In Wichita, KS. , high mass is celebrated on Sunday at 8:00 A.M. at St. Anthony Church, 258 Ohio Street. Low mass is celebrated on the last Sunday of each month.
Pastor of St. Anthony Parish:Fr Hung Quoc Pham EFLR Celebrant:Fr. Jarrod Lies
Master of Ceremonies:Luke Headley, Tony Strunk Choir Director:Bernie Dette Blog Coordinator:Larry Bethel Blogger:Mark Llamas
In Clonmel, Ks. Low mass is celebrated every Monday at St. John's, 8:00 a.m., Father Jarrod Lies officiating.
In Seward,Ks. Low Mass is offered on Sundays at 11 am, and Mondays at 8:30 a.m. at Francis Xavier parish, Rev. Rene' Guesnier officiating. The church is located at 8th and Lincoln in Seward, Stafford County.
In Kansas City, KS. the EFLR is celebrated in the St. Philippine Duchesne Latin Mass Community, Blessed Sacrament Church 2203 Parallel Ave. See http://www.latin-mass.org/
In Kansas City, MO. mass is celebrated at the Old St. Patrick Oratory,806 Cherry St., Downtown. See http://www.oldsaintpatrick.org/
Last Sunday December 13Father Eric Weldon celebrated his first Mass in The Extraordinary Form at St. Anthony Catholic.
Thank you Father and welcome!
The Wichita Eagle is running a series of special articles on Father Emil Kapaun, his extraordinary life, service, priesthood and possible sainthood. See it at www.kansas.com.
Topics: Third Sunday of Advent: The Coming of Jesus Approaches...Father Jarrod Lies: Not Goodbye, See Ya Later!....Once Upon a Time: Men Wore The Pants...Bishop Fulton J. Sheen:Possible Sainthood
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
_With sadness we bid so long (for now) to Father Lies as he transitions back to St. John, Clonmel to tend to his parish there. I'm sure we will see him soon enough (I believe he will sit in at mass and fill in when needed), but I for one am saddened to see him go.
That being said let us open our hearts and offer prayers for Father Eric Weldon as he, for the first time, celebrates mass in The Extraordinary Form this Sunday December 13, 2009 at St. Anthony, Wichita.
_I can't believe that anyone in Kansas has not been reading about Father Emil Kapaun in the special section of the Wichita Eagle. If you've been in a foreign prison or hiding under a rock but are interested in reading about this extraordinary man, soldier and Priest go to kansas.com , the website of The Wichita Eagle newspaper.
...and now the Necessaries
Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is the only local church celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita area. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est is strictly a private layman's endeavor.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Third Sunday of Advent
On this day the Church urges us to gladness in the middle of this time of expectation and penitence; the coming of Jesus approaches more and more.
St. John, the holy precursor, announces to the Jews the coming of the Saviour. "The Saviour" he says to them, "lives already among us, though unknown. He will soon appear openly." Now is the time for fervent prayers an for imploring Jesus to remain with us by His mercy. Let us prepare the way for Him by repentance and penitence and by a worthy reception of the sacraments. All the prayers of this Mass are filled with that which the Church wishes our souls to be possessed at the approach of the Saviour._The New Marian Missal
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Father Jarrod Lies: Not Goodbye, See Ya Later!
"It should of been louder.........". Those were the words that Father Jarrod Lies once started a homily with, proclaiming the birth of Christ. He was speaking about the sheer magnitude and meaning of the birth of The Messiah on that certain night some 2000 years ago there in the humblest of settings amongst the lowliest of creatures. Indeed such a universe jarring phenomena should of been louder, it should of reverberated around the world in an instant, trumpets blaring, voices rejoicing but it didn't...God chose to slip into this human realm quietly and humbly.
It should of been louder. Our love, appreciation and fondness for Father Jarrod Lies, at his last mass at St. Anthony, should have been proclaimed louder with more handshakes, fervor, cheers and thanks but alas in those awkward and emotional moments when one loses something dear, we are at a loss for words.
Father Lies' said his goodbyes and thanks on Tuesday December 8th, The Feast of the Immaculate Conception....and that mortal man, that dear priest, slipped away quietly and humbly.
Father Lies,
Thank you for your leadership, thank you for your Priesthood and thank you for your manhood. You are one heckuva instrument in God's hands.
Father Lies will be around and we'll see him soon so lets not say goodbye but rather: "See ya later!"
Blogger's note: This appeared on The Remnant website. It is a Levis dockers ad. They're trying to sell pants but it sure does strike a cord. As an older"untraditional student" I often reflect , with bemusement and sadness, on young men with matching earrings, purses (ok "men's bags") letting doors slam into young ladies faces, and wonder what lessons they will teach their sons.
Now I know that this is only the product of an ad agencies' copy writer....but I bet I would like this guy.
ONCE UPON A TIME, MEN WORE THE PANTS, AND WORE THEM WELL. WOMEN RARELY HAD TO OPEN DOORS AND LITTLE OLD LADIES NEVER CROSSED THE STREET ALONE.MEN TOOK CHARGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, THE WORLD DECIDED IT NO LONGER NEEDED MEN.DISCO BY DISCO, LATTE BY FOAMY NON-FAT LATTE, MEN WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR KHAKIS AND LEFT STRANDED ON THE ROAD BETWEEN BOYHOOD AND ANDROGYNY.BUT TODAY, THERE ARE QUESTIONS OUR GENDERLESS SOCIETY HAS NO ANSWERS FOR.THE WORLD SITS IDLY BY AS CITIES CRUMBLE, CHILDREN MISBEHAVE AND THOSE LITTLE OLD LADIES REMAIN ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET.FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BAD GUYS, WE NEED HEROES.WE NEED GROWN-UPS.WE NEED MEN TO PUT DOWN THE PLASTIC FORK, STEP AWAY FROM THE SALAD BAR AND UNTIE THE WORLD FROM THE TRACKS OF COMPLACENCY.IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY.IT’S TIME TO ANSWER THE CALL OF MANHOOD.IT'S TIME TO WEAR THE PANTS.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Remembrance, and Maybe Sainthood, for Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
To a Catholic boy like Tim Dolan, growing up in the heartland when Protestant neighbors still made casual jokes about the “papists” next door, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen rode into town in the 1950s on the new main street of the United States, the television set, like a true-blue American hero.
“He showed the broad American public that the truths of our faith were consonant with the highest values of the society: patriotism, God, family and the struggle against Communism,” said that boy, now known as Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York.
Archbishop Dolan led a memorial Mass on Wednesday evening at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of Bishop Sheen. An auxiliary bishop of the New York Archdiocese from 1951 to 1965, the man whom the Rev. Billy Graham called “the greatest communicator of the 20th century” is buried in a crypt under the cathedral altar, which was open for public viewing before the Mass.
In a way, the event — which attracted Roman Catholic dignitaries, parishioners from across the country and two great-great nieces of the bishop — served unofficially as promotion for a little-noticed campaign to make Bishop Sheen, the first and greatest Catholic televangelist, a saint of the church.
After 20 years in radio, Bishop Sheen scored a hit with his first weekly TV show, “Life is Worth Living,” on the DuMont network. The program drew tens of millions of viewers on Tuesday nights from 1951 to 1957, though it appeared opposite giants of early television likeLucille Ball and Milton Berle (who once quipped that the bishop was pretty good for a guy who “uses old material”).
In those broadcasts, and a similar show syndicated from 1961 to 1968, the bishop, an Illinois farmer’s son who wrote his doctoral dissertation on Marxism, used a polished extemporaneous style to comment on topics of the day, whether movies, Broadway plays or international politics. Among his most famous half-hour commentaries was a 1953 denunciation of Joseph Stalin.
“When he came upon the scene, there was still wavering doubt about whether Catholics were truly American,” said John L. Allen Jr., an author of books about Catholicism and senior correspondent for The National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper. “Sheen clinched the deal with the general public, showing that you could be completely Catholic and completely American.”
Some scholars credit the popularity of his broadcast with making possible the 1960 election of the country’s first and only Catholic president, John F. Kennedy.
Unlike the other famous Catholic broadcaster of the 20th century, the Rev. Charles E. Coughlin, who blended harsh attacks on PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt with anti-Semitism, Bishop Sheen combined his vigorous anti-Communism with an almost equally strong anti-racist message that placed him well ahead of the curve as an advocate for civil rights in the 1950s. In 1967, he also became a vocal opponent of the war in Vietnam.
For Archbishop Dolan, 59, who grew up in suburban St. Louis, the unabashed Catholicism of the red cape and crucifix worn by Bishop Sheen during all his broadcasts — though risky in its time — proved that the core beliefs of a Catholic “could be expressed by a person who was well-educated, down to earth and not threatening in the least,” he said.
Bishop Sheen’s great crossover appeal was made evident one night when the future archbishop’s father walked in the door and recounted what had just happened while he was taking out the garbage.
“We had a neighbor named Norm who used to always kid my dad about being Catholic,” Archbishop Dolan said in an interview on Tuesday. “And one evening he meets my dad at the curb and says: ‘Bob, I was watching that bishop of yours. Sheen. He’s not a bad guy. He makes a lot of sense.’ ”
The neighbor’s gibes were never particularly mean-spirited, and Bob Dolan was not a particularly observant Catholic. But the father’s response to the neighbor’s comment was memorable. “He came into the house, beaming, bursting with pride,” the archbishop said. “ ‘You’ll never guess what Norm just said,’ he tells us all.”
Since 2002, the effort to canonize Bishop Sheen has been led by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., where the Sheen family raised their four sons and where Bishop Sheen was ordained in 1919.
The Rev. Andrew Apostoli, a Franciscan friar who is gathering evidence of miracles attributed to Bishop Sheen’s intercession since his death in 1979, said the bishop had been designated by the Vatican as a “Servant of God,” the first step toward sainthood.
Two months ago, Father Apostoli said, evidence of two miracles, including affidavits signed by doctors and witnesses to medical recoveries “unexplainable by science,” were submitted to the Vatican for verification. If accepted, the bishop would be beatified, or made a “Blessed Person,” and after verification of a third miracle, made a saint.
It is customary, he said, for the bishops in the places where saints are born to seek the return of their remains. In Bishop Sheen’s case, that would mean removal from the crypt at St. Patrick’s and reburial at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria.
Really? he was asked.
“Well, yes, but it is a very sensitive point, so I don’t want to say anything further about that,” Father Apostoli said.
Archbishop Dolan said he knew about the custom. “Bishop Jenky is a good friend of mine, and I appreciate that he would dream that someday the remains of Bishop Sheen would be returned to Peoria,” he said. “He even kids me about it: ‘You know, Tim, when he becomes a saint, we’re going to try and get him.’ ”
He paused. “But, you know, Bishop Sheen only spent a few years in Peoria.”
He paused again, as if searching for words. “And he loved New York.”
Bishop Jenky, who attended Wednesday’s Mass, could not be reached for comment.
Ravi Somaiya contributed reporting.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
And Joseph Slept
What we can learn from Joseph's holy slumber
Columbia
The Magazine of the Knights of Columbus
by Brian Caulfield
"Why is St. Joseph sleeping?" asked my 9-year-old son.
We were in the Holy family Chapel at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council headquarters in New Haven, Conn., looking at the colorful mosaic that depicts Mary tending to her newborn son while Joseph nods off in the radiant presence of the redeemer.
Continue to article in this online presentation of Columbia by clicking on the image below. Page 9.
Topics: Second Sunday of Advent: Father Steadman Missal...Monsignor Joseph F. Steadman: 1896-1946 ...Sign Post: First Clear Creek Monk Dies...The City of San Francisco: Fines Archdiocese $14.4 Million...YouTube: My Religion is True, Yours a Mistake!...Bishop of Calgary: Shuts Down Fraternity of St. Peter Mass...Preserving Christian Publications: Newsletter; Catalog, Second Hand Books...Venite Missa Est! Re-Run: Book Review; Islam at the Gates...Feast Day: St. Nicholas...Course at Spiritual Life Center: Introduction to Church History....Obit:Leading Authority on Church Bells and Bell-Ringing Dies
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
_Well it's finals week for this "oldest student in the class" and I feel fine. Lots of intersting stuff in the Catholic World but not much of our local parish...forgive me, it is a busy week.
_Totally unrelated to Catholicism and/or St. Anthony: I watched a very entertaining movie today that is family friendly and adventurous. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe (2003). The film takes place in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. Europe has fallen to Napoleon, and only the Royal Navy stands in his way to total victory. Off the cost of South America, a new conflict is brewing. The HMS Surprise is under orders to sink or capture the French privateer Acheron, which has been deployed to the region.
I think you probably get the gist of the movie, action packed, full of swashbuckling adventure....it's generally a great family film (warning: there are fighting scenes).
...and now the Necessaries
Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is the only local church celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita area. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est is strictly a private layman's endeavor.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Second Sunday of Advent
Mass Theme Explained
My Sunday Missal
Confraternity of the Precious Blood
(Father Stedman Missal 1941)
Bloggers note: Stedman is spelled as such in the actual missal but spelled as Steadman elsewhere.
John the Baptist "had heard in prison of the works of Christ. He sent two of his disciples to say to Him, 'art Thou He Who is to come, or shall we look for another' " (Gospel).
Jesus referred to John as "My messenger" who prepared the "way". John now wanted his disciples to realize that they, too, must follow Christ, the long expected Saviour, will the "blind" of soul "see," the "lame" of character "walk" the "lepers" of sin become "cleansed;" the "poor" become rich with a new Gospel.
The Epistle points to these interior and social aspects of the "Christ" way: interiorly, by prayer, to "glorify" the Fatherhood of God; socially, by our actions, to "receive one another" in the Brotherhood of man, "even as Christ has received you".
Observe how the entire Mass, from Introit to Postcommunion, repeats the same pre-Christmas reminder of the need of serving Christ and neighbor. Why"look for another" way?
In the course of his life, Monsignor Steadman served as a chaplain, directed three churches in Queens and Brooklyn and wrote several religious missals (books containing the readings and prayers for each Roman Catholic Mass or prayer service) still in use throughout the world.
Joseph Steadman, one of five children, was born to Joseph and Ellen Steadman in Brooklyn, New York. In his youth, he attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School and then went on to high school at the St. Francis Preparatory School. Receiving his diploma, Steadman entered St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, but left after his junior year to enter the St. John’s Seminary in Brooklyn. Graduating an ordained Roman Catholic priest in 1921, Father Steadman was assigned to Holy Child Jesus Parish in Richmond Hill, Queens, where he served from 1921-1925. Father Steadman then became the Chaplain of the Precious Blood Monastery where he held a series of spiritual discussions. He also founded and directed the Confraternity of the Precious Blood.
Father Steadman was elevated to Monsignor in 1944. Involved in military religious affairs, Msgr. Steadman gave rosaries to active members of the military during World War II and played an active role in veteran’s affairs. After the end of World War II (1939-1945) a Catholic Veterans Post was founded in his honor. In addition, Msgr. Steadman wrote three missals: My Sunday Missal, My Lenten Missal, and My Military Missal. My Sunday Missal, the most famous of the three, is used throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, England, Australia, and South Africa. It has been translated into French, Polish, Chinese, Dutch, Italian, and some Native American languages. Msgr. Steadman also wrote the Jesus, Mary, Joseph Novena Manual. Msgr. Steadman remained the Chaplain of Precious Blood until his death of a brain tumor in 1946. He was 50 years of age.Joseph Steadman, one of five children, was born to Joseph and Ellen Steadman in Brooklyn, New York. In his youth, he attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School and then went on to high school at the St. Francis Preparatory School. Receiving his diploma, Steadman entered St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, but left after his junior year to enter the St. John’s Seminary in Brooklyn. Graduating an ordained Roman Catholic priest in 1921, Father Steadman was assigned to Holy Child Jesus Parish in Richmond Hill, Queens, where he served from 1921-1925. Father Steadman then became the Chaplain of the Precious Blood Monastery where he held a series of spiritual discussions. He also founded and directed the Confraternity of the Precious Blood.
Father Steadman was elevated to Monsignor in 1944. Involved in military religious affairs, Msgr. Steadman gave rosaries to active members of the military during World War II and played an active role in veteran’s affairs. After the end of World War II (1939-1945) a Catholic Veterans Post was founded in his honor. In addition, Msgr. Steadman wrote three missals: My Sunday Missal, My Lenten Missal, and My Military Missal. My Sunday Missal, the most famous of the three, is used throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, England, Australia, and South Africa. It has been translated into French, Polish, Chinese, Dutch, Italian, and some Native American languages. Msgr. Steadman also wrote the Jesus, Mary, Joseph Novena Manual. Msgr. Steadman remained the Chaplain of Precious Blood until his death of a brain tumor in 1946. He was 50 years of age.
An edited version of this story appeared in the Tahlequah (Oklahoma) Daily Press on Wednesday 25 November.
Clear Creek Monastery near Lost City was founded 10 years ago by 13 monks from an ancient abbey in France. Last Tuesday, in a solemn Roman Catholic requiem Mass, one of the founders, Father Francois de Feydeau, a Frenchman, was laid to rest in a grove of pine trees he had
planted himself a few years ago, near the new monastery whose construction he helped bring about.
Fr. de Feydeau was the "sub-prior" of the Benedictine community - second in command, the faithful lieutenant of the monastery's prior, or head man in charge, Father Philip Anderson. After suffering from cancer for six months, Fr. de Feydeau died at the monastery on Nov. 15. He was the first monk to die there.
Cathy Costello of Edmond has been a friend of the Clear Creek monks for many years. She described Fr. de Feydeau's feelings about his home in Cherokee County, and the community here he belonged to.
"When Fr. de Feydeau was diagnosed with cancer, Fr. Anderson asked him if he wanted to go back to France to the monastery there," said Mrs. Costello. "He told Fr. Anderson he was already with his family, and wanted to die at Clear Creek with them.
"Fr. de Feydeau was the first monk to see Clear Creek," Mrs. Costello said, referring to the fact that he headed the small advance guard who arrived a month before most of the monks. "And he is the first Clear Creek monk to see heaven."
Fr. de Feydeau wore several hats at Clear Creek. Besides serving as sub-prior, he also held the job of "cellarer," or the monk in charge of business matters. Before becoming a monk, he had been an officer in the French Navy. He also was in charge of the studies of the young monks preparing to become priests (the original band of 13 has grown to nearly 40). And he was closely involved in the design and construction of the new buildings that are rising on the monastery land, adjacent to Fort Gibson Lake north of Hulbert.
Dan Doyle of Tulsa, the son of the former owner of the 1200-acre property now owned by the monks, has for several years been the organizer of an annual work day at the monastery, when as many as 400 volunteers, Catholic and Protestant, from Oklahoma and elsewhere, have gathered to help the monks clear brush and build fences and cut timber and do some of the other chores required to maintain a large farming and ranching operation (the monks try to be self-sustaining as much as possible). Mr. Doyle worked closely with Fr. de Feydeau during the work days and on other occasions.
"My image is of Fr. de Feydeau in the monk robe with most of it trailing behind because of his constant forward momentum," said Mr. Doyle. "The only time it would fall evenly was as he was preparing to step into the Bobcat, put on his mouse ear protectors and begin his self-imposed 43 minute time allotment to work on the mill or the cloister wall or whatever priority he had determined for the day between all the other tasks he performed. He would get on the Bobcat - pushing, pulling, lifting and digging - making a little progress every day, sticking on task over months to accomplish his vision. The work on the Bobcat was the most tangible representation of what he was doing for the monastery, supporting the abbot, the ceremony and the other monks."
Mr. Doyle was impressed by de Feydeau's decision to be buried in Oklahoma.
"I always thought he would go back to France to be an abbot in his home country," Mr. Doyle said. "It would have been hard for me to leave for another country not knowing if I would ever come back. Being buried here versus France is a huge commitment. Not that he would be proud, not that it would be a sacrifice in his mind, but the duty to be the first of the monks to be buried at the monastery is symbolic of his dedication."
Thomas Gordon Smith, a professor of architecture at Notre Dame University, also worked closely with de Feydeau over the last several years. Fr. de Feydeau had a profound influence on Mr. Smith's design for the new church and monastery at Clear Creek, an influence based on Fr. de Feydeau's deep knowledge of the distinctively monastic styles of architecture employed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Mr. Smith himself is a leader in the renaissance of traditional approaches to architecture, of which Notre Dame is a center.
"Father de Feydeau was insistent that the model for the new monastery at Clear Creek be the distinctive Cistercian branch, a severe and geometrical version of the Romanesque style," said Mr. Smith. "I was prejudiced against Cistercian building because it was promoted by the influential modernist architect Le Corbusier. Fr. de Feydeau, on the other hand, saw that Cistercian could represent a radical return to basic Benedictine principles today, because the 12th-century development of the style emanated from spiritual and disciplinary reform. Fr. de Feydeau's insight caused me to convert my resistance to understanding. He helped me to make Cistercian the prime font for Clear Creek Monastery's architectural design.
"It is extremely rare in today's Catholic Church for leaders like Fr. Anderson and the late Fr. de Feydeau to be acutely aware that architectural expression can reflect the deep renaissance occuring at Fontgombault and Clear Creek."
While Fr. de Feydeau had a connoisseur's knowledge of mediaeval architecture, he was also fascinated by the history and culture of his adopted home in Cherokee County. In 1999, a few months before Fr. de Feydeau and his fellow monks left France, friends here sent them a history of Tahlequah. Fr. de Feydeau delighted to tell the story of how the town acquired its name, when a Cherokee chief uttered the word to express his approval of the site. In his inimitable French accent, Fr. de Feydeau would give the English translation of the word Tahlequah: "It'll do." He also would tell the alternative version of the story, which ends with the phrase, "Two is enough."
Fr. de Feydeau was an accomplished artist. As an officer in the French Navy, he served on a battleship, the "Jeanne d'Arc," that sailed around the world. Fr. de Feydeau planned to take his own personal camera on the cruise, but it was stolen just before the ship left. So instead of taking pictures on the trip, he made drawings of the sights he saw at the various ports of call.
Friends have suggested that an exhibit of his drawings should appear in a gallery at the Gilcrease Museum or Northeastern State University in Tahlequah or elsewhere.
Cathy Costello recalled Fr. de Feydeau's teaching during a class on painting - or in the phrase of the Christian East, "writing" - icons.
"My daughter Anna Marie and I had the good fortune to write an icon with him.
Fr. de Fedeau would move into the room like an angel flying. He sat next to me, would look at what I was doing, then take a tiny drop of paint and begin to do more with that drop of paint in five minutes than I did with a quarter cup in five hours! Then the bell would ring for the divine office and he would fly out as quickly as he had arrived. "
Lyle Cooney-Pead, an Australian visitor staying in the monastery guesthouse recently, spoke of the life of prayer and contemplation led by de Feydeau and his brother monks.
"They offer their lives as a witness to the fact that God exists and that he loves us and has sent his son to save us," said Mr. Cooney-Pead. "Their whole life is a testimony, a sign-post reminding us the real purpose of our existence, which is to glorify God in this life and forever in heaven."
In remarks addressed to a funeral congregation of 200 last Tuesday, Fr. Anderson, the head of the monastery, echoed those thoughts.
"As we prepare to commit the mortal remains of a beloved monk to the earth, we do well not to forget the luminous path traced by so many saints who have illumined the world and transfigured the experience of death," said Fr. Anderson in his sermon. "Above all we must not forget what Our Lord said about the need for the grain of wheat to die, in order that it not remain sterile but produce much fruit. If we cannot help feeling the bitter grief of seeing a father and brother stolen away from the visible plane of our existence, we must not act like the pagans of yesterday and today, who live without real love in this world and without hope for the next."
Cathy Costello was among the congregation at de Feydeau's funeral.
"The funeral was so beautiful and simple," she said. "The monks built him a simple box out of beautiful cedar found on their property. His open casket was set on the floor of the sanctuary, between the choir stalls of the monks, surrounded by six candles. At the end of the mass, with the monks chanting the 'In paradisum,' they slowly picked up the open casket, placing it on the shoulders of six monks and we all walked out to the grave. It was so beautiful watching this family carry their French brother. They set him on the ground, and after more incense, holy water and prayers, placed the wooden lid on top of the coffin. They lowered his body in the ground with ropes, and every member of the monastery and the lay community looked into the ground and blessed his casket with holy water. Some monks were crying. It was cloudy, and damp, and bitterly cold. Somehow it seemed fitting."
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
City Fines Archdiocese of San Francisco $14.4 Million
The City of San Francisco is hard up for cash, so they’ve decided to steal it from the Archdiocese of San Francisco because they can – nakedly, in broad daylight, without the slightest plausible legal pretense. The Church is openly hated and condemned in San Francisco for its support of Proposition 8 and its defense of human sexual morality in general. The City can steal from the Archdiocese because the City needs the money and because it makes the citizenry happy to stick it to the evil Catholic Church.
Here’s some backstory from a previous post: When you sell a piece of property in many California jurisdictions, including San Francisco, the seller must pay a rather exhorbitant tax for the privilege which is based upon the value of the property. It is akin to a sales tax on a home or commercial property.
The San Francisco Archdiocese owns hundreds of lots in San Mateo, Marin and San Francisco counties. The exceedingly vast majority of these properties are the lots which make up a parish plant, i.e., church, school, parish hall, parking lot, rectory. . .
The Archdiocese has historically held title to these properties under two names - The Roman Catholic Welfare Corporation and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco, a Corporation Sole.
In December, 2007, San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer announced a corporate restructuring within the archdiocese and by May 2008, almost all properties in question had been consolidated under the title of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Parish and School Juridic Persons Juridic Property Support Corp.
Since this is not a sale or transfer to a different organization or person, no transfer tax is invoked and no transfer tax has ever been invoked in the history of the state for such a transaction. That is, until City Assessor Phil Ting gauged the likely public reaction to an outright theft from the Prop. 8 supporting Catholic Church and realized it would not only be profitable, but popular. Last year Ting, unlike assessors in Marin and San Mateo Counties, decided to charge the Archdiocese a transfer tax on all Archdiocesan properties in San Francisco. This includes properties such as Mission Dolores, which have been owned by the Church since before there was a State of California or a taxing authority in San Francisco.
They are still owned by the Church. No money changed hands. Yet, the City is charging the Archdiocese the second largest real estate transfer tax in history, as if the Archdiocese were a real estate investor selling a profitable high-rise office building.
The Archdiocese appealed Ting’s decision to an appeal board which yesterday agreed to take $14.4 million from the Church. The Archdiocese will now take the issue to court. Archdiocesan spokesperson Maury Healy told the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The board members, all of whom are City Hall administrators rather than members of the judiciary, apparently faced tremendous pressure in view of the city's desperate need for revenue . . . We are glad that having exhausted the required administrative process we can finally proceed to a formal, neutral civil court forum . . . We trust that the civil court will carefully consider the applicable law, devoid of the sensationalism and politics that the archdiocese thus far has faced.”
Pray for the persecuted Church in San Francisco. This is just one of many assaults the Church has suffered there recently. Hat Tip to A Shepherd’s Voice who has more background here and especially here.
The world's most popular Islamic scholar Dr. Zakir Naik explains that Islam is correct while all other religions are mistakes.
While philosopher Daniel Dennett proposes that school curriculum includes the study of all major religions, religious leaders continue to resist such ungodly secularism.
Due to concern over spread of H1N1, the Bishop of Calgary has ordered all parishes to suspend communion on the tongue. The local FSSP parish has rightly refused and are now suspended from offering Mass until further notice. A concerned Cathlic wrote to Bishop Henry informing him that the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in late July stated that it is not licit to deny reception of communion on the tongue, despite the current threat of H1N1. Bishop Henry replied, "I am well aware of what the Congregation decided but quite frankly, it is not their call. It is mine."
Full email chain follows:
Sent: November 30, 2009 10:09 AM
To: bishopfh@rcdiocese....
Subject: Calgary's Saint Anthony Parish: forbidden to have Mass if communion in the hand is not offered?
Dear Bishop Henry,
On the front page of your diocese's website, I see there is a letter in which you are forbidding the distribution of communion on the tongue due to H1N1 concerns. Separately, I have heard that you have forbidden the Parish of Saint Anthony's in Calgary, which is serviced by priests of the Fraternity of Saint Peter, to offer Mass using the Missal of 1962 because that Rite of Mass is incompatible with communion given in the hand.
Is this true?
Michael C.
***
From: Bishop F.B. Henry bishopfh@rcdiocese....
Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Subject: RE: Calgary's Saint Anthony Parish: forbidden to have Mass if communion in the hand is not offered?
Dear Michael
The Fraternity has informed me that they are unable to comply with the directives in my pastoral letter re reception of communion. Therefore, the Latin Mass will be suspended until the temporary sanctions have been lifted as recommended by the Medical Officer of Health.
Peace, Bishop Henry
****
Letter to St. Anthony's Parish
November 25, 2009
Rev. C. Blust, FSSP
St. Anthony’s Parish
5340 4th St. SW
Calgary, AB, T2V 0Z5
Dear Fr. Blust and My Brothers and Sisters of the Latin Mass Community of St. Anthony’s
The sacraments (and sacramentals – like holy water) are entrusted by Christ to the church which is responsible for determining through regulation the manner of their proper celebration. The bishop is the chief liturgist in the local church or diocese. In the event of a pandemic, we ought to try to reduce the possibility of transmission of a virus and protect the faithful – also the body of Christ. Our current liturgical restrictions in Calgary aim to do precisely that . This is a difficulty for some but we must remember that a Catholic spirituality is not an individual affair but communitarian from the get-go. For the love of our brothers and sisters we have mandated the sacrificing of a personal preference in the manner of Eucharistic reception for a temporary period.
Receiving communion on the tongue is not a dogma of faith. Nor is it an absolute. Since the Eucharistic Celebration is the Paschal Banquet, it is desirable that in keeping with the Lord's command, his Body and Blood should be received by the faithful who are properly disposed as spiritual food. In the Diocese of Calgary, all the faithful may receive communion on the tongue or in the hand - this also applies to the faithful who choose to celebrate the Eucharist with the Latin Mass community at St. Anthony’s, Calgary and St. Patrick’s, Medicine Hat. However, due to the current N1H1 pandemic and in accordance with recommendations received from the Medical Officer of Health, communion on the tongue is temporarily suspended.
I want to be perfectly clear: no one is to be denied the Eucharist, what is at issue is the manner of reception.
Participation in the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is a source and means of grace even apart from the actual reception of Holy Communion. It has also been long understood that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy communion during mass, it is possible to make a spiritual communion that is also a source of grace. Spiritual communion means uniting oneself in prayer with Christ’s sacrifice and worshiping him present in his Body and Blood.
Nevertheless, the current pandemic circumstances do not warrant the non-reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord in favour of a spiritual communion.
Wishing you all the best, I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ F. B. Henry
Bishop of Calgary.
***
To: Bishop F.B. Henry
Subject: Re: Calgary's Saint Anthony Parish: forbidden to have Mass if communion in the hand is not offered?
Your excellency,
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), on 24 July 2009, stated that it is not licit to deny reception of communion on the tongue, despite the current threat of H1N1. Attached is a scan of the CDF's letter on this matter.
"I am well aware of what the Congregation decided but quite frankly, it is not their call. It is mine."
More information will be posted as it is made available - jv
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Preserving Christian Publications
Newsletter, Catalog, Second hand Books
Dear Friends,
Our new secondhand and out-of-print PDF CATALOG for December 2009 is now available on our website via our HOME and PDF CATALOG pages.
Please note, we recommend that you refresh (reload) your browser upon arriving at our site, to ensure that you are looking at the newest version, and not a cached one.
Also, we would like to bring to your attention 3 new reprint titles now available:
2010 ORDO: Indispensable for the clergy and laity alike who follow the traditional (1962) Roman Missal and Breviary. For every day of the year, the Ordo implements the rubrics that regulate the liturgical calendar. Of course, it is also a must for every sacristy! 180 pages, soft cover, #55716. $15.00 (plus shipping)
CAEREMONIALE IN MISSA, PRIVATA ET SOLEMNI by C. Callewaert: Though this Flemish liturgist was frequently cited by 20th century rubricians, his books have been nearly impossible to obtain for many years. Fellow rubricists had this to say of his CAEREMONIALE: "This is perhaps the clearest description of all ordinary ceremonies and is written by an outstanding authority. ... Callewaert is unusual for his depth of treatment. He gives the meaning and reason behind ceremonies whenever useful and always lists carefully his sources. ...We recommend it without reservation..."
DENZINGER'S SOURCES OF CATHOLIC DOGMA: In this age of doctrinal latitude and speculative innovation there is a pressing need for a comprehensive source on authentic Catholic dogma anchored upon the Church’s magisterium. Solution: We offer Fr. Denzinger’s practical yet concise reference book. 720 pages, cloth hardbound, #55712. $32.00 (plus shipping)
Until next, please help our apostolic work and let your friends know about our new PDF catalog and our e-mail list. God bless from the PCP Staff!
To order a secondhand book
call us toll-free at 866-241-2762
or email us at: info@pcpbooks.com
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Venite Missa Est! Re-Run from Sometime Last Year
Book Review
Reviewed by Jim Spencer
Islam at the Gates: How Christendom Defeated the Ottoman Turks, by Dr. Diane Moczar (published in 2008 by Sophia Institute Press, Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108; 1-(800) 888-9344; www.sophiainstitute.com. ISBN 978-1-933184-25-8. Softcover, 8.5” X 5.5”, 243 pages. $17.95 plus s&h.)
Although history, and well-written history at that, this book offers much more than history to 21st century readers. It offers a clear and most unsettling picture of what we face if the Muslims of today launch an all-out offensive as their ancestors did against Eastern and Western Christendom from the seventh through the seventeenth centuries. Dr. Moczar presents this offensive as a “Drama in Five Acts.” She summarizes the pre-Ottoman centuries as Acts One through Three in her Prologue, and then devotes Chapters One through Nine to the almost successful onslaught of the Ottoman Turks from the fourteenth through the seventeenth centuries. In her final Chapter, “Islam at the Gates Once More,” she assesses our situation today relative to the once again rising power and ambition of Islam.
The Story
The Ottoman Turks started as an almost insignificant band of nomads. However, beginning with their leader, Osman (hence the name “Ottoman”), in the fourteenth century, they benefitted from a long series of outstanding leaders who gradually made them dominant throughout Islam. Once in control of Islam, these Ottoman Turk leaders launched successful jihad after successful jihad against Christendom, starting of course in the east and working ever westward. They conquered Constantinople in 1453. Then they swept through the Balkans, conquering the rest of Greece, Serbia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia. By 1552 they had conquered all of Hungary and were moving toward Vienna, the gateway to Europe.
The Turks belatedly developed sea power, but during the 16th century they came to dominate the Mediterranean Sea.
One major reason for Turkish success through these ten centuries conquest was that various countries of Europe failed to cooperate for their mutual defense. They were often too busy squabbling with one another to present a united front. More than one country went so far as to side with the Turks against another European country. One Italian State even provided oceanic transportation for Muslim soldiers and the Muslim slave trade!
Of course, we’re all familiar with the story of Pope St. Pius V and the victory of Don Juan of Austria in the sea battle of Lepanto in 1571. We’re also familiar with the story of the Polish King, John Sobieski’s successful defense of Vienna in 1683, when he routed the Turkish army, which retreated in disarray, never to return.
The Consequences
Following every successful jihad, the Ottoman Turks inflicted a savagery beyond imagination on their victims. First, they brutally slaughtered enough men to get the full attention of the conquered people. Then, they gathered as many slaves, men and women, as they felt they needed and shipped them to other parts of the Ottoman Empire. The men became common slaves, while the women were either delivered into the clutches of amorous soldiers or put into various harems. Through these centuries, countless millions of Christians men and women were thusly enslaved. The conquering Turks also took as many young boys as they felt they needed as Devsirme and Icoglan. The Devsirme, 14 to 20 years old, were converted to Islam and trained, most as elite infantrymen for the Janissary Corp, while some were trained for diplomatic service. The Icoglan, six to ten years old, were converted to Islam and trained for fourteen years for service in various positions in the Sultan’s administration. It was also a custom to require conquered people to supply some annual number of slaves as well as Devsirme, and Icoglan. It has been estimated that about one-fifth of the young males in these conquered lands were thusly taken from their parents.
Forced conversions were common under such a terrorist regime. But what about those who refused to convert? They, the dhimmi, were taxed heavily but allowed to live, provided they recognized themselves as “subdued.” They had to wear identifying clothes, step aside with visible humility to allow any Muslim to pass, and so forth. Any dhimmi who failed to act properly subdued could be (and usually was) summarily killed.
The Future
In her final chapter, Dr. Moczar sounds a wake-up call for those who feel this could never happen again. She makes an interesting comparison between Islamic occupation and Communist occupation, a comparison that rings our collective chimes because we’re so familiar with the horrors of Communist occupation.
Overall, this is a very timely book, It’s also a very well organized and a very well written book.
End
Copyright, 2008, by James B. Spencer. First Serial Rights
St. Nicholas is the Saint better known as "Santa Claus" (Sinterklaas in the Dutch whence "Santa Claus" comes). His image in America has been mixed up with a lot of traits and imagery from sources as disparate as the poetry of Clement Moore, pagan Norse mythology, and American advertising. In real life, though, St. Nicholas was a beloved and wonderful Bishop of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). He was born in Asia Minor in A.D. 260 and orphaned at an early age.
As a young man, he made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt, becoming a Bishop upon his r
eturn. He was imprisoned during the persecutions of Diocletian, but was released after
Constantine came to rule. According to legend, he was present at the Council of Nicaea and became so incensed at Arius -- the heretical Bishop whose denial of the two natures of Christ spread through the Church -- that he slapped him across the face. He intervened twice in cases
in which innocent men were accused of crimes they did not commit, once appearing to Constantine and the local prefect in a dream, encouraging them to do the right thing in their
regard.
Many stories about his life indicate his kindness and reveal miracles. The Golden Legend, written in A.D. 1275 by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, tells us how the Saint threw bags of gold coins to a man in order to provide dowries for the man's daughters and save them from lives of lechery:
And it was so that one, his neighbour, had then three daughters, virgins, and he was a nobleman: but for the poverty of them together, they were constrained, and in very purpose to abandon them to the sin of lechery, so that by the gain and winning of their infamy they might be sustained. And when the holy man Nicholas knew hereof he had great horror of this villainy, and
threw by night secretly into the house of the man a mass of gold wrapped in a cloth. And when the man arose in the morning, he found this mass of gold, and rendered to God therefor great thankings, and therewith he married his oldest daughter.
And a little while after this holy servant of God threw in another mass of gold, which the man found, and thanked God, and purposed to wake, for to know him that so had aided him in his poverty. And after a few days Nicholas doubled the mass of gold, and cast it into the house of this man. He awoke by the sound of the gold, and followed Nicholas, which fled from him, and he said to him: Sir, flee not away so but that I may see and know thee.
Then he ran after him more hastily, and knew that it was Nicholas; and anon he kneeled down,
and would have kissed his feet, but the holy man would not, but required him not to tell nor discover this thing as long as he lived.
Customs
Today is, for many Catholics, the day for gift-giving (some do this on Christmas, some do this on the Feast of the Epiphany in memory of the gifts the 3 Kings gave to Baby Jesus, and some spread the gift-giving out on all these days). In some places, especially in the Eastern Catholic churches, "St. Nicholas," dressed as a Bishop, will show up and hand out presents to the little ones, and children put their shoes in front of the fireplace to be filled with candy and presents by
morning. Because coins are one of the many symbols of St. Nicholas, chocolate coins are a perfect thing to put in the childrens' shoes. One can use Christmas stockings instead of shoes, or one can buy adult-sized wooden shoes, paint and decorate them, and bring them out for use just on St. Nicholas's Day.
In any case, an icon -- even a nice Holy Card -- of St. Nicholas should be visible today if at all
possible. Surround it with greenery and candles, and tell your children the story of the Saint Nicholas behind the "Santa Claus."
On St. Nicholas's Feast Day, it is customary to serve Speculaas cookies, a spicy Dutch cookie, cut into shapes relevant to the life of St. Nicholas (coins, mitres, ships, balls, money bags), and painted with colorful icing:
Speculaas Cookies
(makes 3 dozen depending on size)
Cookie:
1 Cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, at room temperature
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing:
Powdered sugar
Water
Lemon juice
A little beaten egg white for consistency, if desired
Food coloring
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind. Sift the spices and salt with the flour and baking powder, and stir gradually into the butter mixture. Wrap in waxed paper or
plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch, or for larger figures to about 1/4 inch. Cut into shapes (Bishop, Bishop's staff, Bishop's mitre, ship, coins, etc.) and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned (don't overbake). When cool, mix together icing ingredients and paint cookies as desired.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Introduction to Church History
Catholics Should Know Their Own Story, Says Local Church Scholar Jeri Holladay
Course Entitled “Introduction to Church History” at the Spiritual Life Center
For 2000 years the Roman Catholic Church stood the test of time, ushering in an era of faith, salvation, culture formation and the idea that each and every person – made in the image and likeness of God – has personal dignity.
While no one denies mistakes have been made (the Church is made up of imperfect men and women), many of these imperfections have been grossly distorted or in some cases made up in an effort to attack the Catholic Faith. That is why a solid understanding of Catholic Church history is essential to believers today.
“Knowing our own story as Catholics helps us to know who we are,” says Jerrilyn Holladay, an instructor of Church history and moral theology who is teaching a course entitled “Introduction to Church History” at the Spiritual Life Center in January. “Much attention is given to the Reformation and Inquisition, and we examine these events as well. But we also explore the compelling story of the Church and the role of the Church in building Western Civilization.”
Ms. Holladay’s course is part of the newly reconstructed Religious Studies Program of the Diocese of Wichita. This is a two-part course that will meet beginning Saturday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the concluding session set for Saturday, Feb. 13.
Jeri Holladay served 10 years as director of Adult Education at the Spiritual Life Center and continues to teach moral theology and church history while writing part-time. Prior to that, Holladay was associate professor of theology, chairman of the Theology Department and founding director of the Bishop Eugene J. Gerber Institute of Catholic Studies at Newman University.
The recommended textbook for the course is by Martha Rasmussen, “The Catholic Church: The First 2000 Years: A Popular Survey and Study Guide to Church History.” (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003; ISBN 0-89870-969-5).
Sign up by Dec. 28 for a discount
There is an earlybird discount rate of $55 for the course available now through Dec. 28,. After that date the cost is $60. Registration for the course is now underway and can be made online at WWW.SLCWichita.org, or by calling the Center at (316) 744-0167. The final deadline for registration is Jan. 5.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Leading Authority on Church Bells and Bell-Ringing Dies
London Telegraph
OBITUARIES
Paul Cattermole
28 August 2009
Paul Cattermole, who died on July 31 aged 67, was a leading authority on church bells and bell-ringing; he demonstrated that the sound of bells was as characteristic and evocative of everyday life in medieval England as is the call of the muezzin of Cairo or Istanbul.
His Norfolk roots were important, for it was in the eastern counties that "scientific" change ringing is thought to have developed, and the county boasts a rich heritage of medieval churches and associated documentary material which enabled Cattermole to build up a picture of the function of bells, the technical development of church towers and bell frames and the links between bell ringers and local communities.
Cattermole, who could read (and speak) fluent medieval Latin, was the author of several studies of church bells, most importantly Church Bells and Bell-Ringing: a Norfolk Profile, a major work of reference published in 1990 after he had visited and inspected the bells in some 400 Norfolk churches.
In a contribution to a recent book on the history of Norwich Cathedral, Cattermole described the central place of bells in monastic and parish life: The Norwich Customary (circa 1260) shows that the bells of Norwich Cathedral were used to summon the Benedictine monks of Norwich Priory to chapter meetings and services, while lay servants relied on the bells to tell them when to return to the Priory for meals and other domestic occasions.
A pair of small bells was usually rung before the daily offices, and bells were rung at significant moments in the liturgy. The ringing of bells for the dead was important, both on the day of the funeral and at intervals afterwards.
Festivals, Cattermole noted, were marked by special styles of ringing. On solemn occasions, such as Maundy Thursday, a single large bell might be used before the hour of absolution.
Three small bells were rung for vespers on feast days. More elaborate ringing is suggested by an instruction to sound "all the bells" before services on the principal festivals, when the ringing was sometimes "festive" (joyful) and at other times the bells were to be rung ut classicus (like a war trumpet), suggesting that they were clashed together, rather than rung as a sequence.
Such a complicated schedule, Cattermole found, required a team of specialists. The sacrist was responsible for providing and maintaining the bells; sacrists' rolls detail all the paraphernalia of bell-ringing – oil, rope, ironwork headstocks and so on.
At Norwich Cathedral the "campanarius" appears to have been a significant figure, responsible for organising and training the bell ringers, who, it seems probable, were paid.
Much of the medieval heritage of bell-ringing survived the Reformation, but notable casualties included the small sacring bells which had been rung at the elevation of the Host during the Mass.
Very few such bells survive, though Cattermole identified three significant examples in the west Norfolk churches of Thornham, Heacham and Snettisham, of which the bell at Thornham, still secured to a timber headstock by means of nailed bands, may date back to the 12th century.
Paul David Cattermole was born at New Buckenham, Norfolk, on August 15 1941 and educated at Norwich School, where he excelled in Latin. He left the school when his family moved to the Suffolk village of Beccles, where he attended Sir John Leman's School before moving on to Bromsgrove High School.
It was at Beccles that he first became interested in bell-ringing, inspired by Gilbert Thurlow, a precentor of Norwich Cathedral and church historian who published a history of Norwich bells in 1947 and taught Cattermole the techniques of bell-ringing at Beccles parish church.
Despite his interest in church architecture and languages, Cattermole read Mathematics at King's College London, and took a teaching diploma at Oxford. He then taught for 10 years at King's School, Worcester, before returning to Norwich in 1974 as head of Mathematics at Norwich School, where he remained until his retirement and co-authored a definitive history of the school, published in 1991.
Alongside his school duties, Cattermole was a regular bell-ringer at Tasburgh and Tharston churches, but he travelled widely round the country and completed more than 200 peals in Norfolk alone.
In 2007, however, he expressed disappointment when a new "ring of 10" rehung in the church of St Margaret's, King's Lynn, had to be silenced two hours into a celebratory peal when the metal bell frame was found to be insecurely anchored to the walls of the tower.
Cattermole, who had worked on the original plans for the refurbishment, complained that a new architect had changed the plans without his being consulted: "If I had been there I would have noticed that the wrong grout mix was being used." It was, he concluded, "a shambles".
Cattermole's other publications include The Church Bells of Norwich (2005), a comprehensive guide to the city's rich heritage of bells which includes a full account of the development of bell frames in towers. He also edited a 309-page history of Wymondham Abbey to mark its 900th anniversary in 2007.
He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2004.
Paul Cattermole is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their two daughters.
Topics: Wanna Really Learn Latin?: Reviewby Jim Spencer...Pray: The Divine Praises...Latin Mass Appeal: The NY Times...Straight from Heaven's Jukebox (God's iPod?): Veni Veni Emmanuel...Latin Mass Society: To Jesus Through Mary...The Baltimore Catechism: The Sacramentals...Blast from the Past: Holy Card of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
__Don't you just love the bell ringing before mass calling everyone to worship? I absolutely love it...it reminds me of my childhood.... approaching the church; Dad in suit, Mom in her white gloves, my stupid brother acting....well stupid!
__The joyous anticipation of our Lord's birth is upon us as we celebrated the 1st Sunday of Advent. His Excellency the Most Reverend Bishop Gerber celebrated mass today with Father Weldon in choir while Fr Lies was away.
It is always so good to see Bishop Gerber. Bishop Gerber was the priest at my very first Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite) back in 2004 and heard my confession beforehand.
__This week, Mr. James (Jim) Spencer is back with a look at a three-page review in the current issue of Una Voce America Nota of an on-line Latin course, offered by Carmenta Online Latin Classroom, founded and operated by Andrew Kuhry-Haeuser. This is an interactive program for the serious Latin enthusiast. Thank you Mr. Spencer.
__I need you. Yes you. Not in the way that I can't live without you and I cry every time we part. I am in need of a volunteer to place the daily Sunday propers into the red missalettes and then remove them after mass. You see I have bit off more than I can chew at mass and don't have time to do this small task. It took more than a year to gather, construct and proof read these propers and it is a shame that they are not being used by the congregation (those without missals). Mr Larry Bethel helped proof the propers and shouldered most of the cost of printing, which was not a small amount and though he would not want to be recognized for his contribution (oops!...sorry Larry!) I have to applaud his generosity.
SO, it is a shame that we are not making use of these propers. Can you help? Would you be willing to volunteer? Please email me at bumpy187@gmail.com
...and now the Necessaries
Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is the only local church celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita area. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est is strictly a private layman's endeavor.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Wanna Really Learn Latin?
by Jim Spencer
The current issue of Una Voce America Nota carries a three-page review of a very attractive on-line Latin course, offered by Carmenta Online Latin Classroom, founded and operated by Andrew Kuhry-Haeuser. This is truly an interactive program, for students can not only communicate through their keyboards but also they can see and converse with one another (and with the teacher, of course) through quite advanced technology.
The program is divided into eight semesters, with three semesters per year. The first four semesters cover basic ecclesiastical Latin, using as a textbook, John F. Collins’ Primer in Ecclesiastical Latin. The last four semesters continue the study of ecclesiastical Latin and adds some classical Latin, too, using as a textbook, Hans Orberg’s Lingua Latina, a book written entirely in Latin!
The student who successfully completes all eight semesters will be completely fluent in Latin. Thus he will be able to read, write, speak, and understand this most beautiful and beneficial language.
This is a serious educational program for seriously interested students, not an overview seminar for casually interested non-students. It has regularly scheduled on-line class periods, homework assignments, and tests.
It also has a serious price: $400 per semester, which makes the compete eight-semester course cost $3,200.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time.
WALKING into church 40 years ago on this first Sunday of Advent, many Roman Catholics might have wondered where they were. The priest not only spoke English rather than Latin, but he faced the congregation instead of the tabernacle; laymen took on duties previously reserved for priests; folk music filled the air. The great changes of Vatican II had hit home.
All this was a radical break from the traditional Latin Mass, codified in the 16th century at the Council of Trent. For centuries, that Mass served as a structured sacrifice with directives, called “rubrics,” that were not optional. This is how it is done, said the book. As recently as 1947, Pope Pius XII had issued an encyclical on liturgy that scoffed at modernization; he said that the idea of changes to the traditional Latin Mass “pained” him “grievously.”
Paradoxically, however, it was Pius himself who was largely responsible for the momentous changes of 1969. It was he who appointed the chief architect of the new Mass, Annibale Bugnini, to the Vatican’s liturgical commission in 1948.
Bugnini was born in 1912 and ordained a Vincentian priest in 1936. Though Bugnini had barely a decade of parish work, Pius XII made him secretary to the Commission for Liturgical Reform. In the 1950s, Bugnini led a major revision of the liturgies of Holy Week. As a result, on Good Friday of 1955, congregations for the first time joined the priest in reciting the Pater Noster, and the priest faced the congregation for some of the liturgy.
The next pope, John XXIII, named Bugnini secretary to the Preparatory Commission for the Liturgy of Vatican II, in which position he worked with Catholic clergymen and, surprisingly, some Protestant ministers on liturgical reforms. In 1962 he wrote what would eventually become the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the document that gave the form of the new Mass.
Many of Bugnini’s reforms were aimed at appeasing non-Catholics, and changes emulating Protestant services were made, including placing altars to face the people instead of a sacrifice toward the liturgical east. As he put it, “We must strip from our ... Catholic liturgy everything which can be the shadow of a stumbling block for our separated brethren, that is, for the Protestants.” (Paradoxically, the Anglicans who will join the Catholic Church as a result of the current pope’s outreach will use a liturgy that often features the priest facing in the same direction as the congregation.)
How was Bugnini able to make such sweeping changes? In part because none of the popes he served were liturgists. Bugnini changed so many things that John’s successor, Paul VI, sometimes did not know the latest directives. The pope once questioned the vestments set out for him by his staff, saying they were the wrong color, only to be told he had eliminated the week-long celebration of Pentecost and could not wear the corresponding red garments for Mass. The pope’s master of ceremonies then witnessed Paul VI break down in tears.
Bugnini fell from grace in the 1970s. Rumors spread in the Italian press that he was a Freemason, which if true would have merited excommunication. The Vatican never denied the claims, and in 1976 Bugnini, by then an archbishop, was exiled to a ceremonial post in Iran. He died, largely forgotten, in 1982.
But his legacy lived on. Pope John Paul II continued the liberalizations of Mass, allowing females to serve in place of altar boys and to permit unordained men and women to distribute communion in the hands of standing recipients. Even conservative organizations like Opus Dei adopted the liberal liturgical reforms.
But Bugnini may have finally met his match in Benedict XVI, a noted liturgist himself who is no fan of the past 40 years of change. Chanting Latin, wearing antique vestments and distributing communion only on the tongues (rather than into the hands) of kneeling Catholics, Benedict has slowly reversed the innovations of his predecessors. And the Latin Mass is back, at least on a limited basis, in places like Arlington, Va., where one in five parishes offer the old liturgy.
Benedict understands that his younger priests and seminarians — most born after Vatican II — are helping lead a counterrevolution. They value the beauty of the solemn high Mass and its accompanying chant, incense and ceremony. Priests in cassocks and sisters in habits are again common; traditionalist societies like the Institute of Christ the King are expanding.
At the beginning of this decade, Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) wrote: “The turning of the priest toward the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.” He was right: 40 years of the new Mass have brought chaos and banality into the most visible and outward sign of the church. Benedict XVI wants a return to order and meaning. So, it seems, does the next generation of Catholics.
Kenneth J. Wolfe writes frequently for traditionalist Roman Catholic publications.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Veni Veni Emmanuel
Straight from Heaven's Jukebox (God's iPod?)
Veni Veni Emmanuel is perhaps one of my favorite things about this time of year. Whenever i have time to sit and listen to it I almost go to tears.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
“To Jesus Through Mary”
Taken from the Latin Mass Society's May 2004 Newsletter
When offering the traditional Mass for those who may be assisting for the first time, Fr Hugh Thwaites SJ distributes a short text which explains what the old rite expects of the laity.
The text is a powerful meditation on the redemptive work of Our Lord and Our Lady and is fitting reading for all who wish to unite themselves with ‘the Passion of the Christ’. For some of you, this may be the first time you have come to a Mass in the old Latin rite, and you may be wondering what you are meant to do. You may be wishing you could at least come up to the sanctuary with the offertory procession, if not give one of the readings or even help with Holy Communion. But you are not going to be allowed to do anything. You have just got to sit there. Or maybe kneel or stand. But you cannot do anything. However, I will try to show you that there is indeed something you can do, something indeed you are meant to do, and something which will make you very like Our Lady on Calvary. On Calvary she also must have felt frustrated. She would have given anything to have been allowed to brush the flies from her Son’s face. Or moisten his lips with a damp sponge. Or even kiss his feet.But the soldiers were there on crowd control duty. Their job was to keep people away from the men on the crosses.And so our Blessed Lady could only stand there in silence. And she prayed. She and her Divine Son were the only ones who knew what was actually happening.She knew that He was the world’s Redeemer. She knew that He was offering a Sacrifice, the Sacrifice. He was offering the Sacrifice that would once more open to us the gates of Heaven. Being God as well as Man, the price He was paying for our salvation was of infinite worth. Though our sins are great and innumerable, they must always be quite outweighed by this ransom of infinite worth. So she joined with Him in offering this sacrifice to the Father. And loving Him as she did, she united her own suffering heart to His divine Heart. She offered herself in union with Him, immolating her heart on the altar of her love. So in this Mass, try to be like Our Lady on Calvary. Our Lord told us that we have all to be like little children if we wish to have the right approach to salvation. And little children look to their mother to learn what to do. In this Mass, look at Our Lady, and try to do what she did on Calvary. Offer Jesus to the Father, as she is doing. And offer yourself in union with Him.Words are not needed. You do not need to do anything, outwardly. But inwardly you need to do much.
You need to be “actively engaged”, as Vatican II says, trying to be like Mary on Calvary, your heart filled with love, offering the Divine Victim on the altar to the Father, and offering yourself to God in union with Him.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The Baltimore Catechism Lesson 27: The Sacramentals
292. Q. What is a sacramental? A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin. 293. Q. What is the difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals? A. The difference between the Sacraments and the sacramentals is: 1. The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ and the sacramentals were instituted by the Church; 2. The Sacraments give grace of themselves when we place no obstacle in the way; the sacramentals excite in us pious dispositions, by means of which we may obtain grace. 294. Q. Which is the chief sacramental used in the Church? A. The chief sacramental used in the Church is the sign of the Cross. 295. Q. How do we make the sign of the Cross? A. We make the sign of the Cross by putting the right hand to the forehead, then on the breast, and then to the left and right shoulders, saying, In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 296. Q. Why do we make the sign of the Cross? A. We make the sign of the Cross to show that we are Christians and to profess our belief in the chief mysteries of our religion. 297. Q. How is the sign of the Cross a profession of faith in the chief mysteries of our religion? A. The sign of the Cross is a profession of faith in the chief mysteries of our religion because it expresses the mysteries of the Unity and Trinity of God and of the Incarnation and death of our Lord. 298. Q. How does the sign of the Cross express the mystery of the Unity and Trinity of God? A. The words, In the name, express the Unity of God; the words that follow, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, express the mystery of the Trinity. 299. Q. How does the sign of the Cross express the mystery of the Incarnation and death of our Lord? A. The sign of the Cross expresses the mystery of the Incarnation by reminding us that the Son of God, having become man, suffered death on the cross. 300. Q. What other sacramental is in very frequent use? A. Another sacramental in very frequent use is holy water. 301. Q. What is holy water? A. Holy water is water blessed by the priest with solemn prayer to beg God's blessing on thosewho use it, and protection from the powers of darkness. 302. Q. Are there other sacramentals besides the sign of the Cross and holy water? A. Besides the sign of the Cross and holy water there are many other sacramentals, such as blessed candles, ashes, palms, crucifixes, images of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints, rosaries, and scapulars.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Venite Re Run from some time last year....
Blast from the Past
Holy Card of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
Image submitted by Stella Gruenbacher
Stella Gruenbacher, a regular reader of Venite Missa Est!, sent this image to be posted. It is a lovely holy card and third class relic of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini. Thank you so much for sharing Stella. Please send your old pictures of first communions, weddings, baptisms, holy cards etc. to share to bumpy187@gmail.com...I'll post them so that we all can share and reminisce.
Topics: St Catherine of Alexandria: Statue at St Anthony Church...St. Anthony Parishioner: Meet Bob Walterscheid...Even Demons Believe and Tremble: A Eucharistic Story...How ToMarket Catholicism?: The New Liturgical Movement... Latin Mass in the Movies: Robert DeNiro Movie Intro...Should We Be Ashamed of the Crusades?: By Jerrilyn Szelle Holladay...Requiescant in Pace:The Reverend Father Dom Francois de Feydeau de Saint-Christophe
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
As we find the liturgical calender winding down and the Holidays (both in the religious and the secular) quickly approaching we are filled with urgent, anticipatory feelings and emotions.
Rejoicing in God we are filled with love, joy and, God willing, grace. For some however, even Catholics, the holidays may be filled with dread, nervousness and feelings of loneliness even in extended families. What a perfect time to share our faith with those who are in pain and hurting from loss, spiritually and materially.
In my immediate world view I will pray for the young couple who lost their six week old baby. I will pray for my fellow Knight of Columbus who just lost his mother, the homeless guy I rudely chased away as he sat down next to me in the restaurant (invading my personal space and eliciting a surprisingly nasty response from me), the kid in my Algebra class who wants to be a carpenter, a race car driver or a golfer, and for all who suffer from alcohol and addiction.
Today, Sunday November 22nd, the eight o clock mass intention will be for my deceased mother, Mariana Llamas, born 1923, passed October 16th, 2008. May I ask that you, good readers, remember her name to Our Blessed Mother?
Thank you.
...and now the Necessaries
Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is the only local church celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR) in the Wichita area. Though this blog is loosely centered around this parish and it's members, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of, or for, St. Anthony Parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est is strictly a private layman's endeavor.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
St Catherine of Alexandria
By Larry Bethel
St Catherine of Alexandria is a compelling saint whose statue is found at St Anthony Church next to the statue of the Blessed Mother on Mary's altar. St Catherine was a virgin martyr who lived in the 4th Century. Although there is no written documentation of her life and death, her popularity continues and was particularly great in the middle ages. During the middle ages there arose a group of Saints known as the Fourteen Holy Helpers whose intercession was thought to be particularly effective against various diseases. In that group of fourteen were three who were particularly esteemed; St. Margaret, St. Barbara and St. Catherine. St. Margaret was known as the patron of a safe birth, St. Barbara was asked for relief of fever and St. Catherine for protection against a sudden death.
St. Catherine is also the patron for young maidens (especially those looking for a worthy husband) and of female students. Regarding her learnedness and martyrdom New Advent has this to say; "Of noble birth and learned in the science, when only eighteen years old, Catherine presented herself to the Emperor Maxentius who was violently persecuting the Christians, upbraided him for his cruelty and endeavoured to prove how iniquitous was the worship of false gods. Astounded at the young girl's audacity, but incompetent to vie with her in point of learning the tyrant detained her in his palace and summoned numerous scholars whom he commanded to use all their skill in specious reasoning that thereby Catherine might be led to apostasize. But she emerged from the debates victorious. Several of her adversaries, conquered by her eloquence, declared themselves Christians and were at once put to death. Furious at being baffled, Maxentius had Catherine scourged and then imprisoned. Meanwhile the empress, eager to see so extraordinary a young woman, went with Porphyry, the head of the troops, to visit her in her dungeon, when they in turn yielded to Catherine's exhortations, believed, were baptized, and immediately won the marytr's crown. Soon afterwards the saint, who far from forsaking her Faith, effected so many conversions, was condemned to die on the wheel, but, at her touch, this instrument of torture was miraculouslydestroyed. The emperor, enraged beyond control, then had her beheaded and angels carried her body to Mt Sinai where later a church and monastery were built in her honour."
St Catherine's feast day is November 25th and is still celebrated in many European countries including Estonia, Germany and France and is also seen as the beginning of winter in the Baltic countries. Here is the collect from her feast day mass;
O God, Who on the top of Mount Sinai didst give the Law to Moses, and didst, by means of Thy holy Angels, wondrously convey thither the body of blessed Catherine, Thy Virgin and Martyr; grant we beseech Thee, that, through her merits and intercession, we may be able to reach that mountain which is Christ: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.
Icon of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,
with scenes from her martyrdom.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Venite Misaa Est! rerun from Post #39, 2008
St. Anthony Parishioner
Meet Bob Walterscheid
Every Sunday morning around 7:20, when the birds are barely flittering and eyes are still bleary, Bob Walterscheid strolls into church. Most everyone knows Bob, he is the kindly gentleman handing out missalettes for Latin Mass. St. Anthony, the building proper, has known Bob, his parents and his grandparents since 1904….you see Bob’s grandfather help build the church!
Mr. Robert (Bob) Walterscheid was born in Wellington in 1933 and has fond memories of St. Anthony as a child. One of Bob’s earliest memories:“ is walking from the 6th block on Mathewson to St. Anthony school and attending Mass every morning of the school year. (I) lost my book and remember crying in the pew. Sister Theodosia somehow got it back, as someone found it in the pasture between Washington, and Hydraulic and Central and 3rd street. (where they used to have carnivals, etc.).”
Along with his current duties Bob has served, off and on, with the Parish Council since the late 80's, and was at various times, president. He was also involved with the restoration of the church.
In working life Bob was in film and video production and advertising for 40 years. Prior to that he sold business forms, and before that owned and operated a smoke shop in downtown Wichita.
His interests have included coaching little league baseball (15 or more years) and brewing mead, which is a honey wine made famous by the Vikings. His immediate family includes “A lovely wife of nearly 57 years, 8 grown children, 11 grandchildren, 12 great grand children and 1 great, great on the way. Kids are gone and the dog is dead, we've got it made!”
I asked Bob about the water color paintings depicting the stained glass windows of the church . “My daughter in law is presently doing water colors of the seven windows in the Church. There are two to go. They are available for sale and once the seven are complete, we will have greeting cards made for sale. They are outstanding pieces of art.” Indeed they are.
Did you know that one of the stained glass windows bears the Walterscheid family name? When facing the altar, it is the second one from the back on the left side. “When a kid, I always thought of the Blessed Mother sliding into home. Now I still can't get that out of my head!” said Bob.
I asked Bob if he prefers the Traditional Latin Mass. “I do prefer the Traditional Latin Mass as I have wonderful memories of serving when I attended St.AnthonySchool. I feel like I pray the Mass. I love the pageantry and the prayers and the solemnity of the Latin Mass.”
So now we all are acquainted with Mr. Bob Walterscheid. Stop, shake his hand, say hello, share a cup of coffee and I’m sure he has many stories to tell of life in and out of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
It was almost 15 years ago. I was At Old St. Mary’s here in D.C. celebrating Mass in the Latin (Extraordinary Form). It was a solemn high Mass. I don’t suppose I thought it any different than most Sunday’s but something quite amazing was about to happen.
As you may know the ancient Latin Mass is celebrated ”ad orientem” (towards the Liturgical East). Priest and people all face one direction. What this means practically for the celebrant is that the people are behind him. It was time for the consecration. The priest is directed to bow low, his forearms on the altar table the host between his fingers. As directed I said the venerable words of Consecration in a low but distinct voice, Hoc est enim Corpus meum (For this is my Body). The bells rang as I genuflected, but behind me a disturbance of some sort, a shaking or rustling in the front pews behind me to my right. And then a moaning or grumbling. What was that? It did not really sound human, more like the grumbling of a large animal such as a boar or a bear, along with a plaintive moan that did not seem human. I elevated the host and wondered, “What was that?” Then silence. I could not turn to look easily for that is awkward for the celebrant in the ancient Latin Mass. But still I thought, What was that?
But it was time for the consecration of the Chalice. Again, bowing low and pronouncing clearly and distinctly but in a low voice: Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti; mysterium fidei; qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem pecatorum. Haec quotiescumque feceritis in mei memoriam facietis (for this is the cup of my Blood, of the new and eternal covenant; the mystery of faith; which will for the many be shed unto the remission of sins. When so ever you do this, you do it in my memory). But then, I heard another sound this time an undeniable moan and then a shriek as some one cried out: “Leave me alone Jesus! Why do you torture me!” Suddenly a scuffling as some one ran out with the groaning sound of having been injured. The back doors swung open, then closed. Then silence.
I could not turn to look for I was raising the Chalice high over my head. But I knew in an instance that some poor demon-tormented soul had encountered Christ in the Eucharistic and could not endure his real presence displayed for all to see. And the words of Scripture occurred to me: Even Demons believe and tremble (James 2:19).
But just as James used those words to rebuke the weak faith of his flock I too had to repent. Way was a demon-troubled man more aware of the true presence and astonished by it than me? He was moved in the negative sense to run. Why was I not more moved in a positive and comparable way? What of the other believers in the pews? I don’t doubt that any of us believed intellectually in the true presence. But there is something very different and far more wonderful in being moved to the depth of your soul! It is so easy for us to be sleepy in the presence of the Divine, forgetful of the miraculous and awesome Presence available to us.
But let the record show that one day, almost 15 years ago, it was made quite plain to me that I held in my hands the Lord of Glory, the King of heaven and earth, the just Judge and Ruler of the kings of the earth. Is the Lord truly present in the Eucharist? You’d better beleive it, even demons believe that!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Traditional Latin Mass in the Movies
I happened to run across this movie on T.V. a few months back True Confessions starring Robert Deniro ("yoo talkin to me?"...whoops different movie). I had never seen this movie and if I remember correctly was not impressed. BUT (and everyone has a big but...), the opening scene was nice.
Some thirty years ago, evangelical Christianity threw itself heavily into the business of marketing itself with a series of hip slogans such as "I Found It" (a stranger is supposed to ask what this means, thereby opening an opportunity to share the Gospel). Along the same lines, there was the Good News Bible with a newspaper-theme cover. More recently there has been the WWJD campaign. Dozens of other kitschy campaigns have come and gone.
Part this new sensibility, even a core part, was the cultivation of a specific youth sector within the church. The idea is born of the baby boom: there is some kind of generation gap that makes it difficult for young people to comprehend things in the same way that older people do. Thus must we concoct special sales pitches to show the youth that Christianity is for them. Of course we need youth ministers too (an aging guy who wears jeans) and a host of programs to show off that Christianity is not just for stodgy fuddy-duddies.
This effort almost always means adapting the shape and form of existing secular youth culture -- which itself is a modern invention -- and baptizing it with Christian themes and messages. The rationale is that if we do not create a Christianized copy of the prevailing youth culture, we risk losing the youth entirely.
If the kids are going to attend rock concerts, better that they be Christian rock concerts. If they are going to go to rallies and parties and scream their heads off about crazy stuff, better that they be Christian rallies, parties, and scream fests. Better to get high on Jesus than methamphetamines. That's the rationale.
The "youth retreat" was born at some point in this process, and by "retreat," I don't mean a time of quiet contemplation, spiritual reflection, and careful discernment. The retreat almost always involves the display of a series of would-be teen idols who sing and speak and tell jokes, and eventually get around to presenting an emotional story of their own conversion. These eventually morphed into huge national conventions with massive commercial sectors within them, with teens encouraged by parents to travel hundreds of miles to experience the spiritual high that comes with huge religious gatherings.
The heady mixture of presence of Christian rock-stars, encountered in the context of a thorough mixing of boys and girls on out-of-town trips, can lead to strikingly emotional experiences. Kids return telling of their new-found commitment to religion and also of the intense new friendships they have developed with others on the trip. Parents feel a sense of relief that at least these kids are hanging around with other Christian kids and not fraternizing with the seedy sectors of life.
Catholics were late to this approach to "selling" their faith to the youth but with Mass attendance dramatically down from decades ago, more and more people are getting in on the act. In the digital age, this involves heavy use of film and video shorts that promote bacchanalian scenes of fun, laughter, loud music, and inspiration of some sort or another.
And it does all make difference. The kids return home with a new countenance, and a new love of God and a new love of their neighbor, though the young can be rather confused about how to sort it all out.
They report on their changed lives. And this effect lasts for about six months on average, at least that's my strong impression. In its wake follows some degree of disillusionment, failed romances, and the status quo ante.
In the worst case, the effects of an event like this can actually backfire. By comparison to the massive youth rallies, the home parish seems rather staid and dull. Where are the rock bands, the great speakers, the beautiful boys and girls aching for new relationships, the inspiration that the rally dump on us by the buckets? Clearly there is nothing in my hometown parish that can compare to that.
The eye begins to wander to other sects that can provide or at least attempt to provide that unrelenting stimulation that comes with youth rallies. They do a much better job of it than Catholics. It may not last there either and it might be just as superficial but at least they make a go of it. On this front, the Catholics can't compete. And if the basis of your spirituality is the longing for media stimulation and artificially inflated spiritual highs, Catholicism is going to be marginalized at some point in their quest.
For Catholics, this is a very serious matter. To be Catholic in today's world requires a great deal of social sacrifice. It nearly always has in the modern age. We don't have the right friends in the right circles. Our parishes don't have commercial venders selling lattes and we don't have health clubs. What's more, the Roman Rite doesn't lend itself to the unleashing of loud guitars and would-be rock star improvisations. There are no personality cults in the Roman Rite. The entire structure actually does the opposite. It buries the personality and directs attention toward eternity.
From a marketing angle, I wouldn't think that Catholics are going to fare very well in the long run with these attempts to forge a media-pumped youth culture. It might lead to instant profits for a handful of organizations, but I doubt that it will do much in the long run, simply because the form emphasizes experience over substance. The kids attending them do not return with a serious sense of liturgical decorum, for example. They have no chants they can hum. It is unclear what (or who) precisely they have fallen in love with. They aren't being given the truth about the glorious truth of what we Catholicism has to offer.
And what is that which we have to offer? The Catholic Church offers a sanctuary of beauty in world that can be very ugly. It offers a chance for quiet, for prayer, for intense seriousness, for reflection on topics that the world doesn't want us to think about, topics like death and salvation and sacrifice and spiritual discipline. It offers immense joy but a joy disciplined by rationality and truth. Rather than severe links with the past, Catholicism draws attention to them through the lives of the saints, the music of the first millennium, and an organized and orderly sense of prayer that strives to be a representation of the orderliness of creation.
The contrast is striking. As Benedict XVI puts it, at the culture of the youth rally in which rock music is central, people are "released from themselves by the experience of being part of a crowd and by the emotional shock of rhythm, noise, and special lighting effects. However, in the ecstasy of having all their defenses torn down, the participants sink, as it were, beneath the elemental force of the universe. The music of the Holy Spirit’s sober inebriation seems to have little chance when self has become a prison, the mind is a shackle, and breaking out from both appears as a true promise of redemption that can be tasted at least for a few moments." In contrast, "the encounter with the beautiful can become the wound of the arrow that strikes the heart and in this way opens our eyes, so that later, from this experience, we take the criteria for judgment and can correctly evaluate...."
Benedict further contrasts the spirit of Apollo vs. Dionysis.
"The Church’s Tradition has this in mind when it talks about the sober inebriation caused in us by the Holy Spirit. There is always an ultimate sobriety, a deeper rationality, resisting any decline into irrationality and immoderation. We can see what this means in practice if we look at the history of music. The writings of Plato and Aristotle on music show that the Greek world in their time was faced with a choice between two kinds of worship, two different images of God and man. Now what this choice came down to concretely was a choice between two fundamental types of music. On the one hand, there is the music that Plato ascribes, in line with mythology, to Apollo, the god of light and reason. This is the music that draws senses into spirit and so brings man to wholeness. It does not abolish the senses, but inserts them into the unity of this creature that is man. It elevates the spirit precisely by wedding it to the senses, and it elevates the senses by uniting them with the spirit. Thus this kind of music is an expression of man’s special place in the general structure of being. But then there is the music that Plato ascribes to Marsyas, which we might describe, in terms of cultic history, as “Dionysian”. It drags man into the intoxication of the senses, crushes rationality, and subjects the spirit to the senses. The way Plato (and more moderately, Aristotle) allots instruments and keys to one or other of these two kinds of music is now obsolete and may in many respects surprise us. But the Apollonian/Dionysian alternative runs through the whole history of religion and confronts us again today."
Thus does it pain me to see Catholic youth conferences promote themselves in the Dionysian spirit. It does damage, I believe, to the true spirit of Catholicism. Older people with real and sometimes painful experience with the difficulties of life are offended, and rightly so, by the pitch. I don't see how any serious priest can endorse these videos. Nor are these promotions or conferences really telling the truth about the faith. This is why I don't believe it amounts to much whether these youth conferences are attended by 500 or 20,000 people. The question is whether these people are going to leave with a temporary high or a new appreciation of the profound mysteries of the faith that they can understand with their minds and highest aspirations of their hearts.
Finally, we might ask what it is that leads the organizers of these huge events to believe that they are doing the right thing, and I have no doubt that they are sincere. Fundamentally, the motivation is fear: fear that they will otherwise lose the youth, fear that the doctrinal and aesthetic truths of Catholicism are not sufficiently compelling, fear that the world will beat the faith unless we adopt the worlds' forms, methods, and approaches and adapt the faith to fit them. In other words, for all the hopped-up propaganda, what's really behind this is a lack of faith. And this is a disservice to the youth and to the future of Catholicism.
The true "youth culture" of the Catholic Church is a culture that aspires to the same thing that the "adult culture" and the "children's culture" aspires to: to know the truth and to live it. That requires no marketing gimmickry and mass organizing. It requires a confident presentation of the doctrine, music, prayer, and art that is native to the Catholic faith. This is the best path to inspiring people of any age to live in truth.
Submitted by Larry Bethel with a special thanks to Jerrilyn Holladay for allowing us to link to this article.
Jeri Holladay writes from Wichita, Kansas, where she has been Director of Adult Education at the Spiritual Life Center of the Diocese of Wichita, Associate Professor of Theology, Chairman of the Theology Department and founding Director of the Bishop Eugene Gerber Institute of Catholic Studies at Newman University. She teaches moral theology and church history.This is the first in a series she will offer to the readers of Catholic Online.
Using the Crusades as a club to bludgeon the West into guilty silence is a modern practice that has more to do with twentieth century events like the First and Second World Wars and the strains of passivism these engendered, than with the reality of the 12th and 13th centuries.
In fact, the Muslims were proud of the Crusades. After all, they won. And the Europeans? The Crusades were the first stirring of coordinated defense against centuries of attack by Muslim forces. Until the 20th century the Crusades were viewed as honorable wars, by all sides.
So, be ready when someone flips you the Crusades trump card. The historical context is the key to this puzzle, not 20th century sensibilities. The events leading up to and following the Crusades place them where they belong in the flow of history.......follow this link to web article
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Requiescant in Pace
The Reverend Father Dom Francois de Feydeau de Saint-Christophe
November 17, 2009
submitted by Larry Bethel
Bloggers note: Announcement & eulogy for Fr de Feydeau who passed last Sunday, November 14th, Clear Creek Monastery, Oklahoma.
Anno Domini MMIX, die 15 mensis Novembris
Sanctæ Matris Ecclesiæ Sacramentis munitus, pie decessit
in Prioratu Beatæ Mariæ Virginis Clari Rivi
in diœcesi Tulsensi in America septentrionali
REVERENDUS PATER DOMNUS
FRANCISCUS de FEYDEAU DE SAINT-CHRISTOPHE
Presbyter et monachus
Abbatiæ Beatæ Mariæ Virginis Fontis Gombaudi
Congregationis Solesmensis Ordinis Sancti Benedicti,
Ætatis suæ anno LVII, Professionis XXXIII, Sacerdotii XXVII.
Pro cujus anima vestras orationes et sacrificiorum suffragia
de caritate precamur et orabimus pro vestris.
Requiescat in pace.
+
On November 15, 2009,
strengthened by the sacraments of our Holy Mother Church,
Reverend Father Dom
François de FEYDEAU DE SAINT-CHRISTOPHE
A Priest and monk of Our Lady of Fontgombault Abbey,
of the Congregation of Solesmes, of the Order of Saint Benedict,
rendered his soul to God in Our Lady of Clear Creek Priory.
He was in the 57th year of his age, the 33rd of his monastic profession,
and the 27th of his priesthood.
May his soul and those of all the faithful departed, through the
mercy of God and the intercession of Our Lady, rest in peace.
PRIOR ET CONVENTUS
Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Monastery
5804 W. Monastery Road
HULBERT, OK 74441 - USA
ABBAS ET CONVENTUS
Abbaye Notre-Dame
F - 36220 FONTGOMBAULT
FRANCE
Preached at Fr de Feydeau's requiem by the Prior, Father Anderson - who on Saturday buried his own mother.
+ Requiem Mass The Reverend Father Dom Francois de Feydeau de Saint-Christophe November 17, 2009
For unto thy faithful, O Lord, life is changed, not taken away: and the abode of this earthly sojourn being dissolved, an eternal dwelling is prepared in heaven (Preface of the Dead)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ; My very dear Brother Monks,
The words just quoted from the Preface for the Requiem Mass express the Faith of the Church that shines in the face of the darkest trial that assails the human heart—that is to say the sad reality of death. Rooted in the Most Precious Blood and water that poured forth from the side of the Savior on Calvary, the Faith comes to our aid in this moment of sorrow, reminding us of Christ’s eternal victory over sin, the world and the “enemy death that shall be destroyed last, until he hath put all his enemies under his feet”. (I Cor. 15:26)
Sharing in this same Faith and making it “earn interest” like the good servant of the parable, that great Theologian of the Little Way, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus of Lisieux gives us her particular insight into the reality of bodily death. As she neared her own end at the age of twenty-four this young Doctor of the Church made the boldest of affirmations: “I die not; I enter into life.” When a man or a woman--in particular a religious--comes to that crucial moment of the great passage to the other side of things, the truth comes forth without pretention. Saint Therese affirms her belief in eternal life, not in order simply to comfort us, but rather because it is the truth.
Of course, the Saint of Lisieux did not mean to dismiss the possibility of Hell or Purgatory, but having made her great discovery concerning the Merciful Love of God, to which she consecrated herself as a victim of Divine Mercy, she simply was beyond doubting that the Judge of Heaven and Earth would forgive her every fault if she only remained small--very small--with the trust of a little child. And lest we be tempted to think that it was on her merits as a Carmelite nun that she felt so bold in presenting herself to the just Judge, she affirms categorically that she will appear before Him with “empty hands”, that is to say without the merits any good works to speak of--save her childlike confidence itself.
Saint Therese liked to quote the line from that other great doctor of Carmel, Saint John of the Cross, who said that “on the evening of this life it is on love that we will be judged”. Although she felt quite incapable of performing the feats of asceticism that we so admire in the great Saints, she knew for a fact that there was immense love in her heart—better yet, she knew that her vocation was to be the love in the heart of her mother the Church.
As we prepare to commit the mortal remains of a beloved monk to the earth, to that very earth from which the first man was taken, we do well not to forget the luminous path traced by so many saints—from Our Blessed Father Saint Benedict to Saint Therese of Lisieux--that have illumined the world and transfigured the experience of death. Above all we must not forget what Our Lord said about the need for the grain of wheat to die, in order that it not remain sterile but produce much fruit. If we cannot help feeling the bitter grief of seeing a father and brother stolen away from the visible plane of our existence, we must not act like the pagans of yesterday and today, who live without real love in this world and without hope for the next.
May Our Lady of a Happy Dying, Notre-Dame du Bien Mourir, so venerated at Fontgombault Abbey, our mother-house in France, who manifestly helped our brother through the narrow passage of his last days, obtain for us all to die so well. Thus having followed the path of our monastic spirituality, in imitation of the Ecce, Fiat of the Virgin of Nazareth, may we all come to take our places in the eternal liturgical celebrations of Heaven in the presence of God and of the Lamb. Amen.
This blog is intended for Catholics who hold and practice the Catholic and Apostolic Faith, who love the Church, and who find especially inspiring the Liturgy of Mass Pope Benedict XVI has named (in his Apostolic Letter, Summorum Pontificum) “the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite.” This blog is also intended for whatever seemingly serendipitous purposes our Lord may have in mind for it.
(Nota bene: The EFLR was formerly called the Traditional Latin Mass).
Upcoming Mass Calendar
Dec 20: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dec 25: Nativity of our Lord; Midnight Mass
Dec 27: Sunday in the octave of Christmas; Commemoration of St John
