, CNS, they need to review their coverage of the whole thing and give some new direction, in my judgement,” he said. [read that, "overhaul it!]

LifeSiteNews Source Page

I am 46 years of age, and have never heard a priest talk about abortion or other pro-life issues from the pulpit until I got to Assumption Grotto in May of 2005. How can this be, if the very men charged with guarding us from "all sorts of strange teachings" don't identify them and help us to navigate those waters?

There is a crisis of knowledge about the faith on the part of most Catholics today (and I don't think that is an exaggeration). This has permeated many Catholic organizations, including administrative offices in dioceses and in the USCCB where decisions are made on a daily basis on ordinary things that affect how good or bad things are communicated. It affects the so-called "catholic" movie reviews out of the USCCB that have sparked considerable controversy, and reactions from many bishops (recall Brokeback Mountain and the Golden Compass).

There is what the Church teaches, and there is what people think the Church teaches. Moreso, there is what people want the Church to teach, but these folks don't stop to ask themselves if there can be 10 versions of one truth (if each forms truth according to his own opinion). Jesus Christ is Truth itself (John 14:6) and there cannot be more than one Jesus. The Church has 2000 years of experience and wisdom, backed by the Church Fathers, the apostles, Sacred Scripture, and Magisterial teachings.

Many priests will follow their chief shepherd's ways. If he is graced with holy boldness and stands as confident and firm as a captain on the high seas in a gale, his priests will follow his lead. If he speaks with ambiguity and banality on the most pressing moral issues of the day, so will his priests.

If you want to take back the Church, pray for our bishops and priests. Go to adoration, pray a Rosary, make sacrifices and do penance for them.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Archbishop Vigneron's Installation Mass - Photopost 1 and Homily

I did get photos at the Installation Mass of Bishop Allen Vigneron, and I got them edited. But, you'll have to wait for my next post to see the bulk of them. I give you two in this post. It's midnight, and time for me to hit the sack.
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Many thanks to Real Catholic TV. I was invited to join them for still pictures on a press pass. They were there video taping, as well so watch for their coverage soon.

I was given a press kit that contained the homily on disk so I share it with you here. As I mentioned previously, His Excellency did weave in a discussion on St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast day was this day.

I thought this was a very good homily.

Homily, 28 January 2008
Archbishop Vigneron

“God gave [Thomas Aquinas] surpassing wisdom which he taught without deceit and shared freely with others.” (“Magnificat Antiphon, 28 January,Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas)Later tonight, at Vespers for the Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Churchwill use these words to “magnify her Lord,” and rightly so, for the Lord’s gift of“surpassing wisdom” to St. Thomas is surely one of the “great things” God has done for his people (cf. Lk. 1: 46, 49).

Throughout the Sacred Liturgy today, not only in the Divine Office but also in the Mass for this Memorial, the Church never tires of repeating her thanks for the gift her Lord has bestowed on her in her son, Thomas, who is justly claimed as the “Doctor communis”(“Everybody’s Teacher”) and fittingly praised as the “Doctor angelicus.” In reflecting on the graces which filled the life and ministry of St. Thomas, the Church recognizes that the encomium to wisdom we heard in the first reading set the heart of Aquinas on fire and shaped every day of his life. St. Thomas “pleaded and the spirit of wisdom came to [him]…. Beyond health and comeliness [he] loved her, and [he] chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep” (Wis., 7: 7, 10). He worked day and night, often to the point of exhaustion, to make his own what God in Jesus Christ revealed as the deepest and most penetrating insight about what is first and most important and about how these insights should direct all our thoughts and actions.

Because St. Thomas made this prayer from the Old Testament his own, and because God granted what he asked, in churches and chapels throughout the world, the Church, today, gives thanks to God, just as we are doing here in this Metropolitan Cathedral. But our memorial of St. Thomas has a peculiar character, one not shared with any other congregation. In this Liturgy I have taken the place which our Holy Father Pope Benedict has assigned to me on the cathedra, and I am preaching my first sermon and offering my first Mass as your Archbishop.

In my homily for our celebration today, I would like to help us understand the complementarity of these two liturgical actions: thanking God for bestowing wisdom on the Church through the ministry of St. Thomas and my being installed as the tenth bishop of Detroit.

The installation of a new bishop is always an occasion for him to be renewed in his identity and mission. But it is this graced moment not just for him, but for his Particular Church and for all her members as well. That Providence has made my installation coincide with the Feast of St. Thomas is a reminder that part of the Church’s identity is to be the repository on earth of her Lord’s own wisdom and that it is essential to her mission for all of us to share this wisdom. Or, as Jesus told us before his Ascension, “to make disciples of all nations,…teaching them to observe all things that [he] commanded” (Mt. 28: 19-20).

It is because our forbearers zealously obeyed this great commission that here in the Archdiocese of Detroit we are blessed to find this divine wisdom expressed in the rich diversity of languages and cultures of the communities which make up our one communion of faith.

St. Paul and St. John, in the portions of their writings read to us today, help us greatly to accept the renewal of our identity and mission as servants of God’s own wisdom by delineating the basic profile of that wisdom. In the Gospel, St. John reports to us what Jesus himself said is the essence of life’s wisdom: it is to love. This is wisdom: “to love one another as [he has] loved [us]” (cf. Jn. 15: 12). And this wisdom is not something only of this world, only human. It is supernatural; it is divine. It is as he has loved us, that we are to love. And how has he loved us? He tells us: “as the Father has loved him” (cf. Jn. 15: 9, emphasis added).

This love of the Father for his only-begotten Son is a love beyond all measure. The Father gives all that he is to the Son; he pours his very being into the Son. The Father’s love is the total gift of himself to the Son. Having “learned” this wisdom about the deepest meaning of existence, “to be” [esse], the Son, when he came to us in the flesh, loved us in the same measure, with the same total gift of himself, loving us “to the end” (cf. Jn. 13: 1). And we, in our turn, if we would be wise about what is first and most important, will understand that this is the truth of who we are: we are framed and shaped to make a total gift of self.

The truly wise thing is to commit one’s self to loving to the end. This wisdom is the measures of all our thinking and acting which aspires to be truly wise.

St. Paul in today’s Epistle gives us wise teaching about love in the context of this fallen world, scarred as it is by that refusal to love which is sin – the originating sin of Adam and Eve and every other sin, which ratifies that first sin.

St. Paul tells us that the total gift of self is signed with the cross. It was on the cross that Christ “loved us to the end,” loved us with the love he learned from his being loved by the Father. And we, if we love, must share in the cross. Here below the gift of self will always be a death to self.

That is why the wisdom of divine love in this world will, as St. Paul says,appear to be foolishness to those who do not have faith. For those who do not recognize that Christ crucified is the ultimate manifestation of divine love, his death cannot but seem to be an absurdity. However, those who think like God, those who, by the light of the Holy Spirit, understand God the way he understands himself, recognize that the impotence of Christ, freely willed for love of us, is the act of the wisest man, for it is the act of divine wisdom itself.

In every age the wisdom of this crucified love has been mistaken as foolishness by many, and is often for them a stumbling block along the way of Christ. It is certainly so in our own time, with our ethic of radical autonomy, which, in exalting the rights of the individual, sees no sense in sacrificing one self and one’s comfort and convenience for the love of others.

There are many ways in which this conflict between the true wisdom of the gift of self and the pseudo-wisdom of self-sovereignty are exemplified in our society. I will mention three of those that seem to me among the most lamentable. First, there is the conflict between those who base their decision about a state in life or their selection of a profession on discerning the will of God and those who make these choices on the basis of gaining wealth or security or the world’s esteem. Second, there is the conflict between those judge it wise always to protect the right to life of others, even at a cost to themselves, and those who would be willing to violate that right, if that is the price to be paid to keep control of the circumstances and conditions in which they have decided to live. Third, there is frequently in our society a conflict between those who make the well-being of their spouses or children the first priority in their lives and those who are convinced that their families exist to bring them self-gratification.

The sorts of conflicts I have sketched out and which we all feel so deeply form the context in which we are called today at this Installation Liturgy to renew our commitment to our identity and mission as apostles of the wisdom of God, after the example of St. Thomas Aquinas.

I, on this first day of my service as the principle pastor of the Church of Detroit, renew my resolve, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to preach and to teach and, above all, to live this wisdom, the revealed wisdom of Christ crucified, entrusted to the Church and handed on to us by the Apostles and their successors.

I invite my brother bishops and priests and our deacons, especially the priests and deacons of the Archdiocese, to join me in renewing this commitment. The world’s hostility to the wisdom that we preach often brings us trials, and so we need the mutual support and encouragement that come from our fraternal communion in our pastoral ministry.

I invite those who have vowed themselves to the consecrated life to find in today a providential moment, a kairos, to respond anew to their vocation to live in this present age the life of the world to come, so that our world will see for themselves that the really wisest course is to “lose one’s life in order to gain it” (cf. Mt. 16: 25).

And today is just the right day for all the faithful of the Archdiocese to embrace again the wisdom of the Gospel and to promise again what was promised at their Baptism: that they renounce the empty show that passes as wisdom in the world and that they will place all their hope for real happiness in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and the life of the world to come which is already lived in the communion of the Church.

This wisdom of total abandonment to God and his will for us does not direct us to turn our backs on the events and circumstances of this age. Rather, it teaches us to see that the trials and triumphs of our times are guided by our Heavenly Father’s loving Providence, and that they are opportunities to grow in love by responding to these events with the love that is born of complete trust in God. This wise love is our main source of strength in these challenging economic times.

And those of you who are parents, please teach this wisdom to your children by what you say, and most of all by the way you live. This wisdom of the cross is the greatest gift you can give those whom you love so dearly.

I particularly want to voice to young Christians – adolescents and young adults – the invitation which the Holy Spirit makes today: that we be renewed in our taking hold of the wisdom of crucified love. You are at a moment in your own life’s journey when each day you are becoming ever more powerfully aware of your capacity to give and receive love. There are many voices that seek to shape your talent for love according to their own vision and their own purposes.

Let Christ’s wisdom about love direct and form this talent which is blossoming in your hearts and mind, for God is the author of your wanting love, and his wisdom is the only plan for truly fulfilling that desire.

As I move to conclude my preaching, I wish to acknowledge two bishops who in their priestly ministry have given exemplary service to the wisdom of crucified love. The first is our Holy Father Pope Benedict. My taking up the leadership of the Archdiocese of Detroit today is an act of profound ecclesial communion with him and, through him, with the whole Episcopal College and therefore with all the People of God. Archbishop Sambi, we are particularly grateful for your presence today, since you, as the Holy Father’s representative, give us a visible expression of this communion. Today, as we do every day, but today especially we pray that the Lord who called him to the Chair of Peter will continue to strengthen him, so that he may always be able to “strengthen his brothers and sisters” (Lk. 22: 32). Let us continue to cherish his fatherly love and care for us, and love him in return.

Second, I wish to acknowledge Cardinal Maida, who for close to nineteen years has, like his predecessor Cardinal Szoka before him, guided this Archdiocese in the ways of Christ’s wisdom. To him, on behalf of us all, I offer heartfelt thanks for his ministry and promise our continued prayers and our enduring affection.

Now there remains nothing for us but to remember the death and resurrection of the Lord in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. According to the Father’s plan, it was not enough to show us divine love itself in the Son’s Pasch, but he has willed to make the Paschal Mystery present to us through sensible signs and, even more wondrously, to make him our food and drink in this Most Blessed Sacrament.

As the Holy Spirit, through my ministry – unworthy though I be – pours into our hearts and minds the wisdom of crucified love, let us, like St. Thomas Aquinas, open ourselves to this grace, so that we become in our own day worthy students and effective apostles of this truth.

There were three US cardinals at the Mass. Obviously, to the right, is Cardinal Maida. In the middle of Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, and Francis Cardinal George of Chicago. Cardinal Szoka was on the list of dignitaries, but did not show. There were many bishops, as well, and we'll look at some of those pics tomorrow. Once again, not all of the bishops on the dignitaries list were there. I'm sure the weather had something to do with some of the absences.

More, hopefully tomorrow. Until then, goodnight!

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Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron - Installed Today at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral

Above, the Prayer Card of Detroit's new Archbishop, Allen H. Vigneron, who will be installed today at 2:00. Tune in to EWTN, or watch it streaming live at the AOD website. The archbishop will be having many Masses of Thanksgiving throughout the metro area. You can see the parishes and Mass times here.

A native son of metro Detroit, it was said that Archbishop Vigneron missed this city. To ensure that he has not forgotten our winters while in sunny California, Michigan welcomed him back with a snowstorm. While it is worse in many areas south of metro Detroit we are estimated to get a mere 2-6 inches, with most getting just a 2-3 inch dusting. This is very modest by our standards, but nonetheless, a reminder that we aren't called the mitten state by our shape alone!

I took a vacation day today and will be at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral for the Installation Mass. I hope to have a few pics to share with you, but I won't make any guarantees.

The other day I shared with you the reflections Bishop Vigneron had on St. Thérèse of Lisieux. He took the helm in Oakland on her feast day, October 1, 2003. Vigneron actually made reference to this saint in several of his writings that I have found online.

This having been said, I have little doubt that he will always remember that he was installed as Archbishop of Detroit on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas.

I am going to leave you with the 2nd reading in the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours today. It is from a conference by St. Thomas Aquinas (Collatio 6 super Credo in Deum)

"Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly, as an example of how to act.

"It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ.

"Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives.

"Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.

"If you seek the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends. Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake.

"If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth. Therefore Christ’s patience on the cross was great.

"In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore his cross and despised the shame.

"If you seek an example of humility, look upon the crucified one, for God wished to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to die.

"If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.

"If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink.

"Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because they divided my garments among themselves. Nor to honours, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head. Nor to anything delightful, for in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

More on Detroit's New Archbishop

• Pffftttttt - Detroit News Article on Archbishop Vigneron


• Detroit Free Press: Afternoon Ceremony will welcome Vigneron


• Detroit Free Press: Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony


• Catholic Culture: New Detroit Archbishop Criticizes Obama over Abortion


• Archbishop Vigneron, Call to Action, and Priestly Celibacy


• Archbishop Vigneron on Carmelite Spirituality, and on Eucharistic Devotion


• EWTN will broadcast Installation Mass of Abp Allen Vigneron in Detroit


• Video, audio and other resrouces on Abp Allen Vigneron and Cardinal Maida (Archdiocese of Detroit website)


• More on the Installation Mass can be found in the Michigan Catholic
  
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pffftttttt - Detroit News Article on Archbishop Vigneron

I haven't much paid attention to the writings of Greg Krupa of the Detroit News, but I got aquainted with his journalism style the day Archbishop Vigneron was announced to take the helm in Detroit. I was purely annoyed with the negative slant he placed upon Cardinal Maida. If there was anything decent in the article about the outgoing shepherd of Detroit, I'm sorry to have missed it. I found it a slap in the face to Catholics in this area, and offensive, that he would choose such an occasion to spew such negative things. This is not journalism, but tabloid journalism.

Let's have a look at a few excerpts from his latest hacked understanding of Catholicism and trashing of our faith.... [comments bracketed in red]

When the debate over gay marriage was heating up last year [of course - let's start off with some real controversy to set the tone of this wondrous occasion for metro Detroit Catholics], Archbishop Allen Vigneron was arguably the most vigorous among the Catholic bishops in California who united in their opposition [he is a bishop who is suppose to defend the faith, which is not based on popular opinion but on Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium].

In a pastoral letter -- a direction for behavior in the diocese of Oakland, Calif. -- he instructed Catholics that same-sex couples can not enter into marriage and that it was their duty to resist [Hello??? This is a teaching of the Catholic Church - what did you expect?]

"God gave you the mission to configure the civil order to his design," then-Bishop Vigneron asserted in his letter on May 16.

Earlier this month, he was named Archbishop of Detroit. Conservative Catholics [pfft - pigeon-holing Catholics as if there are different breeds] posted photographs of Vigneron celebrating the Latin mass [that would be me, I'm sure, but he didn't care to get a positive word from Catholics who are not "conservative", but simply loyal to the Church founded by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago] that some progressive Catholics view as a return to the rigid construction of the liturgy [another common insult thrown at loyalists] that existed before the epochal reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s [And, if you do your research Gregg, you will find that Vatican II, nor any other Church document, ever authorized the jack-hammering out of altar rails, Communion in the hand, the turning of the priest toward's the people, the elimination of Latin, and the elimination of sacred polyphony and Gregorian chant! One cannot look at one sentence in these documents in isolation, they need to be looked at in full]

As he prepares for his installation today as the fifth archbishop of Detroit [good grief, [he finally mentions it], Vigneron arrives with a reputation [uh-oh] as a conservative activist [pfft - there it is - the "big mean bishop"] who is not only a traditionalist [faithful] in his approach to the church, theology and liturgy, but a cleric who has no qualms with asserting that point of view [hey, Gregg - thanks for putting this in such a "positive" light]. Coupled with a personality that is more scholarly and introspective than his predecessor, Cardinal Adam Maida [whom you ripped on previously], observers say the tenure of the 60-year-old prelate is likely to be defined by how he uses his philosophy and personal traits to guide one of the most economically challenged, racially divided and religiously diverse dioceses in the nation. [Divisions do not occur along race, as much as they do on ideologies and in matters of morality. Think of where the lines are often drawn - they often involve moral issues. There is no division among blacks and whites who are pro-life, but if either is pro-choice, then there is division. This does not make it a racial divide, but a moral divide. Of course, some journalists (and even some Catholics) will paint Vigneron as "divisive" if he does not fall on their side of that moral divide.]

"Given the major issues of the church today, the challenge is to provide the kind of leadership that does not deepen division and polarity," said the Rev. Christopher Viscardi, a professor of philosophy and theology at Spring Hill College, a Jesuit university in Mobile, Ala. "A desirable leadership finds the heart of what the Catholic vision and the Catholic faith is about and brings a sense of unity into that diversity."

Some, especially more conservative Catholics, thought Vigneron was highly successful in Oakland. [Once again, there is this notion that there can be conservative and progressive Catholics when it is a fallacy and....getting old, right along with the graying population of those who are more interested in challenging Church teaching than seeking to understand it so they can follow it! Perhaps, Gregg, you may want to ask yourself how we ended up with over 30,000 protestant denominations. The first one originated from the Catholic Church because they had a different "viewpoint". Another split from that, and exponentially, it exploded into so many denominations that no one can be sure how many there are. The Catholic Church has been steadfast on certain teachings so the only controversy is on the end of those who reject them]

"I was impressed that he was on the board of directors of Ave Maria University (the conservative [there's that convenient label again] school established by the former owner of the Tigers, Tom Monaghan), so I knew he was more of a traditionalist," said Paul Vargas of San Leandro, Calif. "Last weekend, we had a March for Life in San Francisco, and he is one of the organizers of that, which we'd never had before in the diocese." [Wow, how did that get in this article?]

But Mark Gotvald of Pleasant Hill, Calif., said he and other more progressive Catholics blanched when Vigneron discussed re-establishing traditions like monthly confessions. [Hmmmm......I suppose he thinks Vatican II did away with Confession. In fact, I think there are people who think Vatican II eliminated sin so there is no need to use the Sacrament. That is why the Confession lines are empty, and the Communion lines are long. We either have a Church full of saints who have no sin on their soul, or we have come to believe that we have already been saved by the Resurrection of Christ.....wait, that's a Protestant belief. OK, so Bishop Vigneron wants Catholics to have a Catholic understanding of their faith. What's wrong with that?]

"Another thing that really bothered me [has anyone counted the negative "points of view" in this article? Why is this guy writing on anything Catholic? Gregg - this is about as useful as asking a vegetarian how he enjoys prime rib!] was one of the Christmas letters he had published in which he basically said that when you become a Catholic you have to check your private judgments at the door," Gotvald said. "Part of the Second Vatican Council was the freedom of conscience [This is only partially true - you need to work at developing a formed conscience, formed in light of the truths of the faith. If three people are at a red light and one wants it to be green and decides to "go", does it make the light green? Are the consequences if this person proceeds through an intersection because he believes the light is green when it is actually red? Not only does he hurt himself, but he harms others who truly have the right of way] . And if the church knows better, then what about the history of its support of slavery, of usury, and at first allowing married priests and then disallowing it, and once saying that eating meat on Fridays was a mortal sin, when it isn't anymore?" [I truly wonder how much this man, or Gregg for that matter, has approached someone like Archbishop Vigneron, to get an understanding of these things. They may be surprised to learn the answers, but they are also free to reject them (I go back to the 30,000 denominations of protestantism)].

In the past three decades, nearly every bishop appointed by both the late Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have followed their conservative faithful [sigh] approach. And while Vigneron may more actively assert his prerogative than some, he also wins plaudits for emphasizing consultation.

"He's a good listener and he would want to hear all of the different angles and opinions on an issue," said the Rev. John Zenz, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Birmingham, who was a seminarian with Vigneron in Detroit and Rome. [He listens, and part of that listening is to see where there is misguidance, malformation, and lack of formation in the faith, but when people look to be consulted, they often have it set in their mind that they want a particular change....period. "Let those who have ears hear...."]

Well before the economy crashed, Vigneron installed legal and health clinics for the poor in the huge cathedral he built in Oakland.

"One of the big concerns he will face is the very question of a sustainable community, and Detroit is at risk because of economic, political and social issues that need to be addressed," [and he will address them, but not by compromising the faith. Some feel population control through abortion and contraception is good - read #6, his Rule of Integrity: “To do evil in order to accomplish good is really to do evil.”] said Sister Joan Mumaw, vice president of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the so-called IHM nuns who have educated generations of Catholics in Metro Detroit.

Members of the local Jewish community also expressed hope that Vigneron will build on Maida's work, and the immediate challenge may be significant. Pope Benedict XVI has recently alienated many Jews by furthering efforts to make Pope Pius XII a saint and reversing the excommunication of a British prelate who said that 6 million Jews were not slaughtered in the Holocaust.

"I am interested in seeing how the new bishop is going to navigate that territory," said Rabbi Joseph Krakoff of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, who is active in interfaith efforts in Metro Detroit. "I think Cardinal Maida did a very good job and certainly made it one of his priorities. And my hope is that a new person coming in can take it to the next level."

You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Archbishop Vigneron, Call to Action, and Priestly Celibacy

As I mentioned in my previous post on Archbishop Vigneron, I have been "mining" some of his online writings. What follows is something I found some weeks ago, but am just now getting to it. I said I would show examples of how His Excellency has applied his own 10 Rules for Handling Disagreement Like a Christian in his writings. The column I'm about to feature, from January 12, 2004 is indeed a good example . I suggest having two windows open - one with the 10 rules handy and the other this blogpost.

Call to Action - a group of dissident Catholics had sent a survey around the Oakland diocese which polled priests on their opinions about priestly celibacy.

Keep in mind, Jesus went to the Cross based on a poll. Correctness isn't based on popular opinion.

Without further adieu.... My emphases in black, comments bracketed in red.

---

Priestly celibacy – the Spirit’s gift for the whole Church

January 12, 2004

Last month the leadership of Call To Action of Northern California sent to all the priests of the Oakland Diocese a survey whose principal question is “Do you favor open discussion of the mandatory celibacy rule for diocesan priests?” The survey’s sponsors indicate that they plan a press release for the results of their effort. [Those results have been released here and reveal the need for exactly the kind of thing the Archbishop discusses here - a better understanding of priestly celibacy]

As I write this column I have not yet seen those results, so I cannot comment on them explicitly. However, I expect that they will receive a good bit of publicity, especially since the sponsors link their efforts to a similar and much publicized initiative in Milwaukee. So, in an effort to give pastoral guidance on this matter, I want to share with you my thinking on this topic. [It's good that he didn't ignore the matter. On many controversial subjects you have those who are firmly for it, and others firmly against it, with many more in the middle. I like to assume a 15 - 70 -15 rule or similar. 15% are tangled up in their own pride and will never be swayed with any argument; the other 15% need no swaying; the rest can be swayed either way. You can play with the numbers, but it is merely to make an illustration that when a priest or a bishop addresses an issue, it is not just the vocal minority who needs to hear him, but that silent majority who aren't quite sure what to think. By addressing the issue, he has a chance of helping those in the middle to understand, or at least to be open to further explanation]

[Here, he is applying Rule #1 - the Rule of Charity by considering that there may not be ill intent. Also note the lack of sarcasm or smackdowns throughout the document]. An important place to begin is to make a distinction about what the phrase “open discussion” means. If it signifies that this survey is an effort to foster a deeper understanding of the meaning of priestly celibacy, that’s to the good. In fact, one of my goals in this first year of my service as Bishop of Oakland is to write a letter to our priests on celibate chastity.

I received confirmation last spring of how important this is. I had just given a conference to the priests of Crookston, Minn., on this topic, and a priest who was ordained for over 30 years told me that this was the first time anyone had ever offered to him a positive vision of the meaning of his celibacy. Given the foundational role of celibacy in the existence of priests, that is very, very sad. [indeed, and how many more do not comprehend it?]

I believe that one of the best services I can offer my brother priests is to confirm for them that the gift of their lives lived in celibate chastity is a great grace, rooted in the values of the New Covenant, and a share in the priestliness of Christ himself. [All of this goes to the malformation of priests in which some were taught, or developed a skewed ideal of priestly identity. Zenit had series on the topic: Priestly Identity: Crisis and Renewal Part - 1 and Part - 2. I also refer you to Aposotlic Exhortation: Pastores Dabo Vobis]

Of course, the request for an “open dialogue” could [once again with use of the word "could", he is exercising charity in not attributing, with certainty, a specific motive]also be aimed at initiating a process of deliberation, an examination that would put into play the question of whether or not the Church would retain our current practice. On this score I need to point out that I am opposed to such an examination . In what follows I will briefly explain why. [recall in his rule of charity he says, "charity is the first and fundamental requirement for all authentic Christian speech does not mean that such speaking can only be weak". Watch what he does...]

[He now applies Rule #2 - "The Rule of Publicity" and explores Church documents to get into the "mind of the Church" on priestly celibacy. Several quotes follow...]

Our discipline in the Western Church of admitting only celibates to the priesthood is a practice that has its roots in the first generation of the Church and has been reaffirmed by popes and bishops for centuries.

Within the living memory of many of us the current discipline received its most definitive reaffirmation at the Second Vatican Council [I like how he brings Vatican II into this since it is often used as a wedge, attributing things to it that are non existent]. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church praises celibacy as “an incentive to charity” and “a particular source of spiritual fruitfulness in the world” (n. 42).

Building on this affirmation, the Council’s Decree on the Life and Ministry of Priests goes on to explain celibacy’s “many-faceted suitability for the priesthood”:
“Through virginity, then, or celibacy observed for the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Mt. 19:12), priests are consecrated to Christ on a new and eminent basis.

“They adhere to him more easily with an undivided heart (cf. 1Co 7:32-34), they dedicate themselves more freely in him and through him to the service of God and men. They more readily serve his Kingdom and the work of heavenly regeneration, and thus they are suited to accept fatherhood in Christ more fully.

“They give, moreover, a living sign of the world to come, by a faith and charity already made present, in which the children of the resurrection neither marry nor take wives (cf. Lk 20:35-36).

“For these reasons, based on the mystery of Christ and his mission, celibacy was first recommended to priests. Then in the Latin Church it was imposed upon all who were to be promoted to sacred orders. This legislation, in so far as it concerns those who are destined for the priesthood, this Holy Synod again approves and confirms.

“It fully trusts that this gift of the Spirit, so fitting for the priesthood of the New Testament, will be given in abundant measure by the Father, provided that those who participate in the priesthood of Christ through the sacrament of Orders, as well as the whole Church, humbly and fervently pray for it (n. 16, italics added).

For four decades now the People of God have with remarkable dedication worked most generously to implement the Council’s vision and to respond to its challenge to renew the Church so that she can more effectively fulfill her mission of evangelizing our age.

In the light of what the Council said about priestly celibacy, attempts to change the discipline seem to me to be a move to pull back from that commitment. [yes!]The Council spoke of a “full trust” that this gift of the Spirit “will be given in abundant measure by the Father.”

I believe with all my heart what the Council teaches about priestly celibacy, and I share its trust about how abundantly the Father will bestow this grace, provided we ask for it.

I ask, please, that in the months ahead you pray to the Holy Spirit for me, so that in the letter I am composing I will be able to offer an exposition of the Council’s understanding of priestly celibacy that builds up not only the presbyterate but the whole Church in Oakland – one that leads all of you to share with me the confidence I share with the Council about the future. [he is inviting them to consider Rule #8 - The Rule of Mystery - acceptance is not about the latest societal fad or democratic polls, but something much deeper]

And, if you know anything about Call to Action, Rule #9 is often challenged.

Source at the Catholic Voice in Oakland

I have not looked for the letter he speaks of to see if it was ever made public , but if anyone can find a link before I do, please drop it into the combox or email me, TeDeumBlog@gmail.com

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Obama nips Pelosi's "Save the Planet" Contraception Plan

Remember that "Save the Planet" contraception plan that Catholic politician Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) was peddling?

It seems that Obama yielded to the appeals of the GOP on this one and it is coming out of the economic stimulus plan.

Tom Peters has good coverage, as does Fr. Z:

• Obama "personal appeal" *will* drop contraception money from stimulus plan (AmP)
• Economic stimulus package suddenly less “stimulating”(Fr. Z)
• WSJ: Speaker Pelosi’s (D-CA) “loopy” ideas (Fr. Z)

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Detroit Free Press: Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony

I was interviewed yesterday by reporter, Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press, for the article below. It's a good article overall about the incoming archbishop. I have more thoughts on this and will convey them later....it's time to head out the door. I am providing it in full here because the Free Press, as with other newspapers can't keep everything on their servers indefinitely.

Emphasis is mine in bold.

Archbishop-designate Vigneron aims to defend teachings, build harmony

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • January 27, 2009

Allen Vigneron is a bookish man, a theologian with a doctorate in German philosophy who spends his spare time reading medieval history and British authors such as Charles Dickens.


All are tools he has used to aggressively defend the teachings of the Catholic Church in his decades as a clergyman. Vigneron has shown he is not afraid to act on controversial issues -- from removing teachers he thought strayed from church doctrine at Sacred Heart Seminary, to helping lead a massive protest against gay marriage in California. And he plans to continue speaking out as the next archbishop of Detroit.

In a wide-ranging interview, he said he also wants to boost Catholic schools, help needy people, continue the interfaith work promoted by outgoing Cardinal Adam Maida and create ethnic harmony. It will be a challenge given the diverse cultures and opinions that make up the 1.4 million Catholics of southeast Michigan.

Set to assume his new role Wednesday, Vigneron also said he plans to first spend a great deal of time listening, something for which he is well known, according to those who work with him.

"He's just a totally collaborative leader," said Sister Glenn Anne McPhee, chancellor of the Oakland, Calif., diocese where Vigneron is the outgoing bishop. "He takes ... advice. He doesn't make arbitrary decisions."

Speaking last week from California, Vigneron stressed the importance of Catholic teachings on issues such as abortion and stem-cell research, comparing them to slavery and racism. Asked about the success of a stem-cell research proposal on the Michigan ballot in November, he said: "Having lost a political battle ... we're not going to give up the war."

Slowing down to emphasize his views, he added:

"Once we begin to treat any one human life as if it could be put to the use of another human life, without any concern for the one we're exploiting, we're back to a place we really don't want to go."

He has a history of taking on contentious political issues. In Oakland, where he has been bishop for six years, Vigneron actively opposed a court ruling that allowed gay marriage, helping lead a march against the decision.

And early in his career, the Mt. Clemens native used his position to weed out errant teachers and speakers at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where he was once president.

Strong beliefs, gentle demeanor

Born and raised in Michigan, Vigneron graduated from high school and college at Sacred Heart in 1970. It was a tumultuous time, with radical views sweeping universities across the nation and even parts of the seminary. But Vigneron held firm in his beliefs.

He then earned a doctorate in philosophy, studying an influential German thinker, Edmund Husserl, who tried to create an intellectual foundation for philosophy and science. Like Pope Benedict XVI, a German who appointed him to replace the retiring Maida, Vigneron is deeply concerned about the secularization of culture and academia in the West.

The pope recently told a group of German academics that Nazi rule might have been prevented had intellectuals held firm to certain truths, a belief Vigneron shares.

"The studies ... gave me not just a faith-based confidence," he said, but also a reason-based "confidence in the possibility of knowing real truth," Vigneron said. "Without that confidence, we're in trouble."

In a 1987 Free Press story, he criticized "cafeteria Catholics" who pick and choose which doctrines to believe in, saying they "are confused about what it means to be a Catholic."

His strong beliefs, though, come with a gentle demeanor, said those who know him and have followed his work.

In Detroit, he worked closely with the Muslim community on fighting a ballot proposal that would have made assisted suicide easier; one night in 1998, he spent hours in conversation with Imam Mohammed Elahi, head of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights -- a discussion interfaith leaders recall as a pioneering effort in outreach.

In California, Vigneron was an effective administrator who was able to deal with the dizzying range of Asian and Latino cultures that make up a sizeable chunk of Catholics in northern California.

While the past three Detroit archdiocese leaders were golf buffs outside of work, Vigneron enjoys quiet contemplation. [hehehehe....]

"He's an introvert, and needs space and quiet," McPhee said. "But he also loves being with his people."

Diane Korzeniewski, 46, of Warren, who writes Te Deum Laudamus!, a Catholic blog at te-deum.blogspot.com, said she is pleased by Vigneron's appointment. She said he will stay true to Catholic teachings, but do it in a way that respects others.

Korzeniewski noted an essay that Vigneron wrote in 2005 titled "10 Rules for Handling Disagreements like a Christian."

"He's not going to compromise or back down on the teachings of the church," she said. "But at the same time, he will not be heavy-handed or condescending. That's a sign of a higher level of virtue."

More later....

Tomorrow is the installation Mass. It will be the memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas and I believe it will be noted by His Excellency.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

A priest reflects on the "old Mass".....

But not the old Mass that you think he's talking about. An anonymous priest wrote in to Fr. Z with a little something that even many of us laity can relate to, especially if you grew up Catholic in the 70's and 80's.

He writes:

Greetings from _. I just thought I’d drop a note about my Mass experience on Sunday. I frequently get loaned out when there is a need. Such was the case this past Sunday….

To give some personal context, I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, am nearing my 3rd anniversary of ordination, and am learning to celebrate the Mass according to the 62 Missal. [W]here I am stationed is by no means high church, but pretty "by the book" (we’re working on it). In addition, my confreres have charge of a parish where things are done along fairly traditional lines ….

All of this serves as a setup for the following: I realized this weekend that while I have been rediscovering the tradition, I have lost touch with the old Mass. Do not confuse this "old Mass" with the Traditional Latin Mass which for me is an ageless timeless discovery. The "old Mass" to which I refer is the Mass of my youth. It is the Mass of pianos and guitars, the Mass of loquacious commentators and "greet the people around you." It is the Mass of audience participation and interior dullness. It is the Mass of primping cantresses and now-dated pop styled music about us. It is the Mass of candy jar ciboria and pewter chalices handled by an excessive number of extraneous ministers (who must process in and out of course).

It hit me after the first Mass Sunday morning that, as a child born in the 70’s, all of this has become terribly old and tired and compared to the timeless tradition of the Church and is just worn out.

Mark me down in favor of the Mass of the ages and please let’s hang up the "old Mass."

Now.... go to Fr. Z's original post and catch his comments on this, as well as the combox chatter. I got a good chuckle out of this at lunch time and needed it.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pelosi and her "Save the Planet" Contraception Plan

I knew this would happen.....



EDIT: Fr. Z has a post up on this with a good commentary, and of course.....the ever fruitful and interesting combox: More anti-baby talk from Speaker Pelosi (D-CA)

EDIT 2: Tom Peters, the American Papist has a post up with several updates and links and.....his fruitful combox, as well.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Archbishop Vigneron on Carmelite Spirituality, and on Eucharistic Devotion

As we get closer to Archbishop-designate Vigneron's installation (I will refer to him simply as Archbishop for simplicity's sake in this post), I am "mining" more of his writings and will continue to share some things that will help us understand more about the man who will take the helm.

Metro Detroit is home to a Carmelite convent in Clinton Township, and several communities of secular Carmelites - those belonging to the third order of Carmel. One such secular community is based at Assumption Grotto. Fr. Perrone himself is a diocesan priest, and a professed secular Carmelite.

As a secular Carmelite myself, I was most interested in some words Detroit's new Archbishop had to say about St. Therese - the "Little Flower", and about Carmelite vocations. The world does not comprehend the usefulness of women or men being locked away in a life of prayer and sacrifice. I have said many times, and it bears repeating, that a bishop who appreciates a prayer powerhouse in the form of a monastery or cloister in his backyard, is worth his salt. Archbishop Vigneron "get's it"!

Here is the first thing I found on this subject from his bishop's column, In His Light, dated September 20, 2004.

ABP VIGNERON AND THE CARMELITE CONNECTION

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

My remarks this week are about two distinct topics.

First, about an upcoming date: In a few days – Oct. 1 to be exact – I will celebrate the first anniversary of my becoming the Bishop of Oakland. The year has been filed with many wonderful graces, and I have come to think of Oakland as my home and you as the Christian community that I own as mine and that owns me as yours.

I particularly want to express my gratitude to Bishop Cummins for the fraternal support he has unfailingly shown to me through all these months.

To all of you, my brother priests, my beloved deacons, dear Religious women and men, and all the people of God in Oakland, I offer my most heartfelt thanks for accepting me as your father and brother in Christ.

October 1 happens to be the memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux. Last year when I was informed that this day would be the date for Bishop Cummins’ retirement and my succeeding him, I took note of whose feast fell on that day and considered it a happy sign.

As the months have passed along, I have come to read a more profound significance in the date.

I see now that God in his Providence was inviting me to take St. Therese as a sort of partner in my ministry as Oakland’s bishop. I have come to see St. Therese and me as engaged in a kind of team ministry.

The Carmelite vocation
This sense dawned on me from reading in a biography of the Little Flower how seriously she took her Carmelite vocation of supporting priests by her prayers and sacrifices.

In her own lifetime there were some seminarians that she specifically “adopted” as her own brothers in the priesthood and her partners in the Christian life. That’s the kind of relationship with St. Therese I think God was inviting me to seek by having me become the bishop of our diocese on her feast day.

I am telling you all of this because it leads me to ask you to join with me in petitioning God for a very specific gift in these days leading up to my anniversary: three new novices for the community of Carmelite Sisters in our diocese.

Grace for ministry
While they live, pray and work in relative obscurity in their convent on the hillside in Kensington, the contemplative Carmelite Sisters are a very, very significant part of our diocese. They sustain all of us with their prayers.

Especially for my brother priests and me, their prayers are an irreplaceable source of grace for our pastoral ministry.

They — like St. Therese and all the other members of Carmel, past and present — make the work of interceding for us before God’s throne one of their fundamental services in the Church.

The Sisters in our Carmel are growing older, and I am concerned that there might not be a new generation of nuns to continue the blessing of their presence in our midst.

To speak more personally, I want to be sure that there are lots of prayers ascending from the convent chapel through all of the years God gives me to be your bishop.

So, please join me these days in asking St. Therese to obtain from our Heavenly Father the grace of three new vocations for the Kensington Carmel, three young women who will hear and answer the Lord’s invitation to be his alone in a life consecrated to hidden prayer and humble service.

Be bold: pray for someone from your own family to receive this grace. If you know a woman who seems to have the gifts for such a life, please take the initiative to tell her this and suggest that she prayerfully consider this vocation.

Don’t be shy; telling someone that she has the makings of an “American Little Flower” would be a very high compliment.

Look close at hand for the women to invite — in your family, your parish, the circle of your friends. I know that those called are here. By our prayers and through our support they will be able to hear and answer.

Also worth noting in the same column, is what Bishop Vigneron had to say about Eucharistic devotion. I had read one account online where an Oaklander said there were only a handful of adoration chapels before he came, and he now leaves around 50 (it may be more than that - you can find a listing on this page, along with more information). Here is part of that column segment:

After consultation with the Presbyteral Council and the Diocesan Pastoral Council, I have decided on the basic elements that will go into our observance of the Year of the Eucharist here in the Diocese of Oakland:

Strengthen Eucharistic devotion
In the parishes, pastors, along with their parish councils, will be looking for ways to
strengthen Eucharistic devotion in their communities. Such opportunities might include a series of extended periods of adoration or a renewed celebration of the traditional Forty Hours.

It will be for each parish to determine what approach will bear the best fruit in that community.

Diocesan Web Page
On the diocesan web page there will be special space dedicated to the topic of Eucharistic devotion.

There will be two sorts of items available there: (1) information about the proper way to celebrate ceremonies wherein the Holy Eucharist is worshiped outside of Mass and (2) a place for parishes to post information about how they are observing the Year of the Eucharist, so that others can benefit from their experience.

Feast of Corpus Christi
Provided we can work out all the practical details, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, May 29 next year, we will have a public Diocesan Eucharistic Procession from a gathering place yet to be determined to the site of our new Cathedral at Grand Avenue and Harrison, where we will conclude with Solemn Benediction.

My goal is to make this Procession an annual event. By the way, one of the most significant events in the life of our Diocese, breaking ground for our new cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Light, will take place during this Year of the Eucharist.

Regional Penance Service
Next Lent I will preside at a Penance Service in each of the five regions of our diocese. The aim here is to underscore the necessity of this Sacrament of Repentance as a way to participate ever more fruitfully in the Sacrament of Communion.

Prayers
I am asking all of us to learn (or “re-learn”) two prayers that will, if we pray them wholeheartedly, help reinvigorate the Eucharistic piety of each one of us. They are the “Anima Christi” and “The Morning Offering.”

The first is a traditional prayer for making an act of personal thanksgiving after Holy Communion. Using this prayer will assist us in deeply appropriating the gift that Christ makes of himself to us in the Holy Eucharist.

The Morning Offering is a way to look at all the events of our day from within the perspective of the Holy Eucharist and to join these to the offering Christ makes of himself to God the Father in the Sacrifice of the Mass. The point of this Offering is to make our whole day, indeed our whole life, Eucharistic.

Source Page

In April of 2004, Bishop Vigneron spoke more about some visits he had with monastic communities and contemplative cloisters: Contemplatives bring grace to local church

I'm continuing to "mine" the writings of Bishop Vigneron online and will bring more posts as I can fit them in. If you have something worth sharing, drop me an email, with links if possible.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Update on Philip Johnson on Seminary Visit and Biopsy Results

I know many of you are following the journey of Philip Johnson, the Naval Officer who desires to be a priest and is battling a brain tumor.

Philip writes...

I have just returned from Philadelphia, where I visited St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and underwent the necessary psychological exam for admittance to priestly formation. Philadelphia is beautiful, and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is absolutely wonderful. It feels like living at a monastery, with quiet courtyards and gorgeous chapels, and the seminarians and priests were all very wonderful and kind.

My first evening at the seminary, I received a phone call from my Neurosurgeon. He informed me that the biopsy results were worse than expected, and I have been diagnosed with a Grade 3 cancerous Astrocytoma. Brain tumors are given a Grade of 1 (slow-growing) through 4 (fast-growing) to judge how fast they grow. All of the doctors believe I have had this tumor for many years (since my brain has "re-wired around it" so far), so it is very likely that this Astrocytoma was a Grade I or II when I was younger, and later evolved into Grade III, which is typical of Astrocytomas.

I immediately informed my diocese, and shortly after I received a phone call from my bishop. The conversation touched my heart, and he informed me that he can "hear my vocation to the priesthood in my voice and in my words." He assured me that this news does not affect his position on me applying for priestly formation, and then gave me a beautiful reflection about how God works miracles when we have faith in Him.

...continue reading the rest of Philip's post at In Caritate Non Ficta: Back from Philadelphia, and Biopsy Results...

Philip has another post up you may want to read after the one above: Miracles

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Fr. Z clarifies lifting of SSPX Excommunications...

Fr. Z has a good post up with some questions going through a lot of people's heads. There's more, so follow the link below this to read the rest...

I am seeing a lot of confusion in the wake of the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops of the SSPX.

Let’s get some things clear.

VERY LITTLE HAS CHANGED JURIDICALLY except in the status of those four bishops.

I hope that this has helped to change the "atmosphere" surrounding these problems.

The "lifting" of the excommunications is a first step in the long process that still remains.

Q: Is the SSPX now legitimate?

Not in a juridical sense, no. The SSPX still does not have the approval of the Pope or of a diocesan bishop. It is still a separated group, though these days many prefer not to speak of "schism".

Q: Is it okay for the SSPX bishops to ordain now?

No. The bishops of the SSPX are validly consecrated bishops, but the fact remains that they were illicitly consecrated. That hasn’t changed. They are still not reconciled with the Bishop of Rome. They are still suspended a divinis. They still have no permission to exercise ministry in the Church. They may not licitly ordain. They have no authority to establish parishes, etc.

Q: Are the chapels of the SSPX okay now?

Not in a juridical, legal sense, no. Many good things can happen in one of those communities, but the SSPX chapels are not, because of the lifting of the excommunications, suddenly made legitimate. They are not reconciled by this move.

Q: Are the priests of the SSPX in good standing now?

Not yet they aren’t. The priests of the SSPX are still suspended a divinis. They say Mass validly, but without the permission of the Church, either from a faculty of the Holy See or the local bishop. They do not have the necessary faculties to hear confessions and give sacramental absolution except in danger of death.


Q: Is it okay to go to chapels of the SSPX for Mass?

Yes and no. It is still not "okay" to go to chapels of the SSPX if you are doing so out of contempt for the Holy See or Holy Father, etc. If are are deeply attached to the older form of Mass, and it is very hard on you to go without it, yes, you can attend these Masses our of devotion. You can fulfill your Sunday obligation still, because the 1983 Code of Canon Laws says you do.

But the fact remains that these are still chapels separated from unity with the local bishop.

In my opinion, it is not a good idea to go to these chapels exclusively except perhaps in very rare circumstances wherein there really is no acceptable alternative.

Read the rest at the blog of Fr. Z: MISCONCEPTIONS: What the “lifting” of the SSPX excom’s means for people

Fr. Ray Blake on the other side of the pond in the UK also has some good posts up worth reading:

• Reconcilliation with History


• SSPX Four

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Audio: Al Kresta and Fr. Peter Stravinskas discuss Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of SSPX Excommunications

I am listening right now to Al Kresta's Friday afternoon's broadcast in the Ave Maria Radio archives. Al is interviewing Fr. Peter Stravinskas in the first segment on the SSPX and lifting of excommunications of the four bishops. This conversation took place while it was still rumor on Friday. Of course, the Holy See announced the end to the excommunications this morning.

Here is a link where you can catch it anytime on your computer.

See my "Recent Posts" list for today which has many additional links on this topic and more.


Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Recent Posts on Te Deum Laudamus!

It's Saturday! Go to Confession!!!

(pic of Fr. Perrone's confessional with another in the background)

THIS BLOGPOST IS BEING UPDATED WITH RELATED STORIES UNDER THOSE BREAKING. PLEASE CHECK BACK

Breaking...

• USCCB Reacts to Obama's Scrapping of "Mexico City Policy"
• Vatican Reacts to Obama's Scrapping of "Mexico City Policy" (Fr. Z - added link at 5:00pm)
• Colorado Bishop's Conference Reacts to Mexico City Policy (CNA - added link at 5:00pm)
• Excommunications Lifted on SSPX Bishops (Posted edited with additional links)
• FSSP Reacts to Lifting of SSPX Excommunications (Fr. Z - added link at 5:00pm)
• Roman Catholic traditionalists welcome Vatican decree (AFP - added link at 5:00pm)
• Amy Welborn has a good post up which collects good info from other bloggers on the lift of excommunications (added link at 5:15pm)
• Audio: Al Kresta and Fr. Peter Stravinskas discuss Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of SSPX Excommunications (added link at 7:30pm)

Other:

• St. Francis de Sales on the Sacrament of Penance (a must read, if not now, later...bookmark it and read it a few times yearly)
• EWTN will broadcast Installation Mass of Abp Allen Vigneron in Detroit
• Latin-I Class to be Held at Assumption Grotto Starting January 30th (coming up!)
• Two-Day Mission This Weekend at Grotto (coming up!)
• Obama and the Mexico City Policy: Your Tax Dollars Will Now Fund Abortions Overseas
• The Vatican Gets a YouTube Channel
• Other "Recent Posts" (worth the click for the pic and caption!)

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

USCCB Reacts to Obama's Scrapping of "Mexico City Policy"

From the USCCB's Office of Media Relations:

President Obama's Reversal of Mexico City Policy 'Very Disappointing,'
Says Pro-Life Committee Chair

WASHINGTON—The decision by President Barack Obama to reverse the Mexico City Policy is "very disappointing," said Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

He made the statement January 23, after President Obama issued the executive order restoring U.S. funding to organizations that perform and promote abortion in developing nations. Cardinal Rigali's statement follows.

"It is very disappointing that President Obama has reversed the Mexico City Policy, which prevents U.S. funding of organizations that perform and promote abortion as a family planning method in developing nations. An Administration that wants to reduce abortions should not divert U.S. funds to groups that promote abortions.

"Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to President-elect Obama last week urging him to retain this policy. As Cardinal George said in his letter:

"'The Mexico City Policy, first established in 1984, has wrongly been attacked as a restriction on foreign aid for family planning. In fact, it has not reduced such aid at all, but has ensured that family planning funds are not diverted to organizations dedicated to performing and promoting abortions instead of reducing them. Once the clear line between family planning and abortion is erased, the idea of using family planning to reduce abortions becomes meaningless, and abortion tends to replace contraception as the means for reducing family size. A shift toward promoting abortion in developing nations would also increase distrust of the United States in these nations, whose values and culture often reject abortion, at a time when we need their trust and respect.'"

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Excommunications Lifted on SSPX Bishops

EDIT: Several blogs and perhaps even some news outlets are reporting that the SSPX is fully home. This is not the case, but we are one step closer. What has happened is that Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications placed upon the four bishops consecrated without permission of Pope John Paul II in 1988 by Abp Marcel Lefebvre. The SSPX was founded in 1970 and remains in an "irregular" status with Rome. We look forward to a time when the entire fraternal society is brought home and regularized.

This is fantastic news...the excommunications of SSPX bishops have been lifted by Pope Benedict XVI.

It is not available at the Vatican website in English yet, but Fr. Z has it, with comments. He also has several other posts. I'm giving you more links with reactions at the bottom.

The fact that the excommunications on these four bishops were lifted, does not mean that the SSPX is home yet. We have to pray with our brothers and sisters in that society for them to come into complete regularization with the Holy See. This will take some time.

I'm going to give you the first part of it here, then follow his blog for the rest of the decree and, in the same post, the reaction of the SSPX.

CONGREGATIO PRO EPISCOPIS

By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial disposition. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

Continue reading Fr. Z's post: Lifted

The comboxes will be interesting to read, as well

More....

• Canon Lawyer Ed Peters weighs in on lift of excommunications (In Light of the Law)


• Pope Benedict lifts excommunication of Bishops ordained by Lefebvre (Catholic News Agency)


• Some thoughts about the SSPX, Rome, and unity (Fr. Z)


• A reaction to the “Lift Off” from North Carolina (Fr. Z)


• A French and German bishop react; some comments by Fr. Finigan (Fr. Z)


• Official announcement at the Vatican website (Italian)


• English translation provided (Rorate Caeli)


• Press release issued by the SSPX superior general, Bishop Fellay (DICI - Press Agency of the SSPX)


• Excommunications Lifted (Fr. Tim Finigan)


• SSPX Homepage Displays News


• Pope lifts excommunication on SSPX Bishops (UK Telegraph)

EDIT: In related news, Fr. Ray Blake in the UK came across a statement by Bishop Bernard Fellay about a recent interview with SSPX Bishop Williamson, who had denied the holocaust in an interview. See that statement and the interview here.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

St. Francis de Sales on the Sacrament of Penance

Today is the memorial of St. Francis De Sales. His writings are profound and his book, the Introduction to the Devout Life (abridged) is probably the most well known. St. John Bosco founded the Salesians based on the spirituality of St. Francis De Sales.

I began reading one small chapter daily some time ago. I knew when I ran across his chapter, "The Sacrament of Penance", I would have to do a post on it as it is such a neglected sacrament these days.

Please do read this and if you can't now, come back to it, bookmark it and read his words several times yearly. It is one of the best pieces of spiritual advice on how to make a good confession that I've run across. And, anyone who thinks confession is only for confessing grave sins is sadly mistaken. These days, it is sometimes the priest who discourages confessing of venial sins and imperfections. Lets pray that priests will get back to basics on this as it is so fundamental to the spiritual life.

Below this chapter on the Sacrament of Penance will also be some links, and more information. In my sidebar I have a couple of Salesian priests under my section for blogging priests, religious and deacons. Let's see what they have posted today, along with some others!

If you struggle with this form of English, bear with it as you will find it worthy of the struggle. If someone has the more current text, please feel free to link to it in my combox. I am taking this from the online CCEL

CHAPTER XIX. On Confession.

OUR Saviour has bequeathed the Sacrament of Penitence and Confession to His Church, [49] in order that therein we may be cleansed from all our sins, however and whenever we may have been soiled thereby. Therefore, my child, never allow your heart to abide heavy with sin, seeing that there is so sure and safe a remedy at hand. If the lioness has been in the neighbourhood of other beasts she hastens to wash away their scent, lest it should be displeasing to her lord; and so the soul which has ever so little consented to sin, ought to abhor itself and make haste to seek purification, out of respect to His Divine Gaze Who beholds it always. Why should we die a spiritual death when there is a sovereignremedy available?

Make your confession humbly and devoutly every week, and always, if you can, before communicating, even although your conscience is not burdened with mortal sin; for in confession you do not only receive absolution for your venial sins, but you also receive great strength to help you in avoiding them henceforth, clearer light to discover your failings, and abundant grace to make up whatever loss you have incurred through those faults. You exercise the graces of humility, obedience, simplicity and love, and by this one act of confession you practise more virtue than in any other.

Be sure always to entertain a hearty sorrow for the sins you confess, however small they are; as also a stedfast resolution to correct them in future. Some people go on confessing venial sins out of mere habit, and conventionally, without making any effort to correct them, thereby losing a great deal of spiritual good. Supposing that you confess having said something untrue, although without evil consequences, or some careless words, or excessive amusement;--repent, and make a firm resolution of amendment: it is a mere abuse to confess any sin whatever, be it mortal or venial, without intending to put it altogether away, that being the express object of confession.

Beware of unmeaning self-accusations, made out of a mere routine, such as, "I have not loved God as much as I ought; I have not prayed with as much devotion as I ought; I have not loved my neighbour as I ought; I have not received the Sacraments with sufficient reverence;" and the like. Such things as these are altogether useless in setting the state of your conscience before your Confessor, inasmuch as all the Saints in Paradise and all men living would say the same. But examine closely what special reason you have for accusing yourself thus, and when you have discovered it, accuse yourself simply and plainly of your fault. For instance, when confessing that you have not loved your neighbour as you ought, it may be that what you mean is, that having seen some one in great want whom you could have succoured, you have failed to do so. Well then, accuse yourself of that special omission: say, "Having come across a person in need, I did not help him as I might have done," either through negligence, or hardness, or indifference, according as the case may be. So again, do not accuse yourself of not having prayed to God with sufficient devotion; but if you have given way to voluntary distractions, or if you have neglected the proper circumstances of devout prayer--whether place, time, or attitude--say so plainly, just as it is, and do not deal in generalities, which, so to say, blow neither hot nor cold.

Again, do not be satisfied with mentioning the bare fact of your venial sins, but accuse yourself of the motive cause which led to them. For instance, do not be content with saying that you told an untruth which injured no one; but say whether it was out of vanity, in order to win praise or avoid blame, out of heedlessness, or from obstinacy. If you have exceeded in society, say whether it was from the love of talking, or gambling for the sake of money, and so on. Say whether you continued long to commit the fault in question, as the importance of a fault depends greatly upon its continuance: e.g., there is a wide difference between a passing act of vanity which is over in a quarter of an hour, and one which fills the heart for one or more days. So you must mention the fact, the motive and the duration of your faults. It is true that we are not bound to be so precise in confessing venial sins, or even, technically speaking, to confess them at all; but all who aim at purifying their souls in order to attain a really devout life, will be careful to show all their spiritual maladies, however slight, to their spiritual physician, in order to be healed.

Do not spare yourself in telling whatever is necessary to explain the nature of your fault, as, for instance, the reason why you lost your temper, or why you encouraged another in wrong-doing. Thus, some one whom I dislike says a chance word in joke, I take it ill, and put myself in a passion. If one I like had said a stronger thing I should not have taken it amiss; so in confession, I ought to say that I lost my temper with a person, not because of the words spoken so much as because I disliked the speaker; and if in order to explain yourself clearly it is necessary to particularize the words, it is well to do so; because accusing one's self thus simply one discovers not merely one's actual sins, but one's bad habits, inclinations and ways, and the other roots of sin, by which means one's spiritual Father acquires a fuller knowledge of the heart he is dealing with, and knows better what remedies to apply. But you must always avoid exposing any one who has borne any part in your sin as far as possible. Keep watch over a variety of sins, which are apt to spring up and flourish, often insensibly, in the conscience, so that you may confess them and put them away; and with this view read Chapters VI., XXVII., XXVIII., XXIX., XXXV. and XXXVI. of Part III., and Chapter VII. of Part IV.,attentively.

Do not lightly change your Confessor, but having chosen him, be regular in giving account of your conscience to him at the appointed seasons, telling him your faults simply and frankly, and from time to time--say every month or every two months, show him the general state of your inclinations, although there be nothing wrong in them; as, for instance, whether you are depressed and anxious, or cheerful, desirous of advancement, or money, and the like.

[49] S. Matt. xvi. 19, xviii. 18; S. John xx. 23.

---

More on St. Francis De Sales, and on Confession

This may be updated with more links as they become available...

Words from Salesians on this saint:

• 
  Saint of the day: Francis de Sales by Fr. Stephen Leake, SDB

Confession

• Scriptural Basis for Confession (EWTN)
• The Physician of the Soul (This Rock)
• Confessing to a Priest (This Rock)
• Early Church Fathers on Confession (This Rock)
• Examination of Conscience by Fr. John A. Hardon
• Examination of Conscience by Fr. Robert Altier
• Examination of Conscience (Children) by Fr. E. Filardi

Confession Times at Assumption Grotto

Assumption Grotto is probably the confession capital of metro Detroit. The priests give of themselves generously. Regular confession is from 2:30 - 3:30 on Saturdays, and it is often little waiting at this time. That is because Grotto is a commuter parish and many parishioners take advantage of the Sunday confession times before the 9:30am and Noon Masses.

If you are in need of confession during the week, the priest who has the 7:00pm weeknight Mass will often hear confessions around 10-20 minutes prior to Mass. This too is usually low-volume with easy access. Just be in Church by 6:30 or so and watch for a priest to come. They come sometimes as late as 6:50, so just be there.

My advice is that if you have a long confession, or if it has been a while, or there is a complex issue, go on Saturdays when the priests have more time to give you. Sundays have long lines and the priests need to get through many people. The weeknight confession is also compressed for time. You can also call the rectory for an appointment any time.

And, priests at Grotto - that is the diocesan priests and the priests of the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross who funtion there, always preach about the need to use confession frequently, even if only for venial sins and imperfections.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

EWTN will broadcast Installation Mass of Abp Allen Vigneron in Detroit

In a commerical break during EWTN's World Over Live, it was just announced that the Installation Mass of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron here in Detroit will be covered live this coming Wednesday at 2:00pm on EWTN (as part of the Cathedrals across America series)

• More on the Installation Mass can be found in the Michigan Catholic


• Video, audio and other resrouces on Abp Allen Vigneron and Cardinal Maida

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Obama and the Mexico City Policy: Your Tax Dollars Will Now Fund Abortions Overseas

Obama has fulfilled one promise by scrapping the Mexico City Policy.....and ditching another promise of "working to reduce abortions".

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama promised during the presidential campaign that he wanted to reduce abortions and said as much in a statement yesterday in association with the anniversary of Roe. Today, however, he betrayed that promise by forcing taxpayers to fund groups promoting and performing abortions overseas.

In an executive order, the president officially scrapped the Mexico City Policy that protected taxpayers from involvement in overseas abortions for eight years. Now, Obama will send hundreds of millions of dollars to groups that aggressively promote abortions on a worldwide scale.

Obama was slated to overturn on Thursday the protections President Bush put back in place following the Clinton administration, but Obama decided to wait.

He hoped his decision today to force taxpayers to fund foreign abortions will somehow make him seem less radical because he decided to wait until after the pro-life movement mourned the thirty-sixth anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

The executive order will make non-governmental groups that do abortions in other nations or lobby pro-life countries to overturn their abortion limits eligible for public funds.

Setting aside the fact that Americans are being forced to pay for something that many deem nothing less than murder, it is odd that he would choose to do so at a time when the economy is in turmoil. Not only will our money be funding for abortions overseas, but it is money that could be used here to help women with alternatives. You see, the government is willing to help women to kill their babies, but does not want to fund positive alternatives.

See more at Life News: President Barack Obama Forces Taxpayers to Fund, Promote Worldwide Abortions

Related: Pro-Life Advocates: Obama Has Already Betrayed Promise to Reduce Abortions

EDIT: Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King is being interviewed by Raymond Arroyo on World Over Live. If you miss it tonight, catch it at other times listed here. She is talking about the genocide of minorities through abortion. She herself was almost the victim of abortion, and later....nearly became a victim of Planned Parenthood. Interesting background she is giving. And, she was born on January 22 - the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

The Vatican Gets a YouTube Channel

If the feed is not showing, just click the hyperlink "Vatican" in the window below and it will take you to the channel at YouTube.

I love it. This will be great for anyone wanting to know where the Church stands on issues. It sounds like current affairs will be targeted. This is excellent because the Church wants to contribute to the common good and everyone will have easy access to the mind of the Church on these things.





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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Recent Posts.....

Twins in utero
"Hey Larry! Can I borrow your thumb? I can't reach mine...your arm is in the way".....

"....give me a minute, I'm trying to chew off this hang-nail, but it's not working"

Recent Posts:

• Archbishop Raymond L. Burke on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade
• Two-Day Mission This Weekend at Grotto
• SSPX coming home?
• Abp Vigneron Disappointed in Obama Administration's Efforts to Rescind Protections for the Unborn
• Obama's changes we don't need...
• Latin-I Class to be Held at Assumption Grotto Starting January 30th
• President Barack Obama
• Video: Obama Born, and Unborn ...
• Cardinal George: Dear Mr. President-elect....

Life News on this, the 36th Anniverary of Roe V. Wade (Sorry for the caps, I'm copying the link-titles).

• Obama throngs replaced by March for Life crowds (USA Today)
• Pro-Life Film '22 Weeks' Released During Annual March for Life in ... (Associated Content)
• Video: Sights and Sounds: Scores March Against Abortion
• Philadelphia Cardinal Rigali Warns of "Eternal" Consequences of Abortion at March for Life Mass
• PRESIDENT OBAMA STATEMENT: REDUCE ABORTIONS BY HONORING PRO-ABORTION DECISION (huh?!?!?)
• BARACK OBAMA POSTPONES DECISION TO SEND TAX DOLLARS OVERSEAS FOR ABORTIONS
• REPUBLICANS ASK OBAMA TO BACK DOWN ON PRO-ABORTION FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT
• HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MARCH FOR LIFE, PRO-LIFE PEOPLE INVIGORATED TO STOP OBAMA
• ON ROE ANNIVERSARY, PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES OPTIMISTIC DESPITE PRO-ABORTION PRESIDENT

Some news reports I heard called it tens of thousands when Life News which has kept statistics has typically reported over 200,000.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade

I got this yesterday and like other things, am just getting to it.

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke who now heads the Apostolic Signatura (the Vatican's highest court), has sent a letter to the Marian Catetchists on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Archbishop Burke headed the Marian Catechists - an apostolate founded by Fr. John A. Hardon who spent his final years at Assumption Grotto.

Here, Abp Burke offers thoughts on the challenges ahead given the new administration's anti-life position.

22 January 2009—Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person

Dear Members of the Marian Catechist Apostolate,

Today is the 36th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision in the cases Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, by which the highest court of our nation took away the safeguard of the most fundamental of all rights, the right to life, from the most vulnerable members of the human family, the unborn. Rightly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has, for some time, designated this day as a Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person, and of Prayer for the Full Restoration of the Legal Guarantee of the Right to Life. January 22nd is to be observed “as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373).

The legacy of the just-mentioned decisions has been an unconscionable decline in the respect for all human life. By now, you are familiar with the latest and most heinous anti-life legislation the people of the United States of America are facing: the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). The passage of FOCA would lift all restrictions on procured abortion, force taxpayers to participate in the funding of procured abortions; revoke all informed consent, parental notification and conscience protection laws; and force even Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, which clearly would necessitate the closing of Catholic hospitals. I ask you to pray for the defeat of FOCA and to do all you can to work against its passage, while also working to protect existing pro-life legislation. For more information on how to become involved, please visit the USCCB website at www.usccb.org.prolife.

In a special way, I address you, the members of the Marian Catechist Apostolate, on this Day of Penance. Reflecting on the circumstances in society which give rise to the necessity of a Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person, I am deeply conscious of the much needed service of the Marian Catechist Apostolate in the renewal of society. I take the occasion of this most sad anniversary for our nation, to encourage you to redouble your efforts to grow in personal holiness and knowledge of the Catholic Faith, that you may always be equipped to share generously and courageously the richness of the Faith with others, for the transformation of society.

I enclose for you a helpful tool for evangelization, a copy of the Marian Catechist Apostolate brochure. The revised brochure introduces the Apostolate and its Founder, the Servant of God Father John A. Hardon, S.J., to those who may not know the Apostolate. It can be used as a resource for those whom you meet who have a sincere desire to grow in holiness and to know the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church. Please contact Mrs. Theresa Knothe, National Coordinator of the Apostolate, if you would like to order more brochures for your apostolic work.

In closing, I invite you to join me at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Consecration of Marian Catechists to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the weekend of August 7th – 9th of 2009. Please join me today and always in calling upon the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the transformation of the culture death into a civilization of divine love and life.

Invoking God’s blessing upon you and your home, I am

Yours devotedly in Christ,

Most Rev.) Raymond L Burke
Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis
Prefect, Apostolic Signatura of the Supreme Tribunal

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Two-Day Mission This Weekend at Grotto

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

SSPX coming home?

Some news has been breaking on blogs and news outlets all day, but this is the first opportunity I'v had to post.

It is looking like we may finally see some excommunications lifted in the SSPX. This is great news and many have been praying for this. Let's continue to pray for all involved.

Here is the scoop from Catholic Culture, emphasis mine in bold:

According to multiple reports from reliable Vatican-watchers, Pope Benedict XVI will soon lift the decree of excommunication imposed upon four traditionalist bishops who were consecrated by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988. Italian journalists report that the Pope's action will be made public within a matter of days. The move would be a major step toward reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).

SSPX leaders-- including the bishops living under the decree of excommunication-- have consistently stated that before ending their break with the Holy See, they would insist on the removal of that excommunication and the right of every Catholic priest to celebrate the Mass using the traditional rite. With the publication of Summorum Pontificum in 2007, Pope Benedict fulfilled the latter condition [not exclusively for this purpose, I might add, but certainly thought to be part of bringing the SSPX home]; lifting the excommunication would satisfy the former SSPX demand. Still to be resolved, however, would be the serious disagreements over the authority and interpretation of Vatican II documents [step by step]

The Rorate Caeli blog is carefully following the latest reports, from Rome and elsewhere, on the Pope's reported plan.

Again, continue to pray for the SSPX to come back into full communion with Rome.

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Abp Vigneron Disappointed in Obama Administration's Efforts to Rescind Protections for the Unborn

This story appeared in the Detroit News today, but I am giving you the version out of LifeSiteNews. Emphasis mine in bold, and comments in red brackets.

DETROIT, January 22, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The newly appointed Archbishop of Detroit, Allen Vigneron, has wasted little time in confronting President Barack Obama's notorious support of abortion, calling for forceful opposition of the new government's anti-life agenda.

In an interview with The Detroit News, Vigneron addressed several current issues, such as Catholic higher education and the failing economy's impact on the Church's social ministries, but indicated that challenging the new US government's radical anti-life positions is of the highest priority.

"I share the concern of all of the bishops of the United States that the administration has, at least prior to the election, given us indications that they are going to rescind some of the protections of the unborn," Vigneron said. "And I am very disappointed in that."

"We are going to have to represent our opposition as forcefully as we can and try to build coalitions to dissuade the administration from moving to that," said Vigneron, referring indirectly to President Obama's potential signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which permits late and partial birth abortions and calls for domestic and international government funding of abortion, among other things.

The newly appointed archbishop was also asked to address the Church's position on refusing pro-abortion politicians Holy Communion. Canon 915 of the Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law states that those "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion." [Thanks to Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, now the head of the Apostolic Signatura in the Vatican, there is discussion of this in ecclesiastical circles]

"I am not going to answer any hypothetical questions like that, especially from this distance," said Vigneron. "I simply want to affirm that part of being a Catholic is having a conviction that on these moral matters, the church speaks the mind of Christ [Rule #2 (Rule of Publicity) in Bp Vigneron's "10 rules". There can't be 10 versions of one truth] And I want to help Catholics, especially Catholics in responsible positions, to maintain the integrity of their professions." [this goes along with charity - you don't teach with the best one-line zinger or with a stick, but with love, always mindful of the dignity of others.]

Vigneron touched on this issue back in 2004, when in an article he stated, "Whenever a politician or political party promotes the acceptance and support of abortion or euthanasia, no matter how morally compelling their stands may seem on other issues, their stand on these crucial life issues must be judged as fundamentally flawed.” [Bingo! There are folks who feel that it is justifiable to dismiss the culture of life issues if they are focused on the poor. Or, they feel that by not having as many people in the world it minimizes poverty. The most pure approach is one that addresses both the life issues and the poverty. There are positive alternatives with financial and medical aid for poor mothers and many foster/adoptive parents waiting for a child to love, even a special needs child.]

Archbishop Vigneron concluded with a message of hope to Christians in the face of the severe moral and societal problems present today: "But I think that Christianity and the other faiths have some particular contributions to make, and one is to give people encouragement and to remind them that there is a tremendous reason for hope: God is with us, and he has seen us through tough times before."

The Archbishop is set to be formally installed in the Detroit Archdiocese on January 28.

I look for Abp Vigneron to be active in pro-life activities here in metro Detroit. Some have wondered aloud how he will deal with Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Keep in mind, that she is in the Lansing diocese and falls under Bishop Earl Boyea.

The bishops of the US are united when it comes to pro-abort Catholic politicians presenting themselves for Communion: They should not present themselves when they are knowingly in a such a deep conflict with the Church. However, where there are differences of opinion is on whether the pols should be denied Communion if they do present themselves. More bishops are getting familiar with that argument presented by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke on Canon 915 which I linked in the body of the article.

This is an area where I think that we can best help the bishops with our prayers. Regardless of where many faithful Catholics stand on denial of holy Communion, each bishop must act according to his own conscience. However, as a body of apostolic-successors, I believe they will continue to explore, discuss and understand the bigger picture and in context of Canon 915. The new Obama administration, with it's anti-life policies, carried on the backs of Catholic politicians, will certainly test our bishops.

If you want to do something to help them......go to adoration, or go to daily Mass when you can, and pray the Rosary for them.

Pray for our bishops!

Source page at LifeSiteNews:
New Archbishop of Detroit Calls for Opposition to Obama Abortion Agenda

Original article in Detroit News on January 22, 2009 (this may only be available online for a limited time):
Obama's abortion stance concerns new archbishop

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Obama's changes we don't need...

Excellent post by Curt Jester:

Yesterday we were not giving money to organizations overseas that provided abortions, today we are - Change.

Yesterday before noon the official White House site did not promote abortion, now it does - Change.

Yesterday we had a President that did not consider that the question of human life was above his paygrade, now we do - Change

Yesterday we had a President who signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, today we have a President who voted for infanticide - Change

This is all true so that makes it "Change we can believe in".

Go read the rest in Jeff's post, "Change". He references some words of Cardinal George recently, and more.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Latin-I Class to be Held at Assumption Grotto Starting January 30th

I mentioned the other day that Deacon Jim Wilder of Assumption Grotto will be teaching an "intense Latin-1 class". The start date for the 7 week class has been changed to Friday, January 30th. It will be held on Fridays from 4:30 until about 6:00 or 6:30, depending on how things are going. This leaves time to get to the 7:00pm Mass for those who want to assist. On Fridays, it is usually in the Extraordinary Form.

The cost of the class is $100 which includes materials. Deacon Jim says he will be working with Wheelock's books.

It might help to know a little about the instructor's background, so I inquired and the Deacon replied...

Taught Latin for twenty-five years, at least. Taught for seven years at Regina High School; at Grosse Pointe South High School for 12 years; taught at least ten years at Assumption Grotto Homeschool; and tutored Latin. Hold a Masters in Latin from Wayne State University and a major in Latin from the once Catholic University of Detroit.

He is tentatively planning on going from Latin-I through Latin-IV over the course of one year and will start the cycle again. If you don't get in now, it will be at least a one year wait before you can get in.

Sounds good to me. I'm there. Put my name on the list already along with 6 other people who have called.

How do you sign up? Call Jim at 586-776-7774 to register.

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Vigil Mass for Life in Washington DC on EWTN Now

Go catch it NOW! The Vigil Mass for Life at the National Basilica in Washington DC.

The procession of priests, deacons, bishops and cardinals has taken over 30 minutes now.

Watch live feed at EWTN.com (choose Television then pick your language and speed)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pro-life speeches in congress.....now

EDIT 6:00pm: Folks - these are some very passionate speeches being given by our congress men and women. Do watch this if you are just learning about it.

This dropped into my inbox and it's just a few minutes after 5pm

Imminent Pro-Life Speeches on the U.S. House floor! Tune into CSPAN today to watch pro-life Members of Congress speak about human life. The "special order" could begin as early as 5:00 p.m. EST.

Tune in at 5:00 p.m. ET Today to Watch Congressional Pro-Life Speeches on CSPAN
January 21, 2009 Refer a Friend

As pro-abortion forces increase their numbers in Congress and with the election of President Barack Obama, prolifers need to work hard to protect the life of the unborn. Leading up to the March for Life rally tomorrow, Members of Congress decided to hold a Special Order on the floor of the House today in which they will give speeches defending the unborn. This special order will be aired on CSPAN 1, and could begin as early as 5:00 p.m. EST, depending on the vote schedule. Please keep your eye on CSPAN 1 to watch Members defend the right to life of the unborn, or you can watch online.

Please thank Members who do speak, and let them know how you appreciate their defense of life.

Tune into CSPAN today to watch pro-life Members of Congress speak about human life.

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Tonight: Vigil Mass for the Unborn; Tomorrow - a Day of Prayer and Penance

The annual vigil Mass for life will take place tonight at 7:00pm in Washington DC at the National Basilica. Tune in on EWTN (most local Catholic television stations will also carry it live). If you don't have that and have a connection better than the old dialup, go to EWTN and watch it live on the interent. It is spectacular to see hundreds of priests and bishops, and 16,000 people crammed into the church.

Someday, I pray we will see numbers like those seen at yesterday's inauguration descend on Washington DC on January 22nd until we end this law that permits the worst form of discrimination against a class of people known as.....the unborn.

Pray for participants who are being met undoubtedly with challenges of yesterday's inauguration.


Here is a list of pro-life activities for the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade there in DC.

And, I want to remind you that the Catholic Church (and many other faiths), have named January 22nd as a day of prayer and penance each year:

“In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass 'For Peace and Justice' (no. 22 of the 'Masses for Various Needs') should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.”

– General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

With that, I leave you this video from Catholics Coming Home:



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

President Barack Obama

I didn't vote for Barack Obama, but unlike disgruntled Democrats and others who rejected George W. Bush, proclaiming, "he's not my president", I won't stoop to that level.

Hence, Barack Hussein Obama is my president and as such, will receive my deepest prayers for his success on economic, world and domestic issues, and his conversion on culture of death issues. Jesus commanded us to love and it is with Christian love that conversions happen.

I truly wish I could have rejoiced fully today. On the one hand, I was very glad to see that America has proven it is not too bigoted to elect a black man for president. On the other hand, my heart is heavy for the increase in the number of deaths to the most innocent of innocents, the unborn - we will see in this administration. The damage done in these next four or eight years, could last for decades. I hope all Catholics who dismissed the culture of life concerns are paying close attention to all that is going to rapidly take place.

As we celebrated Martin Luther King day yesterday and heard those famous words about judging a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character, I wondered how Dr. King would have felt about the greatly persecuted class of people we call the unborn or pre-born.

Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King, is very active in the pro-life movement. She is not Catholic, but works with Fr. Frank Pavone and Priests for Life. This past summer, Dr. King wrote:

"While African Americans comprise only 4.5 percent of Minnesota's population, black received almost 25 percent of the abortions performed on Minnesotans," stated Dr. King. "Nationally, black women are 4.8 times more likely to have an abortion than white women. It's hard to believe, as the abortion lobby would have you believe, that this discrepancy is caused strictly by economics."

"Abortion has been a scourge on all Americans, but particularly African Americans," added Dr. King. "The numbers speak for themselves. The abortion industry has targeted minority neighborhoods for years. It's not only time that our leaders investigated why this is happening, it's time they stopped indirectly subsidizing these killings by giving our money to businesses that do abortions."

Today, as President Obama was sworn in, the White House webpage was changed over. Buried under "Agenda" and "Women", was this:

*Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

*Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

Lifesite News has a piece on this, as well.

and this...

*Supporting Stem Cell Research: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which will allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.

Imagine where we would be, had Barack Hussein Obama been aborted by his mother because his father didn't take responsibility, or because she would have to struggle. Hence, the point of this commercial, which I'm sharing again, aired in select segments of the US today on Black Entertainment Television (compliments of CatholicVote.com)


I believe we are going to see actions and words out of many bishops, the likes of which we have never seen, during this administration. Let's pray that God gives them the courage they need, as well as the prudence. Charity for confused Catholic politicians and others isn't manifested in silence. Concern for self-esteem should never trump concern for the souls of our brothers and sisters "carried away by all kinds of strange teachings".

More:

• Pope Benedict to President Obama: Rediscover US Spiritual Heritage (Zenit)


• Pope's Telegram to Obama Includes Veiled References to Protecting Right to Life (LifeSiteNews)
  


• Presidential Invocation by Pastor Rick Warren (National Catholic Register blog)


• Barack Obama Omits Mention of Life in Declaration Cite in Inaugural Speech (LifeNews)


• Obama to Immediately Abolish Mexico City Policy, Likely Fund Embryo Research, Aides Confirm (Lifesite News)
  

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Video: Obama Born, and Unborn ...

This is simply magnificent and it has soooo much truth to it.

Watch this short clip from CatholicVote.com



I think we need to get some funds in there to enable them to get messages like these out into mass media.

EDIT: This is actually a commercial that will be airing in select markets today. Read more at Zenit, but watch the 30 second video first.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Cardinal George: Dear Mr. President-elect....

H/T to Catholic Key and Lifesite News

Dear Mr. President-elect:

I recently wrote to assure you of the prayers of the Catholic bishops of the United States for your service to our nation, and to outline issues of special concern to us as we seek to work with your Administration and the new Congress to serve the common good.

I am writing today on a matter that could introduce significant negative and divisive factors into our national life, at a time when we need to come together to address the serious challenges facing our people. I expect that some want you to take executive action soon to reverse current policies against government-sponsored destruction of unborn human life. I urge you to consider that this could be a terrible mistake -- morally, politically, and in terms of advancing the solidarity and well-being of our nation's people.

During the campaign, you promised as President to represent all the people and respect everyone's moral and religious viewpoints. You also made several statements about abortion. On one occasion, when asked at what point a baby has human rights, you answered in effect that you do not have a definite answer. And you spoke often about a need to reduce abortions.

The Catholic Church teaches that each human being, at every moment of biological development from conception to natural death, has an inherent and fundamental right to life. We are committed not only to reducing abortion, but to making it unthinkable as an answer to unintended pregnancy. At the same time, I think your remarks provide a basis for common ground. Uncertainty as to when human rights begin provides no basis for compelling others to violate their conviction that these rights exist from the beginning. After all, those people may be right. And if the goal is to reduce abortions, that will not be achieved by involving the government in expanding and promoting abortions.

The regulation to protect conscience rights in health care issued last month by the Bush administration is the subject of false and misleading criticisms. It does not reach out to expand the rights of pro-life health professionals, but is a long-overdue measure for implementing three statutes enacted by Congress over the last 35 years. Many criticizing the new rule have done so without being aware of this legal foundation - but widespread ignorance of a longstanding federal law protecting basic civil rights is among the good reasons for more visibly implementing it. An Administration committed to faithfully implementing and enforcing the laws of the United States will want to retain this common-sense regulation, which explicitly protects the right of health professionals who favor or oppose abortion to serve the basic health needs of their communities. Suggestions that government involvement in health care will be aimed at denying conscience, or excluding Catholic and other health care providers from participation in serving the public good, could threaten much-needed health care reform at the outset.

The Mexico City Policy, first established in 1984, has wrongly been attacked as a restriction on foreign aid for family planning. In fact, it has not reduced such aid at all, but has ensured that family planning funds are not diverted to organizations dedicated to performing and promoting abortions instead of reducing them. Once the clear line between family planning and abortion is erased, the idea of using family planning to reduce abortions becomes meaningless, and abortion tends to replace contraception as the means for reducing family size. A shift toward promoting abortion in developing nations would also increase distrust of the United States in these nations, whose values and culture often reject abortion, at a time when we need their trust and respect.

The embryonic stem cell policy initiated by President Bush has at times been criticized from both ends of the pro-life debate, but some criticisms are based on false premises. The policy did not ban embryonic stem cell research, or funding of such research. By restricting federally funded research to cell lines in existence at the time he issued his policy, he was trying to ensure that Americans are not forced to use their tax dollars to encourage expanded destruction of embryonic human beings for their stem cells. Such destruction is especially pointless at the present time, for several reasons. First, basic research in the capabilities of embryonic stem cells can be and is being pursued using the currently eligible cell lines as well as the hundreds of lines produced with nonfederal funds since 2001. Second, recent startling advances in reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells - hailed by the journal Science as the scientific breakthrough of the year - are said by many scientists to be making embryonic stem cells irrelevant to medical progress. Third, adult and cord blood stem cells are now known to have great versatility, and are increasingly being used to reverse serious illnesses and even help rebuild damaged organs. To divert scarce funds away from these promising avenues for research and treatment toward the avenue that is most morally controversial as well as most medically speculative would be a sad victory of politics over science.

I hope you will consider these comments in the spirit in which they are intended, as an invitation to set aside political pressures and ideologies and focus on the priorities and challenges that will unite us as a nation. Again I want to express our hopes for your Administration, and our offer to cooperate in advancing the common good and protecting the poor and vulnerable in these challenging times.

As we approach the first days of your new responsibilities as President of the United States, I will offer my prayers for you and for your family. May God bless your efforts in fostering justice and peace for all, Mr. President, as you begin your term.

Cardinal Francis George

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Latin Class at Grotto

From the Assumption Grotto homepage:

First Year Intensive Seven Week Latin Course for adults and children offered by Deacon Jim Wilder beginning Friday, January 23rd, 4:30 p.m., Grotto Rectory Basement. Course is $100, which includes text book and materials. Call Deacon Jim to register at 586-776-7774.

I need to find out how long it runs. I'm wondering if it isn't a two hour class which would end just ahead of the 7:00pm Mass.

I'll find out. I think I'm going to try to squeeze this in. After all, I've been prodding Fr. Perrone and Deacon Jim to offer something!

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Vatican to get it's own YouTube Channel

H/T to NLM and Fr. Ray Blake on this one...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican will soon have its own channel on the video sharing site YouTube where the Catholic faithful or the curious will be able to see Pope Benedict or Church events, a Vatican source said on Saturday.

The details of the accord are due to be presented on Friday at a news conference attended by Vatican officials as well as Henrique de Castro, managing director of media solutions for Google, which owns YouTube.

The initiative will involve Google, the Vatican Television Center and Vatican Radio.

It will mark the Vatican's deepest plunge into new media. The Vatican opened up its website, www.vatican.va, in 1995.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, OR: Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars

H/T to Fr. Z for this great article out of Baker, Oregon.

At the bottom are some links you will want to explore if you like what this bishop has to say.

Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars

Print Edition: 01/15/2009
By Bishop Robert Vasa

BEND — The Mass readings for the week between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord are taken from the First Letter of St. John. These readings are not always used for it often happens, depending upon the day on which Christmas falls, that the season of ordinary time begins immediately after the celebration of Epiphany. This year, however, the occurrence of Christmas allowed for a full week between these two post-Christmas celebrations and thus the readings from St. John’s first letter. As often happens, the daily Mass readings are both appealing and challenging. The reading of Thursday from I John 4:19ff is particularly appropriate in this year when the life issues are very much on the minds of pro-life persons.

The reason for the increased awareness and even concern on the part of the pro-life community is the specter of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which is highly rumored to be in the works at the federal level. It is this act which has stimulated the bishops of the United States to launch a massive postcard campaign calling upon the House and Senate to abandon FOCA. While further details about the dramatic impact of FOCA on our American culture can be found in many places, I will simply say that it would establish abortion as a federally protected right and, as I understand it, preclude state limitation or regulation of abortion. Further, since abortion would be a federally protected right, it is very possible that even Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Physicians would be mandated to provide this heinous service.

Thus I strongly urge all who have a glimmer of concern for the lives of pre-born children to engage themselves in this postcard campaign. This is not an action which would limit or alter present permissive abortion laws, which some so-called Catholic pro-choice persons might object to, it would simply preclude a dramatic expansion of that permissiveness. Thus it would be very difficult for any Catholic, no matter how much in favor of abortion itself, to find a reason to refuse to participate in this campaign. At the same time, I do not see how any Catholic senator or representative could vote for the passage of FOCA without recognizing that such a vote would constitute a direct and intentional declaration of their disdain for Catholic teaching. Such a vote would be tantamount to a public declaration of their intention to abandon the Catholic faith. It would be imperative that the faith consequences of such a declaration be allowed to fall fully on the heads of those who would make it.

The writing from St. John applies: “Beloved, we love God because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from Him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
We of the Catholic faith certainly know that love of God is central to our tenets, this is the appealing part. It is hard to imagine a Catholic saying, “I am a Catholic in good standing but I do not love God.” But the inspired scriptures tell us that whoever does not love his brother or neighbor does not and, indeed, cannot love God. This is the challenging part. The people of Jesus’ day understood this and it was this understanding that prompted them to ask, “And who is my neighbor?” For all of us, and especially for Catholic legislators in every strata of government, it is necessary to declare, in conformity with the Natural Law and the teaching of the Catholic Church that, the pre-born child is our brother, our sister, our neighbor!

It may sound a little strong to state that legislators “hate” the pre-born child but hate is an absence of love and love means to wish another well. There is nothing about abortion that wishes the pre-born child well. The preservation of abortion “rights” is already an absence of love for the pre-born child but the passage of FOCA could be construed as nothing less than active and positive disregard, even hatred, for these our brothers and sisters. To paraphrase St. John, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but votes for FOCA, thus showing a disregard for his pre-born brother or sister, he is a liar.” Lots of things can be rationalized in government but I do not see any way in which any Catholic could rationalize or justify an affirmative vote for FOCA.

It is not necessary for your postcards to be as outspoken as this bishop but you do have an obligation to participate in this concerted effort to show love for the tiniest and most defenseless of our brothers and sisters. President-elect Obama made it very clear, prior to the election, that he would happily sign FOCA and the millions of Catholics who voted for him hopefully did so for reasons other than this promise and certainly not because of it. It seems to me that it is particularly incumbent upon these same voters to make it clearly known to their representatives that their vote may not in any way be taken as a sign of support for FOCA.

Another way in which we show our affirmative love for our pre-born brothers and sisters is by way of our annual memorial on Jan. 22. This year the Diocesan Office of Pro-life Activities has scheduled a rosary and Mass at St. Joseph’s in Prineville on Thursday evening, Jan. 22. The rosary will commence at 6:30 p.m. with Mass beginning at 7 p.m. While I recognize that many parishes host similar memorial Masses to pray for the two-fold victims of abortion, the child and the mother, I invite any who can to join me at the rosary and Mass at St. Joseph’s in Prineville.

Regardless of how many years have passed since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Decision and regardless of how prevalent and routine abortion has become in this country, the simple truth remains, it is an act of extreme violence to the pre-born child and to the distressed mother. Thus, if anyone says, “I love God” and still favors abortion, he is, to quote St. John, a liar. May we all live out faithfully what it means to love God.

More on Bishop Vasa:

• A Must Read for Catholics: A Bishop's Humble Admission about Fear and Courage


• ***Giving Testimony to the Truth: A Pastoral Letter for Diocesan Lay Ministers (Read this and ask your own bishop for something similar. This should be in every diocese!!!)
  


• Bishop Vasa regarding his Vacation
  

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Fr Z celebrating Mass - see it on Z-cam now (6:04pm)

Go here if you get this in the next 20 minutes or so. Fr. Z is celebrating Mass in the chapel at the Sabine Farm (you won't get any sound, but good chant)




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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Sancta Missa Workshops on Extraordinary Form

I received these pictures and a link from Fr. Scott Haynes, SJC, who runs the Sancta Missa website for the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in Chicago. Assumption Grotto has one seminarian, Br. Matthew, with this religious community (seen in many of the slides and pics on the site), which is dedicated to a restoration of the sacred. They celebrate both forms of the Mass: Ordinary and Extraordinary. And, they have beautiful music in their liturgies, with several choirs, symphony, chant, etc (a must for Mass if you happen to be in Chicago!).

These pictures are from a recent workshop on the Extraordinary Form (aka, "Tridentine") held for the laity in the Chicago area. Father writes in his post:

VOLO, ILLINOIS - On Saturday, January 10, 2009, during the midst of a blizzard, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius hosted a workshop for laity in the Extraordinary Form at Saint Peter's Church in Volo, Illinois. The parishioners of St. Peter's Church in Volo, Illinois, braved the snowstorm and thoroughly enjoyed the day of Solemn Liturgies and classes.

Here is a link to all of the pics from the January 10th workshop for laity, and explanations.


Below is a pic from the Mass



Teaching a class on the beauty of Mass in the Extraordinary Form is Fr. Frank Phillips, SJC - the founder of the order.


Here is the link again to all of the pictures, which has a list of forthcoming workshops and retreats (which are not limited to Chicago or Illinois). There is also information on how you can get them scheduled in your parish.

EDIT: Clicking around the site, I have found pictures of Br. Matthew receiving his habit.


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Splashdown in the Hudson.....it appears all got off safely!

Photo Source: AP

This is unreal. Deo gratias that it appears everyone is ok...

It is thought [that is, speculation] that a flock of geese got in the way of the big bird above on take off and both engines were affected. Three minutes into the flight passengers were told to brace themselves for a hard landing.

Mayor Bloomberg says that it appears that all got off safely. Once she splashed down, the pilot and crew helped people to get of the plane and into position where boats could pick them up. The pilot then walked the aisle again after the jet was empty and believed everyone got off safely.

More here:

• Photostory on Yahoo!


• Jet Ditches in Hudson; All Are Said Safe (NY Times)
  

Thanks be to God. What an amazing gift that people were spared. Great job by the pilot and crew.
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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

It's those "right-wing Catholic bloggers.....

I've got to get off to work and wanted to blog on this yesterday, but again, there was not time to do the detailed post with links.

I'm going to send you to the best source, Tom Peters - the American Papist, because he really wrote his heart out showing the contradictions in professor Doug Kmiec's thinking with regards to the pro-life movement. Doug Kmiec is a Catholic who supported Obama. He recently wrote a pretty whining commentary about Catholic bloggers who attacked his position. There is a difference between rightfully attacking someone's position, and attacking the person and apparently Mr. Kmiec seems to have trouble seeing the difference.

He also believes Catholic bloggers will be responsible for souring relations between the Obama administration and the Vatican.

Perhaps it's all just a game of bait-n-switch. Go get the details....(check out the combox, as well)

• An open letter to Doug Kmiec (on behalf of the “right-wing Catholic blogosphere”)
• Archbishop Charles Chaput in Doug Kmiec (pre-election)
• Archbishop Chaput eager to see Kmiec deliver a pro-life Obama (pre-election)

And then there is this from Tom Peters....

• Catholics shunned from Obama inauguration

Just a note, the Papist's blog is the one to watch with the upcoming March for Life in DC. Tom living there and provided great coverage last year. Go to his homepage, bookmark it and check in frequently for updates on the ground.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Brrrrrrrrrrr.........It's zero degrees out there!

As many people wonder whether their car will start, whether school is closed to protect the children from standing at bus stops in life-and-limb threatening cold, my thoughts turn to the homeless. I heard yesterday that in our area here in metro Detroit, the numbers are up by 3-4x than usual, due to the jobless rate.

What really befuddled me is that there are warming centers opening for the homeless, but they operate only during the day, sending these men, women, and children back out into the cold as the temperature drops even lower. By day it has been in the low teens and at night, in the single digits - even in the negative.

It's times like these that as I tuck myself away into a warm bed, in a warm house, that I thank the good Lord. It's only by His grace that I have these most basic needs.

Pray for the homeless, donate, and volunteer.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pope Benedict on Ending Financial Woes....

This was an excellent address given by the Holy Father.

Pope Suggests Education as End to Financial Woes
ZE09011206 - 2009-01-12


Says the Church Is There to Help

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 12, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that confronting the current global crisis requires formation in values, especially among youth.

The Pope said this today during a traditional beginning-of-the-year address to representatives from the Latium Region and the Province and City of Rome.

The Holy Father contended to the political leaders that the current economic crisis is linked to another "structural, cultural [crisis] of values."

This values crisis is particularly notable among youth, he said, in whom "the human and Christian values that give meaning to daily life and that form a vision of life open to hope are weakened."

"Instead, ephemeral desires and fleeting hopes rise up, which in the end cause boredom and failure," the Pontiff stated.

The Bishop of Rome lamented news of violence among youth and deaths caused by accidents, and affirmed again that there is an "educational emergency," which needs to be met, also from within the Church.

Modern nihilism has as a consequence, he said, "making one's own life banal so as to take refuge in transgression, in drugs, in alcohol, which for some becomes the habitual ritual of the weekend."

"Even love," the Pope continued, "tends to be reduced to a simple thing that can be bought and sold, and even man himself becomes merchandise."

Better future

Benedict XVI encouraged the political leaders to "seriously dedicate themselves to youth, not leaving them at the mercy of themselves and exposed to the school of 'evil masters,' but rather to commit them to serious initiatives, which permit them to understand the value of life in a stable family, founded on marriage."

The Pope noted that the Church, "with an intuition that I would like to call prophetic, has concentrated her efforts for some years now on the theme of education."

He went on to say that the Church "is called to make her contribution, stimulating reflection and forming the consciences of the faithful and of all citizens of good will."

The Holy Father affirmed that an "irrevocable priority" is "formation in respect of norms, in the taking on of one's responsibilities, an attitude of life that reduces individualism and the defense of particular interests so as to together tend to the good of everyone, putting particular attention on the expectations of the weakest members of the population, not considering them a burden but a resource to be valued."

"Perhaps now more than ever civil society understand that only with styles of life inspired in sobriety, in solidarity and in responsibility is it possible to construct a more just society and a better future for everyone," the Pontiff suggested.

...continue reading at Zenit!


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Planned Parenthood Makes Staffing Cuts Amidst 'Madoff' Fallout

Hit with declines in funding from the economic crisis and the Madoff scandal, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America is laying off around 20% of its staff.

[snip]

Part of Planned Parenthood’s funding declines stem from the closing of the Florida-based Picower Foundation, which shut down in December because its assets were managed by Bernard Madoff. The $1 billion foundation was one of the few major funders of reproductive rights issues.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

UK Telegraph: Pope Orders Bishops to Root Out False Claims of Visions

Now, readers in the English speaking world have a summary of the article which first appeared in the Italian journal, Petrus. It is in the UK Telegraph...

Emphasis mine in bold, and comments bracketed in red

Pope orders bishops to root out false claims of visions

The Pope has ordered thorough investigations to be carried out into people who claim they have seen visions of the Virgin Mary.


By Simon Caldwell
Last Updated: 5:54PM GMT 12 Jan 2009

He is hoping to cut down on an explosion in the number of bogus heavenly apparitions with new guidelines to help his bishops to root out frauds.

Benedict XVI plans to publish criteria to help them to distinguish between true and false claims of visions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, messages, stigmata, weeping and bleeding statues and Eucharistic miracles.

In some cases exorcists will be used to determine if a credible apparition is of divine origin or whether it is demonic.

The guidelines will come in a "vademecum", or handbook, which is in its final stages and will be published soon by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It sets out step-by-step instructions on how Church authorities should deal with claims of such supernatural phenomena. [The Church previously used the 1978 criteria for discernment of apparitions which thus far, has been ineffective alone in aiding bishops with the kind of challenges seen in this era when it comes to private revelations. The handbook will compliment that 1978 criteria]

The Pope is said to be deeply concerned by the explosion in the number of pseudo-mystics who, claiming a direct line to God, set themselves against the bishops and lure the Catholic faithful out of the Church and into disobedient cults. [next to death, there is no greater sacrifice God than to surrender one's will to that of another. It becomes clear that the extraordinary graces normally given to authentic visionaries are not there when they blow off filial obedience].

When a claim of heavenly apparitions occurs, the local bishop will need to set up a commission of psychiatrists, psychologists, theologians and priests who will investigate the claims systematically.

The first step will be to impose silence on the alleged visionaries and if they refuse to obey then this will be taken as a sign that their claims are false. [This is key, otherwise it is easy for it to get away from the bishop, and the Church, before it can be properly investigated. According to the 1978 criteria, the bishop should not permit a cult following before certain assurances can be made).

The visionaries will next be visited by psychiatrists, either atheists or Catholics, to certify their mental health and to verify whether they are suffering from conditions of a hysterical or hallucinatory character or from delusions of leadership. [using atheists has been common practice in the investigation of such claims because they will not be swayed by spiritual sentiments. ]

The third step will be to investigate the person's level of education and to determine if they have had access to material that could be used to falsely support their claims. [They will need to give up their computers for inspection and if they refuse....it will not look good]

The new document will also instruct the bishops to see if the visionaries and their associates stand to gain financially from making their claims.

The content of any heavenly messages will also be scrutinised to see if it is harmony with the teachings of the Church.

If the visionary is considered credible they will ultimately be questioned by one or more demonologists and exorcists to exclude the possibility that Satan is hiding behind the apparitions in order to deceive the faithful.

The Pope decided to act because instances of private revelations continue to multiply, with new cases reported around the world every year.

• Source: UK Telegraph

Related blogposts on this including a translation of the original Petrus article..

I highly recommend reading the translation on the Petrus article, which goes into much greater detail.

• Another Translation of the Petrus Article on the Handbook to be Released on Handling Apparition Claims
• Brilliant Benedict XVI...Petrus: Holy Father to soon issue "handbook" to deal with apparition claims

EDIT: More links:

Pope declares 'holy war' against people who falsely claim to have seen the Virgin Mary (UK Daily Mail)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

A photo taken on January 2nd during First Friday devotions. Adoration takes place in the main parish church following the 7:30am Mass through 6:40pm in preparation for the 7:00pm Mass. Adoration is available Monday thru Saturday at the convent chapel.

Recent Posts on Te Deum:

• Longest vacant diocesan throne filled: Knoxville, TN gets a bishop! (***Breaking***)
• Pope Benedict XVI celebrating ad orientem...
• New Prefect of CDW, Cañizares, Favors Communion on the Tongue
• Bishop Vigneron and the Liturgy - The Testimony of a Priest
• New Fatima Prayer Group to Begin at Grotto January 13th
• Requiescat in Pace - Father Richard John Neuhaus
• Another Translation of the Petrus Article on the Handbook to be Released on Handling Apparition Claims
• Brilliant Benedict XVI...Petrus: Holy Father to soon issue "handbook" to deal with apparition claims
• Proof Positive: Photos of Abp-elect Vigneron Celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass
• Fire across from Grotto
• Bishop Allen Vigneron's "10 Rules for handling disagreement like a christian"
• A Te Deum Post Series on Archbishop-elect Allen H. Vigneron
  
  

Posts from the Catholic blogosphere:

• Back to the question of “stable group” (Fr. Z)
• More on the “gravitational pull” (Fr. Z)
• QUAERITUR: confusion of roles (Fr. Z)
• Breeding Cancer Free Human Beings ? (Reflections of a Paralytic)
• Highlights of '08 March for Life Coverage (AmP)
• Lodging for the March for Life? (AmP)
• Post-op update from Philip Johnson and more in Heading home to NC...
• Just peak in at the Gladdest Hours - a good family blog
• Novena to Fight FOCA (Catholic Mom in Hawaii)
• Birth Control Pill Inventor Regrets the Resulting Demographic "Horror Scenario" (Blog by the Sea)
• Life in the Novitiate (Dominican Nuns of Summit)

UPCOMING...Please come tomorrow night at 6:00

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Longest vacant diocesan throne filled: Knoxville, TN gets a bishop!

Bishop watching can be fun these days. There is a new man at the helm in Knoxville - the longest diocese with a vacancy at the top. It is Msgr. Richard F. Stika, who comes from St. Louis.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 12 JAN 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Richard F. Stika of the clergy of the archdiocese of Saint Louis, U.S.A., pastor of the church of the Annunziata, as bishop of Knoxville (area 36,872, population 236,573, Catholics 56,068, priests 70, permanent deacons 25, religious 53), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Saint Louis in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1985.

Rocco Palmo has more: Rich It Is -- Western "Rome" Meets East Tennessee

For those of you wanting to know a little more about this pastor turned bishop, spend a little time mining his parish website - a good way to get a little more familiar with a man who doesn't have an episcopal trail.





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Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena

I'm a little late getting word out on this.

From the site of the Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena

Today, Sunday, January 11, 2009, 11,193,401 faithful servants are joined worldwide through the Living Rosary and united with Mary in prayer one decade at a time to hasten the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart and to bring about the Reign of Jesus Christ the King.

Click that link above to go to their home page where you can read more details.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pope Benedict XVI celebrating ad orientem...

Go check out the screen shots captured and posted at NLM of the Mass celebrated this morning in the Sistine Chapel by Pope Benedict XVI....ad orientem!

Heh - a Grotto style Novus Ordo!

Hmmmmm....... I wonder if Bishop Baker will set aside the decision of his predecessor long ago which mandates that EWTN's celebrated Novus Ordo Masses be done versus populum, or facing the people.



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

New Prefect of CDW, Cañizares, Favors Communion on the Tongue

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, ORC, auxiliary bishop of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, distributes Holy Communion to parishioners kneeling at Assumption Grotto's communion rail during his visit in July 2008. An excerpt from Bishop Schneider's book, "Dominus Est", was published in L'Osservatore Romano under the title: Historical-Liturgical Notes on the Rite of the Eucharist. In a conference this past summer, Bishop Schneider told Grotto-goers that he received over 80 letters of support from bishops around the world, in addition to voluminous mail from priests and others.

Back in mid December, Catholic Culture ran an article about the new Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS or simply, CDW). Cardinal Cañizares, who took the helm from Francis Cardinal Arinze, said he favors Communion on the tongue, kneeling.

Cardinal Cañizares answers three questions in the article....

• What does it mean to receive Communion in the mouth?
  
• What does it mean to kneel before the Most Holy Sacrament?
  
• What does it mean to kneel during the consecration at Mass?"
  

The prefect answered:

"It means adoration, it means recognizing the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; it means respect and an attitude of faith of a man who prostrates before God because he knows that everything comes from Him, and we feel speechless, dumbfounded, before the wondrousness, his goodness, and his mercy. That is why it is not the same to place the hand, and to receive communion in any fashion, than doing it in a respectful way; it is not the same to receive communion kneeling or standing up, because all these signs indicate a profound meaning. What we have to grasp is that profound attitude of the man who prostrates himself before God, and that is what the Pope wants."

It's a short article, so go read the answers at Cath News: New Prefect favours Communion on the tongue. The original came from an interview granted to the Spanish daily, La Razón

More links:

• Kneeling for communion and communion on the tongue:"Profound meaning," says Cañizares (Rorate Caeli) [lots of comments to read through]


• Cardenal Cañizares: «No estoy en contra del Gobierno pero mi deber es enseñar lo que dice la Iglesia» (La Razón) [original interview]


• My label for all posts on Bishop Schneider, including several photo posts made during his visit to the US, and his time at Assumption Grotto.


• Dr. Alcuin Reid Reviews, "Dominus Est" (includes purchasing info)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Pro-Life Summit On Air Now.....Go Listen

Going on air.....NOW!!! Great speakers of the pro-life movement will be talking throughout the day. More info below came in an email.

Go to Listen Live at Ave Maria Radio if you are finding this between 10:00am and 6:00pm local time here in Detroit. You can listen from anywhere in the world.

While the event was sold out, there is a significant snowstorm in southeast Michigan which may make it difficult for some to get there, so this will help there too.

From Monica Migliorino Miller
Dir. of CPLS [Citizens for a Pro-Life Society]

The END ABORTION/POST ELECTION/PRO-LIFE SUMMIT
will be broadcast on WDEO Radio!

If you cannot attend the Summit, the next best thing is to tune into WDEO Radio 990am and WMAX (Saginaw/Bay City/Midland)1440am

The entire Summit will be broadcast live-- beginning at 10:00am EST. Prof. Janet Smith's talk will be pre-recorded and aired at 12:30pm The Summit begins at 9:00am and ends at 6:00pm.

We are very sorry that there are no more tickets available. We never expected this much response--honestly we didn't. I guess that's a GOOD SIGN however. No matter what-- the most important thing is that we DO SOMETHING to end abortion.

All talks are available for purchase-- we will be sending out a memo regarding the details. Also there is already planned a pro-life activist Summit for February--sponsored by Guadalupe Partners.

Watch for our emails.
God bless you all! Monica

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Bishop Vigneron and the Liturgy - The Testimony of a Priest

Fr. Rob Johansen on his blog, Thrown Back, writes [comment in red is mine]:

I am very excited and happy that Bishop Allen Vigneron, late of Oakland, California, has been named as the next Archbishop of Detroit.

I know Bishop Vigneron from his days as rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where I had the good fortune to complete my studies for the priesthood from 1998-2001. He is an outstanding teacher and pastor. He is loyal to the Church and her Magisterium, and patient and generous as well.

Bishop Vigneron is deeply concerned with the state of the liturgical life in the church in the country, and as rector of the seminary tried to inculcate in us seminarians a sense of reverence and a respect for the liturgy as something given. toward that end he implemented significant reforms of the seminary's liturgical practice, most notably introducing and establishing as normative the use of the Proper antiphons at seminary Masses, and moving away from the use of hymnody. He brought the late Calvert Shenk [who worked tirelessly at Assumption Grotto] to Sacred Heart, and one of his specific charges to Cal was to restore the Propers to their rightful place in the liturgy. This move was not at popular in some quarters of the seminary faculty (though it was quite well received by the overwhelming majority of seminarians), and provoked a storm of criticism and outright attack from certain elements of the Archdiocesan establishment. But Bishop Vigneron persevered and continued these reforms in spite of the opposition.

I am confident that we will see good things happen in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and eventually beyond, as a result of Bishop Vigneron's accession to this see. This is good news for all who want to see the liturgy celebrated according to the authentic vision and mind of the Church, and good news for all who value fidelity to the Church's teaching and discipline.

Continue reading the rest at Father's blog...


H/T: Reader Neil and NLM (you may want to read this at NLM for the voluminous comments, including some of my own)

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Recent Posts and More...

This will be the scene tonight - snow is in the forcast to the tune of 6-8 inches predicted south of 8 Mile Road by 4:00pm Saturday.

Recent Posts on Te Deum

• New Fatima Prayer Group to Begin at Grotto January 13th
• Requiescat in Pace - Father Richard John Neuhaus
• Another Translation of the Petrus Article on the Handbook to be Released on Handling Apparition Claims
• Brilliant Benedict XVI...Petrus: Holy Father to soon issue "handbook" to deal with apparition claims
• Proof Positive: Photos of Abp-elect Vigneron Celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass
• Fire across from Grotto
• Bishop Allen Vigneron's "10 Rules for handling disagreement like a christian"
• A Te Deum Post Series on Archbishop-elect Allen H. Vigneron

On that last note, I have not forgotten the promised post-series on our new Archbishop here in Detroit. I have several things planned, the first of which I hope to release this weekend.

From Other Blogs:

• 22 Jan: Washington DC - March for Life (Fr. Z)
• 13 Jan - Fr. Neuhaus’s funeral Mass (Fr. Z)
• Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles - First Promise Photo Post (Kansas Catholic)
• Benedict XVI on Liturgical Orientation: Salient Quotes (NLM)
• Father Richard John Neuhaus is Called Home to the Lord (Fr. John Trigilio)
• Update on Philip Johnson's Surgery (In Caritate Non Ficta)

One other quick note. I learned that the Pro-Life Summit I advertised last week will be aired on Ave Maria Radio - at least locally. You can tune in from anyplace in the world by going to the station's website and clicking listen live (click to enlarge)

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Another Translation of the Petrus Article on the Handbook to be Released on Handling Apparition Claims

I have received from several people this translation provided to us by Fr. Philip Pavich, OFM.

*Exclusive:*

*In a “Vademecum” the crackdown by Benedict XVI on Marian apparitions, with a ‘pool’ of theologians, psychiatrists and exorcists at the service of the bishops for exposing false visionaries *

VATICAN CITY [January 8, 2009] - Civitavecchia and Medjugorje represent the most recent and sensational cases: places where the alleged visionaries say they have had and continue to have apparitions of the Virgin, even if Our Lady would simply give them absolutely inconsistent messages from a theological and spiritual point of view . The result: the faithful are bewildered because of the display that the Church not only has not yet recognized them as truthful, but will hardly approve them in the future.

As we know, however, the caution of the Church is very great in the matter: there are hundreds of cases of apparitions rejected and branded as false in the past fifty years. Nevertheless, there are those who continue to swear to see Madonna, drawing to their places crowds of desperate faithful, many times in search of a miracle or a grace that, however, does not come. How then, to deal with this phenomenon? *How to prevent the spreading of untruthful messages of the Mother of Christ to mankind? *

The answers to these and other questions are contained in a ‘directory’ Benedict XVI has made to instruct the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and that will soon be made public and sent to the diocesan bishops of the whole world. With this document, which integrates the Instructions already issued in 1978 by the Vatican, the Pope calls for the greatest severity in the verifications related to the establishment of the truthfulness Marian apparitions.

*The bishops*, having set up a commission of psychiatrists, psychologists, theologians and educators, *should impose silence on the pseudo-visionaries*. This will be a first test: history teaches, from Lourdes to Fatima, from Guadalupe in La Salette, that those who really have the gift of being in direct contact with the Madonna, follow the directives of the local Church, even in the face of enormous sufferings. Therefore, *one who will not remain silent* but causes the news of these alleged apparitions to circulate freely, attracting around themselves the presence of the curious, journalists and the faithful in search of a particular grace *will have already given a sign that shows the falseness of their mysticism.* Mary herself, in fact, would never validate an act of disobedience against a bishop, even if they were in error.

The second point: the pseudo-visionaries will be visited by psychiatrists and psychologists, possibly either atheists or Catholics, to certify their mental health and to verify whether or not they are suffering from diseases of a hysterical or hallucinatory character or from delusions of leadership.

The third step to do: determine the level of education of the one being proclaimed a ‘mystic’ so as to avoid one who might mislead the church authorities and the faithful after having carefully studied writings on theology and Mariology. In that sense, one who is under investigation by church authorities will be called upon to deliver to the Commission established by the Diocese the informational equipment in his possession, including personal computer, to make it possible to verify whether he has ever done research in the field of apparitions on the Internet, a wealth of information for those wishing to copy or learn the theological meaning of heavenly messages from true visionaries.

In the directory, also, the bishops are asked to determine whether pseudo-visionaries have direct or indirect economic interests in connection with the pilgrimages and in the inevitable sale of religious souvenirs in the places where they say they see the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Then there is the question of respect for orthodoxy: all that is revealed by the apparitions should not result in being contrary either to the Gospel or doctrine of the Church but be in harmony with them. Needless to say, therefore, that if a visionary attributes to the Madonna phrases or concepts contrary to the Magisterium, he or she is to be considered false.

If directly from the analysis nothing abnormal should result, and then the visionary be considered credible, ultimately that visionary will have to be questioned by one or more demonologists and exorcists to exclude the possibility that Satan (as has happened already so many other times in the history of Christianity) is hiding behind the apparitions in order to deceive the faithful.

Under the new instructions ready to be issued by the Holy See on behalf of Benedict XVI, who already had to deal with the phenomenon of Marian apparitions during his more than twenty-year mandate as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one can therefore expect a real crackdown with longer, more meticulous and strict processes on the part of the Dioceses, also in order to provide correct information to the faithful, so that no more events will take place like those in Civitavecchia and Medjugorje, where thousands of people continue to come even though the Vatican has never recognized as true and supernatural the phenomena reported there.

Of course, according to the ‘Vademecum’ which the Pope had written for the competent Congregation, the same investigative practice will be used if someone should claim to see and talk to Jesus, the angels or the saints, or even (a recent case is in the province of Salerno) manifest the stigmata or say they have statues and sacred images that shed tears in the house.

To know the mind of Benedict XVI on the subject, it suffices to remember what he said, while still a Cardinal, to the journalist and author Vittorio Messori:

“In this field, more than ever before, patience is a fundamental element. No apparition is indispensable to the faith, Revelation ended with Jesus Christ.”

The well-known theologian Rene Laurentin, after years of research, has recorded over 2,450 Marian documented events in the history of the Church. But out of almost 300 requests for investigation initiated in the last century, church authorities have officially certified as true only a dozen appearances. The most recent recognition is that of *Our Lady of Laus,* in France, which took place May 8, 2008, but the faithful had to wait three centuries before obtaining it. The other approved apparitions are mainly concentrated in Europe *(Fatima, La Salette, Tuy, Beauraing, Banneux, Syracuse), but also in Egypt (Zeitun), Syria (Damascus) and Rwanda (Kibeho).*

At the beginning of this article we mentioned Civitavecchia and Medjugorje; in the first case it is a little girl that claims to have had apparitions of the Virgin. In that context, a statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje placed in the garden of her home would have wept blood; the same phenomenon was supposed to have been repeated in the presence of then Bishop Girolamo Grillo, who was initially skeptical. John Paul II himself, when made aware of what happened, wanted that statue in his private chapel for several hours, but the Vatican has never come out in favor of the apparitions and the tears as being supernatural.

More complex is the case of Medjugorje: for more than a quarter of a century, the Madonna would appear every day to the visionaries, and once a month would speak a message for mankind. .But Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's right-hand man, has never hidden his skepticism? Since 1981, Mary would have appeared tens of thousands of times in Medjugorje. This is a phenomenon that cannot even be compared to other Marian apparitions”. For this reason, the Vatican has asked /Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi/ (one of the most important agencies of religious tourism which belongs to the Vicariate of Rome) to delete from their catalogue visits to the most famous place in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where, nevertheless, more than two million faithful are visiting every year.

Where is the problem? Two factions have been created: one in favor of the apparitions, and therefore on the side of visionaries; the other one openly sided with the diocesan bishop, Msgr. Ratko Peric, who like his late predecessor, does not believe in the truthfulness of these phenomena, and after never having been listened to, already some time ago requested the alleged visionaries to live a hidden life and not disclose any message attributed to the Madonna.

This failure to obey the Bishop would already be enough, according to the ‘Vademecum’ devised by Benedict XVI, to declare the apparitions of Medjugorje to be false.

[Amateur translation from the Italian by Fr. Philip Pavich OFM]

I have more coming on this subject, but just need to get the time to sit down and finish it.

For my previous post on this same topic, with bullet points from the article and notes, please see:

Brilliant Benedict XVI...Petrus: Holy Father to soon issue "handbook" to deal with apparition claims

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Announcing: The 13th of the Month Club at Assumption Grotto

• Come to Pray, and Learn to Live the Fatima Message


• Join us on Tuesday January 13, 2009 Holy Mass at 6:00 p.m.


• Followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and a Holy Hour of Reparation ending with Benediction around 8pm

More from the email sent to me...

Afterwards all are invited to a Planning Session Meeting with Fr. Perrone in the Shrine Lounge

See the flyer above (click it to enlarge) for more details. Tell your friends and leave some flyers in your parish church. Hope to see you there

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Requiescat in Pace - Father Richard John Neuhaus

I reported earlier that Fr. Richard John Neuhaus was said to be near death after learning recently of cancern and then coming down with a severe infection.

I learned through a comment in my original post that he passed away just before 10:00am.

Requiescat in pace, Father Richard John Neuhaus. Pray for him.

Here is something written by Joseph Bottum at the First Things site - where many of Father's writings appeared....

Richard John Neuhaus, 1936–2009

Here is an essay Joseph Bottum posted by Fr. Neuhaus, originally written in 2000:

Born Toward Dying by Father Richard John Neuhaus

We will dearly miss this priest who had such a large presence in writing and in media.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Urgent: Prayers Needed for Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

I heard Fr. Mitch mention something last night on EWTN about Fr. Richard John Neuhaus of First Things Magazine, frequent guest on Raymond Arroyo's World Over Live, and commentator at papal events, but he didn't give details.

Today, Fr. Z writes (I have added a link):

Please pray for Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, who is close to death.

Fr. Neuhaus, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a convert from Lutheranism, an author of great insight and edition of First Things.

Father has developed an infection while battling cancer. He received last rites from Fr. George Ruttler.

In your kindness pray for him. The Enemy attacks priests.

More: Raymond Arroyo asks for prayers in this post at his blog, Seen and Unseen. (You may need to go to the January 6, 2009 archives if you get this later). At the bottom of his post, Raymond writes...

***UPDATE***1/7/08 Father Richard's situation is apparently dire at this hour (12:45 Eastern). Your prayers are truly needed now.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help or sought your intercession,
was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence,
I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother;
to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

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Brilliant Benedict XVI...Petrus: Holy Father to soon issue "handbook" to deal with apparition claims

EDIT: This post may be updated as I get emails which more clearly translate this. Some clarifications have already been added thanks to a reader who provided them.

The Italian journal Petrus has an exclusive article about a handbook to be made public and distributed to all bishops by Pope Benedict XVI for dealing with claims of apparitions (and I'm sure private revelations in general). The headline provided by google translator gives us "crackdown" where I'm told that in Italian, "giro di vite" translates into "turn of the screw". Crackdown, clampdown, screw-tightenting - you get the idea.

After spending so much time getting some points into English, this is absolutely brilliant on the part of Pope Benedict XVI, and so......Pope Benedict-like.

This is HUGE! Pardon any typos or babble - it's been a long night.

It is the answer to many prayers for an end to the divisive chaos in the Church brought on by voluminous apparition claims in recent years, some of which have been ongoing for decades.

Such things also lead people away from authentic apparitions and into a risky attachment to something that may never see approval.

I do not speak Italian, but used the google translate tool to get a rough view of it (hence, the long night). If anyone comes across a translation offered by a competent resource, or news article about it, please email me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com.

Using Google to give me a rough translation, I can break it down as follows below My comments will be in brackets and in red text when provided within the bullet points.

If someone feels anything I have listed in a bulleted point is mistaken, please email me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com.

The comment box will be closed on this due to past experience with this topic in which people used it as an opportunity to promote apparitions not approved. If someone comes across a good translation by a reputable source, please email me, as well.

Medjugorje is discussed in rather candid detail in a few places towards the end which I did not isolate here, so you will need to go to the actual article (I have links with original Italian and in "Google English" at the bottm of this post if you prefer to skip my bullet points, but you need to read it over and again to get certain things).

---

Major points from the Petrus article, as best as I could get...


The Holy Father is issuing a handbook developed with the help of a pool of theologians, psychiatrists and exorcists to help with the matter of apparitions. It will be made public and will be sent to all bishops. Summing up the first part of the article...

The Church is concerned with several things:

• Alleged visionaries continue to have visions (and people follow) even in the face of messages from Our Lady that are inconsistent theologically and spiritually.
  

• Faithful are "bewildered" when events are not recognized as true and which are unlikely to be approved in the future


• Hundreds of cases have been reviewed and rejected as false in the past 50 years [and there have been many cases of alleged "healings" which cannot be substantiated at the medical bureau at Lourdes, which receives cases from around the world.]
  


• People arrive in large crowds to places hoping to see a miracle or "pardon" which does not come


• How do bishops deal with this phenomenon?


• How does the Church prevent the spread of false messages attributed to the Mother of Christ?

This handbook will compliment the 1978 Criteria for Discernment of Apparitions from the CDF, [originally given to bishops and never intended to be made public]. Hence, it does not replace it.

The second part of the article deals with some things the Church wants done:

• It stresses that the holy father wants these things treated with utmost seriousness [or, greatest severity] and to check the veracity or authenticity of the alleged apparitions.


• It encourages bishops to set up a commission of psychiatrists, psychologists, theologians and educators and to impose silence on "pseudo-visionaries" [I think this is suppose to mean, "alleged visionaries". Don't permit them to get a cult following before they go through a certain level of validation. This would prevent an alleged apparition from "getting away" from the Church too fast with the kind of grip some have today, before it can be validated]
  


• It points out that in Church approved apparitions (Lourdes, Fatima, Gaudalupe, La Salette), those claiming to be in direct contact with the Madonna suffer greatly because of the directives of the local church [in other words, part of the test is how the alleged visionaries respond to directives by the local bishop. He may put roadblocks in front of such persons (purposely to test, or because something leads him to believe they are inauthentic). These roadblocks may be intended by God to reveal the extraordinary grace and virtue in the seers, which later (sometimes decades) becomes evidence in the investigation]. It goes on to say on this point that those who do not remain silent, but attract publicity, journalists, and onlookers have already made a mark indicative of the "falsity of his mysticism" [spot on and another complaint with the seers of Medjugorje who do all this against the expressed will of the local Bishop who is villified by followers]. It then drives home something key: Mary herself would never validate an act of disobedience against a bishop, even if he were in error [there you have it as I pointed out further up in this paragraph]


• It wants the alleged visionaries to see psychiatrists, psychologists, and [I think I got this right] even atheists for testing of mental health and to ensure they are not suffering from hallucinations or other manifestations of illness.


• It wants an investigation into the level of education of those claiming to have mystical experiences to see whether they could be misleading the Church and the faithful after carefully studied theology and Mariology.


• It wants to investigate all electronics in use by the person, for example, to see if they had done searches on the internet to find writings which would enable them to "copy" authentic visionaries [This is very good given technology today. In the old days it was the diary they were after, and letters. Today it is really complicated with technology.]


• The handbook also asks the bishops to determine whether the alleged visionaries have economic interests in direct or indirect connection with pilgrimages and the inevitable sale of souvernirs at religious places where they claim to see the Blessed Virgin Mary. [Many complaints have surfaced about Medjugorje seers making a living off of hosting pilgrimage tours and more. If they earn any profit at all - even a small amount, this says something].
  


• Appearances and messages should not contradict Magisterial teachings or the Gospel or the doctrine of the Church
.

• If the bishop discerns that these experiences are not "abnormal", then the person will be questioned by exorcists and demonology experts, pointing out that Satan has attempted to trick the faithful in other, documented "apparitions".

[snip]

• It will be used for other claims of private revelation (people claiming to see or hear Jesus, the Angels or Saints, and for investigating stigmata claims)

The article then expresses the obvious: This will ultimately lead to a crackdown ["giro di vite" - I'm told this expression literally means, "turn of the screw"] on these kinds of phenomena that are not authentic. I could not fully decipher parts of this even with Google translator, but you get the gist of what is about to come bearing down on the Church. I give it to you here and am putting in bold some key things:

Under the new instructions ready to be issued by the Holy See on behalf of Benedict XVI, that the phenomenon of Marian apparitions has already had to do during its mandate of high technology as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, c 'is therefore expected a real crackdown, with' process' long, meticulous and hard by the diocese, including the proper information to be provided to the faithful, so that there will be no events similar to those of Civitavecchia and Medjugorje, where thousands of people continue to come even though the Vatican has never recognized as true supernatural phenomena reported there.

The article quotes then Cardinal Ratzinger: To know the mind of Benedict XVI on the subject, just remember what he said (journalist and writer Vittorio Messori points out): "In this field, more than ever before, patience is a key element. No apparition is indispensable to faith, revelation ended with Jesus Christ. "

There is more to the article which now goes into more discussion about Medjugorje and the other place mentioned. I will provide this google translator quote which is quite telling....

".....the Vatican has asked pilgrims at the Roman (one of the most important agencies of religious tourism in the subordination of the Vicariate of Rome) to withdraw from the catalog visits to the most famous places in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where, however, go over two million faithful of the year. Where is the problem? They have created two factions: one in favor of the apparitions, and then the side of the visionaries and the other openly sided with the diocesan bishop, Bishop Ratko Peric, who like his late predecessor, does not believe the veracity of these phenomena, and not coming ever heard, called from time to alleged visionaries living in the hidden and not disclose any message attributed to Madonna. Enough already no obedience to the bishop, according to the Road Map [handbook] devised by Benedict XVI to declare false the apparitions of Medjugorje. [yeah - the grace is not there when there is such disobedience, and the "seers" had an opportunity to obey him when he said at a publized 2006 Confirmation homily...

Therefore I responsibly call upon those who claim themselves to be “seers”, as well as those persons behind the “messages”, to demonstrate ecclesiastical obedience and to cease with these public manifestations and messages in this parish. In this fashion they shall show their necessary adherence to the Church, by neither placing private “apparitions” nor private sayings before the official position of the Church. Our faith is a serious and responsible matter. The Church is also a serious and responsible institution!]

How did the Medjugorje "seers" respond? With disobedience to the bishop (Check mate!)]

If I understand that last part, the disobedience alone is enough to disqualify Medjugorje.

It was just over two years ago that I predicted......the Holy See would hand down a completely negative judgment on Medjugorje. That has not happened yet, but I believe more than ever, we will see some statement after the handbook is out there, to this effect, based on the new "Road Map"

I want to break here because it is late, but not before a brief commentary. I will provide links at the very bottom for you to peruse them in full for other details.

---

This whole idea of a comprehensive handbook, available to anyone and everyone, is simply brilliant. I say this for several reasons:

• This is even BETTER than offering a statement on any one particular apparition at this time. It is a wholesome approach to the problem of ongoing and very questionable private revelations with large followings.


• The 1978 Criteria for Discernment of Apparitions was a very good start, but I believe the case of Medjugorje shows that by itself, it was ineffective. There are examples of where the first bishop, Pavao Zanic, applied steps given to him in that document, written just two years before the phenomenon at Medjugorje began (he not only did not authorize a cult following, but demanded of the alleged seers and associates that it cease, as far back as 1985). Even if he was wrong, his wishes should have been respected and followed. Every message received by the public today, is obtained through an act of disobedience on the part of alleged seers.


• This handbook will initiate a more formal process, more quickly and effectively, to put an end to those which are inauthentic before they can take root and mushroom. Many false apparitions were followed by large crowds before negative judgments fell (Bayside, as one example and some are still following that!)


• It provides a roadmap for bishops on how to proceed and a consistent process can be applied universally.


• It will educate the people so that they themselves can understand more about the discernment of spirits and just as importantly, understand what the bishop is doing. they will more readily accept the actions of a bishop, as well (rather than villifying him!). They will respect his decision rather than disregard it all the while hoping Rome will declare something diferent.


• How many people will let go of their computers and other electronics to keep a hoax going (that is for those who are not mentally ill, but simply engaging in trickery).

• One lesson learned with Medjugorje is that the Church needed something concrete to prevent the kind of things that allowed that place to spin out of control. Early on, some priests and even bishops from other parts of the world, as well as theologians, disregarded the local Bishop's sentiments and even his statements. There is documented evidence of things being screened out of reported transcripts from those books and these were called out by the bishop, and others who had access to them. I pray that this handbook clearly instructs bishops and priests to remain united with the local bishop when he speaks, rather than have the kind of undermining we've seen over the last 25+ years.
  

Perhaps with the release of this handbook we will see closure in some ongoing apparitions dealt with rather than held in an ambiguous state or limbo. While good things have happened in Medjugorje, it has also served to divide the Church, sadly. I believe that there are plenty of documented examples of where Medjugorje proves to be problematic based on what is noted from this handbook (seers making a living off of their status through pilgrimages, tours, etc.; disobedience to the local bishop, etc.).

These apparition and private revelation claims are not light matters. If people are engaging in something of a false nature, even if they have good intentions, their souls are in danger of being lost. The most charitable thing for such "visionaries" is to call them out on it so that they can examine their conscience and convert before significant damage is done.

I believe history will also show that even in false apparition claims, God and his Mother, have used them to their advantage. At places like Bayside, condemned long ago, there were conversions, confession and vocations. Magdalen of the Cross duped many for years - including bishops and priests, before finally confessing that she made a deal with the devil. There again, God used it to His advantage, bringing about conversion, confessions, and vocations.

No matter how many good things come out of any apparition site or private revelation, if it yields signs that go against authenticity, then we must remember one thing: The end does not justify the means (Veritatis Splendor). Truth trumps all.

I will probably have more to say on this later, especially if we can get a good translation of this article, and when the actual handbook is released.

• Original Petrus Online article in Italian
• Google Translator version of Petrus article in English

Note if Google Translator version I provide above does not work, Google the headline paragraph in the Italian version (the whole thing) and then hit the "translate this" instead of the original link, if your browser has that option.

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EDIT January 10, 2009: An article has broken on this in Spain for those fluent enough in Spanish to read it. Google translator really did a wierd job on translating the page, but I got enough to see that it is news based on this matter.

EDIT January 12, 2009: A better translation of the article has been added here: Another Translation of the Petrus Article on the Handbook to be Released on Handling Apparition Claims

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

NOTE: The combox is closed on this post.

Proof Positive: Photos of Abp-elect Vigneron Celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass

In a previous post, I had asked if anyone could affirm a claim made in blog comboxes about Bishop Vigneron having celebrated the usus antiquior. Thanks to a reader, I received a link to a page at the Institute of Christ the King with photos of one such Mass.

My google searches for proof kept turning up empty which I thought was unusual given the high publicity things get on the web.

These pictures were taken in 2005 on the occasion of Confirmation at a Traditional Latin Mass community, some two years before Summorum Pontificum.

Click here to view all of the pictures of Bp Vigneron celebrating this Mass and conferring the sacrament of Confirmation.

This is very heart-warming for parishes that celebrate Mass in the extraordinary form here in Detroit. It means an opportunity for a Pontifical High Mass for several parishes, and perhaps someday, at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (which will be interesting given interior changes a few years ago). I fully expect to see the number of parishes offering the Traditional Latin Mass increase under this bishop. The interest is there, but I suspect the resources will be offered through the archdiocese, especially at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. I am most especially happy for seminarians who have an interest in the extraordinary form.


If there are records of other Masses, please email me or drop a link in the combox, anonymous or otherwise. If you know how, write in a pseudname rather than leave "anonymous".

UPDATE 1: I was just emailed this online PDF in which a Pontifical Mass in Oakland was celebrated by Bp Vigneron.


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Fire across from Grotto

Well, the old Bommarito Hardware store directly across Gratiot from Assumption Grotto, which had gone out of business some months ago, is no more. I heard about this from the sisters and a parishioner who lives nearby sent me these pics (thanks Peter!).

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Important for January 7th - Please read...

Please go here to see what needs to be done January 7th and why....

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Question: Did Bishop Vigneron celebrate a Pontifical High Mass in Oakland?

Over at the blog of Fr. Z, a comment was made in this post that Bishop Vigneron has celebrated a Pontifical High Mass at a parish in Oakland, CA.

Can anyone tell me which parish and what day this was?

Are there any photos?

Did he celebrate others?

I know he preached at one on January 23, 2008 at St. Margaret Mary in Oakland. I'm looking for cases in which he himself celebrated.

EDIT UPDATE: My mistake - I should have looked closer at the bishop in the pictures. Question answered. YES - He has celebrated the usus antiquior in Oakland! Hurrah!

Click the link in the combox to see pictures of it!



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Bishop Allen Vigneron's "10 Rules for handling disagreement like a christian"

Note: post has been edited to isolate the "10 Rules". Follow the link in the paragraph below for the first half which was edited into it's own post.

The first thing I want to share in this post series on Archbishop-elect Allen Vigneron is this gem. It was written in September of 2005 by Bishop Vigneron while in Oakland. These are wise words so bookmark the page and keep coming back to it, especially when you feel frustrated in dealing with someone.

I plan to come back to these rules when looking at the written and spoken words of the bishop because I have already seen some good examples of it in action.

I want this to set the tone for forthcoming posts.

You can learn alot about someone by their writings. This says quite a bit.

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10 rules for handling disagreement like a Christian

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

When I began my term as the rector of the major seminary in Detroit a little over 10 years ago, one of the problems I had to help my students deal with was the often-sharp differences of opinion that we find within the Church.

The seminarians looked to me as the pastor of that community to help them navigate through the contentious expression of differing viewpoints. To fulfill my responsibilities as the father of that seminary family I composed what I called “Ten Rules for Handling Disagreement Like a Christian.”

Whether or not the clash of opinions within the Catholic community in the U.S. has grown stronger or weakened over the last decade I couldn’t say; however, I do know that with some frequency we still find ourselves at odds over what we think and where we want to head.

With that in mind, I thought that I, now serving as pastor of the family of the Oakland Diocese, could profitably share these “Ten Rules” with all of you. So, here they are, along with my own brief commentary on each.

1. The Rule of Charity: “Charity is primary.”

This has to be the place to start whenever we disagree with one another: with love. St. Paul said: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). No matter how wise my insights or astute my plans, they count for nothing if I do not offer them with love.

Now, that charity is the first and fundamental requirement for all authentic Christian speech does not mean that such speaking can only be weak, but it does mean that whatever is said ought always to be offered respectfully and for the genuine service of others, especially my hearers. In fact, all of St. Paul’s sage advice in the “Hymn to Charity” in 1 Cor. 13 spells out eloquently this “Rule.”

2. The Rule of Publicity: “Think with the mind of the Church.”

This rule is simply a translation of the Latin axiom “Sentire cum Ecclesia.” This means that, when we disagree, the final measure for judging what’s on target and what’s off the mark is what the Church thinks, not, ultimately, what you think or what I think – not private opinion, but what the Church has said to all to know.

This is the reason I call this the “The Rule of Publicity.” The criterion for our deciding our disagreements is not one’s own private opinions, but the mind of the People of God, what the Church thinks.

In order to apply this rule effectively, we need to use a corollary: “Measure everything against the authoritative documents of the Magisterium.”

The logical question to follow any call for us to “think with the mind of the Church” is: How do I know what that is?

The answer is: “Look in the places where the Church has expressed her mind with authority.” Look in the writings of the Councils and the popes, in the Church’s laws, and in the teachings of her Fathers and Doctors. Any survey or poll, no matter how extensive or accurate, if it contradicts the Magisterium, is not the Church’s mind.

3. The Rule of Legitimate Freedom: “What the Church allows is not to be disallowed.”

This rule means that in situations where the Church says that a variety of views or opinions is legitimate, I should not impose my option as a mandate on others. For example: we can receive Holy Communion in the hand or on the tongue. Either one is acceptable.

4. The Rule of Catholic Freedom: “There’s something for everybody, but not everything is for everybody.”

This fourth rule is an extension of the one above. It applies the same sort of respect for diversity to the wider spheres of our common life. This rule is based on the recognition that “It’s a big Church.” God has given gifts of grace in an almost dizzying variety. Some folks are attracted to the Carmelite Third Order, others gather for charismatic prayer. Nobody has to live the Christian life exactly the way I do.

Remember: “Think (and act) with the mind of the Church.” We need to respect every practice or approach that has a legitimate place in the life of the Church, and we cannot make our favorite practice or approach mandatory for others if the Church has not.

5. The Rule of Modesty: “Not all of my causes are God’s causes.”

Yes, it’s true that in many cases we invest our heart’s devotion because that’s what God commands for all his people. But that’s not necessarily so in every instance. Some of my agendas are mine. It’s right to embark on projects with a zealous desire to give God glory, but I have to remember that while it may be his will for me to take this on, there are cases when it’s not his will for everyone else to join me.

6. The Rule of Integrity: “To do evil in order to accomplish good is really to do evil.”

Breaking one of God’s commandments is not the way to advance his Kingdom, ever. If, in the service of Christ, I act in an un-Christian way, I become a highly effective ally of the very forces I set out to combat. (Among those who are big “Star War” fans, this rule is sometimes referred to as the “Darth Vader Axiom.”)

7. The Rule of Realism: “Remember that Satan is eager to corrupt my efforts to build up the Kingdom, and he’s smart enough to figure out a way to do it.

This rule is strong statement about the need for each of us in our disagreements to practice that form of realism, for which the more common name is “humility.” My cause may be right or my view may be true, but I have to watch that their goodness is not corrupted by my infidelity.

8. The Rule of Mystery: “Not all the habits and attitudes which belong to a society governed by a representative democracy are appropriate in the Church.”

In every age there is a tendency – often unconscious – to shape the life of the Church after the pattern of the secular order of the day. In the Middle Ages, the governance of the Church was often configured to the feudal system of the times, sometimes with very harmful consequences. For example, bishops and abbots were identified with the barons of the nobility.

In our own day, we could make a similar sort of mistake: thinking that the responsibility and authority of the Church’s pastors are of the same sort as that of our elected officials. In such mistaken identifications, what is at work is a forgetting that while the Church is, yes, a human reality, she is also a divine reality, a mystery, unlike any other community every known in the history of the world.

The Church is neither a democracy nor a monarchy. She is the Church, the Lord’s own creation, constituted according to his will and plan.

9. The Petrine Rule: “Nobody ever built up the Church by tearing down the pope.”

This rule follows quite logically from the one immediately above. The Holy Father’s leadership is part of the Church’s constitution from Christ. Because the pope is not the sort of democratic leader we are accustomed to in civil society, there is a tendency by some observers to characterize his office as a “throwback” to times that we have surpassed, a “burden” for the Catholic people that we would well be freed from. Not so.

The pastoral care we receive from the Holy Father is a great grace, St. Peter’s own service of his fellow disciples continuing to this very day. A great pope makes us a better Church.

10. The Eschatological Rule: “The victory is assured; my job is to run out the clock with style.”

Christ is risen – truly, body and soul risen and in glory at the Father’s right. He has conquered sin and death and all the forces that threaten us. Whatever is at stake in our trials or conflicts, the certainty of Christ’s victory is not in doubt.

And he promised he would be with us always, until the end of time (cf. Mat. 28:20). He will never leave his Church, and his victory will be ours as long as we abide with him in his Mystical Body.

This rule, of course, is not an excuse for giving less than our full effort to spread the Kingdom; that would be a kind of presumption. However, this rule is a call to remember that there is one Savior, and it’s not you or me. Our mission is to serve the Lord in fidelity and hope, and be ready for him to act, for he surely will.

Source: Bishop's Column, In His Light (September 19, 2005, VOL. 43, NO. 16, Oakland, CA)

For more, click the Abp-elect Vigneron Background series link under this post and scroll!

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

A Te Deum Post Series on Archbishop-elect Allen H. Vigneron

The information below was split out of the "10 Rules....by Bp Vigneron" post I made so that his wise words could stand out on their own. I also plan on refering back to those rules frequently and for that reason wanted them isolated in a single post.

With regards to the other info I had, I am making a separate post and pushing it back so that I may link to this for those looking for this information.

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Now that we know who will take the helm in Detroit, I have been doing some digging on Archbishop-elect, Allen Vigneron. In fact, if anyone reading has specifics on some of the areas I mention here or others, please email me TeDeumBlog@gmail.com. These will be used in an ongoing series I am developing. Links, photos, etc, would be greatly appreciated. Let me know how to attribute photos if they are yours.

I can tell you this much...

• He is "Tridentine friendly" and has, according to one account I've seen online, already celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in Oakland. In fact, if anyone has information about that send it to me (dates, links, photos, circumstances, etc). ( see this post for confirmation)
  

• He is very Eucharistic and Marian.

• He is actively pro-life and pro-family.

• I predict vocations will increase.

• The local Call to Action chapter is probably breaking guitar strings and a few Elephants in the Living Room have probably soiled the carpet (good heavens - I hope I haven't violated rule #1 below....I'll have to pray on it)
  

Send me what you have or know about on the above topics, or give me other topics except this one....

I know enough about the controversial cathedral in Oakland to offer some thoughts, but it is already to late for me to post tonight. I call it controversial because just bringing up the name Vigneron results in a lengthy string of comments just on that new cathedral. That is one particular area that I really don't want to go too deeply into. I studied the whole matter months ago and have drawn my own conclusions which I will share in the coming days in a single post. So, please don't flood my inbox with content related to that.

If you send me something, let me know how you want it attributed if it belongs to you. If you desire anonymity, then please give me a pseudoname to use rather than under "anonymous".

If I have time, more tomorrow!

In the meantime, here are some links:

Archdiocese of Detroit:

Archbishop Announcement: statements & resources
Interview: A dialogue with Archbishop-elect Vigneron
Biography: Archbishop-elect Vigneron

Diocese of Oakland:

• Diocese of Oakland Announcement of Appointment

Other:

• Fr. Z: New Archbishop of Detroit
  
• American Papist: Native son Allen Vigneron named Archbishop of Detroit
• Whispers: Scenes from a homecoming
• Steve Ray: So, I have a new Archbishop
  

  
  

Is New York next???


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Breaking! Cardinal Maida Retires; Bishop Allen Vigneron to take the helm in Detroit

It's Bishop Allen Vigneron!

I have to get off to work, but wanted to pass along that Cardinal Maida has officially announced his retirement and Bishop Allen Vigneron, currently of the Oakland, CA diocese will talk the helm in Detroit. He will be installed on January 28th.

Folks, this is very good. Bishop Vigneron is a native of metro Detroit, knows the diocese very well (and I do mean, very well), and was an auxiliary bishop here before being assigned in California.

This almost assures him a red hat.

Cardinal Maida is rumored to be staying in the metro Detroit area, along with Cardinal Szoka who also resides in the area.

More on this and background later.

UPDATE: Go read Fr. Z's post on this, and keep an eye on the combox of the same post where some interesting tidbits are flowing.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Update on Philip Johnson, Naval Officer desiring priesthood suffering with brain tumor

You may recall not that long ago a post I made about a young naval officer who was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

He wants very much to be a priest. His blog is one of the best out there - not because of his status, or the tumor, but because it has a richness to the posts. I have encouraged readers to visit his blog regularly.

This Wednesday, January 7th, he will undergo surgery. Not only has he asked for prayers, but has obtained prayer cards which have the Imprimatur, and seek the intercession of Fr. Thomas Frederick Price whose cause for sainthood is being investigated. Mr. Johnson is related to Fr. Price and is deeply devoted to him. Soon I will have hard copies I can provide at Grotto to those prayer warriors willing to say this prayer daily for him.

You can request them through his blog if you are not at Grotto. He gives more background on the prayer cards in this post. Below, click on the prayer to see it, and to pray daily this short prayer for intercession.


Philip has also asked that we join in a special novena to Our Lady of Lourdes leading up to his surgery on January 7th. It's ok to join late.

I learned through email that he is well acquainted with one of our regular visiting priests, Fr. Aidan Logan - a cistercian monk who is good friends with Grotto parishioner and Knight, Chris Kolomjec. Fr. Logan is a naval chaplain and comes to stay with us on Memorial Day weekend each year, and a few other times. He is seen hooded and in habit in these photos.

Visit Philip Johnson frequently for updates on his condition and for some really great, Catholic blogposting at his blog, In Caritate, Non Ficta


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Epiphany (Ordinary Form); Holy Name of Jesus (Extraordinary Form)

Epiphany (OF)

A stained-glass window in Grotto's sanctuary depicting the Magi

From the Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book I by St. Ambrose

31. All nature testifies to the Unity of God, inasmuch as the universe is one. The Faith declares that there is one God, seeing that there is one belief in both the Old and the New Testament. That there is one Spirit, all holy, grace witnesses, because there is one Baptism, in the Name of the Trinity. The prophets proclaim, the apostles hear, the voice of one God. In one God did the Magi believe, and they brought, in adoration, gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Christ's cradle, confessing, by the gift of gold, His Royalty, and with the incense worshipping Him as God. For gold is the sign of kingdom, incense of God, myrrh of burial.

More on Epiphany (and the transfer from 6th to this Sunday) from Father Z


Holy Name of Jesus (EF)

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

We give honour to the Name of Jesus, not because we believe that there is any intrinsic power hidden in the letters composing it, but because the Name of Jesus reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. To give thanks for these blessings we revere the Holy Name, as we honour the Passion of Christ by honouring His Cross (Colvenerius, "De festo SS. Nominis", ix). At the Holy Name of Jesus we uncover our heads, and we bend our knees; it is at the head of all our undertakings, as the Emperor Justinian says in his law-book: "In the Name of Our Lord Jesus we begin all our consultations". The Name of Jesus invoked with confidence

* brings help in bodily needs, according to the promise of Christ: "In my name They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover". (Mark 16:17-18) In the Name of Jesus the Apostles gave strength to the lame (Acts 3:6; 9:34) and life to the dead (Acts 9:40).
* It gives consolation in spiritual trials. The Name of Jesus reminds the sinner of the prodigal son's father and of the Good Samaritan; it recalls to the just the suffering and death of the innocent Lamb of God.
* It protects us against Satan and his wiles, for the Devil fears the Name of Jesus, who has conquered him on the Cross.
* In the Name of Jesus we obtain every blessing and grace for time and eternity, for Christ has said: "If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it you." (John 16:23) Therefore the Church concludes all her prayers by the words: "Through Our Lord Jesus Christ", etc.

So the word of St. Paul is fulfilled: "That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Philippians 2:10).

You can read more on the Holy Name of Jesus at the Catholic Encyclopedia.

This is also a good time to remind people, that even in the newer form of the Mass, proper reverence should be shown for the name of Jesus. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal tells us:

275. A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.

1. A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of