Historic St. Anthony Catholic Church
258 Ohio, Wichita, Ks
2nd St. & Ohio
Two blocks east of Old Town
Sunday Mass at 1:oo
English/Latin missals provided. Join us for coffee and donuts after mass downstairs in the St. Clair/Sunshine room, south exterior basement entrance.
Pastor of St. Anthony Parish: Fr. Ben Nguyen
EFLR Celebrants: Fr. John Jirak, Fr Nicholas Voelker
Master of Ceremonies: Tony Strunk
Choir Director: Bernie Dette


Continuing News

+To submit an article or if you have comments contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.

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Did You Know

Mass Propers, the readings that change everyday, can be found in the red missalettes at the entrance of church?

Fr. Nicholas Voelker celebrates Low Mass Saturdays at 8:00 a.m., St. Mary's Catholic Church, 106 East 8th street, Newton. There is no mass this Saturday, January 30, 2016.


Saturday, June 30, 2012

Post #237


Topics:  Feast Day: Most Precious Blood of Our Lord ...Pius XII: The “Black Legend” is Over

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To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.
..and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches 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.

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Feast Day: Most Precious Blood of Our Lord  



The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
(The following is taken from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for July 1, in Volume XII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"John the Baptist has pointed out the Lamb, Peter has firmly established his throne, Paul has prepared the bride; their joint work, admirable in its unity, at once suggests the reason for their feasts occurring almost simultaneously in the cycle. The alliance being now secured, all three fall into shade; whilst the bride herself, raised up by them to such loftly heights, appears alone before us, holding in her hands the sacred cup of the nuptial-feast."

"This gives the key of today's solemnity, revealing how its appearance in the heavens of the holy liturgy at this particular season is replete with mystery. The Church, it is true, has already made known to the sons of the new covenant, in a much more solemn matter, the price of the Blood that redeemed them, its nutritive strength, and the adorng homage is its due. On Good Friday, earth and heaven beheld all sin drowned in the saving stream, whose eternal flood-gates at last gave way beneath the combined effort of man's violence and of the love of the divine Heart. The festival of Corpus Christi witnessed our prostrate worship before the altars whereon is perpetuated the Sacrifice of Calvary, and where the outpouring of the precious Blood affords drink to the humblest little ones, as well as to the mightiest potentates of earth, lowly bowed in adoration before it."

"How is it, then, that holy Church is now inviting all Christians to hail, in a particular manner, the stream of life ever gushing from the sacred fount? What else can this mean, but that the preceding solemnities have by no means exhausted the mystery? The peace which this Blood has made to reign in the high places as well as in the low; the impetus of its wave bearing back the sons of Adam from the yawning gulf, purified, renewed, and dazzling white in the radiance of their heavenly apparel; the sacred Table outspread before them on the waters' brink, and the chalice brimful of inebriation - all this preparation and display would be objectless, all these splendours would be incomprehensible, if man were not brought to see therein the wooings of a love that could never endure its advances to be outdone by the pretensions of any other. Therefore, the Blood of Jesus is set before our eyes at this moment as the Blood of the Testament; the pledge of the alliance proposed to us by God [Exodus 24: 8; Hebrews 9: 20]' the dower stipulated by eternal Wisdom for this divine union to which He is inviting all men, and its consummation in our soul which is being urged forward with such vehemence by the Holy Ghost."

"'Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ,' says the apostle, 'a new and living way which He hath dedicated for through the veil - that is to say, His flesh - let us draw near with a pure heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He is faithful that hath promised. Let us consider one another to provoke unto charity and to good works [Hebrews 10: 19-24]. And may the God of peace who brought again from the dead the great Pastor of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Blood of the everlasting Testament, fit you in all goodness, that you may do His will: doing in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom is glory forever and ever. Amen! [Hebrews 13: 20,21].'"

"Nor must we omit to mention here, that this feast is a monument of one of the most brilliant victories of holy Church in our own age. [Blessed Pope] Pius IX had been driven out from Rome in [November] 1848 by the triumphant revolution; but the following year, just about this season, his power was re-established. Under the aegis of the apostles on June 28 and the two following days, the eldest daughter of the Church [a former nickname for France], faithful to her past glories, swept the ramparts of the eternal city; and on July 2, Mary's festival [the feast of the Visitation on the traditional calendar], the victory was completed. Not long after this, a twofold decree notified to the city and the world the Pontiff's gratitude and the way in which he intended to perpetuate, in the sacred liturgy, the memory of these events."

"On August 10, from Gaeta itself [a town between Rome and Naples], the place of his exile in the evil day, [Blessed Pope] Pius IX, before returning to reassume the governments of his States, addressing himself to the invisible head of the Church, confided her in a special manner to His divine care, by the institution of this day's festival; reminding Him that it was for His Church that He had vouchsafed to shed all His precious Blood. Then, when the Pontiff re-entered his capital [on 12 April 1850, when he was finally assured that the French would not interfere in his affairs], turning to Mary, just as [Pope St.] Pius V and [Pope] Pius VIII had done under other circumstances, the Vicar of Christ solemnly attributed the honour of the recent victory to her who is ever the help of Christians; for on the feast of her Visitation it had been gained; and he now decreed that this said feast of July 2 should be raised from the rite of double major to that of second class throught the whole world [under the pre-1962 system of classifying feasts and holy days]. This was a prelude to the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which the immortal Pontiff had already projected, whereby the crushing of the serpent's head would be completed."
Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!
Sanguis Christi, inebria me!


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Krupp on Pius XII: The “Black Legend” is Over
Vatican Insider
Marco Tosatti

The founder of the Pave the Way Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to building bridges between the world's religions, speaks to Zenit news agency about his in-depth research.

After six years of untiring research that has uncovered 76,000 pages of original material, plus multiple eyewitness accounts and testimonies from prominent international scholars, Gary Krupp is confident the besmirching of Pope Pius XII's reputation is coming to an end.

"We're definitely winning, absolutely no question," Krupp tells Zenit news agency in an interview, during a visit to Rome this week. "Every time we do more research, we find a diamond. It's incredible, but there's nothing on the other side because there's no documented foundation for any of their accusations."

Krupp, the founder of the Pave The Way Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between world religions, is well known for being one of the most passionate defenders of Pius XII's reputation for heroism in his relations with the Jewish people.

As a Jew from New York who grew up, like many others of his generation, with an indoctrinated hatred of the wartime Pope for his alleged anti-Semitism and unwillingness to help Jews during the Holocaust, his anger at realizing this was all a lie, and his willingness to reveal the truth, is both heartfelt and compelling.

Now he and his team of researchers have uncovered more documented evidence that Pave the Way believes should act as incontrovertible proof to any serious historian that Pius XII did all he could to protect and defend Jews before, during and after the Second World War. All the documentation can be viewed on the organization's Web site: www.ptwf.org

Some of these documents show that Pius XII favoured the creation of a Jewish state as far back as 1917. In further recent discoveries, Pave the Way has come across a letter, written by Cardinal Pacelli in 1939, in which he attempted to obtain visas for 200,000 Jews who remained in Germany after Kristallnacht.

"He wasn't able to obtain the visas, but he tried," says Krupp. "The point is, he didn't do it from the safety of Washington DC or London. He did it while surrounded by hostile forces, and infiltrated by spies, and yet he still managed to save more Jews than all the other world leaders combined."

Further letters reveal how, through his nephew Carlo Pacelli, Pius XII helped prevent the arrest of Roman Jews in 1943, giving an estimated 12,000 of them the chance to seek refuge in Church monasteries, convents, and the homes of Italian Catholics. "All these archival records show how he personally helped save Jewish people," says Krupp, adding emphatically in his broad New York accent: "Anti-Semites don't do that!"

Other ground-breaking discoveries show how the Pope was not just a target for assassination by Hitler (Pave the Way has a copy of a letter Pius wrote to cardinals expecting to be killed and giving them instructions to form a government in exile), but that he and his secretary were also named in a German report as co-conspirators in the Valkyre assassination attempt on the Fuhrer in July 1944.

Pave the Way has combed through copies of the New York Times and Palestine Post from 1939 to 1958 to find any evidence of animosity toward the Jews. "There's not one negative article. Not one," Krupp says, adding that a French friend of theirs also went through French Communist and Socialist papers from that time, and similarly came up with nothing negative.

Krupp points out a "fantastic letter" from the American ambassador to Germany, reporting on 3rd March 1939 on the new Pope's election on 2nd March. The ambassador recalls in the letter meeting Cardinal Pacelli in 1937, and wanting to visit the Sistine Chapel, but he wasn't able to as the Cardinal had kept him in his office for three solid hours, talking about National Socialism and Hitler. "In the letter it says: "While his views against Hitler were well known to me, I had no idea of the extremity of his views,'" Krupp recounts.

Like many, Krupp is convinced the smearing of Pius's reputation was due to an elaborate misinformation campaign by the Soviets and, in particular, the film "The Deputy," which was widely performed after the Pontiff's death. The play, which spread what's become known as the "Black Legend" of Pius XII, is still being performed today, currently in Munich and even in an American university – something that greatly irritates Krupp given the dean of the university is allowing it on grounds of "academic freedom."

What makes him so unstinting in his desire to uncover the truth is his firm belief that history must be accurate. "People die with history," Krupp says, "so it's absolutely essential people realize that history is a sacred thing – you must get it right because people kill one another on perceived history." He says anti-Pius historians are "historical revisionists," and makes no apology for calling them "liars" instead of scholars.

He is particularly indignant with Rome's Jewish community and those who persistently propagate the Black Legend in the face of the contrary evidence. "All of Rome's Jewish community despises Pius XII, when a few short few years ago they erected a monument in his honour because he saved all of their lives," says Krupp (the monument, erected in 1946, is no longer there). "You have air in your lungs today because he saved your lives," he says in pointed words directed at them, "and yet you despise him? This is a sin. This is a Jewish sin." Krupp frequently stresses that one of the worst character flaws a Jew can have is ingratitude, and notes that the Hebrew word for Jew is actually based on the word gratitude.

He believes if any of the community were willing to look at the documents, they would change their minds. "Anyone who refuses to look at documents and the proof is a fool," he says. "This is especially obnoxious to me, as this community is alive because of his actions, very provably alive – everyone from the era said so," Krupps argues.

He also says he has come to discover the enemies of Pope Pius XII tend to be "ultra-left wing Jews and Catholics" with an agenda to destroy the Pope's reputation because he "typified the conservative, traditional Church."

But what about the regular accusations one hears made against Pius? Krupp bats away each of them away with ease.

On why Pius didn't lay down his life as a martyr: "Why didn't General Patten do the same thing? Why didn't Roosevelt do the same thing? Don't forget the Vatican is two entities, head of the Catholic Church and also a government. It would be the worst thing one can do, especially when he could do the good that he did alive. Being dead would be no good at all."

On the claim no Nazis were excommunicated: "They were -- I love this one. The German bishops said anyone who joined the 'Hitler Party,' who wore the uniform or flew the flag were excommunicated and a priest couldn't attend their funeral if any of them died."

On the accusation that Pius XII helped Nazi war criminals flee to South America after the war: "No, it was exactly the opposite according to Bishop Hudal himself [Hudal was a Nazi collaborator in Rome]; just read his [Hudal's] autobiography."

On the claim that Pius authorized forced baptisms of Jewish infants: "Nonsense. In fact he forbade it. There were some … You had some overzealous nuns and others who did this, but he forbade it. He forbade it because he had a great love and respect for Judaism, starting from his childhood. His closest friend was a Jewish orthodox boy, Guido Mendes."

Krupp recognizes "Nostra Aetate," the Second Vatican Council declaration considered by many to have transformed Jewish-Catholic relations, as "one of the most important events in Jewish-Christian relations." It's arguable whether his invaluable efforts to clear Pius XII's name would have taken place had it not been for that document, but Krupp began working on the Pius issue after receiving a papal knighthood, seeing it would "open things up to do wonderful things between Jews and Catholics."

I'm interested to know if he himself ever considered becoming a Catholic? "No, never," he says. "If someone gave me a million dollars, I wouldn't. This is the way I am supposed to be. I'm doing what I'm supposed to do as a Jew not as a Catholic."

He says he has a "huge love and respect for the Church" because he "looks at the bottom line" and sees there's "no greater provider in the world for health care, education or charity." Indeed, he was delighted and honoured to be invited this year to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Orangeburg, New York.

"I feel my brothers and sisters are in the Church, but I would never consider converting," he says. "I'm very proud to be Jewish, and I think this is the path God meant for me to take."

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Post #236


Topics:  Feast Day:SS. Peter and Paul ...Four Year Old Can't Even Read Yet: Joyfully Serving the Lord at Mass...Declared Venerable: Fulton Sheen
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+ This Friday will be the 1st Class feast Day of SS. Peter and Paul, red vestments. I am wondering if some of you more experienced folks (ok...older folks) used to observe these feast days in a special way, beyond the obvious prayers. I guess what I am asking is; did folks actually celebrate these days with some sort of remembrance outside of liturgical functions and prayers? Special foods? Flowers? It seems silly of me to ask but what I don't know...I don't know.

To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.
..and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches 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.

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Feast Day of SS. Peter and Paul
Frdiay June 29
Catholic Culture
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2012-06-29


Veneration of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul, has its roots in the very foundations of the Church. They are the solid rock on which the Church is built. They are at the origin of her faith and will forever remain her protectors and her guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they were led to make the capital of the Empire, sanctified by their martyrdom, the center of the Christian world whence should radiate the preaching of the Gospel.


St. Peter suffered martyrdom under Nero, in A.D. 66 or 67. He was buried on the hill of the Vatican where recent excavations have revealed his tomb on the very site of the basilica of St. Peter's. St. Paul was beheaded in the via Ostia on the spot where now stands the basilica bearing his name. Down the centuries Christian people in their thousands have gone on pilgrimage to the tombs of these Apostles. In the second and third centuries the Roman Church already stood pre-eminent by reason of her apostolicity, the infallible truth of her teaching and her two great figures, Sts. Peter and Paul.


A plenary indulgence may be gained today by anyone who makes devout use of a religious article blessed by a bishop and who also recites any approved profession of faith (e.g. the Apostles Creed), as long as the usual conditions are satisfied.


St. Peter
Peter's original name was Simon. Christ Himself gave him the name Cephas or Peter when they first met and later confirmed it. This name change was meant to show both Peter's rank as leader of the apostles and the outstanding trait of his character — Peter (in Hebrew Kephas) the Rock. Peter was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Like his younger brother Andrew, he was a fisherman and dwelt at Capernaum. Peter's house often became the scene of miracles, since the Master would stay there whenever He was teaching in that locality. Together with his brothers John and Andrew, Peter belonged to the first of Jesus' disciples (John 1:40-50).


After the miraculous draught of fish on the Sea of Galilee, Peter received his definitive call and left wife, family, and occupation to take his place as leader of the Twelve. Thereafter we find him continually at Jesus' side, whether it be as spokesman of the apostolic college (John 6:68; Matt. 16:16), or as one specially favored (e.g., at the restoration to life of Jairus' daughter, at the transfiguration, during the agony in the garden). His sanguine temperament often led him into hasty, unpremeditated words and actions; his denial of Jesus during the passion was a salutary lesson. It accentuated a weakness in his character and made him humble.


After the ascension, Peter always took the leading role, exercising the office of chief shepherd that Christ had entrusted to him. He delivered the first sermon on Pentecost and received the first Gentiles into the Church (Cornelius; Acts 10:1). Paul went to Jerusalem "to see Peter." After his miraculous deliverance from prison (Easter, 42 A.D.), Peter "went to a different place," most probably to Rome. Details now become scanty; we hear of his presence at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1), and of his journey to Antioch (Gal. 2:11).


It is certain that Peter labored in Rome as an apostle, that he was the city's first bishop, and that he died there as a martyr, bound to a cross (67 A.D.). According to tradition he also was the first bishop of Antioch. He is the author of two letters, the first Christian encyclicals. His burial place is Christendom's most famous shrine, an edifice around whose dome are inscribed the words: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam.


Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch


Patron: Against frenzy; bakers; bridge builders; butchers; clock makers; cobblers; Exeter College Oxford; feet problems; fever; fishermen; harvesters; locksmiths; longevity; masons; net makers; papacy; Popes; ship builders; shipwrights; shoemakers; stone masons; Universal Church; watch makers; Poznan, Poland; Rome; Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi; Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Diocese of Marquette, Michigan; Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania.


Symbols: Two keys saltire; pastoral staff and two large keys; inverted cross; inverted cross and two keys saltire; crowing cock; fish; two swords; patriarchal cross and two keys saltire; two keys and a scroll; sword.
Often portrayed as: Bald man, often with a fringe of hair on the sides and a tuft on top; book; keys; man crucified head downwards; man holding a key or keys; man robed as a pope and bearing keys and a double-barred cross.


St. Paul
Paul, known as Saul (his Roman name) before his conversion, was born at Tarsus in the Roman province of Silicia about two or three years after the advent of the Redeemer. He was the son of Jewish parents who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, was reared according to the strict religious-nationalistic party of the Pharisees, and enjoyed the high distinction of Roman citizenship.


As a youth he went to Jerusalem to become immersed in the Law and had as a teacher the celebrated Gamaliel. He acquired skill as a tent-maker, a work he continued even as an apostle. At the time of Jesus' ministry he no longer was at Jerusalem; neither did he see the Lord during His earthly-life. Upon returning to the Holy City, Paul discovered a flourishing Christian community and at once became its bitter opponent. When Stephen impugned Law and temple, Paul was one of the first at his stoning; thereafter his fiery personality would lead the persecution. Breathing threats of slaughter against the disciples of Jesus, he was hurrying to Damascus when the grace of God effected his conversion (about the year 34 A.D.; see January 25, Conversion of St. Paul).


After receiving baptism and making some initial attempts at preaching, Paul withdrew into the Arabian desert (c. 34-37 A.D.), where he prepared himself for his future mission. During this retreat he was favored with special revelations, Christ appearing to him personally. Upon his return to Damascus he began to preach but was forced to leave when the Jews sought to kill him. Then he went to Jerusalem "to see Peter." Barnabas introduced him to the Christian community, but the hatred of the Jews again obliged him to take secret flight. The following years (38-42 A.D.) he spent at Tarsus until Barnabas brought him to the newly founded Christian community at Antioch, where both worked a year for the cause of Christ; in the year 44 he made another journey to Jerusalem with the money collected for that famine stricken community.


The first major missionary journey (45-48) began upon his return as he and Barnabas brought the Gospel to Cyprus and Asia Minor (Acts 13-14). The Council of Jerusalem occasioned Paul's reappearance in Jerusalem (50). Spurred on by the decisions of the Council, he began the second missionary journey (51-53), traveling through Asia Minor and then crossing over to Europe and founding churches at Philippi, Thessalonia (his favorite), Berea, Athens, Corinth. He remained almost two years at Corinth, establishing a very flourishing and important community. In 54 he returned to Jerusalem for the fourth time.


Paul's third missionary journey (54-58) took him to Ephesus, where he labored three years with good success; after visiting his European communities, he returned to Jerusalem for a fifth time (Pentecost, 58). There he was seized by the Jews and accused of condemning the Law. After being held as a prisoner for two years at Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar and was sent by sea to Rome (60 A.D.). Shipwrecked and delayed on the island of Malta, he arrived at Rome in the spring of 61 and passed the next two years in easy confinement before being released. The last years of the saint's life were devoted to missionary excursions, probably including Spain, and to revisiting his first foundations. In 66 he returned to Rome, was taken prisoner, and beheaded a year later. His fourteen letters are a precious legacy; they afford a deep insight into a great soul.


Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch


Patron: Against snakes; authors; Cursillo movement; evangelists; hailstorms; hospital public relations; journalists; lay people; missionary bishops; musicians; poisonous snakes; public relations personnel; public relations work; publishers; reporters; rope braiders; rope makers; saddlemakers; saddlers; snake bites; tent makers; writers; Malta; Rome; Poznan, Poland; newspaper editorial staff, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Diocese of Covington, Kentucky; Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama; Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts.


Symbols: Book and sword, three fountains; two swords; scourge; serpent and a fire; armour of God; twelve scrolls with names of his Epistles; Phoenix; palm tree; shield of faith; sword; book.
Often portrayed as: Thin-faced elderly man with a high forehead, receding hairline and long pointed beard; man holding a sword and a book; man with 3 springs of water nearby.



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Joyfully Serving the Lord at Mass
St. Loius Review
by Jennifer Brinker

When four-year-old Louis Bigari arrives at St. Mary of Victories Church Downtown, he makes a beeline for the side chapel, stopping only to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament, held in the tabernacle of the main church.

Lisa Johnston | lisajohnston@archstl.org
When he gets to his destination, he heads back to the sacristy to collect the cruets from Father Brian Harrison, who is preparing to celebrate a traditional Latin Mass, according to the 1962 Missal, on this morning. The priest, a member of the Oblates of Wisdom, celebrates the extraordinary form of the Mass in private at the church most mornings since he came to St. Mary's in 2007.

Louis and his mother, Lesley, attend this Mass during the week -- and sometimes with older brother Wyatt, 12. When it is celebrated early enough, Louis' father, Matt, is able to join them before heading to his job Downtown. Since he was just 2 years old, Louis has been assisting Father Harrison during parts of the Mass. Over time, he has learned how to handle the cruets holding the Holy water and wine, ringing the bells during the consecration and other parts of the Mass, holding Father Harrison's biretta, moving the kneeler forward for Communion and extinguishing the candles after Mass.

Father Harrison said he first recognized Louis' profound interest in the Mass when the boy was just 2 years and 10 months old.

"During Mass, I went to raise the consecrated Host, and I hear this little voice: 'Dring, dring, dring!'" The young boy was making a ringing sound in place of the part during the consecration, where the bells normally would have been rung, had a server been there to assist. Father Harrison gave him a set of bells to ring, and now Louis knows all 13 places during the Mass that call for the ringing of bells.

Part of Louis' interest in the Mass comes from a watchful eye on brother Wyatt, who serves at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in south St. Louis, where the family regularly attends Mass. But Lesley Bigari also said none of this would be possible without the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Lesley and Matt consecrated Louis to the Immaculate Heart of Mary when he was a baby. (See related.)

"It is just amazing to see how our Good Mother works," said Lesley Bigari, who is expecting a daughter in October. Louis also prays a little prayer each day where he asks Our Lord to 'show him his vocation and to protect his baptismal innocence.'"

Father Harrison said that the Church does not have an age restriction on servers, but he "has to know all of the Latin responses, which would be especially difficult to learn for a Latin Mass if he didn't yet know how to read." Traditionally, most servers begin around the time of their First Communion. The priest said Louis is the youngest person he's ever had assist him at Mass.

At home, Louis has some of the pieces he needs to practice "playing Mass," including a tabernacle -- a wooden box that his father built him -- as well as a plastic wine glass, thurible (a vessel used for incense), bells and cruets (small vessels used for the wine and water). Sometimes he uses cookies or crackers for the host, his mother said. He doesn't yet have a biretta or a maniple, two other liturgical vestments used during by the priest in the Latin Mass.

"He's wanting me to make him those," said Lesley Bigari.

These days, Louis is into making processions around the house, said his father. Sometimes he carries a candle, and the family will follow with a Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The family often prays the Rosary together -- and you guessed it, Louis already knows most of the prayers in Latin.

"To say that it is important to raise our children in the one true faith is an understatement," said Matt Bigari. "When today's popular belief is, 'all religions are pleasing to God,' and most Catholics don't even believe the dogma of no salvation outside the Church, it is essential that we prepare the children for their vocation of suffering.

There are many different vocations, he said, but all include redemptive suffering.

"Lesley and I want to prepare our children to follow the Mother of God's commands to suffer for the love of God and the salvation of souls," he said. "We know that parenting by our own strength will fail, so we place our trust Our Blessed Mother.

"God wants to establish devotion in the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, therefore, my childrens' vocation is to establish devotion in the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary," he said. "She will take care of everything else ... like a good mother always does."

Act of Consecration for a child to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, to your Immaculate Heart, the channel of graces we consecrate this child whom we have received from God’s goodness. We offer (NAME)to you that so that you may present (NAME) to your Divine Son, that you may take HIM/HER under your loving, maternal protection, that you may preserve (NAME) from dangers, that you may keep (NAME) from all sin, that you may make (NAME) grow in piety and in all virtue so that (NAME) may always be worthy to call (NAME) your child. May (NAME) grow daily in wisdom and in grace, may (NAME) go through life having you always as HIS/HER refuge and Mother. May all virtues shine in (NAME) and may (NAME) never offend your Maternal Heart.

May the Eternal Father always look upon (NAME) with delight and see in (NAME) a ray and reflection of your Immaculate Beauty.

And as Today, (NAME) gladdens our home, so may (NAME) one day gladden the Eternal Home which we pray will be (HIS/HERS). Amen.

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Venerable Fulton Sheen
By Elizabeth Scalia 
Patheos



Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is now “Venerable” after the Vatican announced today that Benedict XVI had signed a decree recognising that the archbishop heroically lived Christian virtues.
The announcement of the decree marks a significant step in the canonization cause of Peoria, Ill.-born Archbishop Sheen (1895-1979), the Emmy award-winning televangelist whose program, “Life is Worth Living,” was broadcast from 1951 to 1957.
The Vatican now has to recognise a miracle has occurred through his intercession for him to be beatified, the penultimate step to canonization. Alleged miracles have been reported, which are now being assessed by experts in Rome.




Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Post # 235

Topics: Video: Ave Verum Corpus by William Byrd...Picture: Bishop Jackals at St. Anthony 125th...


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+ This Friday will be the 1st Class feast Day of SS. Peter and Paul, red vestments. I am wondering if some of you more experienced folks (ok...older folks) used to observe these feast days in a special way, beyond the obvious prayers. I guess what I am asking is; did folks actually celebrate these days with some sort of remembrance outside of liturgical functions and prayers? Special foods? Flowers? It seems silly of me to ask but what I don't know...I don't know.

To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.
..and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches 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.

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Ave Verum Corpus
 William Byrd




William Byrd was an English composer, born in London in 1542 or 1543; died 4 July, 1623. He was the son of a musician, and studied music principally under Thomas Tallis. 

He became organist at Lincoln Cathedral in 1563, chorister in the Chapel Royal in 1570, and in 1575 received the title of Organist of the Chapel Royal without being obliged to perform the functions of that office. Byrd was the most distinguished contrapuntist and the most prolific composer of his time in England. FĂ©tis calls him the English Palestrina. He was the first Englishman to write madrigals, a form which originated in Italy in the thirteenth century, and received its highest development in the sixteenth century at the hands of Arcadelt and other masters.

An organist and performer of the first order upon the virginals, Byrd wrote for the latter instrument an enormous number of compositions, many of which are played today. His chief significance lies, however, in his compositions for the Church, of which he produced a great many. In 1607 he published a collection of gradualia for the whole ecclesiastical year, among which is to be found a three-part setting of the words of the multitude in the Passion according to St. John. A modern edition of this setting was published in 1899.

 In 1611 "Psalms, Songs and Sonnets, Some Solemn, Others Joyful, Framed to the Life of the Words, Fit for Voyces or Viols, etc." appeared. Probably in the same year was issued "Parthenia", a collection of virginal music, in which Byrd collaborated with J. Bull and Orlando Gibbons. Three masses — for three, four, and five voices, respectively — belong to the composer's best period. The one for five voices was reprinted by the Musical Antiquarian Society in 1841, and in 1899 the same work was issued by Breitkopf and Hartel.

 Two of his motets, "Domine, ne irascaris" and "Civitas sancti tui", with English texts, are in the repertoire of most Anglican cathedrals. In spite of the harrowing religious conditions under which he lived, in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I, Byrd remained faithful to his principles and duties as a Catholic, as is shown in his life and by his works. 
In his last will and testament he prays "that he may live and dye a true and perfect member of the Holy Catholike Churche withoute which I beleeve there is noe salvacon for me".

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Bishop Jackals at St. Anthony 125th Anniversary Celebration



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 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura
Biblical Evidence for Catholicism
http://socrates58.blogspot.com/
Submitted by Michael O'Neill


Catholicism and Protestantism fundamentally differ with regard to authority: the "rule of faith," the basis or standard Christians use to determine true (and false) doctrine and practice. Protestantism tends to see a divide between the "pure Word of God" in the Bible and the Tradition of the Catholic Church, which is considered to be corrupted by "traditions of men" (Matt 15:3-6, Mk 7:8-13).

For Protestants, Scripture alone is the source and rule of the Christian faith. It is sufficient in and of itself for a full exposition of Christianity and for the attainment of salvation, and the only infallible authority. This is what sola scriptura means. In Catholicism, however, Scripture and Tradition — revealed Christian truths passed on outside of Scripture — are (to use a common word-picture) two fonts of the one spring of divine revelation. Without one or the other, revelation is incomplete.

Holy Scripture frequently refers to the notion of tradition[s]: a body of knowledge or doctrine that existed prior to and is larger than Scripture itself. For example:
The "word" or "word of God" in this context is clearly not Scripture (because Scripture is compared with it): it is, rather, apostolic preaching, which is synonymous with Sacred Tradition. All true Tradition, like the preaching that is examined in the above passage, is harmonious with Scripture. This is the Catholic and biblical teaching.

Other terms besides "word of God" are used in the Bible to refer to apostolic Tradition, such as "the faith" (Eph 4:13; Col 1:23; 1 Tim 4:1; Jude 3), "the truth" (Rom 2:8; Gal 5:7; 1 Tim 2:4), "the commandment" Mk 7:8; 2 Pet 2:21; 1 Jn 2:7-8), "the doctrine" (Rom 16:17; Titus 2:10; 2 Jn 1:9), and "the message" (1 Cor 2:4; 2 Cor 5:19; 2 Tim 4:15). The biblical data on this score is overwhelming. A concise Catholic definition of Sacred Tradition is found in the decrees of the First Vatican Council (1870), in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith:
There are many subtleties and complexities and nuances involved in this discussion of Christian authority, which will become apparent as we delve into it. Catholics and Protestants have tragically misunderstood each other for centuries. Yet although there are deeply held differences, there is also more common ground than one might suspect.

Before going any further, I should like to verify the preceding definitions of sola scriptura by citing three of its contemporary Protestant defenders. Norman Geisler, a very prominent Evangelical Protestant apologist who has published many books, defines it as follows:
Reformed Protestant writer Keith A. Mathison concurs, while emphasizing the role of the Church a little more strongly:
Reformed Baptist James R. White, despite belonging to the extreme anti-Catholic fundamentalist wing of Protestantism, nevertheless agrees with Geisler and Mathison in this respect, as we see in his series of helpful expositions detailing first what sola scriptura is not:
White then proceeds to show what sola scriptura is:
In this book, I will be presupposing the above definitions of sola scriptura: good and clear definitions from three of its ablest defenders. Let the reader take note! For it is the almost-invariable practice of Protestants to accuse Catholics of not understanding what sola scriptura is in the first place. I'm sure there are many Catholics who don't understand. But I do understand what sola scriptura is. I used to adhere to it myself, precisely in these terms, and I defended it, as a Protestant apologist and evangelist, for nine years. I know what it is, and I reject it as a falsehood.

Let me conclude with a word on my premises and methodology. The entire discussion of Christian authority is rife with miscomprehensions on both sides. People are used to reading unsophisticated and inadequate treatments of this crucial topic: from both proponents and opponents of sola scriptura.

It's not enough, therefore, merely to cite biblical evidences of Tradition or an authoritative Church. Those things are not, by their mere mention, sufficient to refute sola scriptura (as our three Protestant proponents cited above point out). The Catholic needs to go further than that and establish, based on unassailable biblical evidence, examples of Tradition or of Church proclamations that were binding and obligatory upon all who heard and received them. Whether these were infallible is another, more complex question, but a binding decree is already either expressly contrary to sola scriptura, or, at the very least, a thing that casts considerable doubt on the formal principle.

Thus, one of my favorite counter-arguments is to point out that the Apostle Paul and his companions Silas and Timothy made their way "through the cities" and "delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem" (Acts 16:4). This council at Jerusalem was described in the previous chapter as having reached its decisions by the direct aid or guidance of the Holy Spirit (15:28).

When we put all of that together, and consider it as objectively as possible, we see an infallible council, presided over by bishops (Peter: 15:7-11, and James: 15:13-21), and proclaimed by an apostle (Paul). It was a development of Tradition and Mosaic Law (about circumcision and what was proper to eat) and a binding exercise of Church authority at the highest levels; even seemingly infallible. All of this is strong counter-indication of sola scriptura, which proclaims that no Church or council can bind the conscience of a Christian believer, or can claim to be infallible. For the Protestant, only Scripture can do that. Yet here the same Scripture seems to refute that very proposition.

This is how one goes about refuting sola scriptura: by demonstrating how biblical teaching makes the Protestant rule of faith collapse into endless self-contradictions and incoherence. It's a death by a thousand qualifications (and worse).

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Knowledge and Information

I live in Newton, north of Wichita. This is Mennonite country, mostly German (Verenika ...yum!). Mennonites are a Protestant group based around the church communities of the Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561), who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders.

I once had a Mennonite man come out to service my furnace. This particular strain of Mennonite dress quite obvious to their tradition: men with beards and simple clothes, women in dresses and black bonnets. While trouble shooting my furnace he kept glancing at all the Catholic "stuff" I have on the walls. Crucifixes, pictures of Mary, the Saints and Jesus....and he finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

He asked me why Catholics didn't consider Jesus the Son of God and Savior but a mere prophet? Did we use the Bible (I showed him my Douay-Rheims)? Why did my bible have that funny name on the front? Do we worship Mary (which I led to "Do we worship statues?").

In turn I asked him all about his faith and gave him the usual responses to his questions. It was one of the most enjoyable conversations I had had in a while.

My son in law, who I sponsored in Confirmation and vouched for through three Knights of Columbus degrees...became a Catholic partially because he discovered what the Catholic Church was not.

Knowledge and information are powerful beautiful weapons.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Post #234

Topics: 1st Class Feast: St. John the Baptist...Trappist Caskets: Handmade Caskets from the Monks of New Melleray Abbey...Stand Up for Religious Freedom: God Helps those Who Help Themselves....Kansans for LifeReligious Freedom Rallies & Events
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Hey you. Yeah you. Where's the article you've been meaning to send? I know you have one. What about that first communion picture of your great Grandfather back in 1926? That would make a nice post. You say your niece got married in Duluth? Send the picture. Oh I see...your more scholarly and have some thoughts on adding new prefaces to the Missal of 1962? Well, send it along.

The videos aren't fitting into the posts...they are cut off. You can always go to YouTube to view them if need be. In the meantime let me fiddle with the HTML to get the proper dimensions.

To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.
..and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches 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.

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St. John the Baptist
1st Class Feast
Commemoration Fourth Sunday After Pentecost at Lauds, Mass and Vespers


John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her. 

John the Baptist, by Joan de Joanes, ca. 1560
He was probably born at Ain-Karim southwest of Jerusalem after the Angel Gabriel had told Zachary that his wife would bear a child even though she was an old woman. He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism "for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand". He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need baptism from You". 

When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea when John denounced his adultrous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip. 
John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother. John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. 

John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th.

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Trappist Caskets
Handmade caskets from the monks of New Melleray Abbey, est. 1849

I just turned the corner and had a birthday this past Friday and have been thinking of end of life issues (ya never know). I am planning on buying one of these caskets from the Trappist monks. I hope I won't need it for a very long time though.

Trappist Caskets is a work of the self-sufficient monks of New Melleray Abbey, located near Dubuque, Iowa. We are monks of the Roman Catholic Church who belong to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, known as Trappists. The simple and yet structured Trappist day begins with our first prayers at 3:30 a.m. The life of a Trappist monk is wholly ordered to contemplation, as we are guided by the mandate to “Let nothing be preferred to the work of God.”


Founded in 1849, New Melleray Abbey was established at the time of the great famine by the monks of Mt. Melleray Abbey in County Waterford, Ireland.

As Cistercians, we follow the ancient monastic Rule of St. Benedict. Consistent with that rule, our vocation is expressed in a hidden life of silent prayer, community liturgy, and manual labor. Simple living is one of the hallmarks of our life. We support ourselves by the work of our hands.

New Melleray Abbey launched Trappist Caskets in 1999, when we began selling caskets and urns directly to families at wholesale costs. Our work at Trappist Caskets provides us with both meaningful work and vital financial support. We view our casket business as a ministry – a corporal work of mercy. We hope to impart a sense of sanctity into all that we make.


Throughout the course of a day, the sound of bells call us to prayer, to spiritual reading, to manual labor, or to simple enjoyment of the company of our brothers.

While it’s become commercially strategic these days for companies to talk about becoming “eco-friendly”, we at New Melleray Abbey have been guided by the spiritual mandate to practice responsible stewardship for over 160 years. Consequently, we work hard to be sustainable, even if it means less profit or slower production. Much of the wood we use is taken directly from our own award-winning 1200 acre forest. We manage our forest to be a diverse eco-system. Our plan calls for continuous forest improvement, which includes planting far more trees than we will ever harvest. In fact, a new tree is planted as a living memorial to every person who uses a Trappist casket or urn.

We are not a high volume manufacturer. We work at a monastic pace, paying close attention to detail. Our artisans employ techniques perfected through generations – producing caskets and urns of unique quality.
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Stand Up for Religious Freedom
God Helps those Who Help Themselves
Submitted by Mark Llamas

By all means support Kansans for Life, your freedoms and what is ultimately your God given moral rights and attend the religious freedom rallies and events listed in this post.

I wonder, and I speak for myself .....how it is that those who find their spiritual fruit in the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anthony, the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite, do not have "religious freedom" to worship fully in the manner in which we see fit? Why must we settle for anything less than the full battery of the seven sacraments? Why are we being made to feel as second class citizens when all we want to do is worship as the Saints did, as our parents did and, what is ultimately, what our conscious tells us to do?

His Holiness Benedict XVI stated, "What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

Furthermore: "The faithful are entitled to request ALL the Sacraments according to their traditional rites (e.g. baptisms, confirmations, nuptial masses, requiems, etc.)"

We are not the bogey man...we are not schismatic...we are not "radical"... we are normal, hard working, faithful American Catholics who only want to be in communion with Rome and support His Holiness Benedict XVI when he wishes the EFLR be in every parish.

Then what of "religious freedom"?
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Replies to this post:
  • I have been reading your blog for sometime. In your most recent post of Thursday, you mention your thoughts on religious freedom. I totally agree with you...
  • Well spoken, Amen.
  • ...other diocese had invited them (FSSP) in and they were able to have axcess to all Sacraments etc.


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Kansans for Life
Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rallies & Events
Submitted by Larry Bethel


People of all faith traditions are beginning to understand the current threat to religious freedom.  The HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, has essentially mandated that people of faith violate their consciences and the teachings of their church and follow the dictates of the HHS.
More about the mandate, but first here is a calendar of events for the coming weeks.

A Fortnight for Freedom
The  bishops of the United States have called for “A Fortnight for Freedom,” the two-week period from June 21 to July 4—beginning with the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher and ending with Independence Day—to focus “all the energies the Catholic community can muster” for religious liberty.  They also asked that, later in the year, the feast of Christ the King be “a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad.”
Mass, Procession, & Speakers on Thursday, June 21st
Bishop Michael Jackels, of the diocese of Wichita, will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm in Good Shepherd Chapel on the Topeka street side of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral.  Follow Mass, there will be a procession to the Federal Building at 3rd & Market.  We will pray and listen to some remarks for community and church leaders.  Entire event could last until 8:00pm
Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally on Friday, June 22nd
The monthly Prayer Rally will take place at noon on Friday, June 22nd at the Federal Building in downtown Wichita at 3rd & Market.  The Prayer Rally lasts one hour.
Panel Discussion of the HHS Mandate, Wednesday, June 27th
There will be a panel discussion of the HHS mandate at St. Francis of Assisi Church at 861 N. Socora (One long block north & west of Central & Typer Rd).  The discussion starts at 7:00pm and will take place in Cana Hall.

Statewide Rally for Religious Freedom, Friday, June 29th

The Bishops of Kansas have organized a Rally for Religious Freedom on the south steps of the State Capitol Building in Topeka, KS.  The Rally lasts from 2:00 to 3:30.  Everyone is invited to take this public stand in support of our Constitution Right of Freedom of Religion.
There is some room left of buses headed to Topeka.  Make your reservation now by going to:
http://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/respect-life-and-social-justice-office/documents/doc_view/2529-statewide-rally-registration

There are also a limited number of yard signs available that say, “We Pray for Protection for Religious Freedom”.  The signs are $5.00 and you can order one by calling the Respect Life and Social Justice office of the Diocese of Wichita at 269-3900.  If you order yours now, you can pick it up at the Rally in Topeka or at the Wichita Chancery Office.

Pray during the fortnight for an end to religious persecution and a restoration of religious freedom in our country.

A Little More Explanation of the Mandate
I think most of us know that this country was founded by those who came here to escape religious persecution.
This was so important that the first Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

We have been told many times that this means there is a separation of church and state but what it really means is the government cannot establish or declare an official religion in this country,  NOR can the government prohibit the free practice of a religion.
Pretty simple and we have taken this for granted for many years.
However, in August of last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said they were going to require that virtually all private health care plans must cover sterilizations, abortifacients (that is drugs that cause an abortion), and contraception.  This applies to the vast majority of faith based organizations.

There was a period when the public was invited to voice their opinion, and many of the Bishops and Cardinals, as well as citizens voiced their opposition.
However, on January 20, 2012, the rule / mandate became final.
In one year, the providers of health insurance both private and religious must pay for sterilizations, abortifacients, and contraception.

The argument is not about theology. It’s not about abortion. It’s not pro-life versus pro-choice. It’s not about birth control.

It’s about freedom.

Aside from this direct assault on the faith of practicing Catholics, the fact that a cabinet secretary can do this without an act of Congress and mandate that someone must do something that he or she as a matter of personal ethics or faith would otherwise never do, is an assault on the country’s very foundation.
Please try to attend some or all of these events.
Yours for LIFE,
David Gittrich
State Development Director
kfldavid@yahoo.com
1-800-928-5433



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Post #233

Topics:  Kansans for Life  Religious Freedom Rallies & Events ...Get in Line’ or ‘Resign:  Undoing of 237 Years of Traditional Religious Support


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+By all means support Kansans for Life, your freedoms and what is ultimately your God given moral rights and attend the religious freedom rallies and events listed in this post.

I wonder, and I speak for myself .....how it is that those who find their spiritual fruit in the Traditional Latin Mass, the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite, do not have "religious freedom" to worship fully in the manner in which we see fit? Why must we settle for anything less than the full battery of the seven sacraments? Why are we being made to feel as second class citizens  when all we want to do is worship as the Saints did, as our parents did and, what is ultimately, what our conscious tells us to do?

His Holiness Benedict XVI stated, "What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."

Furthermore: "The faithful are entitled to request ALL the Sacraments according to their traditional rites (e.g. baptisms, confirmations, nuptial masses, requiems, etc.)"

We are not the bogey man...we are not schismatic...we are not "radical"... we are normal, hard working, faithful American Catholics who only want to be in communion with Rome and support His Holiness Benedict XVI when he wishes the EFLR be in every parish.

Then what of "religious freedom"?

To post a comment, ask a question, or submit an article contact me, Mark, at bumpy187@gmail.com.

..and now for the necessaries.

Please note: St. Anthony Catholic Church is one of only two churches 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.

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Kansans for Life
Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rallies & Events
Submitted by Larry Bethel


People of all faith traditions are beginning to understand the current threat to religious freedom.  The HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, has essentially mandated that people of faith violate their consciences and the teachings of their church and follow the dictates of the HHS.
More about the mandate, but first here is a calendar of events for the coming weeks.

A Fortnight for Freedom
The  bishops of the United States have called for “A Fortnight for Freedom,” the two-week period from June 21 to July 4—beginning with the feasts of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher and ending with Independence Day—to focus “all the energies the Catholic community can muster” for religious liberty.  They also asked that, later in the year, the feast of Christ the King be “a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad.”
Mass, Procession, & Speakers on Thursday, June 21st
Bishop Michael Jackels, of the diocese of Wichita, will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm in Good Shepherd Chapel on the Topeka street side of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral.  Follow Mass, there will be a procession to the Federal Building at 3rd & Market.  We will pray and listen to some remarks for community and church leaders.  Entire event could last until 8:00pm
Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally on Friday, June 22nd
The monthly Prayer Rally will take place at noon on Friday, June 22nd at the Federal Building in downtown Wichita at 3rd & Market.  The Prayer Rally lasts one hour.
Panel Discussion of the HHS Mandate, Wednesday, June 27th
There will be a panel discussion of the HHS mandate at St. Francis of Assisi Church at 861 N. Socora (One long block north & west of Central & Typer Rd).  The discussion starts at 7:00pm and will take place in Cana Hall.

Statewide Rally for Religious Freedom, Friday, June 29th

The Bishops of Kansas have organized a Rally for Religious Freedom on the south steps of the State Capitol Building in Topeka, KS.  The Rally lasts from 2:00 to 3:30.  Everyone is invited to take this public stand in support of our Constitution Right of Freedom of Religion.
There is some room left of buses headed to Topeka.  Make your reservation now by going to:
http://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/respect-life-and-social-justice-office/documents/doc_view/2529-statewide-rally-registration

There are also a limited number of yard signs available that say, “We Pray for Protection for Religious Freedom”.  The signs are $5.00 and you can order one by calling the Respect Life and Social Justice office of the Diocese of Wichita at 269-3900.  If you order yours now, you can pick it up at the Rally in Topeka or at the Wichita Chancery Office.

Pray during the fortnight for an end to religious persecution and a restoration of religious freedom in our country.

A Little More Explanation of the Mandate
I think most of us know that this country was founded by those who came here to escape religious persecution.
This was so important that the first Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

We have been told many times that this means there is a separation of church and state but what it really means is the government cannot establish or declare an official religion in this country,  NOR can the government prohibit the free practice of a religion.
Pretty simple and we have taken this for granted for many years.
However, in August of last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said they were going to require that virtually all private health care plans must cover sterilizations, abortifacients (that is drugs that cause an abortion), and contraception.  This applies to the vast majority of faith based organizations.

There was a period when the public was invited to voice their opinion, and many of the Bishops and Cardinals, as well as citizens voiced their opposition.
However, on January 20, 2012, the rule / mandate became final.
In one year, the providers of health insurance both private and religious must pay for sterilizations, abortifacients, and contraception.

The argument is not about theology. It’s not about abortion. It’s not pro-life versus pro-choice. It’s not about birth control.

It’s about freedom.

Aside from this direct assault on the faith of practicing Catholics, the fact that a cabinet secretary can do this without an act of Congress and mandate that someone must do something that he or she as a matter of personal ethics or faith would otherwise never do, is an assault on the country’s very foundation.
Please try to attend some or all of these events.
Yours for LIFE,
David Gittrich
State Development Director
kfldavid@yahoo.com
1-800-928-5433



 ‘Get in Line’ or ‘Resign’ Admiral Tells Military Chaplain
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/get-in-line-or-resign-admiral-tells-military-chaplain/

There is alarm among military chaplains about the negative effect on troop
morale over the undoing of 237 years of traditional religious support for US
soldiers.
Submitted by Michael O'Neil



There is alarm among military chaplains about the negative effect on troop
morale over the undoing of 237 years of traditional religious support for US
soldiers.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Although the U.S.
Military fight and die to uphold freedom, high-level military chaplains
report they are increasingly being denied freedom of conscience and freedom
of speech. There is also alarm about the negative effects on troop morale
over the undoing of the 237-years’ practice of providing traditional
religious support for U.S. soldiers.

“We were promised that we would see no change - very little change,”
says Col. Ron Crews, alluding to a two-star officer’s assurance that the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal would not impede the ministry of
military chaplains. That promise, he says, has not been kept.

Col. Crews, executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty,
was speaking at a panel along with military chaplains and religious freedom
activists during the 2012 National Religious Freedom Conference in
Washington D.C on May 24.

The panelists agreed that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and other
policies have made it difficult, if not a punishable offense, for military
chaplains to read passages of Leviticus, pray aloud in the name of God at a
soldier’s funeral, or preside over traditional services.

Col. Crews recounted an interchange in 2010 between Adm. Mike Mullen,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a military chaplain.  While Adm.
Mullen was briefing the troops on what the repeal might look like, the
chaplain asked if those with “biblical views that homosexuality is a sin
[would] still be protected to express those views?”

Adm. Mullen reportedly responded, “Chaplain, if you can’t get in line
with this policy, resign your commission.”

Another chaplain’s promotion was unexpectedly rescinded, said the colonel.
The reason: forwarding an email sent by a fellow chaplain that was critical
of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal. Due to this action he was
told he would need to be “more closely supervised.”

Yet another chaplain wished for his chapel to be considered “sacred
space” and not used to officiate same-sex marriages. He was told that
despite his wishes, his chapel would be “sexual neutral territory.”

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After Chaplain (Major General) Douglas Carver, the U.S. Army’s Chief
Chaplain, called for a day of prayer and fasting “in keeping with your
religious traditions,” the Military Religious Foundation (MRF) “wanted
him fired,” said Col. Jacob Goldstein, a panelist and senior U.S. Army
Jewish chaplain.  He added that despite the MRF’s claims that this was
offensive to Jewish people, “this fasting follows in our tradition.”

Chaplains are not the only ones feeling pressure. Veteran’s Affairs
officials told veteran honor guards that mentioning God in prayer was not
acceptable. It took a Temporary Restraining Order from U.S. District Judge
Lynn Hughes and four months of litigation for the name of God to again be
permissible.

Four months was not soon enough to prevent heartbreak to the widows of the
fallen.  Lisa Ward, the widow of a war veteran, made a promise to her
husband - in the event of his death, he would receive the full burial
ritual.  But arriving to bury her husband and fulfill her promise, she was
told the full burial ritual was against federal government regulations. The
ritual mentioned God.

“I can’t redo my husband’s funeral,” she said with tears in her
eyes.

One federal official, speaking on behalf of the Houston National Cemetery,
said that prayers must be “inclusive.”  Another asked a veteran to
submit his public prayers in writing for approval. Finally, a judge ruled,
“In this country, we don’t tell our pastors how to pray.”

But these legal victories do little to reassure believers.  Kelly
Shackelford, a panelist at the National Religious Freedom Conference and
president and CEO of Liberty Institute, said, “The speed at which we are
falling is much quicker than I have ever seen,” referring to the amount of
religious freedom complaints that his office receives.

Shackelford’s office is the largest non-profit law firm in America, which
deals solely with defending religious liberty. Still, there are too many
cases for his office to handle. Over a period of ten years, he says he has
experienced the most change in the past year and a half.

More religious freedom complaints are piling up.  But Shackelford said that
his office can’t provide any help unless people are willing to take a
stand and work through a litigation process. He ended his talk declaring,
“We need to stand in a Christ-like manner, but whether we stand or not is
not an option.”

Military chaplains have received a stipend for their military duties since
the U.S. military’s founding.  General George Washington commenting on
this practice said, “It is necessary that we provide them [the military]
with a spiritual substance.”

For 237 years it has been considered essential to provide U.S. troops with
moral and spiritual counsel. Gen. Major Carver sought to demonstrate this
importance by recounting of a soldier’s experience.

A young private was aboard the torpedo-hit USAT Dorchester on February 3,
1943.  Surrounded by the dead and debris, the vessel sinking lower, he
later said of the event, “I could hear the chaplains preaching courage,
their voices were the only thing that gave me hope and kept me going.”

See video of entire session, Freedom for U.S. Soldiers and Veterans from
Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Religious Freedom Conference.