A Musical Gem: Initium sapientiae timor Domini by Nicola Fago

Initium sapientiae timor Domini (from Psalm-setting Confitebor Tibi , Psalm 110 ) was composed around the year 1706 by Nicola Fago, primo maestro at the Conservatorio di Sant’ Onofrio a Capuana, from 1704 to 1708.

“Initium sapientiae timor Domini” [as part of Vulgate, Psalm 110, Confitebor] was a setting commonly used for Vespers accompanied with other liturgical pieces in Neapolitan churches.

Nicola Fago was the first Neapolitan composer of comical operas, but it is his sacred music that brought him fame. Five settings of Psalm 110 which Fago composed, required usually 4 to 5 voices in total, using  the standard texts contained in the biblical Book of Psalms.

Sacred music was required, at least occasionally, in literally hundreds of Neapolitan churches, as well as in oratorios, congregations, and academies, and for many public and private functions. Fago’s long engagement with the churches and chapels of Naples is attested to by his enormous output of sacred music, the surviving scores of which include a Requiem, eleven settings of the Mass, eighteen psalm-settings including this “Initium sapientiae timor Domini”, seven Magnificats, four liturgies and dozens of smaller settings of sacred texts.

TURN TO TRADITION -- a response to George Weigel

Fr. Richard G. Cipolla

Recently George Weigel offered an Op-Ed titled  “A Paradox for the Next Pope” as part of the Wall Street Journal’s Houses of Worship series.  He quite rightly calls attention to several issues that will confront the successor of Pope Francis:  confronting and ending the terrible scandal of sexual abuse by clergy; reform of the financial structure and administration of the Church; and the challenge of supporting the vitality of the Catholic faith in those disparate places in which it found and at the same time embark on a program of renewal in those parts of the world, mostly Europe, where the Catholic faith is less than robust.

Weigel says:  “The past fifty years should have taught the Catholic Church that the only Catholicism with a future is Catholicism in full.”  And what Catholic with faith could disagree with that?  But Weigel, while correctly seeing that “aggressive secularism” is antithetical to the Catholic faith and is part of the reason for the parlous state of Catholicism in the West does not see that the root problems of the Catholic Church today lie in the deliberate ambiguities of the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the post-Conciliar radical assault, in the name of aggiornamento, on the heart of the Catholic worship that is the Mass.  The Catholic Church decided in the 1960s to become “modern” at the same time that Western culture turned its back on Modernism and embraced, with all of its ambiguities, Post-modernism.  The obvious increasingly irrelevant state of the Catholic Church in the West is not due mainly to secularism but rather to the failure of the Church to be true to herself and her founder, Jesus Christ, and instead trying to become relevant to a society that was already then and is even more now post-Christian.

An Apologia for the Underground: Objections and Replies on the Subject of “Underground” Masses during COVID-19

The following article was submitted to Rorate from a writer in the American Midwest.

The unprecedented suspension of public Masses during COVID-19 left many lay Catholics with the question: “During suspension of public Masses ordered by the bishops of the Church in response to COVID-19, could members of the lay faithful assist with clear consciences at Masses where priests ignored their bishops’ rulings and did not lock the doors?” In the following objections and replies, I develop an answer to this question. I am not a canon lawyer; I claim to have no authority in matters of Church law. With Saint Teresa of Jesus, I simply say,

If these writings contain error, it is through my ignorance; I submit in all things to the teachings of the holy Catholic Roman Church, of which I am now a member, as I protest and promise I will be both in life and death. May our Lord God be forever praised and blessed! Amen, Amen. [1]

Objection 1: 

The lay faithful don’t necessarily have a right to be present at Holy Mass. Therefore, their concern at being barred from Mass by their bishops during the COVID-19 pandemic is not warranted.

“The heathens have defiled Thy holy temple... Revenge the blood of Thy saints!”: On the Thymotic Realism of the Traditional Latin Mass

Titian, Averoldi Polyptych (1520-22)
SS. Nazarius & Celsus are the standing figures in the lower left

“Let the sighing of the prisoners come in before Thee, O Lord; render to our neighbours sevenfold in their bosom; revenge the blood of Thy saints, which hath been shed. Ps. O God, the heathens are come into Thy inheritance: they have defiled Thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit. Glory be to the Father... Let the sighing...”

This virile Introit for today’s TLM—in honor of the martyrs Nazarius, the boy Celsus, and Pope Victor I, and the confessor Pope Innocent I (cf. Dom Guéranger’s commentary on them)—is taken from Psalm 78, verses 10–12. Verse 12, a “cursing” verse, was removed from both the Lectionary and the Liturgy of the Hours, so it is nowhere prayed in the Novus Ordo. These saints, too, were given the axe, in spite of being called upon by the Church for well over a thousand years.

In general, the spirited or thymotic psalms have been minimized or excised, which corresponds to the generally effeminate presentation of Christianity in recent times. Think of the doe-eyed Sacred Heart images from the 19th and 20th centuries, where Our Lord is depicted as a saccharine, fragile, androgynous figure, as if He would flinch at a passing softball, or deflate when poked with a needle.

Is the All-Holy and Ever Virgin Mary truly the Mother of God -- and are therefore her parents truly Jesus' Grandparents? Francis isn't sure

That at least -- that he isn't very sure -- is the most charitable or at least the most reasonable explanation of the use of scare quotes (" ") in his official tweet on the Feast of St. Anne:

On the memorial of the Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus's “grandparents”, I would like to invite young people to do something tender towards the elderly, especially the loneliest, in their homes or residences. Dear young people, each elderly person is your grandparent!

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 26, 2020

Yet, as defined by the Council of Ephesus, Our Blessed Lady truly is the Mother of God -- so obviously her parents truly are the Grandparents of Our Lord Jesus Christ, not His "grandparents"...

Jesuits... 

News and Beautiful Images of the 7th Annual Ars Celebrandi TLM Workshop in Poland

The Ars Celebrandi Latin Mass Workshop is the largest TLM workshop in the world -- and it took place this year as well! Naturally, under the circumstances of the current pandemic, a much smaller number of people were able to come and the churches remained almost empty due to restrictions.

However, its continuity was assured.

Here we are praying that in 2021 there will be more people than ever, Deo volente!

***

The 7th liturgical workshops "Ars Celebrandi" ended in Licheń (Poland).  

The liturgy workshops "Ars Celebrandi" took place at the Marian shrine in Licheń for the seventh time. Throughout the week, from 9 to 16 July 2020, almost 150 people from all over Poland, and several other countries, learned all the skills needed to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The coronavirus pandemic caused the number of participants to be limited to 150 (compared to 230 in previous years) and required strict sanitary rules (regular disinfection, wearing masks - in accordance with regulations, social distance), but the nature and program of the workshop were not reduced. Despite restrictions on travel, some participants from other countries (Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania) arrived, although there were fewer than in previous years. 

His Excellency Bishop Wiesław Mering, ordinary of the Włocławek diocese, sent his blessing to the participants, expressing his joy that the workshops are once again taking place in his diocese. Bishop Wiesław Mering gives his honorary patronage to the workshops "Ars Celebrandi" since the very beginning.

What’s Wrong with Personalism and ‘Theology of the Body’? An Interview with Don Pietro Leone by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M

I would like to thank New Catholic for publishing the following analysis of Personalism and Theology of the Body.  My thanks also to Brother André Marie for his permission for it, as well as providing the occasion the interview gave to offer readers a more structured synthesis of the two systems. I send my priestly blessing to all readers, wishing them every Grace and happiness in the Lord.

Don Pietro Leone

What’s Wrong with Personalism and ‘Theology of the Body’?

An Interview with Don Pietro Leone

 by Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M

Bro André Marie

Catholicism Org

May 13, 2020

It was my great pleasure to interview the esteemed priest-theologian, Don Pietro Leone, on the subject of Personalism and the “Theology of the Body” (TOB). The interview was carried out via email and was kindly made possible by his English-language publisher, Loreto Publications.

I became interested in interviewing Don Pietro while reading his wonderful book, The Family Under Attack, which he mentions in this interview.

That both the Personalism of Pope John Paul II and his TOB are fully open to criticism and refutation as non-infallible philosophical and theological constructions is beyond dispute. Still, the fact is that some people may take scandal at these criticisms, which, as Don Pietro points out, are carried out “solely in the light of Faith and Reason: in the light of Truth, supernatural and natural.” The personal theology and even the “authentic Magisterium” of any pope are indeed subject to such a critique; inasmuch as the critique is carried out according to tradition and the analogy of Faith, these per se non-infallible works are just as open to criticism as are the excogitations of any other theologians or philosophers. Those confused on this point are invited to read Amoris Laetitia and the ‘Authentic Magisterium’. *

Aside from his book, which I’ve already linked to, my Reverend interlocutor also mentions in his replies a five-part essay that was published by Rorate Caeli. See below for the links to the following parts:

1. SEXUALITY IN THE EYES OF THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD

2. RECENT CHURCH MARITAL DOCTRINE UNTIL POPE FRANCIS: 1. ‘LOVE

3. RECENT CHURCH MARITAL DOCTRINE UNTIL POPE FRANCIS: 2. MORTAL SIN AND        HOLY COMMUNION 

4. AMORIS LAETITIA 

5. CONCLUSION

Here is the interview. 

Event: “Soul of the Apostolate 2020” Conference, July 24–26

Rorate is pleased to announce an upcoming online conference with a superb line-up of speakers, many of whom will be familiar to Rorate readers. 

Soul of the Apostolate 2020: For every 1 convert, 6.5 leave the Church. The world is in chaos. What is the solution? Catholic Apostolic leaders unite to emphatically declare: the “one thing necessary”... the spiritual life.

Soul of the Apostolate 2020 Conference and Formation Repository FREE Sign-up.

Beyond a mere motivational talk or retreat high, Soul of the Apostolate 2020 is designed to help you engage in the war for souls through practical and lifelong spiritual formation. The launch is this coming July 24-26.

Some of the participating formators are...

Bishop Schneider Launches Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation

Originally published by our friends at The Remnant, it would be good to spread this story -- and original prayer -- far and wide:

By Diane Montagna

ROME, July 20, 2020 (Remnant) — Bishop Athanasius Schneider is calling on Catholic clergy and laity around the world to unite in a crusade of reparation for sins against Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

The call comes as instances of profanation and sacrilege against the Most Blessed Sacrament have skyrocketed due to responses to the coronavirus, and after five decades of what the bishop terms unprecedented abuse against the Eucharistic Lord.

In a statement released today through the Remnant (see full text below), Bishop Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, says such abuse includes the widespread practice of “Communion in the hand,” reception of the Eucharist “by those who have not received the sacrament of Penance for many years,” and “the admittance to Holy Communion of couples who are living in a public and objective state of adultery,” i.e. divorced and remarried Catholics.

“In the current so-called ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency,’ horrible abuses of the Most Blessed Sacrament have increased still more,” he adds. “Many dioceses around the world mandated Communion in the hand, and in those places the clergy, in an often-humiliating manner, deny the faithful the possibility to receive the Lord kneeling and on the tongue, thus demonstrating a deplorable clericalism and exhibiting the behavior of rigid neo-Pelagians.”

Click here to read the full story at The Remnant. 

On Submission to Forms: On the Putative Equality of the “Two Forms” of the Roman Rite

Rorate is pleased to publish this guest article by a senior at a Catholic college.

On Submission to Forms: On the Putative Equality of the “Two Forms” of the Roman Rite

Anthony Jones

In recent days, both Bishop Strickland and Bishop Barron have seen fit to address the Liturgical Question, namely, the uneasy coexistence of “Ordinary” and “Extraordinary” forms of the Roman rite. Bishop Strickland praises the traditional Mass, which he learned in order to offer it for the first time on the feast of Corpus Christi, while Bishop Barron seems to say “it’s fine if you like it, but let’s remember that John Paul II and Mother Teresa got holy from the Novus Ordo”—as if to say, it’s not a big deal, like a preference for chocolate over vanilla ice cream.

Washington, DC, pontifical high Mass postponed

In November of last year we announced details for a pontifical High Mass that was to be celebrated next month at the basilica shrine in Washington, D.C.  Alas, things have changed a bit in the world since then.

The Mass, sponsored by the Paulus Institute for the Propagation of Sacred Liturgy, will be postponed. Instead of 22 August 2020, the pontifical Mass to be offered by Archbishop Thomas Gullickson will be celebrated on 14 August 2021, in the upper church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Although the basilica shrine, the largest church in North America, holds several thousand people, current coronavirus restrictions in place by the mayor of Washington limit occupancy to 100 people, making any major liturgical planning a great challenge this year.

Sermon for the 7th Sunday After Pentecost: “Beware of False Prophets!”

Fr. Richard G. Cipolla 

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves”  (Matthew 7:15)

These words of Jesus come at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches us what it means to live a life centered on the will of God.  These words are preceded by our Lord’s description of the narrow gate:  “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and whose who find it are few.”  It is a shame that this gospel passage was eliminated in the 1970 Lectionary for Mass.  For Jesus’ words in this passage are exactly what we need to hear in these times.

A Saint—and a Mass—for Our Times: St. Camillus de Lellis (July 18)

This morning I had the privilege of singing the chant for a Solemn High Mass in the cathedral of Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a feast for which I had never sung before: that of St. Camillus de Lellis (1500–1614). The texts of the Mass itself made me want to learn more about him.

A soldier and a gambler, Camillus experienced a profound religious conversion that led him to attempt to join the Capuchins. Refused admission due to an incurable leg wound, he moved to Rome, took as his spiritual director St. Philip Neri, and dedicated himself to the unstinting care of the sick, whose wretched abandonment he witnessed firsthand. He was eventually ordained to the priesthood by the last surviving Catholic bishop of Great Britain, Lord Thomas Goldwell, in 1584. 

Camillus established a religious congregation, the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm (also known as Camillians), devoted to the care of the sick—above all, the dying. Like so many other Counter-Reformation saints, he ministered tirelessly to plague victims. In 1591, the Order adopted a fourth religious vow: “to serve the sick, even with danger to one’s own life.”

150th Anniversary of the Dogmatic Constitution PASTOR ÆTERNUS (Vatican I): Petrine Primacy, Infallibility, and the Strict Limits of Papal Authority

Exactly 150 years ago, on July 18, 1870, as war and social convulsion were about to ravage France (and as the flight of the French forces in the Papal States to defend their country was about to allow for the Fall of Rome to the armies allied with the House of Savoy), the Fathers of the Vatican Council, under the guidance of Pope Pius IX, approved the last major dogmatic Conciliar document in the history of the Catholic Church -- the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, known by its first words "Pastor aeternus".

This major document concentrated on four aspects of the life of the Church of Rome as Mother and Teacher of the Universal Church: the Apostolic Primacy conferred by Our Lord Jesus Christ on Saint Peter -- a primacy above the other Apostles; the perpetuity of this same Petrine Primacy in the Bishops of Rome, the final See of the Prince of the Apostles; the meaning and latitude of the primatial power of the Apostolic See; and last, but certainly not least, the dogmatic definition of the limits of the infallible teaching authority of the papal Magisterium.

Properly read, Pastor aeternus is not the charter of an absolute monarch, but quite the opposite -- it is the reminder of the very limited teaching authority of the Pope. As the Constitution says in one of its central passages,

For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.

Celebrating a great anniversary of a great document, we post below the abridged version including its most important parts.

***

First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ

"PASTOR ÆTERNUS"

Pius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, with the approval of the sacred council, for an everlasting record.

Deacon Nick Donnelly's new book: A Catholic Survival Guide For Times of Emergency (TAN)

Based on his important posts for Rorate on guides for Catholics in times of emergencies, TAN Books invited Deacon Nick Donnelly to turn his important suggestions into a full book: A Catholic Survival Guide For Times of Emergency.

This practical and devotional guide is a very important reading for Catholics facing the emergencies that life brings and is particularly relevant for times of pandemic. Deacon Nick Donnelly clearly outlines how God in His providence never abandons His people. Drawing on sacred doctrine and traditional devotions of the Church, he guides the reader to the strength and consolation God offers us in difficult times. Definitely a book to keep ready to hand!

The book is now available on TAN Books online and physical bookstores, and we'll bring more news about it once it's released.

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]

Our Lady and the Scapular: In 1251, the most extraordinary event in English history

The Mother of God and her Divine Son appear to Saint Simon Stock in Cambridge -- 769 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.

(Our regular feature for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Recent Interviews on the Undeniably Resurgent Latin Mass

Documentary filmmaker Cameron O'Hearn interviewed me at the end of June in a far-ranging conversation about various aspects of Catholic liturgical tradition. The conversation first appeared live on Facebook, and afterwards was published on YouTube:

Topics covered:

Online conference this Saturday from the Latin mass Society

A real-world conference organised by the LMS in pre-covid days

An online conference “Catholicism in a Covid-19 World” will be hosted by the Latin Mass Society this Saturday, 18th July, from 12 noon (GMT + 1) until 4.45 pm (GMT + 1) featuring speakers Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Fr Tim Finigan, Fr John Zuhlsdorf, Dr Joseph Shaw, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson and Mgr Gordon Read. The event will be hosted by Dr Shaw and Sebastian Morello and will begin with Live High Mass in the Traditional Rite from St Mary’s Warrington.

A Collect Fit for a King (or Rather, an Emperor): St. Henry II

Today, on the traditional Roman calendar, is the feast of the Emperor St. Henry "the Exuberant" (d. 1024), husband of St. Cunegund. Both are buried, side by side, in the cathedral of Bamberg, which Henry had built. I had the privilege of visiting their tomb in 2018 when I gave a lecture "auf Deutsch" for Pro Missa Tridentina in Germany. Here are a few photos:

The imperial pair

Henry's traditional Collect is magnificent:

O God, who on this day didst translate blessed Henry, Thy confessor, from the summit of earthly empire to an eternal kingdom: we humbly beseech Thee, that even as Thou didst protect him with the fullness of Thy grace, and dist give him victory over the enticements of this life, so Thou wouldst enable us after his example to shun the blandishments of this world and to come to Thee with clean hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ...

We should celebrate St. Henry for many reasons. Here are three.

De Mattei: Fake news? No, historical truth

Roberto de Mattei 

Duc in Altum 

Aldo Maria Valli Blog

July 14, 2020

The Council of Constance  (1414-1418)

On his blog Settimo Cielo of July 13, the Vatican reporter Sandro Magister was highly critical of Bishops Carlo Maria Viganò and Athanasius Schneider, hurling an accusation at them for spreading “fake news”. *

The term “fake news” was used also in reference to Monsignor Schneider’s theses, whereby the Church, in Her history, has corrected doctrinal errors committed by precedent ecumenical councils, without, in this manner, “undermining the foundations of the Catholic faith.” Magister accuses Schneider of historical incompetence, citing, as evidence, a brief intervention by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller on the Council of Constance, which in reality refutes nothing of what was affirmed by Monsignor Schneider.   

The facts are these. On April 6, 1415, the Council of Constance issued a decree known as Haec Sancta 1, wherein it was stated solemnly that the Council, assisted by the Holy Spirit, received its power directly from God: hence every Christian, including the Pope, was required to obey it. Haec Sancta is a revolutionary document which raised many questions as it was first interpreted in continuity with Tradition and, subsequently, reprobated by the Pontifical Magisterium.  It had its coherent application in the decree Frequens, of October 9, 1417, which called for a Council five years later, after seven years another one and then one every ten years, de facto attributing to the Council the function of a permanent collegial body, alongside the Pope and de facto superior to him. 

Event: Solemn Pontifical Mass for Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Newark, New Jersey

In honor of the parish's patroness, a Solemn Pontifical Traditional Latin Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be celebrated by His Excellency the Most Reverend Arthur Serratelli, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Paterson on Thursday, July 16th at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of MountCarmel Church, 259 Oliver Street, Newark, New Jersey.

The Stones of Hagia Sophia will Cry Out

From Fr. Seán Connolly:

The Turkish government's decision yesterday to change the status of the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque is significant. While the media has not given too much attention to this, the fate of what was the most prominent church in Christendom for nine centuries ought to concern us deeply. I wrote an article on the history of the Hagia Sophia and the significance of its change in status I thought I'd share:

The stones of the Hagia Sophia will still cry out

Turkey’s own version of “cancel culture” has been met with outrage and concern throughout the world.

Saint Thomas More: "This indictment is grounded upon 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."...

Announcing a New Book by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP: X-Ray of the Priest In a Field Hospital: Reflections on the Sacred Priesthood

The flourishing new traditional Catholic publishing house in Canada, Arouca Press, has just released a new book by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP:

Fr de Malleray will be no stranger to our readers (see this article, included in the present book, and this post about his last book on the Holy Eucharist). As one who had the privilege of reading the manuscript before its publication, I can add my recommendation to that of the other distinguished Catholics listed below.

It is available in paper and in cloth, directly from Arouca, or at Amazon.com and all affiliates. An ebook is on the way.

DESCRIPTION

Since no priest wishes to be mediocre, why do many think priestly holiness too ambitious a goal? This book identifies sinful hindrances and spiritual resources for a fruitful and rewarding priestly life in the twenty-first century. These reflections are drawn from the author’s traditional priestly formation and from his twenty years of experience as retreat master for clergy and laity, and as vocations promoter.

PRAISE FROM READERS:

This call ‘back to basics’ for the Latin clergy, set within a clear doctrinal framework, is written with both imagination and rigour, and merits a wide readership, including bishops and religious superiors. - Fr Aidan Nichols, O.P., author of Holy Order: The Apostolic Ministry from the New Testament to the Second Vatican Council (Veritas Publications)

No priest doing his duty, trying to love God and neighbor, and trying to pick up his daily cross will suddenly decide, “I think I’ll have a go at some adultery.” He might wind up in grave treason to Our Lord, but the winding will not be sudden. He will slide into it. Conversely, he will not be able to jump up to the heights of sanctity; he’ll have to climb. This book will be of great value to anyone who would like to know how to avoid the slide, and what to do in order to climb. Fr. de Malleray’s timely yet classic approach to the priesthood in our times is a jewel. I thank God he wrote it. - Fr James Jackson, FSSP, author of Nothing Superfluous (Redbrush)

This book presents a convincing and compelling account of the stamp and character of the priest. It is at once profoundly practical and sublimely spiritual. We have over forty men in our Faculty preparing for lives as priests across China, Latin America, East and South East Asia. I am convinced that every single one of them will profit greatly and be strengthened in their vocations by reading and re-reading carefully, attentively and prayerfully Fr de Malleray's advice. - Revd Prof Stephen Morgan, Rector of the University of Saint Joseph, Macao, China

Written from an unapologetically traditionalist position, this book is in no way the less spiritually challenging and thought provoking. One does not have to agree with everything in it to come away with much material to help one discern how to be a better priest in the contemporary Church. There is also a good section on vocations. - Revd Dr Michael Cullinan, M.A.(Oxon.), M.A.St.(Cantab.),  Ph.D. (Cantab.), S.T.D. (Alfonsianum), Director of Maryvale Higher Institute of Religious Sciences

Fr de Malleray’s reflections on the nature of the priesthood are fascinating and perceptive, and will edify both clerical and lay readers. - Dr Joseph Shaw, PhD, Oxf, Chairman of The Latin Mass Society

Father de Malleray has once more strengthened the sensus fidei, refining the themes introduced in Ego Eimi to focus more particularly on the gift of the Sacred Priesthood. We are grateful to Father for having penned these reflections, covering a wide scope of aspects of the greatest dignity conferred on man. His words gain particular resonance among our Sisters, who are dedicated to prayer, sacrifice and hospitality toward priests, as well as the making of sacred vestments. May Father’s meditations spur on an even deeper urgency in spiritual support of our priests, that they may ever remain faithful to their own vocations, and in handing down the traditions and fullness of our holy faith. This is wonderful book that I heartily recommend. - Mother Abbess Cecilia, osb, Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus (Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, Gower, MO)

Full of instruction yet easy to read; an inspiring vademecum for priests, seminarians and those considering a priestly vocation. - Fr Thomas Crean, O.P., author of The Mass and the Saints (Family Publications)

On the 13th Anniversary of Summorum Pontificum, now under threat: Benedict XVI placed the Church on the path of eternity and immortality.

For several decades now, we have lived in the "Tyranny of the Present". Tradition is forgotten and, precisely because it is forgotten, our responsibilities for the future are also dismissed. The liturgical experimentation that led to the Novus Ordo was the epitome of Vatican II: it has given the Catholic hierarchy the liturgical-theological basis for their current promotion of the "here and now" as the supreme aim of the Church.

With Summorum Pontificum, the most consequential pontifical legislative act since 1969, Benedict XVI upended this new materialistic logic: by opening the gates of the past, he once again placed the Church on the path of eternity and immortality.

Summorum is now under threat, with the survey being conducted whose consequences are uncertain. There was a Church before the present reality, there will be a Church forever: and the Sacred Liturgy she celebrates here, with true Traditional and Apostolic imprint, has always been and should always be, not a reflection of the banality of the moment, but a prefiguration of her immortality as Bride of Christ and her Paschal Feast with the Lord for all Eternity, outside the limitations of our present existence.

Twelve years ago, we published the following text: we do not have reason to alter one iota of it. Priests, enjoy your freedom.

***

Summorum Pontificum: Axes of Interpretation

Ever forward

Today we enter the 14th year of the era of Summorum Pontificum. Things concerning the traditional Mass have developed to varying degrees over the years - some not quite meeting our expectations, yet others exceeding them. To that end, we are asking readers - as we have in the past - to take this occasion to update Mass information on the Wikimissa site. For those unfamiliar with it, Wikimissa is an international directory of Traditional Latin Masses that was designed some years ago by a resourceful traditional Catholic in France. It has proven to be an invaluable tool for travelers, but it is also quite helpful to those just discovering and seeking out the TLM where they live. Wikimissa was in a state of neglect for several years but has recently been revitalized by some enterprising individuals who recognized its value to the worldwide TLM community. Much of the information has not been updated for some time. For that reason, we are asking everyone to consult the site for the Masses that you attend or that you know of in your area. Although the site is largely presented in French, the information for Mass times and places is easily discernible and directions for making edits can be found in English (and seven other languages) on the home page.  When you make an edit, please remember to include current phone numbers and links to websites where applicable. This is of great help to those who are far away from home and need to verify dates and times for Mass.

In times like the present, the traditional Mass stands to make great strides among the Faithful. Let’s do our part to help bring them to it. 

In praise of Low Mass

Sacrifice. Silence. Like the simple seven words on Golgotha. The essence, before our very eyes: the epitome of unplanned and truly organic development -- Roman order and terseness displayed forever and everywhere.

Strengthened with all might,
according to the power of his glory,
in all patience and longsuffering with joy,
giving thanks to God the Father,
who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light:
who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins;
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
for in him were all things created in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him and in him.
And he is before all, and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the Church,
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he may hold the primacy:
because in him, it hath well pleased the Father,
that all fullness should dwell.

And through him to reconcile all things unto himself,
making peace through the blood of his cross,
both as to the things that are on earth,
and the things that are in heaven.

Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Colossians, I

De Mattei: The Unknowns at the End of a Pontificate

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana 

July 1, 2020

The demission of Benedict XVI will be remembered as one of the most catastrophic events of our century, as it opened the door, not only to a destructive pontificate, but above all to a situation of increasing chaos in the Church.  After seven years since that disastrous February 11, 2013, the life of Benedict XVI and the pontificate of Pope Francis are drawing inexorably to a close. We don’t know which of the two events will precede the other, but in both cases, the “smoke of Satan”” risks enveloping the Mystical Body of Christ as perhaps has never happened in history

 

The Bergoglian pontificate has reached its end, perhaps not from a chronological point of view, but most certainly from the point of view of its revolutionary impact. The Post -Amazonian Synod has been a failure and the Exhortation Querida Amazonia of last February 2, was the tombstone placed on the many hopes of the progressive world, mainly in the German zone. The Coronavirus, or Covid 19, has definitively brought to an end the ambitious pontifical projects for 2020, presenting us with a historical image of a solitary and defeated Pope, immersed in the emptiness of a spectral St. Peter’s Square. On the other hand, Divine Providence, which always regulates all human events, allowed Benedict XVI to witness the debacle following his abdication.  But the worst is probably still to come.

 

It was logical to envision that with the cohabitation of “two Popes” in the Vatican, a part of the conservative world disgusted with Francis would have looked to Benedict, considering him the “true Pope”, set against “the false prophet”. Whilst convinced of Pope Francis’s errors, these conservatives  didn’t want to follow the open way of the Correctio filialis delivered to Pope Francis on August 11, 2016. The real reason for their reluctance is probably due to the fact that the Correctio accentuates how the roots of the Bergoglian deviations go back to the Papacies of  Benedict XVI and John Paul II, and even before, to  the Second Vatican Council.

 

For many conservatives, instead, the hermeneutic of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, won’t admit any rupture, and since the Bergoglian papacy seems to embody the negation of this hermeneutic, the only solution to the problem is for Francis to be out of the picture.

Reminder: Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society

This is our monthly reminder to please enroll Souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. Last month we added two new priests, and the Society now stands at 107 priests saying weekly or monthly traditional Latin Masses for the Souls. We also heard from a wonderful new group out of Quito, the Asociación de Oración por los Difuntos, who sent us a list of 12,000 Souls to be enrolled!

** Click here to download a "fillable" PDF Mass Card in English to give to the loved ones of the Souls you enroll (you send these to the family and/or friends of the dead, not to us). It's free for anyone to use. CLICK HERE to download in Latin and CLICK HERE to download in Spanish. 

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 repose of 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.

Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, Rest in Peace

Georg Ratzinger

15. I. 1924

1.VII. 2020

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In paradisum deducant te Angeli;

in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres,

et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem.

Chorus angelorum te suscipiat,

et cum Lazaro quondam paupere

æternam habeas requiem.