Post #63

Topics: Pope Under Fire for Lifting Excommunication of SSPX Bishops: Remnant columnist Christopher A. Ferrara....Blast from the Past: Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception.....Vatican Insider Projects Speedy SSPX Resolution: SSPX Will Not be Forced to Swallow the Council....Ideology and Liturgy: Worship as the Cult of Community....Chaplets: Those Funny Looking "Rosaries"

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Trial and Tribulation

Pope Under Fire for Lifting Excommunication of SSPX Bishops
By Christopher A. Ferrara
The Remnant

http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2009-0131-ferrara-triumph_and_tribulation.htm

(Posted 1/26/09 http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/) Pope Benedict XVI has once again made history by a dramatic act in favor of Tradition: the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X are no longer deemed excommunicated by Rome. The decree of excommunication issued by the Congregation for Bishops on July 1, 1988 has been annulled by a decree of the same Congregation, issued January 21, 2009 at the direction of the Pope and according to a specific faculty he granted to the Congregation. Te Deum Laudamus!

This is great news for the Society and the Church at large. But the good news is accompanied by bad news about a problem that must be addressed in order to prevent grave damage to the cause of Tradition. First, let us consider the import of the good news.

continue to full article

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Blast From the Past Pic
Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception
http://www.wichitaphotos.org/
Wichita Public Library Photograph Collection

Here is a photograph of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, circa 1914 in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas.

Note the cathedra and canopy on the left, the curved communion rails and the pulpit winding around the pillar. One can only weep thinking of the destruction of the high altar. I am told that the six foot angels are warehoused, in disuse, at the back of a local Protestant cemetery.

Wouldn't it be grand if the renovation of the cathedral included the rebuilding of a high altar and communion rails! If only such vision could be found in this diocese...

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Vatican Insider Projects Speedy SSPX Resolution
SSPX Will Not be Forced to Swallow the Council

By Brian Mershon(Exclusive to The Remnant)
http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2009-0128-mershon-vatican_insider_projects_speedy.htm

January 28, 2009, Rome, Italy—In his first interview subsequent to the Society of St. Pius X’s (SSPX) official statement to the good news, Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay said that he believed in the infallibility of the Church and that he was “confident” that the Society would “reach a true solution” in its doctrinal discussions with the Holy See.

In fact, Vatican sources have indicated that the full regularization may occur as early as February 2, 2009, the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady and Candlemas, which, if true, would be quite a Christmas present to the Church and especially traditionalist Catholics worldwide!

Continue to The Remnant for full article

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Ideology and Liturgy

Worship as the Cult of Community

By Rev. Robert A. Skeris

Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Chairman of the Theology Department at Christendom College

Courtesy of EWTN

http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/FR94103.TXT

Venite Missa Est! note: This is a long read but it is worth the effort. The following is cut and pasted out of context, without the introduction, to garner interest. Please follow the link to the full article.

In reply to the countless chronic vexations, indeed scandals caused by the "new conception of liturgy and of the Church" which is being imprinted upon the Church's celebrations of the Eucharist, we always hear the self-same conciliatory, beguiling remonstrances: the real purpose of it all was an accommodation to so-called "modern man," an adaptation which would leave the essentials untouched and (it goes without saying) would remain in continuity with the pre-conciliar Church.

Assurances such as these have long since lost whatever meagre credibility they may perhaps have had. The innovators had already revealed themselves and their real intentions by de-valuating the so-called "pre-conciliar" Church, in fact often treating it with ridicule and contempt. This applied in particular to the Liturgy, which because it was "old," was banished and practically outlawed. All this of course has very little to do with the last Council and its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. On the contrary, in Par. 23 of that document the Council Fathers established this admirable general principle: there must be no innovation unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires it, and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing.

Viewed in this way, it is clear that the situation which is so widespread today has arisen in various ways out of disobedience to this basic principle, this expressed will of the Council. And it is equally clear that the situation is not only being maintained but carried even farther in its anticonciliar dynamism.

A few years ago, Bishop Rudolf Graber asked, "Where do the conciliar texts speak of communion in the hand, for example, or where do they enjoin the so-called altar facing the people (which is scant testimony to that `giving perfect glory to God' which the Liturgy Constitution says [in Par. 5] is the goal and purpose of worship)? The answer is: Nowhere."1 This good bishop went on to mention a number of other things which fall into the same category: elimination of the subdiaconate and the four minor orders; the monotonous enumeration of "Sundays in ordinary time" _ while the Protestants of course have retained the pre-Lenten season and the Sundays "after Trinity"; abandonment of Latin as liturgical language of the Western Church; elimination of the second imposition of hands during priestly ordination, and many others.

Follow this link to full article.

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Chaplets: Those Funny Looking "Rosaries"
From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Blogger's Note: This is pulled from Wikipedia, the editable open access encyclopedia. Therefore, this article, like all Wikipedia submissions, has probably been submitted by an individual that may, or may not be an expert or scholar on the subject. It is, however, a good starting point for personal inquiry.

The term Chaplet is used commonly to designate Roman Catholic prayer forms which use prayer beads, but are not necessarily related to the Rosary. Some of these chaplets have a strong Marian connotation, others are more directly related to Jesus or the Saints. Chaplets are considered "personal devotionals," and there is no set form and therefore they vary considerably. While the usual five decade rosary may be referred to as a chaplet, often chaplets have fewer beads than a traditional rosary and a different set of prayers. Common Chaplets include:

• Chaplet of Divine Mercy, using ordinary rosary beads of five decades.
• Chaplet of Holy Wounds, a rosary based prayer using the ordinary rosary beads, but without the usual mysteries
• Chaplet (Little Crown) of the Infant Jesus, made up of three and twelve beads.
• Chaplet of the Sacred Heart, consisting of 33 small beads, 6 large beads, a centerpiece, a Crucifix and a Sacred Heart Medal.
• Little Chaplet of the Holy Face, to honor the Five Wounds of Jesus Christ, composed of a cross and six large beads and thirty-three small.
• Chaplet of the Precious Blood, consisting of thirty-three beads in seven groups.
• Chaplet of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, made up of nine beads with a crucifix and a medal of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
• Chaplet of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, consisting of a medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, three separate beads, and 12 additional beads.
• Chaplet of the Immaculate Conception, also called the Crown of Stars, consisting of 3 groups of 4 beads, with a medal of the Immaculate Conception. [1]
• Chaplet (Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, made up of seven groups of seven beads. Also known as the Dolour beads.^[1]
• Chaplet of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, composed of eight brown, eight red and eight crystal beads.
• Chaplet of Saint Anthony, made up of thirteen sets of three beads.
• Chaplet of Saint Joseph, which is divided into 15 groups of four beads consisting of one white and three purple beads.
• Chaplet of Saint Patrick, made up of twelve beads symbolizing the twelve perils of St. Patrick
• Chaplet of Saint Philomena, consisting of three white beads and thirteen red beads.
• Bridgettine Rosary, consisting of six decades of ten beads each. There are three additional beads at the end.
• Little Flower Chaplet, made of one large bead and twenty-four smaller beads.
• Chaplet of the Way of the Cross, made of fifteen groups of three beads, etc.
• Chaplet in Honor of the Holy Infant of Good Health, said on the standard Dominican Rosary.
• Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel,^[2] comprising nine groups of four beads each, consisting of three Hail Marys and one Our Father in each. (Each of the nine groups is said in honor of one of the nine choirs of angels.)

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Post #62

Topics: Book Review by James Spencer: The Book of Psalms...Pope Repeals SSPX Excommunications/Letter of Response by Bishop Bernard Fellay....Catholic Schools Buck Trend With Growth: The Newton Kansan....St. Rose of Lima, Council Grove, Ks. Celebrates 125 Years: Catholic Church History in Morris CO. Dates Back to 1541

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BOOK REVIEW

By Jim Spencer

A Commentary on The Book of Psalms, translated from the Latin of Saint Robert Bellarmine by the Very Reverend John O’Sullivan, D.D., Archdeacon of Kerry. First printed in 1886 by James Duffy & Co., Dublin & London. Reprinted in 1999 by Preserving Christian Publication, P.O. Box 221, Boonville, NY 13309; (315) 942-6617; http://www.pcpbooks.com/; info@pcpbooks.com. ISBN 978-0-9802084-4-3. 9.5”X12” hardcover, 382 pages, with marker ribbon. $56.00.

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The Psalms are a major part of the Church’s liturgy, enriching both the Mass (both forms) and the Divine Office (both forms), and especially the latter. If we think in only human terms, it’s beyond amazing that these Songs written by King David so many centuries ago are still so meaningful, so enriching in the Catholic Church today. However, we would err seriously if we were to think of anything in the Bible in purely human terms. When we remember that the entire Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, we realize that everything in that holy book is timeless.

Thus, when we read the Psalms today, they speak to us, just as they did to the Jews of David’s time. In fact, they speak more clearly now, because they speak so often and so deeply about the Christ, Whose life, death, and resurrection are historic realities to us, whereas they were only a Promise to the ancient Jews. Since these Psalms are not only still significant today but also such beautiful poetry, the Church has wisely included them in Her liturgy. In a most enchanting way, they have been speaking Truth to those who read or hear them for all these many centuries. In a way, that tends to prove the validity of the faith we put in their divine inspiration.

Although we can understand their spiritual messages better today, nevertheless, without some guidance, we cannot understand their historical settings as well as did the ancient Jews. What was happening in David’s life as he wrote each Psalm, and how did these events affect his writing? For example, some were written during the revolt of his son, Absalom, which must have colored David’s thinking and moods.

Then, too, we can’t understand certain now-obsolete figures of speech David used. For example, in Psalm 57, David wrote, “Before your thorns could know the briar, he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.” The Jews of those days understood this perfectly, but we need help.

To explain the historical background of the Psalms and their sometimes obscure figures of speech, several biblical scholars have written commentaries. Of these, that of St. Robert Bellarmine is generally considered the clearest, the most exhaustive, the most expressive, ergo the best.

Down through the centuries, his Commentary has been translated into just about every language, so that all people everywhere could read it. This PCP edition was first translated and published in Ireland in the 19th century. Its clear and inspiring translation has been widely used throughout the English-speaking world ever since. PCP has gone to great effort and expense to reprint it in a sturdy and luxurious volume worthy of such a magnificent work. The book is hard-bound with a gold-embossed maroon cloth cover, a maroon marking ribbon, all wrapped under a maroon dust jacket with tasteful illustrations front and back. In addition to the regular text, PCP has included a brief biography of St. Robert Bellarmine.

A copy of this book belongs in the library of every Catholic who attends Mass (either form) frequently, who says the Divine Office (either form), and/or who reads the Bible regularly. But it belongs not only in these people’s libraries. No, this generously proportioned volume belongs mostly lying open on their laps!

END

Copyright, 2009, by James B. Spencer. First Serial Rights

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Pope Repeals SSPX Excommunications
Catholic Family News

http://www.cfnews.org/cfn.htm

* Decree is signed January 21, 2009, which is the 25th anniversary of the death of Father Denis

Fahey (JV)

* Document Repealing Excommunication of SSPX Bishops

* Response by Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X

Saturday, January 24, 2009 Document repealing excommunications

CONGREGATIO PRO EPISCOPIS

By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrill'n Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial animus. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

His Holiness Benedict XVI - paternally sensitive to the spiritual unease manifested by the interested party due to the sanction of excommunication and faithful in the effort expressed by them in the aforementioned letter of not sparing any effort to deepen the necessary discussions with the Authority of the Holy See in the still open matters, so as to achieve shortly a full and satisfactory solution of the problem posed in the origin - decided to reconsider the canonical situation of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta, arisen with their episcopal consecration.

With this act, it is desires to consolidate the reciprocal relations of confidence and to intensify and grant stability to the relationship of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X with this Apostolic See. This gift of peace, at the end of the Christmas celebrations, wishes also to be a sign to promote unity in the charity of the universal Church and to try to end the scandal of division.

It is hoped that this step be followed by the prompt accomplishment of full communion with the Church of the entire Fraternity of Saint Pius X, thus testifying true fidelity and true recognition of the Magisterium and of the authority of the Pope with the proof of visible unity.

Based in the faculty expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in virtue of the present Decree, I remit to Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta the censure of latae sententiae excommunication declared by this Congregation on July 1, 1988, while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that date.

Rome, from the Congregation for Bishops, January 21, 2009.

Card. Giovanni Battista Re

Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

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Letter of the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

http://www.cfnews.org/cfn.htm

http://www.dici.org/accueil.php?loc=US

Dear faithful,

As I announce in the attached press release, " the excommunication of the bishops consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, which had been declared by the Congregation for Bishops in a decree dated July 1, 1988, and which we had always contested, has been withdrawn by another decree mandated by Benedict XVI and issued by the same Congregation on January 21, 2009." It was the prayer intention I had entrusted to you in Lourdes, on the feast of Christ the King 2008. Your response exceeded our expectations, since one million seven hundred and three thousand rosaries were said to obtain through the intercession of Our Lady that an end be put to the opprobrium which, beyond the persons of the bishops of the Society, rested upon all those who were more or less attached to Tradition. Let us not forget to thank the Most Blessed Virgin who has inspired the Holy Father with this unilateral, benevolent, and courageous act to. Let us assure him of our fervent prayers.

Thanks to this gesture, Catholics attached to Tradition throughout the world will no longer be unjustly stigmatized and condemned for having kept the Faith of their fathers. Catholic Tradition is no longer excommunicated. Though it never was in itself, It was often excommunicated and cruelly so in day to day events. It is just as the Tridentine Mass had never been abrogated in itself, as the Holy Father has happily recalled in the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of July 7, 2007.

The decree of January 21 quotes the letter dated December 15, 2008 to Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos in which I expressed our attachment "to the Church of Our Lord Jesus-Christ which is the Catholic Church," re-affirming there our acceptation of its two thousand year old teaching and our faith in the Primacy of Peter. I reminded him that we were suffering much from the present situation of the Church in which this teaching and this primacy were being held to scorn. And I added: "We are ready to write the Creed with our own blood, to sign the anti-modernist oath, the profession of faith of Pius IV, we accept and make our own all the councils up to the Second Vatican Council about which we express some reservations." In all this, we are convinced that we remain faithful to the line of conduct indicated by our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, whose reputation we hope to soon see restored.

Consequently, we wish to begin these "talks" -- which the decree acknowledges to be "necessary" -- about the doctrinal issues which are opposed to the Magisterium of all time. We cannot help noticing the unprecedented crisis which is shaking the Church today: crisis of vocations, crisis of religious practice, of catechism, of the reception of the sacraments ... Before us, Paul VI went so far as to say that "from some fissure the smoke of Satan had entered the Church", and he spoke of the "self-destruction of the Church". John Paul II did not hesitate to say that Catholicism in Europe was, as it were, in a state of "silent apostasy." Shortly before his election to the Throne of Peter, Benedict XVI compared the Church to a "boat taking in water on every side."

Thus, during these discussions with the Roman authorities we want to examine the deep causes of the present situation, and by bringing the appropriate remedy, achieve a lasting restoration of the Church.

Dear faithful, the Church is in the hands of her Mother, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. In Her we place our confidence. We have asked from her the freedom of the Mass of all time everywhere and for all. We have asked from her the withdrawal of the decree of excommunications. In our prayers, we now ask from her the necessary doctrinal clarifications which confused souls so much need.

Menzingen, January 24, 2009 +Bernard Fellay

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Catholic Schools Buck Trend With Growth

By Chad Frey
The Newton Kansan
Posted Jan 22, 2009 @ 10:12 AM
http://www.thekansan.com/archive/x1621259387/Catholic-schools-buck-trend-with-growth

On Monday, the New York Times chronicled a crisis for Catholic schools — enrollment is dwindling.

Dwindling, it seems, everywhere but three places in the United States. The Wichita Diocese, which includes St. Mary Catholic School, is one of those three places.
“Sometimes we don’t see the blessing that we have here,” said Phillip Stutey, principal of St. Mary.

Next week, he hopes people will see. It’s National Catholic Schools Week, with a host of activities at St. Mary and schools throughout the diocese.

“Catholic schools are not a stereotypical private school,” said Bob Voboril, superintendent of schools for the Wichita Diocese. “We don’t serve only the elite, upper income population. We serve a very diverse group of young people — socio-economically, and ethnically. Schools like St. Mary are every bit as diverse as Newton Public Schools, which I hold in high regard.”

To break the stereotype, the Wichita parish did something radical.

Instead of charging tuition, the diocese turned to parishes to support the schools, making it possible for parishioners to send their children to school without paying large fees.

“We have very strong parishes, and they are committed to stewardship,” Voboril said. “We ask the entire parish, or in Newton, the two parishes, to support and provide for the school so all the catholic families children can attend. They don’t have to pay $3,000, $4,000 or $5,000 to attend. ... That sets us apart from most non-public school systems in the United States.”

The Wichita Diocese had a campaign since 1985, asking its 120,000 parishioners to tithe as much as 8 percent of household income to its ministries, which include 39 schools.

That has allowed the schools to eliminate tuition.

“Its getting back to the roots of ‘all are welcome.’” Stutey said. “If you are part of the diocese and contribute to the parish by time, talent and treasure, then you can send you kids to school. It’s not only the parents with money that can go to our schools.”

Stutey said in most places Catholic schools, and private schools in general, have become a place only the wealthy can send their children.

Changing that has allowed the Wichita diocese schools to buck the nationwide trend. More than 2,000 parochial schools have closed since 1990. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, between the 2000 and the 2008 school years there were 1,267 schools that closed (15.5 percent). The number of students declined by 382,125 (14.4 percent). The most seriously impacted have been elementary schools.

While that has happened, the Wichita Diocese enrollment is approaching a 40-year high of 11,000.

“Something that may be a surprise to people is the Catholic schools in this diocese are the eighth largest school system in the state of Kansas — public and not public,” Voboril said. “We serve more than 2,400 children who come from an ethnic minority. ... We have more than 1,800 students with Individual Education Plan programs. Most people would not expect that from a non-public school system.”

Individual Education Plans serve students with special needs.

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St. Rose of Lima, Council Grove, Ks. Celebrates 125 Years

History of Catholicism in Morris County dates back to the year 1541

The Catholic Advance

http://cdowk.org/advanceonline/2009/01/16/st-rose-of-lima-celebrates-125-years/#more-534

COUNCIL GROVE – St. Rose of Lima Church celebrated 125 years since the original St. Rose church building was built on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Father Edmond Kline offered a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the anniversary and a dinner was held in the parish hall. Father Paul Oborny was a special guest of the parish.

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St. Rose’s History

From the time that original church was built in 1883 until 1903 St. Rose Parish was served by Franciscan priest from Emporia. The first baptism was of Michael Tierney on Feb. 9,1888, by preformed by Franciscan Friar Barthomew Weiss. His godparents were Michael and Catherine Cosgrove. Since 1903 St. Rose parish has been served by the priest of the Diocese of Wichita.

Father Vincent Ryan started a parish school in 1950 in the two story parish house that was on the north side of the church building. He also bought a rural school house and moved it to the south side of the church building to become the rectory. In the mid 1950s, Father Denis Doughtery built a two-room school on the east side of the property. This Catholic school continued to run until the spring of 1962, when it was closed.

Because of parish growth, a new church was built next to the original building and on Oct. 29, 1995, Bishop Eugene J. Gerber with the help of Father Oborny offered the Mass of Dedication. This new church housed class rooms for religious education classes.Early in 2008, Father Nicholas Voelker was able to start building a new rectory for St. Rose. It was completed in June. Father Voelker was transferred to Hutchinson before it was completed and Father Edmond Kline has been the first priest to live there.

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The Catholic Church in Morris County

The history of Catholicism in Morris County dates back to the year 1541, when Father Juan Padilla, a Franciscan priest, accompanied Coronado on his journey to Kansas. Father Padilla became a missionary among the Quivira Indians who were living in the area. He was martyred during this time.

With the settlement of white men to this Indian area came a priest who was know to many as the hermit. In the early spring of 1863, Father Matteo Baccanlini, an Italian, arrived in Council Grove, the last important stop on the Santa Fe Trail. He set up meager housekeeping in a depression of rock on a hill above Council Grove near where the Belfry Bell now stands. He kept to himself and played his mandolin. He also ministered to the needs of the few Catholics living here at the time. He slipped away as silently as he came and continued down the Santa Fe Trail.

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Post #61

Topics: Stray Thoughts: Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus By Jim Spencer...Prayer to Saint Joseph: Success in Work...Pray for: A Personal Request...Blast From The Past: Old Photos of Croations.

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Wichita, and St. Anthony's, own Jim Spencer, professional writer and gentleman, has been gracious enough to submit his thoughts and book reviews to Venite Missa Est! When you see Jim at mass please thank him for his continued support of this blog.

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Stray Thoughts

by Jim Spencer
Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus!

Bishop Eugene Gerber has celebrated the Extraordinary Form (EF) liturgy for us twice recently: Midnight Mass on Christmas and Sunday Mass on January 11. We’re always delighted and honored when he does this, and we always know he will be the celebrant when, as he enters the Church, the very talented St. Anthony’s Choir sings their rousing rendition of the Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus!, a hymn usually sung when a bishop enters a church to celebrate a High Mass. (See below for the complete hymn in both Latin and English.)

Literally, “Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus!” means “Behold! a Great Priest!” In Latin, “Sacerdos Magnus” is a synonym for “Episcopus” (Bishop). Not so in English. When we hear “great priest,” we’re apt to think of “a great guy who’s also a darn good priest,” or something like that. This is just one example of the problem associated with literal translation from one language to another without reference to the intent of the words in the original. Here’s another example: If someone were to translate the English idiom “lots of fun” literally into another language and then have someone else translate it back into English, it might come back as “delightful plots of ground.” Clearly, original intent must be the primary consideration in accurate translations.

Okay, so what is the intent behind the Latin expression “Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus!”? In Latin, “magnus” has mostly as connotation of size, from which we get our word “magnitude.” How does a bishop have great priestly magnitude? In that, as a Successor of the Apostles, he has the fullness of the priesthood, as is demonstrated by his power to administer all seven Sacraments. The fullness of the priesthood gives him great “priestly magnitude.”

Unfortunately, that sense does not come through when we translate “Sacerdos Magnus” literally into English as “Great Priest.” Therefore, in reading or hearing these words, we should associate them with our concept of “Bishop,” and ignore whatever “Great Priest” might suggest to our English-oriented minds.

Here’s another example of the dangers of literal translation without regard for intent. This one was deliberate and had humorous, if slightly irreverent, intent: Back in the good/bad (your choice) old days before the Church’s most recent Ecumenical Council, when seminarians heard their choir intone, “Ecce! Sacerdos Magnus!”, a few scattered individuals would whisper to those around them in church, “Lookee! A big priest!” And all hands would try to suppress their mirth. Actually, that translation is correct, literally speaking, although it is about as far as possible from the original intent of the Latin.

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The hymn in Latin & English:

In Latin:
“Ecce sacerdos magnus, qui in diebus suis placuit Deo, inventus est justus. Non est inventus similis illi, qui conservaret legem Excelsi. Ideo jurejurando fecit illum Dominus crescere in plebem suam. Ecce sacerdos magnus.”

In English [from the Angelus Press missal (its larger print appeals to my aging – make that aged -- eyes)]:
“Behold, a great priest (= bishop) who in his days pleased God and was found just. There was not found the like to him, who kept the law of the Most High. Therefore by an oath did the Lord make him to increase among His people. Behold, a great priest (= bishop).”

Incidentally, this hymn is an adaptation of certain lines in Chapter 44 of the Book of Ecclesiasticus.

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Nota bene:

If you use the Angelus Press The Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962, you can find this hymn in both languages on page 977, where it is the first three antiphons for First Vespers of the Divine Office said on the feast day of a saint who was a Bishop/Confessor.

If you use the Baronius Press The Roman Missal (1962), you can find it in both languages on page 1030, where it is also the first three antiphons for First Vespers of the same Divine Office.

With either of these missals, you can follow the Choir in either Latin or English as they fill the Church with the electrifying sounds and energetic rhythm of this magnificent hymn when Bishop Gerber (or any other bishop) enters St. Anthony’s to say our EF Mass.

END

Copyright 2009, by James B. Spencer, First Serial Rights

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Pray for Success in Your Everyday Work

OR

Those Dang Kids Stuffed WHAT Down the Toilet???

As a full time student I have had to take on more than one part time job in order to allow for flexiblilty in my school schedule. This has manifested in two janitorial positions at a local Catholic school and a public service clinic that serves the needs of the uninsured (including me).

While I am most grateful for these opportunities and thank God for the ability to actually get up out of bed and physically move my body everyday to perform my duties, sometimes cleaning toilets, discarding trash and cleaning up after prepubescent boys (think boys + ornery + unwieldly+ restrooms) can be, at times, mind numbing if not flat out soul crushing.

I was once an ordinary Joe with a full time job, medical insurance, 401K, my own parking spot, 13 vacation days and 6 sick days a year. I wasn't getting rich but I could feed myself and go to the doctor when needed. NOW, I work an hour pushing a broom and that barely pays for my can of Folgers (and little else)...and so it is quite easy to get discouraged, especially with the prospect of so much school left to attend.

It is at these times of despair when I bow my head and ask for help...a request for an armor of courage perhaps or the wisdom to see the horizon's promises. It is not the task of an education that is so heavy but the tedium of a job most people would see as menial. A job so far down on the rung that one often becomes invisible to those who occupy the buildings.

In these moments I am often prone to weakness and the sin of worry and despair and sometimes pride in thinking that I am above the work I am doing...and then I realize the thought pattern and "get over myself."

I found this prayer to blessed St. Joseph to shore up my weary mind and tired body. I often think of Jospeh toiling as a carpenter, his hands calloused and thick, his skills honed and sharp, his tools well used and worn. He too worked for a higher echelon of people providing for their needs...so in his honour and to emulate his work ethic, here is a prayer to St. Joseph.

I hope it is helpful to those who toil in jobs they dislike, for continued success in the jobs we do like, to help find work for those unemployed and to remind all of us that it is by God's grace alone that we are able to work everyday.

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Prayer to Saint Joseph for Success in Work

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour. Obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my many sins. To work with thankfulness and joy,considering it an honour to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God.

To also work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering to weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in successs so fatal to the work of God...

all for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph.

Such shall be my motto in life and death.

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Pray For....: A Personal Request

By Mark Llamas

One thing I would like to do is to encourage all of you to post prayer requests to the blog. Even if you just use initials, if perhaps you want to remain anonymous, or submit a detailed account of a person or life...we can all share and pray for each other. I think this is a lovely idea. Mail to bumpy187@gmail.com or post it in the comments below (click on the little comment icon at the end of each post).

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If I may be so bold as to request a prayer from you, dear readers, perhaps an Our Father or a Hail Mary, for the repose of the soul of Guadalupe Llamas born 1919, died January 11, 2006. Mr. Llamas was my beloved father (pictured below, center, at what looks like a confirmation).

Note: I hope this posting is not too self serving or self indulgent...

His story is one of great normalcy, but also immense heroics that people of his generation would chalk up to everyday life. I will remember Father as a "man's man"...tough, responsible, Catholic, with a military mind set and, did I say, tough?

Father was born in Mexico and was brought to the States shortly after birth. The family came to Kansas, specifically the area between Newton and Emporia, to build and work on the Santa Fe railroad. His stories of traversing the Flint Hills in his Model T (having to go up the steep hills in reverse) and nearly drowning in the Cottonwood River regailed us for hours.

In the midst of the Great Depression Father, at 16, travelled alone to California to pick fruit and send the money home to Kansas. Shortly after this and still a teenager he came home and went to work on the railroad where his youngs hands opened with blisters and sores from swinging picks and shovels.

In Peabody father met and married Marianna Nunez Saenz and was quickly drafted by the US Army, which is how he gained his citzenship. He was slated for the planned invasion of Japan (are my historical facts correct?) but was given a deferral because of his many children (I am told), and also fought in the ring as a boxer for the army. Once home the couple raised seven children, finally perfecting the process on the last try...me! :)

After the war, in an age of social hostility and prejudice, Father managed to work as a police reserve for the City of Newton, attend and play football for Bethel College (a decidedly all white and Mennonite school), served in the National Guard and as an MP in the Air Force, help build (hands on) a brand new house for his family, ran his own gas service station as he worked on the railroad (sometimes getting as little as 3 hours sleep) and managed to put in 45 years with the Santa Fe.

In his prime Father was a devoted Catholic, hard working, breathtakenly handsome, dashing, very hard, intimidating, demanding and just plain tough as nails. In later life he was humourous, very fit, softer, more mellow and forgiving.

It's been three years now Dad, it seems like yesterday and yet so far ago. It's harder now to hear your voice in my head but I still need your approval... and your guidance. I miss you so very much.

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Blast from the Past

Old Photos of Croations

http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8699/1/Old-Photos-of-Croatians.html

I was Googling photos of St. Joseph when, quite by accident, I ran across these fantastic old photographs of a Catholic Croation community in St. Louis, MO. Enjoy!

If you have any old photos you would like to post, scanned or copied, please feel free to mail them to bumpy187@gmail.com , and I would be so happy to post them. I would love to see your hometown parish, or your first communion or even you falling off your bike (if done in a proper Catholic way :-)

On second thought, if you have any photos at all you would like to share, please do! Marriage, baptism....please send them in.

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Post #60

Topics: Liturgical Orientation: Liturgical East and Quotes From The Holy Father...Just a Beautiful Picture:Founders Chapel High Altar,University of San Diego...The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles Part II: A Traditional Monastic Community of Women

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Liturgical Orientation

Quotes From The Holy Father

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Quotes courtesy of the New Liturgical Movement
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/

Despite all the variations in practice that have taken place far into the second millenium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of Christendom: praying toward the east is a tradition that goes back to the beginning.

-- The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000), pg. 75.

As I have written in my books, I think that celebration turned towards the east, towards the Christ who is coming, is an apostolic tradition.
-- Looking Again at the Question of Liturgy with Cardinal Ratzinger, ed. Alcuin Reid (St. Michael's Abbey, 2003), pg. 151.

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. The common turning toward the east was not a "celebration toward the wall"; it did not mean that the priest "had his back to the people": the priest himself was not regarded as so important. For just as the congregation in the synagogue looked together toward Jerusalem, so in the Christian liturgy the congregation looked together "toward the Lord".... They did not close themselves into a circle; they did not gaze at one another; but as the pilgrim People of God they set off for the Oriens, for the Christ who comes to meet us.... [A]common turning to the east during the Eucharistic Prayer remains essential. This is not a case of something accidental, but of what is essential. Looking at the priest has no importance. What matters is looking together at the Lord.
-- The Spirit of the Liturgy, pp. 80-81.

Moving the altar cross to the side to give an uninterrupted view of the priest is something I regard as one of the truly absurd phenomena of recent decades. Is the cross disruptive during the Mass? Is the priest more important than the Lord? This mistake should be corrected as quickly as possible; it can be done without further rebuilding.
-- The Spirit of the Liturgy, pg. 84

[A]mong the faithful there is an increasing sense of the problems inherent in an arrangement that hardly shows the liturgy to be open to the things that are above and to the world to come.
-- Foreword to U.M. Lang's Turning towards the Lord (Ignatius Press, 2004), pg. 11

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Just a Beautiful Picture
Founders Chapel High Altar,University of San Diego
courtesy of the New Liturgical Movement

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The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles Part II
Courtesy of Kansas Catholic at
http://kansascatholic.blogspot.com/2009/01/benedictines-of-mary-queen-of-apostles_07.html

Please visit their site to see more pictures, visit regularly and be sure to mention Venite Missa Est!

On Tuesday, January 6, 2009, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a traditional community in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph (MO), had a novice make her first profession of vows and also had the investiture in the Benedictine Habit of four postulants. This happened at the Oratory of Old Saint Patrick in Kansas City, MO.

Here are photographs of the Holy Mass (extraordinary form), celebrated by His Excellency Robert W. Finn, as well as the profession of Sister Grace of the Merciful Face of Jesus and the investiture of the four postulants. Congratulations to the Benedictines of Mary for their phenomenal growth. Their website is here, and details, among other things, their making of traditional vestments.

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