Pope Benedict XVI email address

benedictxvi@vatican.va

A Bishop speaks

The Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, Wisconsin has written to priests, deacons, and directors of music and worship in his diocese:

"The question arises, does some of the music routinely sung embody the incorrect overemphasis on the presence of Christ in the assembly, so that people are confused as to the importance of the sacramental intensity of His presence, especially under the signs of bread and wine.

"Certain songs come to mind where the lyrics raise a real question for me. For example: "We are called, We are chosen, We are Christ for one another, We are a promise, We are sower, We are seed, We are question, We are creed." Singing that song repeatedly teaches people something, and I am afraid that it is something that I as Bishop do not want to teach them, but we certainly need to begin a dialogue about these matters.

"Another example of this same problem would be the lyrics of the hymn Gather Us In, where a seemingly endless explanation is given to God about who We are, who are gathered in."

In pectore

This young man is ready for:

A. the next conclave.
B. his closeup.
C. visting our homes tonight.
D. trading "up" for a white one.

Satan's deceptions

Pagan inmates are given a day off from work for Halloween -- thisislondon.co.uk

Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday Hundreds of Pagans serving prison sentences are to be given the day off work for Halloween out of respect for their religious beliefs.

Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday. While fellow prisoners sew mail bags and undertake other jail work, the Pagans will be allowed to celebrate their 'holiday'. They can use certain artefacts, including rune stones, flexible twigs and hoodless robes, provided they are kept in their cells or worn during communal worship. Robes with hoods are banned for 'security reasons', however.

The move is revealed in Home Office documents handed to The Mail on Sunday, which disclose that prisons have been instructed to allow inmates to pursue their religions so the Government can avoid being sued by prisoners. The orders, issued by the Prison Service's Director of Personnel, Gareth Hadley, apply to every religion from Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism to Hinduism and Islam and, in the interests of equality, Paganism, too.

There are currently 282 Pagans in jails in England and Wales. Critics attacked the policy, saying it was pandering to a 'mad' politically correct agenda. Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said last night: "People are sent to jail by the courts as a punishment. Taking this punitive element away by pandering to what some might see as political correctness gone mad is all wrong."

The Home Office papers reveal that Pagans can choose a day off work on two dates from eight of their festivals each year. These include the Spring Equinox on March 20, the Midsummer Solstice on June 21 and Hallowe'en - the Samhain, or Summer's End, as it was known in Celtic times - on October 31. Christian prisoners are allowed three days off - on Good Friday, Easter Day and Christmas Day. Muslims are entitled to the most time off - 26 days to pray, including the fast of Ramadan. Buddhists get three days, Hindus ten and Jews seven.

The individualised approach has led some prisoners to complain of discrimination. Many inmates are unhappy that they must eat Halal meat even though Muslims make up less than eight per cent of the 77,000-strong prison population. One Christian, serving a sentence at Ford open prison in West Sussex, has lodged a legal challenge against the Prison Service for allegedly refusing to allow Christian inmates to attend midnight mass at Christmas. Prison sources say the service is 'hell bent' on pandering to the demands of minorities. But Home Office guidelines say the measures are crucial for reducing 'exposure to litigation'. A spokesman said: "The Prison Service is committed to treating all prisoners with decency and humanity, which includes respecting those of all religions."

October 30, 2006 Vision

In the Sacred Presence of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar this day, the Lord gifted me with this vision after meditating on the following:

We must not complain or run away in time of darkness, because out of darkness is born the light. -- Saint Catherine of Siena

Standing in shadow with head bent, and shoulders stooped before a glorious monstrance upon a beautifully appointed altar came a brillant light eminating from the Sacred Host. This warm light, brighter than any earthly glow, enveloped me in warmth. In an instant my body was healed of any discomfort and fatigue. I stood erect as the brillance diminished, and I was again able to see the altar, candles, and ostensorium. Brought to wholeness I praised God for this gift. The gift of fortitude and perserverance to continue our mission for the salvation of souls.

Grazie fratelli

Jesus Caritas Brothers,

Thank you again for the fine prayer, conversation and dinner today. I truly appreciate our commitment to sacerdotal spirituality. May God continue to bless us in our ministries.

Te Deum Laudamus

Please visit te-deum blog for liturgical commentary and photos.

Hi-tech Latin at the Vatican

Today in Saint Peter’s Square, the Latin text of the Angelus was shown on large screens to allow the faithful to pray together with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae,
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

V. Ecce ancilla Domini,
R. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.

Ave Maria...

V. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis.

Ave Maria...

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut, qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem ejus et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Forthcoming Consecration

World Apostolate of Fatima is pleased to announce that the US Papal Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Pietro Sambi will be officiating the Mass for the renewal of country’s Consecration to Our Patroness, the Immaculate Conception. All are invited to come to our nation’s Basilica, The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C., Saturday, November 11, 2006 at twelve noon.

All bishops have been invited to participate at the Mass. However due to scheduling conflicts, the bishops may sign the Consecration prayer for their dioceses, which has been provided to them by the World Apostolate of Fatima which will be offered at the Mass.

The prayer for the Consecration was composed by our bishops in 1959 at the dedication ceremony of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception whereby they consecrated the country to Our Patroness, the Immaculate Conception. However by this consecration on November 11th our country will be Consecrated to the Heart of Our Patroness which is our apostolate’s mission for world peace.

During World War I His Eminence Francis Cardinal Bourne who was the Primate of England Consecrated England to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary which he claims and many others as well that it stopped World War I. The Armistice was signed ending World War I after the Consecration on November 11th incidentally the same day which this Papal Nuncio chose to officiate the Mass for the United States.

During the 1720’s when the Bubonic plague was rampant in Marseille, France that the 50,000 died out of the town’s population of 90,000 in a matter of months. Thousands were laying dead in the streets for people feared to bury them and risk catching it as well. The Archbishop consecrated Marseille to the Sacred Heart to end the plague which it did without any medical means or vaccinations.

The Country, Portugal was Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before World War II and was protected from the war.

Blessings on the Lord's Day!

Transfiguration

A little gift for my friends on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Blessings to you all.

Vive Christus Rex!

Today is the Feast of Christ the King according to the pre-Novus Ordo calendar.

On this day, we pray for the conversion of all to Christ, and for all governments to recognize Him as King and conform their laws to His teachings. This is the only way to peace!

"And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he may strike the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty. And he hath on his garment and on his thigh written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." -- Apocalypse 19:15-16

Political correctness run amuck

College Removes Cross from Chapel
CBN News, October 27, 2006

CBNNews.com -- The nation's second oldest college is removing the cross from its historic chapel.

Wren Chapel sits on the campus of William and Mary in Virginia.

According to worldnetdaily.com, the cross was removed to ensure the space is seen as non-denominational.

The website reports that the cross will be returned to the altar for anyone who wants to use it for services, private prayer and events.

William and Mary was founded in the late 1600's and was associated with the Anglican Church.

The chapel is one of the college's original buildings.

CBN News called the college's media director for a comment, but our calls were not returned.

Some comments have me...

...roflol

Happy Feast Day!

Happy Feast Day to the parishioners of the Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude, and to the Catholics of the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ.

pro multis = for many

Follow this link for commentary on the forthcoming revised English translation of the Novus Ordo Missae.

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2006/10/about-pro-multis/

Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes:

hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei
novi et aeterni testamenti,
qui pro vobis et pro multis
effundetur in remissionem peccatorum.

Hoc facite in meam commemorationem.

Take this all of you and drink from it:

this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant
It will be shed for you and for all (for many)
so that sins may be forgiven.

Do this in memory of me.

One man's encounter with Tradition

Traditional Catholic Monks of Papa Stronsay, Scotland

The 17-minute video takes a while to download but well worth the wait.

Sacred Service

The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus regendi). -- Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1592

Sticks and stones...

So far in the ComBox I've been called pretentious and arrogant; and now, passive-aggressive. How do you like that for a hill of beans?

More TLM

Follow this link to an interesting commentary on the Traditional Latin Mass.

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=102706B

More things liturgical

Commission looks for balance in English liturgical translations
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Work on a new English translation of the Mass continues to seek a balance between a highly formal prayer language and preserving liturgical phrases that have become part of an English speaker's prayer tradition, said Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney.

Cardinal Pell chairs the Vox Clara Commission, an international group of bishops who advise the Vatican on English liturgical translations.

Vox Clara met Oct. 23-26 at the Vatican to study translations developed by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.Describing many of the texts as "outstanding," Vox Clara members also said they gave the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments an "extensive commentary on certain problems" found in the translations.

Cardinal Pell told Catholic News Service Oct. 27: "It is important to be clear that they are small problems. They are not major problems at all."

In general, he said, the bishops were concerned about "some interesting terminology that was different from the traditional -- unusual.

"While declining to give specific examples, Cardinal Pell said the phrases in question replace phrases -- judged to be faithful to the Latin -- used in English since the Second Vatican Council."Provided the Latin is rendered faithfully, we are keen to keep terminology the people are familiar with," Cardinal Pell said.

He also described some of the phrases as "too grammatical" in the sense that they sound like they are the result of an advanced grammar lesson rather than a faithful translation into a living language.

Vox Clara's Oct. 27 press release praised the energy with which everyone is working to get a high-quality, faithful translation of the Mass into parishes as soon as possible.

It also said commission members conducted a final review of a congregation document meant to serve as a guide for English-language liturgical translations.

The congregation is expected to publish the guide, formally called "'Ratio Translationis' for the English Language," before Christmas.

Cardinal Arinze speaks

In France, Cardinal Arinze decries liturgical abuses

Oct. 27 (CWNews.com) - The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship spoke out sharply against liturgical abuses during an October 26 presentation in Paris. Speaking at the Catholic Institute of Paris, Cardinal Francis Arinze decried the "banalization, desacralization, and secularization of the liturgy." He rebuked priests who take an "overtly egocentric" approach to the liturgy, violating the norms of the Church. And he also criticized priests whose "false humility" leads them to "share their role with the laity."

Rome has spoken

Limit role of extraordinary ministers, Vatican tells US
Oct. 25 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has instructed the Catholic bishops of the US to discontinue the practice of allowing extraordinary Eucharistic ministers to assist with the purification of chalices after Communion.

In an October 12 letter to Bishop William Skylstad, the president of the US bishops' conference, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship reported that Pope Benedict XVI ordered an end to the American practice. Cardinal Francis Arinze was responding to a request from the US bishops' conference, asking for approval to continue the policy.

Bishop Skylstad, in turn, wrote to all American bishops on October 23, informing them that "it will be necessary to inform all pastors that extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may no longer assist with the purification of sacred vessels at Mass."

Although the General Instruction of the Roman Missal specifies that sacred vessels may be purified only by a priest or deacon, the American bishops had obtained an indult, or permission, to allow extraordinary ministers to assist in that role. This indult was intended to encourage more people to receive Communion under both kinds.

In his letter to Bishop Skylstad, Cardinal Arinze noted, "Sometimes, however, the high number of communicants may render it inadvisable for everyone to drink from the chalice." He recommended that the American bishops remind their people of the teaching from the Council of Trent, "that Christ is fully present under each of the species. Communion under the species of bread alone, as a consequence, makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace."

Bishop Skylstad, in conveying news of the Vatican decision to the American hierarchy, attached a list of questions and answers about the distribution of Communion, prepared by Bishop Donald Trautman, the chairman of the US bishops' liturgy committee. Bishop Trautman reminded his fellow bishops that the use of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist is intended "exclusively for those instances where there are not enough ordinary ministers to distribute Holy Communion."

Hagia Sophia

Our words can only have any value and usefulness if they come from the silence of contemplation, not falling prey to the proliferation of worldly discourse, which seeks the consensus of common opinion. -- Benedict XVI, Address to the students of the Pontifical Universities in Rome, October 21, 2006,

A mother's sorrow

Pietà

You dress funny

A priest was walking along the corridor of the parochial school near the preschool wing when a group of little ones were trotting by on the way to the cafeteria. One little lad of about three or four stopped and looked at him in his clerical clothes and asked, “Why do you dress funny?”

He told him he was a priest and this is the uniform priests wear. Then the boy pointed to the priest's collar tab and asked, “Do you have an owie?”

The priest was perplexed till he realized that to him the collar tab looked like a band-aid. So the priest took it out and handed it to the boy to show him. On the back of the tab are letters giving the name of the manufacturer. The little guy felt the letters, and the priest asked, “Do you know what those words say?”

“Yes, I do,” said the lad who was not old enough to read. Peering intently at the letters he said, “Kills ticks and fleas up to six months!”

Final Entry

A priest-brother came to me before Holy Hour today, and thanked me for having the courage to wear my cassock. He hopes this might start something.

I took this exchange to prayer before the Lord.

May this outward sign and symbol of the dignity of the Holy Priesthood start a Catholic Cultural revolution, beginning with the Sacred Ministers of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Entry 3.2

Communio: Holy Interaction between God and man. Holy interaction between men. Church Triumphant. Church Suffering. Church Militant.

One’s deep, personal, internally processed faith, must be expressed with profound gesture and word. A half-hearted genuflection, sign of the cross, or amen betrays the integrity of self. Be profound! Lex orandi. Lex credendi.

Entry 3.1

A rosary is said in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament for those who persecute me in word and deed. “Love thine enemies,” saith the Lord.

Entry 3.0

We were asked: When confronted with challenging situations in community, what has been your most characteristic response?

My response: “Challenging situations” is a pleasant way of saying “conflict.” Conflict covered with honey is still conflict. Is “Crucify him! Crucify him!” a challenging situation? No. It is a painful reality which must be accepted as taking up the Cross leading to death AND resurrection.

Entry 2.2

A rosary is said this evening for my priest-brothers, seminarians of this diocese, and my “baby priests”—Daniel and Vicente—whom I am certain have vocations to the priesthood.

He took…I am chosen by God.
He blessed…I am consecrated by God.
He broke…I am given the Cross to bear.
He gave…I am God’s servant to His people.

Entry 2.1

I empty myself, O Lord, to be filled with Your Holy Presence.

Holy Rest, Sacred Silence, and Divine Love heal this broken body of mine.

A rosary is said in the Presence of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar for my parents and ancestors-in-faith.

Entry 2.0

The Lord calls my name, and I answer Him: “Here I am. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” The Lord replies: “My NAME dwells within you.”

I encounter God in the silence, and express this experience of Him either verbally or nonverbally. The verbal is heard, the nonverbal is seen. (Sacred Word, Sacred Action)

The sky at dusk this evening is ablaze with all shades of violet and amber. Lord, send forth Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Entry 1.1

And the Word became Man. And He dwelt among us.

A rosary is said for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the recognitio of Quo Primum.

Entry 1.0

I have come a long way, in a short time. I must pause now and allow my soul to catch up.

Dot every “i”, and cross every “t” before you begin your next word. Such did I learn early in life. My obsessive compulsions often has me dotting my “i’s”, and crossing my “t’s” again and again.

Retreat Journal

The next several posts will contain the wisdom and folly of my annual retreat, this year held at the Redemptorist Renewal Center at Picture Rocks in Tucson, AZ, from Monday, October 23, until Thursday, October 26, 2006.

Better a Master of Silence, than a Slave of Words.

I survived!

The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Mediaeval Times

A re-presentation of a Middle Ages procession with the Blessed Sacrament.

SIR. YES, SIR!

Please stop by the Lair of the Catholic Cavemen for an uncompromising world-view. This traditional Catholic and former Marine "calls 'em as he sees 'em," with nothing left to the imagination. He'll also warn you if the language or subject matter isn't appropriate for weak stomachs or the faint-of-heart.

Overheard in the sacristy

Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father and said solemnly, “Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?”

“I think so,” the man replied. “My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests.”

“I don't mean that,” the priest responded. “I mean, are you prepared spiritually?”

“Oh, sure,” came the reply. “I've got a keg of beer and a case of whiskey.”

Brain Freeze

The future Father Gonzales and his mother enjoying a refreshment at a parish fiesta at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Santa Ana, California in 1957. (Cute little Mexican-American kid, huh?)

Missale Romanum online

The entire Missale Romanum is available in pdf at the following:

http://www.musicasacra.com/pdf/romanmissal_classical.pdf

Slight of Hand

Pope Benedict may have to have his ring tightened.

According to Italian media reports, the papal ring slipped off his finger twice while he was shaking hands with well-wishers as he left Verona's Bentegodi stadium on Thursday.

The faithful into whose palms the gold ring fell promptly gave it back each time.

The ring is known as the "Fisherman's Ring," because it depicts St Peter, the first pope, casting a net into the sea.

(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved.

Catholics in the Public Square

In time for the November elections, The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has penned an outstanding teaching for Basilica Press The Shepherd's Voice Series.

Peace

Dona Nobis Pacem

"Georg. Through the park, please."

Pope gets new car

By Zimgreats. com October 18, 2006

Johannebsurg - Pope Benedict XVI has received a new car from a car manufacturer in his home country Germany.

According to Italian news agency, Ansa, the Pope was personally presented with the keys to his black Volkswagen Phaeton with a pale grey interior.

The one year old pontiff already sold his VW Golf car he owned before his appointment in May. The car was sold on an Internet auction site for US$250,000 dollars.

Hagia Sophia

Pope Benedict shares his wisdom with this insightful remark taken from today's weekly audience.

"Even today there is no lack of "unworthy and treacherous Christians in the church," the pope said, so "it is up to each one of us to counteract the evil done by them" with a clear and faithful witness to Christ. "

Prayer Request

I just took a look at my weekend calendar. Please pray for me as I journey through:

Saturday, October 21

9:30 a.m. 17 Spanish Baptisms

11:00 a.m. 12 English Baptisms

1:00 p.m. Spanish Quinceanera

3:30 p.m. Bilingual Confessions

5:00 p.m. English Mass

Sunday, October 22

8:00 a.m. Spanish Mass

10:00 a.m. English Mass

12:00 p.m. English Mass

5:00 p.m. Spanish Mass

(Look for my obituary in Monday's post. I always knew I was going to die young.)

Holy Hour

A timely article from Zenit considering I will be celebrating a Holy Hour with parishioners Wednesday morning. The Ordo is listed after the article.

The Divine Praises at Adoration

ROME, OCT. 17, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Q: What is the most appropriate moment to pray the Divine Praises during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: immediately following Benediction or once the Sacrament has been returned to the tabernacle? -- A.D., Boston, Massachusetts

A: The Divine Praises, or the prayers of reparation for profanity and blasphemy, are a sequence of acclamations, chiefly composed by Jesuit Luigi Felici in 1797, blessing God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the angels and saints.

The acclamations are usually recited publicly immediately after the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

While the rubrics do not specify that the Divine Praises be recited at all, when they are recited, it is customary to do so before reposing the Blessed Sacrament. This is the Holy Father's practice after imparting Benediction on concluding the Eucharistic procession of the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Monsignor Peter Elliott ably describes the rites concluding Benediction in his renowned ceremonies book: "If the Blessed Sacrament is to be reposed in the tabernacle, then (after the Divine Praises and) during a psalm, hymn, acclamation or appropriate music, the celebrant or the assisting deacon or priest goes to the altar. He genuflects, turns the back of the monstrance toward himself, removes the lunette and places it in the pyx, which he closes. He moves the monstrance to the left of the corporal and may veil it. He then takes the pyx and places it in the tabernacle, genuflecting before he locks the door.

"(If the tabernacle is in a chapel, a server should place a humeral veil over the shoulders of the celebrant or the assistant deacon or priest before he removes the lunette from the monstrance. Torch bearers should precede him to the chapel and then return with him to the sanctuary, unless it is thought more convenient to go directly to the sacristy.) All bow to the altar (or genuflect if the tabernacle is behind or on it) and return to the sacristy led by the thurifer. Sacristans and/or servers carry out their respective duties in the sanctuary and in the sacristy."

Given this description, and the most common practice of the Church, it seems more appropriate to pray the Divine Praises before reposition and not after the tabernacle is closed.

Saint Charles Borromeo Parish Celebration of

Eucharistic Exposition Adoration and Benediction

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Exposition

O Salutaris Hostia

The Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

Adoration

Verse and Response / Prayer

Benediction

Tantum Ergo

Divine Praises

Reposition

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

"The Final Strike"

Man crafts rosary out of bowling balls by Susan J. Deman, The Associated Press

NAPOLEON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — When a man forges a 70-foot, 700-pound rosary out of bowling balls in his front yard, you just know there's a story behind it.

This one involves Ralph Kluk, 76 — a Poland native, pack rat, polka player and pen pal of the late Pope John Paul II.

Kluk is a character. He also is known to ride about town with one. If you spy a guy tooling around in a black Chevy 1500 pickup with a 3-foot tall Scooby Doo plush toy strapped into the passenger's seat, chances are you've just seen Kluk.

"I do crazy things," the Jackson County grandfather admits, with a twinkle in his eye. "But they're not really crazy."

Turns out, there's actually a simple mathematical formula to building a bowling-ball rosary.

Take 59 balls, 20 cans of pastel spray paint, 40 feet of black piping, add a wooden cross and voila! You have a unique interpretation of Roman Catholic catechism that Kluk calls "The Final Strike."

Anchoring the balls in the ground with 9-inch metal stakes was key, he says. They almost rolled off his 30 acres and onto Horton Road.

"The hardest part," Kluk adds, "will be cutting my grass around it."

Traditionally, rosaries are slim necklaces made of glass, wood, jade, bone or gold that fit in your hand. Catholics grip the beads and recite the Lord's Prayer followed by 10 "Hail Mary" prayers.

It took a little ingenuity, and a few dozen phone calls to bowling alleys and their patrons, for Kluk to scrounge up the requisite number of rosary balls.

True Restoration!

Check out the AWESOME news from Shrine of the Holy Whapping blog, Monday, October 16 post. Before and after restoration pictures are shown above. Pray that "wreckovators" learn from this.

News from downunda

Ned Kelly's bishop's tomb found under Cathedral pews – www.cathnews.com

In what has been described as a once in a lifetime find, the graves of Perth's first two Catholic bishops, including Bishop Matthew Gibney, who administered the last rites to hanged bushranger, Ned Kelly, have been re-discovered by archaeologists - under the pews of Perth's cathedral.

The West Australian reports that generations of worshippers at the St Mary's Cathedral have prayed within the church's stone walls, totally unaware that two Church leaders were buried just beneath their feet.

At the heart of the mystery was the final resting place of bishops Griver and Gibney. Bishop Gibney had earlier become a celebrity after he famously tended to the grievously injured Ned Kelly and administered the Last Rites while travelling in Victoria.

During restoration work at the cathedral, the plaster-lined crypt was finally located by chance in the earthy soil just metres underneath the cathedral's centre aisle.

The only clues were four small crosses carved into the church's wooden floorboards, which were hidden under the legs of the pews, marking out the four boundaries of the small crypt.

Project archaeologist Fr Robert Cross said early church records showed the two bishops were interred in the cathedral after their deaths in 1886 and 1925.

Further records from 1943 suggested the tombs had been moved to a newer section of St Mary's, but did not provide the exact location.

The puzzle began to take shape about three years ago when archdiocese archivist Sr Frances Stibi discovered one of the crosses carved into the floor near the altar.

But the fate of the crypt remained unresolved until six weeks ago when the pews were removed for restoration work, and the three other crosses were revealed.

Archaeologists with the help of students from the University of Western Australia used a metal rod to probe under the floorboards until they discovered a metal cap covering a small, brick and plaster crypt containing two coffins. Sand and building rubble coating the coffins still held footprints left by workers who covered the graves almost 80 years ago.

Decorative plates fixed to the lids identified them as the missing graves of bishops Griver and Gibney but it was only after three weeks of careful excavation that the coffins could be removed.

"It is not unusual for things not to be marked in these situations because in the early days there was the issue of grave robbers, though I do not think that was the case here," Fr Robert said.

"As to what is under there, it is pure speculation." Further efforts to find what lay there would be made. Bishop Gibney's coffin had been badly damaged by white ants but Bishop Griver's coffin, still wrapped in lanolin imbued wool, was tightly sealed and in good condition.

With assistance from the University, Fr Robert said he hoped to insert a small fibre-optic camera into the sealed coffin so its contents could be investigated. "We found a viewing window in the lid of Bishop Gibney's coffin and cleaned it with some water, and through it we could just see his skeleton and top of his vestments," Fr Robert told the West Australian.

Photo: Young Fr Matthew Gibney

SOURCE: Cathedral reveals the secret of its lost bishops (West Australian, 14/10/06)

My new mascot

"I'm not tense. Just terribly, terribly alert."

From Furry Logic: A Guide to Life's Little Challenges by Jane Seabrook. Published by 10 Speed Press.

By the message of an angel

I received a message from the Lord today through the kindness of a parishioner. A notecard with the image to the left contained the following:

"Father,
Thank you for all that you do for the parish, your hard work has taken on a life of its own. I appreciate your "tell it like it is" homilies that remind us to do what's right by God and not to be concerned with what's expected by man. Please stay strong in His Name and know that your flock supports you."

All throughout Sacred Writ we find that it is by angels such as these that the Lord speaks to His servants. These messages of support affirm, confirm, and reaffirm my vocation to God's Sacred Ministry. With love like this I will not flee for fear of the wolves.

Deo Gratias.

UPI reports

Pope Benedict XVI canonizes four saints -- Oct. 15, 2006

Thousands of people attended an outdoor ceremony on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI canonized four saints.

The four new saints include a Mexican bishop who endured anti-cleric persecution and an Italian nun who was a pioneer in women's schooling, the BBC said.

The four new saints are Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia, 1878-1938, who disguised himself so she could care for the injured during the Mexican revolution; Filippo Smaldone, 1848-1923, an Italian priest who founded an order of nuns and schools for the hearing impaired; Mother Theodore Guerin, 1798-1856, a pioneer of schools and religious institutions on the American frontier; and Rosa Venerini, 1656-1728, who helped to establish Italy's first public schools for girls.

My soul doth magnify the Lord

CIEL Oxford: Magnificat at Solemn Tridentine Vespers

The Divine Office: There's More to Catholic Worship

HIC EST REX IUDAEORUM

Luke 23:38 "And there was also a superscription written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." – Douay-Rheims Bible

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the un-bloody re-presentation of the Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The languages used in the Traditional Latin Mass include Greek, and Hebrew. The Greek: Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, the Hebrew: Amen, Alleluia, Hosanna, Sabaoth (as well as various texts of Sacred Scripture used throughout the Mass) are the same languages written on the titulus witnessed by those at the foot of the cross. Today, those who say, and those who hear the Pian (Saint Pius V) Mass face Our Lord, adoring Him, knowing that we are redeemed by His Passion and Death.

I. and other priests and laity, should be allowed to worship Almighty God in the languages of our ancient forebearers of faith.

Apocalypse 5:12 -- Latin Vulgate / Douay-Rheims

dignus est agnus qui occisus est accipere virtutem et divinitatem et sapientiam et fortitudinem et honorem et gloriam et benedictionem

the Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction

OpEd from the Great White North

National Post, Friday, October 13, 2006

Doctrinal disputes within a religious faith are normally best left to the believers, but all of Western civilization has an interest in the recent indications that Pope Benedict XVI will throw new weight behind traditionalist adherents of the old Latin Mass, placing the onus on his bishops to actively suppress its performance.

Since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the old Tridentine mass has become almost a borderline human-rights issue within the Church.

Liberal bishops have been so eager to update their image, and so reluctant to give ground to conservative sentiment, that the old mass has been effectively outlawed even for Catholics who grew up on and revered it.

That has left one of the core cultural artifacts of our civilization -- a verbal pageant rivalling Shakespeare, Homer and Dante in importance -- gathering dust on a shelf.

Paradoxically, the vandalizing of liturgical monuments has perhaps been lamented by unbelievers almost as often as by Roman Catholics.

Consider H.L. Mencken, who may have been (with apologies to Richard Dawkins) the 20th century's bitterest enemy of religion among English-language writers.

Failing to foresee Vatican II, that bilious genius wrote in 1923: "The Latin Church, which I constantly find myself admiring despite its frequent astounding imbecilities, has always kept clearly before it the fact that religion is not a syllogism, but a poem .... A solemn high mass must be a thousand times as impressive, to a man with any genuine religious sense in him, as the most powerful sermon ever roared under the big-top by a Presbyterian auctioneer of God."

Outsiders are surely entitled to at least wonder whether the Vatican II bargain with modernity was wholly wise.

Just as priests and nuns abandoned some of their social standing along with their traditional uniforms, the Church lost some of its ineffable dignity when it abandoned the common, worldwide Latin Mass (which also has Greek and Hebrew elements, and thus taught even as it supposedly saved). To be sure, Catholicism was never the idealistic, coolly rational moral authority it sometimes pretended to be -- but perhaps there was value, after all, in having someone pretend?

In many ways, Benedict has been a more liberal pope than his prior reputation would have prepared us to expect.

He has been as friendly to leaders of other faiths as his predecessor; only the other day, he met with the Dalai Lama. After his "slip-up" concerning Manuel II Paleologus in a German lecture last month, he matched a surfeit of contrition with unexpected fierceness in favour of dialogue with Islam and respect for the Koran.

He appears to be contemplating an abandonment of the doctrine of limbo as a neutral abode, apart from Heaven, for unbaptized infants.

But non-Catholics should not overestimate the relative importance of these liberalizing gestures.

The Mass comes much nearer the heart of the Church, and among earnest Catholics it is debated with far more intensity than that which attends more familiar controversies over birth control or the ordination of women.

When it comes to core theology, the Pope is conservative from tiara to toenails. The opening the door to the Tridentine Mass, with its "sexist" language and its non-communitarian staging, is not likely to go unresisted.

© National Post 2006

Well said

Considering the great amount of material found these days in the secular press, please refer to Shawn Tribe's enlightening material in his October 13, 2006 post, The Ideological re-writing of the Second Vatican Council and Fundamental Misinterpretations, at The New Liturgical Movement blog.

Internet Poll

http://www.corriere.it/appsSondaggi/pages/corriere/d_176.jsp

QUESTION Siete favorevoli al ritorno della messa in latino?
Do you favor a return to the Mass in Latin?

ANSWERS Si No

VOTE Vota

RESULTS Risultati

You may be surprized of the results.

"Your letter struck and moved me."

"I have nothing, my only riches are in the tabernacle."

You must read this.
Your heart will break.
Your face will smile.
Your spirit will soar.

http://www.latin-mass-society.org/demornex.htm

"Modern day Lepanto"

Islamic hackers hit Vatican site-- unsuccessfully

Vatican, Oct. 13 (CWNews.com) - Islamic computer hackers tried to disrupt the Vatican web site earlier this week, but failed, according to a report in the ANSA news service.

In an online forum for militant Muslims, a group announced plans for an assault on the Vatican computer network, which was said to be a form of retribution for Pope Benedict's criticism of Islam in his Regensburg speech. Police later confirmed that there had been a concerted effort by hackers to penetrate the Vatican site, but computer-security experts were able to detect and repel the attack.

The nature of the attempted attack was not clear. Some observers in Rome believed that the Islamic group was planning a "denial of service" attack, in which a web site is bombarded with many thousands of simultaneous visits, overloading the available bandwidth and making it impossible for others to reach the site.

In fact the Vatican site has functioned normally, with minimal noticeable slowdowns, through the week. Vatican security personnel are remaining vigilant in case of another effort by the hackers.

The Bottom Line

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.
Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, non factum,
consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt.
Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem
descendit de coelis.

ET INCARNATUS EST DE SPIRITU SANCTO
EX MARIA VIRGINE: ET HOMO FACTUS EST.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus,
et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum
Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad desteram
Patris. Et iterum venturus est com gloria judicare vivos
et mortuos: cujus regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem:
qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre, et Filio
simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per
Prophetas. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam
Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem
peccatorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.
Et vitam ventura saeculi.
Amen.

+ RIP Reverend Sarmiento +

These are photographs of the funeral rites of the Rev. Fr. Ramon Sarmiento of the SSPX South American District, Monday, October 9, 2006.

I have finally put in writing my wishes regarding my funeral rites. I am requesting the Office of the Dead be recited as the vigil, and a Traditional Latin Requiem Mass precede my burial in my family plot in California.

16.5 Years Ago

These are several photographs of then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger celebrating the Mass of Pope Saint Pius V in Wigratzbad, Germany on April 15, 1990 (coincidently, my ordination anniversary). Additional photos may be found at http://www.fssp.org/, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s site.

"What's the buzz?..."

"...Tell me what's a happenin'."

The Catholic world is a buzz with regard to the news in my previous post.

Catholic News Service (CNS) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), published their unnamed Vatican source today.

Rorate Caeli blog has some thought-provoking snippits.

The New Liturgical Movement blog adds their commentary: includes a Google search list.

Rocco Palma at Whispers in the Loggia blog includes this news in his Wednesday patter.

If you have a subscription to Catholic World News (CWN) you can read the entire story.

Father Jim Tucker at Dappled Things blog includes a Novus Ordo perspective commentary.

Spirit Daily has headlined the same, amidst a host of other sources (AP, UPI, Reuters).

Of course, the secular press is having field day readying feature articles. As I mentioned in the comment section of my previous post, I was interviewed by a local newspaper reporter this afternoon. I mentioned that I have the approval of my bishop, per the Ecclesia Dei Afflicta Indult, to celebrate the Mass of Pius V. (Though due to pastoral obligations at my parish, I have not been able to celebrate it as scheduled in our Diocese.) This peaked his interest. I made it a point to opine that the average Catholic-in-the-pew would not be affected negatively. Those who choose to worship via the 1970 Pauline (Pope Paul VI) Missal would continue. Those who wish to worship with the 1570 Pian (Saint Pius V) Missal would be accommodated more generously.

Please allow me to move these comments into the spiritual reality. Grace flows as humanity continues worshipping in spirit and in truth. The Traditional Latin Mass is a vehicle for grace. Allowing its wide-spread application multiplies these graces.

Please, dear Lord. Please.

Pope set to bring back Latin Mass that divided the Church

by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent, timesonline.co.uk

The Pope is taking steps to revive the ancient tradition of the Latin Tridentine Mass in Catholic churches worldwide, according to sources in Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI is understood to have signed a universal indult — or permission — for priests to celebrate again the Mass used throughout the Church for nearly 1,500 years. The indult could be published in the next few weeks, sources told The Times.

Use of the Tridentine Mass, parts of which date from the time of St Gregory in the 6th century and which takes its name from the 16th-century Council of Trent, was restricted by most bishops after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

This led to the introduction of the new Mass in the vernacular to make it more accessible to contemporary audiences. By bringing back Mass in Latin, Pope Benedict is signalling that his sympathies lie with conservatives in the Catholic Church.

One of the most celebrated rebels against its suppression was Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who broke with Rome in 1988 over this and other reforms. He was excommunicated after he consecrated four bishops, one of them British, without permission from the Pope.

Some Lefebvrists, including those in Brazil, have already been readmitted. An indult permitting the celebration of the Tridentine Mass could help to bring remaining Lefebvrists and many other traditional Catholics back to the fold.

The priests of England and Wales are among those sometimes given permission to celebrate the Old Mass according to the 1962 Missal. Tridentine Masses are said regularly at the Oratory and St James’s Spanish Place in London, but are harder to find outside the capital.

The new indult would permit any priest to introduce the Tridentine Mass to his church, anywhere in the world, unless his bishop has explicitly forbidden it in writing.

Catholic bloggers have been anticipating the indult for months. The Cornell Society blog says that Father Martin Edwards, a London priest, was told by Cardinal Joseph Zen, of Hong Kong, that the indult had been signed. Cardinal Zen is alleged to have had this information from the Pope himself in a private meeting.

“There have been false alarms before, not least because within the Curia there are those genuinely well-disposed to the Latin Mass, those who are against and those who like to move groups within the Church like pieces on a chessboard,” a source told The Times. “But hopes have been raised with the new pope. It would fit with what he has said and done on the subject. He celebrated in the old rite, when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.”

The 1962 Missal issued by Pope John XXIII was the last of several revisions of the 1570 Missal of Pius V. In a lecture in 2001, Cardinal Ratzinger said that it would be “fatal” for the Missal to be “placed in a deep-freeze, left like a national park, a park protected for the sake of a certain kind of people, for whom one leaves available these relics of the past”.

Daphne McLeod, chairman of Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, a UK umbrella group that campaigns for the restoration of traditional orthodoxy, said: “A lot of young priests are teaching themselves the Tridentine Mass because it is so beautiful and has prayers that go back to the Early Church.”

TRADITIONAL SERVICE

• The Tridentine Mass is celebrated entirely in Latin, except for a few words and phrases in Greek and Hebrew. There are long periods of silence and the priest has his back to the congregation
  

• In 1570, Pope St Pius V said that priests could use the Tridentine rite forever, “without scruple of conscience or fear of penalty”
  

• Since the Second Vatican Council, the Tridentine Mass has been almost entirely superseded by the Mass of Pope Paul VI
  

• Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who took the lead in opposing the reforms, continued to celebrate the old Mass at his seminary in Ecône, Switzerland, and formed a dissident group. He was excommunicated in 1988
  

• The advantages of the Mass, according to the faithful, are in its uniformity and the fact that movements and gestures are prescribed, so that there is no room for “personalisation”
  

Lord, have mercy

KYRIE - MISSA ORBIS FACTOR

Arianism and Pelagianism still threaten

Arian Heresy Still Tempts, Says Cardinal Bertone

ROME, OCT. 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the new Vatican secretary of state, says that the Church continues to be tempted by the Arian heresy, the idea that Christ is not God.

In an interview with the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Italian cardinal acknowledged that "one of the main problems of our time is the problem of Christology," according to which Christ is considered only as "a great man."

"If Christ's divinity is doubted," the foundation of Christianity is doubted, he said.

The Vatican official recalled the doctrine of Arius (256-336), a priest of Alexandria and later a bishop, who, beginning in 318, denied the divinity of the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity.

Symptoms of this denial of Jesus' divinity include the support received by "The Da Vinci Code," despite its "absolutely shameful fictional inventions," said Cardinal Bertone, 71.

"But we see in addition that even in the elaboration of certain theology, doubt is cast on the divinity and salvific unicity of Christ, the only Savior," he continued. "This Christological reduction betrays the faith of the nascent Church and of the great Christological councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Chalcedon.

"It is an authentic betrayal and a denial of the faith of our fathers."

According to the cardinal, "it is necessary, therefore, to return to Christological faith, to the centrality of Christ, true God and therefore only Savior."

Pelagianism

However, according to the Vatican secretary of state, the Church not only faces the threat of Arianism, but also of a new Pelagianism, one of the worst heresies, which arose in the fifth century.

"This hinges on thinking that we can build a Church ourselves and in believing that it is possible to save ourselves, without the Lord's grace and help," he noted. "They are recurring dangers which appear successively in history."

These two challenges were addressed in the 2000 declaration "Dominus Iesus," signed by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, in their capacity as prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

"Sartorial statement"

Why I wore a veil when I met John Paul II
by Cristina Odone, 10/10/2006, telegraph.co.uk

The framed photograph sits proudly on my bookshelf: Pope John Paul II stands in the Sistine Chapel, surrounded by intellectuals from across Europe – and, in a black mantilla, me.

In 1999, the Vatican held a conference to prepare for the Jubilee Year of 2000. They invited a group of academics, writers and broadcasters. Despite some raised eyebrows from Westminster Cathedral about my eligibility, I was Britain's representative. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I was nervous: would my speech on religion and the media be OK, would my fellow delegates discuss the Summa Theologica over their cornflakes, would I have to kiss the Pope's ring?

The one thing I felt certain about was what to wear: the mantilla – a lace head-covering, usually black – perfectly blends humility, modesty and respect. This doesn't mean I choose to wear it to Mass every Sunday. For one thing, although it was once the must-have accessory of Catholic womanhood, only a very few, very pious women use it any more; and, anyway, the mantilla seems a bit ostentatious now that it has adorned Diana, Princess of Wales and Cherie Blair. But as a sartorial statement of my Catholic faith, there is nothing to beat it.

Continuity with the past?

Did anyone have a chance to watch the Novus Ordo Latin Mass from Saint John Cantius on Saturday on EWTN?

I saw its encore presentation that evening, and feel that it was very much what the reformers envisioned in the mid-sixties; ad orientem, rich vestments, schola, worthy sacred vessels, torch bearers, readings and homily in the vernacular, communion at the rail, no rush, prayerful continuity with the past.

Am I a dreamer?

Comments please.

Thanks.

Sorrow and Light Sing

Dolores O'Riordan - Luciano Pavarotti - Ave Maria

Sacred music ... no matter the setting, no matter the haircolor.

WOW!

I thank you for your prayers. We are nearly at the half-point of our retreat. Tears have flowed, hearts are being softened, our sins have been expiated, souls and bodies are being fed and nourished. Please continue storming heaven for these wonderful people the Lord has given me.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Signum Crucis

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Credo

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem,
Creatorem caeli et terrae.
Et in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis,
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam. Amen.

Oratio Dominica

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
et dimitte nobis debita nostra
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Doxologia Minor

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Oratio Fatimae

Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra,
salva nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in caelum omnes animas,
praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent.

Salve Regina

Salve Regina, mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen.

V. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus:

Deus, cujus Unigenitus per vitam mortem et resurrectionem
suam nobis salutis aeterne praemia comparavit:
concede, quaesumus;
ut, haec mysteria sanctissimo beatae
Mariae Virginis Rosario recolentes,
et imitemur quor continent, et quod promittunt, assequamur.
Per eumdem Dominum. Amen.