Sunday, April 30, 2017

Should This Blog Continue?

Dear Friends:

I think I am ending this blog.  It has been 10 years.   

People are interested in on the hour news, perhaps not so much in random Catholic pics and miscellanea. 

Remember, what was done, was done for you.  There is much work to be done.

In our own generation we have witnessed a radical shift in culture.  In previous generations, everything was looked at from the experience of Christianity.  I have tried to reflect that in this blog.

In olden days, everyone had to contend with the Catholic religion.  Unfortunately, that world is rapidly disappearing.  With increasing momentum, a new yet antiquated force is pressing in and displacing Christian culture from the world.  This force is paganism.  

I somehow feel called to pray more.  Civilization seems to be sliding off the edge.  We will need to spend more time in prayer and fasting.     

John 1:41: "He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."

Let us pray!

JPSonnen 

Rome Quotes

"But in an age in which everything tends toward dissolution in every form and pattern, accompanied by the enthusiastic applause of our contemporaries, it seems to us that the far shrewder term is conservare instead of reform in the sense of refashioning.  But the position to be defined is almost hopeless!"

-Richard Seewald

Saturday, April 29, 2017

The Mission Main Theme (Morricone Conducts), ENNIO MORRICONE.

Future Pope

In the obscurity of poverty stricken post-war Poland.  

Pope St. John Paul II the Great. 

Thursday, April 27, 2017

July 2, 1963 - President John F. Kennedy visits Pope Paul VI in the Vati...

Benedict XVI drinks beer on his 90th birthday

Announcing: FSSP Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Join us in the Holy Land!

Allow us to guide you, on a Traditional Catholic pilgrimage, in the footsteps of Jesus!

Daily Mass in the EF.

Optimal dates have been selected for ideal weather: Nov 26 - Dec 9, 2017.

For more information, see here: 

Ben Carson Drops Truth Bomb About Planned Parenthood

Friday, April 21, 2017

Wojtyla and Ratzinger Are the True Moral Theologians of Our Day


Just One of Those Days


Familiaris Consortio: Read It!

84. Daily experience unfortunately shows that people who have obtained a divorce usually intend to enter into a new union, obviously not with a Catholic religious ceremony. Since this is an evil that, like the others, is affecting more and more Catholics as well, the problem must be faced with resolution and without delay. The Synod Fathers studied it expressly. The Church, which was set up to lead to salvation all people and especially the baptized, cannot abandon to their own devices those who have been previously bound by sacramental marriage and who have attempted a second marriage. The Church will therefore make untiring efforts to put at their disposal her means of salvation.

Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of situations. There is in fact a difference between those who have sincerely tried to save their first marriage and have been unjustly abandoned, and those who through their own grave fault have destroyed a canonically valid marriage. Finally, there are those who have entered into a second union for the sake of the children's upbringing, and who are sometimes subjectively certain in conscience that their previous and irreparably destroyed marriage had never been valid.

Together with the Synod, I earnestly call upon pastors and the whole community of the faithful to help the divorced, and with solicitous care to make sure that they do not consider themselves as separated from the Church, for as baptized persons they can, and indeed must, share in her life. They should be encouraged to listen to the word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts in favor of justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace. Let the Church pray for them, encourage them and show herself a merciful mother, and thus sustain them in faith and hope.

However, the Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried. They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist. Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church's teaching about the indissolubility of marriage.

Reconciliation in the sacrament of Penance which would open the way to the Eucharist, can only be granted to those who, repenting of having broken the sign of the Covenant and of fidelity to Christ, are sincerely ready to undertake a way of life that is no longer in contradiction to the indissolubility of marriage. This means, in practice, that when, for serious reasons, such as for example the children's upbringing, a man and a woman cannot satisfy the obligation to separate, they "take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples."

Similarly, the respect due to the sacrament of Matrimony, to the couples themselves and their families, and also to the community of the faithful, forbids any pastor, for whatever reason or pretext even of a pastoral nature, to perform ceremonies of any kind for divorced people who remarry. Such ceremonies would give the impression of the celebration of a new sacramentally valid marriage, and would thus lead people into error concerning the indissolubility of a validly contracted marriage.
By acting in this way, the Church professes her own fidelity to Christ and to His truth. At the same time she shows motherly concern for these children of hers, especially those who, through no fault of their own, have been abandoned by their legitimate partner.

With firm confidence she believes that those who have rejected the Lord's command and are still living in this state will be able to obtain from God the grace of conversion and salvation, provided that they have persevered in prayer, penance and charity.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Billy Graham at the Garden Tomb, 1960

Catholic Church Architecture Part 4 of 10: The Classical Tradition

10th Anniversary of the Passing of America's Greatest Church Musician of the XXth Century: Rev. Dr. Mons. R.J. Schuler, PhD

See here for more info from the excellent NLM blog:

http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2017/04/mass-in-honor-of-msgr-schuler-at-st.html#.WPaX-KK1uUk

Many thanks to Italo-American liturgical scholar par excellence, Mr. Gregory di Pippo, for this post.

He received his doctorate in musicology from the University of Rochester, NY.  

Sacred Music in Canada (Adoramus Te/We Adore Thee)

Amazing Grace: Christian Faith and Forgiveness

Adoramus Te (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina)

Miss Connie's 99th Birthday Wish Come True

Good Friday in Paris

Last Living Person from the 1800s: Catholic Lady Emma Morano Passes Away at Age 117

Emma Morano, Catholic Lady from Italy, Dies At Age 117: A.D. 1899 - 2017

The last person born in the nineteenth century has passed away.

May her memory be eternal!

She was born and baptized during the reign of Leo XIII, of holy, happy and glorious memory.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39610937

Happy 90th Birthday to Pope Benedict the Humble!

Easter Sunday Anno Domini 2017. 

Syriac Catholic Bishop on Syria

Descent of the Blessed Fire 2017: Holy Fire Jerusalem

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Tenebrae in Canada






One of the holiest experiences on the planet earth.  Tenebrae on Good Friday!

At the very end, one last lit candle remains.  Then, the haunting strepitus noise and recessional in silent darkness. 

The strepitus is a harsh sound indicating the closing of the tomb and subsequent earthquake at the time of Christ’s death.  The noise is made by the slamming the Liber Usualis books on the kneelers in the sanctuary. 

I feel very blessed to have experienced this beautiful liturgical prayer in my parish (Sts. Joachim and Ann in Canada).  Hats off to the very generous pastor, Fr. Bill Ashley!  

Good Friday Reproaches by Tomás Luis de Victoria in Canada

Good Friday in Canada







Good Friday, April 14, 2017: Church of Sts. Joachim and Ann in Aldergrove, Canada.

Glorious tradition of liturgical music of the Roman rite at its best. The surest way to the soul is through music. That is why the devil has labored with such gusto to swamp Catholic liturgical music in recent years.

So refreshing to attend services at Sts. Joachim and Ann where you can hear the splendor and genius of the music of the Roman rite - as the Church in Her wisdom has bequeathed it to us. This music was not written to be heard in a concert hall, but to be heard and felt in the context of the Church's living liturgical life.

Thank you to all who sang. And to the pastor. Your efforts are for the greater glory of God and the sanctification of men. Your reward will be in heaven. God bless you all!

Happy Easter Anno Domini 2017!


What Liturgical Music Sounds Like

Friday, April 14, 2017

Maundy Thursday in Canada

Aldergrove, British Columbia. 

Serving Mass for Your Priest Brother

An inspiration to see 1950s altar boys still serving at the altar.  Fr. William Ashley, our distinguished pastor, assisted by his brother.  Sons of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.  Maundy Thursday 2017.  God be praised for every vocation, ordained and lay. 

God Bless Mr. Michael Matt: Lay Apostle of the Roman Church

7 Reasons Why I love the Traditional Latin Mass

The Magdala Apostolate

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Rome Quotes

"In our own age, much more pernicious is the sin of those who would fain pervert utterly the nature of marriage, perfect though it is, and complete in all its details and parts.  The chief reason why they act in this way is because very many, imbued with the maxims of a false philosophy and corrupted morals, judge nothing so unbearable as submission and obedience; and strive with all their might to bring about that not only individual men, but families also, nay indeed, human society itself, may in haughty pride despise the sovereignty of God."

-Leo XIII, Arcanum Divinae, 1880.

Leo on Holy Matrimony

"Later on He brought back matrimony to the nobility of its primeval origin, by condemning the customs of the Jews in their abuse of the plurality of wives and of the power of giving bills of divorce; and still more by commanding most strictly that no one should dare to dissolve that union which God Himself had sanctioned by a bond perpetual."

-Leo XIII, Arcanum Divinae, 1880. 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Rome Quotes

"In the great confusion of opinions, however, which day by day is spreading more and more widely, it should further be known that no power can dissolve the bond of Christian marriage whenever this has been ratified and consummated; and that, of a consequence, those husbands and wives are guilty of a manifest crime who plan, for whatever reason, to be united in a second marriage before the first one has been ended by death.  When, indeed, matters have come to such a pitch that it seems impossible for them to live together any longer, then the Church allows them to live apart, and strives at the same time to soften the evils of this separation by such remedies and helps as are suited to their condition; yet she never ceases to endeavor to bring about a reconciliation, and never despairs of doing so.  But these are extreme cases; and they would seldom exist if men and women entered into the married state with proper dispositions, not influenced by passion, but entertaining right ideas of the duties of marriage and of its noble purpose; neither would they anticipate their marriage by a series of sins drawing upon them the wrath of God."

-Pope Leo XIII

Use of Latin According to the Vatican Website

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/details/ns_lit_doc_20091117_lingua-latina_en.html

The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Martyrs of Holy Week AD 2017

Catholic Hero David Daleiden: A Role Model for All Catholic Men

Pope Benedict Turns 90 on Easter Sunday!

"To be the first person baptized with the new water was seen as a significant act of Providence. I have always been filled with thanksgiving for having had my life immersed in this way in the Easter Mystery . . . the more I reflect on it, the more this seems fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still waiting for Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust." 

-Milestones, p. 8

A Great Custom for Your Parish: Tenebrae Cards

I will always be grateful to Fr. Z for these nice cards.  He started this tradition at St. Agnes church back in the day.

Each Passiontide, he had these nice little commemorative holy cards printed and distributed to each participant who sang Tenebrae.  Everyone was grateful, including the visitors, who came from everywhere.  I remember one year we had a Latinist monsignor visiting from the Congo.    

It was nice to have this little memento and to collect them.  This one is from 20 years ago! The service made a great impression.  My favorite part was at the end on Good Friday when everyone would close their Liber and slam it against the kneeler to make a jolting "BANG" sound, called the strepitus, a harsh sound indicating the closing of the tomb and consequent earthquake when Christ died on the cross.   

The cards also made fine bookmarks in the Liber Usualis.  In those days I always reached for the old Liber of Monsignor Bandas, who had passed in 1969.  His was full of these cards and others from previous years.

When I return to St. Agnes now these many years later, I find crystal drops quivering at the ends of my lashes.  It is with great emotion I return to thank the Lord in heaven for what I was bequeathed at St. Agnes - the liturgical praxis of the Roman rite, the glory and splendor of sacred liturgy, in the Viennese tradition.  A rare privilege in an aliturgical world. 

What a Good Friday Clapper (Crotalus) Looks Like

If you are handy with wood, make one for your parish. 

Great Catholic Layman: Alphonse J. Matt



My family knew the Matt family because both families were longtime parishioners at the stately German parish in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, the church of the Assumption.  The Assumption is where Der Wanderer was founded and published from.  When the liturgical reform hit home, the Al Matt family left the Assumption for another nearby German parish, the church of St. Agnes.

Al's dad, Joseph, was one of the most distinguished parishioners at the Assumption.  In 1926, in recognition of his great contribution to the Church as editor of The Wanderer, Pope Pius XI made him a Knight of St. Gregory.

My ancestors have read The Wanderer from its first issue.  And to think it was started by Benedictines of St. John's Abbey from Collegeville, when they had the pastorship of the Assumption!

The Matt family does good work and our family continues to support them fully.  Our family plots are next to each other in Minnesota.  God bless Alphonse J. Matt.  He fought the good fight and his untimely passing was too soon.  May his memory be eternal!       

Egyptian Martyrs of Palm Sunday

Memorial to the Unborn

Leading Pilgrims Closer to Christ

How to Design a Shrine

Encountering God through Beauty in Wisconsin (USA)

Cardinal Burke's Inspiration for the Shrine (USA)

Pilgrimage to a Sacred Place

Architectural Uniqueness of the the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Extraordinary Form in Canada

Happy Birthday in Chant


10th Anniversary Celebration in Rome: Summorum Pontificum

(American TV) Roman Catholic Jubilee 1950 - Pope Pius XII

Palm Sunday Vespers in Canada

Palm Sunday in Canada

Palm Sunday in Rome

Holy Week is a fine time to be in Rome.

For the latest, see the unofficial Facebook page, Santissima Trinita dei Pellegrini, Rome.

Or, the official Facebook page, Parrocchia SS. Trinita' dei Pellegrini.  

Palm Sunday in Canada




My parish in Canada.  We are very proud of our spectacular liturgies and our truly phenomenal pastor.

Church of Sts. Joachim and Ann, located in Aldergrove, British Columbia.

It is a newer construction church, completed in the Holy Year 2000.  Located in the Fraser River Valley, east of Vancouver, in a rural, but growing community.

Our very gracious pastor, Fr. William Ashley, was ordained priest in Rome 40 years ago this month.  During his student days in the Eternal City he attended sung Vespers every Sunday in the Vatican Basilica.  A great thing to do while in Rome.

As a boy he grew up in the shadow of the mighty Cathedral of St. John's, on Newfoundland island off Canada's Atlantic coast - truly on the furthest edge of the continent.  There he experienced the splendor of the Roman rite, which included sung Vespers every Sunday.

Fr. Ashley has graciously allowed for this same coherent whole of Catholic life to be passed on to his parishioners.  It warms our hearts to think how our kids are growing up with the same: Sung Mass, Vespers, Tenebrae, Gregorian Chant, and all things good and beautiful.  His father, Dr. John Ashley, was a classics professor who taught his son perfect Latin. 

Directly tied to the traditional liturgical practices of the Roman rite is a progression of values or elements, varying by degrees, which teach our kids Catholic culture.  Although there has been a break in many other parishes with this Catholic life, here our kids inherit the whole liturgical experience.   

Fr. Ashley has passed on this rich liturgical (= cultural) heritage to his parishioners.  We are eternally indebted to him for this.  In the name of our children, we thank him profusely.    

To the best pastor in Canada, thank you! 

Palm Sunday in Canada




At the wonderful parish of Sts. Joachim and Ann in Aldergrove, British Columbia.  The Extraordinary Form attracts some of the most fascinating people you will ever meet.  The exceptional choir director is a former Lutheran.  The man in the foreground is a former Protestant pastor, now a traditional Catholic.  Both were received into the Church during the reign of Benedict XVI, of happy memory. 

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Don't forget to veil the tabernacle!

Holy things are always covered.  During Lent and Advent the veil is purple.  If you parish does not have one, then make one on your sewing machine. 

Catholic Culture: Veiling of Statues for Passiontide


How to Make a Hearse for Tenebrae

Seen in Canada.