Photopost: Moving truck takes down wires

It was an interesting day.  I decided to take a rest in my recliner this afternoon around 1:30 and the power went out just as I heard this distinctive high voltage sound.  I jumped up, looked out my window and saw a moving van parked on the exit with wires draped over the top.  When I got out there, I found two poles snapped - one of them in at least four places.  Thanks be to God, no one was hurt, including the man whose vehicle above is shown with wires in the front wheel well.  

Power was restored around 8:30pm.  Unfortunately, police have not been letting anyone come or go out of the complex.  There is only one entrance/exit and if it is blocked for any reason, no one else can get in or out.  We are still hindered from coming or going because the wires are still covering the way in.

There are a few more pics here.

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Resources for tomorrow's Beatification Ceremony of Pope John Paul II



Photo: AFP/Getty

I've decided to wait on completing and posting my pics from Holy Week a few more days yet because this story is rightfully taking center stage. 

I want to point you to some sources for the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

Here is a webpage the Vatican has set up with events for the beatification.  There are program booklets, as well.  I believe we will see live links to addresses and homilies here. 

Tonight already, there is a vigil service at 8:00pm local Rome time. 

Tomorrow, there will be Holy Mass for the Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II Saint Peter's Square, at 10:00 (4:00am ET), with Pope Benedict delivering a homily, and on Monday a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Cardinal Bertone.


Some major news networks like Fox News are covering the beatification ceremony starting at 4:00am ET, as is EWTN.  

If you want raw coverage, you can usually watch it live on Vatican television here: http://www.vatican.va/video/index.html.   Unless you know Italian, you'll want to switch over to EWTN to hear a translation of the homily, more than likely. 

There is a beautiful series of photo tributes to Pope John Paul II at a Vatican webpage set up for this purpose: http://www.johnpaulii.va/en/

PORTALS TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Watch some of these high-paced sites for newslinks to a multitude of news stories and commentaries on the beatification.  There are some great links at these sites now:

• New Advent
• Pew Sitter
• Luke Coppen at UK Catholic Herald
• Tito Edwards at National Catholic Register

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Vatican is going all out on social media.  On things like Twitter, you will see high-paced offerings of comments and links to things like addresses, homilies, commentaries, news stories, etc.  Look for a twitter tag of #JPII and select it when it is a hyperlink.  You will see all the tweets made with that label. 

• YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/giovannipaoloii
• Pope2You on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Pope2YouVatican
• Vatican News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/news_va_en
• On Facebook, there is a Pope John Paul II page: http://www.facebook.com/vatican.johnpaul2?sk=wall#!/vatican.johnpaul2  (see the events page here: http://www.facebook.com/vatican.johnpaul2?sk=wall#!/vatican.johnpaul2?sk=app_4949752878)

That's just a sampling.  There are many bloggers covering this event and they will be tweeting and blogging from Rome.  Watch the twitter accounts and blogs of just some of those chosen to be at the Vatican blognic which comes after the beatification. You can see a list of all 150 bloggers selected by the Pontifical Commission of Social Communications to attend in person.  I did not even toss my name in the ring, mainly because, even if in the off-chance that I had been chosen, I would not have been able to attend.  I'm hoping they will do this kind of thing again, but plan it a few months in advance.  This caught them by surprise.  It was initially intended to be a blognic for those who were already going to be in Rome covering Pope John Paul II's beatification.  But then people in the blogosphere went nuts, tossing their names in the mix and even planning "the other Vatican blognic" for those not likely to be chosen. 

• http://twitter.com/#!/roccopalmo (Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia)
• http://twitter.com/#!/americanpapist (Tom Peters, the American Papist and blogger at Catholic Vote)
• http://twitter.com/#!/the_crescat (Kat at the Crescat - the queen of Catholic humor)
  http://twitter.com/#%21/ironiccatholic (blog http://www.ironiccatholic.com/)
• http://totustuusfamily.blogspot.com/ (blog of a Catholic family)
• http://twitter.com/#!/AnnaArco  (Anna Arco of the UK Catholic Herald)
•   (Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales blog

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Beautiful new version of the Ubi Caritas written for Royal Wedding

I do hope that this clip is not taken down from YouTube.



Paul Mealor
Photo: Lillian Bain Christie



A Welsh composer at the University of Aberdeen, Paul Mealor (b. 1975), composed this version of the ancient hymn, Ubi Caritas for the Royal Wedding and it was heard for the first time yesterday by an estimated 2 billion people. The words go back to somewhere in the 10th to the 14th century. It is a hauntingly beautiful setting. I was mesmerized when I heard it during the wedding as I got ready for work. I had to go online to find out who the composer was, not realizing it was brand new.

Based on what I was seeing on the internet last night, I'm not alone in being very hyped up by this beautiful piece.

As I listened to it over and again, I found myself pondering that separation which took place during the reformation with an ache in my heart that  longed deeply for a time when we are rejoined by all of our separated brethren. When I hear this beautiful version written by Mealor, I'll always lift my heart in prayer for that cause.

There is some background to this hymn worth noting. It is Eucharistic. Since our protestant brothers and sisters do not believe in the Real Presence, they would have a different take on the meaning of the words than Catholics (see Scriptural basis for Real Presence here).

From what is probably the greatest collection of Latin prayers online, with background (preces-latinae.org) -  for Ubi Caritas, they explain:

Ubi Cartitas is taken from the antiphons sung during the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet at the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. As is the entire Mass of the Last Supper, this hymn is intimately connected with the Eucharist, and is thus often used during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Recent tradition has the first line as "Ubi caritas et amor" (where charity and love are), but certain very early manuscripts show "Ubi caritas est vera" (where charity is true). The current Roman Missal favors this later version, while the 1962 Roman Missal and classical music favors the former.

The translation they have is as follows:

WHERE charity and love are, God is there.

Christ's love has gathered us into one.

Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.

Let us fear, and let us love the living God.

And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

WHERE charity and love are, God is there.

As we are gathered into one body,

Beware, lest we be divided in mind.

Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,

And may Christ our God be in our midst.

WHERE charity and love are, God is there.

And may we with the saints also,

See Thy face in glory, O Christ our God:

The joy that is immense and good,

Unto the ages through infinite ages. Amen.

Sheet music was just released for it. Here are some reviews I found online.

• Married with music: A royal discovery? (Philly.com)
• Paul Mealor's Ubi Caritas was the real hit of the wedding music
(UK Telegraph Blogs)
• More results from Google

It's good to see that the Wikipedia page for Ubi Caritas has been updated to include a note about the Paul Mealor composition.

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Vocations Video: Explore the Dominican Order (Province of St. Joseph)

While I continue to look for time to edit my Holy Week photos from Grotto, check out this awesome vocations video from the Province of St. Joseph.

If you are a man who feels called to a life of prayer, study, and preaching in a religious order, this may be it.

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Some interesting stats on vocations...



Fr. John speaks to the Grotto altar boys about vocations at their 2011 Holy Week retreat at the parish



I've stated many times in the past that we are in the early stages of a vocation boom.  I've also stated that young people, following the lead of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI in their Eucharistic and Marian devotion was a key. 

Now see this bit of good news....

The typical member of the ordination class of 2011 is a 31-year cradle Catholic who prayed the Rosary and took part in Eucharistic adoration before entering seminary, according to a survey of 329 of the 480 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Read more interesting statistics which are bulleted at Catholic Culture:  Typical new priest: 31-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in adoration.  The actual USCCB report can be found here.

Some might say that time spent praying a Rosary and in Eucharistic Adoration is time that could have been spent helping people.  This is like suggesting that if you don't stop to fuel you can make it across the country faster.  Sooner or later, you run out of gas.

This same line of argument was used against Mother Teresa's prayer habits.  She spent about 4 hours in prayer every day.  People said she could have saved even more people had she spent less time in prayer.  This reduces one's work in the name of God down to human action as opposed to God's grace.    Mother was able to "hear" what God wanted of her through that silent prayer, even when she experienced spiritual dryness. 

From that prayer flows charitable works and almsgiving.  I've seen this happen at my own parish which is very big on prayer, especially adoration and the Rosary.  I know several in prison ministry at the parish, others who work with the poor, many who support crisis pregnancy centers and counsel young women often being forced by boyfriends and others into abortion clinics.  Mother Teresa once said that if you want to find the poor, you don't need to come to India, look around you.  I've witnessed our parish community come together many times for someone who suddenly found themselves in need.  

This generation of young Catholics are much better prepared, and they are benefitting from a careful reading of Church documents rather than relying on what others say they communicate.  So many things are attributed to Vatican II that were never in any documents of Vatican II and this generation of priests will be  better prepared to address those things at the parish level. 

Those who have taken enough interest in their faith to seek understanding on the "why" not only know what the Church teaches, but why she teaches it.  They don't blindly follow along, not thinking for themselves as is sometimes alleged; they choose to inform their consciences and then live it out.

Further reading:

• Snapshot: 480 New Priests in 2011, Five Year Trend: Younger (+more cool stats) - Tom Peters
• For Your Vocation

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Cool photo from Easter Vigil (1962 Missal)

I'm behind on processing my photos from the Triduum at Assumption Grotto. 

I did want to share this one which may look grainy when enlarged due to the high ISO setting I had to use (1600).  There was some movement and it was pitch dark, less the candles.  Most did not turn out at all, but this gem did.  It looks kind of like a montage that was pieced together, but it is not.  The aperature, I believe, was at 2.8 on my 70-200mm IS USM lens. 

This was during the procession at the beginning of Mass after they stopped the final time before entering the Sanctuary after exclaiming, "Lumen Christi!"  Candles of people assisting at Mass were being lit at this time. 

More to come.... soon. 

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Alleluia, He has Risen!

The Body of Christ is Elevated by Father Perrone at the Easter Vigil 2011

More photos are coming from the Holy Week Triduum.  For now, I leave you with this as I celebrate Easter.

May many graces come to you on this day of Our Lord's Resurrection.

Here is the Holy Father's homily from last night.  You can find it here on the Vatican's website, along with other languages, and more homilies from Holy Week.

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI


Saint Peter's Basilica
Holy Saturday, 23 April 2010


Dear Brothers and Sisters,


The liturgical celebration of the Easter Vigil makes use of two eloquent signs. First there is the fire that becomes light. As the procession makes its way through the church, shrouded in the darkness of the night, the light of the Paschal Candle becomes a wave of lights, and it speaks to us of Christ as the true morning star that never sets – the Risen Lord in whom light has conquered darkness. The second sign is water. On the one hand, it recalls the waters of the Red Sea, decline and death, the mystery of the Cross. But now it is presented to us as spring water, a life-giving element amid the dryness. Thus it becomes the image of the sacrament of baptism, through which we become sharers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.


Yet these great signs of creation, light and water, are not the only constituent elements of the liturgy of the Easter Vigil. Another essential feature is the ample encounter with the words of sacred Scripture that it provides. Before the liturgical reform there were twelve Old Testament readings and two from the New Testament. The New Testament readings have been retained. The number of Old Testament readings has been fixed at seven, but depending upon the local situation, they may be reduced to three. The Church wishes to offer us a panoramic view of whole trajectory of salvation history, starting with creation, passing through the election and the liberation of Israel to the testimony of the prophets by which this entire history is directed ever more clearly towards Jesus Christ. In the liturgical tradition all these readings were called prophecies. Even when they are not directly foretelling future events, they have a prophetic character, they show us the inner foundation and orientation of history. They cause creation and history to become transparent to what is essential. In this way they take us by the hand and lead us towards Christ, they show us the true Light.


At the Easter Vigil, the journey along the paths of sacred Scripture begins with the account of creation. This is the liturgy’s way of telling us that the creation story is itself a prophecy. It is not information about the external processes by which the cosmos and man himself came into being. The Fathers of the Church were well aware of this. They did not interpret the story as an account of the process of the origins of things, but rather as a pointer towards the essential, towards the true beginning and end of our being. Now, one might ask: is it really important to speak also of creation during the Easter Vigil? Could we not begin with the events in which God calls man, forms a people for himself and creates his history with men upon the earth? The answer has to be: no. To omit the creation would be to misunderstand the very history of God with men, to diminish it, to lose sight of its true order of greatness. The sweep of history established by God reaches back to the origins, back to creation. Our profession of faith begins with the words: “We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth”. If we omit the beginning of the Credo, the whole history of salvation becomes too limited and too small. The Church is not some kind of association that concerns itself with man’s religious needs but is limited to that objective. No, she brings man into contact with God and thus with the source of all things. Therefore we relate to God as Creator, and so we have a responsibility for creation. Our responsibility extends as far as creation because it comes from the Creator. Only because God created everything can he give us life and direct our lives. Life in the Church’s faith involves more than a set of feelings and sentiments and perhaps moral obligations. It embraces man in his entirety, from his origins to his eternal destiny. Only because creation belongs to God can we place ourselves completely in his hands. And only because he is the Creator can he give us life for ever. Joy over creation, thanksgiving for creation and responsibility for it all belong together.


The central message of the creation account can be defined more precisely still. In the opening words of his Gospel, Saint John sums up the essential meaning of that account in this single statement: “In the beginning was the Word”. In effect, the creation account that we listened to earlier is characterized by the regularly recurring phrase: “And God said ...” The world is a product of the Word, of the Logos, as Saint John expresses it, using a key term from the Greek language. “Logos” means “reason”, “sense”, “word”. It is not reason pure and simple, but creative Reason, that speaks and communicates itself. It is Reason that both is and creates sense. The creation account tells us, then, that the world is a product of creative Reason. Hence it tells us that, far from there being an absence of reason and freedom at the origin of all things, the source of everything is creative Reason, love, and freedom. Here we are faced with the ultimate alternative that is at stake in the dispute between faith and unbelief: are irrationality, lack of freedom and pure chance the origin of everything, or are reason, freedom and love at the origin of being? Does the primacy belong to unreason or to reason? This is what everything hinges upon in the final analysis. As believers we answer, with the creation account and with Saint John, that in the beginning is reason. In the beginning is freedom. Hence it is good to be a human person. It is not the case that in the expanding universe, at a late stage, in some tiny corner of the cosmos, there evolved randomly some species of living being capable of reasoning and of trying to find rationality within creation, or to bring rationality into it. If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then his life would make no sense or might even be a chance of nature. But no, Reason is there at the beginning: creative, divine Reason. And because it is Reason, it also created freedom; and because freedom can be abused, there also exist forces harmful to creation. Hence a thick black line, so to speak, has been drawn across the structure of the universe and across the nature of man. But despite this contradiction, creation itself remains good, life remains good, because at the beginning is good Reason, God’s creative love. Hence the world can be saved. Hence we can and must place ourselves on the side of reason, freedom and love – on the side of God who loves us so much that he suffered for us, that from his death there might emerge a new, definitive and healed life.


The Old Testament account of creation that we listened to clearly indicates this order of realities. But it leads us a further step forward. It has structured the process of creation within the framework of a week leading up to the Sabbath, in which it finds its completion. For Israel, the Sabbath was the day on which all could participate in God’s rest, in which man and animal, master and slave, great and small were united in God’s freedom. Thus the Sabbath was an expression of the Covenant between God and man and creation. In this way, communion between God and man does not appear as something extra, something added later to a world already fully created. The Covenant, communion between God and man, is inbuilt at the deepest level of creation. Yes, the Covenant is the inner ground of creation, just as creation is the external presupposition of the Covenant. God made the world so that there could be a space where he might communicate his love, and from which the response of love might come back to him. From God’s perspective, the heart of the man who responds to him is greater and more important than the whole immense material cosmos, for all that the latter allows us to glimpse something of God’s grandeur.


Easter and the paschal experience of Christians, however, now require us to take a further step. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. After six days in which man in some sense participates in God’s work of creation, the Sabbath is the day of rest. But something quite unprecedented happened in the nascent Church: the place of the Sabbath, the seventh day, was taken by the first day. As the day of the liturgical assembly, it is the day for encounter with God through Jesus Christ who as the Risen Lord encountered his followers on the first day, Sunday, after they had found the tomb empty. The structure of the week is overturned. No longer does it point towards the seventh day, as the time to participate in God’s rest. It sets out from the first day as the day of encounter with the Risen Lord. This encounter happens afresh at every celebration of the Eucharist, when the Lord enters anew into the midst of his disciples and gives himself to them, allows himself, so to speak, to be touched by them, sits down at table with them. This change is utterly extraordinary, considering that the Sabbath, the seventh day seen as the day of encounter with God, is so profoundly rooted in the Old Testament. If we also bear in mind how much the movement from work towards the rest-day corresponds to a natural rhythm, the dramatic nature of this change is even more striking. This revolutionary development that occurred at the very the beginning of the Church’s history can be explained only by the fact that something utterly new happened that day. The first day of the week was the third day after Jesus’ death. It was the day when he showed himself to his disciples as the Risen Lord. In truth, this encounter had something unsettling about it. The world had changed. This man who had died was now living with a life that was no longer threatened by any death. A new form of life had been inaugurated, a new dimension of creation. The first day, according to the Genesis account, is the day on which creation begins. Now it was the day of creation in a new way, it had become the day of the new creation. We celebrate the first day. And in so doing we celebrate God the Creator and his creation. Yes, we believe in God, the Creator of heaven and earth. And we celebrate the God who was made man, who suffered, died, was buried and rose again. We celebrate the definitive victory of the Creator and of his creation. We celebrate this day as the origin and the goal of our existence. We celebrate it because now, thanks to the risen Lord, it is definitively established that reason is stronger than unreason, truth stronger than lies, love stronger than death. We celebrate the first day because we know that the black line drawn across creation does not last for ever. We celebrate it because we know that those words from the end of the creation account have now been definitively fulfilled: “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Amen.

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Holy Week Mass, Confession and Orchestra Mass Schedule at Assumption Grotto

NOTE: I'm reposting this from the other day.  With the Triduum upon us starting tomorrow, I will leave this post up and spend my time focused on Holy Week. 

UPDATE: I have photos from Holy Thursday. Grotto was packed.  I also have photos from the Tre Ore service on Good Friday.  I will be editing these and post them sometime soon after Easter, along with what I get in the coming days.

The Lourde's Legacy is out and in it is the schedule for Holy Week.  My understanding is that the Triduum will be in the Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal).  You can see photos from the 2009 Triduum in EF in this post.

You will want to bring a missal, or special booklet that was being sold some years ago for the Triduum, or go to this site and print out what you will need for the respective day (go with post 1955). 

http://mysite.verizon.net/missale/#passiontide

SCHEDULE

April 21 Holy Thursday: 7:00 p.m. Mass (No morning Masses are permitted.)
Confessions: 10:30-11:30 a.m.; 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

April 22 Good Friday: Services from Noon until 3:00 p.m.
Confessions: 10:30-11:30 a.m.; 3:30- 4:30 & 7:30-8:30 p.m.

April 23 Holy Saturday: Blessing of food at 1:00 p.m. (No morning Masses are permitted.)
Confessions: 10:30-11:30 a.m.; 3:30- 4:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil Mass: 8:00 p.m. (Note: There is no Mass at 4:00 p.m.)
April 24 Easter Sunday Masses: 6:30, 9:30 a.m. 12:00 Noon Mass (No confessions)


UPCOMING ORCHESTRA MASSES
Note: These will be in the Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal). More than likely they will be Solemn High Masses, but it is always subject to availability of clerics.

Here is the schedule found on Assumption Grotto's homepage for Orchestra Masses. 

EASTER SUNDAY
April 24, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. Mass

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
May 1, 2011 at 12:00 Noon Mass

MUSIC
Paul Creston - Missa Solemnis
Paul Creston - Symphony No. 6
Flor Peeters - Jubilate Deo
Dvorak - Te Deum

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Cardinal Wuerl defends USCCB's critical position on book: Quest for the Living God



Cardinal Wuerl | Photo: Reuters


If you follow my Twitter Feed you will have noticed a recent news story about the USCCB's Committee on Doctrine which issued a statement critical of the book, Quest for the Living God by Sister Elizabeth Johnson:

The book “contains misrepresentations, ambiguities, and errors that bear upon the faith of the Catholic Church as found in Sacred Scripture, and as it is authentically taught by the Church’s universal magisterium,” the critique notes.

From Catholic Culture, a followup:

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has written a 13-page letter to US bishops defending the committee’s recent critique of Sister Elizabeth Johnson’s Quest for the Living God.


Cardinal Wuerl’s letter follows a recent critical response from the directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America, who charged that the bishops had not followed their own procedures in reviewing the book, had misunderstood Johnson's arguments, and had cast a shadow on the work of Catholic theologians.


“The Church’s teaching office, when grasped in the context of faith, is a great assistance to the scholarly research of theologians since its judgments are determinative of good theology,” Cardinal Wuerl writes. “The alternative is the principle of private judgment, which Blessed John Henry Newman labeled a ‘principle of disunion,’ conceived in opposition to the judgment of the Magisterium.”


“When a theologian does not understand his or her role within the communion of the Church, the role of a servant-- like that of a bishop-- to the truth, he or she risks usurping the bishop’s central role of leading people to salvation. Isolated from the community of faith, the theologian seriously endangers the faithful by proposing a ‘different Gospel’ (2 Cor. 11:4) which is no longer salvific.”


Cardinal Wuerl added that the catechetical crisis of the past few decades made the critique of Sister Johnson’s book particularly necessary.

Continue reading further details and links: Cardinal Wuerl defends USCCB critique of Sister Johnson’s book

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An Episcopal Hat-Trick for the Archdiocese of Detroit! - Updated

A quick lunchbreak post...

Of all days not to be looking at the Bollettino and a surprise was missed...

With today's appointmnet of Fr. Jose Cepeda of San Antonio to Detroit, Archbishop Vigneron will have some much needed help with three new auxiliaries appointed over the last few weeks.   All three men will be ordained on May 5, 2011 along with Bishops-designate Hanchon and Byrnes appointed on March 22.  They will join Bishop Francis Reiss in the auxiliary ranks here in Detroit for a totatl of four auxiliaries.  Please keep them in your prayers. 

From the Archdiocese of Detroit:

Pope Benedict XVI has named Father Jose Arturo Cepeda (Se-PED-da) of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He will join Bishop-designates Monsignor Donald Hanchon and Father Michael Byrnes in being ordained bishops on May 5 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Bishop-designate Cepeda, 41, currently serves as rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas. Upon his ordination, he will become the youngest bishop in the United States. He will be the 28th auxiliary bishop for the Detroit archdiocese.


Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron will introduce Bishop-designate Cepeda at 10:30 a.m. today, Monday, April 18, at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.


"Bishop Cepeda comes to us with an apostolic mission to use all of his many gifts and talents for the service of the whole People of God in Southeast Michigan – with particular attention to that portion of our family which is Hispanic," Archbishop Vigneron said. "He is a true son of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I know she will help him to share his gifts with us, so that all of us – from so many diverse cultures – will share our gifts of grace with one another."


Born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, he came to the United States with his family at the age of 19, while already pursuing a life in the priesthood. He was ordained a priest on June 1, 1996, at his home parish of St. Mary Magdalen in San Antonio. He was associate pastor of San Antonio's San Fernando Cathedral for four years, then attended St. Thomas Aquinas "Angelicum" Pontifical University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology. Since returning to San Antonio, he has been the archdiocese's vocations director, and has taught and aided formation at Assumption Seminary, Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, and St. Peter Upon the Water center for spiritual direction in San Antonio. He was made vice-rector of Assumption Seminary in 2009, and was made rector of the seminary in 2010. His ministry has also included hosting a bi-lingual talk show on Catholic Television of San Antonio, and giving numerous talks and retreats.


"I am excited about coming to Detroit," said Bishop-designate Cepeda, who had not visited the city outside of its airport prior to his appointment. "God is the One who does all the work and gives us all the grace we need. All we need to do is say 'yes,' just like Mary. That's my attitude. I will learn much from the Church of Detroit."


In the Detroit archdiocese, Bishop-designates Cepeda, Hanchon and Byrnes will join Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss and retired Auxiliary Bishops Moses Anderson, SSE, and Thomas Gumbleton. Archbishop Allen Vigneron serves as chief shepherd for the 1.4 million Catholics who reside in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Lapeer and St. Clair Counties.


Bishop-designate Cepeda will become the second priest from Texas appointed to serve in the Detroit archdiocese. Bishop Daniel Flores came from the Diocese of Corpus Christi and served as an auxiliary for just over three years before being installed as the bishop of Brownsville, Texas, in February 2010.

There is much more information at the AoD's page on this, and I'm sure the press conference video/audio will be uploaded later here.

Also, I just happened to have made a photopost of Bishop-designate Byrnes celebrating Mass at 7:30am Saturday  in Eastpointe, Michigan for the Helpers of God's Precious Infants last night.  Check that out.

UPDATE: Catholic News Agency has an article out with additional commentary from Archbishop Gomez who headed the Diocese of San Antonio before being named to Los Angeles.

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Photopost: Mass with Bishop-designate Byrnes and Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil



The weather predicted for this year's first Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil was pretty initimdating.  Threats of heavy downpours, high winds, coupled with cold more suitable to March than April was predicted.  This, I'm sure played in the minds of many who wondered whether to venture out.  I've covered many of these events by HGPI-Michigan and they normally net about 200 on up to 700 or more.  This was one of the lower turnouts I've seen at about 100, but given the weather predictions, understandable.  It was no surprise to us that the worst of it happened as we came in for Mass, then things seem to come to an end by the time we got out there.  Only a light drizzle hit us at times near the beginning and it was warmer than I expected.

Bishop Francis Reiss was originally scheduled to have the Mass and lead the Rosary procession on 8 Mile Blvd, but he had a scheduling conflict.  Bishop-designate Michael Byrnes, who will be consecrated as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit on May 5th, stepped in for the Mass, but could not stay for the vigil.  I am quite hopeful to see him lead a full vigil in the future. The Helpers of God's Precious Infants is very good about engaging diocesan hierarchy and here in Detroit they have all been generous in participating.

A few people were curious about the zucchetto seen in this first photo soon after Mass began.  The zucchetto is among the episcopal regalia that a bishop-designate may wear after he is named, before his ordination.  Consider how seminarians are often seen wearing clerical collars before they are ordained. 




I had brought a recorder for the homily so I could pass a long a few notes, but forgot to turn it on. 

Seen in this photo below, as the gifts are brought up, is the pastor of St. Barnabas in Eastpointe, Rev. Clarence E Williams, C.PP.S.

Truly, it is Our Lord who is at the center of this next photo.

Following Mass, participants commuted a short distance to St. Veronica's in Eastpointe which is just a few blocks from the abortion clinics.  All 20 mysteries of the Rosary are prayed along the route and in front of two clinics about a block apart, on either side of Eight Mile.  A priest of the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross who was there, led the vigil.

For those who have not been to such a prayer vigil, it is not a protest.  No signs are permitted and only the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe is carried, along with a crucifix lead the way.  They not only pray for the women heading in for abortions, but for those encouraging them, the abortionists and staff.  The figures for "turns", or those who choose to have their baby after alternatives are presented to them, numbers into the thousands over the years that HGPI has been at work in Detroit.  Besides these prayer vigils, there is a core group of people, from sidewalk counselors to prayers warriors who are out there daily. 

During every prayer vigil there is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  Here we see the monstrance on the altar at St. Barnabas where a number of people who could not go out remained with Our Lord.

After Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, there is a brief meeting with refreshments for those who can stay, to discuss the work of the Helpers and the days work.

That concludes the photos taken at this event.  If I heard correctly, the next vigil is planned for June 25th so mark your calendars.  Details to follow.

If you want to see more photos from past events, start with this one led by Archbishop Vigneron last September. More links are at the bottom of that post.

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Palm Sunday in Photos - Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal)

Palm Sunday 2009

In 2009, I went all out on photographing Palm Sunday and the Triduum in the Extraordinary Form.  While the faces of altar boys change, with some no longer boys, but men, the liturgy remains the same.  Some have asked me why I don't shoot every year.  First of all, it is taxing and difficult to focus on the Mass, so I like to pause and use what is in my stock.  I can't do it much better than I did in 2009.  This is not to say I won't be photographing in the future, but not every year.  Secondly, I'm in the choir and I do not have the ability to bi-locate. 

Watch this slideshow below (I recommend using the "fast" setting).  There are some interesting differences to note in how it is celebrated in the ordinary form and in the extraordinary form.  For example, you will see the liturgical colors start out as red, but then change over to violet. You will see the altar boys removing the red antependium, which covers the front of the altar, revealing the violet one underneath. 

There is also the solita oscula, or ritual l kisses.  In any solemn high Mass we see the deacon kiss an object and the hand of the celebrant when exchanging things, in a specific sequence depending on whether he is giving or receiving.  On Palm Sunday, we see the ushers do this as they take the palms from the hand of the celebrant to distribute.  What is this and why is it done?  Remember, the celebrant regardless of any weaknesses or unworthiness to celebrate holy Mass, is standing in persona Christi.  It is not the priest himself which is reverenced through these ritual kisses, but Christ.  You will find a deeper explanation here: Extraordinary Form Mass Notes: Kissing the Hand of the Celebrant.


TRIDUUM AND ORCHESTRA MASS SCHEDULE FOR GROTTO
If you have not seen the schedule for the upcoming Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, you can find it here, along with the orchestra Mass information for Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday.

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Norbertine Monks - New Chant CD

Visit their website at St Michael's Abbey

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Recent Posts and News Roundup for April 13, 2011



Te Deum Photo Archives: Palm Sunday 2008 (1962 Missal)

Palm Sunday is coming up on us quickly, leading into Holy Week.  There is one more talk by Fr. Perrone during the lenten Friday Monastic Suppers.  The supper will be held on Good Friday, but there will be no talk due to the lengthy devotions and preparations for the Easter Vigil.  Also, I've learned that those going to Communion on Holy Thursday are in for a bit of a surprise.  Hint: What is old will be new again.... again.


Recent Posts and upcoming events:

• Holy Week/Triduum Schedule and Orchestra Mass Information
• Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil with Bishop Reiss - April 16, 2011
• Distribution of new youth catechism in Italian suspended due to translation error
• Photopost: Family of Terry Schiavo leads reflection at Assumption Grotto
• Photopost: Lenten Monastic Supper with Fr. Perrone
• Call to Holiness website updated - See what's coming June 11, 2011 in metro Detroit
• Last list of recent posts - also contains links to two of Father Perrone's audios from the Monastic Suppers.

News & Commentary

• Archbishop Chaput: No unity among US bishops on sanctions for abortion support (Pilot Catholic/CNS - Ann Carey) ===> Same topic at Catholic Vote by Tom Peters | Must Read: Must-Read +Chaput: On the Devil and Politics, and on Bishops and Communion
• Australian priest rips recent popes; Cardinal Pell responds (Catholic Culture)
• Missionary sees spiritual awakening in Japan (Catholic Culture)
• The coverup of abortion's real risks (American Thinker - Kyle-Anne Shiver)
• College students and abortion. Watch this video. Please (Patrick Madrid)
• Memo To Pro-Lifers: Stop Supporting Planned Parenthood’s Fundraising Efforts (Catholic Vote - Pia de Solenni)
• Seattle school renames Easter eggs "Spring Spheres" (Catholic Vote - Brian Burch)
• Videos of Dueling Pro-Life/Pro-Abort Chicago Rallies Last Week (Catholic Vote - Thomas Peters)
• REVIEW: Letters to an Altar Boy (Father Z)

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Distribution suspended for Italian edition of new youth catechism (YouCat)

The English language "Youcat: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church"
is published by Ignatius Press of San Francisco. (CNS/Ignatius Press). 
The English version does not contain the error found in the Italian translation. 

I've been following this story and was tweeting news of it if you follow my Twitter feed @TeDeumBlog.

It all began yesterday when CNA / EWTN News reported, "World Youth Day catechism suggests endorsement of 'contraceptive methods'".  In the body of the article it stated that the problem was not in the English edition, but in the Italian.  Both texts were translated from German and there was some question as to whether it originated there or not.  Today, CNA /EWTN News reports, "Youth catechism publisher says 'contraceptive' language not in original text"

The English-language publisher of a new Vatican-sponsored youth catechism says that a passage suggesting the use of contraception by Christian couples is not in the book's original German text, which was incorrectly translated into Italian.




“The Italian translation was really a mistaken understanding of the German,” Ignatius Press Founding Editor Fr. Joseph Fessio told CNA on April 12. “We did notice in the German original there was some ambiguity, but we wanted to translate it in the way we knew was most consistent with the Church's teachings.”


According to Fr. Fessio and Ignatius Press President Mark Brumley, the Italian version incorrectly translates the German word “Empfängnisregelung.” Although the term literally means “birth regulation,” in a general sense that can signify natural family planning, it is also sometimes used to refer to “birth control” through contraceptive means.


However, the Italian version of the YouCat does not translate the term according to what Fr. Fessio says is its literal meaning. Instead, it renders the German word as as “metodi anticoncezionali,” meaning “contraceptive methods.”


“The problem did not originate with the German text,” Brumley said in a statement on Ignatius' website, “at least not if the Italian translation is based on the same German text as that on which Ignatius Press based its translation.” [continue reading further details about the linguistics].

Later today, Catholic News Service (CNS), the reporting arm of the USCCB is reporting that distribution of the Italian edition has been temporarily suspended as they investigate.  Mind you, a press conference has been on the schedule for tomorrow with Cardinal Schoenborn who headed the effort.  It will still take place and more information will be conveyed at that time. 

Youth catechism's Italian edition suspended after translation error

By Carol Glatz



Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Distribution of an Italian edition of a new youth catechism was temporarily suspended because of a translation error concerning the church's teaching on contraception.

Thousands of copies of the Italian translation of "YouCat," a recently released supplement to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, erroneously left the impression that Catholic couples could use "contraceptive methods."

As a result, "the product is temporarily suspended, but not halted," so that the Italian publisher can "examine the text," Elena Cardinali, a spokeswoman for the Citta Nuova editorial group, told Catholic News Service April 12. Citta Nuova, the publishing arm of the Focolare lay movement, handled the Italian edition of the catechism.

[snip]

The 300-page book uses a question-and-answer format to talk about what the church teaches.


Question 420 of the Italian edition and its brief reply incorrectly suggest that a married couple can use contraceptive methods.


The question in the Italian version reads: "Can a Christian couple turn to contraceptive methods?" The answer reads: "Yes, a Christian couple can and must be responsible about their capacity of being able to give life."


The answer in Italian goes on to explain -- in line with church teaching -- that the church does not accept artificial means of contraception, but does allow regulation of fertility through natural methods.


The error was not found in the original German text of "YouCat," nor in the U.S. English edition, which was published by Ignatius Press.


The German text of question 420 "asks whether a Christian married couple may regulate the number of children they have. It does not ask whether the couple may use methods of contraception," wrote Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, on the Ignatius Press blog, Insight Scoop.


"I don't know why the Italian translation reads as it does, nor do I know how it came about that it reads as it does, but it should be fixed to reflect, without ambiguity, the church's teaching that contraception is evil," Brumley wrote April 12.


"It is my understanding that the Italian text is being fixed," he added.


A Vatican official, speaking on background, said a previously planned press conference April 13 was expected to clarify the issue.


The English translation of the question and reply in "YouCat" as published by Ignatius Press is: "May a Christian married couple regulate the number of children they have? Yes, a Christian married couple may and should be responsible in using the gift and privilege of transmitting life."


The "YouCat" Italian edition came out in bookstores March 30 and sold 14,000 copies in five days, a Citta Nuova press release said April 6. At that time, Citta Nuova said some 46,000 copies had already been printed and more than 27,000 copies ordered.

[snip]

"YouCat" was to be translated into at least 13 different languages and about 700,000 copies were to be distributed to young people taking part in World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid. An electronic version will also be available.

Pope Benedict wrote the book's foreword and said he wanted to supplement the Catechism of the Catholic Church by translating it "into the language of young people."

 Hopefully, someone is checking out all of the other languages, as well. 

What a mess.  Once an error like that makes it out of the gate, you can't get it back in the bag.  Chances are, of those 14,000 Italian copies that sold in 5 days, some are probably in the hands of secular journalists and dissidents who will exploit the translation error as authentic Catholic teaching. 

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