New Bishop Uses Old Office

We are not sure how on earth this slipped through the vetting process of the Archdiocese of Washington, but it is quite refreshing to see.

Congratulations to Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher!

Early priest mentors inspire new bishop 

When new Washington Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher prays during the course of the day, he often holds in his hand and uses an old breviary once owned by his great uncle, Father Cornelius Buckley, who was a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut.

“He must have smoked cigars,” he said of the priest, whom he never met. Some of the pages are stained with tar, he explained. 

De Mattei: The Birth of Humanae Vitae in light of the Vatican Archives

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

July 18, 2018

At the beginning of 2017, Pope Francis set up “a study committee” to prepare for the 50^th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae (July 25^th 2018). The existence of this “secret” committee was brought to light some months later by two Catholic publications Stilum Curiae* and Corrispondenza Romana**

The committee coordinated by Monsignor Gilfedo Marengo, has the task of finding the documentation in the Vatican Archives, related to the preparatory work for Humanae Vitae, which occurred during and after the Second Vatican Council. The first fruit of this work is the volume by Monsignor Marengo, The Birth of an Encyclical. Humanae Vitae in the light of the Vatican Archives, published by the Libreria Editice Vaticana. Other publications will perhaps follow and other documents will presumably be submitted, privately, to Pope Francis. 

FIUV Magazine Gregorius Magnus: new edition available

The fifth edition of the online magazine of the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce (FIUV: Una Voce International) is available for free download as a PDF here.

The FIUV is the federation of all the Una Voce / Latin Mass groups around the world. It has more than 40 affiliates from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceana. It was founded in 1965 and meets every two years in Rome.

See its website here.

Compiègne: "To the poorest daughter of Carmel,honor speaks louder than fear."

Mother Marie: Sister Blanche...

First Commissary: I forbid you to continue...

Mother Marie: You have the power to force me to silence, but none to command me to it. I represent here the Reverend Mother Prioress and I shall take no orders from you.

A Commissary: Confounded old hag! She cannot be made to hold her tongue, fellow Citizen, but remind her that the Republic has a machine at its disposal that will leave her somewhat short of breath!

First Commissary: Enough! I repeat that you must behave as a true representative of the people! [He turns to Sister Blanche:] Young citizen, you have nothing to fear from us, who are your liberators! Say but one word, and you will find yourself beyond the sway of those who, to better put you in their power, have not feared to offend nature in usurping even the sacred name of "mother". Henceforth, you are under the protection of the Law.

Mother Marie: But she is first under my protection. Do you think I shall permit you to take any further advantage of the terror of a child? I shall take great care to avoid a language that you cannot understand. You know nothing of that which holds us here and keeps us united unto death - or, if once you knew it, it is now certainly forgotten. But there are still perhaps words which are common to us, and which can touch your conscience. Well, sir, you must know that to the poorest daughter of Carmel, honor speaks louder than fear.

Georges Bernanos
Dialogues des Carmélites

On the day following her feast, the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel would receive her dear French daughters, martyred for their faith in her Son and for their loyalty to His Church.

O glorious Martyrs of Compiègne, pray for us!

[Our regular July 17 homage.]
[Personal recess for several days]

Are Celebrandi: Largest global TLM workshop going on in Poland

Solemn and lofty celebrations; intense training; beautiful, contemplative Gregorian chant, new friendships and a warm atmosphere—this is the short summary of the international liturgical workshops „Ars Celebrandi”, launched July 12th at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows in Licheń (Poland).

The workshops of the traditional liturgy „Ars Celebrandi” in Licheń, organized by the association Una Voce Polonia (Polish branch of the International Federation „Una Voce”, an organization recognized by the Holy See as the official representation of secular Catholics attached to the traditional Latin liturgy), are held for the fifth time. About 200 people from Poland and a dozen or so countries around the world, including Estonia, Latvia, Germany, France, Byelorussia, or even South Korea, learn to celebrate the Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite (priests), serve it (altar servers), or sing (male and female Gregorian chant consorts).

NEW SERIES: Vocation stories (part 2)

We recently asked our readers to send us vocation stories to help parents inspire religious vocations in their children. Today, we post our second set of stories. You can find part 1 by clicking the tag "Vocation stories" below. 

We asked our older readers who have produced a priest, a monk or a nun, and did so deliberately (not just lucked out!), to send us their stories. We want to pass on to our readers what they did on a daily basis to foster that vocation that our younger parent readers can emulate. And for our priest, monk or nun readers whose parents led them to their vocations, to send that story to us as well. 

Please consider sending us your vocation story as well! These submissions can but don't have to be terribly long -- but should be lengthy enough for our readers to take away concrete ideas and wisdom to get to work on real, tangible action items. We're looking more for "we talked to them every day about how to discern a vocation and to say this prayer" than "we kept the faith in the home." Be specific! 

Send your submissions to athanasiuscatholic AT yahoo.com and we will consider them quickly. And, if needed, we will post them anonymously. Just indicate that in your email.

Story 1: Submitted by Fr. Albert Marcello, III, who serves as the Chaplain of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society, and is a priest of the Diocese of Providence, R.I.

Our diocesan holy card for vocations, dating from the 1950’s, states in bold letters: “A religious vocation is a precious gift from a family to God for His Church.” 

Our Lady and the Scapular: The most extraordinary event in English history

The Mother of God and her Divine Son appear to Saint Simon Stock in Cambridge -- 767 years ago today, in 1251: has there been any other moment in English history whose consequences have aided so many souls throughout the world achieve and keep holiness, reaching final perseverance? Men and women, made of flesh, need material reminders of the presence of God in their lives -- and what could be more profitable than the blessed physical sign that Our Lady's Mantle covers us at all times, that Her Divine Son keeps watch over us day and night?

Armatura
fortis pugnantium
furunt bella
tende praesidium
Scapularis.

Saint Elias, pray for us!
Saint Simon Stock, pray for us!
Queen of Mount Carmel, pray for us!
Et fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. Amen.

Le Figaro on SSPX election: "Fellay toppled", "Side opposed to deal with Rome now in charge."

Yesterday, following the election of their new Superior-General, the General Chapter of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) elected his two Assistants: Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta and Father Christian Bouchacourt.

The religion correspondent of the main French daily, Le Figaro, Jean-Marie Guénois, explains the new situation:

Lefebvrists: Bishop Fellay is toppled, Father Davide Pagliarani becomes new Superior-General

by Jean-Marie Guénois

In the setting of a General Chapter that took place Wednesday in Ecône, Switzerland, a new Superior-General was elected to head the Society of Saint Pius X, toppling the current Superior, Bishop Fellay, that was nonetheless considered the favorite. With this new man in charge, Father Davide Pagliarani, it is the side opposed to a rapprochement with Rome that has now has the upper hand.

Meet the New Superior-General of the Society of Saint Pius X: Davide Pagliarani

The New Superior-General of the Society of Saint Pius X, elected today by its General Chapter, is Father Davide Pagliarani, an Italian, former District Superior for Italy and up to now Rector of the SSPX Seminary in South America (Argentina).

To get a feel of what Fr. Pagliarani thinks (or what he thought in the quite different previous Pontificate), please read the long text by him RORATE translated in 2011:

Pagliarani: 'If we do not arrive at some canonical regularization...'

A lot has changed in Rome since then: Pagliarani is not in continuity with his predecessor in the position.

Op-Ed - The President of the Catholic University of America is totally wrongheaded in his comparison of Humanae Vitae and Pope Francis

by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla, PhD, DPhil (Oxon)

CUA campus in Washington, D.C.

It is indeed a good thing when a president of a Catholic University takes the time to write an Op-Ed piece for a Catholic news agency.  John Garvey, President of the Catholic University of America is the author of such a piece, his monthly column for Catholic News Service, that was recently published in the Arlington Catholic Herald, among other diocesan paper.  The Op-Ed piece is titled “One, holy, Catholic”.  In this editorial he expresses his deep concern over what he sees as division in the Church between those he calls “progressives” and “traditionalists”.   I share Garvey’s concern over the divisions in the Church, but I believe that the lens through which he sees the problem distorts and makes impossible to understand what the real conflict in the Church is about. 

Garvey reminds us that this summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae and the statement of dissent by a significant group of theologians, all from the United States.  Garvey claims that the Pope Paul VI’s upholding the Traditional teaching of the Catholic Church against those theologians who wanted that teaching changed provoked “an unprecedented crisis of authority in the American Catholic Church.”  I would ask Garvey to remember in the first place that there is no American Catholic Church.  There is the Catholic Church in America, or much better still, in the United States.  He summarizes what has happened in the past fifty years in this way:

Abortion and sterilization are commonplace. Artificial birth control has opened “wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards”. Governments favor “those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective…(and) may even impose their use on everyone”.

Garvey then says: “In 1968 the pope’s critics envisioned a different future”.  What was that future that the dissident theologians envisioned?  What did they think the future of marriage and sexual morality would be like once the sexual intercourse was cut off from both the natural biological purpose of the act and the basic understanding of sexual intercourse in a Catholic marriage, when that act was cut off from the possibility of new life, that possibility that prevents that intimate act from being merely an act of closed-in selfishness?

In a somewhat curious defense of the dissidents, Garvey tells us that the statement of dissent  “generously” (!) acknowledged that the pope had a “distinct role” in the Church. This sounds like what Anglicans believe about the Archbishop of Canterbury, a primus inter pares, someone who comes last in the procession, but with no doctrinal authority at all.  The “distinct role” of the Pope in matters of doctrine is clearly defined by both the First and Second Vatican Councils. 

De Mattei: Rereading Humanae Vitae in the light of Casti connubii

Roberto  de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

 July 5, 2018

Over the last few decades the West has experienced an “anti-family” Revolution without precedent in history. One of the tenets of this process in the disintegration of the institution of the family was the separation of the two primary purposes of marriage, the procreative and the unitive. The procreative purpose, separated from conjugal union, has brought about in-vitro fertilization and the surrogate womb. The unitive purpose, emancipated from procreation, has lead to the glorification of free love, both heterosexual and homosexual.  One of the results of these aberrations is the recourse of homosexual couples to the practice of the surrogate womb in order to actualize a grotesque caricature of the natural family. 

NEW SERIES: Vocation stories (part 1)

We recently asked our readers to send us vocation stories to help parents inspire religious vocations in their children. Today, we post our first two stories.

We asked our older readers who have produced a priest, a monk or a nun, and did so deliberately (not just lucked out!), to send us their stories. We want to pass on to our readers what they did on a daily basis to foster that vocation that our younger parent readers can emulate. And for our priest, monk or nun readers whose parents led them to their vocations, to send that story to us as well. 

Please consider sending us your vocation story as well! These submissions can but don't have to be terribly long -- but should be lengthy enough for our readers to take away concrete ideas and wisdom to get to work on real, tangible action items. We're looking more for "we talked to them every day about how to discern a vocation and to say this prayer" than "we kept the faith in the home." Be specific! 

Send your submissions to athanasiuscatholic AT yahoo.com and we will consider them quickly. And, if needed, we will post them anonymously. Just indicate that in your email.

Story 1: Submitted by the parents of Sr. Gabrielle of Our Lady of Sorrows Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Elysburg, Pa.

From the very beginning my parents tried to surround me with good and truth. Being homeschooled, I always had my mother’s virtuous example before my eyes. After her conversion, soon followed by my father’s, the dual impact of my parents’ good example increased.

"An Act of Parliament, directly oppugnant to the laws of God and his holy Church..."

All which notwithstanding the jury found him guilty, and incontinent upon the verdict the Lord Chancellor [for that matter chief commissioner] beginning in judgment against him, Sir Thomas More said to him,

"My Lord, when I was towards the law, the manner in such case was to ask the prisoner before judgment, why judgment should not be given against him."

Whereupon the Lord Chancellor staying his judgment, wherein he had partly proceeded, demanded of him what he was able to say to the contrary. Who then in this sort mildly made answer:

"Forasmuch as, my Lord, this indictment is grounded upon an Act of Parliament, directly oppugnant to the laws of God and his holy Church, the supreme government of which, or of any part thereof, may no temporal prince presume by any law to take upon him as rightfully belonging to the See of Rome, a spiritual preeminence by the mouth of our Saviour himself, personally present upon the earth, to St. Peter and his successors, bishops of the same see, by special prerogative, granted, it is therefore in law amongst Christian men insufficient to charge any Christian."...

First Traditional Family Retreat in Spain

From Thursday the 28th of June through Sunday the 1^st of July took place the 1^st edition of the Family Retreat ‘Vayamos Jubilosos’ for people attached to the Traditional Liturgy of the Roman Rite in Spain. This is the first time ever that such an initiative to deepen the knowledge of the Mass of Ages and the values and principles of Christendom occurs in Spain.

On the 11th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum: Axes of Interpretation - Priests, enjoy your freedom!

Eleven years ago, we published the following text: we do not have reason to alter one iota of it.

***

Summorum Pontificum: Axes of Interpretation

Institute of Christ the King - 2018 Ordinations

H. E. Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke conferred the Holy Order of Priesthood on four deacons of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest at their church Ss. Michael and Cajetan in Florence yesterday, July 5. They were the new Canons Fernando Fernandes de Almeida, Baudouin Chaptal de Chanteloup, Pablo Piaggio Kokot, and Paul d’Aubigny

There will also be five deacons and fourteen sub-deacons ordained on July 4th by the Most Reverend Salvatore Cordelione, Archbishop of San Fransisco.

On August 2nd, H.E. Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke will again confer the Holy Order of Priesthood on four American deacons of the Institute of Christ the King at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, Missouri: the Rev. Deacons Peter Heidenreich, Benjamin Norman, Matthew Weaver, and Luke Zignego

Please keep these young men in your prayers.

(The image above of yesterday's ordinations and many others, all extremely beautiful, provided by the Latin Mass Society - Wrexham)

Socci: From Siena to New York ( through Rome, London and Brussels ) the collapse of the Left - a historical shock

Antonio Socci

Libero Quotidiano

July 3, 2018

Amid the cheerful, colorful streets of Siena, in festivity for “Il Palio della Madonna di Provenzano”, and a week following the electoral tsunami, some of the city’s leftist big-wheels and intellectuals wander around like they are lost;  questioned by national newspapers, they admit they are  “in shock” and bewildered at the collapse of their ‘red sovereignty’ which had lasted for a period of 70 years.                                                                                                                                                      

Even in other major Tuscan cities the Democratic Party (PD) has become the acronym for “Loses Everywhere”. And it can’t even blame the elusive Russian Hacker for its defeat in Massa, Pisa and Siena (MPS) after having lost the other Tuscan towns.

Musings on the Church and a Sermon, by a retired Pastor

by Father Richard G. Cipolla

I retired as pastor of St. Mary's parish in Norwalk, CT, and my last Solemn Mass was on June 24 and my last Missa Cantata as pastor was on June 29, the great Roman feast of SS. Peter and Paul.  The Sunday Mass was glorious in all ways:  the music,  the participatio actuosa of the congregation and the 32 altar servers and the ministers of the Mass, the reception that afternoon was an outpouring of joy and affection that I will always remember. 

I believe that the Traditional Movement in the Catholic Church, which appellation leaves something to be desired, is so very important to the future of the Church.  I nevertheless believe that there is too much heady talk and almost no heart.  What is lacking is contained in Newman's motto: Cor ad for loquitur: heart speaks to heart. This blog serves a very important purpose in the current struggle against the forces of a Catholic secularism that threaten the very foundation of the Catholic faith.  

Original Sin: A Sermon

By Father Konrad zu Loewenstein, FSSP

Sermon delivered on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, 2018

My dear people, if the clergy has taught certain doctrines for well nigh 2000 years and has now stopped teaching them, this can only be a consequence of the fact that the are no longer considered 'relevant'. But when we examine them in detail we discover in fact that they are of essential importance, concerning, as they do, Eternal Life and how to attain it, as well as Eternal Damnation.

Examples of these doctrines are:

That the Devil exists; that Hell exists and is eternal; that if some-one dies in mortal sin, he will go to Hell; If someone dies in the state of Grace, by contrast, he will go to Heaven, or to Purgatory and then to Heaven. Examples of mortal sin are impure acts of all types (including that which is alone and contraception), blasphemy, Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin, the concealment of a mortal sin in Confession (To be mortal, we note, a sin must of course be committed in full awareness with deliberate consent).

Further examples: there is only one Faith and only one Religion and that is the Catholic Faith and Religion. Only these will lead to Heaven. There is only one Church and that is the Catholic Church: the rest are all false and do not lead to Heaven. Yes, there is only one Church, my dear people, and that is our glorious Catholic Church: Immaculate, Sinless, infallible, and the Possessor of all Truth. There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church (extra Ecclesiam non est salus).

Two Fine New Reprints of Works by Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton

I am pleased to announce, once again, reprints from Cluny that deserve the attention of thoughtful traditional Catholics everywhere, especially in seminaries and house of formation. Please note that these editions are not mere facsimiles but entirely and handsomely re-typeset. What follows is based on the press release from the publisher.

Monsignor Joseph Clifford Fenton represents the faithful, orthodox, and learned theological voice for which so many Catholics today are searching. Msgr. Fenton completed his theological studies before the Second Vatican Council (completing his doctorate in sacred theology under Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., in Rome). He would also go on to serve the Council in the capacity of theological peritus. Indeed, in his person and in his work, Msgr. Fenton represents something very close to what Joseph Ratzinger would later express as the “hermeneutic of continuity.”

Reminder: Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

This is our monthly reminder to please enroll Souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. By the grace of God, we added one new, wonderful priest to the Society in the last 30 days! We now stand at 88 priests saying weekly or monthly traditional Latin Masses for the Souls. Come on Fathers, let's get this to 100! 

** Click here to download a "fillable" PDF Mass Card to give to the loved ones of the Souls you enroll. It's free for anyone to use. **

Priests: The Souls still need more of you saying Mass for them! Please email me to offer your services. There's nothing special involved -- all you need to do is offer a weekly or monthly TLM with the intention: "For the Souls enrolled in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society." And we will always keep you completely anonymous unless you request otherwise. 

How to enroll souls: please email me at athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "Name, State, Country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well.

The German Rebellion on Eucharistic Communion for Protestants: The Ground Opens Up

Sandro Botticelli

Punishment of the Rebels [Moses and the Sons of Korah]

Sistine Chapel, 1482

And immediately as Moses had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet: And opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all their substance. And they went down alive into hell the ground closing upon them, and they perished from among the people. But all Israel, that was standing round about, fled at the cry of them that were perishing: saying: Lest perhaps the earth swallow us up also. And a fire coming out from the Lord, destroyed the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. (Numbers 16:31-35)

Once again in this Pontificate, the most sacred treasure possessed by the Church, the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, is turned into an object of rebellion and division. The first was, of course, the fake controversy of Communion to adulterers ("remarried divorced" Catholics).

Now, following several denials by Rome, but after a clear authorization given informally by Francis in another interview granted in his return to Rome from Geneva a week ago, the first German bishop has finally awarded express authorization for Communion to be regularly offered to Protestant spouses of Catholics.

From the German-language page of the EWTN news network, the news that the Archbishop of Paderborn, Hans-Joseph Becker, has given his full authorization for the distribution of Holy Communiuon to Protestant spouses:

Lefebvre & 1988 Consecrations 30 years on: Part III (May-June 1988)

Part I: July 1987 - February 1988
Part II: March 1988 - May 5, 1988

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), received in the Fraternity House at Albano Laziale (near Castel Gandolfo) the final text of the Protocol which was sent to him by Cardinal Ratzinger. It was 4:30 PM as the old bishop signed the text. His most extensive biographer, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais (one of the chief negotiators in that afternoon and who would be consecrated on June 30), described the scene:

His face perfectly expresse[d] the mixed feelings which gripped him: "real satisfaction," as he would write to Ratzinger, and silent mistrust which he spoke of to the sisters in the Cenacolo convent [of the Discepole del Cenacolo, in Velletri, near Albano] at 3 PM: "If Don Putti [Fr. Francesco-Maria Putti, a Traditional Roman priest and spiritual son of Padre Pio, who guided and formed the sisters until his death in 1984] were here, what would he say? 'Your Grace, where are you going? What are you doing?' "

The Archbishop did not sleep during what must have felt like one of the longest nights of his life. The following morning, after Mass and Prime, he sent a letter to Cardinal with an ultimatum of his own: the deadline of June 30, 1988, mentioned in one of his previous letters exchanged in the negotiations was still valid. The text of that letter was:

Yesterday it was with real satisfaction that I put my signature on the Protocol drafted during the preceding days. However, you yourself have witnessed my deep disappointment upon the reading of the letter, which you gave me, bringing the Holy Father's answer concerning the episcopal consecrations.

Practically, to postpone the episcopal consecrations to a later undetermined date would be the fourth time that it would have been postponed. The date of June 30 was clearly indicated in my previous letters as the latest possible.

I have already given you a file concerning the candidates. There are still two months to make the mandate.

Given the particular circumstances of this proposal, the Holy Father can very well shorten the procedure so that the mandate be communicated to us around mid-June.

In case the answer will be negative, I would find myself in conscience obliged to proceed with the consecrations, relying upon the agreement given by the Holy See in the Protocol for the consecration of one bishop, member of the Society.

The reticence expressed on the subject of the episcopal consecration of a member of the Society, either by writing or by word of mouth, gives me reason to fear delays. Everything is now prepared for the ceremony of June 30: hotel reservations, transportation, rental of a huge tent to house the ceremony.

The disappointment of our priests and faithful would be extreme. All of them hope that this consecration will be realized with the agreement of the Holy See; but being already disappointed by previous delays they will not understand that I would accept a further delay. They are aware and desirous above all of having truly Catholic bishops transmitting the true Faith to them, and communicating to them in a way that is certain the graces of salvation to which they aspire for themselves and for their children.

In the hope that this request shall not be an insurmountable obstacle to the reconciliation in process, please, Eminence, accept my respectful and fraternal sentiments in Christo et Maria.

+Marcel Lefebvre

Upon receiving the letter, Cardinal Ratzinger immediately canceled the publication of the communiqué which had been prepared - which explains the scarce report by the secular media of what was taking place. Ratzinger first wrote a note to Lefebvre, asking him to "reconsider his position".

Lefebvre & 1988 Consecrations 30 years on: Part II (March-May 1988)

Part I: July 1987 - February 1988

By the end of March 1988, the rumors regarding a possible reconciliation of the movement led by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Pope John Paul II reached feverish levels in Rome and around the world.

In early April, after nine months of talks, the Pope publicly charged the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, to negotiate the terms of reconciliation. As The New York Times reported on April 9:

Pope John Paul II today personally stepped into a dispute with one of his severest critics, urging Vatican officials to heal a rift with the ultraconservative Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of France.

Six months after the Vatican began negotiations aimed at reinstating the rebel Archbishop, John Paul issued an unusual public statement voicing ''my desire that these efforts should continue.'' The statement was in the form of a letter to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who is in charge of the talks.

The letter displayed the public will of the Pope to reach an agreement with Archbishop Lefebvre:

The necessity to distinguish that which authentically "edifies" the Church from what destroys it becomes, in this period [after the Council] a particular need of our service regarding the whole community of the faithful.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has, in the field of this ministry, a key role, as the documents on matters of faith and morals which your Dicastery has published in the last few years have been showing. Among the themes of which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has had to deal in recent times are included the problems related to the "Fraternité of Pius X", founded and guided by Archbishop M. Lefebvre.

Fontgombault Sermon for the Feast of Sts. Peter & Paul: Love, in Truth, and without Compromise with the World

Sermon of the Right Reverend Dom Jean Pateau

Abbot of Our Lady of Fontgombault

Fontgombault, June 29, 2018

O God, Who hast made holy this day by the martyrdom of Thine Apostles Peter and Paul: grant unto Thy Church that, as from them she first received the faith, so she may in all things follow their precepts.(Collect)…

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My dearly beloved Sons,

The Church, and especially the Church in Rome, has never accepted to separate those two pillars, the Apostles Peter and Paul; and to such an extent that in the first centuries of Christendom, the Pope, after he had celebrated Mass in the Vatican Basilica of St. Peter, would go to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate there a second Mass. Such a solemnity did emphasise the fact that it is the preaching of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul that the Church of Rome regards as her sole principle, and the foundation of her authority.

Yet, we have to acknowledge that these two men were very different, both in origin and training. 

Simon, whom Jesus called Peter, is an inhabitant of Capernaum, in the province of Galilee, and a fisherman on the Tiberias Lake. He’s a man who has learnt how to fight the forces of nature, to confront unexpected weathers, a concrete and artless man. He’s generous, he answers right away the calling of the Lord, he immediately leaves his nets, and follows Him. 

St. Paul is a Jew from the Diaspora, of Tarsus in Cilicia. He’s a member of the party of the Pharisees. Also, he’s a Roman citizen. After he has encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, he turns from a persecutor of Christians into a fervent and tireless propagator of the faith.

Bishop Schneider: Behind the migrant phenomenon there is a plan to change the European population

Francesco Boezi

"Il Giornale"

June 27, 2018

A plan to call Christianity in Europe into question. This is the vision of the Kyrgyzstan  Bishop, Athanasius Schneider, who focused on this and other themes which very much also concern the vision of the Catholic Church.

Excerpts from an interview to “Il Giornale”:

Lefebvre and the 1988 Consecrations 30 years on: Reliving the Events of 1988 Part I

The agitation in the Vatican halls had begun in early July, 1987, as reports arrived of the clear words of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in his sermon in the Mass of priestly ordinations celebrated in Ecône on July 29, 1987. The first reference was to the Assisi meeting of religious leaders a few months earlier - a historical event which to this day still mesmerizes Traditional Catholics. Lefebvre declared:

Never has history seen the Pope turning himself into some kind of guardian of the pantheon of all religions, as I have brought it to mind, making himself the pontiff of liberalism.

Let anyone tell me whether such a situation has ever existed in the Church. What should we do in the face of such a reality? Weep, without a doubt. Oh, we mourn and our heart is broken and sorrowful. We would give our life, our blood, for the situation to change. But the situation is such, the work which the Good Lord has put into our hands is such, that in face of this darkness of Rome, this stubbornness of the Roman authorities in their error, this refusal to return to the Truth and to Tradition, it seems to me that the Good Lord is asking that the Church continue. This is why it is likely that I should, before rendering an account of my life to the Good Lord, perform some episcopal consecrations.

Secret negotiations ensued. The October 18, 1987 edition of the New York Times included the great piece of Vatican news of the previous day:

NEW SERIES: Tell us your vocation stories!

A few years ago we ran a short, but very popular, series of posts called "The joy of big families" (we've tagged it in the labels below for our readers to easily find and read). Now, we want to do something similar, and are asking you to send your stories to us. 

As the faith has collapsed since the wretched Council, so too have vocations collapsed, due in much part to the contraceptive mentality most Catholics today happily embrace. However, our readers, and the remnant of traditional Catholics left, are embracing large families -- and they do pray for vocations from their children. 

But many do not really know how to produce those vocations beyond their prayers. As St. Benedict says, pray like it all depends on God, work like it all depends on you. But what does that work look like? 

Here's what we're asking for: For our older readers who have produced a priest, a monk or a nun, and did so deliberately (not just lucked out!), please send us your story! Let us know what you did on a daily basis to foster that vocation that our younger parent readers can emulate. And if you're a priest, monk or nun whose parents led to your vocation, you can send that story to us as well. Tell us what they did to prepare you to offer your life for Christ and His Church (note: We will keep you anonymous if you ask).

These submissions can but don't have to be terribly long -- but should be lengthy enough for our readers to take away concrete ideas and wisdom to get to work on real, tangible action items. We're looking more for "we talked to them every day about how to discern a vocation and to say this prayer" than "we kept the faith in the home." Be specific! 

Send your submissions to athanasiuscatholic AT yahoo.com and we will consider them quickly. 

While many people today try to create a vocation to match whatever people want to do with their lives, traditionally we know there is only one true vocation -- to the religious life. So let's all do our part to bring about those much-needed vocations that bolster the Church like nothing else can outside of God's grace. 

It seems we'll never know what happened at St. John Cantius, Chicago

Saint John Cantius in Chicago, the church brought back to life by Fr. C. Frank Phillips and his Canons Regular, was a famous example, known around the world, of how beauty in the liturgy (and the Traditional Mass, which is celebrated with great reverence alongside a beautified Novus Ordo in that church) could function as a catalyst for the restoration of the faith of the people.

Sadly, a few months ago, the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Cupich, removed Fr. Phillips from his post, after learning of "credible allegations of improper conduct involving adult men." (Chicago Tribune)

After months of speculation, the Congregation of the Resurrection (C.R.), the order to which the founder of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, Fr. Frank Phillips, belonged, issued a final statement on his situation:

Something happened. What happened? The Congregation of the Ressurrection and the Archdiocese of Chicago have an obligation to make public those parts of their conclusions that can be made public (that is, with names or other information that could identify specific persons blacked out). Otherwise, the removal of Fr. Phillips will be seen as a persecution motivated not by his "improper conduct" (what was it?), but actually by his good work at St. John Cantius. The people have a rightful expectation to know what actually happened.

(Letter image source: Twitter account of Fr. Cusick)

GOUNOD 200 Years: Truth and Love in Music -On the 200 years of the Birth of Catholic composer Charles Gounod

Charles Gounod was born exactly 200 years ago, in the month of June 1818. A Catholic who held his faith deeply throughout his life, he seriously considered becoming a priest before deciding to remain dedicated exclusively to his music. Catholic worship (the Traditional Roman Mass) remained a decisive influence for him throughout his life.

In his explanation of the title of his 1885 oratorio Mors et Vita, that he dedicated to the great Pope Leo XIII, Gounod presented his deep Faith:

"Death is placed before life because, in the eternal order of things, death precedes life, even if, in the temporal order, life precedes death. Death is the end of an existence that ends each day. But it is the first moment of a birth that will become eternal."

Not long after his death, in 1893, one of the oldest French magazines, the Revue des Deux Mondes, published a long essay in his honor. We quote the following remarkable excerpt:

De Mattei: Attack on the Priesthood, Attack on the Eucharist

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

June 21, 2018

The Holy Eucharist has always been the choice target of those who hate the Church. The Holy Eucharist, in fact, sums up the Church. As a Passionist theologian notes, the Eucharist “epitomizes all the revealed truths; it is the exclusive source of grace: it is the anticipation of bliss, the sum of all the wonders of the Almighty.” (Enrico Zoffoli, Eucarestia o nulla, [The Eucharist or Nothing] Edizioni Segno, Udine 1994, p. 70).

Sermon for 4th Sunday after Pentecost - "Past 50 years in the Church have been of the lobotomization of clergy and people."

by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla

Duc in altum.  Set out into the deep water.  (Luke 5:4)

Those words of Jesus to Peter and his companions are his exhortation to these to embark on a life that they little dreamed of, far from their fishing boats an the land and family they knew.  Set out into the deep water, the deep water far away from the safety of the land, the deep water of the sea where storms arise suddenly, but also the deep water in which an abundance of fish live, ready to be caught. The fishermen had tried to catch fish all night long, but to no avail.  Nothing.  Nothing because this life of theirs was over. So Jesus tells them to go into the deep water, and it is here that they catch so many fish that the boats are nearly sinking with the catch.  It is at this point that Simon Peter realizes, however inchoately, however unclearly, that this is a sign that points to him and his future and his role as a disciple of Jesus, and in that wonderful and touching and dramatic scene, he kneels at Jesus’ feet:  Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man. What a wonderful and real reaction to Peter’s understanding of the miracle of the catch of fish: to declare himself unworthy for any task that Jesus had in mind for him.  A future as a follower of Jesus in the deepest sense was, in Peter’s mind, impossible. For he was a sinful man.  But the response is quite clear:  Fear not.  From henceforth you will be catching men.

Michael Davis attacks home schoolers

The quiz at the end of the St Catherine's Trust annual Summer School, attended
by about 50-50 home-educated and school-educated children. Details of this year's here.

(Supporters of Home Education may like to support this petition on the latest UK government attack on it.)

A while ago the Catholic Herald journalist Michael Davis thought he'd do a good turn to the Traditional Catholic movement (with which he apparently identifies) by describing us as hateful bigots and antisemites. Now he's decided to do a similar favour to homeschoolers.

It works like this. First, Davis starts the article with a reference to the staggering success of homeschoolers: it seems that they are providing 10% of vocations to the priesthood in the USA, a proportion vastly in excess of their numbers.

Second, Davis lists all the tired old criticisms of homseschooling. Homeschooling is against the teaching of the Church; the children aren't 'socialised'; the parents are 'helicopter parents' who 'seal off their children in a bubble'; even the apparent good of the vocations is undermined by the snarky suggestion that the vocations aren't genuine and the priests won't be good pastors.

Step three is to hold up his hands and say: Oh well, maybe these problems can be avoided by some homseschoolers. Citing one particular group, he says vocations coming from it 'won’t be stereotypically paranoid, socially awkward homeschooled kids': unlike all the other homeschooled children, right?

No doubt he expects us all to congratulate him on what a balanced article he has produced.

The problem is that, just as in the 'oh perhaps not all traditional Catholics are hateful bigots' article, he has reiterated and reinforced an extremely damaging negative stereotype which needs confronting and assessing. Is it true? Because obviously, if the stereotype isn't true, then a balanced assessment wouldn't use it even as one side of the see-saw.

Event: Solemn Pontifical Mass in Louisiana

The Traditional Mass: It's not about politics -- it's about Truth and Beauty

Commonweal is a journal known, at least since the age of the last Council, for its extreme liberal positions.

So it was not without considerable surprise that this past week readers witnessed the journal publish a text favorable to the Latin Mass: it is a personal account of the author's discovery of the Latin Mass. 

Announcement: June 24 TLM in Peru, Indiana.

Una Voce Lafayette will be presenting a Sung Latin Mass for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Sunday, June 24th, at 5 PM, at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Peru, Indiana. Fr. Andrew DeKeyser will be celebrant and the Saint Dunstan Schola will be providing music.

You Suggest: FSSP Eucharistic Conferences now available on video

From a priestly reader:

Eucharistic Conferences: ‘Ego Eimi – It is I’ (John 6:51)

A series of conferences on the Most Holy Eucharist by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, at St Mary's Shrine Church in Warrington, England, in preparation for the National Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool (7-9 Sept. 2018). Each 40-min conference can be watched below.

• Transubstantiation: how the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ occur under the externals of bread and wine (click here to watch)  

• Concomitance: how Christ’s Blood also is in the Host, and His Body also in the Chalice (click here to watch)

• Fragments: why each of them is Christ, and how to treasure them (click here to watch)

• Gradation of the modes of presence of God in His creation: how God’s presence is supreme in the Holy Eucharist (click here to watch)

Must-see video: Church Militant and the Chartres Pilgrimage

We urge all of our readers to watch this short but powerful video featuring the Americans who participated in the annual Chartres Pilgrimage. More importantly, please share it on your blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts. Email it to friends and family. This video perfectly captures what tradition is all about -- and how to restore it. 

There may only be a remnant left. Let's change that, using every means at our disposal, including our keyboards.

Vatican releases latest worldwide Catholic statistics:Decrease in the overall share of Catholics in the world population. Fall in priests, seminarians and religious continues unabated

The Vatican Bollettino for June 13, 2018 has a report (only in Italian as of this writing) about the publication of the Pontifical Yearbook for 2018 and the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2016, containing the statistics for the Catholic Church worldwide as of the end of the year 2016. 

The earliest reports appearing on the Catholic media about this report focus on the increase in the absolute number of baptized Catholics from the end of 2015 to the end of 2016 -- from 1,285,000,000 to 1,299,000,000. The Bollettino's actual report however has the sobering observation that the increase in Catholics from 2015 to 2016 is lower than the annual increase recorded in the period from 2010 to 2015. Additionally, the rate of growth of the worldwide Catholic population is slower than that of the world's population as a whole, with the result that the percentage of Catholics in the world population dropped from 17.73 % in 2015 to 17.67 in 2016. 

When it comes to priests, the trend of diminishment since 2014 is confirmed: there were 414,969 Catholic priests in the whole world as of the end of 2016, compared to 415,656 priests in 2015 and  415,792 in 2014.

For the record: James Martin SJ to speak at World Meeting of Families, homosexual "couples" welcomed to volunteer at eventPlus: the fall of the Archdiocese of Bologna

As widely reported in the Catholic media, the notorious Fr. James Martin SJ will be one of the main speakers at the upcoming 9th World Meeting of Families (WMOF) in Dublin, Ireland (August 21-24, 2018). His topic will be "Exploring how Parishes can support those families with members who identify as LGBTI+."Martin claims that he was invited to speak at this event by the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Dublin.

The event's official website points out that "Amoris Laetitia is the guiding theme of all three days of the Pastoral Congress and of all the topics chosen." The whole event will have around 200 speakers, however, Martin will be one of the keynote speakers. It is significant that the "Highlights from the Pastoral Programme" on the event website names only him, and Cardinal Tagle of Manila, among those making presentations.

On the same day that Fr. Martin's involvement in WMOF was announced, Irish media reported that according to Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, "LGBT couples" are considered "welcome" to volunteer at the event. (‘Of course’ LGBT couples welcome to volunteer says Archbishop: ‘It’s also a Catholic event’.)

The Irish Church continues its rapid journey to the bottom.