Shawn Tribe has a good post up on more renovations - something they cover periodically at the New Liturgical Movement.
You have to see these parishes and how they modifed the modern architecture into something about as traditional as they can get, given what they have to work with.
Deo Gratias!
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Excellent Podcast: St. Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist; Mass in Heaven?
I regret not having time to post more Corpus Christi photos today, but things are hectic at work and at home. Hopefully, I'll be able to post more tomorrow.
In the meanwhile, I would urge everyone to listen to this "Podcazt" by Fr .Z at his site. You don't need an IPOD and can listen to it right on your computer - even if you have dialup. Granted, you will need to download it at a time that you can just let it run - like overnight. They only come out once or twice weekly. Once you download it you could burn it to a CD if you have that capability so you can listen to it in the car while commuting.
I've listened to three thus far while working and th is particular one, I have already listened to twice, and will probably do so a third time with a notebook.
This particular topic and the way in which Fr. Zuhlsdorf covers it is intellectually stimulating while spiritually uplifting. Later in the segment Fr. Z addresses the question of whether we will have Mass in Heaven. The answer may surprise you.
Once you get to his post, you have several options from playing it in a popup window on your computer, to downloading it, or if you have an ipod, I strongly encourage you to subscribe to his "Podcazts"
It runs about 40-45 minutes which makes it perfect to listen to while you are doing something. If you actually have the time to just sit and listen, that is so much better. I've done it while driving with my iPod.
Here is a direct link to his post.
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
In the meanwhile, I would urge everyone to listen to this "Podcazt" by Fr .Z at his site. You don't need an IPOD and can listen to it right on your computer - even if you have dialup. Granted, you will need to download it at a time that you can just let it run - like overnight. They only come out once or twice weekly. Once you download it you could burn it to a CD if you have that capability so you can listen to it in the car while commuting.
I've listened to three thus far while working and th is particular one, I have already listened to twice, and will probably do so a third time with a notebook.
This particular topic and the way in which Fr. Zuhlsdorf covers it is intellectually stimulating while spiritually uplifting. Later in the segment Fr. Z addresses the question of whether we will have Mass in Heaven. The answer may surprise you.
Once you get to his post, you have several options from playing it in a popup window on your computer, to downloading it, or if you have an ipod, I strongly encourage you to subscribe to his "Podcazts"
It runs about 40-45 minutes which makes it perfect to listen to while you are doing something. If you actually have the time to just sit and listen, that is so much better. I've done it while driving with my iPod.
Here is a direct link to his post.
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Monday, June 11, 2007
Corpus Christi 2007 - Procession at Assumption Grotto
I decided to focus on capturing video of the Corpus Christi procession at Assumption Grotto this year, with the hopes of producing a short clip which captures the spirit of the day. It will be some time before I can release such a video as it will undergo much editing.
However, a good friend of Assumption Grotto, Michael Powell, whose wife and daughters are quite active at the parish, was kind enough to use his photography skills to capture still shots of the day. We start with the altars set up on the grounds of our parish.
We start with the procession toward's the first altar, which was set up on the south side of the cemetary.
More posts will be made when I receive additional photos.
Preliminary post on the Corpus Christi Procession at Assumption Grotto
Second post on the morning of Corpus Christi Sunday
Corpus Christi Procession at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte, MI
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
However, a good friend of Assumption Grotto, Michael Powell, whose wife and daughters are quite active at the parish, was kind enough to use his photography skills to capture still shots of the day. We start with the altars set up on the grounds of our parish.
We start with the procession toward's the first altar, which was set up on the south side of the cemetary.
Altar boys, wearing festive white cassocks and gold shoulder capes, lead the way.
A priest of Opus Angelorum is carrying the Monstrance. He is flanked by Fr. Eduard Perrone - the pastor of Assumption Grotto. Fr. Perrone had been conducting the symphony and choir at the Noon Mass, which ended just moments before these photos were taken.
Here, we see that on the other side of the OA priest, is Grotto's new Deacon, Jim Wilder.
The monstrance holding the Eucharist at the first altar.
More posts will be made when I receive additional photos.
Preliminary post on the Corpus Christi Procession at Assumption Grotto
Second post on the morning of Corpus Christi Sunday
Corpus Christi Procession at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte, MI
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Corpus Christi Procession - OLMC Wyandotte
OLMC Pastor, Fr. Walter Ptak is flanked by Deacon Richard Bloomfield as they sing Tantum Ergo, the 13th century hymn written by St. Thomas Aquinas. Benediction followed.
After a 40 year absence, the Corpus Christi outdoor Eucharistic procession was held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte, Michigan, the site of the Call to Holiness 2007 west side conference. Photos were received from Debbie Bloomfield, wife of Deacon Bloomfield.
The solemnity of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) was celebrated June 10th. This year, the old custom of an outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament was revived at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte . It had last been done 40 years ago. The attached pictures tell the story.
Head usher, Al Adamski leads the Corpus Christi Procession from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Wyandotte) followed by altar boys Martin Reed and Gabriel Huerta and banners from the parish societies.
Fr. Walter Ptak, pastor, carrying the Monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament (the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ) and Deacon Richard Bloomfield under the canopy carried by ushers and flanked by altar boys incensing and carrying torches, followed by parishioners coming from the church.
The procession included some of the children who made their First Holy Communion this spring (led by OLMC teacher Mrs. Michele Kooney). The choir and hundreds of parishioners followed the Blessed Sacrament in procession from the church, up Superior Boulevard to Eleventh Street and back along the boulevard to the Pope John Paul II Peace Garden …
More photos can be seen here at Picasa Web
Deo Gratias!
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Feast of Corpus Christi - Sunday
For from the rising of the sun to its settingmy name is great among the nations,
and in every place incense is offered to my name,
and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations,
says the LORD of hosts.
Like other areas of the world, the Feast of Corpus Christi was moved to Sunday for celebration in our area. At assumption Grotto this is marked by a wonderful procession through the grounds of the parish, which includes a cemetary in which there is.....a Grotto.
Corpus Christi Processions explained at The Real Presence website. Therea are notes for altar boys, for ushers, for organizers. Great set of info for anyone serious about having a Corpus Christi procession or just wanting to learn more about them.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Pray for Priests. In fact, adopt one - spiritually!
June 15 will mark the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which many associate with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
It is also a special day for those who have chosen to spiritually adopt a priest, seminarian, or bishop through a program run by the sisters of Opus Angelorum (OA), more formally referred to as the Society of Sisters of the Holy Cross. Those who have been to Assumption Grotto in Detroit, seeing "recognizable nuns", have seen the sisters of OA.
Each year, those who sign up for the spiritual adoption of priests program, receive a new card in the mail with the name of someone to pray for, and to make sacrifices for, throughout the year. Often times, it is a priest we do not know. They enclose some prayers and ideas on how to pray for the priest(s) on your list. If you have a priest in mind, or a seminarian, or discerning young man whom you want to pray for you may give them the information and they will assign him to you, perhaps along with another priest in their pool of names.
WHY PRAY FOR PRIESTS?
Along with many people who grew up in the 60's-90's, no one really talked about the need to pray for other souls. Most especially, no one ever taught me to pray for vocations, or for priests - not until someone in a Catholic forum sent me an email that read, "Hey - do you want to pray for a priest? I have a sister who is a sister there at Assumption Grotto, and she takes care of the spiritual adoption program of priests". That was the beginning. How do you decline such humble request?
That led me to ponder more about praying for priests over the last two years that I have participated. Why should I pray for priests?
Well, first of all I had to ask myself if I believed that my prayers and sacrifices could somehow help a priest. The answer was very simple. It takes faith to believe it will be so. Amen. I CAN and SHOULD pray for priests and place my trust in the Blessed Mother to manage and direct those prayers accordingly (my parish priests and OA priests who work there heavily advocate the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, whereby we do the "work" and let the Blessed Mother apply them where needed).
I probed my thoughts deeper once again: Why pray for priests?
ANGEL OF DARKNESS - STRATEGY OF DARKNESS
I believe in God. I believe God created spiritual beings - namely angels. I believe some of those angels turned on God and work very hard at using people's weaknesses to get them to do the same, through attachment to sin.
The Angel of Darkness has little need to meddle with a soul who is on a self-destructive path by his own choosing. He can win this single soul with little influence. However, if he can snare just one priest, preying on his weaknesses to get him to fall from grace, the Angel of Darkness not only wins control of this single soul, he gains access to the many with whom the priest has contact. It can lead to simple things like the bulk of a parish blowing off a little doctrine to fit their relativistic lifestyle.
One thing that leads me to accept this notion of demonic influence, is the example of many saints. The more holy they were, the greater their experience with temptations, and the Evil One himself. St. John Vianney comes to mind. More progressive people in the Church want to dismiss him as a nutcase, but the fruits of his work will not allow this. His was a life of sacrifice and for that he won many souls over to Christ often hearing confessions for 12 and 14 hours daily. His way of life proved that people respond to a priest in a confessional, but it must be aided with the kind of solid Catholic sermons that enable the faithful to probe their conscience. If they walk out, that's fine. They leave on account of their own pride, not Father's admonitions.
PRIESTS ARE NOT SAINTS!
Shocking isn't it: That the man with a Roman collar is actually human and susceptible to the effects of Original Sin? This does not excuse his behaviors because he is even more accountable than many by virtue of the knowledge he posseses. However, as many temptations as an ordinary soul may experience, how many more does a soul with the mark of the priesthood endure? It is that mark which draws fire. The Evil One sets that mark right in his cross-hairs. But, God gives priests graces to fulfill their vocation, just like a married couple is given the graces needed for theirs. However, both cases, they must be free from sin for those graces to be of full benefit.
The attacks may be subtle. Father may feel lonely and when a man feels lonely he may fall and seek it where Satan leads him. In fact, the Angel of Darkness may bring someone right to his door. Our prayers can give him strength and courage.
Father may become weary after putting in long hours - sometimes at multiple parishes, and often with people who complain without ceasing. In his weariness, he may neglect his prayers, or even be led to believe that the time is better spent on social needs. Some people have gone so far as to criticize Mother Teresa for the time she spent in prayer and not helping people. It is sad that these foolish people do not understand she would never have managed to accomplish all that she did, if it were not through the extraordinary, yet simple prayer-life she fulfilled each day, through a prolonged period of spiritual dryness. Rather than seek rest in prayer, Father may begin to seek that rest in worldly things, such as too much television. He may even begin to believe his job runs from 9:00am until 5:00pm.
Father may not see the need to get to know Our Lady, nor may he value Eucharistic Adoration. We must pray that he discovers the helpfulness of the Mother and the strength of the Son. If God could become the Word Incarnate, why then would we doubt his Divine Presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar? Pray that Father embraces Eucharistic and Marian Devotion. Pray a Rosary for a priest who is not praying it. Spend time in adoration for a priest who hasn't discovered the graces which spring from our Eucharistic Lord.
Priests and religious must seek comfort in God and in God alone. Our prayers can help Father to detach himself from the need for human comfort - even ordinary comfort which we all come to expect - so that he may pursue that comfort in God. That which seems humanly impossible becomes possible through grace. He will learn to recognize the opportunities the Lord presents him, to strengthen him, like gold is tested in fire. Holiness doesn't happen! It is a cooperative effort between a soul and his creator! But, grace obtained through his and our prayers can strengthen a priest's efforts and resolve.
HOLD A PRIEST UP THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS
Strengthen one priest through your prayers and sacrifices, and you will benefit hundreds of souls, if not thousands. Your prayers and sacrifices can strengthen Father to embrace the Sacrament of Penance the way few priests today emphasize in their parishes, and to teach his parish community to value it in a way that diminishes the subtle grip Satan has on his people.
Your prayers can shower other graces on your priest, such as courage to battle the worst temptations the Evil One can throw upon him. It can give him strength to perform his daily office faithfully, and the fortitude to preach the fullness of the faith without hesitation.
This says nothing of the fact that by virtue having the mark of the priesthood on his soul, he invites the cross into his daily life. He will walk the way of the cross each time he is calumniated for upholding the true faith and authentic moral code. He sacrifices popularity when he follows through with counter-cultural words and actions which are fully aligned with the Magisterium. He will have to stand like a warrior in the face of unimaginable attacks ordinary lay people can't even begin to fathom. All of it will test Father's resolve to die to self for the sake of Christ and His Church. His rewards are not of this world so we pray that he will stand as strong as the earliest Christians did in the face of physical martydom.
GREAT CONVERSIONS COME FROM PRAYER
When we think about priests with sinful pasts, whom do we think of first, if not St. Augustine? Where would he be without the prayers of his mother, St. Monica? We know St. Augustine for his great works, including his confessions. However, what if St. Augustine were living today - in the Internet age? Would fellow Catholics protest his call to be a priest based on his past life? Would the sordid details of his past life appear in the public media where people would form judgments upon him - something reserved only to God? Trial by Internet and lynchings by blog are common these days - without contemplating a little known sin called detraction. It is my prayer that priests in particular, will begin to challenge us Catholic bloggers to clear ourselves from participation of high-tech gossip.
I look at more modern day examples like that of Fr. John Corapi, SOLT and Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC. Their past-lives are well documented - by themselves, as are their conversion stories. Both of them have expressed the deep need for our continued prayers because temptations never cease - not until a tired body hits the grave. While Fr. Corapi credited his mother for prayers, I could not stop thinking about how Fr. Donald Calloway lamented "those Filipino women" who always seemed to be in Church. He said that every parish needs people like that. One of them first put the idea into his head about becoming a priest.
Less known to people, would be the example of Fr. Albert Lauer, deceased. He was a victim of namby-pamby seminary days, but he woke up and went on to do what some would consider miraculous. He WAS the loose priest many of us know who was lax on things like prayer and adoration, until he discovered them.
WHAT PRIESTS DO WE PRAY FOR?
First, we need to start with our own pastor and bishop. This is true if you are in a liturgical oasis with the finest liturgy and Catholic culture a parishioner could ask for. However, it also applies to those in parishes where the liturgy is less than ideal.
While we have a right to expect a liturgy as the Church intends us to have, we must always keep in mind that many, many priests have been "schooled" by a set of people who were misguided to say the least. Charity must lead the way to change. The more impossible a case may seem, the more need there is for prayer. Through Christ, and through love, mountains can be moved. But, it takes a submission of faith and patience for things to work in God's time, not ours. Aside from those in your parish, are those you encounter. Pray for those on TV and radio who aid your understanding of the faith. Pray for those who come to your parish for retreat and missions.
If you want to go the extra step, sign up for spiritual adoption of a priest through Opus Angelorum. Take the name of some unknown priest. It's easy to pray for a priest whom you like, or for one whom has helped you. But can you give your time to pray for a priest you don't know, don't like, or for a priest who has offended you in some way? Both are needed. We need to strengthen the good ones, and convert those in need of conversion.
Chalice of Strength
More Prayers for Priests (scroll down for links to these prayers)
More on Spiritual Adoption of Priests
A FINAL NOTE
Periodically, people send me things about this priest or that bishop, or a particular theologian or scholar - things that may amount to detraction . I refuse to use my blog for that kind of thing so save yourself the work of sending me those emails. God didn't give us the Internet to spread detraction against priests and others, nor to broadcast all of the dirty liturgical laundry we can find. People would do so much more for Holy Mother Church if they just went to an adoration chapel to make an act of reparation for what they come across. Some spend more time looking for the scandal of the day than they do in actual prayer. What compels us to seek out such things with what little time we have on the Internet, if not the effects of Original Sin?
If you want to do something constructive to help the Church don't waste time seeking or spreading the next outrageous liturgical abuse or scandal. Pray! Sacrifice! Fast! Help one priest and you help hundreds if not thousands of souls. It takes an act of faith, an act of hope, and an act of charity to do so. You must believe it will help because Our Lord said to ask and we shall receive. You must have hope that through Christ, all things are possible. You must do so because it is the charitable thing to do.
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
It is also a special day for those who have chosen to spiritually adopt a priest, seminarian, or bishop through a program run by the sisters of Opus Angelorum (OA), more formally referred to as the Society of Sisters of the Holy Cross. Those who have been to Assumption Grotto in Detroit, seeing "recognizable nuns", have seen the sisters of OA.
Each year, those who sign up for the spiritual adoption of priests program, receive a new card in the mail with the name of someone to pray for, and to make sacrifices for, throughout the year. Often times, it is a priest we do not know. They enclose some prayers and ideas on how to pray for the priest(s) on your list. If you have a priest in mind, or a seminarian, or discerning young man whom you want to pray for you may give them the information and they will assign him to you, perhaps along with another priest in their pool of names.
WHY PRAY FOR PRIESTS?
Along with many people who grew up in the 60's-90's, no one really talked about the need to pray for other souls. Most especially, no one ever taught me to pray for vocations, or for priests - not until someone in a Catholic forum sent me an email that read, "Hey - do you want to pray for a priest? I have a sister who is a sister there at Assumption Grotto, and she takes care of the spiritual adoption program of priests". That was the beginning. How do you decline such humble request?
That led me to ponder more about praying for priests over the last two years that I have participated. Why should I pray for priests?
Well, first of all I had to ask myself if I believed that my prayers and sacrifices could somehow help a priest. The answer was very simple. It takes faith to believe it will be so. Amen. I CAN and SHOULD pray for priests and place my trust in the Blessed Mother to manage and direct those prayers accordingly (my parish priests and OA priests who work there heavily advocate the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, whereby we do the "work" and let the Blessed Mother apply them where needed).
I probed my thoughts deeper once again: Why pray for priests?
ANGEL OF DARKNESS - STRATEGY OF DARKNESS
I believe in God. I believe God created spiritual beings - namely angels. I believe some of those angels turned on God and work very hard at using people's weaknesses to get them to do the same, through attachment to sin.
The Angel of Darkness has little need to meddle with a soul who is on a self-destructive path by his own choosing. He can win this single soul with little influence. However, if he can snare just one priest, preying on his weaknesses to get him to fall from grace, the Angel of Darkness not only wins control of this single soul, he gains access to the many with whom the priest has contact. It can lead to simple things like the bulk of a parish blowing off a little doctrine to fit their relativistic lifestyle.
One thing that leads me to accept this notion of demonic influence, is the example of many saints. The more holy they were, the greater their experience with temptations, and the Evil One himself. St. John Vianney comes to mind. More progressive people in the Church want to dismiss him as a nutcase, but the fruits of his work will not allow this. His was a life of sacrifice and for that he won many souls over to Christ often hearing confessions for 12 and 14 hours daily. His way of life proved that people respond to a priest in a confessional, but it must be aided with the kind of solid Catholic sermons that enable the faithful to probe their conscience. If they walk out, that's fine. They leave on account of their own pride, not Father's admonitions.
PRIESTS ARE NOT SAINTS!
Shocking isn't it: That the man with a Roman collar is actually human and susceptible to the effects of Original Sin? This does not excuse his behaviors because he is even more accountable than many by virtue of the knowledge he posseses. However, as many temptations as an ordinary soul may experience, how many more does a soul with the mark of the priesthood endure? It is that mark which draws fire. The Evil One sets that mark right in his cross-hairs. But, God gives priests graces to fulfill their vocation, just like a married couple is given the graces needed for theirs. However, both cases, they must be free from sin for those graces to be of full benefit.
The attacks may be subtle. Father may feel lonely and when a man feels lonely he may fall and seek it where Satan leads him. In fact, the Angel of Darkness may bring someone right to his door. Our prayers can give him strength and courage.
Father may become weary after putting in long hours - sometimes at multiple parishes, and often with people who complain without ceasing. In his weariness, he may neglect his prayers, or even be led to believe that the time is better spent on social needs. Some people have gone so far as to criticize Mother Teresa for the time she spent in prayer and not helping people. It is sad that these foolish people do not understand she would never have managed to accomplish all that she did, if it were not through the extraordinary, yet simple prayer-life she fulfilled each day, through a prolonged period of spiritual dryness. Rather than seek rest in prayer, Father may begin to seek that rest in worldly things, such as too much television. He may even begin to believe his job runs from 9:00am until 5:00pm.
Father may not see the need to get to know Our Lady, nor may he value Eucharistic Adoration. We must pray that he discovers the helpfulness of the Mother and the strength of the Son. If God could become the Word Incarnate, why then would we doubt his Divine Presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar? Pray that Father embraces Eucharistic and Marian Devotion. Pray a Rosary for a priest who is not praying it. Spend time in adoration for a priest who hasn't discovered the graces which spring from our Eucharistic Lord.
Priests and religious must seek comfort in God and in God alone. Our prayers can help Father to detach himself from the need for human comfort - even ordinary comfort which we all come to expect - so that he may pursue that comfort in God. That which seems humanly impossible becomes possible through grace. He will learn to recognize the opportunities the Lord presents him, to strengthen him, like gold is tested in fire. Holiness doesn't happen! It is a cooperative effort between a soul and his creator! But, grace obtained through his and our prayers can strengthen a priest's efforts and resolve.
HOLD A PRIEST UP THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS
Strengthen one priest through your prayers and sacrifices, and you will benefit hundreds of souls, if not thousands. Your prayers and sacrifices can strengthen Father to embrace the Sacrament of Penance the way few priests today emphasize in their parishes, and to teach his parish community to value it in a way that diminishes the subtle grip Satan has on his people.
Your prayers can shower other graces on your priest, such as courage to battle the worst temptations the Evil One can throw upon him. It can give him strength to perform his daily office faithfully, and the fortitude to preach the fullness of the faith without hesitation.
This says nothing of the fact that by virtue having the mark of the priesthood on his soul, he invites the cross into his daily life. He will walk the way of the cross each time he is calumniated for upholding the true faith and authentic moral code. He sacrifices popularity when he follows through with counter-cultural words and actions which are fully aligned with the Magisterium. He will have to stand like a warrior in the face of unimaginable attacks ordinary lay people can't even begin to fathom. All of it will test Father's resolve to die to self for the sake of Christ and His Church. His rewards are not of this world so we pray that he will stand as strong as the earliest Christians did in the face of physical martydom.
GREAT CONVERSIONS COME FROM PRAYER
When we think about priests with sinful pasts, whom do we think of first, if not St. Augustine? Where would he be without the prayers of his mother, St. Monica? We know St. Augustine for his great works, including his confessions. However, what if St. Augustine were living today - in the Internet age? Would fellow Catholics protest his call to be a priest based on his past life? Would the sordid details of his past life appear in the public media where people would form judgments upon him - something reserved only to God? Trial by Internet and lynchings by blog are common these days - without contemplating a little known sin called detraction. It is my prayer that priests in particular, will begin to challenge us Catholic bloggers to clear ourselves from participation of high-tech gossip.
I look at more modern day examples like that of Fr. John Corapi, SOLT and Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC. Their past-lives are well documented - by themselves, as are their conversion stories. Both of them have expressed the deep need for our continued prayers because temptations never cease - not until a tired body hits the grave. While Fr. Corapi credited his mother for prayers, I could not stop thinking about how Fr. Donald Calloway lamented "those Filipino women" who always seemed to be in Church. He said that every parish needs people like that. One of them first put the idea into his head about becoming a priest.
Less known to people, would be the example of Fr. Albert Lauer, deceased. He was a victim of namby-pamby seminary days, but he woke up and went on to do what some would consider miraculous. He WAS the loose priest many of us know who was lax on things like prayer and adoration, until he discovered them.
WHAT PRIESTS DO WE PRAY FOR?
First, we need to start with our own pastor and bishop. This is true if you are in a liturgical oasis with the finest liturgy and Catholic culture a parishioner could ask for. However, it also applies to those in parishes where the liturgy is less than ideal.
While we have a right to expect a liturgy as the Church intends us to have, we must always keep in mind that many, many priests have been "schooled" by a set of people who were misguided to say the least. Charity must lead the way to change. The more impossible a case may seem, the more need there is for prayer. Through Christ, and through love, mountains can be moved. But, it takes a submission of faith and patience for things to work in God's time, not ours. Aside from those in your parish, are those you encounter. Pray for those on TV and radio who aid your understanding of the faith. Pray for those who come to your parish for retreat and missions.
If you want to go the extra step, sign up for spiritual adoption of a priest through Opus Angelorum. Take the name of some unknown priest. It's easy to pray for a priest whom you like, or for one whom has helped you. But can you give your time to pray for a priest you don't know, don't like, or for a priest who has offended you in some way? Both are needed. We need to strengthen the good ones, and convert those in need of conversion.
Chalice of Strength
More Prayers for Priests (scroll down for links to these prayers)
More on Spiritual Adoption of Priests
A FINAL NOTE
Periodically, people send me things about this priest or that bishop, or a particular theologian or scholar - things that may amount to detraction . I refuse to use my blog for that kind of thing so save yourself the work of sending me those emails. God didn't give us the Internet to spread detraction against priests and others, nor to broadcast all of the dirty liturgical laundry we can find. People would do so much more for Holy Mother Church if they just went to an adoration chapel to make an act of reparation for what they come across. Some spend more time looking for the scandal of the day than they do in actual prayer. What compels us to seek out such things with what little time we have on the Internet, if not the effects of Original Sin?
If you want to do something constructive to help the Church don't waste time seeking or spreading the next outrageous liturgical abuse or scandal. Pray! Sacrifice! Fast! Help one priest and you help hundreds if not thousands of souls. It takes an act of faith, an act of hope, and an act of charity to do so. You must believe it will help because Our Lord said to ask and we shall receive. You must have hope that through Christ, all things are possible. You must do so because it is the charitable thing to do.
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Sunny skies, 80F, predicted for Corpus Christi here in Detroit
If you have been thinking of commuting to Assumption Grotto for the day, this Sunday would be one day to do it!
You have until noon to get there (but it is wise on such feast days to get there 30 minutes earlier for decent parking).
It will start with an Orchestra Mass at Noon. It will lead into a grand outdoor procession that will run until mid-afternoon.
Processions are beginning to take hold in parts all across the globe as younger people discover the graces - the graces many older people have always cherished. Don't do this for yourself because this would self-centered. Rather, make the day God-centered and GIVE your time to Our Lord in adoration for a few hours.
We think nothing of going to birthday parties, graduation parties and the like - for those people. But when it comes to religious activities we often take stock of what they do for us and if we don't feel like going, or if we don't feel it brings us some kind of benefit, we skip it (and I'm guilty of this myself before Assumption Grotto's priests and culture set me straight).
The best prayer is one in which we ask for nothing, but merely give of ourselves to God.
Come to Assumption Grotto on Corpus Christi and give God some extra time and attention.
Corpus Christi 2006 Post 5
Corpus Christi 2006 Post 6
I'll leave you with this fantastic video called, God in the Streets of New York. It is of a recent Eucharistic Procession and I believe it is the order of Fr. Benedict Groeschel leading the way. While our procession is on the grounds of Assumption Grotto and not through the city (which requires permits), it is the point of giving God the time that matters. If you cannot make it to Assumption Grotto, then take advantage of one of many around the country. Call your diocese and ask where the processions are. Call your parish and ask that you and your parishioners have access to a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi.
Bring back Eucharistic Processions!!!
If you know of a Eucharistic Procession taking place somewhere in the world this weekend, list it here so others may go. Put it in the combox.
Here is one: Feast of Corpus Christi takes to south, Kansas City Streets
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You have until noon to get there (but it is wise on such feast days to get there 30 minutes earlier for decent parking).
It will start with an Orchestra Mass at Noon. It will lead into a grand outdoor procession that will run until mid-afternoon.
Processions are beginning to take hold in parts all across the globe as younger people discover the graces - the graces many older people have always cherished. Don't do this for yourself because this would self-centered. Rather, make the day God-centered and GIVE your time to Our Lord in adoration for a few hours.
We think nothing of going to birthday parties, graduation parties and the like - for those people. But when it comes to religious activities we often take stock of what they do for us and if we don't feel like going, or if we don't feel it brings us some kind of benefit, we skip it (and I'm guilty of this myself before Assumption Grotto's priests and culture set me straight).
The best prayer is one in which we ask for nothing, but merely give of ourselves to God.
Come to Assumption Grotto on Corpus Christi and give God some extra time and attention.
Corpus Christi 2006 Post 5
Corpus Christi 2006 Post 6
I'll leave you with this fantastic video called, God in the Streets of New York. It is of a recent Eucharistic Procession and I believe it is the order of Fr. Benedict Groeschel leading the way. While our procession is on the grounds of Assumption Grotto and not through the city (which requires permits), it is the point of giving God the time that matters. If you cannot make it to Assumption Grotto, then take advantage of one of many around the country. Call your diocese and ask where the processions are. Call your parish and ask that you and your parishioners have access to a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi.
Bring back Eucharistic Processions!!!
If you know of a Eucharistic Procession taking place somewhere in the world this weekend, list it here so others may go. Put it in the combox.
Here is one: Feast of Corpus Christi takes to south, Kansas City Streets
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
"I don't personally believe in abortion, but...."
A bishop with backbone, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, stood up to Rudy Giuliani for a position commonly held by pro-choice pols. As you read the article you will see just how easy it is to clearly and briefly articulate church teaching. It's really quite simple.
I'll get you started here and you can follow the link to Zenit for the rest.
Go to Zenit.org for Prelate Blasts Rudy Giuliani
Incidentally, lightening struck the building just as Rudy Giuliani was explaining his position on abortion. The American Papist has it covered, along with a video clip from YouTube. That's two strikes. We can only pray that Mr. Giuliani is getting the message loud and clear.
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
I'll get you started here and you can follow the link to Zenit for the rest.
Code: ZE07060515
Date: 2007-06-05
Providence Prelate Blasts Giuliani
Calls His Abortion Stance "Pathetic"
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, JUNE 5, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Thomas Tobin blasted Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani in the Rhode Island Catholic newspaper, calling the former New York mayor's position on abortion "pathetic and confusing" and "hypocritical."
In a column published Thursday, Bishop Tobin spoke out against the candidate's positions, citing a speech Giuliani gave at Houston Baptist College.
Giuliani said he believes abortion is morally wrong but that the viewpoints of those who think it is right must be respected.
Bishop Tobin wrote: "Rudy's explanation is a classic expression of the position on abortion we've heard from weak-kneed politicians so frequently in recent years:
Go to Zenit.org for Prelate Blasts Rudy Giuliani
Incidentally, lightening struck the building just as Rudy Giuliani was explaining his position on abortion. The American Papist has it covered, along with a video clip from YouTube. That's two strikes. We can only pray that Mr. Giuliani is getting the message loud and clear.
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
A Marriage at Assumption Grotto
Molly Murphy and Jason Kucel - May 26, 2007
I've long wanted to capture more of sacramental life at Assumption Grotto, but just have not had not gotten around to it. The very sacraments I've participated in and witnessed, are so different from what I grew up with in the 70's and 80's. I feel it is well worth sharing. I never cease to be surpised with ordinary life at this great parish. I've experienced many weddings at Catholic parishes in my lifetime. However, I have NEVER been to a wholly Catholic wedding until just over a week ago.
A member of the Assumption Grotto Choir - Jason, who has also been active in the music program at Grotto in a variety of other ways, was married on Memorial Day weekend. The choir sang, so I was there singing, as well as taking photos for Fr. Euteneuer's visit. I decided to take a few wedding shots from the balcony. This photo is still undergoing some editing and the camera in the foreground will disappear eventually. Jason and Molly gave their permission for me to post their photo, to use their names, and to use the sermon provided by Fr. Perrone.
In the photo above, the couple gazes upon the Body of Christ just moments after they were united in sacramental marriage. May they always bring themselves back before the Lord with thanksgiving for the many blessings they will receive in their marriage. And, may they always bring themselves before Him, together, with their trials and difficulties. Spending time in adoration rains down graces to embrace and endure all that God wills for them to experience. It leads a humble human to meditate on sacrifice - something that is very unpopular to even mention today, yet so necessary for a successful marriage.
Below is a solid Catholic wedding sermon. There is a good deal of catechesis involved. The sermon is something all married couples should ponder, as well as those who will some day enter marriage. There are some things for all of us to reflect on, as well. The emphases in bold are mine...
May 26, 2007, Sermon of Rev. Eduard Perrone
The festivity of a church wedding has remained, even in our very non-religious time, a very desirable and impressive thing. Everybody puts forth his finest efforts to make this an impressive and memorable event. The detailed preparations made for this day are now unfolding as the day moves on.
In the midst of all those matters of dress and ceremony and protocol, there is a very brief moment of absolute significance, a moment without which all this pomp and display would be entirely vain, empty and thus, ultimately, meaningless. I speak of that great but ever so swift ‘happening’ that’s about to take place in just a moment from now: the exchange of the wedding vows. It’s all so simple and unostentatious at one might easily overlook it. It’s the moment of the “I do” when–invisibly to all of us who are intently looking-on–a transformation will take place.
We call it marriage, a uniting of two persons in an unseen but essential change, whereby they are made one thing: a married couple. ‘Looks’ can’t inform us about it. By human nature, Jason and Molly will appear to be every bit the same after as before their vows. But what a deception. An act of God almighty will be worked in their souls that will change them, and raise them to a new height of status, dignity and holiness.
If I may, I would liken this to the sacramental action of the Mass itself: bread and wine remain what they are only until the priest’s transforming words make something new out of them, so that they become the true flesh and blood of the Lord. Marriage, as you know, is one of the Sacraments. It produces a change, an interior change that’s substantial. Surely, married couples remain who they are and don’t become someone else than who they were. But between the two of them there comes to exist something that did not exist before. They become a couple.
I said that they remain, as individuals, the same after as before the vows. This is true in one sense, but not in another. What stays the same is obvious in their looks and personalities. What can and should change is the manner in which the Sacramental union affects each of the individuals. God’s grace should make them grow in such a way that the good of what they already are should increase and the bad points (dare I even mention imperfections?) about what they are should diminish. This is not a magical change of course, even though the Sacrament itself makes its change infallibly. These secondary and enhancing effects of matrimony’s grace happen only as they become willing partners with God’s grace.
Now there are three words that stood out in the readings Jason and Molly selected for the wedding Mass that could be taken as their life’s plan for making the grace of their marriage work. Here they are: virtue, order, love. Just a brief word about each one:
1. Virtue. Here’s a reminder of what you already heard from the first bible reading: “The beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.” A happy marriage has a certain ‘radiance’ about it, a kind of pleasant light. Where does that light come from? We can say, of course, that it comes from God, or from His grace–true–but that’s too broad a cause. The radiance of a happy marriage comes from virtue. The word of God calls virtue a form of beauty. One can’t mistake it when looking upon someone whose life has been formed by virtue. They’re beautiful! And we are drawn to them because of this spiritual kind of beauty that shines through their eyes and graces their speech. With God’s grace behind them, Jason and Molly can be beautiful through the goodness of their lives.
2. The second word comes the second reading. It is Order. That word may sound a little cold, ‘order’–but it’s something that a good marriage can’t be without. Order is where there’s a structure, a hierarchy, an ordering of things in life according to their rightful place. Here’s the biblical and theological right ordering–what we would call priorities. Christ should reign supreme over all. (In effect that means ‘the Catholic faith.’ Nothing should even take precedence over it.) The husband is then head of his wife and over his household in his responsible role as leader. His wife is subordinate to him. Their children, subordinate to their parents. All other matters, interests and concerns take their place after these. This order, when it is motivated by faith and exercised in charity makes for marital happiness. Dis-order, or bad structuring, brings on martial sadness and misery. Subverting this right structure has been the ruin of many marriages and the cause of much suffering, spiritual and emotional.
3. The last word is Love–a word one can never omit when speaking about marriage. Too often, however, the singular emphasis of that word is on the couple’s mutual love. The biblical understanding is much more comprehensive than that. Love is first the love of God, of the Church, of the Catholic faith, and then love for others. The teaching of our Lord in this Gospel specifies what this loving of God means. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Love, according to the doctrine of Christ, then is interchangeable with obedience to the commandments. No sentimentalism here in the doctrine of Christ’s love!
So we have three concrete ways for Jason and Molly to grow in the matrimonial grace that will receive momentarily. By choosing the ways of virtue, order and charity they will show themselves very wise in the ways of God. They will also find themselves undergoing a wonderful change. By them, they will become a happy and holy married couple–and, we pray–family. May our Lord and our Blessed Mother grant them the things they have so prudently identified as the program for their married life!
Deo Gratias!
May 26, 2007, Sermon of Rev. Eduard Perrone
The festivity of a church wedding has remained, even in our very non-religious time, a very desirable and impressive thing. Everybody puts forth his finest efforts to make this an impressive and memorable event. The detailed preparations made for this day are now unfolding as the day moves on.
In the midst of all those matters of dress and ceremony and protocol, there is a very brief moment of absolute significance, a moment without which all this pomp and display would be entirely vain, empty and thus, ultimately, meaningless. I speak of that great but ever so swift ‘happening’ that’s about to take place in just a moment from now: the exchange of the wedding vows. It’s all so simple and unostentatious at one might easily overlook it. It’s the moment of the “I do” when–invisibly to all of us who are intently looking-on–a transformation will take place.
We call it marriage, a uniting of two persons in an unseen but essential change, whereby they are made one thing: a married couple. ‘Looks’ can’t inform us about it. By human nature, Jason and Molly will appear to be every bit the same after as before their vows. But what a deception. An act of God almighty will be worked in their souls that will change them, and raise them to a new height of status, dignity and holiness.
If I may, I would liken this to the sacramental action of the Mass itself: bread and wine remain what they are only until the priest’s transforming words make something new out of them, so that they become the true flesh and blood of the Lord. Marriage, as you know, is one of the Sacraments. It produces a change, an interior change that’s substantial. Surely, married couples remain who they are and don’t become someone else than who they were. But between the two of them there comes to exist something that did not exist before. They become a couple.
I said that they remain, as individuals, the same after as before the vows. This is true in one sense, but not in another. What stays the same is obvious in their looks and personalities. What can and should change is the manner in which the Sacramental union affects each of the individuals. God’s grace should make them grow in such a way that the good of what they already are should increase and the bad points (dare I even mention imperfections?) about what they are should diminish. This is not a magical change of course, even though the Sacrament itself makes its change infallibly. These secondary and enhancing effects of matrimony’s grace happen only as they become willing partners with God’s grace.
Now there are three words that stood out in the readings Jason and Molly selected for the wedding Mass that could be taken as their life’s plan for making the grace of their marriage work. Here they are: virtue, order, love. Just a brief word about each one:
1. Virtue. Here’s a reminder of what you already heard from the first bible reading: “The beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.” A happy marriage has a certain ‘radiance’ about it, a kind of pleasant light. Where does that light come from? We can say, of course, that it comes from God, or from His grace–true–but that’s too broad a cause. The radiance of a happy marriage comes from virtue. The word of God calls virtue a form of beauty. One can’t mistake it when looking upon someone whose life has been formed by virtue. They’re beautiful! And we are drawn to them because of this spiritual kind of beauty that shines through their eyes and graces their speech. With God’s grace behind them, Jason and Molly can be beautiful through the goodness of their lives.
2. The second word comes the second reading. It is Order. That word may sound a little cold, ‘order’–but it’s something that a good marriage can’t be without. Order is where there’s a structure, a hierarchy, an ordering of things in life according to their rightful place. Here’s the biblical and theological right ordering–what we would call priorities. Christ should reign supreme over all. (In effect that means ‘the Catholic faith.’ Nothing should even take precedence over it.) The husband is then head of his wife and over his household in his responsible role as leader. His wife is subordinate to him. Their children, subordinate to their parents. All other matters, interests and concerns take their place after these. This order, when it is motivated by faith and exercised in charity makes for marital happiness. Dis-order, or bad structuring, brings on martial sadness and misery. Subverting this right structure has been the ruin of many marriages and the cause of much suffering, spiritual and emotional.
3. The last word is Love–a word one can never omit when speaking about marriage. Too often, however, the singular emphasis of that word is on the couple’s mutual love. The biblical understanding is much more comprehensive than that. Love is first the love of God, of the Church, of the Catholic faith, and then love for others. The teaching of our Lord in this Gospel specifies what this loving of God means. “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” Love, according to the doctrine of Christ, then is interchangeable with obedience to the commandments. No sentimentalism here in the doctrine of Christ’s love!
So we have three concrete ways for Jason and Molly to grow in the matrimonial grace that will receive momentarily. By choosing the ways of virtue, order and charity they will show themselves very wise in the ways of God. They will also find themselves undergoing a wonderful change. By them, they will become a happy and holy married couple–and, we pray–family. May our Lord and our Blessed Mother grant them the things they have so prudently identified as the program for their married life!
Deo Gratias!
Cardinal Pell and the Oath of Fidelity for School Principals
Isn't this about time!!! From the land of "down under", we have good news. We will add Cardinal Pell to our Bishops with Backbone list.
If school officials can't sign it, they shouldn't be teaching in a Catholic institution, or be in a position of authority.
Read on...
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
If school officials can't sign it, they shouldn't be teaching in a Catholic institution, or be in a position of authority.
Read on...
Linda Morris Religious Affairs Reporter
The Sydney Morning Herald
June 4, 2007
THE Catholic archdiocese of Sydney wants its 167 school principals, its deputy principals and religious education co-ordinators to publicly commit to a "vow of fidelity" by adhering to church teaching on homosexuality, birth control and women's ordination.
In a first for the Australian church, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, is set to extend the oath of fidelity and profession of faith, a requirement of church law for bishops, priests and heads of seminaries, to all senior educational leaders.
The oath demands "religious submission of intellect and will" on questions of faith and morals - even if these are inferred but not defined by the pope and his bishops - and an acceptance that everything solemnly taught by church tradition is divinely inspired.
It suggests they would be bound not only to impart these teachings but to live by them.The controversial requirement is contained in a draft pastoral plan circulated to all parishes of the Sydney archdiocese for comment. The plan, at least two years in the drafting, gives a series of priorities, goals and strategies for the archdiocese from 2008 to 2011.
Among its other new measures are marriage preparation classes for senior secondary school students, twice-yearly reviews of its educational bodies, and forums so Catholic politicians can be updated on church teachings.
There will also be renewed efforts to teach youth about "sexuality and life issues" through formal courses and seminars, and measures to bring in to the fold young people inspired by next year's World Youth Day.
Cardinal Pell has taken an intense interest in Catholic education, ordering the rewriting of the religious education curriculum, and aiming to turn around Catholic thinking that faith is caught, not taught.
The oath has symbolic value as a public commitment to the moral teachings and identity of the church and is not an attempt at control, the archdiocese says.
But a recent Vatican push to institute an oath for theologians in the US was greeted as an attack on academic independence and an attempt to impose tighter doctrinal controls over education institutions connected to the church.
One critic of the archdiocese's plan says it contains "shades of the Opus Dei", the Spanish-founded conservative Christian movement that achieved notoriety as the villain of the fictional bestseller The Da Vinci Code.Writing for the online magazine Catholica, a Sydney priest, Father Dan Donovan, said the plan needed a serious rewrite and failed to take note of the "infiltration" of Opus Dei and the Neocatechumenal Way, a lay movement that heads the turbulent Redfern parish.
In addition, the plan lacked a suitable process for "critiquing structures and providing just outcomes, and was directed to the needs of clergy and not churchgoers", he said.
"There must be developed a listening hierarchy who are able to connect with the broad masses of the faithful and their issues rather than endorsing the agenda of the various movements."
The Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous said the oath would act as a reminder to educational leaders of their role in promoting church teachings.
"It's not about control," he said. "The oath gives greater clarity to the importance of the role of principals in schools, that their first responsibility is that the Catholic faith is taught and lived authentically within the school.
"Anybody who speaks in a Catholic education institution is meant to be presenting the Catholic faith in its integrity. There can be a place for theologians to make explorations of criticism, but in teaching positions the role is to very much be faithful to the teaching of the church."
[Source]
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Monday, June 4, 2007
Thanks Mom! For the gift of Life
Today, June 4, is my birthday. I wouldn't advertise if the cat hadn't gotten out of the bag with the choir (thanks, Nancy!). There is a tradition within the Assumption Grotto choir to sing a beautifully harmonized, "Happy Birthday" to those who are "lucky" enough to have their birthday known. There was one exception the last time Fr. Perrone's birthday came around and the choir fell into total "disharmony" in a way that probably had our beloved pastor's musical ears damaged for life. Actually, we were just trying desensitize him to our more subtle - and not so subtle - mistakes during Mass. I got my birthday song two minutes before Mass as the choir worked their way from the school over to the Church.
Some people I know get depressed on their birthday. I don't go there. Rather, I am grateful for every year the Lord gives me to work the kinks out of the life he has given me, to his glory.
Most of all, I thank my mother for choosing life - my life!
EDIT: I managed to take a little of that unpaid overtime back from work and made it into the adoration chapel at Grotto this afternoon. Rather than think about age, I pondered life itself and the many graces I have had just to be born, and to be born with a family that embraced Christ. Afterwards, I followed through with something I said I was going to do on my birthday: I bought mom a dozen roses for giving me the gift of life. I had heard that a bishop did this every year, but I can't remember who. Was it Archbishop Chaput? Does anyone remember hearing about this? Well, I propose we could start a new pro-life tradition and for those who can, buy your mother a dozen roses on YOUR birthday.
I would like to share, this day, a reading from a wonderful book I picked up at the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop. I took the last one and Cathy was going to order more, so if you want it and don't see it, ask her about it. For those who cannot get to the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop, you can get it from a number of sources, including Amazon.
Some people I know get depressed on their birthday. I don't go there. Rather, I am grateful for every year the Lord gives me to work the kinks out of the life he has given me, to his glory.
Most of all, I thank my mother for choosing life - my life!
EDIT: I managed to take a little of that unpaid overtime back from work and made it into the adoration chapel at Grotto this afternoon. Rather than think about age, I pondered life itself and the many graces I have had just to be born, and to be born with a family that embraced Christ. Afterwards, I followed through with something I said I was going to do on my birthday: I bought mom a dozen roses for giving me the gift of life. I had heard that a bishop did this every year, but I can't remember who. Was it Archbishop Chaput? Does anyone remember hearing about this? Well, I propose we could start a new pro-life tradition and for those who can, buy your mother a dozen roses on YOUR birthday.
I would like to share, this day, a reading from a wonderful book I picked up at the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop. I took the last one and Cathy was going to order more, so if you want it and don't see it, ask her about it. For those who cannot get to the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop, you can get it from a number of sources, including Amazon.
This book carries a reading for each day from the writings of Pope Benedict XVI and is put out by Magnificat. Here is today's reading (and I'll have to correct typo's later as I must get off to work).
June 4: Liturgy as our Bond with Heaven
The beginning of the Gospel stands for the whole; uttering it, one is as it were sending out the breath of the Holy Spirit to engage the four winds, pervading them and turning them to good. The world is thus declared to be the realm of God's creative word; matter subordinated to the power of his Spirit. For matter too is his creation and hence the sphere of his gracious power.
Ultimately we receive the very bread of the earth from his hands. How beautifully the new eucharistic bread imparts its blessings to the daily bread, and each loaf of the latter silently points to him who wished to be the bread of us all.
So the liturgy opens out into everyday life, into our earthly life and cares; it goes beyond the church precincts because it actually embraces heaven and earth, present and future. Howe we need this sign!Liturgy is not the private hobby of a particular group; it is about the bond which holds heaven and earth together, it is about the human race and the entire created world. In the Corpus Christi procession, faith's link with the earth, with the whole of reality, is represented "in bodily form," by the act of walking, of treading the ground, our ground.
CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION AT GROTTO
I'll use this opporuntity to remind you about Assumption Grotto's Corpus Christi procession, which will take place outdoors following the noon Orchestra mass, weather permitting. Next to August 15th, this is one of the finest days for a one-tank drive to Assumption Grotto. It should all end by 3:00 leaving plenty of time for a commute home the same day.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
A Celebration in Honor of the 60th Anniversary of the late Fr. John A. Hardon's Priestly Ordination
I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago and there was so much going on, it slipped past me. My apologies to those who sent it to me.
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., who spent his final years with an office on the grounds of Assumption Grotto parish in Detroit, will be honored on the 60th Anniversary of his priestly ordination. It will take place on June 16th, 2007 at Columbiere Jesuit Retirement Center Chapel.
However, they are asking that you reserve a place for the talk that follows by Monday, June 4, which is tomorrow. To RSVP, please call 248-549-9332 or 586-306-2780.
It all begins at 6:15pm with a Rosary procession to the graveside of Fr. Hardon (weather permitting), followed by a Sunday Vigil Mass at 7:00, then a talk at 8:45pm by Ms. Constance Cumbey, entitled, "My encounter with Fr. Hardon"
See this PDF file at the website of Assumption Grotto for a detailed flyer.
For more information on the great theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, follow these links:
St. John Hardon? (National Catholic Register)
The Real Presence Association (writings of Fr. Hardon)
Marian Catechists
Eternal Life Catechetical Materials
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., who spent his final years with an office on the grounds of Assumption Grotto parish in Detroit, will be honored on the 60th Anniversary of his priestly ordination. It will take place on June 16th, 2007 at Columbiere Jesuit Retirement Center Chapel.
However, they are asking that you reserve a place for the talk that follows by Monday, June 4, which is tomorrow. To RSVP, please call 248-549-9332 or 586-306-2780.
It all begins at 6:15pm with a Rosary procession to the graveside of Fr. Hardon (weather permitting), followed by a Sunday Vigil Mass at 7:00, then a talk at 8:45pm by Ms. Constance Cumbey, entitled, "My encounter with Fr. Hardon"
See this PDF file at the website of Assumption Grotto for a detailed flyer.
For more information on the great theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, follow these links:
St. John Hardon? (National Catholic Register)
The Real Presence Association (writings of Fr. Hardon)
Marian Catechists
Eternal Life Catechetical Materials
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Motu Proprio News and Archbishop Burke in the News
Yet another interview out of a high-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is saying "it won't be much longer". Fr. Zuhlsdorf has translated the question and answer from Avvenire - the official newspaper of the Italian Bishop's Conference
In other news about Archbishop Burke, is a pretty good rebuttal for an article in the Washingtom times which had the Archbishop looking like some kind of fanatic. I was disgusted with the article myself and did not post it here because it was typical mainstream media disinformation and distortion of Catholicism.
The article is by Michael Chapman and was carried on Lifenews.com on May 28, 2007. It is appropriately entitled:
So much disinformation is spread by the ignorance of basic catechism, and Chapman nails it. The Archbishop is not expressing his views. The Archbishop did not write laws which are unpopular to secular society. He is merely taking proper steps to not only teach his flock right from wrong, but holding himself accountable for the souls in his care, by not neglecting this part of the job. God gave us the 10 commandments, which many treat as the 10 suggestions. Jesus challenged us to be counter-cultural and when a bishop is acting against popular culture with Church teaching leading the way, we know he is doing his job. It's when bishops are silent and not wanting to make waves, that things get scary.
This would be a good time to review the recent sermon by Fr. Perrone which I have entitled, "Whose Church is it anyway?"
Deo Gratias!
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
[Q]And the long-anticipated Motu Proprio which would derestrict the use of the so-called Missale of St. Pius V, at what point is it?Also of interest, and the subject of many Catholic blogposts, are some forthcoming ordinations of men from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest at the Cathedral-Basilica in St. Louis. What is of interest here is that these are the first from this order to be ordained in the US, and it will be done at the Cathedral by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.
[Bertone]I believe we won’t have to wait much longer to see it published. The Pope is personally interested that this happen. He will explain it in his accompanying letter, hoping for a serene reception.
First Priestly Ordinations of the Institute in the United States
On June 15th, 2007, His Grace Archbishop Raymond Burke will ordain two deacons of the Institute to the priesthood. The ordination will take place at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis at 1:00 pm. This will mark the first priestly ordinations of the Institute to be conducted in the United States. All are invited to attend.
In other news about Archbishop Burke, is a pretty good rebuttal for an article in the Washingtom times which had the Archbishop looking like some kind of fanatic. I was disgusted with the article myself and did not post it here because it was typical mainstream media disinformation and distortion of Catholicism.
The article is by Michael Chapman and was carried on Lifenews.com on May 28, 2007. It is appropriately entitled:
Washington Post Displays Anti-Catholic Bias Slamming Bishop on Abortion
It never ceases to amaze me to see how ignorant The Washington Post is about Catholic teaching---the latest example being staff writer Peter Slevin's liberally biased slam against Archbishop Raymond Burke on p. A2 of the May 29 edition.
The ignorance (or anti-Catholicism?) is clear in the very first sentence, which is false, in the first paragraph.
"When it comes to expressing his views of church values, Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke has a habit of making headlines, not always to the satisfaction of his flock," writes Slevin.
These are not, of course, "his views." They are the views and stipulations of the Catholic Catechism, the Code of Canon Law, and numerous papal encyclicals that often teach definitively on certain matters. Slevin apparently never cracked the Catechism, and he apparently never Googled it becasue it is online, as is the Vatican, with all the relevant documents.
Archbishop Burke has spoken out against abortion; against politicians who support abortion; against entertainers who support anti-Catholic teachings but also want to perform at Catholic functions; against using embryonic stem cells for research; and so on. And this is what apparently ticks Slevin and his editors off: A Catholic Bishop who actually tells his flock the Truth about Catholic teaching and how Catholics must strive to seek holiness and save their souls.
Slevin further reveals his ignorance and liberal bias by relying on several liberal and wayward Catholics to comment on Archbishop Burke.
For instance, Slevin calls on Geri Redden, "a pro-choice former Catholic" to tell Post readers that Burke is "archaic and kind of an embarrassment. He seems to think he is back in the old days when he could really tell people how to live their lives."
Hmm. It seems that the same could be said of Jesus Christ; he was "archaic ... old days" and He actually did "tell people how to live their lives." Sorry to disappoint Redden and The Post but that is what Christianity is all about: following the teachings of Jesus Christ as given to the world by Him, the apostles, and the Bible.
Slevin also relies on wayward Catholic Rep. David Obey (D-WI), who, in one of his essays, says that Archbishop Burke threatened "to use his ecclesiastical authority to punish me if I did not conform my voting record to his view of what Catholic dogma required." Again, "his view"? Apparently, the fine Congressman Obey doesn't know his basic Catechism either.
Slevin and his Post editors could have easily found many solid, faithful, honest and straightforward bishops and priests and laity to comment on Archbishop Burke and the Church's moral teaching. But they didn't.
They went the liberally biased route and left the false impression that religious figures are somehow not supposed to speak about public policy issues--------a long-held liberal view in direct contradiction to the Founding Fathers and to the precedent set by Christ Himself and the apostles.
Raymond Burke is a bishop, a shepherd. He has to tell his flock the way it is. He has to try to bring the lost sheep home. That is his duty. He cannot remain silent. The Washington Post and the liberal media don't like that, but they shouldn't expect Christians to shut up anytime soon---go ask the martyrs of the Coliseum.
So much disinformation is spread by the ignorance of basic catechism, and Chapman nails it. The Archbishop is not expressing his views. The Archbishop did not write laws which are unpopular to secular society. He is merely taking proper steps to not only teach his flock right from wrong, but holding himself accountable for the souls in his care, by not neglecting this part of the job. God gave us the 10 commandments, which many treat as the 10 suggestions. Jesus challenged us to be counter-cultural and when a bishop is acting against popular culture with Church teaching leading the way, we know he is doing his job. It's when bishops are silent and not wanting to make waves, that things get scary.
This would be a good time to review the recent sermon by Fr. Perrone which I have entitled, "Whose Church is it anyway?"
Deo Gratias!
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Saturday, June 2, 2007
The Tridentine: A Contemplative's Mass
With the article from the UK Telegraph on the motu proprio posted below, I wanted to make some additional thoughts about active participation in the Mass. Much of this applies to a reform of the reform, but includes my thoughts on the Tridentine Mass I recently went to at St. Josaphat's in Detroit.
I will say that it was an interesting experience. This, I believe, is a contemplative's Mass. At least, it is conducive to this. Contemplative prayer is largely misunderstood in an era where the New Age has made inroads even to Catholic worship. People confuse what feels good for feeling God - a trick the Angel of Darkness knows all too well.
I had a pretty good idea of what things not to do in the Tridentine, but had some help. I wondered how I would feel not audibly saying certain prayers, and had to remind myself almost continuously not to say, "Amen" following reception of Holy Communion.
From my standpoint, I was fine with these things. I sung the parts of the Mass - the Kyrie and Sanctus, for example. But, I drifted into a meditative mode in all other parts. The wording of the text throughout the Mass was absolutely artistic and beautiful - and a much fuller expression of worship, in my humble opinion, than what I experience in the Latin Novus Ordo. It was surreal, especially at offertory as chant was beautifully executed, heightening my interior adoration of God. I knew precisely what Pope John Paul II was talking about when he said that worship needs to first be interior and that is where active participation resides.
There is something about chant and the liturgy that lifts the soul to it's Creator, when the soul permits itself to let go of the world, and even of "feelings". We know from the teachings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa, for example, that we can only "feel God" when he so wills it. But sometimes, feeling God can translate into difficult and challenging feelings. Therefore, we must be careful of following what makes us "feel good". Sometimes in following this "feel good" thing, we deprive ourselves of the dry experience into which Our Lord may be calling us in order to strengthen us. This is the biggest mistake many of us in this generation make is that we think worship is suppose to feel good. Worship is not for us, it is for God and we worship him in the Mass regardless of how it makes us feel. Can you imagine going to work or feeding your family only when it feels good? This "follow the feel good" leads to people not even going to holy Mass because they don't feel like getting up because it "feels good" to sleep in on Sundays. Or, they don't bother because the local liturgy just isn't their cup of tea. An illicit Mass is still a valid Mass (one with abuses, but a valid Consecration), and we must suffer with it if it is the only Mass we have available to us. The martyrs put up with much worse.
One can be swinging their arms in the air during the Mass and feel all euphoric, but it does not necessarily mean that they are in active participation. I recall from some of my own past experiences from years past that I wasn't tuned in to what was going on bewteen heaven and earth during the Mass. I can't say I didn't understand the true meaning of worship until I got into Assumption Grotto's reserved environment, where stimuli - everything from the priest looking directly me to folksy music - were removed. Once removed, I was able to discover God in the Mass. After 6 months of tasting nothing but the Mass as Grotto as Vatican II likely intended, I found myself like a fish out of water at a typical contemporary Catholic parish. Just the priest looking around at the congregation - especially during any part of the Eucharistic Prayer - in particular the Consecration - was sooooo distracting to me.
I pitied the poor priest who didn't realize he was taking my focus off our Lord and onto himself. The problem is so much bigger than one priest though. Many have been trained by seminaries to celebrate Mass as if it were a business meeting. You can see it on televised liturgies - with the EWTN Masses being the exception. Public speaking skills - with hand, head and eye motion, are best suited to public speaking, not leading people into public worship. These are subtle distractions. It will take a very long time for priests to unlearn these things, and some never will. Our response should be one of charity and understanding that in many cases, priests are doing what they were taught and truly believe they are doing the right thing. Patience needs to rule the day as we pray and hope they will slowly discover, along with the rest of us of younger and middle-age status, silent-active participation at it's very best.
This patience will also have to be applied to priests who take the plunge to learn the Old Mass. Some period of imperfection in what they do will need to be dealt with patiently as it is much more complex. Some priests have even had their interest turn to disinterest when people trying to "help" become overly critical of Father, as he does his first few Tridentine Masses. There is nothing like a bunch of arm-chair Popes to scare younger priests away from exploring the old Mass. Thanks be to God they have any interest at all.
The other half of the problem is that even if the priest "gets it", if he is too quick to change his style, he will lose the people who just think he isn't dynamic enough. Being dynamic applies to public speaking, but it does not apply to leading folks into public worship. As I've already made the case above, it hinders public worship. It all comes back to catechizing people on the Mass and on the very subject of worship.
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
I will say that it was an interesting experience. This, I believe, is a contemplative's Mass. At least, it is conducive to this. Contemplative prayer is largely misunderstood in an era where the New Age has made inroads even to Catholic worship. People confuse what feels good for feeling God - a trick the Angel of Darkness knows all too well.
I had a pretty good idea of what things not to do in the Tridentine, but had some help. I wondered how I would feel not audibly saying certain prayers, and had to remind myself almost continuously not to say, "Amen" following reception of Holy Communion.
From my standpoint, I was fine with these things. I sung the parts of the Mass - the Kyrie and Sanctus, for example. But, I drifted into a meditative mode in all other parts. The wording of the text throughout the Mass was absolutely artistic and beautiful - and a much fuller expression of worship, in my humble opinion, than what I experience in the Latin Novus Ordo. It was surreal, especially at offertory as chant was beautifully executed, heightening my interior adoration of God. I knew precisely what Pope John Paul II was talking about when he said that worship needs to first be interior and that is where active participation resides.
There is something about chant and the liturgy that lifts the soul to it's Creator, when the soul permits itself to let go of the world, and even of "feelings". We know from the teachings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa, for example, that we can only "feel God" when he so wills it. But sometimes, feeling God can translate into difficult and challenging feelings. Therefore, we must be careful of following what makes us "feel good". Sometimes in following this "feel good" thing, we deprive ourselves of the dry experience into which Our Lord may be calling us in order to strengthen us. This is the biggest mistake many of us in this generation make is that we think worship is suppose to feel good. Worship is not for us, it is for God and we worship him in the Mass regardless of how it makes us feel. Can you imagine going to work or feeding your family only when it feels good? This "follow the feel good" leads to people not even going to holy Mass because they don't feel like getting up because it "feels good" to sleep in on Sundays. Or, they don't bother because the local liturgy just isn't their cup of tea. An illicit Mass is still a valid Mass (one with abuses, but a valid Consecration), and we must suffer with it if it is the only Mass we have available to us. The martyrs put up with much worse.
One can be swinging their arms in the air during the Mass and feel all euphoric, but it does not necessarily mean that they are in active participation. I recall from some of my own past experiences from years past that I wasn't tuned in to what was going on bewteen heaven and earth during the Mass. I can't say I didn't understand the true meaning of worship until I got into Assumption Grotto's reserved environment, where stimuli - everything from the priest looking directly me to folksy music - were removed. Once removed, I was able to discover God in the Mass. After 6 months of tasting nothing but the Mass as Grotto as Vatican II likely intended, I found myself like a fish out of water at a typical contemporary Catholic parish. Just the priest looking around at the congregation - especially during any part of the Eucharistic Prayer - in particular the Consecration - was sooooo distracting to me.
I pitied the poor priest who didn't realize he was taking my focus off our Lord and onto himself. The problem is so much bigger than one priest though. Many have been trained by seminaries to celebrate Mass as if it were a business meeting. You can see it on televised liturgies - with the EWTN Masses being the exception. Public speaking skills - with hand, head and eye motion, are best suited to public speaking, not leading people into public worship. These are subtle distractions. It will take a very long time for priests to unlearn these things, and some never will. Our response should be one of charity and understanding that in many cases, priests are doing what they were taught and truly believe they are doing the right thing. Patience needs to rule the day as we pray and hope they will slowly discover, along with the rest of us of younger and middle-age status, silent-active participation at it's very best.
This patience will also have to be applied to priests who take the plunge to learn the Old Mass. Some period of imperfection in what they do will need to be dealt with patiently as it is much more complex. Some priests have even had their interest turn to disinterest when people trying to "help" become overly critical of Father, as he does his first few Tridentine Masses. There is nothing like a bunch of arm-chair Popes to scare younger priests away from exploring the old Mass. Thanks be to God they have any interest at all.
The other half of the problem is that even if the priest "gets it", if he is too quick to change his style, he will lose the people who just think he isn't dynamic enough. Being dynamic applies to public speaking, but it does not apply to leading folks into public worship. As I've already made the case above, it hinders public worship. It all comes back to catechizing people on the Mass and on the very subject of worship.
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
Motu Proprio News: UK Telegraph says....June 2 - today
I needed to take a blogging break due to a heavier than expected work schedule. Even my house looks like.....well, I won't be inviting any one over for a while.
We won't hold our breath today and even Fr. Z has his doubts about the release of the motu proprio suggested for today (his post was written yesterday). But, this article in the Telegraph (UK) is rather interesting. I'll give you Fr. Z's version, which has his emphases in bold, and comments in red.
Te Deum Laudamnus! Home
We won't hold our breath today and even Fr. Z has his doubts about the release of the motu proprio suggested for today (his post was written yesterday). But, this article in the Telegraph (UK) is rather interesting. I'll give you Fr. Z's version, which has his emphases in bold, and comments in red.
There were already 48 comments at Fr. Z's blog at the time I mad this post. If you want to read those, in addition to what is here, go read: Motu Propio Guess - June 2 (tomorrow)Holy Smoke
by Damian Thompson
A senior figure in the Vatican, a monsignor close to the Pope, has been told that the long-awaited motu proprio lifting restrictions on the Tridentine Latin Mass will be issued tomorrow.The Latin Mass
A profound and numinous experience
I’ve cried wolf on this subject before, so don’t bet on it – but the announcement seems imminent, and traditionalists MUST be ready to react the second the document appears.
For, make no mistake about it, liberal European bishops – including English ones – already have a strategy in place to smother the Pope’s ruling. My guess is that the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will try to claim that the motu proprio won’t make much difference in practice, that there already lots of Old Masses celebrated, that there’s not much demand for any more, etc etc.
Be very suspicious. If this ruling is just a minor adjustment, why have the ageing trendies in the Church fought tooth and nail to try to stop Pope Benedict issuing the document? [Exactly!]
We don’t know the contents of the motu proprio, but it is expected to curb the power of local bishops to restrict [Which would make it historic, in a sense. It would be a document that favors priests rather than bishops.] the celebration of the Tridentine Rite, in which the priest celebrates Mass facing in the same direction as the congregation – eastwards, towards a symbolic Jerusalem.
To my mind, this Mass, in which the celebrant says the Latin words of the canon sotto voce – the “blessed mutter” – is one of the most profound and numinous experiences in the history of worship, [Very well put.] so different from the game-show mateyness of modern services.
I hope the media will grasp the magnitude of the cultural shift signified by Benedict’s decision to restore parity to the Old Rite, and will put the Bishops of England and Wales (and those of America and Europe) on the spot.
The motu proprio may contain an opt-out clause which allows a local bishop to refuse to grant permission for the Old Rite, sending the decision to Rome (which will grant it in most cases). [Cunctando regitur mundus. Gosh! How popular will that move make a bishop?]
If [IF] this clause exists, each bishop must be asked: will you be one of those invoking it, and therefore forcing traditional Catholics to go through some sort of appeals process? [RIGHT! "Which list do you want to on, Your Excellency?"]
Once the ruling is out, I’d like to see a detailed response from every bishop in this country, so we can work out which dioceses are prepared to enter into the spirit of Pope Benedict’s reform – and, equally, which ones will surreptitiously try to ignore it.
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