RORATE CÆLI: June 2026

Good News from Arlington: FSSP Entrusted with New Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory

Bishop Burbidge speaks at St. Rita

A significant and most welcome development has come from the Diocese of Arlington, VA. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge has announced that, beginning July 1, 2026, the Chaplaincy of Our Lady of Victory will be administered by priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Fr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP, and Fr. John Audino, FSSP, have been appointed to serve the faithful who attend Mass and receive the other sacraments in the Extraordinary Form.

Pope Speaks on SSPX and Consecrations (Updated: Full Video)

In impromptu declarations to the press, yesterday (June 16, 2026):

“I am considering making another appeal and saying ‘don't do this, let's try to live the communion of the Church.’ But it is their choice.

Leo XIV in Spain - An Appraisal

Pope Leo's Successful Apostolic Journey to Spain:

Popular Piety and Orthodoxy, Yes. Partisan Progressivism, No.

by Serre Verweij

for Rorate Caeli

Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to Spain has been a self-evident success. It drew large crowds of over a million people in a country that appeared to be secularizing, galvanized the young, and avoided any scandals. More important, however, was that he succeeded in preventing the visit from being hijacked by anti-Catholic progressives.

Honorius I, Vatican II and the SSPX - Guest article by James Baresel

As is well known, Pope Honoris I stated in a letter to Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople that “we confess one will of our Lord Jesus Christ”—despite the Church’s dogmatic teaching that Christ has both a divine will and a human will—and was posthumously anathematized by the Third Council of Constantinople.

What is not generally known, what is, in fact, virtually unknown, is that Pope John IV taught that Christ “never had two contrary wills [his human will being perfectly subordinate to his divine will] …we fittingly say and truthfully confess [in a metaphorical sense] one will” and that, therefore, Honorius’s letter was not intrinsically heretical its precise wording—because it did not state whether “one will” was meant literally or metaphorically.

FSSP Pilgrimage in Italy Denied the Traditional Latin Mass at Multiple Shrines: While Nuns hear "Confessions" and Eastern Orthodox celebrate liturgies

A report from Italy:

We wanted to bring to your attention the story of a group of pilgrims traveling through Italy with a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

Why Non-Catholic Religions Offer No Hope for Mankind

A guest article by Joseph Bevan.

What is religion?

A common definition of religion is: ‘the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.’ Most human beings acknowledge, to a greater or lesser extent, the existence of some kind of deity or, more often, a vague supernatural force up in the sky: a useful someone that they can blame for their shortcomings and misfortunes. When things are going well the presence of a higher being is usually disregarded.

Archbishop of Sydney: "Restore kneelers in every church where they are missing."

From the pastoral letter written by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney, Australia, on the occasion of the Feast of Corpus Christi:

ADORING THE EUCHARISTIC LORD:

“LET US KNEEL BEFORE THE GOD WHO MADE US” (PS 94:6):

Pastoral Letter to the Priests, Religious, and People of the Archdiocese of Sydney

June 7, 2026

I thank the President for her kind words, as well as for the invitation the Apostolic See received on the occasion of my visit to this country. I am also grateful for the courtesy of welcoming me to this historic Palace of the Congress of Deputies, a prominent center of the institutional, legal and democratic life of the Kingdom of Spain. I come before you as the Bishop of Rome and Shepherd of the Catholic Church, aware that the mission entrusted to the Successor of the Apostle Peter, as the principle and foundation of the unity of the Bishops and the faithful (cf. Lumen Gentium, 23), places the Holy See, in a special way, in dialogue with peoples and with States.

As I begin my visit to Spain, it is with a heart filled with joy that I preside over this celebration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

David Sonnier, a 1981 West Point graduate, loved the Army and worked to be a model soldier. A bend in his career path brought him into contact for the first time with the traditional Mass. His life, with that of his family, was changed forever—something quite a few Catholics can relate to!

Retreat for Priests with Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP - October 5-9 in England

Clergy Retreat on 5-9 October 2026, Stonyhurst, England

You will have noticed that Rorate has covered all sides and most aspects of the July 1st, 2026, Consecrations of four new bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), in Écône, Switzerland.

Bishop Schneider is well known to friends of Rorate, and Tradition around the world, and he has a different perspective on the SSPX Consecrations -- one of balance and, shall we say, understanding.

Diane Montagna posted this text by him on her page, and we paste it here for the ongoing record of debates on current events.

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THE CORE QUESTION REGARDING THE SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X

By Bishop Athanasius Schneider

"The Performative Contradiction of the Society of St. Pius X" - Guest Article by Vigilius

Recently, this blog published the now widely-discussed essay titled “The Kingship of Christ and the Aporias of the Roman Church.” Now the author applies the analysis of the “total Pope” and the corresponding concept of obedience to the Society of St. Pius X. Needless to say, the following text reflects the personal opinion of its author and is not a Rorate editorial position; rather, it may be seen as part of our ongoing coverage of the SSPX dilemma. - PAK

The SSPX Consecrations: "Separatism Is Not a Catholic Solution" - article by Dom Louis-Marie de Blignières

Dom Louis-Marie de Blignières, a founder and, for a long time, superior of the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer (FSVF), in Chéméré-le-Roi, France, needs no introduction. He has been a heavyweight figure in French Traditional Catholic intellectual circles for decades.

Mother Angelica's Sweet Revenge

("I am so tired of you, Liberal Church in America!")

Today, Pope Leo XIV named the head of EWTN News, María Montserrat (Montse) Alvarado, as new Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication:

The Holy Father has appointed Dr. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. Dr. Montserrat Alvarado will take office on 1 November.

Britain is full of monastic ghosts. Street names carry them: Monks Lane, Priory Road, Abbey Close. The landscape, too, still bears the imprint of communities that shaped it for a thousand years. The ruins of Fountains, Rievaulx, Tintern, and dozens of lesser houses stand in fields and valleys across England, Wales, and Scotland, drawing visitors who admire their picturesque qualities while knowing almost nothing of the civilization that produced them.

The Traditional Mass, Recovered — and The Power of Tradition - Op-Ed by Abp. Hector Aguer

The Recovery of the Mass

by Archbishop Héctor Agüer

Emeritus of La Plata, Argentina

June 1st, 2026

The media and, especially, social networks point out that in several European countries, particularly among young people, the "Traditional Mass" is being lived with fervor, accompanied by numerous processions and pilgrimages. The youthful crowds that revived the traditional Paris - Chartres pilgrimage have drawn widespread attention, with an average age of 22. It is a recovery of Catholic tradition, which had been suffocated in those countries by liberalism, progressivism, and atheism.