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.

CATHOLIC SURVIVAL GUIDE, Third Part - Devotions that prepare us for the Four Last Things (Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell)

(Part One: Contrition and Spiritual Communion)

(Part Two: Dying Prepared -- a Happy Death)

CATHOLIC SURVIVAL GUIDE IN THE CURRENT TIME, Part Three: 
PREPARING FOR THE FOUR LAST THINGS

Death - Judgement - Heaven - Hell

by the Rev. Deacon Nick Donnelly

Christ in Judgement (Last Judgement detail)
Baptistery of Saint John
Florence

Traditionally, Lent is the penitential season when the faithful are encouraged by the Church to contemplate the Four Last Things — Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell — as a spur to contrition and repentance. This past Lent, in the midst of the worst pandemic in a hundred years, the eschatological orientation within which all mankind lives, but mostly ignores, was brought into sharper focus by the ever-present threat of serious illness and death. Previous generations of Catholics took the warnings contained in sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition seriously — that plagues could express God’s wrath at the depravity of human sin to which we should respond with contrition and repentance. One of the blessings of COVID-19 is that it’s focusing faithful minds on the Four Last Things, spurring us to penitential self-examination at the prospect of divine judgement that has suddenly become more real.

Guides for Spiritual Communion and Confession in An Age of Closed Churches (downloadable PDF format)

Deacon Nick Donnelly's Catholic Survival Guide has been very successful since it was first posted here presciently, weeks before the Italian lockdown became a worldwide movement in which dioceses decided to deny regular Sacramental life to Catholics everywhere.

We have it now below in PDF format, in two files (one for the Spiritual Communion and Contrition guide, the other for the preparation for death guide), that can be downloaded and printed for easier guidance during this period.

To download, just click on pop-out (upper right corner) -- it will open in a new window or tab, and you can print or download the PDF file.

1: Perfect Contrition and Spiritual Communion:

CATHOLIC SURVIVAL GUIDE, Second Part - The Art of Dying Prepared: a Catholic Happy Death

Bona mors - a good, happy, death. A most Catholic concept.

Are Catholics supposed to panic regarding pandemics? Only if they are unprepared for their deaths, but they should avoid being so. While most Catholics are unfortunately not ordinarily prepared for their own deaths, moments like the present one (even if prompted by the media-driven mass panic characteristic of such moments) are very useful for the faithful to focus on the need to prepare their souls for death.

In this sense, moments such as the present one are a blessing. While often death catches us unprepared (though we as Catholics must pray for it not to be the case), when a dangerous new pathogen is among us, we cannot reasonably say, before the Tremendous Judge, "we didn't know any better." We did and we do know better, and what better time to get ready for a good death?

While Deacon Nick Donnelly's First Part to his Survival Guide (which we reposted just now) is dedicated to the burden of a life without regular access to the Sacraments (especially Penance and the Holy Eucharist), this second part is dedicated to preparation for a Happy Death:

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A Catholic Survival Guide for COVID-19, Part Two

The Art of Dying Well (Ars Moriendi) 
and Prayers for a Happy Death (Bona Mors)

by the Rev Deacon Nick Donnelly

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has brought the prospect of death into much sharper focus for many of us. The illusion that we will live to an old age, that made death seem a far-distant threat, has been ripped away, leaving us to face the truth of our mortality. Some of us may well suffer critical illness due to contracting COVID-19, even life-threatening complications. The strict quarantine protocols to stop the transmission of the virus and protect healthcare workers means that we will most probably be deprived of the pastoral care of our priests at our deathbed.  This is a prospect that rightly concerns many of us at the present time.  We may feel a deep anxiety about being left alone to endure the tribulations of dying without our spiritual fathers.

In these circumstances, familiarity and practice of two traditional devotions will help us face death with greater peace of mind, calmness and composure enabling us to prepare to die with Christian hope. These two traditional devotions are the Ars Moriendi and the Bona Mors — the art of dying and prayers for a happy death. Even if we are young and healthy, we would all benefit from these two devotions that help us live life from the perspective of Eternal Life.

The Risen Christ transfigures death

GUIDE: What To Do When Churches Are Closed and Sacraments Unavailable (Repost)

Now that the great majority of the world's Catholics are in jurisdictions where the media-led mass panic regarding the Wuhan (Covid-19) virus has led governments to impose unacceptable, illegal, and illegitimate burdens on the liberty of the Church, with cowardly obedience by the useless men who should be shepherding us (instead of abandoning us), the Guide by Deacon Nick Donnelly on how to survive the absence of Sacraments is more important than ever.

We are therefore reposting it here:

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A Catholic Survival Guide for the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, by Deacon Nick Donnelly (Part One)

by the Rev. Deacon Nick Donnelly

Christ healing the bleeding woman(Catacombs of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, Rome)

Recourse to the sacraments is essential to the supernatural lives of Catholics. This is even more true during life’s crises, such as many face due to the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. This is why Archbishop Vigano is right when he describes the closure of churches in Northern Italy, and the suspension of public Mass and confession as, ‘a real unprecedented tragedy.’  For weeks now many Catholics living in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Northern Italy have been unable to receive the Blessed Sacrament or the sacramental absolution of their sins. Not since the Protestant Reformation across Europe or the Communist persecution of the Church in Russia, Mexico and China, have so many Catholics been banned from the public celebration of the sacraments. Though this time churches have been closed to protect the physical wellbeing of Catholics, the drastic impact on the sacramental lives of the faithful cannot be exaggerated.

It is a frightening prospect to face the possibility of being denied the sacraments if instructed to self-isolate due to exposure to the COVID-19 coronavirus or being quarantined in hospital with life-threatening complications. It is highly unlikely that secular medical professionals will appreciate the stress suffered by Catholics unable to receive the pastoral care of our priests, especially the anxiety caused by the possibility of not being able to receive Extreme Unction at the hour of death. 

However, we can do much to reduce our own anxiety and stress if we find ourselves in such a situation by following two traditional devotional practices — the Act of Perfect Contrition and Spiritual Communion. As Bishop Schneider observed in his recent Rorate Caeli essay on the coronavirus:

“In times of persecution, many Catholics were unable to receive Holy Communion in a sacramental way for long periods of time, but they made a Spiritual Communion with much spiritual benefit.”

Cardinal Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816-1885), the renowned Dogmatic theologian and Papal Theologian during the First Vatican Council, once admitted, “If I were able to traverse the countryside preaching the divine word, my favourite sermon topic would be perfect contrition.”

Now is the time to recover the wisdom and practice of these traditional devotions. Under certain conditions, they will enable us to receive the forgiveness of our sins, and the marvellous benefit of Eucharistic graces if — for example due to self-isolation at home or quarantine in hospital — we are denied the sacraments and the pastoral care of our clergy.

Trust that God wills to save all men

Servizio di Pubblica Utilità per i Cattolici d'Italia: Cosa fare se non puoi andare alla Confessione o ricevere la Santa Comunione

CONTRIZIONE PERFETTA E COMUNIONE SPIRITUALE

Cosa fare se non puoi andare alla Confessione o ricevere la Santa Comunione a causa del virus COVID-19

Se devi isolarti o metterti in quarantena a causa del virus COVID-19 è improbabile che tu possa ricevere i sacramenti normalmente.

In queste circostanze ci sono devozioni che ti permettono di ricevere l’assoluzione per i tuoi peccati (sotto certe condizioni) e la consolazione della grazia Eucaristica.

Queste devozioni sono ufficialmente incoraggiate dalla Chiesa e sono state praticate da santi.

Come fare un atto di Contrizione Perfetta:

A Catholic Survival Guide for the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, by Deacon Nick Donnelly (Part One)

by the Rev. Deacon Nick Donnelly

Christ healing the bleeding woman(Catacombs of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, Rome)

Recourse to the sacraments is essential to the supernatural lives of Catholics. This is even more true during life’s crises, such as many face due to the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic. This is why Archbishop Vigano is right when he describes the closure of churches in Northern Italy, and the suspension of public Mass and confession as, ‘a real unprecedented tragedy.’  For weeks now many Catholics living in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Northern Italy have been unable to receive the Blessed Sacrament or the sacramental absolution of their sins. Not since the Protestant Reformation across Europe or the Communist persecution of the Church in Russia, Mexico and China, have so many Catholics been banned from the public celebration of the sacraments. Though this time churches have been closed to protect the physical wellbeing of Catholics, the drastic impact on the sacramental lives of the faithful cannot be exaggerated.

It is a frightening prospect to face the possibility of being denied the sacraments if instructed to self-isolate due to exposure to the COVID-19 coronavirus or being quarantined in hospital with life-threatening complications. It is highly unlikely that secular medical professionals will appreciate the stress suffered by Catholics unable to receive the pastoral care of our priests, especially the anxiety caused by the possibility of not being able to receive Extreme Unction at the hour of death. 

However, we can do much to reduce our own anxiety and stress if we find ourselves in such a situation by following two traditional devotional practices — the Act of Perfect Contrition and Spiritual Communion. As Bishop Schneider observed in his recent Rorate Caeli essay on the coronavirus:

“In times of persecution, many Catholics were unable to receive Holy Communion in a sacramental way for long periods of time, but they made a Spiritual Communion with much spiritual benefit.”

Cardinal Johann Baptist Franzelin (1816-1885), the renowned Dogmatic theologian and Papal Theologian during the First Vatican Council, once admitted, “If I were able to traverse the countryside preaching the divine word, my favourite sermon topic would be perfect contrition.”

Now is the time to recover the wisdom and practice of these traditional devotions. Under certain conditions, they will enable us to receive the forgiveness of our sins, and the marvellous benefit of Eucharistic graces if — for example due to self-isolation at home or quarantine in hospital — we are denied the sacraments and the pastoral care of our clergy.

Trust that God wills to save all men

Op-ed: "Is the Married Permanent Diaconate a Trojan Horse to attack the sacred priesthood?"

Rev. Deacon Nick Donnelly

Rorate Contributor

The Pan-Amazonian synod has realised the fears of certain Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that the creation of the married permanent diaconate would undermine and eventually abolish the sacred Tradition of priestly celibacy in the Latin Church. The Final Document of the Amazonian synod proposes that permanent deacons are ordained priests:

“…we propose to establish criteria and dispositions on the part of the competent authority, in the framework of Lumen Gentium 26, to ordain as priests men who are apt for it and who are recognized by the community, who are fruitful permanent deacons and who receive an adequate formation for the priesthood, even if they have a legitimately constituted and stable family…With regard to this, some wished that the topic be addressed in a universal way.”(Final Document, 111.)

Guest Op-Ed - Resisting the Temptation to Change the Our Father: "A heretical spirit enters the Church when man makes himself the measure of God’s Word"

Deacon Nick Donnelly

A heretical spirit enters the Church when man makes himself the measure of God’s word, rather than God’s word being the measure of man’s thoughts. This hubristic reversal is the definition of modernism. Pope St Pius X identified what is at the heart of this modernist mentality towards sacred Scripture, ‘a philosophy borrowed from the negation of God, and a criterion which consists of themselves’. (Pascendi dominici gregis, 34.)

One of the better parts of Vatican II warned that the authenticity of interpreting the word of God depends on strictly observing the threefold union of sacred Tradition, sacred Scripture and the Magisterium, which ‘are so linked together that one cannot stand without the others’. (Dei verbum, 10.) Any interpretation that ignores this threefold union, for example, by stressing one strand to the point of excluding or even contradicting the two others is immediately suspect of coming from a heretical spirit. With the above understanding, I will examine Francis’s change to the Our Father.

Francis’s change to the Our Father

Both the French and Italian Bishops’ Conferences have changed the sixth petition of the Our Father with the encouragement of this pontificate. Francis gave an interview in 2017 explaining his support for changes to ‘lead us not into temptation’: