Truly, truly ordinary

²ordinary adj 3 b : deficient in quality : poor, inferior

Yes, the Ordinary Mass for "Pride" in Boston is turning out to be quite a "drama" - but that was to be expected, right? First, the "Pride" Ordinary Mass was scheduled (see bulletin image - right), then it was vacated by the Archdiocese, then the Archdiocese partly reversed itself to allow a "Pride 'Prayer Service'". And now the local priestly member of the Parish Council attacks all whose "hate" has prevented the Ordinary Mass.

All details in Joe Sacerdo's blog - he has been at the forefront of exposing this truly ordinary Ordinary Mass. (Image on the left: Father John Unni, the twelfth member of the local Parish Council).

Note: anyway, why is "pride" being celebrated at all? Should it not "be carefully repressed"? Is it not "hateful in the sight of God"? Is not the "prince and ruler of this world" the "king over all the children of pride"? Is not pride "the root of all sins"? This in a very cursory reading of the Roman Catechism (Catechism of the Council of Trent). So what is exactly a "Boston Pride Prayer Service"? Is it perhaps a collective display of what this same Catechism recommends: "Humbled in spirit, the sincere penitent casts himself down at the feet of the priest, to testify, by this his humble demeanour, that he acknowledges the necessity of eradicating pride, the root of all those sins which he now deplores".

The American Ordinariate for Catholics of Anglican Patrimony:FALL 2011

The Personal Ordinariate for Catholics of Anglican heritage in the United States is to be erected in the Fall of 2011 - at least, that is the wish of the Holy See. More details from Cardinal Wuerl's report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, delivered yesterday, on the first day of their Spring meeting:

Consultation on

Implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Ordo

In our updated links section in the sidebar, there are links to the Ordo in England and Wales (provided by the Latin Mass Society), in France (provided by the FSSP), in the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney, in Campos, Brazil, and to the Monastic Ordo (Le Barroux).

If you have other links to 2011 Ordos, please add them as a comment below.

Pentecost Pilgrimages (images) - part 3

Vexilla Regis prodeunt: the flags of the Paris-Chartres Pentecost Pilgrimage arrive at Chartres: see videos of the final day here. Full reports at N.D. de Chrétienté.

____________________

[And more images of the final day of the simultaneous Chartres-Montmartre pilgrimage (Pèlerinage de Tradition). Full reports at La Porte Latine.]

Reader opinion: Breviarium Romanum Angelus Press and Nova et Vetera editions

We are re-posting this for two reasons.

-(First), a reader asks us the following: "Was any edition of the Breviarium published in the early 1960s according to the 1960 rubrics but with the traditional, not the Pius XII, Psalter?" We know that both the Les Amis de Saint François de Sales edition, sold by Angelus Press, and the Nova et Vetera edition fall into this category - but they are both current publications. The reader's question is related to Breviaries published anywhere in the world at the time.

-(Second), if you did not add your voice to the comments below, please do: we would like to know your opinion regarding any version of the Breviaries of the Latin Church (including partial editions, such as the several available Diurnales).

____________________________________

Actually, everything worked better before the Council

Cardinal Kasper is right: four words you would have never thought you might read here:

Cardinal Kasper thinks Catholics communicated better before the Second Vatican Council

Receive my words

Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to them: Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words. (Acts of the Apostles, from the first Lesson for Ember Wednesday in Pentecost)

This pre-eminent position that Jesus wanted to bestow upon Peter is also encountered after the Resurrection: Jesus charges the women to announce it especially to Peter, as distinct from the other Apostles (cf. Mk 16: 7); it is to Peter and John that Mary Magdalene runs to tell them that the stone has been rolled away from the entrance to the tomb (cf. Jn 20: 2), and John was to stand back to let Peter enter first when they arrived at the empty tomb (cf. Jn 20: 4-6).

Then, Peter was to be the first witness of an appearance of the Risen One (cf. Lk 24: 34; I Cor 15: 5). His role, decisively emphasized (cf. Jn 20: 3-10), marks the continuity between the pre-eminence he had in the group of the Apostles and the pre-eminence he would continue to have in the community born with the paschal events, as the Book of Acts testifies (cf. 1: 15-26; 2: 14-40; 3: 12-26; 4: 8-12; 5: 1-11, 29; 8: 14-17; 10; etc.).

Pentecost Pilgrimages (images) - part 2

Lots of pictures of the Pentecost Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage (Notre-Dame de Chrétienté) now posted at the pilgrimage website.

[For beautiful pictures of the Eucharistic Procession of the simultaneous Chartres-Montmartre Pilgrimage (Pèlerinage de Tradition), click here.]

Today (updated)

Meeting of the heads of dicasteries of the Roman Curia (Capi Dicastero), presided by the Pope, in the Sala Bologna of the Apostolic Palace. This Monday morning meeting is the first general gathering of the heads of dicasteries with the Holy Father in 2011.

[Update (June 14):] According to Andrea Tornielli, yesterday's meeting focused primarily on some matters related to the life of religious men and women: (1) on the need to clearly separate male and female religious, contrary to the practices of some new religious congregations, which allow for common communities; (2) on the need to clearly separate the functions of lay faithful and religious - avoiding that lay leaders may have jurisdiction over priests and religious; (3) on the need to avoid overemphasis on the person of the Founder, when this prevents a wider acknowledgment of the primacy of the Church and of the Magisterium.

Pope Benedict XVI and true ecumenism: the Church has always been fully Catholic

Glorious words of the Holy Father:

[T]he Church is Catholic from her first moment, her universality is not the fruit of the successive inclusion of various communities. From the first instant, in fact, the Holy Spirit created her as the Church of all peoples; she embraces the entire world, she transcends all limits of race, class, nation; she breaks down every obstacle and brings all men together in the profession of the One and Triune God. From the beginning, the Church is One, Catholic, and Apostolic: this is her true nature and as such it must be recognized. She is Holy, not thanks to the ability of her members, but because God Himself, with His Spirit, creates, purifies, and sanctifies her always.

Benedict XVI

Homily (Pentecost)

June 12, 2011

Pray for the safety of the Pope

Security was considerably increased in the Vatican yesterday after direct threats against the Holy Father were made in a recently-released video by a member of an extreme Islamist group. The Pope and the Italian Prime Minister were called "easy  targets" in the video. [Source: various Italian agencies, including AGI.]

Let us pray for the Holy Father.

Cambalache de Obispos: the Bible and the water heater

From the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DRAE):

cambalache

5. m. Arg., Par. y Ur. prendería. ("Store in which used goods, objects, or pieces of furniture are bought and sold.")

Cambalache, of course, is the name of a famous tango by Enrique Santos Discepolo (the one that, after criticizing life in the twentieth century, mentions "la Biblia junto al calefón", a Bible near the water heater, in a shop of used goods). And, we sadly have to admit, it often seems that many Bishops are chosen not from regular ternas, but from actual cambalaches of candidates.

Many have generally been - rightly - critical of the trend, in recent decades, of making Metropolitan Archbishops truly careerist positions which can only be reached by those who have been previously non-Metropolitan Bishops elsewhere. This particularly because it is well-known that so many good priests were named directly as heads of great Metropolitan Sees: to name just two 20th century examples, among several, Blessed Ildefonso Schuster, previously an abbot, in Milan, and the reigning Pontiff himself, a priest and professor, in Munich-Freising.

So it was with good expectation that one could see the nomination of a priest directly to a Metropolitan See in Argentina, last week: but, alas, the chosen man was Monsignor Alfredo Zecca, former President of the (not exactly orthodox) Universidad Católica Argentina, named Archbishop of Tucumán. (Image gently found in Spanish blog La Cigüeña.)

Mons. Zecca is a spiritual son, close disciple and follower of Cardinal Bergoglio - not exactly a friend of Traditional-minded Catholics -, and, naturally, did nothing to stem serious problems in his University. This comes soon after the unbelievable nomination of François Fonlupt as Bishop of Rodez (in the Aveyron region of France) - more at Valle Adurni and reaction at Catholic Oasis.

Pentecost Pilgrimages (images)

Images of the first and second day of the Pentecost Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage (Pèlerinage de Chrétienté) at The New Liturgical Movement - Pentecost Mass celebrated by the Superior General of the Institute of the Good Shepherd.

[For images of the first day of the simultaneous Chartres-Montmartre Pilgrimage (Pèlerinage de Tradition), visit La Porte Latine ; diaporama at DICI.]

New design

Congratulations to Mr. Donald Taylor for winning our "Virtual Kermesse" with the new template you are now able to enjoy. It provides the exact amount of continuity and conservative and minor alterations we were looking for: that is "organic development" for you... If you have any suggestions to improve the new design, please, post them in our comment box or send them to us and we will ask Mr. Taylor to verify if any of them can be satisfactorily implemented.

We thank the best overall Catholic bookseller in the English-speaking world, Angelus Press, for their generous support of our contest - overall, because, from children's classics (Know your Mass) to what is considered by most to be the most complete laity Missal, from official doctrinal masterpieces (Catechismus ad parochos) to the official books of the Traditional Roman Liturgy (including the Breviarium Romanum or the Rituale), Angelus Press consistently prints and/or offers excellent publications. Visit their website frequently and watch out for their latest announcements. (This is certainly not an ad, but a sincere acknowledgment of the gift that Angelus Press is to the world.)

A very happy Whitsuntide to all!

Videos of the FSSP Ordination in Poland

Rorate reported on this event a few days ago:

Part 1

Pentecost MMXI:Urgent Prayers during the Octave of Pentecost

Declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts (Consecrations)

[Declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
on the correct application of canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law
(i.e. excommunications latae sententiae for episcopal consecrations 
without Pontifical mandate)]

Missa Cantata in Newton Upper Falls, Mass.

Sent by a reader:

At Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton Upper Falls, Mass., Fr. Charles Higgins will offer a traditional Latin Missa cantata for Pentecost Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The Mass setting is Franz Joseph Haydn's Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida in B-flat major (Heiligmesse), with William Byrd's setting of the Pentecost propers.

270 Elliot Street, Newton Upper Falls, Mass. (http://www.maryimmaculatenewton.org/).

Events: Pentecost High Mass in Kenosha, Wisconsin

A Missa Cantata (High Mass) will be offered on Pentecost Sunday, June 12th, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin (about halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee), at 3 p.m. The celebrant will be Fr. Charles Johnson, S.Th.D., and the Mass propers and ordinary will be sung by the Oriana Singers, under the direction of Mr. Bill Chin, all under the kind auspices of the Kenosha Latin Mass Society. Confessions will be heard starting at 2:15 p.m. with the recitation of the Holy Rosary to follow at 2:30 p.m. St. Peter's is located at 2224 30th Avenue, Kenosha, WI, 53144. (For more information, please email info@latinmasskenosha.com).

Ego dilecto meo, et dilectus meus mihi

J.S.Bach
Mein Freund ist mein (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme - BWV 140)

_________________________

Here is to be found one of the deeper aspects of the dogma of the Communion of Saints. The closer one of these privileged souls is to God, the author and source of every good which can adorn and rejoice souls, the greater is her beneficent action on those around. What graces she can demand from the Spouse, wresting them from Him for the whole Church! How powerfully she can co-operate in the conversion of sinners, the perseverance of the just, the salvation of those agonising, the entrance of the holy and suffering souls into the bliss of heaven! What a wonderful fruitfulness is hers! The fecundity of nature is limited; hers is unlimited, it is as a radiance emanating from her soul; those who approach her are embalmed "in the good odour of Christ;" there is, as it were, a divine virtue which goes out from her to touch souls, obtain their pardon, console, strengthen, raise, tranquillise, gladden, and make them show forth the glory of her Spouse.

Let us pray

In this time of upheaval and uncertainty, for Christians in Syria - the land that gave us so many conversions, saints, martyrs and confessors, since the earliest days of our Church, the land that gave us, through its ancient Petrine See of Antioch (now located in southern Turkey), some of the major rites of the East, including that of Constantinople.

"Remember in your prayers the Church in Syria, which now has God for its shepherd, instead of me." 

(Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Romans)

The Ordinariates and the pensée unique

IMPORTANTPozzo speaks

[UPDATED] From an extensive interview granted by the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", Mgr. Guido Pozzo, to Nouvelles de France. [Tip: reader.]

"The faithful who ask for the celebration of the forma extraordinaria must not in any way support or belong to groups which show themselves to be against the validity or legitimacy of the Holy Mass or the Sacraments celebrated in the forma ordinaria or against the Roman Pontiff as Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church." (Instruction Universae Ecclesiae, n. 19). Is this remark directed at the Fraternity of Saint Pius X?

The article of the Instruction to which you refer is related to certain groups of faithful who consider or propose an antithesis between the Missal of 1962 and that of Paul VI, and who believe that the rite promulgated by Paul VI for the celebration of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is detrimental to the faithful. I wish to make it clear that it is clearly necessary to distinguish the rite and the Missal in themselves, celebrated according to the norms, and a certain understanding and application of the liturgical reform, characterized by ambiguity, doctrinal deformations, abuses and banalizations, events that are unfortunately so common that they led Cardinal J. Ratzinger to speak, without hesitations, in one of his publications of a "collapse of the liturgy". It would be unfair and false to consider the reformed Missal the cause of such a collapse. At the same time, it is necessary to receive the doctrine and the discipline that Pope Benedict XVI gave us in his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum for the restoration of the extraordinary form of the ancient Roman Rite and to follow the exemplary manner in which the Holy Father celebrates Holy Mass in the ordinary form at Saint Peter's, in his pastoral visits, and in his apostolic journeys. 

Does the Fraternity of Saint Pius X recognize this missal [of Paul VI] as valid and licit?

It is the Fraternity of Saint Pius X that should be asked that. 

Does the Holy Father wish the Fraternity of Saint Pius X to reconcile with Rome? 

Certainly. The letter of removal of excommunications of the four Bishops illegitimately consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre is the expression of the desire of the Holy Father to favor the reconciliation of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X with the Holy See. 

The content of the discussions that take place between Rome and the Fraternity of Saint Pius X is secret, but what points do they touch and in what manner do they progress? 

The essential point is of a doctrinal nature. In order to reach a true reconciliation, it is necessary to move past certain doctrinal problems that are at the basis of the current fracture. In the ongoing talks, there is a confrontation of arguments between the experts chosen by the Fraternity of Saint Pius X and the experts chosen by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the end, conclusive summaries of the positions of both parties are written. The themes under discussion are known: primacy and episcopal collegiality; relations between the Catholic Church and non-Catholic Christian confessions; religious liberty; the Missal of Paul VI. At the end of the talks, the results of the discussions will be submitted to the respective authorized levels for an overall evaluation.

It does not seem conceivable that a call into question of the Second Vatican Council may happen. Therefore, where do these discussions might lead? To a better understanding of this? 

They concern a clarification of points that detail the exact meaning of the teaching of the Council. It is what the Holy Father started to do on December 22, 2005, by interpreting the Council within a hermeneutic of renewal in continuity. Nevertheless, there are certain objections of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X that do make sense, because there has been an interpretation of rupture. The goal is to show that it is necessary to interpret the Council in the continuity of the Tradition of the Church. 

Cardinal Ratzinger was in charge of these discussions for nearly 20 years. Does he still follow the progress now as Pope? 

First, there is the role of the secretary, which is that of organizing and taking care of the good development of the discussions. The evaluation of these is the responsibility of the Holy Father, who follows the discussions, with Cardinal Levada, is informed of them, and  gives his opinion. The same goes regarding all points with which the Congregation deals.

[See also: Fellay speaks]

Fellay speaks: the contacts continue

[UPDATE (June 10): Full translation of the interview, provided by DICI.] From an interview granted by the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, on June 1, 2011, as he visited Gabon:

Allow me to end [this interview], Your Excellency, with two questions. The first is related to the relations between the Fraternity and Rome. Where are you in your contacts? A subsidiary question: can we expect, on a mid- term, a normalization of these relations?

The contacts continue. We are probably reaching the end of a phase of discussions. This is not yet completely clear. What will happen? What will be the outcome of this phase? This answers the second question. What does Rome foresee for us now? One should not be mistaken: we are truly within the crisis of the Church; it has certainly not ended. What is our fate in this crisis? I believe that, at some level, the Good Lord linked us with this crisis, because we work for the restoration of the Church, but this may still last for a decade, maybe two. It is necessary to have lots of courage and perseverance. This can be resolved tomorrow, this may be be resolved the day after tomorrow. All is in the hands of the Good Lord. Let us all remain simply faithful.

My second question is related to your feeling following the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

A very mixed feeling. The impression [that is given is that] of an incredible precipitation, that disregards all rules that the Church herself expressed before proceeding to these kinds of acts. The impression of imprudence. One example: when one wishes to beatify or to canonize, what was said and written by the candidate that is called "venerable" is very closely examined. Well, here, the greatest part of what was written by him is located within the secret archives of the Vatican, that have not yet been opened. We remain, therefore, uneasy. We fear seeing there a desire to cement a cause that John Paul II put in place, that he wished to continue throughout his Pontificate, of which he wished to be the apostle.

[Source: DICI]

[See also: Pozzo speaks.]

"As far as the Irish dioceses and seminaries are concerned..."

From the Communiqué at the Conclusion of the First Phase of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland:

As far as the Irish dioceses and seminaries are concerned, the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Catholic Education do not envisage further Apostolic Visitations. Having encountered various organizations and individuals, including the Suffragan Bishops, the Visitators have been able to arrive at a sufficiently complete picture of the situation of the Irish Church with respect to the areas under investigation.

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has analyzed the responses to the questionnaires that were sent to all Institutes with religious houses in Ireland. In accordance with the method previously adopted, visits in loco to some religious communities will follow.

In the coming months, the competent Dicasteries will give indications to the Bishops for the spiritual renewal of the dioceses and seminaries, and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will do likewise for the religious Institutes.

By early 2012, the Holy See will publish an overall synthesis indicating the results and the future prospects highlighted by the Visitation, not least with a view to the nationwide Mission announced in the above-mentioned Letter of the Holy Father.

"How could the present-day Church have turned its back on such riches?"

Chiesa del Volto Santo, Turin.

(Source: Fides et Forma)

Sandro Magister's latest column (Only Beauty Will Save Us) summarizes the critical views of Enrico Maria Radaelli (perhaps the foremost disciple of Romano Amerio) on the hierarchy's abdication of "their magisterial role as beacons of the faith, and therefore of Christian art". The summary is followed by the following passages from a speech by Jean Clair (described by Magister as "a world-famous art historian, member of the French Academy and conservator general of the French artistic heritage) at the "Courtyard of the Gentiles" held in Paris on March 25 of this year:

THE CULT OF THE AVANT-GARDE AND THE CULTURE OF DEATH

by Jean Clair

Paris, Courtyard of the Gentiles, March 25, 2011

[...] There are in the history of the Church singular episodes like, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the astonishing popularity of the Goliards, itinerant clerics who wrote erotic poetry and rather obscene tavern songs, and dedicated themselves to making burlesque parodies of the Mass and sacraments of the Church. But the Goliards did this to criticize a Church whose errors they were denouncing. There is nothing of this, today, in the artists of the avant-garde, who have no relationship with the Church, not even the desire to mock it. The movement of the Goliards was connected with an era of great religiosity and mysticism, not with a manifestation of indifference.

They could be only the singular deviations of a few jokers, if the proliferation of these aesthetic incursions into the churches of France, and the similarity of their nature, exhibitionist and often coprolalic, did not lead us to ask ourselves about what relationship Catholicism has today with the notion of Beauty.

I am your brother, you are my sister - by unity with him

This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, 'Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven' etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.

Boniface VIII

Unam Sanctam

And so, supported by the clear witness of Holy Scripture, and adhering to the manifest and explicit decrees both of our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs and of general councils, we promulgate anew the definition of the ecumenical Council of Florence, which must be believed by all faithful Christians, namely that the "holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher of all Christian people. To him, in blessed Peter, full power has been given by our lord Jesus Christ to tend, rule and govern the universal Church. All this is to be found in the acts of the ecumenical councils and the sacred canons."

Wherefore we teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power of the Roman Pontiff is both episcopal and immediate. Both clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.

In this way, by unity with the Roman Pontiff in communion and in profession of the same faith, the Church of Christ becomes one flock under one Supreme Shepherd.

First Vatican Council

Pastor Aeternus, 3

First EF Ordination in Poland since the Liturgical Reform

For the first time in Poland since the liturgical reforms, a sacerdotal ordination according to the traditional Roman Rite took place on Sunday, June 5, 2011, in Krakow, when Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek ordained Fr. Marek Grabowski FSSP. (Source: Nowy Ruch Liturgiczny)

There is an FSSP-maintained morning TLM from Monday to Saturday in Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, plus two Sunday TLM's in the Holy Cross Church of the same city.

Fr. Grabowski is the fourth FSSP priest to be ordained this year. George Cardinal Pell ordained Fr. Damon Sypher in St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on May 5 while two priests were ordained by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz in the FSSP seminary in Nebraska on May 21. Nine FSSP members so far have received diaconal ordination this year: five were ordained on March 19 in the FSSP seminary in Denton by Bishop Czeslaw Kozon of Copenhagen and another four were ordained on May 29 in Wigratzbad by Bishop Marc Aillet of Bayonne.

H/T and the source of photo: Te Igitur

"Thanks to the Holy Father for Summorum Pontificum"

So said our friends of the "Benedictus" Society for the Promotion of the Traditional Mass, of Zagreb, as the Vicar of Christ visited the Croatian capital yesterday.

And, as it can be seen, the Apostolicus Dominus sure saw the sign!

Congratulations to those Catholics from the land of the dalmatic and of the necktie who held steady in the rain in order to thank Peter. 

[Source: Toma Blizanac; remember  that the Zagreb situation was sorted out by direct intervention of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", one of the very few pre-trial test cases for Universae Ecclesiae (Jan. 2011).]

Ascension: "That's where God is"The God Who will judge the living and the dead

Dear Ascended Lord, give us Your grace - 
that we may be spared on that tearful day!

______________________________

Lacrimosa [Dies Irae]

Requiem dla mojego przyjaciela

Zbigniew Preisner

"My Son, pay diligent heed to the motions of Nature and of Grace, because they move in a very contrary and subtle manner, and are hardly distinguished save by a spiritual and inwardly enlightened man. All men indeed seek good, and make pretence of something good in all that they say or do; and thus under the appearance of good many are deceived.

"Nature is deceitful and draweth away, ensnareth, and deceiveth many, and always hath self for her end; but Grace walketh in simplicity and turneth away from every appearance of evil, maketh no false pretences, and doeth all entirely for the sake of God, in whom also she finally resteth.

"Nature is very unwilling to die, and to be pressed down, and to be overcome, and to be in subjection, and to bear the yoke readily; but Grace studieth self-mortification, resisteth sensuality, seeketh to be subdued, longeth to be conquered, and willeth not to use her own liberty. She loveth to be held by discipline, and not to have authority over any, but always to live, to remain, to have her being under God, and for God's sake is ready to be humbly subject to every ordinance of man.

"Nature laboureth for her own advantage, and considereth what profit she may gain from another; but Grace considereth more, not what may be useful and convenient to self, but what may be profitable to the many.

"Nature willingly receiveth honour and reverence; but Grace faithfully ascribeth all honour and glory to God.

"Nature feareth confusion and contempt, but Grace rejoiceth to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.

...

This Grace is a supernatural light, and a certain special gift of God, and the proper mark of the elect, and the pledge of eternal salvation; it exalteth a man from earthly things to love those that are heavenly; and it maketh the carnal man spiritual. So far therefore as Nature is utterly pressed down and overcome, so far is greater Grace bestowed and the inner man is daily created anew by fresh visitations, after the image of God.

The Imitation of Christ, III, LIV

[Note: Yes, The Tree of Life (source of the image and piece of music above) is a difficult, but profound and deeply moving, motion picture. Thanks to the Abbé G. de Tanoüarn for recommending it.]

From Benedict XIII to Benedict XVI, the complex cause of a complex life

From the English edition of L'Osservatore Romano:

Beatification of the Venerable Palafox

Bishop and governor

On Sunday, June 5th, in El Burgo de Osma, Soria, Spain, Juan de Palafox will be proclaimed Blessed. It will be a day of joy, after a long process of one of the most complex Causes in the history of the Church.

Juan de Palafox y Mendoza was born in 1600 in Fitero, Navarra, Spain where he spent his childhood. He attended university at Huesca, Alcala’ and Salamanca and in 1626 entered into the service of the Monarchy. In 1629 he became a priest and in 1639 a bishop. Nominated Bishop of Puebla de los Angeles in Mexico (New Spain), Palafox had important responsibilities as viceroy and apostolic visitor.Both in Mexico and later in Soria, he distinguished himself as a zealous pastor. He died in Osma, Spain, in 1659.

Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society (thirty-fifth posting of souls)

Below, please find the thirty-fifth posting of enrolled souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. And thank all of you that kindly prayed for my special attention ... the prayers worked.

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. PLEASE follow this format strictly, as any deviation creates a lot of extra work.

Please consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.

And please remember to follow @RorateCaeli on Twitter.

Just another day at the Society of "Jesus"

1. LGBTUVWXYZ, S.J.

From a glittering post at the Jesuit weekly:

Homophobia is still out there, no matter how much we would wish to think of ourselves as an enlightened culture, and exists in our church.  Thus, the need for June as “LGBT month,” as just proclaimed by President Obama.

They call themselves the "National Catholic weekly", two words of which are true. We suggest, as a matter of truthfulness, that they change it to the "National LGBT weekly" in their anti-"homophobia" movement - we doubt their readership would change much.
[Tip: reader.]

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2. Archbishop of Mexico denounces pro-abortion Jesuit-run group.

MEXICO CITY, June 3, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A letter written by the Cardinal of Mexico City, Most Rev. Norberto Rivera Carrera to the Canadian Bishops Conference says that the Jesuit run Miguel Austin Pro Centre (PRODH) “does NOT represent the sentiments of the Church and has been characterized by its support and encouragement of groups and activities that are an affront to Christian values.” Until recently PRODH was a partner of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P), the Canadian bishops’ international development arm.

“With respect to the theme of defence of life, the organization has supported pro-abortion groups and promoted the purported woman’s right over her body, against unborn life,” said a translation of the letter obtained by The Catholic Register.

The letter confirms the reasoning behind the decision of Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast to refuse to permit the then-leader of PRODH, Jesuit priest Fr. Luis Arriaga, from speaking in his archdiocese last month. After the archbishop met with Development and Peace (D&P) director Michael Casey, funding for PRODH was also cut. [Tip: Angelqueen]

Canticum Clericorum Romanum

A quite admirable undertaking by the Canons of Saint John Cantius.

Our only objection is that there is no reasonable motive for not having kept all titles, including the names of each Sunday and Feast, in Latin - it would have been more international, truly universal in character as the Traditional Mass is, and even more elegant. It is not as if these are complex rubrics - who, among those who will actually use this book, would ignore what "Dominica VI post Pentecosten" means? Or "Lectio prima"? 

Note: a free online version of these settings is kindly provided by the Latin Mass community of Windsor, Ontario.

[Tip: Fr. Zuhlsdorf]

Blessed Palafox,patron of undermined clerics

We are proud clericalists, in all good senses of the word: this is why we celebrate the beatification, on June 5, of  Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, a good, honorable, and holy man, Bishop of Tlaxcala (Puebla de los Ángeles, where he remained, refusing his nomination as Archbishop of México), former Councillor of the Consejo de Indias (position which he left when he decided to become a priest), prolific writer, and viceroy of New Spain (already as Bishop of Tlaxcala-Puebla).

Undermined in his ecclesiastical authority by powerful laymen, other bishops, a misinformed Holy See, and particularly by contentious religious orders - especially the Society of Jesus, whose dislike for Palafox stalled for centuries even the process of his beatification -, Palafox was blocked at every turn in his attempts to properly administer his American diocese of the Angels (which at the time covered a considerable part of New Spain, including most of the current states of Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Tabasco, Hidalgo, and Guerrero). He ended his years as Bishop of Osma, Spain, where his holiness was admired by all. He also left many admirers of his deep devotional life in New Spain.

[Short biography in the Catholic Encyclopedia. / Interesting reference to the library he founded in Puebla, in 1646, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana: the first public library of the Americas./ Interesting personal testimony of Fr. Francisco Lorente, who was his confessor and secretary, regarding his devotional life and his intense love for Holy Mass - in Spanish.]

First Fridayin the month of the Sacred Heart"Jesus, my only true and real friend"

Ant. Ubi caritas (Missa in Coena Domini, ad Mandatum)

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Jesus, thou art my only true and real friend. Thou dost share all my sorrows and takest them upon thyself, knowing how to turn them to my good. Thou dost listen to me kindly when I tell thee of my difficulties, and thou never failest to lighten them. Wherever I go, I always find thee; thou dost never leave me, and if I am obliged to go away, I find thee waiting for me.

...

As Jesus Christ possesses your whole heart, he wishes also to have all your anxieties and all your thoughts. Think of him and trust in his goodness for all the rest. You will see that he will make all things right when you think only of his interests. Reflect very specially on this advice: it contains a great treasure. Experience will show you that I am not deceiving you.

Do not let your peace depend upon what is outside you; you will see that Our Lord will supply for everything when you are satisfied with him alone, and you will find more in him than in all creatures together. Beware of thinking that you have need of anyone whom God withdraws from you. He is too faithful to take away from you any help that he sees necessary for you, so that you may reach the perfection he expects from you.

My Savior, do I still desire something which is not thee? Art thou not sufficient for me, shall I not love thee alone and be content to be loved only by thee! What have I come here to seek, O my God, if it be not thee? What does it matter what they say of me, or if I am loved or despised, well or ill, occupied with this work or with that, placed with these people or with those? Provided that I am with thee, and thou with me, I am content.

Saint Claude de la Colombière

(Lettre à la Sœur de la Colombière, Religieuse de la Visitation)

A reminder: enroll souls in the Purgatorial Society

This is a friendly reminder to send me as many names of souls you can think of to enroll in the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society where 14 holy priests say regular TLMs and numerous faithful remember the souls daily in their prayers. These souls could have been anyone while on Earth -- not just practicing Catholics in good standing.

I can tell you first hand that, once you enroll these souls, you can then turn to them for help. And oh how they come through -- and fast.

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. PLEASE follow this format strictly, as any deviation creates a lot of extra work.

Please consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.

And please remember to follow @RorateCaeli on Twitter.

Cardinal Burke - Pontifical Mass on Pentecost Sunday

Veræ amicitiæ sempiternæ sunt

Maiorem hac dilectionem nemo habet, ut animam suam ponat qui pro amicis suis. (St.John, xv, 13: Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.)

[F]riendship is not to be sought for its wages, but because its revenue consists entirely in the love which it implies. Those, however, who, after the manner of beasts, refer everything to pleasure, think very differently. Nor is it remarkable that they do, for men who have degraded all their thoughts to so mean and contemptible an end can rise to the contemplation of nothing lofty, nothing magnificent and divine. We may, therefore, leave them out of this discussion. ... For if it were utility that cemented friendships, an altered aspect of utility would dissolve them. But because nature cannot be changed, therefore true friendships are eternal.

Cicero

De Amicitia

[transl. A.P.Peabody]