HENRICVS S.R.E. CARD DANTE
PRESB. S. AGATHAE IN VRBE
ROMANVS
5.7.1884 - 24.4.1967
PRESB. S. AGATHAE IN VRBE
ROMANVS
5.7.1884 - 24.4.1967
Sciacca moved to Signatura
One of the noblest members of the Roman Curia, Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, was named today by Pope Francis Adjunct Secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, headed by Cardinal Burke.
Sciacca was the Secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, headed by a papal favorite, Cardinal Bertello.
(In the image: Bp. Sciacca delivers an exhortation in the Brompton Oratory, Pontifical High Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 2012.)
First things first!
2. "Conservative Catholic" author and former editor-in-chief of "First Things" magazine Joseph Bottum writes lengthy essay in defense of his conversion to the cause of "same-sex marriage" for Commonweal magazine: "Funding for this essay has been provided by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation."
3. "The Moscow Patriarchate Department for Church Charity and Social Service transferred $1,320,407 to the bank account of the Patriarchate of Antioch [i.e. the besieged Eastern Orthodox in Syria] in the beginning of August 2013." (Pravoslavie)
You report: Latin Mass & Byzantine Liturgy in the Saint Olaf Pilgrimage, Russia
A truly biritual affair: the Latin Mass community of Moscow and the Greek Catholic Parish of Sts. Cyril and Methodius of Saint Petersburg. The report was sent by a Russian reader.
July 28 is the day of St. Vladimir according to the calendar followed by Russian Greek-Catholics, and July 29 is the day of St. Olaf in the Latin calendar. The Saint Olaf Pilgrimage, organized by Una Voce Russia together with two Catholic parishes, the Latin-rite of St. Nicholas in Luga, and the Byzantine-rite parish of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in St. Petersburg, brought together men and women coming from several places in Russia as well as from Poland and Italy, both Greek-Catholics and Latins, to walk about 100 km in four days, spending nights in improvised tent camps, and assisting at celebrations which both St. Olaf, a Viking turned Christian, and St. Vladimir, the 10th century prince and baptizer of Russia, would have easily recognized as something familiar: the Traditional Latin Mass and its Eastern counterpart, the Divine Liturgy in the Church Slavonic language.
The goal of the pilgrimage was the city of Novgorod, where St. Olaf has spent some time as an exile before returning to Norway to die as a martyr in the battle of Stiklestad. Nowadays Novgorod is the center of Russian Catholics’ veneration of this holy king, promoted by the Catholic parish priest there, Fr. Vladimir Timoshenko. Father Vladimir presented to the pilgrims an icon of Saint Olaf and also pronounced a very moving sermon at the Mass celebrated by Fr. Paolo Giacinti IVE, the parish priest of Luga who also travels regularly to St. Petersburg to say the “old” Mass there. Also of particular interest were three lectures delivered by Greek-Catholic priest Fr. Kirill Mironov.
Giddy "Progressives" losing all sense of proportion
One of the most influential Spanish-speaking "progressive" religious journalists, José Manuel Vidal, today begins an article commemorating the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., with these words:
Next August 31 is the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, which we could call "the Baptist", the precursor, the cardinal who, during the long years of the ecclesial "winter-involution" kept alight and upright the Conciliar torch. And it was not easy for him. Rowing against the current is only within the reach of the wise and strong. Dissenting within and from the Church [is something] only the saints and prophets can do.I do not believe I exaggerate if I say that, in a certain sense, Bergoglio is Martini's son.
No, the latter is probably not an exaggeration - but "the Baptist", precursor, presumably, of a new "Christ"? Really?... And it is quite true that Martini had an incredibly hard life as an academic star in biblical studies, as the most influential Church figure in Italy for two decades, as the omnipresent face of the Church in Italian television, radio, newspapers, and bookstores, as the Archbishop of the largest see in Europe, and as a Prince of the Church. God forbid any cleric from enduring this much ignominy!
For traditional Catholics, left on the sidelines for decades, this Wojtylian-Martinian struggle, still being fought by their descendants, is truly a battle of their own making. Just please avoid hitting us when you fire on your true adversaries in this war for power, influence, and positions. And leave the name of Saint John the Baptist alone!
Ecclesia Dei
No, not the Pontifical Commission - the words, "Church of God". Traditional Catholics are aware that these words are among the very first in the Rite of Baptism, as the Priest asks the child (through those responsible for the boy or girl), "Quid petis ab Ecclesia Dei?", "What do you ask of the Church of God?"
Similar questions are asked at the beginning of the New Rite of Baptism, but at its end the new words established by Paul VI as a kind of a greeting to the new Christian were "Comunitas christiana", "Christian community", and as his last liturgical act Pope Benedict XVI changed them in all versions of the New Rite for the more traditional "Ecclesia Dei" - and ordered its change also in the vernacular versions, a change made public already in the new Pontificate.
The Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship is below (Source and further details: Sandro Magister):
CONGREGATIO DE CULTU DIVINO ET DISCIPLINA SACRAMENTORUM
Sedia occupata
From Sandro Magister's blog Settimo Cielo:
There was once an empty Chair. It was left vacant up until the very last minute on the 22nd of June, with no plausible explanation from Pope Francis, as he deserted the concert offered in his honour in the packed Aula Nervi of Paul VI.Now the Chair is occupied. Not by the Pope, however, but by an Argentinian football [soccer] star, Ezequiel “El Pocho” Lavezzi, and surrounded by his jubilant team-mates.
It happened on the 13th of August, in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace, at the end of the meeting between Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio and the Italian and Argentinean national football teams.While the Italian footballers politely waited in line to greet the Pope, the Argentinians, in disorder, crowded around him, to such an extent that it made him exclaim: “Here in the Vatican they criticize me, and call me undisciplined: now they have seen my race!”In giving news of the meeting , L’Osservatore Romano spoke of the “uncontainable exuberance” of the Argentine players, “with the Chair guards having their hands full keeping an eye on everything.”But the Vatican paper was careful not to publish the photo of the occupied Chair, which instead, was diffused on Twitter by the protagonist of the bravado.As for the Chair guards, seeing that the Master of the House let it happen, they were not able to intervene in defense of the sacred Chair, and so were not even able to give honour to their name. Has the reform of the Curia already begun?
(Author: Sandro Magister; Tip and translation: Contributor Francesca Romana.)
The Immaculate Queen:
"It can be said appropriately that she has, together with Christ, redeemed the human race"
On the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin, the octave day of the Assumption, as we contemplate the Queen crowned in the Glory of the Divinity, the words of Pope Benedict XV in 1918 seem quite appropriate:
The fact that the Sorrowful Virgin is elected and invoked as the Patron of a good death wonderfully corresponds to Catholic doctrine and to the pious Tradition of the Church. (...)
Because the Doctors of the Church by common consent profess that, if the Most Blessed Virgin did not apparently have any participation in the public life of Jesus Christ, and then suddenly reappeared on the path to Calvary and under the Cross, she could not have been present without Divine design. For, as she suffered and almost died together with her suffering and dying Son, she gave up her rights as mother over this Son for the salvation of men and, to appease Divine justice, she, as much as it pertained to her [quantum ad se pertinebat], immolated Him, so that it can be said appropriately that she has, together with Christ, redeemed the human race [Ipsam cum Christo humanum genus redemisse].
But if for this reason, every kind of grace we receive from the treasury of the redemption is ministered as it were through the hands of the same Sorrowful Virgin, everyone can see that a holy death should be expected from her, since it is precisely by this gift that the work of the Redemption is effectively and permanently completed in each one. (...)
... further, there is a most constant belief among the faithful, proved by long experience, that as many as employ the same Virgin as Patron will not at all perish forever.
Benedict XV
Inter Sodalicia
March 22, 1918
FSSP Personal Parish in Sydney
From the web log of the Transalpine Redemptorists (Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer), images of the day of the canonical establishment of the Personal Parish in Sydney, Australia:
On the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (F.S.S.P.) had their church of the Maternal Heart of Mary, in Sydney Australia, constituted a personal parish by George Cardinal Pell, archbishop of Sydney. Fr Duncan Wong, F.S.S.P. was appointed as the parish priest. Being a personal parish of the F.S.S.P. it is dedicated exclusively to the celebration of the Traditional Mass.The first Solemn High Mass to be celebrated in the newly erected parish was celebrated by the parish priest, Fr Wong. Fr Damonn Sypher F.S.S.P. was Deacon, and Mr Daniel Mould F.S.S.P. was Subdeacon.
The Personal Parish of the Maternal Heart of Mary was established by the Archbishop of Sydney, who is, of course, His Eminence Cardinal Pell, one of the eight members of the superior advisory cardinalatial council named by Pope Francis.
Concilium Vaticanum secundum et Liturgia moresque Ecclesiæ Romanæ
The Impressive Ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica: Le 4 décembre s’est déroluée la séance de clôture de la Seconde Session du Concile œcuménique Vatican II. Un peu avant 9 heures, le Saint-Père revêtait les ornements sacrés, avec le manteau papal, le « formale » et la mitre précieuse, dans la Salle des Paraments, où l’attendait le Sacré Collège de Messieurs les Cardinaus qui avaient revêtu, dans l’appartement Borgia, les ornements blancs de leur Ordre (chape lamée d’argent pour les Cardinaux de l’Ordre des Evêques, chasuble bordée d’or pour les Caridnaux de l’Ordre des prêtres, dalmatique pour les Cardinaux de l’Ordre des diacres) et la mitre de damas blanc.
Benedictines of Nursia (Norcia, Italy) celebrate one year of their brewery
Our Benedictine friends in the Monastery of Saint Benedict, in Nursia (Monastero di San Benedetto, Norcia, Italy) are celebrating the first anniversary of their brewing activities. Video provided by the USCCB's CNS:
The "American Pantheon"
The seal of Bishop John Carroll
If you
think religious liberty is a new concept in the Church, a Conciliar invention,
you'll want to listen to this thought-provoking sermon. This is a solid
reflection on how the Church conquered the pagan gods and turned their pantheon
into the Basilica of St. Mary of the Martyrs, and how a new, virtual pantheon
has been erected in the United States of America. Click here to listen to this
quick sermon, brought to you through our partnership with Audio Sancto.
Traditional Pilgrimage to the Luján Basilica, Argentina
We received the following from readers:
During the past weekend (Saturday, Sunday and Monday), the 4th National Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Christendom in Argentina took place, from Rawson, Province of Buenos Aires, to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, the National Patroness of Argentina, in the same Province.The pilgrimage lasted for three days with the celebration of public Masses in the Extraordinary Forum on each one of them - the last one, inside the Basilica, celebrated by Archbishop A. Baseotto, emeritus of the Military Ordinariate (image below).
Celebrating the Humble Pope
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| The Cardinal-Patriarch in a pastoral journey in the Bassano del Grappa area, Aug. 1901 |
L'Osservatore Romano, the official daily of the Holy See, has special articles today on the 99th anniversary of the death of Saint Pius X, "L'unico parroco che divenne Papa", 'The only parish priest to become a Pope', with two further articles on Holy Pope Sarto - in Italian, in the central pages (4-5) of OR, Aug. 21 issue.
2014: preparing for the 100th anniversary of the passing of Pope Saint Pius X
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| The Relics of St.Pius X in Venice, 1959 |
The 100th year since the holy death of the brilliant and great Pope Saint Pius X, begins in the Americas tonight at 8:15 Eastern Time. The great-hearted Pontiff "fell asleep in the Lord" 99 years ago on August 20 at 1:15 a.m., local Roman time. This is his "Dies natalis", his birthday into paradise.
So, the holy Centennial Year begins.
Ireland: "Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee, and thy apostasy shall rebuke thee"
"Catholic politicians who supported the legalisation of abortion will not be excommunicated or refused communion, the future Primate of all Ireland has indicated." (The Tablet)
I brought you into the land of Carmel,
to eat the fruit thereof, and the best things thereof:
and when ye entered in, you defiled my land,
and made my inheritance an abomination.
The priests did not say: Where is the Lord?
and they that held the law knew me not,
and the pastors transgressed against me:
and the prophets prophesied in Baal, and followed idols. ...
If a nation hath changed their gods,
and indeed they are not gods:
but my people have changed their glory into an idol.
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this,
and ye gates thereof, be very desolate, saith the Lord. ...
Thy own wickedness shall reprove thee,
and thy apostasy shall rebuke thee.
Know thou, and see that it is an evil
and a bitter thing for thee to have left the Lord thy God,
and that my fear is not with thee, saith the Lord the God of hosts. ...
Why dost thou endeavour
to shew thy way good to seek my love,
thou who has also taught thy malices to be thy ways,
And in thy skirts is found the blood
of the souls of the poor and innocent? ...
And thou hast said: "I am without sin and am innocent:
and therefore let thy anger be turned away from me."
Behold, I will contend with thee in judgement,
because thou hast said: "I have not sinned." ...
From thence thou shalt go,
and thy hand shall be upon thy head:
for the Lord hath destroyed thy trust,
and thou shalt have nothing prosperous therein. ...
For from the least of them even to the greatest,
all are given to covetousness:
and from the prophet even to the priest,
all are guilty of deceit.
And they healed the breach of the daughter of my people disgracefully,
saying: "Peace, peace": and there was no peace.
They were confounded, because they committed abomination:
yea, rather they were not confounded with confusion,
and they knew not how to blush:
wherefore they shall fall among them that fall:
in the time of their visitation
they shall fall down, saith the Lord.
Jeremias, ii; vi
OSB Good News - 2
Grand Opening of the new buildings of the Monastery of La Garde, France
On Saturday, August 24, a solemn ceremony and feast will mark the official blessing and official Opening of the new recently built spaces of the Monastery of Saint Mary of la Garde (Monastère Sainte-Marie de la Garde), in Saint-Pierre-de-Clairac, Aquitaine, France.
The Monastery, whose community has been restoring and building the site for several years, is the first daughter-house of the benchmark traditional Abbey of Saint Mary Madgdalen of le Barroux (Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux), near Avignon - the second house, counting the female monastery of Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, also in Le Barroux.
Mass will be offered in the morning, and in the afternoon, Bishop Hubert Herbreteau, of Agen, will proceed to the benediction of the monastic spaces, followed by an "open-doors" moment when visitors will (many for the last time) be able to view the different places inside the monastery, including the chapterhouse and the monastic cells. All details are available in the La Garde website. Building will continue to make the original site look more and more like a proper monastery.
OSB Good News - 1
Solemn Profession in Nursia
Our friends at the Monastery of Saint Benedict in Nursia (San Benedetto in Norcia), Umbria, Italy, sends us the news of the most recent solemn profession. Congratulations!
On Saturday August 3, 2013, Br. Michael Reyes, O.S.B. and Br. Francis Davoren, O.S.B. of the Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia, Italy made their solemn profession in the Basilica built over St. Benedict and St. Scholastica’s birthplace. This marks the first time that two of our monks made their vows at the same time.The community in Norcia now numbers 17 monks, with 11 in solemn vows. The attached photos show the traditional mystical burial of the monks, as well as a close up of the two newly-professed at the reception after the Mass.
Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)
After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.
Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.
To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:
Written by John from Ireland:
I was born in Ireland in 1962 and served the Latin Mass a few times just before the NO was introduced and we were 're-trained'. I abandoned my faith in my mid teens but life without God left me unhappy and thanks be to God, I had returned to my faith through a sometimes painful journey by the time I was 24.
The life of faith is a journey and some of our own journey follows. I do not tell families how to live their lives as each family is different but there are some Catholic practices which will help any family that adopts them.
Married life began when I was 26 and my wife was 23. We were open to life and we were just an ordinary everyday very average Novus Ordo Catholic couple.
It's official: the European Union hates Christianity
The tiny principality of Andorra, between France and Spain, has as its co-princes the French head of State (currently, the President of the Republic) and the Bishop of Urgell, Catalonia, Spain.
Since the introduction of the Euro, being surrounded by two euro nations, the Principality, though not a member of the European Union, decided to adopt the currency - as the Vatican, Monaco, and San Marino also did. As these other small states, it can mint some coins.
One of its most celebrated artistic works, an image of the Romanesque church of Sant Martí de la Cortinada, had been chosen as one of the images of a new coin.
That was too much for the European Union and the European Central Bank, that ordered the image removed from the coin. It could not even remain as an iconic work of art of an area that was historically poor and treasured its few artistic relics from the past - no, imagery that can be considered offensive to the "principle of neutrality in the matter of religious beliefs" is to be removed. It does not matter, apparently, that the image is in the heart of the self-understanding of a people, and of all peoples of Europe. Now, just a bell tower will remain; bell towers are probably not religious enough... The tiny nation that has a Bishop as one of its heads of State could not resist the orders, as Slovakia successfully did in defense of the sainthood of Saints Cyril and Methodius in a commemorative coin.
Update: post updated to correct the fact that the image identified by the Diari d'Andorra (that first broke the story) and ABC as Christ is in fact of Saint Brice of Tours. The remainder of the story is correct: the European Commission blocked the coin as violating religious "neutrality".
Update: post updated to correct the fact that the image identified by the Diari d'Andorra (that first broke the story) and ABC as Christ is in fact of Saint Brice of Tours. The remainder of the story is correct: the European Commission blocked the coin as violating religious "neutrality".
[Source: Diari d'Andorra, in Catalan; ABC, in Spanish; tip: La Cigüeña]
Cappella Papale in the Sistine Chapel - Apostolic Liturgy par excellence
« On appelle CHAPELLES PAPALES, les vêpres, les matines, les messes chantées, et les autres cérémonies ecclésiastiques auxquelles assiste le Pontife souverain, ou qu’il célèbre lui-même, d’après les vénérables rites de l’Église romaine, en présence des Cardinaux, Patriarches, Archevêques et Prélats, du plus grand nombre des Généraux d’ordres religieux, des premiers dignitaires de la cour papale, et de la Famille pontificale »
C. Moroni, Histoire des chapelles papales, Paris 1846, p. 1
The Apple Cake
Some out-of-season apples not in a very good condition, but perfect for baking. I have the fruit, flour, demerara sugar, butter, eggs, milk, cinnamon... Everything is here.
But she isn't.
How she loved baking! And baking for others, not for herself. Separating, measuring, buttering, flouring, beating, folding, tasting, pouring, checking the oven, setting the timer, waiting with expectation, seeing if it's done, removing, cooling, setting it on the plate - setting them on the plates, the several cakes, for the husband, and the children, and the grandchildren, and the visitors, and as gifts, always several at a time. Will I ever be able to see an apple cake again and not weep?
I look at the apples once again. Yes, they are perfect for baking. But they will have to wait.
Communiqué of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt on ongoing events
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is following closely the unfortunate incidents occurring in our nation and confirms its strong support of the Egyptian law enforcement, the armed forces, and all civil Egyptian institutions in confronting violent armed organizations and dark malicious forces, both internal and external. The attacks on our government entities and peaceful churches are terrorizing our citizens both Coptic and Muslim. These actions stand against all religions, morality, and humanity.
We value the stance of the friendly and loyal countries who understand the nature of these events. We strongly denounce the fallacies broadcasted by the western media and invite them to review the facts objectively regarding these bloody radical organizations and their affiliates instead of legitimizing them with global support and political protection while they attempt to spread devastation and destruction in our dear land. We request that the international and western media adhere to providing a comprehensive account of all events with truth, accuracy, and honesty.
Our sincere condolences are extended to all the victims and martyrs of duty that gave their lives, and we pray for the recovery of all those injured and afflicted. We persevere in our strong national unity and repulse any attempts to polarize our great nation into a secular conflict. We absolutely reject even partial foreign interference in our internal affairs. As the hand of evil extends to burn, kill and destroy; the Hands of God are nearer to protect, strengthen, and build. We have full faith and confidence in the Divine intervention that will navigate the Egyptian people in this delicate time of our history to a better tomorrow and a brighter future filled with justice, peace, and democracy that the people of the Nile Valley so rightly deserve.
Pray for Egypt and the Christians of that blessed land. (Source: BlogCopte, slightly modified - emphases added.)
The four Ts: "Tutte Tenebre"
Alessandro Gnocchi wrote a long article a few days ago on the intervention in the Franciscans of the Immaculate (Corrispondenza Romana, in Italian). Gnocchi, a Traditional-minded journalist well known in his native Italy, has had a long and fruitful relationship with the Friars and Sisters, and his article dwells on that a bit, and on the scandalous liturgical aspect of the intervention that was indeed a flagrant curtailment of the rights recognized (not created!) by Benedict XVI in Summorum Pontificum.
In any event, the really interesting part of the article for us is the following. Gnocchi describes a conversation he had with the founder of the Friars and Sisters, Fr. Stefano Manelli, earlier this year:
Two years ago, I met him in the shrine of [the Madonna of] Zuccarello di Nembro, near Bergamo, for the Mass in memory of his mother. He was seating in the sacristy, folded on the chair, finding it hard even to answer back those who greeted him. "How is Father Stefano?" He opened his arms as much as he could and whispered, "He is like this, on the cross". I had just written a book on Padre Pio with Mario Palmaro, but only when faced with that spiritual son of his I finally experienced a small bit of true compassion for the suffering I had unworthily described with words.Three months ago, I saw him again, shortly before the bomb of the intervention exploded. He was restless, but more for the future of the Church than for that of his foundation. "Now, only the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary can save us. We are at that time that Padre Pio called of the 'four Ts': tutte tenebre [all darkness, total darkness]". "And what can we do, Father?" "We must prepare, pray, and continue the struggle. And then," he added with that smile of his, a little as that an old man, and a little as that of a child, "there are the 'four Ts' of light: all Franciscans of the Immaculate".We were at Sassoferrato, in the seminary of the order. A huge building emptied of vocations by the Conventual Friars Minor and replenished by the Franciscans of the Immaculate. A building in which these friars who greet everyone with the splendid 'Ave Maria' live side by side with Lady Poverty. In their houses, poverty is the true one, not that shown to the photographers' cameras nor that preached to others. It is lived truly and one can literally breathe it as soon as one crosses the threshold of any of their convents. Not in the churches, because there, as father Francis wanted, all things must be as splendid as possible for the Lord. But in their houses only those who decide and accept to be truly poor can live.
P.S. We do have some things left to add regarding this mess, but at the appropriate time.
Coronatio Summi Pontificis
Accipe thiaram, tribus coronis ornatam, et scias te esse Patrem Principum et Regum, Rectorem Orbis, in terra Vicarium Salvatoris Nostri, Cui est honor, et gloria in sæcula sœculorum.
"Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of Our Savior on earth, to Him be the honor and glory forever and ever".
Pius P. P. X
Pius P. P. XI
Pius P. P. XII
Misteri d'Elx
From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco):
The mystery play of Elche is a sacred musical drama of the death, the passage into heaven (known as the Assumption) and the crowning of the Virgin Mary. Since the mid-fifteenth century it has been performed in the Basilica of Santa Maria and in the streets of the old city of Elche, situated in the region of Valencia. It is a living testimony of European religious theatre of the Middle Ages and of the cult of the Virgin.
This theatrical performance, which is entirely sung, comprises two acts, performed on 14 and 15 August. These depict the death and crowning of the Virgin in a series of scenes and related paintings: the death of Mary, the night procession that is followed by hundreds of participants carrying candles, the morning procession, the afternoon funeral procession in the streets of Elche, and the enactment of the burial, Assumption and coronation in the Basilica.
Mystery Plays and Passion Plays inside a church were not uncommon before the Protestant revolts, but were severely curtailed after the Catholic Reformation. The Mystery Play of Elx (Misteri d'Elx in Valencian/Catalan, Misterio de Elche in Spanish) was a rare exception after Trent allowed specifically for the Basilica of Saint Mary in Elx (Alicante, Valencia) by Pope Urban VIII. All participating actors are still today men, not women, as it has been since its inception, most probably in the 15th century.
Below, Jordi Savall's versions of one of the main compositions of the play, Esposa e Mare de Déu, and of the processional hymn, with images of the play and its traditional special effects, as well as the procession:
As the Valencians would say, Vixca la Mare de Déu!
[Video tip: Ex Orbe]
Islam's Ring of Fire is a consequence of a God beyond all reason
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| Copts pray inside the Church of St. Moses (Moussa), destroyed by Muslim rioters in Minya, Egypt, Aug. 14-15, 2013 |
A ring of fire seems to surround and cross right through the Islamic world, as if some violent power were inherent to the Islamic mind, and this once again is made clear - well, it is made clear week after week - by the current situation in Egypt, where the weakest links, Christians, are suffering the most.
Why is there such violence in the Muslim spirit that seems to inflame everything and everyone it touches? One hundred years ago, Fr. Gabriel Oussani (no stranger to Islam, as someone born and raised in Turkish Baghdad and Mosul in the late 19th century) penned this concluding paragraph to his Catholic Encyclopedia article on Mohammed and Mohammedanism that we have already posted here, and that should remain in the memory of Christians at all times:
In matters political Islam is a system of despotism at home and of aggression abroad. The Prophet commanded absolute submission to the imam. In no case was the sword to be raised against him. The rights of non-Moslem subjects are of the vaguest and most limited kind, and a religious war is a sacred duty whenever there is a chance of success against the "Infidel". Medieval and modern Mohammedan, especially Turkish, persecutions of both Jews and Christians are perhaps the best illustration of this fanatical religious and political spirit.
The central point and the origin of such despotism and agression is, of course, the understanding of God in Islam. That was the open wound that a great Pope dared to touch seven years ago. As Oussani was right a century ago, Benedict XVI was right in September 2006: a God that is beyond reason is a God that demands and sanctions unreasonableness, disorder, and violence. In Regensburg, Pope Ratzinger spoke truth.
The university [of Bonn] was also very proud of its two theological faculties. It was clear that, by inquiring about the reasonableness of faith, they too carried out a work which is necessarily part of the "whole" of the universitas scientiarum, even if not everyone could share the faith which theologians seek to correlate with reason as a whole. This profound sense of coherence within the universe of reason was not troubled, even when it was once reported that a colleague had said there was something odd about our university: it had two faculties devoted to something that did not exist: God. That even in the face of such radical scepticism it is still necessary and reasonable to raise the question of God through the use of reason, and to do so in the context of the tradition of the Christian faith: this, within the university as a whole, was accepted without question.I was reminded of all this recently, when I read the edition by Professor Theodore Khoury (Münster) of part of the dialogue carried on - perhaps in 1391 in the winter barracks near Ankara - by the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both. It was presumably the emperor himself who set down this dialogue, during the siege of Constantinople between 1394 and 1402; and this would explain why his arguments are given in greater detail than those of his Persian interlocutor. The dialogue ranges widely over the structures of faith contained in the Bible and in the Qur'an, and deals especially with the image of God and of man, while necessarily returning repeatedly to the relationship between - as they were called - three "Laws" or "rules of life": the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur'an. It is not my intention to discuss this question in the present lecture; here I would like to discuss only one point - itself rather marginal to the dialogue as a whole - which, in the context of the issue of "faith and reason", I found interesting and which can serve as the starting-point for my reflections on this issue.In the seventh conversation (διάλεξις - controversy) edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to some of the experts, this is probably one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness, a brusqueness that we find unacceptable, on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God", he says, "is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably (σὺν λόγω) is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.
Insignia of the Pope
The Papal tiara, like the mitre, seems to have been derived from the camelaucum or regnum, and to have retained the from of a tall pointed cap for many centuries. As a head-covering for the Pope, it is first called a tiara in the life of Paschal II (1099-1118) [1]. An 11th-century fresco of Nicholas I (858-67) in the lower church of S. Clemente (Rome) depicts the tiara as a high and pointed coneshaped hat, ornamented with a gold band. This gold circlet or ‘crown’ on the ‘imperial phrygium’ is referred to by Suger, abbot of St. Denis (Paris), in 1130. Ordo Romanus XI (12th century) makes a definite distinction between the mitre and the tiara. By the 13th century, the gold circlet was already fashioned in the form of a tooth-edged crown (regnum), to which a second was added under Boniface VIII (1294-1303) and a third under Clement V (13-5-14), from which is derived the triregnum. The form of the headgear, however, remained until the 14th century a tall cap, resembling a sugar-loaf, from which two black lappets (caudae) were suspended [2].
The inventory of papal treasures made in 1295 still shows a single royal circlet round the tiara. The second crown may have been added as an expression of pomp, but it is more probably explained as an indication of the twofold authority of the Pope – spiritual et temporal. The first notice of the three crowns is found in an inventory made in 1315 or 1316, and the tomb of Benedict XI, who died at Perugia in 1304, shows the early type of tiara. The effigy of Clement V (ob. 1314) at Uzès was unfortunately so mutilated by the Hunguenots that it is impossible to ascertain the form of the ‘hat’, but there are still only two crowns on the tomb of John XXII (ob. 1334) at Avignon. The first monument to represent the Pope with the triple crown is that of the Cistercian Benedict XII (ob. 1342), which is also to be seen at Avignon.
From the end of the middle ages, the upper part of the tiara had a growing tendency to ‘break loose’, until it became larger than the base, allowing for a rich ornamentation of chasing and precious stones. The small cross on the top of the tiara was introduced in the 16th century. The tiara is not strictly a liturgical ornament, and at solemn functions the Pope wears a mitre, while the tiara is carried before him. It is, however, worn for the ceremony of coronation, the return to the sacristy after a solemn Mass, and in the procession to and from the Mass commemorative of the anniversary of the coronation.
The ostrich-feather fans or flabella, which are carried on either side of the papal sedia gestatoria and flank the throne on solemn occasions, may possibly be derived form the fan once used by the deacon during the canon of the Mass [3]. Two of these fans are found today in the museum of the University of Pennsylvania, having been exchanged for another pair by an American in 1902.
Our Lady of the Assumption, "Hammer of Heretics"
How Our Lady Hammered True Pelagianism
UPDATED:
On this Feast of the Assumption, a fitting tribute to Our Lady, Hammer of Heretics. And more on recent pronouncements that some Catholics could be modern-day Pelagians.
Click here to listen to a quick, powerful sermon for today's feast, brought to you through our partnership with Audio Sancto.
Below, we now provide close written transcript to the audio version of the sermon:
Below, we now provide close written transcript to the audio version of the sermon:
"Maria optimam partem elegit, quae non auferetur ab ea."
Diego Velazquez
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
1618
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
1618
"Factum est autem dum irent et ipse intravit in quoddam castellum, et mulier quaedam Martha nomine excepit illum in domum suam. Et huic erat soror nomine Maria, quae etiam sedens secus pedes Domini audiebat verbum illius. Martha autem satagebat circa frequens ministerium, quae stetit et ait, Domine non est tibi curae quod soror mea reliquit me solam ministrare? Dic ergo illi ut me adiuvet. Et respondens dixit illi Dominus, Martha, Martha, sollicita es et turbaris erga plurima, porro unum est necessarium. Maria optimam partem elegit quae non auferetur ab ea."
"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary. who, sitting also at the Lord's feet, heard his word. But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? Speak to her therefore, that she help me. And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful and art troubled about many things: But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:38-42, Gospel pericope for the Feast of the Assumption in the pre-1950 Roman Missal
This is also the pericope for the Feast of the Dormition in the Byzantine Rite. With the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption in 1950, however, the propers of the feast were revised for the Latin Rite, with a lesson from Judith 13:22-25; 15:10 substituted for Ecclesiasticus 24:11-13, 15-20, and the pericope from Luke 1:41-50 substituted for the above Gospel.
But why did the Roman Church formerly read Luke 10:38-42, the famous account of St. Martha and her sister St. Mary Magdalene, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Obviously the Church did not say that Mary in this passage of St. Luke's Gospel is literally the Blessed Virgin. But the Church has interpreted the words of the Gospel in a spiritual or allegorical sense.
As the commentary on this feast from the 1940 St. Andrew's Daily Missal (page 854) explains, "The Church, on earth, like Martha, has to care for the necessities of this present life, but she also, like her, invokes the help of Mary (Collect, Secret, Postcommunion)."
The Mother of God and Holy Mother Church are our two Mothers, and may be likened to sisters, like Mary and Martha. And so, though Our Lady, being assumed into heaven, may seem to have left her "sister" the Church alone to serve Jesus, the Lord has directed His Mother, who has chosen the best part, to help the Church as Mediatrix of all Grace.
Proclamatio Dogmatis Assumptionis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis (A. D. 1950) [Edited 16.VII]
"Quapropter, postquam supplices etiam atque etiam ad Deum admovimus preces, ac Veritatis Spiritus lumen invocavimus, ad Omnipotentis Dei gloriam, qui peculiarem benevolentiam suam Mariae Virgini dilargitus est, ad sui Filii honorem, immortalis saeculorum Regis ac peccati mortisque victoris, ad eiusdem augustae Matris augendam gloriam et ad totius Ecclesiae gaudium exsultationemque, auctoritate Domini Nostri Iesu Christi, Beatorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli ac Nostra pronuntiamus, declaramus et definimus divinitus revelatum dogma esse : Immaculatam Deiparam semper Virginem Mariam, expleto terrestris vitae cursu, fuisse corpore et anima ad caelestem gloriam assumptam".
Pius P. P. XII, Constitutio apostolica Munificentissimus Deus, A. D. 1950
* * *
Assumption painting in a sacristy
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the great 17th century Spanish artist, has been described as "wholly a religious painter." On today's feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will look at Murillo's "Assumption" painting as photographed in its locked sacristy in Guadalajara, Mexico.
One version of Murillo's "Assumption" painting is on display at the Hermitage state museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Another is on permanent loan from the Marists to the Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine in Orlando, Florida, in the United States.
Still another version of Murillo's "Assumption" painting is to be found in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Guadalajara -- the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady. However, it is not in the nave or even the sanctuary, but indeed in the sacristy. Years ago, there apparently were hours when the general public could enter the sacristy to see the painting and its surrounding art. Today it is a special-request situation to view the famous painting.
During this writer's honeymoon (a great excuse to attain a favor of someone) in Jalisco in May 2011 broken Spanish learned in high school and college, decent attire (including a mantilla on my wife) and a sincere plea were helpful in convincing rectory staff to take us into the sacristy. It was a stunning room -- larger than some entire chapels, and full of gorgeous old vestments, paintings, statues, vases and wooden furniture. The staff made sure we understood a flash was not allowed. After enjoying the "Assumption" for a few moments, we snapped a photo as best we could of a painting that few people have ever seen:
Focusing on Springtime:
Tradition is the mainstream linking past and future blossoms
A guest article by Peter Miller
Disparaging labels are a desperate attempt by some small self-centered groups (who, in recent decades, thought they were the virtuous center of the Church, when in fact they constituted a very aggressive faction not as large as they thought) to deny Traditional-minded Catholics their full presence in the Catholic life. By defending in fullness and in its most profound and visible aspects the everlasting truths of the Catholic faith, life, and practice, Traditional Catholics are and have been in fact the avant-garde of the Church. And they will continue to hold the fort.
Many of you may not know who Peter Miller is, but may have often visited his now inactive website, Seattle Catholic - one of the very first Catholic news sources and aggregators on the web, focused on Traditional matters. We are very pleased to have him as a guest, and this is his first contribution to our blog - hopefully, the first of several, as he discusses these points of contention.
________________________________
Focusing on Springtime
Focusing on Springtime
Peter Miller
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| There the King comes, and his avant-garde with flowers in their hands Corpus Christi of the St.-Eugène/Ste.-Cécile community, Paris (by G.Bridault) |
Although verbal skirmishes among Catholics are nothing new, the modern ubiquity of internet communications seems to have accelerated these battles to a fever pitch. Recently, combatting the “rad trads” has become a popular front in this ongoing war of words, serving to provide (to me at least) a certain degree of short-term nostalgia. It was a mere dozen years (and almost as many children) ago that similar debates distributed on actual newsprint helped facilitate my willingness to honestly consider for the first time what I had previously dismissed as “traditionalist” sophistries. The results would lead to my abandoning previous prejudices toward these Catholics, and starting a website with a primary objective of helping present and defend those same ideas I had previously discounted. Such lofty goals led to my typing numerous rambling, awkwardly-worded columns (consider yourself forewarned) for which the most obvious wages have been years of anonymous electronically-delivered scorn that seem destined to continue in perpetuity.
The labels may have changed, but the substance of the attacks remains the same. I used to be an “integrist” and “schismatic” but have since graduated to the ranks of “rad trad” and “Pelagian”. At one time I would have eagerly jumped into the fray to offer a defense and take some swings of my own, but these days it’s hard to muster the energy toward such a campaign for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the current ecclesial landscape is much different today than it was twelve years ago, with many of the more contentious points of debate cast in a new context by what has transpired in the Church. But more importantly, it’s become harder for me to see these debates as holding significant importance for the future of the Church, as they are likely to cause more harm than benefit.
A dozen years ago, many of those devoted to the Latin Mass lived a very different life than they do today. In those days, it was typical to find oneself pleading with an unsympathetic prelate for permission to attend a Latin Mass – an indult-based accommodation for which we had no recognized juridical right, with access granted or withheld according to each bishop’s whim. At best, we were tolerated as a novel anachronism with an irrational nostalgia for something happily relegated to the dustbin of history. More often however, we were considered by clerics and apologists alike to be a sinister fifth column infecting the Church. While such relative inconvenience pales in comparison to the real sacrifices and suffering previous Catholics endured during these past decades as they tried to preserve our heritage, the concerns being presented and the ones who presented them were no less derided.
That seems to be less the case today, as it is more common to see questions and concerns which had been previously met with scoffs and shaking heads, voiced by more and more Catholics from various backgrounds. A decade ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d be reading a Catholic New York Times columnist warning against the pitfalls of “papolatry” 1; or a national political correspondent raising an eyebrow in Slate at the pace of recent canonizations 2; or The Washington Post running a column which challenges the official internal narrative of a glorious post-conciliar era 3. In years past, one would need to look diligently for Catholic writers willing to put their names next to such words. Today, hearing those same claims is a common enough occurrence as to pass by with little controversy.
So what is it that is different today than a dozen years ago? What has changed? Although I won’t pretend to offer a thorough analysis of all the factors that may have contributed to this shift, I believe there were several key events that played a role – all related to the papacy of Benedict XVI.
Welcome to Rorate, Caeremoniale Romanum!
For years, Caeremoniale Romanum has had a job that is at the same time glorious and sorrowful.
Glorious because all the great past ceremonies of the Church of Rome are filled with the signs of Heaven (the Glory of God) both in those signs that were inherited from her apostolic founder, and in those attempts by relentless effort to honor this same origin that Rome did not choose, but that God Almighty bestowed upon her.
Sorrowful because so much was thrown away in the last third of the twentieth century when the slow ceremonial growth of 20 centuries with all the little quirks naturally added and eliminated in such a development were cut off and burned. What generations of popes, bishops, priests, monks carefully pruned and watered was cut by misinformed "liturgists" filled with utmost ahistorical arrogance and anachronistic condescension who cut off the roots instead. Now, in many senses, all that is left is a work of documentation of some details, while the full liturgical past of the Catholic ceremonies of the City of Rome is gone, apparently forever.
Anyway, much can be learned from this great past, and that is what the owner of Caeremoniale Romanum, the Rev. Bartłomiej Krzych, a Polish Seminarian, will present to us - mostly and primarily in languages other than English. But the beauty of the images and videos will speak to all. Our heartfelt welcome to him!
Patronal Feast in the Apostolic Administration Saint John Mary Vianney
The Apostolic Administration Saint John Mary Vianney, in Campos, Brazil (the only Particular Church fully dedicated to the Traditional Roman Rite) celebrated its Patronal Feast on August 8, the day dedicated to the Patron and model of all Parish Priests.
The Pontifical Mass was celebrated in the Principal Church (Cathedral) of the Administration, completely full, by the Apostolic Administration, Bishop Fernando Rifan. Priests, seminarians, religious men and women, lay faihful of all ages were present.
Further images may be found in the Apostolic Administration's Facebook page. (tip: reader)
Let us pray
For Christians in the land of Egypt, the land of servitude and house of bondage hallowed by the presence of the Lord, His Mother and Saint Joseph - and Saint Mark and countless martyrs and confessors. They have often been the first victims in moments of upheaval since their land was invaded by the Muslims 1400 years ago.
The situation for Christians in Egypt is more unstable now than it has ever been since the beginning of the recent troubles. Let us pray and offer sacrifice for our brethren!
The situation for Christians in Egypt is more unstable now than it has ever been since the beginning of the recent troubles. Let us pray and offer sacrifice for our brethren!
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