Friday, January 23, 2015
Saint Agnes
Rome Quotes
"Rome brings out the worst in people. If you have any weakness - physical, mental, or moral - the climate, the way of life, or something about the city will accentuate it. I make no claims to be a diagnostician, but I have seen it happen any number of times. People find that a physical illness, such as diabetes or arthritis, gets worse there. Normally fine women go completely berserk over some Italian papagallo, or Lothario, and it takes a real jolt to bring them back to their senses. Anyone would agree that Rome has a strange effect on visitors if they witnessed - as I have - the antics of movie starts, the caperings of elderly men on vacation away from home, and the dear old ladies who are giving romance one last fling in Europe. I have known at least a half-dozen men and women, including members of the clergy, who have become mentally disturbed while in Rome. Obviously, the many fine Americans living in Rome and loving the Eternal City are witnesses to the fact that for many men and women the Roman atmosphere presents no problem. Saints have been made in Rome, too, and holy people today walk the ancient streets. But the ratio of saints sinners, I have a strong suspicion, is a bit out of balance."
-American Pastor in Rome, by James Cunningham.
-American Pastor in Rome, by James Cunningham.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Catholic Men of Action Groups: Holy Ardor of Truth
"How may Catholics, who are perpetually surrounded by the snares of liberalism, guard themselves securely against its dangers? By the organization of all good Catholics, be their number great or small: they should become known to each other, meet each other, unite together in every locality - every city, town or village, should have a nucleus of Catholic men of action. Such an organization will attract the undecided, give courage to the hesitating and counteract the influence of hostile or indifferent surroundings. If you number only a dozen men of spirit, no matter. Found societies, especially of young men. Put yourselves in correspondence with older societies in your neighborhood, or even at a distance. Link your associations together - association with association - as the Roman legions used to form the military tortoise, by uniting shield with shield over their heads. Thus united, be your number ever so small, lift on high the banner of a sound, pure and uncompromising doctrine, without disguise, without attenuation, yielding not an inch to the enemy. Uncompromising courage is always noble, commands sympathy, and wins over the chivalric. To see a man battered by the floods, yet standing firm as a rock, upright and immovable, is an inspiring sight! Above all, give good example, give good example always. What you preach, do! You will soon see how easily you force people to respect you; when you have gained their admiration, their sympathy will soon follow. Proselytes will be forthcoming. If Catholics only understood what a brilliant secular apostolate they could exercise by being open, straightforward, uncompromising practical Catholics, in word and deed, liberalism and heresy would die a quick death."
-El Liberalismo es Pecado by Fr. Felix Sarda y Salvany, c. 1886.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Summer in Rome Pilgrimage
Daily TLM.
With open afternoons for those who wish to spend time on the beach.
10 nights in Rome. See the Urbs like you have never seen it before.
Fr. Ashley of Vancouver lived in Rome for some years and knows the city well.
Mass in the Vatican on June 29, one of the greatest feasts of the year, Sts. Peter and Paul.
Day trip to Umbria and another to the Shrine and burial place of St. Maria Goretti, for the festivities on her feast day.
See the itinerary. Limited seating. Register now. Contact me with questions.
Do not miss this rare opportunity.
Monday, January 19, 2015
What Every Priest Needs
Get one for your favorite priest here...
http://stjosephspalls.blogspot.ca/
Catholic Treasures in Antique Shops
Sunday School
Sunday, January 18, 2015
When to Take Christmas Decorations Down?
From Christmas Eve until the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feb. 2.
Of course decorations are gradually taken down, as the tree dies and the Christmas flowers or pine bows wilt, etc.
It is nice to leave the manger scene up until the end.
In many countries, such as Italy, while not every family had a Christmas tree, every family had its own Christmas manger scene. A creche with figurines. A nice tradition. Each year new figurines can be added. The carpenter in the family can build the creche.
Photo taken in Cloverdale, Canada.
The Use of a Hand Missal at Mass
"The Missal, or Mass Book, contains all the prayers said by the priest during the Holy Sacrifice. Most of these prayers are very ancient, coming down from the first ages of the Church. Mass is celebrated in Latin, not because this is essential, but because it secures uniformity of worship in all parts of the world; because modern languages are constantly changing in form and meaning; because Latin has come down to us from antiquity, thus showing the antiquity of the Mass, and reminding us that the faithful of today are assisting at the same divine service as the Christians of the first centuries. There can be no objection to the use of Latin by the priest: first, because the prayers he says are addressed to God; and secondly, because the people may follow what he is saying through the translations in their prayers books, or better in their Missals. From a literary and devotional viewpoint the Missal is one of the most beautiful books in the world; for its contents are made up of a great variety of the most excellent passages from the Old and New Testaments of Holy Scripture, and of most appropriate and elevating prayers composted by saints, doctors and liturgists of the Church. The Missal also embraces in outline the chief mysteries and doctrines of our holy faith, and is therefore a treasury of religious and moral instruction."
-The Catholic Sunday Missal, c. 1934
-The Catholic Sunday Missal, c. 1934
Rome Quotes
"Pilgrimages may be defined as journeys made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask there for supernatural aid, or to discharge some religious obligation."
-Catholic Encyclopedia
-Catholic Encyclopedia
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Dalmatic and Tunicle of a Bishop
Made of very light silk.
Worn over the rochet and under the chasuble.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Rome Quotes
"Whether we call it 'The Modern Attack' or 'Anti-Christ' it is all one; there is a clear issue now joined between the retention of Catholic morals, tradition and authority on the one side, and the active effort to destroy them on the other. The modern attack will not tolerate us. It will attempt to destroy us. Nor can we tolerate it. We must attempt to destroy it as being the fully equipped and ardent enemy of the Truth by which men live. The duel is to the death."
-Hilaire Belloc
-Hilaire Belloc
Evil of Freemasonry/Shriners
Know the facts:
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13human.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13ms3.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13ms1.htm
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo13/l13ms4.htm
Catholic Response to Mad Homosexualist Attack on Civilization
THE IDEOLOGY OF HOMOSEXUALITY
(pp. 609-612)
Extract from the newly published and expanded memoirs of our favorite Italian Cardinal, the Lion of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi.
"The ideology of homosexuality – as often happens to ideologies when they become aggressive and end up being politically triumphant – becomes a threat to our legitimate autonomy of thought: those who do not share it risk condemnation to a kind of cultural and social marginalization.
The attacks on freedom of thought start with language. Those who do not resign themselves to accept "homophilia" (the theoretical appreciation of homosexual relations) are charged with "homophobia" (etymologically, the "fear of homosexuality"). This must be very clear: those who are made strong by the inspired word and live in the "fear of God" are not afraid of anything, except perhaps the stupidity toward which, Bonhoeffer said, we are defenseless. We are now even charged sometimes with the incredibly arbitrary accusation of "racism": a word that, among other things, has nothing to do with this issue, and in any case is completely extraneous to our doctrine and our history.
The essential problem that presents itself is this: is it still permitted in our days to be faithful and consistent disciples of the teaching of Christ (which for millennia has inspired and enriched the whole of Western civilization), or must we prepare ourselves for a new form of persecution, promoted by homosexual activists, by their ideological accomplices, and even by those whose task it should be to defend the intellectual freedom of all, including Christians?
There is one question that we ask in particular of the theologians, biblicists, and pastoralists. Why on earth, in this climate of almost obsessive exaltation of Sacred Scripture, is the Pauline passage of Romans 1:21-32 never cited by anyone? Why on earth is there not a little more concern to make it known to believers and nonbelievers, in spite of its evident timeliness?"
-Giacomo Biffi, "Memorie e digressioni di un italiano cardinale," new expanded edition, Cantagalli, Siena, 2010, euro 25.00.
(pp. 609-612)
Extract from the newly published and expanded memoirs of our favorite Italian Cardinal, the Lion of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi.
"The ideology of homosexuality – as often happens to ideologies when they become aggressive and end up being politically triumphant – becomes a threat to our legitimate autonomy of thought: those who do not share it risk condemnation to a kind of cultural and social marginalization.
The attacks on freedom of thought start with language. Those who do not resign themselves to accept "homophilia" (the theoretical appreciation of homosexual relations) are charged with "homophobia" (etymologically, the "fear of homosexuality"). This must be very clear: those who are made strong by the inspired word and live in the "fear of God" are not afraid of anything, except perhaps the stupidity toward which, Bonhoeffer said, we are defenseless. We are now even charged sometimes with the incredibly arbitrary accusation of "racism": a word that, among other things, has nothing to do with this issue, and in any case is completely extraneous to our doctrine and our history.
The essential problem that presents itself is this: is it still permitted in our days to be faithful and consistent disciples of the teaching of Christ (which for millennia has inspired and enriched the whole of Western civilization), or must we prepare ourselves for a new form of persecution, promoted by homosexual activists, by their ideological accomplices, and even by those whose task it should be to defend the intellectual freedom of all, including Christians?
There is one question that we ask in particular of the theologians, biblicists, and pastoralists. Why on earth, in this climate of almost obsessive exaltation of Sacred Scripture, is the Pauline passage of Romans 1:21-32 never cited by anyone? Why on earth is there not a little more concern to make it known to believers and nonbelievers, in spite of its evident timeliness?"
-Giacomo Biffi, "Memorie e digressioni di un italiano cardinale," new expanded edition, Cantagalli, Siena, 2010, euro 25.00.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Rome Quotes
"Had this movement [Arianism] for rejecting the full divinity of Our Lord gained the victory, all our civilization would have been other than it has been from that day to this. We all know what happens when an attempt to simplify and rationalize the mysteries of the Faith succeeds in any society. We have before us the now ending experiment of the Reformation, and the aged but still very vigorous Mohammedan heresy, which may perhaps appear with renewed vigor in the future. Such rationalistic efforts against the creed produce a gradual social degradation following on the loss of that direct link between human nature and God which is provided by the Incarnation. Human dignity is lessened. The authority of Our Lord is weakened. He appears more and more as a man - perhaps a myth. The substance of Christian life is diluted. It wanes. What began as Unitarianism ends as Paganism."
-Hilaire Belloc (in 1938)
-Hilaire Belloc (in 1938)
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
S. Maria de Perpetuo Succursu
Vetus Imago Miraculis Clara Venerata Romae in Ecclesia S. Alphonsi
Getting the Word Out
Seen in the town of Mission, Canada.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
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