There seems to be confusion on the feast of the Immaculate Conception this year, as December 8 falls on a Sunday. Although the novus ordo transfers the Marian feast day to December 9 this year, with conservative dioceses emphasizing the obligation to hear Mass both Sunday and Monday, it is worth noting the rubric governing the traditional Latin Mass:
"Sunday I class takes precedence over all feasts in occurrence. The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, however, takes precedence over the Sunday in Advent on which it falls."
Chapter 3, #15 of the rubrics
Rorate has been sent the following announcement for a new Traditional Catholic app:
A new Traditional Catholic app, Sanctifica, has been recently created and is available for free to help Catholics access and leverage treasures of the Catholic faith. Users can immerse themselves with the liturgy and traditions through the timeless wisdom of Dom Guéranger's "Liturgical Year" combined with Butler's Lives of the Saints and other great resources.
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| Thomas Cole, Destruction, 1836 (The New-York Historical Society) |
The triumph of Donald Trump has been the latest proof, of planetary dimensions in this case, of a reality that has been apparent for some years now. What was crucial was not Trump's triumph, for which I am very happy, but the crushing defeat not so much of Kamala Harris, a poor and mediocre wretch, but of the media, unconditional and indispensable allies of world progressivism. We had seen the same phenomenon last year in more modest dimensions with the triumph of Javier Milei in Argentina, and the astonishing popular support he retains after a year in office, and in other countries in the Americas and Europe -- but the American case, like it or not, is paradigmatic. In a few words, it has been demonstrated to the whole world that a change of Age is at hand.
This December 22 will be the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Carlos Alberto Sacheri, besieged by a commando of the terrorist group ERP (People's Revolutionary Army), when he was returning from Mass with his family. I do not hesitate to recognize that his death was a martyrdom, fruit of his charity. In the history of the Church there is a history of martyrdom. What makes a martyr such is not the suffering imposed on the martyr, but the charity that impels him to embrace the Cross. Charity, I stress, the agape of the New Testament. The martyr, with Christian fortitude, surrenders to death.
The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, has gone through a lot in the last couple years, with severe restrictions, segregation and suppressions of traditional Latin Masses, plus a ban on all other sacraments by diocesan priests.
But the good priests and the laity carry on, filling the gyms, attics and parish halls where the TLM is allowed, and rearranging their lives to comply with three parishes that have temporary indults for the TLM with a condition that once a month we must go elsewhere for the traditional liturgy.
One example of marching forward can be found with traditional vocations. In a front-page article of the new Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper, a feature on all of the women religious from Arlington who have entered the Benedictines of Mary can be found.
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Although it would have been nice of the diocesan paper to include the words Latin Mass -- or even Latin -- at least once in the article, it is still a positive action to have a front-page article about a flourishing Latin Mass-based order of sisters.
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| PRUDENTIA: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves." |
The current regime in charge of the Vatican cannot remain in place forever. At nearly 88, Francis is not getting any younger.
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by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla
Pope Francis has famously said that a true priest should have the smell of his sheep on him. Those may be the best words that have come from the mouth of this pope, at least so far. Those words should be taken to heart by those career priests who have never tasted the stew of parish life, many of whom wander around the corridors of the Vatican bureaucracy as well as those in the bureaucracy of diocesan headquarters just talking to each other. No lambs, no smell.
October 31, 2024
The Synod that closed on Oct. 27 at the Vatican seemed like an attempt by Pope Francis to put out the fire set by the German bishops with their “synodal way” launched in January 2020. The ambitious goal that the progressive bishops, not only the German ones, set for themselves was to take a decisive step forward from the 2019 Pan-Amazonian Synod in 2024, achieving the diaconal ordination of women, the marriage -- under certain conditions -- of priests, the implementation of the LGBT agenda, and the granting of doctrinal authority to bishops' conferences. None of this is present in the Final Document approved on Oct. 26. A document that displeased everyone and caused Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci to write that “there are neither winners nor losers” (“Aci Stampa,” Oct. 26, 2024).
A retired priest, Rev. Gerald Bednar, in the Diocese of Cleveland -- the former vice rector of the seminary there -- had a letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal, taking an opportunity to oppose reciting the Saint Michael prayer after Mass, which is done at nearly all traditional Latin Low Masses, as well as a growing number of novus ordo liturgies in conservative parishes.
Father Bednar's letter from a few days ago follows. So does one, published in today's paper, from His Excellency Thomas John Paprocki, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois.
Our thanks to Bishop Paprocki for a succinct response and defense.
***
Wall Street Journal; October 22, 2024
St. Michael Is Out of Place At the End of Catholic Mass
Contemplate the Maternal Priesthood of Mary.
By Karen Darantière
“It’s so insulting to keep on saying that the only valid role that will get the approval of this pope is to be nurturing, is to be a mother, while you can be nurturing and mothering and be a priest.” (1) So says Miriam Duignan, an advocate of female ordination and of abortion, in response to comments against the female diaconate made by Pope Francis, recently reiterated by Cardinal Fernandez. One cannot help but wonder at the extraordinarily successful propagandizing which has enabled this incongruous coupling of “only” with “mother”. Future generations will be dumbstruck by how readily women espoused such a degradation of their most sublime vocation. Undoubtedly, such feminists nonetheless nurture a glimmer of hope due to the Pope inviting the Synod on Synodality to discuss the possibility of the ontologically impossible. For, after duly debating thesis and antithesis, the Synod may render a synthesis more suited to their tastes. (2) However, a better response might be proposed to disgruntled feminists: Turn your gaze upon Mary, who alone is both Mother and Priest.
“A Priest Before God’s Altar”: The Mother’s Share in the Priesthood of the Son
The “Traditional Ordinariate”: A Ghetto for Traditionalists?
Fr. Antoine-Marie de Araujo
Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer, France
In a recent article, Father de Blignières proposed the creation of a “traditional ordinariate,” similar to that created in Brazil for the Union of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney and to the personal ordinariates created for Anglicans who wish to join the Catholic Church while preserving their traditions. (1) This complementary hierarchical structure would allow the faithful to have access to the sacraments in the old Latin rite and to benefit from the traditional disciplines and teachings. Father de Blignières’ proposal is specifically intended for France, but people in other countries could ask for a similar “traditional ordinariate.”
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| The "Abrahamic Family House" promoted by Pope Francis |
[Rorate note: the article below reflects exclusively the position of the author, and not of the blog. As usual, the blog is open to posting different positions on current matters, even if they may differ from our editorial lines.]
What Are the Consequences of Francis’s Theology?
John Lamont
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”(John 18:38)
I dreamed the other night I was dying. The priest came, and the only question I asked him as he was anointing me was this: “How will I recognize him? How will I know it is He? The priest whispered in my year: “The one with the crown, that’s how you will know whom to go to.” Of course! The crown, the one with the crown, that’s how I will know whom to go to! Of course, the crown, the King, the King of heaven! That’s how I will be able to tell, and in this situation, it is crucial to recognize the King, for to get into heaven you have to know the King. And so I died, and I found myself looking into the eyes of a stranger, yet someone I vaguely knew, but still a stranger, and someone not wearing a crown. But he had his hands outstretched to me, waiting for me to approach. But there was no crown, so this was a trick, so I went on looking. And then I saw someone in the distance. As I walked toward him, he walked toward me. I began to run now, for I could see a crown on his head. This was it, the key to heaven, the end of the game. I had won! And before I could stop myself, I ran into the mirror, the mirror shattered, and I was alone in the darkness, where I heard bitter lamentations all around me.
ENCICLICAL LETTER
DILEXIT NOS
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON THE HUMAN AND DIVINE LOVE
OF THE HEART OF JESUS CHRIST
1. “HE LOVED US”, Saint Paul says of Christ (cf. Rom 8:37), in order to make us realize that nothing can ever “separate us” from that love (Rom 8:39). Paul could say this with certainty because Jesus himself had told his disciples, “I have loved you” (Jn 15:9, 12). Even now, the Lord says to us, “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). His open heart has gone before us and waits for us, unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship. For “he loved us first” (cf. 1 Jn 4:10). Because of Jesus, “we have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).
CHAPTER ONE
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART
Today, 23rd October, Felipe Alanis Suarez, Vice President (and past President) of Una Voce International (the FIUV) will present the De Saventhem Medal to His Eminence Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, in his home in Mexico. On 18th September, Joseph Shaw presented a medal to Sir James MacMillan. Sir James and Cardinal Sandoval were the prime movers of the petitions of public figures in favour of the Traditional Mass, that were published in the course of July this year.
This is the FIUV Press Release. Spanish language version below.
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Press Release
The International Federation Una Voce awards the Dr. Eric de Saventhem Medal to
Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez and Sir James MacMillan
Rome, 19/Oct/2024 – The International Federation Una Voce (FIUV) is honored to
announce the presentation of the prestigious Dr. Eric de Saventhem Medal to His
Eminence Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez and Sir James MacMillan, in recognition
of their significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the
Traditional Latin Mass within the Catholic Church.
From the first epistle of St Paul to Timothy: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.
When I was young I remember waiting to see the latest Walt Disney movie. I had to wait until it came to what was called the second run theater near my house, where the price of admission was cheaper than in the grand movie houses downtown. And one movie I remember so well, partly because I had read the book before, was Pinocchio. The puppet who wanted to be a real boy. And it is the character of Jiminy Cricket who helps Pinocchio to be a real boy and tells him that what distinguishes a puppet from a real boy is that a real boy has a conscience. Jiminy sings that wonderful song: “ Give a little whistle and let your conscience be your guide.” Those Disney movies can be dismissed as cultural artifacts of another time, but for the Catholic, what Jiminy Cricket told Pinocchio is absolutely true: that what distinguishes men and women from animals and from puppets is conscience.
A Crying Out from Cardinal Zen
I have not posted any articles online for a long time. But now I feel that I must write something to help my brothers and sisters in the Lord to understand what is most important thing to pray for in this moment. What I am feeling most anxiously about is how this Synod on “Synodality” can be successfully (decently) concluded, anyone who has read my blog post on February 15 this year will understand.
The theme of the Sixteenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is “Synodality,” but what exactly is “Synodality”? Based on the etymology of the Greek word “Synod,” it means “walking together;” and then in Chinese, it is translated into “talking together” and “walking together”: (participation, communion and (for the) mission).
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Cardinal Eijk, of Utrecht (primate of the Netherlands), in an interview with Catholic periodical COMMUNIO.
Cardinal Eijk on mission, secularization and the World Synod
The Church in the Netherlands was once regarded as very progressive. Disillusionment and collapse followed. Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk warns in an interview: Don't repeat our mistakes! In an extremely secularized society, the Archbishop of Utrecht is counting on a new missionary awakening.
By Willem Jacobus Eijk, Benjamin Leven, Lambert Hendriks
COMMUNIO: The Netherlands is considered one of the most secular societies in Western Europe. How Christian are the Netherlands still?
The sermons of the Father Abbot of Fontgombault are now fully available as PDF files here.
DEDICATION OF THE ABBATIAL CHURCH (October 5th, 2024)
FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY (October 7th, 2024)
by Father Richard G. Cipolla
From St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Some years ago, but not that long ago, when I was a priest at St. Mary’s church in Norwalk, Connecticut, the statue of Christopher Columbus was moved from what is known as Heritage Square, a place for acknowledging the contribution of various ethnic groups important in the history of the city of Norwalk.
“Hello. We’re from the Vatican and we’re here to help you.” Those are words I always believed I would be very happy to hear. The unyielding persecution of Catholic Tradition from the very top in the Eternal City has changed that. And the Mass is at the center of the battle for our faith and salvation. Anything else is a distraction from the Evil One.
The novus ordo is a service with Catholic components. It is "valid". But as a “Mass” it’s not pleasing worship to God. We have such a Mass already and it’s called the traditional Latin Mass.
The Mass was divinely revealed by Christ Himself and entrusted to the Apostles to be handed down by means of the Holy Spirit in the Church through time and space.
Rorate has learned H. E. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais has died in Sion, Switzerland. He had been under hospital care since suffering an unfortunate fall, a few days ago.
Good and Faithful Servant: may he rest in peace!
His funeral Mass and rite of interment will take place in the Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône, Switzerland, next Friday, October 18, 2024, at 9:30 am, local time.
***
Bernard Tissier de Mallerais was born on September 14, 1945, in Sallanches (Haute-Savoie), France, not far from the Swiss-French-Italian border, in a strongly Catholic family. Following his university studies, dedicated to biology, he joined the Seminary of Saint Pius X (still in Fribourg, in its early years), studying for the priesthood under the guidance of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on June 29, 1975, in Écône.
The Fourth National Latin Mass pilgrimage is now in the books. Inaugurated in 2022 in response to the draconian restrictions imposed by Vatican fiat on the thriving Latin Masses in the Diocese of Arlington and the Archdiocese of Washington, the pilgrimage has now become a yearly tradition showcasing the power and beauty of Catholic Tradition in the streets of our nation's capital.
Rorate is able to independently confirm the news that the consequences of the unfortunate fall suffered by H.E. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, of the Society of Saint Pius X, seem to be irreversible regarding his state of health.
Militia est vita hominis super terram: Bishop Tissier de Mallerais has fought the good fight, and will persevere until the end. Prayers to the Immaculate Virgin for this indefatigable man of God.
