Magnificent!

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates First Vespers and Te Deum in Saint Peter's Basilica December 31, 2007.

Pio Nono Photo

In answer to an interesting comment/question of an earlier post, Pope Pius IX may have been the first pope to be photographed.

Deo Gratias

In Thanksgiving
for the blessings received this past year
First Vespers and the Te Deum
will be sung at
6:00 p.m. at
Saint Charles Borromeo Parish
on December 31, 2007

Mater Dei

The Solemnity of
Mary, Mother of God
will be celebrated with
Holy Mass at
10:00 a.m. at
Saint Charles Borromeo Parish
on January 1, 2008

Sacristy storageroom unlocked

Benedict XVI

[Forty year gap]

Paul VI

John XXIII

Pius X

Leo XIII

Hee Hee Hee

Luke 14:23

And the Lord said to the servant:
Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in,
that my house may be filled.

It's My Birthday

Gloria in altissimis Deo

et in terra pax homnibus bonae voluntatis

Make Space for God

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict led the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas with a midnight mass on Tuesday, urging people to find time and space for God, the needy and the suffering.

Benedict, marking the third Christmas season of his reign, said a solemn mass for about 10,000 people inside St. Peter's Basilica on a chilly night. The ceremony was broadcast live to 42 countries.

Wearing gold and white vestments, the 80-year-old pontiff wove his sermon around today's significance of the birth of Jesus.

He said the fact that Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn in Bethlehem had modern parallels.

"In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him," he said.

"Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others -- for his neighbor, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others."

The spirit of Christmas, the Pope said, should make everyone recognize the darkness of a world where many people were closed into themselves because they did not want to receive God or his message.

"Do we have time for our neighbor who is in need of a word from us, from me, or in need of my affection? For the sufferer who is in need of help? For the fugitive or the refugee who is seeking asylum?

"Do we have time and space for God? Can he enter into our lives? Does he find room in us, or have we occupied all the available space in our thoughts, our actions, our lives for ourselves?" he said.

In the run-up to Christmas, the Pope several times urged Catholics to rediscover its religious significance, lamenting that the holiday had been dominated by materialism.

On Monday the Pope lit a peace candle and placed it at the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square as the Vatican's life-size nativity scene was unveiled to the public below.

Later on Tuesday, the Pope will deliver his traditional Christmas "Urbi et Orbi" ("to the city and the world") blessing from the basilica's central balcony. He was also due to deliver Christmas greetings in more than 60 languages.

Christmas 2007

Altar ready for Traditional Latin Missa Cantata Midnight Mass.

Daddy sang bass. Momma played fiddle.

Out-of-work "liturgical" musicians find new venue.
(snicker, snicker)

US Papal Visit Art Revealed

WASHINGTON The message "Christ Our Hope," atop an image of an open-arms Pope Benedict XVI before the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, has been chosen as the logo for the visit of Pope Benedict to the United States, April 15-20.

The papal visit will include visits to the Archdioceses of Washington and New York as well as a visit to the United Nations. The theme reflects Pope Benedictís encyclical Spe Salvi, issued in late 2007 as an invitation for people to personally encounter Jesus Christ. In the encyclical, the pope said that faith in Christ brings well-founded hope in eternal salvation, the "great hope" that can sustain people through the trials of this world.

The logo features a full color photograph of Pope Benedict XVI waving both hands. Behind him is a yellow-screened image of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. In black type running at the top and over the cupola of the dome are three lines of type reading "Pope Benedict XVI/Christ Our Hope/Apostolic Journey to the United States 2008."

Logo designer Donna Hobson, director of publications at The Catholic University of America (CUA), explained her goal with this design.

"I wanted to incorporate the papal colors — yellow and white — and my vision was to show a welcoming, arms-open, smiling Pope Benedict," she said.

Ms. Hobson has been a graphic designer for more than 20 years. She has been CUA's publications director for more than two years, after she returned to Washington from Detroit, where she was creative director at Wayne State University.

Father David O'Connell, C.M., CUA president, said he was "pleased to volunteer the services of our university's excellent publications office to design the logo" and delighted that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops accepted the design.

"Our CUA community is eagerly awaiting the pontiff's visit to the United States, and especially to our campus, and we want to contribute to its success in every possible way."

Papal Schedule

The Holy Father will celebrate Midnight Mass on Monday, December 24, in St. Peter's Basilica.

The next day at 12:00 p.m. from the central balcony of St. Peter's, he will deliver his Christmas message to the world and will impart his blessing "urbi et orbi".

On New Year's Eve, in St. Peter's Basilica, he will preside at First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and the singing of the traditional "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving for the conclusion of the year.

New Year's Day, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, the Pontiff will celebrate 10:00 a.m. Mass in St. Peter's.

On Sunday, January 6, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Benedict XVI will preside at Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 10:00 a.m.

On January 13, the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the Pope will celebrate Mass in the Sistine Chapel at 10:00 a.m., during which he will baptize a number of children.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Received via email

Dear Father,
I am writing to you in hopes that you would visit our site, Venite Missa Est! at http://venite-missa-est.blogspot.com and perhaps find it interesting, hopefully inspiring adn ultimately finding it worthy of a link on your site.

We are a lay group with the simple goal of spreading the good news of the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite and it's liberation by his Holiness Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum issued Motu Proprio.

Here is our purpose statement: This blog is intended for Catholics who hold and practice the Catholic and Apostolic Faith, who love the Church, and who find especially inspiring the Liturgy of Mass Pope Benedict XVI has named (in his Apostolic Letter, Summorum Pontificum) "the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite." This blog is also intended for whatever seemingly serendipitous purposes our Lord may have in mind for it.

We have a link list, pdf files for download of the Propers of Mass and excellent writing. Our posts have covered: Indulgences . . . . More on Indulgences . . . . An Excerpt from The Imitation of Christ . . . . A Saint's Life from The Roman...St. Thomas Aquinas' First Way...The Catechism & The Bible....and much more.

Thank you for your consideration. We are trying to find some success for our blog in spreading the good news of Christ through the Traditional Latin Mass Liturgy.

Sincerely,
Mark Llamas
Wichita, Kansas

V2 false notion revealed (again)

I am certain that most Catholics are unaware of the false notion that Vatican II ordered Holy Communion in the hand and other ridiculous modernist innovations. What follows is a very small portion of an interview of 11/28/07 of Archbishop Ranjith of the Congregation of Divine Worship (who is rumored to be Cardinal Arinze’s replacement.)

I mention for example, a change not proposed by the Council Fathers or by Sacrosanctum Concilium, Holy Communion received in the hand. This has contributed to some extent to a weakening of faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This, and the removal of altar rails and kneelers in church and the introduction of practices which oblige the faithful to sit or stand at the elevation of the Sacred Host, weakens the genuine significance of the Eucharist and the Church’s profound sense of adoration for the Lord, the Only Son of God. Moreover in many places, the church the ‘house of God’, is used for meetings, concerts or inter-religious celebrations. In some churches the Blessed Sacrament is almost hidden away in a little chapel, hardly seen and little decorated. All this obscures a belief so central in the Church, belief in the real presence of Christ. The church, for Catholics, is the ‘home’ of the Eternal One.

Personal Parish Established

"Personal Parish for the Extraordinary Form to be established in Rome: the traditional Mass apostolate in Rome under Fr Joseph Kramer is to be elevated into a personal parish, with Fr Kramer as its first parish priest. The apostolate will move early in 2008 into a larger Church, which will be given for the exclusive use of the new Parish: the Church of Trinita dei Pellegrini. We are told that the Holy Father wishes this model to be “an exemplar for the whole Church”. We thank God for this development, rejoice in the Holy Father’s leadership, and congratulate Fr Kramer and his community."

Liturgical Changes at Griswold

The last few months, at the North American Mother House for the Franciscans of the Immaculate in Griswold, CT have been marked with great excitement, ever since the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross when the extra ordinary form of the Mass (Traditional Latin Mass or TLM) was celebrated with great solemnity by Fr. Peter Fehlner, who, following the Mass in the sacristy turned to the Acolytes and commented joyfully “that is the Mass that St. Peter celebrated”. The following day Fr. Angelo Geiger celebrated a beautiful low Mass and the momentum and zeal for the TLM has been growing rapidly ever since.

With the visitation of our Most Reverend Father Founder and Minister General, Fr. Stefano Manelli, came the news that he desired the novices to be proficient in serving the TLM as soon as possible. Of course, this news was received with great enthusiasm on the part of the novices who were given a few days a week to learn the detailed rubrics of serving it. Currently, the Griswold friary offers the TLM periodically, but with ever increasing frequency especially on Wednesdays for the 5:30 St. Joseph Mass, and for the evening Masses on feast days in honor of Our Lady. Diligently, the friars are preparing to celebrate a Missa Cantata (a Sung High Mass without Deacon and Sub-Deacon) with great solemnity for Christmas Eve Mass. To ensure that the Mass is offered with the greatest dignity and reverence as it has been passed down to us by Holy Mother Church, a careful study and preparation has been undertaken to learn the detailed but beautiful rubrics for the varying degrees of solemnity for which the Mass can be offered. Thankfully, we have had wonderful resources at our disposal and owe special thanks to the Society of St. John Cantius through their web site Sancta Missa, as well as receiving hands-on guidance from The Saint Gregory Society in New Haven, CT which is dedicated to preserving the TLM and has been doing so for over 20 years.

All this excitement about the liturgy has spilled over to the ordinary form of the Mass (Novus Ordo) inspiring our Father Guardian, Fr. Ignatius to announce that all Masses at the friary will be celebrated Ad Orientem (when the priest faces east, with the people, toward Our Lord in the tabernacle). There has also been an increasing number of Novus Ordo Masses offered in Latin, including our Sunday liturgy. Currently, the friars are working towards developing a schola choir to sing the Gregorian Mass parts for the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass. Also we are implementing the long planned switch to Latin for our community prayers at the Griswold friary, such as meal prayers, visitation to the Blessed Sacrament, and a daily Rosary.

For all this excitement we sincerely say Deo Gracias, Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, and Praised be Jesus and Mary, now and forever.

RIP

Funeral Mass at the Altar of The Chair in St. Peter's

In this photo released by the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper, Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the funeral service for Austrian Cardinal Alfons Maria Stickler, at the Vatican, Friday Dec. 14, 2007. The former archivist and librarian at the Vatican, died Wednesday Dec. 12. He was 97 (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, HO)

Official Portrait

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- It happens only once during a pontificate. Benedict XVI received his official portrait today from renowned Russian painter Natalia Tsarkova. The unveiling took place during a private meeting in Paul VI Hall after the weekly general audience…

Today in Rome

Saluting the Sovereign of Vatican City

In Nativitate Domini

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
will be celebrated at Midnight December 25
at the Roman Catholic Parish of
Saint Charles Borromeo, Peoria, AZ
according to the usus antiquor.

I unite to thy purity

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heart of my Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
I unite to thy purity, thy sanctity, thy zeal and thy love,
all my thoughts, words, acts, and sufferings this day,
that there may be nothing in me
that does not become through thee,
a pleasure to Jesus, a gain to souls,
and an act of reparation
for the offenses against thy Heart.

A few words from Card. Hoyos :)

Rorate Caeli blog reports:

“On December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Cardinal Hoyos, president of the Ecclesia Dei commission, received representatives of a dozen associations of Faithful calling for the implementation of the Motu proprio in their respective dioceses.”

In part the Cardinal said:

“Prayer is always necessary but even more so in our time when progressivism has wreaked havoc in the heart of the Church. He cited the lack of piety and respect for things holy and the difficulty of attempting to make these things meet contemporary taste on account of bad habits that have been acquired. The Cardinal asked to bear in mind that the since the Church is universal, problems and solutions may not be uniform and that time is needed to design and implement reforms.”

St Michael Pray for Us

The battle for Catholic Tradition is a spiritual one.

Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio.
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
Tu que, Princeps militiae coelestis,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute, in infernum detrude.
Amen.

Thank you Pope Benedict!

I heard some good news today. A young priest in this diocese who recently became a Parish Administrator is going to begin offering the Traditional Latin Mass.

Introit for 12|10|07

St Charles Borromeo Altar Readied for TLM

Populus Sion, ecce Dóminus véniet ad salvándas gentes: et audítam fáciet Dóminus Glóriam vocis suæ in lætítia cordis vestri. (Ps. 79: 2) Qui regis Israël inténde: qui dedúcis velut ovem, Joseph. v. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart. (Ps. 79: 2) Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Rainy Day

Pope Benedict XVI waves from his “popemobile” as he drives through Rome's Via Condotti street on his way to the Spanish Steps to pray before a statue of Mary on the occasion of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, on a rainy Saturday, December 8, 2007. Benedict XVI said Saturday that boys and girls at ever younger ages are in danger of being deceived by adults hawking false models of happiness and leading them down 'the dead-end streets of consumerism.' Dec. 8, which the Catholic Church celebrates as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is a national holiday in predominantly Roman Catholic Italy. (AP Photo/ Alessandra Tarantino)

EWTN Advent Special

EWTN Global Catholic Network will air a Solemn High Tridentine Mass, live from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama on Saturday, December 15: 8:00 AM (Live) | 6:00 PM (Encore) | Sunday, December 16 12:00 AM (Encore)

Known as the Rorate Mass, the liturgy will be celebrated by clergy of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). The Rorate Mass, so called because it begins with the words, “Rorate caeli desuper et nubes pluant iustum…” (“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down upon the Just One…”), is a votive Mass offered within the season of Advent in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Celebrated by candlelight and traditionally held before dawn, this beautiful liturgy is esteemed particularly as part of the patrimony of the German-speaking peoples. Very Rev. Fr. John Berg, FSSP, the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity, will travel from the community’s headquarters in Switzerland and will serve both as the celebrant and preacher. Priests and seminarians from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, the FSSP’s international seminary in North America, will also travel to Alabama to assist.

Ave Gratia Plena

This feast was established for the universal Church by Pope Pius IX when He proclaimed that from all eternity, the Triune Divinity chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the tabernacle of the Son of God. The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception proclaimed once and for all that it was unthinkable that Mary be defiled in any way by sin in any manner whatsoever. Thus, in that infinitesmal second that God created Mary He made her Immaculate. This grace, like all other graces since Adam and Eve's fall, was given to Mary through the merits of her Divine Son Jesus. She stood alone as one free of the stain of original sin, redeemed not from the evil already present at birth, but from any evil that threatened this sacred temple known as the Mother of God.

Extraordinary!

Fr. Z at WDTPRS? Blog has some great news from three persons regarding the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA.

1. “I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that the rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia made the announcement tonight at the rector’s dinner. Next semester St. Charles will have the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, an elective on the Mass and Sacraments from the 1962 form, and the Eucharist and Liturgy classes will be modified to cover the extraordinary form.

These are all the details for now. God Bless Pope Benedict! We never thought this could ever happen, even a year ago. There will be celebration tonight in Philadelphia!”

2. “Excellent news! St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, which trains seminarians from about 17 dioceses will be having the Traditional Latin Mass here starting next semester. Our rector just announced it to us tonight and many of us were very excited. He even said they will incorporate the theology of the Traditional Mass into our semester class on the Eucharist, as well as offer an elective class to the theology students on how to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.

This decree came straight from Cardinal Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia. We have yet to receive details on how often the Mass will be celebrated, but either way, this news is overwhelmingly exciting!”

3.“Good news from the front!

The rector here at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary has just announced that the seminary will be saying the Traditional Latin Mass in accord with the Motu Proprio. He also said that the seminary will be offering a course on how to say the Extraordinary Form as well as how to perform all the pertinent sacraments in that form with a proper understanding of the theology of it. Additionally, this theology will be incorporated in the course on the Eucharist. This plan was drafted a while ago, sent to the Cardinal, and was recently approved. Further details concerning the nature and frequency of the Holy Sacrifice will be announced at the beginning of next semester (Spring 2008).

This announcement has been such an encouragement to the many traditional minded seminarians here. We rejoice greatly over this great gift that God has given us as we await His Greatest Gift, His Son, Jesus Christ.”

O Tannenbaum

Workers erect a massive fir tree from northern Italy's alpine Val Badia valley, in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Wednesday Dec. 5, 2007

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie grün sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie grün sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat schon zur Winterszeit
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Mut und Kraft zu jeder Zeit!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren!

Nicholas

Deus, qui beátum Nicoláum Pontíficem ínnúmeris decorásti miráculis: tríbue quæsumus; ut ejus méritis et précibus, a gehénnæ incéndìis liberémur. Per Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Tuum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.

O God, Who didst adorn blessed Nicholas, the bishop, with miracles unnumbered, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his merits and prayers we may be delivered from the fires of hell. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever.

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Asia Minor, from the childlike innocence of his own life and his devout care for the young, is looked upon as the patron of children. He died in the middle of the Fourth Century, and seven hundred years later his holy relics were translated to Bari in Italy. Because of the power he exercised over flames, we pray that through his intercession we may be preserved from the flames of hell. He is remembered for the money which he threw in a window that three young girls might have a dowry for their marriage.

Also notable:

the papal dalmatic (gold trimmed violet) under the chasuble.

Alter Altare

Pope Benedict XVI conducts Holy Mass during his pastoral visit to the Roman Hospital "San Giovanni Battista" of the Order of Malta in Rome December 2, 2007. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (ITALY)

Sign the Petition

Catholic League

Ad Altare Dei

The Traditional Latin Mass
will be said
at Saint Charles Borromeo Parish
every weekday morning
at 8:00 a.m.
beginning the First Monday of Advent
December 3, 2007

Where's Waldo?

If this is joining the 21st century, just count me out. Thanks [?] to Catholic Church Conservation blog for calling our attention to this.

Details. Details. Details.

Detail of Pope Benedict's cope and lace alb from First Vespers this evening. Also, note the gilt putus on Leo XII's throne as he looks toward His Holiness.

"Sisters" take note

SISTERS: Tradition spurs order's growth

THE WASHINGTON POST | Saturday, December 1, 2007

People wait an hour in line to talk with her, pack standing room only into a bar to hear her, and some even squeal when they see her, this woman in a sister’s habit.

She is Sister Mary Jordan Hoover, the principal of Northern Virginia’s first new Catholic high school in 20 years, a $60 million state-of-the-art project that will open in Dumfries next fall. At a time when it’s possible to count on one hand the number of Catholic secondary schools that open each year in the nation, her arrival in Virginia represents good news for supporters of Catholic schools.

But Hoover, a cheery 42-year-old, brings another major layer of buzz to the Arlington Diocese because she is a member of the Nashville Dominicans, rock stars in the world of Catholic religious orders. Although the number of religious sisters in the United States has plunged since the 1960s, resulting in an average age of about 70, there has been an increase in recent years among traditional, habit-wearing orders, including the Nashville-based Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, which has 226 members and a median age of 35. It recently raised $46 million to expand its chapel because the sisters were spilling into the hall.

In her floor-length white habit with black veil and a rosary around her waist, Hoover is the picture of affirmation for traditional dioceses.

With a stated mission of teaching, the Nashville Dominicans get letters and phone calls almost daily from dioceses across the country, asking that they send their youthful - and overtly devout - vibe to one school or another.

“The bishops are circling Nashville,” said Timothy McNiff, schools superintendent in the Arlington Diocese, who introduced Hoover at an open house in Woodbridge, Va., this month for the new school, which will be called Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School.

There is little detailed research on women who join Catholic religious orders - called “women religious,” “sisters” or often “nuns,” although technically that means a woman who is cloistered. Although traditional orders make up a small slice of the pie, they are where the growth is.

“This generation is more conventional in their outlook and more traditional in values,” said Brother Paul Bednarczyk, the executive director of the National Religious Vocations Conference. “Given the relativity of our culture, they really want to know what it means to be Catholic, and symbols - like habits - speak to them deeply. They want people to know they have made this radical choice.”

Some experts say that the growth of traditional groups is because their work goals of teaching and nursing, for example, have remained clear; they haven’t strayed as much as more progressive orders into a broader array of careers where they often live and work alone, apart from their sisters. Others say that they are the natural result of Pope John Paul II’s papacy, during which the church refocused on its orthodox roots after the social turbulence of the 1960s and ’70s. Some think that their meditative lifestyles are simply more attractive in an era of nonstop communication.

Regardless, a sister in a habit makes clear what is special about Catholic schools at a time when there are hundreds of thousands fewer students there than 10 years ago. “If Catholic schools don’t look any different and use the same textbooks and have the same teachers and the same standards, why have them?” asked Sister Patricia Wittberg, a sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis who studies religious orders. One way to distinguish yourself is “to get a bunch of women in habits in there. They are icons of Catholicity in a diocese that wants Catholicity.”