Administrative Notes

You may notice some changes taking place in the sidebar again as I add new things and shuffle some other things.

Take note that I have added a section called Upcoming Events at Grotto (scroll down below blog archive). This is not meant to cover every single thing forthcoming, but primarily major events that others who do not regularly come to Grotto, may find of interest. I have added the May Calendar to the list which should reveal other things, and of course, there is the Assumption Grotto homepage which should be consulted first. The webmaster there also includes the bulletin in PDF form when it is sent to him so do visit the Assumption Grotto parish website.

I will soon be adding a section for Catholic Investing and Financial Resources, as well.

Since blogs are not true websites (but web logs), we have to be creative in how we structure it to work kind of like a website. Therefore, consider scrolling and clicking through the vast amount of resources I have here. Please contact me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com if you find something not working. Links have to be fixed now and then, but only if I know they are broken.


OPUS ANGELORUM UPDATE
I want to use this as an opportunity to point out that Opus Angelorum is in the midst of a major reconstruction of their website. God bless the webmaster who carefully maintained page addresses. When I learned the new site had been released, I was concerned that every link I had made in the past, embedded in many blogposts, would have to be remade. Not the case at all. However, if you do find one broken, please bring it to my attention.

It is still a work in progress, but I'm sure they won't mind you taking a poke around. It is one of the greatest spiritual watering holes on the web.


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As Detroit awaits new Archbishop, so does New York

It is no longer a secret in Detroit that Adam Cardinal Maida, the oldest serving Prince of the Church in the US, will soon be getting on in retirement, something he has longed for. Several times since Cardinal Maida turned 75, the rumor mill buzzed about potential replacements, then fell silent. In August 2006, it was thought that Abp John J. Myers of Newark would get the helm in Detroit, then that faded. More recent speculations included Bishop Wenski of Orlando, Florida. My own speculation, based on nothing scientific, other than a gut hunch, is that it could be Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland, CA - a former rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary here in Detroit. With all of this speculation, Divine Justice will probably grace us with someone totally unexpected and relatively unknown.

There has even been speculation on the date, with many thinking we would hear something by the time Pope Benedict XVI visited the US several weeks ago. However, as I watched the ordinations this past Saturday, it made sense that we had heard nothing. Even if it had nothing to do with awaiting Detroit ordinations, somewhere out there, a new bishop, Detroit-bound, may have unfinished business. We'll simply have to wait.....

Detroit isn't the only place waiting. As Rocco Palmo writes with regards to Cardinal Egan: In Big Apple, the Drumbeat Begins

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Catholic and Morally Responsible Investment Resources

I'm going to start accumulating financial resources for Catholics who are looking for morally responsible choices. I have been learning of some of these via Catholic radio, such as the program Catholic Answers which is on the air now on Ave Maria Radio. While working around the house after work, I typically tune in to the program over the internet and just listen. It's a great program, but this is probably the first time I've heard two hours dedicated to Catholic investment and finances.

I would invite anyone who knows of other resources to email me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com or drop a note in the combox if you are aware of others. I will check them out the best that I can.

Thus far, you may want to check out these Catholic resources. I will probably build a sidebar slot called Catholic Financial and Investing Resources. This is a good start.

• CatholicInvesting.com



• Veritas Financial Ministries



• Ave Maria Mutual Funds



• Trinity Fiduciary Partners
  

The book below is authored by Phil Lenahan of Veritas Financial Ministries.

I would like to add one more resource if you go to Assumption Grotto - a parish very open to life. There are many large families and quite a few are involved with homeschooling, meaning there is only one income. How do they do it? I think we should have them hold a seminar at Grotto because they are truly the experts. They're living it day in and day out and making the kind of sacrifices many of us probably haven't even thought to make.


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Vatican asks for goodwill in interpretating Summorum Pontificum

From CWNews:

Vatican, May. 9, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Dario Castrillon-Hoyos has told an Italian magazine that diocesan bishops should show good will in granting requests for the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass under the terms of the motu proprio authorizing wider use of the extraordinary form.

In an interview with Jesus magazine, the president of the Ecclesia Dei commission declined to comment on reports that his office will soon issue a new document clarifying the motu proprio. Any decision on the release of such a document will be made by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news), the cardinal said.

However, the Colombian cardinal-- whose office supervises implementation of Summorum Pontificum-- did comment on some inaccurate interpretations of the papal document. He spoke, for instance, about the frequent claim that the extraordinary form of the Mass should be used in parishes only when a "stable and consistent group" of the faithful request the older liturgy. That phrase is not intended to restrict the use of the traditional liturgy, the cardinal said.

"It is a matter of common sense," Cardinal Castrillon told Jesus; "Why make an issue if the people who ask for the rite come from different parishes? If they come together and request a Mass, they become a stable group."

Read a translation of the entire inteview at NLM, in which Cardinal Castrillon of the Pontificial Commission Ecclesia Dei answers a number of questions

Source article at CWNews


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Pentecost 2008

"Pentecost" painted in 1732 by Jean Restout II

As I do each year on Pentecost, I pay tribute to the Holy Spirit by recounting one of several things which drew me to Assumption Grotto for the very first time, on May 15, 2005 - the Feast of Pentecost. Here, copied from my Pentecost 2006 post, is that account tweaked for clarity {emphases mine)....

*******************

Pentecost is a special day for me because on Pentecost of last year - May 15, 2005, I walked through the doors of Assumption Grotto for the very first time. Three things led me to this parish some of them personal, but I am very glad today that I acted on those graces. It is obvious today just how hard God was working at getting me to go there that day.

One of those three things, which came after the other two, was Fr. Perrone's bulletin article of May 15 in which he wrote about the Fallacy of the Middle Ground. It had been posted on the Assumption Grotto website under the Pastor's section Thursday night when I had found the site. After the first two promptings, I decided to google Assumption Grotto. I had gone to confession for the first time in two years on Divine Mercy Saturday of 2005 - the day Pope John Paul II died, having no idea what Divine Mercy Sunday was. Fr. Perrone's article, by virtue of being used as an examination of conscience, showed me how inadequate that confession was and I yearned to go back. I felt the need for a new confessor - one who could really guide me. I knew after reading his article [below] that there couldn't be a better confessor for me than Fr. Perrone.

He worked so hard at speaking forthrightly, that I felt this was a priest that could use to hear a confession like mine, as much as I needed a priest like him to hear it. After all, I believe that God rewards the fisherman who doesn't concern himself with what the fish think, but just casts his net - a net of admonition aimed at stirring the soul.

His article caused me to "empty my closet" in confession - like the very next day (the poor priest, what a penance for him). It was very apparent that this was one priest who was not going to let me off the hook so easily. I recall telling him that the one thing I did not need was to hear how much God loves me. I've been hearing that all of my life - to my own detriment. Rather, I needed him to teach me how to love God back and it became apparent through his article that it is in following God's commandments that this is done - not partially, but fully. That means taking time to learn about them in detail. It starts by seeking out solid Catholic sermons, some of which are available in my sidebar, and in taking time to read things like the new Compendium.

Here is a portion of that pastor's column, written by Assumption Grotto Pastor, Fr. Eduard Perrone, well worth bringing forward today:

05-15-05
The ‘fallacy of the middle ground’ occupies my thoughts as I read about the sorry condition of many non-Catholic churches today and as I continue to get depressing reports from other quarters about the state of things Catholic. It seems that many, Catholic and non alike, have sought refuge in an imaginary middle ground between unbelief and wholehearted and complete submission to Christ and His truth. Perhaps you share with me the weariness of hearing of so many things wrongheaded, compromised or simply taken lightly. Are there any out there who believe with all their might that everything the Catholic Church teaches on faith and moral is true, absolutely, without equivocation? And, more, are there souls who have a firm and abiding intention to observe all of moral law, in their thinking, opinions, actions and even secret desires? Does anyone, in other words, aspire to sanctity anymore, or are there left only those who more or less feebly try to avoid only the more gross transgressions of God’s commandments? What I keep hearing and seeing is compromise and platitude among the so-called faithful and outright rebellion and flagrant disobedience from many others. Once in a while I would like to hear something Catholic that is pure, untainted and unflinchingly loyal to the whole truth. Am I perhaps becoming an old crank, a disillusioned malcontent who finds fault with everything? Possibly. What I want, just once in a while, please, is to rejoice unhesitatingly over something and not have to be content to with a half-measured enthusiasm.

Here’s a simple mental self-test that indicates what I’m talking about. Imagine a scale from 0 to 10 in which zero represents unbelief and ten full surrender to the Catholic faith. Think of another such scale in which zero indicates complete lawlessness and ten no admission of moral compromise. Where do you place yourself? What I referred to above as the ‘fallacy of the middle ground’ means that in either scale one can deceive himself into thinking that he might score a 7 or above and yet be ‘safe.’ This is the position of a lot of Catholics nowadays, I fear. In reality, there are only two positions on these scales: 10 and everything else. Our Lord said that either we are with Him or against Him. Saint Paul said that the Spirit and the flesh are opposed to one another and cannot coexist. Saint James’ epistle warns that those who keep the whole of God’s law but fail in a single matter violate the whole of the law.

As so often happens in these accommodating times, there is a confusion of God’s mercy with the toleration of sin, as if to say that He regards a little error or a little evil as not so bad. Spiritual writers used to speak unhesitatingly that God hates falsehood and evildoing. We’ve gotten awfully mushy about God’s mercy while having forgot that He is the Author of truth and of the moral law for Whom duplicity and evil are abominations. Surely you and I need to know that God forgives sin if we are sincerely repentant, but the question is whether or not there is this requisite sincerity. Are we perhaps in danger of fooling ourselves, being content with lives that God judges reprehensible?

I know that utopian ideals are for adolescents. Maybe I am in bad humor today after reading those awful reports. But I need to ask myself those fundamental questions from time to time to see if I am on track. Have you also such a need?

Finally I decided to stop acting presumptuous enough to think all of my "good works" would save me alone. I immersed myself into Grotto culture where I could learn through the many who have, by the grace of God, learned virtue. My new confessor recommended I read the old classic, My Daily Bread, and encouraged time-tested devotions to start. I got a rosary for my penance - the most any priest had ever given me, and it felt right not only because it was a bigger confession than previous ones I'd made, but because the Blessed Mother would help me through the things I wanted to fix the most. The devout life was foreign to me and brought back recollections of my father who was very devout. I had blown off his Catholicism in the 70's when church leaders and "youth ministers" pooh-poohed things like the rosary. Now, I've rediscovered that and more at Grotto and it has all changed my life radically.

Fr. Perrone managed to do exactly what Pope Benedict XVI was explaining to the Austrian Bishops in their 2005 ad limina visit when he said:

Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, you are well aware that there are topics concerning the truth of faith and especially moral doctrine that are not being adequately presented in catechesis and preaching in your Dioceses and that at times, for example, in youth ministry in the parishes or associations, are not being confronted at all or are not being clearly addressed as the Church wishes.

I give thanks to God it is not like this everywhere. However, perhaps those responsible for preaching fear that here and there people might drift away if they spoke too clearly.

Yet experience generally shows that it is precisely the opposite that happens. Be under no illusion. An incomplete Catholic teaching is a contradiction in itself and cannot be fruitful in the long term. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God goes hand in hand with the need for conversion and love that encourages, that knows the way, that teaches an understanding that with God's grace even what seems impossible becomes possible. Only think how the teaching of religion, catechesis at various levels and preaching can be gradually improved, deepened and as it were completed.

Father did not repel me as so many priests and bishops mistakenly think will happen when the fullness of the faith if preached. Rather, he cast a net of admonition and snared me - a true fisherman. Like the loaves of bread and fish which came in abundance out of no where, a priest who preaches the fullness of truth will find many souls. A priest who shields the people from the truth will find only a small catch.

When you can find a solid parish like mine, where priests are very dedicated to the Sacrament of Penance, encouraging frequent confession even when no mortal sin is present, take advantage and go often. Talk about those things you know you need to be doing or not doing to which you are resistant. There's no finer counselor, coach or psychiatrist, than a solid Catholic priest in a confessional. In the end, we learn that happiness comes from making God-pleasing changes in ourselves.

May the Holy Spirit touch you all this day!



EDIT 1:55pm: Go see some pics Fr. Z has on his blog in Pentecost at the Pantheon: rose petals falling through the oculus

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

Only the free can choose obedience to Magisterial teachings. The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; rather, it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!.

Recent Posts on Te Deum for May 10, 2008

Today is the Feast of Blessed Damien of Molokai. If you haven't read a recent post I made on it, go read Blessed Damien and a Catholic Mom in Hawaii

• Reminder: Orchestra Mass at 9:30am TLM this Sunday at Grotto!!!
• Pentecost and Corpus Christi 2008: Grotto - Orchestra Mass Notes
• Ordinations in the Archdiocese of Detroit - May 10, 2008
• Joseph F. Naumann, D.D to Governor Kathleen Sebelius: Respect Divine Law [Updated with additional commentary links, including anaylsis by Canon Lawyer, Ed Peters]
• New Monastery Established in San Antoni, TX from Mother Angelica's Order [NEW]
• 18th Child is on the Way for America's Pro-Life Family - the Duggars [NEW]
• News and Blogpost Roundup for May 8, 2008
• May - the Month of Mary (with Video)
• Pope Benedict on the Rosary
• Time Magazine: Is Liberal Catholicism Dead?
• Fr. George Welzbacher: Thoughts on Pope Benedict’s "Journey of Hope"
• St. Gianna Molla - the Second Miracle
• Archbishop of Lima Peru bans Communion in the Hand

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

Only the free can choose obedience to Magisterial teachings. The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; rather, it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!.

Joseph F. Naumann, D.D to Governor Kathleen Sebelius: Respect Divine Law

NOTE: This post has been updated with links to some excellent commentaries (scroll to the bottom).

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas has publicy notified a politician in the diocesan newspaper that she should not present herself for holy Communion due to her public pro-choice position and voting.

In his weekly column in The Leaven, Abp Naumann said (emphasis mine in bold, comments in red, and extra emphasis in blue):

Governor’s Veto Prompts Pastoral Action

On the day of my return (Monday, April 21) from the exhilarating experience of participating in Pope Benedict’s pastoral visit to the United States, I learned that Governor Kathleen Sebelius had vetoed the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act (HS SB 389), which had been passed by significant majorities in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. Last week, an attempt to override the governor’s veto failed in the Senate by two votes.

Governor Sebelius in her veto message claimed: “For years, the people of Kansas have asked their elected officials to move beyond legislative debates on issues like abortion.” From her veto message, I received the impression the governor considered it a waste of the Legislature’s time to pass a statute that attempts to protect some women by making certain they have the opportunity to be well-informed: 1) about the development of their unborn child; and 2) about abortion alternatives available to them. Evidently, the governor does not approve of legislators devoting energy to protecting children and women by making it possible to enforce existing Kansas laws regulating late-term abortions.

The governor’s veto message demonstrated a lack of respect to the members of the Kansas General Assembly who had carefully crafted and resoundingly passed the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act, as well as to the many Kansans who find it more than an embarrassment, in no small part due to several previous vetoes by Governor Sebelius of earlier legislative efforts to regulate abortion clinics, that Kansas has become infamous for being the late-term abortion center for the Midwest.

What makes the governor’s rhetoric and actions even more troubling has been her acceptance of campaign contributions from Wichita’s Dr. George Tiller [oy vey! the butcher of butchers], perhaps the most notorious late-term abortionist in the nation. In addition to Dr. Tiller’s direct donations to her campaign, the governor has benefited from the Political Action Committees funded by Dr. Tiller to support pro-abortion candidates in Kansas.

In her veto message, the governor took credit for lower abortion rates in Kansas, citing her support for “adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant women, providing sex education and offering a variety of support services for families.” Indeed, the governor and her administration should be commended for supporting adoption incentives and health services for pregnant women.

However, the governor overreaches by assuming credit for declining abortion rates in Kansas. Actually, lower abortion rates are part of a national trend. Our neighboring state of Missouri has actually had a steeper and longer decline in its abortion rate.

Governor Sebelius’ inclusion of public school sex education programs as a factor in the abortion rate decline is absurd. Actually, valueless sex education programs in public schools have been around for years, coinciding with increased sexual activity among adolescents, as well as increases in teen pregnancy and abortion. On the other hand, the governor does not acknowledge the significant impact of mass media education programs, such as those sponsored by the Vitae Caring Foundation, or the remarkable practical assistance provided by Crisis Pregnancy Centers which are funded through the generosity of pro-life Kansans.

What makes the governor’s actions and advocacy for legalized abortion, throughout her public career, even more painful for me is that she is Catholic. Sadly, Governor Sebelius is not unique in being a Catholic politician supporting legalized abortion.

Since becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor Sebelius several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions by which she has cooperated in the procurement of abortions performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the governor but also for those who have been misled (scandalized) by her very public support for legalized abortion.

It has been my hope that through this dialogue the governor would come to understand her obligation: 1) to take the difficult political step, but necessary moral step, of repudiating her past actions in support of legalized abortion; and 2) in the future would use her exceptional leadership abilities to develop public policies extending the maximum legal protection possible to the unborn children of Kansas.

Having made every effort to inform and to persuade Governor Sebelius and after consultation with Bishop Ron Gilmore (Dodge City), Bishop Paul Coakley (Salina) and Bishop Michael Jackels (Wichita), I wrote the governor last August requesting that she refrain from presenting herself for reception of the Eucharist until she had acknowledged the error of her past positions, made a worthy sacramental confession and taken the necessary steps for amendment of her life which would include a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion.

Recently, it came to my attention that the governor had received holy Communion at one of our parishes. I have written to her again, asking her to respect my previous request and not require from me any additional pastoral actions.

The governor has spoken to me on more than one occasion about her obligation to uphold state and federal laws and court decisions. I have asked her to show a similar sense of obligation to honor divine law [BINGO!] and the laws , teaching and legitimate authority within the church.

I have not made lightly this request of Governor Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection. The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: “The church’s teaching on abortion is optional!”

I reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions. At the same time, I pray this pastoral action on my part will help alert other Catholics to the moral gravity of participating in and/or cooperating with the performance of abortions.

Source: The Leaven

EDITS:

Ed Peters, JD, JCD has weighed in on this subject in his blog, In Light of the Law....

Fr. Z has a commentary up on this... he emboldens this paragraph, then comments [bracketed in red]......:

Naumann said he wrote to Sebelius in August, asking her to refrain from Communion but learned recently that she’d participated in the sacrament. He said it prompted him to write her again, asking her to respect his request and “not require from me any additional pastoral actions.” [Folks, what this means is that if she continues, the Archbishop will apply some kind of censure to her, which might include excommunication.]

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Only the free can choose obedience to Magisterial teachings. The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; rather, it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

New Monastery Established in San Antonio, TX from Mother Angelica's Order

Please pray for the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, who have established a new monastery at Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic parish in Texas. It is an Anglican-use parish in the Diocese of San Antonio.

Five nuns of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration will be arriving in the parish sometime in May, when they will be taking up residence in our St. Joseph House. Pictured here, they are (l. to r.) Sr. Marie St. Clare, Sr. Rose Marie,
Sr. Grace Marie, Sr. Mary Peter and Sr. Elizabeth Marie.

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips announced made an announcement back in February which gives us a little more background:

His Eminence, Franc Cardinal Rodé, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has communicated permission to establish a monastery for the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration here in San Antonio.

We can now prepare in earnest for the arrival of five nuns from Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. They will be taking up residence in our St. Joseph Parish House. There is, of course, a chapel there with the Blessed Sacrament, although they will be attending Mass ordinarily here at the parish. We’re looking forward to welcoming the Sisters as part of our extended “Atonement Family,” and we need to pray for them as they get ready to leave their present beloved monastery to begin this new work.

There are many good things at the Our Lady of Atonement website, including Catholic tracts. You can probably stay abreast of what is happening there through the parish blog.

Any Catholic is free to assist at an Anglican-use Catholic Mass. So, if you live in the area or are passing through San Antonio, check it out.

Recall what I said when the "Phoenix 5" left Hanceville for the Diocese of Phoenix to establish a new Monastery at the request of Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead: The surest sign that a religious order is graced by the Holy Spirit is when so many vocations require it to branch out. I don't know what the limit is on Poor Clare communities, but cloisters do not typically have as many sisters as does Mother Angelica's order so something had to give. That is, sending sisters out to establish new monasteries. I am assuming these will be cloistered, but someone correct me if I am wrong.

A similar thing is happening with the Mary, Mother of the Eucharist Dominicans in Ann Arbor, Michigan (but they may not be establishing new orders as opposed to being assigned out at parishes), and I'm sure others. In fact, if anyone is aware of other communities spreading out like this, drop me a message in the combox or email me at TeDeumBlog@gmail.com.

As a side note, Cardinal Rode also made an excellent statement about some clergy becoming too worldly. The same can be said of men and women in certain religious orders.

A good bishop will always seek a contemplative and/or monastic community to work within his diocese. The world cannot begin to comprehend what graces come to a diocese from the prayers and sacrifices of these fine men and women.

I should also mention that many bishops have made requests of Mother's community, as well as others like the Mary Mother of the Eucharist Dominicans, but they simply cannot respond to all requests, and cannot do too many such moves quickly. Each of these communities will draw more vocations by their example. Young people not previously exposed to them will hopefully hear God's voice above the noise of the world if they are called.

As a reminder, please pray for the five men being ordained as I write this post, at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Detroit. CTND Detroit will likely rebroadcast it many times in the coming weeks and months.

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18th Child is on the Way for America's Pro-Life Family - the Duggars

The Duggar family, which has become famous through a television series for Discovery Health Channel is expecting their 18th child around New Year's Day. I just picked up on it at Yahoo! News.

The pro-life Christian family learned the hard way that the pill can be an abortifacient and were horrified at the thought that they had used it.

All of the children are homeschooled. They have a section of homeschooling links that will work well for Catholic families, as well, in particular

Read more about the Duggar family in their "about us" page. There you will learn that they built a 7000 sq ft debt free home.

I myself have never watched the program because I don't get Discovery Health (added fees for those channels). It's amazing how some families have difficulty living on two incomes with few children, while other couples manage to live on a single income with many children. How do they do it? I'm sure the answer lies in refraining from extravagant purchases and knowing the difference between needs and wants. But, the house looks lavishly finished. Unfortunately, some a link they have for Living Within your Finances did not seem to be working this morning. And, they probably are getting a good sum from the television show, which ..... good for them!!! I'd rather see families like this profiled on television than the latest unvirtuous program Hollywood has to offer.

Another interesting thing is how you make a house of so many run smoothly....


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Reminder: Orchestra Mass at 9:30am TLM this Sunday!!!

This is just a reminder that the 9:30am will be an orchestra Mass, conducted by Rev. Eduard Perrone, pastor of Assumption Grotto. See details here.

I recommend you get there early - before 9:00, if you want a decent parking spot.

I have been contacted by a blog reader from northern Virginia who came in for a Tiger's game last night (how sad - they lost....again). He is planning on coming to the Mass with his wife and perhaps others in the area that he is visiting. I invited them over to the gym after Mass for our weekly BBQ and suggested he check out our Grotto Gift Shop along the way.

If you are planning on visiting Assumption Grotto, please drop me a line ahead of time and I can let you know of any special happenings that may affect your choice of Masses. For example, I did learn from Fr. Perrone that the Noon Mass on Corpus Christi will be in the extraordinary form (TLM/Tridentine). I can be reached at this email address: TeDeumBlog@gmail.com

Being the month of May - the month of Mary, there will also be the May crowning, but this follows the Noon Mass. Unfortunately, weather may not cooperate. There is a sixty percent chance of rain. Either way, indoors or out, Our Lady will appreciate the gesture.


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Ordinations in the Archdiocese of Detroit - May 10, 2008

This Saturday at 10:00am, five men will be ordained at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Detroit by Adam Cardinal Maida.

Please keep them in your prayers and pray that many more fine men will hear that call and respond with a "fiat".

I found it interesting to read about their backgrounds and what they had to say about certain topics. In particular, I was pleased to see a common thread in this question on each of their pages and I encourage you to check it out. It gives me hope to hear them voice concerns with which I agree because change starts with recognition of the problem.

What are the greatest challenges you see facing the Church? Where do you see the greatest hope?

• Charles Altermatt
• Clint McDonell
• Mark Prill
• Sama Muma
• Lee Acervo

The ordinations are open to the public according to the homepage of the Archdiocese of Detroit website.

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

Only the free can choose obedience to Magisterial teachings. The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; rather, it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

News and Blogpost Roundup for May 8, 2008

I'm still quite short on time. In the meanwhile, here are some posts and news of interest today:

• Pope Urges More Eucharistic Adoration (Zenit)


• Pope Goes Digital to Better Connect with Youth (Yahoo!)


• Benedict XVI Urges Aid as Myanmar Fears the Worst (Zenit)


• Anglicans face crucial choice, Vatican prelate says (CWNews)


• Acquittal in Nun’s Killing Provokes Outcry in Brazil (NY Times)


• Pope Benedict's Image Improves Following U.S. Visit (Pew Forum)


• Chinese orchestra plays Mozart at Vatican (CWNews)


• OHIO TEENAGERS GET 23 YEARS FOR ATTACKING PREGNANT GIRL, KILLING UNBORN BABY (Life News)


• CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Wisconsin U Student Senator Vandalizing Pro-Life Display of Crosses (Lifesite News)


• Sacrilegious Display Continues Disturbing Pattern of Hate at Rockford Abortuary (Lifesite News)

Select posts from the Catholic blogosphere:

• If Liberal Catholicism is Dead, then the Youth Killed It (AmP)


• FSSP Rome Parish Erected (NLM)


• Clericalism and other distortions (Curt Jester)


• The Saints and the Eucharist: St. Don Bosco (Catholic Mom in Hawaii)

Blog Spotlights:

• Dominican Liturgy by Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P. - a powerhouse blog for all things [Dominican] liturgical - from the Mass to Divine Office.


• Stuff Catholics Like...

This blog is about stuff Catholics like. Some of the stuff, like felt banners, Catholics shouldn’t like but do for reasons they will have to explain to God.

The purpose of this blog is to take a light-hearted look at Catholic things in a way that can be educational to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. If you tend to be easily “hurt” or “offended”, this is a good place to get over it.

If you have something that you think is good enough to be posted here, fill out our form. If we like it, we’ll publish it and give you credit.

Hat-tip on that last one: Mac at Mulier Fortis!
Te Deum Laudamus! Home

May - the Month of Mary

I am behind on many things, including photos which I have not had time to look at, much less edit. Posting will slow for a time so that I may catch up on things.

A blogger in Granada, Spain - Santiago Chiva, gets the hat-tip for sending this to me in the combox of the blogpost I made on Pope Benedict and the Holy Rosary. Watch this through to the end.



During the month of May, Fr. Perrone allows Grotto-goers to bring flowers to the sacristy to be put out next to the Blessed Mother statue. I first came to Grotto in May 2005 and didn't know why I kept seeing people drop flowers off at the sacristy door. I was touched deeply when I later learned about this practice which I'm sure Our Lady appreciates.

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Pentecost and Corpus Christi 2008: Orchestra Mass Notes

A picture taken by Joe Pizzimenti during rehearsal of Paul Paray's "Joan of Arc Mass" performed Easter 2007. Because the balcony is too small for orchestra and choir, it is normally not used during orchestra Masses. Rather, pews have been removed from the back on the main floor to create an area large enough for both. However, the orchestra was so large for the Paray Mass, the choir had to be upstairs with video feeds focused on Fr. Eduard Perrone - the conductor. It was a challenge, but worked out surprisingly well.

Assumption Grotto has two orchestra Masses forthcoming. One is scheduled on Pentecost at 9:30am (Tridentine), and the other is at Noon on Corpus Christi. I'm not sure if Father will move the Tridentine to the Noon Mass that day or not yet. Sometimes he does when it involves an orchestra Mass.

Here is the note from the Assumption Grotto website:

Masses for Pentecost Sunday and Corpus Christi Sunday:

For the solemnities of Pentecost (May 11) at the 9:30 a.m. Mass and for Corpus Christi (May 25) for the noon Mass, the choir and orchestra will perform the Mozart "Credo" Mass and five movements from Bach's Pentecost Cantatas (BWV 172, 74 and 34).

Fr. Perrone explains in the Sunday Pastor's column for May 4, 2008:

A musical note. The 9:30 a.m. Tridentine
Mass next Sunday, Pentecost, will feature
the lively music of Mozart’s Credo which
we sang last year for the first time. It is a
particularly joyful and lyrical Mass, well
suited to this day of rejoicing. But we are
also singing the praises of the Almighty
that day with the (rare for us) music of J.S.
Bach. He wrote some 200 cantatas for the
Church year, a handful of which are for
Pentecost Sunday. Although Bach was not
a Catholic yet he came out of the musical
and liturgical tradition invented by the
Catholic Church. There is nothing
Protestant in spirit about his festive
church music. In fact, it well expresses
the exuberance of the Church in the divine
outpouring of Pentecostal graces. If
you are looking for uplifting music to
express the joy of the Holy Spirit, I suggest
that you may well find it in the stirring
strains of Bach’s music.

Where is Assumption Grotto in Detroit?

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Pope Benedict on the Rosary

The other day, I suggested you watch EWTN when they would be covering the Holy Father praying the Rosary. As with most such events, the Pope had an address to fit the occasion. I was ablet to hear his complete address on EWTN in the evening when it was rebroadcast. Here is the news on it from CWNnews:

Pope sees revival of interest in Rosary
Rome, May. 5, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Rosary is "not some pious practice relegated to the past," Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) remarked on May 3. In fact, he observed, "the Rosary is experience what is almost a new springtime."

The Holy Father led the recitation of the Rosary in the basilica of St. Mary Major on Saturday evening, at the start of the month traditionally dedicated to Marian prayers and pilgrimages. The Pope said that in his mind, "May evenings call up pleasant memories of evening appointments to pay homage to the Virgin Mary."

Meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, the Pope continued, helps the faithful to "place Christ at the center." The mysteries themselves recall the central events of Christ's salvific mission. And when the prayers are said devoutly, they "contain the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the heart of each Hail Mary."

Continue reading Pope Benedict on the Rosary at CWNews...

The Rosary is scriptural and as our protestant brothers and sisters pick up on it, they are becoming devoted to it. To see how, go to the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary website's, "How to pray the Rosary" and click on the various mysteries to see just how scriptural it is.

Catholics don't worship Mary, as is often alleged. They merely look up to her and try to exemplify her extraordinary virtue. After all, God does not force us to do anything and allows us to use our free will, which is what Mary did when she said, "yes" to the Angel Gabriel. Jesus became Man after that, "fiat" (3rd decade of the Joyful Mysteries).


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